(Reuters) Wafa Amr - The dozens of Palestinians sitting on death row can breathe easier since the EU, the biggest aid donor to the Palestinian territories, raised an uproar over a move by PA Chairman Abbas to carry out 15 executions. "We put them on hold after a number of visiting European prime ministers and foreign ministers told Abbas he would risk a freeze in EU reconstruction aid if the executions were carried out," a senior Palestinian official said. Pent-up demand for revenge over gang murders and the betrayal of wanted militants to Israel has spilled into vigilante executions of more than 30 suspects in town squares and even inside prisons after gunmen blasted their way into cellblocks. Some alleged collaborators have been abducted and publicly tortured before being machine-gunned in front of cheering crowds.
2005-04-11 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive