From the BBC:

Pakistani former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto has been assassinated in a suicide attack.

Ms Bhutto – the first woman PM in an Islamic state – was leaving an election rally in Rawalpindi when a gunman shot her in the neck and set off a bomb.

At least 20 other people died in the attack and several more were injured.

President Pervez Musharraf has urged people to remain calm but angry protests have gripped some cities, with at least 11 deaths reported.

Security forces have been placed on a state of “red alert” nationwide.

There were no immediate claims of responsibility for the attack. Analysts believe Islamist militants to be the most likely group behind it.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/7161590.stm

Amnesty International has spoken out against the attack:

“It is shocking to see someone’s life cut short in such a brutal way. Attacks such as these can never be justified. They violate international law and the rules of democratic behaviour,â€Â said Catherine Baber, director of Amnesty International’s Asia programme.

“We know that the government of President Musharraf will find itself under enormous pressure to go after the culprits and keep the country calm and stable, but Amnesty International calls on President Musharraf – and on the security forces – to exercise restraint and uphold the rule of law.

“The killing of Benazir Bhutto must not be allowed to become a setback to civilian governance or indeed lead to a further crackdown on civil liberties.â€Â

Amnesty International Article

Three men who returned to Britain after being freed from the American internment camp at Guantánamo Bay were in custody again last night. The men were taken to police stations in London and Bedfordshire as Spain sought the extradition of two of them in connection with terrorism offences.

The trio were released after Britain put pressure on America to clear out the infamous camp at Guantánamo. They had all been residents in Britain, but are not British citizens.

Jamil el-Banna, 45, a Jordanian, and Omar Deghayes, 38, a Libyan, the pair wanted by Spain, were accompanied by counter-terrorist police on the flight from Cuba. They had been detained without charge for five and six years respectively. The third detainee on the plane was Abdennour Sameur, 34, an Algerian.

Mr Deghayes and Mr Sameur were held under the Terrorism Act 2000 and taken to Paddington Green police station. Mr el-Banna was detained under port and border controls.

Taken from, and more information at: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article3075641.ece

Amnesty International revealed yesterday that secret executions have been taking place in Nigeria’s prisons, despite recent assurances by the government that Nigeria has not executed ‘in years’.

Erwin van der Borght, Director of Amnesty International’s Africa Programme said:

‘The Nigerian government has been misleading the world – and they must now come clean on their death penalty record, establish an immediate moratorium on all executions in the country, and fully investigate how something like this could have happened.’

For more information: http://www.amnesty.org.uk/news_details.asp?NewsID=17576

The New York based group Human Rights Watch has published an account of the events in Burma earlier this year.

The report, covered here by the BBC, can be found here, and includes information gained from a series of interviews with nearly 100 eye witnesses in Burma.

There is also a haunting photo montage here.