Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed has said that the trial of Major (retd) Mozaffar Hossain, an accused in the assassination case of the martyred President Ziaur Rahman, will be conducted under military law through a general court martial.
He made the remarks on Monday afternoon while responding to questions from newspersons at a press conference held at Shaheed Captain Ashraf Hall in Pilkhana, Dhaka.
Earlier, he visited the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) headquarters.
“Major (retd) Mozaffar Hossain has been arrested. His other associates were tried by a military court at the time, and certain observations were recorded in those proceedings. He had remained a fugitive for many years in a neighbouring country under a different identity. Acting on intelligence information, we arrested him and handed him over to the Bangladesh Army for trial under military law,” the home minister said.
Stating that Mozaffar’s trial will be ensured through a general court martial, Salahuddin Ahmed further said, “If the judgment against those convicted in the assassination case of the martyred President Ziaur Rahman contains any observations relating to him, the general court martial will consider those.”
Asked whether any proceedings would also be initiated against him under civil law, the home minister said it would be examined at a later stage whether such action would be legally permissible.
“Not at this stage. The same individual cannot be tried twice under two different legal frameworks for the same offence,” he remarked.
On 15 July, the Detective Branch (DB) announced the arrest of Major (retd) Mozaffar Hossain, 77, who had allegedly remained a fugitive for 45 years in connection with the assassination of former President Ziaur Rahman.
He was arrested from a residence in Banani, Dhaka, on the night of 15 July and was handed over to the military police at Dhaka Cantonment the following day.
Barbed-wire fence along Myanmar border
Responding to a question on the construction of a barbed-wire fence along the Bangladesh–Myanmar border, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said, “The Myanmar border has become extremely risky for Bangladesh for a number of reasons. Clashes frequently occur between the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army along the border. In addition, several armed insurgent groups, including the Rohingya Solidarity Organisation (RSO) and the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), remain active there. The impact of their internal conflicts often spills over into Bangladesh's border areas.”
Referring to the deteriorating security situation, he said it had contributed to an increase in cross-border narcotics trafficking and that Bangladeshi citizens had, on occasion, been killed or injured in cross-border exchanges of fire.
Taking these issues into account, he said, the government is considering a proposal to construct 109 kilometres of barbed-wire fencing along the Myanmar border.
The government is yet to make a final decision, he added.
Responding to another question on the government's measures to prevent landmine-related incidents along the border, Salahuddin Ahmed said the necessary mine-detection equipment had already been procured and supplied to the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB). BGB personnel are using the equipment to help prevent accidents caused by landmine explosions.
'Push-ins' from India
Asked about alleged "push-ins" from India, the home minister said, "The government has not allowed a single person to be illegally pushed into Bangladesh. With the support of the BGB and residents of the border areas, we have so far been able to prevent such attempts successfully. There have been a small number of instances of illegal entry, but the number is not significant. Those who entered the country illegally have been dealt with in accordance with the law. However, we have not allowed any push-ins."
FP/R
