Former State Minister for Posts, Telecommunications, and Information Technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak has said that the internet was shut down on the orders of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina during the July-August massacre.
Chief Prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam informed the media on Thursday that Palak provided this information on Wednesday during questioning at the safe home of the International Crimes Tribunal's investigation agency.
The Chief Prosecutor shared this information following the court's order regarding the presentation of eight law enforcement officers to the tribunal, along with an updated report.
Tajul Islam said that during the interrogation, Palak admitted that the internet shutdown in July-August was an attempt to cover up the massacre and that the order to shut down the internet came from then-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. He further stated that the internet was not shut down due to accidents or fires in buildings during the mass uprising.
The Chief Prosecutor added that Palak himself confessed that all domestic and international internet gateways in the country were closed on Sheikh Hasina's orders to prevent information about the massacre from spreading.
On December 12, the tribunal authorised the questioning of Palak regarding the internet shutdown during the student protests in July, among other issues. Following the tribunal's direction, Palak was interrogated by the investigation agency on Wednesday.