Witness Testifies Major General Ziaul Ahsan Personally Executed Prisoners in Baleshwar River

A witness testified on Wednesday at the International Crimes Tribunal-1 regarding the alleged enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings carried out during the tenure of the Awami League government. Abbas Mallik, a fisherman from South Char Duani in the Patharghata Upazila of Barguna, provided his statement against the sole defendant in the case, retired Major General Ziaul Ahsan.

Ahsan, who is currently in custody, was present at the tribunal during the proceedings.

In his testimony, Mallik described a systematic operation involving the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) between 2010 and 2011. According to the witness, local boat owners were coerced into providing their vessels for clandestine operations. Mallik alleged that, on nights of planned operations, plainclothes RAB personnel would order local shopkeepers to close their businesses and extinguish all lights by evening.

Between 11:00 p.m. and midnight, several microbuses would arrive at the local ice mill, where detainees—brought from Dhaka with their hands and eyes bound—were transferred onto the boats. Mallik stated that the RAB personnel would also collect cement bags, ropes, and mats from local shops before ordering the boatmen to navigate into the deep waters of the Baleshwar River.

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Mallik provided a graphic account of the killings, alleging that the detainees were brought out from the boat’s interior, held down by two RAB officers, and then shot by Ziaul Ahsan in the head, ear, or chest. Following the execution, cement bags were tied to the victims’ necks or feet before their bodies were discarded into the river. Mallik further alleged that after the killings, the vessels would proceed toward the Sundarbans, where remaining detainees were killed in staged incidents.

The witness testified that the perpetrators would subsequently notify the media, deposit the bodies at various police stations, and wash the vessels to remove blood and viscera before returning to the ice mill. Mallik claimed that after these operations, he and other boatmen were summoned by Major Sabbir to meet Ziaul Ahsan, who would provide them with cash payments ranging from 2,000 to 5,000 taka in envelopes.

Mallik also testified about the disappearance of his brother, Alkas Mallik, who owned the fishing boats used in the operations. He stated that Alkas had been vocal about his concerns regarding RAB’s activities. According to the witness, Alkas received a phone call in mid-2011 from individuals identifying themselves as RAB, stating that Ziaul Ahsan wanted to see him at Bottola Manikkhali. Alkas left his home that afternoon and was never seen again; his phone was reported as switched off by that evening.