A draft of the July Proclamation has been sent to political parties, identifying the mass uprising of last July as the “Student-People’s Uprising 2024”, and proposing formal state and constitutional recognition of the events.

The draft also states that the reformed constitution, to be adopted by a future elected government following elections held at a “reasonable time”, will reference the uprising in its preamble, with the full proclamation attached as a schedule to the constitution.

The proclamation is to be considered effective retroactively from Aug 5, 2024.

The day after the draft was sent to parties, the National Consensus Commission began gathering feedback.

On Wednesday, BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed said: “We’ve received the draft of the July Proclamation. Our party will review it quickly and deliver our views to the National Consensus Commission.”

Comrade Tipu Biswas, coordinator of the Jatiya Gono Front, said: “We have received the five-page draft of the July Proclamation from the commission, and we’ll send our feedback soon.”

Highlights from the draft July Proclamation:

1. Since, the people of this land stood up against 23 years of deprivation and exploitation under Pakistani autocracy, and established the state of Bangladesh through a bloody war of national liberation;

2. Since, the people of Bangladesh made the ultimate sacrifices to realise the vision of an inclusive democratic state grounded in equality, human dignity, and social justice as articulated in the 1971 Proclamation of Independence;

And

3. Since, the post-independence Awami League government failed to fulfill the aspirations of the Liberation War and weakened democratic institutions due to structural weaknesses and misuse of the 1972 Constitution;

And

4. Since, the Awami League government abandoned the principle of democratic governance by instituting one-party rule under BaKSAL led by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, suppressing free speech and judicial independence, prompting a Sipahi–Jonota Bidorho (soldier-people coup d'état) on Nov 7, 1975;

And

5. Since, after nearly a decade of military dictatorship, a mass movement culminated in the 1990 Mass Uprising, and a parliamentary system was reinstated in 1991;

And

6. Since, a political arrangement following the 1/11 crisis enabled Sheikh Hasina to consolidate authoritarian rule due to foreign and domestic interference in democratic transitions;

And

7. Since, over the past 16 years, the Constitution was unlawfully and undemocratically amended with the intention of establishing a fascist, undemocratic, and anti-people regime, driven by an extreme desire to institute a one-party state system -- thus paving the way for absolute power and unilateral dominance by a single party;

And

8. Since, the Awami League government’s authoritarian rule saw events such as the Pilkhana tragedy, the Shapla Chattar crackdown, enforced disappearances, and suppression of dissent, all of which severely damaged state institutions;

And

9. Since, the regime turned Bangladesh into what the draft terms a fascist, mafia, and failed state, tarnishing its international image;

And

10. Since, under the guise of development, the Hasina government oversaw systemic corruption, banking sector looting, money laundering, and environmental destruction;

And

11. Since, over 16 years, political parties, student and labour organisations, and ordinary citizens engaged in continuous democratic resistance, enduring jail, torture, and extrajudicial killings;

And

12. Since, the government violently suppressed legitimate anti-foreign domination protests, portraying opposition to foreign influence as subversive;

And

13. Since, the Awami League held three “fraudulent” elections in 2014, 2018, and 2024 to maintain power, depriving citizens of voting rights and representation;

And

14. Since, dissenting political activists and youth were brutally repressed, and discriminatory recruitment policies -- particularly quota-based hiring -- sparked anger among students and job-seekers;

And

15. Since, sustained repression of opposition groups led to widespread public outrage, fueling broader anti-authoritarian movements;

And

16. Since, during the Anti-discrimination Student Movement, the government allegedly committed mass atrocities and human rights violations. The protests escalated into a nationwide uprising, uniting people across political, social, and professional lines;

And

17. Since, protesters accused pro-government student groups of killing nearly 2,000 people, torturing female students, and blinding or maiming demonstrators. The students’ one-point demand proclamation later evolved into the one-point framework. At the height of the movement, members of the military expressed support for the people's democratic struggle;

And

18. Since, amid a massive long march toward the prime minister’s residence, Sheikh Hasina resigned on Aug 5, 2024, and fled the country alongside ministers, relatives, the speaker, and other MPs;

 

And

19. Since, the draft states that the exercise of popular sovereignty through mass uprising is politically and legally justified and has international legitimacy;

And

20. Since, following public demand, the 12th Parliament was dissolved, and under Article 106 of the Constitution, the Supreme Court provided a legal framework to form an interim government, and this government was constituted under the leadership of Muhammad Yunus on Aug 8, 2024;

And

21. Since, the Uprising revealed the nation’s aspiration for a fascism-free, corruption-free, and just society;

And

22. Therefore, the people of Bangladesh, through the democratic reform of constitutional institutions, seek a restructured state grounded in the rule of law, good governance, and social and economic justice;

And

23. Therefore, the public demands swift justice for crimes committed under the Hasina government, including enforced disappearances, killings, torture, crimes against humanity, and embezzlement of state resources;

And

24. Therefore, the people express their intent to build a non-discriminatory, democratic state through a future free, fair, and neutral election under the new constitutional framework, fulfilling especially the aspirations of the youth;

And

25. Therefore, the people of Bangladesh demand that the Student-People’s Uprising 2024 be granted formal state and constitutional recognition, referenced in the preamble of the reformed constitution, and attached as a schedule.

And

26. The proclamation is to be deemed effective from Aug 5, 2024.