Protests erupt in Bangladesh after war-crimes verdict

By Farid Ahmed for CNN

Updated 1225 GMT (2025 HKT) February 7, 2013

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Bangladeshi police gather near a car set ablaze by Islamist protesters during clashes on Monday, May 6. Police broke up a protest of tens of thousands of religious hardliners and shut down an Islamist television station Monday after battles in the streets of Dhaka. <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/05/world/asia/bangladesh-clashes/index.html">Demonstrations calling for religious laws</a>, led by the ultraconservative group Hefazat-e-Islam (Protectors of Islam), have been building since February.

Photos: Gallery: Deadly riots rock Bangladesh

Deadly Islamist riots rock Bangladesh – Bangladeshi police gather near a car set ablaze by Islamist protesters during clashes on Monday, May 6. Police broke up a protest of tens of thousands of religious hardliners and shut down an Islamist television station Monday after battles in the streets of Dhaka. Demonstrations calling for religious laws, led by the ultraconservative group Hefazat-e-Islam (Protectors of Islam), have been building since February.

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Bangladeshi police escort Allama Shah Ahmad Shafi, an Islamic leader and Hefazat-e-Islam movement veteran, from Dhaka on May 6.

Photos: Gallery: Deadly riots rock Bangladesh

Deadly Islamist riots rock Bangladesh – Bangladeshi police escort Allama Shah Ahmad Shafi, an Islamic leader and Hefazat-e-Islam movement veteran, from Dhaka on May 6.

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Rapid Action Battalion personnel stand guard following a clash between police and Islamists in Dhaka on May 6.

Photos: Gallery: Deadly riots rock Bangladesh

Deadly Islamist riots rock Bangladesh – Rapid Action Battalion personnel stand guard following a clash between police and Islamists in Dhaka on May 6.

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Bangladeshi people look at burned religious literature, including the Quran, near the national mosque Baitul Mukarram in Dhaka on May 6.

Photos: Gallery: Deadly riots rock Bangladesh

Deadly Islamist riots rock Bangladesh – Bangladeshi people look at burned religious literature, including the Quran, near the national mosque Baitul Mukarram in Dhaka on May 6.

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A Bangladeshi man extinguishes a blaze at a building near the national mosque Baitul Mukarram in Dhaka on May 6.

Photos: Gallery: Deadly riots rock Bangladesh

Deadly Islamist riots rock Bangladesh – A Bangladeshi man extinguishes a blaze at a building near the national mosque Baitul Mukarram in Dhaka on May 6.

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Islamist protesters gather on a highway at an entry point to the city as as part of their protest in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Sunday, May 5.

Photos: Gallery: Deadly riots rock Bangladesh

Deadly Islamist riots rock Bangladesh – Islamist protesters gather on a highway at an entry point to the city as as part of their protest in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Sunday, May 5.

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Photos: Gallery: Deadly riots rock Bangladesh

Deadly Islamist riots rock Bangladesh – Bangladeshi police charge at Islamists with batons during clashes on May 5.

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Photos: Gallery: Deadly riots rock Bangladesh

Deadly Islamist riots rock Bangladesh – Hefazat-e-Islami activists attend a rally on May 5.

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