Reuters, TRIPOLI: Libya forces have killed dozens of protesters in the eastern city of Benghazi in the latest violence to threaten Muammar Gaddafi's authority, with national Muslim leaders appealing for an end to the growing death toll.
Before the latest reports of deaths, Human Rights Watch said 84 people had been killed over three days in a fierce security crackdown mounted in response to anti-government protests that seek to emulate uprisings in neighboring Egypt and Tunisia.
Britain's Independent Sunday said the body count in Benghazi may be as high as 200.
"Dozens were killed ... not 15, dozens. We are in the midst of a massacre here," a witness told Al Jazeera television. The man said he helped take the victims to hospital in Benghazi, Libya's second city.
The broadcaster Sunday reported some security personnel captured by protesters appeared to be foreign mercenaries. Earlier, the channel said, security forces fired at mourners at a funeral killing at least 15 people.
Witness accounts have been hard to independently verify because Libyan authorities have not allowed foreign journalists into the country since the protests against Gaddafi erupted and local reporters have been barred from traveling to Benghazi.
Mobile phone connections have been frequently out of service and Internet service in Libya has been cut off, according to a U.S. company that monitors web traffic.
A Benghazi hospital doctor said victims had suffered severe wounds from high-velocity rifles. Comments on social network sites suggested one man was hit by an anti-aircraft missile.
"Gaddafi will find it hard to make concessions in order to survive. I think the attitude of the Libyan regime is that it's all or nothing," Sir Richard Dalton, a former British ambassador to Libya, told the newspaper.
The bloody crackdown prompted about 50 Libyan Muslim religious leaders to issue an appeal, sent to Reuters, for the security forces, as Muslims, to stop the killing.
"This is an urgent appeal from religious scholars (faqihs and Sufi sheikhs), intellectuals, and clan elders from Tripoli, Bani Walid, Zintan, Jadu, Msalata, Misrata, Zawiah, and other towns and villages of the western area," said the appeal.
"We appeal to every Muslim, within the regime or assisting it in any way, to recognize that the killing of innocent human beings is forbidden by our Creator and by His beloved Prophet of Compassion (peace be upon him)... Do NOT kill your brothers and sisters. STOP the massacre NOW!"
A Benghazi resident said security forces were confined to a compound from which snipers were firing at protesters.
"Right now, the only military presence in Benghazi is confined to the Command Center Complex in the city. The rest of the city is liberated," he said.
"Thousands and thousands of people have gathered in front of Benghazi's court house....All of the revolutionary committee (local government) offices and police stations in the city have been burned," he said.
The account could not be independently verified and a security source earlier gave a different version, saying the situation in the Benghazi region was "80 percent under control."
The private Quryna newspaper, which is based in Benghazi and has been linked to one of Gaddafi's sons, said 24 people were killed in Benghazi Friday. It said security forces fired to stop protesters attacking the police headquarters and a military base where weapons were stored.
"The guards were forced to use bullets," the paper said.
Italy's Ansa news agency quoted an Italian witness in Benghazi as saying the city was "completely out of control."
"All the government and institutional buildings and a bank have been burned, and the rebels have ransacked and destroyed everything. There's no one on the streets, not even the police," said the witness, who declined to be identified.
The government has not released any casualty figures or made any official comment on the violence.
CALM IN TRIPOLI
The violence has been largely concentrated around Benghazi, some 1,000 km (625 miles) east of the capital, where support for Gaddafi traditionally has been weaker than in the rest of the country. There was no clear sign of a nationwide revolt.
In Green Square in the center of Tripoli, next to the walled old city, several hundred people gathered Saturday, waving portraits of Gaddafi and chanting "Our revolutionary leader!" and "We follow your path," a Reuters reporter said.
A state-controlled newspaper said the violence was part of "the dirty plans and the conspiracies designed by America and Zionism and the traitors of the West."
State television showed footage of one of Gaddafi's sons, Saadi Gaddafi, who was this week put in charge of Benghazi, touring Green Square. He was cheered by about 1,000 people, most of them supporters of the capital's two main soccer clubs, Al-Ahly and Al-Ettihad.
The crowd chanted "God, Libya and Muammar only."
Libya watchers say an Egypt-style nationwide revolt is unlikely because Gaddafi has oil cash to smooth over social problems, and is still respected in much of the country.
(Additional reporting by Souhail Karam in Rabat and Matt Falloon and William Maclean in London and Tom Heneghan in Paris; Writing by Matthew Jones)
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Libyan forces kill dozens as talks begin in Bahrain
Reuters, TRIPOLI: Libyan security forces shot dead dozens of protesters as they struggled to stamp out a revolt in the second city Benghazi as Bahrain's rulers began talks with the opposition as unrest continued to sweep the Middle East.
Anti-government demonstrators in Bahrain swarmed into Pearl Square in Manama on Saturday, putting riot police to flight in a striking victory for their cause and confidently setting up camp for a protracted stay.
In Libya's eastern city of Benghazi, a witness told Reuters snipers had fired at protesters from a fortified compound.
"Dozens were killed ... not 15, dozens. We are in the midst of a massacre here," said the resident, who did not want to be named. The man said he helped take the victims to a local hospital during Saturday's violence.
The Libyan authorities have not allowed foreign journalists into the country since the protests against Gaddafi erupted, and the witness' account could not be independently verified.
Human Rights Watch says 84 people have been killed in Libya since the protests began, the death toll a reflection of the ferocity of the security crackdown mounted in response to anti-government protests that sought to emulate uprisings in neighboring Egypt and Tunisia.
Unrest has spread from those two countries, whose leaders were toppled, to Bahrain, Libya, Yemen, Oman, Kuwait and Djibouti as people take to the streets demanding political and economic change.
Anti-government protests met varying degrees of force in Yemen, Algiers and Djibouti, while an Egyptian court approved a new party in a landmark ruling. Authorities in Saudi Arabia detained activists trying to set up the kingdom's first political party.
SNIPER FIRE
In Libya, the violence was concentrated around Benghazi, 1,000 km (625 miles) east of the capital, where support for Gaddafi traditionally has been weaker than in the rest of the country.
There was no sign of a nationwide revolt, but Twitter was abuzz with talk of unrest in towns other than Benghazi. Reports ranged from the use of mercenaries and aircraft to mortars and artillery against protesters, but with foreign media banned from entering the country, they were impossible to verify.
Internet service has been cut off in Libya, but local Muslim leaders called for an end to the violence.
"This is an urgent appeal from religious scholars (faqihs and Sufi sheikhs), intellectuals, and clan elders from Tripoli, Bani Walid, Zintan, Jadu, Msalata, Misrata, Zawiah, and other towns and villages of the western area of our beloved Libya to all of humanity, to all men and women of goodwill," they said in an appeal to Reuters.
The Benghazi witness told Reuters security forces had set up a 50-meter (yard) perimeter around their "command center" and fired at anyone approaching it.
He said people were killed after protesters tried to break into the compound command. Another resident earlier said the security forces were confined to the compound.
The resident said the violence was beginning to hurt food supplies. Italy's Ansa news agency quoted an Italian witness there as saying the city was "completely out of control."
"All the government and institutional buildings and a bank have been burned, and the rebels have ransacked and destroyed everything. There's no one on the streets, not even the police," said the witness, who declined to be identified.
The government has not released any casualty figures or made any official comment on the violence.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague urged Libya to stop using force against protesters, calling it "unacceptable and horrifying," and asked Middle Eastern governments to respond to the "legitimate aspirations" of their people.
The unrest has helped drive up oil and gold prices.
Analysts say that Gaddafi, unlike the Egyptian leadership, has oil cash to smooth over social problems, and is respected in much of the country.
BAHRAIN TALKS
In Bahrain, a key U.S. ally and home to the U.S. Fifth Fleet, thousands of protesters celebrated as they poured into Pearl Square after riot police pulled out.
"We don't fear death any more, let the army come and kill us to show the world what kind of savages they are," said Umm Mohammed, a teacher wearing a black abaya cloak.
Bahrain's government said it had opened a dialogue with opposition groups demanding reform. The crown prince called for a national day of mourning for the six people killed in this week's protests and appealed for calm.
He had earlier announced that all troops had been ordered off the streets -- meeting one of the conditions for talks set out by an ex-lawmaker of the main Shi'ite opposition bloc Wefaq.
The Sunni Muslim Al-Khalifa dynasty rules Bahrain, but the Shi'ite majority has long complained about what it sees as discrimination in access to state jobs, housing and healthcare.
The United States and top oil producer Saudi Arabia see Bahrain as a bulwark against neighboring Shi'ite Iran.
In Egypt, a court approved the Wasat Party (Center Party), the first new party to be recognised since President Hosni Mubarak was overthrown this month, and an official said there would soon be a limited cabinet reshuffle.
In Yemen, one protester was killed and seven were hurt in clashes with supporters of President Ali Abdullah Saleh in Sanaa.
Riot police in Algiers meanwhile prevented some 500 protesters marching in through the city center.
The uprisings sweeping through the region also reached the tiny Horn of Africa state of Djibouti, where three leading opposition politicians were detained on Saturday in a move to quash anti-government protests.
Djibouti, a former French colony between Eritrea and Somalia, hosts France's largest military base in Africa and a major U.S. base. Its port is used by foreign navies patrolling busy shipping lanes off the coast of Somalia to fight piracy. Unemployment runs at about 60 percent.
Anti-government demonstrators in Bahrain swarmed into Pearl Square in Manama on Saturday, putting riot police to flight in a striking victory for their cause and confidently setting up camp for a protracted stay.
In Libya's eastern city of Benghazi, a witness told Reuters snipers had fired at protesters from a fortified compound.
"Dozens were killed ... not 15, dozens. We are in the midst of a massacre here," said the resident, who did not want to be named. The man said he helped take the victims to a local hospital during Saturday's violence.
The Libyan authorities have not allowed foreign journalists into the country since the protests against Gaddafi erupted, and the witness' account could not be independently verified.
Human Rights Watch says 84 people have been killed in Libya since the protests began, the death toll a reflection of the ferocity of the security crackdown mounted in response to anti-government protests that sought to emulate uprisings in neighboring Egypt and Tunisia.
Unrest has spread from those two countries, whose leaders were toppled, to Bahrain, Libya, Yemen, Oman, Kuwait and Djibouti as people take to the streets demanding political and economic change.
Anti-government protests met varying degrees of force in Yemen, Algiers and Djibouti, while an Egyptian court approved a new party in a landmark ruling. Authorities in Saudi Arabia detained activists trying to set up the kingdom's first political party.
SNIPER FIRE
In Libya, the violence was concentrated around Benghazi, 1,000 km (625 miles) east of the capital, where support for Gaddafi traditionally has been weaker than in the rest of the country.
There was no sign of a nationwide revolt, but Twitter was abuzz with talk of unrest in towns other than Benghazi. Reports ranged from the use of mercenaries and aircraft to mortars and artillery against protesters, but with foreign media banned from entering the country, they were impossible to verify.
Internet service has been cut off in Libya, but local Muslim leaders called for an end to the violence.
"This is an urgent appeal from religious scholars (faqihs and Sufi sheikhs), intellectuals, and clan elders from Tripoli, Bani Walid, Zintan, Jadu, Msalata, Misrata, Zawiah, and other towns and villages of the western area of our beloved Libya to all of humanity, to all men and women of goodwill," they said in an appeal to Reuters.
The Benghazi witness told Reuters security forces had set up a 50-meter (yard) perimeter around their "command center" and fired at anyone approaching it.
He said people were killed after protesters tried to break into the compound command. Another resident earlier said the security forces were confined to the compound.
The resident said the violence was beginning to hurt food supplies. Italy's Ansa news agency quoted an Italian witness there as saying the city was "completely out of control."
"All the government and institutional buildings and a bank have been burned, and the rebels have ransacked and destroyed everything. There's no one on the streets, not even the police," said the witness, who declined to be identified.
The government has not released any casualty figures or made any official comment on the violence.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague urged Libya to stop using force against protesters, calling it "unacceptable and horrifying," and asked Middle Eastern governments to respond to the "legitimate aspirations" of their people.
The unrest has helped drive up oil and gold prices.
Analysts say that Gaddafi, unlike the Egyptian leadership, has oil cash to smooth over social problems, and is respected in much of the country.
BAHRAIN TALKS
In Bahrain, a key U.S. ally and home to the U.S. Fifth Fleet, thousands of protesters celebrated as they poured into Pearl Square after riot police pulled out.
"We don't fear death any more, let the army come and kill us to show the world what kind of savages they are," said Umm Mohammed, a teacher wearing a black abaya cloak.
Bahrain's government said it had opened a dialogue with opposition groups demanding reform. The crown prince called for a national day of mourning for the six people killed in this week's protests and appealed for calm.
He had earlier announced that all troops had been ordered off the streets -- meeting one of the conditions for talks set out by an ex-lawmaker of the main Shi'ite opposition bloc Wefaq.
The Sunni Muslim Al-Khalifa dynasty rules Bahrain, but the Shi'ite majority has long complained about what it sees as discrimination in access to state jobs, housing and healthcare.
The United States and top oil producer Saudi Arabia see Bahrain as a bulwark against neighboring Shi'ite Iran.
In Egypt, a court approved the Wasat Party (Center Party), the first new party to be recognised since President Hosni Mubarak was overthrown this month, and an official said there would soon be a limited cabinet reshuffle.
In Yemen, one protester was killed and seven were hurt in clashes with supporters of President Ali Abdullah Saleh in Sanaa.
Riot police in Algiers meanwhile prevented some 500 protesters marching in through the city center.
The uprisings sweeping through the region also reached the tiny Horn of Africa state of Djibouti, where three leading opposition politicians were detained on Saturday in a move to quash anti-government protests.
Djibouti, a former French colony between Eritrea and Somalia, hosts France's largest military base in Africa and a major U.S. base. Its port is used by foreign navies patrolling busy shipping lanes off the coast of Somalia to fight piracy. Unemployment runs at about 60 percent.
Iran releases 2 German journalists held for months
AP, TEHRAN, Iran: Iran freed two German journalists arrested four months ago in connection with a highly publicized stoning case, and Germany's foreign minister went to Tehran on Saturday to bring the reporters home in a rare top-level visit by a Western government representative.
An Iranian court threw out the journalists' 20-month prison sentence Saturday, commuting it to a fine of $50,000 each and clearing the way for their release, state media reported.
German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle in Tehran thanked his Iranian counterpart, Ali Akbar Salehi, for his "commitment to the relations between our countries." Westerwelle's office said in a statement the ministers also discussed their differing opinions on "questions of human rights and the development of democracy."
The Germans — a reporter and a photographer for the Berlin-based mass-circulation tabloid Bild am Sonntag — got caught up in one of the many confrontations between Iran and the West.
They interviewed the son of an Iranian woman sentenced to death by stoning for adultery, Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, whose case has generated widespread international outrage.
Marcus Hellwig and Jens Koch were detained in October after interviewing Ashtiani's son in the northwestern city of Tabriz. Throughout their detention, Iranian officials accused them of a range of serious crimes from spying to having links to groups of Iranian exiles.
Ultimately, they were found guilty of committing acts against Iran's national security. State media reports on Saturday did not elaborate on the details of their alleged offenses.
Officials have also claimed they admitted to violating Iranian laws barring those entering the country on tourist visas from working as journalists.
In Saturday's ruling, a court in Tabriz said the Germans "deserved to have their punishment commuted and enjoy Islamic mercy," state TV reported.
Hours later in Berlin, Germany's Foreign Ministry said the two had been released and were in the care of German consular officials in Tabriz. They then flew to Tehran and were seen arriving at the capital's Mehrabad airport. The two men looked healthy.
Westerwelle later joined the man and took them back home to Germany, his office said.
"We are all jubilant today," Bild am Sonntag's deputy editor Michael Backhaus told The Associated Press. "This is a 132-day-long nightmare that is now ending for the newspaper's staff and all relatives."
Backhaus declined to discuss details of how the journalists' release had been achieved. He said diplomatic efforts were made continuously behind the scenes.
Germany had also sent a deputy foreign minister to Iran in late January as part of its diplomatic efforts to secure the release of the two journalists.
The photographer's father said he was overwhelmed by joy when he first learned of their release.
"As a father, you just cry out of joy," Andreas Hartmann told Bild am Sonntag.
The sisters of Hellwig were equally relieved.
"We are grateful and full of joy that the long phase of fear and hope has finally come to a good end," Miriam Lobinsky and Christina Hellwig told the paper.
Westerwelle's office said the minister also talked about Iran's controversial nuclear program, but stressed the minister had not come to negotiate, but merely reiterated the European and Western position on the issue. Germany is part of the six nations leading the negotiations with Iran on its nuclear program.
Ashtiani was convicted of adultery in 2006 after the murder of her husband and sentenced to death by stoning. In the face of international outrage, the sentence has been suspended and is under review by the Supreme Court.
She was later convicted of being an accessory to her husband's murder and sentenced to 10 years in prison. In the wake of the international outcry over the verdict, the Iranian government has been at pains to show that Ashtiani is guilty, airing several interviews with her repeatedly confessing her crimes.
An Iranian court threw out the journalists' 20-month prison sentence Saturday, commuting it to a fine of $50,000 each and clearing the way for their release, state media reported.
German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle in Tehran thanked his Iranian counterpart, Ali Akbar Salehi, for his "commitment to the relations between our countries." Westerwelle's office said in a statement the ministers also discussed their differing opinions on "questions of human rights and the development of democracy."
The Germans — a reporter and a photographer for the Berlin-based mass-circulation tabloid Bild am Sonntag — got caught up in one of the many confrontations between Iran and the West.
They interviewed the son of an Iranian woman sentenced to death by stoning for adultery, Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, whose case has generated widespread international outrage.
Marcus Hellwig and Jens Koch were detained in October after interviewing Ashtiani's son in the northwestern city of Tabriz. Throughout their detention, Iranian officials accused them of a range of serious crimes from spying to having links to groups of Iranian exiles.
Ultimately, they were found guilty of committing acts against Iran's national security. State media reports on Saturday did not elaborate on the details of their alleged offenses.
Officials have also claimed they admitted to violating Iranian laws barring those entering the country on tourist visas from working as journalists.
In Saturday's ruling, a court in Tabriz said the Germans "deserved to have their punishment commuted and enjoy Islamic mercy," state TV reported.
Hours later in Berlin, Germany's Foreign Ministry said the two had been released and were in the care of German consular officials in Tabriz. They then flew to Tehran and were seen arriving at the capital's Mehrabad airport. The two men looked healthy.
Westerwelle later joined the man and took them back home to Germany, his office said.
"We are all jubilant today," Bild am Sonntag's deputy editor Michael Backhaus told The Associated Press. "This is a 132-day-long nightmare that is now ending for the newspaper's staff and all relatives."
Backhaus declined to discuss details of how the journalists' release had been achieved. He said diplomatic efforts were made continuously behind the scenes.
Germany had also sent a deputy foreign minister to Iran in late January as part of its diplomatic efforts to secure the release of the two journalists.
The photographer's father said he was overwhelmed by joy when he first learned of their release.
"As a father, you just cry out of joy," Andreas Hartmann told Bild am Sonntag.
The sisters of Hellwig were equally relieved.
"We are grateful and full of joy that the long phase of fear and hope has finally come to a good end," Miriam Lobinsky and Christina Hellwig told the paper.
Westerwelle's office said the minister also talked about Iran's controversial nuclear program, but stressed the minister had not come to negotiate, but merely reiterated the European and Western position on the issue. Germany is part of the six nations leading the negotiations with Iran on its nuclear program.
Ashtiani was convicted of adultery in 2006 after the murder of her husband and sentenced to death by stoning. In the face of international outrage, the sentence has been suspended and is under review by the Supreme Court.
She was later convicted of being an accessory to her husband's murder and sentenced to 10 years in prison. In the wake of the international outcry over the verdict, the Iranian government has been at pains to show that Ashtiani is guilty, airing several interviews with her repeatedly confessing her crimes.
Guest lineups for the Sunday news shows
AP, WASHINGTON: Guest lineup for the Sunday TV news shows:
___
ABC's "This Week" — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.
___
NBC's "Meet the Press" — Susan Rice, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations; Sens. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.
___
CBS' "Face the Nation" — Reps. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., and Chris Van Hollen, D-Md.
___
CNN's "State of the Union" — Former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld; Sens. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., and Richard Lugar, R-Ind.
___
"Fox News Sunday" — Gov. Scott Walker, R-Wis.; Sens. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., and Claire McCaskill, D-Mo.
___
ABC's "This Week" — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.
___
NBC's "Meet the Press" — Susan Rice, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations; Sens. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.
___
CBS' "Face the Nation" — Reps. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., and Chris Van Hollen, D-Md.
___
CNN's "State of the Union" — Former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld; Sens. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., and Richard Lugar, R-Ind.
___
"Fox News Sunday" — Gov. Scott Walker, R-Wis.; Sens. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., and Claire McCaskill, D-Mo.
Jazeera probes signal disruptions across Mideast
Reuters, DOHA: Al Jazeera television said it was investigating reports of reception disruptions across the Middle East on Saturday, a day after it said its signal had been jammed on several frequencies.
"We are not sure of the cause but we are looking into it," an Al Jazeera spokesman said.
The Qatar-based news channel's signal was sporadically disrupted in countries including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt throughout Saturday.
Al Jazeera's coverage of the political unrest in the Middle East and North Africa has been widely watched in the Arab world.
It reported the jamming on Friday on its website, where it offered alternative frequencies on the Arabsat, Nilesat and Hot Bird satellites.
The station has closely followed events in Libya, Bahrain and Yemen, contacting protesters and government backers by telephone and often airing footage of events sent via the Internet.
Earlier this month, Egypt's Nilesat cut off Al Jazeera's signal for more than a week after authorities there ordered it to stop operations in Egypt during the unrest that ultimately ended president Hosni Mubarak's 30-year rule.
Launched in 1996, Al Jazeera has more than 400 reporters in over 60 countries, according to its website. It says it can reach 220 million households in more than 100 countries.
"We are not sure of the cause but we are looking into it," an Al Jazeera spokesman said.
The Qatar-based news channel's signal was sporadically disrupted in countries including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt throughout Saturday.
Al Jazeera's coverage of the political unrest in the Middle East and North Africa has been widely watched in the Arab world.
It reported the jamming on Friday on its website, where it offered alternative frequencies on the Arabsat, Nilesat and Hot Bird satellites.
The station has closely followed events in Libya, Bahrain and Yemen, contacting protesters and government backers by telephone and often airing footage of events sent via the Internet.
Earlier this month, Egypt's Nilesat cut off Al Jazeera's signal for more than a week after authorities there ordered it to stop operations in Egypt during the unrest that ultimately ended president Hosni Mubarak's 30-year rule.
Launched in 1996, Al Jazeera has more than 400 reporters in over 60 countries, according to its website. It says it can reach 220 million households in more than 100 countries.
Pamela Anderson asks India to retire old monkeys
AFP, NEW DELHI: Former "Baywatch" star Pamela Anderson has appealed to India's top medical institute to retire old monkeys used in scientific research, animal rights group PETA India said Saturday.
The Hollywood actress said she had seen a video allegedly secretly filmed at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) that showed sick monkeys and rabbits which had been kept in cages for up to 20 years.
"It broke my heart to see the suffering," Anderson said in a letter written to AIIMS director R. C. Deka on behalf of the People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).
The video, which was enclosed with the letter, showed animals under extreme distress, with a monkey racing up the walls of the cage to get out and a rat compulsively running in circles, she said.
"The animals suffering behind closed doors at AIIMS must endure this nightmare every day," she said.
The video also depicted newborn rats being shaken in their cages by attendants as well as wounded rats being denied veterinary care, Anderson said.
"Please, won't you at least agree to retire the animals who have been at AIIMS the longest to a sanctuary?" Anderson asked Deka, adding that Indian law required all laboratories to "rehabilitate" animals after three years.
A spokesman for AIIMS told Indian newspaper The Times of India that the institute had not received any letter from Anderson, and said that the research facility was "state of the art" and fully compliant with Indian laws.
Spokesman Y. K. Gupta said that AIIMS already had rehabilitation facilities for animals after they had been spent three years as experiment subjects.
Anderson, 43, recently came to India's financial capital Mumbai to participate in the reality television show "Bigg Boss," the Indian version of "Big Brother."
The Hollywood actress said she had seen a video allegedly secretly filmed at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) that showed sick monkeys and rabbits which had been kept in cages for up to 20 years.
"It broke my heart to see the suffering," Anderson said in a letter written to AIIMS director R. C. Deka on behalf of the People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).
The video, which was enclosed with the letter, showed animals under extreme distress, with a monkey racing up the walls of the cage to get out and a rat compulsively running in circles, she said.
"The animals suffering behind closed doors at AIIMS must endure this nightmare every day," she said.
The video also depicted newborn rats being shaken in their cages by attendants as well as wounded rats being denied veterinary care, Anderson said.
"Please, won't you at least agree to retire the animals who have been at AIIMS the longest to a sanctuary?" Anderson asked Deka, adding that Indian law required all laboratories to "rehabilitate" animals after three years.
A spokesman for AIIMS told Indian newspaper The Times of India that the institute had not received any letter from Anderson, and said that the research facility was "state of the art" and fully compliant with Indian laws.
Spokesman Y. K. Gupta said that AIIMS already had rehabilitation facilities for animals after they had been spent three years as experiment subjects.
Anderson, 43, recently came to India's financial capital Mumbai to participate in the reality television show "Bigg Boss," the Indian version of "Big Brother."
India charges Pakistani singer for undeclared cash
AFP, NEW DELHI: India charged a well-known Pakistani singer with currency violations on Saturday after he and his entourage were allegedly caught with $124,000 in undeclared cash at New Delhi's airport, reports said.
Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, a nephew of late Pakistani singing great Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, and his group were boarding a plane to Lahore via Dubai last Sunday when authorities alleged they found the $124,000 cash in their bags.
Thirty-seven-year-old Khan is accused of carrying undeclared foreign currency in violation of India's Foreign Exchange Management Act and customs rules, the Press Trust of India and other media reported.
Khan's manager Maroof, who goes by one name, faces similar charges, the reports said.
The singer was stopped at the airport and his passport confiscated after performing a string of concerts in India.
According to Indian customs rules, visitors are allowed to carry only $5,000 in cash in and out of the country.
Central Board of Excise and Customs chairman S. Dutt Majumdar said the cash had allegedly been found divided among the musical troupe.
Rahat, a frequent visitor to India, is rated as one of the top "playback" singers in Bollywood, the country's prolific Hindi-language film industry, performing songs to which actors lip-synch the words.
He has several hit songs to his credit and won India's Filmfare Award for Best Male Playback Singer this year.
A spokesman for the Pakistan High Commission (embassy) in New Delhi said he was not immediately aware of the charges.
But the Pakistani foreign ministry said in Islamabad earlier in the week it was "closely monitoring the situation".
The charges were laid just over a week after nuclear rivals India and Pakistan agreed to resume peace talks suspended more than two years ago after Islamist gunmen killed 166 people in Mumbai.
Authorities could impose "heavy penalties" on Rahat and his manager, the Press Trust of India said, quoting unidentified official sources.
It was not immediately known what penalties the pair could face.
Khan's agent Yusuf Salahuddin said the singer was perhaps unaware of India's stringent foreign currency laws.
"He was in India for 10 days and did about seven concerts all across the country and this must have been some of the money which possibly was given to him at the airport," he told Times Now TV station earlier this week.
Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, a nephew of late Pakistani singing great Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, and his group were boarding a plane to Lahore via Dubai last Sunday when authorities alleged they found the $124,000 cash in their bags.
Thirty-seven-year-old Khan is accused of carrying undeclared foreign currency in violation of India's Foreign Exchange Management Act and customs rules, the Press Trust of India and other media reported.
Khan's manager Maroof, who goes by one name, faces similar charges, the reports said.
The singer was stopped at the airport and his passport confiscated after performing a string of concerts in India.
According to Indian customs rules, visitors are allowed to carry only $5,000 in cash in and out of the country.
Central Board of Excise and Customs chairman S. Dutt Majumdar said the cash had allegedly been found divided among the musical troupe.
Rahat, a frequent visitor to India, is rated as one of the top "playback" singers in Bollywood, the country's prolific Hindi-language film industry, performing songs to which actors lip-synch the words.
He has several hit songs to his credit and won India's Filmfare Award for Best Male Playback Singer this year.
A spokesman for the Pakistan High Commission (embassy) in New Delhi said he was not immediately aware of the charges.
But the Pakistani foreign ministry said in Islamabad earlier in the week it was "closely monitoring the situation".
The charges were laid just over a week after nuclear rivals India and Pakistan agreed to resume peace talks suspended more than two years ago after Islamist gunmen killed 166 people in Mumbai.
Authorities could impose "heavy penalties" on Rahat and his manager, the Press Trust of India said, quoting unidentified official sources.
It was not immediately known what penalties the pair could face.
Khan's agent Yusuf Salahuddin said the singer was perhaps unaware of India's stringent foreign currency laws.
"He was in India for 10 days and did about seven concerts all across the country and this must have been some of the money which possibly was given to him at the airport," he told Times Now TV station earlier this week.
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