'Most impressive museum I’ve ever seen’: Dutch vice minister on Bangladesh’s July uprising museum

Dutch Vice Minister for International Cooperation Steven Collet has described Bangladesh’s July Mass Uprising Memorial Museum as the most impressive museum he has ever visited, saying it serves as a reminder to the world that human rights must never be sacrificed.

“It's the most impressive museum I've ever seen in my life,” Collet said during his visit to the museum in Dhaka on Sunday, Oct. 11.

“It's very important for the people of Bangladesh, for every citizen in the world. It's a memory that human rights cannot be sacrificed,” he said.

Collet paid tribute to those killed while defending their rights during the 2024 uprising that toppled former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government.

“It's a salute to all those people who paid the highest price in defending these rights,” he added.

During the visit, Collet examined documents recovered from Ganabhaban, the former prime minister's official residence, detailing killings during the uprising.

He said the documents were no longer merely historical records but evidence of the killings.

Collet also viewed exhibits documenting killings and torture between 2009 and 2024 and watched footage of the deadly crackdown on protesters.

Sabrina Afroz Sabonti, whose brother Mahamudur Rahman Saikat was killed during the uprising, recounted his death to the Dutch official.