Data Recovery Drive: ICT Investigators Retrieve Deleted Evidence of July Atrocities
Investigators at the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) are currently working to recover deleted evidence related to crimes committed during the suppression of the July 2024 student movement. Using state-of-the-art digital forensic technologies, they aim to restore data allegedly destroyed in an attempt to erase proof of crimes against humanity committed during that time.
Speaking at a briefing with reporters associated with the tribunal, Chief Prosecutor Mohammad Tazul Islam stated, “Following the fall of the Awami League government, individuals loyal to the previous administration attempted to destroy various critical pieces of evidence. These include documents from police stations, hospitals, and other important institutions, which were either burned or hidden.”
He added, “Structures at various crime scenes—including walls and buildings—were altered, damaged, or demolished in an effort to conceal physical evidence. In addition, digital evidence such as videos, audios, and internet data were deliberately deleted or destroyed. Our investigators are now engaged in recovering all such data using the most advanced technologies available.”
This information was revealed during a recent media briefing held at the Chief Prosecutor’s Office and was reported by the Bangladesh News Agency on Sunday.
The background to the ongoing tribunal investigations stems from the July 2024 anti-discrimination student protests, which erupted over a High Court verdict concerning the reformation of the quota system in public service recruitment. In response to the mass uprising, the previous Awami League government reportedly unleashed state agencies, law enforcement, and party loyalists to quash the movement. According to the Chief Prosecutor, this crackdown involved acts of murder, mass killings, and crimes against humanity.
The movement, led by students and supported by civil society, lasted 36 consecutive days and culminated in the resignation and subsequent flight of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to India on August 5, effectively ending nearly 16 years of what critics termed “fascist rule.”
The ICT is now holding trials for those allegedly responsible for atrocities committed in the course of the movement’s suppression.
