The International Crimes Tribunal on Tuesday extended the deadline to April 20 for submitting investigation reports against deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina and 45 others over the allegations of genocide and crimes against humanity committed during the July-August mass uprising.
The tribunal, chaired by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mozumder, passed the order responding to chief prosecutor Muhammad Tajul Islam鈥檚 prayer seeking additional time to complete the investigation into the tribunal鈥檚 first case of crimes against humanity against Hasina, who fled to India amid the mass uprising on August 5, 2024.
The tribunal also set April 20 as the deadline for completing the investigation against AL general secretary Obaidul Quader and 44 others, including senior leaders of the AL and its allies, a retired bureaucrat, and a former Appellate Division judge.
Of the 45 accused, 16 high-profile detainees were produced before the tribunal on Tuesday.
They include former ministers Anisul Huq, Amir Hossain Amu, Qamrul Islam, Faruk Khan, Abdur Razzaque Khan, Kamal Ahmed Majumder, Golam Dastagir Gazi, Rashed Khan Menon, Hasanul Haq Inu, Dipu Moni, Shajahan Khan, and Zunaid Ahmed Palak, two former advisers to prime minister Sheikh Hasina鈥� Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury and Salman F Rahman, Justice Shamsuddin Chowdhury Manik and former home secretary Jahangir Alam.
While in the dock, some accused appeared smiling during the tribunal鈥檚 hearing on allegations against them.
Senior lawyer ZI Khan Panna, representing the 16 detainees, told the tribunal that he would defend them and recalled his long political ties with Menon and Inu.
Everyone has the right to legal protection, Panna said.
He sought the tribunal鈥檚 intervention for his personal security as he had received multiple death threats.
He told the court that he initially supported the student movement against discrimination but later distanced himself when the movement turned into an anti-government uprising.
The tribunal had initially ordered the completion of the investigation by February 18, but the prosecution sought additional time, arguing that the inquiry was at the final stage and would be completed within a month.
Tajul told the tribunal that investigators had gathered the intercepted communications of the accused, allegedly directing to commit crimes against humanity.
He said that they wanted to ensure all necessary evidence against the accused people.
Tajul also said that the prosecution would use the Fact-Finding Report of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights as crucial evidence against Hasina and her associates.
The UN report, released from Geneva on February 12, allegedly implicates Hasina in ordering security forces to kill protesters and conceal bodies to suppress the nationwide demonstrations.
This is a clear and compelling piece of evidence of crimes against humanity, Tajul said, adding that the report also named AL general secretary Obaidul Quader and former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan for their alleged connection with the killings.