'Won't leave Venice without seeing this through': Badhan says getting support from embassy, will file case
The actress says she has evidence of the attack and that some of the alleged attackers have been identified.
Actress Azmeri Haque Badhan today (8 September) said she will stay in Italy's Venice and file a case over the attack and harassment she faced there, vowing to see the matter through to the end.
"I am not coming back to Bangladesh from Venice without filing the case. I will see this through," she said during a Facebook Live this afternoon.
Badhan said the attack had not shaken her and that it would not be easy to intimidate her.
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"A lot of people have been calling me and asking how I am, where I am and how I'm doing. I just want to tell everyone, Alhamdulillah, I am fine. I have never bowed my head, and I have even forgotten how to do that. So, it is not easy to break me," she said.
Badhan said local police had helped her after the attack and taken her to a safe place. The Bangladesh Embassy in Rome also contacted her afterwards, she said.
"Today, the ambassador called me from the Bangladesh embassy. Someone from his office is coming, and I am going to the police station with them to file a case," she added.
Badhan also said the Prime Minister's Office had contacted her after the incident.
She thanked those who had called or sent messages through Messenger and WhatsApp to express their support after the incident.
"We have all the evidence, and we have already identified some of them," she said.
Badhan also said that she was targeted and attacked in Italy because of her active role during the 2024 July Uprising in Bangladesh.
During the Facebook Live, she spoke openly about her position during the uprising.
"I stood beside the people of Bangladesh during the July Uprising, which I believe was one of the right decisions I have made in my life. I am a proud July warrior," she said.
Badhan said many people had called and messaged her, urging her not to lose courage.
"Everyone keeps telling me one thing: don't lose courage. I was not born to lose courage. It is important to remember that it is not easy to intimidate or break me," she said.
'I am more upset about my brother's family'
During the Facebook Live, Badhan said what happened to her younger brother and his family upset her deeply, particularly the harassment of her brother's wife and their three-year-old child.
"I am extremely upset about the way my younger brother and his family, his little child and his wife, were harassed," she said.
She described the assault on them as "disgraceful".
"Seeing how my younger brother, his wife and his three-year-old child were assaulted because of me is disgraceful," she said.
What happened in Venice
Badhan is in Venice with the team of "The Difficult Bride," directed by Rubaiyat Hossain. The film has been selected for the Orizzonti section of the Venice International Film Festival.
Its world premiere was held at Sala Darsena Theatre on 6 September. After the premiere, Badhan went out with her family members and was attacked and harassed.
According to Badhan, the attackers threw water, soft drinks and eggs at her, physically assaulted her and knocked her mobile phone out of her hand.
Her brother's wife and three-year-old child were also with her at the time.
Badhan also said some of the attackers identified themselves as leaders and activists of the Awami League and the banned Chhatra League, and as "soldiers of Bangabandhu."
She said they called her a "July terrorist" and forced her to chant "Joy Bangla."
