Bangladeshi security personnel stand guard outside the Central Jail, where Abdul Quader Mollah, leader of the country's largest Islamic party Jamaat-e-Islami, is being held in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2013. A senior judge of Bangladesh’s Supreme Court has halted the scheduled execution of the opposition leader, convicted for war crimes, until Wednesday morning as defense lawyers moved to him seeking postponement of the process, a defense lawyer said. (AP Photo, A. M. Ahad)
December 11, 2013 - 10:48 PM
DHAKA, Bangladesh - Bangladesh's Supreme Court has rejected an appeal against the death sentence for an opposition leader who was convicted of war crimes, clearing the way for his execution.
The execution of Abdul Quader Mollah has been on hold since he was granted a last-minute reprieve on Tuesday night so his lawyers could appeal to the Supreme Court.
There was no immediate word on when his death sentence will be carried out.
Mollah was convicted of war crimes committed during the nation's war of independence against Pakistan in 1971.
His execution is likely to usher in a new wave of political violence ahead of national elections set for next month.
Mollah's party, Jamaat-e-Islami, an ally of the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, has warned of "dire consequences" if he were executed.
News from © The Associated Press, 2013