Bangladesh strike over Abdul Kader Mullah sentence
The BBC's Anbarasan
Ethirajan explains the anger surrounding the sentencing of Abdul Kader Mullah
Clashes have broken
out across Bangladesh during a strike called by the largest Islamist party, a
day after one of its leaders was sentenced to death for war crimes.
Abdul Kader Mullah is
be hanged for crimes against humanity during the 1971 war of independence with
Pakistan.
His party
Jamaat-e-Islami called the two-day nationwide strike, describing the trial as
politically motivated.
However, his sentence
was welcomed by his opponents.
Schools and businesses
were shut on Wednesday. Motorways were empty and bus services were also
suspended, reports said.
Police fired rubber
bullets and tear gas to disperse protesters in the western city of Rajshahi,
while the protesters threw bricks.
One man was killed in
southern Bangladesh after being hit by a stone thrown by protesters, officials
said.
Bangladesh independence war, 1971
·
Civil war erupts in
Pakistan, pitting the West Pakistan army against East Pakistanis demanding
autonomy and later independence
·
Fighting forces an
estimated 10 million East Pakistani civilians to flee to India
·
In December, India
invades East Pakistan in support of the East Pakistani people
·
Pakistani army
surrenders at Dhaka and its army of more than 90,000 become Indian prisoners of
war
·
East Pakistan becomes
the independent country of Bangladesh on 16 December 1971
·
The war was
devastating in its brutality but there are a range of estimates for the exact
number of people killed - government figures estimate as many as three million
died. Other studies suggest 300-500,000 perished.
Border guards have
been deployed in the capital to manage law and order, the BBC's Anbarasan
Ethirajan in Dhaka reports.
Dhaka's busy
commercial districts are mostly deserted, our correspondent adds.
Cars
vandalised
Mullah was sentenced
to life imprisonment for war crimes by a special tribunal in February.
Human rights groups
have said the tribunal falls short of international standards.
The sentence at the
time prompted angry protests from critics who said it was too lenient. His
supporters, meanwhile, said the charges were politically motivated
Mullah appealed to
Bangladesh's Supreme Court against his life sentence, while the state appealed
for a tougher sentence.
Clashes broke out on
Tuesday after the court sentenced him to death.
Many buses and cars
were vandalised in the southern region of Chittagong, our correspondent says.
