News Flash
DHAKA, Sept 15, 2025 (BSS) – Mahmudur Rahman, editor of the daily Amar Desh newspaper, gave his testimony before ICT-1 and said Sheikh Hasina did all sort of crimes against humanity for establishing fascism in the country by frightening the people.
He made the deposition before the tribunal as the 46th witness of the case against three accused including former prime minister Sheikh Hasina who was ousted from the power in the face of last year’s July-August mass upsurge.
In his deposition before the ICT-1 headed by Justice Golam Mortuza Majumder Mahmudur Rahman said, “A notorious fascist government of the history had stepped down through the great July revolution and that is why I have been expressing my gratitude to the Almighty Allah”.
“As a journalist, writer and researcher of history, I have seen the rise, flourishing and fall of the fascist regime and wrote down this history for the future generations during the last 17 years,” he said, adding that the fascism was established here through a meticulous design, a foreign force along with local politicians was also behind the design.
The results of 2018 elections were finalized in Delhi about 10 months ahead of the election and Awami League achieved landslide victory in the election in December, 2018 as part of that plan, he said. There was an active role of General Moin U Ahmed and the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) behind the result, Mahmudur Rahman said, adding that there was an initiative from the DGFI to divide the BNP so that Awami League can win through manipulation.
Referring to the BDR carnage, the Amar Desh editor said that the carnage was carried out within two months of assuming the power by Sheikh Hasina to break down the moral of the army. The members of ‘Sheikh family’ and her closet parliament member (MP) from Dhanmondi constituency Sheikh Fazle Nur Taposh were directly involved in the planning, he added.
The then head of the government, defence adviser to the prime minister, home minister and General Moin U Ahmed did not take any measures to save the military personnel and their family members, rather they allowed to kill the army officers and their family members.
The senior journalist said that after controlling the army, Sheikh Hasina focused on the judiciary for lingering the fascism. The eviction of Begum Khaleda Zia from her cantonment residence was executed by using the court and the caretaker government provision was scrapped from the constitution, he added.
At one stage of his deposition, Mahmudur Rahman said that three elections-2014, 2018 and 2024 were staged for mockery. A total of 153 MPs were elected before starting the voting in 2014 and the voting was almost completed in the previous night of the election day in 2018, the editor said, adding that the voterless election of 2024 was widely defamed as “Ami and Dummy’ vote.
Sheikh Hasina and her government carried out extra judicial killings, forcible disappearances, tortured on Hefajat rally and erected ‘Ayna Ghar,’ he said adding that different departments of the government, media and politicians played pro-active role to make Sheikh Hasina as fascist.
The ICT, at one stage, adjourned the depositions of Mahmudur Rahman and fixed tomorrow for further depositions.
Chief Prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam, Prosecutors Mizanul Islam and Gazi M H Tamim moved for the prosecution where the other prosecutors were also present.
State appointed lawyer Amir Hossain was present before the tribunal for ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina and former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal while advocate Zayed Bin Amjad was present for another accused of the case former inspector general of police (IGP) Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun who later became a state approver of the case.
