ICT issues arrest warrants for Obaidul Quader, 6 others over crimes against humanity
With the tribunal taking the charges into cognizance, the legal process will now transition toward the formal indictment phase and recording of testimonies once the accused are produced or apprehended
The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT)-2 today (18 December) accepted formal charges and issued arrest warrants for seven high-profile individuals, including Obaidul Quader, the general secretary of the now-banned Awami League, over allegations of crimes against humanity during the July Uprising.
A tribunal bench led by Justice Nazrul Islam Chowdhury, chairman of ICT-2, passed the order this afternoon after the prosecution submitted the formal complaint. The tribunal has scheduled the next hearing for 29 December.
With the tribunal taking the charges into cognizance, the legal process will now transition toward the formal indictment phase and recording of testimonies once the accused are produced or apprehended.
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Prosecutor Gazi MH Tamim confirmed the development, stating that the formal charges were submitted to the ICT-2 registrar earlier this morning. The allegations against the accused include incitement, ordering the use of lethal force, and direct involvement in the killings carried out to suppress the movement.
The other six individuals named in the warrants include AFM Bahauddin Nasim, the joint general secretary of Awami League, former state minister for Information and Broadcasting Mohammad Ali Arafat, Jubo League's chairman Sheikh Fazle Shams Parash, general secretary Md Mainul Hossain Khan Nikhil, Chhatra League's president Saddam Hussain, and general secretary Sheikh Wali Asif Inan.
The submission of charges follows an announcement by the prosecution made on 8 December that the investigation into these seven individuals had been concluded.
