Published : 03 Sep 2026, 08:08 PM
Updated : 16 Sep 2026, 11:47 AM
The International Crimes Tribunal-2 has ordered the surrender of 30 absconding suspects, including ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, in a case of crimes against humanity committed in connection with the massacre during a Hifazat-e Islam rally at Motijheel's Shapla Chattar.
A three-member panel led by Tribunal-2 Chairman Justice Nazrul Islam Chowdhury gave the order on Thursday.
The remaining two members of the panel are Judge Md Manjurul Bashid and Judge Nur Mohammad Shahriar Kabir.
During the hearing, Prosecutor Zahirul Amin said arrest warrants had been issued against 30 people in this case, but law enforcing officials could not find their whereabouts despite visits to their permanent and temporary addresses. Therefore, he said it was necessary to publish notices in two national newspapers to bring the absconding accused to court.
After the hearing, the tribunal ordered the publication of notices in the newspapers summoning Hasina and the other accused.
Prosecutor Gazi Tamim told reporters that a provision requires the publication of notices in two national newspapers—one in Bengali and one in English—with a specific time for the absconding accused to appear in court. The date for submitting the notice and the newspaper to the tribunal has been set for Sept 16.
10 Suspects Brought from Prison
On Thursday morning, 10 people arrested in this case were brought to the tribunal from prison.
They are the former state minister for home affairs Shamsul Hoque Tuku, then food minister Dr Abdur Razzak, former minister and JSD president Hasanul Haq Inu, former minister Dipu Moni, former minister Abdul Latif Siddiqui, former inspector general of police (IGP) AKM Shahidul Haque, major general (retired) Ziaul Ahsan, former deputy inspector general Abdul Jalil Mandal, Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee President Shahriar Kabir and Ekattor TV Managing Director Mozammel Haque Babu.
Another suspect, journalist Farzana Rupa, was not produced in court due to illness.
List of Absconding Accused
Apart from Sheikh Hasina, the other absconding accused are – then home minister Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir, Awami League Presidium Member Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, Awami League Joint General Secretary Mahbubbul Alam Hanif, then information minister Hasan Mahmud, Awami League Joint General Secretary AFM Bahauddin Nasim, former state minister Mrinal Kanti Das, Awami League Joint General Secretary Jahangir Kabir Nanak, former minister Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya, then Jubo League chairman Omar Faruk Chowdhury, former member of parliament Salauddin Mahmud, Ganajagaran Mancha Convenor Imran H Sarkar, former IGP Hasan Mahmud Khandaker, former IGP Dr Mohammad Javed Patwary, former IGP Benazir Ahmed, then RAB Director General Md Mokhlesur Rahman, former Army chief General Aziz Ahmed, then RAB additional director general (ops) Md. Mujibur Rahman, former additional IGP Sheikh Muhammad Maruf Hasan, former additional IGP (SB) Mahbub Hossain, former additional IGP (SB) Monirul Islam, then Dhaka Metropolitan Police deputy commissioner (DC) Md Anwar Hossain, then DMP DC Ashrafuzzaman, then DMP assistant deputy commissioner (ADC) SM Mehedi Hasan, former deputy inspector general (DIG) Harun-or-Rashid, former DIG Biplob Kumar Sarkar, former DIG Super Syed Nurul Islam, then DMP ADC Md Asaduzzaman, retired additional superintendent of police SM Shibli Noman and then chief of Motijheel Police Station BM Farman Ali.
Trial Process and Allegations
Chief Prosecutor Md Aminul Islam said the case will be ready for trial after the notice is published in newspapers and arrest warrants are issued against the absconding accused.
Defence lawyer Hamidul Misbah told bdnews24.com that the prosecution has applied to the tribunal to take cognisance of the case without submitting the formal charges, along with the witness statements, seizure list, and investigation report, within the specified time. The court only takes cognisance of the case based on formal charges.
There is a legal obligation to submit the documents mentioned to the court and to issue an order subject to a hearing, he said. That was not followed in this case.
He added, "We did not receive the documents, nor did the prosecution submit them properly to the court and hold a hearing. Therefore, taking the case into cognisance here is not legal."
Terming the complaint baseless, the chief prosecutor said: "The complaint of the defendant's lawyers is baseless. They only receive other related documents after the defendant's case is ready for trial."
The chief prosecutor said that efforts will be made to quickly conclude the Shapla Chattar murder case on a priority basis. He said, "Just as people want justice in the Sagar-Runi murder case, similarly, there is a public demand in the Shapla Chattar murder case as well."
