Former Bangladesh police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun appeared in court Wednesday to face grave charges stemming from a violent crackdown during the August revolution that removed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina from power. Slightly flanked by serving officers, Al-Mamun was accused of directing acts of genocide and crimes against humanity.
The eight defendants in the court in Dhaka included a former commander of the feared Rapid Action Battalion, Ziaul Ahsan. The chief prosecutor of Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal, Mohammad Tajul Islam, said the accused committed atrocities “that even devils dare not do.”
Islam branded Al-Mamun as the “commander of all atrocities” that were committed against student demonstrators, enumerating the appalling acts blamed on Ahsan: extrajudicial killings, dismemberment of bodies. Ahsan was also accused of ordering the shutdown of the internet during the protests.
Ahsan, however, denied all charges, saying, “I was not in-charge of the secret detention centre and never surveilled people.” Other police officers, from lower ranks, were charged with killing protesters and burning their bodies to destroy evidence. An officer was accused of opening fire on Shaikh Ashabul Yamin, a student protester whose death became viral on social media as it was recorded through a police armoured vehicle.
The accused generally remained silent during the hearing. Only one, Majharul Islam, the former chief of Gulshan Police Station in Dhaka, broke down in tears as he sought clemency from the court: “I supported the protests, please save me.”
The court granted time to prosecutors until December 19 to complete their investigation report. All the accused remain in custody.
The allegations come in the wake of Sheikh Hasina’s 15-year rule, marked by numerous human rights violations, including the mass detention and extrajudicial killings of political opponents. The court has also issued an arrest warrant for Hasina, accused of “massacres, killings, and crimes against humanity,” but she has evaded capture, reportedly fleeing to India by helicopter on August 5.
This hearing follows similar charges laid against former government officials earlier in the week, including 11 ex-ministers, highlighting the ongoing scrutiny of the actions taken during Hasina’s administration.
