Hasanul Haq Inu seeks acquittal against 10-year jail term

Hasanul Haq Inu, president of the Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) and a former information minister, has appealed his 10-year prison sentence in a crimes against humanity case linked to the suppression of the July mass uprising, seeking acquittal.

The appeal was filed on Wednesday (October 14) with the relevant division of the Supreme Court, according to his lawyer, Sifat Mahmud Shuvo.

On June 30, International Crimes Tribunal-2 found Inu guilty in the case. In the verdict, delivered by a bench led by Justice Nazrul Islam Chowdhury, the tribunal found charges three, six and seven proved out of eight. He was sentenced to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment on each. The three sentences will run concurrently, so he will serve a total of 10 years. He was acquitted of the remaining five charges for lack of proof.

According to the allegations in the case, questions of command responsibility arose from Inu’s conversations with then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina about suppressing the movement. The killing of six people in Kushtia is also part of the charges. Inu’s lawyers say he was not involved in any killings, and they are seeking relief from the sentence on that basis.

Earlier, on Monday (October 5), the tribunal’s prosecution also appealed the verdict. Prosecutor Gazi M.H. Tamim confirmed this. The prosecution’s position is that a 10-year sentence is not sufficient given the gravity of the charges, and it has sought the maximum penalty of death. The prosecution alleges that Inu agreed with Hasina’s directives to suppress the student-led movement and played a role in inciting the killings and in the conspiracy.

Appeals from both sides against the same verdict are now before the court. Inu is seeking acquittal, while the state wants the sentence increased several times over. It is not yet known when the appeal hearings will begin.

The former minister was arrested from Uttara in Dhaka on August 26, 2024. Another case, over the Shapla Chattar incident, is also reportedly being tried at the tribunal.