Ikhwanweb :: The Muslim Brotherhood Official English Website

The Global Forum for Islamist Parliamentarians (GFIP) expressed strong condemnation of the heinous massacre committed by the Bangladeshi government against peaceful demonstrators which killed hundreds of unarmed civilians demanding an end to abuse and torture against members of the Islamic group "Jamaat-e-Islami" and the release of the group's leaders who had been unjustly sentenced to death.

In a press statement, Hussein Ibrahim, Chairman of the Forum, said: "The unjustified storming of the square where people gathered in protest, and the use of violence and live ammunition against demonstrators represent a blatant violation of all international norms and conventions on human rights.

"The Bangladeshi regime could have avoided this massacre by engaging in a peaceful dialogue with protesters, and reaching common points of agreement to avoid dragging the country into a spiral of violence and chaos that would certainly undermine security and stability."

The GFIP stressed that the protesters’ demands are legitimate rights, but the Bangladeshi government was determined to use violence against peaceful demonstrators, in an attempt to break the will of the Islamist group and prevent it from organizing further demonstrations, protests and sit-ins to stop unjust executions of its leaders, considering that these verdicts were political, not judicial.

The GFIP called on international institutions, especially the Security Council and the United Nations, to convent an urgent session to discuss the developments of the crisis, to impose sanctions on the Bangladeshi regime, to demand that it bring the perpetrators of the massacre to an urgent trial, and to reconsider the death sentences passed on Jamaat leaders.