Danny Pearl Militant Murderer Appeals Sentence

July 19, 2002
By ZARAR KHAN, Associated Press Writer

KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) - The British-born Islamic militant sentenced to death for masterminding the kidnap-slaying of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl filed an appeal on Friday, a defense lawyer said.

Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh was convicted on Monday and sentenced to die by hanging. His appeal, filed in a court in the southern port city of Karachi, claims the verdict was based upon "fake, false and provenly planted evidence." He appealed the ruling and the sentence.

Saeed's lawyer, Abdul Waheed Katpar, said the appeal was filed within seven days, as required by law.

"Two high court judges will hear this appeal, and I am 100 percent confident that justice will be done," the lawyer said.

Three other defendants in the case — Salman Saqib, Fahad Naseem and Shaikh Adil — were also convicted Monday and sentenced to life imprisonment, which in Pakistan typically means 25 years. They filed appeals on Wednesday.

If the appeals are denied at the provincial level, the men can take their case to the Supreme Court. The process could take more than a year, although the courts are expected to handle the case expeditiously.

Shortly after the appeal was filed, Saeed's father said he hopes the court hearing the appeal will not cave in to the pressures that he alleges caused the lower court to convict his son.

"The high court is comprised of senior, experienced and independent judges," said Saeed Ahmed Sheikh. "The high court is much more independent than the court that held the trial."

Pearl disappeared Jan. 23 in Karachi while researching links between Pakistani extremists and Richard C. Reid, arrested in December on a flight from Paris to Miami with explosives in his shoes.

E-mails received by news organizations a few days later included pictures showing Pearl in captivity. A videotape received by U.S. diplomats in February confirmed Pearl was dead.

A body believed to be the American reporter's was found later in a shallow grave in Karachi. U.S. Embassy spokesman John Kincanon said Friday a DNA analysis had been completed and that results would be released "soon."

Senior Pakistani police officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Friday they had overwhelming circumstantial evidence that the body was Pearl's.

The prosecution said FBI agents traced the e-mails to Naseem, who identified the three others. Saeed admitted his role in the kidnapping during his initial court appearance Feb. 14 but later recanted. His statement was inadmissible in court because it was not made under oath.

The prosecution presented 23 witnesses, including taxi driver Nasir Abbas, who testified he saw Pearl get into a car with Saeed in front of a Karachi restaurant on the night the reporter vanished. The defense claimed the witness was coached by the government.

The defense produced only two character witnesses, Saeed's father and uncle.

Islamic extremists are rarely executed in Pakistan. The last prominent one was Haq Nawaz, who was hanged in February 2001 for killing an Iranian diplomat a decade earlier. His death triggered bitter clashes between police and his supporters.

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