The prosecution has written to Meta seeking the Facebook and Messenger data of former army officer Md Mozaffar Hossain, who was arrested over allegations of involvement in the killing of late president Ziaur Rahman.
International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) Prosecutor and IT expert Tanvir Hasan Zoha confirmed the matter to Dhaka Tribune on Wednesday.
According to the prosecution, the request was made after investigators found evidence that Mozaffar had communicated directly with several individuals through Messenger and maintained contact with certain groups. Efforts are also underway to recover his deleted Messenger conversations.
Zoha said the information has been sought to assist the tribunal's ongoing investigation into crimes against humanity.
The prosecution has requested subscriber information, account registration details, all current and previously registered email addresses and phone numbers, complete login history with timestamps, IP addresses and devices used to access the account, browser information, and all Facebook Messenger data, including deleted conversations.
Ziaur Rahman, founder of the BNP and the country's then president, was killed during a military uprising in Chittagong on May 30, 1981.
Investigators allege that former army officer Mozaffar Hossain played a role in the disappearance of Ziaur Rahman's body after the killing. At the time, he held the rank of major in the Bangladesh Army. He went into hiding following the incident, and authorities announced a reward for information leading to his arrest.
After remaining a fugitive for 45 years, he was arrested by Detective Branch (DB) police from Banani in Dhaka on the night of July 15 and was subsequently handed over to the Bangladesh Army.
On July 23, ICT-2 ordered that Mozaffar be shown arrested in a crimes against humanity case linked to the July Mass Uprising. The tribunal also granted investigators two days to interrogate him and directed that he remain in army custody.
Earlier, ICT Chief Prosecutor Md Aminul Islam said investigators had found evidence of regular communication between Mozaffar and retired lieutenant general Masud Uddin Chowdhury.
According to the chief prosecutor, Masud was one of the influential figures in the army-backed caretaker government in 2007 and is currently in custody in a crimes against humanity case. Mozaffar has also been shown arrested in the same case.
Aminul Islam said Mozaffar's trial over the killing of Ziaur Rahman would proceed under military law and is separate from the ICT proceedings.
"Our investigation concerns crimes against humanity. We will examine whether he had any involvement during the Awami League government's 16 years in power. Our judicial process is completely separate," he said.
He added that Mozaffar would remain in army custody and be brought before ICT investigators for questioning whenever necessary. If the allegations are established, he will face trial under the tribunal's applicable laws.