Mother’s tears halt ICT-1 proceedings as she watches son’s final moments
As the grieving mother of a July Uprising martyr broke down in the witness box at International Crimes Tribunal-1, a heavy silence descended on the courtroom and proceedings were paused for several minutes.
The emotional scene unfolded after a graphic video was played in court, showing her 23-year-old son, Rakib Hossain, lying collapsed on a road after being shot, with blood pouring from his body.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. The footage was shown at the request of defence counsel for former Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) official Lt Col Mohammad Redowanul Islam, who sought to have it played during the cross-examination of the victim’s mother, Hashi Akhter.
As the video was shown, Hashi broke down in tears and struggled to continue her testimony. “I carried my son in a rickshaw from Rampura to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, but he could not say a single word to me. I am carrying such immense pain…” she said, her voice breaking as she wept in court.
Her distress became so overwhelming that Presiding Judge Md Mohitul Hoque Anam Chowdhury suspended the proceedings for several minutes.
Prosecutor SM Moynul Karim and lawyer Nazneen Nahar, who were present in the courtroom, then stepped forward to console the grieving mother. After a while, she gradually regained her composure and resumed her testimony.
During cross-examination, defence counsel Aminul Ghani Titto, appearing for Redowanul, questioned Hashi about how she had obtained the video, who had given it to her, and whether she had handed over the mobile phone containing the footage to the investigation officer.
In response, Hashi said she had destroyed the phone in her grief. “I threw away and broke the mobile phone that contained the video because my daughters used to watch the horrific footage of their brother. I could not bear the pain,” she told the tribunal.
On April 7, she testified as the third prosecution witness in a crimes against humanity case over the killing of 28 people in Rampura on July 18 and 19, 2024 during the uprising.
The accused in the case include two former BGB officers -- Lt Col Redowanul Islam and Maj Rafat Bin Alam Moon -- who are in custody, along with two former police officers -- then additional deputy commissioner of Khilgaon Md Rashedul Islam and then officer-in-charge of Rampura Police Station Moshiur Rahman. While Redowanul and Rafat were present in the dock during her testimony, the two police officials remain fugitives.
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