Bangladesh court sentences death to Jamaat leader for 1971 war crimes

Dhaka, Feb 18: A Bangladesh court on Wednesday sentenced a Jamaat-e-Islami leader to death for leading pro-Pakistan militias to commit war crimes such as murders, genocide and abductions in Pabna in 1971.

International Crimes Tribunal-2 Chairman, Justice Obaidul Hasan, handed Abdus Subhan the maximum penalty Wednesday.

With six of the nine charges levelled by the prosecution having been proven beyond doubt, he was sentenced to be hanged till death.

The other two tribunal members, Justice Md. Mujibur Rahman Mia and Justice Shahinur Islam, were also present at the time of the sentencing -- the 16th conviction for crimes against humanity.

Subhan, a former Member of Parliament from Pabna, was the chief of the Jamaat's Pabna unit and was in the party's highest policymaking body during the post-Liberation War era.

It was revealed during the trial that Subhan, along with Pakistani soldiers, had indulged in murders, mass killings, arson and looting once "Operation Searchlight" was launched on the night of March 25, 1971.

He is the ninth top Jamaat leader to be convicted for war crimes committed during Bangladesh's war of independence from Pakistan.

IANS