A Bangladesh tribunal today sentenced a well-known Islamic cleric to death for "crimes against humanity" for his actions during the country's 1971 independence war. The conviction of Abul Kalam Azad is the first verdict handed down by a controversial tribunal trying people accused of committing crimes during the war. Azad, a member of the Jamaat-e-Islami party, was tried in absentia after he reportedly fled to Pakistan last April upon being charged. A war crimes tribunal, which was set up in 2010, requires wrapping up investigations of all those who were accused, as the government aims to finish the trials before Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's five-year term ends. She took charge of office in early 2009.
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