The International Crimes Tribunal-1 on Thursday began the trial against deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina, her former defence adviser retired major general Tarique Ahmed Siddique, and 11 serving and former army officers.
The 13 accused faced charges of crimes against humanity, including abduction, detention and torture of people with dissenting views against the Awami League.
This is the second enforced disappearance case linked to the Joint Interrogation Cell at the DGFI's secret detention facility during the 15-year authoritarian regime of the Hasina-led Awami League.
The three-judge bench, led by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mozumder, started the trial proceedings against them after rejecting discharge petitions filed by the accused.
The prosecution alleged that the crimes were committed at the Joint Interrogation Cell of the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence inside Dhaka Cantonment.
The prosecution brought five charges in the case. On December 7, Chief Prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam argued for framing charges, presenting accounts of alleged abduction and torture of government critics at the JIC.
Earlier, chief prosecutor Muhammad Tajul Islam read out excerpts from the 81-page charge sheet against Hasina, Tarique Siddique and the 11 former army officers, and urged the tribunal to frame charges against them for superior command responsibility.
He also placed before the tribunal details of 26 individuals who were allegedly forcibly disappeared between October 22, 2015 and August 4, 2024. Based on these allegations, the prosecution sought the framing of charges against all 13 accused.
According to the charges, 26 people, including Azmi, Michael Chakma and executed BNP leader Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury's son Hummam Quader Chowdhury, were forcibly disappeared, abducted, tortured and illegally detained at the JIC between July 2, 2017 and March 4, 2020.
Three army officers have been arrested in connection with the case. They are former DGFI director Major General Sheikh Md Sarwar Hossain, Brigadier General Md Mahbubur Rahman Siddique, and Brigadier General Ahmed Tanvir Majhar Siddique. All three were produced before the tribunal on Thursday.
The fugitive accused include Sheikh Hasina; her former defence affairs adviser retired maj gen Tarik Ahmed Siddique; former DGFI director general lieutenant general (retd) Md Akbar Hossain; former DGFI director general major general (retd) Saiful Abedin; lieutenant general (retd) Md Saiful Alam; former DGFI director general lieutenant general (retd) Ahmed Tabrez Shams Chowdhury; former DGFI director general major general (retd) Hamidul Haque; major general (retd) Mohammad Towhid-ul Islam; Major General Kabir Ahmed; and retired lieutenant colonel Makhsurul Haque.
