Nahid slams move to prosecute July Uprising leaders

Nahid Islam, convener of the National Citizens Party (NCP) and the opposition Chief Whip of the National Parliament, has condemned and protested the attempt to file cases against the leaders of the people’s uprising.

On Friday (13 March) afternoon, he expressed his condemnation in a post on his verified Facebook account.

In his post, Nahid Islam wrote, “An attempt was made to file a case against the coordinators of the anti-discrimination student movement, who led the July revolution, with Asif Mahmud named as the chief accused, for their role during the uprising.

The court did not accept the case. Such an attempt in the post-uprising new Bangladesh is both concerning and condemnable.”

He added, “We believe this is not an isolated action against any individual; rather, it is a well-planned political attack against the spirit of the July revolution, the anti-fascist struggle, and the young leadership of that movement.”

Nahid Islam, one of the top leaders of the people’s uprising, further stated, “The anti-discrimination student movement today symbolizes equality, justice, human dignity, democracy, and the fight against fascism for the country’s youth.

The attempt to file harassment cases against the student leaders demonstrates that the forces defeated on 5 August are still conspiring. We want to make it clear that this evil force has failed in the past and will fail in the future to suppress this leadership through lawsuits or intimidation.”

The opposition Chief Whip also appealed, “We urge the government and all relevant authorities to take effective steps to stop such attempts and to take legal measures to restrain the defeated evil forces. We are committed to preventing any misdeeds by fascist groups.”

Last Sunday (8 March), a person named Jalal Hossain filed a petition in the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) Court of Dhaka regarding a police killing incident. However, the court did not accept the petition.

The application sought to file complaints against 42 coordinators and co-coordinators who were responsible during the July uprising. Among those named were Asif Mahmud, former coordinators Abdul Kader, Abu Bakar Majumdar, Abdul Hannan Masud, Umama Fatema, Rifat Rashid, Hasib Al Islam, Nusrat Tabassum, and Tahmid Al Mudassir Chowdhury, among others.

When this matter came to light on Thursday (12 March), it sparked widespread reactions on social media.