Ziaul Ahsan had bodies dismembered and weighted with cement bags before dumping in river, witness tells ICT
The prosecution witness described alleged killings at river and said he later lost contact with his brother after the latter was summoned by RAB personnel.
Detainees abducted from Dhaka were taken late at night to the Baleshwar River near Patharghata in Barguna, where they were killed and their bodies dumped in water under the command of former RAB officer Major General (retd) Ziaul Ahsan, according to the testimony of an eyewitness.
The witness said, "Zia sir would shoot the detainees in the head, ear or chest. Some were shot once, while others were shot twice. The abdomen of the body would then be cut open and the intestines removed, after which cement bags would be tied to the neck or legs and the body thrown into the river.
"After killing them one by one in this manner, they would head towards the Sundarbans. After reaching the Sundarbans, other detainees would be taken out of the boat and killed in staged 'crossfire' incidents. RAB members would then call journalists to the scene. Later, the bodies would be handed over to different police stations."
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Eyewitness Abbas Mallik gave this harrowing account at the International Crimes Tribunal today (2 September), when his testimony was recorded as the 10th prosecution witness in the case against Ziaul Ahsan over crimes against humanity allegedly involving more than 100 incidents of enforced disappearance and killing during the Awami League government.
Abbas Mallik, 60, is from South Charduani village in Barguna's Patharghata upazila. He is a fisherman and occasionally works as a ploughman.
In his testimony, Abbas said RAB members began visiting Charduani and Kathaltali in 2010. They would call boat owners and take them on operations. On days when RAB members came to the area, two men in civilian clothes would move around in the afternoon. They would tell shopkeepers to close their shops and switch off their lights after evening.
Around 11pm to midnight, four or five RAB microbuses would arrive and stop in front of an ice factory. Detainees brought from Dhaka would then be taken from the vehicles and placed on boats. After putting the detainees on the boats, RAB members would collect cement bags, ropes and hogla mats from a shop owned by Riaz.
The boats would travel through Charduani towards the Baleshwar River. After reaching deep water, RAB members would bring detainees out and hold them down.
"Then Zia sir would shoot the detainee" Abbas testified.
After returning from the operation, the boatmen would be given Tk2,000 or Tk5,000 in envelopes by Ziaul Ahsan.
Abbas said his younger brother Alkas also worked with RAB, who would discuss RAB activities in the local market. Other boat owners warned him, saying, "RAB is very angry with you."
Sometime in mid-2011, Alkas received a phone call from someone identifying themselves as a RAB member. After having lunch, he left home.
That evening, Alkas's wife called Abbas and said, "Alkas went to Battala Manik Khal to meet Zia sir after receiving a call from RAB. Now I cannot reach him on his phone."
Abbas said they searched for Alkas at police stations and RAB offices in Khulna, Patuakhali, Barishal and Dhaka, but found no trace of him.
The family filed a general diary (GD) at Patharghata Police Station. Abbas said they asked police to include the names of Ziaul and RAB in the GD, but the names were not included.
"We never found my brother. Perhaps Alkas was also killed like the detainees. That is why I want Zia sir to be tried. I saw Zia sir at that time. He is present at the tribunal today," Abbas testified.
