Cross Examination of Enforced Disappearance Victim Brigadier General Abdullahil Aman Azmi(Retd.) continues at the International Crimes Tribunal-1
In a harrowing testimony before the International Crimes Tribunal-1, retired Brigadier General Abdullahil Aman Azmi, a victim of enforced disappearance, revealed the brutal conditions of his nearly seven-and-a-half-year captivity. During a rigorous cross-examination by defense lawyer, Azmi detailed how he was kept in a sweltering room without an air conditioner (AC) until he was near death.
Azmi testified that he was abducted from his home in Dhaka’s Baro Maghbazar on the night of August 22, 2016, and remained “disappeared” until August 5, 2024. He stated that for approximately seven years, he was held in a 21-by-17-foot room at the Joint Interrogation Centre (JIC) without any air conditioning.
It was only on June 6, 2023, when he became critically ill and “near death,” that an AC was finally installed in his cell two days later on June 8, 2023, on a doctor’s advice. “They would say, ‘We must keep you alive,'” Azmi recounted to the tribunal, which is chaired by Justice Md. Shafiul Alam Mahmud.
During the cross-examination, the Defence lawyer suggested that Azmi had received compensation from the army for his ordeal. Azmi firmly denied this, stating he had received no such payment. He also questioned Azmi about a writ petition he had filed against his dismissal from service. Azmi confirmed the petition was dismissed by the High Court after a rule was issued. He also confirmed that he had given a statement before a Court of Inquiry in late August 2024 after his release.
This case, which involves crimes against humanity related to enforced disappearances and torture at the JIC, names 13 accused, including ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Of the accused, three are currently in custody: former DGFI Director Major General (retd.) Sheikh Md. Sarwar Hossain, Brigadier General (retd.) Md. Mahbubur Rahman Siddique, and Brigadier General (retd.) Ahmed Tanvir Mazahar Siddique.
Advocate Mizanul Islam, Gazi Tamim, Shyikh Mahdi, and Tasmirul Islam represented the prosecution, while Advocate Azizur Rahman Dulu is representing these three arrested individuals. The cross-examination remains incomplete, and the tribunal has set the next hearing for April 21, 2026.
Relevant news reports in this regard are as follows:
Daily Jugantor – https://www.jugantor.com/national/1088707
Jagonews24 – https://www.jagonews24.com/law-courts/news/1110099
Real Time News Network (RTNN) – https://www.rtnn.news/post/crime/187454
Daily Sangbad – https://sangbad.net/news/2287/
The Bangladesh Times – https://bangla.tob.news/%E0%A6%A4%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B0%E0%A6%BE-%E0%A6%AC%E0%A6%B2%E0%A6%A4-%E0%A6%86%E0%A6%AA%E0%A6%A8%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%95%E0%A7%87-%E0%A6%86%E0%A6%AE%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%A6%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%B0-%E0%A6%AC/