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Published : 14 Jul 2025, 09:34 PM
Cultural Affairs Advisor Mostofa Sarwar Farooki has described the press conference held at Ganabhaban as “poetic justice”.
The revival of the July Uprising began on Monday with the observance of July Daughters’ Day.
At the briefing held at 2pm to share details of the programme, a journalist said: “You are holding a briefing at Ganabhaban. On the same day last year, we saw a historical briefing here on the ‘Razakar issue’. Is today's event a rhetorical or metaphorical version of that?”
In response, Farooki said: “You are right. I think it is poetic justice.
“In the building behind me, someone once sat at the centre of state power and arrogantly belittled everyone, claiming, ‘I feed 160 million people’.
“We are holding the briefing today to celebrate the girls who took to the streets after that briefing.”
Women and Children Affairs Advisor Sharmeen S Murshid said, “The July Movement has uprooted the mountain on which the dictatorship has ruled. So if we don't start from here, where else should we start?"
A journalist questioned whether establishing the July Museum at Ganabhaban might compromise the site as a crime scene, citing reports from investigative agencies that have identified it as the location where the massacre was allegedly planned.
In response, the cultural advisor said: “Firstly, the tribunal has already collected all necessary evidence from this site.
“The material that will be presented as evidence in court is in the International Crimes Tribunal's custody. Once the trial is over, the original documents will be returned to us.
“The murders were indeed planned here. If you visit the office, you will get goosebumps.
“The audio recording that circulated a few days ago was most likely captured in this very office. These rooms bear the weight of horrific crimes. You will feel that experience when you walk through the July Museum.”
He added, “Our aim is simple. The court will deliver its verdict on the crimes committed by Sheikh Hasina and her associates, while this museum will serve as a lifelong reminder of their crimes. Visitors will come here and form their own judgements.
“We will complete the construction of the museum first before deciding on the legal framework, whether it will operate as a trust or under another structure.
“I believe it is now widely accepted in Bangladesh that Hasina’s misdeeds stand on one side, and the rest of the country stands on the other. There will be political and social disagreements, but that’s part of the beauty of any democratic society.
“Debate is healthy. But when it comes to Hasina’s 16 years of misrule and the events of July, I don’t think there is any real disagreement among Bangladesh’s political stakeholders.”
