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Wednesday, May 16, 2012 20:01 GMT

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Ratko Mladic Goes on Trial for Genocide
By Correspondents*
DOHA, Qatar - The trial of General Ratko Mladic, the former Bosnian Serb army chief accused of orchestrating war crimes and a campaign of genocide, has begun at a special U.N. court at The Hague in the Netherlands.
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KYRGYZSTAN
Justice Elusive for Kidnapped Brides
By Azita Ranjbar*
BISHKEK - Even though she was kidnapped, pressured into marrying a man from a nearby village, and then abandoned without means to sustain herself and the couple's two young children, Totugul can't rely on Kyrgyzstan's courts for help.
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Iron Fist Cracks Down on Guatemala
By Danilo Valladares
GUATEMALA CITY - Rightwing President Otto Pérez Molina is keeping his promise to take a hard line on soaring crime in Guatemala, but his government is neglecting prevention measures. Analysts warn the strategy, along with upcoming legal reforms, may jeopardise human rights.
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U.S. Should Double Aid to Curb Violence in Central America: Report
By Jim Lobe*
WASHINGTON - The United States should double aid to Central America and focus it more on programmes designed to strengthen the region's criminal justice institutions to help curb the skyrocketing violence in the region, according to a new report published by an influential foreign policy group.
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Taylor's War Crimes Conviction Sends Powerful Message
By Thalif Deen
UNITED NATIONS - The United Nations is rejoicing over the conviction of a former head of state for committing crimes against humanity, specifically involving the recruitment of child soldiers.
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Truce Between Salvadoran Gangs Brings Fragile Hope
By Edgardo Ayala
SAN SALVADOR - A truce negotiated between El Salvador's main gangs has drastically reduced murders and encouraged hope that this country may have found a way out of the labyrinth of violence in which it seemed lost. But the deal is fragile, causing uncertainty.
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Taiwanese Activists Cold to Human Rights Claims
Analysis by Dennis Engbarth
TAIPEI - The first official national human rights report issued by Taiwan’s rightist Chinese Nationalist Party (Kuomintang or KMT) government disappointed civil society and human rights advocates, who have described the document as "an empty shell" and "insincere".
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U.S.-Mexico Border Build-Up Found Excessive
By Jim Lobe*
WASHINGTON - While Republican politicians and other "border hawks" call for ever-tougher measures to secure the U.S.-Mexican border against drug trafficking and illegal immigration, a one-year bi-national study released here Thursday suggests that current efforts may be excessive.
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U.S. Allies Call for Drug Legalisation
By Chris Arsenault*
DOHA, Qatar - The Summit of the Americas, normally a subdued tri-annual gathering of regional leaders, could be more interesting than usual this year, as right-wing governments are set to clash with their U.S. allies over the war on drugs.
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Evangelist Sued in U.S. for Inciting Anti-Gay Hatred in Uganda
By Charundi Panagoda and Jim Lobe
WASHINGTON - A major U.S. civil rights group filed a federal lawsuit in Massachusetts Wednesday on behalf of a Ugandan gay rights organisation, the Sexual Minorities of Uganda (SMUG), against a right-wing evangelist leader for inciting hatred against homosexuals that has led to increased violence against LGBT persons in the East African country.
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Women Have New Weapon against Domestic Violence in Argentina
By Marcela Valente
BUENOS AIRES - Women victims of domestic violence in a city in Argentina will be given an electronic device with a panic button that will bring them immediate assistance from the police.
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U.N. Special Envoy on Iran Details Pattern of Rights Abuses
By Omid Memarian
NEW YORK - A United Nations envoy has called on the Iranian government to release all political prisoners and prisoners of conscience, and to conduct an extensive, impartial and independent investigation into the violence that followed the 2009 presidential election.
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/CORRECTED REPEAT*/
U.S. States Grapple with Exploding Prison Populations
By Matthew Cardinale
ATLANTA, Georgia - Budget constraints combined with exploding prison populations are prompting a number of U.S. states, including some of in the politically conservative south, to rethink their criminal codes.
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Canada's Tough New Crime Bill May Violate Child Rights
By Jillian Kestler-D'Amours
MONTREAL - As the Senate debates the merits of the Canadian government's newly-passed omnibus crime bill, organisations across the country have raised serious issues with the legislation, particularly when it comes to amendments relating to the treatment of young offenders.
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BRAZIL
Rio Police Reports to Respect Transgendered Identities
By Fabiola Ortiz
RIO DE JANEIRO - The state of Rio de Janeiro in southeast Brazil will introduce a pioneering policy in March to reduce the under-reporting of crimes against transvestites and transsexual people, who will be able to identify themselves with their preferred names when they report crimes to the police.
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Violent Crime Surge in the Caribbean Takes Heavy Toll
By Peter Richards
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad - Helen Clarke, the former prime minister of New Zealand, recalled a situation a few years ago when within the less affluent suburbs of her country, youth gang violence had become a serious problem.
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HONDURAS
Support for President Lobo Hits All-Time Low
By Thelma Mejía
TEGUCIGALPA - Last Friday marked two years since the inauguration of Porfirio Lobo as president of Honduras, amidst accusations of corruption, an unprecedented crime wave, and his lowest approval rating yet.
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GUATEMALA
Ríos Montt to Stand Trial for Genocide
By Danilo Valladares
GUATEMALA CITY - After a hearing that lasted more than 11 hours, a Guatemalan court ordered the trial of former dictator Efraín Ríos Montt (1982-1983), who could face up to 30 years in prison if he is convicted of genocide and crimes against humanity.
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EL SALVADOR
Gangs May Be Scapegoat for Soaring Murder Rate
By Edgardo Ayala
SAN SALVADOR - El Salvador is one of the most violent countries in the world, with one of the highest murder rates. But the authorities cannot agree on whether or not most of the killings should be laid at the door of the youth gangs known as "maras".
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War Crimes Immunity for Ousted Leaders Under Fire
By Thalif Deen
UNITED NATIONS - As ousted political and military leaders in the Middle East continue to seek immunity from war crimes prosecutions, the United Nations and international human rights groups are taking an increasingly tough stance against such legislation in Yemen, Egypt, and possibly in a post-conflict Syria.
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The struggle for abolition of the death penalty is not over, not even where it is no longer being enforced. Abolition, or the moratorium several states have in place on the death sentence, often seems to become a cover for inhumane alternatives such as jail for life in unacceptable conditions, and simply longer sentences. IPS correspondents report here of the campaign against capital punishment, and for legal and prison reforms that would give prisoners the right to life, and also to justice and decency.

IPS has partnered with Penal Reform International to expand its independent coverage of issues surrounding capital punishment and long-term imprisonment.

In this newsletter you will find in-depth reports by IPS correspondents from around the world and columns by experts, in addition to special sections for news from international NGOs and a review of the global media for a glimpse of what is happening on the ground.

MY YEARS ON DEATH ROW
By Wilbert Rideau

IS THE DEATH PENALTY A DETERRENT?
By Wilbert Rideau

The real challenge for Rio+20
By Don de Silva

Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink?
By Mikhail Gorbachev

Victory of Hollande a Cause for Hope in Europe
By Mario Soares

Improving Tense U.S.-Pakistan-Afghanistan Relations
By Johan Galtung

"Crowdfunding" 2.0?
By Hazel Henderson

MORE >>

AI: Amnesty International Against the Death Penalty
Human Rights Watch: End the Death Penalty
Child Rights Information Network, End Executions of Juveniles
Hands Off Cain – against death penalty in the world
World Coalition Against the Death Penalty
International Helsinki Federation on Human Rights: Abolish the Death Penalty in Central Asian States
International Federation for Human Rights
Death Penalty Information Centre (USA)
Death Penalty Links
Penal Reform International
Human Rights: Death Penalty
The Innocence Project (USA): Fix the System
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR)
Human Rights First: Respect for Human Rights and the Rule of Law
Physicians for Human Rights

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The contents of this news coverage, including any funded by the European Union, are the sole responsibility of IPS and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union.