BANGLADESH COURT UPHOLDS DEATH FOR MILITANTS

death sentences for six Islamist militants convicted of bomb attacks that killed at least 30 people in Bangladesh in 2005 have been upheld, a Supreme Court official said.
The militants include Shayek Abdur Rahman and Siddikul Islam Bangla Bhai, who respectively head the Jamaat-ul Mujahideen and Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh Islamist groups.
Both organisations seek the introduction of sharia law in Bangladesh, a mainly Muslim democracy.
"An appelate bench of the Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice J.R. Mudassir Hossain confirmed the death sentences given by the High Court in August has been upheld," a court official said.
In bomb attacks between August and December 2005, the militants killed at least 30 people and wounded 150. Victims included lawyers, judges, police, officials and journalists.