Bangladesh court sentences lawmaker to death for war crimes

A Bangladesh opposition MP was sentenced to death Tuesday for war crimes, becoming the first lawmaker to be convicted for offences committed during the 1971 war of independence. Salauddin Quader Chowdhury, a leader of the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, was "found guilty of nine charges of war crimes including genocide" and was sentenced to death, Attorney General Mahbubey Alam told AFP. Since January the International Crimes Tribunal has convicted six Islamists for crimes committed during the 1971 war. Chowdhury, a six-time elected member of parliament, is the first lawmaker to be convicted and sentenced by the tribunal.