Bangladesh: Independence Day celebrations March 25-26

Event

Bangladesh will celebrate its Independence Day on Sunday, March 26. Parades are to be anticipated throughout the country, especially in the capital Dhaka. Furthermore, a one-minute blackout will be observed at 21:00 (local time) on Saturday, March 25, in memory of the brutality carried out by the Pakistani Army against Bengali nationalists during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War. In mid-March 2018, March 25 was officially declared Genocide Day.

Context

Preventive measures have been undertaken to ensure tight security at the Savar National Memorial in Dhaka as well as elsewhere in the capital region (notably along parade routes) March 25-26. The Bangladesh Liberation War was a revolution and armed conflict sparked by Bengali nationalists that resulted in the independence of the People's Republic of Bangladesh. The conflict took place in what was then East Pakistan in 1971. The Bangladeshi genocide began on March 26, 1971, when West Pakistan launched a military crackdown on Bengali nationalists to suppress their revolutionary movement. During the nine-month-long conflict, the Pakistani military and supporting Islamist militias (e.g. Jamaat-e-Islami) killed up to 3 million people.

Advice

Individuals present in Bangladesh are advised to avoid all public gatherings, especially in Dhaka, and to abide by all instructions issued by security forces. Due to the high risk of terrorism in Bangladesh, exercise vigilance when visiting sites deemed particularly likely to be targeted (public transportation, train stations, ports, airports, public or government buildings, embassies or consulates, international organizations, schools and universities, religious sites, markets, hotels and restaurants frequented by foreigners/Westerners, festivals, etc.) and report any suspicious objects or behavior to the authorities.