Brigadier General (Retd.) Abdullahil Aman Azmi made the statement on Monday while testifying before International Crimes Tribunal-1. He was being cross-examined by defense lawyer Azizur Rahman in a case related to alleged crimes against humanity involving enforced disappearances at the Joint Interrogation Cell (JIC) during the rule of the Awami League government.
During the hearing, Azmi said he had previously described the room where he was allegedly detained in a court of inquiry. He stated that he fell seriously ill on June 6, 2023, while in detention, and that an air conditioner was installed in the room on June 8, 2023, following a doctor’s advice. Before that, he claimed, he had spent nearly seven years in a non-air-conditioned room. According to him, his captors told him, “We have to keep you alive.”
Azmi had earlier testified that he was abducted from his residence in Moghbazar, Dhaka, on the night of August 22, 2016, and remained disappeared until August 5, 2024.
The case involves 13 accused individuals, three of whom are currently in custody. They include former Directors of the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI): Major General Sheikh Md. Sarwar Hossain, Brigadier General Md. Mahbubur Rahman Siddiqui, and Brigadier General Ahmed Tanvir Mazahar Siddiqui. All three were presented before the tribunal on Monday.
The remaining 10 accused are absconding. Among them are several former DGFI chiefs, including Lieutenant General (Retd.) Md. Akbar Hossain, Major General (Retd.) Md. Saiful Abedin, Lieutenant General (Retd.) Md. Saiful Alam, Lieutenant General (Retd.) Ahmed Tabrez Shams Chowdhury, and Major General (Retd.) Hamidul Haque.
Other fugitives include former DGFI officials Major General (Retd.) Mohammad Touhidul Ul Islam, Major General Kabir Ahmad, and Lieutenant Colonel (Retd.) Makhsurul Haque.
Also named among the absconding accused are former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who was ousted during the July mass uprising, and her defense adviser, Major General (Retd.) Tarique Ahmed Siddique.
The trial is ongoing.
Comments Here: