Bangladesh on Saturday executed Jammat-E-Islami leader Mir Quasem Ali for crimes he committed during the country’s 1971 war with Pakistan. The 63-year-old was sentenced to death in 2014, and the country’s Supreme Court upheld the verdict on Tuesday. He was convicted for murder, torture, confinement and provoking religious hatred. His family had called the ruling a "judicial killing”
Quasem played a crucial role in setting up the pro-Pakistan al-Badr force in Chittagong during the war. He established a number of torture camps in the city, including in Daleem Hotel in the Andorkilla neighbourhood.
The country has executed six opposition leaders for war crimes since Sheikh Hasina took over as prime minister. Rights groups have said Hasina has been brutal in her crackdown against political opponents, with some questioning the international legality of the executions.
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