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ENFORCED DISAPPEARANCE: ICT sets Dec 3, 7 for charge hearings
The International Crimes Tribunal-1 on Sunday fixed December 3 for hearing charges in a case involving 17 accused over enforced disappearances and torture at a secret detention cell inside the Rapid Action Battalion headquarters in Dhaka.
www.newagebd.net
ENFORCED DISAPPEARANCE: ICT sets Dec 3, 7 for charge hearings
Panna allowed to defend Hasina
Staff Correspondent 23 November, 2025, 14:44
Thirteen detained army officers, charged with crimes against humanity linked to torture and enforced disappearance, are produced before the International Crimes Tribunal in Dhaka on Sunday. | Focus Bangla photo
The International Crimes Tribunal-1 on Sunday fixed December 3 for hearing charges in a case involving 17 accused over enforced disappearances and torture at a secret detention cell inside the Rapid Action Battalion headquarters in Dhaka.
The accused include deposed prime minister and Awami League president Sheikh Hasina, former defence adviser retired Major General Tarique Ahmed Siddique, former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal.
Also accused are 10 serving army officers, three former RAB director generals, former inspector general of police Benazir Ahmed, barristers Harun-or-Rashid and Khurshid Hossen, and retired Lieutenant Colonel Muhammad Khairul Islam, who was the RAB’s former director (Intelligence Wing).
Only the 10 detained army officers were present in the dock.
The case against the 17 accused are linked to the enforced disappearance of 13 people, including Supreme Court lawyer Mir Ahmad Bin Quasem Arman, son of executed war crimes convict Mir Quasem Ali.
The tribunal, led by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mozumder, set December 7 for hearing charges in the second enforced disappearance case.
The second case names 13 accused, including Hasina, Tarique Siddique, three detained serving army officers, an army officer – Major General Kabir Ahmed, who is on post retirement leave — and seven retired officers.
All the army officers had served in the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence.
They are accused of disappearing 26 people between 2016 and August 5, 2024.
The victims include suspended Brigadier General Abdullahil Amaan Azmi, son of former Jamaat chief Ghulam Azam, Hummam Quader Chowdhury, son of BNP leader Salauddin Quader Chowdhury, and United People’s Democratic Front leader Michael Chakma.
The tribunal appointed senior lawyer Zahirul Islam Khan Panna as state defence counsel for fugitive Hasina, made common accused in both cases.
Tarique Ahmed Siddique is also command accused in both of the case. A total of 28 individuals have been made accused in the cases.
It appointed M Hasan Imam to defend Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and several absconding army officers.
The court also set December 3 for the appointment of state defence for the fugitive accused in both of the cases.
The tribunal also kept pending applications filed by 13 detained army officers seeking exemption from physical appearance and requesting to join the trial online.
The bench observed that the law applies equally to all, noting that even a former chief justice and several former ministers of the ousted Awami League government had been produced physically in court after their arrests.
The application was moved by lawyer ABM Hamidul Mishbah, assisted by a team of lawyers representing the 13 detained army officers.
The 13 army officers were brought to the tribunal compound at about 10:00am in an air-conditioned prison van under tight security from a sub-jail inside the Dhaka Cantonment.
It was their second appearance in the proceedings of the two cases.
They were first kept in the tribunal lockup and later were produced before the judges together for the hearing lasted for half an hour.
Of the 13 detained army officers, 10 — Colonel AKM Azad, Colonel Abdullah Al Momen, Lieutenant Colonel Mashiur Rahman Jewel, Brigadier General Kamrul Hasan, Brigadier General Md Mahbub Alam, Brigadier General Tofayel Mostafa Sarwar, Lieutenant Colonel Anwar Latif Khan, Brigadier General Md Jahangir Alam, Lieutenant Colonel Sarwar Bin Kashem and Lieutenant Colonel Saiful Islam Suman — are accused in the first case which named 17 accused.
The tribunal asked the jail authorities to produce the 10 again on December 3.
The remaining three — Brigadier General Ahmed Tanvir Mazhar Siddique, Major General Sheikh Md Sarwar Hossain and Brigadier General Mahbub Rahman Siddique — are accused in the second case which named 13 accused.
They three are required to be produced before the tribunal on December 7.
The absconding PRL officer is Major General Kabir Ahmed while the seven absconding former officers are five former DGFI director generals 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, former DGFI director retired major general Mohammad Towhidul-Ul Islam, and retired Lieutenant Colonel Mokhsurul Haq.
Panna allowed to defend Hasina
Staff Correspondent 23 November, 2025, 14:44
Thirteen detained army officers, charged with crimes against humanity linked to torture and enforced disappearance, are produced before the International Crimes Tribunal in Dhaka on Sunday. | Focus Bangla photo
The International Crimes Tribunal-1 on Sunday fixed December 3 for hearing charges in a case involving 17 accused over enforced disappearances and torture at a secret detention cell inside the Rapid Action Battalion headquarters in Dhaka.
The accused include deposed prime minister and Awami League president Sheikh Hasina, former defence adviser retired Major General Tarique Ahmed Siddique, former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal.
Also accused are 10 serving army officers, three former RAB director generals, former inspector general of police Benazir Ahmed, barristers Harun-or-Rashid and Khurshid Hossen, and retired Lieutenant Colonel Muhammad Khairul Islam, who was the RAB’s former director (Intelligence Wing).
Only the 10 detained army officers were present in the dock.
The case against the 17 accused are linked to the enforced disappearance of 13 people, including Supreme Court lawyer Mir Ahmad Bin Quasem Arman, son of executed war crimes convict Mir Quasem Ali.
The tribunal, led by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mozumder, set December 7 for hearing charges in the second enforced disappearance case.
The second case names 13 accused, including Hasina, Tarique Siddique, three detained serving army officers, an army officer – Major General Kabir Ahmed, who is on post retirement leave — and seven retired officers.
All the army officers had served in the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence.
They are accused of disappearing 26 people between 2016 and August 5, 2024.
The victims include suspended Brigadier General Abdullahil Amaan Azmi, son of former Jamaat chief Ghulam Azam, Hummam Quader Chowdhury, son of BNP leader Salauddin Quader Chowdhury, and United People’s Democratic Front leader Michael Chakma.
The tribunal appointed senior lawyer Zahirul Islam Khan Panna as state defence counsel for fugitive Hasina, made common accused in both cases.
Tarique Ahmed Siddique is also command accused in both of the case. A total of 28 individuals have been made accused in the cases.
It appointed M Hasan Imam to defend Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and several absconding army officers.
The court also set December 3 for the appointment of state defence for the fugitive accused in both of the cases.
The tribunal also kept pending applications filed by 13 detained army officers seeking exemption from physical appearance and requesting to join the trial online.
The bench observed that the law applies equally to all, noting that even a former chief justice and several former ministers of the ousted Awami League government had been produced physically in court after their arrests.
The application was moved by lawyer ABM Hamidul Mishbah, assisted by a team of lawyers representing the 13 detained army officers.
The 13 army officers were brought to the tribunal compound at about 10:00am in an air-conditioned prison van under tight security from a sub-jail inside the Dhaka Cantonment.
It was their second appearance in the proceedings of the two cases.
They were first kept in the tribunal lockup and later were produced before the judges together for the hearing lasted for half an hour.
Of the 13 detained army officers, 10 — Colonel AKM Azad, Colonel Abdullah Al Momen, Lieutenant Colonel Mashiur Rahman Jewel, Brigadier General Kamrul Hasan, Brigadier General Md Mahbub Alam, Brigadier General Tofayel Mostafa Sarwar, Lieutenant Colonel Anwar Latif Khan, Brigadier General Md Jahangir Alam, Lieutenant Colonel Sarwar Bin Kashem and Lieutenant Colonel Saiful Islam Suman — are accused in the first case which named 17 accused.
The tribunal asked the jail authorities to produce the 10 again on December 3.
The remaining three — Brigadier General Ahmed Tanvir Mazhar Siddique, Major General Sheikh Md Sarwar Hossain and Brigadier General Mahbub Rahman Siddique — are accused in the second case which named 13 accused.
They three are required to be produced before the tribunal on December 7.
The absconding PRL officer is Major General Kabir Ahmed while the seven absconding former officers are five former DGFI director generals 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, former DGFI director retired major general Mohammad Towhidul-Ul Islam, and retired Lieutenant Colonel Mokhsurul Haq.
