Press Secretary Dismisses ‘Arrest Warrant Rumors’ as Baseless and Malicious

Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam has rejected as “completely fabricated and baseless” the rumors circulating on social media claiming that arrest warrants were being issued against more than a hundred army officers.

In a Facebook post on Saturday night, September 11, he stated that false claims were being spread online suggesting that the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) was preparing to issue arrest warrants against hundreds of military officials.

“The Office of the Chief Prosecutor of the Tribunal has informed us that there are currently no plans to issue warrants against any other members of the Armed Forces,” he clarified.

His remarks came shortly after the Army Headquarters, during a Saturday briefing, confirmed that 15 army officers had been taken into custody following the issuance of arrest warrants by the tribunal against several officers accused of involvement in “abductions and crimes against humanity.”

Urging the public not to believe in such misleading information, Shafiqul Alam said, “Such falsehoods are part of an attempt to create division among the general public and, in particular, within the Armed Forces. The objective of these hateful rumors is to destabilize the country ahead of the general election scheduled for the first half of February next year.”

Addressing another circulating claim, he also stated that there were no government plans to dissolve the Defence Intelligence Agency (DGFI). “The government is considering reforms to enhance the agency’s focus on cross-border and foreign intelligence operations,” he noted.

Last Wednesday, the International Crimes Tribunal issued arrest warrants against 30 accused individuals after taking into cognizance formal charges filed by the prosecution in two cases of crimes against humanity committed during the ousted Awami League regime — including incidents of enforced disappearances and torture of political dissidents.

Meanwhile, in response to growing public demand for justice against military officers allegedly involved in past enforced disappearances and killings, Major General Md Hakimuzzaman, Adjutant General of the Bangladesh Army, told a press conference at Army Headquarters on Saturday that 15 officers had been taken into custody.

He said, “Among them, 14 are currently serving while one is on leave preparatory to retirement (LPR).” When asked whether the accused would be handed over to the police, he replied, “The matter will be resolved in accordance with the law. For now, they remain in army custody and are not being allowed to contact their families.”

The armed forces personnel formally charged and listed under the tribunal’s arrest warrants include Major General Sheikh Md Sarwar Hossain, Major General Kabir Ahmed, Brigadier General Mahbubur Rahman Siddiqui, Brigadier General Ahmed Tanvir Majahar Siddiqui, Colonel Anwar Latif Khan, Brigadier General Md Jahangir Alam, Brigadier General Tofayel Mustafa Sarwar, Colonel K.M. Azad, Brigadier General Md Kamrul Hasan, Brigadier General Md Mahabub Alam, Colonel Abdullah Al Momen, Lieutenant Colonel Sarwar Bin Kashem, Lieutenant Colonel Moshior Rahman Jewel, and Lieutenant Colonel Saiful Islam Suman.