Genocide Trial of Ex-Guatemalan Dictator Put on Hold

Staff / Truthdig Apr 22, 2013 An appeals court has suspended the trial of former Guatemalan dictator Efraín Ríos Montt after the country's president intervened just hours before a criminal court was scheduled to reach a verdict. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Questions From a ‘Dirty War’

Eugene Robinson / Truthdig Mar 17, 2013 They are impolite questions, but they must be asked: What did Jorge Mario Bergoglio know, and when did he know it, about Argentina's brutal "Dirty War" against suspected leftists in which thousands were tortured and killed? More important, what did the newly chosen Pope Francis do? Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Fiji Military Says It Will Lift Martial Law

Staff / Truthdig Jan 2, 2012 Two years after imposing martial law, Fiji's illegal, internationally sanctioned military dictatorship has promised to end an indefinite state of emergency and craft a new constitution on the way to democratic elections. It's a needed reminder that there are many places outside the Middle East and lower Manhattan where people yearn for a government accountable to its citizens. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Kim Jong Un Takes Charge

Staff / Truthdig Dec 26, 2011 As his father Kim Jong Il lies in state, North Korea's new leader Kim Jong Un is taking over the family business, assuming a position of power vis-à-vis his country's military, his people and even a couple of visiting dignitaries in from the not-so-friendly neighboring nation of South Korea to pay their respects. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

‘Democracy Now!’: The Koreas of the Future

BLANK Dec 21, 2011 As Amy Goodman points out in this report from Tuesday's edition of "Democracy Now!," North Korean leader Kim Jong Il's death came as a surprise to the U.S., which also underscores a more general lack of knowledge in America about either of the Koreas. Fortunately, she brings in some experts on the region to bring us up to speed. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Grieving for the Dear Leader

Staff / Truthdig Dec 20, 2011 Since North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il's death last weekend, images of his countrymen grieving en masse have passed through the country's ironclad borders to the outside world, provoking a range of reactions -- incredulity and puzzlement among them. So what's the story behind the weeping and gnashing of teeth? Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Robert Mugabe Does Not Approve of This Humorous Fast Food Ad

Staff / Truthdig Dec 8, 2011 Zimbabwe's own Robert Mugabe is the unlikely star of this startlingly funny little number that its sponsoring chicken restaurant chain, Nando’s South Africa, calls "Last dictator standing." This did not please the real-life version of the ad's fun-loving dictator. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Pentagon Spends Millions Protecting Uzbekistan Dictator

Staff / Truthdig Nov 27, 2011 Uzbekistan President Islam Karimov is notorious for heading one of the world’s most oppressive regimes, and millions of U.S. taxpayer dollars are being given to a for-profit military contractor turned propaganda machine to make sure he remains a faithful and able ally in the global war on terror. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Go Away

Osama Hajjaj, Cagle Cartoons, Abu Mahjoob Creative Productions Nov 23, 2011 Dig deeper

The Monster

Mr. Fish / Truthdig Nov 1, 2011 I stopped believing in monsters on Thanksgiving Day in 1976, when my stepfather came downstairs for dinner wearing black dress pants, a white collared shirt, a pair of freshly polished black leather shoes and only one sock.What will always make a monster appear even more monstrous is his ability to be magnanimous, even lovable, toward those most often targeted by his abuse. Dig deeper ( 6 Min. Read )

Gadhafi, Son and Aide Buried in Secret Site

Staff / Truthdig Oct 25, 2011 Putting a ceremonial end to a 42-year era in Libya, the nation's late leader Col Moammar Gadhafi was laid to rest, along with his son Muatassim and his defense minister, Abu Bakr Younis, in an undisclosed location The three died after their capture last Thursday and (more). Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

‘Colbert Report’: The Demise of Another Nocturnal, Burrowing Dictator

Staff / Truthdig Oct 21, 2011 What's the protocol for making jokes about dead dictators -- is the same day too soon? Stephen Colbert throws propriety to the wind and takes on not just Col Moammar Gadhafi himself in this clip, claiming that losing the Libyan leader is like losing "Yves St Laurent, George Burns and Pol Pot (more). Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )