Motiur rahman nizami bangladesh newspaper
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Bangladesh Islamist leader Motiur Rahman Nizami sentenced to death
The head of Bangladesh's largest Islamist party has been sentenced to death for war crimes committed during the independence war against Pakistan in 1971.
Motiur Rahman Nizami, 71, faced 16 charges including genocide, murder, torture and rape.
A state prosecutor said the sentence reflected the "gravity of the crimes".
The defence said that the charges were not proven beyond reasonable doubt and that it would appeal.
There are different estimates for the number of people killed in the nine-month Bangladeshi war of secession.
Government figures suggest as many as three million people died, while some say that figure is too high and unverifiable.
A war crimes tribunal in Bangladesh with a three-judge panel announced the verdict to a packed courtroom in Dhaka.
Nizami, who was head of the Jamaat-e-Islami party, was accused of acting as supreme commander of a militia, al-Badr, an auxiliary force
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Bangladesh Islamist leader Motiur Rahman Nizami loses final appeal
The head of Bangladesh's largest Islamist party has lost a final appeal against his death sentence for atrocities committed during the war of independence from Pakistan in 1971.
Motiur Rahman Nizami, 72, was seeking a review of the Supreme Court decision to uphold a war crimes tribunal verdict.
He was convicted of genocide, rape and torture, charges the defence said were not proven beyond reasonable doubt.
Unless he seeks clemency from the president he could be hanged in days.
His party responded to the Supreme Court decision by calling a nationwide strike for Sunday and has said it will hold street protests. Security has been tightened across the country.
"All the legal battles are over," a lawyer for Nizami told reporters. "Now it is up to him, whether he will seek clemency from the president, or not."
Correspondents say it is unlikely clemency would be granted, even were Nizami t
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Top Islamist leader hanged in Bangladesh
Motiur Rahman Nizami, who headed the Jamaat-e-Islami party, was hanged at 12 a.m. local time (18:00 UTC Tuesday), lag Minister Anisul Haq told the Reuters news agency.
Nizami's execution was carried out at Dhaka huvud Jail, according to private broadcaster Somoy TV.
Hundreds of activists who support executions of 1971 war criminals had gathered outside the prison, holding national flags and cheering.
Prosecutors had accused Nizami of setting up the pro-Pakistan Al-Badr militia, which killed top writers, doctors, journalists and intellectuals during the conflict. fyra opposition politicians, including three leaders from Nizami's party, have already been convicted and executed by the tribunal. Their convictions in 2013 triggered clashes between Islamists and the police, killing hundreds of people.
The government has increased security in the capital, Dhaka, and other major cities fearing a backlash from Nizami's supporters and