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Selected
Translations from Tertulia
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Honduras San Jose, August 9,
2001 (Casa Alianza/Tertulia). Mike Wyatt, 60, was arrested on Sunday, August 5, in the bar "Ol' Gringo," which is located on the beach. In addition to facing charges of prostitution and child sexual abuse, he is also accused of producing and distributing child pornography. According to an investigation carried out by Casa Alianza and the Honduran police since November 1999, Wyatt took photographs of young girls who would go to his house to watch his big screen TV. It is also reported that he took them for boat rides and gave them gifts. He is being charged with sexually abusing them. Police spokespersons indicate that Wyatt, an ex-prison guard, regularly shipped large quantities of pornographic photos to the United States. Because he is over 60, he has been granted the courtesy of house arrest only. The judge did not allow Wyatt's house to be searched for additional evidence, saying there is insufficient justification. According to Karen Martinez, Trujillo's Justice of the Peace, an arrest warrant has been issued for Wyatt's friend Woody Abbott (aka Willard Lee), 59, from California, who is charged with aggravated prostitution and child sexual abuse of girls and boys. Abbott, currently a fugitive, owns "Photopro," a digital photo lab in Trujillo where he has lived for many years. In 1999 a police search was made of the photo lab, but no evidence was found. Apparently, Abbott was posting on the internet the child pornography that was produced in his studio. Casa Alianza has been investigating this case for over 18 months. It is just one of many that involve the sexual exploitation of Honduran girls and boys by foreign nationals. Daniel Gary Rounds, a special ed teacher from Philadelphia, PA, was sentenced in 1998 to six years in prison for sexually abusing boys on the streets of La Ceiba. Rounds escaped in 1999 and is currently living in Philadelphia. Under U.S. law, the U.S. consul in Honduras is not permitted to formally advise U.S. authorities of Rounds' Honduran conviction, so Rounds continues to live and teach small children in the state of Pennsylvania. |
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Turkey New York, August 9,
2001 (UNWire/Tertulia). According to United Nations' estimates, up to 5,000 women and girls around the world were murdered last year by members of their own families. Investigators say that at least 200 of these "murders of honor" occur each year in Turkey, but warn that the real figure could be higher. Turkey is currently experiencing one of the largest urbanization movements in the world: less than 50 years ago, 75% of its population lived in rural areas. Now, 75% live in cities. "'Crimes of honor' are happening all over Turkey," says Pinar Ilkkaracan, director of a human rights activist group in Istanbul. "These 'murders of honor' are the tip of the iceberg. What lies beneath is horrifying." Even though these murders are often premeditated and the murderer of a family member is subject to capital punishment or life imprisonment, judges often rule that crimes to defend family "honor" are permissible and sentences are reduced. Also, according to Moore, if the perpetrator of a "murder of honor" is a juvenile, the penalty is usually reduced to one or two years' incarceration. It is hoped that Turkey will listen to the constant demands by women's groups and make substantial changes to its Civil Code, amending the criminal statutes that currently permit judges to reduce sentences for a variety of "honor" crimes. |
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