Complaints lodged with ICT against former presidents Hamid, Shahabuddin

Complaints have been lodged with the Office of the Chief Prosecutor of the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) against former President Mohammed Shahabuddin, who recently resigned from office.

The complaints were submitted separately on Sunday by two organisations—Bangladesh Azadi Party and the Rashtra Sanglap Forum. The Azadi Party also filed a complaint against former President M Abdul Hamid.

Following the submissions, Lieutenant Colonel (retd) Md Hasinur Rahman, Convener of the Azadi Party, spoke to journalists.

He alleged that the two former presidents had remained silent while so many people were killed and forcibly disappeared up to 5 August. He claimed that their silence amounted to tacit approval of those alleged crimes.

The party's Chief Organiser, Munshi Borhan Mahmud, said the complaints concerned former presidents Abdul Hamid and Mohammed Shahabuddin.

He alleged that, during their respective tenures as Head of State, Bangladesh witnessed incidents including the Pilkhana carnage, the Shapla crackdown, judicial killings, enforced disappearances, murders, the “Aynaghar” (a secret detention facility) detention facilities, and other alleged mass atrocities.

He further claimed that the two former presidents had supported the then government, provided it with political legitimacy, failed to protest against those alleged abuses, and benefited from remaining part of the state establishment.

Munshi Borhan Mahmud also argued that they could not evade responsibility for those events.

The Rashtra Sanglap Forum filed a separate complaint naming only former President Mohammed Shahabuddin.

In the complaint submitted to the chief prosecutor’s office, the organisation’s Central Member Secretary, Al Noor Mohammad Ayas, alleged that he had been forcibly disappeared from Mohakhali Bus Terminal in Dhaka on the night of 18 January last year while travelling to Mymensingh after leading demonstrations in Shahbagh demanding Shahabuddin's resignation.

He claimed that he was abandoned in the Banglamotor area the following day.

The complaint also described Shahabuddin as a “close associate” of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. It called for an investigation into Shahabuddin's alleged role as an instigator of the shooting of student protesters and civilians during the July mass uprising, as well as torture, killings and enforced disappearances.

In addition, the complaint urged an independent and impartial investigation to determine whether Shahabuddin bore any legal responsibility or involvement in relation to the 2024 general election, human rights violations, and events connected with the July uprising.

Asked about the complaints during a media briefing, Chief Prosecutor Md Aminul Islam declined to comment on the matter.