The family of slain journalists Sagar Sarwar and Meherun Runi on Sunday filed a complaint with the International Crimes Tribunal seeking an investigation into their murder, which has remained unresolved for more than 14 years.
Chief prosecutor Md Aminul Islam said the prosecution was examining whether the tribunal had jurisdiction to investigate the case.
Sagar, then news editor of Maasranga Television, and Runi, a senior correspondent of ATN Bangla, were found murdered at their rented flat in West Rajabazar, Dhaka, on February 11, 2012.
On August 27, a Dhaka metropolitan magistrate extended the deadline for submitting the investigation report for the 129th time, fixing September 30 for its submission.
‘The Sagar-Runi incident appears to us to be an individual murder case. We will examine whether it falls within the definition of a widespread or systematic offence,’ Aminul told a briefing at his office.
Their only son, Mahir Sarowar Megh, and Runi’s brother, Nowsher Alam Roman, filed the complaint, alleging that the police, Detective Branch and Rapid Action Battalion had failed to identify the killers.
They said a high-powered task force formed following a High Court order and led by the Police Bureau of Investigation had also failed to make significant progress.
The family asked the tribunal prosecution to conduct a fresh investigation, identify those responsible and bring them to justice.
Aminul said the prosecution had found leads concerning communications and conversations between a cultural personality and a former army officer facing trial in several ICT cases, as well as the exchange of discs.
‘We found a lead involving these matters during one of our investigations,’ he said.
The communications and exchange of discs were allegedly carried out through a person close to the former army officer, he added.
Aminul said the PBI was currently investigating the murders, but the family believed an ICT investigation could uncover new leads.
He said that the prosecution handed over the evidence to the PBI.
Responding to another question, Aminul said legal action would be taken if anyone was found to have threatened or intimidated witnesses in a crimes against humanity case over killings during the July 2024 uprising in Chattogram.
He said an investigation officer had complained that a witness in the case against 22 accused had been threatened by the accused.
The 22 accused include former Chattogram-6 lawmaker ABM Fazle Karim Chowdhury, former foreign minister Hasan Mahmud and former education minister Mohibul Hassan Chowdhoury.
