DHAKA, July 16, 2026 (BSS) - Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain has said the democratic process has restored in the country due to the sacrifices of the martyrs of the July Uprising.  "The change became possible in the July Uprising of 2024 through the sacrifices of Abu Sayed and many others, ending 15 years of misrule," he said while addressing a discussion organized on the occasion of 'July Martyrs' Day 2026' at the ministry's conference room at the Bangladesh Secretariat. At the beginning of the discussion, a one-minute silence was observed in memory of Abu Sayed and all other martyrs of the July Uprising.  Later, special prayers and a munajat were held seeking eternal peace for their departed souls. Sakhawat said, "Their sacrifices restored our right to live and liberated us. We have been freed from the grip of an autocratic rule." Highlighting the background of the July movement, the health minister said, "A volcanic eruption does not happen in a single day; it begins with the accumulated anger of a long period. The groundwork for the July movement was laid in 2009. Under the leadership of the current Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, people became united through a 15-year-long struggle and movement. During this long period, many leaders and activists faced persecution. Over the past 15 years, the then government carried out widespread irregularities, injustice and oppression." Sakhawat said the previous government subjected former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia to unbearable persecution, deprived her of medical treatment and harassed her by keeping her imprisoned. The health minister said the Ministry of Health will provide all kinds of support for ensuring the highest medical care and rehabilitation for the families of the July Uprising martyrs and those injured in the movement.  The meeting was chaired by Health Services Division Secretary Md Kamruzzaman Chowdhury.  Director General of the Directorate General of Health Services Professor Dr Prabhat Chandra Biswas, Additional Secretary of the Health Education Division Ahsanul Aziz, Additional Secretary of the Health Services Division Khorshed Alam, Joint Secretary Dr Mustafizur Rahman, Managing Director of the Community Clinic Trust Fazlullah, among others, addressed it.