The Bangladesh High Commission in Ottawa in collaboration with the Bangabandhu Centre for Bangladesh Studies in Canada (BCBS); the Liberation War Museum (MLW), Dhaka; the Centre for Genocide Studies of Dhaka University and the Conflict and Resilience Research Institute Canada (CRRIC) made a submission for Recognition to the Genocide perpetrated by Pakistani occupation forces in Bangladesh in 1971, to the Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR) last year.

CMHR is a Federally managed Museum in Canada. It is also the only Human Rights Museum in the World. After the submission, Bangladesh High Commission, Ottawa organized an International Seminar in CMHR participated by international experts, intellectuals, diplomats and academicians. The seminar discussed the genocide of 1971 in Bangladesh and emphasized for its global recognition.

The CMHR is currently undertaking a review of the said submission and as part of the review process, Dr. Jeremy Melvin Maron, Curator of Holocaust and Genocide Contest, CMHR and in charge of reviewing and recommending the submission to the concerned authorities of CMHR for acceptance, would be visiting Dhaka from 6 to 12 February 2023.

During his stay in Dhaka, Mr. Maron would visit some of the sites where genocide took place and meet the members of the families of the victims and the survivors of the genocide of 1971 as well as Liberation War Museum, Bangabandhu Memorial Museum and other Museums and also access to the relevant archives and evidences of genocide.

He will also meet senior officials and policy makers of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other national experts in genocide issues. Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Liberation War Museum will be jointly organizing and managing his visit in Bangladesh.

Once the submission is accepted, CMHR would permanently display the “Evidences and Exhibits of Genocide” in the Museum. At the same time, Year of the Birth of Bangladesh and the Portrait of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman would also be placed in the “Time Stream” of the Museum.

Acceptance of the Submission and permanent display of “Evidences & Exhibits of Genocide” in the CMHR is an important step towards raising awareness about Genocide in 1971 and its recognition in Canada.