Charge-framing hearing today against Sheikh Hasina and 10 others in Ekramul Haque killing case
The hearing on framing formal charges against 11 accused, including ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, in the crimes against humanity case over the killing of councillor Ekramul Haque in an alleged gunfight in Teknaf, Cox's Bazar, will be held today, Tuesday (27 October), at the International Crimes Tribunal.
The hearing will take place before a three-member judicial panel of International Crimes Tribunal-2 led by its chairman, Justice Nazrul Islam Chowdhury. The prosecution says the state side will present its arguments against the 11 accused at the hearing.
According to the prosecution, the hearing of the prosecution on framing formal charges was earlier scheduled for 27 September. But as the tribunal did not have a full bench, today's date was fixed following an application by the state side.
Four of the accused are currently under arrest. They are former Cox's Bazar-4 MP Abdur Rahman Badi, Brigadier General Miftah Uddin Ahmed, Brigadier General Mahbub Alam, and former RAB director general Anwar Latif Khan.
The seven other accused who are absconding, alongside Sheikh Hasina, include former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, Awami League general secretary and former bridges minister Obaidul Quader, former inspector general of police (IGP) Benazir Ahmed, Major (retd) Ruhul Amin, Lieutenant Commander Ashekur Rahman, and former DGFI official Squadron Leader Nazmus Sakib Mahmud.
Earlier, on 7 September, Tribunal-2 ordered the appointment of state defence lawyers for the seven absconding accused. Before that, on 25 August, the same court ordered notices to be published in two national dailies directing them to surrender.
However, on the scheduled appearance date of 7 September, the four arrested accused were produced before the tribunal, but the absconding accused did not surrender. Earlier still, on 26 July, the tribunal took into cognizance the formal charges submitted by the prosecution against the 11 accused.
The prosecution's complaint says that on 26 May 2018, at around 10:30 pm, Ekramul Haque was picked up from the road in front of Hotel Netong at Kirantali in Teknaf, Cox's Bazar.
According to the complaint, between 11 pm and midnight that night, Ekramul Haque was killed in an alleged RAB gunfight on the seashore of Marine Drive at Noakhalia Para in Teknaf Sadar Union. He was the councillor of Ward 3 of Teknaf municipality and president of the upazila Jubo League.
In this case, the prosecution has brought specific allegations against the accused of illegal detention, abduction, staging a gunfight drama and shooting the victim dead, involvement in committing the crime, incitement, assistance, and ordering the killing.
