19 high-profile individuals produced before ICT

Nineteen high-profile individuals, including former ministers and former advisers to the prime minister, were produced before International Crimes Tribunal today in connection with the alleged crimes against humanity committed during the July uprising.

Those produced in the tribunal include several former ministers --Anisul Huq, Amir Hossain Amu, Shahjahan Khan, Qamrul Islam, Lt Col (retd) Mohammad Faruk Khan, Abdur Razzaque, Rashed Khan Menon, Hasanul Haq Inu, Kamal Ahmed Majumder, Golam Dastagir Gazi, and Dipu Moni.

Also named in the case are former state minister Zunaid Ahmed Palak and former advisers to the prime minister -- Salman F Rahman and Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury.

The other accused include AHM Shamsuddin Choudhury Manik, a retired judge of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court; former home secretary Jahangir Alam, former lawmaker Solaiman Selim, former inspector general of police Abdullah Al-Mamun, and former military officer Ziaul Ahsan.

The 19 were presented before the tribunal today, coinciding with the scheduled submission of the final investigation report into their alleged roles in orchestrating or enabling the July violence.

From the prison van, Palak voiced a message of discontent: "A country cannot run like this, people want change, people want peace."

Shahjahan criticised the treatment towards them saying, "We didn't handcuff the Rajakars, why are we handcuffed? This is shameful."