NEW DELHI: A special war crimes court in Bangladesh sentenced four men to death on Tuesday for killing, torture, arson and looting during the 1971 war.

The ruling is likely to aggravate the divide between moderates and extremists in the country which is grappling with a wave of deadly assaults targeting atheist writers, religious minorities and political activists.

The court, accused by rights groups of holding flawed proceedings, said the four were involved in the deaths of nine people. Only one suspect, Shamsuddin Ahmed, was in court for the verdict.

Authorities are still hunting for Gazi Abdul Mannan, Hafiz Uddin, and Shamsuddin Ahmed’s brother, Nasiruddin. The three-judge tribunal also sentenced a fifth man to life in prison.

Published in Dawn, May 4th, 2016