Testimonies of Hanif, 4 others scheduled for Dec 8

The International Crimes Tribunal-2 has fixed December 8 for the commencement of witness testimonies in the case over the killing of six people during the July uprising in Kushtia, involving four accused, including Awami League Joint General Secretary Mahbub-ul Alam Hanif.

A two-member tribunal bench, led by Justice Md. Manjurul Bashid with Justice Nur Mohammad Shahriar Kabir set the date on Tuesday (November 25), following the conclusion of the opening statement.

Prosecutor Mizanul Islam presented the opening statement, outlining case details, the list of witnesses, and audio-visual and documentary evidence, emphasising that the accused cannot evade responsibility. Defense counsel Md. Amir Hossain requested that no one be tried solely for political affiliation with the Awami League.

A total of 38 witnesses are listed in the case, including eight from the families of the deceased, eight eyewitnesses, eight injured individuals, six participants in the movement, one police officer, one journalist, two handlers of seized documents, two experts, one special investigation officer, and the chief investigation officer.

The other three accused are Kushtia District Awami League President Sadar Uddin Khan, District General Secretary Azgar Ali, and City Awami League General Secretary Ataur Rahman Ata.

During the July–August 2024 protests, gunfire targeted students and citizens across Kushtia city, killing worker Ashraful Islam, Suruj Ali Babu, student Abdullah Al Mustakin, Usama, businessman Bablu Farazi, and employee Yusuf Sheikh, and injuring many others.

Following these incidents, the four accused were charged at the ICT, and investigation reports have been submitted by the authorities.