Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal sentenced former minister and Hasina ally Hasanul Haque Inu to 10 years in prison after convicting him of "crimes against humanity" linked to the 2024 anti-government protests.
The verdict comes as Bangladesh continues pursuing cases against former Awami League leaders following Sheikh Hasina’s ouster in August 2024.
The tribunal also having sentenced Hasina and former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal to death in absentia last year.
Bangladesh Tribunal Sentences Hasina Ally Hasanul Haque Inu to 10 Years Over 2024 Protest Crackdown
Prosecutors accused Inu of ordering police killings in Kushtia, encouraging violence against protesters and participating in decisions involving military deployment, curfews and "shoot on sight" measures; his legal team rejected the charges as politically motivated.
Summary
A Bangladeshi tribunal on Tuesday sentenced Hasanul Haque Inu, an ally of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, to 10 years in prison after convicting him of committing "crimes against humanity" during the 2024 anti-government protests.
Inu, a left-leaning politician and president of the Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal, served as a minister in Hasina’s coalition government between 2012 and 2018 but had no formal role in the administration afterwards.
Prosecutors accused Inu of ordering police to kill six people in his home district of Kushtia during the 2024 uprising, encouraging attacks on demonstrators and maintaining communication with Hasina, who fled to India in August 2024.
Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT-BD) convicted Inu after trying him in person on eight separate charges. The charges included inciting the "use of deadly force" against protesters and involvement in decisions related to military deployment, curfew measures and "shoot on sight" directives.
A three-judge tribunal delivered the verdict as police brought Inu to court from prison under tight security.
ICT-BD Chief Prosecutor Aminul Islam criticised the sentence, saying: "We are totally dissatisfied with the verdict. We think he deserved capital punishment. Definitely we will appeal against the judgment (in the Supreme Court)."
Inu’s lawyer, Sifat Mahmud, rejected the ruling and argued that his client had been targeted for political reasons. He said Inu had been "dragged" into the case due to political rivalry and noted that the investigating officer admitted during cross-examination that he had no direct knowledge of the six killings in Kushtia cited in the charges.
The ruling came two days after the tribunal sentenced three police officers, including Dhaka’s former police chief in absentia, to death over their role in the 2024 unrest.
A report by the United Nations rights office estimated that up to 1,400 people were killed during the student-led protests in July and August 2024, known as the "July Uprising", following a security crackdown ordered by Hasina’s government. Bangladesh’s interim administration later put the official death toll at 864.
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Hasina’s government was removed from power on August 5, 2024, and an interim government took office three days later. Authorities subsequently disbanded the Awami League and launched cases against dozens of party leaders and officials, including Hasina herself, before the ICT-BD.
In November 2025, the tribunal sentenced Hasina and former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal to death in absentia over their role in the crackdown on protesters.
The ICT-BD was originally established in 2010 under Hasina’s government to prosecute collaborators accused of supporting Pakistani forces during Bangladesh’s 1971 Liberation War. The interim administration later amended the tribunal’s law to allow prosecutions of former Awami League leaders and officials on charges of crimes against humanity.
(pti reported)
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