"Human rights worsen in Zimbabwe", Amnesty

The human rights group, Amnesty International, has warned that state-sponsored killings in Zimbabwe are on the rise.

About 50 politically inspired killings have been reported since last year, some of them during parliamentary by-elections.

Amnesty says the killings have been carried out by supporters of President Robert Mugabe's ruling ZANU-PF party, sometimes with the active involvement of the police.

The group has urged the European Union and the Commonwealth to send international observers to Zimbabwe as soon as possible ahead of presidential elections next year.

The report coincides with the visit to Zimbabwe on Wednesday by the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service