Iqbal Chowdhury, a prosecution witness from Brahmanbaria’s Nabinagar area, has provided a harrowing account of his time in enforced disappearance at the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT).
Testifying about his experiences at the Joint Interrogation Centre (JIC), operated by the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI), he on Thursday described a life of severe physical and mental torture.
“This is the court, and this is where judgment happens. No one leaves,” Chowdhury recalled being told by his captors during his confinement. He further noted hearing individuals speaking in Hindi within the facility.
The testimony was delivered before International Crimes Tribunal-1 during a hearing on crimes against humanity related to enforced disappearances at the JIC. The case names ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina and 12 current and former army officers as accused.
While Chowdhury’s deposition began on 2 March, the proceedings have been adjourned until 30 March for his cross-examination. The trial formally commenced on 18 December following the framing of charges.
During his interrogation, captors questioned why Chowdhury, despite being a freedom fighter, wrote against the then Awami League government and Indian hegemony on Facebook.
He testified that he was brutally beaten with thick sticks on his knees, lower legs, and ankles for speaking out against India after having received training there during the liberation war. The assault left his legs severely swollen and discoloured.
The witness detailed further “inhumane” torture, including the use of pliers on his left ring finger and electric shocks delivered via clips attached to his finger and right ear. These actions resulted in partial damage to his fingernail and a loss of sensation in his left hand.
Chowdhury identified his place of captivity through various auditory cues, such as the sounds of trains, helicopters, and aircraft.
He eventually deduced he was being held at or near the DGFI headquarters in the Kafrul area of the Cantonment after hearing election campaign announcements over loudspeakers in the evenings.
During his detention, he also encountered an acquaintance, Lt Col Hasinur Rahman, near a bathroom, though both feigned non-recognition.
Seven or eight days later, two men entered his room at night, blindfolded and handcuffed him, and informed him that the “highest authority” had ordered his release on the condition that he remain silent about his disappearance.
Closing his testimony, Chowdhury demanded justice for the physical and mental persecution he endured.
He held ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, Major General Tarique Ahmed Siddique, the then director general of DGFI, and the officials in charge of the JIC at the time responsible for his ordeal.
