ICT Begins Trial Over Enforced Disappearances Against Sheikh Hasina, Former Officials

Bangla Press Desk: The International Crimes Tribunal-1 (ICT-1) on Wednesday began the trial of an enforced disappearance case against deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina, former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, former defence adviser retired Major General Tarique Ahmed Siddique, three former directors general of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), and 11 RAB directors deputed from the army.

The three-member tribunal, headed by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mozumder, opened proceedings by recording the testimony of Supreme Court lawyer Mir Ahmad Bin Quasem Arman, an enforced disappearance victim, as the first prosecution witness.

The trial involves 17 accused and began two days after the same tribunal opened proceedings in another enforced disappearance case against 13 people, including Hasina, Tarique Siddique, and 11 serving and retired army officers deputed to the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI).

Arman, the son of executed war crimes convict Mir Quasem Ali, testified that he was held for eight years at a secret detention facility operated by the RAB-1 Taskforce cell during the ousted Awami League government. He is one of 11 victims who later returned from the clandestine detention centre at RAB headquarters in Dhaka.

Chief Prosecutor Muhammad Tajul Islam, in his opening statement, told the tribunal that enforced disappearances were systematically used as a tool by the Awami League to suppress political dissent and retain power.

The tribunal set January 26 for the completion of Arman’s testimony and cross-examination. The same date was fixed for hearings on review petitions filed by detained army officers challenging the tribunal’s December 23 order rejecting their discharge petitions.

Ten accused army officers currently in detention were present in the dock. They include Colonel KM Azad, Colonel Abdullah Al Momen, Brigadier General Md Mahbub Alam, Lieutenant Colonel Anwar Latif Khan, Brigadier General Md Jahangir Alam, Lieutenant Colonel Sarwar Bin Kashem, Lieutenant Colonel Saiful Islam Suman, Brigadier General Tofayel Mostafa Sarwar, Brigadier General Kamrul Hassan, and Lieutenant Colonel Moshiur Rahman Jewel.

Seven other accused—including Hasina, Kamal, Tarique Siddique, a retired army officer, and three former senior police officials—remain absconding and are being tried in absentia.

The absconding accused also include retired Lieutenant Colonel Muhammad Khairul Islam, a former RAB intelligence chief believed to be residing in the United Kingdom, and three former police officers: Benazir Ahmed, former inspector general of police, and former RAB directors general Khurshid Hossain and Barrister Harun-or-Rashid.

In his testimony, Arman said he was abducted from his rented residence in Dhaka’s DOHS area on the night of August 9, 2016, by seven or eight armed men wearing bulletproof vests marked “RAB-1.” At the time, the Appellate Division was hearing his father’s review petition against a death sentence for war crimes.

He told the tribunal that he was kept handcuffed and blindfolded at a secret detention centre, initially confined in a small cell for 16 days before being moved elsewhere. He said he spent eight Ramadans in captivity and was denied access to a copy of the Quran.

Arman further testified that senior officials visited the detention centre, during which he was forced to face a wall to prevent him from identifying them. He claimed to have heard some visitors speaking Hindi and alleged the presence of a foreign intelligence officer.

He said he fell ill multiple times during detention and underwent surgery for thigh swelling inside the facility. He also described seeing items marked “Property of RAB HQ” and blankets labelled “RAB” or “INT.”

According to Arman, he was always blindfolded with military-style fabric and was eventually released after being transported in a microbus. He said he later realised he had been dropped off in the Diabari area of Uttara.

On Monday, the same tribunal also began a separate enforced disappearance trial against Hasina, Tarique Siddique, and 11 other serving and retired army officials over alleged crimes against humanity, including abduction, detention, and torture of 26 political dissenters at secret DGFI detention cells during the Awami League regime.
BP/TI