Joynal Hazari

Joynal Abedin Hazari (24 August 1945 – 27 December 2021) was a Bangladeshi politician who was a member of the advisor Bangladesh Awami League and served as a member of Jatiya Sangsad, representing the Feni-2 constituency. He won election in 1986, 1991 and 1996.

Early life Joynal Abedin Hazari was born on 24 August 1945 to Goni Hazari. He was a student at Feni College when he got involved in politics in the late 1960s. Dubbed the "Godfather of Feni", he was accused of torture, extortion and murder during the term he was in power. His relative Nizam Hazari is the current member of parliament from his old constituency. He was first expelled from the party in April 2003 for creating chaos at a meeting in Feni in presence of the then party general secretary Abdul Jalil and also for working against the party-backed chairman candidate in the Sadar upazila election in the same year.

Hazari left the country for Kolkata, India on 16 Aug 2001 when the caretaker government came into power. He was sentenced to a total of 60 years' imprisonment in five cases in absentia. He returned to Bangladesh in February 2009, soon after the Awami League government took power in January.

In 2012, Hazari met Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at Ganabhaban and handed over a letter seeking permission to be active in politics. In September 2019, Hasina donated Tk 4 million for his medical expenses.

Charges and convictions Murder cases As of 2014, according to Feni police, around 44 cases – mostly for murder – had been filed against Hazari since the 1970s.

Arms case On 17 August 2001, a day after Hazari fled the country, Feni police raided his residence at Masterpara in Feni in his absence and recovered arms and ammunition including a rifle, two loaded revolvers, sub-machine gun magazine, 431 bullets, lethal weapons and contraband items including Viagra. On 27 November 2008, a Special Judge's Court of Dhaka sentenced him to 10 years' imprisonment on that case. His plea for bail on this case was rejected on 15 April 2009 and he was imprisoned in Comilla jail. On 5 December 2011, the High Court acquitted him of the charge following an appeal challenging the lower court verdict.

Journalist Tipu Sultan torture case

On 15 April 2009, Hazari got bail from the court in the journalist Tipu Sultan torture case. He died in Dhaka on 27 December 2021, at the age of 76. He had been suffering from heart, kidney, and lung diseases. He published an autobiography Joynal Hazari Bolchhi in February 2010 in an event in Dhaka inaugurated by the writer Abdul Gaffar Chowdhury.