Approximately 50,000 individuals attended the funeral of Jamaat-e-Islami leader, Delwar Hossain Sayedee, in Bangladesh, following his death in prison, where he was serving time for war crimes. Sayedee, sentenced in 2013 for crimes during Bangladesh’s independence war, passed away due to a heart attack.
His death triggered violent protests in Dhaka, which police dispersed using rubber bullets and tear gas. Although his funeral in Pirojpur district was peaceful elsewhere, a memorial gathering led to clashes with the police, resulting in one fatality.
Sayedee, once vice president of the opposition Jamaat-e-Islami party, was known for drawing massive crowds to his speeches. His conviction a decade ago resulted in some of Bangladesh’s deadliest protests.