Abstract
In the 1970s, two Asian genocides each resulted, according to most estimates, in the deaths of at least 1.5 million people. In March 1971, the Pakistani army launched a campaign to repress the independence movement of Bengalis in the eastern half of the geographically separated nation. The campaign of murder, rape, and pillage that continued until December 1971 caused 1 to 3 million deaths. By some accounts, 200,000 Bengali women were raped. The International Commission of Jurists concluded that a campaign of genocide involved
… the indiscriminate killing of civilians, including women and children and the poorest and weakest members of the community; the attempt to exterminate or drive out of the country a large part of the Hindu population; the arrest, torture and killing of Awami League activists and students, professionals, business men and other potential leaders among the Bengalis; the raping of women; the destruction of villages and towns.1
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Notes
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© 2011 Donald W. Beachler
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Beachler, D.W. (2011). The Politics of Genocide Scholarship: The Case of Bangladesh. In: The Genocide Debate. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230337633_2
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