Human rights group: Syrian court convicts 12 opposition activists

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
A Syrian human rights group says a court has sentenced 12 activists - including a woman and five Kurds - to prison after convicting them of anti-government activities. The National Organization for Human Rights in Syria says in a statement that the 12 were convicted by the State Security Court on Sunday. It says one of the activists, Jamal Abdul-Wahab, was sentenced to 15 years in prison for "contacting the enemy" - a reference to Israel. The groups says the others were given prison sentences between five and eight years. The rights group criticized the verdicts and sentences as "unfair" and called for dissolving the security court because verdicts cannot be appealed.