DGFI picked up civilians, politicians, tortured them, ex-army chief Iqbal Karim testifies at ICT
As his testimony remained incomplete, the Tribunal fixed tomorrow (9 February) for the next hearing.
Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) picked up civilians, ministers and political figures, including Tarique Rahman, and subjected some to inhumane torture between 2007 and 2009, former army chief General (retd) Iqbal Karim Bhuiyan said today (8 February).
He made the remark during his testimony at the International Crimes Tribunal-1 in a crimes against humanity case involving allegations of enforced disappearance and murder against Major General (retd) Ziaul Ahsan, former director general of the National Telecommunication Monitoring Centre.
During his deposition, he described how, according to him, a culture of enforced disappearance and murder developed and shared his experiences regarding the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB).
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As his testimony remained incomplete, the Tribunal fixed tomorrow (9 February) for the next hearing.
A two-member International Crimes Tribunal-1, led by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Majumdar, recorded the testimony.
At the beginning of the hearing, Prosecutor Gazi MH Tamim presented the opening statement of the case. Iqbal then took the stand as the first witness.
"From 2007 to 2009, the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence became the chief controller. At various times, they would pick up people and interrogate them in their cells. Many ministers and political figures were among them. They even picked up Tarique Rahman and subjected him to inhumane torture," he said during his testimony.
Iqbal further stated that detaining civilians in DGFI cells became a routine practice and that the psychological barrier regarding what could be done to detainees gradually diminished.
He also referred to 'Operation Clean Heart', saying many killings occurred during the operation before the formation of RAB in 2003.
According to his deposition, 12 people died of heart attacks during interrogation, while Human Rights Watch reported 60 deaths. He added that those involved were later granted indemnity, which he described as a "License to Kill".
The sole accused, Ziaul Ahsan, was brought before the Tribunal from jail in a prison van this morning. Lawyers Munsurul Haq Chowdhury and Nazneen Nahar represented the defence.
On 14 January, ICT-1 ordered the commencement of the trial by framing three charges against Ziaul Ahsan.
The first charge alleges that three people were killed on the night of 11 July 2011 at Pubail in Gazipur Sadar Police Station in his direct presence.
The second charge concerns responsibility for the killing of 50 people at the mouth of the Baleshwar River in Barguna's Patharghata upazila between 2010 and 2013. The third charge also relates to the killing of 50 people.
Ziaul Ahsan was shown arrested in the case on 23 December 2024. With the recording of testimony today, proceedings in the case advanced to the next stage.
