STAFF CORRESPONDENT

Terming the killings during a Hefajat-e-Islam rally at Shapla Chattar in the capital’s Motijheel on May 5, 2013 a gross violation of human rights, speakers yesterday demanded justice for those who lost their lives.

Speaking at a programme titled “Shapla Massacre: A Decade of Impunity”, organised by the National Citizen Party-backed National Ulama Alliance at the Institution of Diploma Engineers in Dhaka’s Kakrail, they also demanded official recognition of the victims as “martyrs”.

Writer and thinker Farhad Mazhar said resisting oppression is the essence of Islam. “Whenever I fail to stand against the oppressor, I deviate from Islam.”

Referring to the May 5 incident, he said it was about citizens’ rights to speak, express anger, and protest in Bangladesh.

“In bourgeois democracy, the first thing is freedom of expression and protest. But what did they show us? They showed that people can even be deprived of minimum democratic and human rights,” he said.

He also criticised how the victims were portrayed after the crackdown.

“I came to Dhaka to speak my words. I was shot and killed. Afterwards, they mocked me, saying I was only lying down

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