Cyberattack on Facebook page of prosecutor’s office amid live coverage of Hasina trial: Tajul Islam

A cyberattack was carried out on the official Facebook page of the Chief Prosecutor’s Office of the International Crimes Tribunal on Sunday.

Chief prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam disclosed this to newspersons during a briefing at the tribunal premises this afternoon.

The attack reportedly took place while the office was live-streaming the prosecution’s arguments in the case against former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and two other accused for crimes against humanity committed during the July Uprising.

The arguments began at around 11:40 am before International Crimes Tribunal-1.

Tajul Islam said, “The Chief Prosecutor’s Office’s Facebook page came under a cyberattack during the live broadcast of the prosecution’s arguments. The attackers temporarily disabled the page, but we have since managed to recover it.”

He added that the incident was a deliberate attempt by the perpetrators of past atrocities to obstruct public access to the truth.

“They (the attackers) fear us. They fear that the world will learn about the evidence and the sheer brutality that has been presented in court. They do not want the global audience to know the truth of their crimes. That is why they carried out the cyberattack on our Facebook page during the live broadcast.”

The chief prosecutor reaffirmed the prosecution’s determination to ensure justice. “Our message is clear — no one will ever escape punishment for crimes committed against humanity. Any attempt to protect the perpetrators will never succeed in Bangladesh.”

The tribunal concluded the deposition phase of the case last Wednesday, when the testimony of the 54th and final witness, investigating officer Md. Alamgir, was recorded. The prosecution began its closing arguments today.

The case names former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan and former inspector general of police (IGP) Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun as co-accused alongside Sheikh Hasina.

Of the three, Abdullah Al-Mamun has turned approver and provided a statement before the tribunal. He was also produced in court today during the hearing.