A Bangladeshi court has sentenced a senior opposition personnel to life in prison for mass murder and crimes against humanity during the 1971 liberation war against Pakistan.
Abdul Kader Mullah, 64, the fourth highest ranked leader of the country’s Jamaat-e-Islami party, is the first politician to be found guilty by the controversial International Crimes Tribunal following charges of rape, genocide and murder. Six leaders of the party are on trial before the much-criticised domestic court based in Dhaka. They too have been accused of committing atrocities during the nine-month war against Pakistan.
Mullah has been tried on six accounts, including playing a role in the killing of 381 unarmed civilians; alleges the prosecution. Mullah, however, pleads innocent.
Meanwhile, Jamaat-e-Islami called a nationwide strike on Tuesday and warned that it would resist at any cost a “government blueprint” to execute its leaders.
Riots rocked Dhaka soon after the verdict and police clashed with protesters early on Tuesday near Old Dhaka after they smashed cars and autorickshaws.
Police inspector Mizanur Rahman talking to reporters said that “we fired several rounds of rubber bullets to disperse them. ” the government has deployed an additional 10,000 policemen in Dhaka to disperse the crowds.
All educational and commercial activity remains suspended in the Bangladeshi capital and highways linking Dhaka with other cities are empty.
The Tribunal, a domestic body with no international oversight, was created by the country’s Awami League government in 2010.It has been tainted by allegations that is politically motivated, targeting only senior opposition officials. Both Jamaat and the main opposition BNP have labeled the cases “show trials” aimed at barring the leaders from upcoming polls. International rights groups have also questioned the proceedings.
