AL contaminated politics by suppressing dissent: Bangla Academy president
He said these negative actions led the Awami League far away from its political goals
Bangla Academy President Prof Abul Quasem Fazlul Huq stated that the politics of the Awami League (AL) had been tainted by its suppression of dissent.
"The Awami League believed that any criticism was an attempt to overthrow the government. As a result, their politics became corrupted by the mindset of eliminating those with differing opinions," he remarked.
Professor Fazlul Huq made these comments while addressing a programme titled "Shadow Parliament on the Political and Social Defeat of the Awami League due to the July-August Killings", organised by Debate for Democracy at the Bangladesh Film Development Corporation (BFDC) in the capital, today (4 January).
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He further criticised the Awami League's treatment of dissent, saying that those who opposed or refused to support the party were subjected to arrest, torture, murder, and enforced disappearances during their rule.
According to various media outlets, all these actions took place with the approval of Sheikh Hasina, he added.
"These negative actions led the Awami League far away from its political goals," he said.
Prof Fazlul Huq also stated that in response to resistance from young students and the public, Sheikh Hasina was eventually forced to resign and flee the country.
Debate for Democracy Chairman Hassan Ahamed Chowdhury Kiron, who presided over the programme, expressed similar concerns, alleging that the Awami government had engaged in widespread killings through disappearances, murders, and extrajudicial executions over the last 15 years.
He added, "Not only the leaders and activists of the Awami League, but the public also demands that the party be held accountable for the massacre during the July Revolution."
