Five counts of charges have been framed in a case filed against deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina and 16 others, including ten army officers, over crimes against humanity linked to enforced disappearances at the Taskforce for Interrogation (TFI) cell.
On Tuesday, the three-member International Crimes Tribunal-1, headed by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Majumder, issued the order, formally marking the start of the trial.
The accused present in the dock pleaded not guilty to the charges. The tribunal has set 21 January for the prosecution’s opening statement.
Of the 17 accused in the TFI cell disappearance case, all ten military officers have been arrested.
They include Colonel Anwar Latif Khan, Colonel Md Jahangir Alam, Colonel Tofayel Mostafa Sarwar, Colonel KM Azad, Colonel Md Kamrul Hasan, Colonel Md Mahabub Alam, Colonel Mohammad Abdullah Al Momen, Lieutenant Colonel Md Sarwar Bin Kashem, Lieutenant Colonel Md Mashirur Rahman Jewel and Lieutenant Colonel Saiful Islam Suman.
The accused were produced before the tribunal under tight security at the time of the charge-framing order.
Before the indictment, the accused were asked whether they pleaded guilty or not guilty to the allegations. Each of them pleaded not guilty, telling the court, “My Lord, we are innocent. We firmly believe that we will receive justice from this honourable court.”
The seven absconding accused in the case are Hasina, former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, retired major general Tarique Ahmed Siddique, former inspector general of police Benazir Ahmed, former additional inspector general of police M Khurshid Hossain, former additional inspector general of police Md Harun Or Rashid, and Lieutenant Colonel Md Khairul Islam.
Earlier, on 18 December, the trial began in another case involving crimes against humanity related to enforced disappearances at the Joint Interrogation Centre (JIC), naming Hasina and 12 serving and former military officers. The court framed five charges against the accused in that case.
