Ex-officer tried for 'Dirty War' crimes in Argentina

An ex-navy captain dubbed the Blond Angel of Death has gone on trial in Argentina with 18 others for kidnap and torture during military rule.

Alfredo Astiz and the other defendants are accused of abuses at the Navy Mechanics School detention centre.

He is accused of involvement in the disappearance of dozens of people, including two French nuns.

Between 10,000 and 30,000 people are believed to have been disappeared during the 1976 to 1983 dictatorship.

Mr Astiz is alleged to have had a central role in the abduction and disappearance of the nuns, Alice Domon and Leonie Duquet, investigative journalist Rodolfo Walsh and several founders of a human rights group, the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo.

He is said to have helped security forces by infiltrating meetings of the Mothers at a church in Buenos Aires.

Leonie Duquet was thrown from a plane during one of the many "flights of death" during which the military disposed of prisoners.

Her body was washed ashore and she was buried in an unmarked grave, until her remains were formally identified in 2005. Alice Domon's remains have never been found.

Mr Astiz denies any knowledge of such flights and argues that he was following orders to protect Argentina from extremist violence.

The Argentine courts have identified 250 navy personnel who worked in the Navy Mechanics school at the time - some 70 have been charged so far.

Guinea junta arrests 60 for 'trying to kill Camara

Alleged plotters who tried to kill Guinea's junta leader Capt Moussa Dadis Camara are being "hunted down" and arrested, the military government says.

Junta spokesman Idrissa Cherif told the BBC more than 60 people had been held over last week's assassination attempt.

Other reports say troops are torturing and killing people and residents of the capital, Conakry, are living in terror.

Rights groups say Capt Camara, who is recovering after treatment for a bullet wound in the head, should step down.

He was flown to Morocco for surgery after the incident - with conflicting reports on the seriousness of his injuries.

Junta officials say Lt Aboubacar "Toumba" Diakite, head of the presidential guard, carried out the attack on Capt Camara. He has not been caught.

Chongqing suspects allege torture by police

Alleged gang bosses have claimed they were tortured by police or detained in illegal jails in order to extract confessions.

The allegations were made as the second wave of gang trials kicked off on Tuesday at the Chongqing No 2 intermediate people's court.

Chen Zhiyi and Deng Yuping, who are alleged to have run a 22-member mafia-style gang, said in court that the gang was not an organized one and they were either extorted into confessing or imprisoned in illegal jails by police.

Along with four other people with suspected connections to the gang, they are charged with 22 crimes including leading or participating in a mafia-style gang, killing three people and running illegal gambling dens.

More than 200 people heard the trial in court, mainly family members of the accused. Another 100 people gathered outside the court gate to hear live broadcast of the case.

"I admitted to the crimes after police from Fengjie county tortured me," said 43-year-old Chen in court yesterday morning.