The International Crimes Tribunal-1 on Monday charged former Dhaka Metropolitan Police commissioner Habibur Rahman and seven of his subordinates with crimes against humanity for the murder of six protesters at Chankharpool in Dhaka during the 2024 July-August mass uprising.
The tribunal, led by Justice Golam Mortuza Mozumder and with two other members Justice Md Shofiul Alam Mahmood and retired district judge Md Muhitul Hoque Anam Chawdhury, set August 10 for the prosecution鈥檚 opening statement relating to the murders, torture, and other crimes against humanity.
Witness testimonies will begin on August 11.
This case is the second major trial of crimes against humanity related to the 2024 uprising, following charges against deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina, her home minister Asaduzzaman Khan, and ex-police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun.
Mamun, who was initially an accused, later turned state witness.
At least 40 cases related to crimes against humanity during the uprising and enforced disappearances during the Awami League鈥檚 15-year rule are currently under investigation or in pre-trial stages.
Meanwhile, the International Crimes Tribunal-2, chaired by former Justice Nozrul Islam Chowdhury, is preparing to hear charges in two other cases.
One case involves the killing and burning of six protesters at Ashulia, on the outskirts of Dhaka and the other concerns the death of Abu Sayeed, a student of Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur during the protests.
In the Chankharpool killing case, alongside Habibur Rahman, the seven other indicted accused police members include former DMP joint commissioner Sudip Kumar Chakraborty, former Ramna assistant deputy commissioner Shah Alam Md Akhterul Islam,聽 assistant commissioner Mohammad Imrul, Shahbagh police inspector (operations) Arshad Hossain, and three suspended constables 鈥� Sujan Hossain, Imaz Hossain Imon, and Nasirul Islam.
According to the charge sheet, then DMP commissioner Habibur Rahman held a meeting with senior Awami League leaders, including then home minister Asaduzzaman Khan and former law minister Anisul Huq, at Asaduzzaman鈥檚 official residence.
Following the meeting, Habibur allegedly ordered police to open fire on protesters using wireless communication.
The charges state that senior officers Sudip Kumar Chakraborty, Shah Alam Md Akhterul Islam, and Mohammad Imrul acted on that wireless order. They allegedly abetted, instigated, and facilitated the shooting that left six protesters dead between 12:30 and 2:00 pm on August 5, 2024 at Chankharpool.
Four of the accused 鈥� former Shahbagh police station鈥檚 inspector Arshad Hossain and constables Imaz Hossain Imon, Sujan Hossain, and Nasirul Islam 鈥� were present in the dock on Monday.
Tribunal judge Md Shofiul Alam Mahmood read out the charges to them individually.
The judge said: 鈥榊ou, following orders from your superior officers and acting on wireless instructions, directed your subordinates to fire rubber bullets, tear gas, and live rounds to disperse the Dhaka March protesters. As a result, six people were killed.鈥�
Arshad Hossain denied the charges. 鈥楾his is completely false. I was stationed with the army in Shahbagh area on that day. Also, as an inspector, I had no authority to issue such orders,鈥� he told the tribunal.
The three other accused also pleaded not guilty. Each claimed innocence and asked the court for justice.
At the outset of Monday鈥檚 proceedings, chief prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam refreshed the charges to the tribunal鈥檚 judges.
On July 3, ABM Shiblee Sadekin, Saddam Hossain Avi, and Sifat Mahmud appeared for the detained accused while state-appointed lawyer Kutubuddin for the four absconding police officers prayed for discharging all the eight accused.
The defence counsel argued that the incident did not meet the legal threshold of crimes against humanity under the Rome Statute, as it was not part of a widespread and systematic attack on civilians.
Police officers, they further argued, cannot be charged for the 2024 July鈥揂ugust violence as the original International Crimes (Tribunals) Act of 1973 did not include members of disciplined forces as perpetrators, and the government only amended the law in October 2024 to retroactively bring law enforcers under its jurisdiction.
On July 1, Tajul Islam completed the hearing on the Chankharpool charges and prayed for framing charges against all the eight police members to start their trial.
On May 24, the prosecution filed formal charges against the eight police personnel.
This was the first case brought under the tribunal鈥檚 new jurisdiction of trying the July mass uprising perpetrators after it was reconstituted by the interim government that assumed office on August 8, 2024 following the ouster of the Sheikh Hasina regime amid the student-led uprising.
The tribunal has listed 43 witnesses in the case, including Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain, adviser for the ministry of local government, rural development and cooperatives, who was also a co-coordinator of the protest movement.
According to the investigators, Asif led a procession at Chankharpool on August 5, aiming to join a larger rally at the Central Shaheed Minar demanding the resignation of Sheikh Hasina.
The charge sheet also says that police took no action to prevent attacks carried out by Awami League activists and affiliated groups against peaceful protests of the Students Against Discrimination movement on the Dhaka University campus on July 14 鈥� just hours after Sheikh Hasina reportedly labelled the protesters as 鈥榮ons and grandsons of Razakars鈥�.
Similarly, no preventive steps were taken during the coordinated processions held at 16 key points across the capital on July 16.
Instead, on the reported instructions of the then DMP commissioner Habibur Rahman, subordinate officers allegedly aided and facilitated the attacks by Awami League supporters, while deliberately refraining from intervening to protect the demonstrators.
According to the prosecution, at least 1,400 people were killed and more than 25,000 received bullet injuries during the nationwide movement.
The victims of the August 5 shooting were Shahriar Khan Anas, a class X student who left behind a heartbreaking letter to his mother, Sheikh Mahadi Hasan Zunayed (popularly known as Mostakin), Mohammad Yakub, Md Rakib Hawlader, Mohammad Ismail Haque, and Manik Mia, also known as Saharik Chowdhury.