Bangladesh executed Islamist opposition leader Abdul Quader Mollah on Thursday (December 12).<br/> <br />He was convicted for war crimes committed in the 1971 war of independence from Pakistan.<br/> <br />Mollah won a reprieve on Tuesday (December 10) hours before being sent to the gallows, but two days later, the Supreme Court rejected his request for a review of the death sentence.<br/> <br />Critics say the tribunal that found Mollah guilty is being used as a political tool by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to weaken the opposition as elections approach.<br/> <br />Some activists marched with torches, hailing the court's decision and demanding that Mollah be hanged immediately.<br/> <br />The case has divided Bangladesh, and is likely to spark more violent protests less than a month before elections.
