DHAKA, Dec 9, 2023 (BSS) - Information and Broadcasting Minister and Awami League Joint General Secretary Dr Hasan Mahmud today said the countrymen will give a befitting reply to BNP if the party tries to create instability in the name of human rights.

"BNP is the most violator of human rights and the party that first took away the rights of people. Ziaur Rahman after usurping to power formed BNP through bloodshed of people," he said.

The minister was addressing a candle light programme protesting BNP-Jamaat's ongoing arson attacks and anti-state conspiracies organized by Bangabandhu Sangskritik Jote (BSJ) in front of Central Shaheed Minar here.

Dr Hasan said the biggest violation of human rights occurred in Bangladesh on August 15, 1975 through the assassination of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman along with most of his family members.

After the assassination, an indemnity ordinance was issued under Ziaur Rahman's leadership and it was later turned into an act to stop the path to bring the killers to justice, he said.
 
Dr Hasan said the second greatest violation of human rights took place in 1977 when army and air force officers were killed without any trial and even verdict of death sentence came after the execution of death penalty by hanging officers.

Later, horrific grenade attacks were launched on anti-terrorism rally of the then opposition party Awami League at Bangabandhu Avenue on August 21 in 2004, he continued.

The minister said the country also saw how innocent people were killed in petrol-bomb attacks in 2013, 2014 and 2015, he said, adding that these incidents were the examples of extreme violations of human rights.

There are some people whose profession is to issue statements, Hasan Mahmud said, adding that an attack was carried out in a Palestine hospital, leaving 500 people dead, at a time and another attack was launched in another hospital where all ICU patients died as the hospital became out of order due to the attack.

The businessmen of human rights kept silent on that issue rather they are extending support so that Israeli force can launch attack more smoothly, he said.

BSJ vice president Rozina, AL Dhaka South city unit former general secretary Shahe Alam Murad, Dhaka Union of Journalists vice president Manik Lal Ghose, BSJ leaders Aruna Biswas, Md Mizanur Rahman, Shimla and Mona Chowdhury, among others, addressed the programme with BSJ president Mohammad Rafiqul Alam in the chair.

BSJ general secretary Arun Sarker Rana conducted it.