Petition · Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office

Formally recognise the killings of Bengali people in 1971 as genocide.

Open for signatures 818 signatures

What the petition asks

We call on the UK Government to formally recognise the killings of the Bengali people of East Pakistan in 1971 as genocide - so that nearly 1 million British Bangladeshis, and the generations carrying this history, are no longer left without an answer.
There are already established institutions that have recognised these events as genocide. Genocide Watch, the Lemkin Institute, and the International Commission of Jurists have all recognised these events as genocide. The US House introduced recognition resolutions in 2022 and 2026. The UK has not.

Many British Bangladeshis carry this history without their country ever acknowledging it. Research has shown genocide trauma passes across generations. Silence makes it worse.

We are asking for the truth to be named, to enable the start of healing.


Timeline

24 Jun 2026 Petition opened for signatures

Key facts

Signatures 818
Status Open for signatures
Department Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
Opened 24 Jun 2026

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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 26 Jul 2026.