Tehran thanks Saudis for suspending death sentences against Iranians

PanARMENIAN.Net - Iran on Wednesday, April 18 welcomed Saudi Arabia suspending death sentences against several of its nationals convicted for drug trafficking, AFP said citing Iranian media.

Iran's protests over the matter led to intervention from Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal, media reported, quoting Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi.

"He (Faisal) exerted effort in this regard and the next day he called back and said that, for the time being, the execution of the Iranians has been suspended and this is a good sign," Salehi said, according to the ISNA news agency.

"I am announcing my thanks to Saudi officials," he said, according to the Mehr news agency.

Salehi said Saudi Arabia was considering an offer to extradite the Iranian criminals to Iran instead.

In the ISNA report, Salehi added that "many" Iranians were being held in Saudi prisons but did not give a number.

Both Iran and Saudi Arabia have been criticized by human rights groups for their high number of executions ordered under their interpretations of Sharia law, which calls for death sentences for a range of crimes including murder, rape and drug trafficking.

Amnesty International late last month said there had been a significant increase in judicial killings in Iran, Saudi Arabia and Iraq in 2011.