The 5 Most-Read Stories of the Week
Allegations of Abuse, Death in Custody in Saudi ArabiaA March 12, 2018 New York Times report stated that 17 detainees among the princes, businessmen, and former and current government officials held at the five-star Ritz Carlton Hotel in Riyadh required hospitalization for physical abuse. They included one who later died in custody, the report said, “with a neck that appeared twisted [and] a badly swollen body and other signs of abuse.” Take Action: Tell Jewelers to Come Clean
People spend billions on jewelry every year. But most jewelry brands can’t guarantee their products aren’t tainted by human rights abuses. You should know where your jewelry comes from. Tell 13 global jewelry brands to ensure their jewelry is responsibly sourced. Philippines’ Duterte Tries to Run from Justice
This week’s statement by President Rodrigo Duterte to withdraw the Philippines from the International Criminal Court (ICC) was no surprise. Soon after taking office in June 2016, Duterte unleashed his “war on drugs,” which has left more than 12,000 people dead. No one responsible for these unlawful killings has yet been held to account. Interview: Murder and Corruption in Colombia
When people think about violence in Colombia, the drug kingpin Pablo Escobar or the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia’s (FARC) guerrillas might come to mind. But fewer know about the paramilitary forces that killed, tortured, and raped their way across the country starting in the late 1990s. Amy Braunschweiger talks with Maria McFarland Sanchez-Moreno about her new book “There are No Dead Here,” which details the reign of the paramilitaries and their continuing influence. Assassination of Rights Defender, Driver, in Brazil
Marielle Franco, 38, a Rio de Janeiro City Council member, and her driver, Anderson Pedro Gomes, 39, were gunned down on March 14, 2018, after a car pulled alongside theirs and opened fire. Marielle was an outspoken and courageous advocate for victims of police abuse and a tireless defender of the rights of women and Afro-Brazilians.
