During the 1971 Bangladesh War of Liberation, many foreign nationals around the globe made exceptional contributions in support of the independence movement. In 2012, the Government of Bangladesh began conferring special honours on these Friends of Bangladesh as an expression of gratitude for their great contribution. Awards were presented in three categories – Bangladesh Swadhinota Shammanona (Bangladesh Freedom Honour), Bangladesh Muktijuddho Shammanona (Bangladesh Liberation War Honour) and Muktijuddho Moitri Shammanona (Friends of Liberation War Honour).
A National Committee comprised of Ministers, civil servants, and civil society representatives was formed to draw up a list of these illustrious Friends of Bangladesh. A total of 335 individuals were awarded over seven phases from 2011 to 2013.
Phase One: In the First Phase of the Awards Program, the Government of Bangladesh conferred the Bangladesh Freedom Honour upon former Prime Minister of India Srimati Indira Gandhi in recognition of her direct support and assistance, decisive role, and unparalleled contribution during the Liberation War. This Award was conferred posthumously in a state ceremony on 25th July 2011 in Dhaka at Bangabhaban (President’s House). Sonia Gandhi, President of the Indian National Congress party was present to receive the Award. President Zillur Rahman and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina graced this historic occasion.
Phase Two: The Second Phase involved conferring honours to 82 Honourees. Among these recipients, 8 (eight) former Heads of State/Government were given the Bangladesh Liberation War Honour. The remaining 74 (seventy four) Honourees received the Friends of Liberation War Honour at the state ceremony. The Honourees themselves or their representatives attended the programme. Foreign Heads of States, Politicians, Philosophers, Musicians, Writers, Intellectuals, Eminent Citizens and Organizations were awarded for their outstanding contribution to our Liberation War of 1971. President Zillur Rahman and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina graced the ceremony and conferred the honours on 27th March 2012 at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Phase Three: In Phase Three, 61 Honourees were awarded. Among these recipients, 2 (two) former Heads of State/Government were given the Bangladesh Liberation War Honour and 59 (fifty nine) received the Friends of Liberation War Honour at a state ceremony. The Honourees themselves or their representatives attended the programme. Foreign Heads of States, Politicians, Philosophers, Musicians, Writers, Intellectuals, Eminent Citizens and Organizations were awarded for their outstanding contribution to our Liberation War of 1971. President Zillur Rahman and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina graced the ceremony and conferred the honours on 20th October, 2012 at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Phase Four: The Fourth Phase involved conferring honours to 61 Honourees, who were awarded the Friends of Liberation War Honour at a state ceremony. The Honourees themselves or their representatives attended the programme. Foreign Heads of States, Politicians, Philosophers, Musicians, Writers, Intellectuals, Eminent Citizens and Organizations were awarded for their outstanding contribution to our 1971 Liberation War. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina graced the ceremony and conferred the honours on 15th December, 2012 at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Phase Five: In Phase Five, the Government of Bangladesh conferred the Bangladesh Liberation War Honour on Shri Pranab Mukherjee Padma Vibhushan, the President of the Republic of Inida, as a mark of deep respect and gratitude for his multifaceted contribution during the 1971 Liberation War. This honour was given at a state ceremony on 4th March 2013 at Bangabhaban (President’s House) in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Phase Six: The Sixth Phase involved conferring honours to 69 Honourees. Among the recipients, 2 (two) former Heads of State/Government were given the Bangladesh Liberation War Honour, and 67 (sixty seven) received the Friends of Liberation War Honour at a state ceremony. The Honourees themselves or their representatives attended the programme. Foreign Heads of States, Politicians, Philosophers, Musicians, Writers, Intellectuals, Eminent Citizens and Organizations were awarded for their outstanding contribution to our Liberation War of 1971. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina graced the ceremony and conferred the honours on 24th March, 2013 at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Phase Seven: In Phase Seven, 60 Honourees received awards. Among the recipients, 2 (two) former Heads of State/Government were given the Bangladesh Liberation War Honour and 58 (fifty eight) received the Friends of Liberation War Honour at a state ceremony. The Honourees themselves or their representatives attended the programme. Foreign Heads of States, Politicians, Philosophers, Musicians, Writers, Intellectuals, Eminent Citizens and Organizations were awarded for their outstanding contribution to our Liberation War of 1971. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina graced the ceremony and conferred the honours on 1st October, 2013 at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
This website brings to the public domain the interviews, speeches, citations, documents and ceremonies of this historic achievement. The website is supported by MoFA (Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bangladesh). It has been designed and developed by TMMT (Tareque Masud Memorial Trust), a non-profit entity dedicated to documenting, preserving and archiving audio-visual materials of historic significance.
Executive Producer: Catherine Masud
Producer/Director/Interviewer: Catherine Masud, Dina Hossain
Additional Interviewer (Phase 3): Shameem Akhter
Associate Producers: Sadia Doha, Elizabeth Rumi Di Costa, Aftab Hossain
Assistant Producer: Abir Ferdous Mukhar
Cinematography: Bayjid Kamal, Firoz Chowdhury, Abdullah Al Naser, Kamrul Hasan
Editing: Abdullah Al Naser
Assistant Editors: Afzal Siddique, Sadaaf Islam
Post Production Supervisor: Aftab Hossain
Sound Recording: Masrur Rahman, Afzal Siddique, Anadi Biswas
Post Production Intern: Syeda Tasnuva Mishu
Website Layout Designer: Piyas Roy
Website Development: Tawhidur Rahman & Swapnoloke team
Translation: Syeda Tasnuva Mishu, Amrita Hassan
Accounts & Admin: Tayab Masud
Production Coordinator: Shahidul Islam
Production Assistants: Bilal Hossain, Shah Alam Dewan