Prosecution Evidence Links Hasina and Senior Awami League Leaders to Internet Shutdown During July Uprising
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Former Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader ordered the throttling of internet speeds during the July mass uprising, a directive authorized by ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and executed by former State Minister for Information and Communication Technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak, prosecutors told the International Crimes Tribunal on Sunday.
The submission was made by Prosecutor Gazi Monawar Hussain Tamim during the third day of arguments at the International Crimes Tribunal-2, presided over by Justice Nazrul Islam Chowdhury. The tribunal panel also includes Judges Md. Manjurul Basid and Nur Mohammad Shahriar Kabir.
As part of the evidence, the prosecution played a recorded telephone conversation between Quader and Palak for the court. In the recording, Quader is heard instructing Palak to slow down the internet, to which the former state minister responds by requesting permission from the “leader,” referring to Sheikh Hasina. Following the confirmation, the internet services were restricted.
Prosecutor Tamim asserted that this verbal exchange was corroborated by documentary evidence. The prosecution presented official documentation from the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), which stated that BTRC took action to shut down or limit internet services based on verbal directives from Zunaid Ahmed Palak. According to the document, Palak informed the BTRC that these measures were implemented following instructions from the Ministry of Home Affairs and input from various intelligence agencies.
The records detail that at 6:39 p.m. on July 16, 2024, instructions were issued to suspend 3G and 4G network services at 1,153 sites across 59 universities, including 55 public and four private institutions. The document, which bore the signatures of the BTRC Director General and other relevant officials, was submitted to the tribunal as proof of retrospective authorization for the communication blackout.
The case involves several high-profile figures from the former administration, including former Joint General Secretary AFM Bahauddin Nasim, former State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Mohammad Ali Arafat, Jubo League Chairman Sheikh Fazle Shams Parash, General Secretary Mainul Hossain Khan, and Chhatra League President Saddam Hossain and General Secretary Sheikh Wali Asif. Officials confirmed that all the accused in the case remain at large.
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