Retired Brigadier General Abdullahil Aman Azmi, who was once held captive at the Joint Interrogation Centre (JIC) run by the Defence Intelligence Directorate (DGFI), was cross-examined before the International Crimes Tribunal-1 on Sunday, where he recounted harrowing details of his detention.
“On 6 June 2023, I became seriously ill and was near death. Later, following a doctor’s advice, an air conditioner was installed in that 21-foot room. They would say, ‘We have to keep you alive,'” Azmi said during cross-examination by defense lawyer Azizur Rahman Dulu.
The cross-examination covered how Azmi was disappeared, where he was kept, the conditions of his confinement, and whether he received any compensation from the army.
Defence lawyer Dulu claimed that Azmi had received compensation from the army for the disappearance, but Azmi denied this, stating he had not received any such payment.
“The Deputy Military Secretary to the Army Chief signed my dismissal order. I do not remember who signed the order cancelling my dismissal and granting me retirement. I did not file any application with the interim government to have my dismissal order revoked,” Azmi told the tribunal.
When asked whether he had testified before a court of inquiry after being released, Azmi answered in the affirmative, saying he testified as a witness to the disappearance in late August 2024. “I do not know what actions were taken against whom by the Court of Inquiry,” he added.
The prosecution was represented by prosecutors Mizanul Islam, Shaikh Mahdi, and Abdus Sattar Pahlowan. The tribunal set April 21 as the next date for cross-examination.
Ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and 12 current and former army officers are accused in the JIC disappearance case. The trial began on 18 December after charges were framed.
Among the accused, three – Brigadier General Md. Mahbubur Rahman Siddique, Brigadier General Ahmed Tanvir Mazhar Siddique, and Major General Sheikh Md Sarwar Hossain – have been arrested.
