In a significant shake-up at Bangladesh’s controversial International Crimes Tribunal (ICT-BD), the government has ousted Mohammad Tajul Islam from his role as chief prosecutor, replacing him with Advocate Md. Aminul Islam, a former lawyer for BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia.
The move, announced via a notification from the Law Ministry on February 23, comes amid mounting criticism of the tribunal’s operations, which have been marred by allegations of political vendetta, procedural flaws, and a blatant disregard for international standards of justice.
Md. Aminul Islam, a Supreme Court lawyer who has long served as a legal representative for BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia, assumed his duties immediately under Section 7 of the International Crimes (Tribunals) Act, 1973. In his first public statement at the tribunal premises on Monday, Aminul emphasised a commitment to fairness, stating, “Those who have committed no wrongdoing will not face harassment through prosecution. However, true offenders must receive their due punishment.”
He underscored the tribunal’s importance, vowing to fulfil the aspirations of the martyrs and injured from the July revolution with diligence, expertise, and integrity. “There will be no malice toward anyone; proceedings will align with the expectations of the law,” he added, expressing hope that ongoing trials would accelerate under his leadership to advance the nation’s progress under the new partisan government.
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The notification explicitly revoked Tajul Islam’s appointment from September 5, 2024, signalling an abrupt end to his tenure. In a parting reaction at the tribunal, Tajul expressed well-wishes for his successor, describing the role as “extremely challenging.” He hoped Aminul would strengthen the prosecution and maintain continuity in ongoing investigations and trials, emphasising that the institution, not individuals, should drive the process. “Our core goal was to ensure justice, and I trust the new chief prosecutor will complete the unfinished work while upholding professionalism,” Tajul said.
Tribunal’s Illegitimacy
This leadership change highlights deeper systemic issues plaguing the ICT-BD, which critics argue has devolved into an illegal and politically weaponised entity. Established under the 1973 Act to address crimes from the Liberation War, the tribunal has undergone four controversial amendments via executive ordinances during the tenure of the Jamaat-controlled interim government—moves that bypass parliamentary oversight and violate constitutional norms.
These include the International Crimes (Tribunals) (Amendment) Ordinance, 2024 (effective retroactively from January 6, 2009, but promulgated on November 24, 2024); the International Crimes (Tribunals) (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025 (March 18, 2025); the International Crimes Tribunal (Second Amendment) Ordinance, 2025 (July 1, 2025); and the International Crimes (Tribunals) (Third Amendment) Ordinance, 2025 (October 6, 2025). These ordinances expanded the tribunal’s jurisdiction to include enforced disappearances as crimes against humanity, empowered it to prosecute and dismantle political organisations (including parties like the Awami League), and introduced retroactive provisions that flout international human rights standards.
Moreover, the Yunus-led regime appointed inexperienced judges linked to Jamaat to the ICT-BD, flouting rules. The investigation agency has been under severe criticism for presenting concocted and half-truthful information and morphed audio clips to prove the charges and ensure the severest punishment for the accused. The hurried trials and severest punishments of the accused, including former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in three cases, have also raised questions. Another controversy is the acquittal of Jamaat leader ATM Azhar and bail for Abul Kalam Azad alias Bachchu Razakar, who were given the death sentence for war crimes in 1971.
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Human Rights Watch and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights have repeatedly condemned these changes, noting that they grant overly broad powers, retain the death penalty, lack proper interlocutory appeals, and fail to ensure protections for trials in absentia. The amendments, enacted without legislative debate during a state of emergency, have transformed the ICT-BD into a tool for executive overreach, rendering its proceedings fundamentally illegitimate and prone to abuse.
Tajul Islam’s Tenure: A farce of revenge masquerading as justice
Tajul Islam’s removal exposes the hypocrisy at the heart of the ICT-BD’s operations under the Yunus-led Jamaat-controlled interim regime. A former defense lawyer for convicted war criminals and a key figure in Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami circles, Tajul served as lead counsel for high-profile Jamaat leaders like Abdul Quader Molla (sentenced to death in 2013 for 1971 war crimes), Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujaheed (executed in 2015 for genocide and crimes against humanity), and Motiur Rahman Nizami.
He worked alongside Barrister Abdur Razzaq and was a joint convener of the Amar Bangladesh (AB) Party, widely seen as a Jamaat offshoot. During his days at Rajshahi University, Tajul was an activist of Jamaat’s student wing, Islami Chhatra Shibir. His sudden pivot from defending Islamist war criminals to prosecuting Awami League figures reeks of conflict of interest and political opportunism.
During his brief stint as chief prosecutor, Tajul orchestrated what critics describe as sham trials driven by revenge against Awami League leaders, freedom fighters from the 1971 war, and select army and police officers perceived as loyal to the ousted Sheikh Hasina government. These proceedings targeted political opponents under the guise of addressing “crimes against humanity” from the July 2024 uprising, but they lacked due process, transparency, and impartiality.
Tajul’s inflammatory rhetoric further eroded the tribunal’s credibility: he branded the July protest deaths as a “genocide,” labelled Sheikh Hasina a “killer” responsible for orchestrating mass murders, and infamously called retired Major General Ziaul Ahsan a “serial killer” during a February 8, 2026, press interaction.
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In that instance, Tajul hailed the tribunal’s handling of Ziaul’s case—alleging enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings—as a “historic day” in Bangladesh’s judicial history. He praised the partial testimony of retired General Iqbal Karim Bhuiya, claiming it exposed how Hasina and her aides created a “deep state” to undermine the army’s professionalism and command structure. Such statements, laced with propaganda, transformed the ICT-BD into a platform for settling scores rather than delivering justice, drawing accusations from human rights groups like Amnesty International and local jurists that it violated fair trial standards.
Sidelining Toby Cadman
The controversy deepened with the recent departure of British barrister Toby Cadman, an international criminal law expert and former special adviser to the chief prosecutor. Appointed in September 2024 after meeting Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, Cadman’s one-year contract expired on November 26, 2025, and was not renewed. While Tajul dismissed claims of resignation, insisting the contract simply lapsed, Cadman clarified that he turned down a renewal offer, citing concerns over the tribunal’s impartiality and procedural integrity.
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Sources indicate Cadman was effectively sidelined for questioning the ICT-BD’s legitimacy and neutrality. In private communications and public hints, he expressed dissatisfaction with the rushed amendments, lack of international observer access in key trials, and the politicised nature of prosecutions—issues that echoed his past criticisms of the tribunal during the Awami League era.
His exit, just before a Supreme Court hearing on January 20, 2026, for the prosecution’s appeal to upgrade Sheikh Hasina’s life sentence to death (stemming from a November 17, 2025, ICT ruling on crimes against humanity), underscores a moral crisis. The same day, the tribunal was set to deliver a second verdict on the killing of six people in Chanakharpul during the July uprising.
Cadman’s resignation serves as an international warning, amplifying fears that the ICT-BD—already criticised by the UN and HRW for fair trial violations—risks becoming a kangaroo court under the interim government. As Aminul Islam steps in, pledging unbiased justice, the tribunal’s future hangs in the balance, with calls growing for comprehensive reforms to restore credibility and uphold human rights.
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