Former Brigadier General Details Ziaul Ahsan’s Role in Extrajudicial Killings at International Crimes Tribunal
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Retired Brigadier General Md. Monirul Haque has provided formal testimony before International Crimes Tribunal-1, detailing the alleged involvement of retired Major General Ziaul Ahsan in a series of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances during his tenure with the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB). The testimony links the high-ranking official to systematic executions conducted under the guise of counter-terrorism operations.
Haque, who served as the commander of RAB-8 in Barishal from October 2008 to March 2012, described how operations were orchestrated by RAB’s intelligence wing, then headed by Ziaul Ahsan. According to the testimony, the intelligence wing often bypassed local units to maintain operational secrecy, frequently executing suspects after transporting them to remote areas such as the Sundarbans and Bhola.
The witness detailed a specific operation in May 2010, where three to four individuals with their eyes and hands bound were transported in microbuses to the Patharghata area. Haque testified that he and his deputy were compelled to provide logistical support for the mission, as there was no room to disobey orders from superiors. During the operation, he observed individuals being weighted down with heavy bags, shot, and subjected to abdominal wounds before their bodies were discarded into the water.
Haque further recounted that when RAB personnel expressed frustration during command conferences that apprehended suspects were often released due to legal loopholes, the then-Director General of RAB, Mokhlesur Rahman, reportedly labeled such criminals as “wajib-ul-qatl”—a term implying they deserved to be killed. This mandate, according to the testimony, encouraged the intelligence wing to conduct extrajudicial killings rather than pursuing standard judicial processes.
Reflecting on the brutality of these events, the retired Brigadier General noted that he witnessed at least three such operations during his time in Barishal. In one instance, he observed the aftermath of a killing where he later identified a floating, mutilated body through media reports as that of a former BDR member named Nazrul. Haque characterized these missions as “staged,” asserting that the victims were brought to the designated locations specifically to be executed.
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