Pakistan jails Malala Yousafzai's attackers

A Pakistani court jailed 10 men for 25 years each on Thursday for involvement in the 2012 shooting of teenage activist Malala Yousafzai, targeted for her campaign against Taliban efforts to deny girls education.

Pakistani Taliban militants claimed responsibility for attacking Malala as she travelled home from school in her home in Swat, northwest of the capital, Islamabad.

"Judge Mohammad Amin Kundi in his verdict gave 25 years jail to all of these people," said a court official in Swat, where the 10 were convicted in an anti-terrorism court.

They were the first convictions for the attack.

Malala was seriously wounded and airlifted to Britain for treatment, where she now lives. Two other schoolgirls were wounded.

Since then, Malala has become a symbol of defiance in the fight against militants operating in ethnic Pashtun areas in northwest Pakistan. She won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014.

A security official said none of the four or five men who carried out the attack on Malala was among the 10 men sentenced on Thursday.

"But certainly they had a role in the planning and execution of the assassination attempt on Malala," said a police official in Swat who declined to be identified as he was not authorised to speak to the media.

Police believe the gunman who shot Malala escaped across the border into Afghanistan.

Several people, including Pakistani Taliban leader Fazlullah, are wanted in connection with the attack on Malala.

Fazlullah, a fiery preacher from Swat, is also believed to be hiding out in eastern Afghanistan.

Malala is unable to return to her homeland because of Taliban threats to kill her and her family members.

related articles
Malala speaks out for Nigerian schoolgirls
Malala speaks out for Nigerian schoolgirls

Malala speaks out for Nigerian schoolgirls

Taliban gunmen who shot Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai arrested
Taliban gunmen who shot Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai arrested

Taliban gunmen who shot Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai arrested

Malala Yousafzai receives Nobel prize, says she hopes to be Prime Minister
Malala Yousafzai receives Nobel prize, says she hopes to be Prime Minister

Malala Yousafzai receives Nobel prize, says she hopes to be Prime Minister

News
What we can learn from Mary of Bethany
What we can learn from Mary of Bethany

Dear reader, what would it look like for you to be a Mary of Bethany in this day and age?

Why the world needs more women like Dullari
Why the world needs more women like Dullari

In the UK, gender equality conversations often focus on pay gaps or female representation in leadership, but in Nepal the struggle is far more basic. It is whether a girl can go to school, whether a woman can seek medical care without permission from her husband, and whether she can live in her own home without fear.

Fresh drive to reach 100,000 girls with anti-trafficking programme
Fresh drive to reach 100,000 girls with anti-trafficking programme

An international charity has committed to reaching 100,000 girls worldwide who are at risk of human trafficking. 

The story of the Bible’s female leaders
The story of the Bible’s female leaders

8 March is International Women’s Day. In the Bible we can read about the roles that many women played in leadership and ministry. This is the story …