Judges of the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT)-1 on Friday inspected the former Task Force for Interrogation (TFI) facility inside the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB)-1 headquarters, where prosecutors allege people were secretly detained, tortured and, in some cases, disappeared during the Awami League government's tenure.
The inspection offered the tribunal its first direct look inside what investigators describe as one of the country's most significant alleged secret detention centres, where prosecutors say structural alterations were made after the political transition in an attempt to conceal evidence.
The three-member tribunal, accompanied by Chief Prosecutor Md Aminul Islam and members of the prosecution team, toured the two-storey facility, widely known as the "mirror room," located beside the armoury inside the RAB-1 compound in Uttara.
According to the prosecution, investigators initially struggled to match survivors' accounts with the existing layout because sections of the facility had allegedly been walled off after August 5, 2024.
Chief Prosecutor Aminul Islam said investigators later demolished newly built walls and uncovered 22 concealed detention rooms, bringing the total number of cells inside the facility to 29.
"The prison could not initially be found to match the victims' descriptions because a camouflage had been created," he said.
"After removing the walls, we found the hidden rooms. Beneath them we also found what were known as death cells. The entire facility is horrific."
According to prosecutors, the building contains 29 permanent detention cells, including seven extremely narrow cells measuring roughly two by four feet, which they described as "death cells."
The prosecution further alleged that when detainee numbers increased, additional victims were held in makeshift canvas-partitioned spaces inside the building.
Investigators also identified three soundproof interrogation rooms, which prosecutors say contained equipment allegedly used to torture detainees, including a motorised rotating steel chair, devices capable of administering electric shocks, ceiling suspension mechanisms and iron restraint beds.
The prosecution alleged that victims were subjected to prolonged physical and psychological torture in attempts to extract confessions.
During the inspection, prosecutors also pointed to photographs allegedly displayed inside interrogation rooms depicting severely mutilated victims, which they said were intended to intimidate detainees.
According to the prosecution, the TFI facility, officially established for interrogating suspects, was transformed into a secret detention centre during the Awami League government between 2009 and 2024 and operated under RAB's Intelligence Wing.
The prosecution alleged that people with different political affiliations and opinions were secretly detained there, with some later shown arrested in regular criminal cases while others allegedly disappeared or were killed.
Aminul Islam said more than 250 alleged victims of enforced disappearance or suspected extrajudicial killing linked to the facility remain unaccounted for.
He said the missing include former BNP leader Ilias Ali and another disappearance victim identified as Sumon.
The tribunal is currently hearing crimes against humanity allegations relating to enforced disappearances and torture at the facility. One of the complainants is Barrister Mir Ahmed Bin Kashem, who has alleged he was secretly detained there.
The chief prosecutor said those responsible not only for operating the facility but also for allegedly attempting to destroy or conceal evidence after the change in government would also face legal proceedings.
The allegations made during Friday's inspection form part of an ongoing investigation and judicial process before the International Crimes Tribunal.
