Closer to Racial Equality
Source: The NAACP Legal Defense Fund

The Senate passed the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010 to alleviate the sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine. This discrepancy has had a devastating, racially discriminatory impact on minorities and the United States Sentencing Commission concluded its elimination would do more to reduce the sentencing gap “than any other single policy change.”

Jailed Cuban Dies in Protest
Source: Miami Herald

Dissenter Orlando Zapata Tamayo died after a hunger strike in protest of repeated beatings by guards at a Cuban prison. Initially charged with public disorder and ``disobedience,'' Tamayo faced a total of 36 years in prison by the time of his death. Amnesty International declared Tamayo a ``prisoner of conscience.''

American Man Faces Severe Punishment
Source: Human Rights Watch

An American man was sentenced to hard labor for eight years in North Korea and fined about 700,000 dollars. Critics fear that the man’s trial was unfair and that he was brought up on vague charges of “hostile acts” and illegal entry into the country.
 

Program Assists Burmese Landmine Victims
Source: The Irrawaddy

Care Villa, a program at the Mae La Refugee Camp in Thailand, supports victims of Burmese landmine attacks. The program provides care to victims who are unable to be properly cared for by family or friends. Landmines are frequently used by the Burmese Junta after raiding villages.

Indigenous Guatemalans File for Discrimination
Source: Latin America Press 

Though the Guatemalan government has attempted to remedy social disparities between indigenous and non-indigenous Guatemalans, indigenous workers still suffer abuse. It is often impossible for Guatemala’s indigenous population to prove their discrimination claims because the law requires alleged victims to bring forth witnesses of abuse and that their discrimination be tied to another crime.

Mexico Fights Against Human Trafficking
Source: U.N. News Centre

Mexico became the first country to domestically institute the United Nations' 'Blue Heart' campaign against human trafficking. Human trafficking, one of Mexico's most lucrative illegal practices relating to its drug trade routes, largely affects women and girls who are exploited for sex and labor. As part of Mexico’s commitment, Mexico City illuminated several buildings to raise awareness.

Ugandans Pessimistic About New Act
Source: The Monitor

The new Ugandan Domestic Violence Act punishes perpetrators of domestic violence. Although this law is welcomed, Oxfam reports that societal attitudes must change in order to make this law effective. Currently, it is estimated that up to 77 percent of women in Uganda believe that beatings by their husbands are acceptable.

Islamic Students Exploited in Senegal
Source: IRIN News

Human Rights Watch reported that Koranic school leaders in Senegal are depriving their students of food and medicine and are forcing them to beg on the streets. School leaders hold significant power in their communities. Human Rights Watch calls for comprehensive school board regulation in order to create a reporting system for such abuses.

Russia Halts U.S. Adoptions
Source: BBC Worldwide Monitoring

Russia suspended adoptions by families in the United States in response to an American family returning an adoptee to Russia. Both the United States and Russia expressed hope for a bilateral adoption policy in order to open the path for United States adoptions again. Russia recently expressed dismay over allegations of mistreatment of Russian adoptees.

Moscow Monitors Internet
Source: The Moscow News

Russia proposed a national search engine in an effort to use the internet to the Kremlin’s advantage. President Medvedev encouraged fellow Russians to use the internet to be “modern managers.” Bloggers have historically received pressure from the Kremlin and the proposed national search engine will likely extend control over the alternative journalists.

Israel/Palestine Apartheid Regime Worsens
Source: Gulf Times

Saeb Erakat, Palestinian chief negotiator, characterized Israel’s occupation of the West Bank as an “apartheid regime.” Palestinians are not allowed to use certain roads and efforts are being made to expel many Palestinian West Bank residents. Erakat warns the result of these actions will likely be more bloodshed.

Attacks Target Civilians in Iraq
Source: Amnesty International

In Baghdad, some of the latest suicide bombings seem to have been specifically intended to kill civilians. Iraqis blame al-Qaida for the violence. Malcolm Smart, Director of Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Program, stated that the organizers of the attacks could be prosecuted for war crimes and possibly crimes against humanity.

Political Opposition Leader Imprisoned
Source: Eurasianet

Vladimir Kozlov, an opposition leader in Kazakhstan, was given a 10-day prison sentence on March 26, 2010, for distributing leaflets that advocated his own political party. Asserting that Kozlov’s sentence sheds light on Kazakhstan’s impartial judicial system, opposition circles contest the supposed unfair trial and violation of constitutional rights.

Reconciliation in Sri Lanka
Source: IRIN News

Since the end of the decades-long civil war in Sri Lanka, the 75,000 Sri Lankan Muslims forced to leave their homes during the violence are slowly starting to return. The Citizen’s Commission, a local group comprised of civil society and Muslim organizations, voiced concerns about potential property disputes and reconciliation with Tamil neighbors.