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| Bangladesh politician Salauddin Quader Chowdhury sentenced to death | |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| A special war crimes tribunal in Bangladesh has ruled that a senior member of the main opposition party should be put to death for his involvement in the killing of hundreds of people during the county's independence fight against Pakistan in 1971. | A special war crimes tribunal in Bangladesh has ruled that a senior member of the main opposition party should be put to death for his involvement in the killing of hundreds of people during the county's independence fight against Pakistan in 1971. |
| The verdict against Salauddin Quader Chowdhury came in a packed courtroom amid tight security in the capital, Dhaka. Fearing a backlash from Bangladesh Nationalist party supporters, authorities deployed paramilitary forces in south-eastern Chittagong district, where Chowdhury was elected to parliament six times. | The verdict against Salauddin Quader Chowdhury came in a packed courtroom amid tight security in the capital, Dhaka. Fearing a backlash from Bangladesh Nationalist party supporters, authorities deployed paramilitary forces in south-eastern Chittagong district, where Chowdhury was elected to parliament six times. |
| The attorney general, Mahbubey Alam, said Chowdhury had been convicted on nine of 23 charges, including four counts of genocide. Chowdhury was found guilty of aiding and ordering the killing of at least 200 people, mostly minority Hindus, in Chittagong. | The attorney general, Mahbubey Alam, said Chowdhury had been convicted on nine of 23 charges, including four counts of genocide. Chowdhury was found guilty of aiding and ordering the killing of at least 200 people, mostly minority Hindus, in Chittagong. |
| During the war Chowdhury's father was an influential politician of the Muslim League party, which worked to prevent Bangladesh from breaking away from Pakistan. | During the war Chowdhury's father was an influential politician of the Muslim League party, which worked to prevent Bangladesh from breaking away from Pakistan. |
| "I think this is a fair trial," Alam said. "We are happy." | "I think this is a fair trial," Alam said. "We are happy." |
| Chowdhury's wife, Farhat Quader Chowdhury, told reporters immediately after the verdict that her husband would appeal. "We will do whatever we need to do to show the world that this is a farce," she said. | Chowdhury's wife, Farhat Quader Chowdhury, told reporters immediately after the verdict that her husband would appeal. "We will do whatever we need to do to show the world that this is a farce," she said. |
| Bangladesh says Pakistani soldiers, aided by local collaborators, killed three million people and raped 200,000 women during the nine-month war that ended in December 1971. The prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, set up the tribunal in 2010 to punish the alleged collaborators. | Bangladesh says Pakistani soldiers, aided by local collaborators, killed three million people and raped 200,000 women during the nine-month war that ended in December 1971. The prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, set up the tribunal in 2010 to punish the alleged collaborators. |
| The opposition, led by the former prime minister Khaleda Zia, has criticised the trials as an attempt to weaken the Bangladesh Nationalist party and its allies. | The opposition, led by the former prime minister Khaleda Zia, has criticised the trials as an attempt to weaken the Bangladesh Nationalist party and its allies. |
| Six people have already been convicted of war crimes by the tribunal. Four of them are leading officials of the country's main Islamic party, Jamaat-e-Islami, while one is a former party chief and another is an expelled member of the party. Those verdicts sparked widespread violence. | Six people have already been convicted of war crimes by the tribunal. Four of them are leading officials of the country's main Islamic party, Jamaat-e-Islami, while one is a former party chief and another is an expelled member of the party. Those verdicts sparked widespread violence. |
| Jamaat-e-Islami is the main political ally of Zia's party and will contest the next general elections under a Zia-led alliance. Jamaat-e-Islami shared two posts in the cabinet during Zia's latest premiership, in 2001-2006. | Jamaat-e-Islami is the main political ally of Zia's party and will contest the next general elections under a Zia-led alliance. Jamaat-e-Islami shared two posts in the cabinet during Zia's latest premiership, in 2001-2006. |
| Human Rights Watch criticised the conduct of the tribunals, saying they were not up to international standards. | Human Rights Watch criticised the conduct of the tribunals, saying they were not up to international standards. |
| Hasina's government denies that the tribunal is biased. It points out that it pledged before the 2008 elections to prosecute those responsible for war crimes and that its 14-party political alliance won that election with a two-thirds majority. | Hasina's government denies that the tribunal is biased. It points out that it pledged before the 2008 elections to prosecute those responsible for war crimes and that its 14-party political alliance won that election with a two-thirds majority. |
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