Bangladeshi mother mourns son killed in student protests
When Bangladeshi students began a peaceful protest against controversial quotas for coveted government jobs, a brutal crackdown left more than 150 people dead. DW met Shopna, a young mother whose only child was shot by security personnel.
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00:00A home in mourning. This mother has lost her only child.
00:08According to Shopna, her 18-year-old son, Rahat Hussain, was shot dead by Bangladeshi
00:14security personnel on July 18. Rahat, along with other students, was protesting
00:21against the government job quotas. This picture was taken moments before he was killed.
00:31My son was murdered. How can that ever be compensated? And he wasn't murdered by civilians.
00:37He wasn't murdered by a random bullet or ammunition. The murder was committed by law
00:42enforcement officers under government orders. And my son was killed by a bullet that was
00:47bought with my tax money. What more can I say? I have no words.
00:55The medical records show that he was brought to the hospital with a firearm injury to the
01:00head. He was pronounced dead on arrival.
01:08I saw his dead body. I didn't see him alive. And the people who made the videos, from these
01:15videos I could see that they were taking my son to the hospital, and they were giving
01:20him oxygen, and that he was shot on the head, and that it was deadly. They were pressing
01:25on the wound, and that he was having trouble breathing.
01:32Shopna is a garment factory worker. Her husband is a migrant worker in Saudi Arabia. The family
01:40was saving money for Rahat's higher education.
01:47Shopna shows DW her son's academic transcripts.
01:52Like thousands of other students, Rahat believed his only chance for a better life would be
01:57through a fair employment system, and took to the streets to protest the government quotas.
02:04The job quota measures have since been scaled back, but the partial victory has brought
02:08little closure to mothers like Shopna.
02:13He has left behind many dreams. I also had many dreams. These dreams didn't materialise.
02:20Maybe he could have fulfilled them. These dreams are causing me a great pain right now.
02:25These memories, these make us cry the most. His body isn't here with us anymore, but the
02:31memories will forever remain with us.