Published : 08 Sep 2026, 08:48 PM
Updated : 16 Sep 2026, 11:48 AM
No one will be spared over the harassment and physical assault of actress Azmeri Haque Badhon in Italy, Information and Broadcasting Advisor Zahed Ur Rahman has warned.
He also said that the process of taking legal action in Italy over the incident has already begun.
Actress Badhon said she was harassed and physically assaulted by activists of the Awami League while attending the Venice Film Festival in Italy. The incident took place late Monday night Bangladesh time in the Mestre area of Venice.
Immediately after the incident, the actress said in a Facebook Live that a group of Awami League activists threw water and Coke at her.
“They also assaulted me. They knocked my phone out of my hand and hit me near my ear.
“...They said that I am a July warrior. Yes, I am. I certainly took part in the movement in July. They said they were soldiers of Bangabandhu. They forced me to say, ‘Joy Bangla, Joy Bangabandhu.’ They also recorded those things and were livestreaming and uploading them.”
Regarding the incident, Information Advisor Zahed said: “Azmeri Haque Badhon was attacked. We have seen the video—and it was not recorded by her; those who attacked her themselves recorded videos and published them.”
“I feel like saying this: we should actually thank those who did this. They are once again showing us what the Awami League is, who the Awami League people are, and what the Awami League is all about.”
Asked whether the government would take any action over the attack on Badhon, the advisor said, “I can assure you that the process of taking whatever legal action is possible in that country has already begun. We certainly will not let this go. This cannot be left unaddressed in any way.”
Zahed described the attack on Badhon as a kind of achievement for her.
He said, “Badhon was saying in one of her Facebook Lives that she was a July warrior. She said, ‘Yes, I am.’ In the same way, many of us are like that. We may become victims of attacks, but we don’t care! Not at all.
“And if this happens to anyone—I would tell Azmeri Haque Badhon that this is, in a way, her achievement, her honour.
“Being harassed by the Awami League, being targeted by a mafia gang, proves that you were on the right path.”
