The lawyer, who works in the Eastern Province and wished to remain anonymous for fear of retribution, told The Associated Press that of the 24 defendants, the Specialised Criminal Court in Riyadh today ordered one man released from prison.
The Saudi broadcaster Al-Arabiya says nine others were given prison terms ranging from three to 15 years for the killing of a policeman, vandalism, armed robbery and shooting at security forces and civilians in the Eastern Province village of al-Awamiya.