Abdul Kader Mullah, the leader of the country’s main Islamist party, the Jamaat-e-Islami, was sentenced to life in prison for war crimes. He was called the “butcher of Mirpur” for his role in massacres during Bangladesh’s 1971 war for independence from Pakistan. Nine other top Jamaat-e-Islami leaders have also been accused of war crimes. In protest, thousands of the party’s supporters clashed with police in Dakha, Chittagong, and other cities.
