Bangladesh Islamist Ghulam Azam found guilty of war crimes

A war crimes court has found Islamist Ghulam Azam guilty of five charges relating to Bangladesh's 1971 war of independence with Pakistan. Ghulam Azam was sentenced to 90years in jail for his involvement in mass killings and rape during the war. Supporters of Bangladesh's main Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami party, which he led from 1969 until 2000,clashed with police ahead of the verdict. It is the fifth sentence passed against current and former party leaders. The court found Mr Azam, 90, guilty of five charges including conspiracy, incitement, planning, abetting and failing to prevent murder. He faced more than 60 counts of crimes against humanity for his role in setting up militia groups which carried out atrocities during the war. He denied the charges, which his supporters say were politically motivated. Previous verdicts against Islamist leaders have also led to violent protests. The International Crimes Tribunal in Bangladesh was set up by the current Awami League-led government in 2010 to try alleged collaborators of the Pakistani armyduring Bangladesh's war of independence. Human rights groups have said thetribunal falls short of international standards.