International Crimes Tribunal Chief Prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam has stated that, based on investigation findings, BNP leader M. Ilias Ali was abducted and subsequently killed 13 years ago.

He made this remark to reporters on Wednesday after the tribunal formally filed charges against Major General (Retd.) Ziaul Ahsan in a case concerning abduction and murder. According to the investigation, Ziaul Ahsan is accused of being involved in the disappearance and killing of more than a dozen people.

M. Ilias Ali served as the BNP’s Organizing Secretary and was a two-time Member of Parliament for Sylhet-2. A former general secretary of the Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (student wing), he was taken from his residence near Banani in Dhaka in April 2012, and his whereabouts have remained unknown since then.

After the mass uprising and the temporary government’s formation, the International Crimes Tribunal was restructured. During the subsequent Awami League government, investigations into enforced disappearances began. Ziaul Ahsan, a former Additional Director General of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), was identified as a key figure behind these abductions.

Ziaul Ahsan was arrested after losing his military post when the Awami League left office. Investigators from the tribunal’s agency have reportedly found evidence of his involvement in the disappearance of Ilias Ali and several others.

Tajul Islam stated, “The investigation has revealed that Ilias Ali was taken from the streets, disappeared, and later killed.”

The prosecutor also mentioned Ziaul Ahsan’s alleged role in the 2015 abduction of Salahuddin Ahmed, then BNP Joint Secretary and current Standing Committee member, who was reportedly sent to India, as well as the 2013 abduction of eight individuals, including BNP leader Sajidul Islam Sumon from Tejgaon, Dhaka. These operations were allegedly carried out under Ziaul Ahsan’s direct supervision.

Many domestic and international human rights organizations had raised concerns over disappearances of opposition leaders like Ilias Ali during the Awami League’s term. At the time, government officials, including then-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, dismissed the allegations as political theater.

Tajul Islam further noted that leaders of Islami Chhatra Shibir, including Golam Kibria Mihin, Hafiz Zakir, and Chowdhury Alam, were among those whose disappearances were allegedly orchestrated under Ziaul Ahsan’s direction.

Following the filing of formal charges against Ziaul Ahsan for abduction and murder, the tribunal accepted the prosecution’s submission. The chief prosecutor indicated that information concerning the killing of around 500 individuals has been collected during the investigation.

Ziaul Ahsan joined the Bangladesh Army in 1991. He became Deputy Commander of RAB-2 in 2009 while holding the rank of Major and later led the intelligence wing at RAB Headquarters. In December 2013, he was appointed Additional Director General of RAB. After being promoted to Brigadier General in 2016, he briefly headed the National Security Intelligence (NSI).

In 2017, he became Director of the National Telecommunication Monitoring Centre (NTMC). He was later promoted to Major General and appointed as NTMC’s Director General in 2022. Following the July uprising, he was relieved from service on August 6 of last year.