SAUDI ARABIA: DEATH ROW PRISONERS SECURED PARDON

Mecca Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, who is also chairman of the Reconciliation Committee in the province, commended the decision of two families to forgive two men on death row for murdering their relatives in Saudi Arabia. The two men, one Saudi and the other a Pakistani, were scheduled for execution on March 7, 2009. Saudi Dhaifullah Al-Maliki killed Palestinian Muhammad Salim and Pakistani Akram Muhammad killed Chadian Suleiman Abkar in separate incidents, said Nasser Al-Zahrani, executive president of the Reconciliation Committee. He added that the committee has succeeded in securing pardons for 143 convicts since its establishment in 2000.