Tag: war crimes
Guatemalans look on as former dictator prepares to stand trial for genocide
Guatemala's former President Efrain Rios Montt is about stand trial for his role in a violent reign of terror over 36 years. Ríos Montt had seemed untouchable, even being elected to his country's legislature after losing power. Now, however, he will answer for the crimes he's accused of....
Despite differences, Guantanamo prison out-of-sight, if not mind, in presidential election
Mitt Romney and Barack Obama have divergent views on Guantanamo Bay — at least based on statements made years ago. In the current election cycles, neither man has really talked about the future he sees for the prison. But whoever is elected will be faced with precedent-setting cases in short order....
Violence continues to escalate in Syria with report of mass execution in Damascus suburb
Reports emerged from Syria over the weekend of a mass execution in the Damascus suburb of Daraya. If confirmed, it would be the worst atrocity in the year-long civil war. Meanwhile, an academic in the United States sees a grim, Lebanon-like future for Syria....
Poles looking for lost remains of hero of World War II resistance
Witold Pilecki volunteered to go to Auschwitz, the Nazi concentration camp that killed more than 1 million people, mostly Jewish, during World War II. He eventually escaped, and fought the Germans during the Warsaw uprising. After the war, though, he was killed by fellow Poles when he challenged the Communist government....
New report finds Syrian children bearing high share of Syrian civil war's cost
Syria spiraled further out of control over the weekend, with increased fighting in and around the country's two main cities and the government for the first time admitting that it has chemical weapons. Amidst all that, children are paying a heavy price....
VIDEO: Congolese warlord sentenced to 14 years in prison
Thomas Lubanga was arrested in 2006 for recruiting child soldiers into his rebel militia in Congo's northeast region. On Tuesday, the International Criminal court sentenced him to 14 years in prison for his crimes, the tribunal's first sentencing in its 10-year existence. ...
Human rights group highlights system of torture in Syria
An international human rights organization this week released a report that it says documents a series of detention and torture facilities setup around Syria by the country's government. The report is based on hundreds of interviews with Syrians who were victims of the government program....
Trial of former dictator forces Guatemala to face its turbulent past
Guatemala's former de facto president Jose Efrain Rios Montt is on trial for charges of war crimes and genocide committed under his brutal rule in the 1980s. After avoiding prosecution for nearly 30 years, Rios Montt faces a list of charges that shines a spotlight on the country's unpleasant past....
Kidnappings reported as Lebanese strain under Syrian refugee load
Lebanon has become home to thousands of Syrian refugees, trying to flee the ongoing violence in the Middle Eastern country. Now, at least in one area of Lebanon, tensions are breaking into the open, with Syrians and Lebanese kidnapping one another over the weekend....
VIDEO: Former Liberian dictator Charles Taylor sentenced to 50 years
Charles Taylor, 64, the former leader of Liberia, convicted war criminal and American college student, will very likely spend the rest of his natural life in prison as punishment for the role he played in the violent crimes during the Sierra Leone civil war....
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