This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-24793127
The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Bangladesh to rule on UK and US suspects from 1971 war | Bangladesh to rule on UK and US suspects from 1971 war |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A court in Bangladesh is set to rule on crimes allegedly committed during the 1971 independence war by a UK Muslim leader and a US citizen. | |
| British-Bangladeshi Muslim community leader Chowdhury Mueen-Uddin and US citizen Ashrafuzzaman Khan are facing a special war crimes tribunal. | British-Bangladeshi Muslim community leader Chowdhury Mueen-Uddin and US citizen Ashrafuzzaman Khan are facing a special war crimes tribunal. |
| They are accused of playing a role in the abduction and killing of 18 independence supporters. | They are accused of playing a role in the abduction and killing of 18 independence supporters. |
| Verdicts in similar cases have sparked violent reactions in Bangladesh. | Verdicts in similar cases have sparked violent reactions in Bangladesh. |
| 'Politicised' | 'Politicised' |
| Prosecutors say Chowdhury Mueen-Uddin was a member of the al-Badr militia group which fought alongside the Pakistani army and was involved in the killing of pro-independence activists, including academics and journalists, in the final days of the war. | Prosecutors say Chowdhury Mueen-Uddin was a member of the al-Badr militia group which fought alongside the Pakistani army and was involved in the killing of pro-independence activists, including academics and journalists, in the final days of the war. |
| Mr Mueen-Uddin, who lives in London, and Mr Khan are being tried in absentia. Both hail from Bangladesh. | Mr Mueen-Uddin, who lives in London, and Mr Khan are being tried in absentia. Both hail from Bangladesh. |
| They deny the charges against them, which their lawyers have described as politicised. | They deny the charges against them, which their lawyers have described as politicised. |
| The court's previous judgements include death sentences for former and current senior leaders of Bangladesh's main Islamic party, the Jamaat-e-Islami and the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party. | The court's previous judgements include death sentences for former and current senior leaders of Bangladesh's main Islamic party, the Jamaat-e-Islami and the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party. |
| More than 100 people have died since January in violent protests set off by those verdicts handed down by the International Crimes Tribunal. | More than 100 people have died since January in violent protests set off by those verdicts handed down by the International Crimes Tribunal. |
| It was set up in 2010 by the current Awami League-led government to try alleged local collaborators of the Pakistani army during the war of independence, when three million people died, according to official figures. | It was set up in 2010 by the current Awami League-led government to try alleged local collaborators of the Pakistani army during the war of independence, when three million people died, according to official figures. |
| But the court's proceedings have come under criticism from several rights groups, including the New York-based Human Rights Watch, which has described the trials as flawed. | But the court's proceedings have come under criticism from several rights groups, including the New York-based Human Rights Watch, which has described the trials as flawed. |