Tribunal sentences Hasina’s ally to 10 years

A Bangladeshi tribunal on Tuesday sentenced an ally of deposed former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to 10 years’ imprisonment on charges of committing “crimes against humanity” during the 2024 street protests.

Hasanul Haque Inu, a left-leaning politician, served as a minister in Hasina’s coalition government from 2012 to 2018 but had no links to the regime since then.

A 1971 Liberation War veteran and president of Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal, Inu was accused of ordering police to kill six people in his home district, Kushtia, during the 2024 uprising, inciting attacks on protesters and maintaining telephonic links with Hasina, who fled to India in August 2024.

Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT-BD) handed down the punishment to Inu as he stood trial in person on eight separate charges. Other charges included incitement of “use of deadly force” against protesters and direct involvement in decisions for military deployment, curfew imposition and “shoot on sight” orders. The tribunal’s three-judge panel pronounced the verdict as police brought Inu from jail under heavy security.

“We are totally dissatisfied with the verdict. We think he deserved capital punishment. Definitely, we will appeal against the judgment (in the Supreme Court),” ICT-BD Chief Prosecutor Aminul Islam said.