Crime & Justice

BUENOS AIRES

Prison Study Programme Shuns Argentine “Dirty War” Criminals

By Marcela Valente
A group of prisoners convicted of crimes against humanity committed during Argentina's last dictatorship (1976-1983) have put university and prison authorities in a difficult position by asking to enrol in an academic study programme for inmates financed by the state.

67 Minutes of Shame on African Icon Nelson Mandela’s Birthday

By Jedi Ramapala
Wendy Hlophe* is still visibly grieving for her long-term friend, 28-year-old Sanna Supa, who was shot and killed outside her home in Braamficherville, a South African township, two weeks ago.

Côte d’Ivoire Law Offers Battered Women Little Protection

By Fulgence Zamblé
A shiver ran down Habiba Kanaté's* spine when she read about a policeman shooting and killing his wife in Abidjan, the economic capital of Côte d'Ivoire. "That could have been me," she said.
A young boy carries ice water on his head in Amakom, Kumasi. Any work that is detrimental to a child

Understanding the Roots of Ghana’s Child Labour

By Portia Crowe
At eleven years old, Thema, a native of Kumasi, hopes to be a nurse when she grows up. Currently, however, she is employed wandering between taxis and tro-tros or minibus taxis at rush hour, carrying packs of ice water on her head and selling them for 10 pesewas apiece. She manoeuvres through traffic in Ghana’s second-largest city with practiced ease; she has been doing this for four years.

Canada Targets Traffickers, With a Close Eye on Sex Work

By Fawzia Sheikh
The arrests last week of the three remaining perpetrators of the alleged Opapa human trafficking ring, which forced 19 people recruited from Hungary to endure long work days, poor living conditions and no pay in the Canadian construction industry, has cast a light on Ottawa’s new measures to combat the crime.

DRC Warlord Sentence a Joke, Say NGOs

By Emmanuel Chaco
Non-governmental organisations in the Democratic Republic of Congo province where Thomas Lubanga Dyilo used children as fighters in his militia in 2002 to 2003 have slammed his 14-year sentence as inadequate – and potentially dangerous.

Colombian Informant Exposes Destabilisation Plot

By Constanza Vieira
The same week that a bomb attack targeted Colombia's former interior and justice minister, Fernando Londoño, a Colombian national came forward and confessed that similar attacks were being planned against former senator Piedad Córdoba and current Bogota mayor Gustavo Petro.

Brazil Launches Campaign to Decriminalise Drug Use

By Fabiana Frayssinet
A host of academic, legal, health, political and social figures are joining together to back a campaign to decriminalise drug use in Brazil, as tens of thousands of consumers uninvolved in the drug trade are currently jailed.

Growing ‘Entertainment’ Industry Traps Nepali Girls

By Naresh Newar
Almost unnoticed, Nepal’s burgeoning adult entertainment industry has been drawing young girls away from being trafficked across the border to the fleshpots of India’s big cities.

Activists to Appeal U.S. Court’s Bhopal Verdict

By Zoha Arshad
After a controversial ruling Friday in favour of Union Carbide, NGOs and activists associated with the 1984 Bhopal, India industrial disaster are appealing the decision in the U.S. second circuit court of appeals.

Report Details Widespread Torture in Syrian Jails

By Lawrence Del Gigante
Since March 2011, Syrian authorities have subjected tens of thousands of people to torture, rape, sexual abuse and unlawful detention, with some cases of ill treatment leading to death, according to a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report released Tuesday.

Drugs and Violence Underscore U.S. Influence in Honduras

By Ethan Freedman
A rise in drug trafficking in Honduras has resulted in a sharp increase in violence, leading some to question the United States' influence in the country.

Karadzic Acquitted on One Genocide Charge

By AJ Correspondents
The Yugoslav war crimes tribunal has acquitted former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic of one of the two genocide charges he faces at the halfway stage of his long-running trial.

U.S. Marijuana Reform May Have Hit Tipping Point

By Matthew Cardinale
Over the last several years, many U.S. states have quietly adopted laws decriminalising the possession of marijuana or legalising medical marijuana.

Liberal Berkeley Poised to Acquire Armoured Vehicle

By Judith Scherr
The city of Berkeley, California has long been regarded as a leader in the movements for peace, free speech and civil liberties. But this very city is now poised to follow the lead of hundreds of others around the United States where local police deploy armoured vehicles to fight crime and terrorism.
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