ICT trial begins against Obaidul Quader, six others

The trial of Awami League General Secretary and former minister Obaidul Quader and six other party leaders for crimes against humanity committed during the 2024 July mass uprising began at the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) on Wednesday.

The other accused are Awami League Joint General Secretary AFM Bahauddin Nasim, former state minister for information and broadcasting Mohammad Ali Arafat, Jubo League President Sheikh Fazle Shams Parash and General Secretary Mainul Hossain Khan Nikhil, president of the banned Bangladesh Chhatra League Saddam Hossain, and its General Secretary Wali Asif Inan.

All the accused are absconding and are being tried in absentia by the three-member ICT-2 bench, headed by its chairman Justice Nazrul Islam Chowdhury.

The trial proceedings opened with the submission of the prosecution’s written opening statement before the tribunal, after which the first prosecution witness began testifying. The first witness is MA Razzak, the father of Asif Iqbal, who was shot dead at Mirpur-10 in the capital while taking part in protests during the 2024 mass uprising.

In his opening statement, ICT Chief Prosecutor Advocate Muhammad Tajul Islam described ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina as the latest addition to a long list of autocrats and fascists in world history, many of whom eventually faced trial.

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He said the trial was not merely about the disposal of a single case, but carried a strong message for the nation.

The prosecution also filed a petition seeking permission to allow Sharif Osman Hadi’s recorded testimony as evidence in the case. ICT Prosecutor Gazi MH Tamim confirmed that the tribunal allowed the plea, adding that Hadi had provided a statement to the investigation officer as a witness.

ICT-2 took cognisance of the charges on 18 December and framed charges against the accused on 22 January.
According to the case statement, on 14 July 2024, Hasina made provocative remarks referring to protesters as “children of Razakars” and “grandchildren of Razakars,” which enraged demonstrators and intensified the movement. 

Obaidul Quader subsequently endorsed the remarks and further incited and issued orders to Chhatra League and Jubo League activists across the country, leading to attacks on protesters at Dhaka University and other educational institutions. Later, Abu Sayed was martyred alongside five others, including Wasim in Chattogram.
The Awami League leaders accused in the case allegedly incited crimes through speeches and statements at different times during the 2024 mass uprising.

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Arafat had said the government had so many bullets that even if students were shot continuously for five years, they would not run out, and he demeaned protesters, including Abu Sayed, by calling them drug addicts – statements the prosecution said aided and incited crimes.