Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus on Saturday thanked all those involved in the construction of the July Memorial Museum and hoped that visitors would feel the spirit of the mass gathering at Ganabhaban on August 5 last year.
“Instilling the spirit of building strong resistance against misrule among the people is a major responsibility of this museum,” he said.
The museum will showcase historical accounts of Sheikh Hasina’s 16 years of misrule, including the Pilkhana killings, enforced disappearances, murders, the so-called Aynaghar (Mirror House), the Shapla massacre and vote rigging, according to officials.
The Museum Construction Authority shared updates with Chief Adviser Prof Yunus during a meeting at the State Guest House Jamuna.
Cultural Affairs Adviser Mostafa Sarwar Farooki informed the Chief Adviser that the museum is expected to be completed by October 31, 2025, and inaugurated in the first week of November.
“We are curating the images of Hasina’s misrule for display so that the history of sixteen years of fascism remains alive, along with documentation of all atrocities carried out directly from Ganabhaban,” Farooki said.
Chief Curator of the museum Tanjim Wahab said the project is being developed in coordination with the ICT Prosecution Team and the Commission for Investigation into Enforced Disappearances.
“We believe this will be a unique institution. The stories of 16 years of misrule will be presented sequentially, allowing visitors to understand how Sheikh Hasina governed the country,” Wahab said.
Farooki also mentioned that the museum has obtained several audio recordings of orders for enforced disappearances and murders.
“These audios will be preserved in the museum. Visitors will also see how Sheikh Hasina personally called families of the disappeared to offer false reassurances,” he added.
The museum will feature a screening center with facilities to show documentaries on both the 16 years of misrule and the July Uprising.
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 Disappearances Dr Nabila Idris, Secretary of the Ministry of Housing and Public Works Md Nazrul Islam, Secretary of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs Md. Mofidur Rahman, Chairperson of the Governing Body of the Bangladesh National Museum Marina Tabassum were present.
Among the researchers of the July Memorial Museum were Daniel Afzalur Rahman, poet Hasan Robayet, Maliha Namlaha, museum artists Tejash Halder Josh, Mosfiqur Rahman Johan, museum architect Salauddin Ahmed and coordinator Hasan Enam.
