Chief Prosecutor of the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) Aminul Islam on Saturday said the Awami League had used the secret detention facility known as the "Aynaghar" to institutionalise "a harsh fascist regime," stating the party bears direct responsibility for establishing the facility.

Speaking to reporters after inspecting the detention centre at the Rapid Action Battalion's (RAB) RAB-1 headquarters in Uttara, Aminul said the facility had been used during the Sheikh Hasina-led government to detain, suppress and torture political opponents.

A high-level delegation from International Crimes Tribunal-1 (ICT-1), comprising tribunal judges and members of the prosecution team, visited the facility at around 11:00am.

Following the inspection, the chief prosecutor said, “The Aynaghar is not a myth or fiction, it is a brutal reality.

"We have found a total of 29 special rooms, known as 'death cells,' inside this secret detention facility in Uttara," he said.

Aminul warned that all political figures, leaders and officials found to have been involved in operating the alleged detention facility would be brought under the law as quickly as possible.

"Those who attempted to destroy evidence related to the Aynaghar will also be investigated and prosecuted. No one will be spared," he said.

During the inspection, officials also told the delegation that BNP leader and current Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed had once been forcibly disappeared and detained at the facility.

The chief prosecutor said the purpose of the visit was to allow the tribunal's judges to directly observe the alleged signs of torture so that the findings could be recorded as part of the court's judicial record and later used as evidence in ongoing proceedings.

The inspection team was led by ICT-1 Chairman Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mozumder. Tribunal members Justice Md Shafiul Alam Mahmud and Justice Md Mohitul Haque Enam Chowdhury also took part in the visit.

The prosecution team included prosecutors Mizanul Islam, Gazi MH Tamim, Faruk Ahmad, Shaikh Mahdi, Shahidul Islam Sardar and Tasmirul Islam. Defence lawyers were also present during the inspection.

The visit followed an application filed by the chief prosecutor on July 21 seeking the tribunal's permission to inspect alleged secret detention facilities operated by the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI), the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and the Detective Branch (DB).

During the hearing on the petition, the prosecution alleged that political opponents had been forcibly disappeared and subjected to prolonged torture at the facilities during the Awami League government's tenure. The tribunal subsequently approved the inspection.