As the news of mass awakening at Shahbag spreads, Bangladeshis from all over the world came forward to express their solidarity with Shahbag. Within a very short notice, expatriate Bangladeshis and student organizations in different universities gathered together with whatever little they could, with handmade posters, placards, flags, and last but not the least, their enthusiastic heartfelt desire to do something for their country, to be a part of the history that is in the making.

The event started when Quader Mullah, a known war criminal of the country, was found guilty beyond reasonable doubt on five accusations. His was convicted on grounds which included several large scale massacres (one as high as 344 people), dismembering his victims, and gang-rape and killing an 11-year old girl. His brutalities earned him the nickname the Butcher of Mirpur, Dhaka. Yet when he received only life-sentence (30 years in jail), and not the highest punishment of the country, people felt betrayed by the government that came to power swearing to try and punish the war criminals. As the news spread, Shahbag, the intellectual center of the capital, became the center of the protest for mass people, who demand nothing but justice for the 3 million martyrs of their liberation war in 1971.