Law Desk

The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT)-1 has scheduled hearings on December 3 and 7 for two separate cases concerning enforced disappearances and torture allegedly carried out at the Taskforce for Interrogation (TFI) Cell and the Joint Interrogation Cell (JIC) during the tenure of the previous Awami League government.

The two-member tribunal, headed by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mozumder, passed the orders following a plea by the prosecution. December 3 has been set for a hearing on charge framing in the case related to alleged crimes at the TFI Cell, while December 7 will host the indictment hearing in the case concerning the JIC.

The tribunal also appointed senior advocate ZI Khan Panna to represent former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in both cases.

The orders were issued in the presence of 13 of the total 30 accused in the two cases. All 13 are officials of the Bangladesh Army and were produced before the court for today’s hearings. They are: Md Jahangir Alam, Tofayel Mostafa Sarwar, Md Qamrul Hasan, Md Mahabub Alam, KM Azad, Abdullah Al Momen, Md Moshiur Rahman Jewel, Saiful Islam Suman, Md Sarwar Bin Qashem, Anwar Latif Khan, Sheikh Md Sarwar Hossain, Md Mahbubur Rahman Siddiqui, and Ahmed Tanvir Mazhar Siddiqui.

On October 22, ICT-1 sent these 13 accused, along with two others—Mohammads Redwanul Islam and Rafat Bin Alam, charged in a separate crimes against humanity case—to jail.

The three-member tribunal, led by Chairman Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mozumder, also ordered the publication of notices in one English and one Bengali newspaper directing fugitive accused in the three cases to appear before the court.

Earlier, on October 8, ICT-1 took cognisance of charges against 30 individuals, including former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in the two cases related to enforced disappearances and torture.

In the case regarding the JIC, the prosecution brought five charges against 13 people, including Sheikh Hasina and her former security and defence adviser Tarique Ahmed Siddique. Other accused in this case include Md Akbar Hossain, Md Saiful Abedin, Md Saiful Alam, Md Tabrej Shams Chowdhury, Hamidul Haque, Mohammad Touhidul Islam, Sheikh Md Sarwar Hossain, Kabir Ahmed, Md Mahbubur Rahman Siddiqui, Ahmed Tanvir Mazhar Siddiqui, and Mokhchurul Haque.

In the case concerning the TFI Cell, five charges were brought against 17 people, including Sheikh Hasina and Tarique Ahmed Siddique. The remaining accused in this case are former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, former Inspector General of Police Benazir Ahmed, M Khurshid Hossain, Barrister Md Harun Ur Rashid, Anwar Latif Khan, Md Jahangir Alam, Tofayel Mostafa Sarwar, KM Azad, Md Qamrul Hasan, Md Mahabub Alam, Abdullah Al Momen, Md Sarwar Bin Qashem, Md Khairul Islam, Md Moshiur Rahman Jewel, and Saiful Islam Suman.

The hearings scheduled in December will determine the framing of charges and further proceedings in these high-profile cases, which allege serious human rights violations during the previous government’s tenure.