The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) on Sunday presented 20 former ministers, advisers, secretaries, and security officials who have been arrested, following two separate prosecution requests.
The three-judge panel, led by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mozumder, made the ruling.
"We submitted three separate applications today. Of these, two pertained to the total of 20 individuals, who are already in custody for other offenses and are now facing charges under the ICT," said ICT chief prosecutor Muhammad Tajul Islam.
"In the first petition, the court recorded the arrest of 14 individuals, including Anisul Huq, Faruk Khan, Dr Dipu Moni, Rashed Khan Menon, Hasanul Haque Inu, Zunaid Ahmed Palak, Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury, Salman F Rahman, Mohammad Abdur Razzaque, Shajahan Khan, Kamal Ahmed Mazumder, Golam Dastagir Gazi, AHM Shamsuddin Chowdhury Manik, and former home secretary Md Jahangir Alam. The court has ordered their appearance on November 18," he added.
"Under the second petition, we sought to show six former security officials who have also been arrested. These include former inspector general of police (IGP) Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, dismissed major general Ziaul Ahsan, former additional superintendent of police (ASP) Abdullahel Kafi, former detective branch inspector Arafat Hossain, Abul Hasan, and Mazharul Islam. The court has granted this request and ordered their appearance on November 20," Tajul added.
The chief prosecutor further said that the tribunal is preparing to try cases of murder, genocide, and crimes against humanity related to the anti-discrimination student movement of July and August. Additionally, the tribunal issued arrest warrants for 17 policemen, including former Dhaka Metropolitan Police commissioner Habibur Rahman.
"I cannot disclose all the names for security reasons, to prevent these accused individuals from fleeing the country to evade justice. The tribunal has issued arrest warrants for them and ordered their appearance before the court on November 20," said Advocate Muhammad Tajul Islam.
The chief prosecutor also said that the prosecution has filed three miscellaneous cases to date: one against ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, another against former cabinet members including Obaidul Quader, and the third against former police officials.
"These individuals are accused of committing heinous acts against civilians, employing deadly weapons in a widespread and systematic manner. They even used military equipment, such as helicopters and armored personnel carriers, against unarmed civilians. Inhuman acts included killing already injured people, torture, burning bodies, concealing evidence, obstructing proper burials, and failing to issue medical certificates. We are committed to ensuring that the names of the innocent are not included in these cases, while also ensuring that real perpetrators are not overlooked. Therefore, we will present petitions in phases," he added.
