Hasina kept under house arrest during Ershad regime under my supervision, Azmi tells tribunal
The statement was made during the defence’s cross-examination in a case over allegations of enforced disappearance and torture at the Joint Interrogation Cell (JIC)
Retired Brigadier General Abdullahil Aman Azmi, son of former Jamaat-e-Islami ameer Golam Azam, told the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) during cross-examination today (27 April) that ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina was once kept in house arrest under his supervision during the military rule of Hussain Muhammad Ershad.
He said, "I met Sheikh Hasina several times in 1983. During Ershad's military rule, I lived with my company at a house on Hare Road and performed martial law duties. At that time, Sheikh Hasina, Motia Chowdhury and Sahara Khatun were detained and kept at that house under my supervision for several days."
The statement was made during the defence's cross-examination in a case over allegations of enforced disappearance and torture at the Joint Interrogation Cell (JIC), which is being heard at International Crimes Tribunal-1, Bangladesh, before a two-member bench headed by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Majumder, with defence counsel Azizur Rahman Dulu questioning the witness.
He also said that the interim government had issued a notification on 5 February 2026, promoting him to the ranks of Major General and Lieutenant General. However, he added that since the army did not issue any formal order regarding the promotion, he continued to use the title Brigadier General (retd) in his testimony.
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During cross-examination, Azmi further claimed that the army had paid him Tk4 crore as house rent following his application. He denied that the amount was given as compensation for his time in detention based on recommendations of a Court of Inquiry, calling that claim untrue.
Following the fall of the Awami League government, the interim administration reconstituted the ICT to try alleged crimes against humanity committed during the crackdown on the 2024 movement. In its first verdict, the tribunal sentenced Sheikh Hasina and her then home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal to death.
Subsequently, two separate cases were filed over enforced disappearances and torture of political opponents during the Awami League era.
One case involves allegations of torture at the RAB Task Force Interrogation (TFI) Cell against 17 accused, while the other concerns the Joint Interrogation Cell (JIC), involving 13 accused. Sheikh Hasina, ousted during the July uprising, has been named the principal accused in both cases.
In the JIC "enforced disappearance and torture" case, the International Crimes Tribunal on 11 October 2025 framed charges against Sheikh Hasina and 12 former and serving military officers, ordering the start of the trial.
Today, three of the detained former military officers were produced before the tribunal from the Dhaka Cantonment sub-jail under tight security. They are former Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) director Major General Sheikh Md Sarwar Hossain, Brigadier General Md Mahbubur Rahman Siddiqi, and Brigadier General Ahmed Tanvir Mazhar Siddiqi.
Their legal defence is being handled by advocate Azizur Rahman Dulu. On the prosecution side, hearings were conducted by prosecutors Gazi MH Tamim, Shaikh Mahdi, and Mainul.
