By Tayo Sjoberg Jamison, Reporter
13,000 dead In Syrian prison
On Feb. 7, Amnesty International released an article exposing the alleged atrocities committed in the Syrian prison north of the capital Damascus. As many as 13,000 prisoners from Saydnaya prison were hanged, beaten and starved to death.
According to Amnesty International’s sources, which include detainees, judges and former security guards, the majority of people in Saydnaya are not criminals or rebels, but people who do not approve of President Bashar al-Assad.
“It’s completely unjust, because they [the prisoners] were just trying to display what they think and feel,” junior Wyatt Keppler said.
Citizens are taken to the prison without explanation, and are often beaten, starved and eventually executed.
The executions are preceded by a sham trial, in which a prisoner is asked their name, and whether they committed a crime. Regardless of the prisoner’s answer, they are put to death, allegedly by a noose.
The United States has labeled these imprisonments and hangings as inhumane, heinous acts by the Syrian government.
“Those people were taken unjustly. It’s freedom of speech to participate in any march or protest,” sophomore Aziza Moyer said.
The majority of people in Damascus are brought to Saydnaya for taking part in peaceful protests, an act celebrated in the United States constitution.
“I think everyone should have freedom of speech and should be able to think/say what they want,” sophomore Kyle Carlstedt said.
Free speech is often taken for granted in the U.S., but it is important to realize that there are still countries such as Syria where a peaceful protest may result in imprisonment.
Shooting in mosque kills six
Six people were killed and five more injured from a tragic shooting in a Mosque in Quebec on Jan. 29. Police arrested two suspects, and eventually concluded that Alexandre Bissonnette was the shooter.
The shooting, which occurred in the Quebec Islamic Cultural Center in downtown Quebec, affected many people in Canada and around the globe. Bissonette is 27 years old and was attending Laval University in Quebec city where he studies anthropology and political science. Bissonette faces six counts of first-degree murder and five counts of attempted murder, but has not yet been prosecuted for any terrorist acts.
It is important to remember that this shooting is unfortunately not the first threat made against the Quebec Islamic Cultural Center.
“If something like this occurred in my community, I would feel scared about the state that our country is in,” Moyer said.
In June 2016, a severed pig head was delivered to the mosque with the message “Bon Appétit” attached. The consumption of pork products is forbidden by the Koran; therefore, this message was very rude and most likely intended to offend the Muslims that attend the mosque.
“If that happened near me, I would honestly be scared to worship because I would never know when it would be safe to go back,” Keppler said.
As this mosque and many others around the world face xenophobic threats and actions, Quebec looks to restore and move forward after this most recent shooting.
How Bill Gates works improve the world
Recently, Bill and Melinda Gates have used their foundation to combat infectious diseases and world hunger. In Africa, the foundation has invested in research towards fighting mosquito-transmitted diseases such as malaria, the Zika virus and dengue fever.
New technologies are being created to help fight the spread of disease, one of which is a chair that repels mosquitos. Researchers believe this to be an effective solution, as it would be used more frequently and with less effort than something like DEET sprays or mosquito nets.
“The Gates foundation should be focusing on infectious disease, and they have been for a while now,” senior Yulia Fiala said.
Bill Gates believes that the eradication of disease is an effective measure of humanity’s progress in the field of science. No infectious disease other than smallpox has ever been eradicated but Gates believes that by 2030, four more diseases should be eliminated.
The Gates foundation also hopes to eradicate hunger by improving the farming industry in rural areas.
“Africa should be the main target for the Gates foundation since it tends to have the highest rate of infectious disease,” Keppler said.
For example, in Tanzania they have created a social network to connect farmers and allow them to share farming techniques. The network has the potential to save many crops, jobs and even lives of farmers.
With billionaire Bill Gates using his resources to lessen the spread of viruses and hunger in agricultural communities, the citizens of these countries are improving the quality of living for the future generations.
The Gates foundation hopes that once they start the trend of innovation for survival, new inventions will keep being created, and by this process, more lives will be saved.
Trump’s Travel Ban
On January 27 President Donald J. Trump announced a ban on travel and immigration to the United States from seven different countries in the Middle East. This travel ban would have prevented the passage of any people to and from the United States and Syria, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Iraq, Iran and Yemen.
The ban aroused immediate reaction from United States citizens with family in the banned countries, and from the people in those banned countries trying to get to the United States.
“It is profiling people, and it is not giving people the rights they deserve,” Carlstedt said.
The aim of Trump’s travel ban was to prevent any potential terrorists from entering the United States. Fortunately for the many people wanting to come and go between the United States and these countries, the ban was declared unconstitutional by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in a unanimous decision.
“It is not okay to discriminate people from any country, just because they are from that country. It doesn’t mean they are violent or that they are terrorists,” Moyer said.
The ban has been rejected and is no longer in place; therefore, travel can occur without any limitations.
“Immigrants are a cornerstone of our country,” senior Hart Easley said.
Many people are glad that the ban has been rejected, as the ban could have kept families apart, and kept jobs in the U.S. unfilled. Trump recently instated a new ban, with a revised agenda. This new ban will only ban six of the original seven, now excluding Iraq from the ban. This new ban is slightly more lenient, stating that if a citizen of a banned country has a visa and evidence that they would not be a threat to the United States, then they may enter the government.