‘July uprising can’t be questioned in court’

Staff Reporter :

The Chief Prosecutor of the International Crimes Tribunal, Mohammad Tajul Islam, has asserted that the July uprising in Bang-ladesh cannot be questioned in any court, calling attempts to undermine it “audacious.”

He stressed that the movement, recognised through the July Charter and July Declaration, constitutes a national liberation struggle.

Tajul Islam made the remarks on Thursday during a hearing on charges of crimes against humanity against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s advisor, Salman F Rahman, and former law minister Anisul Haq. The case involves allegations that a curfew was imposed during the July uprising to facilitate killings.

During the hearing, the defence argued that the movement disrupted public life and that the curfew had been imposed to protect citizens. Responding, Tajul Islam told the two-member tribunal, led by Justice Golam Mortuza Majumder, that such claims were audacious.

He said the uprising could not be labeled a terrorist movement and that the curfew was unlawful, imposed to suppress protesters and enable mass killings.

“These freedom-seeking protesters were demanding a legitimate cause. No one can question this movement,” he said. He further noted that political parties recognise the July-August uprising, along with the July Charter and Declaration, as part of the national liberation struggle.

Highlighting the violence, Tajul Islam said, “Unarmed people were killed like birds. Children were killed. People were burned alive. The injured were shot at point-blank range. The curfew was never for public safety but to carry out mass killings.”

He also presented evidence showing that the accused coordinated via phone to suppress the protests after internet services were shut down. “Phone call records from NTMC show state surveillance without legal authority. The perpetrators fell into the trap they set themselves. NTMC documented their crimes as if angels recording deeds,” he added.

The tribunal has scheduled the indictment of Salman F Rahman and Anisul Haq for 12 January. This morning, both accused were brought under heavy security from prison.

The prosecution had requested proceedings to begin on 4 January, while the defence, through lawyer Monsurul Haq Chowdhury, contested the indictment and sought exemptions for the two accused.