The International Crimes Tribunal-1 on Wednesday (October 8) formally accepted two cases of enforced disappearances, involving allegations of crimes against humanity. A total of 30 individuals, including former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, have been named as accused, and arrest warrants have been issued.
The cases allege that during the long tenure of the Awami League government, members of opposition parties and dissenting individuals were abducted and detained at the RAB Task Force Interrogation (TFI) Cell and Joint Interrogation Center (JIC), where they were subjected to torture and other abuses.
In the first case, 17 individuals apart from Sheikh Hasina are accused of abduction, enforced disappearance, and torture. Among them are former IGP Benjir Ahmed, former RAB DG M Khurshid Hossain, Harun Or Rashid, Anwar Latif Khan, and Lt. Colonel Sarwar Bin Kashem, along with other senior officials.
The second case involves Sheikh Hasina and 13 others, accused of enforced disappearances and crimes against humanity at the JIC. Four of the accused are still serving in the military; however, under the amended law of the International Crimes Tribunal, they are barred from holding official posts, according to Chief Prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam.
Between 2009 and 2024, numerous people were reportedly subjected to enforced disappearance under the Awami League government. Many remain missing, and some were allegedly killed with their bodies concealed. Following Sheikh Hasina’s removal on August 5 last year, several survivors of enforced disappearances were released from detention, including Barrister Mir Ahmad Bin Kashem and Abdullahil Aman Azmi.
The tribunal, led by Chairman Justice Md. Golam Mortuza Majumder and a three-member bench, formally accepted the complaints and filed prosecution papers today, initiating legal proceedings in the cases.