Tarique Rahman tortured in DGFI detention centre during 1/11: ICT chief prosecutor
He said initiatives have been taken to bring those involved in operating the torture cells to justice.
Tarique Rahman, the current prime minister of the country, had been kept detained and tortured in a secret detention centre operated by the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence in the Dhaka Cantonment during the 1/11 period, International Crimes Tribunal Chief Prosecutor Md Aminul Islam said.
The Awami League government had established an "inhumane state" during its regime and used the detention facility as a torture cell, he said while speaking to journalists after visiting the Joint Interrogation Centre, better known as "Aynaghar", at the cantonment today (8 August).
Three judges of the International Crimes Tribunal-1 led by its Chairman Justice Golam Mortuza also visited the detention centre. Prosecutors, defence lawyers, victims, journalists and others accompanied them.
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Many people with dissenting views had been kept in these torture cells for months and years, he said.
Besides, Brigadier General (retd) Abdullahil Amaan Azmi, political Islamic leaders, and others had been kept detained and tortured there, he said.
Initiatives have been taken to bring those involved in operating the torture cells to justice, he said, alleging that many pieces of evidence at the Joint Interrogation Centre have been destroyed after 5 August 2024.
The chief prosecutor said judges have the legal authority to inspect crime scenes and that such visits play an important role in ensuring justice.
Regarding the visit, he said assessing the site's current condition and understanding the evidence and information there are crucial to ensuring justice. The visits are part of the tribunal's proceedings.
The chief prosecutor said several officials linked to the DGFI and the Joint Interrogation Centre had already been brought to trial, while others found to be involved would also face justice.
Aminul also said Hummam Quader Chowdhury, son of late BNP leader Salauddin Quader Chowdhury, had been detained at the Joint Interrogation Centre. He reportedly left a handwritten mark in a room showing how long he had been held there.
According to the prosecution, two cases over allegations of enforced disappearance and detention at the RAB and the DGFI facilities remain pending with the International Crimes Tribunal.
Earlier, on 1 August, the judges had visited a detention facility, allegedly operated by the Rapid Action Battalion in Uttara of the capital.
