Essay: Syria’s mass graves – accounting for the dead and disappeared is crucial for the nation to heal

In an article first published on The Conversation, STEFAN SCHMITT, an expert in forensic anthropology and mass casualties in conflict, says the task of seeking justice for the crimes Syrians suffered under Bashar al-Assad’s regime will be tough, but vital, work…
Sudan’s army condemns ethnically-targeted killings of civilians in El Gezira
Dubai, United Arab Emirates/Cairo, Egypt Reuters The Sudanese army on Tuesday condemned what it called “individual violations” in Sudan’s El Gezira in recent days after rights groups blamed the army and its allies for ethnically-targeted attacks on civilians. The attacks largely targeted people from western Sudan living in the central state because of accusations they […]
Gaza captors tortured hostages, including minors, Israeli report says

Jerusalem Reuters Hostages held in Gaza were subjected to torture, including sexual and psychological abuse, starvation, burns and medical neglect, according to a new report by the Israeli Health Ministry that will be submitted to the United Nations this week. The report is based on interviews with the medical and welfare teams which treated more […]
Syrian mass graves expose “machinery of death” under Assad, top prosecutor says

Qutayfah, Syria Reuters An international war crimes prosecutor said on Tuesday that evidence emerging from mass grave sites in Syria has exposed a state-run “machinery of death” under toppled leader Bashar al-Assad in which he estimated more than 100,000 people were tortured and murdered since 2013. A drone view shows the site of a mass […]
Nicaragua tortured at least 229 political prisoners, rights group says

Reuters At least 229 people detained in Nicaragua for political reasons have suffered various forms of torture and other “crimes against humanity” at the hands of the government over the past seven years, a human rights NGO said on Tuesday. The Nicaragua Never Again Human Rights Collective said in a report that it had documented […]
Bewildered, elated prisoners pour out as Assad’s jails flung open

Reuters Bewildered and elated prisoners poured out of Syrian jails on Sunday, shouting with joy as they emerged from one of the world’s most notorious detention systems and walked to freedom following the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s government. All across Syria, families wept as they were reunited with children, siblings, spouses and parents who vanished […]
Georgian rights official condemns use of “torture” against protesters

Tbilisi, Georgia Reuters Georgia’s public ombudsman accused police on Tuesday of inflicting torture on people arrested during six days of big street protests against the government’s decision to suspend talks on joining the European Union. Levan Ioseliani, whose role is to defend citizens’ rights, said he and his officials had met people subjected to “the […]
Jury finds US defence contractor liable in torture at Abu Ghraib prison

Washington DC, US Reuters A federal jury on Tuesday found US defence contractor CACI International liable for its role in torture at the Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad during the Iraq war and ordered it to pay $US42 million in damages. The jury’s verdict found the Virginia-based company liable in the torture of Iraqi men […]
UN details Nicaragua government’s intensifying violent crackdown on rights

Mexico City Reuters A report from the United Nations released on Tuesday detailed alleged crimes committed by the government of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, including an intensifying crackdown on dissent enforced with a new wave of arbitrary arrests and torture. Based on 120 interviews with what the UN human rights office describes as victims and […]
More than 60 children detained, beaten, tortured in El Salvador, HRW says
San Salvador, El Salvador Reuters More than 60 children in El Salvador have been arbitrarily detained, tortured and beaten since the government declared a state of emergency over two years ago to combat gangs, a report by the Human Rights Watch said on Tuesday. Police and soldiers have detained 3,319 children and teenagers from March […]