Amnesty International urged Uzbekistan to stop using...

Amnesty International urged Uzbekistan to stop using the death penalty and accused the ex-Soviet republic of executing dozens of people annually without giving them access to a proper justice system. "In circumstances where torture is systematic, corruption is unchecked at every stage ... and where courts apply the death penalty without the guidance of objective and publicly accessible sentencing criteria the retention of the death penalty is particularly irresponsible, " Amnesty said in a written statement. Presenting a report on Uzbekistan's use of the death penalty Amnesty said that in many cases "family members do not know for months, sometimes even years whether their relative is alive or has been executed." Once informed that an execution has taken place relatives "may search for years in the hope of finding the grave" as the authorities often refuse to release information about where the dead have been buried, Amnesty said. In addition relatives of those accused of capital offences "have been taken hostage to secure the arrest of the accused and have been tortured, beaten or threatened with rape," Amnesty said.