AFGHANISTAN: TALEBAN PRESSING FOR END TO DEATH SENTENCE

Afghanistan's Taleban, notorious for summary public executions, urged the United Nations to press the Afghan government to stop executing prisoners on death row, citing concern about fair trials. Afghanistan resumed executions this week after a break of more than a year, with three Taleban sentenced for deadly attacks among nine people put to death. "We strongly request the UN, the EU, the Red Cross and human rights groups to earnestly prevent this barbaric act," the Taleban said in a statement on their website, accusing Mr Karzai's government of corruption.