Dhaka, Bangladesh (BBN) - Another case was filed today with the International Crimes Tribunal against 53 people, including former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and 29 senior journalists, on charges of allegedly committing crimes against humanity and genocide during the recent anti-discrimination student movement.
The journalists include, former press secretary to prime minister Nayeemul Islam Khan; former information affairs adviser to the prime minister Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury; former deputy press secretary to the PM Ashraful Alam Khokon; former president of the National Press Club Farida Yasmin; former general secretary of the press club Shyamal Dutta; Editor-in-Chief of Ekattor TV Mozammel Babu; Ekhon TV journalist Nobanita Chowdhury; former head of news of Somoy TV and current head of news of Ekhon TV Tushar Abdullah; Jugantor Editor Saiful Alam, Bangladesh Pratidin Editor Naeem Nizam, former Samakal editor Abed Khan; Head of News of ATN News Provash Amin; former Ekattor TV journalist Farzana Rupa; former head of news at Ekattor TV Shakil Ahmed; Ekattor TV's Head of Current Affairs Mithila Farzana; DBC editor Zayadul Ahsan Pintu, former editor-in-chief of ATN News Munni Shaha,a newsportal editor Subhash Singh Roy; Somoy TV Journalist Ahmed Zobair; senior journalist Monjurul Islam bulbul; Independent TV Journalist Ashish Saikat; a broadcast journalist Manash Ghosh; DBC News journalist Pranab Saha; senior journalist Masuda Bhatti; former chief news editor of ATN Bangla TV Joy e Mamun; former Janakantha journalist Swadesh Roy; journalist Soma Islam; senior Ittefaque journalist Shyamal Sarkar; senior journalist Ajay Das and others have been accused of instigation in the complaint.
According to the complaint, the accused journalists were "sycophants" of the Awami League government and published false news to instigate the genocide and crimes against humanity committed by the then government and law enforcers, thereby giving legitimacy to those crimes.
Lawyer MH Gazi Tamim filed the complaint today with the investigation agency of the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) on behalf of Golam Razzaque, father of a 17-year-old student Nasib Hasan Rihan.
Rihan was a student of class XI at Mirpur BCIC College. He was shot to death by armed policemen during a procession in front of Alliance Hospital at Ring Road in the capital's Shyamoli area on August 5 immediately after Sheikh Hasina fled the country in the face of a mass uprising.
The case application which was filed to the chief coordinator of the head office of the tribunal's investigation agency in Dhanmondi stated that the accused have committed genocide and crimes against humanity by killing, torturing and detaining innocent and unarmed students.
The accused instigated and provoked the defendants to set things in motion aiming to completely or partially eliminate the anti-discrimination activists, reads the application.
"A few bullets hit the victim's neck and head. He fell to the ground and died. The plaintiff came to the spot after receiving the news and found several dead bodies lying there, including of his son. From there, the body was taken to Shaheed Suhrawardy Hospital and the doctor declared him dead. They identified a gunshot wound as the cause of death," the case application added.
The other accused are former road transport and bridges minister Obaidul Quader, former home minister Asadduzzaman Khan Kamal, former law minister Anisul Huq, former foreign minister Hasan Mahmud, former information minister Hasanul Haque Inu, former education minister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury, former state minister for posts, telecommunications and information technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak, former state minister for Information and Broadcasting Mohammad Ali Arafat, former textile and jute minister Jahangir Kabir Nanak, former Dhaka North City Corporation mayor Atiqul Islam, former inspector general of police (IGP) Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun, former DB chief Harun Or Rashid, former DMP commissioner Habibur Rahman, former director general of RAB Harun Or Rashid, former joint commissioner of DMP Biplob Kumar Sarkar, sacked Major General Ziaul Ahsan, former officer-in-charge of Adabor Police Station Mahabub Rahman, Chhatra League general secretary Sheikh Wali Asif Inan, former Justice AHM Shamsuddin Chowdhury Manik, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology Professor Muhammad Zafar Iqbal, Nijhoom Mazumder and Dhaka University teacher Mesbah Kamal.
On August 14, the first case was filed with the investigation agency of the International Crimes Tribunal against Hasina and eight others, accusing them of crimes against humanity and genocide allegedly committed between July 15 and August 5 of this year.
The case was initiated by Md Bulbul Kabir, the father of Arif Ahmed Siyam, who was killed during the recent protests.
Earlier on August 21, three more complaints were filed with the International Crimes Tribunal against Sheikh Hasina, also the Awami League chief, on charge of committing crimes against humanity and genocide during the student-led protests which later turned into a mass uprising in between July 15 to August 5.
Hasina, who is now in India, is facing a total of 78 cases related to the protests during the recent unrest centering on the quota reform movement which ultimately turned into a mass uprising leading to the topple of Hasina-led Awami League government on August 5.
Of the total cases, 65 are filed on murder charges, eight on allegations of crimes against humanity and genocide; three on charges of abduction, and two for other charges.
BBN/AN/AD