The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) is set to deliver its verdict on Tuesday in a crimes against humanity case against former minister and Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) president Hasanul Haq Inu, who faces eight charges, including allegations linked to the killing of six people in Kushtia during the July uprising.
The verdict will be announced by a judicial panel of ICT-2, headed by its Chairman Justice Nazrul Islam Chowdhury.
On May 14, the tribunal reserved the case for judgment after hearing closing arguments from both the prosecution and the defence.
The prosecution team included prosecutors Faruk Ahmad, Moinul Karim and Abdus Sobhan Torofdar, among others. Representing Inu, senior Advocate Monsurul Haque Chowdhury concluded the defence arguments after nine days of submissions.
During the hearings, the defence argued that Inu was not a member of parliament during the July 2024 uprising and challenged the allegations on multiple legal grounds.
Monsurul Haque told the tribunal that Inu had no involvement in the killings in Kushtia, adding that prosecution witnesses had acknowledged he was not present in the district at the time of the incident.
According to the prosecution, students and protesters came under gunfire at several locations in Kushtia town on August 5, 2024, during the July-August mass uprising. The incident left worker Ashraful Islam, Suruj Ali Babu, student Abdullah Al Mustakin, Osama, businessman Bablu Forazi and employee Yusuf Sheikh dead, while many others sustained injuries.
The case was subsequently filed before the ICT. Following an investigation, the prosecution submitted formal charges against Inu, accusing him of eight counts of crimes against humanity in connection with the killings and related acts of violence. The tribunal is now set to determine his culpability in the case.
