EU Mission launches publication on '36 July 2024'

Street paintings, graffiti during uprising to reproduce

FE Team | Published: December 11, 2024 00:37:38

The European Union Mission in Dhaka launched a publication titled "Bangladesh, 36 July 2024" with reproduction of street paintings and graffiti, capturing the horrors of repression during the July-August protests and the public aspirations of a new Bangladesh, reports UNB.
On the occasion of International Human Rights Day, the publication and a photo exhibition were launched at a ceremony at the EU residence in the capital's Gulshan area.
Addressing the function, EU Ambassador Michael Miller said respecting, protecting and fulfilling human rights, promoting democracy and upholding the rule of law are at the very core of the European Union. "All our work and all our policies are underpinned by these elements," he said.
"Human rights are not abstract. They are tangible. They structure how we live together. How we as citizens interact with the state. They protect our dignity and ensure that no one is left behind. They are the foundation of peace, stability and sustainable development. They apply always and everywhere, including in times of conflict or crisis," said the EU ambassador.
Noting that 2024 has been a watershed moment for Bangladesh, he said Human Rights Day here has special significance for the 1500 people who died and for many thousands more who were injured in the recent movement and for a country in transition.
About the publication, Miller said the artworks reproduced in the EU publication includes the defining moments of the protests that launched the political transition which began on August 5 or "July 36".
"Our book has been designed to capture a sense of the blazing canvas that is Dhaka, and which marks the horror of repression and the hope of a country now in transition-tragedy, pride. It is an insistence on justice and accountability. This is what you see each and every day going to work, school or the market. It is very impressive for an outsider to see," he said.