Nigerian Parents Say Boko Haram Video Confirms Worst ‘Fears’ About Abducted Girls

Staff / Truthdig May 7, 2014 Nigerian parents on Tuesday said their worst fears about their daughters' fates had been confirmed after Boko Haram, which kidnapped more than 200 schoolgirls last month, threatened to sell the hostages as "slaves." Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Even the 99 Percent Get Kidnapped in Mexico

Staff / Truthdig Apr 14, 2014 Once the plutocrats' plague, kidnapping for ransom in Mexico has gone decidedly mass market. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

They’re Kidnapping People for Money in Syria

Alexander Reed Kelly / Truthdig Aug 12, 2013 The Syrian civil war has given rise to a wave of kidnappings and ransoms as desperate members of the opposition movement struggle to support themselves and their cause, Patrick Cockburn writes at The Independent. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Ariel Castro: ‘I Am a Sexual Predator. I Need Help’

Tracy Bloom / Truthdig May 9, 2013 In a chilling letter allegedly written by Ariel Castro, the Cleveland kidnapping suspect admits to his crimes but blames his three female victims for getting into the car with him in the first place. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Horrific Details Emerge in Cleveland Kidnapping Case

Tracy Bloom / Truthdig May 8, 2013 The three women who were kidnapped and held captive in a Cleveland home for a decade were raped, beaten mercilessly while pregnant, kept in ropes and chains and forced to crawl around on their hands and knees naked in the backyard by their captors, according to reports. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Obama’s Terror Campaign

Alexander Reed Kelly / Truthdig Apr 22, 2013 The president maintains a "global system of kidnapping, torture, rape and murder" to demoralize and coerce those who would oppose the American-led neoliberal empire, political economist Rob Urie writes in CounterPunch. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Redistricting, a Devil’s Dictionary

Staff / Truthdig Nov 6, 2011 Redistricting should be a way of ensuring your vote counts. But instead of voters choosing politicians, the practice often works the other way around. The right lines can all but guarantee an incumbent a decade's worth of electoral success, or help send others into retirement.The right lines can all but guarantee an incumbent a decade's worth of electoral success, or help send others into retirement. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

Unifying Mexico’s Police

Staff / Truthdig Oct 2, 2010 In the face of news that at least 20 tourists had just been kidnapped in Acapulco, the Mexican government has announced the preparation of a plan to alter the nation's police structure that would essentially federalize the country's 2,200 local police departments under a unified command. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Missing Iranian Scientist Case Causes Diplomatic Discomfort

Staff / Truthdig Jul 13, 2010 Well, this is awkward: After months of conflicting reports as to his whereabouts, missing Iranian scientist Shahram Amiri has apparently turned up in the Iranian section of Pakistan's embassy in Washington, D.C. But was he kidnapped? Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

The Case of the Missing Iranian Nuke Scientist

Staff / Truthdig Jun 8, 2010 One video shows a man who may well be Iranian nuclear scientist Shahram Amiri claiming that he was abducted by Americans and is now being held in Tucson, Ariz. -- in which case, whoever kidnapped him should make sure he has the right papers. (continued) Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Report: Karzai Set Taliban Leader Free

Staff / Truthdig Apr 8, 2010 A professional kidnapper and Taliban commander was released from an Afghan prison 10 years early and may have won a hush-hush pardon from Afghan President Hamid Karzai, the BBC reports. Karzai’s people say the president “could not recall the matter.” Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Haiti Frees American Missionary Held in Kidnapping Case

Staff / Truthdig Mar 9, 2010 On Monday, Haitian officials freed Charisa Coulter, a Baptist missionary from the U.S. who was held on kidnapping charges following January's catastrophic earthquake in Port-au-Prince. One other American from Coulter's group remains in custody in the island nation's capital, according to The Associated Press. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )