mr wilson's case we're not talking weeks months we're talking hours at this point what is amnesty international doing what can people watching at home do if they want to try to make an impact on this case and try and save his life where you can go to our website amnesty usa dot org and we have a petition on behalf of mr wilson. now it's very challenging to make an impact on the state of texas but it's very important that our moral outrage be heard. so we encourage people to sign our petition that will go to supreme court involved in this is a supreme court now has the case they have an opportunity to halt it to say listen this goes against the very spirit of the atkins decision this is unacceptable this is in violation of the eighth amendment against cruel and unusual punishment so it is our hope that before tomorrow at six central time when mr wilson faces execution that it will be. stop well let's hope so or thanks a lot keep up the good work i'm the senior national think it's the death penalty isn't about economics it's not about law enforcement if it was then we wouldn't even have it becaus

responsible for crimes against humanity in syria -- amnesty international point the finger at the assadegime. >> italy's prime minister mario monti tries to drum up support for borrowing. that germany's -- >> germany's men's eight growers take the gold medal -- rowers take the gold medal in the olympics. well, the city of aleppo could soon become synonymous with one of the darkest moments in syria's history. at a human rights activists contend the public shootings of assad loyalists by rebels saying the evidence points to a war crime. >> a new report by amnesty international accuses the assad regime of human rights violations in aleppo as well. >> we begin with the latest on the battle for the city. >> aleppo was again under attack from the air. this internet footage was said to show widespread destruction as assad's troops used tanks and artillery. the rebels are also using heavy weapons, and the danger to civilians is high. >> there are some civilians who are trapped in the crossfire. there are others seeking refuge and shelter, and schools, hospitals, public buildings, safer neighbor

was transmitting the three that i had received through the producer i got another one from amnesty international because what's happening is the united states for some reason that will become apparent later is stirring this up to make russia work as if it were a repressive lawless state while the united states which has more incarcerated people than the next three countries on the planet and that's only in absolute terms in terms of relative terms more than any other country on the planet the united states has all these people in jail and it's going to lecture other countries about how their legal process should work i just think it it has no credibility around the world and i think it's shameful washington also says that the verdict is a disproportionate doesn't really have the right to give this kind of assessment well first of all i'd be curious to see if they actually studied the case i think instead that again geopolitical considerations are driving the statements that come out of there certainly it's not any concern for democracy or democratic rights because as you pointed out at the very

[applause] >> my name is william and i work for amnesty international. according to data collected, at least 500 people in the united states have died since 2001 after being shot with a taser eerie -- either during an arrest for a while in jail. 00 or while -- or while in jail. followed by florida, 65, tx 37. we acknowledge the importance of delivering non-lethal and less lethal force options to decrease their risk of death or injury inherent in the use of firearms or other impact weapons such as batons. however, the use of stunts technology raises a number of concerns for the protection of human rights. although the u.s. law- enforcement agencies stressed safeguards to minimize the potential of abuse, and amnesty international believes these safeguards to knuckle far enough. -- do not go far and off. there have been reports of inappropriate or abusive use of tasers in various restrictions, sometimes involving a electronic shock. i have a report if you want that shows a report of a woman who was pregnant who was killed in california. i sigh, her fetus wa

. >> amnesty international has released a statement accusing the government of human rights violations. they say the security council ought to refer this to the international criminal court. this is a security council that has not been able to agree on anything so far. they are whistling in the wind, amnesty international. >> i think they are. there's no way the security council can act as one. the russians and chinese are not minded to do anything. it is simply not going to happen. the saudis and others have given up on the security council. later, they will have a meeting of the u.n. general assembly where they will be pushing a fairly hostile resolution against syria there. they will try to revise the arab league initiative. of course, we've heard reports on nbc -- unconfirmed but not the ninth -- that the rebels have been given anti-aircraft missiles that have made their way from aleppo to the turkish border. that could negate the syrians use of airpower. a>> thank you very much. thank you. we will leave it there. this is "bbc world news." the first gold medal in rowing in the firs

. >> amnesty international implicitly blamed china and russia for the impasse on syria in the un. this is the director of amnesty international usa. >> there are steps that can be taken in the council to condemn this action, impose an arms embargo and stop sending weapons to continue to fuel this crisis. those are steps that can and should be taken. referring the assad government to their international court. the reason it has not happened is the political resistance of some governments, their refusal to come to grips with the crisis, to face the facts and the knowledge there is wrongdoing happening, there are human-rights violation being perpetrated, and the to national community has an up to pet -- obligation to respond. >> she also regret -- expressed regret that rebel forces were deploying more violence but said that the assad regime is responsible for most of the human rights abuses. >> we are seeing what may be evidence of war crimes being perpetrated by does fighting against assad's forces. at the same time, you have to keep in perspective. the vast majority of the killings

story here you know you miss your national criticize the verdict but you can't accuse the amnesty international partners who expected. you know just israel more critical in the case of bahrain but the reason that people know more people know what amnesty said about the visit because the case is because the higher western media scrutiny people in united states don't know what amnesty said about bahrain because we're. not focusing. on the kids so it's really the western media that's giving this emphasis and of course the western media loves to play the role of the. kind of attack dog you know we're the rest a friend of human rights when the u.s. policy is limited but when you know bahrain well that's part of the empire so then the us media response tends to be rather muted absolutely and once again it all comes back out of the fact of the simple issue of that of double standards robert naiman the policy director of the independent organization called i just foreign policy live in washington i'm so sorry i wish i had more time but i died thanks so much for coming on today good to be. well in respo

amnesty international recently commissioned digital globe, which operates three private satellites outthis control room in denver, to take images of aleppo and the surrounding area. it's part of a small but growing trend over the past decade to document suspected human rights abuses on the ground in places like sudan nonprofits are buying high-resolution satellite imagery. now this time eye in the sky technology is being employed to document the syria conflict. to explain and analyze this satellite imaging project in syria we turn to scott edwards, managing director for crisis prevention and response at amnesty international u.s.a. and susan wolfenpwarger the analyst for the association of advancement of science. she's with its geospatial technology and human rights program. welcome to you both. scott edwards, beginning with you. why are you trying to accomplish here. what are you looking for? >> we had heard all of these reports in syrian media about a forth come tkeg icive battle and as we've done in the past and documented in the past we often have to deal with the fog of war when y

he was sentenced to three years this week in what amnesty international called "the end of the facadef reform and a rain." speaking to reporters on thursday, state department spokesperson victoria nuland initially declined to weigh in on his sentence, but soon called for the case to be dropped under further questioning. republican candidate mitt romney is claiming to have paid an effective tax rate of at least 13% over the past 10 years. romney made the claim on thursday in response to long- running speculation fueled by his refusal to release his tax returns. speaking in south carolina, romney said the focus on his finances is "small minded." >> i just have to say, given the challenges to americans face, leans out of work, a rant about to become nuclear, one of six americans in poverty -- the fascination with taxes i have paid i find to be very small minded compared to the broad issues we face. but i did go back and look at my taxes. the past 10 years, and never pay 13%. than t i paid taxes every single year. harry reid's charges totally false. i am waiting for him to put up who it w

on wednesday, amnesty international released satellite imagery showing extensive bombings around aleppo. >> with released new satellite imagery regarding hundreds of craters where artillery and mortars may have been used in all likelihood by the syrian government's armed forces which suggests there widespread attacks happening within the community of aleppo and surrounding areas, and amnesty international usa is calling on both the opposition forces and the syrian government to respect the rights of civilians and cease in the attacks that may endanger civilian lives. >> civilian deaths in afghanistan have declined for the first time in five years. the deputy chief of the u.n. mission in afghanistan unveiled the new figures for the first six months on wednesday. >> civilian deaths and injuries decline by 15% in the first six months of 2012. despite this reduction in civilian casualties over all, conflict in afghanistan continues to inflict a disproportionate an unacceptable toll on afghan women, children, and then a coat around one-third of those killed or wounded from january through ju

speaking in mexico, the amnesty international representative said indigenous people continue to face oppressive conditions throughout the americas. >> what amnesty international has found in recent years of that indigenous communities live in a situation of backwardness in comparison to the majority of places in the region, in regards to economic, social, and cultural access as well as access to education, health, housing, water, etc. we have found indigenous communities face those who do not respect their ancestral lands. >> the u.s. government has raised its prediction for the number of storms expected during the atlantic hurricane season, citing warmer than normal temperatures at the sea's surface and wind patterns conducive to storms. the atlantic season has kicked off to a fast start with six named storms already. noaa has predicted 12 to 17 named storms as well as up to eight hurricanes, two or three of which could be major, before the season ends november 30. greenpeace activists facing harsher charges fribble treading u.s. government's lone site for handling and processing we

now human rights group amnesty international has released a report on syria. it expresses great concern over the sharp increase in the number of civilian victims of indiscriminate attacks by government forces. the report mentions 30 cases of indiscriminate attacks on civilians who were not related at all to the armed conflict. it says members of a family who fled from their home after a government attack were killed in another attack in their new shelter, a relative's house. the report also says government attacks near bakeries killed or injured residents, including children, lining up for bread. it also points out that rebel forces have killed or abused captured government soldiers. >>> greece's prime minister is getting ready to plead his case to the leaders of the eurozone's two biggest economies. an on it yo samaras is trying to buy his country some time. yongghi kang is at the business desk with more. what does samaras want? >> very important events coming up for europe's debt crisis and samaras wants more breathing space to implement budget cuts to get t

. >>> amnesty international sponsoring a concert tonight outside the russian embassy in northwest to show support for members of a russian punk rock group jailed since february for performing a protest song against the putin government. >> we really hope the world will understand what's happening to this band is part of a much broader crackdown. so while we care about these three women, there are many dozens or hundreds of other people in russia who are also suffering from persecution. >> the jailed punk rockers' trial ended this week, a verdict expected next friday. if convicted, they face three years in prison. putin criticized the rockers. >>> a woman critically wounded by a chimpanzee is trying to sue the state. the woman has undergone a face transplant. today they attended a hearing trying to sue for $150 million in damage claiming the state is responsible for not seizing the animal, but officials say they didn't have the authority to seize the animal. >> the commissioner today sits in a nursing home outside of boston in total darkness without eyes, without hands, without her fa

amnesty international reports that government airstrikes are killing mainly civilians, including children says it will not be able accept many more syrian refugees. it's already taken in 70,000 and has set a cap of 100,000. turkish leaders are asking the united nations to set up a safe zone within syria for those trying to espe the violence. >> in germany, a local court ruling that circumcising young boys inflicts bodily harm and may be a criminal act has raised an international outcry and a lot of confusion. a leading israeli rabbi met with german officials this week, seeking legal protection for religious circumcisions. the original case involved a muslim child who suffered complications after a medical circumcision. german lawmakers are now drafting legislation to ensure that jews and muslims have the right to carry out the practice safely. >> one year after an earthquake caused substantial damage to the washington national cathedral, masons have made the first major repair to the central tower. a newly-carved stone was put in place as the cathedral announced a new gift of $5 million f

there was also reaction coming from amnesty international which said that the decision was a bitter blow to freedom of expression in rochelle also political figures in europe have begun to weigh in on this developing story we heard from the high representative of the european union catherine ashton who has said she is deeply disappointed by this verdict calling it disproportionate a similar sentiment has also been echoed. fight germany's foreign minister so clearly this story taking place in russia has ignited a wave of reaction around the globe and his main point not reporting right that what our u.s. based john has done to basra is that washington should perhaps tidy up its on offense before casting judgment on others the united states has other double standards that bear on this case too first let's look at the one nine hundred eighty nine case of st patrick's cathedral where act up members came into the church of about forty five of them were arrested before they could really voice their own protests and numerous times since the beginning of the iraq war around the united states peop

russia has called the verdict unfair and this russian it there was also reaction coming from amnesty international which said that the decision was a bitter blow to freedom of expression in russia also political figures in europe have begun to weigh in on this developing story we heard from the high representative of the european union catherine ashton who has said she is deeply disappointed by this verdict calling it disproportionate a similar sentiment has also been echoed by germany's foreign minister so clearly this story taking place in russia has ignited a wave of reaction around the globe no doubt about the marina it has been the talk of the time for at least the last two weeks if not the last six months will catch up with you later there thank you marina reporting there from new york for us but as well as international public reaction on the streets of the pussy riot case has exploded across the internet the host of the website program why you should blog him kirby told my colleague. about the online response. but there's definitely some negativity you know when you look at the internet li

china they estimate, amnesty international estimates that china executes annually between 5,000-7,000. so the whole world is 700, china is upwords of 10,000. and this can be crimes as little as a farmer being executed for chopping down trees without a permit. they've executed somebody before for evading tolls on toll roads. so, you know, you don't have to be an axe murderer in china to be put to death. and there's no appeal in china. so if you go to court for one of these crimes and you're sentenced to death, they just take you out in the backyard, kneel you down and put a bullet in the back of your head. there's no appeal, you don't get to say bye to mom, it's all over. so, but where this gets, i think, particularly scary is, um, there is a -- [inaudible] in new york a few years ago where they had representatives of the beijing government meeting with some americans and some doctors who were posing as consumers of organ for transplant. and they had these representatives of china had a price list. and it was how much different organs can cost if you want to buy 'em. and they said we w

embassy in russia has called the verdict on fair hershon it there was also reaction coming from amnesty international which said that the decision was a bitter blow to freedom of expression in russia also political figures in europe have begun to weigh in on this developing story we heard from the high representative of the european union catherine ashton who has said she's deeply disappointed by this verdict calling it disproportionate a similar sentiment has also been echoed by germany's foreign minister so clearly this story taking place in russia has ignited a wave of reaction around the globe. right let's go talk to get a hard man good professor of political science at innsbruck university who's been closely following the pussy riot case thank you so much for joining us here on our professor now the sentence in this trial has on the launch of criticism in the west to do you think the sentences excessive given that a similar stunt inside a european church could in theory lend you in jail or you know for up to three yes' . well let me say well of course you're right women did according to my you k

embassy in russia has called the verdict on fair portion it there was also reaction coming from amnesty international which said that the decision was a bitter blow to freedom of expression in russia also political figures in europe have begun to weigh in on this developing story we heard from the high representative of the european union catherine ashton who has said she's deeply disappointed by this verdict calling it disproportionate. similar sentiment has also been echoed by germany's foreign minister so clearly this story taking place in russia has ignited a wave of reaction around the globe which is more important reporting for us there now the pussy riot trial has spawned a wave of hysteria on the part of western media claiming the sentence to be a violation of freedom of speech but as it draws mango to professor of political science at innsbrook university points out this outcry is based on stereotypes and to money because you write them and it was according to my highly inappropriate behavior it was while i mean or if you want to protest your leadership if you want to protest even the party