, Aug. 5 -- On the first anniversary of the fall of Sheikh Hasina's regime, Manwra Begum, mother of Abu Sayed, the first martyr of the July Mass Uprising, said her only wish is to live to see the Bangladesh her son dreamt of.

"I'm waiting to see that Bangladesh my son sacrificed his life for, a country where fascism never rises again, and there is no longer discrimination, violence or bloodshed," said Manwara Begum, standing beside her son's grave in their ancestral village of Jaforpara in Babnupur, Pirganj.

Abu Sayed's belongings, clothes and family members remain in the house unchanged. But his absence fills the space with a void that his parents say will never heal.

"There's an ache in our hearts that words can't describe. We carry ...