DHAKA: Controversial International Crimes Tribunal of Bangladesh on Monday has sentenced life imprisonment to former chief of Jamaat-e-Islami, Ghulam Azam 90, for masterminding atrocities during the 1971 war of independence against Pakistan.
A special Bangladesh court on Monday sentenced a top Islamist to 90 years in prison when he was found guilty of all five charges by the controversial International Crimes Tribunal.
The court found Mr Azam, 90, guilty of five charges including conspiracy, incitement, planning, abetting and failing to prevent murder.
According to the court, Ghulam Azam, 90 was the wartime head of the largest Islamic party, Jamaat-e-Islami, and now its spiritual leader.
“He has been sentenced to 90 years in prison or until his death for the charges,” prosecutor Sultan Mahmud told AFP.
The sentence came amid violent clashes in cities across Bangladesh between his supporters and police.
Ghulam Azam was sentenced to 90 years in jail for his involvement in mass killings and rape during the war.
Supporters of Bangladesh’s main Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami party, which he led from 1969 until 2000, clashed with police ahead of the verdict.
It is the fifth sentence passed against current and former party leaders.
Previous verdicts against Islamist leaders have also led to violent protests.
Awami League-led government set up an ‘International Crimes Tribunal’ in Bangladesh in 2010 to trap alleged collaborators of the Pakistani army during Bangladesh’s war of independence.
International human rights groups have said the tribunal falls short of international standards.
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