(VOVworld) – On Wednesday, Bangladesh’s largest Islamic party Jaamat-e-Islami called for a nationwide strike to protest the Supreme Court’s decision to deny an appeal to senior party member, Mir Quasem Ali. 

Tens of thousands of Islamist activists have clashed with police in nationwide protests since 2013. (Photo: AFP)

The Court upheld a death sentence for Ali, who was convicted of crimes against humanity during the 1971 independence war against Pakistan. The party says Ali is innocent and has no connection to war crimes. The 63-years-old Ali is one of the top leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami and the party’s financial backbone. He was arrested in 2012 and sentenced to death for war crimes in 2014.