Bangladesh Hangs Jamaat-e-Islami Leader Mir Quasem Ali

Bangladesh today executed 63-year-old Media tycoon Mir Quasem Ali. He was sentenced to death some two years ago.

The Jamaat-e-Islami leader was a major financial backer of his party. He was hanged Saturday evening at a high-security prison outside capital Dhaka.

Ali was convicted of several offences including torture committed during the war with Pakistan and murder too. He was found guilty of eight of the fourteen charges.

The execution of Ali took place after several attacks in the country by Islamist militants. Earlier this year in July a terror group attacked a cafe in the capital and killed 20 hostages. Most of the victims were of foreign nationals.

If believed to government data about three million people were killed in the nine-month war to secede from Pakistan.

In 2010 the Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina set up a war crimes tribunal to look into abuses during the independence war.

However, critics say the government has used the tribunal to frame political opponents. Even the Human Rights Watch has commented saying the procedures of court are not up to the international standards.

The Bangladeshi police arrested over 3,000 people in an effort to stop attacks on minorities and secular citizens. The opposition said the measure is to target political opponents.