International Crimes Tribunal-2 on Tuesday ordered the publication of notices in two national dailies, asking seven individuals, including Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader, to appear before the tribunal by 8 January.
The order relates to a crimes against humanity case linked to the July mass uprising.
The other accused are Awami League Joint General Secretary AFM Bahauddin Nasim, former State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Mohammad Ali Arafat, Jubo League President Sheikh Fazle Shams Parash and General Secretary Mainul Hossain Khan Nikhil, and banned Bangladesh Chhatra League President Saddam Hossain and General Secretary Wali Asif Inan, prosecutor Abdullah Al Noman said.
According to the prosecution, Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader, as an influential minister of the then government, played a key role in planning, directing and executing the mass killings that took place in Bangladesh in July–August.
It said other party leaders, particularly Awami League Joint General Secretary AFM Bahauddin Nasim and former State Minister for Information Mohammad Ali Arafat, were directly involved throughout the process and facilitated the killings.
The prosecution said that alongside police and other forces, the Awami League, Jubo League and Chhatra League acted as auxiliary forces, directly participating in attacks and brutally carrying out killings, torture and maiming to suppress the student–public movement.
It said Obaidul Quader has been made an accused on the grounds of command responsibility, adding that the other accused are also top leaders of their respective organisations and have been charged on the same basis.
Earlier, on 18 December, the tribunal took cognisance of the prosecution’s formal charges and issued arrest warrants against Obaidul Quader and six others after a hearing on a prosecution petition.
Law enforcement agencies were instructed to arrest the accused and produce them before the court on 29 December, but as they failed to do so, the tribunal ordered the publication of a newspaper notice directing them to appear.
Prosecutor Abdullah Al Noman briefed journalists on the order.
