ICT rejects Anisul-Salman's plea to test call recordings by foreign experts

The International Crimes Tribunal rejected an application by former law minister Anisul Huq and former prime minister's private industry and investment adviser Salman F Rahman seeking forensic examination of a phone call recording by foreign experts in a case over alleged crimes against humanity during the July uprising.

The order was passed today (4 January) by a three-member bench of International Crimes Tribunal-1, led by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mozumder, during a hearing on the defence petition seeking discharge of the accused. The tribunal also fixed 6 January for a further hearing on the discharge application.

The prosecution has submitted the phone call recording as evidence, alleging that Anisul and Salman incited the killing of students and civilians by imposing a curfew during the anti-discrimination movement. During the hearing, defence counsel Mansurul Huq Chowdhury argued that the phone call recording should be verified through voice-matching by foreign experts, but the tribunal rejected the plea, saying there was no scope for such testing at this stage. The tribunal also said Bar Council approval would be required to consider the defence's earlier request to appoint a foreign lawyer. 

As defence lawyers claimed the prosecution was pushing for a conviction, tribunal member Justice Shafiul Alam Mahmud questioned why foreign counsel had not been sought during the investigation or at the time of filing the formal charge, and said the trial would proceed under the law.

Chief Prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam then sought to begin the trial by framing charges. The defence requested more time, but the tribunal said several extensions had already been granted and allowed only a final two-day window. Objecting, the chief prosecutor said the defence was delaying the case despite having already been given 13 days.

The tribunal fixed 6 January for the next hearing and warned that no further adjournments would be allowed, citing directives from the chief justice that cases cannot be deferred except in exceptional circumstances.

Earlier, on 22 December, the chief prosecutor moved to begin trial proceedings by framing charges against Salman F Rahman and Anisul Huq, reading out the allegations, playing an audio recording of their phone conversation, and outlining five charges.

The formal charge was submitted on 4 December and later taken into cognisance by the tribunal.

The prosecution alleges that during the July-August student-led movement, the two discussed "finishing off" protesters during the curfew, after which students and civilians were allegedly killed in Dhaka and elsewhere, amounting to incitement to murder and crimes against humanity. Both accused were produced before the tribunal from prison during Sunday's hearing.