INDIANS ON DEATH ROW SEEK PARDON

two Indian nationals sentenced to death on drug smuggling charges in Saudi Arabia appealed to King Abdullah for clemency on humanitarian and compassionate grounds. Sheikh Mastan, a 32 year old worker from the southern state of Kerala, was arrested in January 2004 in Riyadh and sentenced to death by a court in the eastern city of Dammam in May 2006. A similar petition had been delivered on behalf of another Indian man, Hamza Aboobaker, sentenced to death in the same case. Family friend Narayan Nilakant said Mastan had been living in Riyadh for six months when he was arrested, the day after Aboobaker was detained at Dammam airport with two kilogrammes of heroin in his luggage. Mastan's case went to appeal about a year ago, but nothing has been heard from the court. Mastan does not speak Arabic and cannot afford a lawyer. Mastan said that after his arrest he was taken to hospital for mental health problems, and when he went to court "the judge told me that I had admitted my offence in a statement that I had signed." reordnvdro tipstr