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LequteMan
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A former minister was sentenced to life in prison in Bangladesh on Wednesday for crimes committed during the country’s 1971 independence war against Pakistan.
83-year-old Abdul Alim of the now-opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party was sentenced by a special war crimes tribunal investigating allegations against current and former politicians of collaborating with Pakistani forces during the nine-month war.
He was convicted of genocide, looting, arson and other crimes against humanity during the war that left an estimated three million people dead, 200,000 women raped and thousands of homes torched.
According to Attorney General Mahbubey, Alim deserved the death penalty, but the court sentenced him to life after considering his age and poor health.
Nine of the 17 allegations of war crimes against Alim were proved beyond doubt, the top law officer told reporters immediately after the verdict was pronounced. NAN