Tribunal to hear defence arguments on enforced disappearance charges Tuesday

Three Army officers appear before the tribunal from their special cantonment prison

The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) has set Tuesday to hear defence submissions on whether charges should be framed in a case alleging torture at the military’s Joint Interrogation Cells (JIC) during the Awami League's rule.

The Tribunal-1 bench, led by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mozumder, fixed the date on Sunday after prosecutors presented their arguments on the framing of charges in the case.

The case implicates 13 people, all of whom are former senior officers of the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI). Among them, three are in prison and they were brought to the court under tight security from a special prison inside the Dhaka Cantonment.

They are:

• Former DGFI (CTIB) director Brig Gen Md Mahbubur Rahman Siddique

• Former DGFI (CTIB) director Brig Gen Ahmed Tanvir Mazahar Siddiqui—also the former media chief of the agency

• Former DGFI (CTIB) director Maj Gen Sheikh Md Sarwar Hossain

The other 10 accused, including ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s security advisor Tarique Ahmed Siddique, are absconding.

The case alleges that several individuals were detained and tortured in the JIC between 2016 and 2024.