15 army officers accused in enforced disappearance, killing cases surrender to ICT; sent to jail
The tribunal has fixed 20 November for the next hearing of the case
The International Crimes Tribunal has ordered 15 current army officers to be sent to jail in connection with three cases filed over enforced disappearances, killings, and torture allegedly committed by the TFI-JIC cell during the Awami League government's tenure.
Chief Prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam confirmed the tribunal's order this morning (22 October), saying, "The tribunal has ordered the 15 army officers produced today in connection with the enforced disappearance and murder cases to be sent to jail."
When asked whether the detainees would be kept in the newly established temporary jail inside the cantonment or elsewhere, Tajul Islam said, "It entirely depends on the prison authorities. They will decide whether to keep the accused in the central jail, the temporary jail, or send them to Chattogram jail."
He also informed that the tribunal has fixed 20 November for the next hearing of the case.
The 15 accused in the three cases are - Brigadier General Md Kamrul Hasan, Brigadier General Tofayel Mostafa Sarwar, Brigadier General Md Mahbubur Rahman Siddique, Brigadier General Ahmed Tanvir Majhar Siddique, Brigadier General Md Mahbub Alam, Brigadier General Md Jahangir Alam, Major General Sheikh Md Sarwar Hossain, Colonel Anwar Latif Khan, Colonel Abdullah Al Momen, Colonel AKM Azad, Colonel Md Sarwar Bin Kashem, Lieutenant Colonel Md Moshiur Rahman Jewel, Lieutenant Colonel Saiful Islam Sumon, Lieutenant Colonel Md Redwanul Islam and Major Rafat Bin Alam Mun.
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"The tribunal has also ordered the arrest and production of fugitive former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and other absconding accused before the court," Tajul Islam added.
He further said several lawyers had verbally communicated with the accused officers today regarding filing bail petitions.
"The tribunal has not heard any bail petitions today. It stated that there is a formal process for bail applications, which can be submitted and heard on the next scheduled date," he explained.
Earlier in the morning, the officers were brought to Tribunal-1, headed by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mojumder, under tight security from a temporary jail located within the cantonment area.
Their lawyer, Barrister Sarwar, said the officers would file two petitions - one seeking bail and another requesting that they be kept under special custody if bail is denied.
On 11 October, the Bangladesh Army headquarters stated that the 15 officers, against whom arrest warrants had been issued in the cases, had been taken into military custody.
Major General Md Hakimuzzaman, adjutant general of the Bangladesh Army, told reporters at the time, "A total of 15 accused officers are now in army custody, while one officer remains unaccounted for. He left his residence one morning and has not returned since. Efforts are underway to trace his whereabouts."
He identified the missing officer as Major General Kabir Ahmed.
"On 8 October, we learned that arrest warrants had been issued against 25 former and current army officers. However, we have not yet received any official copy of the warrants; none have been handed over to us so far," Hakimuzzaman said.
"Among the 25 officers, some are retired while others are still in service. Nine have retired, one is on leave preparatory to retirement [LPR], and 15 are currently serving," he added.
In three separate cases, a total of four charges have been brought against 17 individuals over abduction, enforced disappearance, and torture allegedly carried out by the RAB Task Force for Interrogation (TFI) Cell.
10 of the accused have been arrested so far. They are: Colonel AKM Azad, Brigadier General Md Kamrul Hasan, Colonel Abdullah Al Momen, Lieutenant Colonel Md Moshiur Rahman Jewel, Colonel Md Sarwar Bin Kashem, Brigadier General Tofayel Mostafa Sarwar, Brigadier General Md Mahbub Alam, Lieutenant Colonel Saiful Islam Sumon, Brigadier General Md Jahangir Alam, and Colonel Anwar Latif Khan.
In another crimes against humanity case over enforced disappearances at the Joint Interrogation Centre (JIC), former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and 13 others have been made accused.
A total of five charges have been brought against them. Three of the accused - Major General Sheikh Md Sarwar Hossain, Brigadier General Md Mahbubur Rahman Siddique, and Brigadier General Ahmed Tanvir Majhar Siddique - have been produced before the tribunal.
Meanwhile, in another crimes against humanity case filed over the killing of 28 people by gunfire in the capital's Rampura area on 18 and 19 July during last year's July-August movement, two of the four accused were produced before the tribunal.
Six charges have been brought in this case. The arrested accused are Lieutenant Colonel Md Redwanul Islam and Major Rafat Bin Alam Mun.
In these three cases, many other army officers have been accused including retired officers. Others accused in these cases include Brig Gen Kamrul Hasan, Maj Gen Kabir Ahmed, Col Anwar Latif Khan, Lt Col Md Sarwar Bin Kashem, retired maj gen Hamidul Haque, retired maj gen Mohammad Towhid-ul Islam, retired maj gen Tarik Ahmed Siddique, retired maj gen Md Saiful Alam, retired lt gen Ahmed Tabrez Shams Chowdhury, retired lt gen Md Akbar Hossain, retired lt col Khairul Islam, and retired lt col Makhsurul Haque.
