Never once did they examine how flimsy and circumstantial the evidence is. Verdicts were apparently reached in August but lawyers for McLauchlan were only notified of the sentence of 500 lashes and eight years imprisonment in late September. Parry was believed to be facing a death sentence but as of late October her sentence had not been announced. Both Parry and McLauchlan's sentences must undergo additional review, and may be reduced in light of the settlement. In January a group of nineteen Pakistanis, including seven children, were arrested on drug smuggling charges on their arrival in Jeddah.
Drug smuggling carries a death sentence in Saudi Arabia.
Human Rights Watch received reports that at least two other individuals were hospitalized as a result of torture in police custody during 1997. The government owned all domestic radio and television stations, and exerted tremendous influence over other domestic and international media outlets. Several important foreign-based print and broadcasting media were owned by members of the Saudi royal family or their associates, and according to the Committee To Protect Journalists, the domestic media was subject to close supervision by the king, who had to approve senior staffing decisions. Foreign publications were often censored or banned. In January the Egyptian literary magazine Akhbar al-adab was banned, apparently because its cover featured a drawing of Jesus.