Azmeri Haque Badhon assaulted, harassed in Italy

Noted actress Azmeri Haque Badhon, who is currently in Venice for the premiere of her film “The Difficult Bride”, was attacked and harassed while spending time with her brother and his family in Italy.

Badhon said she was pelted with water, soft drinks and eggs and was physically assaulted during the incident.

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The “Rehana Maryam Noor” actress said her mobile phone was knocked out of her hand and that she was struck near her ear. Her brother’s young child was also with them at the time. Following the incident, Badhon filed a complaint with the local police.

Badhon alleged that she was targeted because of her active role in the July-August 2024 student-led mass movement. She had publicly spoken out against the attacks on students during the movement and spoke in its support to both local and international media.

According to Badhon, some of the attackers identified themselves as members of the Awami League, whose activities are banned, and the Bangladesh Chhatra League, which is also banned. She said some also identified themselves as “soldiers of Bangabandhu”.

The actress stated hat she was forced to say, “Joy Bangla, Joy Bangabandhu”. She said the attackers attempted to record the incident and livestream and publish the footage on social media.

Badhon travelled to Italy to attend the screening of Rubaiyat Hossain’s “The Difficult Bride” at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival. She is currently staying in Mestre. The attack reportedly took place on Monday night when she went to a local park with her brother and his family.

Following the incident, Badhon went live on her verified Facebook page and described what had happened. She later shared several videos of the attack and harassment.

“They hit me, knocked my phone out of my hand and struck me near my ear,” Badhon said.

Her brother’s young child was also present during the incident. In one of the videos she later shared, the attackers can be heard being urged to stop, with reference being made to the child. In response, one of them can be heard saying, “What child are you talking about? He has to say ‘Joy Bangla’.”

Several people can also be heard in the video calling Badhon a “July militant” and making aggressive remarks about her political views.

“They called me a July warrior. Yes, I am. I certainly took part in the July movement,” Badhon said.

Badhon’s brother’s wife was also pushed during the incident.

“I was physically assaulted. My brother’s wife was also pushed,” she said.

Condemning the incident, Badhon said, “It will not be so easy to silence Azmeri Haque Badhon. Today, you have shown people around the world how an actress representing Bangladesh was harassed.”

Addressing the attackers, she further said, “You should have moved on from this kind of irrational behaviour, but you failed to do so. You thought that perhaps by behaving this way, you could eventually rebuild your position. I don’t think that is going to happen.”

In her video message, Badhon also mentioned Sajeeb Wazed Joy, son of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. She said she had learned that Joy was also in Venice and urged that the incident be brought to his attention.

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Badhon was actively involved in the streets during the July-August 2024 student-led mass movement and spoke in support of the movement to both local and international media.