Young female protestors at Shahbag shout slogans. A poster of Jahanara Imam can be seen in the background
Copyright: The Daily Star

Women in Bangladesh are a force to be reckoned with. It all began 42 years ago when Jahanara Imam’s elder son, Shafi Imam Rumi, joined the Mukti Bahini (pro- Bangladeshi independence group) and fought against Pakistan’s army. During the entire nine months of the war of liberation. Jahanara wrote what she felt and saw in her diary. This went on to become one of the most important publications about the war. It was called ‘Ekatturer Dinguli’ or ‘Of blood and fire.’

Saydee appeared in court wearing a Salwar suit and a ‘Jinnah’ cap

It was an experience of a lifetime to be able to experience the sensational verdict session of Delwar Hossain Sayedi, an infamous war criminal in Bangladesh. I entered the court building at 9:40 am last Friday with my friend Udisa. We waited outside the court building for security clearance and finally entered the main room by 10:30 a.m. Then we waited for the judge to arrive.

Copyright: Arif Hafiz

Since the past few weeks, the youth in Bangladesh have been protesting against war criminals and demanding justice for the victims of 1971. Bangladeshi blogger Paula Aziz says, the movement is an awakening of the masses.