The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) has kept the verdict pending in the case concerning the July mass uprising’s first martyr, Abu Sayed, a student of Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur (BRUR), in which 30 people are accused of committing crimes against humanity. The verdict is expected to be announced any day.
After hearings from both the prosecution and the defense on Tuesday (27 January), the judicial panel of ICT-2 passed this order. The prosecution had begun presenting its arguments on 20 January, and Tuesday’s hearing concluded this process.
In total, 30 people, including former Vice-Chancellor Hasibur Rashid of BRUR, have been accused in the case. Among them, six—including former Proctor Shariful Islam—are currently in custody, while the remaining 24 are still absconding.
On the prosecution side, 25 witnesses, including the investigating officer, have testified. Those in custody are ASI Amir Hossain, former Proctor Shariful Islam, Constable Sujon Chandra Roy, Chhatra League leader Imran Chowdhury, Rafiqul Hasan Rasel, and Anwar Parvez. The defense has not presented any witnesses.
According to court sources, state-appointed lawyers have represented the absconding accused during the proceedings. The trial began on 6 August last year when the tribunal formally framed charges against the 30 accused. Prior to that, the formal indictment was taken on 30 June, and the prosecution presented its opening statement on 27 August.
Notably, Abu Sayed, a 12th batch student of the university’s English Department, was killed during the anti-discrimination movement on July 16, 2024.