Witness testifies at International Crimes Tribunal regarding alleged RAB TFI cell torture during Awami League regime
Photo Collected
Ashik Ul Akbar, a witness in a case involving crimes against humanity allegedly committed by the Rapid Action Battalion’s (RAB) Task Force for Interrogation (TFI) cell during the Awami League administration, provided further testimony at the International Crimes Tribunal-1 on Sunday.
During the proceedings, Akbar testified that his right eye suffered severe damage, leaving him with near-total vision loss. He stated that while normal vision is measured at 6/6, his corrected vision in his right eye is currently 6/60, a condition he attributed to torture endured during his time in detention. Akbar had previously detailed these injuries in his initial testimony on August 13.
Under cross-examination by defense lawyer Shahinur Islam, the witness addressed questions regarding his former affiliation with Islami Chhatra Shibir. Akbar acknowledged he had been a member of the organization but noted that he could not provide supporting documentation to investigators, claiming his family had destroyed such materials following his disappearance. He further stated that he had not sought formal certification of his past membership from the group’s leadership following the political transition on August 5, 2024.
Responding to queries regarding his background, Akbar categorically denied allegations that he was a member of the militant group Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB). He also rejected assertions by the defense that his testimony was a fabrication designed to avoid criminal charges filed against him during the tenure of the previous government.
The case involves 17 defendants accused of enforced disappearance and torture. Ten of the accused, who are currently being held in a sub-jail at Dhaka Cantonment, were produced before the tribunal on Sunday. They include Brigadier General Md. Jahangir Alam, Tofael Mustafa Sarwar, Md. Kamrul Hasan, Md. Mahabub Alam, K.M. Azad, Colonel Abdullah Al Momen, Anwar Latif Khan, Lieutenant Colonel Md. Mashiur Rahman, Saiful Islam, and Md. Sarwar Bin Kashem.
Seven other defendants remain at large. This group includes former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, her former security adviser Tarique Ahmed Siddique, former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan, former Inspector General of Police and RAB Director General Benazir Ahmed, M. Khurshid Hossain, Md. Harun Or Rashid, and retired Lieutenant Colonel Muhammad Khairul Islam.
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