Photo: Collected
Former state minister for posts, telecommunications and information technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak has confessed that he intentionally shut down the internet nationwide during the July mass uprising on the orders of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina. He was questioned by the International Crime Tribunal and his testimony was recorded yesterday (18 December), Chief Prosecutor Md Tajul Islam told journalists.
He said the Awami League government wanted to disconnect Bangladesh from the rest of the world and hide information of the incidents of mass killings and violence.
Palak also admitted that the reason cited as the cause of the internet blackout – a fire at a building in Dhaka's Mohakhali that allegedly destroyed the "telecommunication infrastructure" – was false.
"There was direct instruction from the prime minister to shut the internet. Then the state minister Palak instructed all International Internet Gateway operators to shut down the internet immediately. We had already received this information from various sources and Zunaid Ahmed Palak confirmed the matter," said Chief Prosecutor Md Tajul Islam.
Messenger/Tareq
