TEMPO.CO, Dhaka - A special tribunal for crimes against humanity in Bangladesh has sentenced the head of the country's Jamaat-e-Islami party to death for his role in the deaths of thousands during the nation's independence war against Pakistan in 1971.

The head of a three-judge panel, M Enayetur Rahim, announced the verdict on Wednesday, October 29, 2014 against Motiur Rahman Nizami, who was found guilty of a number of crimes against humanity.

Nizami, a former cabinet minister, was tried on 16 charges, including genocide, murder, torture, rape and destruction of property.Bangladesh says Pakistani soldiers, aided by local collaborators, killed 3 million people, raped 200,000 women and forced about 10 million people to take shelter in refugee camps across the border in neighboring India during the nine-month war.

In response to the verdict, Jamaat-e-Islami released a statement that denounced the verdict, calling for a nationwide general strike for three days starting on Thursday, October 30, 2014.

Outside the courtroom, police and paramilitary forces patrolled the streets after previous verdicts had sparked violence. Nizami was a cabinet minister during former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia's last term between 2001 and 2006.

AL JAZEERA | CHOIRUL