‘A training in violence’: the connecting line between France’s ‘war on drugs’ and jihadism
In France, there are many ways in which the pool of violence caused by drug prohibition bleeds into home-grown jihadism. But there is an alternative.
I discovered the truth about Singapore's 'war on drugs'. Now I campaign against the death penalty
The Singaporean criminal justice system expected Yong Vui Kong to die for a mistake he’d made when he was just 19 years old.
Our drug policy system is an expensive failure. What are the alternatives?
The exorbitant cost of punitive drug policy is actually an argument for change. What if we invested in good quality treatment for addiction instead? Español
Searching for an alternative to the ‘war on drugs’ in Rio de Janeiro
The Brazilian city has been an extreme example of the failure of the ‘war on drugs’ – but recent policing measures offer potential alternatives. Can Rio learn to fight violence rather than drugs? Español
After an insubstantial UN drugs summit last month, what’s left for Latin America?
The global crackdown on drugs has spurred violence akin to war in some Latin American countries. But the world’s historically powerful countries are still reluctant to confront it. Español
- 1 of 2
- ››
Gabriela Kletzel leads the International Team at the Center for Legal and Social Studies (CELS), an Argentine human rights organisation. She is an attorney with expertise on international human rights law. Follow her on Twitter: @gabrielakletzel
Luciana Pol, an Argentine sociologist, is a Senior Fellow in Security Policy and Human Rights at the Center for Legal and Social Studies (CELS). Her main areas of work are drug policy and human rights, security policies and social protest.
When 22 civilians were killed at a warehouse in the town of Tlatlaya, Mexico, the official story was that the military had engaged in ‘clashes’ with a drug trafficking gang. But eyewitness Clara Gómez González, whose daughter was killed in the incident, said it wasn’t that way at all – many of the people in the warehouse were executed.
Her fight for justice continues→
.JPG)
A series of photo essays from the Washington Office on Latin America reveals how across the region, the effects of disproportionate punishment for low-level, non-violent drug offences are particularly severe for women.
“The human cost of global drug policy” is an editorial partnership between openDemocracy and CELS, an Argentine human rights organisation with a broad agenda that includes advocating for drug policies respectful of human rights. The partnership coincides with the United Nations General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) on drugs.