Tribunal accepts slain Hadi's recorded statement as testimony in crimes against humanity case
The accused in the case include fugitive leaders of the now-banned Awami League, including General Secretary Obaidul Quader
The International Crimes Tribunal-2 today (18 January) took the recorded statement of slain Sharif Osman bin Hadi into cognisance as formal testimony in a case over alleged crimes against humanity committed during the student-led 2024 July Uprising.
A three-member tribunal, headed by Justice Nazrul Islam Chowdhury, accepted the statement after the prosecution submitted a petition. Hadi, convener of the Inquilab Mancha, had given his deposition to the investigating officer of the case before he was killed.
The accused in the case include fugitive leaders of the now-banned Awami League, including General Secretary Obaidul Quader, Joint General Secretary AFM Bahauddin Nasim, former State Minister Mohammad Ali Arafat, Jubo League President Sheikh Fazle Shams Parash, General Secretary Mainul Hossain Khan Nikhil, Chhatra League President Saddam Hussain, and General Secretary Sheikh Wali Asif Inan.
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While providing a statement, Hadi claimed to have witnessed several incidents firsthand, including attacks on protesters and instances of gunfire by the accused, and he had received repeated death threats from numerous phone numbers and filed a general diary with Shahbagh Police Station.
Hadi warned that failure to bring those responsible to justice could lead to further violence and said the July Uprising would remain "questionable" if accountability was not ensured.
Formal trial proceedings began on 17 February with the prosecution's opening statement.
The first witness to testify was MA Razzak, father of martyred Asif Iqbal, who was killed during the uprising.
Chief Prosecutor Tajul Islam said Hadi had been a key figure in the July-August movement and a direct witness to the violence.
As he is no longer alive to testify in court, the prosecution sought to have his prior statement admitted under a legal provision allowing such evidence when a witness is unavailable. The tribunal granted the application after a hearing, he added.
