‘You Have Arrived in Hell’: Human Rights Organizations Document Abuses in El Salvador Prison
A report by Human Rights Watch and Central American rights group Cristosal alleges that dozens of Venezuelans deported from the United States to a Salvadoran prison earlier this year were subjected to torture and other serious abuses including sexual violence. The report includes interviews with 40 of the 252 Venezuelans who were sent to the notorious Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT). They describe being beaten by guards, with some being taken to solitary confinement as punishment for protesting, and others being driven to the brink of suicide. The report accuses El Salvador’s prison system of systematic human rights violations and the Trump administration of complicity in torture, enforced disappearances and other violations.
America’s Incarceration Crossroads: Reversing Progress Amid Record-Low Crime Rates
The U.S. criminal legal system stands at a crossroads. The United States remains a world leader in incarceration, locking up its citizens at a far higher rate than any other industrialized nation. Between 1972 and 2009, the number of people imprisoned grew nearly 700%, while crime rates declined dramatically after peaking in 1991. Imprisonment levels slowly scaled back, achieving a 25% decline between 2009 and 2021. Then, the prison population has resumed its growth, according to the most recently available data. The prison population grew in 2022 and in 2023, 39 states increased their prison populations.
‘Our Land Is Not For Sale’: Indigenous People Protest at COP30 in Brazil
Indigenous protesters have stormed the COP30 climate summit venue in Belem, Brazil, confronting security guards as they demanded climate action and forest protection. The demonstrators tried to enter the United Nations compound, where thousands of international delegates are gathered for the climate talks. Many carried flags advocating for land rights and signs declaring, “Our land is not for sale.” “We can’t eat money,” said Nato, an Indigenous leader from the Tupinamba community, who uses only one name. “We want our lands free from agribusiness, oil exploration, illegal miners and illegal loggers.”
Tanzania Frees Opposition Leaders Following Deadly Election Protests
Police in Tanzania have released several senior opposition leaders detained following the deadly protests that followed last month’s disputed elections, according to the main opposition party, Chadema. Four senior Chadema officials arrested last week for their alleged role in the protests were released on bail on Monday, the party said on social media. The unrest came when authorities cracked down on demonstrations against the re-election of President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who was declared the winner of the disputed election with nearly 98 percent of the vote.