IN BRIEF (Page 12)

Bangladesh

Death sentence upheld by court

Bangladesh's top court on Wednesday upheld the death sentence on the leader of the largest Islamist party for crimes during the country's 1971 independence struggle, paving the way for his execution within months. The Supreme Court dismissed an appeal by Motiur Rahman Nizami, head of the Jamaat-e-Islamic party, who was convicted of murder, rape and orchestrating the killing of top intellectuals when he was a militia leader during the conflict.