Bangladesh court commutes Delawar Hossain Sayedee's death sentence

Dhaka, Sept 17 (IBNS): Bangladesh's Supreme Court on Wednesday commuted  the death sentence of top Jamaat leader Delawar Hossain Sayedee to  life term for the crimes he had committed against humanity during the Asian nation's Liberation War in 1971, reports said.

A five-member bench of the court , headed by   Chief Justice Md Muzammel Hossain, gave its verdict on Wednesday.

Bangladesh had witnessed massive violence after Jamaat-e-Islami leader Delawar Hossain Sayedee was sentenced to death by a tribunal  on Feb 28, 2013 for several crimes like mass killings, torture, rape and looting and forcible religious conversion during the Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971 when the country attained freedom from Pakistan after a bloody struggle that left countless dead and thousands of women outraged.

Seeking acquittal on all charges the Jamat leader had filed an appeal with the SC  on Mar 28, 2013.

Protesting against the Supreme Court's verdicts,the  Jamaat-e-Islami  on Wednesday called countrywide shutdowns on Thursday and then on Sunday.

The  Jamaat-e-Islami  called for 24 hours shut downs separately on both the days.

" The announcement of strike came as a part of Jamaat’s four-day protest programme following the verdict on Sayedee, said a press release signed by Jamaat acting ameer Moqbul Ahmed and acting secretary general Shafiqur Rahman," The Daily Star reported.

"The other programmes include offering doa for Sayedee on Friday and countrywide demonstration on Saturday," it said.

Jamaat  also demanded for Sayedee's immediate release from prison.