More than 100 cultural and visual-media figures have protested the alleged attack and harassment of actress Azmeri Haque Badhan in Mestre, Italy, demanding an impartial investigation and legal action against those responsible.
The statement, signed by 122 cultural workers and people associated with the visual media industry, came after Badhan alleged that several activists of the banned Bangladesh Chhatra League harassed and physically assaulted her while she was with her brother’s family in Mestre on Monday night, 7 September. She later described the incident in a video message posted on her verified Facebook page. Badhan alleged that she was targeted because of her position during the July-August 2024 mass movement.
According to Badhan, several people surrounded her while she was with her brother and family members at a park in Mestre. They allegedly threw water, soft drinks and eggs at her and tried to take away her mobile phone. She also alleged that she was physically assaulted.
Badhan was in Italy to attend the 83rd Venice International Film Festival. Her film The Difficult Bride, directed by Rubaiyat Hossain, was selected for the festival’s Orizzonti section.
On Tuesday, 8 September, Badhan said she would not return to Bangladesh until she completed the legal process in Italy. She also vowed to continue the legal fight over the incident. The Bangladesh government also said the same day that it would take action over the matter.
In their statement, the members of Drishyamadhyam Samaj said no artist should face an attack because of their political position, expression of opinion or support for people facing oppression during a mass movement. They said such an attack does not only target an individual. It also attacks freedom of expression, human rights and human dignity.
The organisation said many Bangladeshi artists, including Badhan, spoke out against injustice, violence, repression and oppression during the July mass uprising. It also stressed that an artist’s freedom does not depend on allegiance to any particular political party.
The statement said artists have the right to speak as well as remain silent. Others may disagree with their views, but no one has the right to insult, threaten or physically assault them. Political differences, it added, can never justify violence.
The signatories also said the public physical harassment and intimidation of a woman artist cannot be accepted as any form of protest. They described such incidents as a repetition of an old practice of violence and a fascist political culture.
The statement said the Liberation War taught the nation the value of giving lives for freedom, while the July mass uprising taught people to overcome fear and speak out. After such historic experiences, it said, no artist should face intimidation, harassment or attacks because of their views.
The organisation called for an impartial investigation into the alleged attack on Badhan, the identification of those involved and legal action against them. It also expressed solidarity with the actress.
The statement further said an artist’s body must never become a site of political revenge and an artist’s voice must never be held hostage by intimidation. Differences of opinion, it said, must be addressed through debate, not violence.
The signatories are Saiful Haque Omi, Humayra Bilkis, Munem Wasif, Salimullah Khan, Ahmed Ibn Arif, Tahmid Chowdhury, Fahim Islam, Md Al Hasib Khan, Anand, Alraf Parvez, Tofozzal Hossain, Yasir Al Haque, Rashed Shahriar, Bithi Ghosh, Sarkar Pratik, Nasif Amin, Taslima Akhter, Zahidul Islam Nahid, Manzur Al Matin, Saeed Uzzal, Zahirul Islam Kochi, Khandaker Tanvir Murad, Sara Ahmed, Dhrubo Hasan, Abhijit Shuvo, Syeda Nilima Dola, Tanvir Al Azad, Shimul Salahuddin, Abu Muhammad, Sajib Tanvir, Anarya Murshid, Mayeda Tanha, Bidushi, Mayeda Rahma, Dr Anan H Siddiqui, Rahman Mustafa, Fahim Ahmed, Habibur Rahman, Moshfikur Rahman Johan, Farzana Jeri, Muhibbullah Muqtadir, Tanim, Susmita Roy Supti, Mishuk Ashraful Awal, Seena Dutta, Abdul Halim Chanchal, Mahtab Uddin Ahmed, Turin, Adila Farid, Golam Rabbani, Arif Noor, Abdullah Bayeg, Tanim Noor, Md Raihanur Rahman, Rafsan Ahmed, Rakiba Amatul Karim, Shayan, Md Saiful Islam, Neyamat Ullah Masum, Ayman Asib Swadhin, Fariha Shams Shiuti, Abid Sarkar Sohaag, Laboni Mondal, Ferdous Ara Rumi, Nazmus Sakib, Mostafizur Rahman Masud, Rafiquzzaman Farid, Mushfiqur Rahman, Rebekah Nila, Mohammad Romel, Anup Kundu, Mahtab Uddin, Rubayet Mahmud, Manzurul Ikram, Abdullah Seru, Muhammad Qayyum, Mariam Rupa, M Hasan, Farhadul Alam, Amirul Rajib, Tahmidal Jami, Mohammad Monir Hossain, Arif Sohel, Shah Newaz Shaikat, Mahfuz Chowdhury, Md Tanvir Rahman, Md Monowar Hossain, Anupam Shaikat Shanto, Krishnendu Chattopadhyay, Tanmoy Karmakar, Professor Dr Hasan Ashraf, Marzia Mithila, Anis Raihan, Manoj Pramanik, Arunima Islam, Shah Newaz Khan CJU, Mir Lokman, Zaheen Faruk, Amin Sadik M Alam, Abul Khayer Mohammad Atikuzzaman, Rahat Mustafiz, Tanzim Wahab, Snigdha Sultana, Saydia Gulrukh, Rubin Haque, Hasan Robayet, Tanha Zafreen, Naim Ul Hasan, Md Abdul Wahab Sakin, Momin Setu, Md Touhidul Islam, Mahmudul Rafik, Nazmul Ahmed, Tajnuba Jabin, Anusheh Anadil, Mozahid Md Jihad, Firoz Ahmed, Jannatul Mawa, Tanvir Ahsan, Md Muntasir Rahman, Yasir Arafat, Jannatul Mawa, Mahrook Mahmududdin and A S M Rezaur Rahman.
