Brigadier General (retired) Abdullahil Amaan Azmi, who was a victim of enforced disappearance, appeared as the third prosecution witness at the International Crimes Tribunal-1. He testified in a case involving the enforced disappearance and illegal confinement of 24 individuals at the Joint Interrogation Cell (JIC) operated by the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) during the Awami League administration.
Azmi disclosed during his testimony that he was kept in a dark cell devoid of natural light or air for 2,908 days, isolated from the outside world. He recounted enduring severe physical and mental anguish, inadequate food and medical attention, and constant disruptive mechanical noise that caused headaches and impaired his hearing significantly. The purpose of the noise, he stated, was to prevent screams from being heard outside the facility during interrogations.
The son of the late Ghulam Azam, a former Jamaat-e-Islami leader convicted of war crimes, Azmi’s testimony implicated three of the 13 defendants in the case, including Maj Gen Sheikh Md Sarwar Hossain and Brigadier Generals Md Mahbub Rahman Siddique and Ahmed Tanvir Majahar Siddique. Notably, other accused individuals, such as the deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina, were reported as absconding.
Azmi recounted the night of his abduction, stating that around 50-60 unidentified individuals in plain clothes forcibly entered his residence in Boro Moghbazar on August 22, 2016. Despite his compliance with their demands to be handcuffed, blindfolded, and taken away, he highlighted the absence of proper identification or an arrest warrant. Azmi mentioned recognizing one of the individuals as Lt Col Makhsurul from the DGFI, who reportedly verbally abused him.
Describing his captivity, Azmi recalled being taken to a secret detention center near Station Officers’ Mess-B within Dhaka Cantonment, where he was confined to Cell No-11 labeled as “VIP.” He shared details of the substandard food quality, inadequate medical care, and various health issues he endured during his captivity, including eye, ear, and dental problems, along with skin diseases and gastric ailments.
Additionally, Azmi claimed that he was dismissed from the Bangladesh Army by the then AL government on June 24, 2009, without any formal charges, investigation, or trial. He alleged being deprived of pension benefits, restricted from entering cantonment areas, and subjected to intelligence surveillance and harassment for over seven years before being abducted.
The tribunal scheduled the continuation of Azmi’s testimony for the following day to conclude the deposition process.
