Syria sentences leading dissident to 12 yrs in jail

DAMASCUS (Reuters) - A Syrian court on Thursday sentenced leading dissident Kamal Labwani to 12 years in jail on charges of undermining national security levelled against him after he visited the United States, a human rights activist said

"This is a totally oppressive sentence," Ammar al-Qurabi, head of Syria's National Human Rights Association, told Reuters.

Labwani was arrested in 2005 at Damascus airport upon his arrival from the United States, where he met U.S. officials.