Chief Prosecutor of the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) Mohammad Tajul Islam on Thursday said the patriotic members of the Bangladesh Army had stood as a shield (for the innocents) during the July mass uprising in 2024, when police were indiscriminately killing people.
He made the observation while presenting the concluding arguments for the prosecution in the crimes against humanity case against three, including the ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
Talking to reporters later, the chief prosecutor said: “We told the tribunal that the entire state machinery was used to suppress the July mass uprising. But we have a patriotic force–the Bangladesh Army– which the people of this country have always loved.”
He added: “When people see army members on the streets, they embrace them with emotion and shower them with flowers. It was this patriotic army that stood in the middle as a shield when police were shooting people indiscriminately.”
Tajul Islam said that after August 3, 2024, members of the army came forward to protect the protesting students and the general people.
“When police were firing on students in Mirpur, the army stood between them, fired blank shots to disperse the police, and tried to save lives. As a force, they played a crucial role, which we have placed before the tribunal,” he added.
“Overall, except for the army, all other state apparatuses were used to commit the crimes aimed at suppressing the July mass uprising,” the chief prosecutor further said.
