Bangladesh / Genocide Tribunals

"Riots rocked Dhaka ahead of the verdict as Police clashed with protesters near Old Dhaka." (Agence France-Presse)

Bangladesh Official Gets Life for War Crimes
AlJazeera.com, February 5, 2013
"A Bangladeshi court has sentenced a senior opposition official to life in prison for mass murder and crimes against humanity during the 1971 liberation war against Pakistan. Abdul Kader Mullah, 64, the fourth highest ranked leader of the country's main Jamaat-e-Islami party, is the first politician to be found guilty by the controversial International Crimes Tribunal following charges of rape, genocide and murder. Six leaders of the party are on trial before the much-criticised domestic court based in Dhaka. They too have been accused of committing atrocities during the nine-month war against Pakistan. Mullah has been tried on six counts, including playing a role in the killing of 381 unarmed civilians, the prosecution says. He denies the charges. ... Riots rocked Dhaka before the verdict as Police clashed with protesters early on Tuesday near Old Dhaka after they smashed cars and autorickshaws.
'We fired several rounds of rubber bullets to disperse them,' police inspector Mizanur Rahman told AFP. Security was tight in the capital with more than 10,000 policemen on patrol. Schools were closed and many shops and businesses shuttered. Motorways linking Dhaka with other cities were largely empty. The Tribunal, a domestic body with no international oversight, was created by the country's secular government in 2010. It has been tainted by allegations it is politically motivated, targeting only senior opposition officials. Both Jamaat and the main opposition BNP have labelled the cases 'show trials' aimed at barring the leaders from upcoming polls. International rights groups have questioned the proceedings."