The Bangladesh Army has detained 15 of its officers after arrest warrants were issued against 30 people over alleged crimes against humanity and enforced disappearances during the former Awami League government.
Army Adjutant General Maj Gen Md Hakimuzzaman confirmed the detentions at a briefing on Saturday, saying the officers were taken into custody following the International Crimes Tribunal’s warrants. The tribunal accepted charges in two cases involving the abduction and torture of political dissidents at the Rapid Action Battalion’s Taskforce Interrogation (TFI) Cell and the Joint Interrogation Cell (JIC).
Among the accused are deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, her former defence adviser Maj Gen (retd) Tarique Ahmed Siddique, ex-home minister Asaduzzaman Khan, and several former RAB and intelligence chiefs.
A disappearance commission earlier found evidence linking Hasina to directives for abductions during her administration. The interim government has since approved a draft law introducing the death penalty for enforced disappearances and criminalizing secret detention facilities such as the notorious “Ayna Ghor.”