The mass movement, later known as the ‘July Uprising,’ was brutally suppressed by police and security forces, resulting in the deaths of at least 50 individuals. Most of the martyrs were students, youths, journalists, professionals, and working-class citizens.
Today, 18 July 2025, marks a solemn and proud day in the history of Bangladesh. On this day last year, 18 July 2024, millions of people took to the streets across the country against injustice and corruption.
Some were returning from class, others from work, and some stood holding protest banners. Though they are no longer with us, their sacrifice still raises the question has this country become what they dreamed of?
Names of Some Martyrs
- Shaykh Ashhabul Yamin — Student, MIST
- Zahiduzzaman Tanvin — Student, IUT
- Farhan Faiyaz — Student, Dhaka Residential Model College
- Mir Muggdho — Student, BUP
- Shah Nawaz Fahad — Student, East West University
- Mehedi Hasan — Journalist, Dhaka Times
- Iman Ahmed — Student, UCTC, Chattogram
- Saimon Hossain — Grocery Store Worker, Bahaddarhat
- Sabbir Ahmed — Staff, Organ Limited Care
- Dr. Sajib Sarkar — Doctor, Tairunnessa Medical College Etc. For More information checkout SHOHID INFO
Many of the martyrs of the July Uprising were university or college students, while others were journalists, shop workers, or rickshaw pullers. Regardless of their profession or identity, on that day, they all became symbols of change names that embodied a powerful spirit. Their blood wrote a new chapter in the history of resistance.
The Wounded of 18 July: Living Witnesses to the Struggle
The July Uprising of 2024 did not only take the lives of martyrs over a hundred were injured on that fateful day. Some lost their eyesight to rubber bullets others were permanently disabled by bomb blasts. Many are still fighting for proper medical treatment. Some await access to advanced care abroad.
Read More: “One Party on Lap, Another on Shoulder”: Mirza Abbas
Unified Power of Students and Citizens
The movement on 18 July was not a political party’s program, it was an awakening of the people’s collective conscience. Students from Dhaka University, Jahangirnagar, Rajshahi, Chittagong, Islamic University of Kushtia, Khulna University, and many more stood shoulder to shoulder. Their voices echoed the same slogan:
“We demand justice, we demand our rights, we demand the price of the martyrs’ blood.”
A martyr’s sister wrote:
“My brother will never return. But he lay on that street for this country. I’m proud of him.”
Have the Martyrs Received Justice? Even after a year, most families of the martyrs allege that no proper investigation has taken place, no justice has been served, and the real culprits remain unpunished. Instead, information has often been concealed, autopsy reports have gone unpublished, and even fabricated cases have been filed against protesters.
According to human rights organizations, the justice for the July martyrs is a ‘test case’ a critical moment to assess how the state holds itself accountable for the killing of its own citizens.
