Unveiling the ‘July Declaration’, a crucial political document, Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus on Tuesday said the people of Bangladesh expressed their expectations to protect the rights of the present and the future generations through an environmental friendly, climate resilient, sustainable and inclusive development strategy.

“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 Declaration will feature in the schedule of the reformed constitution as framed by the government formed through the next national election,” he said while reading out the 28-point July Declaration.

Prof Yunus said the document of the declaration is written to reflect the aspirations of the people of Bangladesh at the event of the victory in the mass uprising of August 5, 2024.

Finalised by the interim government, Prof Yunus started reading it out at 5:21 pm in presence of all political parties.

Top leaders from the major political parties, including BNP, Jamaat and National Citizen Party (NCP), joined the event at the South Plaza of the Jatiya Sangsad.

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, BNP standing committee members Salahuddin Ahmed and Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan, Secretary General of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami is Professor Mia Golam Parwar, NCP convener Nahid Islam and representatives from other political parties were present.  

The programme began with the playing of the national anthem.  A video documentary was also screened.

Prof Yunus starts reading out ‘July Declaration’

The rest of the text of ‘July Declaration’ is given below

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 26 March, 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 November 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 August 5, 2024 in the face of the march towards Gonobhabon 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 August 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

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 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.

Meanwhile, the Chief Adviser is scheduled to address the nation at 8:20pm on the occasion of July Mass Uprising Day.

His speech will be broadcast simultaneously on Bangladesh Television, BTV News and Bangladesh Betar.