Prosecution appeals for death penalty for Hasanul Haq Inu

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The prosecution of the International Crimes Tribunal has appealed to the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, seeking the death penalty for Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JaSaD) President Hasanul Haq Inu.

The appeal, filed on Monday, challenges the 10-year prison sentence imposed on Inu for crimes against humanity committed during the July-August 2024 mass uprising. Prosecutor Gazi MH Tamim confirmed the filing.

The prosecution had previously sought the maximum punishment during the trial, arguing that Inu had superior command responsibility and was involved in a criminal conspiracy. It has now asked the Supreme Court to increase his sentence to death and has also challenged his acquittal on some of the charges.

International Crimes Tribunal-2 convicted Inu on three of eight charges on June 30. He received 10 years in prison on each of the three counts, with TK 100,000 fines imposed on two. The sentences were ordered to run concurrently, leaving him with an effective 10-year prison term and TK 200,000 in fines.

The tribunal's full 500-page verdict was published on September 20. It said Inu had not been a passive observer during the uprising and had played a role in conspiring, inciting and facilitating the crackdown on protesters.

The tribunal relied heavily on intercepted phone conversations between Inu and then-prime minister Sheikh Hasina, along with his public statements and decisions of the Awami League-led 14-Party Alliance. The recordings were obtained from the National Telecommunication Monitoring Centre and verified by the Criminal Investigation Department's digital forensic laboratory.

One conviction involved a July 20 phone call with the Kushtia superintendent of police. According to the verdict, Inu instructed the official to identify protesters from video footage and take measures against them, including suppression, detention, torture and killing.

Another conviction related to a July 29 meeting of the 14-Party Alliance. The tribunal said Inu sought to portray protesters as “Jamaat, terrorists and communal” and linked his role in the decision to ban Jamaat-e-Islami to an effort to legitimise the killings and torture of protesters.

The third conviction concerned events on August 4. The tribunal said Inu described protesters as “militants”, participated in decisions to impose a curfew and use gunfire against them, and instructed subordinates to implement those decisions.

However, the tribunal acquitted Inu of the other five charges because it found insufficient evidence. One of those charges alleged that six protesters — Abdullah Al Mustakin, Suruj Ali Babu, Ashraful Islam, Bablu Farazi, Yusuf Sheikh and Usama — were killed on Inu's orders in Kushtia on August 5. The tribunal found the allegation had not been proved.

Inu has denied the allegations throughout the proceedings. His lawyers have described the charges as false and fabricated and sought his acquittal. Defence lawyer Sifat Mahmud said the defence also planned to appeal after receiving the full verdict on September 20.

Police arrested Inu in Dhaka's Uttara on August 26, 2024, following the fall of the Awami League government during the student-led uprising. He has remained in custody since then.