Torture in Colorado: Reflections on Fahad’s S.A.M.s A Year Later

By Kathryn Heffron

My brother, Ahmed Abu Ali, has spent the past five years in solitary confinement, under 23-hour lockdown, in a 7×12 cell. He has one recreational hour in which he must get strip-searched if he wishes to leave his cell. He gets one unscheduled telephone call a month to his family, and […]

In Loco Moralitatis: A Critique of United Nations Conventions and State Custody of Minors Involved in the Sex Trade

By Brendan Michael Conner

The second Optional Protocol [1] on the Sale of Children, Child Pornography, and Child Prostitution (OPSC) [2] to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) [3] entered into force on January 18, 2002, appending a concern for “trafficked” minors to the most widely ratified treaty in the history of […]

The Arrest Warrants for Omar Al Bashir: The Forces of Compliance in International Law and Politics

By George C. Grasso

Introduction

On July 12, 2010, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a second arrest warrant for the Sudanese President Omar Al Bashir for three counts of genocide.[1] This newer warrant was preceded by a 2009 warrant for war crimes and crimes against humanity.[2] Since the ICC is not a supranational court and […]

Algerian Women are more than Easily Broken Membranous Sheaths: Including Privatized Violence Against Women in the Working Definition of Torture

By Lauren Curatolo

Algeria: A Brief History

French occupation of Algeria ended on March 18, 1962, after nearly 130 years of colonialism.[1] Shortly after, power was handed to the “National Liberation Front” FLN and its President Ahmed Ben Bella.[2] After Bella’s imprisonment in 1965, Defense Minister Houari Boumedienne took control.[3] Boumedienne’s control of Algeria came with a […]

Biofuel, Food, Deforestration, and Indonesian Palm

By Ryan Campbell

Biofuel are fuels that are derived from organic material from living or recently deceased plants or animals. It was supposed to be the green dream—it would allow us to significantly reduce our emissions with minimal lifestyle changes. These views were quickly altered, however, as the practice of growing crops for biofuel […]

Corporate Self-Regulation and Its Implications for Free Speech

By Andrew Burtless

“Just like any other global company, Yahoo must ensure that its local country sites operate within the laws, regulations and customs of the country in which they are based.”[1]

“Like other global organizations [Microsoft] must abide by the laws, regulations and norms of each country in which we operate.”[2]

“Don’t be evil.”[3]

On April 20, 2004, […]

The Need for a Gender Focused Approach to Reconstruction in Haiti

By Adam D. Dubin[1]

On January 12, 2010, an earthquake of unimaginable magnitude shook Haiti, leaving hundreds of thousands of people dead and millions without homes and livelihoods. Families were destroyed, children were orphaned, and millions of people were forced into displacement camps throughout the country with little or no access to basic services. […]