Supreme Court Advocate Mohammad Tazul Islam has said that former army officer Major General (retd) Ziaul Ahsan played an epic role in enforced disappearances and killings with the support and patronage of the fallen Awami League government.
He said Ziaul’s crimes are beyond imagination. Although information about all his crimes has not been found, what has been uncovered is sufficient for punishment. For this reason, a separate case has been filed against him without involving other cases.
Tajul Islam made the remarks on Sunday while arguing in favour of framing charges before the three-member International Crimes Tribunal-1 led by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Majumdar.
After the prosecution’s hearing, 8 January was fixed for the defence hearing.
Tajul Islam said families do not know whether victims of enforced disappearance are alive or dead. In some cases, a child was very young when the father was disappeared, and that child has now grown into youth, but the father has still not returned. If such crimes are not tried, humanity will collapse, he said. The chief prosecutor also read out parts of the charges brought against the accused in court.
Earlier, on 23 December, the tribunal fixed 4 January for the hearing on framing charges, and accordingly the hearing was held on Sunday. Ziaul Ahsan has been shown as arrested in the case. Lawyer Naznin Nahar appeared for the defence at the tribunal.
Previously, on 17 December, the tribunal took cognisance of three formal charges brought by the prosecution against Ziaul Ahsan.
According to the prosecution, Ziaul Ahsan served as director of the intelligence wing and additional director general (operations) of RAB from 2009 to 2016.
During this period, he directly participated in numerous enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings, and countless killings, disappearances and other crimes against humanity were carried out by trusted RAB members on his direct orders, with his approval and knowledge.
