Major establishments, including metro rail stations, various government buildings and the BTV building, were attacked, vandalised, and set ablaze during the 2024 July uprising, as part of a deep-rooted conspiracy to place blame on the protesters, says the investigation agency of the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in its probe report.
The report, submitted to the ICT Chief Prosecutor’s Office on Monday, adds that ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, along with key accomplices, orchestrated attacks on vital installations using her own associates, with the intention of blaming participants in the student-led mass movement.
The formal trial is expected to commence following the upcoming Eid-ul-Azha, as the ICT prosecution team is preparing to submit the charge sheet later this month.
In addition to Hasina, the report identifies former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and the then Inspector General of Police (IGP) Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun as co-accused.
The investigation agency has brought five allegations of crimes against humanity against the ousted prime minister, linked to mass killings carried out by her government to suppress the 2024 uprising. According to the report, Hasina personally ordered the killings.
ICT Chief Prosecutor Advocate Muhammad Tajul Islam disclosed details of the probe report during a press conference, where other ICT prosecutors were also present.
The investigation was completed within six months and 28 days from its commencement. Based on the findings, the report identifies Sheikh Hasina, along with Kamal and Al-Mamun, as the masterminds and superior commanders who issued the orders for the atrocities.
The chief prosecutor stated that the first charge accuses the former prime minister of inciting and provoking crimes against humanity through her press conference on 14 July, where she referred to the protesting students as the “grandchildren of Razakars” (wartime collaborators).
The second charge alleges that Hasina deployed law enforcement and intelligence agencies against the protesting students. Members of the Awami League and its affiliated organisations, including Jubo League and Chhatra League, armed themselves and attacked the demonstrators. The attacks resulted in deaths and injuries, which the investigation agency classifies as crimes against humanity.
Hasina is also accused of directly ordering crimes against humanity. Investigators claim to have obtained recordings of telephonic conversations in which she instructed state agencies to eliminate all protestors using helicopters, drones, armoured personnel carriers (APCs), and lethal weapons.
Advocate Tajul Islam said the remaining three charges relate to specific incidents, although he did not provide further details at the briefing. The submitted evidence will now be examined, and if found adequate, formal charges will be filed with the tribunal. “We will try to file the charge sheet within two to three weeks,” he added.
The chief prosecutor further stated that the investigation agency claims to possess evidence that Hasina instructed her associates to attack government buildings to discredit the protestors – orders allegedly documented in her phone records.
According to the probe report, approximately 1,500 individuals were killed, and over 25,000 were shot and injured. It further alleges that women were subjected to violence, children were deliberately targeted and killed, and both the living and deceased were burnt together. Injured individuals were reportedly denied access to hospitals, medical care, and even post-mortem examinations.
In response to a journalist’s question, Advocate Tajul Islam clarified that, while the case is not classified as genocide, it is being pursued as involving ‘crimes against humanity’ under international law.
Three cases have been filed against Sheikh Hasina with the ICT. The second case pertains to enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings during the 15 and a half years of Awami League rule. The third case involves the killings that occurred during the Hefazat-e-Islam rally at Shapla Chattar in Motijheel in 2013.
Bd-pratidin English/ Afia
