Shapla Chattar killings case: Tribunal orders Inu, Razzaque to be produced on 3 Sept

The International Crimes Tribunal-2 (ICT) today (16 August) ordered former information minister Hasanul Haq Inu and former food minister Abdur Razzaque to be produced before it on 3 September in a crimes against humanity case over the 2013 Shapla Chattar killings.

The tribunal also fixed the same day for submission of non-execution reports (NERs) on arrest warrants issued against fugitive accused in the case.

A three-member bench headed by Justice Nazrul Islam Chowdhury passed the order after the prosecution informed the tribunal about the progress in executing the arrest warrants.

Prosecutor Zahirul Amin represented the prosecution during the hearing, assisted by prosecutors Faruk Ahmad and Shahidul Islam Sardar.

During the hearing, Zahirul said arrest warrants had been issued against 30 accused, including ousted former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, but law enforcement agencies could not find them at their permanent or temporary addresses.

He said complete reports had been received on 20 of them, while reports on the others were yet to arrive.

The prosecutor also told the tribunal that Inu, who has been convicted in another crimes against humanity case, and Abdur Razzaque, who is under arrest in another case, were not produced before the tribunal today as production warrants had not been issued against them.

The prosecution then sought time for the next hearing.

The tribunal subsequently ordered the two to be produced before it on 3 September and fixed the same day for submission of the NERs.

The case has 41 accused, including Sheikh Hasina, several former ministers, senior Awami League leaders, former police chiefs and other former law enforcement officials.

Nine accused were produced before the tribunal this morning. They were Dipu Moni, Shamsul Haque Tuku, Abdul Latif Siddiqui, Ziaul Ahsan, AKM Shahidul Hoque, Shahriar Kabir, Abdul Jalil Mondal, Farzana Rupa and Mozammel Haque Babu.

Earlier, on 27 July, the tribunal took cognisance of formal charges against 41 accused in the case. It also issued arrest warrants against the fugitives and fixed today for producing those already arrested before the tribunal.

The prosecution submitted the formal charges earlier that day.

The case contains two charges. The first concerns the alleged killing of 32 people in Dhaka’s Shapla Chattar area on 5 May 2013.

The second concerns the alleged killing of 20 people in Siddhirganj, Narayanganj, on 6 May, along with killings allegedly carried out in different parts of the country.