DHAKA, Aug 14: On Thursday, Bangladesh’s Awami League strongly condemned the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus for its decision not to commemorate the 50th death anniversary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on August 15, which the party observes as National Mourning Day.
The government not only refused to mark the day but also reportedly warned citizens against organising any events, drawing heavy criticism from the Awami League.
In a strongly worded statement, the party accused the “fascist” Yunus regime of stripping people of their fundamental rights and freedom of speech.
It described August 15 as a day of deep national grief, marking the brutal assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman—revered as the Father of the Nation—and most of his family members in 1975.
The party called this incident one of the most heinous political assassinations in history.
The Awami League further labelled August an “ill-fated month” for Bangladesh, recalling other major tragedies: the 2004 grenade attack on an Awami League rally, and the 2005 nationwide serial bomb blasts.
The party alleged that in August 2024, “anti-liberation” and “anti-national” forces, backed by foreign conspiracies and Pakistani ideology, illegally seized state power, derailing Bangladesh’s progress.
The party accused the Yunus-led interim government of unlawfully restructuring the International Crimes Tribunal to stage mock trials against Sheikh Hasina and other party leaders.
It also highlighted the Indemnity Ordinance, which halted justice for Bangabandhu’s assassins, as a historical injustice only corrected under Hasina’s leadership.
According to the statement, Sheikh Hasina not only ensured justice for her father’s killers but also revived the ICT to try war criminals, despite domestic and international resistance.
The Awami League claimed that the current regime has created a “reign of fear” and announced that observing National Mourning Day would lead to arrests.
The party denounced this as a gross violation of the Constitution and called for mass resistance.
Urging people to transform their grief into strength, the party called on all political, social, and cultural organisations—both domestic and international—to observe National Mourning Day with dignity and solemnity.
They vowed to liberate the nation from what they describe as a state of political captivity imposed by the current unelected regime. (IANS)
