Blog 10; Crimes in the Congo

Summary: In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, there has been issues with spillover of massacres and genocide acts committed in Rwanda, as they are bordering countries. The M23 is a collection of guerrilla soldiers that are of the Hutu side of the Hutu vs Tutsi conflicts that plagued Rwanda in the early and mid 1990's. Congolese government officials and high ranking members of the M23 have been working on an agreement between one another and they agreement has been postponed. Congolese forces have managed to push the M23 out of the eastern region of the Congo recently,  and of last week, the M23 announced the end of their rebellion. The deal between the two sides was to be a deal of peace that would benefit both sides of the conflict, but has sense been put on old. The deal was set to be passed and signed in Uganda, but as the time drew closer and went by, it was discovered that the deal would be postponed. Uganda is currently holding the top commander of the M23 rebellion, as he surrendered last week. Amnesty is the main reason behind the agreement being made, as accusations of rape, murder, and use of child soldiers are the main cases against the M23.

Analysis: Although this is not a smaller crime, there are still small crimes committed throughout this mass rebellion. Raping of women in a Guerrilla style ambush is what is causing just some of the problems. The kidnapping of child soldiers is another one of the main concerns being presented towards the amnesty agreement between the two sides. The rebellion of the M23 could be linked to poverty as most of the people of this region are living in a state of poverty and are looking for a drastic change. As well as in sociology, I am discussing this case with one of my professors for another class. Upon viewing some of the M23 soldiers, it is apparent that these people are desperate for any sort of change to their region. The act of terrorism used would be through the raping and attacks on civilians living in the region. Peace, however, is still the main goal behind this particular agreement.

Posted at 4:43 on 11-15-13

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/africa/congos-m23-rebels-expected-to-sign-peace-deal-with-government-on-monday/2013/11/11/5fe8b974-4ac3-11e3-bf60-c1ca136ae14a_story.html

Bog 9: Whale Wars

Summary: Paul Watson, the founder of a group of an anti whaling group known as the "Sea Shepherd Conservation Society", is being accused of violating a court order that demanded that he and his crew leave whalers alone. Japanese whale fishing boats catch and kill whales for research in the southern parts of the pacific. The law states that these vessels can in fact kill whales, but only for the purpose of research, yet the left over meat is sold as food to Japanese markets. The Sea Shepherd's main goal is to disrupt and stop these whalers by any means necessary. This includes using acid and smoke bombs to disrupt and deter the operations conducted by the whalers. Watson has been arrested before for these types of acts but still continued in the act of anti-whaling. The current case is to determine whether or not Watson violated a court order that he and his vessel stay at least 500 yards away from the whaling ships. This order, according to the Japanese, was violated over 10 times by Watson and his fleet of nearly 5 ships. The Japanese whalers want up to a $100,000 fine for each of the violations. Watson claims that he didn't commit any violations due to the fact that the violations came from the sister fleet in Australia and he had stepped down as commander prior to the violations.

Analysis: This goes into the matter of international crime more than just a criminal act being committed on foreign soil. This is a somewhat grey area as far as crime is concerned. Due to the fact that the acts occurred in international waters, Watson believes that he has done nothing to violate crimes of any nation. Whaling for the purpose of commercial use is illegal according to the International Whaling Commission, however, because the Japanese vessels claim they are whaling for research, the acts get passed over. Watson's main goal is to protect the whales by any means necessary and that includes anything from ramming boats, to spraying them with acid. In any sense, both of the acts are considered criminal regardless of the country or ocean in which they are performed.

Published at 11:40 AM on November 8, 2013

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/fugitive-anti-whaling-activist-testifies-in-us-court-as-japanese-whalers-seek-contempt-order/2013/11/06/242d088a-474a-11e3-95a9-3f15b5618ba8_story.html

International Crime: Indonesia prostitution/pimping

Summary:
     In Indonesia, pimping and prostitution is a strong force that shows no signs of slowing down. Boys and girls as young as 12 are selling themselves, as well as their peers out for money and drugs. This particular article follows the story of a young Indonesian girl by the name of Chimoy. Chimoy is 17 years old and is a pimp. She established her empire of prostitution through social media sites and text messaging. She began pimping when she was only 14 years old, when she was asked to perform sexual acts for money and then recruited another girl to do it for her instead. Children of Indonesia's more tourism friendly area's seem to flock to prostitution due to its decent pay and security. These children can earn anywhere from $500 to $3,000 a month from providing sexual acts. Other ways of payment include car rides, drugs, and mobile devices. Social media provides security because the girls don't have to meet a client in a dark alley or in a shady hotel room, but rather can process the transaction before even meeting. The UN International Labor Organization estimates 40,000 to 70,000 children are sexually exploited by prostitution each year in Indonesia alone.

Analysis:
     These children are being placed into prostitution at such an early age simply because they live in an area that is ridden with poverty. These children seem to be almost addicted to their Blackberry's, simply because anybody who is anybody has a blackberry and uses social media. The article speaks of a 14 year old boy who sold himself to women in their 30's and 40's in exchange for money to keep his blackberry, simply because he feels like an outcast without it. The country has one of the highest concentration of facebook users in the world, and seems to be essential to their way of living. The pimps, who are also children, use social media sites such as facebook to sell out their clients, making the transactions one step easier. The pimps also provide protection and shelter for their prostitutes, which is the main reason for the prostitutes selling their bodies for money. The girl featured in the article claims she wants to get out of the prostitution world, yet her empire is so large that she can't seem to escape the appeal of good money, and drugs.

Posted on 11-1-13 at 10:45 AM

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/kids-as-young-as-14-pimp-out-other-kids-for-sex-in-indonesia-internet-helping-operations-grow/2013/10/30/8ffe6234-41c3-11e3-b028-de922d7a3f47_story_1.html

Blog 7: Pirates off of Nigerian Coast

Summary: Off of the coast of Nigeria in the Gulf of Guinea, two American citizens were recently kidnapped by Nigerian pirates. The two men, who were the Captain and Engineer of the ship, were captured from the C Retriever, a ship owned and operated by Edison Chouest Offshore, which is based out of Louisiana. The two men are currently still being held hostage as search and rescue efforts by both the Nigerian, and American, governments continue in their efforts. A US Navy ship nearby monitored the entire situation and claims that the closest military ship was a Dutch Ship in the Gulf of Guinea. US forces were nearby conducting training exercises for 90 members of the USMC. Even though the two governments are both set on finding and rescuing the two men, there has been no official word on whether or not the two militaries are working together. The spokesman of the company that owns the ship refused any and all phone calls and emails sent in search of information. With piracy continuing to be an epidemic in African waters, the US government is continuing their efforts to work with African nations in order to maintain the problem of pirates in this area.


Analysis:
The reoccurring problem in these waters clearly seems to be a problem that needs looking in to.  More of these acts are happening, and the issue needs to be addressed. The main goal behind these attacks is not to cause harm or chaos, they are for money. The poverty stricken regions of Africa such as Nigeria and Somalia seem to leave residence with no place else to turn for income, other than crime. These crimes effect more than just the people involved, these attacks call for very high political awareness from all governments involved. The US seems to be aware of the issue that is plaguing these area's and has taken notice. In a documentary on National Geographic, it was revealed that fleets of US ships have been strategically placed in areas of high trade such as the Gulf of Aden, which is located along Somalia's northern shore. These acts towards piracy are effective where they are placed, however in areas where they are not, the crime still continues.

Posted on October 25, 2013 at 4:43 pm

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/courts_law/pirates-kidnap-2-mariners-from-commercial-ship-off-nigeria-defense-official-says/2013/10/24/385509d0-3cb8-11e3-b0e7-716179a2c2c7_story.html

Blog 6

Summary: In a particular section of Moscow called the Biryulyovo district, migrants come to the area searching for work in markets, as well as factories. These workers number in the thousands and come from surrounding cities and mountains. These people are treated in a way of discrimination by locals of the region by providing sub par living conditions. Last week a man was stabbed to death over according to officials, an argument about his girlfriend by a migrant. Police obtained a suspect but by that time, the news had already spread, and riots ensued. Drunken men and women stormed the markets looking for things to destroy, and when the police intervened, the angry mob attacked them instead. In that time more than 300 people were arrested and many others sent to the hospital. Ever since then, russian police have tried to calm down those offended by the migrants. Of the 300 plus detained, only 3 face charges, which led to the firing of the police chief and his immediate supervisor. Officials are providing new regulations that would make it harder for foreigners to purchase homes and apartments in order to keep locals happy.

Analysis: This is interesting due to the fact that we just talked about riots in Thursday's class. These particular people are upset over foreigners "stealing" jobs and taking advantage of the area. This particular argument seems to be very similar to how certain American citizens feel towards Latin migrants. This case also seems to hold some comparison to the Trayvon Martin case in the sense of a group of people outraged by a murder committed by a member of another race or ethnic group. Just like Trayvon, people we're outraged by the fact that it even happened. These sorts of riots and reactions seem to be prevalent not only in America but also all over the world. These people didn't like the way they were treated because of another group of people, and when the chance arose, they made their feelings well known.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/moscow-scrambles-to-placate-rioters-who-attacked-migrants/2013/10/15/ad24bd52-35a9-11e3-89db-8002ba99b894_story.html

Posted 10-18-13 @ 4:27pm

Drug #5: Australian Drug Trade.

Summary:
Australian police seized over 200 million dollars worth of meth that was concealed in the tires of a truck imported from China. Authorities said that the drug was not visible to the naked eye, but did in fact show up on the x-ray, which was enough to cause for a search of the vehicle. Two of the three men were Australian workers from Melbourne. They are being charged with attempt to posses and transport drugs, and could face a maximum sentence of life in prison if they are convicted. The Australian Police say that they have made a significant amount of drug busts in recent months. Authorities believe that Australia is becoming a hot bed for trafficking of drugs due to its strength of local currency and resilience of the national economy compared to other wealthy countries.

Analysis:
Because of Australia's economical strength, there seems to be a sort of magnetic attraction to the country for drug trafficking. The value of 200 million dollars there is worth about 190 million here in the US. Chinese drug smugglers seem to be attracted to this area due to its relative physical location to China, as well as its economic strength. Drug trading is no stranger to Australia from the looks of things and the recent arrests that have been made there. The smugglers managed to hide the drugs in the large tires of trucks, which were showing no signs of alteration, however the x ray machine detected that the tires were full of the drug. It just goes to show that drug trafficking is a large topic across the globe and not here in the US.

Posted  10-12-13 @ 3:09 pm

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/australian-police-find-more-than-190-million-worth-of-meth-in-tires-shipped-from-china/2013/10/10/e03b60bc-320f-11e3-ad00-ec4c6b31cbed_story.html

Blog 2: Int'l Crime

Summary: In 2005, a nun by the name of Dorothy Stang was executed by a group of brazilians and one of the killers has been recently sentenced to 30 years in prison. The man who was charged is named Vitalmiro Bastos de Moura, and was a rancher in Brazil up to his imprisonment in 2010. He was tried three times prior to this prosecution, with up to 30 years of jail time but all of the cases were appealed. The defense intends to appeal again on his behalf. Prosecutors made the case that Moura and another rancher hired hit men to kill Stang in 2005. The defense claimed that there was insufficient evidence to pin Moura for the murder. The trial was a fast one due to previous trials having already taken care of the legal work involved. The other rancher charged with planning Stangs murder was sentenced to 30 years in prison as well, in 2010. The confessed killer of Stang was released after only serving under 9 of his 27 year sentence. He is to with-go the rest of his sentence under house arrest. Stang was an avid protector of the rainforest which ultimately led to her murder.

The reasoning behind my choosing of this article is due to ins and outs of the case itself. The death of Dorothy Stang was all the way back in 2005. Now 2013, one of the men responsible for her death is just now being sentenced. It seems to be a reoccurring trend in judicial systems around the world. Everyone is entitled to a fair trial no doubt, this goes towards our human rights. Yet on the other hand, a woman died nearly nine years ago and her family still has to endure the reminders of her, what I am assuming, horrible death. This case however is not uncommon. According to the Washington Post, more than 1,200 activists for the rain forest have suffered the same fate as Stang in the past 20-30 years. This particular topic is intriguing to me simply because it is a large deal and yet I have heard little to nothing about it in school or on the news.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/newssearch/search.html

Blog 1: Crime in India

Summary: In India, a judge of New Delhi sentenced four men to hang for the rape and murder of a local woman. The girl was not alone when she decided to take a ride home on a bus with her boyfriend from the movies. Also on the bus was the bus driver, and three other men who were intoxicated at the time, one of which was a minor. The men (bus driver included) beat both the woman and her boyfriend and then preceded to rape the woman in the back of the bus. After each man raped the woman, they penetrated her with iron rods. She later died in a Singapore hospital. This particular case caused many protests about the current rape laws in India, wanting harsher punishments for the act. The men involved who were over the age of 18 were sentenced to death by the judge, whereas the minor who committed the crime was sentenced to three years in a detention facility. The bus driver committed suicide in his jail cell three months after the incident.

Analysis: This particular case is one that has both elements of good and bad. On the up side, Indians are now pleading for harsher punishments for rape crimes and it appears that they are succeeding. They are asking for double punishment for rape and murder. On the down side, a woman did die after what can only be described as a horrible death. In Indian culture, women are blamed for the rape on most occasions rather than the men. Women are taught to dress very conservatively and to not go out after dark. In some Indians opinions, it seems to be the fault of the woman for being raped in the first place. Many families will banish a woman from the home or village just for being raped. This particular case seems to be just one of many cases that will potentially lead to changes that need to be made in the Indian court system.