Bangladesh’s interim government has declared Wednesday, 16 July, a day of national mourning to mark July Shaheed Day, which commemorates the death of Begum Rokeya University student Abu Sayed, who was shot by police during last year’s July uprising. A Cabinet Division notification released late Tuesday instructs that the national flag be flown at half-mast on all government, semi-government, autonomous and educational institutions, as well as on all public and private buildings and Bangladeshi missions abroad. Special prayers for the martyrs will be offered in mosques and other houses of worship throughout the country. The July uprising, a month-long student-led protest against inequality, culminated in the fall of the Sheikh Hasina administration on 5 August 2024 and the installation of an interim government headed by Nobel laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus. The new authorities have since designated 16 July as July Shaheed Day and 5 August as July Uprising Day to be observed annually.