A group of eminent citizens on Thursday issued a joint statement, asking the people of the country to remain alert about any kind of lobbying and propaganda against Bangladesh.
Referring to the Al Jazeera report on British lawyer Toby Cadman who has admitted that he tried to persuade the US and the UK governments to impose sanctions on Bangladesh earlier this month, the joint statement said that conspiracy is going on against the country.
The statement said that such lobbying started a long time ago and not only Toby, but a US firm was also involved in persuading the US government to impose sanctions on Bangladesh.
“Toby Cadman has been working as a lawyer for Jamaat-e-Islami since 2011. Besides, Jamaat had also hired a US-based lobbyist firm named Cassidy and Associates in exchange for $25 million during the war crimes trial in Bangladesh,” the statement reads.
“By doing these things, Jamaat has been trying to malign the image of Bangladesh in front of the international community, especially the US. We ask everyone to remain alert against these plots,” the statement reads.
Among the 21 signatories to the statement are dramatist Ramendu Majumder, former advisor to the caretaker government Rasheda K Chowdhury, human rights worker Khushi Kabir and Dhaka University teachers MM Akash and Robayet Ferdous.
Cadman admitted to Al Jazeera that his efforts to get the UK to impose sanctions against Bangladesh’s law enforcement officials and expressed disappointment that it did not work out.
“I filed the request for sanctions and whilst I am not in a position to discuss the substance, I can confirm that I discussed the request with the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO),” Cadman was quoted as saying, referring to the UK Foreign Office.
Read: BNP spent a lot on lobbying by US firm: Shahriar
Jamaat-e-Islami engaged Toby Cadman as its legal advisor in London in 2011, after the trials of several top Jamaat leaders started – over war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the 1971 Liberation War.