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Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
At a glance
- A witness told the International Crimes Tribunal-1 that activists attacked protesters on July 18, 2024, on the instructions of Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh and Jahangir Kabir Nanak.
- The witness, Wasif Munim, recounted seeing his classmate Farhan Fayaz shot and killed during the attack.
- In separate testimonies, witnesses described attacks on protesters in Narayanganj and alleged orders for "crossfire" killings in Barishal, implicating various political figures.
Armed activists attacked protesters in Dhanmondi and Mohammadpur during the July uprising on the instructions of former DSCC mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh and former lawmaker Jahangir Kabir Nanak, a prosecution witness told the International Crimes Tribunal-1. The witness, Wasif Munim, stated that these activists were from the Awami League, Jubo League, and Chhatra League.
Wasif, now a first-year student at Mugda Medical College, testified that he witnessed the attack around 1 p.m. on July 18, 2024. He described how protesters were dispersed and recounted seeing his classmate, Farhan Fayaz, being carried away after being shot in the chest. Wasif rushed Fayaz to a nearby hospital, where he died from his injuries. Fayaz was among nine people killed during the July uprising in Mohammadpur.
We were dispersed, and I was sitting on a footpath in an alley off Dhanmondi 27 when I saw my classmate, Farhan Fayaz, being carried away after being shot in the chest.
Wasif also alleged that police, including former Dhaka Metropolitan Police commissioner Habibur Rahman and DMP official Biplob Kumar, failed to take legal action against those responsible for the killings. He sought justice for the victims as his testimony concluded.
We were dispersed, and I was sitting on a footpath in an alley off Dhanmondi 27 when I saw my classmate, Farhan Fayaz, being carried away after being shot in the chest.
In other testimonies, a witness from Narayanganj described an attack on protesters at Jalkuri on July 19, where he alleged Shamim Osman, his son Ayan Osman, nephew Ajmeri Osman, and around 100 armed Awami League activists attacked demonstrators. The witness, NRB Mamun, sustained injuries from rubber bullets, and two protesters were killed. He also claimed a hospital refused treatment to injured protesters on Shamim Osman's orders.
Furthermore, a former police sub-inspector in Barishal testified at ICT-2 that a superintendent of police allegedly ordered him to participate in a "crossfire" operation, citing instructions from then-Awami League lawmaker Abul Hasanat Abdullah. The sub-inspector refused and was threatened with career ruin. He later heard gunfire and learned that two local political activists had been killed in the alleged crossfire.
We were dispersed, and I was sitting on a footpath in an alley off Dhanmondi 27 when I saw my classmate, Farhan Fayaz, being carried away after being shot in the chest.
Originally published by Daily Star. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.