'They threatened to shoot me if I spoke further'

A victim of enforced disappearance has told the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) that he was abducted and tortured for writing Facebook posts critical of the Awami League, before being falsely implicated in a militant case.

Masrur Anwar Chowdhury, appearing as the third witness, gave his testimony today (19 April) before ICT-1 in a case against former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and 16 others, including several current and former military officials.

In his deposition, Masrur said he currently works as a freelance procurement and supply chain specialist for a private firm.

According to his testimony, he was picked up on 3 March 2020 while travelling by rickshaw to work in Dhaka. A group of plainclothes men stopped him near Police Plaza, confirmed his identity using his Facebook profile, and questioned him about a post opposing Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Bangladesh.

"They threatened to shoot me if I spoke further," he told the tribunal.

Masrur said he was handcuffed, blindfolded and taken to an undisclosed location after a two-hour drive. After removing the blindfold, he saw he was kept in a small cell measuring around 6 by 6 feet, with a partially walled toilet inside. 

He was then interrogated and threatened with death if he did not answer questions. When he refused to respond, he was beaten with a belt. He maintained that he had no involvement with any militant organisation.

During his detention, he said he encountered several other detainees, including a teenage boy who claimed to have been held for over a year. Others told him they had been detained for up to three years without trial.

Masrur said interrogators questioned him about his views on the Awami League and India, as well as his involvement in building mosques and madrasas in Rohingya camps. He was also asked about alleged links to militant attacks, including the Holey Artisan attack – claims he denied.

After several days, he was told he would be released. However, he alleged that authorities staged a "militant arrest drama" by placing additional individuals in a vehicle and pretending to capture suspects.

The following day, Masrur and three others were presented before the media as "militants", taken for medical treatment, and later handed over to Fatullah Police Station in Narayanganj. They were subsequently shown arrested in a militancy case and sent to jail.

Masrur said he later learned that the abduction and disappearance operation was led by a Rapid Action Battalion (RAB-11) officer named Alep Uddin. He said he was first held at a RAB-11 facility and later at a TFI cell.

He was released on bail after around 10 months in prison.

He urged the tribunal to ensure justice for his abduction, torture, and the damage caused to his career.