Hasina faces 3 more ICT cases
Court Correspondent :
Three more complaints were filed on Thursday with the International Crimes Tribunal against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on charges related to crimes against humanity and genocide during the mass uprising.
Her cabinet members and party leaders were also sued by family members of three people killed in Dhaka’s Savar, Ashulia and Uttara area between July 15 and August 5 this year in the cases filed with the tribunal’s investigation agency.
Ataur Rahman, Deputy Director (Admin) of the investigation agency, confirmed they recorded the complaints and launched investigations.
With these, Hasina is facing 12 complaints over crimes against humanity and genocide, including 11 in connection with the student-led movement and the other centering the Hefajat-e-Islam rally in Dhaka in May 2013. She is currently in India after fleeing Bangladesh on August 5 following the uprising.
It was the Hasina-led Awami League government that formed the International Crimes Tribunal in March 2010 to try the war criminals of 1971. Six Jamaat-e-Islami and BNP leaders were executed following ICT verdicts for their crimes during the Liberation War.
Families of victims started filing complaints against Hasina and others with the ICT after Law Adviser Asif Nazrul on August 15 said the interim government decided to try them at the tribunal for the killings during the mass uprising.
Meanwhile, a case was filed in Rajshahi against Hasina and 177 others over the 2015 murder of a BNP leader.
Hasina is now facing at least 129 cases, mostly on murder charges. Such a spree of filing cases against Hasina and others has prompted experts and the interim government to issue warnings.
In a press release on Wednesday, the National Human Rights Commission said putting people’s names as accused in an uncontrolled manner may weaken the cases.
“Inconsistent and deliberate cases aimed at harassment are not acceptable in any way,” the commission said, calling for filing cases on specific charges. It also urged the law enforcement agencies to refrain from making arrests just because of these cases.
Of the three latest ICT cases, Supreme Court lawyer Abdus Sattar Palwan filed a complaint on behalf of Sayeda Akhter, sister of Anhaf Abir Ashrafullah of Delduar Upazila of Tangail, against Hasina and 35 others.
Ahhaf, a third-year student of Manarath International University, was shot dead at Baipail in Ashulia on August 5. The other accused include former ministers Obaidul Quader, Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, Zunaid Ahmed Palak, Mohammad Ali Arafat, top former police officers, and leaders of the Awami League and its front organizations from Savar upazila.
Khairul Islam, brother of Saiful Islam Sekul of Durgapur upazila in Netrokona, filed another complaint with the ICT against Hasina and 22 others.
Saiful, an expatriate from Malaysia, was shot dead in Uttara on August 5.
Apart from Hasina, former ministers Quader, Asaduzzaman, Anisul Huq, Hasan Mahmud, Hasanul Haq Inu, Matia Chowdhury, Abdur Razzaque, Mohibul Hassan Chowdhoury, Zunaid Ahmed Palak, Mohammad Ali Arafat, former IGP Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, former DB Chief Harunor Rashid, former DMP Commissioner Habibur Rahman, former Director General of RAB Harun-Or-Rashid, the then officer in charge of Uttara East Police Station, Chhatra League President Saddam Hossain and General Secretary Sheikh Wali Asif Inan, former Netrokonal Awami League MPs Ahamed Hossain, Ashim Kumar Ukil, Mostak Ahmed Ruhi and Sajjadul Hassan, and former Awami Jubo Mohila League General Secretary Apu Ukil were made accused in the complaint.
The third ICT case against Hasina and the 22 others was filed by Bachchu Sarker, the father of Mehedi Hasan of Netrokona’s Kalmakanda upazila who was shot dead by law enforcement agencies in the Savar Bazar Road area on July 20.
The same people were accused in the cases filed by Khairul and Bachchu.
In Rajshahi, the murder case was filed by Most Masufa, wife of slain ward unit BNP leader Majir Uddin, at Puthia Police Station on Wednesday night. Besides Hasina and the 177 others, including former ministers Quader, Asaduzzaman and former State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam, Masufa accused 260 unnamed people of killing her husband, said Kabir Hossain, OC of the police station.