What hasn’t been often highlighted so far in the debate about the Alternative Vote (AV), is that many groups working on behalf of some of the most vulnerable and disempowered people are backing the Al

Amnesty International has called on the Yemeni authorities to halt the imminent execution of a man alleged to have committed a murder whilst still a minor.Amnesty International has called on the Yemeni authorities to halt the imminent execution of a man facing the death penalty for a murder he is alleged to have committed when he was under 18 years old.Yemeni authorities are reported to have stopped Muhammed Taher Thabet Samoum's prison visits, prompting fears that his execution could be imminent. He was initially scheduled for execution on 12 January but was granted a temporary reprieve by the Attorney General.Samoum was sentenced to death in September 2001 by the Criminal Court in Ibb, west Yemen, for a murder he is alleged to have committed in June 1999. He maintains that he was under 18 years old at the time of the alleged offence but does not have a birth certificate.Amnesty International's Middle East and North Africa Director Malcolm Smart said: “We urge President Ali Abdullah Saleh to show clemency in this case and prevent the state killing of Muhammed Taher Thabet Samoum, a young man accused of a murder committed when he says he was still under 18.“Executing individuals for crimes they are alleged to have committed when they were less than 18 years of age is not only inhumane but also contravenes both Yemeni law and Yemen’s obligations under international human rights treaties.“The death penalty is the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment, and it must never be applied to juvenile offenders."Another alleged juvenile offender convicted of murder, Fuad Ahmed Ali Abdullah, remains at risk of execution although he was given a temporary reprieve on 18 December 2010, the day before he was due to be executed by firing squad, following the intervention of his lawyer. He was sentenced to death for a murder committed when he is believed to have been under 18. Yemen’s Attorney General is expected to request that his age be determined by a forensic doctor.Yemen is a state party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, both of which expressly prohibit the execution of child offenders - those convicted of crimes committed when they were under 18.Amnesty is aware of at least eight other people who are possible child offenders on death row in Yemen and has long-standing concerns about the use of the death penalty in the country, particularly as death sentences are often passed after legal proceedings which fail to satisfy international standards for fair trials.In 2010, at least 51 people were executed in Yemen. At least two more people have been executed since the start of this year. Hundreds of people are believed to be under sentence of death.[Ekk/4]

The All Party Parliamentary Group on Women in the Penal System says funding cuts are a"challenge"and the coalition must support women in the penal system.The All Party Parliamentary Group on Women in the Penal System (APPG), chaired by Baroness Corston, yesterday (18 January 2011) produced a second report on women with particular vulnerabilities in the criminal justice system, which reveals bipartisan support for the closure of women's prisons and calls funding cuts a"challenge".The report reveals that while many of Baroness Corston's original recommendations have been implemented, there are a number of outstanding concerns. The first Corston report's most significant recommendation to shut down women's prisons and replace them with a limited number of small, multi-functional custodial centres, is yet to be resolved. The APPG is also concerned that there are still too many women in prison for non-violent offences, and too many women being remanded into custody.The previous government committed £15.6 million to invest in the provision of additional services for women at risk of offending. The money was aimed at creating centres providing'one-stop-shop'support services and developing bail support to meet the needs of women. These centres have no dedicated funding beyond March 2011 and the APPG recommends that the progress they have achieved is sustained.Baroness Corston said,"There have been many considerable achievements that improve the penal system for women, such as abolishing mandatory strip searching, as well as setting up very successful centres that divert women from custody."While a great deal has been achieved, there is more to be done and the coalition government has a responsibility to continue to support women in the penal system. If we are to rely on the one-stop-shop women's centres to play a key role in the diversion of women from custody and in giving women alternatives to reoffending, then these centres will need funding to continue".Frances Crook, director of the Howard League for Penal Reform that provides the secretariat to the APPG, said:"The recent green paper is a step in the right direction and the government has a real opportunity to secure future success for women to help keep women out of trouble and out of the penal system. We know that diverting women from custody reduces reoffending rates in a way that prison can't, making society safer for everyone. Some of these successful achievements should be replicated for men."Baroness Corston highlights the positive work done by the Together Women project centres providing support to vulnerable women to tackle multiple and complex issues which trigger offending. Since April this year Together Women projects have already supported 806 women in Yorkshire and Humberside and 83 per cent of those women have achieved positive outcomes. The re-offending rate of women using Together Women support is just seven per cent compared to a national average of 36 per cent.The report concludes by saying that the"scale of the problem we face remains significant"pointing out that women still account for 52 per cent of self-harm incidents in prison despite constituting only five per cent of the prison population.[Ekk/4]

Open Doors USA Urges Signing of Petition to Secretary of State Clinton on Behalf of ChristiansContact: Jerry Dykstra, Director of Media Relations, Open Doors USA, 616-915-4117, JerryD@odusa.org SANTA ANA, Calif., Jan. 18, 2011 /Christian Newswire/ -- During early evening on Dec. 30, an elderly Christian couple -- Fawzi Rahim, 76, and his wife Janet Mekha, 78 -- answered their doorbell at their Baghdad, Iraq, home.When they opened the door, a bomb placed on their Source: Open Doors USA

Contact: Rev. Patrick J. Mahoney (in police custody as of 10:30 AM, available after release for remainder of Hu's visit) 540-538-4741, 202-547-1735WASHINGTON, Jan. 18, 2011 /Christian Newswire/ -- Rev. Patrick J. Mahoney, Director of the Christian Defense Coalition, was arrested in front of the White House on Tuesday, January, 18.Photo of Rev. Mahoney's arrest, additional hi-resolution photos are availablePrior to his arrest Rev. Mahoney brought to the sidewalk in front of the Source: Christian Defense Coalition

Contact: Rachel Sparkman, Media Coordinator, 888-889-7757, Rachel@ChinaAid.org; Mark Shan, CAA Spokesperson, 267-205-5210, Mark@ChinaAid.org; both with ChinaAidMIDLAND, Texas, Jan. 17, 2011 /Christian Newswire/ -- Thirty-two members of Congress on Friday sent an open letter to President Obama urging him to raise China's"egregious human rights record"in his talks next week with visiting Chinese President Hu Jintao. Meanwhile, Obama issued a presidential proclamation declaring Jan. Source: China Aid Association, Inc.

Press conference set for Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2 p.m. on Capitol Hill Contact: Jeff Sagnip, Congressman Chris Smith, 202-225-3765, 609-585-7878 WASHINGTON, Jan. 17, 2011 /Christian Newswire/ -- A visit next week by Chinese President Hu Jintao to President Obama has prompted Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04), other House members and human rights groups to focus on China's abysmal human rights record at a press conference set for Tuesday. Only last month, Smith traveled to Os Source: Congressman Chris Smith

Contact: Rev. Patrick J. Mahoney, Christian Defense Coalition, 540-538-4741, 202-547-1735 WASHINGTON, Jan. 17, 2011 /Christian Newswire/ -- Rev. Patrick J. Mahoney, Director of the Christian Defense Coalition, will hold a peaceful demonstration in front of the White House on Tuesday, January, 18 at 10:00 A.M. President Hu Jintao of China will be at the White House on Wednesday, January 19, for an official State Dinner and visit. Rev. Mahoney plans to bring a single cha Source: Christian Defense Coalition

Contact: Mary Moran, 619-972-2221SAN DIEGO, Jan. 14, 2011 /Christian Newswire/ -- Hundreds maybe thousands of patriotic citizens along with local and national leaders will rally tomorrow 10am PST in San Diego in relentless defense and support of the Mt Soledad Veterans Memorial Cross atop Mt Soledad near La Jolla, Ca.Fueling the protest rally is the January 4 ruling by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals deeming the Cross within the Mt Soledad Veterans Memorial in San Diego unconstitu Source: Moran PR

Open Doors USA Scorecard Made Real Impact in 111th Congressional VotingContact: Jerry Dykstra, Open Doors USA, 616-915-4117, jerryd@odusa.orgSANTA ANA, Calif., Jan. 13, 2011 /Christian Newswire/ -- It's important for Americans to know where their U.S. senators and representatives stand on religious freedom for countries around the world where people are often persecuted and even killed because of their beliefs.Many of those marginalized are Christian -- over an estim Source: Open Doors USA

Contact: Mary Moran, 619-972-2221SAN DIEGO, Jan. 11, 2011, /Christian Newswire/ -- Outraged by the January 4 ruling of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals deeming the Cross within the Mt Soledad Veterans Memorial in San Diego unconstitutional because it conveys the message of"state-endorsed religion,"hundreds of citizens along with local and national leaders will rally in defense and support of the Veterans Memorial on Saturday Jan 15 10am atop Mt Soledad, San Diego."The Mt Soled Source: Moran PR

Contact: Jeremy Blume or Mark DeMoss, DeMossNews.com/BGEA, 404-538-8589 or 770-813-0000 CHARLOTTE, N.C., Jan. 10, 2011 /Christian Newswire/ -- This weekend our nation experienced a horrible attack by a deranged man in Arizona. My thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their families in their time of need and suffering. As the American people grapple for answers to the question of how something as senseless as this shooting could happen, we need to be measured and Source: DeMossGroup

A London- based company, Dream Pharma Ltd, has been revealed today (6 January 2011) as the UK source of all three drugs which are used to execute prisoners in the US.A London- based company, Dream Pharma Ltd, has been revealed today (6 January 2011) as the UK source of all three drugs which are used to execute prisoners in the US.

Contact: Bill Bray, Christian Aid Mission, 434-227-0811, bill@christianaid.orgNAKOON, Laos, Jan. 6, 2011 /Christian Newswire/ -- For the second day in a row, armed police have arrested Christians who have been worshipping in the home of Pastor Wanna, falsely charging them with conducting secret meetings. Twenty Christians have been arrested on January 4 and 5.The new round-up of innocent Christians in Nakoon, Hinboun District, comes in the wake of the renewed persecution and forced relo Source: Christian Aid Mission

Christians around the world are offering prayers for peace and justice as the Sudanese peace process reaches a key moment with the referendum this weekend.Christians around the world are offering prayers for peace and justice as the Sudanese peace process reaches a key moment with the referendum this weekend (9 January).In England, the Fellowship of Reconciliation (FoR) said yesterday (5 January) that they were offering prayers as part of their commitment to creating peace around the globe."I hope the referendum goes peacefully well and that all concerned will dutifully honour, respect and accept the result,” said Millius Palayiwa, Director of FoR England.Reflecting on personal experience of brokering peace, Palayiwa added,"From my involvement with the Sierra Leone Peace Process I know how important it is for all parties to a conflict (from bottom to the top) to be reconciled with each other for the good of all and the creation of a'beloved community'”.He said that the “regional and international organs” should “support and be guarantors to a peaceful resolution of a conflict”.The message ends promising the thoughts and prayers of all FoR members in England this coming Sunday.FoR say that prayerful support is one of many ways in which they live out a global commitment to peace and nonviolence."Political transition can test many people's commitment to peace as previously comfortable power structures change or move,” explained John Cooper, FoR England's fundraiser for international work.He said, “We often receive applications from grassroots peacemakers who want to provide people with the ability to voice their opinion through raised voices rather than raised fists”.FoR England is a one branch of a global, spiritually-based movement committed to active nonviolence as a means of personal, social, economic and political transformation. As well as members from a wide range of Christian denominations, FoR say that they have many non-religious supporters who subscribe to the organisation's commitment to nonviolence.The International Peacemakers Fund, supported by FoR England, provides financial support to practical peacemakers who wish to transform communities facing situations of conflict around the globe.[Ekk/1]