Bangladesh's top court Wednesday upheld the death sentence on a top opposition politician for atrocities committed during the 1971 independence war, including the slaughter of around 200 Hindus. The Supreme Court dismissed Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury's appeal against the sentence passed by a controversial war crimes tribunal two years ago. It was the first time a senior politician of the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) had been sentenced for his role in the conflict.
The 66-year-old was originally found guilty by the International Crimes Tribunal, a domestic war crimes court, of nine charges including genocide, torture and rape. The BNP said it was "shocked and aggrieved" by the ruling on Chowdhury, who served as an advisor to party leader and two-times former premier Khaleda Zia.