Dhaka, June 20 -- BNP Joint Secretary General Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Annie on Friday said the July uprising was not a spontaneous event, but a mass movement built on the sacrifice and sweat of many.

"The July movement didn't happen suddenly, it was a people's uprising shaped by everyone's efforts and sacrifices," Annie said while speaking at a discussion titled "The Role of Media and Political Leadership in Restoring Democracy," marking two decades of the Jagannath University Journalists' Association (Jobisas).

"Those who dared to speak against fascists were the ones jailed and oppressed. People have been fighting this autocratic regime for years. I pay my respects to those who led the movement and those who were martyred," he added.

T...