Jatiyat Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) President Hasanul Haq Inu has filed an appeal with the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court challenging his conviction and sentencing for crimes against humanity committed during the July mass uprising.
The appeal was lodged through the relevant branch of the Appellate Division, defense counsel Sifat Mahmud confirmed on Wednesday (October 8). According to the defense lawyer, the prosecution brought eight charges against Inu, out of which three were proven, leading to his conviction. He asserted that the prosecution failed to present adequate evidence, testimonies, and data to substantiate the charges, which he argued do not fall under the purview of criminal liability. The defense is seeking a complete annulment of the verdict.
International Crimes Tribunal-2 delivered the judgment in the high-profile case on June 30 of this year. The tribunal found Inu guilty on three of the eight original counts, sentencing him to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment for each proven charge.
While delivering the verdict, Tribunal Chairman Justice Nazrul Islam Chowdhury clarified that although the cumulative term for the three convictions would amount to 30 years, the sentences would run concurrently, resulting in an effective imprisonment term of 10 years.
Meanwhile, the state has also approached the apex court, filing a separate appeal to enhance Inu's 10-year prison sentence to the death penalty. Tribunal Prosecutor Gazi Monawar Hussain Tamim disclosed this development to reporters on Sunday (October 5), setting the stage for a legal battle over the severity of the punishment in the Appellate Division.
