The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) on Monday deferred the cross-examination of a key witness in the crimes-against-humanity case against retired Major General Ziaul Ahsan after his defense team sought more time.

The hearing had been scheduled for the cross-examination of former bodyguard Imrul Kayes, whose testimony linked Ziaul Ahsan to the alleged killing of more than 100 people, including BNP leader Ilias Ali.

The postponement drew opposition from prosecutors, who accused the defense of deliberately slowing the proceedings through repeated procedural requests.

Chief Prosecutor Mohammad Aminul Islam told the tribunal that the defense was employing a pattern of tactics aimed at delaying the trial.

"Only in Ziaul Ahsan's case are we seeing repeated attempts to create obstacles and delay the trial," he told the bench headed by Justice Golam Mortuza Mozumder.

The defense, led by lawyer Naznin Ahsan who is also Ziaul’s sister, requested an adjournment citing the illness of senior lawyer Mansurul Haque Chowdhury and the recent death of another defense lawyer, Aminul Gani Titu.

Questioning the request, the tribunal noted that the defense had already been granted two weeks earlier this month to prepare and appoint legal representation.

The defense also sought permission to meet the accused in prison, obtain his call detail records from the past two years and collect documents related to Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) operations.

Prosecutors opposed most of the requests, arguing that the documents were unrelated to the charges before the tribunal and were not part of the prosecution's evidence.

Additional Chief Prosecutor Mizanul Islam said Ziaul Ahsan already had seven lawyers representing him and urged the court to proceed with witness cross-examination without further delay.

Following arguments from both sides, the tribunal allowed the defense to pursue certain documents and meet the accused but fixed June 28 for the witness cross-examination and continuation of testimony.

Speaking to reporters after the hearing, Aminul Islam alleged that the defense had repeatedly used procedural applications to delay the trial.

"Every hearing date brings a new excuse — illness, death of counsel, or requests for documents. The objective appears to be delaying the proceedings," he said, warning that prosecutors would challenge any future applications they deemed intended to prolong the case.

Ziaul Ahsan is facing charges of crimes against humanity over alleged enforced disappearances and killings of more than 100 people during his tenure with the RAB. Prosecutors filed formal charges in December 2025, accusing him of involvement in multiple cases of abduction, disappearance and extrajudicial killings.