A Pakistani court sentenced a paramilitary soldier to death on Friday for killing an unarmed man at point blank range in an incident that was caught on camera and sparked public backlash, Al-Jazeera reported.
Six others who were accused of involvement in the killing were given life terms, said the report.
The verdict concludes a relatively swift trial. The seven defendants were formally charged with murder and terrorism on June 29, just weeks after the killing.
The incident took place on June 8, when 22-year-old Sarfaraz Shah was killed. The incident was filmed and broadcast on television, renewing concern over the brutality of trained officers in Pakistan.
In the video, an unarmed Shah is seen pleading for his life before he is shot twice. He then begs for help while the soldiers appear to watch him lapse into unconsciousness.
There is no evidence in the video that Shah was armed, but Pakistani Interior Minister Rehman Malik had claimed that he had been carrying an unlicensed weapon.
Despite the claims, the judge in the anti-terrorism court in Karachi found Shahid Zafar guilty of pulling the trigger and sentenced him to death and a fine.
He told Zafar, “The crime of killing Sarfraz Shah has been proved against you and I announce the death sentence and also impose a fine of 200,000 rupees.”
The other six who were given life sentences are five other paramilitary soldiers and one civilian who had accused Shah of robbery and assaulted him. The judge ordered each to pay 100,000 rupees to the victim’s family.
(Arutz Sheva’s North American Desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.)