Thousands of exultant Bangladeshis gathered in Dhaka on Tuesday to mark the first anniversary of mass protests that toppled Sheikh Hasina as the interim government unveiled a road map for democratic reform with a national election next year.
Rallies, concerts and prayer sessions were held in the capital as people in the Muslim-majority South Asian nation celebrated what they called the country’s “second liberation”.
The events culminated with Nobel peace laureate Muhammad Yunus reading the “July Declaration”, which seeks to give constitutional recognition to the 2024 student-led uprising in response to repression and economic hardship that forced Hasina, then prime minister, to flee to India on August 5.
“The people of Bangladesh express their desire that the student uprising of 2024 will get proper state and constitutional recognition,” said Yunus, who heads the interim government installed after Hasina's fall, while representatives of political parties watched.
“The July Declaration will feature in the schedule of the reformed constitution as framed by the government formed through the next national election,” he said.
Supporters see the charter as a foundation for institutional reform. Critics said its impact could be largely symbolic in the absence of a legal framework or parliamentary consensus. Yunus said in an address to the nation he would ask the election commission to organise national elections to be held in February 2026.
“We must ensure no future government can become fascist again. The state must be restructured in such a way that any sign of fascism, wherever it appears, can be immediately eradicated,” he said.
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party, led by former prime minister Khaleda Zia, which had called for elections to be held before the end of 2025 to prevent a political vacuum, welcomed the February vote.
While Hasina’s Awami League remains suspended, many believe it should be allowed to participate, despite its top leadership facing prosecution for alleged human rights violations during last year’s protests.
Earlier on Tuesday, Yunus said, “fallen autocrats and their self-serving allies remain active”, urging unity to protect the gains of the uprising while his government holds talks with political parties and civil society. His government had launched sweeping reforms while trials for those responsible for the “July killings” of 2024 were progressing swiftly, he said.
Crowds waving flags, holding placards, and chanting slogans gathered near parliament, including some who had been injured in the protests.
“On this day in 2024, the tyrant Sheikh Hasina fled the country,” said Ahmedul Hasan.
“I was here last year too. I’ve come again to remember the moment and join the celebrations.”
Others were less exuberant.
“Even after all the bloodshed and sacrifice, a truly liberal democracy in Bangladesh feels like a distant dream,” said Sabbir Ahmed, a college student who joined the protests last year.
Police were on alert throughout the capital, with armoured vehicles on patrol to deter any attempt by the Awami League to disrupt events.
“Let the anniversary not be a day of retrospection, but a rallying cry for a brighter tomorrow,” Hasina said in an open letter to the people of Bangladesh, adding she had never resigned as prime minister.
“Bangladesh has overcome adversity before, and we will rise again, stronger, more united and more determined to build a democracy that truly serves its people.”
Reuters
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