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Torino hosts from January 16th to January 18th the European Short Track Speed Skating.

Die Altaeco-Gruppe mit den Unternehmen Appiani, Ceramica Bardelli, Gabbianelli und Ceramica Vogue beschliessen eine noch engere Zusammenarbeit mit Autodesk (NASDAQ: ADSK), dem führenden Anbieter von Software-Lösungen für Architekten, um die Arbeit von Planern und Architekten zu optimieren

As nine more detainees were freed from Guantánamo, Amnesty International today reiterated that the Guantánamo detentions are a travesty of justice. The US administration must either bring to fair trial or release, with full protections against further abuse, the 270 detainees still held there.The nine men were the first to be released from the naval base this year. Among them is Al Jazeera cameraman Sami al-Hajj, held without charge at the Guantánamo Bay prison for almost six years. Amnesty International remains particularly concerned for his health and well-being after his years of indefinite detention and other alleged abuses, including in the context of his prolonged hunger-striking. Sami al-Hajj was repatriated with two other Sudanese nationals held at Guantánamo, Yacoub al-Amir and Walid Ali. Sami al-Hajj was taken straight from the plane to hospital on a stretcher.A fourth detainee, Saïd Boujaâdia, was returned to Morocco, where he is reported to have been taken into custody by the judicial police in Casablanca. Amnesty International will continue to monitor his situation and calls on the Moroccan authorities to ensure that his treatment fully complies with international law. He should be given access to legal counsel and independent medical care, and either charged promptly with recognizable criminal offences and brought to fair trial, or released.Five detainees were also transferred to Afghanistan, according to the Pentagon. Amnesty International has no further details on these detainees at this stage. It similarly calls on the Afghan authorities to ensure that all treatment and any trials of returned detainees fully comply with international law and standards, and in no way perpetuates the unlawful treatment that the Guantánamo detainees have faced.“The USA government should abandon its trials by military commissions, which are not independent of the same branch of government that has authorized and condoned abuses against detainees and which may rely on information coerced under ill-treatment,” said Amnesty International. As well as denying those held at Guantánamo and elsewhere the right to challenge their detentions in an independent and impartial court, in line with the centuries old right to habeas corpus, the US authorities have subjected detainees to treatment and conditions that violate the absolute prohibition on torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. Investigations into such abuses have been inadequate.“The USA government must permanently close the Guantánamo detention facility, and put an end to the secret detention programme operated by the CIA. The USA must bring all its detentions everywhere into full compliance with international law and standards,” said Amnesty International.“There must be full accountability for all human rights violations, including the international crimes of torture and enforced disappearance.”See also: Who are the Guantánamo detainees? CASE SHEET 16. Sudanese national: Sami al Hajj, 11 January 2006, AI Index: AMR 51/207/2005, http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/AMR51/013/2006/enEND/

On the eve of planned May Day demonstrations in many Turkish cities, Amnesty International calls upon the Turkish authorities to ensure that the right to freedom of peaceful assembly is respected and that law enforcement officers use force only where strictly necessary and only to the extent required to perform their duties.

(New Delhi): The first major study into India’s legal judgements on death penalty cases has revealed that the system is riddled with fatal flaws and that the only remedy is to abolish the death penalty completely, said the study authors in New Delhi today.Amnesty International believes that at least 140 people have been sentenced to death in 2006 and 2007. According to the latest available official figures, there were 273 persons on death row as of 31 December 2005. But this figure is likely to be considerably higher today.The fate of these death row prisoners is ultimately a lottery. In the first comprehensive analysis of around 700 Supreme Court judgements on death penalty cases over more than 50 years, the authors expose a judicial system that has failed to meet international laws and standards relating to the death penalty.Amnesty International India and the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (Tamil Nadu & Puducherry) have issued the study, Lethal Lottery: The Death Penalty in India, A study of Supreme Court judgments in death penalty cases 1950-2006. It is the first to examine the essential unfairness of the death penalty system in India by analysing evidence found in Supreme Court judgments of abuse of law and procedure and of arbitrariness and inconsistency in the investigation, trial, sentencing and appeal stages in capital cases. It demonstrates that:• the administration of the death penalty in India has not been in the “rarest of rare cases” as claimed in the country • on the contrary, there is ample evidence to show that the death penalty has been an arbitrary, imprecise and abusive means of dealing with defendants.Dr V Suresh, President, PUCL (TN & Puducherry) said: “While the death penalty continues to be used in India, there remains a danger that it will be used disproportionately against ethnic minorities, the poor or other disadvantaged groups. There is only one way to ensure such inequalities in the administration of justice do not occur: the complete abolition of the death penalty.” Amnesty International welcomes the current hiatus of executions in the country. The relative lack of executions in the last decade -- one in 2004 -- illustrates that the people of India are willing to live without the death penalty. “India stands at a crossroads. It can choose to join the global trend towards a moratorium on the death penalty, as adopted by the UN General Assembly last year. It will also then join 27 countries in the Asia Pacific region which have abolished the death penalty in law or in practice.“Or it can continue to hang death row inmates, when the judicial system that puts them there has been shown by this extensive research to be unfair,” said Mukul Sharma, Amnesty International-India Director.The full report is available at http://www.amnesty.org/en/report/info/ASA20/007/2008 and a summary, at http://www.amnesty.org/en/report/info/ASA20/006/2008Background:The study of the courts highlights some of the main failings as:Errors in consideration of evidence - most death sentences handed down in India are based on circumstantial evidence alone. In a 1994 Supreme Court appeal, the Court noted sarcastically that the main witness's memory constantly improved. His testimony at the trial three years after the incident was observed to be far more detailed than his confessional statement recorded a few days after.Inadequate legal representation - concerns included lawyers ignoring key facts of mental incompetence, omitting to provide any arguments on sentencing, or failing to dispute claims that the accused was under 18 years of age at the time of the crime despite evidence to the contrary.Anti-terrorist legislation - concerns include the broad definition of ‘terrorist acts’, insufficient safeguards on arrest, and provisions allowing for confessions made to police to be admissible as evidence.Arbitrariness in sentencing - in the same month, different benches of the Supreme Court have treated similar cases differently, with mitigating factors taken into account or disregarded arbitrarily.In the Bachan Singh judgment of 1980, the Supreme Court ruled that the death penalty should be used only in the "rarest of rare" cases. More than a quarter of a century later, it is clear that through the failure of the courts and the State authorities to apply consistently the procedures laid down by law and by that judgment, the Court's strictures remain unfulfilled.A total of 135 countries have abolished the death penalty in law or in practice, having realised executions are unacceptable. In 2007, only 24 countries carried out executions (China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and the USA were the main five perpetrators, accounting for 88 per cent of all known executions). See http://www.amnesty.org/en/death-penalty

Ahead of a 30 April deadline set by the ruling coalition, Amnesty International calls on the Pakistan government to reinstate around 60 judges of the higher courts removed by President Pervez Musharraf under emergency law, in defiance of the country’s constitution.“The restoration of the judges is a necessary step toward ensuring an independent judiciary,” said Amnesty International.

La Comisión de Gobernación del Congreso debe rechazar la pena de muerte, dijo hoy Amnistía Internacional en una carta enviada a ese órgano. La organización envió la carta mientras la Comisión analiza un decreto que podría reactivar la pena capital en el país. "La pena de muerte no contribuirá a resolver la crisis de seguridad pública que afecta a miles de personas en Guatemala porque esta pena no aborda temas claves como la calidad de las investigaciones criminales y la apropiada persecución penal," dijo Susan Lee, Directora del Programa para las Americas de Amnistía Internacional.

In a report published today, Amnesty International revealed the extent of police violence in Mozambique, saying that police are killing and torturing people with near total impunity. “Police in Mozambique seem to think they have a licence to kill and the weak police accountability system allows for this,” said Michelle Kagari, Deputy Director of Amnesty International’s Africa Programme. “In almost all cases of human rights violations by police – including unlawful killings – no investigation into the case and no disciplinary action against those responsible has been undertaken, nor has any police officer been prosecuted.” Mozambican police face numerous challenges stemming from high crime rates, a backlog of criminal cases in the judicial system, and occasional violence against police by criminal elements. These have led to pressure from the public for the police to deal with the crime decisively and forcefully. Police officers have responded to these challenges by using excessive force, including the unlawful killing of suspects.There have been many cases where excessive use of force by the police has resulted in death – and in some cases the killings appear to be unlawful. On 5 February 2008, Mozambican police shot at people demonstrating against increased transport fares in the city of Maputo, killing at least three and injuring 30 with stray bullets. Related demonstrations took place in the provinces of Inhambane and Gaza on 11 February, during which the police also fired live ammunition into crowds. A police spokesperson said that live ammunition was used because some officers were “caught by surprise” by the demonstrators.On 14 August 2007, police grabbed Abrantes Afonso Penicela from his home and pushed him into a car. Abrantes said that the officers gave him a toxic injection and drove him to a secluded area where they beat him until he lost consciousness. The police then shot him in the back of the neck and set him on fire, leaving him for dead. Abrantes somehow survived the attack and managed to crawl to a nearby road where he was found and taken to hospital. He managed to tell his family and police what had happened to him, but died of his injuries later that night. No police officer has been arrested for his killing. The police have generally been unresponsive to the public, providing very little information to those who have lodged complaints against the police for human rights violations. Victims virtually never receive compensation for these violations.“Any officer suspected of involvement in human rights violations must be held to account,” said Kagari. “Police officers must be made aware that they cannot torture, beat and kill with impunity. They must be held responsible for their actions if policing is ever going to change for the better in Mozambique.” Amnesty International’s report urges the Mozambican authorities to ensure steps are taken to prevent human rights violations from occurring in the first place. The report recommends the revision of the police codes of conduct to bring them in line with international standards.To see Amnesty International’s recommendations regarding policing in Mozambique and a full copy of the report Licence to Kill: Police accountability in Mozambique, please click here.

Amnesty International has just received information that at about 10 am (local time), five police officers from the Zimbabwe Republic Police’s Criminal Investigations Department (CID) raided the offices of the Zimbabwe Elections Support Network (ZESN) in Harare.

One year after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for two war crimes suspects in Darfur, human rights organizations around the world are launching a “Justice for Darfur” campaign on 27 April, calling for the two to be arrested.

Amnesty International has received secretly filmed grisly footage of a man being beheaded in Saudi Arabia. The organization strongly condemns the execution and calls for the Saudi Arabian government to adhere to the UN moratorium on executions around the world.

Amnesty International refutes statements made by the Ethiopian government on its report about a raid on the Al Hidya Mosque in Mogadishu on 19 April 2008. In the attack, Ethiopian forces killed at least 21 people, including 11 unarmed civilians inside the mosque, and detained at least 40 children and youths, aged 9 to 18.

Amnesty International today called on the Ethiopian military to release some 41 children held after a raid on Mogadishu’s Al Hidya mosque on 19 April 2008, which left 21 people dead.“The safety and welfare of the children, some as young as nine years old, must be paramount for all parties,” said Amnesty International.

All shipments of small arms, light weapons and ammunition ordered from China by the Zimbabwe Government must be halted as there is a real risk that it may lead to increased human rights violations in Zimbabwe, said Amnesty International.

Amnesty International today called on the UN and governments in Central Africa to take immediate action to secure the release of more than 350 men, women and children thought to have been abducted by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in recent weeks.The abductions took place in the Central African Republic (CAR), the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and Southern Sudan while the LRA was ostensibly preparing to sign a peace agreement with the Ugandan government meant to end more than 20 years of a civil war that has been characterised by war crimes, including abductions and widespread unlawful killings and mutilation of non-combatants. “As in Uganda, these people – including scores of women and children – are likely to be used as child combatants and sex slaves, and yet none of the governments in the region have done anything to try to secure their release,” said Amnesty International. “The governments of Sudan, the CAR and the DRC – with the assistance of the UN – must join forces to secure the safety and release of those kidnapped immediately and bring those responsible to justice.”Women and girls kidnapped by the LRA in the past have been used as sex slaves, while boys and men have been forced into combat and forced to commit atrocities, as well as used as porters to carry looted property. The most recent abductions took place near Obo, a town on the south eastern corner of the CAR, bordering the DRC and Sudan. The LRA appears to have moved their operations to southern CAR in a bid to avoid the arrest and transfer of their senior commanders to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, where they are wanted on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Recent information suggests that the fighters have since crossed into the DRC, taking the abductees with them. Several LRA leaders were charged by the International Criminal Court in 2005 with large scale abductions and other crimes against humanity and war crimes.There are currently five security forces operating in the CAR – the CAR Army, EU forces (EUFOR), UN forces (MINURCAT), multinational Central African forces (FOMUC – Force Multinationale en Centrafrique) and French government forces. Amnesty International is calling on the UN and other forces operating in the area – including UNMIS in Southern Sudan, and MONUC in the DRC – to assist the regional governments to secure the release of those kidnapped.The organization also called on international peace-keeping and government forces in the region to cooperate to arrest and surrender any person subject to an ICC arrest warrant, including leaders of the LRA.

Amnesty International today condemned threats by the Nepali Home Ministry to use “force, including gunfire… to prevent anti-China protests” when the Olympic torch relay arrives on Mount Everest in early May. These threats to use lethal force follow earlier crackdowns on peaceful pro-Tibetan protestors, which were unconstitutional and resulted in the arbitrary detention of at least 400 people.Amnesty International is gravely concerned that the Nepali government is extending illegal police actions against Tibetans in Nepal and systematically violating their fundamental rights to liberty, due process and freedom of movement, assembly and expression. “Members of the Tibetan refugee community have in recent days faced increasingly punitive police measures designed to muzzle free speech, including threats of arbitrary deportation to China. Statements threatening the use of lethal force represent an unacceptable escalation,” said Amnesty International.The Government of Nepal must ensure that its officers are adequately equipped and trained to employ non-violent means of crowd control before resorting, where strictly necessary, to the use of force. Firearms may only be used as a last resort where lives are at risk. The Nepali government must ensure that its officers are subject to strict regulations regarding the use of such methods and are tied to a strict system of accountability. Amnesty International therefore calls on the Nepali government to police demonstrations in line with the UN Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Officials and the UN Basic Principles on the Use of Force. Principle 5 of the Basic Principles states that police have the duty to “exercise restraint […] and act in proportion to the seriousness of the offence and the legitimate objective to be achieved”. Police are also required to “minimize damage and injury, and respect and preserve human life”. Principle 8 stipulates that “exceptional circumstances such as internal political instability or any other public emergency may not be invoked to justify any departure from these basic principles”.

Amnesty International welcomes Pakistan’s ratification of a key human rights treaty and signing of two others.

The execution of 28 people this week following what appears to be hasty and unfair trials makes it urgent for the Iraqi authorities to establish a moratorium on the death penalty, Amnesty International said today.

As the new Kenyan coalition government prepares to take office, Amnesty International today called on the new government to ensure that those responsible for the human rights abuses committed during the post-elections violence are brought to justice.“This new chapter in Kenya’s political history must not be built on a foundation of impunity -- but rather justice for the Kenyan people who suffered during this traumatic period. There can be no impunity for human rights violations,” said Amnesty International.The organization called on the new government to ensure that perpetrators of human rights abuses during the post-election violence -- including members of the security forces who may have used excessive force against demonstrators -- are promptly brought to justice in trials that comply with international standards. Amnesty International also called on the new government to guarantee victims of human rights abuses will receive reparations and that the thousands of internally displaced persons receive restitution and are able to return to their homes in safety as soon as possible or are resettled elsewhere. “Since the post-election violence, action by the Kenyan government to bring the perpetrators and organizers of violence to justice has been limited, at best,” said Amnesty International. “This must change now, if the new government is going set the stage for a just future for all Kenyans.”On 4 March, parties to the Kenyan mediation reached an agreement on the establishment of a non-judicial commission of inquiry into the post-election violence and a truth justice and reconciliation commission (TJRC). According to the 4 March agreement, the TJRC “will inquire into human rights violations, including those committed by the state, groups or individuals ….between December 12, 1963 and February 28, 2008.”“In order to avoid extensive delays in justice for victims, as well as the deterioration of vital evidence, the Kenyan government must establish the proposed Commission of Inquiry into the post-election violence without further delay and ensure that it is independent and impartial,” said Amnesty International. The organization called for the mandate of the proposed Commission of Inquiry to be defined in terms consistent with international human rights law and said that the Inquiry should investigate human rights abuses by both state and non-state actors, and include an investigation of the organized and/or spontaneous nature of the post-election violence, the involvement of different armed youths or groups, the role played by the politicians in the violence, and the role of the police and other security forces.Amnesty International urged the new government to ensure that the proposed TJRC forms part of a broader, long-term, comprehensive action plan to uphold the rights of victims of past human rights abuses and obtain truth, justice and reparation. The organization recommended that national and international civil society organizations, victims, human rights defenders and persons belonging to minorities and vulnerable groups be fully involved in the discussions on the establishment, mandate and powers of the truth commission, as well as in the selection of its members.

Campaigners from more than 40 countries around the world, including Amnesty International, are hosting a Global Day of Action to Ban Cluster Bombs on Saturday 19 April 2008. This will take place a month before world governments meet at the Dublin Diplomatic Conference On Cluster Munitions from 19 – 30 May 2008 to negotiate and adopt the first ever legally binding treaty to prohibit cluster munitions.The Global Day of Action to Ban Cluster Bombs aims to highlight 40 years of civilian deaths and injuries caused by cluster bombs. The appearance and size of cluster bombs make them look particularly interesting, and toy-like. It is estimated that 60% of civilian casualties are children. Amnesty International said: “We welcome the attention cluster munitions are being given by a growing number of governments around the world, and call on world leaders at the Dublin conference to negotiate the strongest possible treaty to ban the use of these horrific weapons.”Nearly 50 companies are now producing cluster munitions despite growing worldwide calls for such inhumane weapons to be banned. The companies are located in all world regions, particularly in the USA and Europe. Worryingly the number in Asia is increasing. One of the nine producer companies in Asia that is located in South Korea sent cluster munitions rockets to Pakistan, the shipload arrived on 19 March 2008. While, alongside the cluster munitions from the USA, Chinese 122mm Type 81 cluster munition rockets and MZD-2 submunitions for such rockets were found in Lebanon during the fighting between Israeli and Hezbollah forces in mid 2006.At the Dublin conference governments from across the world will meet to negotiate the most significant disarmament and humanitarian treaty in more than a decade. The treaty will bring about a ban on cluster bombs, rapid clearance of contaminated land and an increase in the vital assistance to victims. The treaty aims to build on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities further assisting victims. Amnesty International said: “It is vital that at the historic Dublin conference, states adopt a Cluster Munition treaty that aims to establish global standards to save the many thousands of lives blighted by these weapons. Governments must also provide humanitarian assistance to survivors, and resources to help clean up contaminated areas without delay.” In February 2007 and leading up to this historic conference, governments from around the world launched an initiative in Oslo to ban cluster munitions. Forty-six states announced support for the Oslo Declaration. They pledged to conclude with a legally binding treaty by 2008 that would prohibit the use, transfer, and production of cluster munitions that cause unacceptable harm to civilians, and provide adequate resources to assist survivors and clear contaminated areas. The commitment declared at the Oslo Declaration was reaffirmed in the Wellington Declaration of 22 February 2008, where states also pledged to conclude the negotiations in Dublin in May 2008. Some 85 states have so far endorsed this Declaration. The US, Russia and China have remained outside this ban process but agreed last November to put cluster bombs on the agenda of the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW).For latest human rights news view http://news.amnesty.orgBackground information• A cluster munition is a weapon comprising multiple explosive submunitions which are dispensed from a container. An explosive submunition is a munition designed to be dispensed in multiple quantities from a container and to detonate prior to, on, or after impact. (Source - Definition of Cluster Munition by the Cluster Munition Campaign - CMC)• Cluster munitions pose severe risks to civilians’ lives and livelihoods both at the time of their use and after hostilities have ended. This is due to the wide-area effect of cluster munitions and the large number of sub-munitions they leave unexploded. Unexploded sub-munitions have long-term impacts, hinder humanitarian assistance, peace operations, cause human rights violations, post-conflict reconstruction and development efforts. Unless practical international steps are taken, the hazards to civilians from cluster munitions will increase as cluster munitions continue to proliferate and the numbers being used rise globally.

The Israeli government should immediately order a full and independent investigation into yesterday’s killings of Palestinian civilians by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip, Amnesty International said today.“Yesterday’s strikes, which the Israeli army launched after the killing of its soldiers in combat, appear to have been carried out with disregard for civilian life,” said Amnesty International. “There seems to be a culture of impunity within the Israeli forces which is contributing to routine use of reckless and disproportionate force.”At least 18 Palestinians, including children and other unarmed civilians, were killed. More than 30 others were injured in attacks by Israeli planes and by ground forces using tanks in the Gaza Strip yesterday. Three Israeli soldiers were killed in confrontation with Palestinian militants during an Israeli army attack within the Gaza Strip.Those killed included Reuters cameraman Fadel Shana, who was struck by fire from an Israeli tank which he was filming. He had travelled to the scene in a car clearly marked “TV-Press”. He was killed as he started to film the tank.“Fadel Shana appears to have been killed deliberately although he was a civilian taking no part in attacks on Israel’s forces,” said Amnesty International. Amnesty International has repeatedly condemned and called for an end to rocket and other attacks on Israeli civilians by Palestinian armed groups, and for those who commit such attacks to be brought to justice.“We condemn all attacks on civilians, including that by Islamic Jihad which killed two Israeli civilians at the Nahal Oz fuel terminal on 9 April,” said Amnesty International. “The continuing conflict between Israeli and Palestinian forces is having a disproportionate – and totally unacceptable – impact on civilians, in particular Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.”

“The prison sentences handed down by an Egyptian military court against 25 members of the opposition Muslim Brotherhood are a perversion of justice,” Amnesty International said today. “This trial appeared to be politically motivated from the start, when President Mubarak sent the defendants for trial before a military court despite an earlier civilian court ruling that some of them should be released,” said Amnesty International. “Today’s sentences leave little doubt that the Egyptian authorities are determined to undermine what has become the main opposition group in the country.”The military court in Haikstip, northern Cairo, handed down prison sentences of up to 10 years against 25 defendants, including seven who are not in custody and who were tried in absentia. Fifteen other defendants were acquitted and are yet to be released. Khairat al-Shatir, the third highest ranking Muslim Brotherhood leader, and Hassan Malek, received seven years’ imprisonment. Sixteen others received prison sentences ranging from three to five years. Five of those who were tried in absentia received 10 year prison terms, while the other two received a sentence of five years each. The defendants were all tried on terrorism-related and money laundering charges, which they denied. Specifically, they were alleged to have financed a banned organization and provided students with weapons and military training. Following amendment of the military justice code in 2007, they can appeal to the Supreme Court of Military Appeals, but this can only examine procedural matters, not the substance of the case. Today’s verdict, which had been postponed twice, came amid reports that some 200 Muslim Brotherhood supporters, including relatives of the defendants, were detained by security forces when they sought to enter the military compound in which the court was sitting. Security forces prevented human rights observers and the media from the court and allowed only the head of the defendants' legal team but no other defence lawyers to be present.Thousands of security forces were reportedly deployed along the way to the court compounds in Haikstip as well as on the main routes leading to Cairo centre, in an attempt to prevent any demonstrations against the military court’s verdict.The highly-publicised trial of the 40 men – all of whom are civilians – opened on 26 April 2007, after President Mubarak ordered in February 2007 that they should be tried before a military court. Earlier, a civilian court threw out charges against 17 of them.During the trial, international observers sent by Amnesty International and other organisations were prevented from attending. “Trying civilians before military courts, whose judges are serving members of the military, flouts international standards of fair trial and is inherently unjust, regardless of whether the defendants are allowed a right of appeal or not.” said Amnesty International, reiterating previous calls by the organization. “All of those convicted should be promptly and retried by a civilian court that conforms to international fair trial standards or else released.”

In a new report published today, Amnesty International revealed that at least 1,200 people were executed in 2007 and expressed deep concern that many more were killed by the state, in secret, in countries including China, Mongolia and Viet Nam. The report Death Sentences and Executions in 2007 says that at least 1,252 people were executed in 24 countries and at least 3,347 people were sentenced to death in 51 countries. Up to 27,500 people are estimated to be on death row across the world.The figures also show an increase in executions in a number of countries. Iran executed at least 317 people, Saudi Arabia 143 and Pakistan 135 – in comparison to 177, 39 and 82 executions respectively in 2006.Eighty-eight per cent of all known executions took place in five countries: China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and the USA. Saudi Arabia had the highest number of executions per capita, followed by Iran and Libya. Amnesty can confirm at least 470 executions by China - the highest overall figure. The true figure for China is undoubtedly much higher.China -- the world’s top executioner -- classifies the death penalty as a state secret. As the world and Olympic guests are left guessing, only the Chinese authorities know exactly how many people have been killed with state authorization."The secretive use of the death penalty must stop: the veil of secrecy surrounding the death penalty must be lifted. Many governments claim that executions take place with public support. People therefore have a right to know what is being done in their name," Amnesty International said.During 2007, many countries continued to execute for crimes not commonly considered criminal, or after unfair procedures. Among them:In July, father of two Ja’Far Kiani was stoned to death for adultery in Iran.In October, a 75 year-old North Korean factory manager was shot by firing squad for failing to declare his family background, investing his own money in the factory, appointing his children as its managers and making international phone calls.In November, Mustafa Ibrahim, an Egyptian national, was beheaded in Saudi Arabia for the practice of sorcery.In Texas, USA, Michael Richard was executed on 25 September after a state courthouse refused to stay open an extra 15 minutes to allow the filing of an appeal based on the constitutionality of lethal injections. Richard’s attorneys had been unable to file the appeal on time because of computer problems - which they had already brought to the court’s attention. The US Supreme Court then refused to stop the execution. Earlier in the day, however, it had agreed in a Kentucky case to review the lethal injection issue, a decision that led to a de facto moratorium on all other lethal injection executions around the country. The Supreme Court’s ruling is expected later this year.Three countries -- Iran, Saudia Arabia and Yemen -- carried out executions for crimes committed by people below 18 years of age, against international law. But 2007 was also the year in which the United Nations General Assembly voted – by 104 to 54, with 29 abstentions – to end the use of the death penalty. "The UN General Assembly took the historic decision to call on all countries around the world to stop executing people. That the resolution was adopted in December with such a clear majority shows the global abolition of the death penalty is possible," said Amnesty International."The taking of life by the state is one of the most drastic acts a government can undertake. We are urging all governments to follow the commitments made at the UN and abolish the death penalty once and for all."

In a new report published today, Amnesty International revealed the untold stories of women who are forced to live, bring up their children and fight for justice in Brazil’s lawless shanty-towns. “The reality for women in Brazil’s slums is catastrophic. They are the hidden victims of the criminal and police violence that has engulfed their communities for decades,” said Tim Cahill, Brazil researcher at Amnesty International.The Brazilian state is virtually absent in marginalized communities and often the only contact people have with the government is via sporadic, militarised police incursions. Though the federal government has launched a new project which promises to attend to the decades of neglect that have contributed to this reality, little has been done to analyse and address the specific needs of women living in these communities. “Far from providing protection, the police often subject women to illegal searches by male officers, abusive and discriminatory language and intimidation, especially when they attempt to intervene to protect a relative,” said Tim Cahill. Women who fight for justice on behalf of their sons or husbands end up on the frontline, facing further threats and harassment from the police. “In the absence of the state, drug lords and gang leaders are the law in most shanty towns. They dispense punishment and protection and use women as trophies or bargaining tools,” said Tim Cahill.Used as “mules” or as decoys by drug gangs, women are seen as disposable by criminals and corrupt police officers alike. Amnesty International heard stories of women having their heads shaven for infidelity, and being forced to provide sexual favours for the payment of debts. Growing numbers are ending up in Brazil’s overcrowded, unsanitary prison system, subject to physical and psychological abuse – and in some cases rape.The knock-on effects of crime and violence reverberate through entire communities, severely affecting the provision of basic services, such as healthcare and education. If local clinics fall within the territory of a rival gang, women can be forced to travel miles to see a doctor. Maternity services, crèches and schools can be closed for long periods because of police operations or criminal violence. Healthcare workers and teachers are often too scared to work in crime-blighted neighbourhoods.Women in poor communities face incredible stress. As one said: “I live doped up. Take that diazepam to sleep. Because if I’m lucid I can’t sleep for the fear. Doped, I grab my daughter, throw myself on the floor to protect myself from the shooting, and sleep all night. If my daughter loses her dummy, she’s going to cry all night because once it’s eight o’clock I’m not leaving the house for anything.”“The state violates the rights of these women in three ways. It supports policing practices that lead to killings, perpetuates a system that ensures access to justice is extremely difficult if not impossible, and condemns them to intense hardship,” said Tim Cahill. The Brazilian state has introduced some positive initiatives, including strengthening the protection of women suffering from domestic violence through the introduction of the Maria da Penha law, which is yet to be fully implemented.Far-reaching, long-term policies aimed at improving the lives of women living in marginalized communities are urgently needed to tackle violence against women. As a first step, Amnesty International called on the Brazilian federal government to integrate the needs of women into the new public security plan, the National Public Security and Citizenship Programme (Programa Nacional de Segurança Pública com Cidadania, PRONASCI).Background information This report is based on interviews with women in six states – Bahia, Sergipe, Pernambuco, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Rio Grande do Sul – carried out between 2006 and 2007. For acopy of"Picking up the pieces – Women’s experience of urban violence in Brazil", please see:http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/AMR19/001/2008/en

As leaders of Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) states prepare for an emergency meeting regarding the ongoing political crisis in Zimbabwe, Amnesty International today expressed serious concern at reports of post-election violence targeting perceived supporters of opposition parties in Zimbabwe.

(Zagreb) Speaking today at the end of her visit to Croatia, Secretary General Irene Khan commended recent progress to address impunity for war crimes while highlighting Amnesty International's continuing concerns about the long road still to travel in ensuring victims receive justice.

“The Sudanese government cannot claim to be working to protect the people of Darfur, yet allow its proxy forces to attack civilians with impunity, as is happening...

Amnesty International deeply regrets the hanging of four men -- Akinaga Kaoru, 61, Nakamoto Masayoshi, 64, Nakamura Masahura, 61 and Sakamoto Masahito, 41 -- in Japan today, Thursday 10 April.These executions bring to seven the number of executions announced in Japan in 2008.

Amnesty International expressed grave concern at the escalation of killings and arrests in Nepal in advance of national elections tomorrow, Thursday, 10 April.

At its inaugural session, Amnesty International today called on the Working Group of the UN Human Rights Council to use the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) to overcome the bias and double standards that plagued the former Commission on Human Rights.

As five more men face trial in Cairo on April 9 in a widening and dangerous police crackdown on people living with HIV/AIDS, 117 organizations worldwide working in the fields of health and human rights condemned the crackdown and the participation of medical personnel.

(Kingston) Amnesty International today criticized the Jamaican authorities for wilfully neglecting poor Jamaicans by failing to tackle the corruption and violence that is shattering their inner-city communities. “Poor inner-city Jamaicans are paying the price of this public security crisis with their lives. They are being held hostage in an endless confrontation between criminal gangs, police officers who kill with impunity and authorities who are failing to protect their human rights,” said Fernanda Doz Costa, Amnesty International’s researcher on Jamaica.In a new report released today at a press conference in Kingston, the organization revealed the reality of the hundreds of thousands of Jamaicans condemned to live with violent criminal gangs and abusive policing, and stigmatized by the authorities. Jamaica has one of the highest rates of violence and police killings in the Americas with around 1,500 homicides and 272 police killings in 2007 – an average of three homicides a day and three police killings every four days. Most of the victims of violent crime live in deprived communities – where they also suffer from unemployment, poor access to health and education services, limited supplies of drinking water and poor sanitation. People living in inner-city communities are left at the mercy of gang leaders who use the vacuum left by the state to control huge aspects of their lives -- including the collection of “taxes”, allocation of jobs, distribution of food and “scholarships”, and the punishment of those who transgress gang rules. Criminal gangs were created in the 1960’s by the two main political parties – People's National Party (PNP) and Jamaica Labour Party (JLP). Jamaican governments and political leaders have actively helped create and maintain the environment in which gang violence could flourish. Violence in these communities is particularly high when rival gangs are “at war” over territorial control. Entire populations are shut down by barricades and unable to leave their homes after 5pm. As a result, children don’t go to school out of fear and adults don't go to work because transport is suspended.As one woman from an inner-city community told Amnesty International, “At night we had to sleep on the floor, all of us, the children, the grandma, all of us; covered by the mattress because sometimes the shots can go through the house and kill us.” “Criminal gangs make up a small proportion of the community population but their actions are devastating: they keep thousands of people living in constant fear and provide an excuse for government officials to label all community members as criminals,” said Fernanda Doz Costa.Despite the violence they experience daily, community members are reluctant to report abuses due to fear of reprisals by gang leaders, lack of confidence in the judicial system and mistrust of police officers working in their communities. “There are many good serving police officers in Jamaica who risk their lives every day to help improve security for Jamaican citizens. However, the political determination to bring human rights abusers to justice and purge corruption is still lacking,” said Fernanda Doz Costa. Amnesty International calls on the Jamaican authorities to take urgent and effective measures to tackle the underlying causes of this public security and human rights crisis – including the reduction of homicide rates in inner-cities, the introduction of human rights-based policing, and the reform of the judicial system to improve access to justice.“The conversation that needs to take place in Jamaica is no longer about ‘ifs’ or ‘hows’ but about when to make the changes needed to stop the crisis taking any more lives and the answer is today.”)A copy of the report “’Let them kill each other’ – Public Security in Jamaica’s inner cities”is available on: http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/AMR38/001/2008/en

Amnesty International is very concerned at the new wave of extrajudicial executions committed by the Niger army in the Agadez region, which for more than a year has been shaken by a rebellion led by an armed opposition group, the Mouvement des Nigériens pour la justice (MNJ), Niger People’s Movement for Justice.“We launch an urgent appeal to the Niger authorities to immediately order the security forces to stop extrajudicial executions and forced disappearances of civilians in the north of the country. The government should investigate the events, bring those responsible for these actions to justice and pay reparations to the families of the victims", Véronique Aubert, Deputy Director of the Africa Program said today. At least eight civilians were arbitrarily executed between 22 and 25 March 2008 after clashes between the MNJ and the Niger army. A number of soldiers were killed in the clashes and several army vehicles were blown up by antipersonnel mines. After sustaining these casualties and material damage, the army launched reprisals against the population, executing and arresting civilians and destroying property.Amnesty International has learned that on one occasion, on 26 March 2008, on the Dabaga-El Meki Road, the army forced a civilian to drive in front of a military convoy to protect it against mines. However, a military vehicle drove over a mine and was damaged. The soldiers accused the civilian driver and his two passengers of leading them into a trap and beat them. The convoy carried on along the road and a little later, the civilian vehicle was blown up by a mine. The soldiers then gave treatment to the injured and took them to a health centre.Hada Baregha, a herder aged 67, was returning from his fields with his donkeys, on 25 March 2008, when he was killed extrajudicially by the military, in the town of Dabaga, in the Agadez region. Another civilian was tortured before being killed. A tradesman, Aboubakar Attoulèle, with the surname of Kouzaba, was arrested by the military on 26 March 2008. According to information received by Amnesty International, this man had his ears cut off and his head and hair set on fire before being stabbed.Another civilian was severely beaten up before being killed. Mohamed El Moctar, a gardener aged 66, was arrested at his camp, in Tabouhait, on 24 March. The soldiers struck him with the butts of their guns before killing him. At least three other people were shot dead, including two on 22 March 2008, in the village of Tamazalak."Although the security forces have the right to respond with legitimate and proportionate force to armed attacks, they may not carry out indiscriminate attacks against defenceless populations", Véronique Aubert, Deputy Director of the Africa Program said today. In addition, these extrajudicial executions violate article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which says that: “Every human being has the inherent right to life. This right shall be protected by law. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his life”. Human beings cannot be deprived of this right in any circumstances, even in the state of emergency currently in force in the Agadez region.Amnesty International has also learned of several cases of forced disappearances and arrests. Four people, including Al Wali, village chief of Tourayat, were abducted by soldiers on 30 March. Their families have so far been unable to obtain any news about their whereabouts.Soldiers also attacked property, burning houses and camps, for example, in Dabaga and Tamazalak. The inhabitants of these two villages sought shelter in Agadez. Other villagers escaped into the mountains in order to avoid the main roads, where soldiers might question them. Amnesty International has also learned that the military has threatened the elected representatives of the Dabaga region for allegedly communicating information about atrocities committed by the army.The organisation is also concerned about the use of mines in this conflict, which has opposed the Niger security forces and armed elements of the MNJ since February 2007. Each side says the other is responsible for laying these mines, which have already claimed many civilian and military victims. Amnesty International calls on both parties to the conflict to immediately stop the use of antipersonnel mines, which are a constant danger to all those in the area, including civilians, who risk the loss of life and limb by stepping on them.

Next Tuesday, 8 April, sees municipal and local elections taking place across Egypt. These should have taken place two years ago but were postponed by the authorities until now. The decision to postpone the elections was widely interpreted as a government reaction to the unprecedented success of Muslim Brotherhood supporters in the 2005 parliamentary elections.These will be the first elections since the 2005 amendments to the Constitution which now require independent presidential candidates to obtain the support of at least ten elected members of every local council in at least 14 governorates in order for their nomination to stand. In the run-up to these elections, hundreds of potential candidates have been arrested or subjected to restrictions, including many supporters and activists of the main opposition organization, the Muslim Brotherhood.Amnesty International is concerned that many of those arrested and detained may be prisoners of conscience held for the legitimate exercise of freedom of expression and association. It is calling for those who are being held as prisoners of conscience to be released immediately and unconditionally, and for the Egyptian authorities to lift all other unlawful restrictions on the exercise of freedom of expression.Arrests and restrictions on potential candidates Amnesty International has received information that more than 160 would-be candidates have been arrested by Egyptian authorities in advance of the elections. Other Muslim Brotherhood activists are reported to have been physically prevented from registering as candidates in the local elections by plain clothes police officers who denied them access to registration offices, or were barred from registering because government-appointed election officials refused to accept their registration papers. In some cases, administrative courts ordered that Muslim Brotherhood activists who had been refused registration should be able to register as candidates, but in practice only a few score have been permitted to do so.This has sparked protests by thousands of Muslim Brotherhood supporters across several governorates.Administrative courts have also ordered the suspension of elections in a number of governorates, including Buhayrah, Gharbiyah, Kafr Shaykh, Qalyubiyah and Minufiyah.Arrests of supporters The last two days saw thousands of demonstrators on the streets protesting against the authorities’ refusal to implement the administrative court decisions; some 280 people were arrested and remain in detention, most of them from the Buhayrah governorate. Several demonstrators were reportedly injured during confrontations with the police.In addition, since January, more than 650 Muslim Brotherhood supporters have been arrested in several governorates, of whom some 530 remain in detention. Most were rounded up for allegedly holding unauthorized meetings and possessing subversive leaflets. They include university professors, medical doctors and business executives, as well as three former former members of parliament, Sayyed Hazzin, Saber Abdelsadeq and Sayyed Abdelhamid.Among those currently detained, or at risk of arrest, are two journalists who reported on the arrests and other actions taken by the authorities against members and supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood organization. Khaled Hamza, editor-in-chief of Ikhwan web (Brotherhood web), an English language website reporting on the activities of the group, was arrested on 20 February 2008 and had his pre-trial detention most recently renewed for a further 15 days on 31 March. He suffers from a heart condition but is reported to have been denied adequate medical care in detention. The house of the other journalist, Abdel Galil Al-Sharnouby, editor-in-chief of Ikhwan online, the Arabic language site of the organization, was twice searched by police when they sought to arrest him on 12 and 21 March, and he is currently seeking refuge at the Journalists’ Syndicate in Cairo. Muslim Brotherhood This latest crackdown by the Egyptian authorities follows a longstanding pattern in which members and supporters of Muslim Brotherhood have been repeatedly subject to arbitrary arrest and detention in the run-up to elections. The Muslim Brotherhood is officially banned in Egypt but the organisation has a wide following and it has been common for its supporters to stand as independent candidates in national and local elections.A verdict is awaited following the arrest and trial of 40 of the organisation's leaders before a military court in Cairo. The verdict in the trial, which began in April 2007, was due to be given in March 2008 but has been postponed until after the local council elections. It is now expected on 15 April. Amnesty International and other organisations sent independent legal observers but they were not permitted entry to the court.To speak to Amnesty International's experts on Egypt, please call Amnesty International's press office in London, UK, on +44 20 7413 5566.

Media advisory: Irene Khan, Amnesty International’s Secretary General will visit Croatia from 8-11 April 2008. In a series of meetings with the authorities, including with President Stjepan Mesic and the Chief State Attorney Mladen Bajic, Irene Khan will call for impunity for war crimes committed in the 1991-95 war to be addressed as a priority. The head of the human rights organization will also meet victims of the conflict, representatives of civil society and international organizations.Following her visit to Croatia, Irene Khan will travel to Brussels on 15 April where she will meet European Union (EU) officials, including Olli Rehn, Commissioner for Enlargement and Javier Solana, High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy and Secretary General of the Council of the EU. Irene Khan will urge them to use their influence in the context of the accession of Croatia to the EU to ensure that the Croatian authorities establish and implement a clear strategy that addresses impunity for war crimes.Throughout her visit to Croatia and in Brussels Irene Khan will be available for interviews.For more information and to arrange for an interview, please contact: Lydia Aroyo, Press Officer at the International Secretariat of Amnesty International, (+44) (0) 7771 796 350 (UK mobile), (+385) (0) 99 191 44 21 (Croatian mobile) or laroyo@amnesty.org.Carmen Silvestre, Press Officer at Amnesty International’s EU Office in Brussels, +32-2-5482773 or CSilvestre@aieu.beSee: Irene Khan – Biography About Amnesty International

Amnesty International today condemned the decision by Chinese authorities to convict human rights defender Hu Jia on charges of "inciting subversion of state power'.
Hu Jia is being punished for exercising his freedom of expression and speaking out on human rights violations in China.

Amnesty International welcomed Foreign Adviser Iftehkar Ahmed Chowdhury's request for United Nations involvement."Action to end impunity for war crimes, crimes against humanity and other serious violations of human rights and humanitarian law committed in 1971 is long overdue.

Amnesty International called on the Chinese authorities to immediately end repressive measures against Chinese human rights defenders in Beijing and other parts of China, as well as against protesters in Tibet and surrounding regions, as it launched its report China: The Olympics countdown ...

Amnesty International today welcomed the release of human rights activists Daniel Bekele and Netsanet Demissie, who had been detained in Ethiopia since November 2005, but said the two prisoners of conscience should be compensated for the time they spent in prison.The two men were released today, having received a presidential pardon after they signed a letter “acknowledging mistakes” committed in relation to the 2005 elections. It is not yet clear if the pardon is unconditional. “These two men did not commit any acts for which they need to seek pardon,” said Erwin van der Borght, Director of Amnesty International’s Africa Programme. “They were prisoners of conscience, detained and convicted solely for their peaceful work as human rights defenders. They should have their convictions unconditionally pardoned, and should receive compensation for the period they were unfairly imprisoned.”Daniel Bekele is the policy manager of ActionAid in Ethiopia. Netsanet Demissie is the founder and director of the Organization for Social Justice in Ethiopia. Both are prominent human rights lawyers. Both men chose to enter a defence, unlike other co-accused, during a trial that ran for over two years. In December 2007, they were convicted by a majority verdict of the Ethiopian Federal High Court of provoking and preparing “outrages against the Constitution” and were sentenced to 30 months imprisonment.According to Amnesty International, the prosecution failed to present evidence that either Daniel Bekele or Netsanet Demissie incited violence and the judges convicted them on the basis of the testimonies of two witnesses whose credibility was doubtful and strongly contested by the defence. The Ethiopian government barred representatives from Amnesty International from observing the trial in July 2007.