Darfur - Nine men from Darfur have been executed for the beheading of a Sudanese newspaper editor in 2006.

They were hanged in a prison in the capital, Khartoum, in front of the relatives of the editor, Mohammed Taha.

It was initially thought that Mr Taha had been killed by Islamists but a defence lawyer said an article in his newspaper had angered Darfur groups.

His decapitated body was found on a dirt road a day after he had been abducted from his home in Khartoum.

Human rights group Amnesty International has condemned the men's conviction, saying it was based on confessions obtained by torture.

Ten people were initially convicted of the murder but one was later acquitted.

Despite being an Islamist himself, Mr Taha had sparked angry demonstrations when in 2005 he reprinted an article questioning the roots of the Prophet Muhammad.

He was put on trial for blasphemy but the charges were later dropped.

Mr Taha had been the target of an assassination attempt five years previously after writing an article which criticised the ruling National Congress Party.

Despite his controversial past, thousands of weeping mourners attended Mr Taha's funeral in September 2006.