Palak directed internet shutdown during July Uprising, says BTRC official
The official, whose identity was withheld for security reasons, testified as the fourth witness in a case involving crimes against humanity.
A Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) official has told the International Crimes Tribunal that internet services across the country were shut down during the 2024 July Uprising following instructions from then ICT state minister Zunaid Ahmed Palak.
The statement was made today (16 April) during a deposition before the single-member bench of International Crimes Tribunal-1, headed by Justice Md Mohitul Enam Chowdhury.
The official, whose identity was withheld for security reasons, testified as the fourth witness in a case involving crimes against humanity.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
In the case, Palak has been named as an accused alongside ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina's son, Sajeeb Wazed Joy. As Joy remains absconding, he is being represented by state-appointed lawyer Monjur Alam.
In his testimony, the witness said that on 18 July 2024 around 7pm, he received a phone call from then BTRC director general Kazi Mustafizur Rahman, who informed him that BTRC chairman Md Mohiuddin Ahmed had received instructions from Palak to shut down upstream internet bandwidth provided by International Terrestrial Cable (ITC) operators.
He further said he was instructed to create a WhatsApp group to coordinate the directive with ITC operators, which he did using his official mobile number.
The group, named "18 July ITC Operations," included representatives from several ITC operators, including Summit Communications Limited, Fiber@Home, NovoCom, BD Link, Mango, Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Limited (BTCL) and Bangladesh Submarine Cables PLC (BSCPLC), along with senior BTRC officials.
The witness added that after the group was formed, the director general joined a call and communicated the government's instruction to suspend upstream internet bandwidth.
Following this, internet services were shut down through operators at around 9pm on 18 July and remained fully suspended until 23 July, he said.
He further testified that on 23 July, Palak convened a meeting with representatives from International Internet Gateway (IIG) operators and media outlets.
At the meeting, he instructed that Facebook, YouTube and TikTok remain blocked, while limited internet access be restored at key installations such as banks, the parliament building and cantonments.
As the testimony was not concluded, the tribunal adjourned the hearing until 19 July.
