Prosecutor Claims Sheikh Hasina Ordered Arson During July Movement

During the July Movement, Prosecutor Mizanul Islam of the International Crimes Tribunal-1 stated that the arson attack on the Setu Bhaban building was ordered by former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

However, he claimed that the specific targets Sheikh Hasina had instructed to burn were not set on fire, and instead, the Setu Bhaban building was targeted.

Mizanul Islam made these statements on Wednesday during the trial of crimes committed during the July Movement. He referred to audio recordings of phone conversations between Sheikh Hasina and former Mayor of Dhaka South City Corporation, Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh, in the tribunal.

On that day, Tanvir Hasan Joha, the lead investigator of the case, testified as Witness No. 53 in a case related to crimes against humanity committed during the July Movement. He revealed that 69 audio clips of conversations with Sheikh Hasina and records of calls made to three different mobile numbers had been seized.

After the testimony, Mizanul Islam held a press briefing, where he discussed the Setu Bhaban incident. He said, “In the phone conversation with Taposh, Sheikh Hasina herself ordered the arson. She said, ‘I asked them to burn certain things, and they ended up burning Setu Bhaban.’ This means she had given the order to set the fire, but instead of the intended targets, other buildings were set on fire.”

In addition to the phone conversation between Sheikh Hasina and Taposh, the tribunal also heard recordings of phone calls between Sheikh Hasina and Hassanul Haq Inu, the president of the JASAD (Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal), and between her and former Dhaka University Vice-Chancellor ASM Maksud Kamal.

In a 5-minute and 34-second phone call, Hassanul Haq Inu told Sheikh Hasina, "Your decision is absolutely correct, Honorable Prime Minister. Kindly order the arrest of everyone. That way, there will be no one left to protest."

Sheikh Hasina agreed with Inu, saying, "We are comrades in the battlefield."

When discussing the restoration of internet services, Sheikh Hasina replied, "How can I restore the internet? They’ve burned the internet. I can no longer do it. Only a new government could do it."

Inu responded, "No other government will come in Bangladesh." He then suggested capturing Jamaat-e-Islami and Shibir members, advising Sheikh Hasina to "break their backs while they’re exposed."

Inu also recommended making a list of Shibir members and arresting all of them, a suggestion to which Sheikh Hasina agreed. Before ending the conversation, Inu said, "All the decisions you’ve made so far are correct."