July uprising: Hasina ordered to use lethal force

Chief Prosecutor of the International Crimes Tribunal Mohammad Aminul Islam on Sunday claimed that then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had instructed law enforcement agencies to use lethal weapons to suppress the July-August mass uprising.

He made the claim at a press conference at his office after the tribunal ordered formal charges to be framed against 28 people in a crimes against humanity case filed over the killing of nine people during the July movement in Mohammadpur, Dhaka.

Quoting what he described as a conversation between Sheikh Hasina and then Dhaka South City Corporation mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh, the Chief Prosecutor said the instruction was to use lethal weapons and shoot directly wherever protesters were found.

He termed the alleged instruction from the then head of government “inhuman and horrific”, claiming that it encouraged indiscriminate firing on students and people across the country.

A tribunal order on Sunday sent the Mohammadpur case to trial, with opening statements and witness testimony scheduled to begin on June 8.

The Chief Prosecutor said drones and helicopters were allegedly used on July 18 and 19, 2024, during firing on students and people in the Mohammadpur area, leaving many dead and injured.

Referring to the killing of Faiyaz, he said the incident deeply shocked the country.

He said the Mohammadpur case involved allegations of superior command responsibility, individual responsibility and targeted killing.

The tribunal has now framed charges in the case, and the recording of testimony will begin on June 8.