A Building in Dhaka Cantonment Temporarily Declared as Prison

A building in Dhaka Cantonment has been temporarily declared a prison. This information was announced in a notification issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs on Sunday.

The notification stated that “MES Building No. 54,” located north of Bashar Road in Dhaka Cantonment, has been temporarily declared a prison. The order was issued with the approval of the appropriate authority and is effective immediately.

On October 8, the International Crimes Tribunal issued arrest warrants against a total of 25 former and current army officers in two cases related to crimes against humanity during the 15 and a half years of the previous Awami League government’s rule, and in one case related to killings during the July mass uprising. On the same day, the prosecution submitted formal charges in these three cases to the tribunal.

Subsequently, on Saturday, the Bangladesh Army held a press conference and announced that 15 officers had been taken into military custody. Among them, 14 are currently serving officers, and one is on post-retirement leave (PRL).

According to a report published by Prothom Alo on October 12, the army authorities want to keep the 15 officers in custody until the trial of the three cases concerning crimes against humanity is concluded. The military’s intention is to retain custody of these accused officers until the end of the trials. On scheduled court dates, the army will produce them before the International Crimes Tribunal and take them back into custody after the proceedings.

Amid such discussions, the Ministry of Home Affairs issued the notification declaring a building in Dhaka Cantonment as a temporary prison. However, the notification did not specify who will be held in this prison.

According to sources at the Ministry of Law, if the government declares a house as a sub-jail, it can hold accused persons there. There are precedents for this. During the 2007–08 army-backed caretaker government, after the arrests of Awami League President Sheikh Hasina and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, two houses in the Parliament area were declared sub-jails and used to detain them.