CAIRO: London-based human rights organization Amnesty International has condemned the “horrific act of stoning” that was reported to have taken place in Mali this week by militants in control of the northern part of the country. “Amnesty International condemns this gruesome and horrific act of stoning. This killing is yet another human rights abuse committed by the combatants who control the north of Mali, and illustrates the climate of fear that armed opposition groups have created within the areas they control," said Paule Rigaud, Amnesty International's Deputy Director for Africa, in an emailed statement to reporters. They said the continued abuse of power and the implementation of conservative measures in the country are a worry for residents. “The new behaviours being enforced include dress codes for both women and men, the banning of all music except religious music and forbidding of people of opposite sexes if unmarried to sit next to each other on a bus or to walk the streets together,” Amnesty's statement added. The Islamic militants in control of the northern part of Mali reported that they had stoned a couple to death after they were accused of “adulterous" relations in the town of Aguelhok. Sanda Abou Mohamed, a spokesman for the group Ansar Dine, told The Associated Press on Sunday that “the couple was executed according to Sharia law." It comes as fears in Mali are growing over the use of reprisal violence against those the militant group sees as anti-Islamic. Residents have reportedly condemned the move, but have largely remained silent for fear of reprisals against them. A resident of the northern city of Kidal, who had spoken to witnesses in nearby Aguelhok, said in comments to AP that the man and woman were buried up to their necks, then pelted with stones until they died on Sunday. The resident requested anonymity because he feared for his safety. The northern half of Mali was overrun by the rebels, including the Islamic group, in early April, following a coup in Mali's capital.
