cases of detainees who died in detention, it appeared detainees, who had received medical attention, had died of ill health or of natural causes. There have been cases of detainees shot and killed by detention center wardens while attempting to escape. Such cases are investigated and those responsible were charged under the law. For instance, a detainee who tried to escape was shot and killed by a detention center warden on duty in Addis Zemen Detention Center (Amhara Region). The warden was charged and punished. Overall there has, been no evident problem in regard to protecting and respecting the right to life of detainees in all regional and federal detention centers. It was understood that 174 persons (four of whom are women) in the prisons monitored have been sentenced to death by a court of law. In many instances, the government granted pardon to those under death row. However, according to information received from prison administrations, no death sentences have been carried out in any regional detention centers to-date or in any federal detention centers since 2008. Efforts are made in most detention centers to provide those sentenced to death, with counseling services and with their consent, with training and participation in jobs, as is the case for all other detainees. Equally, as noted above, there is also the possibility of pardon in this and other cases. Article 229 (1) of the 2005 FDRE Criminal Law provides that, unless prohibited by another law, prison sentences passed by courts can be terminated, partly or fully, by pardon. Accordingly, the Federal government as well as Regional Administrative Councils has been regularly granting pardons to detainees that meet the pardon requirements. A total of 18,246 detainees country-wide were released on pardon in 2010-2011. Of these 767 were women detainees. With respect to the right to life in context of health policy, the government has been successfully implementing a number of projects aimed at reducing the infant mortality rate and maternal mortality. Over the period between 2005 and 2011 the rate dropped from 77/1000 to 59/1000. A National Nutrition Program was also designed and successfully implemented, reducing the death of children from malnutrition. The Government, by expanding health care institutions to the lowest levels of administration in line with its prevention- oriented health policy, has managed to increase life expectancy from 50.9 for women and 53.5 for men in 2002 to 60.4 for women and 58.4 for men in 2010. In order to reduce road traffic fatal accidents, a Council of Road Traffic Safety was established under the Ministry of Transport pursuant to the Council of Ministers‟ Regulation No. 205/2011. This body, consisting of stakeholder organizations, has the responsibility for developing and 46