The World

Meta, Facebook &  Facebook for Creators; We're deeply mortified by the horrifying events unfolding in Bangladesh.

On July 15, 2024, students from Dhaka University initiated a peaceful protest. They held placards and flags, advocating for reforms in the quota system for government jobs, seeking a merit-based system. 

They were met with unprecedented violence. Police deployed tear gas and charged at protesters with batons. 

Within just two days, 32 deaths were reported, with the number of fatalities reaching 75 on July 19 alone.

The entire country went offline.

The government imposed a communication blackout. 

Army was deployed nationwide, and a "shoot on sight" curfew was imposed.

Amnesty International reports; 

200+ people had been killed (mostly young students)

Thousands injured.

 2,500+ have been arbitrarily arrested

61,000+ protesters have been named as accused in various cases.

The scale of violence and repression is staggering.

Leaving us and many others overwhelmed with grief, shock, and despair. It feels like a nightmare from which the Bangladeshi diaspora can never fully wake up. Very few countries have "ever witnessed such a death toll in such a short duration of time."

This brutal response reflects the actions of a tyrannical regime that has crippled the country's promising but growing tech, freelance, and startup ecosystems, effectively pushing the entire economy to the brink of collapse. The complete loss of trust in financial institutions and severe liquidity issues in the financial sector have created a ticking time bomb for systemic failure, with concerns of a bank run looming large.

Bangladesh, once a beacon of progress and a role model for development, is now perilously close to becoming a failed state. This shouldn't be the fate of a country with a predominantly young population. There's still a glimmer of hope for recovery if the nation embraces merit-based leadership and curbs the corruption and greed of its political elites. However, this scenario seems unlikely, raising fears of prolonged instability and an even darker future.

Here are some heartbreaking stories that I believe everyone should know, regardless of where they are in the world. 

These accounts are from The Prothom Alo, a respected Bengali daily:

"Ria Ghosh, a six-and-a-half-year-old child from Narayanganj, went to play on the roof after lunch. During a clash outside their home, her father, Deepak Ghosh, tried to bring her to safety. Tragically, a bullet struck her head, and after three days of fighting for her life, she succumbed to her injuries. A parent's arms should be the safest place for a child. Why did this innocent child have to die from a gunshot wound?...

Naima Sultana, a 15-year-old girl, was not protesting. She was simply standing on the balcony of her rented house on Road 5 in Uttara when a bullet hit her. In Dhaka today, even one's home is not safe...

Farhan Faiyaz, a student at Dhaka Residential Model College, the same institution my husband Nazmus attended. Farhan was a 17-year-old who died with marks from rubber bullets on his face and chest. His Facebook wall poignantly reads, "Live a life so that people remember you after death." Farhan had no political agenda; he simply wanted to voice what he believed was right..."

A friend and prominent economist, Rashaad Shabab recently wrote in the Financial Times : 

"The struggle playing out in Bangladesh now is a conflict between two understandings of freedom. The state's version is a controlled freedom, so fragile it relies on tear gas and shotgun shells, silencing critics through fear and violence. In contrast, there is the freedom of brave individuals like Abu Sayed, who stood tall even as a police officer took aim at him. This is the freedom for which hundreds have died and thousands of young voices refuse to be silenced."

These stories highlight the dire situation in Bangladesh.

Our hope is that no matter how censored Bangladesh media is at the moment, the world will take note of this barbaric bloodshed. We hope and pray that humanity will stand by the students of Bangladesh.