Palak’s lawyer claims government met July uprising demands

Lawyer Liton Ahmed, representing former state minister for information and communication technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak, has claimed that the government had fulfilled the demands of protesters during the July-August mass uprising in 2024.

He made the claim while cross-examining the 11th prosecution witness for the second consecutive day at the International Crimes Tribunal-1 on Monday.

The case concerns alleged crimes against humanity involving an internet shutdown and killings during the July uprising. Former prime minister Sheikh Hasina's son, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, is also an accused in the case.

The witness, whose identity has been withheld for security reasons, was a coordinator at BRAC University at the time. He testified on October 19.

During cross-examination, Liton asked the witness about the history of the quota system and the developments surrounding the 2024 quota reform movement.

The witness said he could not recall when the quota system was introduced. However, he said the quota system for first- and second-class government jobs had been abolished in 2018.

He also said the High Court had reinstated the quota system on June 5, 2024, declaring the earlier cancellation order illegal. He could not recall whether anyone had appealed against the High Court order or the quota percentage retained by the Appellate Division in its July 21 ruling.

Asked whether the government had repeatedly invited protesters to hold peace talks during the movement, the witness said he could not remember.

At this point, Liton claimed that the government had fulfilled the protesters' demands but they had continued their movement.

The witness rejected the claim, saying protesters had also taken to the streets to protest attacks on demonstrators, injuries and deaths, and violence against women, alongside their demands for quota reform.

He said he was not affiliated with any political party and was not a political activist during the movement.

Regarding coordination among protesters, the witness said they used Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp and Telegram, provided internet services remained available.

He said they did not use IMO, Zoom, Skype or Yolla. He also denied that coordinators had used social media to contact protesters to increase participation, saying people had joined the movement voluntarily.

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