The trial of the Abu Sayeed murder case, which served as a turning point in the July mass uprising, has reached its concluding stage. The International Crimes Tribunal-2 (ICT-2) has fixed 20 January for the presentation of arguments regarding the case involving crimes against humanity.
The tribunal issued the order on Wednesday, following the completion of the witness testimony phase. This development moves the case into its final stage, after which it will proceed towards a verdict.
Prosecutor Gazi MH Tamim told journalists that the prosecution has finished presenting evidence, and that the defence has no witnesses. A total of 25 prosecution witnesses, including the investigating officer, testified during the proceedings.
A total of 30 individuals have been accused in this case, including Hasibur Rashid, the former vice-chancellor of Begum Rokeya University. Out of the accused, six are currently in custody, while the remaining 24 remain absconding.
The accused currently in prison are former Proctor Shariful Islam, ASI Amir Hossain, Constable Sujan Chandra Roy, Chhatra League leader Imran Chowdhury, Rafiul Hasan Russell, and Anwar Parvez.
According to court sources, state-appointed lawyers represented the absconding accused during the proceedings.
The judicial process for this case began on 6 August last year when the tribunal framed charges against the 30 accused. Previously, formal charges were taken into account on 30 June, and the prosecution delivered its opening statement on 27 August.
