Retired Lieutenant Colonel Testifies Ziaul Ahsan Personally Executed Detainees During 2011 RAB Operations

A retired lieutenant colonel has testified before the International Crimes Tribunal-1, detailing how a former top-ranking official of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) allegedly executed multiple individuals during a clandestine operation in 2011.

Retired Lieutenant Colonel Mohammad Rafiqul Islam, currently serving as deputy director of the Army Welfare Trust, provided his testimony on Monday in a case involving crimes against humanity filed against Major General (retd) Ziaul Ahsan. The accused, Ziaul Ahsan, who previously served as the director of RAB’s intelligence wing, was present in the tribunal’s dock during the proceedings.

In his statement, Rafiqul Islam recounted that on July 11, 2011, while he was the commanding officer of RAB-3, he received orders from Ziaul Ahsan to prepare for an “anti-terrorist operation.” Despite Rafiqul’s inquiries regarding the nature and location of the mission, Ziaul allegedly instructed him to follow orders without questioning.

According to the testimony, Rafiqul arrived at the RAB headquarters at 11:00 p.m. with three subordinates: Major Sajjadul, Major Tarikul, and Major Emarat. The convoy, led by Ziaul, proceeded to the Tongi Ahsanullah Master Flyover and traveled for approximately 40 minutes until reaching a bridge.

Rafiqul testified that upon stopping at the bridge, he witnessed Ziaul remove a blindfolded and bound man from a vehicle, lead him to the bridge railing, shoot him in the head, and throw the body into the water below.

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The convoy continued to a second bridge shortly thereafter, where a similar incident occurred. Rafiqul stated that Ziaul ordered Major Sajjadul to execute another captive. When Sajjadul refused, questioning the necessity of the act, Ziaul allegedly berated him with insults, ordered him back to his vehicle, and threatened to handle his case separately. Rafiqul testified that he heard a gunshot moments later as he walked toward the vehicles.

The witness further described a third stop, where he observed two individuals escorting a blindfolded person across the road toward a bamboo thicket, followed by the sound of another gunshot. Rafiqul also noted that Major Tarikul later informed him that Ziaul had pressured him to kill a captive, though Tarikul claimed he refused and that the killing was carried out by other individuals accompanying Ziaul.

The operation concluded with the officers being dropped off at their residences in the cantonment area. Rafiqul noted that he learned the following day that Major Sajjadul had been ordered to return to the army. Subsequently, media reports surfaced indicating that several bodies had been recovered in the Joydebpur area of Gazipur, consistent with the night’s events.

Rafiqul Islam, who received his commission in 1992, joined RAB-1 as deputy commander in 2009, served as the RAB-3 commanding officer from September 2010 to August 2012, and retired in 2022. The trial continues as the court examines the allegations of systematic extrajudicial killings overseen by the former intelligence director.