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Pakistan Sentences Nine 'Hardcore Terrorists' To Death


Pakistan's military courts have sentenced nine men to death over a series of attacks that killed dozens of security officials and civilians, including minority Shi'ites, in recent years.

In a statement on January 1, the military described the condemned men as "hardcore terrorists."

The statement said the men include an Al-Qaeda activist and member of the Pakistani Taliban.

Pakistan has hanged more than 300 people since lifting a moratorium on the death penalty in December 2014.

Many of the convicts went on trial in closed military courts, which critics say fail to meet fair trial standards.

The moratorium was lifted in the aftermath of a Taliban attack on a military-run school in northwestern Peshawar that killed more than 150 people, mainly children.

More than 7,000 inmates are on death row in Pakistani jails, most for decades, according to the Law Ministry.

The United Nations, the European Union, and human rights groups have urged Pakistan to reinstate the moratorium.

Based on reporting by AP, AFP, and dpa

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