Via Scoop.it – Rights & Liberties
About 12,000 federal prisoners nationwide may soon be going home, some as much as three years early, under a U.S. Sentencing Commission decision to allow retroactive reductions in prison terms for inmates convicted of crack cocaine offenses.
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AlJazeera English – ‘Witness’ documentary filmmaker Gautam Singh:
More than 50 former prostitutes now work with Naseema, who taught them how to read and write. As well as running the magazine – which is sold across India and also sent to subscribers elsewhere – Naseema and the other women work to prevent others being trafficked, mainly from neighbouring Nepal and Bangladesh, into prostitution. In the last year alone, they have been able to send at least 20 new girls safely back home.
But their work has brought them many enemies; the most feared being Rani Begum. As chief of the brothel, Begum’s finances have suffered a blow as a result of Naseema’s activities. Her thugs have publicly harassed and beaten Naseema and the other women who work with her. Naseema has also had to fight pimps, as well as some police officers and clerics who were unhappy about her work.
With a clearly identifiable hero, a suitably sinister villain and plenty of action guaranteed as they face off against one another, I felt I had come across a story worthy of a novel. I was hopeful that we could produce a perfect film, but shooting inside a brothel was never going to be easy. I deliberately chose a very small crew of just three people so that we might remain as invisible as possible. We used a Canon 7d camera. Its small size and light weight meant that we were able to move quickly from one place to the next – something that was to prove useful when Begum’s thugs were sent to threaten us.
Via Scoop.it – Rights & Liberties
Australian classification laws are in the process of being overhauled, an overhaul which may see their powers increased.
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Via Scoop.it – Rights & Liberties
Attorney General Eric Holder announced that the Justice Department is conducting a full investigation into the deaths of two individuals in CIA custody during the Bush administration.
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Via Scoop.it – Rights & Liberties
“Being told to kill peaceful civilians is the most brutal thing that ever happened to me,” says defected former sniper.
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Via Scoop.it – Rights & Liberties
Three people, including two nuns, have been detained in separate incidents following protests against Chinese rule in a Tibetan region of Southwestern Sichuan province on Tuesday, according to sources with contacts in the area.
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Via Scoop.it – Rights & Liberties
Two Xe (formerly Blackwater) contractors were recently convicted for killing a civilian in Afghanistan. However, loopholes still remain that allow private military companies to dodge accountability.
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Via Scoop.it – Rights & Liberties
Because torture is a peremptory norm of international law, Al-Khalifa frames his admission of torture in a way which makes it seem rare, justified and an exception to the rule. This denial of a state policy to torture political opponents can be seen in official government statements also. Whether or not torture is state sanctioned, states signatory to the CAT are required to prevent torture occurring within their borders.
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Via Scoop.it – Rights & Liberties
The war on drugs has helped make the U.S. the world’s largest incarcerator.
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Via Scoop.it – Rights & Liberties
The Chinese government and security forces have been effective in silencing free speech efforts of recently released artist Ai Weiwei and political bloggers.
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