DHAKA
\nThousands of students rallied in Bangladesh on Thursday to mark the one-month anniversary of the fall of long-serving former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina after deadly protests.
\nStudents, teachers and families of those killed in the unrest joined the \u201cMarch for Martyrs\u201d carrying the national flag and chanting slogans such as \u201cBlood of the martyrs is our power\u201d.
\nThe anti-government protests started in July as a student-led movement against public sector job quotas and escalated into a nationwide uprising against Hasina.
\nMore than 1,000 people lost their lives in the unrest, which forced Hasina to resign and flee to India on Aug. 5 just before her official residence was stormed by crowds. The violence continued for several days after she fled.
\nAn interim government led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus replaced Hasina\u2019s administration, with the mandate to restore stability following the country\u2019s deadliest violence since its independence in 1971, implement reforms, and organise fresh parliamentary elections.
\nYunus urged students to resume their studies.
\n\u201cSchools, colleges, and universities have reopened, and I encourage you to return to your classrooms. A well-educated and competent generation is essential to secure the gains of the revolution,\u201d Yunus said in a statement marking the anniversary of the fall.
\n\u201cHundreds of students and people from all walks of life made the ultimate sacrifice for one of the most glorious revolutions in history.\u201d
\nAmir Ali, whose son was killed during the protests, said his child\u2019s name was not included in the official list of martyrs.
\n\u201cI came here to honour my son and the victory achieved through his sacrifice,\u201d he said as he joined others in remembering the martyrs.
\nNahid Islam, 26, a key protest organiser now serving in Yunus\u2019 cabinet, said, \u201cWe\u2019ve got a new Bangladesh in exchange for their blood. We are alive for them. Freedom of speech is back.\u201d
\nChief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal stepped down on Thursday following widespread resignations and appointments by the new government.
\nThe administration has forced out the chief justice, the central bank governor and the police chief who oversaw the crackdown on the students.
\nThe United Nations Human Rights Office announced last Friday that it would dispatch a fact-finding mission to Bangladesh at the request of the interim government to investigate alleged human rights violations during the recent deadly violence.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
DHAKA Thousands of students rallied in Bangladesh on Thursday to mark the one-month anniversary of the fall of long-serving former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina after deadly protests. Students, teachers and families of those killed in the unrest joined the \u201cMarch for Martyrs\u201d carrying the national flag and chanting slogans such as \u201cBlood of the martyrs […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":429687,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-429660","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n