[🇧🇩] International Crimes Tribunal Act & The Crimes Against Humanity

[Saif]

ICT rebukes govt for arrest warrant failure

The International Crimes Tribunal on Thursday rebuked the prosecution for failing to execute arrest warrants against suspects linked to the July-August 2024 genocide and crimes against humanity, and enforced disappearances during the ousted Awami League regime.

www.newagebd.net

ICT rebukes govt for arrest warrant failure
M Moneruzzaman 31 January, 2025, 00:30

The International Crimes Tribunal on Thursday rebuked the prosecution for failing to execute arrest warrants against suspects linked to the July-August 2024 genocide and crimes against humanity, and enforced disappearances during the ousted Awami League regime.

The three-judge tribunal, comprising Justice Golam Mortuza Mozumder, Md Shofiul Alam Mahmood, and retired judge Mohitul Haque Anam Chawdhury, also criticised the prosecution for missing its deadline to submit formal charges against suspects accused of crimes against humanity in the capital’s Jatrabari area during the student-led mass uprising.

The tribunal directed the prosecution to file applications seeking action against those failing to comply with the tribunal’s orders.

According to a source in the ICT’s investigation agency, they were now investigating 27 cases by merging a total of 190 complaints.

The agency received several complaints regarding crimes against humanity in Uttara, but merged them into a single case, the investigator gave an example.

Despite these ongoing investigations, the prosecution is yet to file formal charges in any of the 27 cases.

The tribunal on Thursday set April 6 for the prosecution to submit formal charges regarding the Jatrabari crimes, including the murder of Imam Hasan Taim on July 20, 2024.

It warned that the authorities would be held accountable if all suspects were not arrested as per existing warrants and if investigations were not completed within the extended timeframe.

During Thursday’s hearing, prosecutor BM Sultan Mahmud informed the tribunal that out of six accused in the Jatrabari case, only two—Tanzil Ahmed, former assistant commissioner of DMP’s Wari zone, and Abul Hossain, former officer-in-charge of Jatrabari police station— were arrested.

The two officers were produced before the tribunal on Thursday for a scheduled hearing.

When asked whether the prosecution was facing difficulties in executing arrest warrants, Sultan Mahmud alleged that law enforcement agencies were not cooperating with the investigation team.

He cited an instance where Dhaka Metropolitan Police high-ups refused to assist in arresting a suspect, prompting frustration from the tribunal.

‘Who will catch the accused? How will the trial proceed?’ the tribunal asked and instructed the prosecution to file an application against those disobeying the court’s orders.

‘We cannot understand what kind of investigation is going on,’ one of the judges expressed his disappointment and suggested the prosecution to seek government intervention.

Another judge criticised the lack of progress in arrests, pointing out that despite nearly 2,000 people being killed in the July-August atrocities, only 35 suspects were arrested.

Prosecutor Gazi Monwar Hossain Tamim informed the tribunal that so far, arrest warrants had been issued for 100 suspects linked to July-August crimes and enforced disappearances during the Awami League regime.

Among those facing arrest warrants are deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who fled to India on August 5, 2024, and several high-profile Awami League figures, including the party general secretary Obaidul Quader and former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan, and members of the law enforcement and intelligent agencies during the ousted regime of Sheikh Hasina.

The ICT was established in 2009 during the Awami League rule to try 1971 war crimes cases. Over the years, the tribunal disposed of 55 cases.

After the ouster of the Awami League regime amid a mass uprising on August 5, 2024, the interim government reconstituted the International Crimes Tribunal on October 14, 2024, to prosecute those responsible for 2024 July-August war crimes.​

 

[Saif]

MASS UPRISING: Victim families block Shahbagh for speedy trial

The families of a number of student-led mass uprising martyrs on Thursday morning blocked the Shahbagh crossing demanding speedy trial of those involved in the massacre.

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MASS UPRISING: Victim families block Shahbagh for speedy trial
Staff Correspondent 06 February, 2025, 15:25

Family members of the victims in the July-August student-led mass uprising block the Shahbagh crossing, demanding speedy trial of those involved in the massacre, in Dhaka on Thursday. | Focus Bangla photo

The families of a number of student-led mass uprising martyrs on Thursday morning blocked the Shahbagh crossing demanding speedy trial of those involved in the massacre.

They blocked the crossing for around seven and a half hours from 11:00am to 6:30pm to press home their three-point demand.

The blockade halted vehicular movement at the capital’s busy crossing causing huge traffic congestion on the nearby roads and immense sufferings to the commuters.

The demands are speedy trial of perpetrators after a fair investigation, state recognition of the martyrs, and monthly allowances for their families as well as rehabilitation of the martyrs’ families, said a protester, Gausullha Raju, also brother of martyr Abdullah Kabir.

They lifted the blockade after Jatiya Nagarik Committee chief organiser Sarjis Alam assured the protesters that meetings would be held between interim government advisers, including the chief adviser and representatives of the victim families within a few days to meet their logical demands.

‘It is unfortunate and shameful that victim families have taken to the streets,’ Sarjis said, adding that it will be the biggest limitation of the government if it fails to bring Awami League leaders and activists involved in the massacre to book.

The victims’ family members held a press conference at the end of January raising their 10-point demand and met the interim government advisers, Raju said, adding that the authorities assured the families of addressing their demands in a week.

‘We are left with no option but to hold the blockade as the authorities have not taken any initiative,’ added Raju.

Kabir’s sister Afsana Ahmed said that her brother was killed by ousted Awami League leaders at Mirpur 10 on August 4 and a case was filed with the Mirpur model police station on August 22.

‘Six months have passed but no one has been arrested,’ Afsana said, adding that all are busy with power politics and elections but no one is working to ensure justice.

Abdullah Al Maruf, brother of martyr Anwar, who was killed on August 5 at Mirpur, said that a case was filed with the Mirpur model police station three months ago but only one person was arrested in the case.

‘Ensuring the trial of the involved persons in July-August massacre should be the priority of the interim government, but we do not see any initiative for that,’ said Maruf.

He added that the victims’ family members would go for a tougher movement if the authorities do not take visible steps immediately to address their demands.

‘We will continue the blockade till our demands are met,’ said Maruf.

Shahbagh police officer-in-charge Mohammad Khalid Mansoor said that police tried to convince the protesters to withdraw the blockade but they refused and continued it.

In a statement, issued on Thursday, the interim government said that the trial of those involved in the July massacre was progressing in full swing.

‘The interim government is committed to ensuring justice and delivering appropriate punishment to the perpetrators of the genocide,’ read the statement.

According to government data, 834 people were killed and 11,551 injured during the uprising that began on July 1 with protests demanding quota reform in civil service jobs and culminated in the ouster of the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League regime on August 5, 2024.

The government is still updating the data.​

 

[Saif]

MASS UPRISING: ICT orders arrest of seven people

The International Crimes Tribunal on Sunday issued arrest warrants against two police officers and five others for their alleged involvement in committing crimes against humanity in the capital’s Mohakhali, Rampura, and Uttara areas during the July-August mass uprising...

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MASS UPRISING: ICT orders arrest of seven people
Staff Correspondent 10 February, 2025, 00:12

The International Crimes Tribunal on Sunday issued arrest warrants against two police officers and five others for their alleged involvement in committing crimes against humanity in the capital’s Mohakhali, Rampura, and Uttara areas during the July-August mass uprising.

The two-member tribunal, led by its chairman Golam Mortuza Mozumder and member Mohammad Mohitul Haque Anam Chawdhury, passed the order.

The tribunal, however, withheld the identities of the accused at the prosecution’s request.

Prosecutor Gazi Monawar Hossain Tamim, in a brief message to journalists, said that former Uttara East police station officer-in-charge Mujibur Rahman was arrested at a place on the Dhaka University campus at about 3:00pm on Sunday.

Mujibur is one of the two police officers against whom the tribunal issued arrest warrants earlier in the day.

The former OC was later produced before the tribunal which ordered the jail authorities to keep him detained in connection with a case relating to crimes against humanity and genocide committed in Uttara during the mass uprising.

The tribunal also allowed the investigation agency to interrogate detained constable Mohammad Sujan Hossain for one day in connection with a case over the killing of seven people in the capital’s Chankharpul area during the uprising on August 5, 2024.

The orders were issued after hearings on four petitions moved by prosecutors Gazi Monawar Hossain Tamim and BM Sultan Mahmood.

Prosecutor Tamim told reporters that, since the tribunal’s reconstitution, arrest warrants were issued against 115 individuals in 18 cases.

Of them, 35 have been arrested and are currently in custody, he said.​

 

[Saif]

Disturbing accounts of ‘police abuse’

The night of July 27, 2024, still haunts her. A first-year law student of a private university, she still cannot forget how detectives surrounded her in a small room and groped her. On a table in front of her lay a blank paper for her to confess, according to her accounts to the International...

www.thedailystar.net

Disturbing accounts of ‘police abuse’
ICT sends DB officer to jail over custodial harassment during July uprising

The night of July 27, 2024, still haunts her. A first-year law student of a private university, she still cannot forget how detectives surrounded her in a small room and groped her. On a table in front of her lay a blank paper for her to confess, according to her accounts to the International Crimes Tribunal and The Daily Star.

Officers of the Detective Branch of police insisted that she tell them the whereabouts of the July uprising leaders. She refused. One officer then came close, leaned in, stroked her hair and groped her, saying she would be implicated in a case over the attack on BTV Bhaban, she said.

"I will see you in custody at night," she remembers him saying.

There was a pistol on the table. One officer picked it up dramatically and cocked. The metallic click echoed through the small room. He came closer and held the gun against her forehead. The officer's face inches away from the girl, he sneered, "Admit everything. Confess!"

The evening, that quickly turned into a nightmare for the university student, had begun with an unexpected phone call. She agreed to recount the details to The Daily Star on condition of anonymity.

The phone call had come from an unknown number but the young protester, aged 18, thought it was a fellow protester. Soon, she realised she was wrong, and quickly hung up the phone. Several more calls followed, but she did not pick up.

Then she received a message: Hello … [we are withholding the victim's name]. It's Javed. AC DB Ramna, Mintoo Road, Dhaka. Need to talk with you for our purpose & also for your safety."

In another message later that evening, she was told that detectives were waiting downstairs of her building and asked her to come down. When the girl's parents refused, they were told to bring their daughter to the Uttara Paschim Police Station.

"As soon as I went to the station, they started hurling expletives at me … even in front of my parents."

The Daily Star could not independently verify her accounts. We also could not contact the officer-in-charge of the police station for comments.

She said that at one point, the cops asked her parents to leave the room, but the father refused. "They pushed my father who has a heart condition. He fell to the ground."

With her father out of the room, one police officer, aged over 40, came close. "He touched my shoulder and stroked my hair. I froze in fear,"

He also threatened her with teaching her a lesson through the now infamous Harun-or Rashid, better known as DB Harun.

But she still refused to give any details about her fellow protesters. Then one officer pulled a stunt with the gun on the table. One officer cocked it, put it against her head and pressed the trigger. "I thought I would die. But there were no rounds in the chamber."

They finally let her go at 1:00am on July 28.

The International Crimes Tribunal yesterday sent Javed Iqbal, the then ADC of DB, to jail upon arrest in relation to this incident. Investigators told The Daily Star that they have already identified the police officers who were present in that room on the night of July 27, tracking the location of their phones.​

 

[Saif]

Law adviser’s remark on verdict timeline irks ICT

The International Crimes Tribunal on Wednesday expressed dissatisfaction over law adviser Asif Nazrul’s Tuesday statement in which he hoped that the ICT would deliver verdicts in three or four cases of the killings during the July-August mass uprising by October...

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Law adviser’s remark on verdict timeline irks ICT
Staff Correspondent 12 February, 2025, 19:33

The International Crimes Tribunal on Wednesday expressed dissatisfaction over law adviser Asif Nazrul’s Tuesday statement in which he hoped that the ICT would deliver verdicts in three or four cases of the killings during the July-August mass uprising by October.

The three-member tribunal, comprising Chairman Golam Mortuza Mozumder and members Md Shofiul Alam Mahmood and Mohammad Mohitul Haque Anam Chawdhury, raised concerns over the remark while hearing a petition from prosecutor Gazi Monwar Hossain Tamim.

The prosecutor sought two more months to complete the investigation into an enforced disappearance case against a former director general of the National Telecommunication Monitoring Centre, major general Ziaul Ahsan, and 11 others.

The tribunal rebuked Tamim, noting that despite repeated time extensions, the prosecution had yet to submit formal charges.

It wanted to know how the government could set an October deadline for verdicts when investigations were still incomplete.

‘The tribunal is independent. We will not deliver verdicts based on any individual’s statement,’ the tribunal said and added that such comments could create a misleading impression among the public.

It directed Tamim to inform his client to refrain from making such remarks in the future.

Addressing a press conference at his ministry in Dhaka on Tuesday, Asif Nazrul said, ‘I hope that verdicts in three or four cases currently under trial at the ICT will be delivered by October.’

After the court proceedings, Tamim told reporters that the tribunal was displeased with the law adviser’s statement on a sub-judice matter and had cautioned the prosecution against making similar remarks.

‘Actions will be taken if such comments are made again,’ he quoted the tribunal as saying.

The tribunal granted the prosecution two more months to complete its investigation into the case of enforced disappearance during the 15 years of the Awami League regime.

Of the accused, only Ziaul is now detained in jail. He is also accused in multiple cases related to the July-August 2024 crimes against humanity.

The ICT On January 6 issued arrest warrants against 12 suspects, including Ziaul, in the enforced disappearance case.

Other accused individuals in the case include the ousted prime minister and AL president Sheikh Hasina, her security and defence adviser Tarique Ahmed Siddique, former inspector general of Police Benazir Ahmed, former chief of the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime unit Md Asaduzzaman, retired Lieutenant Colonel Moksurul Haque, five former DGFI chiefs—retired Lieutenant General Md Akbar Hossain, retired Major General Md Saiful Abedin, retired Lieutenant General Md Saiful Alam, retired Lieutenant General Ahmed Tabrez Shams Chowdhury, and retired Major General Hamidul Huq, and former Counter Terrorism and Intelligence Bureau Director Mohammad Towhid-ul-Islam.

Ziaul’s lawyer and sister, Naznin Nahar, appeared on his behalf during the proceedings.

In a separate development, the ICT’s investigation agency on Wednesday arrested Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s former assistant commissioner (Badda) Rajan Kumar Saha in connection with crimes against humanity allegedly committed in the capital’s Rampura area during the mass uprising.

The tribunal sent him to jail.

He is among two serving police officers for whom the tribunal had issued arrest warrants on the same day in separate cases.​

 

[Saif]

MASS UPRISING: BNP files ICT complaint over 848 killings

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party on Thursday filed a complaint with the office of the chief prosecutor of the International Crimes Tribunal seeking justice over the reported killings of 848 party activists and their relatives during the July-August mass uprising in 2024.

www.newagebd.net

MASS UPRISING: BNP files ICT complaint over 848 killings
Staff Correspondent 14 February, 2025, 00:08

UN report on July massacre to be used as key evidence: Tajul

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party on Thursday filed a complaint with the office of the chief prosecutor of the International Crimes Tribunal seeking justice over the reported killings of 848 party activists and their relatives during the July-August mass uprising in 2024.

BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, in his complaint, accused deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina, her cabinet colleagues, leaders of the Awami League and its affiliated groups, as well as high-ranking bureaucrats, officials of the intelligence agencies, police and Border Guard Bangladesh, and Ansar members of orchestrating a violent crackdown on peaceful demonstrators.

Chief prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam, on the other hand, said on Thursday that the United Nations Human Rights Commission’s fact-finding report on the July massacre would serve as irrefutable evidence in the upcoming trial.

The BNP, in its complaint, alleged that law enforcement agencies and security forces carried out indiscriminate shootings, hurled explosives, grenades, and tear gas, and used other lethal measures against protesters between July 1, 2024 and August 5, 2024.

The BNP alleged that the killings and violence amounted to crimes against humanity and genocide, as part of a broader effort to suppress and dismantle the BNP as a political force. The party urged the chief prosecutor to formally register the complaint as a tribunal case and initiate an investigation through the designated agency.

The party further claimed that the attacks were carried out until Sheikh Hasina’s fall and her fleeing to India on August 5, 2024.

According to the complaint, over 2,000 people, including 848 BNP activists and their relatives, were killed in the nationwide crackdown.

It alleged that between 30,000 and 35,000 people, including over 5,000 BNP leaders and activists, sustained injuries during the movement.

The charges were brought against Sheikh Hasina, former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan, former Law Minister Anisul Huq, former Inspector General of Police Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, and Rapid Action Battalion’s former director general, among others.

Speaking to journalists, BNP leader Md Salauddin Khan, who coordinates cases related to enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and political repression, claimed that of the 848 people killed, 524 were BNP activists and the rest of them were their family members.

As supporting evidence, the BNP submitted copies of 85 First Information Reports detailing the deaths of its activists, a recorded video, and a 118-page list documenting the names of those killed.

This petition follows a separate complaint the BNP filed on January 9, in which the party accused law enforcement agencies of killing 2,276 of its members in crossfire and forcibly disappearing 153 others during the Awami League regime. That petition also implicated Sheikh Hasina and law enforcement officials.

According to a source in the ICT’s investigation agency, they were now investigating 27 cases by merging a total of 190 complaints.

The prosecution, however, is yet to file formal charges in any of the cases.

Speaking at a press conference at his office, chief prosecutor Tajul said that the report, released from Geneva on Wednesday by The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, directly implicates the ousted prime minister and Awami League president, Sheikh Hasina, in the violent suppression of student-led protests.

According to the report, Hasina ordered security forces to kill protesters and conceal their bodies to quell the nationwide demonstrations.

‘This is a clear and compelling piece of evidence of crimes against humanity,’ Tajul said.

He further noted that the report also implicated Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader and former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan in the killings.​

 

[Saif]

‘Otherwise, people will not forgive us’

In an interview in Dubai, Chief Adviser Prof Yunus vows to bring Hasina regime leaders to justice

www.thedailystar.net

‘Otherwise, people will not forgive us’
In an interview in Dubai, Chief Adviser Prof Yunus vows to bring Hasina regime leaders to justice

File photo

Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus has pledged that key figures from the ousted Sheikh Hasina regime will not escape justice, emphasizing that the people of Bangladesh will not forgive his administration if they fail to hold them accountable.

"We will bring her (Hasina) to justice. It must happen—otherwise, the people will not forgive us," he told UAE state-owned English daily The National. He stated that the deposed prime minister and her senior officials would be sought out, brought back to Bangladesh, and made to face the full force of the law.

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Prof Yunus was appointed chief adviser to the interim government in August last year after Sheikh Hasina fled to India when protesters stormed her official residence. She had ruled under a one-party system for 15 years.

"We have sent a notice to India requesting Sheikh Hasina's repatriation. We have substantial evidence," Prof Yunus told The National in an interview on the sidelines of the World Governments Summit in Dubai, citing a fact-finding report by the UN Human Rights Office.

"This report is a testament to everything they have done. The UN has documented their actions, and we have stacks of evidence detailing what she, her government, and her close associates have inflicted on the country.

"We have already initiated legal proceedings, and we are confident that the process will continue, leading to her being brought to justice. This must happen—otherwise, the people will not forgive us," he reiterated.

The UN report states that around 1,400 people were killed during last year's uprising. Among those killed by security forces, approximately 13 percent were believed to be children. Bangladesh police also reported that 44 officers lost their lives during the unrest.

Protests erupted among Bangladeshi expatriates worldwide, including in the UAE. At the height of the crisis, 53 protesters in the UAE were arrested and jailed but were later released following a personal appeal from Prof Yunus to President Sheikh Mohamed.

The chief adviser described this as the beginning of a renewed relationship with the UAE and the wider region.

"Our relationship with the UAE is fantastic," he said. "When some Bangladeshis demonstrated on the streets in support of the movement back home, they were jailed for violating local laws.

"When I assumed office, I appealed to the President of the UAE, explaining that these individuals were simply expressing their support for change in Bangladesh. I hoped he would forgive them, and I was delighted when he immediately agreed to their release. It was a wonderful gesture, and all of Bangladesh celebrated it," he added.

With political stability gradually returning, Prof Yunus and his advisers have shifted their focus toward domestic reforms aimed at rebuilding a prosperous and secure nation.

Six commissions have been established to reform key sectors, including the judiciary, electoral system, police, and administration. Additionally, an anti-corruption commission has been formed to recover government funds stolen or misused by the previous administration.

The reforms seek to establish a state system based on public ownership, welfare, and accountability, ensuring greater control over governance for Bangladesh's 174 million citizens.

"Our immediate goal is to restore law and order as quickly as possible, revive the economy, and stabilize the banking system," Prof Yunus said.

"We will present our reform recommendations to all political parties and civil society groups, allowing them to decide which measures to implement immediately, which to adopt in the future, and which to discard.

"That is the limit of our government's role. Once this process is complete, we will oversee the first credible, transparent election in 16 years. The people will celebrate, and our job will be done."

Speaking at the summit in Dubai, Prof Yunus reiterated his commitment to stepping aside once the electoral process is secured.

"We now have a consensus-building commission that will finalise recommendations for a national charter, paving the way for elections in December this year," he said. "Once my task is complete, I will hand over power to the elected government."​

 

[Saif]

RIGHTS ABUSE DURING JULY PROTESTS: Hasina regime hid abuses by state

The United Nations Human Rights Office in a fact-finding report has stated that it did not find any genuine efforts by the Sheikh Hasina government to investigate any of the serious violations and abuses committed by the state’s security forces...

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RIGHTS ABUSE DURING JULY PROTESTS: Hasina regime hid abuses by state
Staff Correspondent 16 February, 2025, 00:37

The United Nations Human Rights Office in a fact-finding report has stated that it did not find any genuine efforts by the Sheikh Hasina government to investigate any of the serious violations and abuses committed by the state’s security forces and the Awami League supporters during the July-August protests.

The fact-finding report on rights abuses during the July-August protests further said that the authorities at the time rather sought to conceal violations by the security forces through falsely accusing others.

‘Between 1 July and 5 August 2024, OHCHR was unable to ascertain any genuine efforts by the authorities of the former Government to investigate, let alone ensure accountability for, any of the serious violations and abuses committed by security forces and Awami League supporters,’ said the report published by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on February 12.

The report also observes that even though Bangladesh’s domestic laws required probe into the security forces’ use of firearms during the protests, former senior officials confirmed that no investigations into the matter were conducted.

In line with the international human rights law, Bangladesh is under an obligation to provide effective remedies for the serious human rights violations attributable to the state, including by ensuring criminal accountability, providing prompt, adequate and effective reparation to the victims of state violations and ensuring that such violations will not recur, according to the OHCHR.

‘Extrajudicial killings, other unlawful taking of life, torture, sexual violence and other serious human rights violations and abuses must be subject to independent, impartial, prompt, thorough, effective, credible, and transparent investigation capable of leading to the prosecution of identified perpetrators, it said.

The report mentions that such investigations must be initiated irrespective of whether the victim or their family issued a complaint (ex officio), adding that whenever state officials use firearms or cause death or serious injury in a law enforcement situation, this must also be duly investigated ex officio, irrespective of whether unlawfulness of conduct is specifically alleged.

It mentions that allegations of torture and serious ill treatment were not investigated either.

The UN report said that the foreign ministry forwarded information about violations received from international human rights organisations to the Prime Minister’s Office and also to the home ministry.

The report mentioned about Hasina’s announcement of the establishment of a judicial inquiry headed by three judges, while blaming all the incidents on ‘opposition instigators’ and ‘terrorists.’

The inquiry was assigned to investigate the ‘incidents of death, violence, vandalism, arson, looting, terrorist activity and damages caused by the quota reform movement,’ suggesting an exclusive and one-sided focus on the acts of protesters alone, leaving to one side the much more widespread violence of the security forces.

Moreover, testimonies by a former senior government official and another official confirmed that this judicial inquiry never even issued an interim report or findings, nor left behind any other record of its activities when it stopped functioning on August 5.

Rather than taking steps towards ensuring accountability, the authorities appeared instead to have made coordinated efforts to suppress the truth about violations that had occurred. DGFI, NSI, Detective Branch, and other police forces maintained a presence at hospitals where many victims were treated and also confiscated records with important evidentiary value from them, the report states.

‘In some cases, police also took bodies from hospitals, hid bodies from families or burned bodies in an apparent effort to conceal killings. In some cases, projectiles were removed from the bodies of victims in the hospital and handed over to police officers without any record of their provenance,’ according to the report.

The OHCHR also received information about the police and Rapid Action Battalion units being given unrecorded allotments of ammunition, so that their extensive volume of shooting would not be picked up in ammunition expenditure accounts.

Notably, hundreds of people were wrongly accused and arrested in connection with the emblematic case of the killing of Abu Sayed, even though widely circulating video footage and other information made it evident that police had killed him.

In relation to cases of evident killings and injuries caused by the security forces, the then prime minister and other senior officials also made public statements falsely accusing Bangladesh Nationalist Party or Jamaat-e-Islami members.

‘Based on a thorough analysis of all the information laid out in this report, OHCHR has reasonable grounds to believe that, between 15 July and 5 August, the former Government and its security and intelligence apparatus, in coordination with violent elements linked to the Awami League, systematically engaged in serious human rights violations and abuses,’ the report revealed.

The National Human Rights Commission, within its own mandate, also failed to hold authorities accountable for human rights violations and protect victims.

The report, however, mentioned that the interim government had committed itself to ensuring accountability for serious violations.

Conducted at the invitation of the interim government chief adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus, the UN investigation into rights violations from July 1, 2024 to August 15, 2024 revealed that the ousted prime minister and Awami League president, Sheikh Hasina, herself ordered security forces to kill protesters and hide their bodies to quell the student-led protests in July.​

 

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[Saif]

AL, police carried out coordinated attacks on protesters

The OHCHR report unravels the details of how the ousted Awami League government had brought down the police as well as party cadres to suppress the students and people during the July uprising

en.prothomalo.com

AL, police carried out coordinated attacks on protesters
Prothom Alo Desk
Published: 15 Feb 2025, 12: 14

Front cover of the UN fact-finding report on July-August movement in Bangladesh Screengrab of the pdf copy of the report

The fact-finding report of the Office of the United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has unravelled the details of how the ousted Awami League government had brought down the police as well as party cadres to suppress the students and people during the July uprising. It says Awami League supporters and police carried out coordinated attacks on the protesters.

The OHCHR report was published in Geneva last Wednesday. The report states as the protests went on; the state security forces increasingly integrated armed Awami League supporters into their efforts to quell the protests. These also included members of the Awami Jubo League, which is nominally the Awami League’s youth wing but also includes many middle-aged men who engage in violence.

It said in many operations, armed Awami League supporters lined up along with the police or sheltered behind police lines, before launching attacks timed to support the police’s own efforts to violently disperse the protests.

Awami League supporters also stopped and searched people, apprehended protesters and handed them over to the police in an organised, seemingly prearranged fashion. Jatrabari police station even had armed Awami League supporters staying there, according to an inside source.

This cooperation was facilitated by the politicisation of the police under the former Government, which created deep links between Awami League, Chhatra League and the police.

The OHCHR report further adds as protests became more generalised from 18 July, and especially also in early August, armed Awami League supporters mounted large attacks of their own, including with firearms.

In this regard, the current inspector-general of police (IGP) informed OHCHR that there had been many anomalies in the issuance of firearms licenses to Awami League and Chhatra League supporters and that many of them had used these firearms for illegal purposes against protesters.

The report states the Bangladesh Police provided OHCHR with the names and functions of 95 members of the police, Awami League or its associated bodies whom the police considered having provided weapons to citizens for use in violent attacks during the protests, including 10 persons who were members of parliament at the time, 14 local Awami League leaders, 16 Jubo League leaders, 16 Chhatra League leaders and seven members of the police.

The police also provided the names and functions of 160 Awami League-affiliated political leaders at the national and local level and security sector officials whom the police considered having incited or ordered violent attacks by citizens against other citizens.

The report reads Awami League supporters’ attacks were consistently carried out in alignment with, and in support of, the security forces’ own efforts to suppress the protest movement. Awami League local party leaders and government officials, including members of parliament, led some of these attacks. Based on first-hand testimony, corroborated by videos and other sources, OHCHR documented a number of cases around the country.

According to the OHCHR report, on 19 July, armed Awami League supporters, reportedly led by Awami League officials, shot at protesters near Crescent Hospital in Uttara. The same day, several hundred Awami League supporters, led by a local Awami League official, carried out an attack at Mujahid Nagar Central Mosque in Rayerbag. Two elderly men were killed. Others at the mosque mounted a fierce defence, and some 80 people were reportedly injured, with three persons dying in the clashes.

Also on 19 July, Jubo League supporters joined the Police’s violent efforts to prevent protesters from peacefully forming a human chain near the parliament, including by Jubo League supporters beating up the protest’s main speaker, it added.

The report said on 2 August, armed Jubo League supporters attacked protesters in front of Milestone College in support of broader police efforts to violently disperse protests in Uttara. Several women among the victims were hit with iron bars or pistols.

On 3 August, armed Chhatra League and other Awami League supporters armed with firearms, machetes and iron rods organised into several attack formations of about 60 men each and attacked a group of male and female protesters in Cumilla. Large numbers of protesters were injured, while seven suffered gunshot wounds. Police made no efforts to intervene. The next day, armed Awami League supporters carried out similar attacks, while also firing from buildings in the area, it said.

The report also cited several cases of the then Awami League lawmakers being directly involved in deadly mass violence unleashed on the protesters.

In one such incident on 4 August, police and Awami League supporters armed with firearms, among them a member of parliament (MP), fired lethal ammunition at largely peaceful protesters in Ashulia, Savar. Three children and four men suffered gunshot injuries.

The same day, armed Awami League supporters, led by another MP launched an apparently coordinated attack with the police on protesters in Mirpur, including by firing at them from nearby buildings with lethal ammunition. One victim survived a shot to the groin, while another man was shot in the head, the reports added.​

 

[Saif]

Complete probe against Hasina, 45 others by Apr 20: ICT

The International Crimes Tribunal on Tuesday extended the deadline to April 20 for submitting investigation reports against deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina and 45 others over the allegations of genocide and crimes against humanity committed during the July-August mass uprising...

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Complete probe against Hasina, 45 others by Apr 20: ICT
Staff Correspondent 18 February, 2025, 23:24

Former Awami League government ministers Faruk Khan, Amir Hossain Amu and Hasanul Haq Inu, and former adviser Tawfiq-e Elahi Chowdhury sit in a police prison van, while they are produced before the International Crimes Tribunal in a case filed on charges of crimes against humanity, on Tuesday. | New Age photo

The International Crimes Tribunal on Tuesday extended the deadline to April 20 for submitting investigation reports against deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina and 45 others over the allegations of genocide and crimes against humanity committed during the July-August mass uprising.

The tribunal, chaired by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mozumder, passed the order responding to chief prosecutor Muhammad Tajul Islam’s prayer seeking additional time to complete the investigation into the tribunal’s first case of crimes against humanity against Hasina, who fled to India amid the mass uprising on August 5, 2024.

The tribunal also set April 20 as the deadline for completing the investigation against AL general secretary Obaidul Quader and 44 others, including senior leaders of the AL and its allies, a retired bureaucrat, and a former Appellate Division judge.

Of the 45 accused, 16 high-profile detainees were produced before the tribunal on Tuesday.

They include former ministers Anisul Huq, Amir Hossain Amu, Qamrul Islam, Faruk Khan, Abdur Razzaque Khan, Kamal Ahmed Majumder, Golam Dastagir Gazi, Rashed Khan Menon, Hasanul Haq Inu, Dipu Moni, Shajahan Khan, and Zunaid Ahmed Palak, two former advisers to prime minister Sheikh Hasina– Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury and Salman F Rahman, Justice Shamsuddin Chowdhury Manik and former home secretary Jahangir Alam.

While in the dock, some accused appeared smiling during the tribunal’s hearing on allegations against them.

Senior lawyer ZI Khan Panna, representing the 16 detainees, told the tribunal that he would defend them and recalled his long political ties with Menon and Inu.

Everyone has the right to legal protection, Panna said.

He sought the tribunal’s intervention for his personal security as he had received multiple death threats.

He told the court that he initially supported the student movement against discrimination but later distanced himself when the movement turned into an anti-government uprising.

The tribunal had initially ordered the completion of the investigation by February 18, but the prosecution sought additional time, arguing that the inquiry was at the final stage and would be completed within a month.

Tajul told the tribunal that investigators had gathered the intercepted communications of the accused, allegedly directing to commit crimes against humanity.

He said that they wanted to ensure all necessary evidence against the accused people.

Tajul also said that the prosecution would use the Fact-Finding Report of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights as crucial evidence against Hasina and her associates.

The UN report, released from Geneva on February 12, allegedly implicates Hasina in ordering security forces to kill protesters and conceal bodies to suppress the nationwide demonstrations.

This is a clear and compelling piece of evidence of crimes against humanity, Tajul said, adding that the report also named AL general secretary Obaidul Quader and former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan for their alleged connection with the killings.​