On april 8, 2001 the Deputy Speaker of the Syrian parliament,...

On april 8, 2001 the Deputy Speaker of the Syrian parliament, Abdallah Musilli, said a special official committee was formed several years ago to examine the subject of death sentences "and it concluded that capital punishment in Syria is confined to some crimes of a savage, outrageous, offensive, and despicable nature and which conflict in their dimensions, aims, and results with the Syrian society's concepts, customs, traditions, and higher interests". He was replying to the criticism that the UN Human Rights Commission had directed at Syria for submitting a report on its human rights record 16 years late.

(Sources: Al-Sharq al-Awsat web site monitored by BBC, 08/04/2001)