Former information minister and Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (Jasad) President Hasanul Haq Inu, who was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment for crimes against humanity committed during July uprising, has filed an appeal petition seeking acquittal.
His lawyer, Sifat Mahmud, confirmed the matter on Wednesday, adding that the petition was submitted at relevant branch of the Supreme Court Appellate Division.
This move follows an earlier appeal filed by the prosecution on 5 October against what it termed an inadequate sentence.
The chief prosecutor appealed seeking the death penalty for Inu by enhancing the 10-year prison term handed down by the tribunal.
On 30 June, International Crimes Tribunal-2 sentenced Inu to 10 years’ imprisonment on each of three proven charges.
Out of eight specific charges brought against him, three were proven, while he was acquitted of the remaining five.
Although the sentences across the three proven charges totaled 30 years, the tribunal directed that they would run concurrently, meaning he will serve a total of 10 years in prison. The full written copy of the verdict was published on 16 September.
Judicial process and investigation
The judicial process began with an investigation launched on 25 March last year.
The agency submitted its investigation report to the prosecution on 11 September, and the prosecution subsequently filed eight specific charges at the tribunal on 25 September.
Following a hearing, the tribunal took the charges into cognisance on the same day and formally framed eight charges on 2 November.
Prosecution testimony began on 1 December last year. A total of 10 prosecution witnesses testified, including the investigating officer, three eyewitnesses, two expert witnesses, one victim’s family member, and two seizure list witnesses.
Testimony from two defence witnesses was also recorded. On 14 May this year, following lengthy arguments from both the prosecution and defence, the tribunal kept the case reserved for verdict.
