SAD seeks ICT trial for 25 business leaders over alleged support for Hasina
According to the complaint, during an internet shutdown on 22 July 2024, the businesspersons held a meeting with Hasina, where they pledged support to suppress the movement and assured her of their continued backing.
The Students Against Discrimination (SAD) platform today (13 January) filed a complaint with the International Crimes Tribunal seeking the trial of 25 leading businesspersons for allegedly aiding ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina during the July Uprising.
It submitted the complaint to the office of the tribunal's chief prosecutor, also naming an additional 200 unidentified individuals as accused.
Speaking at a press briefing afterwards, Rifat Rashid, president of SAD, said the business leaders supported Hasina at a critical moment when the movement was being suppressed.
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Those named include Beximco Group Chairman Salman F Rahman; former Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) president Mahbubul Alam; former Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) president SM Mannan Kochi; S Alam Group Chairman Mohammed Saiful Alam; Nassa Group Chairman Nazrul Islam Mazumder; and Apex Group Chairman Syed Nasim Manzur.
According to the complaint, during an internet shutdown on 22 July 2024, the businesspersons held a meeting with Hasina, where they pledged support to suppress the movement and assured her of their continued backing.
Rifat told the media that SAD has demanded action against the 25 businesspersons who expressed support for then-prime minister Hasina during the July Uprising.
Salman F Rahman, also a private industry and investment adviser to the then prime minister, allegedly moderated the meeting.
Displaying a photograph of the meeting, Rifat said, "We have this photograph, and the faces of those present are clearly visible."
He added that SAD has urged the prosecution to immediately forward the complaint to the investigating agency.
Rifat alleged, "With this Awami League money, my brother Sharif Osman Hadi was shot dead. With that same money, my sisters are being subjected to such extreme online harassment and humiliation that some are being driven to suicide."
