JORDAN. AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL URGES JORDAN TO END THE DEATH PENALTY

Amnesty International urged the Jordanian government to commute all death sentences and establish a moratorium on the death penalty, a statement issued by the human rights body said.
The statement called on the kingdom to "repeal the Law Amending the Penal Code, put a stop to all executions and bring itself in line with the international movement away from the death penalty."
The London-based Amnesty International claimed some reports it acquired said that "some people, particularly in political cases, have been sentenced to death after confessions extracted from them under torture."
"The death penalty remains prescribed in Jordan for a large number of offenses, including premeditated murder; crimes against the security of the state including spying and illegal possession of weapons (and) rape of a girl aged less than 15 years," the Amnesty statement said.
Amnesty International cited as an example the case of Jordanian man Bilal Musa, 26, who was executed on Dec. 7, 2000 by hanging at Swaqa prison following an approval by King Abdullah II. Musa was sentenced to death for the killing of 11 people.
But during his trial he maintained his innocence on all murders except for one and claimed he was tortured until he confessed to the other killings. He claimed he was denied food and sleep and was beaten.
Amnesty said it was unaware of any judicial investigation being carried out into his allegations. His wife, Suzan Ibrahim, was sentenced to 15 years in prison for her role in the murders and died a year after her husband was hanged.