Old video used to claim procession held demanding Akhtaruzzaman’s release
A video has been circulating on Facebook with the claim that a procession was held demanding the release of Jamaat leader Akhtaruzzaman. However, a Dismislab fact-check found that the video is old. On August 30, an 11-party alliance led by Jamaat-e-Islami organized a march toward Parliament and a program to submit a memorandum to the Speaker on the occasion of the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances. Footage from that program is being circulated as a procession demanding Akhtaruzzaman’s release.
On October 4, a 16-second video was posted from a Facebook page named “Mukto Diary.” The post said, “Protest procession demanding the release of Jamaat leader Akhtaruzzaman. There was a large turnout at the protest procession organized to demand Akhtaruzzaman’s release. Various slogans demanding his release were heard throughout the procession. The entire area became vibrant with the participation of a large number of people.”
The video shows participants in a procession moving forward while holding banners and placards. During the procession, participants can be heard chanting, “We will surround the Parliament building, we will surround it.” Until the publication of this report, the video had been viewed 14,000 times and shared more than 100 times.
The video was found posted on multiple Facebook profiles and pages (1, 2).
A search using keyframes from the video found a video published on the Facebook page “Discover বাংলা” on August 30. The 30-second video, titled “‘Parliament building will be surrounded’ Jamaat alliance heads toward Parliament,” exactly matches the circulating video from the beginning through the 16-second mark. The slogan in the circulating video also matches the audio of the report.
Multiple news outlets published reports (1, 2, 3, 4) on the incident. A report published in the online edition of Daily Amar Desh on August 30 said, “The National Committee for Observing the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances submitted a memorandum to the Speaker of the National Parliament with 14 demands, including enacting effective laws to prevent enforced disappearances. On the occasion of the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, a memorandum was submitted following a march from Banglamotor in the capital toward the National Parliament. Leaders and activists of the 11-party alliance actively participated in the program in support of it.”
For context, Major (retd.) Akhtaruzzaman, an associate member of Jamaat and a former BNP lawmaker, was arrested on October 2 on allegations of causing disorder at Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, threatening an official and obstructing government duties.
