Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal on Monday sentenced former inspector general of police Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun to five years in prison for crimes against humanity during last year’s July Uprising.
The three-member panel, led by Justice Golam Mortuza Mozumder, said Mamun avoided a death sentence after turning state witness and providing what judges described as a full and truthful account of the events.
“This leniency was granted because he acted as a state witness, bringing forth the most important events of the case as testimony before the court and helping the court uncover the truth,” said Mohammad Tajul Islam, chief prosecutor for the International Crimes Tribunal (Bangladesh).
In the same case, the tribunal sentenced ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina and former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal to death.
Families of those killed rejected the reduced punishment for Mamun, saying he should have received the death penalty and that a five-year sentence fails to match the severity of the crimes.
Al-Mamun remains in Bangladesh custody while Hasina and Kamal are on the run.