ICT Demands Ex-Ministers, Advisers in Genocide Case | Crimes against humanity during July uprising: ICT shows 20 people arrested, including 10 former ministers

The International Crimes Tribunal yesterday showed the arrest of 10 former ministers and many others on charges of crimes against humanity and genocide during the mass uprising in July-August.

In other cases, they were already behind bars.

Speaking to reporters after the hearing, ICT Chief Prosecutor Tajul Islam said that the prosecution submitted three petitions to the court and accepted all of them.

The prosecution requested that 14 people arrested on genocide charges be shown in the first petition. ICT had previously issued arrest warrants against them.

These are former ministers Anisul Huq, Abdur Razzaque, Lieutenant Colonel (retd) Faruk Khan, Dipu Moni, Shahjahan Khan, Golam Dastagir Gazi, Kamal Ahmed Majumdar, Zunaid Ahmed Palak, Rashed Khan Menon and Hasanul Haq Inu; former prime minister’s advisors Salman F Rahman and Toufiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury; former Supreme Court judge Justice AHM Shamsuddin Choudhury Manik; and former home minister Jahangir Alam.

The ICT ordered law enforcement to bring them to court on November 18.

In another petition, the prosecution sought to show that six other people behind bars in other cases had been arrested on genocide charges.

The six include former inspector general of police Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, suspended officer Major General Ziaul Ahsan and police officers Abdullahil Kafi, Arafat Hossain, Abul Hasan and Mazaharul Islam.

The authorities were ordered to present them to the court on November 20.

Following the third petition, the court issued arrest warrants against 17 former and current police personnel, including Habibur Rahman, former commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, on similar charges of crimes against humanity.

Chief Public Prosecutor Tajul did not disclose the names of the other defendants and said that they could be hidden if their names were disclosed.

If they are arrested, they will appear in court on November 20.

ICT Chairman Justice Md Golam Mortuza Majumdar and members Justice Md Shafiul Alam Mahmud and Mohitul Haque Enam Chowdhury passed the orders after hearing the petitions.

On the first day of its hearings on October 17, the reconstituted court issued an arrest warrant for former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and 45 others for their alleged role in crimes against humanity and genocide during the mass uprising led by students.

According to the health ministry, at least 863 people died and thousands were injured during the uprising.

So far, more than 60 complaints of crimes against humanity and genocide have been filed against Hasina, party leaders and officials of her administration’s ICT investigation agency and prosecution team.

The Awami League government had first established the ICT in March 2010 to prosecute perpetrators of crimes against humanity committed during the 1971 Liberation War.

He later formed ICT-2 and at least six Jamaat-e-Islami and BNP leaders were executed following the verdicts of two courts. Later the two courts were merged. The interim government reconstituted itself in mid-October after taking over in August.