The Investigation Agency of the International Crimes Tribunals on Wednesday pressed charges of enforced disappearance against 28 individuals, including Bangladesh鈥檚 deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina, former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan, and former defence adviser Major General (retd) Tarique Ahmed Siddique.
Most of the accused are former high-ranking officers of the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence and the Rapid Action Battalion.
The International Crimes Tribunal-1 took cognisance of the charges in two separate cases and issued arrest warrants against 28 of the accused over the enforced disappearance of Michael Chakma, Abdullahil Amaan Azmi, Human Quader Chowdhury, and Mir Ahmad Bin Quasem Arman.
Hasina and Tarique Siddique are named as common accused in both cases.
Other key accused include former inspector general of police and RAB director general Benazir Ahmed, former RAB DGs Khurshid Hossain and Harun ur Rashid, and several senior RAB officials 鈥� additional DGs Lieutenant Colonel Anwar Latif Khan, Brigadier General Md Jahangir Alam, Brigadier General Tofael Mostafa Sarwar, Colonel AKM Azad, Brigadier General Kamrul Hasan, Brigadier General Md Mahbub Alam, and Colonel Abdullah Al Momen.
Former RAB-1 intelligence directors Lieutenant Colonel Sarwar Bin Kashem, Lieutenant Colonel (retd) Muhammad Khairul Islam, Lieutenant Colonel Mashiur Rahman Jewel, and Lieutenant Colonel Saiful Islam Suman are also accused in the cases.
One case involves 17 accused over enforced disappearances at a secret detention centre inside the RAB headquarters, while the other names 13 accused, including Hasina and Tarique Siddique, over disappearances and torture at the DGFI office inside Dhaka Cantonment.
The DGFI-linked accused include senior retired army officers 鈥� Lieutenant General (retd) Md Akbar Hossain, Major General (retd) Md Saiful Abedin, Lieutenant General (retd) Md Saiful Alam, Lieutenant General (retd) Ahmed Tabrez Shams Chowdhury, Major General (retd) Hamidul Huq, Major General (retd) Mohammad Towhid-ul-Islam, Major General Sheikh Md Sarwar Hossain, Major General Kobir Ahmed, Brigadier General Mahbub Rahman Siddique, Brigadier General Ahmed Tanvir Mazhar Siddique, and Lieutenant Colonel (retd) Makhsurul Haq.
