Bangladesh protests trigger changes to war crimes law


Bangladesh's parliament has amended a law which will allow the state to appeal against the life sentence of an Islamist party leader, after protesters called for his execution.

Tens of thousands of demonstrators in the capital, Dhaka, cheered the news.

The legal amendment also paves the way for the prosecution and potential ban of the Jamaat-e-Islami party.

Jamaat chief Abdul Kader Mullah was given life for his alleged role in crimes in the 1971 independence war.

The ruling sparked nearly two weeks of angry mass protests in Dhaka and other cities.

The BBC's James Kelly reports.

