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Bangladesh's Kamaruzzaman sentenced to death | Bangladesh's Kamaruzzaman sentenced to death |
(about 1 hour later) | |
The deputy head of Bangladesh's opposition Jamaat-e-Islami party has been sentenced to death by the country's war crimes tribunal. | The deputy head of Bangladesh's opposition Jamaat-e-Islami party has been sentenced to death by the country's war crimes tribunal. |
Muhammad Kamaruzzaman was found guilty on five out of seven counts of torture and mass murder committed during the 1971 war of independence. | Muhammad Kamaruzzaman was found guilty on five out of seven counts of torture and mass murder committed during the 1971 war of independence. |
The tribunal was set up in 2010 to try people accused of collaboration. | The tribunal was set up in 2010 to try people accused of collaboration. |
Kamaruzzaman, who denied the charges and said his trial was politically motivated, is set to appeal. | |
Jamaat says the government is using the trials to curb opposition activities ahead of elections due next year. | |
International rights groups, meanwhile, say the tribunal falls short of international standards. | International rights groups, meanwhile, say the tribunal falls short of international standards. |
Street battles | Street battles |
In a packed Dhaka court room, Kamaruzzaman was convicted of mass killings, rape, torture and kidnapping, said Attorney General Mahbubey Alam. | |
The verdict prompted cheers of celebration from crowds gathered outside, says the BBC's Masud Khan in Dhaka. | |
Kamaruzzaman, who would have been about 18 during Bangladesh's secession war, was charged in August 2010, a month after being arrested in a separate criminal case. | |
He was accused of being a key organiser of the al-Badr, an auxiliary force of the Pakistani army which killed Bangladeshi intellectuals during the 1971 conflict. | |
His conviction comes at a testing time for Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who has made prosecution of 1971 war crimes one of her government's key goals. | |
Analysts say the death sentence will only exacerbate an already febrile situation in a country where police and Islamist protesters have this week been fighting deadly battles on the streets of the capital Dhaka. | Analysts say the death sentence will only exacerbate an already febrile situation in a country where police and Islamist protesters have this week been fighting deadly battles on the streets of the capital Dhaka. |
The umbrella organisation behind the protests - of which Jamaat is a part - is calling for the introduction of more Islamic laws, and has shown it can easily mobilise vast numbers onto the streets. | The umbrella organisation behind the protests - of which Jamaat is a part - is calling for the introduction of more Islamic laws, and has shown it can easily mobilise vast numbers onto the streets. |
Allegations denied | |
Nine senior figures from Jamaat have been among 12 people charged with war crimes by the tribunal. | |
Jamaat, the country's largest Islamist party, was opposed to Bangladeshi independence but denies any role in war crimes committed by pro-Pakistan militias. | |
All those accused of war crimes have denied the charges against them. The convictions of three leading Islamists - including Jamaat leader Delwar Hossain Sayeedi, who was sentenced to death in February - sparked protests in which dozens of people were killed. | |
The tribunal was established by the government in 2010 to try Bangladeshis accused of collaborating with Pakistani forces who attempted to stop the former East Pakistan from gaining independence. | The tribunal was established by the government in 2010 to try Bangladeshis accused of collaborating with Pakistani forces who attempted to stop the former East Pakistan from gaining independence. |
The exact number of people killed during the nine-month war of secession is unclear: official Bangladeshi figures suggest as many as three million people died, but independent researchers suggest the death-toll was around 500,000. |