Israeli cult leader charged with enslavement, rape

February 16, 2010

Jerusalem (CNN) -- An Israeli man accused of having 21 wives and fathering 49 children was charged Sunday in a Tel Aviv court with multiple counts of sexual assault, rape, sodomy and enslavement.

Goel Ratzon, 60, was arrested last month.

Authorities charge that he lived in a compound with the 21 wives, having convinced them that he was omnipotent.

All the wives tattooed Ratzon's name and picture on their arms and the children's names are all derivatives of his name, according to the court papers.

Ratzon married his first wife in 1972, added a second wife in the early 1980s, and from 1991 added another 19 wives, according to the indictment.

He persuaded the women that he had the power to heal and curse, through which he gained "complete control of their lives, desires, thoughts, emotions and actions," the court papers say.

Ratzon spoke in court for first time last week, saying he was innocent, that everything was done with consent, and that any women who wished to leave could do so, Israeli media reported.

The indictment charges that the defendant "captured the women in a 'pseudo-family' structure that revolved around the worship of his image, making the birth of his children a supreme goal that the women must aspire to, and all this was to glorify him while serving and fulfilling all his needs."

Ratzon demanded that his wives and children completely obey all of his orders and has stringent rules and had a penalty system if they disobeyed him, the indictment alleges.

He also "abused his wives by trampling their self-worth and cut them off from any outside social contact including their families, and by this enslaved them to him and his desires," the court papers say.

The indictment includes allegations of rape and sodomy of two of his daughters, sexual assault of another daughter, and rape, assault and sodomy of four other girls.

Beyond the mental and physical control Ratzon had over his wives, he effectively controlled all of their finances, the indictment says. The women deposited major chunks of their social security payments and salaries into the family's account, paid for all of his living expenses and bought him all his property and anything he demanded, authorities charge.

Ratzon's cult has been known to the authorities for about 10 years, they said, but it was only about six months ago they succeeded in convincing one of the women to file a complaint. That brought about his arrest last month.

3 women caned in Malaysia for adultery

By Joe Sterling, CNN
February 17, 2010

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (CNN) -- For the first time, Malaysian authorities have caned three Muslim women under Islamic law for acts of adultery, the Malaysian national news agency Bernama said.

Home Minister Hishamuddin Hussein announced the canings Wednesday, saying the penalty was carried out February 9 at a women's prison near Kuala Lumpur.

The canings -- a punishment that persists across Malaysian society since the British colonial era of the 19th century -- have been denounced by one Amnesty International official, who says "caning is tantamount to torture."

But Hishamuddin said the punishment was carried out "to educate and make the offenders realize their mistakes and to return to the right path."

"It is hoped that the issue will not be wrongly interpreted to the extent of tarnishing the sanctity of Islam," he was quoted as saying. He also said the punishment did not cause any injury and that the women were remorseful and repented, Bernama reported.

The women were struck with a rattan cane. One woman was released Sunday after spending a month in prison, another will be released in the next few days, and the third will be released in June.

Malaysia, which considers itself a moderate Muslim country, has a dual-track justice system, in which Islamic courts operate alongside civil ones. Muslims make up about 60 percent of the country's population of 28 million.

Last year, a woman was sentenced to caning under Islamic law for drinking alcohol in public -- beer at a hotel bar -- and that case caused an uproar in the country. Malaysia forbids alcohol consumption by Muslims, even those who are visiting the country.

The caning sentence of Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno has been postponed while the issue is under review, and she said that if she were to be caned, she wanted the flogging to occur in public.

"Let's be transparent about it," said Kartika, a mother and part-time model. An Islamic court also fined her $1,400 for the act. She has pleaded guilty and paid the fine.

Lance Lattig, a researcher on Malaysia for the human rights group Amnesty International, told CNN that the vast majority of canings are applied to illegal immigrants by civil courts, but the latest examples indicate that sharia courts happen to be picking up on the practice.

"It's not Muslims on the march," he said. "It's the tip of the iceberg of the bigger problem."

No matter who does it, he says, the group considers caning to be "cruel, inhumane and degrading."

Moscow cop jailed over supermarket rampage

Moscow, Russia (CNN) -- In a high-profile court case, a Moscow police officer was sentenced to life in prison Friday for killing two people and injuring seven in a drunken shooting rampage at a supermarket last year.

The verdict comes at a time when the Russian government has launched a crackdown on out-of-control police departments throughout Russia.

The dramatic nature of the supermarket shootings opened the floodgates for a mounting flurry of media reports accusing police of beatings, torture, rapes, drug trafficking, extortion, racketeering, taking bribes and other criminal activities -- as well as attacking the country's legal system for shielding law enforcement officials, or giving them mild punishment for their crimes.

Investigators and witnesses said Major Denis Yevsyukov, chief of a police precinct in southern Moscow, had been celebrating his 32nd birthday at a restaurant with friends and colleagues last April.

After a spat with his wife, he left the restaurant and went to the supermarket, where he wandered the store -- in uniform and carrying a handgun -- shooting random people.

According to investigators, after he was subdued by his fellow policemen Yevsyukov had no regrets about what he did, and said that if he'd had a Kalashnikov machine gun instead of a pistol, he would have used it.

In all, he attempted the murder of 22 people, according to the court.

A series of psychiatric examinations established he was sane when conducting his crime, the court said.

"Victims testified that Yevsyukov not only wanted to kill, he wanted to demonstrate his power and humiliate people," state prosecutor Amalia Kostoyeva said during the trial.

The rampage, captured on the store's surveillance cameras, generated a public outcry in Russia and forced President Dmitry Medvedev to fire the head of Moscow police and to speak about the need for reforming the country's Interior Ministry.

Along with the flood of press reports ripping police, last November a police officer from southern Russia, Major Alexei Dymovskiy, accused his superiors of corruption in a video posted on YouTube, making him a media star overnight. His posting triggered a series of similar revelations from acting and former police officers across the country.

The Interior Ministry's official statistics say more than 2,700 criminal cases were opened against policemen in 2009, which independent analysts and human rights activists say is a strong underestimation.

"It's impossible to modernize or reform the Interior Ministry, it can only be liquidated," said Andrei Makarov, a prominent lawmaker from Russia's ruling United Russia party, at a recent news conference called in response to another report of a crime committed by police. "There is a feeling that the Interior Ministry is waging a war against its own people."

A fresh opinion poll conducted across the country by the Levada Center, an independent polling and sociological organization, suggests that -- in stark contrast with Western democracies -- only 30 percent of Russians trust their police force, while 67 percent fear it.

And in the city of Moscow, a mere 1 per cent of respondents said they "rather trusted than distrusted" the police.

"Our respondents said their fear of lawlessness from policemen is only slightly less than their fear of attacks from terrorists, hoodlums and criminals," Polina Cherepova, a Levada Center sociologist, told CNN.

"The public feels estranged from the government institutions, including the police, which are supposed to protect their rights. But Russians feel that since they have no control over the police, they can't trust it", she said.

On Thursday, speaking at a long-awaited meeting of the Russian Interior Ministry's board, President Dmitry Medvedev announced sweeping plans to increase police accountability, and to introduce anti-corruption measures and new procedures for selecting officers.

He emphasized that policemen can't be above the law and should face harsh prosecution if they break it.

"I suggest that if a crime is committed by an Interior Ministry officer, this should be viewed as an aggravating circumstance," Medvedev said in his speech broadcast by Russian TV.

"A number of recent events at the Interior Ministry caused a very serious public reaction. Honestly, they had an impact on the authority of the ministry and its personnel," he said.

Major cuts and reshuffles will be carried out in the near future, he said, adding, "This is just the beginning. Further decisions are pending."

Just hours later, Medvedev fired 18 top police officials, according to the Kremlin. On his Web site, Medvedev also published several draft laws intended to fix the Russian police problems. He said he wants the proposals turned into law until the end of this year.

Mo money, Mo problems

(CNN) -- A Florida woman has been charged with first-degree murder in connection with the death of a lottery millionaire whose body was found buried under fresh concrete, authorities said Friday night.

Dorice Donegan Moore, 37, was arrested last week on charges of accessory after the fact regarding a first-degree murder in the death of Abraham Shakespeare, 43, said Hillsborough County Sheriff David Gee. She remains in the Hillsborough County Jail, he said.

Moore befriended Shakespeare after he won a $31 million Florida lottery prize in 2006 and was named a person of interest in the case after Shakespeare disappeared, authorities said.

Before her arrest, Moore proclaimed her innocence during a tearful, impromptu news conference outside her home. She said she was planning to help Shakespeare write a book about the challenges of winning millions and that she was helping him manage the money.

"Abraham had a life of drama because of the money," she told CNN affiliate WTSP. "The money was like a curse to him. And now it has become a curse to me."

Moore might have committed fraud to obtain parts of Shakespeare's fortune, and she bought lime to deal with his body and was trying to find someone to move the corpse to another location, Gee said at the time of her arrest.

Shakespeare was killed on April 6 or April 7, and Moore has admitted trying to convince Shakespeare's family members that he was still alive, Gee said.

Deputies found Shakespeare's body outside a home in Plant City in late January after receiving a tip from an associate of Moore, Gee said.

The investigation is continuing, Gee said.

Quick smile

He Blogs