THEY are the biggest rallies in Bangladesh for at least two decades.
Hundreds of thousands of protesters gather peacefully each day in Dhaka, the capital, demanding vengeance against a bearded political figure, Abdul Quader Mollah.
Their numbers swell daily: ordinary people furious that, despite his conviction for dreadful crimes during Bangladesh’s war of independence in 1971, Mr Mollah faces only a life sentence.
The rallies began on February 5th after online activists called for protests at Shahbag, a busy intersection in central Dhaka.
They want Mr Mollah and others on trial to face the death penalty. He was convicted by the International Crimes Tribunal, a local court set up by the government of Sheikh Hasina to prosecute men, largely from an Islamic opposition party, accused of murder, torture, rape and other wartime atrocities.
When, somewhat unexpectedly, Mr Mollah was spared a death sentence, he was seen flicking supporters a V-for-victory sign. That smug gesture may have helped to provoke the outrage.
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