10-year jail term for damaging July Uprising Museum artifacts

Image- Collected

The ‘July Mass Uprising Memorial Museum Act, 2026’ has been enacted to establish and operate the July Mass Uprising Memorial Museum.

Under the law, anyone who damages an immovable artifact of the museum may face up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to Tk 10 lakh, or both.

The law was enacted on April 10, 2026, to preserve, research and display the history, artifacts and documents related to the July-August 2024 mass uprising and the anti-autocracy movement.

The museum, established under the law to preserve memories of the 2024 mass uprising, was inaugurated by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on August 5 and opened to the public the following day.

Under Section 4 of the Act, the museum’s head office will be located at Ganabhaban in Dhaka. It will also have the authority to declare, preserve and maintain secret detention centres where crimes against humanity were committed during the rule of the fascist government between January 1, 2009 and August 5, 2024.

If any such detention centre is controlled by an organisation, it will have to hand it over to the museum in its existing condition. Such centres will operate as branch museums of the July Mass Uprising Memorial Museum.

The museum’s responsibilities under Section 5 include collecting, preserving, researching and displaying historical artifacts and memorabilia related to the July Mass Uprising, as well as the fall and flight of the fascist government. It will also preserve items linked to the history of East Bengal, the Language Movement, the independence struggle and the 1971 Liberation War, along with materials related to anti-democratic and anti-human rights activities and the rise of fascism.

Under Section 15, the museum may, with board recommendations and prior government approval, exchange July Uprising-related artifacts permanently or temporarily with the Bangladesh National Museum, other museums or individuals. It may also give or receive such artifacts as gifts, subject to agreements.

Section 16 allows the Director General or an authorised employee to inspect premises and take appropriate measures if there are reasonable grounds to believe that a July Uprising-related artifact is being held by a person or organisation.

Members of the public will be allowed to enter the museum upon payment of an admission fee determined by the board, according to Section 17.

Section 22 states that destroying, damaging, altering or causing damage to an immovable museum artifact or any part of it will constitute an offence punishable by up to 10 years’ imprisonment, a fine of up to Tk 10 lakh, or both.

Under Section 23, stealing, smuggling, destroying, damaging or altering a movable artifact will carry a maximum sentence of five years’ imprisonment, a fine of up to Tk 5 lakh, or both.

Section 24 states that engraving, writing, inscribing or signing any collected or registered artifact will be punishable by up to one year in prison, a fine of up to Tk 10,000, or both.

If a museum officer or employee is accused of any of these offences, Section 25 allows departmental proceedings for misconduct in addition to the prescribed punishment. The section also requires caution when making a final decision while court proceedings are pending.