Papua New Guinea’s Police Commissioner David Manning has promised that the full force of the law and all resources at the Constabulary’s disposal will be used against policemen who flout the law and help criminals.
“We had two threats issued against police detectives,” he said.
“Criminals and policemen are involved.
“I will not stand for this and whether you are a criminal or a policeman who decides to engage or attack policemen, you will be dealt with equally under lawful means.
“If you want to be a criminal or align yourself with individuals or entities and challenge the police, then you have no place in the police force and I will ensure your speedy exit … straight into prison.”
Commissioner Manning said reports of policemen continuously being deployed to provide protection for logging camps or private businesses with the full knowledge and authority of their superiors would be investigated and dealt with.
Policemen ‘denying rights to justice’ “In these instances, police resources, including firearms, are being used by these policemen to protect the interest of a few, thereby denying the rights of the majority to seek justice,” he said.
“The police force will undergo beneficial change, and those currently opposing these changes for their own reasons will be weeded out.
“The majority of policemen and women perform their duties with professionalism and dedication, yet we and the country are being let down by these few members.
“The proposed changes in the disciplinary proceedings will allow for a swifter and more effective process that protects all parties concerned whilst enhancing greater accountability and appropriate penalties being dealt out.
“In the near future, legislative amendments will be made to criminalise certain offences that have caused the discipline and performance of the police force to deteriorate.
“If we are to deliver to the people of PNG a police force that they deserve and provide a policing service that adds value to their lives, we must undergo these reforms and remove impediments now.”
Asia Pacific Report republishes The National articles with permission.
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Steve Bannon may be off the hook for the federal charges against him, but the state of New York is now looking into whether or not they can charge Bannon with the same crime but at the state level. Due to the fact that Bannon has accepted the pardon, he would be in a very […]
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Donald Trump’s obsession with Antifa and his desire to make them into a public enemy caused the Department of Justice to divert crucial resources towards hunting “Antifa” instead of keeping closer tabs on right wing domestic threats. This led to an increase in violence from these right wing groups, culminating in the January 6th attack […]
“Mr Richard Daschbach has already received his sentence for the Doctrine of the Faith, with the number 208 / 2018-67069 of November 6, 2018 from Pope Francis: he is no longer a priest, he is now a layman,” said the CET statement.
“Confirmed by the Archdiocese of Dili” and addressed “to priests, religious, deacons, brothers, nuns and all baptised in Timor-Leste”, the statement said.
“According to this decree of the Holy Father, there is nothing more to say about this priest’s priesthood. Priests, deacons, brothers, mothers and all the baptised are asked to respect this decree and not make any further comments ”, it said.
The statement, signed by the president of the Timorese Episcopal Conference (CET), Norberto do Amaral, bishop of Maliana, comes after news and images on Timorese social networks that re-identified Daschbach as a priest, including by some religious, have spread in recent days.
“The Pope’s decision comes from a deep and lengthy process to finally arrive at this final decision. Once again, I ask everyone to respect and accept this decision of the Pope,” wrote Do Amaral.
News of the East Timorese charge against Daschbach, who is accused of child sexual abuse and pornography, and who has already been convicted of these crimes by the Vatican, has sparked criticism of journalists, lawyers and victim support organisations.
Criticism over Gusmão visit The debate over the case reignited this week after former East Timorese President Xanana Gusmão visited Daschbach in the house where he is under house arrest in Dili on the accused’s birthday.
News coverage of this visit drew criticism from the president of the Timorese Press Council, Virgílio Guterres, who said the news in the national press tried to “whitewash” Daschbach.
“This is serious news. This is an attempt to influence public opinion and even people in court to influence the decision,” he said.
“It is very serious because the news does not even make reference to the Vatican’s expulsion decisions or data on the crime he is accused of in East Timorese justice,” he told Lusa.
Although the articles mention that the ex-priest is the subject of an ongoing judicial process, they never explain what are the crimes he is accused of in East Timor or the fact that Daschbach had already been convicted and sacked by the Vatican.
The news presents in great detail a biography of Daschbach without ever referring to data on the crimes of which he is accused.
Daschbach, 84, is accused of abusing at least two dozen children in the orphanage where he worked, Topu Honis, and of the crimes of child pornography, according to the East Timorese prosecutor’s office.
Vatican ‘has no doubt’ In October last year, the representative of the Holy See in Dili told Lusa that the Vatican “has no doubt” that the former priest was guilty of these crimes, expelling him from the priesthood.
“There is no doubt for the Church that he is guilty of sexual abuse against minors, recognised by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, with an unappealable sentence,” said Marco Sprizzi, interim nuncio and the maximum representative of the Pope and of the Vatican in Timor-Leste.
“Richard Daschbach himself admitted and pleaded guilty before the Church. He looks like he backed down before civil justice, but before the church he never backed down.
“I want to be clear on this, ”said Sprizzi, who is responsible in Timor-Leste for the relationship between the Holy See and the Timorese Catholic Church and for the Holy See’s relationship with the Timorese state.
The archbishop of Dili, Vírgilio do Carmo da Silva, had previously apologised for criticism and accusations to all those who have been involved in the investigation of the former priest accused of pedophilia and child pornography in Timor-Leste, reaffirming his full support for the victims .
“On behalf of the Archdiocese of Dili, I want to apologise for the accusations and allegations that have affected the people involved in the investigation. The church wants to give its support and help the victims declared by the police authorities,” he said.
The ABC reports that Daschbach was regarded as a hero in Timor-Leste for founding children’s shelters that had operated for more than two decades.
He founded the Topu Honis or “Guide To Life” children’s homes in Oekusi Ambeno, an East Timorese enclave in the Indonesian-controlled western half of Timor, in 1992, the broadcaster reported.
Daschbach was also feted for saving children during East Timor’s war for independence from Indonesia.
“Mr Richard Daschbach has already received his sentence for the Doctrine of the Faith, with the number 208 / 2018-67069 of November 6, 2018 from Pope Francis: he is no longer a priest, he is now a layman,” said the CET statement.
“Confirmed by the Archdiocese of Dili” and addressed “to priests, religious, deacons, brothers, nuns and all baptised in Timor-Leste”, the statement said.
“According to this decree of the Holy Father, there is nothing more to say about this priest’s priesthood. Priests, deacons, brothers, mothers and all the baptised are asked to respect this decree and not make any further comments ”, it said.
The statement, signed by the president of the Timorese Episcopal Conference (CET), Norberto do Amaral, bishop of Maliana, comes after news and images on Timorese social networks that re-identified Daschbach as a priest, including by some religious, have spread in recent days.
“The Pope’s decision comes from a deep and lengthy process to finally arrive at this final decision. Once again, I ask everyone to respect and accept this decision of the Pope,” wrote Do Amaral.
News of the East Timorese charge against Daschbach, who is accused of child sexual abuse and pornography, and who has already been convicted of these crimes by the Vatican, has sparked criticism of journalists, lawyers and victim support organisations.
Criticism over Gusmão visit
The debate over the case reignited this week after former East Timorese President Xanana Gusmão visited Daschbach in the house where he is under house arrest in Dili on the accused’s birthday.
News coverage of this visit drew criticism from the president of the Timorese Press Council, Virgílio Guterres, who said the news in the national press tried to “whitewash” Daschbach.
“This is serious news. This is an attempt to influence public opinion and even people in court to influence the decision,” he said.
“It is very serious because the news does not even make reference to the Vatican’s expulsion decisions or data on the crime he is accused of in East Timorese justice,” he told Lusa.
Although the articles mention that the ex-priest is the subject of an ongoing judicial process, they never explain what are the crimes he is accused of in East Timor or the fact that Daschbach had already been convicted and sacked by the Vatican.
The news presents in great detail a biography of Daschbach without ever referring to data on the crimes of which he is accused.
Daschbach, 84, is accused of abusing at least two dozen children in the orphanage where he worked, Topu Honis, and of the crimes of child pornography, according to the East Timorese prosecutor’s office.
Vatican ‘has no doubt’
In October last year, the representative of the Holy See in Dili told Lusa that the Vatican “has no doubt” that the former priest was guilty of these crimes, expelling him from the priesthood.
“There is no doubt for the Church that he is guilty of sexual abuse against minors, recognised by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, with an unappealable sentence,” said Marco Sprizzi, interim nuncio and the maximum representative of the Pope and of the Vatican in Timor-Leste.
“Richard Daschbach himself admitted and pleaded guilty before the Church. He looks like he backed down before civil justice, but before the church he never backed down.
“I want to be clear on this, ”said Sprizzi, who is responsible in Timor-Leste for the relationship between the Holy See and the Timorese Catholic Church and for the Holy See’s relationship with the Timorese state.
The archbishop of Dili, Vírgilio do Carmo da Silva, had previously apologised for criticism and accusations to all those who have been involved in the investigation of the former priest accused of pedophilia and child pornography in Timor-Leste, reaffirming his full support for the victims .
“On behalf of the Archdiocese of Dili, I want to apologise for the accusations and allegations that have affected the people involved in the investigation. The church wants to give its support and help the victims declared by the police authorities,” he said.
The ABC reports that Daschbach was regarded as a hero in Timor-Leste for founding children’s shelters that had operated for more than two decades.
He founded the Topu Honis or “Guide To Life” children’s homes in Oekusi Ambeno, an East Timorese enclave in the Indonesian-controlled western half of Timor, in 1992, the broadcaster reported.
Daschbach was also feted for saving children during East Timor’s war for independence from Indonesia.
A deranged Trump supporter apprehended by authorities was allegedly plotting to target Democrats in Congress as well as the Twitter headquarters with his homemade pipe bombs. This is the kind of savagery that Republicans are not explicitly condemning, and until they do that, their supporters will continue to think that this is what they want. […]
Via America’s Lawyer: RT Correspondent Brigida Santos joins Mike Papantonio to discuss the staggeringly inadequate response to the Capitol insurrection, which investigators agree could have been prevented based on their findings across social media. Also, to the dismay of progressives, Biden’s cabinet picks have a long history of favoring corporations over people. Mike Papantonio & Farron Cousins discuss more. Transcript: *This transcript was generated […]
According to the commander of the Washington, D.C. national guard, the Pentagon refused to allow deployment of his unit during the insurrection at the Capitol until AFTER the crazed Trump supporters had already breached the building. This is an absolute dereliction of duty on behalf of the Pentagon, and people should be fired for these […]
Papua New Guinea police have arrested and charged prominent Australian lawyer Greg Sheppard on allegations related to funds belonging to a K268 million (NZ$105 million) Western Province People’s Dividends Trust Account, reports the PNG Post-Courier.
The account is also known as the Community Mine Continuation Agreement (CMCA) Trust Fund held with ANZ Bank and was set up to benefit about 147,000 indigenous landowners and villagers in 58 villages impacted on by mining.
He was detained by the Special Police Forensic and Criminal Investigation Team (SPFCIT) during a lunch hour at a restaurant in Waigani on Wednesday, and taken to police headquarters in Konedobu for questioning.
After five hours of interview, Sheppard was arrested and charged with two counts of false pretences and two counts of conspiracy to defraud. He was released on a K3000 (NZ$1170) police bail.
Sheppard was reported by other media to be a former Queensland prosecutor who has lived in Papua New Guinea for more than three decades.
Police did not give any other detail on the charges but the Post-Courier understands that the investigation and arrest of Sheppard stems from a formal complaint lodged by the Open Member for North Fly Electorate, James Donald, with the Office of the Police Commissioner.
Woman arrested from Daru
Last week, the Post-Courier reported a 45-year-old woman, Edna Oai, from South Fly District in Western Province had been picked up from Daru by the SPFCIT and flown to Port Moresby.
She was formally charged with 15 counts of false pretences, conspiracy and misappropriation.
Her arrest also stems from the same complaint.
The investigation reportedly established that the funds were diverted and paid to a certain law firm, a company owned by the secretary of OTFRDF Ltd, specific directors’ personal bank accounts and other companies between August 2018 and early 2020.
The Sydney Morning Herald reports that a statement from Police Commissioner David Manning said the investigation was ongoing over “unauthorised expenditure” of the trust money.
“This includes forwarding proceeds from the K268 million to personal bank accounts of [trust] directors/employees,” the statement said.
“Police will also allege that the expenditures were not consistent with the spirit, tenor and intended purpose of the … Trust Funds, and used for purposes contrary to the CMCA beneficiaries.”
The commander of the Indonesian Army Military Police (Danpuspomad), Lieutenant-General Dodik Widjanarko says TNI AD soldiers in Papua have committed acts of violence, including burning bodies to erase traces of their killing.
General Widjanarko said bodies were burned after in an incident that led to two civilians, Luther Zanambani and Apinus Zanambani, detained at the Sugapa Koramil, Papua, on 21 April 2020 dying without trace, reports CNN Indonesia.
The two brothers are reportedly the family of Pastor Yeremia Zanambani, who was shot dead in Intan Jaya, Papua, on September 19.
General Widjanarko described the chronology of the deaths of the two civilians.
The incident began when the Raider Battalion Unit 433 JS Kostrad carried out a sweeping operation on April 21. During the operation, they suspected the two brothers were part of an alleged “Armed Criminal Group” (KKB).
The KKB, or the Armed Separatist Criminal Group (KKSB), is how law enforcers in Indonesia label the militant group of the pro-independence Free Papua Organisation (OPM).
On the basis of this suspicion, several members who were on duty at that time immediately interrogated the two people at Sugapa Koramil Paniai Kodim, said General Widjanarko.
Yellow public truck “During the interrogation, there was excessive action beyond the limits of propriety which resulted in Apinus Zanambani’s death and Luther Zanambani’s critical death at that time,” General Widjanarko told a media conference at the Army Puspom Building, Jalan Medan Merdeka Timur, Central Jakarta, on Wednesday.
At first the two civilians were about to be transferred to Kostrad’s Yonif PR 433 JS Kotrad by using a yellow public truck, said the general.
However, while riding a vehicle with police number B 9745 PGD in the middle of the journey, Luther Zanambani, who was previously critical, died.
General Widjanarko said that in order to erase any trace of the deaths of the two civilians, members of the Indonesian Army who were ainvolved in the incident tried to remove the two bodies.
“When arriving at Kotis Yonif Pararider 433 JS Kostrad to leave a trail, the victim’s bodies were then burned and the ashes dumped in the Julai River in Sugapa sub-district,” said the three-star TNI general.
Regarding the deaths of the two Zanambani brothers, General Widjanarko said that the Joint Army Police Headquarters Team together with the Cenderawasih XVII Military Command had named nine suspects.
The nine suspects, comprised two Paniai Kodim personnel and seven personnel from Yonit Pararider 433 JSD Kostrad.
Nine suspects named “The suspects comprise two personnel from the Paniai Military Command, Major Inf ML and the FTP Special Officer as well as seven personnel from the Yonif Para Raider 433 JS Kostrad, namely Major Inf YAS, Lettu Inf JMTS, Serka B, Seryu OSK, Sertu MS, Serda PG, and Kopda MAY,” said General Widjanarko.
The suspects’ determination was carried out after examining 21 witnesses, both from the TNI and civilians, said the general.
The investigation was carried out on 19 members of the Indonesian Army comprising five personnel from the Paniai Kodim, 13 personnel from Yonif Para Raider 433 JS, and one personnel from Denintel Kodam XVII Cenderawasih.
Even though nine suspects had been named, General Widjanarko said that his party was still conducting an in-depth examination of several personnel of Yonif Para Raider 433 JS, which needed further investigation.
This article was translated by a Pacific Media Watch correspondent from the original report.
Investigators at the scene where Pastor Yeremia Zanambani was alleged to have been shot dead by the Indonesian military near Hitadiap village. Image: CNN Indonesia screenshot
The family of Pastor Yeremia Zanambani, who was shot dead in Hitadipa district, Intan Jaya regency, Papua, three months ago are asking that the case be tried in a human rights court.
They oppose having the trial being taken to a military tribunal, reports CNN Indonesia.
“They [Yeremia’s family] want the case to be heard in a human rights court, so that the perpetrator can be tried in accordance with his actions and there will be justice for the victim. The victim’s family has no faith in the legal process of a military tribunal,” said a member of the team of lawyers representing Zanambani’s family, Yohanis Mambrasar.
In early October the government formed the Intan Jaya Joint Fact Finding Team (TGPF) to investigate the killing of Pastor Zanambani on September 19.
The team found allegations of the involvement of security personnel in the murder of the religious figure.
In a press release on Wednesday, the commander of the Army’s Military Police Centre, Lieutenant General Dodik Widjanarko, said that the Army Headquarters Legal Process Reinforcement Team was in the process of attempting to question 21 personnel from the 400 Raider Military Battalion in relation to the shooting.
Aside from questioning the 21 personnel, Widjanarko said that they had also questioned 14 personnel from the Cendrawasih XVII Regional Military Command’s (Kodam) Penebalan Apter Military Operational Unit Task Force.
Legal handling deplored Mambrasar said that he deplored the legal handling of the case which should already be at a more advanced stage in the investigation.
“Like arresting and declaring suspects, because there’s already enough evidence. There are many witnesses and the indicating evidence is already very strong [and enough] to explain the case and the perpetrator,” he said.
He also said other such cases which had occurred in Papua recently, such as the murder of two youths named Luter Zanambani and Apinus Zanambani on April 21, the torching of a healthcare office on September 19 and the shooting of Agus Duwitau on October 7 must also be resolved by a human rights court.
Rev Yeremia Zanambani … alleged to have been shot dead by the Indonesian military in Hitadiap village on September 19. Image: Suara Papua
Mambrasar said that as regulated under Article 9 in conjunction with Article 7(b) of Law Number 26/2000 on a Human Rights Court, the elements of a gross human rights violation in these cases — including Zanambani’s shooting — had already been met.
“As referred to under Article 7, namely that there were acts of violent killing which took in a systematic and broad manner”, he said.
IndoLeft News reports: Although the government sanctioned TGPF only said that it found indications of the involvement of security personnel in Zanambani’s murder, an investigation by the government’s own National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) explicitly alleged Zanambani’s murderer as being Hitadipa sub-district military commander Chief Sergeant Alpius Hasim Madi.
Komnas HAM said Zanambani was killed while being interrogated on the whereabouts of an Indonesian military assault rifle two days earlier during an exchange of fire with the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB).
In a nutshell, the commission concluded no one was solely to blame. It was a collective failure, divided between the security agencies, the police and a population lacking social cohesion and with a fear of speaking out.
The failure of the security agencies was unremarkable in the commission’s analysis. They were alienated, under-resourced and overly focusing counter-terrorism resources on the threat of Islamist extremism.
While the agencies were aware of right-wing extremism, their intelligence was underdeveloped — but even if it had been better, the outcome may not have been different.
The primary reason the terrorist was not detected, the commission concludes, was due more to
the operational security that the individual maintained, the legislative authorising environment in which counter terrorism operates, and the limited capability and capacity of the counter terrorism agencies.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and senior cabinet ministers talk to media outside Nga Hau E Wha National Marae in Christchurch, ahead of the report of the royal commission being made public. Image: The Conversation/GettyImages
Intelligence and police failures
So, there was “no plausible way he could have been detected except by chance”. And apparently, this failure to detect was “not in itself an intelligence failure”. In fact, no security agency failed to meet required standards or was otherwise considered to be at fault.
Views will differ on that, but the culpability of the police is clearer. The report concludes their administration of the firearms licensing system did not meet required standards, due to a lack of staff guidance and training, and flawed referee vetting processes.
This intersected with the regulation of semi-automatic firearms which was “lax, open to easy exploitation and was gamed by the individual”.
Even so, the commission concluded it was possible, perhaps likely, that the terrorist would eventually have been able to obtain a licence. Beyond that is supposition: an effective licensing regime may have delayed his preparation, but whether it would have changed his mind about the attack, the target, the weapons, or even the country he was in, will always be unknown.
Whether these failings are sufficient for ministerial and/or agency accountability is a matter of debate. The last time anything comparable happened was after the Cave Creek disaster in 1995, when the responsible minister resigned over the systemic failure at the Department of Conservation.
Preventing another attack
Official accountability aside, the commission sets out the road map to prevent such an attack happening again. Fixing the firearms licence process will be the easiest. The six recommendations calling for enhanced standards and improved quality control dovetail with laws put in place after the attack.
The type of firearms used in the attack are largely prohibited and those who show “patterns of behaviour demonstrating a tendency to exhibit, encourage, or promote violence, hatred or extremism” can no longer be considered fit and proper to possess a firearm.
The other change will be harder. There are no fewer than 18 different recommendations aimed at the security agencies, starting with the creation of a new ministerial portfolio and establishment of a new national intelligence and security agency.
It will need to be well-resourced and empowered to meet a range of objectives, from developing a counter-terrorism strategy to creating a public-facing policy that addresses, prevents, detects and responds to extremism.
Also among the recommendations are greater information sharing between agencies, public outreach, the reporting of “threatscapes” and developing indicators identifying a person’s potential for violent extremism and terrorism.
All commendable goals, but how they will be reconciled with existing security agency remits, and whether there is a budget to meet such ambitions, is not clear at this stage.
Imam Gamal Fouda of Al Noor Mosque, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Muslim Association Canterbury President Mohamed Jama at the unveiling of a plaque honouring the 51 people who lost their lives in the Christchurch mosque terror attacks. Image: The Conversation/GettyImages
The need for social cohesion
Perhaps most surprising in the report is the suggestion that the likeliest thing to have prevented the attack would have been a “see something, say something” culture — one in which those with suspicions about another person could safely raise their concerns with authorities.
“Such reporting,” the commission says, “would have provided the best chance of disrupting the terrorist attack.” This is a remarkable sentence, both brilliant and unnerving. It suggests the best defence against extremism was (and is) to be found within ourselves, and in the robust and multicultural communities we must create.
However, successive governments have failed in this area through their reluctance to make counter-terrorism strategies more public, perhaps worried about alienating or provoking sections of the population.
It’s a paradox, to say the least, but the commission recommends several measures to enhance social cohesion, beginning with the need to support the ongoing recovery needs of affected family, survivors and witnesses.
These evolve into a variety of soft goals, ranging from the possibility of a new agency focused on ethnic communities and multiculturalism, to investing in young New Zealanders’ cultural awareness.
Again, these recommendation are commendable, but the proof will be in their resourcing and synchronising with existing work in this area.
Free speech and public safety
Greater immediate progress may be made in the prevention of hate speech and an extension of the censorship laws to prohibit material advancing racial hatred, discrimination and/or views of racial superiority.
Although New Zealand already has law in this area (covering discrimination and sentencing in crimes related to race, ethnicity or religion), there remains a large gap when it comes to what is and is not permissible speech.
It then becomes a vexed question of the limits of free expression, and would be difficult to craft into law. But if the government could do this, a significant advance will have been made.
So, after all of these words, will the vision of this royal commission make New Zealand safer in the future? The answer is yes, risks can be reduced — but it is a long road ahead.
Papua New Guinea’s former Prime Minister, Peter O’Neill, has been committed to stand trial for charges of misappropriation and official corruption
A Waigani Committal Court magistrate Tracey Ganaii yesterday found there was sufficient evidence on the two charges.
They relate to the state purchase of two generators from Israel seven years ago when O’Neill was prime minister.
Police allege that O’Neill directed payments for the purchase without proper procurement and tender processes, or parliamentary approval.
O’Neill told media outside court that he welcomed the chance to defend the case.
“There was no personal benefit on my part in this case. But there is a suggestion by some of the witnesses that it was official corruption and misappropriation of unbudgeted items. But we have not presented our evidence in court, which we will do in the National Court.”
O’Neill previously defended the US$14 million purchase of the generators as being a necessary step to addressing chronic electricity blackouts experienced in PNG’s main cities of Port Moresby and Lae.
The former prime minister insisted that the decision was approved by his cabinet, the National Executive Council.
“Largely, this is a NEC-endorsed decision. The purchase was endorsed by NEC.
“The court thought that there has been differences of timing, and there was sufficiency of that to bring the matter up to the National Court, and we look forward to defending it there.”
This article is republished by the Pacific Media Centre under a partnership agreement with RNZ.
In December 1944, Adolf Hitler surprised the Allies with a secret counterattack through the Ardennes forest, known today as the Battle of the Bulge. In the carnage that followed, there was one incident that top military commanders hoped would be concealed. It’s the story of an American war crime nearly forgotten to history.
Don’t miss out on the next big story. Get the Weekly Reveal newsletter today.
Black girls are being pushed out of school and into jails at alarming rates, but this issue often is overlooked because youth incarceration reform focuses so much on boys. Reporter Ko Bragg explains how the cycle begins and what researchers hope will break it.
Don’t miss out on the next big story. Get the Weekly Reveal newsletter today.
**How does a seventh grader end up in solitary confinement in an adult jail? Reporter Ko Bragg takes us to Mississippi to learn about a set of laws that automatically send kids into the adult legal system for certain crimes.
**
Don’t miss out on the next big story. Get the Weekly Reveal newsletter today.
Genetic genealogy is a powerful crime-solving tool that combines DNA science with family tree research. Where will it take us – a crime-free world or a dark dystopia?
**
*Don’t miss out on the next big story. Get the Weekly Reveal newsletter today.*
Presidential pardons grab the headlines each time Donald Trump grants clemency to a controversial person. We tell the untold story of a pardons system that is completely broken, leaving a backlog of 13,000 applications, and a pardon attorney’s office that’s being ignored by the White House.
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In Alaska and the Pacific Northwest, the Catholic church had a problem with Jesuit priests sexually abusing children. The church’s first solution was to send the priests to remote Native villages, but there they continued to abuse. So the church tried something else: hiding them in plain sight.
*Listeners should know that this episode includes descriptions of abuse and predatory behavior, and is not a story for all listeners.
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The recent killing of 11 worshippers at a Pittsburgh synagogue refocused the nation’s attention on right-wing extremist terrorists. Meanwhile, the Trump administration points to radical Islam as the bigger threat to security. On this episode of Reveal, we investigate which terror threats get tracked and which are ignored.
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He seemed to confess to the crime, twice to his ex-girlfriend, once to police. But prosecutors never charged him. The reasons why show how rape myths continue to influence how justice is meted out in America. Reported in partnership with Newsy and ProPublica.
An accused man faces an impossible choice in New Orleans. Plus, a new district attorney in Philadelphia sets out to undo the work of those who came before him.
From reporters Eve Abrams and Laura Starecheski, and editor Catherine Winter.
Baltimore’s police department was already notorious.
But this year, eight former police officers were convicted on federal racketeering charges stemming from an FBI investigation. They belonged to an elite task force charged with getting guns off the city’s streets. Instead, the plainclothes cops roamed Baltimore neighborhoods at will, robbing people on the street, breaking into homes to steal money, drugs or guns and planting evidence on their victims.
The targets of the Gun Trace Task Force included drug dealers and ordinary citizens. One of its favorite tactics was to speed toward a group of men on a street corner, chase whoever ran and shake them down. On top of all this, the officers falsified their timesheets to almost double their salaries.
This episode of Reveal asks if the task force was simply a rogue operation or if the officers were aided and abetted by fellow cops and even supervisors within the department.
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Across the country, criminals are arming themselves in unexpected ways. In Florida, they’re stealing guns from unlocked cars and gun stores. In other places, they’re getting them from the police themselves, as cash-strapped departments sell their used weapons to buy new ones. On this episode of Reveal, we learn where criminals get their guns and what cars can teach us about gun safety.
Rev Yeremia Zanambani … alleged to have been shot dead by the Indonesian military in Hitadiap village on September 19. Image: Suara Papua
