News / Pakistan

Pakistan military courts sentence 6 militants to death

Friday, 03 April 2015 10:26 AM [ Last Update: Friday, 03 April 2015 10:25 AM ]

Security agents stand guard at the main entrance of the parliament building in Islamabad, Pakistan, on January 6, 2015, as legislators approved a constitutional amendment granting jurisdiction to military courts in terrorism cases. © AFP

Pakistani military courts have sentenced six militants to death and another to life in prison for their involvement in terror-related crimes, the army says.

The military “confirms death sentence of 6 hard core terrorists tried by the recently established military courts,” Pakistan army spokesman, Major General Asim Saleem Bajwa, said on Thursday.

The convicts committed “heinous” offenses relating to terrorism, including kidnappings and bombings, Bajwa said, adding that they can contest their sentences before a court of appeal.

The convictions mark the first by Pakistani military courts, which were established following last year’s carnage at a school in the northwestern city of Peshawar.

File photo shows the auditorium at the Army Public School in Peshawar, Pakistan, following a December 16, 2014, Taliban attack that killed over 140 people, mostly children.

On December 16, 2014, a group of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants mounted an attack against Peshawar’s Army School, where about 150 people, mostly children, were massacred.

Following the Peshawar attack, Pakistan lifted the moratorium on the death penalty in place for about six years. Since then, the Pakistani government has carried out 65 executions.

Meanwhile, critics say Pakistan’s criminal justice system is unreliable, riddled by police torture, poor legal representation for victims and unfair trials.

Rise of military courts

Islamabad announced a national anti-terror program, including the establishment of nine military courts in January, in the wake of the Peshawar school attack.

The plan involves the outlawing of militant groups, the registration of seminaries and a crackdown on hate speech.

The courts also have the authority to try civilians accused of terrorism.