Dhaka: In a much awaited verdict, a Bangladeshi tribunal on Thursday handed death sentence to Islamic party leader accused of committing 1971 war crimes.

Islamic party leader Delwar Hossain Sayedee, who was sentenced to death by a special tribune in Dhaka today, is among nine leaders of the opposition Jamaat-e-Islami party who have been put on trial on charges of mass killings and atrocities allegedly committed during Bangladesh’s war of separation from Pakistan.

The verdict is set to satisfy the thousands of Bangladeshis who have been demonstrating in the capital, demanding a death sentence for him.

More than 5,000 people rallied on Wednesday urging for a death sentence verdict for Sayedee.

The Islamic party, a key ally of the country’s main opposition party, denies committing atrocities and says the charges are politically motivated. It has called a general strike on Thursday to protest Sayedee’s expected conviction.