The International Crimes Tribunal-1 on Tuesday set July 1 for hearing charges against ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina and two of her associates in a crimes against humanity case over the 2024 July鈥揂ugust mass uprising.
The two associates of Hasina, named in the case, are former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan and former inspector general of police Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun.
Hasina and Asaduzzaman are still absconding and Mamun is now in jail.
The charges against the trio include murder, attempted murder, torture, and use of lethal weapons on the protesters during the mass uprising that ousted the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League regime on August 5, 2024.
The tribunal, comprising Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mozumder, Justice Md Shofiul Alam Mahmood, and retired district judge聽 Md Muhitul Hoque Anam Chawdhury, also appointed Dhaka Judges Court-based lawyer Amir Hossain as the state defence counsel for Hasina and Asaduzzaman.
Lawyer Amir Hossain is known for his affiliation with the Awami League.
The lawyer served as the special public prosecutor of the Dhaka Special Judge Court-8 until the law ministry cancelled the appointments of all prosecutors of the ousted Awami League regime through a single notification, months after the interim government assumed power on August 8, 2024.
In a separate case, the tribunal extended the deadline by two months to submit the probe report in the case of enforced disappearances involving 12 accused including Sheikh Hasina, detained retired army officer Ziaul Ahsan, and 10 others.
The tribunal also extended the deadline by one week for submitting the probe report in the Ashulia case against 16 police officials and their associates, accused of killing six people during the 2024 student-led mass uprising.
The tribunal set August 24 for the submission of the probe report in the enforced disappearance case.
Among the accused are Hasina鈥檚 former defence adviser Tarique Ahmed Siddique, former IGP Benazir Ahmed, retired lieutenant colonel Moksurul Haque, former CTTC chief Md Asaduzzaman, and five former DGFI chiefs鈥擫ieutenant General (retired) Md Akbar Hossain, Major General (retired) Md Saiful Abedin, Lieutenant General (retired) Md Saiful Alam, Lieutenant General (retired) Ahmed Tabrez Shams Chowdhury, and Major General (retired) Hamidul Huq鈥攁s well as former CTIB director Major General (retired) Mohammad Towhid-ul-Islam.
All 12 are accused of abducting and disappearing several individuals during the Awami League鈥檚 15-year rule. The victims include indigenous rights activist Michael Chakma, former brigadier general Abdullahil Amaan Azmi, and Supreme Court lawyer Ahmad Bin Kashem Arman.
The tribunal also scheduled a hearing for Wednesday to take legal opinion from Supreme Court lawyer AY Mashiuzzaman, acting as amicus curiae, in a contempt case against Hasina and Gobindaganj Awami League leader Shakil Akand Bulbul.
In the same case, state-appointed lawyer Aminul Gani Titu is expected to defend the two absconding accused, Hasina and Shakil, in Wednesday鈥檚 hearing.
The contempt charges stem from a phone call between Hasina and Shakil, in which Hasina allegedly made provocative comments from India intending to obstruct the tribunal鈥檚 upcoming proceedings.
The tribunal also set July 2 for submission of the investigation report in the Ashulia crimes against humanity case.
Prosecutor Md Saimum Talukder Pias sought two weeks鈥� time, citing that they had received the investigation report but they needed more time to review the large volume of evidence.
The case names 16 accused, including former Awami League lawmaker for Dhaka-19 constituency Saiful Islam, dismissed additional superintendent of police Abdullah Al Kafi, former Savar circle additional SP Md Shahidul Islam, former Ashulia police inspector AFM Sayeed Roni, DB north inspector Md Arafat Hossain Arju, former assistant sub-inspectors Abdul Malek, Arafat Uddin, Sheikh Afzalul Haque, Biswajit Saha and Kamrul Hasan and former constable Mukul Chandra.
Eight out of the 11 accused, now detained in jail, include Kafi, Shahidul, Arafat Arju, Malek, Arafat Uddin, Afzal, Kamrul and Mukul. 聽聽聽
Saimum said that the prosecution withheld the names of five other absconding accused, saying that they might go into hiding if identified in the media.
He said that the investigation agency started probing the Ashulia case on October 6, 2024 based on several complaints received by the office of the chief prosecutor.
