15 army officers to be kept in sub-jail: Defence counsel
Fifteen army officers accused in three separate cases of crimes against humanity have been taken away from the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT).
At around 10:00 am today, Wednesday, the accused army officers were placed in a prison van stationed at the tribunal premises. The green-coloured prison van subsequently left the tribunal compound.
Following the hearing, the defence counsel for the accused, Md. Sarwar Hossain, told newspersons that his clients would be kept in a sub-jail (special detention facility).
The ICT had earlier issued arrest warrants on 8 October against 25 current and former army officers in connection with two cases related to enforced disappearances and tortures, allegedly committed during the 15-and-a-half-year tenure of the previous Awami League government, and another case concerning killings during the July mass uprising.
On the same day, the prosecution formally submitted the charges (formal charge) in all three cases.
On 11 October, the Bangladesh Army, through a press briefing, announced that 15 officers had been taken into military custody, one of whom was on pre-retirement leave (LPR).
Subsequently, on 12 October, the Ministry of Home Affairs issued a gazette notification temporarily declaring a building inside the Dhaka Cantonment as a prison.
According to ministry sources, following the issuance of arrest warrants, the army headquarters requested the ministry to designate ‘MES Building No. 54’ as a temporary prison.
The home ministry approved the request and officially declared the building a temporary detention facility.
Today, Wednesday morning, after 7:00 am, the 15 accused army officers were produced before the ICT-1 in connection with the three separate cases of crimes against humanity.
After the hearing, the tribunal ordered that they be sent to prison.
The order was delivered by a three-member bench of Tribunal-1, headed by justice Md. Golam Mortuza Majumdar, with justice Md. Shafiul Alam Mahmud and justice Md. Mohitul Haque Enam Chowdhury as members.
The officers ordered to be sent to prison are as follows: Major General Sheikh Md Sarwar Hossain¸ Brigadier General Md Jahangir Alam, Brigadier General Tofayel Mostafa Sarwar, Brigadier General Md Kamrul Hasan, Brigadier General Md Mahbub Alam, Brigadier General Md Mahbubur Rahman Siddiqui, Brigadier General Ahmed Tanvir Mazhar Siddiqui, Brigadier General KM Azad, Colonel Abdullah Al Momen, Colonel Anwar Latif Khan (currently on pre-retirement leave), Lt. Colonel Md. Mashiur Rahman, Lt. Colonel Saiful Islam Sumon, Lt. Colonel Md. Sarwar Bin Kashem, Lt. Colonel Mohammad Redwanul Islam, Major Md. Rafat-bin-Alam.