Peshawar school massacre: six militants sentenced to death

Pakistani children pray for Peshawar school victims

Six men linked to the Peshawar school massacre – in which more than 130 children died – have been sentenced to death in Pakistan.

They confessed to helping the terrorists who were all killed during the attack, according to a military statement.

A seventh man was handed a life sentence by a military court for his role in the Pakistani Taliban attack on the Army Public School in December.

The Peshawar school attack shocked the world and led to hundreds of thousands of people honouring the victims' memory by signing the #UpForSchool Petition.

Students returned to classes in January after schools were closed for four weeks following the massacre. More than 100 state-run schools in Pakistan were renamed in honour of students who were killed.

The statement issued yesterday said the seven sentenced men belonged to the Taliban and other local militant groups. It added: “The convicts were given fair trial by following all the legal formalities and offering/providing them legal aid and defence counsels. Today the sentences of death have been confirmed by the Chief of Army Staff.”

A ban on executions in Pakistan, which had stood since 2008, was lifted after the Peshawar massacre.