International Crimes Tribunal Chief Prosecutor Alleges Torture of Tarique Rahman at DGFI Secret Detention Center
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Chief Prosecutor of the International Crimes Tribunal Mohammad Aminul Islam stated on Saturday that witness testimonies have confirmed that current Prime Minister Tarique Rahman was subjected to torture during the 2007-2008 political crisis, commonly referred to as “One-Eleven.” He noted that these findings will be formally presented and reflected during the ongoing judicial proceedings.
The Chief Prosecutor made these remarks while speaking to reporters following an inspection of the Joint Interrogation Cell (JIC) located within the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) complex at Dhaka Cantonment. He described the facility, which became infamously known as “Aynaghar” (Mirror House), as a site where individuals were detained and subjected to prolonged, inhumane torture.
“The JIC was a facility where people were abducted and held in captivity to be tortured,” Aminul Islam said. “Through this inspection, we have gained some understanding of the brutal reality of the place where prisoners were kept in inhumane conditions for days, months, and years. Our investigations, based on the accounts of various witnesses, have confirmed that Tarique Rahman was brought to one of these rooms and tortured during the ‘One-Eleven’ period.”
Aminul Islam emphasized that while any citizen who commits a crime must be held accountable through legal channels, the state must ensure that no individual falls victim to extrajudicial killings. He further asserted that citizens should not be subjected to unnecessary harassment by law enforcement agencies or held in secret detention centers.
The Chief Prosecutor characterized the tenure under former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as the establishment of an “inhumane state,” alleging that certain overzealous members of law enforcement agencies set up these torture cells to serve the malicious agendas of the previous government.
The inspection was led by International Crimes Tribunal-1 Chairman Justice Mohammad Golam Mortuza Majumdar, accompanied by tribunal members Justice Mohammad Shafiul Alam Mahmud and Justice Mohitul Haque Enam Chowdhury. The delegation included the prosecution team, defense lawyers, the head of the DGFI, and representatives from the media, including Newspaper Owners’ Association of Bangladesh President and Manab Zamin Editor Motiur Rahman Chowdhury, Law Reporters Forum President Mohammad Yasin, General Secretary Arafat Munna, and Supreme Court Reporters Forum General Secretary Mehedi Hasan and executive member Mazharul Haque.
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