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Tag: torture

AP Photo/Hussein Malla

Report: Assad Regime Made Tens of Thousands ‘Disappear’

A new report from Amnesty International charges the Assad regime with making over 65,000 Syrians ‘disappear’ during four years of civil war, an “organized attack against the civilian population” carried out not just for political gain, but for profit.

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Shock Video: Four Suspected of Witchcraft Stripped, Tortured in Papua New Guinea

According to Human Rights Watch, violence against women in PNG “is rampant,” and often involves charges of sorcery. In February, 2013, a mob in Western Highlands Province accused 20-year-old Kepari Leniata of witchcraft after a six-year-old child died in her city. The mob stripped her and burned her to death as a witch. Eight other women reportedly were victims of such attacks during the course of the year.

43 Students Eduardo Verdugo AP Photo

UN to Mexico: End Disappearances and Torture

The United Nations Human Rights Commissioner recently wrapped up a visit to Mexico, describing his visit as “sobering.” Despite noting several legislative developments and reforms in the country, the Mexican people have painted a tragic picture filled with widespread corruption and insecurity.

ISIS Brutality Against Christians AP PhotoHassan Ammar

ISIS Uses Churches as Torture Chambers for Forced Conversions

The first stories about ISIS desecrating churches and turning them into torture chambers, where Christians were slaughtered or forced to convert to Islam, began surfacing at the end of 2014. A new report from Christian Freedom International found the persecution of Christians was even more brutal and widespread than believed, with centuries-old Christian communities across the Islamic State war zone completely wiped out.

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ISIS Films Torture of Syrian Boy, Kidnaps 500 Children in Iraq

A 14-year-old Syrian boy recently told the BBC the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL) filmed militants torturing him to use in propaganda. Only a few days ago, local officials in Iraq’s Anbar and Diyala provinces told Turkish state outlet Anadolu Agency the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL) kidnapped almost 500 children to use as suicide bombers.

AP Photo/Miguel Villagran

Human Rights Watch Report Details Beatings, Torture in Chinese Prisons

A new Human Rights Watch report accuses China law enforcement authorities of dodging new government measures designed to minimize the use of torture and abuse in the police system. Police still routinely use beatings, sleep deprivation, and hanging prisoners by the walls to force confessions, the organization alleges.

REUTERS/FRANCOIS LENOIR

Partners in Peace: Executions in Iran Are Surging

Executions are rising sharply in Iran, reaching a 12-year high in 2014, according to the United Nations’s Human Rights Council. The UN called this “deeply troubling” and further criticized Iran for not living up to promises that it would protect ethnic and religious minorities, according to a report at Voice of America News.