Guests at the launching of a newsletter and website in the capital's Dhaka Reporters Unity yesterday. Sector Commanders Forum - Liberation War '71 launched the two to provide Bangladeshi youths with the Liberation War's accurate history. Photo: Focus Bangla

Sector Commanders Forum - Liberation War '71 yesterday launched a newsletter and website to provide Bangladeshi youths with the Liberation War's accurate history and propagate the demand for death sentence against war criminals.
The quarterly newsletter's first edition includes articles on war criminals and their trials, the Liberation War and success stories of children of war heroes.
The website, www.scf1971.org, includes articles, a picture gallery on the Liberation War and recent updates on the war crimes trial.
“We hope to motivate our youngsters to learn more about the Liberation War,” said Advocate Keya Chowdhury, the newsletter's information and publicity editor, at the launching in the capital's Dhaka Reporters Unity.
“We want to bring the country's correct birth history before the new generation,” she said.
Terming the youth uprising at Shahbagh “a second war for liberation”, speakers at the launching lauded the young demonstrators for reigniting the Liberation War's spirit.
“Youths demanding the death of Abdul Quader Mollah and other war criminals in Shahbagh are young freedom fighters,” said the forum's Executive Committee Director Lt Col (retd) Abu Hossain Chowdhury.
“They realised that the country will never be rid of its stigma until these criminals get what they deserve,” he said.
Speakers also questioned how Quader Mollah, who committed worse crimes than Abul Kalam Azad (aka Bacchu Razakar), got away with a life sentence when the latter was sentenced to death.
“Freedom fighter Shahidul Haq Mama came all the way from Sweden to serve as a witness against Quader Mollah,” said Maj Gen (retd) KM Shafiullah, Bir Uttam.
“He was so disappointed with the verdict that he asked his fellow freedom fighters to ensure his burial in Sweden rather than Bangladesh if Mollah did not get the death sentence,” he said.
How many crimes must be committed to justify the death sentence, he asked.