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The prosecution has concluded its hearing on the framing of charges against 19 accused in a crimes against humanity case over the killing of student Shaikh Ashhabul Yamin and 21 others during the crackdown on the anti-discrimination student movement in Savar and Ashulia.
The International Crimes Tribunal-1 on Sunday (October 18) set October 27 for the next hearing after the defence sought more time.
Prosecutor Gazi MH Tamim presented arguments for the prosecution. Other members of the prosecution team, including Shahidul Islam Sardar, Abdus Sattar Palowan, Mamunur Rashid, Moinul Karim and Zahirul Amin, were also present.
Lawyer Amir Hossain and other defence counsel took part in the hearing. Seven accused currently in custody were produced before the tribunal.
The tribunal had previously scheduled the hearing for October 18 on September 23. The prosecution concluded its arguments on Sunday before the defence began its submissions and sought an adjournment.
On September 7, the tribunal ordered the appointment of state-funded lawyers for 13 fugitive accused and set a date for hearings on the formal charges.
The prosecution filed formal charges against 19 people, including former lawmaker Muhammad Saiful Islam, in the crimes against humanity case over Yamin’s killing. The tribunal took cognisance of the charges on July 26.
The accused include former Dhaka Range Deputy Inspector General of Police Syed Nurul Islam, former Dhaka district police superintendent Md Asaduzzaman, former additional superintendent of police Md Abdullahil Kafi, former Savar Circle additional superintendent Shahidul Islam and former Savar Police Station officer-in-charge Md Shahjahan.
Other accused include former police personnel, local political leaders and former public representatives.
According to the case allegations, Yamin, a fourth-year computer science and engineering student at the Military Institute of Science and Technology (MIST), joined the student movement’s “Complete Shutdown” programme on July 18, 2024. He was seriously injured by police gunfire in Savar that day and later died.
Witness accounts and the case allegations state that his body was placed on a police armoured vehicle and later dragged off and thrown to the ground. A video of the incident subsequently circulated on social media.
The case also concerns the deaths of 21 other people in shootings at protesters in Savar and Ashulia during the same period.
The tribunal is now hearing arguments on whether to frame charges against the accused. The defence is scheduled to continue its submissions on October 27.