DHAKA — Tens of thousands of Bangladeshi protesters, angered by the killing of one of their leaders, poured back onto the streets of the capital on Saturday to demand the death penalty for those found guilty of war crimes in the 1971 independence conflict. The demonstrators, who denounce a life sentence handed down this month on an Islamist leader involved in the war, reversed a decision to scale back demonstrations, now in their 12th day. Rajib Haider, an architect, was a key figure in organizing the demonstrations and wrote a blog devoted to them. He was attacked outside his home on Friday night after returning from a 100,000-strong rally in Shahbag Square. Haider's family told reporters he was stabbed to death for standing up to militant group and drawing people to the protests. Police said they had detained five suspects. By mid-afternoon, some 50,000 had massed on Shahbag square. More than twice that number were expected later, with Haider's body expected to brought to the square for funeral prayers. “Haider's death has rekindled our spirits,” said Nasiruddin Yusuf, a film-maker. “It will not go in vain.” Large protests gripped other cities. Security forces patrolled streets in much greater numbers than in previous days. The protests were triggered by the life sentence imposed on Abdul Quader Mollah, assistant secretary-general of the Jamaat-e-Islami party, Bangladesh's largest Islamist party. Most Bangladeshis had expected a death sentence on charges of murder, rape and torture. Protest leaders vowed to remain on the street until Mollah, 64, is sentenced to death, along with others convicted of committing crimes during the war. Some say they would accept parliamentary amendments to provide for stiffer penalties to be issued by the war crimes tribunal, set up in 2010 by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, daughter of independence leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. “The young generation is shining a light on the spirit of the liberation war we fought more than 40 years ago,” said Dhaka University professor Abul Barakat, 58. “We couldn't achieve all the dreams of the war. Now, perhaps no one can stop them.” — Reuters
