National Citizen Party (NCP) convener Nahid Islam has blamed ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina and former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal for the brutal killings and acts of torture carried out during the July-August 2024 mass uprising.
In his deposition to the International Crimes Tribunal-1 (ICT-1) in Dhaka on Thursday, Mr Nahid said, "I hold Sheikh Hasina, the former home minister, the heads of the police and other law enforcement agencies, as well as those who directly participated in the killings and acts of torture, responsible for these incidents."
He added, "As the head of government, Sheikh Hasina, along with the home minister overseeing law enforcement, bears ultimate responsibility. These killings and acts of torture were carried out under their directives as part of a broader effort to consolidate and maintain absolute power."
He demanded justice and severe punishment for those responsible for these mass killings, atrocities, and crimes against humanity.
The NCP chief testified before the tribunal for the second consecutive day on Thursday, serving as the 47th witness in a crimes-against-humanity case filed against Sheikh Hasina and two others.
Ex-home minister Asaduzzaman Khan and former inspector general of police (IGP) Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun are also accused in the case alongside the former prime minister. Among them, former IGP Mamun has already pleaded guilty and given his deposition as an approver.
After Nahid's testimony on Thursday, the three-member ICT-1 bench, headed by Chairman Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mozumder, adjourned proceedings until next Sunday.
Md Amir Hossain, state-appointed lawyer for the two absconding accused - Hasina and Kamal - is scheduled to cross-examine Nahid on that day.
Mr Nahid stated that after consulting with other coordinators and student leaders of the Anti-Discrimination Movement, he declared the continuation of their "complete shutdown" programme on July 20, 2024. However, despite sending the message to all media outlets, no electronic media broadcast the news.
Later, he said the long-promised reforms to Bangladesh's media landscape never materialised, with political parties and corporate interests now exerting control in place of state agencies.
In his deposition, he further stated that coordinators of the July-August movement were abducted and taken to the DB office, where they were tortured and threatened into withdrawing the programme.
At one stage, they were forced to read a written statement provided by the DB office regarding the withdrawal of the movement.
He said the coordinators rejected a proposal to hold a dialogue with the then-prime minister and started a hunger strike. After more than a 30-hour hunger strike, they were released on August 1, 2024.
"On August 4, 2024, as part of our preliminary preparations, we held discussions with Prof Muhammad Yunus regarding the formation of a new government," said Mr Nahid, adding that they offered him the position of head of the proposed government.
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