Dhaka, Bangladesh, Aug 31, SPA -- A court in Bangladesh hassentenced 10 men to death on charges of killing fiveleftist politicians at a rally in the country's west, courtofficials said Tuesday. Twelve other men were convicted of helping the attackersand given life imprisonment in the court decision Monday inKushtia town, 128 kilometers (80 miles) west of thecapital, Dhaka. The court acquitted three others in the attack on a rallyof Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal, a small leftist group, inKushtia district in 1999, the court officials said. Five leaders of the group were on a stage at the eventwhen the attackers opened fire at them, prosecution lawyerGolam Mohamamd told the court. He said the politicians were attacked because they opposedcommunist rebels who operate in the region extorting moneyfrom wealthy villagers. The convicted men, who claimed innocence and denied beingrebels, will appeal to Bangladesh's high court, theirlawyer, Rezaul Haq, told reporters in Kushtia. Fifteen of the convicted men are in jail, while sevenothers are at large.--SPA1423 Local Time 1123 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/196748