Bangladesh opens memorial museum at Hasina’s former official residence
Bangladesh on Wednesday, August 5, inaugurated the July Mass Uprising Memorial Museum at Ganabhaban, the former official residence of ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, as the country marked the first anniversary of the protests that led to the fall of her government amid heightened nationwide security.
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman inaugurated the museum, coinciding with August 5, the day Hasina fled to India in 2024 following widespread anti-government protests over a controversial job quota system. Interim government chief Muhammad Yunus was present during the ceremony.
While unveiling the museum plaque, Rahman said those responsible for killings during the anti-government movement would face a "transparent, impartial and credible" trial in accordance with due process of law. He added that justice for every crime was necessary to uphold the rule of law.
The prime minister also announced that government institutions would be named after activists killed during the July uprising and those who lost their lives during the Awami League's rule since 2009.
According to a February 2025 report by the UN Human Rights Office, up to 1,400 people were killed between July 15 and August 15, 2024, during the protests and subsequent security crackdown ordered by the Hasina government.
Hasina left Bangladesh for India on August 5, 2024, after weeks of nationwide protests. Three days later, Muhammad Yunus assumed office as chief adviser of the interim government.
Bangladesh is observing August 5 as 'July Mass Uprising Day', with the government, political parties and socio-cultural organisations holding events to commemorate those killed during the protests, according to the state-run Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS).
Security was tightened across the country ahead of the anniversary amid concerns over possible unrest, particularly as Hasina was scheduled to deliver a virtual public address from New Delhi later in the day.
Authorities had earlier issued a nationwide security alert and instructed police to strengthen security arrangements. Officials said no incidents of violence had been reported till Wednesday afternoon.
Additional security personnel, including members of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), were deployed in Gopalganj district, Hasina's ancestral home and the birthplace of Bangladesh's founding leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
The political developments follow a series of legal actions against the former prime minister. A special tribunal established under the interim government sentenced Hasina to death in November 2025 on charges of crimes against humanity and genocide.
Her former home minister, Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, was also sentenced to death after being tried in absentia. The interim administration subsequently banned the Awami League through an executive order, a decision later endorsed by Rahman's Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)-led government after the February 12 elections.
Media reports and political analysts have said concerns have grown in Bangladesh since Hasina announced last month that she intends to return to the country by December. The unease increased after her party said she would address the international media virtually from the Foreign Correspondents' Club of South Asia in New Delhi.
Ahead of the address, Hasina's son and former ICT affairs adviser, Sajeeb Wazed, said in a social media post that August 5 marked the day when "extremists" seized control of Bangladesh through a coordinated effort. He also said the developments had disrupted the country's democratic continuity and triggered prolonged political instability.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh Prime Minister's Information Adviser Zahed Ur Rahman warned that media outlets broadcasting or publishing Hasina's speech could face legal action, claiming it would violate restrictions imposed by the International Crimes Tribunal-Bangladesh (ICT-BD).
However, ICT-BD Chief Prosecutor Aminul Islam clarified that there was no blanket prohibition on airing Hasina's statements and said the restriction applied only to content containing hate speech or remarks undermining the tribunal's dignity.
