Chief Prosecutor of the International Crimes Tribunal, Aminul Islam, has claimed that Prime Minister Tarique Rahman was detained and tortured in an alleged secret detention facility known as ‘Aynaghar’ at Dhaka Cantonment under the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) during the 1/11 period.

He made the remarks while speaking to journalists on Saturday (August 8) after visiting the Joint Interrogation Centre (JIC) at the DGFI headquarters.

The chief prosecutor said the previous government led by Sheikh Hasina had established an inhumane system in the country. According to him, secret detention facilities known as ‘Aynaghar’ were used to suppress dissent, with many people allegedly held there for extended periods.

Aminul Islam further said initiatives have been taken to bring those involved in operating the secret detention facilities and carrying out alleged torture to justice. If investigations uncover evidence of the involvement of additional individuals, they too will be brought before the law, he said.

The chief prosecutor also alleged that important evidence at the JIC facility had been destroyed after August 5. He claimed that some areas had been concealed by constructing walls and that a significant amount of information and evidence had been destroyed.

Emphasising the legal validity of the site inspection, he said it was important for the judicial process to examine the present condition of a location firsthand and assess the evidence available there. Such inspections would also help ensure justice, he added.

On Saturday, judges of International Crimes Tribunal-1 visited the alleged secret detention facility at the JIC cell of the DGFI headquarters in Dhaka Cantonment. The inspection team was led by Tribunal-1 Chairman Justice Golam Mortuza and included the chief prosecutor and defence lawyers.

Earlier, the tribunal judges also visited an alleged secret detention facility, or “disappearance cell,” reportedly operated by the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) in Uttara.