Saudi court sentenced 15 people to death for spying for the kingdom's arch-adversary Iran, and the Specialized Criminal Court in Riyadh handed 15 others prison terms ranging from six months to 25 years. Prosecutors accused them of treason, setting up a spy ring, and passing on sensitive data on military zones.

All accused were among 32 men comprising 30 members of the Shia Muslim minority of the Kingdom, an Iranian national and an Afghan put on trial in February.

Samah Hadid, deputy director for campaigns at Amnesty's Beirut office, said that, "Sentencing 15 people to death after a farcical trial which flouted basic fair trial standards is a slap in the face for justice."

"The entire legal proceedings in this case have made a mockery of justice."

On the other hand, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi denied that any Iranian spying had occurred in Saudi Arabia. "Such accusations are baseless and serve political motives,” he said.

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Nandini