Arrest warrant against 12 including Sheikh Hasina in enforced disappearance case
The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) has issued arrest warrant against 12 people including ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina in the case of enforced disappearance. The tribunal has also ordered the accused to be arrested and presented before the court on next 12 February.
Chairman of the International Crimes Tribunal Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mozumder and member Md Mohitul Haque Enam Chowdhury gave the order today, Monday morning.
They ordered the arrest of the accused for the sake of proper and effective investigation. Besides, the tribunal also ordered to take effective action for the arrest of former Inspector General of Police (IGP), Benazir Ahmed.
Chief prosecutor of the International Crimes Tribunal Mohammad Tajul Islam filed a case accusing 12 people including Sheikh Hasina at the tribunal today, Monday in connection to the incident of enforced disappearances during the Awami League regime.
In today’s hearing, he said that the enforced disappearances took place under the direct supervision of Sheikh Hasina during the Awami League regime. The former prime minister was presented to have ‘superior responsibility’ for the enforced disappearances.
Those who had been released from the confinement were also released on Sheikh Hasina’s orders. These enforced disappearances have been carried out to consolidate the power of one single person.
The chief prosecutor did not reveal the names of all the accused in the hearing for the sake of arrest and investigation. However, he did reveal the names of four of those accused including Sheikh Hasina.
The other three accused are former prime minister’s defence adviser Maj Gen (retd) Tarique Ahmed Siddique, former inspector general of police (IGP) Benazir Ahmed and former director general of the National Telecommunication Monitoring Center (NTMC) Ziaul Ahsan. Among them, Ziaul Ahsan is already arrested in another case of the International Crimes Tribunal.
The chief prosecutor mentioned in the hearing that some members from different law enforcement forces indulged in crimes like enforced disappearances out of greed for promotions and being sent to UN missions.
With this two cases have been filed against former prime minister Sheikh Hasina at the International Crimes Tribunal. The tribunal had issued an arrest warrant against Sheikh Hasina under the first case as well.
Based on that warrant, the office of the chief prosecutor of the International Crimes Tribunal has already requested the International Criminal Police Organization, Interpol to arrest Sheikh Hasina. Plus, Bangladesh has sent a letter to India to send Sheikh Hasina back.
So far, three cases have been filed at the International Crimes Tribunal in connection with the enforced disappearances during the Awami League regime. One person has been accused in each of the previous two cases of enforced disappearance.
Former superintendent of police at Police Special Training School in Rangamati Md Mohiuddin Farooqui has been accused in one of those two cases while, former additional superintendent of police in Barisal Range Md Alep Uddin has been accused in the other.
Among others, prosecutors of the tribunal Gazi Monawar Hossain, BM Sultan Mahmud and Abdullah Al Noman were present at today’s hearing. Coordinator of the platform ‘Mayer Daak’ Sanjida Islam, along with victims of enforced disappearance and their family members were also present there at the time.