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The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) has taken cognisance of formal charges against former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, former army chief General Aziz Ahmed and 39 others in a case filed over alleged crimes against humanity in connection with the 2013 Shapla Chattar violence in Motijheel, Dhaka.
The three-member ICT-2 panel, headed by Justice Md Nazrul Islam, passed the order on Monday after accepting the formal charges submitted by the prosecution.
The tribunal also issued arrest warrants against Sheikh Hasina and other absconding accused following a prosecution plea.
Among those facing arrest warrants are former army chief General Aziz Ahmed and former inspector general of police (IGP) Benazir Ahmed, along with several others.
Currently, nine accused are in custody in the case. They include former minister Dr Dipu Moni, former state minister for home affairs Shamsul Haque Tuku, retired major general Ziaul Ahsan, former IGPs AKM Shahidul Haque and Benazir Ahmed, former DIG Molya Nazrul Islam, Ekattorer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee adviser Shahriar Kabir, former DIG Abdul Jalil Mondol, and journalists Farzana Rupa and Mozammel Babu.
The other accused include several former ministers, ruling party leaders, senior police officials and security personnel, including Dr Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir, Hasanul Haq Inu, Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, Dr Abdur Razzaque, Mahbubul Alam Hanif, Hasan Mahmud, Jahangir Kabir Nanak, Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya, Omar Faruk Chowdhury, Imran H Sarker, former IGPs Hasan Mahmud Khandaker, AKM Shahidul Haque and Benazir Ahmed, former DMP commissioner-level officials, and senior military and intelligence officials.
Earlier, Chief Prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam said the prosecution had found evidence of 58 deaths in connection with the Shapla Chattar incident.
On May 5, 2013, following a daylong rally by Hefazat-e-Islam in the capital, a late-night crackdown was carried out at Shapla Chattar by law enforcement agencies, according to allegations. After the political changeover on August 5, a complaint seeking an investigation into the incident was filed with the International Crimes Tribunal by Hefazat-e-Islam.
The case is now set to move forward with the tribunal’s acceptance of the formal charges.
