The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) Chief Prosecutor Md Aminul Islam has stated that former army officer Ziaul Ahsan operated a killing network spanning both India and Bangladesh during the tenure of deposed Awami League government.
Speaking to reporters at the Tribunal premises on Sunday, the chief prosecutor confirmed that Ziaul’s involvement in the abduction of the missing BNP leader Ilias Ali has been proven through investigations and evidentiary data.
According to the prosecution, an army officer has provided testimony regarding Ziaul’s role in over a hundred cases of enforced disappearance and murder. The witness detailed a “Jaflong Operation” led by Ziaul, where army officers transported two detainees from the RAB TFI cell to Jaflong.
There, they met plainclothes individuals from India who had brought two other persons. Following an exchange, Ziaul reportedly killed the two individuals brought from India by shooting them in the head while in transit.
The chief prosecutor further alleged that Ziaul Ahsan executed approximately 10 to 12 members of the then-BDR using two specific methods – either by lethal injection or by shooting them in the head and subsequently dumping the bodies into the river.
Ziaul, a former two-star officer of the Bangladesh Army, served as the director of the Intelligence Wing and later as the additional director general (operations) of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) between 2009 and 2016.
The prosecution maintains that during this period, he directly participated in, ordered, or authorised numerous extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, and other crimes against humanity.
The sources state that following his initial posting to RAB as a major in 2009, Ziaul became a highly trusted confidant of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
His career trajectory is described as unprecedented in the professional history of the Bangladesh Army; he was promoted to the rank of Major General without completing required courses or training, and without any experience in commanding a battalion, brigade, or formation.
He remained under the Ministry of Home Affairs throughout the Hasina regime and never returned to his parent service until his compulsory retirement in 2024.
The Tribunal framed charges against Ziaul Ahsan on January 14, including three charges related to the murder of 104 people. The formal charges brought by the prosecution were taken into account by the Tribunal on 17 December of last year.
