Bangladesh: Tensions Rise Over Islamists' Trial

Clashes between Bangladeshi security forces and Islamist activists over the trial of the leadership of the country's largest Islamist movement, Jamaat-e-Islami, have escalated significantly. The movement's leaders face trial for their roles in the killing of hundreds of thousands of civilians in the 1971 civil war that culminated in Pakistan's eastern wing seceding and becoming the independent state of Bangladesh. More than 50 people have died in violence triggered by the Feb. 5 conviction of senior Jamaat-e-Islami leader Abdul Quader Mollah, who was sentenced to life in prison for collaborating with Pakistani troops in the killing and rape of ethnic Bengalis during the uprising.

Pressure from hundreds of thousands of protesters anxious to see the Islamist party's leaders brought to justice could destabilize the government. Moreover, actions against Jamaat-e-Islami could push many elements within the party to abandon constitutional politics altogether and move toward jihadism — a development that would have security implications for both Bangladesh and India.