Head of Bangladeshi largest Islamist party sentenced to death for crimes in 1971

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, faces 16 charges including genocide, murder, torture and rape.

A state prosecutor says the sentence reflects the gravity of the crimes.

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 the 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.

Source: BBC