Ameer Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Dr Shafiqur Rahman has called for the trial of the Awami League leaders under the ‘black laws’ that were enacted during the AL regime.
Regarding the trial of the mass killings during the student uprising, Dr Shafique said, “Justice must be served as soon as possible to ensure that they (the Awami League) get what they truly deserve.”
He made the remarks while speaking at the member conference of Dhaka city north unit of the party at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Center at Agargaon in the capital on Sunday.
Chaired by Ameer of Dhaka north city of Jamaat-e-Islami Mohammad Selim Uddin, the conference was addressed, among others, by Naibe Ameer of Jamaat-e-Islami and former MP Professor Mujibur Rahman, and the party’s Assistant Secretary General Maulana Rafiqul Islam Khan.
The Jamaat chief said, “We do not want injustice or oppression on anyone. They (Awami League) must be judged by the same black laws they enacted over the years. They should receive their rightful dues.”
Dr Shafiqur Rahman further commented that the AL has a history of banning their own party. “When they (Awami League) established the one-party BAKSAL system, they banned not only all other parties but also their own party. This time, with Allah's help, the people have banned their party,” he said.
He accused the AL's rule of being entirely characterised by extremism and terrorism. “They were involved in terrorism. We will not engage in terrorism. We hate terrorism. We have assured the nation that we will not take the law into our own hands... We will not oppress people as they did. We will seek justice for the oppression through the existing legal framework,” he said.
Addressing the party's leaders and workers, the Jamaat leader said, “We want to build a united nation in the future. Therefore, we must demonstrate immense patience.”
He accused that AL has executed the top-ranked leaders of Jamaat through judicial killings.
Reflecting on the events of October 28 in 2006, Dr Shafiqur Rahman said that day marked a dark turn for the country, with democracy and the aspirations of the people being crushed. “They danced on the bodies of those killed that day, trying to steal the corpses. The victims did nothing but attend Jamaat-e-Islami meetings,” he said, recalling the violence.
He said that all the murderers from October 28 in 2006 to August 5 in 2024 must be brought to justice. However, as a priority, those involved in recent mass killings during the uprising must be tried first, he added.
“For 17 and a half years, this nation has endured relentless oppression, with the majority of the people suffering except for a handful of wrongdoers,” said Dr Shafiqur Rahman.
He also linked the Awami League to the BDR rebellion, saying he spoke with a prisoner involved in the incident who confirmed their involvement.
During his speech, the Jamaat chief questioned the fate of those who, during the student movement, had threatened a crackdown similar to the one on May 5 in 2013. “Those who wanted to clear the agitators—where are they today? They cannot even show their faces in public,” he said.
Dr Shafiqur Rahman also condemned the crackdown on Hefazat-e-Islam, stating that the exact number of casualties remains unknown. He accused the government of downplaying the deaths, with conflicting reports of the death toll.
