Where 15 army officers are kept
Fifteen army officers accused in three separate cases of crimes against humanity have been taken to the Dhaka Cantonment sub-jail. Additional Inspector General of the Prisons Directorate Md. Jahangir Kabir gave this information.
These army officers were taken to the tribunal premises in a prison van of the prison authorities at around 10 am today, Wednesday (October 22).
Earlier, 15 army officers were produced before the tribunal after 7 am in three separate cases of crimes against humanity. After the hearing, the International Crimes Tribunal-1 ordered them to be sent to prison.
The three-member Tribunal-1, headed by Justice Md. Golam Mortuza Majumder, gave this order at around 8:30 am. The other two members of this tribunal are Justice Md. Shafiul Alam Mahmud and Judge Md. Mohitul Haque Enam Chowdhury.
Meanwhile, after the hearing at the tribunal, M Sarwar Hossain, the lawyer for the 15 army officers, told reporters that his clients would be kept in a sub-jail.
Later, Additional Inspector General of Prisons Md. Jahangir Kabir said, “Necessary manpower has already been appointed in the sub-jail of Dhaka Cantonment where 15 army personnel will be kept.”
Those who have been ordered to be sent to prison are Major General Sheikh Md. Sarwar Hossain, Brigadier General Md. Jahangir Alam, Brigadier General Tofail Mostafa Sarwar, Brigadier General Md. Kamrul Hasan, Brigadier General Md. Mahabub Alam, Brigadier General Md. Mahbubur Rahman Siddiqui, Brigadier General Ahmed Tanvir Mazahar Siddiqui, Brigadier KM Azad, Colonel Abdullah Al Momen, Colonel Anwar Latif Khan (on pre-retirement leave), Lieutenant Colonel Md. Mashiur Rahman, Lieutenant Colonel Saiful Islam Sumon, Lieutenant Colonel Md. Sarwar Bin Kashem, Lieutenant Colonel Mohammad Redwanul Islam and Major Md. Rafat-Bin-Alam.
It is noteworthy that the tribunal issued arrest warrants against a total of 25 former and current army officers on October 8 in two cases of crimes against humanity involving disappearances and torture during the 15-and-a-half-year rule of the previous Awami League government and one case related to killings during the July uprising. The prosecution filed formal charges with the tribunal in these three cases on the same day.
On October 11, the Bangladesh Army announced in a press conference that 15 officers had been taken into military custody. One of them is on long-term leave (LPR).
On October 12, the Home Ministry issued a notification declaring a building in the Dhaka Cantonment as a temporary prison. Home Ministry sources said that after issuing the arrest warrants, the army requested the Home Ministry to declare the ‘MES Bhaban No. 54’ building of the army headquarters as a temporary prison. In response to that request, the Home Ministry declared the building as a temporary prison and issued a notification.
