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Published : 09 May 2025, 04:21 AM
Facing an avalanche of new cases and mounting pressure to deliver swift justice, the interim government in Bangladesh has established a second International Crimes Tribunal to prosecute alleged atrocities linked to the July Uprising.
Former High Court Justice Nazrul Islam Chowdhury has been appointed chairman of the newly formed International Crimes Tribunal-2, according to a statement from the law ministry on Thursday.
Retired district and sessions judge Manjurul Bashid and Madaripur district and sessions judge Nur Mohammad Shahriar Kabir will serve alongside him.
The law ministry announced the formation of this tribunal in a media statement on Thursday.
The new tribunal aims to ease the caseload of the existing tribunal, which is currently overwhelmed with trials of what the government considers “genocide” charges stemming from the uprising.
The first International Crimes Tribunal, led by Justice Golam Mortuza Mozumder, will now be formally designated as International Crimes Tribunal-1.
Justice Shafiul Alam Mahmud and retired District and Sessions Judge Mohitul Haque Enam Chowdhury sit as its members.
Originally set up in 2010 by the Awami League government to try war crimes from the 1971 independence struggle against Pakistan, the tribunal’s mandate has been reshaped by the interim government to pursue charges of mass killings under the former regime.
The tribunal was last reorganised on Oct 14 following the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government.
According to the statement, Justice Golam Mortuza Mozumder will head the International Crimes Tribunal-1. His fellow members on the tribunal are Justice Shafiul Alam Mahmud and retired district and sessions judge Mohitul Haque Enam Chowdhury.
On the formation of the second tribunal, the press release said it was necessary due to the increasing number of cases and accused individuals, the need for speedier trial resolutions, and the pressure on the tribunal's workload.
It added that the chairman and members of the International Crimes Tribunal-2 will be entitled to the same salary, allowances, and benefits as High Court judges.
