Bangladesh Army Adjutant General Major General Md. Hakimuzzaman The press conference was organized at the International Crimes Tribunal to inform the military about the military's actions on the case.
Major General Hakimuzzaman said fifteen of the officers who have been charged are currently in the custody of the army. We asked a total of sixteen people to come into custody, fifteen of them are in custody.
He said the first two chargesheets were submitted to the International Crimes Tribunal on October 8th. Then a third charge was filed. The news started between 11am and 1pm. We found out through the TV scroll that the chargesheet has been submitted and the tribunal has been discharged. One of the chargesheets was the disappearances, which were then accused of a large part of those who were working in the DGFI. Another was about the RAB's TFI, and another was about the Rampura incident on August 4-5.
An arrest warrant was issued. The arrest warrant was issued to the IGP. As per the rules and until the 22nd date (for being arrested). So far, we have not received any arrest warrants. About twenty-five military officers have been named in the chargesheet. Among them, nine are retired officers, one in the LPR, and 15 are in the staff. Our military law does not apply to those who have retired.
The Bangladesh Army respects all the laws of Bangladesh. In this context, an order was attached to the 15th and LPR officers who were on the 8th and 1st LPR were attached to the army. They were asked to return to the army custody at Dhaka Cantonment on the 9th. We have not yet received an arrest warrant or the police have not given us anything. However, the Bangladesh Army ordered these officers to be self-motivated and ordered them to come into custody due to respecting the law.
The Bangladesh Army is doing such a practice. We take those who are accused of sensitive cases in the beginning. Later, court-martial or other legal action was taken as needed. Most of the people we have asked to come to custody have responded, but one did not respond. The officer did not respond until the 9th. On October 10th, we tried to contact him and his family. I found out that he had left the house on the morning of October 9th, talking to a lawyer, but did not return home later and could not be contacted on his mobile phone with his family. He is a major general.
“In view of this, we declared him an ‘Elegal Abescent’ as per the rules. On October 10th, we also took some more formal steps in this regard. At the same time, the DGFI, NSI and BGB have been instructed to ensure that he cannot go out of the country illegally through land ports, airports and seaports. We also sent people to his village. He is being investigated structurally keeping in mind the fear that he may leave the country. I have spoken to DGFI, DG NSI and DG BGB about this.
Is there a conflicting position on whether the accused will be tried under martial law or under the ICT law? Replying to a question whether the accused will have their jobs before they are sentenced, he said it is better not to say that the ICT law versus the army law is not. It's better not to face it. The second thing is that the ICT Act states that if the name of the complaint is submitted, the job will go away. The first question is whether he is actually convicted? Even after the sentence is received, the person has the opportunity to appeal. If the sentence is upheld after the appeal is settled, we can say that he is punished.
“We will see again that a person was acquitted through this trial. If he is acquitted, he will be able to return to his service according to the law of the tribunal. The question is, however, that the social and economic... It was found that many people fell ill or someone had a heart attack. These are human rights.”
He said there are certain rules in the military. When the army is terminated during the trial of an officer, he will retire. Even if he's gone, we can't take him to work. We will ask the appropriate authorities to explain the matter to the court.
Asked whether any action was being taken against the officers in the chargesheet, he said, “We have a National Commission on the disappearances. We have fully cooperated with this commission. Bangladesh Army is committed to justice. The Bangladesh Army will stand for justice.
Responding to another question, the army's major general said the report of the Ghum Commission but Bangladesh Army is not involved in these incidents as an organisation. Some of our officers may have been in the RAB, some may have been in the DGFI, but they are not in the army. RAB is under the Ministry of Home Affairs, not under the Army Headquarters. The DGFI is directly under the Prime Minister's Office, not under the Army. He is currently under the Office of the Chief Advisor. Since they are our members, they are in our custody. When we look at the charges, we will know who is involved.
The tribunal has given a specific date about the presence of the accused, he said, adding that what is supposed to be legal will be here.
Asked what the legal process would be and whether they could be produced before the court on the 22nd, he said, “We will ask for an explanation for the law. After the explanation, we will take legal action on the date of 22nd.
When asked about the election, he said the whole nation is now facing elections. The army has been operating in the field for the last 13-14 months. The army personnel are carrying out their duties at various levels to improve the internal security system. We are preparing to increase the number of troops in the next national election to three times. All kinds of preparations, including training, posting, promotion, are being prepared. At the same time, the arrest warrant has had some impact on the spirit of the army personnel. We will always stand up for justice.
Responding to another question, he said the police can arrest those who have an arrest warrant against the retired officers. We're just saying that if they want to come to our custody, it's also possible. However, it should be remembered that the retirees are not directly under the control of the army headquarters.
On October 8th, the International Crimes Tribunal issued an arrest warrant against 24 former and current army officers for their involvement in crimes against humanity, including disappearances and murders. They have been directed to arrest them by October 21 and appear before the tribunal on October 22.
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