Fascist force that fled like the Nazis will not be able to return: Home Minister

At the very beginning of his speech, the Home Minister referred to some past statements of the opposition leader and said that immediately after the fall of fascism, at an event on September 3, 2024, the opposition leader had announced that those who had oppressed and persecuted them politically had been forgiven. The country's people and the government do not consider it reasonable to grant such one-sided forgiveness without any remorse or apology for the oppression that Awami League carried out for 15 and a half years. Even at an event of the British Chamber of Commerce in London on November 13, 2024, he had described them as members of the political family of fascists.

Referring to the ongoing sabotage as part of Awami League's old political bad culture, the minister said that the nation has not forgotten the history of how, on June 4, 2004, in front of the then Hotel Sheraton, during a hartal called by Awami League, gunpowder was used to set fire to a BRTC bus and 11 people were burned alive. Even the confessional statement of Awami League Presidium member Sheikh Selim still exists. Regarding the issue of abetting recent instability from across the border, the Home Minister said that the opposition leader has said there is provocation from across the border—I agree with this. However, the people want to know whether this provocation has any connection with the secret meetings of a foreign agency with top leaders of a party in Dhaka at various times.

Mentioning that threats are being made over audio-video calls from across the border to prepare lists of participants in the July movement and to demolish houses, the Home Minister said that if she (Sheikh Hasina) returns, she will teach the July revolutionaries a lesson. But the Almighty Allah may not give her that opportunity again. The way an entire party has fled the country can be compared in world history only to Hitler's Nazi forces fleeing Germany. Just as the Nazis could not return, the fascist Awami force will also not be able to return to Bangladesh.

Making it clear that law enforcement forces will never again be turned into a 'Petua force', he said that the government is fully respectful of human rights; however, if necessary, it will not hesitate to take strict legal measures to control any situation. The Home Minister announced that to fulfill the commitment to try all extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, murders and the July movement genocide committed during the previous fascist government, the investigation team of the International Crimes Tribunal will from now on begin investigation activities in every district. Warning not to regard the government's respect for human rights as weakness, he said that they know that under this government they will not have to be disappeared, go to crossfire, stay in Aynaghar, or endure inhuman torture in remand—they are trying to take advantage of this generosity. However, the government will foil all conspiracies of saboteurs while remaining within the limits of human rights.