Sentence me to death: Latif
The International Crimes Tribunal on Thursday ordered former minister Abdul Latif Siddiqui to be shown arrested and sent to jail in a crimes-against-humanity case over the violence surrounding Hefazat-e-Islam’s rally at Shapla Chattar in Dhaka on May 5, 2013.
The three-member tribunal, led by Justice Nazrul Islam Chowdhury, passed the order after hearing a prosecution petition.
Latif Siddiqui was produced before the tribunal around 1:00pm.
During the hearing, Latif Siddiqui’s lawyer requested that he be allowed to address the court. After the tribunal rejected the request, Latif Siddiqui spoke into the microphone in the dock, saying, “My Lord, I seek your attention.”
As he repeated the statement several times, the tribunal responded: “Who is speaking? Who allowed him to speak? That’s enough for today.”
Latif Siddiqui then said, “Alas! If this is the court, where am I to go?”
According to the prosecution, an arrest warrant had previously been issued against him in the case.
The Detective Branch of Dhaka Metropolitan Police arrested him from his Gulshan residence on Wednesday evening to execute the warrant.
On July 27, Tribunal-2 took cognisance of the formal charges and issued arrest warrants against 31 accused, including ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
It also ordered 10 others to appear before the tribunal and fixed August 16 for the next hearing.
Several accused, including former minister Dipu Moni, former state minister Shamsul Haque Tuku, retired major general Ziaul Ahsan, former IGP AKM Shahidul Haque, Shahriar Kabir, former DIG Abdul Jalil Mondal, journalist Farzana Rupa and Mozammel Babu, are already in custody.
The formal charges contain two allegations of crimes against humanity.
The first concerns the alleged killing of 32 people at Shapla Chattar on May 5, 2013.
The second relates to the killing of 20 people, including Sadek Mia, in Siddhirganj, Narayanganj, on May 6, along with deaths reported in other parts of the country.
The charges also allege that several people were shot and seriously injured in attacks and torture.
The prosecution said the alleged acts constituted crimes against humanity, including murder, attempted murder, torture and persecution on political and religious grounds.
