The Daily Star
For eight years, justice remained beyond the reach of former Teknaf municipality councillor Akramul Haque’s family.
His widow, Ayesha Begum, lived under the shadow of fear, unable even to file a case as the Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) allegedly intimidated the family into silence.
All they had was a haunting phone recording that shocked the nation and a hope that one day someone would listen.
Yesterday, that wait finally began to end.
In a landmark development, the International Crimes Tribunal-2 took cognisance of formal charges against 11 people, including deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina, over Akramul’s 2018 killing, which prosecutors described as a crime against humanity.
The tribunal found a prima facie case against the accused, who also include former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, former Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader, former lawmaker Abdur Rahman Bodi, former inspector general of police Benazir Ahmed, and six former Rab officers.
The Rab officers are Col (retired) Mohammad Anwar Latif Khan, Brig Gen Mahbub Alam (then lieutenant colonel), Brig Gen Miftauddin Ahmed (then lieutenant colonel), Maj (retired) Ruhul Amin, Squadron Leader Nazmus Sakib Mahmud, and Lt Col Ashikur Rahman alias Soikat. Prosecutors alleged Nazmus led the team that picked up Akramul from Teknaf.
Bodi, Latif and Mahbub have already been shown arrested in the case. The tribunal has issued arrest warrants for the absconding accused.
Before taking cognisance of the charges, the tribunal played in open court the chilling audio recording that became one of the most disturbing pieces of evidence from Bangladesh’s anti-drug campaign.
The recording captures the metallic click of a gun being cocked, followed by a gunshot and a man’s dying groans, while on the other end of the phone Akramul’s wife and two daughters scream and plead for his life.
Prosecutor Zahirul Amin told the tribunal that Kamal and Quader later instructed the victim’s family not to speak to the media.
According to the prosecution, Akramul was killed on Teknaf Marine Drive Road in Cox’s Bazar on May 26, 2018, in what Rab claimed was a “gunfight” during an anti-narcotics operation. Rab also alleged it recovered firearms and yaba tablets from the scene.
His family has consistently rejected that account, saying Akramul was targeted because he opposed drug trafficking.
Ayesha did not receive phone calls yesterday despite repeated attempts. Last month, she told The Daily Star, “Since my husband’s killing, we tried to file a case but could never do so due to Rab’s intimidation.” For years, the family was prevented from seeking justice through the police or the courts.
Chief Prosecutor Md Aminul Islam alleged that Bodi orchestrated the killing because Akramul was his political rival.
“We are ashamed to even call him a former member of parliament because he was a drug trafficker. It was through Bodi’s meticulous planning that this incident took place,” he told reporters after the hearing.
He further alleged that Bodi later grabbed Akramul’s property.
Referring to Benazir and other Rab officials, Aminul said the tribunal chairman observed that it was “extremely alarming” that officials entrusted with protecting citizens had become involved in such killings.
The chief prosecutor also said Ayesha, in her statement, described meeting Hasina at a meeting arranged by Quader, where Ayesha was allegedly instructed to suppress the incident.
Although Akramul’s killing triggered nationwide outrage in 2018 after the audio recording surfaced, no criminal case was allowed to proceed. It was only after the political changeover on August 5, 2024, that authorities contacted the family and encouraged them to pursue justice before the ICT.
Source: https://www.thedailystar.net/news/crime-justice/news/akramul-killing-formal-charges-pressed-against-hasina-10-others-4233541
