The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) on Thursday ordered notices to be published in two widely circulated national dailies, summoning 30 fugitive accused, including ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, to surrender in a case involving alleged crimes against humanity stemming from violence during Hefazat-e-Islam’s May 5, 2013 rally at Shapla Chattar in Dhaka’s Motijheel.

ICT-2 ordered that the notices be published in one Bangla-language and one English-language newspaper and set September 16 for the next hearing in the case.

During the hearing, the prosecution informed the tribunal that the 30 fugitives could not be located at their respective addresses despite arrest warrants having been issued against them.

The prosecution then sought permission to publish notices in newspapers as part of the legal process. The tribunal granted the request directing the accused to surrender within the stipulated period.

Alongside Hasina, the other fugitive accused include former home minister Dr Mahiuddin Khan Alamgir, Awami League presidium member Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, joint general secretary Mahbub-ul-Alam Hanif, former information minister Dr Hasan Mahmud, joint general secretary AFM Bahauddin Nasim, former state minister Advocate Mrinal Kanti Das, joint general secretary Jahangir Kabir Nanak, former minister Mofazzel Hossain Chowdhury Maya, former Jubo League chairman Omar Faruk Chowdhury, former lawmaker Salahuddin Mahmud, and Dr Imran H Sarker, convener and spokesperson of Gonojagoron Mancha, among others. 

Earlier in the morning, 10 of the 11 accused currently in custody were brought before the tribunal under tight security. Prosecutors said journalist Farzana Rupa, one of the accused, could not be produced before the court because of illness.

The 10 accused produced before the tribunal are former information minister Hasanul Haq Inu, former state minister for home affairs Shamsul Haque Tuku, former food minister Dr Abdur Razzaque, former minister Dr Dipu Moni, former minister Abdul Latif Siddiqui, former inspector general of police AKM Shahidul Haque, dismissed Major General Ziaul Ahsan, former deputy inspector general Abdul Jalil Mondal, Shahriar Kabir, president of the Ekattorer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee, and Mozammel Haque Babu, managing director of Ekattor TV.

The tribunal had initially set August 16 for producing the accused in custody before it. However, following a prosecution petition, it fixed September 3 as the date after procedures related to production warrants and non-execution reports (NERs) for the accused remained incomplete.

Earlier, on July 27, the tribunal took cognisance of the formal charges submitted by the prosecution against 41 accused in the case.

The formal charges detail two main incidents.

The first allegation concerns the killing of 32 people during an operation carried out on the night of May 5, 2013, against Hefazat-e-Islam leaders and activists who were occupying Shapla Chattar in Motijheel.

The second concerns attacks on protesters and killings in different parts of the country the following morning, May 6, including the killing of 20 people in Siddhirganj, Narayanganj.