Dhaka, April 21 -- A senior telecom official has told the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) that former state minister for information Zunaid Ahmed Palak personally called him during the July Uprising and instructed him to shut down internet services.

The testimony in the crimes against humanity case unfolded at Tribunal 1 on Tuesday.

Mirza Kamal Ahmed, former managing director of Bangladesh Submarine Cables and currently deputy managing director of BTCL, gave the statement as the fifth prosecution witness in the case against ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina's son Sajeeb Wazed Joy and Palak.

Kamal Ahmed said, around 8pm on Jul 18, 2024, an official informed him that BTRC had ordered the shutdown of submarine bandwidth at Cox's Baz...