Why are Awami League leaders facing journalists in Delhi?

The press conference held in Delhi last Saturday, January 17, was organized by an organization called International Crimes Research Foundation or ICFR and a London-based law firm.

The organization called ICFR has produced a ‘rebuttal’ or response report to the report of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights or OHCHR on the July-August protests.

London-based barrister Nijhum Majumder is one of the people who prepared the report.

He was telling BBC Bangla, “We held the first press conference in this regard in Geneva. We wanted to raise the matter to the Delhi media as well. I know that the names of the two Awami League leaders who came to the press conference were approved by the highest level of the party.

“Since there is a matter of League of Nations here, the one who is aware of international relations was Hashan Mahmud and since Mr. Naufel himself is a barrister, he was present at the press conference to talk about legal issues. But they did not come as Awami League,” said Mr. Majumdar

One of the former ministers of Bangladesh, Mahibul Hasan Chowdhury Naufel, who was present at the press conference, told BBC Bangla, “A team of lawyers found that the report of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, was one-sided and without neutrality. The UN report did not contain the statement of our government. However, the trial was based on it, and the death penalty was also given.

“These issues needed to be brought before the media. Geneva, Brussels and London have already been brought before the media there. Press conference was held in Delhi as a result. I was present there as a lawyer,” said Mr. Chowdhury

I asked him whether the press conference was held to give any political message to the people of his country before the election or will he face the press again this week?

In response, he said, “This election is going to be held, it is not an election, it is a selection. But the press conference in Delhi has nothing to do with the so-called election.”

However, the organizers knew and were prepared for the fact that questions about the politics of Bangladesh would arise when two former ministers of Awami League met the Indian media in person before the elections in Bangladesh.

A number of Awami League leaders based in India told BBC Bangla that the Indian media is best suited to convey their political message to the people of Bangladesh, hence the press conference held in Delhi.

Next Friday, August 23, another discussion meeting is going to be held in Delhi, the title of which is ‘Save Democracy in Bangladesh’ – Save Democracy in Bangladesh.

The program was organized by ‘Foreign Correspondents Club of South Asia’ based in Delhi. Among others, former minister Mahibul Hasan Chowdhury Naufel will be present there. Another former minister, Muhammad Ali Arafat, will join via virtual means.

Of the two posters of the discussion meeting that came to BBC Bengal, one of them has a large picture of Sheikh Hasina. It is heard that Sheikh Hasina may also appear virtually in that meeting.

But despite talking to several leaders of Awami League, Sheikh Hasina’s participation could not be confirmed.

If that happens, he will face the Indian media for the first time since his arrival in India on August 5, 2024. However, he has given email interviews to many Indian newspapers and news portals in English-Bangla combination.

The BBC also interviewed him by email.

Again, Sheikh Hasina regularly attends the discussion meetings of her party leaders and workers through virtual media. But all through audio only – not video.

It goes without saying that the press conference held last Saturday on the ‘Volker Report’ is part of Awami League’s political strategy.

Although the Awami League is unable to participate in the upcoming elections in Bangladesh, they are regularly presenting their statements through various channels. However, the interim government of Bangladesh has banned those campaigns.

Analysts think, at such a time, Awami League is doing political propaganda by putting forward the ‘Volcker Report’ or talking about the democracy of Bangladesh.

Press Club of India President Gautam Lahiri was commenting that it was their political strategy.

Incidentally, last Saturday’s press conference was held at their club and he himself was present at that press conference.

He was telling BBC Bangla, “I know that last Saturday’s program was not done in the name of Awami League, a London-based law firm was in charge of it. Again, the issue of human rights was put forward there. They want to highlight the errors and deviations of the Volcker report prepared on the July-August protests in front of the Indian media, especially the English language newspapers. But naturally, political questions were also asked of the former ministers of Awami League.”

In his words, “People of Bangladesh read a lot of Indian media news, so I think they want to send a message to the people of Bangladesh through them.”

Several leaders banned political activities in Bangladesh also said the same thing. In their words, “Even if the Volcker report was held in the capitals of other countries before, the media there will not be as interested in Bangladesh as the Indian media will be. Again, if it was in Calcutta instead of Delhi, the newspapers would have shown more interest.

But Gautam Lahiri said that the organizers of that day’s press conference were probably targeting India’s national media.

He was saying that he did not know whether any permission was taken from the Government of India to hold a press conference by Awami League leaders.

“We don’t know whether the organizers took the approval of our government or not. But the government didn’t stop it. If the government didn’t want it, then such an event could not have been held. I remember four or five years ago, Lord Alex Carlyle, a member of the UK House of Lords, wanted to hold a press conference at the press club on some issue of the BNP. The government called and said that the event should not be allowed. Later, he held a press conference through a virtual medium in a hotel.”