On November 10, 1987 a protest in Dhaka, Bangladesh against the dictatorship of General Hussain Muhammad Ershad ended in a riot after 12 protesters were killed by police. Among the dead was 26-year-old Noor Hossain who had painted "down with autocracy" on his chest and "let democracy be free" on his back. The killings fermented opposition to Ershad's regime. In October 1990 sustained protests erupted, starting with students at Dhaka University and quickly joined by opposition parties and labor unions. Hundreds of protesters were killed or seriously wounded before Ershad was forced to abdicate on December 6, 1990.
This CPH poster printed at the worker-owned and union-run Community Printers, Santa Cruz, CA.
This is #191 in the Celebrate People’s History Poster Series.
Blanco is a street artist and anthropologist based in Brooklyn.
