Chief Adviser Unveils 28-Point July Proclamation

Chief Adviser Dr. Muhammad Yunus read out the 'July Proclamation' on Tuesday, August 5, at the South Plaza of the National Parliament.

The proclamation is comprised of 28 points, covering the history of Bangladesh from its independence in 1971 to the July 2024 movement.

Here are the key points stated in the July Proclamation:

1. The people of this land fought against 23 years of oppression by Pakistani dictators and, in 1971, declared independence to establish Bangladesh through a bloody war of liberation.
2. The people have made the ultimate sacrifice to build a liberal-democratic state based on the principles of equality, human dignity, and social justice outlined in the Declaration of Independence.
3. The post-independence Awami League government failed to fulfill the aspirations of the liberation war due to the flawed creation, structural weaknesses, and misuse of the 1972 Constitution, which undermined democracy and state institutions.
4. The Awami League government established a one-party system in the name of BAKSAL, suppressing freedom of expression and the judiciary. This led to the unified revolution of soldiers and the public on November 7, 1975, which paved the way for the reintroduction of a multi-party democracy, freedom of expression, and an independent judiciary.
5. A continuous nine-year struggle by students and the public against military autocracy in the 1980s led to the 1990 mass uprising, and a parliamentary democratic system was re-established in 1991.
6. The democratic process of changing the government was disrupted by domestic and foreign conspiracies, leading to the fraudulent 1/11 system that facilitated Sheikh Hasina's path to absolute power, dominance, and fascism.
7. The Awami League government illegally and undemocratically altered the constitution to establish a fascist, anti-democratic, and anti-people system over a long period of sixteen years, paving the way for one-party dominance.
8. Sheikh Hasina's Awami League government's misrule, forced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, suppression of free speech, and constitutional amendments for one-party interests have destroyed all state and constitutional institutions of Bangladesh.
9. Under Sheikh Hasina, a dictatorial and anti-people regime that suppressed human rights tarnished Bangladesh's international image by turning it into a fascist, mafia, and failed state.
10. Under the pretext of development, Sheikh Hasina's fascist leadership engaged in rampant corruption, bank looting, money laundering, and the destruction of economic institutions, severely damaging Bangladesh's economy and its potential, as well as its environment, biodiversity, and climate.
11. For nearly sixteen years, political parties, student organizations, labor unions, and people from all walks of life engaged in a relentless democratic struggle against Sheikh Hasina's fascist government, facing imprisonment, harassment, enforced disappearances, and extrajudicial killings.
12. The Awami League government, as a puppet of external powers, used brutal force to suppress the people’s just movement against foreign dominance and exploitation.
13. To illegally cling to power, the Awami League government deprived the people of their right to vote and representation through three sham elections (2014, 2018, and 2024 national elections).
14. Under the Awami League, political activists, students, and young people with dissenting opinions were brutally tortured. Monopolistic party-based appointments and a discriminatory quota system in government jobs created extreme resentment among students, job seekers, and citizens.
15. Severe repression of opposition political parties and organizations created long-standing public outrage, and people pursued all legal avenues to fight against fascism.
16. During the anti-discrimination student movement to abolish the discriminatory quota system in government jobs and prevent corruption, the Awami League government carried out widespread repression, brutal torture, and crimes against humanity. This led to a nationwide mass protest that turned into a mass uprising of students and the public, regardless of their political affiliation.
17. In the uprising against the fascist forces, people from all segments of society—including political parties, religious and social organizations, cultural groups, and professionals—joined the students and the public. The Awami fascist forces indiscriminately killed nearly a thousand people, including women and children, leaving countless others disabled or blind. In the final stage of the movement, members of the military supported the people's democratic struggle.
18. The people, in response to the anti-discrimination student movement, began a non-cooperation movement to overthrow the illegal Sheikh Hasina government, abolish the fascist system, and establish a new political arrangement. This was followed by a long march toward Dhaka on August 5. Amid a massive march toward the Gonobhaban, fascist Sheikh Hasina was forced to resign and flee the country on August 5, 2024.
19. The expression and application of popular sovereignty through a mass uprising to resolve Bangladesh's political and constitutional crisis are justifiable, legitimate, and internationally recognized from both political and legal perspectives.
20. In response to the people's demand, the illegal Twelfth National Parliament was dissolved. An interim government led by Dr. Muhammad Yunus was formed on August 8, 2024, in accordance with Article 106 of the Constitution and the Supreme Court's opinion.
21. The intense anti-fascist aspirations of the people of Bangladesh and the student-led uprising expressed the desire to build a society and state free from fascism, discrimination, and corruption.
22. The people of Bangladesh express their intent to systematically and democratically reform the existing constitution and all state and constitutional institutions to ensure good governance, free and fair elections, the prevention of fascist rule, the rule of law, and economic and social justice.
23. The people of Bangladesh express their firm intent for the swift and proper trial of all crimes—including disappearances, murders, genocide, crimes against humanity, and all forms of torture, oppression, and looting of state property—committed by the fascist Awami League government during the long sixteen-year anti-fascist movement and the July 2024 mass uprising.
24. The people of Bangladesh declare all martyrs of the July mass uprising as national heroes and express the intent to provide all necessary legal protection to the martyrs' families, injured activists, and student protesters.
25. The people of Bangladesh express their intent to establish a democratic state and a society free of corruption, exploitation, discrimination, and rich in values, based on the rule of law and human rights. This will be accomplished through necessary constitutional reforms in a national parliament formed via a free, fair, and neutral election held within a reasonable timeframe, in line with the expectations of the people, especially the younger generation.
26. The people of Bangladesh express their hope that the rights of current and future generations will be protected through an inclusive and sustainable development strategy that is resilient to environmental and climate change.
27. The people of Bangladesh express their intent that the 2024 student-led mass uprising will be given appropriate state and constitutional recognition, and this proclamation will be included in the schedule of the reformed constitution by the next elected government.
28. This proclamation was drafted as a reflection of the aspirations of the victorious people of Bangladesh in the mass uprising of August 5, 2024.

As Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus read the July Proclamation, he was joined by leaders from various political parties, including BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary General Mia Golam Parwar, NCP Convener Nahid Islam, and Nagorik Oikya President Mahmudur Rahman Manna.

The event began with the national anthem, followed by a minute of silence. It was raining during the reading of the proclamation. Standing at the podium, Professor Muhammad Yunus said, "A blessing is showering upon us; with the blessings of God, I will read this proclamation," and then began his address.