DAMASCUS, June 27: Seven Syrian Kurds, arrested 12 months ago during a demonstration in Damascus, were jailed by a state security court on Sunday for between one and two years, the Syrian Human Rights Association (ADHS) said.

"The state security court sentenced four Kurds to one year in prison and three others, including a lawyer, Mohammed Mustapha, to two years in prison," ADHS said in a statement.

They were found guilty of belonging to a secret group and trying to annex part of Syria to a foreign state, it added.

The four jailed for one year have been released after having already served 12 months in custody, it added.

The seven were arrested in late June 2003 at a demonstration near the Damascus offices of the UN children's fund UNICEF to mark International Day for Children's Protection.

Protestors had called for Kurds' rights to be recognised as \ part of Syrian nationhood, according to rights groups.

ADHS said the prisoners had complained to the court of being "badly treated and tortured" during their time at the Adra prison near Damascus.-AFP