The trial of Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader and six other party members commenced yesterday at the International Crimes Tribunal-2 for their alleged involvement in crimes against humanity during the July 2024 uprising.
The trial began with the prosecution presenting its written opening statement to the three-member tribunal, followed by the testimony of the first prosecution witness. However, shortly into the testimony, the hearing was adjourned until the next day at the prosecution’s request.
The initial witness, MA Razzak, is the father of Asif Iqbal, who was fatally shot during protests at Mirpur-10 in July–August 2024.
The other defendants include AFM Bahauddin Nasim, Mohammad Ali Arafat, Sheikh Fazle Shams Parash, Moinul Hossain Khan Nikhil, Saddam Hussain, and Sheikh Wali Asif Enan, who held various leadership positions within the party.
The prosecution alleges that the accused actively encouraged the use of deadly weapons against students and civilians, purportedly under the direction of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. They are also accused of supporting the government’s violent response to suppress what the prosecution described as a peaceful demonstration by unarmed individuals, which involved implementing a nationwide curfew and deploying lethal force.
Chief Prosecutor Tajul Islam, in his opening remarks, likened Hasina to a series of historical autocrats and fascists who faced trial, emphasizing that the trial held broader significance beyond this particular case.
In a separate case before ICT-2, the defence failed to produce three scheduled witnesses in the crimes against humanity trial involving JSD President Hasanul Haq Inu. The defence later requested to substitute the witnesses with alternative options, including a foreign crimes expert. The tribunal accepted two new witnesses and set the next hearing for February 22, rejecting the inclusion of the foreign expert.
