International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) Chief Prosecutor Md Aminul Islam has said that Prime Minister Tarique Rahman was detained and tortured at the Joint Interrogation Cell (JIC) during the military-backed caretaker government in the 1/11 period.
He made the allegation on Saturday after inspecting the JIC, an alleged secret detention facility at the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) headquarters in Kochukhet, Dhaka.
Three tribunal judges, members of the prosecution team and defence lawyers also inspected the facility.
Speaking to journalists after the inspection, Aminul said the JIC was known as a torture cell, commonly referred to as “Aynaghar”.
He said the inspection was conducted as part of the tribunal proceedings and allowed those involved in the trial to see the facility firsthand.
“The JIC is a cell where people were brought in, detained and subjected to torture and abuse,” the chief prosecutor said.
He said the inspection gave them some sense of the “cruel reality” of how detainees were allegedly kept in inhumane conditions for days, months and even years.
Several people, including former military officer Brig Gen (retd) Abdullahil Amaan Azmi, were detained at the JIC and allegedly subjected to prolonged torture, he said.
Aminul said Tarique Rahman was also brought to one of the rooms at the JIC during the 1/11 period and tortured.
“During the 1/11 period, today’s prime minister Tarique Rahman was brought to one of the rooms of this JIC cell and tortured,” he said.
The information came from witness accounts gathered during the investigation, according to the chief prosecutor.
Aminul alleged that the Awami League government, led by Sheikh Hasina, had created an “inhumane state” where some law enforcement personnel established secret detention and torture facilities to carry out the government’s objectives.
Political leaders, leaders of Islamic organisations and people holding dissenting views were among those allegedly detained at such facilities, he said.
“Many people were later disappeared from here, and the whereabouts of many victims remain unknown,” Aminul said.
He said several officials allegedly linked to the DGFI and the JIC had already been brought under trial, while others found to have been involved would also face legal proceedings.
The chief prosecutor also referred to BNP leader Humam Quader Chowdhury’s detention at the JIC.
He said Humam Quader had written “HQC” on the wall of one of the rooms while he was detained there.
Although the wall was later plastered and painted white, the writing remains visible, Aminul said.
“We have sealed these materials and kept them in our custody. They will remain in our custody until the trial is concluded,” he said.
Earlier, on 1 August, ICT judges inspected the Task Force for Interrogation (TFI) Cell at the Rab-1 headquarters in Dhaka, another facility alleged to have been used as a secret detention centre known as “Aynaghar”.
