The International Crimes Tribunal has ordered that 15 former and serving army officers, currently in custody in connection with three war crimes cases, be sent to jail. However, the decision on which prison they will be held in will be made by the prison authorities, said Chief Prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam.
On Wednesday morning, a three-member judicial panel of the International Crimes Tribunal-1, led by Chairman Justice Md Golam Mortuza Majumder, issued the order to send the accused officers to jail. Speaking to journalists after the order, Chief Prosecutor Tajul Islam said, “The court has directed that the army officers be sent to custody. ‘Custody’ means they will now come under the authority of the prison administration.”
He further explained, “It is the prison authorities who will decide in which facility the accused will be kept—whether in a central jail, a sub-jail, in Dhaka, Chattogram, or elsewhere. This decision does not fall under the court’s jurisdiction; it lies with the government and the Department of Prisons.”
The Chief Prosecutor also added that the court’s responsibility ends with sending the accused into custody. “From that point on, their detention, transfer, and court appearances are entirely under the authority and discretion of the prison administration,” he said.