Published : 04 Aug 2025, 12:03 AM
Updated : 21 Aug 2026, 01:36 PM
Khokon Chandra Barman, who was shot in Dhaka’s Jatrabari area during the July Uprising, has demanded that deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina be brought to justice while testifying before the International Crimes Tribunal.
In the first testimony in any of the cases filed in connection with deadly state crackdown on last year's protests, Khokon made the call while showing his disfigured face to the tribunal.
On Sunday, the tribunal began hearing testimonies in the case over crime against humanity stemming from the attempted suppression of the July Uprising. Former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan and former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun are also implicated in the case.
The charges include incitement, provocation, and command responsibility for the killing of 1,400 people, along with participation in a joint criminal enterprise.
Among the accused, only Mamun is in custody. The other two are being tried in absentia, with state-appointed lawyer Amir Hossain representing them. Jaiad Bin Amjad is defending Mamun.
Mamun had previously admitted to the charges and applied to become an “approver” or state witness, a request that the tribunal accepted.
The three-member Tribunal-1, led by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mozumder, scheduled the next hearing for Monday.
'MAXIMUM PUNISHMENT FOR HASINA'
This is the first trial among several July Uprising-related cases to reach the witness testimony stage. Attorney General Md Asaduzzaman was also present in court.
Before the prosecution's opening statement, the attorney general said: “This is about crimes, not individuals. Whoever commits a crime must be tried. That is our commitment.”
“Today is historic. The world has never seen an autocrat like Sheikh Hasina. She is the greatest liar and tyrant in modern history.”
“For the sake of Bangladesh’s future and that of the next generation, we demand the highest punishment for the tyrant and her accomplices. This trial will set a precedent in the history of human civilization. We insist that Sheikh Hasina’s trial not take place in a kangaroo court.”
Delivering the opening statement, Chief Prosecutor Tajul Islam said: “The trial will be conducted in accordance with both national and international legal standards. This is not about settling past scores. The trial of Sheikh Hasina is a process to restore public confidence in the judicial system.”
'I'D GIVEN UP HOPE'
On the first day of testimony, 23-year-old Khokon told the tribunal that he had lost hope of surviving after the incident.
He lost his left eye in the shooting, WHILE his nose and face were severely damaged. After receiving initial treatment in Bangladesh, he was later sent to Russia for further medical care.
Khokon said he had joined the student protest on Jul 18, 2024, in the Signboard area of Narayanganj. He spent the whole day chanting slogans and protesting before returning home.
The next day, he set out again to join the protest, intending to go from Bhuyighar to Jalkuri, but couldn't reach his destination. Along the way, police and BGB forces opened fire.
Khokon described witnessing a protester being shot in the chest, with the bullet exiting through his back. The man died instantly. Many others were injured or killed. From then on, Khokon said he joined the protests regularly.
Between 9-9:30am on Aug 5, 2024, he headed to the Signboard intersection to join the protest.
He said he spent a long time chanting slogans and marching there, and later they began moving toward Dhaka. Around 12-12:30pm, when they reached Jatrabari, they came under gunfire.
Khokon said they were chanting slogans without moving forward. When they tried to advance again, the police opened fire. One protester was shot in the head, and the bullet exited the other side. “Blood was pouring out as if an animal had been slaughtered,” he said. The same bullet also struck another protester, who was injured. The man shot in the head died on the spot.
Khokon testified that at that point, the Army arrived, fired warning shots into the air, and ordered the police to return to the station. The police withdrew to Jatrabari police station, and the protesters continued chanting slogans in the presence of the army.
He said they then received news that Hasina had resigned, after which the Army also left the area.
But once the Army departed, police emerged from the station and opened fire on them. Protesters scattered and sought shelter wherever they could. Khokon and a few others hid behind a pillar under the Jatrabari flyover.
He testified that the police came to their hiding spot and targeted them directly. Most of those hiding there were hit. Khokon himself took shelter behind a metal drum. A police officer spotted him and fired at his head, hitting his face.
Describing his state after being shot, Khokon said he was writhing in pain and had no hope of surviving.
At this point in his testimony, he removed his mask to show the tribunal his disfigured face.
He said fellow students rushed to help him upon hearing his screams, pulled him up, and informed his family using his phone. He was first taken to Mugda Hospital, but due to the severity of his injuries, he was transferred to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
After initially being treated there, Khokon was sent to Mirpur Dental Hospital, where he began to recover and got what he called a "new life".
Khokon said he was later transferred to the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery, where he remained under treatment for a long time, including 10 days in the ICU. His treatment is still ongoing, and he has not yet fully recovered.
On Feb 21, the interim government sent him to Russia for further treatment, and he returned to Bangladesh on Apr 7.
Noting that further treatment is unavailable in Bangladesh, Khokon told the court that he will return to Russia on Aug 12 for surgery.
Khokon accused former Hasina, Khan, Mamun, Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader, and party leader Shamim Osman of being responsible for the killing of “thousands of people” during the July Uprising and called for them to face justice.
After his testimony, court-appointed defence lawyer Amir Hossain cross-examined Khokon on behalf of Hasina and Kamal, both of whom are currently absconding.
The lawyer claimed that police did not fire on protesters, and instead, the demonstrators were injured or killed by their own weapons, including firearms and homemade arms, used during the protests.
In response, Khokon said: “That’s not true.”
The lawyer further argued that Hasina, Quader, and others were not responsible for the events, and accused Khokon of giving false testimony while concealing the truth.
“I have given truthful testimony,” Khokon replied.
After completing the testimony and cross-examination, the tribunal adjourned the hearing until Monday for the next round of witness testimony.
Earlier, on Jul 10, the ICT formally indicted Hasina and two others, ordering the start of the trial in the case.
A total of 81 people have been listed as witnesses, including two advisors to the interim government and an editor of a national daily.
