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July uprising, said that most of the accused in the Tayyem murder case remain at large, with some having fled the country.

“If they are not arrested, who will be tried? This is nothing but a mockery in the name of justice,” Rabiul, also general secretary of the July 24 Shaheed Family Society, told The Daily Star.

Zartaj Parveen, mother of slain 17-year-old Shafiq Uddin Ahnaf, echoed his frustration.

“A murder case was filed with Mirpur police but no arrests have been made,” she said, alleging that though she provided police with addresses of some of her son’s killers, no action was taken.

Refuting the allegation of foot-dragging on the probe, Mohammad Sajjad Rummon, officer-in-charge of Mirpur Model Police Station, said, “We will arrest whoever the accused are.”

CHARGES FRAMED IN TWO CASES

Following the AL government’s fall on August 5 last year, the ICT-1 was reconstituted on October 14 to try those involved in crimes against humanity committed during the July uprising. The ICT-2 was formed in May this year to speed up proceedings and deal with the growing number of cases.

ICT-1 has already framed charges in two cases related to crimes against humanity, while charges have been pressed in two more similar cases pending with ICT-2.

On July 10, ICT-1 framed charges against Hasina, ex-home minister Asaduzzaman and former inspector general of police Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun in a case over murder, attempted murder, torture, and the use of lethal weapons during the mass uprising.

It will hear opening statements of the prosecution and the defence on August 3 and begin recording witness testimonies the following day, marking the start of the first-ever trial in a case over July atrocities.

Hasina is facing two more cases -- one over alleged involvement in enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings, and the other over the killings during the 2013 Hefazat-e-Islam rally at Shapla Chattar in Motijheel.

She has already been sentenced to six months’ simple imprisonment by the ICT-1 for contempt of court over her remarks during a conversation with a party leader, which the tribunal deemed obstructive to judicial proceedings.

The same tribunal on July 14 farmed charges against former Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Habibur Rahman and seven ex-police personnel in the case over the killing of six people in Chankharpool during the uprising.

It fixed August 10 for hearing the prosecution’s opening statements, and will start taking depositions from witnesses the following day.

Besides, charges have been pressed in two other cases -- one over the murder of Begum Rokeya University student Abu Sayed in Rangpur and the other over the shooting of six protesters and the burning of their bodies in Ashulia.

Contacted, Chief Prosecutor Tajul Islam said the trial proceedings in four cases have already begun while probe reports in another five to seven cases are likely to be submitted by this month.

He further said that if trials in these cases begin on time, the tribunals could dispose of most of them within the next six months.

Since August 5 last year, 429 complaints have been lodged with the ICT’s investigation agency.

The complainants include family members of 115 slain protesters and 63 others injured during the mass uprising. Besides, 214 victims and family members of enforced disappearances filed complaints, said ICT prosecutors.

According to standard procedure, a complaint is initially lodged with the chief prosecutor’s office or the ICT’s investigation agency. If the allegation is found to have prima facie credibility, a “miscellaneous” case is recorded in the tribunal’s registry. An investigation report is then submitted and, if approved, charges are framed, converting the “miscellaneous” case into a regular one.