CPB demands that the trial of the July massacre should not be a ‘symbol of revenge and show-off’

POBNEWS24, Dhaka, Nov 20, 2025 : The trial of the International Tribunal in Bangladesh is a ‘symbol of revenge and show-off’. This will increase people’s distrust and make it difficult for those who were killed and maimed in the July uprising to get justice, said Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) President Kazi Sajjad Zahir Chandan and General Secretary Abdullah Kafi Ratan.
The leaders said in a statement on Thursday, “We have been saying from the beginning that whoever commits the crime must be brought to justice and the trial process must be transparent and free from questions. Although not everything is in place in the trial of the murders in the July ’24 uprising, the trial has begun and the first verdict has been announced.”
The leaders said that the trial process is not completely over. The trial process cannot be said to be over until the verdict is appealed to the Supreme Court and its verdict is received. He called for special attention to be paid to ensuring that no one can raise any questions about the trial process and that it does not become a symbolic step for the purpose of ‘vengeance’ or ‘keeping the file tidy’, and that the remaining stages of the trial process are not disturbed or influenced by any group under any pretext.
Along with this, the trial of all those who committed other crimes must be completed. Since it is essential to maintain the democratic system in the country to get justice, it is essential to immediately announce the specific date and schedule of the election to be held in the first half of next February as promised to remove all uncertainties.
The leaders said in the statement that if there is no transparency in all the government’s work, its sincerity regarding ‘justice’ is also questioned. For example, people have raised questions about why the government secretly, almost secretly, signed an agreement to give control of the Chittagong port to America, even though it is very important for national security, even though the tribunal trial was shown live on television. This has raised suspicions among people that the government’s real agenda may be something else. The issue of fair trial is not that important to it.
In the statement, the leaders demanded a speedy and fair trial for the murders of all workers, students, children and women martyred in the July mass uprising, including martyrs Abu Sayeed, Mughd, Wasim, Fayyaz, CPB leader Comrade Pradeep Bhowmik, Chhatra Union activist Rizvi, Taher Zaman Priyo, Saptahik Ektar activist Atiq, hawker leader Yusuf Sanwar, garment worker leader Ashraful.
In the statement, the leaders also said that the people should be informed about the legal and diplomatic steps taken to bring back the convicts. We must ensure that the trial is not symbolic.