The defence, in the Task Force for Interrogation (TFI) cell enforced disappearance case, has claimed that prosecution witness Barrister Mir Ahmad Bin Quasem Arman had not been disappeared by law enforcement agencies, but had instead been hiding.
During cross-examination at the International Crimes Tribunal-1 (ICT-1) on Sunday, defence lawyer Aminul Gani Tito also dismissed the accounts in Arman’s book, Witness of Aynaghar, Eight Years of Disappeared Life, as entirely false – a claim the witness firmly denied.
Presided over by the tribunal, the proceedings involve allegations of crimes against humanity against 17 individuals, including ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and several military officials. The tribunal has fixed 10 March for the continuation of the cross-examination.
In response to further questioning, Arman stated that while the investigating officer had requested a towel (gamcha), lungi, and t-shirt he wore during his time in custody, he was unable to provide them as they had not been preserved.
He rejected the defence’s suggestion that he had intentionally destroyed these items to suppress evidence.
Previously, on 21 January, Arman testified as the first prosecution witness, providing a detailed account of his alleged abduction from his residence on the night of 9 August 2016 by individuals identifying themselves as members of law enforcement.
The formal trial for this case began on 22 December last year with the framing of five charges regarding crimes against humanity at the TFI cell.
Of the 17 accused in the case, 10 military officers are currently in custody: Colonel Anwar Latif Khan, Colonel Md Jahangir Alam, Colonel Tofayel Mostafa Sarwar, Colonel KM Azad, Colonel Md Kamrul Hasan, Colonel Md Mahabub Alam, Colonel Mohammad Abdullah Al Momen, Lieutenant Colonel Md Sarwar Bin Kashem, Lieutenant Colonel Md. Mashiur Rahman Jewel, and Lieutenant Colonel Saiful Islam Suman.
The remaining seven accused are currently fugitives.
This list includes Sheikh Hasina, former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, Major General (retd) Tarique Ahmed Siddique, former IGP Benazir Ahmed, former Additional IGP M Khurshid Hossain, former additional IGP Barrister Md Harun-or-Rashid, and Lieutenant Colonel Md Khairul Islam.
