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Published : 05 Aug 2025, 05:36 PM
Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus has formally unveiled the July Proclamation, pledging that the 2024 student-led mass uprising will receive state and constitutional recognition.
The proclamation has been formulated to reflect the aspirations of the people of Bangladesh, who triumphed in the mass uprising on Aug 5, 2024, Yunus said during a ceremony at Dhaka's Manik Mia Avenue to mark the first anniversary of the Awami League regime's fall on Tuesday.
The 28-point proclamation calls for the 2024 student-led mass uprising to be recognised by the state and enshrined in the schedule of a reformed Constitution to be adopted by the next elected government.
The first proposal to draft the July Proclamation came from the Students Against Discrimination and the National Citizen Committee.
On Dec 29 last year, the two groups formally announced plans to release the July Proclamation, initially scheduled for Dec 31.
At the time, the government was not involved in the process. It was only later that it expressed interest in taking over the initiative to draft the proclamation.
In the first half of this month, the government prepared a preliminary draft and sought feedback from political parties. A revised draft was then circulated for further input.
Following consultations, the government announced on Saturday that the proclamation had been finalised and would be presented to the nation on the anniversary of the July Uprising.
Among its key provisions, the document designates the victims of the July Uprising as “national heroes” and pledges legal protection for their families, injured fighters, and student protestors.
On the question of elections, the proclamation states that the people of Bangladesh are committed to pursuing necessary constitutional reforms through a freely elected parliament within a “reasonable timeframe”.
While the initial draft contained 26 points, two additional clauses were added to the final version.
One of the additions formally designates the fallen protesters as national heroes. The other pledges to uphold the rights of present and future generations through an inclusive, climate-resilient, sustainable development strategy.
The final document also modified the wording of several clauses.
For instance, references in the draft to “extrajudicial killings” under the Awami League-led government -- including the “Pilkhana tragedy” and the “Shapla Chattar massacre” -- were removed.
The reported number of deaths during the July Uprising was also revised. While the draft claimed 2,000 people had been killed by “Awami fascist forces”, the final version reduced the figure to 1,000.
No date for implementation was mentioned in the final proclamation. In contrast, the draft had stated that the proclamation would be considered effective from Aug 5, 2024.
Tuesday’s event began with the national anthem and included a minute of silence in memory of those killed in the Uprising.
The interim government leader was joined on stage by BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, standing committee members Mirza Abbas, Abdul Moyeen Khan, Nazrul Islam, Salahuddin Ahmed, Jamaat-e-Islami’s deputy chief Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher, Secretary General Mia Golam Parwar, and Assistant Secretary General Rafiqul Islam Khan.
Also in attendance were Nagorik Oikya Convener Mahmudur Rahman Manna and General Secretary Shahid Ullah Kaiser, NCP Convener Nahid Islam and Member Secretary Akhtar Hossain, Jatiya Gano Front Coordinator Tipu Biswas, Ganosamhati Andolon
Ganosamhati Andolon's Chief Coordinator Zonayed Saki, Khilafat Majlish leader Ahmad Abdul Quader, Secretary General of the Khilafat Majlish; JSD leaders Tania Rob and Shahid Uddin Mahmud Swapan, Gono Forum's Mizanur Rahman and Gono Odhikar Parishad chief Nurul Haque Nur, among others.
July Proclamation:
1. Whereas, in continuation of the historical struggle against colonialism, the people of this land rose against the deprivation and exploitation inflicted by the authoritarian Pakistani regime, and established the state of Bangladesh through a bloody liberation war following the Declaration of Independence made on Mar 26, 1971 for achieving freedom;
And
2. Whereas, the people of Bangladesh made utmost sacrifice through a long struggle to materialise a liberal democratic state in this land based on equality, human dignity and social justice as proclaimed in the Declaration of Independence;
And
3. Whereas, the post-independence Awami League government failed to materialise the people’s aspirations because of the weaknesses in the procedures of drafting and in the structure of the constitution along with its inappropriate application;
And
4. Whereas, the post-independence Awami League government established constitutionally a one-party government named BAKSAL in place of a democratic order, the much aspired goal of independence, and thereby took away the freedom of expression and of the judiciary, in reaction to which, on Nov 7, 1975, there was an uprising in the army ranks and file joined by common people, and later the way was laid for reintroducing multi-party democracy, freedom of expression and of the freedom of judiciary in place of the BAKSAL system.
And
5. Whereas, in the 1980s, there was a long nine-year relentless struggle against an autocratic military regime resulting in the mass uprising of 1990, and a parliamentary democratic system was reestablished in 1991;
And
6. Whereas, the democratic way of regime change was disrupted through domestic and external intrigues, thus laying the way in Bangladesh for the paramount power, domination and fascism of Sheikh Hasina through the conspiratorial arrangement of so-called 1/11;
And
7. Whereas, illicit and undemocratic changes were made in the constitution, driven by extremely fierce desire to establish a one-party state along with a fascist, undemocratic and anti-people governance system during the last sixteen year long period.
And
8. Whereas, all state and constitutional institutions were destroyed by the last Awami League regime of Sheikh Hasina through governance malfeasance, abduction and murder, unlawful killings, suppression of freedom of speech and constitutional changes in the interest of the ruling party;
And
9. Whereas, during the rule of Sheikh Hasina, under her very leadership, an extreme force that was anti-people, autocratic and against human rights turned Bangladesh into a fascist, mafia and failed state and thereby tarnished Bangladesh’s international image;
And
10. Whereas, in the name of so-called development, the fallen Awami League government under the fascist leadership of Sheikh Hasina jeopardised the immense economic prospects of Bangladesh through rampant corruption, looting of banks, fund transfers abroad by money laundering, and also pursued policies adversely affecting the environment, ecology and climate;
And
11. Whereas, all sections of the society including political parties, student and labour organisations, continuously became victims of imprisonment and torture, indictment and assault, murder by abduction and unlawful killings during almost last sixteen years because of their democratic opposition to Sheikh Hasina’s fascist government;
And
12. Whereas, the Awami League government, loyal to external forces, applied brutal force to suppress people’s rightful protests against foreign tutelage, exploitation and domination;
And
13. Whereas, the Awami League government held three farcical elections (the National Assembly elections of 2014, 2018 and 2024) in order to continue to cling to power illegally, thereby depriving the people of this country from exercising their right to vote and representation;
And
14. Whereas, during the regime of the Awami League, dissenting political workers and leaders, students, and the youth were subjected to brutal oppression, and extreme resentment was created among students, citizens and the job-seekers because of wholesale partisanship and quota-based discrimination in the government job appointments;
And
15. Whereas, public anger was generated for long due to extreme oppression against opposition political parties and organisations, and the people continued their anti-fascist struggle in lawful ways;
And
16. Whereas, widespread suppression and coercion, and savage tyranny were applied by the Awami League government during the anti-discrimination student movement launched to demand the abolition of the discriminatory quota system in the recruitment for government jobs and to protest against exploitation and corruption, and as a result, the tumultuous mass movement of students and people turned into an Uprising;
And
17. Whereas, political parties along with religious, social, cultural, professional and labour organisations and people from all social strata joined the irrepressible Uprising of students and people, and the Awami fascist forces indiscriminately killed nearly one thousand people including women and children, numerous people were crippled or lost eye sight, and the armed forces gave support to the movement at its final stage;
And
18. Whereas, people started a non-cooperation campaign at the call of the anti-discrimination student movement launched for bringing down the illegal government of Sheikh Hasina and for ushering in a new democratic arrangement in place of the fascist regime, and a long march to Dhaka took place on the 5th of August, and fascist Sheikh Hasina was forced to resign and flee from the country on Aug 5, 2024 in the face of the march towards Ganabhaban in the penultimate stage of the massive movement joined by all anti-fascist forces including political parties, students, and people in general from all walks of life;
And
19. Whereas, the trust of the people in their sovereignty and in its application as expressed by the mass uprising for addressing the political and constitutional crisis in Bangladesh is justified, legitimate and internationally recognised;
And
20. Whereas, the illegitimate twelfth National Assembly was dissolved and an Interim Government was formed constitutionally under the leadership of Dr. Muhammad Yunus on Aug 8, 2024, under Article 106 of the constitution and in light of the opinion given by the Supreme Court;
And
21. Whereas, the desire for rebuilding the state and society free from fascism, inequality and corruption was expressed by the Uprising of the students and people in general and by the strong anti-fascist aspirations of every section of the people of Bangladesh;
And
22. Therefore, the people of Bangladesh express their desire for ensuring good governance and fair elections, rule of law and economic and social justice, and for introducing lawfully democratic reforms for all state and constitutional institutions;
And
23. Therefore, the people of Bangladesh expresses a strong desire to bring under trial crimes involving all kinds of oppression, violence and looting of state property and also crimes of enforced disappearance and murder, individual and mass killings, and crimes against humanity perpetrated by the fascist Awami League government during the sixteen year long anti-fascist agitation of the people of Bangladesh and during the July mass uprising of 2024.
And
24. Therefore, the people of Bangladesh express their desire to recognise the martyrs of the July Uprising as national heroes and provide necessary legal protection to the students and people participating in the movement;
And
25. Therefore, the people of Bangladesh express their aspirations for establishing a society and a democratic state system that upholds rule of law and human rights and moral values, and is free from corruption and exploitation;
And
26. Therefore, the people of Bangladesh express their expectations to protect the rights of the present and the future generations through an environmental friendly, climate resilient, sustainable and inclusive development strategy;
And
27. Therefore, the people of Bangladesh express their desire that the Student-People Uprising of 2024 will get proper state and constitutional recognition and that the July Proclamation will feature in the schedule of the reformed constitution as framed by the government formed through the next national election.
And
28. This document of proclamation is written to reflect the aspirations of the people of Bangladesh at the event of the victory in the mass uprising of Aug 5, 2024.
Aug 5, 2025
