Tribunal judges inspect DGFI's JIC centre

Three judges of Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal on Saturday (August 8) inspected the Joint Interrogation Centre (JIC) at the headquarters of the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) in Dhaka Cantonment, where prosecutors allege people were secretly detained and tortured.

The inspection was conducted as part of the tribunal’s assessment of locations linked to allegations in a case currently under trial. Tribunal-1 Chairman Justice Gholam Mortuza led the inspection team, which also included the chief prosecutor and lawyers representing the accused.

The judges arrived at the JIC at around 11:15am and examined the facility in connection with allegations that it was used as a secret detention site.

Prosecutors said the visit was intended to give the judges a first-hand understanding of the location and assess its relevance to the evidence and allegations before the tribunal.

The inspection came a week after the judges visited an alleged secret detention facility, described as a “ghost house”, reportedly operated by the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) in Uttara.

Two cases involving alleged enforced disappearances and secret detention at facilities linked to RAB and DGFI are currently pending before the tribunal, according to prosecutors.

In the JIC case, 13 people have been accused of allegedly detaining and torturing 26 individuals. The accused include former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, her former security affairs adviser Tarique Ahmed Siddique, five former DGFI directors general and several serving and retired military officers.

Prosecutors said one major general and two brigadier generals among the accused are currently in custody.

Several alleged victims, including former army officers Abdullahil Aman Al Azmi, Hasinur Rahman and Maruf Zaman, have already testified before the tribunal. Prosecutors say their accounts and other evidence are linked to the alleged detention facility at the JIC.

The tribunal’s on-site inspection is expected to provide the judges with direct observations of the location and its physical setting as they assess the allegations and evidence in the ongoing proceedings.