During the July mass uprising, internet services in Bangladesh were shut down on the instructions of then state minister for ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak, a Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) official has told the International Crimes Tribunal.
The statement was made on Thursday during a hearing at International Crimes Tribunal-1, where the BTRC official testified as the fourth witness in a case involving crimes against humanity. The prosecution requested that the witness’s identity not be disclosed for security reasons.
In the case, former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s son Sajeeb Wazed Joy is also among the accused, alongside Palak.
In his deposition, the witness said he received a phone call at 7pm on 18 July 2024, from then BTRC Director General Kazi Mostafizur Rahman. He was informed that BTRC Chairman Md Mohiuddin Ahmed had been instructed by Palak to shut down upstream bandwidth provided by International Terrestrial Cable (ITC) operators.
According to the witness, he was instructed to create a WhatsApp group to communicate the directive to ITC operators. He then created a group titled “18 July ITC Operations” using his official mobile number.
Representatives of ITC operators, including officials from Summit Communications, Fiber@Home, Novocom, BD Link, Mango, BTCL and BSPCL, were added to the group.
The witness said he informed the director general after creating the group, following which the official made a call within the group.
During the group call, the directive to shut down upstream internet bandwidth through ITC operators was communicated as a government order. Around 9pm, internet services were shut down through the operators.
He further stated that in a separate group involving International Internet Gateway (IIG) operators, he was instructed to send an SMS on behalf of the director general.
The message read: “As per the instruction I am directed to inform you to shutdown the internet from your IIG and send done after completion.” The SMS was sent prior to the shutdown instruction being formally implemented.
Following this, the internet was completely shut down. According to the testimony, the shutdown remained in effect from 18 July at around 9pm until 23 July afternoon.
The witness also said that on 23 July, former ICT state minister Palak held a meeting with representatives of IIG operators and media stakeholders. In the meeting, he directed that Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok remain blocked, while limited internet access be restored in key locations such as banks, Parliament, and cantonments.
On 31 July, Palak instructed restoration of full internet services through the BTRC chairman, the witness added.
The hearing has been adjourned until 19 April as the witness’s testimony is yet to be completed.
Chief Prosecutor Aminul Islam appeared for the prosecution, along with prosecutors Gazi MH Tamim, Sheikh Mainul Karim, and Sultan Mahmud. Defence lawyer Liton Ahmed represented the accused.
