15 Army Officers Sent to Prison in Three 'Crimes Against Humanity' Cases

The International Crimes Tribunal has sent 15 army officers, who were in custody, to prison in connection with three cases filed over enforced disappearances, murders, and torture allegedly committed during the tenure of the Awami League government. The order was issued by Tribunal-1, headed by Justice Md. Golam Mortuza Mojumdar, on Wednesday (October 22) morning.

After 7:00 AM, the army officers were brought to the tribunal in a prison van under tight security. They were in civilian clothes at the time. Following the hearing, the tribunal ordered them to be sent to jail. Later, around 10:00 AM, prison authorities transported them in a prison van to a sub-jail within the Dhaka Cantonment.

Md. Jahangir Kabir, Additional Inspector General of Prisons, stated that necessary security and personnel have been deployed for detaining the officers in the said sub-jail (temporary prison) within the cantonment.

A total of 28 individuals have been accused in these three cases. Among them, 10 accused, including former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, former IGP Benazir Ahmed, and former Defence Advisor Major General (Retd.) Tarique Ahmed Siddique, have been declared absconders, and the tribunal has ordered their notification through newspaper advertisements.

The 15 army officers in custody include:

• Major General Sheikh Md. Sarwar Hossain
• Brigadier General Md. Jahangir Alam
• Brigadier General Tofayel Mostafa Sarwar
• Brigadier General Md. Kamrul Hasan
• Brigadier General Md. Mahbub Alam
• Brigadier General Md. Mahbubur Rahman Siddique
• Brigadier General Ahmed Tanvir Majahar Siddiquee
• Brigadier KM Azad
• Colonel Abdullah Al Momen
• Colonel Anwar Latif Khan
• Lieutenant Colonel Md. Moshior Rahman
• Lieutenant Colonel Saiful Islam Sumon
• Lieutenant Colonel Md. Sarwar Bin Kashem
• Lieutenant Colonel Mohammad Redwanul Islam
• Major Rafat Bin Alam Moon

According to court sources, two of these three cases involve incidents of torture and enforced disappearance in the custody of RAB’s Task Force Interrogation (TFI) cell and the Army’s Joint Interrogation Cell (JIC). The other case concerns the killing of 28 individuals in the Rampura and Banasree areas of the capital during the July uprising.

On October 8, after the prosecution formally submitted charges, the tribunal issued arrest warrants. On October 11, in a press conference, the Army announced that the 15 officers named in the arrest warrants had been taken into custody. The next day, the Ministry of Home Affairs temporarily declared a building in Dhaka Cantonment as a prison.

Strict security measures have been imposed by the Army Headquarters, the tribunal, and law enforcement agencies over this matter.