25 Former, Serving Military Officers Charged at ICT in Landmark Cases

Reading Time: 4 minutes In a historic and unprecedented development, the International Crimes Tribunal-1 (ICT-1) has formally charged 25 serving and former military officers, along with ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, several ex-ministers, and senior intelligence and police officials, in three separate cases involving enforced disappearances, secret detention, torture, and killings during her 15-year tenure. This marks the first time in Bangladesh’s history that serving military personnel have been charged in a civil court for alleged crimes against humanity. Historic Indictment The prosecution, led by Chief Prosecutor Tajul Islam, submitted formal charges against a total of 28 accused. The tribunal, presided over by a three-member panel, took cognisance of the charges and issued arrest warrants, directing authorities to produce the accused on 22 October for the next hearing. The charges cover: Two cases of enforced disappearance and torture linked to the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) and the Rapid