Agence France-Presse . London

Some 40 protesters gathered outside prime minister Gordon Brown's Downing Street residence Saturday to condemn alleged human rights abuses by the Pakistani president, Pervez Musharraf, who is visiting Britain.

The demonstration, organised by human rights group Amnesty International, came ahead of a meeting between the two leaders at Downing Street Monday as part of the British leg of Musharraf's European tour.

His visit, which started Friday, has so far been plagued by protests. Some of those demonstrating Saturday brandished placards, while others wore masks featuring Musharraf's face and held up the slogan: 'A little bit of human rights abuse never hurt me.' Lawyer Sibghat Kadri, one of those taking part, said:

'It is shameful of the British government that they are welcoming Musharraf...without rule of law you cannot have a fair election.' In a speech to a London think-tank Friday, Musharraf said his country's elections, being held on February 18, would be 'free, fair, transparent and peaceful'.

The poll was delayed after the assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto in December.

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