ISLAMABAD – Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered the Pakistani-British man acquitted of the 2002 gruesome beheading of American journalist Daniel Pearl off death row and moved to a so-called government “safe house.”
Ahmad Saeed Omar Sheikh, who has been on death row for 18 years, will be under guard and will not be allowed to leave the safe house, but he will be able to have his wife and children visit him.
“It is not complete freedom. It is a step toward freedom,” said Sheikh’s father, Ahmad Saeed Sheikh, who attended the hearing.
The Pakistan government has been scrambling to keep Sheikh in jail since a Supreme Court order last Thursday upheld his acquittal in the death of Pearl, triggering outrage by Pearl’s family and the U.S. administration.
Pakistan court orders alleged Daniel Pearl killer moved from prison
The US journalist was kidnapped and murdered in Karachi in 2002. This is the latest in a series of court battles concerning the alleged perpetrators.
Daniel Pearl was kidnapped in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi in 2002
Pakistan s Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered that Ahmad Saeed Omar Sheikh be released from prison and moved to a government safe house.
But on Thursday, a three-judge Supreme Court bench directed authorities to release Sheikh and three co-defendants.
Defense lawyers argued Sheikh was a scapegoat and sentenced on insufficient evidence.
A day later, Pakistan s government appealed to the court to review its decision. But the review panel on Tuesday stood by the Supreme Court ruling.
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Feb. 2, 2021
Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered the Pakistani-British man acquitted of the 2002 gruesome beheading of American journalist Daniel Pearl off death row and moved to a so-called government “safe house.
Ahmad Saeed Omar Sheikh, who has been on death row for 18 years will be under guard and won’t be allowed to leave the safe house, but he will be able to have his wife and children visit him.
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An appeal hearing in the Daniel Pearl murder case was held at the Supreme Court, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Thursday, January 28, 2021.Credit: Waseem Khan
“It is not complete freedom. It is a step toward freedom, said Sheikh s father, Saeed Sheikh, who attended the hearing.
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Search Pakistan SC orders quick release of main accused in Daniel Pearl murder case Two days in the general barracks for Saeed Sheikh before he is shifted to a govt rest house on Friday
Pakistan s Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered the immediate release of British-born al-Qaeda terrorist Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, the main suspect in the sensational kidnapping and murder of US journalist Daniel Pearl in 2002.
The court ordered him to be shifted to the general barracks for two days following which he should be shifted to a government rest house by Friday under tight security, where his family will be able to visit from 8am to 5pm, the Geo TV reported.