Radovan Karadzic convicted of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity
A United Nations tribunal sentenced former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic to 40 years in prison for his participation in ethnic cleansing, the siege of Sarajevo and the massacre of 8,000 men and boys in Srebrenica in 1995. The tribunal also found him guilty of persecution, extermination, deportation, forcible transfer and murder linked to efforts to remove Bosnian Muslims and Croats from Serb-controlled villages during the former Yugoslavia’s civil war from 1992 to 1995, which left more than 100,000 people dead. For more information, visit www.nytimes.com.
37 arrested in Chinese vaccine scandal
State media reported that officials took 37 people into custody in eastern China over a vaccine scandal in which an estimated $88 million worth of vaccines were not properly refrigerated or transported. A news agency reported that an illegal vaccine ring, in operation since 2011, bought vaccines from various licensed and unlicensed sources, selling to illegal agents and legal local healthcare centers at steep prices. Authorities knew about the ring since last April but only came forward with the information recently, in mid-March. The scandal has resulted in checks ordered on vaccine producers, wholesalers and buyers, and authorities are investigating several pharmaceutical companies to identify those who purchased the vaccines. For more information, visit bbc.com.
Somalia prime minister supports anti-female genital mutilation campaign
Somalian Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke publicly supported a campaign to ban female genital mutilation by signing an online petition to legally prohibit it. Although female genital mutilation is currently against Somalia’s constitution, the country’s parliament has yet to pass any legislation banning the practice. The United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund, or UNICEF, estimates that more than 90 percent of girls in Somalia undergo mutilation, which impacts physical and mental health. Ifrah Ahmed, a Somali anti-female genital mutilation campaigner, said she persuaded the prime minister to sign the petition. For more information, visit bbc.com.
Chile votes to lift 26-year-old abortion ban
Chile’s lower house of congress voted in favor of a law to allow abortions in cases of rape, when the fetus is not viable, and when the pregnancy endangers the mother’s life. The upper house must vote on the bill before it becomes law. President Michelle Bachelet promoted the law, which challenges General Augusto Pinochet’s total ban on abortion. Pinochet, a military dictator, put the ban into place in 1990, just before he left office. Chile, along with Malta, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Vatican City are the only countries in which abortion is banned in all cases. Right-wing politicians who oppose the bill threatened to challenge the bill if the upper house approves it. For more information, visit news.vice.com.
Saudi journalist sentenced to 5 years in prison for tweets
Amnesty International reported that Alaa Brinji, a Saudi journalist, was found guilty of charges including insulting Saudi rulers, inciting public opinion, and accusing security forces of killing protesters on Twitter. The counter-terror court sentenced Brinji to five years in prison, imposed an eight-year travel ban and a fine equal to $13,300, and ordered that his Twitter account be deleted. Brinji, who wrote for several prominent Saudi newspapers, was also arrested in May 2014. He was accused of apostasy, or renunciation of religious beliefs, which is punishable by death, but was acquitted due to lack of evidence. For more information, visit bbc.com.
