Weekly Bangla Mirror | Bangla Mirror, Bangladeshi news in UK, bangla mirror news
London, 20 May 2025 — In a landmark event for freedom of expression and human rights, two powerful Bangladeshi documentaries were screened yesterday at Portcullis House, House of Commons, shedding light on the harrowing events of the July Revolution 2024, which saw a brutal crackdown on student-led pro-democracy protests in Bangladesh.
Hosted by Apsana Begum MP, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Bangladesh, the event drew an engaged audience of policymakers, activists, and diaspora community members. The screenings were followed by a thought-provoking panel discussion featuring distinguished voices in human rights, media, and academia.
The event marked the international premiere of “Deepak Kumar Goswami Speaking”, a 21-minute documentary narrated by a member of Bangladesh’s minority Hindu community. The film traces the chain of events from the student-led protests to the violent repression that followed, while exposing the global financial networks enabling authoritarian regimes.
Director Deepak Kumar Goswami remarked,
“This story is not just about one country. It’s about the global systems that allow authoritarian regimes to suppress dissent, launder wealth, and manipulate international opinion — and what happens when those systems begin to unravel.”
An extract from “July Women” was also screened, featuring two women’s first-hand testimonies from the July movement. Raw footage and haunting narratives highlighted the gendered dimensions of state violence and the resilience of women activists.
The panel discussion, chaired by Apsana Begum MP, featured:
Dr Shahidul Alam – Photographer, writer, and human rights activist, who was jailed and tortured by the former regime for reporting on student protests.
Farrukh Dhondy – Award-winning writer and screenwriter, who contextualised Bangladesh’s struggle within a broader South Asian history of resistance.
Nowshin Noor – Lawyer and participant in the 2024 protests, who shared personal accounts of state violence.
Professor Nayanika Mookherjee – Political anthropologist from Durham University, who explored the ethics of testimony, memory, and justice.
The event follows a recent UN OHCHR report, which found credible evidence of systematic human rights violations during Bangladesh’s 2024 protests, including hundreds of extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests, and torture, coordinated by political and security officials of the former Awami League regime.
Apsana Begum MP stated,
“These films are more than documentation. By giving these voices a platform, we reaffirm the need for a worldwide commitment to human rights, democracy, and justice globally. The world must stand with the people of Bangladesh as they navigate the path to accountability and true democratic reform.”
