July Genocide Case: Ninth day of testimony against Sheikh Hasina and 4 others is underway

Today is the ninth day of testimony against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and three others in the July Genocide case. Judge Md. Golam Mortuza Majumder-led International Crimes Tribunal-1 will take testimony. Earlier, on the eighth day, 5 people including Ophthalmology Institute Director Khair Ahmed Chowdhury and doctor Zakia Sultana Nila of the same hospital took testimony yesterday. They said that 493 of the patients who came to the movement lost one eye, 11 lost both eyes and became completely blind. Later, the father of martyr Maruf in Rampura testified. He said that on July 19, he was taking his son to Dhaka Medical College in a dying state when he was shot. At that time, law enforcement and Chhatra League seized his ambulance. After being detained there for 15-20 minutes, a policeman hit him on the spot where he was shot. Maruf later died in the hospital. On the seventh day, August 24, three people, including Assistant Professor Md. Rajibul Islam of the Forensic Department of Rangpur Medical College, testified. On the sixth day, August 20, four people testified. They were – Associate Professor Mahfuzur Rahman of the National Neurosciences Institute and Hospital, Senior Staff Nurse Shahnaz Parveen of the same hospital, Associate Professor Dr. Hasanul Banna of Ibn Sina Hospital and Sonia Jamal, mother of Shaheed Sheikh Mehedi Hasan Junaid. On the fifth day, August 18, Shaheed As-Sabur’s father Md. Enab Najez Zaki, Shaheed Imam Hasan Taim’s brother Rabiul Awal and eyewitness Jasim Uddin from Rajshahi testified as witnesses. On August 17, four people testified. They are: vegetable seller Abdus Samad, Mizan Mia, student Naeem Sikder and Shahina Begum, mother of martyr Sajjad Hossain Sajal. Rina Murmu and journalist AKM Moinul Haque testified as eyewitnesses on August 6. Paralyzed student Abdullah Al Imran and blind day laborer Parveen on August 4. After the opening statement of the crimes against humanity case on August 3, Khokon Chandra Barman, who was injured in the movement, testified as the first witness. He demanded the maximum punishment for all the accused in the incident, including Sheikh Hasina and Kamal. So far, 24 people have testified in this case.