more than 100 Nigerians condemned to death had their sentences commuted to life imprisonment as part of independence day celebrations in the West African country.

Bangladesh's Supreme Court ordered a stay of execution for seven Islamist militants sentenced to death for bomb attacks that killed at least 30 people in 2005, said Fazlul Karim, secretary of the Supreme Court.

countries where capital punishment is practiced should exempt children under 18 -- or adults convicted while minors -- from the death penalty, a UN human rights expert report said.

two Iranian brothers convicted of murder have been hanged publicly in the western province of Lorestan, the official news agency IRNA said.

the sale of organs taken from executed prisoners appears to be thriving in China, an undercover investigation by the BBC found.

a court in Bangladesh was scheduled to try a Muslim journalist for writing articles favourable to Israel.

a Californian official admitted that state prison guards had bungled the recent controversial execution of former gang leader Stanley Williams, but denied that lethal injection constituted cruel and unusual punishment.

three Iranian men convicted of drug trafficking were hanged in a prison in the southeastern city of Zahedan. The men were identified as Ali Karimi, Gholam Koohkan and Khodamorad Lashkarzadeh.

two condemned prisoners were hanged in Pakistan’s central Multan Jail and the Dera Ghazi Khan District Jail. Tahir Saleem had shot dead his uncle Muhammad Latif when he recognised him during a robbery attempt on October 12, 1996.

the United Nations urged Iraq to commute all sentences of capital punishment after the northern Kurdistan region executed 10 people earlier in the week.

Hands Off Cain announced it would participate in today’s vigil, promoted by Christian Democratic party leader Pierferdinando Casini, outside the Indonesian embassy in Rome.

four prisoners were hanged by Iran’s judicial officials inside Zahedan Prison. State-run daily Khorassan identified those executed as Shah Mohammad, Nader Rigi, Abdolali Balouch and Mohammad Shakib.