1.   He upheld the death sentences handed down by lower courts.

2.   A sentence handed down in a country with different laws and culture is the biggest sticking point for Japan in ratifying the transfer convention.

3.   Sentence handed down, and swiftly.

4.   A Thai court has upheld the death sentence handed down to a former Buddhist monk convicted of the murder and robbery of a British tourist last year.

5.   Amnesty International on Wednesday sent a letter to Chinese Premier Li Peng to protest harsh sentences handed down recently to people the government views as political opponents.

6.   Amnesty said some were being held without trial after prison sentences handed down by Israeli courts expired.

7.   An appeals court on Sunday overturned prison sentences handed to a producer and two Egyptian actors for sexually explicit scenes in a popular movie.

8.   However, appeal Judge Alex Southwell upheld the verdicts and prison sentences handed down at their trial.

9.   In another is a death sentence handed down to a businessman for joking about the demise of communism.