SAUDI EXECUTION OF SYRIANS BLASTED

a Syrian human rights activist said Saudi execution of Syrian nationals was illegal and politically-motivated, adding Saudi Arabia's judicial apparatus was not independent. The head of the National Organisation for Human Rights in Syria, Ammar al-Qurba, said "two thousand Syrian nationals are kept in Saudi prisons, 200 of whom have been sentenced to capital punishment and four of them have recently been executed on charges of drug smuggling." Al-Qurba said many Arab and Western organizations believe the death sentences issued against Syrian nationals were politically-charged and based on Saudi laws and regulations the rulings are illegal and are a clear indication that the country's judicial system is not independent. Citing a judicial agreement reached between Syria and Saudi Arabia, al-Qurba said Saudi officials should inform the Syrian Embassy in Riyadh of personal status, health and judicial condition and the court verdicts issued in case of all Syrian inmates in Saudi Arabia. He added that Saudi officials should verify death sentences issued against Syrian nationals so that the embassy could take necessary measures.