Umama Fatema, a key organiser of the anti-discrimination student movement, has announced her personal rejection of an award declared by the US State Department.
Following the announcement of the award on Saturday (March 29), Umama made her stance public through a message on her Facebook account.
The US State Department stated that women played a pivotal role in Bangladesh’s student movement against the previous government's violent repression in July-August 2024. Despite threats and violence, they demonstrated extraordinary courage by standing alongside male protesters. When their male counterparts were arrested, these women devised new strategies to maintain communication and lead the movement. Even during internet blackouts, they found ways to bypass censorship, embodying true heroism amidst uncertainty.
As part of the International Women of Courage Award, the women who participated in Bangladesh’s July Movement are set to receive the "Madeleine Albright Honorary Group Award." The ceremony, scheduled for April 1, will be hosted by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and First Lady Melania Trump.
Umama Fatema acknowledged that the collective recognition of female activists was deeply honourable. However, she stated that the award had been used to directly endorse Israel’s brutal attacks on Palestine in October 2023. By justifying these attacks while disregarding the Palestinian struggle for independence, the award’s neutrality was compromised.
She emphasised that the Palestinian people have long been deprived of their fundamental human rights, particularly their right to land. Out of respect for Palestine’s freedom struggle, she declared her personal rejection of the award.
Expressing solidarity with Palestine, she concluded her message with the words: “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”
Bd-Pratidin English/ARK
