Chief Prosecutor of the International Crimes Tribunal in Dhaka Muhammad Tajul Islam has completed arguments in the crimes against humanity case filed against deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and former Inspector General of Police Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun.
After the conclusion of arguments on Thursday, the chief prosecutor urged the ICT-1 to award the maximum punishment, the death penalty, on Hasina and Kamal.
He made the appeal before the three-member bench of ICT-1, chaired by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mozumder.
Regarding former IGP Mamun, who became approver in the case, the chief prosecutor left the decision on his punishment to the discretion of the tribunal.
During the arguments, Tajul told the tribunal that former prime minister Sheikh Hasina was the 'mastermind and principal architect' behind the crimes against humanity committed during the July-August 2024 mass uprising.
He said Hasina's actions warranted the highest punishment.
"If each of the 1,400 murders carried out under her direction were to be punished separately, she should have faced 1,400 death sentences. But since that is not humanly possible, at least a single death sentence is essential. Otherwise, it would be an injustice," he told the tribunaal.
The chief prosecutor alleged that Hasina, along with then Home Minister Kamal and former IGP Mamun, orchestrated the crimes in a 'premeditated and systematic' manner.
"Hasina, from the top of the command structure, personally ordered the killings. Her phone conversations, directives, and other evidence clearly demonstrate that she acted with a vindictive and vengeful mindset," Tajul told the tribunal.
He said law enforcement agencies, including the police, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), Ansar, and intelligence units, were deployed under her directives to suppress the civilian movement.
Demanding the maximum penalty for Asaduzzaman, the second accused, Tajul described him as a member of the 'Gang of Four' who commanded operations on the ground.
"The massacre was planned at his residence, including the decision to deploy drones and helicopters. He personally visited crime scenes to ensure killings were executed properly,"
he said.
Regarding former IGP Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, Tajul said he had cooperated with the tribunal by providing information that helped expose enforced disappearances. "It is up to the tribunal to decide his treatment," he added.
The tribunal has fixed October 20 for placing arguments by the state-appointed lawyers for the absconding accused, Hasina and Kamal.
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