Four Sent to Jail in Ekramul Haque Murder Case

A tribunal has ordered four accused, including former lawmaker Abdur Rahman Badi, to be sent to jail after showing them arrested in a crimes against humanity case over the killing of Teknaf councillor Ekramul Haque in a reported crossfire incident in Cox’s Bazar.

The tribunal also ordered that newspaper notices be published asking seven fugitives, including ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, to appear before the court and surrender.

The order was issued on Tuesday (August 25) by a single-member bench of International Crimes Tribunal-2, headed by Judge Md Manzurul Bashid.

The three other accused sent to jail are Brigadier General Miftah Uddin Ahmed, Brigadier General Mahbub Alam and former RAB Director General Anwar Latif Khan.

All four, including Miftah, were present before the tribunal on Tuesday. Mahbub Alam and Anwar Latif Khan are already being held at a sub-jail in Dhaka Cantonment in connection with other cases.

The other accused in the case are former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, former Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader, former Inspector General of Police Benazir Ahmed, retired Major Ruhul Amin, Lieutenant Commander Ashek-ur-Rahman and former DGFI official Squadron Leader Nazmus Sakib Mahmud.

Prosecutor Dr Mohammad Ali Mia represented the prosecution during the hearing. Prosecutors Faruk Ahmed, Moinul Karim and Marzina Raihan, among others, were also present.

During the hearing, Prosecutor Ali said the tribunal had taken cognisance of the formal charges against 11 people, including Sheikh Hasina, on July 26. At the same time, production warrants were issued against three accused and arrest warrants against seven others.

Following those orders, four accused were brought before the tribunal on Tuesday.

The prosecution said the remaining seven accused named in the arrest warrants could not be located despite searches at both their permanent and temporary addresses. Non-execution reports (NERs) have been submitted in their cases.

The case concerns the alleged killing of Teknaf municipal councillor Ekramul Haque in a crossfire incident in Cox’s Bazar’s Teknaf, which the prosecution has brought before the International Crimes Tribunal as a case involving crimes against humanity.