Tarique Rahman Was Tortured at DGFI’s JIC During 1/11 : Chief Prosecutor

Chief Prosecutor of the International Crimes Tribunal Md. Aminul Islam has said that evidence obtained through investigation and witness testimony indicates that current Prime Minister Tarique Rahman was subjected to torture while being held at the Joint Interrogation Centre (JIC) at the headquarters of the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) during the 1/11 period.

A 3-member delegation from International Crimes Tribunal-1, led by its Chairman Justice Md. Gholam Mortuza Mozumder, visited the JIC on Saturday as part of the judicial proceedings. Members of the prosecution and other relevant officials also accompanied the delegation.

Chief Prosecutor Aminul Islam, Prosecutors Mizanul Islam, Zahirul Amin, Barrister Shyikh Mahdi and Tasmiul Islam were present on behalf of the prosecution during the inspection.

Representing the defence were Azizur Rahman Dulu, Barrister Hamidul Misbah, Barrister Mahin Rahman and state-appointed counsel Amir Hossain.

A number of journalists and media representatives also attended the inspection. They included Manjur Rahman Chowdhury, editor of Manab Zamin and a senior journalist; Mehedi Hasan Dalim of Dhaka Post; Mazharul Haque Manna of Channel i; Mohammad Yasin of The Daily Observer; and Arafat Munna of Bangladesh Pratidin.

Speaking to journalists after the inspection, Chief Prosecutor Aminul Islam said the visit to the facility, popularly known as an “Aynaghar” or secret detention centre, was part of the judicial process.

“During the 1/11 period, Tarique Rahman was taken to a room at the JIC and subjected to torture,” he said, adding that information regarding the incident had emerged from testimony given by witnesses before the Tribunal as well as from the prosecution’s investigation.

The Chief Prosecutor said the JIC had been used at different times to secretly detain people and subject them to torture and ill-treatment. The inspection, he said, provided an opportunity to understand the conditions in which detainees had been held.

He said a number of people, including retired Brigadier General Abdullahil Amaan Azmi, had allegedly been held at such secret detention facilities for prolonged periods.

Aminul Islam said the prosecution had already initiated proceedings against individuals allegedly involved in operating the secret detention facilities and that anyone else whose involvement emerges during further investigation would also be brought within the legal process.

He also alleged that significant evidence from the JIC had been destroyed or concealed after August 5. According to him, parts of the facility had subsequently been covered with walls and a substantial amount of information and physical evidence had been lost.

The Chief Prosecutor stressed the importance of judicial inspection of the site, saying that observing the present condition of an alleged crime scene and assessing the evidence and information available there were important to ensuring justice.

He said the use of secret detention centres and torture could not be justified even where a person was suspected of committing an offence.

“Anyone who commits a crime must be brought within the law and face trial,” he said, stressing at the same time that no citizen should be subjected to extrajudicial killing, arbitrary harassment or torture by law-enforcement agencies.

Aminul Islam further alleged that during the previous government led by Sheikh Hasina, secret detention facilities known as “Aynaghar” were operated by certain members of the law-enforcement and security apparatus. He said opposition political leaders and people holding dissenting views were allegedly abducted and detained at such facilities.

He added that the whereabouts of some people allegedly subjected to enforced disappearance remain unknown.

Cases involving allegations of enforced disappearance, secret detention and torture at facilities including the JIC and the Task Force for Interrogation (TFI) are currently pending before the International Crimes Tribunal. The prosecution has already brought several officials allegedly linked to such incidents within the scope of the proceedings, while further investigations may lead to additional suspects being prosecuted.

The Chief Prosecutor also said steps would be taken to ensure that such secret detention facilities are never established again in Bangladesh.

The inspection of the JIC comes amid the Tribunal’s ongoing examination of allegations of enforced disappearance and other crimes against humanity associated with secret detention facilities operated by security and law-enforcement agencies.

Relevant news reports in this regard are as follows:

Daily Jugantor – https://www.jugantor.com/national/1137762

NEWS24 – https://www.news24bd.tv/details/294270

Somoy TV – https://www.somoynews.tv/news/2026-08-08/tvU2X0PZ

Sarabangla.net – https://sarabangla.net/news/post-1188803/

bdnews24.com