Dhaka: Three prosecution witnesses in the crimes against humanity case against Delwar Hossain Sayedee at the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) have lodged complaints against 40 individuals, including ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. They allege they were coerced into providing false testimonies against the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami leader.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, Supreme Court lawyer Advocate Pervej Hossain, accompanied by witnesses Mahbubul Alam Hawlader, Mahtab Uddin, and Altaf Hawlader, filed the complaints with the ICT Chief Prosecutor’s office. Among the accused are former ICT Chairman Justice Nizamul Haque Nasim, former Law Minister Barrister Shafique Ahmed, former State Minister for Law Advocate Qamrul Islam, former ICT Chairman ATM Fazle Kabir, and former Lawmaker AKM Awal.
Advocate Pervej Hossain detailed that in 2009, Mahbubul Alam Hawlader was summoned by Awal and coerced into filing a case against Sayedee. Upon refusal, Mahbubul was forcibly taken to the public prosecutor’s office, assaulted, and eventually forced at gunpoint to file a false case. As a result, he became the first prosecution witness in the fraudulent case.
Mahbubul, along with the other witnesses, was taken to a so-called safe house under Jatrabari Police Station in Dhaka, where they were reportedly subjected to severe torture to extract false statements. The ICT prosecution team allegedly extracted false testimonies from Mahtab Uddin and Altaf Hawlader in a similar manner.
Earlier, on August 21, Sukharanjan Bali, who was abducted from the main gate of the ICT before his testimony in the Sayedee case, filed allegations with the tribunal against 32 individuals, including Sheikh Hasina, further complicating the legal proceedings surrounding the case.