Blog 10: China and Allege Police Torture

The New York Times reported a case where sixteen year old Yang Zhong was apprehended for the crime of “spreading online rumors”. Zhong regularly updates his blog on a Chinese micro-blogging website named Sina Weibo. It is similar to Twitter and Facebook in the United States. The police detained him after he raised questions about the mysterious death of a local karaoke club manager. The article continues to discuss how Zhong tells via a telephone interview of how the police tied him to an interrogation chair and four to five officers repeatedly hit, kicked and beat him on and off for two hours. The government’s official’s rationale behind this was that Yang was an “early target of new government regulations concerning the use of popular micro-blog services.” The new rules regulated that the sender of a micro-blog posted deemed to be a harmful rumor that is re-posted by others more than 500 times can be sentenced to up to three years in prison. In China at age sixteen criminals are deemed criminally responsible but are not considered adults facing full legal sanctions until they are eighteen.

Looking at the case from a sociological perspective, this case can be linked to cyber crime in China. Although, no one got hurt or threatened from reading his blog. In China, anything questioning the government or going against the government is wrong. China has a pretty low crime rate and is known to be a more tech savvy nation. Therefore, the government is attempting to regulate what is done and said via web and internet. This case is similar to how police use their authority all over the world including the United States to push their personal agendas and bias.

 http://sinosphere.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/11/15/chinese-youth-sues-over-alleged-police-torture/

11/15/2013
11:58AM

Blog #10: In Iraq, a Day of Religious Observance, and of Blood

Thursday November 14th was "the holy day of Ashura which commemorates the killing of Imam Hussein, a grandson of the Prophet Nuhammad". However, this holy day turned violent when Shiite Muslims were attacked in Iraq. About 47 people were killed and many others were wounded. The most worst case of violence occurred at the end of a death scene in a play in Diyala Province. At the end of the scene, a suicide bomber detonated himself amidst a crowd of men, women and children who had been watching a play about the death of Imam Hussein. Around 35 people were killed and 75 were wounded in this explosion alone. In Kut Province, two roadside bombs exploded near a tent that was serving food and water to those on their way to Karbala, where the shrine to Imam Hussein is located. Due to the two bombs, 10 were killed while 25 were wounded. Then finally, two bombs exploded in the city of Kirkuk in northern Iraq killing two and wounding eight. 

This attack is clearly one of many that are happening due to religious discord. This holy day of Ashura has been the day of violence for many years. There have been attacks in 2005, 2007 and also in 2011. This day is most likely the battleground for violence because it is the say when Shiites celebrate the killing of Imam Hussein and this killing is what helped fuel or even "create the schism between Sunni and Shiite" (CNN). These two Muslim groups have been waging war for years this year's attack on the day of Ashura has been the deadliest. The use of suicide bombers, car bombs and other bombs for immense damage were placed in dense areas full of Shiites which is probably what caused the most damage. Iraq is trapped in a seemingly never-ending cycle of terror as these two prominent religious groups continue their dissonance. The reason why these extremist groups use terror is because the power of terror is in its ability to quickly demand attention and attract headlines and this is clearly true since as soon as these bombings occurred  the stories of the terror spread across the news like wild fire and dominated headlines. Yet the weakness of terror is that it does not have much of a lasting effect once new stories surface and these stories of terror fade away from the headlines. Perhaps the reason why these bombings in areas full of discord are so popular is because constant bombings are what these groups need to keep the news stations interested. Once again suicide bombers are used. Suicide bombers are so favorable because these explosives can be attacked to a person who can enter areas without being noticed till he/she needs to be noticed and by then it is too late and the casualties are monumental. This fact can be seen through the article. The bombings with the most deaths is the one at the play in the Diyala Province because the suicide bomber was able to enter into an area full of people undetected. 

It is amazing that people can have so much hatred for another group of people and go as far as using these horrible methods of extreme violence. What is even more amazing is that these are two Muslim groups who have such hatred for each other instead of religious groups that are contrasting to each other like Buddhism and Muslim as an example. If these acts of violence in the name of religion are ever to end, these violent religious groups must realize that violence and terror will only get them so far. These groups must recognize the need for compassion, understanding and find a way to coexist. 

Catherine Choi

11/14/13

10:25pm

Main Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/15/world/middleeast/iraq.html?ref=middleeast&_r=0

http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/14/world/meast/iraq-violence/

Blog 10 : Attack on Warsaw Embassy

This past Monday night on Polish Independence Day, there was an attack on the Warsaw Embassy.  Masked youths and right-wing radicals of the Polish decent veered from their peaceful protest to throw bottles, trash, and torches at the Russian Embassy.  Their protest was a police approved march where they chanted anti-Russian slogans reflecting lingering resentment among the Poles.  It was reported that several cars and the guard gate were set on fire.  This rampage led to 72 arrests and 14 injuries, including a dozen police officers.  Police were forced to use tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the gang of people from around the embassy.  This attack is the latest evidence towards a strain between Russian and Poland.  It is being said that this attack is proof that nationalism is more prevalent in Eastern European countries than it is in Russia.  

Obviously there are some tensions between the Polish and Russia, mainly coming from the Poles.  There are still some bad blood left there from the Cold War.  The attack on the embassy isn't the only example of hatred towards the Russians.  The Polish ambassador was forced by the Russian Foreign Ministry to issue an apology and compensate them for the damage to their embassy.  The ambassador also had a lack of attentiveness when the attack occurred while the police force responded with passivity and lateness.  It seems that those brave souls who attacked the embassy aren't the only ones with strong feelings against the Russians.  Conflicts such as these have the potential to become more if not handled properly.  We will have to wait and see what else happens between the two countries.

http://www.latimes.com/world/worldnow/la-fg-wn-poland-russia-attack-embassy-20131112,0,5200336.story#axzz2kYG8ZNjB

Kaelin Graham

11/13/2013

3:07 p.m.

Blog #9 Rape victims in Kenya

Rap Victims in Kenya

            The social problem of rape has begun to steadily increase. What seems to be the issue is that it has not being properly reported and many are not tried or punished. A 16-year-old girl was recently raped by a gang and then thrown into a pit. She is now in a wheel chair. Many crimes similar to this are not punished and many times the men are left to go free and untried. 1.4 million people in Kenya have signed a petition to have these men tried and persecuted for their crime. This is a big move on the citizen’s part to raise awareness for this injustice. The subjects of the crime were actually freed by the police of Kenya. The statistics seems to be that one out of every six girls in Kenya will experience some sort of sexual assault in their lifetime. Women leaders are saying that the fact that this crime goes unpunished and unconvinced puts the public in danger, the ones that are suppose to serve and protect obviously are not doing their job. One positive thing is that the inspector general of seems to be in favor of the men who committed this crime being convicted. Hopefully we shall see justice done.

           

            One of the interesting questions that arises when studying this report is why do the police not convict men of this crime? Obviously the men were not innocent, but the protection of women is not taken seriously in Kenya. If 3,000 rapes occur in Kenya and only 11 are reported this is putting women in such danger. When women are abused, just like this young girl, they are effected physiologically, psychologically and emotionally sometimes for the rest of their lives if they do not receive adequate care. Many times the women do not receive adequate rehabilitation services. What is the outcome? -- A population of mothers and women who cannot contribute to society with minds and bodies. They cannot invest into the next generation, so children are left in poverty and disease. Because this society has not chosen to make protecting women a priority they will pay the consequences of it in almost every aspect of living. If justice is not taken now and it is normal for those who commit crimes as these to not be punished, nothing will keep it from reoccurring. Thankfully citizens are seeing the need for change and signing a petition. The reason the police are not taking action is probably due to some sort of exploitation within the police system itself.

Anna Jacobsen

November 11, 2013

10:40am

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/teens-rape-galvanizes-support-kenya-20814586

Blog 9: Vigilante Groups in South Africa

The crime rate in South Africa has been increasing significantly and has been known as a country with high rates of violent crime. In Johannesburg, South Africa it has been reported by the New York Times that five people thought to be criminals were killed by an enraged mob in a South African township. A township in South Africa is a suburb or city of predominantly black occupation. The gold mines have closed in the city, meaning a loss of employment for many people and an economic loss. Riots have been frequent and the anger has been directed at local officials for lack of support for the community and the residents. New York Times continued to disclose a police statement that said “about 400 men had gathered in an open field to air their grievances about gangsters in the area and then split up into vigilante groups.” The groups killed five people total, burning three and stoning two.

The problem lies in the government and how they are unable to control the crime rate and the population. Looking at it from a sociological perspective, the poverty has caused the community to report to crime and violence as a way to adapt to the hard times. Also mentioned is the fact that these riots and vigilante groups have been birthed within South African townships, where majority of the population are black. It brings in an inequality issue of race and class that society has created for black people. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/04/world/africa/south-africa.html

11/8/2013

2:20PM

Blog #9: New Zealand police probe ordered over 'teen rape club'

New Zealand's government has ordered an investigation into the police handling of an investigation of a group of teenagers who called themselves the Roast Busters. According to the article, these teens got under aged girls drunk, raped them and then posted their cruel deeds online. The police could not prosecute the group because they had never gotten a formal complaint. However, it was discovered that a girl had made a formal complaint in 2011. The girl who had made the complaint had been told that she did not have enough evidence because of what she was wearing despite the evidence she gave through a video interview. The people of New Zealand, especially the parents, are extremely concerned that if this is how the police handle these situations, then that would mean that if their child were to walk in they would not be taken seriously. Due to the new investigation, the police were able to interview two members of the Roast Busters and have compiled evidence that can aid the investigation. 

This article reminds me of the article about the rape case in India in September because both deal with not only socialization but also rape culture. Once again rape culture can be seen as the reason the police did not take the girl's complaint seriously in 2011. It is because rape culture tells people that "girls ask for it". Rape culture's main focus is that societies have a hidden rape culture that encourages men to sexually assault women and those who are immature, irresponsible and lacking in social conscience are more influenced by rape culture. It can be seen from this article that this is true since it was teens who created this so called "club". Everything from treating women like property to using women as prizes in masculinity contests as well as the way society socializes men to participate and embrace rape culture while socializing girls to be victims, are all reasons why cases like this continue to happen all around the world. Also the myth of victim precipitation is most likely the main reason why the girl's formal complaint was not taken seriously and was brushed aside despite her video evidence. Everything from what the girl was wearing, in the police officer's eyes, was asking for it and also possible victim contribution, that the victim kissed the offender or was engaged in some other form of intimacy before the attack whether it was true or just something that was assumed, all played a part. This reflects the biased, male-centered view of rape instead of the accurate description of the crime itself. However, in a world where the majority are men and the minority are women, men control what happens and men make the decisions. It is this thought that just because a woman goes out wearing a short dress and is therefore asking to be raped is absurd. No one asks to be raped. Yet rape cases continue to surface and there is always a group of people who blame the victim because of what she was wearing or what she was doing. It is reasons like this that rape is so under reported and the reason why rape victims are so afraid to report the horrible crime that had been done to them. 

Society must change. There must be a change that rejects rape culture and ideas of victim precipitation must stop or else rapes will continue to be under reported and rapists will continue to go on committing these crimes and think that just because a girl is dressed a certain way or because she looked interested, that it is okay to rape her. No means no and rape is not the victim's fault and the world, as a whole, must come to this understanding or else these terrible cases will continue to happen. 

Catherine Choi

11/7/13

10:13pm

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-24846793

Blog 9 : Bombing in China

On Wednesday morning, a series of explosions went off in front of Communist Party offices in a northern province of China.  These explosions killed one person and injured eight more.  It was said that these explosives went off in the flower bushes in front of these Communist Party offices.  It is important to note that the Communist Party has ruled in China for over 60 years.  Additional security measures were already in place due to the bombing in China last week.  Then of course this attack occurs.  Damage from the blast includes nearby cars with shattered windows and shredded tires.  Footage of the explosion shows that and smoking rising from the area the blast occurred.  It was reported that steal beads were scattered at the scene, suggesting that these bombs were homemade.  This blast occurred just days before a major Communist Party leadership meeting was set to take place in Beijing.  The cause of the blast is currently being investigated.

From what I read about the explosions in China, it seems very clear that someone is trying to send a message to the government.  I can also almost certainly guarantee that whoever is trying to send this message, has a problem with their countries government.  It is no secret that the way China runs their government is questionable.  More than likely there are a lot more residents of China who aren't very fond of their government and policies.  With that said, China doesn't need a string of attacks and protest to occur.  All it takes is a few brave souls to ignite others who may want to fight back as well.  Somewhat similar to what is going on with the Sunni and Shiite Muslims.  One group is fighting against the government which is led by the other group.  Now it looks like some in China may be considering the same.  There have already been two attacks and it wouldn't surprise me if more were to come.  Seeing people attempt to rebel their government could encourage the people of other countries to do the same.  It may seem a bit far fetched to some, but it wouldn't shock me at all if rebelling against your government started trending.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/05/world/asia/china-blasts/index.html?hpt=wo_c2

Kaelin Graham
11/7/2013
12:52 p.m.

Blog 8

In Nairobi, Kenya hundreds of Kenyans rallied and marched demanding justice for “Liz” a 16 year old teenage girl who was allegedly ganged raped and beaten to death. Liz was walking home from her grandfather’s funeral in the northwestern town of Busia when the six alleged boys attacked her leaving her in a dumpster bloody with broken bones. The only reason she was found was because neighbors heard cries of help and pulled her out of a latrine. She was able to identify three out of the six alleged attackers where a mob of angry neighbors hauled them to the local police station. What caused the extra full to the fire was the suspects were ordered to cut the grass in the yard of the police station and set free. The whereabouts of the suspect became unknown once leaving the police station but Kenyan police chief said an investigation is under way.

The word on this attack came in October nearly three months after it occurred when one the doctors outraged by the innocent called a journalist who worked at Daily Nation newspaper. Liz has been in and out the hospital since June and is currently wheelchair bound. This innocent caused a huge outrage but it was well worth it. Not only with me being a woman is it always a fear walking alone due to something like this. The fact that this can happen and the suspects only have to mow some grass is crazy. It is nice to see that the Kenyan people are coming together to support this tragedy.

 

Natalia Alexander

Karimi, F., & Muhwezi, S. (2013, November 1). Kenyans protest after suspects in teen's gang rape sentenced to cut grass. CNN. Retrieved November 1, 2013, from http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/31/world/africa/kenya-liz-protests/index.html

Blog 8: Gang Rape in India Continues

The crime against women by men in India has been rapidly increasing with the most frequently occurring crime being rape. In continuance of the publicized September rape case in New Delhi, India, where a gang of men raped a young woman on bus and became the cause of her death. We later learned that the convicted men were sentenced to the death penalty for committing the crime. However, that “example” seems to not have been strong enough to stop the sex crimes in the country. New York times recently reported another rape case that occurred in Mumbai. The victim was a twenty-two year old female photojournalist intern, and the five suspects were poor and jobless men that came from the slums of the city.  The police disclosed that the men had committed at least five rapes in the same spot. Therefore, creating a habit and routine to execute sexual violence. 

The Lancet Global Health Journal published an article on data that they collected in questionnaires about how often and why men are resorting to sexual violence. They discovered that more than one in ten men in the region admitted to forcing sex on a woman who was not their partner and also that over half of the participants said that there motivation was that they were bored and just wanted to have fun.  Crime and poverty usually go hand in hand. The people who are more likely to commit crime do so because they feel as if they have nothing to lose. If you look at society in general, you would find that the rate of crime is much higher in areas that are impoverished and dominated by minorities and people of low-income.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/27/world/asia/gang-rape-in-india-routine-and-invisible.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1

3:43PM

11/1/13

Blog #8: A Yellow Card, Then Unfathomable Violence, in Brazil

On a Sunday afternoon, Otávio Jordão da Silva Cantanhede left on his bike to play soccer on a "lumpy soccer field [that] had wooden goal posts with no nets" where informal matches are often played. The game was going find till Cantanhede twisted his angle or hurt his knee while playing defense and had to play the referee. During the second half of the game, things escalated when Cantanhede gave a fellow friend Josemir Santos Abreu, who quickly turned into an enemy, a yellow card warning. When an argument broke out and Cantanhede gave out a red card, which led to a violent fight. Cantanhede stabbed Abreu twice and Abreu was rushed to the hospital, but died before making it there. Cantanhede suffered a much more brutal death. Abreu's four friends smashed his face with a liquor bottle, beat with a wooden stake, ran over by a motorcycle and stabbed him in the throat. Cantanhede’s lower legs were cut off while his right arm and left wrist were barely attached to the rest of his body. He was also decapitated and his head was posted on a wooden fence across the road of the field where he game had taken place.

This horrid event perfect depicts how social influences can have a dramatic impact on human behavior. Society socializes men to be rough, strong and even violent. Whether it is television, books, magazines, movies or video games, men are seen as muscular, violent, and macho. These men are seen shooting runs or getting into fights to prove their manly demeanor. Society basically tells men that they too must be like this in order to be considered manly. Because of this men think that violence is okay and people expect men to be violent and if a group of boys get in a fight they say that "boys will be boys". When on the other hand, if girls get in a fight it breaks a social norm. This socialization of violence has a strong correlation with what happened on that soccer field. One may be able to use this idea of socialization and conclude that Cantanhede may have stabbed Abreu because he wanted to prove that he is manlier than Abreu. The reason that Abreu's friends attacked Cantanhede may be a bit more complex. First, when men are in groups it is more likely for those men to participate in violent acts together and this is a theme that can be found in cases of gang rape. Instead of stopping the violence, these men do not want to seem weak or less macho to their friends and so go along with the violence. They may also get competitive and become even more violent. This theme can be see in this case of Abreu's friends as well. One of the four friends probably started the attack on Cantanhede then the rest of his friends followed along. Also, the article stated that the crowd "stoked the violence the way wind stokes a fire". The fact that the crowd wanted to see the violence most likely made Abreu's friends feel powerful and so an act of violence that may not have gotten so gruesome probably escalated because the crowd fueled the anger these men were feeling and also fueled their self-esteem and made them feel like the strong man that they have been socialized to be.

It is also important to notice that this event happened in a poverty stricken area of Brazil. Poverty leads to inequality and according to this article, this tragic event showcased the "hopelessness and rage born of poverty and inequality, and mistrust that seethed from inadequate policing and uneven access to justice". Because this is a impoverished neighborhood where inequality runs rampant, the police are not very concerned about what goes on and there is no form of strict policing. This leads the people of this area to solve problems in their own way. This violent event is an example of the kind of informal way that these people deal with their problems, "bloodshed trumped by bloodshed". One can conclude from this event that a lack of a formal structure leads people to create their own informal structure of justice which leads to violence.

The death of these two men should be a wake up call to the world of the kind of impact society has on its people. The socialization of men to be violent and the way formal sanctions are not properly placed or unforced in areas that are poverty stricken should be recognized and a solution must be created or else violent acts like this will continue all over the world.


Catherine Choi
11/1/13
1:11pm

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/03/sports/soccer/a-yellow-card-then-unfathomable-violence-in-brazil.html?_r=0

Blog 8 : Tiananmen Square Terrorist Attack

This past Monday there was a terrorist attack on well known Tiananmen Square.  Police said it was a carefully thought out attack which killed five people and injured dozens more.  In the attack, a man, his mother, and his wife drove a jeep into the square.  All three of the jeep's occupants died when they set fire to gasoline.  In the jeep police found two knives, steel sticks, and a flag with extremist religious content.  It is important to note that lately tensions have been rising between the Han Chinese and the largely Muslim Uyghurs.  Sometimes these tensions result in violent outbursts.  However, it is unclear if the Uyghurs had anything to do with what took place.  Some are saying that this incident is considered a loss of face for Beijing's leaders.  Police are believing that this incident could possibly have something to do with the 139 arrests they made earlier this month for spreading religious extremism online.

An issue that is continuously going on today is people unleashing terrorists attacks on their own people and community.  Even though we don't for sure know who the culprits are, either way it is still an act from a local group.  Similar to the tensions between the Sunni and Shiite Muslims, feuding like this can start to tear a city apart.  As of right now everything seems fine and under control.  However, if things get out of hand, there is always the possibility of this blowing up the way it has in the Middle East.  The feuding in the Middle East is much more severe and is more of a worst case scenario, but their problems had to start somewhere before it escalated to what it is.  It will do the people of this world no good if different groups around the world continue to send violent messages to their enemies.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/30/world/asia/china---tiananmen---arrests/index.html?hpt=wo_c2

Kaelin Graham
10/31/2013
12:47 p.m.

Blog 7- Natalia Alexander

In northern Syria snipers are targeting pregnant women, unborn babies and young children. In one instance a pregnant mother was shot in the stomach and the bullet went through and pierced through the baby’s head. The mother survived but the baby didn’t.  David Nott, a British volunteer surgeon says the snipers are playing a “targeting game” when it comes to the victims and heavily pregnant women are on the hit list. When saying heavily pregnant women it would be women who were seven, eight, nine month’s gestation so you anyone could tell that they were pregnant. In pictures provided by Syria Relief there are young kids with head wounds from the snipers looking no older than five. Nott, states that while working in the hospital 90 percent of the surgeries would be sniper shots and some days out of 10 or 15 gunshots wounds eight or nine of them would be targeted in one spot. One day it would be in the left groin only and the following day it would be in the right, almost as if it was a game between the snipers. In a video obtained by CNN from Aleppo, women, men and children are seen tying to outrun the snipers bullets. Many would try to outrun because of the food sources would be in the rebel-held areas while they stayed in the regime-controlled side. Not everyone made it through.

This is a serious issue but the crime rate there is insane and the fact the people can’t walk around freely without worrying about getting shot is ridiculous. Pregnant women and young children shouldn’t have to deal with this. Being a woman now and planning on becoming pregnant in the future this is a scary thing to think about. Innocent people being killed in never a good deal and these snipers need to be brought to justice.

 

Natalia Alexander

10/25/2013

 

Atika Shubert , Bharati Naik, ed. N.p.. Web. 25 Oct 2013. <http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/22/world/meast/syria-snipers-pregnant-women/index.html?iid=article_sidebar>.

 

Blog 7: Crime Increase in Malaysia

Malaysia's population has increased tremendously over the past four decades. Tripling in number over that period of time. The majority of the population comes from Kuala Lumpar, the largest city in Malaysia. Kuala Lumpar was once sparsely populated and flourished with greenery and flowers, but has transitioned into a metropolitan area with the help of modernity and urbanization. Urbanization and modernity brought about shopping centers and many suburbs but it also brought about an increase in crime. 

Kuala Lumpar was once one of Asia's safest cities but is now a place where crime is frequent. At an attempt to combat the rise of criminal activity the Malaysian government has added security cameras and police officers to the streets. However, it has not been enough to slow the crime rate down. An official responsible for compiling crime data at the United Nations office of Drugs and Crime has stated that the Malaysian government has stopped providing crime statistics to the United Nations. However, the Malaysian police responded to The New York Times with crime statistics. The statistics showed that robberies with firearms and gang robbery decreased in occurrence. Yet, the number of rape victims doubled from the year 2000 to 2009. Many suspects that the statistics are inaccurate. 

The suspicion that the statistics are inaccurate leads to the fact that there is indeed a dark figure, where the crime occurrence is greater than the crime reported. The New York Times continues to report that the reasons for lack of crime reporting is the lack of belief that the police authority will handle the matter. A professor at the National Defense University of Malaysia stated that poverty is the root of the high crime rate. Linking this to sociology, urbanization creates an array of increase in social problems, in Malaysia's case it led to overcrowding, which possibly led to unemployment leading eventually to poverty and with poverty it comes an increase in crime. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/20/world/asia/soaring-crime-rate-takes-a-growing-malaysia-by-surprise.html?_r=0

10/25/2013

11:59am