Supporters of opposition parties stage a rally against Bangladesh war crimes tribunal in Dhaka. (file photo)
Fierce clashes have erupted across Bangladesh between security forces and angry demonstrators protesting the death sentence handed down to an opposition leader.
Violence was reported in several towns across the country including the capital Dhaka, where at least one person confirmed killed.
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court handed Abdul Quader Mollah, a senior member of the Jamaat-e-Islami party, the death penalty for committing war crimes during the 1971 war of independence.
Mollah was initially sentenced to life in prison in February, but that sentence was toughened up after he appealed against the ruling.
Several top opposition leaders have so far been convicted by a controversial tribunal for their role in mass killings during the war, which saw then East Pakistan break from Islamabad.
The opposition accuses the government of seeking to intimidate them by trying their leaders for alleged war crimes committed more than 40 years ago.
Rights groups also say the court™s legal procedures fall short of international standards.
People have taken to the streets in major Bangladeshi cities on many occasions to protest against controversial trials of opposition activists and leaders.
More than 150 people have been killed in clashes with police since the beginning of this year.
Bangladesh’s main opposition parties and several Islamic groups staged nationwide strikes to strongly condemn the killing of protesters in a crackdown by security forces.
Bangladesh has experienced a turbulent history marred by military coups, bloody turmoil and natural catastrophes.
JR/KA
Copyright: Press TV