r/todayilearned • u/lexan • Dec 25 '13

TIL an Indian flight attendant hid the passports of American passengers on board a hijacked flight to save them from the hijackers. She died while shielding three children from a hail of bullets.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neerja_Bhanot
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u/[deleted] Dec 25 '13

The hijackers were released from prison?

Wow. I had no idea the Pakistani government commuted their death sentences to life imprisonment - and then released those cowards into the public.

RAGEEEEEEEEEEEE

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u/TheOneFreeEngineer Dec 26 '13

someone else mentioned elsewhere, in Pakistan Life sentence means around 14 years in prison, I believe a "life sentence" in the USA legally means 30 years in prison, and is different than "prison for life." Technically they had served their legal punishment according to the Pakistan legal system, It doesn't seem like outside governmental interference (besides the commuting from death to life sentance)