Published : 29 Jul 2026, 09:00 PM
Updated : 08 Sep 2026, 09:28 AM
Former Awami League presidium member and Liberation War veteran Abdul Latif Siddique will surrender before the International Crimes Tribunal if police do not arrest him in a case over alleged killings and crimes against humanity linked to the 2013 Hifazat-e-Islam rally at Dhaka's Shapla Chattar, he says.
Latif is listed as the 10th accused in the case.
"I know that if I did not appear in court today, people would think I had gone into hiding. I do not usually go into hiding. I always want to face things openly. That is why I came today," he told reporters after appearing for the hearing a separate case at a Dhaka court.
"If the police do not arrest me, I will surrender before the tribunal on Sunday or Monday."
Latif made the remarks after attending proceedings in a case filed under Bangladesh's Anti-Terrorism Act with Shahbagh Police Station.
Wednesday had been set for submission of the investigation report in that case, in which Latif and other accused appeared before the court. However, the police failed to submit the report.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Jewel Rana deferred the submission date until Sept 7, Latif's lawyer Golam Rabbani said.
Speaking to reporters outside the courtroom, Latif said he had been informed on Wednesday morning that an arrest warrant had been issued against him by the International Crimes Tribunal in connection with the Shapla Chattar case.
"I have to go because an arrest warrant has been issued," he said. "If the police arrest me before then, that is a different matter."
"This time I am not unprepared like I was on Aug 28. I am ready. I have a bag in my car and notebooks and pens for writing."
Latif also spoke about Bangladesh's 1971 Liberation War and a group called Moncho 71, but declined to comment on former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
While at court, he was seen carrying chocolates and handing them out to several people with a smile.
Shahbagh Case
According to the case documents, the organisation Moncho 71 was launched on Aug 5 with the stated aim of preventing what it described as attempts to erase or distort the history of Bangladesh's Liberation War.
As part of its activities, the group organised a roundtable discussion at the Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) on the morning of Aug 28 last year.
The complaint alleges that a group of people entered the venue chanting slogans, disrupted the event, tore down banners, locked the doors, assaulted some participants and confined others, including Latif and Prof Sheikh Hafizur Rahman.
Police later detained 16 people, and Shahbagh police filed a case under the Anti-Terrorism Act.
Latif and the other detainees were subsequently shown arrested in the case.
A lower court rejected his bail petition, after which he sought relief from the High Court.
On Nov 6, a High Court bench granted him interim bail along with journalist Manzurul Alam Panna. The Appellate Division upheld the bail four days later following a state appeal.
Latif was released from Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj on Nov 12 after the bail order reached prison authorities.
Shapla Chattar Case
Earlier this year, prosecutors at the International Crimes Tribunal submitted formal charges against 41 people, including former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, accusing them of murder and crimes against humanity over a crackdown on a Hifazat-e-Islam rally at Shapla Chattar in Motijheel in May 2013.
Chief Prosecutor Mohammad Aminul Islam previously said investigators had documented 58 killings linked to operations against Hefazat-e-Islam gatherings in Dhaka and four other districts on May 5-6, 2013.
Hefazat-e-Islam had organised the rally on May 5, 2013, demanding punishment for bloggers it accused of blasphemy, amid the Shahbagh protest movement. Violent clashes broke out in the Motijheel area before a joint security operation cleared the protesters overnight.
After the fall of the Awami League government during the 2024 mass uprising, a complaint over the Shapla Chattar incident was filed with the tribunal on Aug 20, 2024.
On May 3 this year, the tribunal's investigation agency said it had identified 32 deaths linked to the incident.
Among those currently in custody in the case are former state minister for home affairs Shamsul Haque Tuku, former inspector general of police AKM Shahidul Haque, former Rapid Action Battalion additional director general Ziaul Ahsan, Abdul Jalil Mondal and writer Shahriar Kabir.
Former minister Dipu Moni, journalist Mozammel Haque Babu and Farzana Rupa were also shown arrested in the case on May 14 this year.
