15 army officers produced before ICT over alleged crimes against humanity
NEWS DESK
Fifteen army officers, now in custody, have been produced before the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in connection with three separate cases over enforced disappearances, killings and other crimes against humanity allegedly committed during the Awami League regime.
The tribunal, led by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Majumder, is set to hear the formal charges on Wednesday.
The officers were transported to the tribunal around 7:15 am amid tight security.
According to the prosecution, 34 individuals, including former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, have been named as accused in the three cases.
One case names 17 accused, another 13 and the third four.
Hasina has been named in two of the cases. Among the 25 army officers charged, 15 are currently in custody.
Security has been tightened in the capital from early morning with police, Rapid Action Battalion (Rab), Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), and army personnel stationed around Kakrail, Matsya Bhaban, Paltan and the High Court’s Mazargate area.
While briefing the media on Tuesday, prosecutor Gazi MH Tamim said that the detained army officers were scheduled to appear before the tribunal.
If anyone fails to appear, public notices will be issued in two national newspapers. Should the tribunal order them into jail custody, the Prison Directorate under the Home Ministry will determine where they will be held, he said.
The first case involves allegations that opposition figures were abducted and secretly detained and tortured inside the Task Force Interrogation (TFI) cell operated by Rab during the Awami League’s tenure.
In the case, the formal charges naming Hasina and 16 others were submitted on October 8.
The second case was filed against Hasina, and 12 others over enforced disappearances allegedly carried out at the Joint Interrogation Cell (JIC), also known as the “Aynaghar.”
The third case accuses four officers, including BGB’s Lt Col Redwanul Islam, of crimes against humanity for the killing of 28 people during the July-August movement in Rampura.
Chief Prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam presented the charges before the tribunal and requested that they be accepted for trial.
After a preliminary hearing, the tribunal issued arrest warrants and ordered the accused to appear by today (October 22).
