Abdul Kader Mullah gets life sentence for war crimes

A war crimes tribunal in Bangladesh has found a leader of the main Islamist party guilty of crimes against humanity during the war for independence from Pakistan in 1971.

Abdul Kader Mullah(64) the assistant secretary general of the Jamaat-e-Islami, was found guilty of five out of six charges, including murder.Abdul Kader Mullah of Jamaat-e-Islami, who denied all the charges, was sentenced to life in prison.

Abdul Kader Mullah is the second defendant to be found guilty by the special tribunal.
Last month, a former leader of the party, Abul Kalam Azad, was found guilty in absentia of eight charges of crimes against humanity and sentenced to death.

Ten others are on trial, including eight top leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami and two members of the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), one a former minister.

All deny the charges against them and opposition leaders accuse the government of carrying out a political vendetta.

Thousands marched through the capital, Dhaka, on Monday Feb 4,2013, demanding the release of their leaders.

 

The trial has sparked protests from supporters who accuse the government of pursuing a political vendetta.
Jamaat has called a national strike for Tuesday Feb 5,2013 and clashes between police and protesters broke out in Dhaka and several other cities.