07 February 2011 :

thousands of prison inmates in Saudi Arabia sat for mid year examinations this week, including 144 who are sentenced to death, a newspaper reported.
The nearly 4,000 students are part of a rehabilitation and educational programme launched by prison authorities in the Gulf Kingdom over the past few years, the paper said.
“Among those who sat for the examinations are 144 prisoners who are sentenced to death,” the paper said.
“Their hope for life appears to be pushing them to pursue their education although they will face their destiny head for the execution room one day.”