Ziaul charged with over 100 killings, disappearances

Maj Gen (relieved) Ziaul Ahsan was yesterday charged with three counts of crimes against humanity involving alleged enforced disappearances and murders of 104 people between 2010 and 2013.

A three-member International Crimes Tribunal-1 indicted Ziaul, rejected his discharge petition, and fixed February 8 to begin trial with the prosecution’s opening statement and the start of witness testimony.

Tribunal Judge Md Mohitul Hoque Anam Chawdhury read out the charges one by one with Ziaul in the dock and asked whether he pleaded guilty. 

Ziaul stood up and replied, “Not guilty, sir.”

According to the first charge, acting on Ziaul’s planning and with his direct participation, one Sajal and three unidentified individuals were shot dead along the Bypass Road in Pubail, Gazipur, on July 11, 2011.

The second charge alleges that between 2010 and 2013, at least 50 people, including former BDR member Nazrul Islam Mallik and Alkas Mallik, were shot dead at the confluence of the Baleshwar River in Barguna, and their bodies were dumped into the river on Ziaul’s instruction.

The third charge states that between 2010 and 2013, Ziaul was involved in the killing of another 50 people in Barguna and the Sundarbans in Bagerhat, among other places, under the guise of anti-forest bandit operations.

Earlier, on January 8, Ziaul’s defence counsel, Munsurul Hoque Chowdhury, sought his client’s discharge, claiming his client was innocent. He argued that none of the three charges was supported by evidence and that the allegations were unfounded.

The prosecution opposed the plea, saying it had established a prima facie case and urged the tribunal to frame charges. After hearing both sides, the tribunal fixed yesterday to deliver its order.

Earlier on December 17, the prosecution brought formal charges accusing Ziaul of orchestrating a systematic campaign of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings. 

It alleged that while serving in key intelligence and operational roles in Rab, Ziaul directly participated in and commanded operations in which detainees were abducted, tortured, and killed, and their bodies were disposed of to conceal evidence.

The former director general of the National Telecommunication Monitoring Centre faces charges of murder, abduction, torture, enforced disappearance, and other crimes against humanity, including complicity in and failure to prevent crimes under the International Crimes (Tribunals) Act, 1973.

Meanwhile, upon a plea by a member of Ziaul’s defence team and his sister, Nazneen Nahar, the tribunal directed jail authorities to allow the defence to play a piece of video evidence for the accused in jail.

In a separate development, the tribunal granted a plea filed by Md Tabarak Hossain Bhuiyan, a defence counsel representing seven former Rab officials accused in another case of crimes against humanity, to visit the alleged crime scene related to enforced disappearance, confinement and torture at the Task Force Interrogation (TFI) cell, accompanied by a prosecution team.

The defence also sought a tribunal order directing the Rab chief to provide official documents, including Rab’s organogram and Charter of Duties, to prepare defence materials. The prosecution opposed the request, saying it would communicate and try to provide authenticated copies. 

Prosecutor Abdus Sattar Palwan told the tribunal the defence was filing petitions to “kill time”, prompting Tribunal chair Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mozumder to caution him, saying that the defence has the right to defend.

Defence lawyer Tabarak also filed a petition seeking bail for one of the accused, Brig Gen Md Jahangir Alam, citing his heart ailment. He argued that Jahangir surrendered while commanding a brigade, despite having the opportunity to flee, and would not abscond if granted bail. The tribunal kept the petition on record for consideration.