In a controversial statement, Hasnat Abdullah claimed that the Shahbagh movement curtailed free speech and fundamental rights in Bangladesh. “Shahbagh didn’t emerge overnight—it was backed by so-called civil society, intellectuals, bureaucrats, cultural activists, foreign agents, politicians, and even athletes,” he wrote in a post. He accused the movement of legitimizing extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, and judicial murders. Abdullah further alleged that those who helped establish Shahbagh were responsible for the rise of fascism over the past 15 years and vowed to bring past injustices to light.