Pakistani Court To Hear Appeals In Pearl Case

By: Zarar Khan, Associated Press Writer (AP) A Pakistani court agreed Tuesday to hear appeals from four men seeking to overturn their convictions in the killing of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl -- and from prosecutors seeking the death penalty for three who received life sentences.

A hearing date has not been set.

The four men were convicted last month. British-born militant Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh was sentenced to death by hanging and three other defendants were sentenced to life in prison. Seven other suspects are being sought in the case.

The two presiding justices, Roshan Essani and Mujeebullah Siddiqi, agreed to hear the appeals and also approved a defense request to hear the case in Karachi.

One of Saeed's attorneys, Mohsin Imam, said he thought the hearing would take place in the next couple of weeks.

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

E-mails received by news organizations a few days after Pearl vanished included pictures of the reporter with his hands bound. A videotape received by U.S. diplomats in February confirmed his death, and a body found in May was identified as Pearl's through DNA testing.

Saeed's father, Saeed Ahmed Sheikh, said Tuesday his son's conviction, rendered in a court in Hyderabad, about 110 miles northeast of Karachi, was unjust and decided "under pressure."

"We have filed an appeal in this court as we believe that justice will be done here," he said.

Saeed's father also complained that officials were putting restrictions on visits with his son, but said that Saeed remained "in good spirits."