A martyr without a country

Last year, as the July uprising swept across Bangladesh with thousands protesting against state violence and demanding the resignation of then-prime minister Sheikh Hasina, 17-year-old Nur Mostofa joined in, standing alongside his peers for justice and change. On August 5, defying his father‍‍`s warnings, Nur took to the streets in front of Eidgaon Police Station in Cox‍‍`s Bazar — and was shot dead. He died the next day in a hospital.

But while others who died in the protests were honoured as martyrs, Nur’s name was left off the official list. His only fault: he was Rohingya.

Born in 2007 in Cox’s Bazar to parents who fled persecution in Myanmar, Nur had a birth certificate issued by Islamabad Union Parishad but, like many Rohingya born on Bangladeshi soil, was denied citizenship under the country’s laws. At the time of his death, he was a 10th-grade madrasa student, preparing for his Dakhil exams.

"My son was born here, he studied here, and he died here — for this country," said his father Shafiul Alam. "But because we are Rohingya and lack NID cards, his name was struck from the list of martyrs. I don‍‍`t care about money or compensation, but he deserves recognition."

His mother, Nur Begum, voiced the same heartbreak. "Our biggest crime is that we are Rohingya. Even after my son gave his life, we are denied dignity."

The story of Nur’s sacrifice remained largely untold until March 26, when July Records — a group documenting the July uprising’s atrocities — uncovered his case and amplified it on social media. Since then, calls for justice have grown louder.

On April 17, July Records and the Student Alliance for Democracy organised a human chain at Dhaka University’s Raju Memorial Sculpture, demanding that Nur be recognised as a martyr and his family be granted honorary citizenship. "This isn’t about compensation," said Umama Fatema, a leader of the movement. "It’s about dignity and recognition."

Activist Koli Kayez and her platform Empowering Our Fighters also submitted a memorandum to the Liberation War affairs adviser on April 4, urging the state to correct this injustice.

When contacted, Amirul Islam, a personal aide to the adviser, confirmed the ministry was reviewing the documents.

For Nur’s family and those who now speak for him, the fight isn’t over. They seek not just recognition for a fallen boy who loved a country that wouldn’t claim him, but justice for others like him — born on this soil, living without a nation.