ICT sends ex-ministers Amu, Qamrul to jail

The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) has ordered the imprisonment of Awami League leaders Amir Hossain Amu and Kamrul Islam in connection with a case filed over allegations of genocide.

The three-member tribunal headed by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Majumder, chairman of the lCT, gave the order today (4 December).

The other members of the tribunal are Justice Shafiul Alam Mahmud and Judge Mohitul Haque Enam Chowdhury.

Prosecutor Gazi MH Tamim said, "We filed a petition to present them before the tribunal. The charges against them were read out, and the tribunal, being satisfied, ordered their presentation on 4 December."

Prosecutor Tamim detailed the allegations, saying that Kamrul Islam, a presidium member of the Awami League at the time, allegedly ordered the killing of student activists as part of party decisions. In his constituency, Dhaka-2, multiple student activists were shot and killed.

Amir Hossain Amu and Kamrul Islam are among several senior leaders of the Awami League and its allies facing trial at the ICT for crimes against humanity and genocide.

Earlier on 2 December, the tribunal ordered the relevant authorities to ensure their presence for today's proceedings.

Amu, a member of the Awami League's advisory council and former industries minister, was detained by Detective Branch (DB) police on 6 November in the capital. 

Qamrul Islam, former food minister, was detained on 18 November from Uttara, Dhaka.  

Both face allegations related to the murder of Abdul Wadud, a 45-year-old trader from Priyangon Shopping Centre in New Market, who was killed on 19 July during the student-led movement. 

Wadud's relative Abdur Rahman filed the case on 21 August against 130 people, including ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, Obaidul Quader, Anisul Huq, Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, and Salman F Rahman.