A key witness has testified before the International Crimes Tribunal, stating that former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina ordered “No release, no treatment” during her visit to a hospital where injured quota reform protesters were being treated.
Abdullah Al Imran, a Dhaka College master’s student who was shot and left permanently disabled during the quota reform movement, gave his testimony on Monday before the three-member International Crimes Tribunal-1, led by Justice Golam Mortuza Mojumder.
Imran recounted that on July 19, 2024, during protests at Bijoynagar in Dhaka, police opened fire on demonstrators, killing two and injuring several others, including himself.
Shot in the left leg below the knee, he was taken to several hospitals, but private facilities refused to admit him. He was eventually admitted to Mitford Hospital, where doctors recommended amputation. Later, he was transferred to the National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedic Rehabilitation (Pangu Hospital).
“On July 26 or 27, Sheikh Hasina visited the hospital. Ahead of her visit, the hospital underwent extensive cleaning, and we were denied sleep the previous night,” Imran said. He recalled that Hasina interacted with patients, asked about his education, and told him to address her as ‘Apa’ (sister) instead of ‘Madam.’
Imran testified that when Hasina realised they were protesters, she asked if he had seen who shot him. “I told her police shot me but I couldn’t identify who was in uniform,” he said. After speaking with other patients, Hasina reportedly issued an order at the help desk: ‘No release, no treatment.’
“At the time, I didn’t understand what she meant. But afterward, my treatment worsened. My leg began rotting, antibiotics weren’t effective, and we weren’t allowed to bring medicines from outside. My father tried to get me released, but the hospital refused. I realised then that her order was the reason,” Imran testified, adding that he believes authorities planned to amputate his leg and send him to prison.
He also directly blamed Sheikh Hasina, former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, and former Inspector General of Police Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun for his injuries, saying: “They ordered the police to open fire.”
Imran said he has since undergone 25 surgeries, but his left leg remains permanently immobile.
Defense counsel Md Amir Hossain, appointed by the state for Hasina and Kamal, cross-examined the witness after his testimony. Chief Prosecutor Tajul Islam, Prosecutor Mizanul Islam represented the prosecution, while former IGP Abdullah Al-Mamun, who appeared in court after his arrest, was represented by lawyer Zayed Bin Amjad.
The tribunal previously indicted Sheikh Hasina, Kamal, and Al-Mamun on July 10, charging them with crimes against humanity committed during the July-August 2024 student uprising, which led to the fall of the Awami League government on August 5, 2024.
This testimony follows that of Khokon Chandra Barman, who testified about the July 18, 2024 police shootings in Narayanganj that left his face disfigured.
