BANGLADESH: 411 PEOPLE EXECUTED SINCE 1971

February 14, 2010: Bangladesh has executed more than 400 people since the country became independent in 1971, an official said, and more than 1,000 others are currently sitting on death row.
The authorities last month hanged five army officers convicted of killing the country's independence leader, taking the number of executions since 1971 to 411, deputy prisons chief Golam Haider said.
At least 36 women have been sentenced to death but none went to the gallows, another prison official said, speaking on condition of anonymity as he is not authorised to reveal figures.
"Those hanged were all men," the official said, adding that at least 1,020 convicts were currently on death row.
Bangladesh has been handing down death penalties with increasing frequency since 2002, when fast-track courts were established as part of a crackdown on rising crime. (Sources: Afp, 14/02/2010)