Nahid Islam set to testify as final witness in crimes against humanity case against Hasina, others tomorrow
Nahid Islam, convener of the National Citizen Party (NCP), is expected tomorrow (17 September) to testify as the final witness in the crimes against humanity case against ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina and others over alleged offences during the 2024 July Uprising.
Nahid attended the International Crimes Tribunal to give his statement today. However, the testimony could not proceed because the cross-examination of the previous witness, Mahmudur Rahman, editor of the daily Amar Desh, was not completed.
After the hearing, Prosecutor Gazi Monawar Hossain Tamim told journalists, "Because the cross-examination of Editor Mahmudur Rahman has not been completed, Nahid Islam's statement is not being taken today. We hope the tribunal will take his statement tomorrow."
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Later, Nahid told reporters, "After the July Uprising, the first demand was that the judicial process for the brutality that Sheikh Hasina, the Awami League, and the erstwhile government committed against the students and the public should be executed fairly and in due time. We hope that we will get justice quickly. I might be the last witness in this case against Sheikh Hasina. After my testimony is taken, this case will move towards a verdict."
He added, "Not only this case, but there are also more cases across the country. As a result, this judicial process will continue for a long time. We have demanded a roadmap for a commitment that this judicial process will not be hampered even after the election, that it will continue. It is expected that this will be in the manifesto of all political parties."
Alongside Sheikh Hasina, the other defendants in the case are former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and former inspector general of police Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun.
The tribunal indicted the defendants on 10 July. At the time, it granted former police chief Mamun's application to testify as a state witness. Hearings began on 3 August, and so far 46 witnesses have testified.
