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By Esme Azom 

DHAKA, August 4, 2026 (BSS) - Leaders and activists of BNP and its associate organizations have said that the bloody July Uprising of 2024 gained rapid momentum due to the active participation of BNP leaders and activists.

Talking to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS), they said the long-standing persecution of the fascist Hasina government had poisoned the social lives of everyone, from leaders and activists to well-wishers. That is why, forgetting everything, leaders and activists at all levels risked their lives in this movement, with the aim of a new life- a new dawn, where there would be no fear of attacks, lawsuits or disappearances, they added. 

The Awami League government fell on August 5, 2024, in the student-public mass uprising. Over 1,500 people were martyred across the country in that uprising, among whom the highest number were leaders, activists and supporters of BNP and its associate organizations. 

On February 13, 2025, the party submitted a list of 848 martyrs to the International Crimes Tribunal through a letter signed by BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.

Among the 848 martyrs on that list, 524 were directly leaders and activists of BNP and its associate organizations. The remaining 324 have been identified as BNP supporters.

 Under the leadership of BNP former Chairperson late Begum Khaleda Zia and the party's current Chairman Tarque Rahman, the foundation of the July Uprising was laid through 17 years of continuous movement and struggle,  said BNP Senior Joint Secretary General and Political Adviser to the Prime Minister Advocate Ruhul Kabir Rizvi. 

 From the very beginning, leaders and activists at all levels of our party were involved with the anti-discrimination student movement. Our leaders and activists played a pioneering role in implementing various programmes,  he added. 
However, he said that the credit for the July Uprising does not belong to any single party or individual. It is the result of the collective efforts of all political parties, students, the public, and ordinary people, he added. 

Highlighting the role of Jatiyatabadi Juba Dal (JJD) in the July Uprising, Juba Dal President Abdul Moneym Munna said,  Leaders and activists from 82 organizational units across the country played an active role in this movement by risking their lives, in which 78 leaders and activists of the party were martyred, and thousands were injured and became disabled."

"We did not carry out this movement for credit. Rather, we plunged into this battle to give the people of this country a taste of democracy and liberation,  he added.

Health Affairs Secretary of the Juba Dal Dr Belal Hossain Nazim said, "We who are activists of the nationalist ideology consider the July Uprising like a dream. Forgetting everything, leaders and activists at all levels of the party took to the field to make this movement successful. As a result, more than 800 BNP leaders and activists were martyred and thousands of leaders and activists were injured."

President of Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) Rakibul Islam Rakib said, "In the July-August movement, 144 leaders, activists, and supporters of Chhatra Dal were martyred. They took to the streets not for personal interests, but with the resolve to build a democratic, independent, sovereign and fascism-free Bangladesh. At the same time, the nation will forever remember with respect the sacrifice of nearly 1,400 students and civilians."

General Secretay Nasir Uddin Nasir claimed that Chhatra Dal suffered the most losses compared to any other student organization in the July Uprising. "In the July movement, 144 leaders and activists of Chhatra Dal lost their lives. The expectation of those who gave their lives in the movement was to build a democratic, non-discriminatory, and humane Bangladesh," he added.