(BSS)- Information and Broadcasting Minister Zahir Uddin Swapon has said the current government will not allow any crime against humanity committed in the country to become time-barred or forgotten.

He said, “From the genocide during the Liberation War of 1971 to the killings at Shapla Square in 2013, all are crimes against humanity. The government led by Tarique Rahman is firmly committed to ensuring justice for all these wrongdoings and brutalities.”

The Minister said this while speaking as the chief guest at the unveiling ceremony of the memorial book titled ‘Shahidnama’, along with a documentary screening and award distribution event held at the National Museum auditorium at Shahbagh in the city today. The event was organized by Shapla Smriti Sangsad.

The Information Minister said, “The horrific memories of the Shapla Square killings still give us pain. In its very first session, the current National Parliament formally expressed respect and condolences to all martyrs of Shapla Square. Through this, we conveyed a clear message to the nation that any act of injustice or brutality will never be allowed by our government to fade away without accountability.”

Recalling the context of May 5, 2013, Jahir Uddin Swapan said that when the then fascist government was obstructing the religious movement and creating false narratives through the media, BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia courageously stood beside the rally as a guardian of the people.

He said, “BNP was the first political party to identify the incident as a ‘mass killing’ and called a two-day hartal in protest.”

The Information Minister further said that the mass uprising of August 5, 2024 proved that people from all sections of society shed blood in the anti-fascist movement.

He said, “We must preserve the unity that has been built around our religious values and patriotism. This unity is the shield protecting our sovereignty and self-reliance.”

Jahir Uddin Swapon added, “Only by maintaining national unity on issues of the people’s religious values, independence, self-reliance, and prosperity can we truly fulfill our responsibility to the martyrs.”

The event was chaired by Maulana Muhammad Mamunul Haque, Chairman of Shapla Smriti Sangsad while Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary General Mia Golam Parwar spoke as a special guest.

Member of Parliament Kamruzzaman Ratan, Maulana Sayeed Uddin Ahmad Hanzala, National Citizen Party (NCP) spokesperson Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan, former Chief Prosecutor of the International Crimes Tribunal Advocate Tajul Islam, prominent Islamic scholar and researcher Shaykh Musa Al Hafiz, AB Party General Secretary Barrister Asaduzzaman Fuad, among others, spoke in the event.