The July Memorial Museum will present all the stories of Sheikh Hasina’s 16 years of misrule—including the Pilkhana massacre, enforced disappearances, killings, torture cells ‘Aynaghar’, the Shapla Square massacre, and vote rigging in the form of historical records.
The museum authorities informed this to Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus during a meeting at the state guesthouse Jamuna on Saturday afternoon.
Cultural Affairs Adviser Mostofa Sarwar Farooki informed the Chief Adviser that construction of the museum is expected to be completed by October 31, 2025, and they hope to inaugurate it in the first week of November.
He said, “We are curating the depictions of Hasina’s misrule for display in this museum so that the history of 16 years of fascism remains alive. The history of all the atrocities and brutalities carried out under direct instructions from the prime minister’s office Ganabhaban will remain vivid.”
Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus thanked everyone involved in building the museum and expressed hope that visitors would be able to feel the surge of people toward the Ganabhaban on August 5.
“One of the major tasks of this museum is to evoke in people a strong sense of resistance against misrule,” he said.
Chief Curator of the museum Tanzim Wahab mentioned that work is being coordinated with the ICT Prosecution Team and the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances. He said, “We believe this will be a unique museum. The stories of 16 years of misrule will be presented in sequence. Visitors will learn how Sheikh Hasina ran the country.”
Cultural Affairs Adviser Mostofa Sarwar Farooki said, “Many audio recordings containing orders for enforced disappearances and killings have already been obtained by the museum authorities. These audio clips will be preserved in the museum. The museum will also depict how Sheikh Hasina would summon the families of the disappeared and offer false consolation.”
Additionally, the museum will have a screening centre where documentaries on the July events and the 16 years of misrule will be shown.
Housing and Public Works Adviser Adilur Rahman Khan, Chief Prosecutor of the International Crimes Tribunal Mohammad Tajul Islam, Member of the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances Nabila Idris, Secretary of the Ministry of Housing and Public Works Md Nazrul Islam, Secretary of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs Md Mofidur Rahman, and Chairperson of the Governing Body of the Bangladesh National Museum Marina Tabassum, were also present at the meeting.
Among the researchers of the July Memory Museum present were Daniel Afzalur Rahman, poet Hasan Robayet, Maliha Namlaha, museum artist Tejash Halder Josh, Mosfiqure Rahman Johan, museum architect Salauddin Ahmed, and coordinator Hasan Enam.
