Word: violent
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...were Jews and therefore, Fofana believed, had to be rich. But once in court, Fofana sought to frame his behavior in jihadist language: after shouting "Allahu akbar" at the court, for example, Fofana gave his name as "Arabs, African, Revolt, Armed, Barbarian, Salafist [the literalist Muslim puritanism whose more violent incarnation is usually associated with al-Qaeda and other jihadist groups]." Later, Fofana, 28, appeared to taunt the victim's family by, among other things, giving his date of birth as Feb. 13, 2006, the date of Halimi's death. (See photographs of Nazi Germany's Kristallnacht pogrom...
...According to Iraq Body Count's figures, about 9,000 Iraqi civilians died violently in 2008, a precipitous drop from 2007 when 24,457 died. Baghdad remained by far the most violent place in Iraq, accounting for 32% of all violent deaths. But the capital was becoming relatively safer when compared to other parts of the country. In 2006 and 2007, for instance, Baghdad had been the scene of just over half of all deaths in Iraq. (See pictures of U.S. troops in Iraq...
...numbers: Caracas, with about 3.2 million people, is in a bloody league of its own, with an estimated murder rate of 130 per 100,000 residents according to government figures. Cape Town is about the same size as Caracas but nearer to Baghdad's murder rate with 62 violent deaths per 100,000 people. New Orleans, with an estimated post-Katrina population of just over 300,000, is tiny in size compared to its rivals. But the number of murders is huge; figures vary, but even the low estimate puts the city on a par with Cape Town...
...None of this is to suggest that things could be considered safe or normal in Baghdad, where at least 150 people died in a series of bomb attacks over a 24-hour period just last week. None of the world's most violent cities see carnage like that on a regular basis. And it is safe to assume that virtually no one living in Baghdad feels lucky when considering the situation in Caracas or Cape Town. Many Iraqis still point to the years before the U.S. invasion, when Baghdad had a reputation for some of the safest streets...
...lack of guaranteed rights of the accused means detainees are frequent targets of abuse, either in the form of violent interrogations or beatings at the hands of other prisoners, legal experts say. Most suspects are now kept in detention centers run the Public Security Bureau, but moving them to the custody of judicial officials could lessen the likelihood of abuse. "Oral confessions should not be used as evidence any more," Liu says. "And detention centers should be overseen by judicial administrative offices, instead of the police." Until the government enacts those fundamental reforms, then the list of China's jail...