A former Rapid Action Battalion member and current Army Warrant Officer, Imrul Kayes, on Sunday testified before Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal that he personally witnessed numerous enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and covert operations allegedly carried out under the command of the former RAB intelligence chief, Lt Col (retd) Ziaul Ahsan.

‘Some were allegedly shot, while others died after being administered injections,’ he told the tribunal.

Speaking emotionally before Tribunal-1, chaired by Justice Mohammad Shofiul Alam Mahmood, Kayes said, ‘I took an oath to serve my country, not to kill its people. I am giving this testimony because my conscience compels me to do so.’

Currently stationed at Rangpur Cantonment, Kayes concluded his testimony by requesting protection and security measures from the tribunal.

The witness told the tribunal that during approximately 15 to 16 months working closely with Ziaul Ahsan, he witnessed between 150 and 200 people being killed or forcibly disappeared through various methods.

The disappearance of Bangladesh Nationalist Party leader Ilias Ali also surfaced during the proceedings.

Kayes said he was involved in preparatory activities for a special operation alongside Ziaul Ahsan shortly before Ali went missing in April 2012.

He further claimed that he later overheard Ziaul Ahsan saying over the phone: ‘As instructed, I have ‘golfed’ Ilias...’ However, Kayes did not claim to have directly witnessed Ali’s abduction or disappearance.

In his testimony, Kayes said that after being seconded to RAB in 2010, he was assigned as a runner and personal security aide to Ziaul Ahsan.

During that period, he accompanied the officer on multiple operations and allegedly witnessed the detention, disappearance, and killing of numerous individuals.

According to Kayes, detainees were often taken to undisclosed locations, killed, and their bodies disposed of in rivers, along railway tracks, or in remote areas to conceal evidence.

In some cases, he alleged, heavy sacks were used to keep bodies submerged in rivers.

Kayes further testified that during ‘Operation Rebel Hunt’, launched in the aftermath of the 2009 BDR mutiny, several former Bangladesh Rifles personnel were detained and killed.

His testimony also referred to operations conducted in the Jaflong border area, Postogola, Kanchpur Bridge, Barishal-Patharghata, and various locations in Dhaka, where detainees were allegedly killed and their bodies secretly disposed of.