Europe and Central Asia Summary of Amnesty International’s Concerns in the Region, January-June 2007 implications. However, by the end of the period under review, i.e. over a year after the Law on Domestic Violence had come into force, the government had yet to approve the Action Plan. On 7 June AI and several Georgian NGOs4 jointly called on the government to demonstrate its commitment to combat domestic violence by: Promptly approving an updated version of the draft Action Plan on Measures to Prevent and Combat Domestic Violence; Ensuring that all relevant government agencies including the Ministry of Internal Affairs; the Ministry of Labour, Health and Social Affairs; the Ministry of Education and Science; the Ministry of Justice; and the Ministry of Finance swiftly move towards its implementation; Ensuring that sufficient funds are promptly made available to implement activities necessary to end domestic violence in Georgia and provide protection to the victims. Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe On 16 March the Standing Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) adopted on behalf of the Assembly Resolution 1544 (2007) and Recommendation 1790 (2007) on “The situation of women in the South Caucasus”. The Resolution contained a call by the Parliamentary Assembly on Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia to take part in the Council of Europe campaign to combat violence against women, including domestic 4 See public statement: EUR/whatever. The NGOs signing together with AI were as follows: Caucasus Women's Research and Consulting Network , Centre For Protection Of Constitutional Rights, Georgian Association for Psychosocial Aid “Ndoba”, Georgian Young Lawyers Association, Sakhli – Advice Center for Women, Union "Saphari", Women’s Centre, and the Women’s Information Center. Amnesty International 55 violence. It also urged the authorities of these countries to “raise awareness among all relevant authorities and the public at large about the existence of violence against women, in particular domestic violence”; to “take effective measures to combat such violence by adopting legislation, if they have not already done so, including on marital rape, and by establishing penalties in line with the seriousness of the offences committed and providing compensation for victims, including by setting up a compensation fund”; and to “set up shelters for victims when there is no other way of protecting them against the perpetrators”. The internationally unrecognized territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia Death penalty On 12 January the Parliament of Abkhazia adopted the law entitled “Moratorium on the death penalty”, establishing a moratorium on executions during peacetime. Since 1993 there had been a de facto moratorium on executions in place in Abkhazia. According to the Abkhaz news agency Apsnypress, death sentences can still be handed down for “particularly grave crimes against life, the foundations of the constitutional order, against the security of the state, and crimes against military service”. Reportedly, there are currently two male prisoners on death row in Abkhazia: Mr Tarba and Mr Khaghba (first names not known). South Ossetia continues to have a moratorium on death sentences and executions in place. On 26 June PACE adopted Resolution 1516 (2007) entitled “Promotion by Council of Europe member states of an international moratorium on the death penalty”. It reiterated its call on Abkhazia and South Ossetia to abolish the death penalty. It also urged that “the sentences of all prisoners currently on death row in [Abkhazia] should be immediately commuted to terms of AI Index: EUR 01/010/2007