19/12/2025
BCGA solemnly mourns the political assassination of Sharif Osman Hadi. We express deep concern that, even one week after this heinous terrorist act, the intelligence and security agencies of Bangladesh have failed to apprehend the perpetrators. We expect the government to demonstrate a genuine and credible commitment through concrete and transparent actions to ensure the immediate arrest of those responsible and the delivery of justice. We further call for coordinated national and diplomatic efforts at all levels to hold those behind the murder of Sharif Osman Hadi fully accountable.
The martyrdom of Sharif Osman Hadi has inflicted profound grief and sorrow. At the same time, his life and political journey bear witness to a sustained and principled effort to envision, rebuild, and institutionalize a new political order in Bangladesh. Through his work, he sought to reconstruct and embed the transformative potential of the July uprising at the very center of national politics.
BCGA strongly condemns all attacks on democratic institutions. We firmly uphold the belief that institutions must be built, strengthened, and protected not attacked or destroyed. Violence against media houses, civil society organizations CSOs, and other public institutions undermines democratic norms and weakens the foundations of a stable, pluralistic society. We therefore strongly condemn the recent attacks on The Daily Star, Prothom Alo, and other institutions of public accountability, as well as the harassment on Nurul Kabir, who has devoted decades of his life to the struggle for a democratic, inclusive, and rights-based Bangladesh. Such attacks on journalists and representatives of civil society represent yet another clear failure of the Ministry of Home Affairs and the relevant authorities. We demand the immediate identification of those involved in this violence and that they be brought under the rule of law without delay.Targeting individuals who have long stood for democratic values represents not only an assault on personal safety but also an attack on the broader democratic tradition they embody.
We believe freedom and dignity are not achieved overnight; they must be sustained through continuous effort and collective struggle. The transformation we seek depends on unity, tolerance, and responsibility not violence. Acts of violence, attacks on institutions, and social disorder only generate instability. True change lies in rebuilding institutions and strengthening tolerant and people-centered politics. Through the mass uprising, the people reclaimed their rightful authority over Bangladesh. To ensure the country does not move backward, we must now commit ourselves to building it forward through unity. This was the political path that Hadi embodied.
Bangladesh Center for Governance Analysis
