Chief Prosecutor of the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) Advocate Mohammad Tajul Islam made a comparison between director general (DG) of NTMC sacked Maj Gen Ziaul Ahsan and Radovan Karadžić, the notorious "butcher" of Bosnia who was convicted of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY)
He made the comparison during a hearing at the tribunal on Wednesday.
The ICT has set December 19 for submitting probe report over allegations of killings, genocides and crimes against humanity against eight former security officials, including Ziaul Ahsan.
The three-member tribunal, led by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mozumder, fixed the date as the prosecution pleaded for two months time for submitting report on investigation against the alleged crimes committed by the arrested top security officials.
The other seven accused are- former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, former additional superintendent of police (ASP) Abdullahel Kafi, former deputy commissioner (DC) Mirpur Zone Md Jasim Uddin Mollah, former Additional Superintendant of Police (ASP) Md Shahidur Islam, former officer-in-charge of Jatrabari Police Station Abul Hasan, former officer-in-charge of Gulshan Police Station Mazharul Islam and former detective branch (DB) of police inspector Arafat Hossain.
The tribunal also ordered to keep the eight accused in detention.
Chief Prosecutor Advocate Mohammad Tajul Islam at the start of Wednesday’s proceedings pleaded for two months time to submit report of investigation into the alleged killings, genocides and crimes against humanity committed by the accused, saying the extent of the crimes committed by them is almost beyond the imagination.
“Around 2,000 people were killed, more than 25,000 were injured in the July-August mass uprising. We have received only 200 complaints so far. They have been accused of planning, preparation for the heinous crimes, ordering, abetment, complicity, inciting and participating in the crimes. We have received so many evidences that we need time to collect and compile those in order. Even the devil would be afraid of committing the crimes committed by these accused,” the chief prosecutor said.
Muhammad Tajul Islam at that time read out a summary of the allegations brought against the accused.
Implicating former IGP Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun for all the crimes committed during the July-August mass uprising, the chief prosecutor said police, its different units like DB, CID and APBn, and RAB worked under his supreme command, and carried out the barbaric crimes that are rare in history.
“He, being the supreme commanded, bears the liabilities behind all the crimes as he was in the superior position,” the chief prosecutor said.
Comparing former director general (DG) of National Telecommunication Monitoring Centre (NTMC) sacked Maj Gen Ziaul Ahsan with the Serbian atrocious war criminals Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic, Tajul Islam said as they were known as "Butcher of the Balkans", Ziaul Ahsan was the butcher of Bangla.
Advocate Tajul Islam alleged that Ziaul Ahsan was the originator behind the brutal tactics in Bangladesh, including enforced disappearances, torture, murder, and the disposal of bodies. While the Awami League government was in power, Ziaul Ahsan systematically abducted, tortured, and detained members of opposition political parties who dared to speak out—many of whom have never been seen again.
The lawer added, ‘It has also come to light that BNP leader Ilias Ali was abducted and killed under Ziaul's direction.’
Meanwhile, at the end of Wednesday’s proceedings, sacked Maj Gen Ziaul Ahsan stood up inside the box, where he was made to sit with other accused, in the courtroom, and pleaded for court's permission to let him speak.
"The job I used to do was a technical one. I never worked in any Ayna Ghar (torture camp)," he said at the time.
ICT Chairman Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mozumder at that time asked him to raise his points through his lawyers, adding, "Being a responsible person, you should obey the court rules. If you want to raise any points, tell those through your lawyer."
The other members of the three-judge panel of the ICT are Justice Md Shofiqul Alam Mahmood and Judge M Mohitul Hoque Anam Chowdhury.
Prosecutors Gazi Monawar Hossain Tamim, BM Sultan Mahmud and Abdullah Al Noman were present at the hearing today, among others.
In a press briefing on the court premises, Naznin Nahar, sister and lawyer of Major General (retd) Ziaul Ahsan, she asked, ‘Did he buy the surveillance tools with his personal money?’
Her comments came after the tribunal heard charges against former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, former head of the National Telecommunication Monitoring Centre (NTMC) Major General (retd) Ziaul Ahsan, and six other officials who are accused of crimes against humanity committed during the July-August uprising.
The case, filed with the ICT, accuses Ziaul Ahsan and others of planning, executing, aiding, abetting, and inciting the massacre of protesters during the movement.
When journalists asked her about allegations that Ziaul Ahsan had purchased spy devices to monitor individuals, Naznin Nahar responded by questioning whether the tools were bought at her brother's personal expense.
She also appealed to the media, urging them not to misrepresent her brother.
It is inhuman to punish someone before the trial is complete," she said, criticising what she described as a "media trial." She clarified that Ziaul Ahsan is a retired officer of the Bangladesh Army and not a sacked one, as some media outlets have reported.
Naznin Nahar also addressed claims that her brother was involved in the National Telecommunication Monitoring Centre (NTMC) — a technical office with no connection to the military, secret detention cells, or any form of torture.
"He never worked at the DGFI," she asserted, lamenting the "pathetic" media portrayal of Ziaul Ahsan and the impact on his family.
Responding to a journalist's question about the chief prosecutor's claim that Ziaul Ahsan was the mastermind behind Aynaghar, where detainees were allegedly tortured, Naznin Nahar countered, "What do you know about NTMC's work?"
She compared the NTMC to a library, explaining that it was a digital platform where law enforcement agencies accessed data as needed.
"It's like a librarian giving a book to a reader. The librarian doesn't choose what the reader reads," she said, stressing that it was not the responsibility of NTMC officials to control how the information was used.
