Army backs judicial proceedings: 15 army officers with arrest warrants taken into custody
Staff Reporter :
The Bangladesh Army Headquarters has announced 15 army officers, facing arrest warrants issued by the International Crimes Tribunal in separate cases related to enforced disappearances and torture during the Awami League’s tenure, have been placed under military custody.
Major General Md Hakimuzzaman, Adjutant General of the Bangladesh Army, shared the information at a press briefing held at the Officers’ Mess in Dhaka Cantonment on Saturday.
Major General Md Hakimuzzaman, said Bangladesh Army fully supports the ongoing judicial proceedings in crimes against humanity cases and remains steadfast in upholding justice.
“The Bangladesh Army is firmly committed to justice – there will be no compromise when it comes to fairness,” he stated at a press briefing held at the Officers’ Mess in Dhaka Cantonment.
“A total of 15 accused officers are now in army custody, while one remains missing. He reportedly left his residence one morning and has not returned since.
Efforts are ongoing to determine his whereabouts,” the adjutant general said.
Earlier, on 8 October, the International Crimes Tribunal-1 issued arrest warrants for 30 individuals, including ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in two separate cases related to abduction and enforced disappearance.
The warrants were sent to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and 12 other relevant offices – including the Chief of Army Staff, Chief of General Staff, Adjutant General (Army Headquarters), Director General of the DGFI, Director General of the NSI, Principal Staff Officer (Armed Forces Division), Secretary to the Chief Adviser’s Office, Director of Military Intelligence, Director of the Personnel Service Directorate (Bangladesh Army), Commandant of the Army Security Unit, Provost Marshal, and CEO of the Army MP Unit for information and necessary action.
One case accuses Hasina, her security adviser Tarique Ahmed Siddique, and 17 others of abduction and torture at the TFI Cell, while the other involves Hasina, Siddique, and 13 others in similar offences committed at the Joint Interrogation Cell.
Ex-DGFI, RAB Chiefs among the accused: In the case concerning abduction, enforced disappearance, and torture at the Rapid Action Battalion’s TFI Cell, 17 individuals have been charged with five counts of crimes against humanity.
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 the second case, filed over enforced disappearances at the Joint Interrogation Cell, 13 individuals – including Hasina – have been charged with 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 remain in active service. However, under the amended International Crimes Tribunal Act, serving officers accused in such cases are barred from holding any official position, according to prosecutor Tajul Islam.
Hasina fled to India with her sister Sheikh Rehana on 5 August last year amid a mass student-led uprising. She has remained in India since then. The whereabouts of Tarique Ahmed Siddique, however, remain unknown.
Media reports suggest that Siddique was denied citizenship in Malta but secured long-term residency in Malaysia under the country’s “Malaysia My Second Home” programme. He also holds permanent residency in Dubai, where he reportedly owns significant property and has made large-scale investments.