FROM PAGE 16

For over an hour and a half, harrowing images rolled across a large screen, leaving the courtroom in stunned silence. Parents of July uprising victim Golam Nafiz, present in the courtroom, broke down in tears while all eyes were glued to the screen with a heavy pall of grief.

The documentary, prepared by the International Truth and Justice Project based on forensic analysis of 400 video clips, captured one chilling scene after another from the Jatrabari massacre.

Policemen were seen firing point-blank at two young men crouching for safety behind a pillar beneath the Mayor Hanif Flyover. One collapsed instantly. The other, clutching his chest, tried to stumble forward when a policeman struck him with his rifle.

Elsewhere, two youths were cornered in an alley and beaten with rifle butts and sticks before targeted shots struck them down. Their lifeless bodies were soon left sprawled on the ground.

At least 19 were killed, including 18-year-old Yasir Sarker, Hubayed Ahmed, Md Liton, and Miraz Hossain. Many more were wounded.

The footage also traced how the quota reform movement transformed into a nationwide uprising after the killing of Abu Sayed, a Begum Rokeya University student, on July 16. It captured Sheikh Hasina branding protesters as descendants of “razakars”, a remark that ignited fresh fury on the streets.

Other atrocities flashed across the screen: the burning of five dead and one still alive protesters in a police van in Ashulia, the Chankharpool killing of six demonstrators, the murder of Golam Nafis at Farmgate, and the shooting of Amir Hossain as he clung desperately to a ledge in Rampura. One clip even showed sound grenades being fired from helicopters hovering above.

Later, the tribunal began recording the statement of Investigation Officer Additional SP Md Alamgir, the final prosecution witness in the case. So far, 53 witnesses have testified.

The tribunal also accepted as corroborative evidence a statement from the late intellectual and political activist Badruddin Umar, who had passed away before he could testify.

In the case against Hasina, the investigating officer, Md Alamgir, in his deposition, mentioned evidence he seized during the investigation, including the bullets taken out from the bodies of wounded protesters, and video footage of the police firing. The court recorded his deposition. The remaining part of his deposition will resume today.

Meanwhile, ICT-1 disposed of a case against former minister and JSD president Hasanul Haq Inu after prosecutors said formal charges had already been pressed against him before ICT-2 in a similar case.

In court, Inu’s lawyer, senior advocate ZI Khan Panna, sought permission to consult his client, which was granted.

Speaking to journalists afterwards, he expressed deep frustration. Referring to Inu’s audio conversation with Hasina, ZI Khan yesterday said Inu had asked the former premier to arrest protesters but also directed that they be released the next day, cautioning against opening fire under any circumstances and instead creating fear by using sound grenades.

“This does not mean he was insisting on killings. Such acts are carried out by those in power,” ZI Khan told journalists after leaving the courtroom.

Replying to a question, he said that if his client is proven to have been involved in any killing, he should face punishment. “But it has to be proved,” he stressed, adding that he himself has always opposed both killings and the death penalty.

“That is why I never came to this tribunal during the Awami League’s tenure. Whether an individual is hanged rightfully or wrongly -- I am not in favour of it. The civilised world rejects the death penalty…”

Responding to another query, the senior advocate said, “There are lapses everywhere in this country. I cannot even be sure if I’ll reach home safely from here.”

He further alleged that no cases were filed against those who created mobs and attacked the participants of a roundtable he organised at the Dhaka Reporters Unity last month. “Instead, the victims were sued. How can I respect this law and this administration?”