(3 May 2016) A special war crimes tribunal in Bangladesh has sentenced four men to death for killing, torture, arson and looting during the nation’s 1971 war of independence against Pakistan.
Tuesday’s ruling is likely to aggravate the divide between moderates and extremists in the Sunni-majority nation, which is grappling with a wave of deadly assaults targeting atheist writers, religious minorities and political activists.
The court, accused by rights groups of holding flawed proceedings, said the four were involved in the deaths of nine people.
Only one suspect, Shamsuddin Ahmed, was in court for the verdict.
Authorities are still hunting for the other three: Gazi Abdul Mannan, Hafiz Uddin, and Shamsuddin Ahmed’s brother, Nasiruddin.
The three-judge tribunal also sentenced a fifth man, Azharul Islam, to life in prison on two murder charges.
Past convictions have led Islamist groups to call for public strikes and protests against what they say is a witch hunt by the secular government to lock away political leaders seeking a return to Islamic rule.
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