Bangla Press Desk: Badruddin Umar, a prominent writer, historian, and leftist intellectual who passed away on Sunday at the age of 94, had served as a key witness against former prime minister Sheikh Hasina in a case filed with the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) over crimes against humanity committed during the July uprising.
“Before his death, Umar had submitted a statement to the investigating officer (IO) of the case. According to the ICT Act, if a witness dies before giving testimony in court, the tribunal may accept their investigative statement as evidence,” ICT Prosecutor Gazi Monawar Hossain Tamim told reporters on Sunday. “This legal provision allows Umar’s testimony to be considered even though he did not testify in court himself,” he added.
Tamim further said that the prosecution has not yet decided whether it will formally request the tribunal to admit Umar’s statement as evidence during the trial.
The trial against Hasina is now in its final phase, with 36 witnesses having already given depositions. These include parents and siblings of six martyrs from the mass uprising, injured protesters, eyewitnesses, journalists, and medical professionals. All have strongly demanded capital punishment for Hasina and her aides. On 1 September, the tribunal recorded testimony from Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun, the last police chief under Hasina, who turned approver (Rajsakkhyi) in the case. He confessed and sought mercy, stating that the killings and brutal actions were carried out under instructions from Hasina and former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal. Both accused are currently being tried in absentia.
‘Badruddin Umar was witness against Hasina in 2024 atrocities case’
Banglapress
Published: 23 September 2025, 10:26 AM
Bangla Press Desk: Badruddin Umar, a prominent writer, historian, and leftist intellectual who passed away on Sunday at the age of 94, had served as a key witness against former prime minister Sheikh Hasina in a case filed with the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) over crimes against humanity committed during the July uprising.
“Before his death, Umar had submitted a statement to the investigating officer (IO) of the case. According to the ICT Act, if a witness dies before giving testimony in court, the tribunal may accept their investigative statement as evidence,” ICT Prosecutor Gazi Monawar Hossain Tamim told reporters on Sunday. “This legal provision allows Umar’s testimony to be considered even though he did not testify in court himself,” he added.
Tamim further said that the prosecution has not yet decided whether it will formally request the tribunal to admit Umar’s statement as evidence during the trial.
The trial against Hasina is now in its final phase, with 36 witnesses having already given depositions. These include parents and siblings of six martyrs from the mass uprising, injured protesters, eyewitnesses, journalists, and medical professionals. All have strongly demanded capital punishment for Hasina and her aides. On 1 September, the tribunal recorded testimony from Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun, the last police chief under Hasina, who turned approver (Rajsakkhyi) in the case. He confessed and sought mercy, stating that the killings and brutal actions were carried out under instructions from Hasina and former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal. Both accused are currently being tried in absentia.
[Bangla Press is a global platform for free thought. It provides impartial news, analysis, and commentary for independent-minded individuals. Our goal is to bring about positive change, which is more important today than ever before.]
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