Bangladesh Islamists call national strike as veteran leader, 91, given life sentence Mr Azam's lawyer Abdur Razaq dismissed Azam's conviction as a "fairy tale" and said his client had been convicted on the basis of letters which were not produced as evidence in court and meetings which were taken as proof of conspiracy. "This judgment is perverse as there is no evidence that he has committed any crimes against humanity," he said. The prosecution refers to meetings taking place as evidence of crimes against humanity being committed, but it has failed to prove the contents of the discussion or details of meeting. Merely meeting does not constitute crimes against humanity. Jamaat-e-Ismlami supporters clashed with security forces shortly before the verdict and officials are now bracing themselves for further violence on Tuesday. In its verdict the tribunal said Mr Azam had deserved the death penalty for his crimes but he had been sentenced to life instead because of his age. The court's decision was criticised by supporters of the war crimes prosecutions who said he should not have been spared. The court should be sentencing Gholam Azam for what he did in 1971, not about how old he is now. This judgment is about politics, not justice," said Syeed Ahamed, a leading campaigner for trying those accused of war crimes. Fellow campaigners who oppose clemency are also planning national protests.