ICT takes cognisance of charges against Ziaul Ahsan
Tribunal fixes 21 December for charge-framing hearing
The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) today (17 December) took cognisance of the formal charges brought against Major General (retd) Ziaul Ahsan in a crimes against humanity case over more than a hundred alleged enforced disappearances and killings during the Awami League's years in power.
The tribunal also set 21 December for a hearing on framing charges.
The order was passed by the three-member ICT-1 bench led by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mozumder.
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Earlier today, Prosecutor Sheikh Mahdi, accompanied by Prosecutor Moinul Karim and others, filed the formal charges before the tribunal.
ICT Chief Prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam appeared before the tribunal seeking the court's formal acceptance of the charge submission. During the hearing, he said Ziaul Ahsan was allegedly involved in planning the killing of BNP leader Ilias Ali after his abduction.
He also alleged Ziaul Ahsan's involvement in other disappearance cases, including those of BNP leader Salahuddin Ahmed and Chowdhury Alam, and said investigations into those allegations are still ongoing.
The chief prosecutor further alleged that the former army officer was involved in abducting and killing hundreds of people and that investigations are continuing into allegations of killing 300 to 500 more.
The ICT chief prosecutor has previously told the court that investigators obtained "exceptionally strong evidence" against the former senior army officer.
The prosecution alleges that during the 15-year tenure of the ousted Awami League government, Ziaul Ahsan oversaw a campaign of abductions and killings targeting political opponents and dissidents.
According to the ICT chief prosecutor, many victims were subjected to enforced disappearance, after which their bodies were allegedly cut open and dumped in rivers, canals, and wetlands to ensure they would not resurface.
Ziaul Ahsan is currently under investigation in multiple cases, including his alleged role in the 2013 Shapla Chattar incident and alleged torture during his leadership at the National Telecommunications Monitoring Centre (NTMC) and other security agencies.
The ICT investigation agency has identified Ziaul Ahsan as a key figure alongside other high-profile accused, including ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, former security adviser Major General (retd) Tarique Ahmed Siddique and former police chief Benazir Ahmed.
The prosecution has previously informed the court that Ziaul Ahsan is linked to the "highest number of crimes" among the current detainees. During earlier hearings, the prosecution resisted petitions from his legal team and family seeking to have lawyers present during interrogations, arguing that the International Crimes (Tribunals) Act does not allow a lawyer to sit before an investigation officer during interrogation.
