July 2024
A student protest against quotas in government jobs that grew into a nationwide uprising and, after weeks of deadly violence, ended Sheikh Hasina’s government on 5 August 2024.
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- 36 days
An overview of the history, the people and the accountability record, drawing on 20 published sources. Skip to sources
What “July” means
In the summer of 2024, students in Bangladesh protested against the reinstatement of a quota in public-sector recruitment. Over five weeks the protests widened into a nationwide movement, the government’s response turned lethal, and on 5 August 2024 the prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, left the country. [1]
The decisive events ran into August, but the movement came to be named after July. Its participants counted the days as one month: they marked 5 August as “July 36”. [2] This archive uses “July” and “the July uprising” as short names for the protests and the events around them, from the quota ruling of 5 June 2024 to the transition of 6–8 August. Other names for the same events are recorded below as their users chose them.
The names used
- The name in reporting while the demand was the quota itself, and in later accounts of how the protests began. [3, 4]
- Two English renderings of the name of the student platform that called the protests; the UN fact-finding report describes it as an umbrella movement that brought together a range of students, including from the student wings of BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami. [3, 1]
- The name in general use in the press after August 2024, including in reporting of the trials that followed. [2, 5]
- The wording of the July Proclamation read by the chief adviser of the interim government on 5 August 2025. [6]
- The description in the UN fact-finding report of how the protests grew once a majority of Bangladeshis came to share their grievances. [1]
Why it began
On 5 June 2024 the High Court reinstated a quota reserving 30 percent of public sector jobs for descendants of those who fought for independence in the 1970s, overturning a government decision of 2018 that had abolished the quota after extensive student protests. That ruling, the UN fact-finding report concluded, was the immediate trigger of the protests. [1]
Students, including some Awami League supporters, saw such quotas as discriminatory and as favouring the grandchildren of independence fighters over merit. The report also records deeper grievances behind the protests: unemployment among the young — a government report of April 2024 put the share of people aged 15 to 24 not in education, employment or training at nearly 40 percent — rising prices, and corruption. [1]
The political setting was tense. The Awami League had governed for fifteen years; it won the election of January 2024, in which Jamaat-e-Islami was banned and which the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) boycotted after opposition rallies were suppressed. [1]
The quota question
The government decides to abolish the quota system after extensive student protests. [1]
The government
The 2018 decision is ruled unconstitutional; a quota of 30 percent of public sector jobs for descendants of independence fighters is reinstated. [1]
High Court Division, Supreme Court
The High Court order is stayed for four weeks. [3]
Appellate Division, Supreme Court
The quota for descendants of independence fighters is cut to 5 percent; 93 percent of jobs are allocated on merit and 2 percent reserved for members of ethnic minorities and transgender and disabled people. [7]
Supreme Court
How it unfolded
The milestones from the court ruling to the eve of 5 August, in five phases. The full history, day by day, belongs to the July Uprising page.
A court ruling and the first protests
The High Court reinstates the quota
The High Court Division of the Supreme Court reinstates a quota reserving 30 percent of public sector jobs for descendants of the fighters of the 1971 war of independence, ruling unconstitutional the government decision of 2018 that had abolished it after student protests. [1]
Reported — published by the reports cited; not yet checked against a primary record. Sources: Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
Students protest the ruling
Students begin to stage protests against the court order. [3]
Reported — published by the reports cited; not yet checked against a primary record. Sources: bdnews24.com.
The movement takes to the streets
Protesters, led mostly by students and other young people, take to the streets against the reinstated quota, [8] in what bdnews24.com describes as a movement under the banner of the Anti-discrimination Student Movement. [3]
Reported — published by the reports cited; not yet checked against a primary record. Sources: Al Jazeera; bdnews24.com.
A “Bangla Blockade”, and the government’s answer
Protesters hold a “Bangla Blockade” programme across the country. [3] The same day the prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, says publicly that after the court’s verdict there is “no justification for the anti-quota movement”. [1]
Reported — published by the reports cited; not yet checked against a primary record. Sources: bdnews24.com; Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
The ruling is stayed
The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court stays the High Court order for four weeks. [3]
Reported — published by the reports cited; not yet checked against a primary record. Sources: bdnews24.com.
Police use force near Cumilla University
Police use batons and tear gas against student protesters near Cumilla University, and clash with protesters at Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University in Dhaka, according to the UN fact-finding report. [1]
Reported — published by the reports cited; not yet checked against a primary record. Sources: Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
“Razakar” and the attacks on the campuses
‘তুমি কে, আমি কে, রাজাকার, রাজাকার/ কে বলেছে, কে বলেছে, স্বৈরাচার, স্বৈরাচার’
“Who are you? Who am I? Razakar, razakar.” … “Says who? Says who? The dictator, the dictator!”
A remark at a press conference, and a chant that night
At a press conference the prime minister asks whether, if the grandchildren of freedom fighters do not receive quota benefits, “the grandchildren of razakars” should — razakar being the term for those who collaborated with Pakistan’s army in 1971. Students take the remark as directed at them. That night protests break out in the halls of Dhaka University, and hundreds of women break the night locks of their dormitory to join them. [1]
Reported — published by the reports cited; not yet checked against a primary record. Sources: Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
Attacks on student protesters
Bangladesh Chhatra League, the governing party’s student wing, and other government supporters attack student protesters. [3] The UN fact-finding report found that senior Awami League officials “mobilized and incited” Chhatra League supporters to carry out armed attacks on student protesters around several universities, that students often defended themselves, and that the police consistently failed to intervene. [1]
Reported — published by the reports cited; not yet checked against a primary record. Sources: bdnews24.com; Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
The first deaths
At least six people are killed, among them Abu Sayed, a student at Begum Rokeya University in Rangpur. Footage of his killing circulates widely and brings more protesters out, including many students at private universities. The same day the government applies for leave to appeal the High Court’s ruling. [1]
Reported — published by the reports cited; not yet checked against a primary record. Sources: Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
Dhaka University, and a call for a “complete shutdown”
Police, supported by the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), break up a large protest at Dhaka University. In an evening address the prime minister asks students to await the Supreme Court’s decision; Students against Discrimination calls instead for a “complete shutdown” of the country. [1]
Reported — published by the reports cited; not yet checked against a primary record. Sources: Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
Shutdown, curfew and the Supreme Court’s ruling
The wider public takes to the streets
The general population joins the protests and blocks key roads. The UN fact-finding report found that the security forces now moved to lethal force; that some in the crowds attacked police, transport infrastructure and government buildings, including the Bangladesh Television building; and that in the evening the government ordered BGB to use maximum force and shut down the internet across the country. [1]
Reported — published by the reports cited; not yet checked against a primary record. Sources: Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
Shooting in Dhaka, and a national curfew
Security forces fire on crowds in Rampura, Badda and many other places. In the evening the prime minister orders a national curfew from midnight and deploys 27,000 Army soldiers. [1]
Reported — published by the reports cited; not yet checked against a primary record. Sources: Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
–
Operations to clear the highway
Police, RAB, BGB and the Army carry out a joint operation in Jatrabari, Dhaka, to clear the Dhaka–Chattogram highway, firing military rifles and shotguns. [1]
Reported — published by the reports cited; not yet checked against a primary record. Sources: Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
The Supreme Court cuts the quota
The Supreme Court reduces the quota for descendants of independence fighters to 5 percent and allocates 93 percent of jobs on merit, with 2 percent for members of ethnic minorities and transgender and disabled people. [7] By then the movement’s demands have already widened beyond the quota. [1]
Reported — published by the reports cited; not yet checked against a primary record. Sources: Al Jazeera; Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
Arrests and a pause
The “complete shutdown” is halted
Nahid Islam, one of the movement’s coordinators, announces a halt to the “complete shutdown”. Broadband internet is restored on a limited scale the next day. [3]
Reported — published by the reports cited; not yet checked against a primary record. Sources: bdnews24.com.
Mass arrests, and a recorded statement
As street protests ebb, security forces carry out a mass arrest campaign against students, opposition supporters and others. Six student leaders are detained; on 28 July the head of the Detective Branch publishes a video in which they denounce the protests — a statement the UN fact-finding report describes as coerced, and whose release caused public outrage. [1]
Reported — published by the reports cited; not yet checked against a primary record. Sources: Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
A day of mourning, and a ban
A day of national mourning is observed. [3] The government decides to ban Jamaat-e-Islami and associated organisations. [1]
Reported — published by the reports cited; not yet checked against a primary record. Sources: bdnews24.com; Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
A “March for Justice”
Students attempt to march towards the High Court in a “March for Justice” programme. [3]
Reported — published by the reports cited; not yet checked against a primary record. Sources: bdnews24.com.
One demand
The detained coordinators are released
The six coordinators are released from the Detective Branch office. [3]
Reported — published by the reports cited; not yet checked against a primary record. Sources: bdnews24.com.
The demand for the government’s resignation
At a mass gathering at the Central Shaheed Minar on the Dhaka University campus, Nahid Islam announces a single demand: the fall of the prime minister and her government. [4] The same day, at a meeting convened by the Army chief, junior officers tell him that they do not wish to shoot at protesters, according to the UN fact-finding report. [1]
Reported — published by the reports cited; not yet checked against a primary record. Sources: Prothom Alo; Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
Non-cooperation, and a plan to hold Dhaka
On the first day of a non-cooperation programme, the Awami League declares that it will also take to the streets. [3] That night, the UN fact-finding report found, the prime minister’s security chiefs agree a plan for the Army and BGB to deploy alongside the police to stop a march on Dhaka called for the next day, if necessary by force. [1]
Reported — published by the reports cited; not yet checked against a primary record. Sources: bdnews24.com; Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
Violence and loss
This section describes killings and injuries during the protests. It contains no images and no graphic detail.
The United Nations human rights office (OHCHR) investigated the events of 1 July to 15 August 2024 at the invitation of the interim government. Its report, published on 12 February 2025, rests on more than 230 interviews with victims and witnesses and 36 with officials, corroborated with authenticated videos and photographs and with forensic and weapons analysis. It makes findings where there are “reasonable grounds to believe” that something occurred — a standard lower than the one required to establish individual guilt in a criminal trial. [1]
On that standard, the report found that the former government and its security and intelligence apparatus, together with violent elements associated with the Awami League, systematically engaged in serious human rights violations, including hundreds of extrajudicial killings, serious injuries to thousands of protesters, extensive arbitrary arrest and detention, and torture; and that these occurred with the knowledge, coordination and direction of the political leadership and senior security officials. [1]
It found that most of the dead were killed by military rifles and by shotguns loaded with lethal metal pellets, weapons commonly used by the security forces. It also found that some protesters attacked police, government buildings and transport infrastructure, and that crowds carried out killings in revenge, above all as the government lost control in early August. [1]
- The government at the time
- In visits to a vandalised metro station, the burned television building and hospitals in late July 2024, the prime minister publicly placed all blame for the violence and loss of life on opposition parties. Former senior officials told the UN investigators that the violence had been planned and orchestrated by BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami. [1]
- The UN fact-finding report, February 2025
- Found no information to corroborate the claim that the violence was orchestrated by BNP or Jamaat-e-Islami, and found that the vast majority of deaths appear to have been caused by firearms used by the security forces. It found that BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami supporters and local leaders took part in some revenge violence, without finding it orchestrated by their national leaderships. [1]
- International Crimes Tribunal-1, November 2025
- Convicted Sheikh Hasina and her home minister, Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, of crimes against humanity in their absence. Hasina called the verdicts the work of “a rigged tribunal”. The convictions are set out with their legal status in the archive’s accountability record. [8]
Names before numbers
Two of the dead, as the UN fact-finding report names them. The register of the dead, with sources and where accountability stands, is on the Martyrs page.
Abu Sayed
Killed · Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur
A 23-year-old student, the first in his family to attend university, who had taken part in the quota movement from its beginning. The UN fact-finding report found reasonable grounds to believe that police shot him with shotguns while he posed no threat; the police reported to the investigators that he died of “head injury and gunshot injury”. [1]
Mir Mughdo
Killed · Uttara, Dhaka
A 25-year-old student who had been handing out water to protesters. He was shot in the head on Rabindra Sarani, at about 5:50 p.m. according to a video the UN investigators authenticated. [1]
Counting the dead and injured
There is no single agreed number. Each published figure is set out with who produced it, what it counts, over what period and how.
| Figure | Produced by | What it counts | Period | As of | How |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| As many as 1,400 deaths | UN human rights office (OHCHR) | Protest-related deaths, including at least 13 women; about 12–13 percent of those killed were children | 15 July – 5 August 2024 | Report of 12 February 2025 | An assessment, not a list: OHCHR compared Ministry of Health records with lists compiled by other sources, including civil society, and removed duplicates. It did not corroborate each death, and states that not every death can be attributed to the state. [1] |
| 841 deaths; 12,272 injuries | Ministry of Health, as cited by OHCHR | Deaths related to the protests (10 of them women) and injuries recorded by the health authorities | The protests | When the OHCHR report was finalised | Hospital records. OHCHR considers them incomplete: staff were overwhelmed, some patients gave no or false names to avoid arrest, families buried some of the dead quickly, and in some cases health authorities were intimidated into not registering deaths. [1] |
| 314 further deaths | National Security Intelligence, as cited by OHCHR | Named people killed during the protests who were not in the Ministry of Health data, 40 of them children | The protests | Provided to OHCHR before February 2025 | Names and dates of death compiled from intelligence and open sources. [1] |
| 834 names | Ministry of Liberation War Affairs | People recognised by the state as martyrs of the July–August uprising | July–August 2024 | Gazette dated 15 January 2025 | An official gazette listing each person’s medical case ID, name, father’s name and addresses, but not the place or date of death. [10, 11] The ministry later said that names found to be false had been removed after verification and the gazette republished; the archive has not established the current number. [12] |
| 493 people | Ministry of Liberation War Affairs | Critically injured people recognised as “July Warriors” in “Category A” | July–August 2024 | Gazette reported on 28 February 2025 | An official gazette of recognition, not a count of all who were injured. [13] |
| 44 police officers killed | Bangladesh Police, BGB, Ansar/VDP and RAB, as cited by OHCHR | Members of the security forces, each force’s own figure: police 44 killed and 2,308 injured; BGB 3 killed and 129 injured; Ansar/VDP 3 and 63; RAB 2 and 307 | 1 July – 15 August 2024 | Provided to OHCHR before February 2025 | Each force’s own figures for its members. [1] |
| 144 deaths | Awami League, as cited by OHCHR | Officials and members of the Awami League and its affiliated organisations killed in attacks | 1 July – 15 August 2024 | Provided to OHCHR before February 2025 | A list with names, dates and causes of death. OHCHR states that it was not in a position to verify these incidents independently. [1] |
As many as 1,400 deaths
- UN human rights office (OHCHR)
- Protest-related deaths, including at least 13 women; about 12–13 percent of those killed were children
- 15 July – 5 August 2024
- Report of 12 February 2025
- An assessment, not a list: OHCHR compared Ministry of Health records with lists compiled by other sources, including civil society, and removed duplicates. It did not corroborate each death, and states that not every death can be attributed to the state. [1]
841 deaths; 12,272 injuries
- Ministry of Health, as cited by OHCHR
- Deaths related to the protests (10 of them women) and injuries recorded by the health authorities
- The protests
- When the OHCHR report was finalised
- Hospital records. OHCHR considers them incomplete: staff were overwhelmed, some patients gave no or false names to avoid arrest, families buried some of the dead quickly, and in some cases health authorities were intimidated into not registering deaths. [1]
314 further deaths
- National Security Intelligence, as cited by OHCHR
- Named people killed during the protests who were not in the Ministry of Health data, 40 of them children
- The protests
- Provided to OHCHR before February 2025
- Names and dates of death compiled from intelligence and open sources. [1]
834 names
- Ministry of Liberation War Affairs
- People recognised by the state as martyrs of the July–August uprising
- July–August 2024
- Gazette dated 15 January 2025
- An official gazette listing each person’s medical case ID, name, father’s name and addresses, but not the place or date of death. [10, 11] The ministry later said that names found to be false had been removed after verification and the gazette republished; the archive has not established the current number. [12]
493 people
- Ministry of Liberation War Affairs
- Critically injured people recognised as “July Warriors” in “Category A”
- July–August 2024
- Gazette reported on 28 February 2025
- An official gazette of recognition, not a count of all who were injured. [13]
44 police officers killed
- Bangladesh Police, BGB, Ansar/VDP and RAB, as cited by OHCHR
- Members of the security forces, each force’s own figure: police 44 killed and 2,308 injured; BGB 3 killed and 129 injured; Ansar/VDP 3 and 63; RAB 2 and 307
- 1 July – 15 August 2024
- Provided to OHCHR before February 2025
- Each force’s own figures for its members. [1]
144 deaths
- Awami League, as cited by OHCHR
- Officials and members of the Awami League and its affiliated organisations killed in attacks
- 1 July – 15 August 2024
- Provided to OHCHR before February 2025
- A list with names, dates and causes of death. OHCHR states that it was not in a position to verify these incidents independently. [1]
The archive’s position
- None. Each figure counts something different, over a different period, by a different method; adding them together or choosing one would misstate all of them.
- Official lists record people identified and registered; the UN figure is an assessment that includes deaths no single list holds. [1] A year later, 114 people buried as unclaimed at Rayerbazar graveyard in Dhaka in July and August 2024 had still not been identified. [14]
- A published, reconciled list of the dead with dates and places, from an official or independent body. When one is found it will be added here, with its date.
Communications cut
From the night of 14–15 July, mobile internet was shut down around five universities; the next night the order was widened to 59 university areas. Facebook and YouTube were blocked from midnight on 17 July and 4G services shut down. On the evening of 18 July broadband was cut as well, and for five days the whole country was disconnected from the internet. Broadband returned from 23 July and mobile internet from the afternoon of 28 July, while social media stayed blocked; mobile internet was cut again on the evening of 4 August and broadband on the morning of 5 August, until Sheikh Hasina had left. [1]
People were cut off from banking, health and other services and often could not check on their families. The UN fact-finding report found that the decisions were taken at ministerial level and carried out through the National Telecommunication Monitoring Centre and the telecommunications regulator, without announcement, due process or justification. [1]
- Reasons given at the time
- The then state minister for telecommunications said the shutdowns were caused by protesters burning data centres in Dhaka; on other occasions he said they were a deliberate measure to curb misinformation. [1]
- The UN fact-finding report
- Found the data-centre claim false — technical data showed key government installations kept internet access in the areas said to be affected — and found that the timing and reach of the shutdowns tracked the location of major protests and their suppression. [1]
Journalists and the press
Between 15 July and 5 August at least six journalists were killed at or around protests in Dhaka, Sylhet and Sirajganj, and about 200 were injured, according to a civil society organisation cited by the UN fact-finding report. Some were hit when security forces fired on crowds; others were targeted for their work, in some cases by protesters. The report found that intelligence agencies and ministry officials pressed editors not to report fully on the protests and their suppression. [1]
Who took part
Students began it; the wider public joined. These are the groups whose part the sources document — not a claim that everyone took part, and not the only groups that did.
- Students at public universities led the first protests; after the killing of Abu Sayed on 16 July many students at private universities joined. The record names, among others, Dhaka, Jahangirnagar, Chittagong, Rajshahi, Cumilla and Begum Rokeya universities and Shahjalal University of Science and Technology. [1]
- Female students were often at the forefront of the early protests and their organisation, the UN fact-finding report found, though male-dominated leadership gradually sidelined them; women protesters were attacked in Dhaka and in Cumilla, Savar, Sylhet and Rangpur, and some were subjected to sexual and gender-based violence. [1]
- Many teenagers took part, among them school, college and madrasa students and young workers. About 12–13 percent of those killed were children, according to the figures the report examined. [1]
- From 18 July the general population took to the streets. The report describes many thousands of protesters, including women and children, from diverse socioeconomic, professional and religious backgrounds. [1]
- Doctors and other medical staff treated wounded protesters at great personal risk, in many cases for free, while some hospitals were pressured not to admit them or to record gunshot deaths as “accidental”, and at least two doctors were arrested. [1]
How the demands changed
From a quota to the government itself. Each demand is dated to when it was made, and attributed to who made it.
Against the reinstated quota for descendants of independence fighters, seen as favouring them over merit. [1]
Student protesters
A public apology from the prime minister and the resignation of two ministers, with further demands. bdnews24.com reports both nine demands announced by the movement and eight presented that day by three of its leaders to government officials at a meeting at Padma Guest House; Prothom Alo refers to a nine-point demand. [2, 4] Prothom Alo’s timeline of 2 August 2024 summarises both lists, which are set out on the July Uprising page; the movement’s own text of them has not been found. [15]
Anti-discrimination Student Movement
The dismissal of the home affairs minister and several other senior officials, and criminal accountability for the police officers and Chhatra League supporters who had killed students. [1]
The student movement, according to the UN fact-finding report
One demand: “the downfall of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the incumbent government as well as abolition of the fascism”, in the words of the announcement as reported in English by Prothom Alo. [4]
Nahid Islam, for Students against Discrimination, at the Central Shaheed Minar
: The decisive days
A march on the capital, the prime minister’s departure, and the three days in which an interim government was formed.
The march on Dhaka, and the prime minister’s departure
Hundreds of thousands of protesters march towards central Dhaka. Police and armed Awami League supporters fire on them in many places, while the Army and BGB largely stand by. In the late morning the Army chief tells the prime minister that the Army cannot stop protesters reaching her residence; at about 2 p.m. Sheikh Hasina is flown out of Dhaka by military helicopter and then out of the country, and protesters storm her official residence. The Army chief announces her departure and promises an interim government. [1] She has lived in India since. [8]
Reported — published by the reports cited; not yet checked against a primary record. Sources: Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR); Al Jazeera.
An interim leader is chosen
The Army leadership accedes to the student movement’s demand that Muhammad Yunus be appointed chief adviser to lead an interim government. [1]
Reported — published by the reports cited; not yet checked against a primary record. Sources: Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
After 5 August
Violence did not end with the change of government. This part of the record is kept because it is part of what happened.
In the days after Sheikh Hasina left, the police effectively stopped functioning in many places. Crowds carried out revenge attacks and killings targeting Awami League officials and supporters, the police and media outlets seen as supporting the former government; on 5 August several television stations were attacked, looted or burned. The UN fact-finding report found that most incidents of revenge violence appear to have occurred on 5 August and the days immediately after, and that attacks on Awami League supporters continued after the interim government took office on 8 August. [1]
During and after the protests members of the Hindu community, Ahmadiyya Muslims and indigenous groups in the Chittagong Hill Tracts were attacked by mobs, including the burning of homes and some attacks on places of worship. The report found different and often intersecting motives — religious and ethnic discrimination, revenge against Awami League supporters among minorities, local disputes over land — and that some local BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami supporters were involved, but no information that the attacks were organised by those parties’ national leaderships, which condemned them. It notes that misinformation clouded the understanding of several incidents. [1]
Counts of these attacks differ by who made them. The Bangladesh Hindu Bouddha Christian Unity Council reported 1,769 attacks and acts of vandalism against minorities between 4 and 20 August. A Bangladesh Police report of January 2025 that examined those reports found 1,234 to have had a political background, 20 to have been communal in nature and 161 to be false claims. National Security Intelligence recorded 37 violent attacks on minorities between 5 and 15 August. The UN report gives no count of its own and calls for further investigation. [1]
Many perpetrators of revenge violence and of attacks on minority groups apparently continue to enjoy impunity, the report concluded; the interim government reported 100 arrests in relation to attacks on religious and indigenous groups. [1]
Sharif Osman bin Hadi and July
This archive began with the killing of Sharif Osman bin Hadi in December 2025. He was one of many thousands who took part in July; these are the records of his part and of what he did after it.
Helps organise protests in the uprising
During the student-led uprising against the government of Sheikh Hasina he helps organise demonstrations, and comes to wider notice. [16, 17] Every account of his part in it was written after he was shot in December 2025; none gives him a formal position in the movement’s leadership.
Reported — published by the reports cited; not yet checked against a primary record. Sources: CNA; bdnews24.com.
After the uprising, 2024
Inqilab Moncho is formed
A new platform, Inqilab Moncho, is formed under his leadership. He speaks for it first as its spokesperson and later as its convener, according to Prothom Alo. [17, 18]
Reported — published by the reports cited; not yet checked against a primary record. Sources: bdnews24.com; Prothom Alo.
The “martyrs’ rally” at Shahbagh
At a rally at Shahbagh attended by relatives of people killed in July 2024, Hadi sets out four demands, among them trials for the July killings and a ban on the Awami League, with a 100-day ultimatum. [19, 20]
Reported — published by the reports cited; not yet checked against a primary record. Sources: Ajker Patrika; Risingbd.
The July archive
Seven records go deeper than this overview. They are listed in the order of the history, not by importance, and each is being prepared to the same standard of sources.
July Uprising
The full history, day by day: where each protest took place, who called it, how it was met and how it was reported at the time. This overview gives only the milestones.
July Heroes
People whose part in the uprising is publicly recognised and well documented — organisers, speakers, those who led on the streets — each with what they did, when and where, and the sources for it.
Unsung Heroes
People whose part was substantial but little recognised: local organisers, volunteers, medical workers, those who documented events. A profile is published only when what they did is documented.
The difference between the two is public recognition, not importance. Neither list is ranked.
Martyrs
A register of the people who died: who they were, when and where they died, what is known of how, and the sources. Unknown names are kept as “Name not recorded”, not left out.
- Abu Sayed · Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur
- Mir Mughdo · Uttara, Dhaka
- And many more whose names this archive has not yet recorded.
The archive’s register of the dead is called “Martyrs” because that is how the state recognises them: the government lists them in a gazette of “martyrs”. [10] The page’s own narration says “killed” and “died”; “shaheed” and “martyr” appear as the words of those who use them.
Injured & Survivors
People who were injured and survived: who they are, what happened to them and what has followed, recorded from their public accounts and published reports, without private medical detail. Thousands were seriously injured, the UN fact-finding report found. [1]
Crimes & Accountability
Alleged crimes, investigations, trials and judgments, each person with their legal status in each case, dated and sourced. Nobody is called a criminal without a judgment that says so.
- International Crimes Tribunal-1, Dhaka: a three-member tribunal headed by Justice Golam Mortuza Mozumder. [5]
- Crimes against humanity in the government’s crackdown on the protests of July and August 2024. [8]
- On 15 December 2025 the prosecution appealed to the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, seeking to raise the sentences of imprisonment until natural death imposed on Sheikh Hasina and Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal to death. [5] No judgment on the appeal is recorded in this archive.
Sheikh Hasina
Former prime minister
Convicted — at first instance, · Tried in absentia; sentenced to death on some counts and to imprisonment until natural death on others. [8, 5] She called the verdicts the work of “a rigged tribunal established and presided over by an unelected government with no democratic mandate”. [8]
Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal
Former home affairs minister
Convicted — at first instance, · Tried in absentia; sentenced to death on some counts and to imprisonment until natural death on others. [8, 5]
Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun
Former inspector-general of police
Convicted — at first instance, · Present at the tribunal; sentenced to five years in prison. [8]
Status as of the archive review, . A conviction at first instance is not a final judgment; the archive has not recorded the outcome of the appeal.
Before 5 August 2024 the former government made no genuine effort to investigate or ensure accountability for the violations, the UN fact-finding report found. [1]
The interim government has brought cases against senior officials before the International Crimes Tribunal and in the ordinary courts. The report records concerns about due process before the tribunal, including trials in absentia and the death penalty, and about “mass cases” in the ordinary courts: by January 2025 the police reported 1,181 investigations naming 98,137 accused. [1]
Unresolved Justice
Cases in which accountability is incomplete: investigations not concluded, proceedings still open, deaths still unexplained — each stated with the record that would close it.
What will the Appellate Division decide on the prosecution’s appeal?
The prosecution’s appeal to the Appellate Division was filed on 15 December 2025; this archive holds no record of its outcome. [5]
Will anyone who served in the Army or the intelligence agencies be prosecuted?
When the UN fact-finding report was finalised in February 2025 it had received no information on criminal prosecutions of personnel who served with the Army, DGFI or NSI; this archive has not yet reviewed later records. [1]
Who are the dead who have not been identified?
In August 2025, 114 people buried as unclaimed at Rayerbazar graveyard during July and August 2024 remained unidentified. [14]
Will the revenge killings and the attacks on minorities be prosecuted?
The UN fact-finding report found that many perpetrators apparently continue to enjoy impunity. [1]
July in public memory
How July has been remembered is recorded apart from what happened. Remembrance is evidence of memory, not of the events themselves.
Participants counted the uprising as a single month, marking 5 August as “July 36”. [2] The state recognised 834 people as martyrs in a gazette of January 2025, and 493 critically injured people as “July Warriors” the following month. [10, 13]
On 5 August 2025, the first anniversary, the chief adviser Muhammad Yunus read out a 28-point July Proclamation. It calls for the “student-led mass uprising” to be recognised by the state and set in the schedule of a reformed constitution, to be adopted by the next elected government, and calls those killed “national heroes”, according to bdnews24.com. [6]
The proclamation is recorded here as the interim government’s statement of how the uprising should be remembered. It is not a finding about the events, and this page does not adopt its terms.
Sources and method
This overview was compiled by Justice for Hadi from the fact-finding report of the UN human rights office, read in full, and from news reports, each read in full. Every numbered citation points to the publication that reports the event or makes the finding. Where the page relies on the UN report, it says so, because the report states its own standard of proof.
In the terms of the project’s research standard the UN report is an institutional report and the news reports are independent reporting: good evidence of what was found or reported, not original documentation. None has yet been through the project’s formal verification process. Wording that takes a side — “fascism”, “martyr”, “rigged” — appears only inside quotation marks, as the words of those who used it.
July archive reviewed through . Court records, official lists and investigations change; this overview will be updated as verified developments are found. To report an error, or to offer a photograph, recording or document with its source and permission, see corrections; for how the project works, see the research methodology.
Sources
- 1OHCHR Fact-Finding Report: Human Rights Violations and Abuses related to the Protests of July and August 2024 in Bangladesh
Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) · 12 February 2025 · UN report · ohchr.org
Source catalogue record and provenance
↩ First cited in “What “July” means” - 22024: The 36-day July uprising that pushed Hasina from power
bdnews24.com · 30 December 2024 · News report · bdnews24.com
Source catalogue record and provenance
↩ First cited in “What “July” means” - 3Timeline: How a quota reform movement caused a government to fall
bdnews24.com · 7 August 2024 · News report · bdnews24.com
News archive record and context
Source catalogue record and provenance
↩ First cited in “What “July” means” - 4Students Against Discrimination declares one-point demand for govt’s resignation
Prothom Alo · 3 August 2024 · News report · en.prothomalo.com
News archive record and context
Source catalogue record and provenance
↩ First cited in “What “July” means” - 5ICT prosecution files appeal to enhance Hasina’s sentence to death
The Business Standard · 15 December 2025 · News report · tbsnews.net
News archive record and context
Source catalogue record and provenance
↩ First cited in “What “July” means” - 6Yunus unveils July Proclamation with pledge to enshrine 2024 Uprising in Constitution
bdnews24.com · 6 August 2025 · News report · bdnews24.com
Source catalogue record and provenance
↩ First cited in “What “July” means” - 7Bangladesh top court scraps most quotas that caused deadly unrest
Al Jazeera · 21 July 2024 · News report · aljazeera.com
Source catalogue record and provenance
↩ First cited in “Why it began” - 8Sheikh Hasina convicted of crimes against humanity – what we know
Al Jazeera · 17 November 2025 · News report · aljazeera.com
News archive record and context
Source catalogue record and provenance
↩ First cited in “How it unfolded” - 9আইয়ুব, এরশাদ, হাসিনার বিরুদ্ধে মুখে মুখে ফিরেছে যেসব স্লোগান
Prothom Alo · 15 September 2024 · Bangla · News report · prothomalo.com
Source catalogue record and provenance
↩ First cited in “How it unfolded” - 10Gazette of 834 July uprising martyrs published
Prothom Alo · 16 January 2025 · News report · en.prothomalo.com
News archive record and context
Source catalogue record and provenance
↩ First cited in “Counting the dead” - 11Govt publishes gazette listing 834 martyrs of July uprising
The Business Standard · 16 January 2025 · News report · tbsnews.net
Source catalogue record and provenance
↩ First cited in “Counting the dead” - 12Ministry clarifies reports on July martyrs and warriors’ list
Dhaka Tribune · 16 September 2025 · News report · dhakatribune.com
Source catalogue record and provenance
↩ First cited in “Counting the dead” - 13Govt publishes list of ‘July Warriors’
Prothom Alo · 28 February 2025 · News report · en.prothomalo.com
Source catalogue record and provenance
↩ First cited in “Counting the dead” - 14July uprising: Many killed still remain unidentified
Prothom Alo · 5 August 2025 · News report · en.prothomalo.com
News archive record and context
Source catalogue record and provenance
↩ First cited in “Counting the dead” - 15Quota movement timeline: Unfolding events
Prothom Alo · 2 August 2024 · News report · en.prothomalo.com
Source catalogue record and provenance
↩ First cited in “How the demands changed” - 16Who is Sharif Osman Hadi, the youth leader whose assassination sparked protests in Bangladesh?
CNA · 19 December 2025 · News profile · channelnewsasia.com
Source catalogue record and provenance
↩ First cited in “Hadi and July” - 17How July Uprising firebrand Osman Hadi burst into the spotlight
bdnews24.com · 14 December 2025 · News profile · bdnews24.com
News archive record and context
Source catalogue record and provenance
↩ First cited in “Hadi and July” - 18Osman Hadi in the spotlight throughout the year
Prothom Alo · 13 December 2025 · News profile · en.prothomalo.com
Source catalogue record and provenance
↩ First cited in “Hadi and July” - 19ইনকিলাব মঞ্চের ‘শহীদি সমাবেশ’ থেকে ৪ দাবি পূরণে আলটিমেটাম
Ajker Patrika · 25 April 2025 · Bangla · News report · ajkerpatrika.com
Source catalogue record and provenance
↩ First cited in “Hadi and July” - 20আ.লীগকে নিষিদ্ধ ও গণহত্যার বিচারের দাবিতে ইনকিলাব মঞ্চের ‘শহীদি সমাবেশ’
Risingbd · 25 April 2025 · Bangla · News report · risingbd.com
Source catalogue record and provenance
↩ First cited in “Hadi and July”
What is not on this page, and why
- No photographs or recordings
- Many photographs and videos of July exist, but the archive does not yet hold one with a documented creator and permission to publish. None is shown, and no stock, illustrative or AI-generated image is used in its place. The images in the UN report are published there with permission held by OHCHR, not by this archive.
- No map
- Places are named in words. A map will be added only when the archive holds location records precise enough to plot without guesswork, and never for private or vulnerable locations.
- No single death toll
- Every published count is given with who produced it, what it counts and when. None is adopted, added to another or rounded. Later corrections to official lists are recorded, not silently applied.
- The former governing party’s account
- The Awami League has published a response to the UN fact-finding report on its website, which could not be reached to check the text, so it is not quoted; the page gives the government’s account at the time as the UN report records it, and Sheikh Hasina’s response to her conviction as reported.
- Accountability after the review date
- Court records change. The convictions and the appeal are stated as of the review date; a judgment the archive has not recorded is not assumed.
- Hadi’s part
- Every account of Hadi’s part in the uprising was written after he was shot in December 2025, and none gives him a formal position in the movement’s leadership. The page does not give him one.
- Names of the injured and of children
- The page names only adults whom the UN report itself names among the dead. Injured people, and children killed or injured, are not named.
- Sources not used
- Encyclopedia entries and unsourced social-media posts are not used as sources for July; they are leads to be checked against the publications listed here.
Continue the record
July Uprising
The full history of the uprising, day by day.
Martyrs
The register of those who died.
Crimes & Accountability
Investigations, trials and judgments, with each person’s legal status.