'July Declaration' today

The much-anticipated “July Declaration” is going to be presented to the nation, aiming to provide state and constitutional recognition for the 2024 mass uprising and establish a society free from corruption and discrimination as per the aspirations of the young generation.

Meanwhile, the “July National Charter 2025” has not been finalised till now. Although the National Consensus Commission (NCC) had placed a draft of the charter, the commission said that it will place a revised draft as different political parties opposed the preliminary draft.

The official declaration of the July Revolution in Bangladesh will be unveiled also expressing the state’s firm commitment to the swift trial of the crimes of disappearances, all kinds of torture, mass killings and crimes against humanity committed by the fascist Awami League government during the sixteen-year-long anti-fascist struggle and the 2024 mass uprising.

The “July Proclamation” will be unveiled at a public gathering at South Plaza of Jatiya Sangsad (JS) Bhaban in the capital at 5pm today, marking the first anniversary of the historic 2024 mass uprising.

Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus will read out the proclamation at the event, organised by the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs. Bangladesh Television will broadcast the programme live.

The “July Proclamation” will be presented before the nation in presence of all the stakeholders involved in the 2024 mass uprising. Representatives from many political parties will attend the event.

However, the BNP and some other political parties did not get a formal invitation to the event till Monday evening.

BNP Standing Committee Member Salahuddin Ahmed said that their party has not yet received an invitation to attend the event. The party had shared its views on the “July Proclamation” much earlier and was still waiting to receive a formal invitation to the declaration ceremony. He, however, said that the proclamation holds significant historical and political value.

Disagreements persist among political parties regarding the contents of the proclamation which would be considered effective retroactively from 5 August 2024. The proclamation is expected to be published as a formal acknowledgment of the revolution.

The current interim government has already finalised the draft of the “July Proclamation”. According to sources, the draft outlines 26 points addressing political, constitutional, and governance issues.

The draft of “July Proclamation” describes the background of the “July Uprising”, starting from the various historical and democratic struggles of the people, including the Bangladesh War of Liberation in 1971. It also speaks about the weaknesses and misuse of the system and structure of the 1972 Constitution, and criticises the establishment of one-party regime by amending the Constitution.

The draft proclamation also touches the path to Sheikh Hasina’s exclusive power, dominance and fascism in Bangladesh through the conspiratorial arrangement of “One-Eleven”, as the democratic process of changing the government was disrupted by domestic and foreign conspiracies. It also mentions the “Pilkhana Tragedy” and the “Shapla Chattar Massacre” which happened during the autocratic Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League regime.

The draft also says that the fascist Awami League government, in order to continue its regime illegally, organised three farcical elections in 2014, 2018 and 2024, depriving the people of the country of voting rights and representation.

A clause in the draft proclamation states that the current interim government under the leadership of Prof Yunus was formed on 8 August 2024 based on the sovereign will of the people.

‘July Charter’ yet to be finalised

The NCC is now working to finalise the “July Charter”. The commission said that they would prepare the final charter and hand it over to political parties within a short time. Based on this, a signing ceremony will also be planned.

The BNP said that they are ready to sign the July Charter anytime. “If the final draft of the July Charter prepared by the NCC is sent to us, we will sign it at any time,” said Salahuddin Ahmed.

Talking to reporters on Monday, he said that if political parties wish to hold discussions on the implementation process of the charter, the BNP is open to participating in such talks.

He further said that a misleading narrative is being spread that the BNP is not cooperating, but it is clear to people how the party has worked with the NCC. The BNP agrees with the commission’s proposal to ensure full legal and constitutional safeguards at every stage of implementing the July National Charter 2025, he added.