Pakistan army chief confirms death sentence for 15 militants

Military trials are not open to the public in Pakistan, but defendants can hire their own lawyers.

Updated - December 16, 2018 11:24 am IST

Published - December 16, 2018 11:23 am IST - ISLAMABAD:

Pakistan’s Army chief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa. File

Pakistan’s Army chief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa. File

Pakistan’s army chief has approved death sentences for 15 people convicted by military courts of involvement in attacks that killed 32 security forces and two civilians.

A military statement issued on Sunday says Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa also approved prison terms for 20 alleged militants. It says they were involved in attacks on security forces and Christians, and the destruction of educational institutions. It did not say when the men would be executed.

Military trials are not open to the public in Pakistan, but defendants can hire their own lawyers.

Pakistan lifted a moratorium on the death penalty after a 2014 militant attack on an army-run school in Peshawar that killed more than 150 people, mostly schoolchildren.

The fourth anniversary of the attack is being observed Sunday.

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