ICT issues arrest warrants against Sheikh Hasina, Tarique Siddique over enforced disappearances
Among the accused are five former directors general of the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI)
Formal charges have been filed with the International Crimes Tribunal-1 (ICT-1) against former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, her security and defence adviser Tarique Ahmed Siddique, and 28 others over allegations of enforced disappearances during the Awami League's rule.
Among the accused are five former directors general of the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI).
After the prosecution submitted the charges today (8 October), the tribunal led by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mojumder took the cases into cognisance and issued arrest warrants against all the accused.
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According to prosecution sources, the charges name Sheikh Hasina as the prime accused in crimes against humanity cases involving the abduction and torture of opposition figures, who were allegedly detained in secret cells operated by the Rapid Action Battalion's Taskforce for Interrogation (TFI) during the Awami League's rule.
Chief Prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam said two separate sets of formal charges were submitted to the registrar of the tribunal. One case accuses Sheikh Hasina, Tarique Siddique, and 17 others of abduction and torture in the TFI cell, while the other involves Hasina, Tarique, and 13 others in similar offences committed in the Joint Interrogation Cell (JIC).
During the hearing, the chief prosecutor appeared on behalf of the prosecution and presented the allegations before the tribunal. He described in detail the harrowing accounts of abduction, secret detention, and torture of individuals with dissenting political or ideological views — including political and cultural activists, writers, and journalists — allegedly committed during the Awami League government's rule.
Ex-DGFI, RAB chiefs among accused
In the case concerning abduction, enforced disappearances, and torture in the Rapid Action Battalion's TFI cell, 17 individuals have been charged with five counts of crimes.
The accused in this case are: Sheikh Hasina, Tarique Ahmed Siddique, former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, former inspector general of police Benazir Ahmed, former RAB director general M Khurshid Hossain, former RAB director general Barrister Harun ur Rashid, Colonel Anwar Latif Khan, Brigadier General Jahangir Alam, Tofayel Mostafa Sarwar, RAB officer KM Azad, Brigadier General Kamrul Hasan, Mahbub Alam, Abdullah Al Momen, Sarwar Bin Kashem, Khairul Islam, Moshiur Rahman Jewel, and Saiful Islam Suman.
In another case filed over enforced disappearances at the JIC, 13 individuals, including Sheikh Hasina, have been accused of crimes against humanity.
The accused in that case are: Sheikh Hasina, Tarique Ahmed Siddique, former DGFI director general Lt Gen (retd) Mohammad Akbar Hossain, former DG Maj Gen (retd) Saiful Abedin, Lt Gen (retd) Md Saiful Alam, former DG Lt Gen Tabrez Shams Chowdhury, former DG Maj Gen (retd) Hamidul Haque, Maj Gen Towhidul Islam, Maj Gen Sarwar Hossain, Maj Gen Kabir Ahmed, Brig Gen Mahbubur Rahman Siddique, Brig Gen Ahmed Tanvir Majhar Siddique, and Lt Col (retd) Makhsurul Haque.
Among them, four army officers are currently in active service. However, under the amended International Crimes Tribunal Act, serving officers accused in such cases are not permitted to hold any official post, Tazul Islam said.
Tarique Ahmed Siddique, a retired major general of Bangladesh Army, was the defence and security adviser to the former prime minister Sheikh Hasina for long.
Sheikh Hasina fled to India with her sister Sheikh Rehana on 5 August last year in the face of a mass uprising led by students. She has been in India since then. However, the whereabouts of Tarique Siddique remain unknown.
According to media reports, Siddique was denied citizenship in Malta, but he and his family have obtained long-term residency in Malaysia under the country's "Malaysia My Second Home" programme. Additionally, Siddique holds permanent residency in Dubai, where he owns substantial property and has made large investments.
