Dhaka, June 16 (IANS): Bangladesh's Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld the death sentence of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) leader Ali Ahsan Muhammad Mojaheed for 1971 war crimes, a decision that sparked outrage within the party prompting a shutdown call for Wednesday, media reported.

A four-member bench of the apex court, presided over by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha, confirmed the death penalty for the 67-year-old former commander of Al-Badr, the militia backed by Pakistan to crush the Bengali struggle for independence.

A statement by the party’s acting chief Maqbul Ahmad called for a countrywide shutdown from 6 a.m on Wednesday to 6.00 a.m. on Thursday, bdnews24.com reported.

Tuesday’s statement posted on the party’s website claimed that the ongoing war crimes trials were a “farce” and a part of the government’s move to “eliminate Jamaat”.

The war crimes tribunal on July 17, 2013, ordered Mujahid to be hanged for the massacre of intellectuals and involvement in the murder and torture of Hindus.

The Jamaat secretary general had appealed against the decision and on Tuesday, a four-member appeals bench led by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha upheld the death sentence.