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{{short description|Official recognizing document of the July Revolution of Bangladesh}}
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{{use dmy dates|date=August 2025}}
{{Confuse|July Charter}}
{{Infobox document
|document_name        = July Declaration<br />জুলাই ঘোষণাপত্র
|image                = Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus read out the July Declaration at the South Plaza of the National Parliament 01.jpg
|image_width          =
|image_caption        = Chief adviser and political leaders during the proclamation of the July Declaration 
|date_created         = 5 August 2025
|date_ratified        = 
|location_of_document = South Plaza of the [[Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban]]<br />[[Sher-e-Bangla Nagar]], [[Dhaka]], Bangladesh
|writer               = [[Yunus ministry|Interim government of Bangladesh]]
|purpose              = {{blist|Constitutional recognition of the [[July Revolution (Bangladesh)|July Revolution]]|Commitment to democratic reforms, institutional restructuring, and transition to credible elections}}
}}
{{July Revolution (Bangladesh)}}
The '''July Declaration''' ({{langx|bn|জুলাই ঘোষণাপত্র}}) <ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-08-05 |title=The ‘July Declaration’: Full Official Text of Bangladesh’s Uprising Statement |url=https://southasia.politics.blog/2025/08/05/july-declaration-full-text-of-bangladeshs-uprising-statement/ |access-date=2025-08-05 |website=South Asia Politics |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-08-05 |title=July Declaration grants 2024 uprising constitutional recognition |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/news/july-declaration-grants-2024-uprising-constitutional-recognition-3956101 |access-date=2025-08-05 |website=The Daily Star |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-08-05 |title=July Declaration: Read the full text here |url=https://www.tbsnews.net/bangladesh/july-declaration-read-full-text-here-1205106 |access-date=2025-08-05 |website=The Business Standard |language=en}}</ref> is the official recognizing document of the [[July Revolution (Bangladesh)|July Revolution]] in Bangladesh. It was formally announced by [[Chief Adviser of Bangladesh|Chief Adviser]] [[Muhammad Yunus]] prior to 5 August 2025, marking the first anniversary of the revolution.<ref>{{Cite web |title=What’s in the July Declaration |url=https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/government-affairs/388257/what%E2%80%99s-in-the-july-declaration |access-date=2025-08-06 |website=Dhaka Tribune |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Karim |first=Riadul |date=2025-08-04 |title=What are the ‘July Declaration’ and the ‘July National Charter’? |url=https://en.prothomalo.com/bangladesh/politics/fx1b06vcu1 |access-date=2025-08-06 |website=Prothomalo |language=en}}</ref> The declaration, which was prepared under strict confidentiality, outlined 28 points<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-08-05 |title=The ‘July Declaration’: Full Official Text of Bangladesh’s Uprising Statement |url=https://southasia.politics.blog/2025/08/05/july-declaration-full-text-of-bangladeshs-uprising-statement/ |access-date=2025-08-05 |website=South Asia Politics |language=en}}</ref> addressing political, constitutional, and governance issues.

The document is characterized by a fundamental rejection of the political framework that existed under the [[Awami League]]-led government, advocating for constitutional restructuring and long-term democratic reforms. According to the document, the declaration would be considered effective retroactively from 5 August 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |work=bdnews24.com |title=July Proclamation: Draft constitutionally recognises student uprising |url=https://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/31828ff07f90 |access-date=2025-08-02 |language=en}}</ref> On the day of the first anniversary, 5 August 2025, Muhammad Yunus read out the declaration in front of the [[Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-08-05 |title=The ‘July Declaration’: Full Official Text of Bangladesh’s Uprising Statement |url=https://southasia.politics.blog/2025/08/05/july-declaration-full-text-of-bangladeshs-uprising-statement/ |access-date=2025-08-07 |website=South Asia Politics |language=en}}</ref>

Disagreements persist among political parties regarding the contents of the declaration as well as whether it should be incorporated into the [[Constitution of Bangladesh|nation's constitution]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-07-29 |title=জুলাই ঘোষণাপত্র ও জুলাই জাতীয় সনদ কী, বাস্তবায়ন কবে-কীভাবে |url=https://www.tbsnews.net/bangla/bangladesh/news-details-371096 |access-date=2025-08-02 |website=The Business Standard |language=en}}</ref> If consensus is reached, the proclamation is expected to be published as a formal acknowledgment of the revolution.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-07-07 |title=জুলাই ঘোষণাপত্রের খসড়া চূড়ান্ত, যেকোনো দিন প্রকাশ |url=https://www.dhakapost.com/exclusive/383637 |access-date=2025-08-02 |website=www.dhakapost.com |language=bn}}</ref>

== History ==
Following the [[Resignation of Sheikh Hasina|fall]] of the [[Awami League]] government amid the [[July Revolution (Bangladesh)|July Revolution]], the [[Students Against Discrimination]] and the [[Jatiya Nagorik Committee]] announced plans to publish a political declaration over the revolution. On 29 December 2024, they formally declared its release, scheduling it for 31 December. During this announcement, [[Hasnat Abdullah]] stated that the proclamation aimed to render the Awami League obsolete — likening it to the [[Nazi Germany|Nazi regime]] — and to symbolically "bury" the 1972 Constitution. Although the government initially remained uninvolved, it later joined the initiative, and discussions began between political parties and reform commissions over governance-related proposals. Simultaneously, efforts progressed on drafting both the July Declaration and the [[July Charter]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |work=bdnews24.com |title=জুলাই ঘোষণাপত্রের খসড়ায় চব্বিশের অভ্যুত্থানের সাংবিধানিক স্বীকৃতির অঙ্গীকার |url=https://bangla.bdnews24.com/politics/5c81f3ce4444 |access-date=2025-08-01 |language=en}}</ref>

In early July 2025, a preliminary version of the declaration was prepared, and feedback was sought from the [[Bangladesh Nationalist Party]] (BNP), the [[Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami]], and the [[National Citizen Party]] (NCP).<ref name=":0" /> By 1 August, two student advisers affiliated with the government confirmed that the final version would be issued before 5 August.<ref>{{Cite web |title=মধ্যরাতে জুলাই ঘোষণাপত্র নিয়ে দুই উপদেষ্টার স্ট্যাটাস |url=https://rtvonline.com/national/336389 |access-date=2025-08-01 |website=rtvonline.com |language=en}}</ref>

On 5 August, Muhammad Yunus read out the declaration at the South Plaza of the [[Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-08-05 |title=South Asia Politics |url=https://southasia.politics.blog/ |access-date=2025-08-07 |website=South Asia Politics |language=en}}</ref>

== Commitments ==

# Whereas, in the historical continuity of anti-colonial resistance, the people of this land stood up against the deprivation and exploitation by [[Pakistan]]'s autocratic rulers for 23 years and, in response to indiscriminate genocide, launched a mass resistance that culminated in the [[Proclamation of Bangladeshi Independence|declaration of independence]] on 26 March 1971, leading to the establishment of the sovereign state of [[Bangladesh]] through a bloody [[Bangladesh Liberation War|Liberation War]];
# Whereas, through long-standing struggles, the people of Bangladesh made the ultimate sacrifice to realize their aspirations for a liberal democratic state based on equality, human dignity, and social justice as stated in the Declaration of Independence;
# Whereas, due to the structural weaknesses, procedural flaws, and misuse of the Constitution of [[1972 in Bangladesh|1972]], the post-independence [[Awami League]] government failed to fulfill the people's aspirations from the Liberation War, thereby undermining democracy and the effectiveness of state institutions;
# Whereas, the Awami League government abandoned democratic governance and instituted a one-party rule through [[BAKSAL]], suppressing freedom of expression and judicial independence, which triggered the [[7 November 1975 Bangladeshi coup d'état|Sipahi-Janata revolution]] on 7 November 1975 and paved the way for the restoration of multiparty democracy and judicial freedom;
# Whereas, following nine years of relentless student and public movements against military autocracy in the 1980s, [[1990 Bangladesh mass uprising|the mass uprising of 1990]] led to the reinstatement of parliamentary democracy in 1991;
# Whereas, due to domestic and international conspiracies disrupting the democratic process of government change, the [[2006–2008 Bangladesh political crisis|1/11 political intervention]] paved the way for [[Sheikh Hasina]]’s monopolization of power and emergence of fascist rule;
# Whereas, over the past sixteen years, constitutional amendments were made illegally and undemocratically with the intent of establishing a one-party regime and consolidating absolute power;
# Whereas, under Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government, misrule, enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, suppression of free expression, and constitutional manipulations destroyed state and democratic institutions;
# Whereas, under Sheikh Hasina’s authoritarian leadership, a deeply anti-people and human rights–violating force gave Bangladesh a fascist, mafia-like, and failed state image on the global stage;
# Whereas, under the guise of development, massive corruption, bank looting, money laundering, and destruction of economic institutions under the Awami League government crippled Bangladesh’s economic potential and endangered its environment, biodiversity, and climate resilience;
# Whereas, over the past sixteen years, people from all walks of life—including political parties, student and labor organizations—have endured imprisonment, violence, disappearances, and killings while engaging in continuous democratic resistance against the fascist regime;
# Whereas, the people’s legitimate struggle against foreign dominance and exploitation was brutally repressed by the Awami League government acting as a puppet of external forces;
# Whereas, to retain power illegally, the Awami League government deprived the people of their voting rights and representation through three farcical national elections ([[2014 Bangladeshi general election|2014]], [[2018 Bangladeshi general election|2018]], and [[2024 Bangladeshi general election|2024]]);
# Whereas, political dissenters, students, and youth were subjected to severe repression, and discriminatory recruitment practices in government jobs led to intense frustration among students and job seekers;
# Whereas, prolonged oppression of opposition forces generated mass public resentment and led to persistent anti-fascist struggles through all legitimate means;
# Whereas, during the anti-discrimination student movement demanding the abolition of quota-based inequality and eradication of corruption, the government responded with brutal repression and crimes against humanity, which sparked widespread uprisings across the country;
# Whereas, people from all sectors of society joined the student uprising—including political, religious, social, cultural, professional, and labor organizations—and the Awami League's fascist forces responded by massacring nearly a thousand people, including women and children, causing countless injuries and permanent disabilities, until members of the armed forces ultimately sided with the people’s democratic movement;
# Whereas, in pursuit of the downfall of the illegal Sheikh Hasina regime and the establishment of a new political order, the people launched a non-cooperation movement at the call of the anti-discrimination student movement, culminating in a long march to [[Dhaka]] and a march toward [[Ganabhaban|Gonobhaban]], compelling Sheikh Hasina to resign and flee the country on 5 August 2024;
# Whereas, the people’s assertion of sovereignty through this mass uprising is both politically and legally justified and recognized under international law;
# Whereas, in response to public demand, the illegitimate Twelfth National Parliament was dissolved and, under Article 106 of the Constitution and the opinion of the [[Supreme Court of Bangladesh|Supreme Court]], an interim government was formed on 8 August 2024 led by [[Muhammad Yunus|Professor Muhammad Yunus]];
# Whereas, the people's uprising and the student movement expressed a desire to build a society free from fascism, inequality, and corruption;
# Whereas, the people of Bangladesh now seek to ensure good governance, fair elections, the rule of law, and socio-economic justice through democratic reforms of the Constitution and all state institutions;
# Whereas, the people demand justice for all enforced disappearances, killings, massacres, crimes against humanity, and plundering of state resources committed by the fascist Awami League government during the sixteen-year-long struggle and the 2024 uprising;
# Whereas, the people of Bangladesh declare all martyrs of the July uprising as national heroes and express their intent to provide legal protection to injured fighters and participating students and citizens;
# Whereas, the people intend to hold a free, fair, and inclusive national election in due time, following constitutional reforms, to fulfill the expectations of the people—especially the youth—for a democratic state based on justice, human rights, equality, and integrity;
# Whereas, the people expect the implementation of an inclusive, environmentally and climate-resilient development strategy that safeguards the rights of present and future generations;
# Whereas, the people call for official recognition of the 2024 student-led mass uprising and inclusion of this declaration in the annex of the Constitution amended by the next elected government;
# Therefore, this declaration is adopted on 5 August 2024 as an embodiment of the will of the victorious people of Bangladesh following the people's uprising.<ref>{{Cite news |title=What is in the July Charter? |url=https://www.prothomalo.com/bangladesh/p7yct76u34}}</ref>

== Reactions ==
[[Salahuddin Ahmed (Cox's Bazar politician)|Salahuddin Ahmed]] of the BNP endorsed the proclamation, stating that its implementation is rooted in the sovereign authority of the people and represents the highest form of national consensus, even beyond the scope of legal constraints.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-07-31 |title=জুলাই ঘোষণাপত্র আইনের ঊর্ধ্বে : সালাহউদ্দিন আহমদ |url=https://ntvbd.com/bangladesh/news-1596713 |access-date=2025-08-01 |website=ntvbd.com |language=en}}</ref> [[Syed Abdullah Muhammad Taher]], a deputy leader of Jamaat-e-Islami, emphasized the importance of developing a legal framework based on consensus, cautioning that without it, the initiative would lack meaningful results.<ref>{{Cite web |last=প্রতিবেদকঢাকা |first=নিজস্ব |title=জুলাই সনদ ও ঘোষণাপত্র বাস্তবায়নে আইনি ভিত্তি জরুরি: জামায়াতের নায়েবে আমির |url=https://www.prothomalo.com/politics/8w1r4rccxb |access-date=2025-08-01 |website=Prothomalo |language=bn}}</ref>

While most of the political parties welcomed July Charter, some opposed it. [[Islamist]] groups like [[Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami|Jamaat-e-Islami]] & [[Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh|Hefazat-e-Islam]] expressed dismay for not including the unlawful arrests, killing and torture of Islamic scholars and [[madrasa]] students during the Awami League regime, including the [[2013 Shapla Square protests|Shapla Square massacre]].<ref>{{Cite news |title=Jamaat disappointed with July Declaration, welcomes February election |url=https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/politics/388301/jamaat-sees-election-announcement-positive-despite}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Hefazat criticises July Declaration for overlooking 2013 Shapla Chattar crackdown |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/politics/news/hefazat-criticises-july-declaration-overlooking-2013-shapla-chattar-crackdown-3956966}}</ref> [[Akhter Hossain]], secretary of the [[National Citizen Party|NCP]], described the draft as "immature."<ref>{{Cite web |work=bdnews24.com |title=জুলাই ঘোষণাপত্রের খসড়া 'অপরিণত': আখতার |url=https://bangla.bdnews24.com/politics/157674ca3cdb |access-date=2025-08-01 |language=en}}</ref> [[Nurul Haque Nur]], president of the [[Gono Odhikar Parishad]], criticized the government's approach for excluding other stakeholders, alleging that sending the draft only to three parties was discriminatory and demanding a justification for this selective engagement.<ref>{{Cite web |title=শুধু তিনটি দলকে জুলাই ঘোষণাপত্রের খসড়া পাঠিয়ে বৈষম্য করেছে সরকার: নুরুল হক নূর |url=https://www.banglatribune.com/national/909351/%E0%A6%B6%E0%A7%81%E0%A6%A7%E0%A7%81-%E0%A6%A4%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%A8%E0%A6%9F%E0%A6%BF-%E0%A6%A6%E0%A6%B2%E0%A6%95%E0%A7%87-%E0%A6%9C%E0%A7%81%E0%A6%B2%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%87-%E0%A6%98%E0%A7%8B%E0%A6%B7%E0%A6%A3%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%AA%E0%A6%A4%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%B0%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%B0-%E0%A6%96%E0%A6%B8%E0%A7%9C%E0%A6%BE-%E0%A6%AA%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%A0%E0%A6%BF%E0%A7%9F%E0%A7%87 |access-date=2025-08-01 |website=Bangla Tribune |language=bn}}</ref> Leftist groups like the [[Communist Party of Bangladesh]] also criticised the draft for not addressing enough problems whose solutions may compensate for the incompleteness of the Constitution.<ref>{{Cite web |title=জুলাই জাতীয় সনদ ২০২৫ এর পূর্ণাঙ্গ সমন্বিত খসড়া (সংশোধনী) প্রসঙ্গে - CPB |url=https://www.cpbbd.org/?page=details&serial=1786 |access-date=2025-11-18 |website=www.cpbbd.org}}</ref>

British journalist [[David Bergman (journalist)|David Bergman]] questioned the neutrality of the document, citing that most of the parts of the declaration only provided the negative and authoritarian side of the Awami League regime, without recognizing the positive sides of the regime such as economic growth, improvement in female education, infrastructural development, contributions to the [[climate change]] etc. He also accused for errors & [[Historical negationism|negations]] related to the [[History of Bangladesh (1971–present)|post-independence history]] of Bangladesh in the document. Although, he also praised the document for honouring the [[Liberation War of Bangladesh]] as well as for describing an accurate scenario of the revolution, [[July massacre|state killings]] and public desires, he argued that the inclusion of Yunus's name in such document damaged his positive image.<ref>{{cite web|title=জুলাই ঘোষণাপত্র নিয়ে ডেভিড বার্গম্যানের অভিমত|url=https://www.prothomalo.com/politics/ylmu31ixi1|website=[[Prothom Alo]]|date=6 August 2025}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Proclamation of Bangladeshi Independence]]
== References ==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Aftermath of the July Revolution (Bangladesh)]]
[[Category:2025 in Bangladesh]]
[[Category:21st-century manuscripts]]
[[Category:2025 documents]]
[[Category:Democratization]]
[[Category:Proclamations]]
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