Recognizing the Bangladesh Genocide of 1971 and protection of religious minorities in Bangladesh.

Legislative Summary: H.Res. 1130

Recognizing the Bangladesh Genocide of 1971 and Protection of Religious Minorities in Bangladesh

Overview

H.Res. 1130 is a House Resolution designed to formally recognize and condemn the atrocities committed by the Pakistani Armed Forces and their allies against the people of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) in 1971. The resolution specifically emphasizes the targeted violence against ethnic Bengalis and the religious minority Hindu population, calling for these actions to be officially classified as genocide and crimes against humanity.

Purpose and Intent

The primary intent of this resolution is to create an official U.S. House of Representatives record of the 1971 atrocities to ensure the memory of the victims is preserved and to deter future human rights abuses. It seeks to acknowledge the historical reality of the "Operation Searchlight" crackdown and the subsequent mass killings, rapes, and displacements that occurred during the Bangladesh Liberation War.

Key Provisions

The resolution outlines several critical acknowledgments and calls to action:

• Condemnation of Atrocities: The House formally condemns the violence initiated by the Armed Forces of Pakistan on March 25, 1971.
• Recognition of Targeted Violence: The bill recognizes that while the violence was widespread across ethnic Bengalis, there was a specific and systematic effort to exterminate the Hindu minority through mass slaughter, forced conversion, and expulsion.
• Acknowledgement of Gender-Based Crimes: The text explicitly recognizes the systematic use of rape and the forced use of tens of thousands of women as sex slaves.
• Call for Executive Action: The resolution calls upon the President of the United States to officially recognize the atrocities committed by the Pakistani military and the Jamaat-e-Islami as:
  • Crimes against humanity
  • War crimes
  • Genocide
• Nuanced Attribution: It includes a provision stating that entire ethnic groups or religious communities are not responsible for the crimes committed by specific members of those groups.

Who is Affected?

• The Residents of Bangladesh: Specifically the survivors and descendants of the 1971 genocide, as well as the Hindu minority community.
• The U.S. Executive Branch: The resolution places diplomatic pressure on the President to update the official U.S. historical and legal stance on the 1971 conflict.
• International Community: By referencing the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, the bill aligns U.S. legislative sentiment with international legal standards.

Procedural Status

• Introduced: March 20, 2026
• Current Status: Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
• Sponsorship: Co-sponsored by Rep. Greg Landsman.

Note: As a House Resolution (H.Res.), this document expresses the "sense of the House." While it does not carry the force of law like a bill (Act), it serves as a powerful diplomatic signal and official policy statement of the U.S. House of Representatives.