Rami Abdulrahman, head of the British-based opposition watchdog the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said that four people in Aleppo had told him of the incident which happened on either Friday or Saturday.
“The soldiers were from the Aleppo district of Sekenat Hanano but they were killed in the district of Sabaa Baharat,” he said by telephone.
The videos showed rebel fighters holding assault rifles standing around the dead men, calling them “(President Bashar al-) Assad’s Dogs.”
“The Suleiman al-Farisi brigade … killed several members from the (state) security,” a man said off camera, filming a car with the name of the brigade written on the bonnet.
This isn’t the first time that war crimes have been reported, by either side of the Syrian conflict, though its never welcome news when new stories break. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights estimates that the total number of casualties in Syria has now topped 27,300, 19,500 of whom were civilians, during the 17-month-old uprising.
As an execution nears, journalism’s focus is appropriately on the specifics of that situation: the crimes and evidence, the families. But a brief mention or count of protesters outside the prison does an injustice to the facts and deeply-held beliefs that belong in a civic discussion of the death penalty. When do journalists give that discussion the time and space it deserves? The Storify below captures the related journalistic issues that arose Wednesday night as Troy Davis faced death.
Why don’t we cover the details of death penalty cases like this? Like, in full? Why does our collective big-media ADD only focus on the moment beforehand? Is it because there are too many cases? Too many stories that deserve our attention more? And where does the debate about the supporters and detractors fit into the whole thing? There are a lot of thoughts to keep in mind about all this, but as a journalistic society, we have selective viewing habits. Instead of focusing on the peak points, why not focus on the 22 years between Davis’ alleged crime and his execution? It’s something this site needs to work on, but it’d be easier if other news outlets took lessons from this.
God have mercy on your souls.Troy Davis speaking to his executioners. They were his final words. (via officialssay)
The time of death is 11:08.SPOKESWOMAN for the Georgia Department of Correction, confirming that Troy Davis has been executed. (via inothernews)
Family of Troy Davis digests the news that the US Supreme Court has refused to block his execution, via @kimseverenson
That’s it guys. Troy Davis will be executed. Bummer. (EDIT: That one word at the end drew a lot of response. Please see our take on the reaction.)
» What happened: In 1995, Buck was convicted of double-murder in Houston, Texas, and sentenced to death. Buck’s guilt is not being disputed; however, during the sentencing phase, a psychologist testified that black criminals are more likely than other races to pose a threat to the public if released. Buck’s lawyers contest that this testimony—which was denounced in 2000 by then-Texas Attorney General John Cornyn—played a role in Buck’s sentence, and asked Governor Rick Perry and the district attorney to grant Buck a retrial. Perry and the DA refused the request, but the US Supreme Court intervened today, issuing a stay in his execution just four hours before his execution was set to take place. The court has yet to rule on a request for a resentencing.
Rick Perry’s Execution problem: Though it’s beginning to look like an asset in a deep-red GOP primary process, the brouhaha over Rick Perry’s stewardship of the Texas death penalty continues – four more inmates are slated to die over the next eight days. In one case, a man named Duane Buck who shot and killed two people was subject to prejudicial testimony when a psychologist claimed his race (Buck is black) increased the likelihood of future dangerous acts. Another, Steven Woods, is to be executed for a murder that an accomplice has since claimed he carried out. Whatever your political stripe, these issues demand intense scrutiny from a responsible society (as this exemplary article illustrates, the odds that Texas has executed an innocent person seem gallingly high). source
A key point from the story:
Under international humanitarian law, violence to life and person, in particular murder of all kinds of civilians and persons not engaged in combat such as detainees is always strictly prohibited and constitutes a war crime. This is irrespective of whether the conflict is an international or non-international conflict.
This is not a fun one to read, so know that going in. (via idroolinmysleep)
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