USA: Criminal justice reforms
American law enforcement's public image is at an all-time low, and the Justice Department is fielding calls to investigate departments across the country. Lawmakers from both political parties want to pass reforms, and presidential candidate Rand Paul met members of the Congressional Black Caucus this week to discuss criminal justice reform. He’s an outspoken advocate for changing the way the American criminal system prosecutes and sentences. This Wednesday he will begin working with black lawmakers to craft a strategy for advancing legislation. Law-enforcement issues have taken centre stage following the death of several unarmed black men at the hands of police. The Congressional Black Caucus has tried for decades to reform the criminal justice system. Senator Paul was instrumental in convincing the Senate to pass the Death in Custody Reporting Act, the first post-Ferguson Act of Congress. See also:
Syria: Ransom rejected for 242 Assyrian Christian hostages
Isolated Assyrian Christians have been caught for nearly three months between Kurdish militias and Syrian army forces battling with IS for control of Hassaka province, says Syriac Catholic Archbishop Jacques Behnan Hindo. 1,000 Assyrian families fled their village homes, sending them into exile in Qamishli and Hassaka city. In addition, 242 Assyrian Christians captured during these attacks are still being held incommunicado at an IS stronghold bombed last week by the Syrian army. Church officials have identified 93 women, 51 children and 98 men taken captive. After two months of behind-the-scenes negotiations through local intermediaries, church attempts to gain the release of the hostages were rebuffed by their IS captors. Australia’s Archbishop Mar Meelis said, ‘IS jihadists demanded a US $23 million ransom to release their Khabur captives’. An Assyrian church leader said the amount was beyond the capacity of a tiny church in a poor community.
Georgia: Battle for Orthodoxy in the classroom
The Orthodox Church's resurgence began in the 1990s with the collapse of the USSR. Now Georgia's liberal politicians want alignment with Europe and the US to allow the country to overcome its past and become an independent nation. Some are accusing the Orthodox Church of using schools to breed religious conservatives with beliefs aligned to Putin's Russia. More than 80% of Georgians call themselves Orthodox, with the young amongst the most religious. The church's conservative message is at odds with Georgia’s liberal, pro-Western direction. An example of school/church activity is in the village of Terjola. The Head Teacher often brings in Terjola’s priest to work with the children and she wants to have a school prayer room. On her desk is a large photograph of Patriarch Ilia II, the head of Georgia's Orthodox Church and the country's most popular public figure.
Nigeria: Boko Haram survivors - food shortages
Since Nigeria's army began clearing areas of the country's northeast from Boko Haram, some internally displaced people have started returning home. But thousands could now face severe food shortages as reconstruction is delayed. Some trade has resumed in towns, but ghostly pockets and haunting reminders of the insurgent takeover are evident. Three months after the fighting ended, the smell of rotting corpses still clings to the air by the Church of the Brethren near Mararaba. People have returned to Adamawa province, but health clinics, banks and schools are still lacking and vast stretches of farmland stand barren. People are afraid and lack the equipment and manpower to farm, so for the moment they can’t live off the land. There is no sign of government aid. The rainy season comes next month and landmines are still dotted around. About a week ago a bomb exploded when people went to clear the land.
