The chief prosecutor of the International Crimes Tribunal, Md Tajul Islam, on Tuesday announced that the prosecution would soon seek an order from the tribunal requesting transfer of all cases related to the July-August massacre from the police stations and lower courts to the tribunal.
This move came after two coordinators of the movement, Umama Fatema and Sharmin Sumi, on Tuesday visited the chief prosecutor at his office expressing concern over the innocent individuals being implicated in cases while actual perpetrators remain untouched.
They also alleged that filing cases across the country turned into a 鈥榖usiness鈥� for some, exploiting the tragedy for financial gain.
Allegations of harassment have surfaced after cases were filed accusing 300 to 400 individuals of extortion, with demands for money from the accused.
These complaints have been reported from different parts of the country, said Umama Fatema, flanked by Sharmin Sumi, while addressing reporters inside the International Crimes Tribunal compound.
ICT chief prosecutor Md Tajul Islam urged victims of the July massacre not to file cases with police stations or courts, but to rely on the tribunal for justice. He assured that the prosecution, alongside the investigation agency, would review all complaints based on evidence to determine the true offenders, ensuring that innocent individuals are not wrongfully implicated.
Tajul also sought to alleviate fears, stating that the tribunal would not harass innocent people.
He, however, made it clear that genuine offenders involved in crimes against humanity during the July massacre would not escape prosecution.
In a related development, a new case was filed with the tribunal against deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina and seven others in connection with the killing of journalist Tawhid Zaman of The Reporter on July 19 at the Science Lab crossing during the movement.
The victim鈥檚 sister, Tamanna Samiara, filed the complaint. The other accused included former inspector general of police Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun, former Ramna Zone deputy commissioner Ashraf Islam, former New Market Zone assistant commissioner Hafiz Al Asad, former officer-in-charge of New Market police station Aminul Islam, and 30-40 unidentified members of the Special Security and Protection Battalion, along with some unidentified members of the Border Guard.
Since her ousting as prime minister and fleeing to India following the mass uprising on August 5, over 70 ICT cases have been filed against Hasina and her associates, according to the ICT prosecutor.
Moreover, Hasina and her associates were made accused in over 100 murder cases filed with courts and police stations across the country over the July massacre.
Besides this, a total of 237 people, including ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, were sued over the murder of Jatiyatabadi Shramik Dal activist Abdul Hannan.
Hannan鈥檚 brother-in-law Dipokul Islam Dipu filed the complaint with the court of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate, Md Ali Haider, on October 21.