The International Crimes Tribunal-2 has ordered the arrest of former army officer Lieutenant General (retd) Masud Uddin Chowdhury, a key figure associated with the 2007-2008 caretaker government regime, in a case of crimes against humanity committed during the July uprising.
The tribunal on Thursday also granted permission for his one-day interrogation.
Prosecutor Mizanul Islam confirmed the matter to TIMES, stating that the prosecution had applied to show Chowdhury as arrested and to seek authorisation for questioning. The court granted both requests.
The tribunal has set 21 July as the date for submitting the investigation report in the case.
At the time of his arrest, details regarding the specific charges had not been fully disclosed.
The controversial former general, widely known as one of the key operatives of the “1/11” caretaker government regime, was initially arrested on the night of 23 March from his home in the Baridhara DOHS area of the capital.
On 11 January 2007, when the army-backed caretaker government took office, Masud Uddin Chowdhury was serving as the general officer commanding (GOC) of the 9th Infantry Division of the Bangladesh Army. He was promoted from Major General to Lieutenant General later that same year.
Various media reports have identified Chowdhury as one of the key organisers during that political crisis.
Following his military career, he entered politics. He was elected as a Member of Parliament from the Feni-3 constituency in the 2018 national election on a Jatiya Party nomination. He was re-elected from the same constituency as a Jatiya Party candidate in the subsequent 2024 national election.
No immediate comment was available from the former general or his legal representatives regarding the tribunal’s order.
