Prime Minister Tarique Rahman said August 5 would remain a landmark in Bangladesh’s democratic history and would chart a new path toward building a new country. He made the remarks on Wednesday at about 11 a.m. during the formal inauguration of the July Mass Uprising Memorial Museum in the capital.

Rahman said people in the country had been subjected to enforced disappearances and killings during what he described as one and a half decades of fascist rule. He compared the 1971 Liberation War, which he said was fought to achieve independence, with the 2024 mass uprising, which he described as a struggle to protect the independence of the country and its people.

The prime minister said people had not forgotten the freedom fighters and would likewise never forget those killed while protecting independence in 2024. He said thousands had faced disappearance, abduction and torture during more than one and a half decades of anti-fascist movements, while millions had been displaced by attacks, persecution and false cases. He also said thousands of students, members of the public, women and children were killed in the July-August uprising, and at least 30,000 people were injured.