Last Updated on January 15, 2026 10:57 pm by INDIAN AWAAZ
Zakir Hossain from Dhaka
Former Bangladesh state minister for ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak told Dhaka’s International Crimes Tribunal-1 on Thursday that he had supported student protesters during the July 2024 mass uprising and had conveyed his intention to resign to then prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
Standing in the dock, Palak said that on August 2, amid the movement, he decided to step down in line with the students’ demands. He said he spoke in favour of the protesters during a cabinet meeting and informed Hasina of his decision. The statement came during a hearing on a defence petition seeking discharge for Palak and Sajeeb Wazed Joy, the former prime minister’s son and ICT affairs adviser, in a case alleging incitement to crimes against humanity through internet shutdowns during the uprising.
Joy’s counsel, Monjur Alam, told the tribunal that the charges against his client were “unfounded” and did not warrant prosecution. After the hearing, the three-member tribunal headed by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mozumder fixed January 21 for an order on whether charges would be framed.