No martyrdom for conspiracies: Awami League slams Yunus govt's Ordinance on July movement

Dhaka, June 23 (IANS) Bangladesh's Awami League has condemned the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government for passing an ordinance related to the July movement last year, denouncing it as a "carefully crafted political propaganda document" that aimed to present the 2024 incident as "an uprising."

Raising concern over Ordinance No. 30, 2025, former Prime Minister Sheikh Haisna's party stated that granting state recognition to the event is to legitimise an "unconstitutional and unethical conspiracy."

The interim regime recently issued an ordinance for "preserving the history and ideals" of the July 2024 mass "uprising" and ensuring the welfare and rehabilitation of the families of those killed and injured during the movement.

The Ordinance also asserted that the Liberation War in 1971 was triggered by the "systematic oppression and racial policies" of the then-Pakistani regime.

The Awami League said that the term fighter is reserved for Liberation War heroes and by creating a new class called "July Fighters" undermines the very legacy. It further labelled the Ordinance as a part of "Yunus-aligned anti-liberation elements" for establishing a parallel administrative system.

"The so-called July movement of 2024 was a media-fueled propaganda operation orchestrated by foreign NGOs and corporate outlets to destabilise former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government. It was nothing more than an attempt to brand a quota movement as a revolution," the Awami League said in a statement.

"There was no mass base. It was a silent coup, with Yunus at its centre. He himself claimed in interviews: 'Even if I don't have popular support, I have international connections' -- revealing his authoritarian mindset," it added.

"It was a period marked by the killing of thousands of police officers and the torching of state assets -- creating instability and pushing the country into chaos. We see this as a conspiracy against the state and the Constitution," said the Awami League.

The Awami League asserted that labelling those who died in the clashes as "martyrs" through this Ordinance is an insult to the Constitution and the spirit of the Liberation War.

The word "Shaheed" (martyr), it said, is "sacred and reserved" for those who died for independence.

"Most victims were shot in the head or neck -- an indicator of sniper fire. Neuroscience Hospital specialists, including Fuad Galib and Shamsul Arefin, confirm fatal sniper wounds in several patients. Weapon expert Abdul Haque, after reviewing bullets, stated they came from military-grade sniper rifles -- which the police did not use. Then, where did they come from?" the party questioned.

The Awami League revealed that when former Home Affairs Advisor Sakhawat Hossain, under the Yunus-led interim administration, raised questions about the 7.62mm bullets, he was removed from his post the next day.

The party further asserted that martyrs die for the country, "not for conspiracies," adding that resettling such people only creates future "threats to national security."

"The term fighter holds enormous national dignity and is traditionally reserved for Liberation War heroes. Creating a new class called 'July Fighters' undermines this legacy and is part of a plot to establish a parallel administrative system -- spearheaded by Yunus-aligned anti-liberation elements," said the Awami League.

"This group includes opportunists from both left and right, acting under foreign agendas. Their rehabilitation is a misuse of the national treasury to reward conspirators," it further added.

The party stressed that the Ordinance is a document of "historical distortion and a legalised framework to destabilise Hasina's government".

It labelled the Ordinance as a blueprint against the spirit of the Liberation War and a "foreign lobby-backed conspiracy to create a shadow state within Bangladesh."

The Awami League demanded that the Ordinance be repealed immediately, banning all political labels like "July Martyr" and "July Fighter" and reaffirming the Liberation War's ideals as the only national ideals.

--IANS

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