Bangladesh’s reconstituted war crimes tribunal summons ex-ministers and top officials
- In Reports
- 10:27 PM, Oct 28, 2024
- Myind Staff
On October 27, 2024, Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) issued summonses to 20 individuals, including former army chief Ziaul Ahsan, 10 ex-ministers, and two advisors to the ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, requiring them to appear next month in connection with allegations of crimes against humanity and genocide. The charges relate to events during the July-August uprising in Bangladesh, which resulted in at least 753 deaths and thousands of injuries, according to the interim government. The ICT prosecution team, alongside the interim administration, has classified the events as crimes against humanity and genocide, with over 60 complaints already lodged against Sheikh Hasina and key figures of her party with the ICT investigation agency and the prosecution team.
A three-member bench of Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT), chaired by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Majumder, has directed authorities to present 20 individuals—including 10 former ministers and two advisers to ex-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina—before the tribunal on November 18, as reported by The Daily Star. This order followed an application from Chief Prosecutor Md Tajul Islam, underscoring the tribunal's commitment to advancing investigations into alleged crimes against humanity and genocide tied to the July-August uprising in Bangladesh.
According to The Dhaka Tribune, the list of individuals summoned includes prominent former ministers such as Faruq Khan, Rashed Khan Menon, Hasanul Haq Inu, Zunaid Ahmed Palak, Abdur Razzaque, Shahjahan Khan, Kamal Ahmed Majumder, and Golam Dastagir Gazi. Additionally, former advisors to ex-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina—Tawfiq-e-Elahi and Salman F Rahman—have been named, along with former army chief Ziaul Ahsan, former justice Shamsuddin Chowdhury Manik, and former home secretary Jahangir Alam. Earlier, on October 17, the tribunal issued arrest warrants for Sheikh Hasina and 45 others, including her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy and multiple former cabinet members, signalling an intensification in the ICT’s efforts to pursue charges linked to alleged crimes against humanity and genocide during the recent uprising.
The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) was originally established in March 2010 by Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government to prosecute individuals responsible for crimes against humanity during Bangladesh’s 1971 Liberation War. A second tribunal, ICT-2, was subsequently formed to expedite these trials, leading to the execution of at least six leaders from Jamaat-e-Islami and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), the latter led by Hasina's longstanding rival, Khaleda Zia. However, tribunal activities were suspended in mid-June this year following the retirement of its chairman.
On October 12, the ICT was reconstituted under the interim government led by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, who assumed this role on August 8 after former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled to India amidst widespread student-led protests. Yunus, the 84-year-old Nobel laureate, has since been guiding the transitional government as it seeks to address the alleged atrocities during the recent civil unrest.
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