Sentence me to death, I am ready: Latif Siddiqui after ICT jail order

Former minister Abdul Latif Siddiqui made an emotional appeal at the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) on Thursday (July 30) after being sent to jail in a crimes against humanity case linked to the May 5, 2013 Shapla Chattar incident, saying he was prepared to face the death penalty.

Following the tribunal's order, Latif Siddiqui repeatedly sought the court's attention from the dock.

"I wanted to tell the court to sentence me to death. I am ready to die. But the court did not want to hear me," he said.

Earlier, the three-member International Crimes Tribunal-2, headed by Justice Nazrul Islam Chowdhury, ordered that Latif Siddiqui be shown arrested and sent to jail after hearing a prosecution petition.

After the order was pronounced and proceedings concluded, Latif Siddiqui stood in the dock with a microphone and attempted several times to address the bench.

"Honourable court, I seek your attention," he said.

However, as the judges were preparing to leave the courtroom, he was not given an opportunity to speak.

He then remarked, "If this is how the court functions, where am I supposed to go?"

As police personnel moved to escort him to the holding cell, an exchange took place between the former minister and the officers.

When officers asked him to sit, Latif Siddiqui replied, "Whether I sit or stand is my decision. Who are you to tell me?"

While being escorted out of the courtroom, he again said, "I wanted to tell the court to sentence me to death. I am ready for death. But the court did not want to hear me."

Latif Siddiqui was arrested by the Dhaka Metropolitan Detective Branch (DB) from his residence in Gulshan on Wednesday evening in connection with the crimes against humanity case over the 2013 Hefazat-e-Islam rally at Shapla Chattar.

He was produced before the International Crimes Tribunal on Thursday, where the court ordered his imprisonment pending further proceedings.