ICT sentences Inu to 30 years in crimes against humanity case over July Uprising

Highlights

• Case involves killing of six people in Kushtia
• Tribunal found Inu guilty after lengthy trial proceedings
• Prosecution brought eight crimes against humanity charges
• Defence denied Inu's involvement and presence in Kushtia

The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) today (30 June) sentenced Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) President and former information minister Hasanul Haq Inu to 30 years' imprisonment after convicting him on three charges of crimes against humanity over the killing of six people and other offences committed during the July Uprising in Kushtia.

Hasanul Haq Inu, the sole accused in the case, was brought from the tribunal's holding cell to the dock at 1:42pm, and 10 minutes later, the tribunal began reading out its 211-page verdict.

Judge Shahriar Kabir, the second member of ICT-2, read out the eight charges against Inu, while the tribunal's first member, Justice Manjurul Bashid, presented witness testimonies and key pieces of evidence.

Tribunal Chairman Justice Nazrul Islam Chowdhury later pronounced the sentence.

The tribunal found him guilty on three of the eight charges brought against him and sentenced him to 10 years' imprisonment on each count, totalling 30 years.

However, the tribunal ordered the three sentences to run concurrently, meaning he will serve the terms simultaneously.

Responding to questions from journalists about whether the sentence should be described as 30 years or 10 years, ICT Chief Prosecutor Md Aminul Islam said, "This must certainly be called a 30-year prison sentence. He has been sentenced to 30 years in total."

However, Aminul noted that the tribunal had ordered the sentences to run concurrently, meaning Inu would serve the three 10-year terms at the same time.

"We believe the sentences should have been consecutive. There is no reason to describe it as a 10-year sentence," he said.

The chief prosecutor said there should be no confusion over the length of the sentence, as the tribunal had imposed separate punishments under each of the three charges.

"The tribunal has clearly pronounced the verdict. It awarded 10 years' imprisonment under each of the three charges, totalling 30 years. It only stated that the sentences would run concurrently. That does not mean only one sentence has been imposed," he added.

The entire proceedings were broadcast live on Bangladesh Television (BTV), subject to the tribunal's permission.

Inu rejects verdict

After the verdict, Inu described the judgment as a "farcical trial" while being taken from the courtroom.

"They have given a sentence through a farcical trial. I have been freed from this ordeal," he told journalists.

Meanwhile, his wife, Afroza Haque Rina, rejected the verdict and said the family would decide its next legal steps after consulting lawyers and party leaders.

"We reject and condemn this verdict. We are aggrieved. We will discuss with our lawyers, family members and party before deciding our next course of action," she said.

Eight charges against Inu

According to the prosecution, the eight charges against Hasanul Haq Inu are:

First, on 18 July 2024, as president of Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD), a key ally of the then-ruling 14-party alliance, Inu allegedly described the protesters as BNP, Jamaat, terrorists and communal elements during an interview with Mumbai-based television channel 'Mirror Now" to undermine the movement and incite the use of force against demonstrators.

Second, on 19 July 2024, Inu allegedly attended a 14-party alliance meeting at Ganabhaban chaired by former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, where a decision was taken to deploy the military nationwide and order security forces to open fire on unarmed participants of the quota reform and Anti-Discrimination Student Movement.

The prosecution alleges Inu participated in the decision-making process and instigated, aided, and facilitated its implementation.

Third, on 20 July 2024, Inu allegedly telephoned the superintendent of police in Kushtia and instructed the officer to identify protesters from photographs, prepare lists of participants in July movement and take action against them.

Fourth, the prosecution alleges Inu maintained regular communication with Sheikh Hasina and was involved in planning and conspiring to suppress the movement through the use of lethal weapons, deployment of armed groups, helicopter attacks, arrests, and torture.

Fifth, on 27 July 2024, Inu allegedly described protesters as BNP, Jamaat, terrorists, militants and communal elements during an interview with News24 to discredit the movement. He is also accused of supporting the imposition of curfew and endorsing the government's use of lethal force and repression.

Sixth, on 29 July 2024, Inu allegedly attended another 14-party alliance meeting chaired by Sheikh Hasina, where he repeated his characterisation of the protesters and proposed banning Jamaat-e-Islami, which the prosecution says helped legitimise the killings and repression carried out by law enforcement agencies and armed activists of the ruling alliance.

Seventh, on 4 August 2024, Inu allegedly endorsed the government's decision to impose a curfew and open fire on protesters. He is also accused of conspiring with Sheikh Hasina over the phone to implement those measures and directing leaders and activists of his party accordingly.

Finally, the prosecution alleges that on 5 August 2024, acting on a conspiracy and directives involving Sheikh Hasina, Hasanul Haq Inu and former Awami League joint general secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif, Awami League activists, affiliated organisations and police opened fire on unarmed student protesters and civilians at various locations in Kushtia town, killing six people: Ashraful Islam, Suruj Ali (Babu), Abdullah Al Mustakin, Md Usama, Bablu Farazi and Yusuf Sheikh.

The tribunal sentenced Inu to 10 years' rigorous imprisonment on Charge 3, 10 years' rigorous imprisonment and a Tk1 lakh fine on Charge 6, and 10 years' rigorous imprisonment and a Tk1 lakh fine on Charge 7.

He was acquitted of Charges 1, 2, 4, 5, and 8.

Earlier, on 14 May, after concluding final arguments from both the prosecution and the defence, the tribunal kept the case under curia advisari vault (CAV), meaning the judgment was reserved for a later date.

The tribunal received the investigation report against Inu on 11 September 2025.

Testimony began on 30 November, 2025, with 10 prosecution witnesses and two defence witnesses examined during the trial.