Pakistan court upholds military death sentences

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Supreme Court yesterday upheld verdicts and death sentences in the cases of 16 civilians convicted of terrorism-related offences by military courts, the first time the highest court has ruled on the legality of cases tried by the military.

A five-member Bench ruled that the appellants had not proved the military violated that their constitu- tional rights or failed to follow procedure, in a blow to some activists who contend the courts routinely violate people’s rights.

Pakistan’s government empowered military courts to try civilian terrorism suspects, following an attack by Pakistani Taliban militants on a school that killed more than 130 pupils.

The military has so far convicted 104 civilians in the secret tribunals. Of those, 100 have been sentenced to death and four to life imprisonment. All but six are said to have confessed.

Those whose appeals were dismissed included nine members of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and two al-Qaeda members, according to Pakistan’s military. Two convicts are said to have been involved in the Peshawar school killings. – Reuters