Charge-framing hearing against Hasina, 40 others over Shapla Chattar killings on 1 Nov

The International Crimes Tribunal has set 1 November for a hearing on the framing of formal charges against former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and 40 others in a case involving crimes against humanity committed during the Hefazat-e-Islam rally at Shapla Chattar in Motijheel, Dhaka, in 2013.

The tribunal set the date at a hearing at International Crimes Tribunal-2 today (7 October) following a time petition from the defence.

Prosecutors Abdus Sobhan Tarafder, Faruk Ahmed, Zahirul Amin, Moinul Karim and others represented the prosecution.

The prosecution said that today had originally been fixed for hearing arguments on framing formal charges against the accused. However, the defence sought more time. As the prosecution did not object, the tribunal set 1 November for the hearing.

Eleven accused who have been arrested were produced before the tribunal from jail yesterday. They are Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (Jasad) President and former information minister Hasanul Haq Inu; then state minister for home affairs Shamsul Haque Tuku; then food minister Dr Abdur Razzaq; former minister Dr Dipu Moni; former minister Abdul Latif Siddiqui; former inspector general of police AKM Shahidul Haque; Major General (retd) Ziaul Ahsan; former deputy inspector general Abdul Jalil Mondal; Ekattorer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee President Shahriar Kabir; 71 TV Managing Director Mozammel Haque Babu; and journalist Farzana Rupa.

The absconding accused include Sheikh Hasina, then home minister Dr Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir; Awami League Presidium Member Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim; Awami League Joint General Secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif; then information minister Dr Hasan Mahmud; Awami League Joint General Secretary AFM Bahauddin Nasim; former state minister Advocate Mrinal Kanti Das; Awami League Joint General Secretary Jahangir Kabir Nanak; former minister Mofazzel Hossain Chowdhury Maya; former IGP Benazir Ahmed; then RAB director general Md Mukhlesur Rahman; and former army chief General Aziz Ahmed.

Earlier, on 3 September, Tribunal-2 ordered the publication of notices in two national daily newspapers asking Sheikh Hasina and 29 others to surrender. Law enforcement agencies later submitted non-execution reports (NERs) to the prosecution, saying they could not locate the accused at their permanent or temporary addresses.

On 16 September, as the 30 accused had failed to surrender, the tribunal declared them fugitives and ordered the appointment of state-funded lawyers for them. The tribunal also set Wednesday for the hearing on the framing of formal charges.

On 27 July, Tribunal-2 took cognisance of the formal charges filed by the prosecution against all 41 accused. It also issued arrest warrants for the fugitives and ordered the arrested accused to be produced before the tribunal.

According to the prosecution, 58 people were killed at four locations, including Dhaka, in connection with the Hefazat rally on 5 May 2013. The investigation agency has identified 32 of the deceased in Dhaka, 20 in Narayanganj, five in Chattogram and one in Cumilla