Bodies of Bangladesh’s July uprising victims dumped in river: ICT chief prosecutor

Investigators found evidence of hospitals disposing of bodies without official records, said International Crimes Tribunal Chief Prosecutor Aminul Islam.

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The ‘Wall of the Dead” at Anjuman Mufidul Islam. Among these 114 buried in unmarked graves in Rayerbazar in July-August 2024 are many victims of the July massacre. PHOTO: COLLECTED/THE DAILY STAR

July 16, 2026

DHAKA – International Crimes Tribunal Chief Prosecutor Aminul Islam today said investigators have found evidence suggesting that the bodies of many July uprising victims from a hospital were dumped into a river near Dhaka.

He said this while briefing journalists after visiting the Martyred Intellectuals’ Memorial at Rayerbazar.

“We are trying to identify the then authorities of that hospital, as well as those involved in this crime, and we will bring them to justice,” Aminul said.

He also said investigators found that several hospitals did not officially register the bodies of the victims and instead disposed of them as unclaimed bodies. In some cases, families were allowed to bury their relatives without official registration, inquest reports or post-mortem examinations, he added.

“We will ensure that no one involved in these killings escapes accountability, no matter how powerful they were or what position they held within the state machinery,” he said.

“We will bring everyone involved in the crimes to book,” he added.

Referring to a UN report, the chief prosecutor said around 1,400 people were killed during the uprising, including at least 834 identified so far.

“We suspect that the remaining victims may have been buried in different mass grave sites, including in Jurain, Matuail, Narayanganj and Munshiganj. Some 114 unidentified bodies were buried at Rayerbazar,” he said.

“We have already identified some victims through DNA testing, and the process is continuing,” Aminul added.

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