Bangladeshi court sentences 5 people to death

By SM Najmus Sakib

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) - A Bangladeshi court on Thursday sentenced five elderly men to death over alleged crimes in the country’s liberation war in 1971.

The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT), a local court formed for cases related to the war that marked the country's secession from Pakistan, convicted them in absentia for crimes against humanity including murder and rape.

A three-member bench hearing the case ordered the concerned authorities to arrest the fugitives.

Six people were charged in the case, but one of them died in custody.

The convicts at large are -- Abdul Mazid, 66, Abdul Khalek, 67, Kabir Khan, 70, Abdus Salam, 68, and Nur Uddin, 70.

This is not the first time the ICT, a controversial tribunal, convicted elderly people.

The tribunal is accused of being used against political opponents under the pretext of punishing the war criminals.

Following the formation of the court, international human rights group, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, voiced their deep concern over the “unfair trial” process.