Staff Reporter:
The prosecution of the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in the formal charge in crimes against hu-manity case against Sheikh Hasina and two others has dubbed then government’s attack on freedom-loving students and people from July 1 to August 5, 2024, as “coordinated extermination plan”.
“The accused in their bid to eliminate the freedom-loving student-people carried out widespread and sys-tematic attacks on them using the whole state-mechanism. After analyzing the evidence presented and images published in the media, we found that it was a “coordinated extermination plan”, which was “widespread” and “systematic”,” Chief Prosecutor Muhammad Tajul Islam said while mentioning the 134-page formal charge before the ICT-1 yesterday afternoon.
The proceedings were aired live by state-run Bangladesh Television (BTV) from the court for the first time in country’s history.
The prosecution submitted the formal charge, bringing five charges against the accused, at the office of the ICT Registrar around 12 noon. Apart from the ousted prime minister, former home minister Asaduz-zaman Khan Kamal and former inspector general of police (IGP) Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun are also accused in the case.
The three-member ICT led by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mozumder took the formal charge into cogni-zance and set June 16 for passing further order in this connection.
“We have filed statements of the eye-witnesses, victims, who are still alive, video footages of the crimes, drone and CCTV footages, audio clips of the telephonic conversation of the accused, forensic reports of the digital evidences, confessional statements of the accused, reports, photographs and videos published or broadcasted in the media, reports of the national and international agencies, and official documents received from different state agencies as evidences,” the chief prosecutor further said.
The prosecution under the Charge-1 said that ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina incited crimes against humanity through her provocative statements on July 14 press briefing at Ganobhaban, and carried out, abetted, incited, facilitate and failed to prevent murder, attempt to murder, torture and other inhuman acts with the help of higher administration of then government, including Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun.
Charge-2: Sheikh Hasina gave the order to kill and eliminate the protesters by using helicopters, drones and lethal weapons. Then Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and the then IGP Chowdhury Ab-dullah Al Mamun, by instructing the members of the law enforcement agencies under their control and subordinates to implement the said orders of the accused Sheikh Hasina, committed, facilitated, con-spired crimes against humanity through their orders. Their orders were implemented with their knowledge.
Charge-3: Following the provocative statements of Sheikh Hasina and direction to kill protesting stu-dents by using lethal weapons and following the incitement, abatement, complicity of Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun and other higher authorities of then government, law enforcement agencies under their control and armed Awami League terrorists fired multiple shots direct-ly from close range at Abu Sayeed in front of Begum Rokeya University on July 16, 2024. The accused committed crimes against humanity by ordering, abetting, inciting, facilitating, complicity and conspira-cy to other inhuman acts.
Charge-4: Following the provocative statement of Sheikh Hasina and direction to kill protesting students by using lethal weapons and following the incitement, abatement, complicity of Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun and other higher authorities of then government, law en-forcement agencies under their control and armed Awami League terrorists as part of their widespread and systematic attack on unarmed student people, shot and killed six persons in Cahnkharpul area on August 5, 2024. The accused committed crimes against humanity by ordering, abetting, inciting, facili-tating, complicity and conspiracy to that crime.
Charge-5: Following the provocative statement of Sheikh Hasina and direction to kill protesting students by using lethal weapons and following the incitement, abatement, complicity of Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun and other higher authorities of then government, law en-forcement agencies under their control and armed Awami League terrorists as part of their widespread and systematic attack on unarmed student-people, shot six persons in front of Ashulia Police Station and adjacent areas on August 5, 2024. They burned five dead bodies and one alive. These crimes occurred with the knowledge of the defendants. The accused committed crimes against humanity by ordering, abetting, inciting, facilitating, complicity and conspiracy to that crime.
The investigation agency of the ICT on May 12 filed its probe report in the crimes against humanity and mass killing case.
