A special tribunal has formally initiated the trial of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s adviser Salman F Rahman and former law minister Anisul Huq for alleged crimes against humanity committed during the July Revolution. The Tribunal-1 panel, led by Justice Golam Mortuza Mojumdar with Justices Shafiul Alam Mahmud and Mohitul Haque Enam Chowdhury, issued the order at noon on Monday. The court also set February 10 for opening statements and the testimony of the first witness.

The decision followed hearings from both prosecution and defense, after which the tribunal rejected a plea for discharge filed on January 6 by defense lawyer Munsurul Haque Chowdhury. The prosecution had earlier, on December 22, presented five charges against the two accused. The first charge alleges that under their instigation and support, law enforcement and armed Awami League cadres used lethal weapons in Rangpur, killing over 1,400 people and injuring more than 25,000. Other charges include killings and assaults in Mirpur and surrounding areas on July 20 and July 28, 2024.

The tribunal’s order marks the formal start of proceedings in one of the most significant post-revolution human rights cases in Bangladesh.