The International Crimes Tribunal-1 (ICT-1) on Wednesday started trial procedures against Sajeeb Wazed Joy, son of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina and her former ICT adviser, and former state minister for ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak in a case over alleged crimes against humanity committed during the July mass uprising.
The tribunal, led by Justice Golam Mortuza Mozumder, framed three charges against them, rejecting their discharge applications.
The trial will be going on showing joy fugitive. Palak was produced before the tribunal during the hearing.
When a tribunal member asked Palak whether he pleaded guilty at the charge-framing stage, he replied the allegations against him were totally false and that he did not plead guilty.
Earlier, on Jan 11, Chief Prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam held a hearing on the framing of charges against the accused. On that day, he read out the three charges and sought the start of trial proceedings against the two accused.
The three charges allege that Palak incited violence on Facebook on the night of July 14, 2024, acting on Joy’s instructions. As a result, on Jul y15, police, along with armed members of the Awami League and the Chhatra League, attacked protesters at Dhaka University and in other areas.
The charges further allege that the two suspects instigated and provoked the use of lethal weapons by shutting down the internet.
According to the third charge, they also aided and abetted 34 killings in Uttara.
TF
