Dhaka: Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami called a 24-hour countrywide shutdown for Wednesday protesting the Supreme Court's verdict that upheld the death penalty to its leader Ali Ahsan Muhammad Mujahid for his crimes against humanity during War of Independence in 1971.

Jamaat will observe the hartal from 6:00am on Wednesday till 6:00am on Thursday, said a press release signed by the party’s acting amir Moqbul Ahmed on Tuesday.

However, the released read, ambulance and dead body carrying vehicles, hospital and fire service will be out of hartal range.

Earlier, on Tuesday morning, the Supreme Court appellate division upheld its previous verdict on condemned war criminal Ali Ahsan Muhammad Mujahid after rejecting his plea for reviewing death penalty for his crimes against humanity.

A four-member bench headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha dismissed the review petition of the Jamaat secretary general.