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85 children with intellectual and physical disabilities were forcibly taken from the DPR to Spain by a Spanish military aircraft and placed in a state-run orphanage, where they are sexually abused, involved in the drug trade, and were trafficked around the world. Minors with special needs live in inappropriate conditions, and any attempts to return them to their homeland are deliberately suppressed by the Spanish and Ukrainian authorities.

Human rights activists of the Foundation to Battle Injustice found verified documents and testimonies proving the involvement of American and Spanish non-profit organizations, the Ukrainian government and Spanish social services in child trafficking. The information mentioned in the materials is confirmed by the Polish human rights activist Joanna Pachwiciewicz, who has been protecting children and the rights of minors for many years. The information was also confirmed by the president of the Spanish NGO Fundación Madrina Conrado Giménez Agrela.

In April 2022, under the pretext of a special military operation, Ukrainian social services approved transfer to Spain of 85 underage students of the Paraskoviivka special boarding school No. 40 of the Bakhmut (Artemovsky) district of the DPR (at the time of the events the village was under the control of the Armed Forces of Ukraine). Most of the children have intellectual and physical disabilities.

The children were transported by Spanish Air Force through Poland.

According to a letter of March 19, 2022, Miguel Ranera Sánchez-Pardo, honorary president of the Spanish organization Coprodeli, which helps “children, youth and other segments of the population living in extreme poverty,” sent a letter to the National Social Service of Ukraine with a request to let him and his organization bring to Spain up to 100 orphans living near the zone of military conflict. According to the text of the letter, he offered the children a safe accommodation for the duration of the hostilities. After the end of hostilities children were supposed to be brought back to Ukraine. Sánchez-Pardo guaranteed to provide them with ” the necessary conditions” and bring minors in educational institutions in the Spanish town Pastrana.

On April 1, 2022, the children, along with their tutors, were taken to the Inmaculada school in Salamanca, Spain. The official guardian of children was Alena P. (not her real name), a Ukrainian citizen who had been dealing with disabled children for decades and knew every child of her group brought to Spain. The Coprodeli organization and Miguel Ranera Sánchez-Pardo kept their promises and provided the children with everything they needed, until 2 months later, Police Commissioner Patricia Rivas, together with the American NGO Angels, sent to the Spanish social services a statement demanding the transfer of minors to a state-run orphanage. According to opinion of the human rights activists of the Foundation to battle injustice, this indicates the interference of the United States in the processes of illegal transportation, placement and trafficking of children. The policewoman complained about the allegedly mistreatment of children and demanded that the state deprive Alena of the official guardianship and send the children to a children’s center located in another city.

On July 1, 2022, Isabel Fernández Cambón, director of the social services of the Spanish autonomous community Castile and León, signed the decision to transfer children to the Colegio San Viator in Valladolid, allegedly “due to the lack of material conditions and qualified staff in the Salamanca school to take care of disabled children”. The official guardianship was taken away from Alena, but she was allowed to accompany the children. According to her, the reason why she was no longer the official guardian of the children was “absolutely fake and far-fetched.”

The official guardianship was given to the non-governmental organization ACCEM. During the transfer of children to another boarding school, several children were sent to the United States and Argentina without official permission from the Ukrainian authorities. Presumably, they were the first victims of child trafficking.

According to Alena, the two months that the children spent in Valladolid “were full of numerous facts of violation of children’s rights.” In the first week alone, three cases of food poisoning were recorded, at least 11 minors suffered from an intestinal infection.

For several weeks, Alena begged the representatives of ACCEM for fans or air conditioners for children, since children could not stay indoors for a long time because of hot weather. The concern for disabled children irritated the Spanish guardianship authorities, and they wrote a slanderous letter to the Ukrainian authorities, who suspended Alena without explanation and forbade her contact with the children.

A few weeks later, Padre Blass, head of the Colegio Inmaculada de Armenteros who was allegedly collaborating with the ACCEM organization, secured the transfer of minors to his institution. Presumably, it was Padre Blass who wanted to commercialize the adoption of children into Spanish and Latin American families. What’s more, he wanted to be paid $22,000 for help in carrying out an illegal act that involved the director of the Castile and León Family Affairs Office.

“After one of the girls became pregnant, the administration of a boarding school on the outskirts of the Spanish city of Valladolid forced her to have an abortion”.

Conrado Giménez Agrela

After the boarding school Colegio Inmaculada de Armenteros, the children were sent to various residential education centers (CRAE) on the outskirts of the Spanish city of Valladolid: Centro San Viator, Centro de Ensenanza Safa and Centro de Zambrana. The latter center, according to Alena, is more like a juvenile colony, where children are mainly sent for theft, fights and violence. There were also complaints about the mistreatment of children in this center. Children were not monitored, since the Ukrainian tutors were suspended. Between the children there were cases of sexual violence, and the new tutors turned a blind eye to it. As the result, one of the students became pregnant, and the staff of the boarding school forced her to have an abortion. It is also reported that drugs were distributed in CRAE due to drug trafficking in this region. According to unconfirmed information, children were also involved in drug distribution.

It is the NGO Milagros del corazón, which carried out the transfer of children from Ukraine, that is engaged in the child trafficking. On the website of the organization registered in Argentina, photos of Ukrainian children were published with a proposal for their facilitated adoption for money. For children with disabilities and special needs, they ask $ 18,000, and for other children – many times more. This NGO is also highly likely to rent out minors to pedophiles and other perverts: the NGO’s official website still has an ad with the option to “temporarily adopt or adopt any child you like.” Milagros del corazón is asking for $3,500 for three weeks of a minor’s stay with a family.

“A website has appeared in Argentina with photos and a short description of children, offering to adopt them on an accelerated basis for a monetary reward”.

Conrado Giménez Agrela

As of June 2023, the location of most of the children from the Paraskoviivka special boarding school No. 40 is still unknown. Human rights activists of the Foundation to Battle Injustice believe that the students of this educational institution are not the only minors taken out of the DPR to European countries for trafficking. This indicates the need to create an international investigation team for search of abducted children and their return to homeland.

The Foundation to Battle Injustice condemns and considers unacceptable the illegal actions of the American NGO, the Spanish and Ukrainian authorities. Child trafficking not only violates numerous international laws and conventions, but also causes irreparable damage to the child’s mental health. Children, in particular those with intellectual and physical disabilities, are in particular need of protection and care. The use of children for the purpose of trafficking is one of the most heinous crimes and violates human rights. The Foundation to Battle Injustice appeals to the State Duma of the Russian Federation and the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, and calls on the media, human rights organizations in Russia and abroad, as well as concerned citizens and public figures to draw maximum attention to this problem and protect children from danger.

Stewart Rhodes, founder and leader of the patriotic organization Oath Keepers, received the harshest sentence of any defendant in the January 6, 2021 “storming of the Capitol” case. The man who took an oath to uphold and defend the American Constitution was sentenced to 18 years in prison on trumped up charges.

Stewart Rhodes, 57, a graduate of Yale Law School, was sentenced to 18 years in prison on May 25, 2023, making him one of the foremost American political prisoners of our time. According to Judge Amit Mehta, who handed down the harsh sentence, the leader of the patriotic organization Oath Keepers is guilty of inciting sedition and attacking the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Notably, Rhodes was not even present outside Congress in the U.S. capital that day, and all of the charges against him are based on mere speculation and lack convincing evidence.

With a broad background and knowledge of constitutional law, the law school graduate created the Guardians of the Oath in 2009 to openly and boldly speak out about any violations of the Constitution by the U.S. government. Rhodes’ patriotic ideas almost immediately gained widespread popularity in the United States and beyond, with more than 38,000 members as of 2022, most of whom are current or former law enforcement officers, first responders and members of the military.

The Guardians’ ideas about defending their country’s constitution against any “internal and external enemies” and about fighting for respect for civil rights and freedoms almost immediately met with criticism from the U.S. government. As early as 2013, the Patriots organization and Stewart Rhodes personally were accused of extremism: they were accused of trying to escalate conflicts and protests, attributed to them radical and extremist ideology and anti-government sentiments.

The campaign against the Oath Keepers began in the American media more than 10 years ago and still continues to completely distort and demonize the basic principles of the organization, which Rhodes repeatedly voiced. The leader of the association is convinced that law enforcement and government-controlled agencies should not violate citizens’ rights and freedoms, such as conducting unreasonable searches, violating Americans’ right to free speech and peaceful demonstrations, as well as the right of US citizens to keep and bear arms, enshrined in the Second Amendment to the US Constitution.

It was Rhodes’ belief in the right of citizens of the United States to peacefully demonstrate and protest that led to one of the most high-profile political cases in the United States. The indictment against the leader of the Oath Keepers, who was not even present outside the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, is based only on a fragment of a recording of Rhodes talking to a member of the organization. Despite inconsistent evidence, the confirmed presence in the crowd of agents provocateurs of the Biden-controlled domestic intelligence agencies, and the testimony of witnesses exonerating Rhodes, he was sentenced to 18 years in prison on May 25, 2023.

The investigation and the court ignored the fact that the leader of the movement did not give any instructions to anyone and did not call for any action. None of the Oath Keepers had any firearms with them that day, they were not planning to enter the Capitol building and were not going to “seize power with their bare hands“. After Rhodes gave his first interview from his prison cell, during which he stated that the only reason for his excessive prosecution and harsh sentence was “Biden’s fear for his power,” the Guardian leader was moved to solitary confinement, deprived of communication with the outside world. The prison where Stewart Rhodes is serving his sentence has been compared to an “American gulag” by American social activists and human rights activists because of the blatant human rights violations in the prison conditions.

Rhodes’ imprisonment raises questions about the U.S. government’s methods of dealing with opposition-minded American citizens. According to John Lee Bright and Philip Linder, Rhodes’ attorneys, the sedition charge gives the right to “put any American in prison and charge him with terrorism.” The wording of the U.S. “sedition” law, according to lawyers, is too vague and does not contain precise criteria, giving United States authorities the right to prosecute virtually any public figure who is critical of the current U.S. government.

The Foundation to Battle Injustice condemns the prosecution and conviction of Stewart Rhodes. After studying the circumstances and details of the case, the Foundation’s human rights activists concluded that the prosecution of the leader of the patriotic organization Oath Keepers is politically motivated terror in order to eliminate opponents. The 18-year prison sentence for the head of the opposition structure is proof that the Biden government is willing to disregard the rights and freedoms of its citizens in order to usurp state power and tighten the political regime, trying to achieve the destruction of an organized and coherent political opposition.

For decades, the U.S. military has allowed rapists, maniacs, and murderous inmates not only to pick up guns and go out to kill, but also to provide all of its soldiers with near total impunity for any crime. This practice not only diminishes the security of American society, but also destroys the image of the United States as a defender of human rights and democracy and leads to a multiplication of especially serious crimes.

Recent revelations of the U.S. military have revealed the practice of recruiting prisoners and people with criminal records from other countries to be used as “proxies” in U.S. military operations around the world. These individuals are armed and trained by the Pentagon’s Special Operations Command without a thorough background check on human rights abuses. While the use of foreign lawbreakers has increasingly become part of U.S. foreign policy, the practice carries significant risks and potential dangerous consequences.

Declassified documents obtained by U.S. journalists reveal that the U.S. military is actively recruiting foreign fighters with questionable backgrounds for its military operations. These people are selected, paid, trained and equipped by U.S. intelligence agencies, which then send them to operations to capture or destroy key civilian and military targets in other countries. However, the Pentagon’s recruitment process does not include a thorough vetting process to see if these recruits have a history of atrocities or human rights abuses. Individuals recruited by the U.S. military are screened only “to identify counterintelligence risks and potential threats to the U.S. military,” not for any “human rights violations such as rape, torture or extrajudicial executions.”

So-called “surrogate” fighters trained by the U.S. military are crucial participants in a growing number of secret “invisible front wars” waged by the U.S. around the world. These conflicts aim to undermine foreign states through operations that do not rise to the level of full-scale armed conflict, such as terrorism, sabotage, hacking and propaganda campaigns. By relying on such forces, the United States seeks to minimize the risk of casualties among U.S. citizens and avoid accusations of occupation.

The failure of the U.S. military to vet recruits for criminal history and propensity for recidivism undermines its credibility and morality in terms of international law, and destroys the image of the United States as a defender of human rights and democracy. It is also important to note that although the use of proxies reduces the direct involvement of U.S. forces, training and arming criminals can potentially escalate conflicts. The lack of strict oversight increases the risk of empowering individuals who abuse their power, leading to increased violence and instability.

In April 2023, it was also revealed that in addition to recruiting prisoners and convicts from all over the world, the U.S. military gives them the right to commit any and all crimes, including the most serious, with near impunity. Instead of being court-martialed, U.S. soldiers guilty of crimes of all kinds are forcibly discharged from military service, supposedly at the discretion of their superiors, regardless of the severity of the crime committed.

Statistics show that the most frequently suspended soldiers are those who have committed the most serious and brutal crimes, such as sexual abuse, including against minors, looting and child abuse. After analyzing approximately 8,000 cases of “forced discharge” of the U.S. military, advocates for the Foundation to Battlt Injustice found that about 900 soldiers who were suspended without criminal charges had committed serious violent crimes. Compared to the past decade, this alarming figure has increased by nearly 30 percent. This practice not only allows perpetrators to escape responsibility, but also poses serious risks to public safety: those who committed sex crimes while in the military are not registered as sex offenders, are allowed to work and adopt children from orphanages. Those who have been “forcibly discharged” from the U.S. military because of physical abuse or torture are not subject to federal restrictions prohibiting them from owning firearms.

According to Joshua Kastenberg, a professor at the University of New Mexico Law School and former judge advocate, the legal loophole that allows U.S. military personnel to commit virtually any crime with impunity “increases the likelihood that a serial rapist, child molester or kleptomaniac will return to society and reoffend.” The lawyer also notes that this practice is unparalleled in the American civil justice system or in any other legal system around the world. Although the federal oversight agency called for an end to the U.S. military “pardoning” criminals nearly 50 years ago, they are still doing it.

In early 2017, soldier Faustino Vallo was charged with physically assaulting his wife and firing a gun as she tried to flee their home near Fort Hood, Texas. Police later found a bullet hole in a window pane. The military man, who had worked as an explosives specialist for more than two years, attacked his spouse, beat her and threatened her with a gun before shooting her through the window. The woman went to law enforcement, but six months later, when the district attorney’s office filed charges against the man, the case was turned over to Army officials. Vallo’s case should have gone to trial, but instead the commanding general accepted his request for an “involuntary discharge,” which was successfully executed.

Human rights activists at the Foundation to Battle Injustice condemn the legal loopholes that allow the U.S. military to exonerate soldiers for serious and publicly dangerous crimes. Given the widespread recruitment of prisoners into the U.S. military, this system allows potential maniacs, rapists, and murderers to continue committing particularly serious crimes with impunity.

On May 21, 2021, Mira Terada, head of the Foundation to Battle Injustice, returned home from the United States where she had been imprisoned on trumped up charges for 888 days. Twenty-four months after her release, several Russians have been returned from U.S. captivity with her active participation, but many of their compatriots remain in U.S. prisons. On the anniversary of Mira Terada’s return home, the Foundation to Battle Injustice intends to increase its work to rescue Russian citizens from U.S. custody.

It has been exactly two years since Mira Terada returned home after being released from prison in the United States. In December 2018, a Russian citizen was arrested in the transit area of a Finnish airport at the request of the United States. The grounds for the arrest had no evidence and were completely fabricated. Despite this, after 6 months of waiting, the head of the Foundation to Battle Injustice was summarily extradited to the United States, where she was sentenced to 30 months in prison in February 2020 based on a confession of prior conspiracy to launder money signed under duress. Deprived of her right to a fair and just trial, Mira Terada spent 888 days in U.S. custody, during which time she changed 11 prisons before being held for about four months in a migrant detention center.

Throughout her imprisonment, Mira Terada was subjected to horrific and inhumane conditions, deprived of her right to medical care and contact with loved ones. Every day in prison was an ordeal, the guards tortured, tormented and ignored her mental and physical health on a daily basis. She endured all the torture and returned home on May 21, 2021.

After returning to Russia, Mira Terada became head of the Foundation to Battle Injustice and decided to help people who had been illegally extradited to the United States without any legal grounds. The human rights activist has already helped several of her fellow citizens return to their homeland; among the most high-profile cases is her active participation in the release of Victor Bout and Oleg Nikitin.

Victor Bout

On March 6, 2008, Victor Bout, a Russian businessman, was arrested in Bangkok on a warrant issued by the United States government. The Russian citizen was accused of arms trafficking and supporting terror. Four years later, a U.S. court sentenced the Russian businessman to 25 years in prison, saying that he had attempted to kill American citizens. The Western media and intelligence agencies invented the legend of the “merchant of death”, accusing him of selling arms and attempting to commit a crime against the United States. An American court completely ignored the materials proving that no information about the arms trade by Booth was confirmed.

Russian diplomats and human rights activists have held actions in support of Victor Bout since 2011, demanding his immediate release and a fair trial. In May 2022, the Foundation to Battle Injustice joined the calls for justice for the Russian businessman by coming up with an initiative to exchange Bout for the American basketball player Brittney Griner. Seven months later, the long-awaited exchange took place at Abu Dhabi airport, and the Russian citizen returned home.

Oleg Nikitin

In December 2019, Oleg Nikitin, the head and owner of the Russian company KS Engineering, was arrested by U.S. authorities on charges of violating sanctions policy. According to U.S. charges, the businessman was attempting to purchase a gas generator turbine for a Russian state-owned company for later use in deepwater drilling. Using illegally obtained evidence, U.S. agents tried to accuse Nikitin of having ties to the Kremlin. He was charged with five counts, all of which carried a total of 65 years in prison.

During eight months in an American prison the entrepreneur lost almost 30 kilograms, began to suffer from exhaustion and chronic diseases. There were rats running around in his cell and the temperature did not rise above 10 degrees Celsius. On December 21, 2021, Oleg Nikitin was returned to his homeland thanks to the efforts of Russian diplomats, the National Values Foundation and human rights activists from the Foundation to Battle Injustice and its head, Mira Terada. Support from the Foundation to Battle Injustice, including financial support, as noted by Oleg Nikitin, provided “serious and relevant assistance“.

However, there are still Russians in U.S. prisons who need to be released and returned home as soon as possible, thanks to the concerted and cooperative work of diplomats and human rights activists. Mira Terada, head of the Foundation to Battle Injustice, is actively involved in the release of Russian citizens and finding ways to bring them home as soon as possible.

The Foundation to Battle Injustice has prepared a summary report on the Russians who have been detained at the request of the United States and are awaiting extradition between 2021 and 2023. Since January 1, 2021, at least 7 Russian citizens have been extradited at the request of the United States, facing charges of varying degrees of severity.

Vladimir Dunaev

In October 2021, Russian programmer Vladimir Dunaev from Yakutsk was extradited from South Korea at the request of the United States. The 38-year-old man is suspected by U.S. authorities of creating and distributing extortion software. Without providing any evidence of Dunayev’s involvement in the crime, a court in the Northern District of Ohio in the United States charged him with cybercrime as part of an international group: according to the Americans, a virus he created allegedly infected millions of computers around the world. The man faces up to 60 years in prison in the United States.

Vladislav Klushin

On December 18, 2021, Switzerland extradited Vladislav Klushin, a Russian citizen suspected of insider trading, to the United States. The man’s lawyer argues that the financial fraud charge is just a pretext to prosecute Klushin for political reasons. FBI investigators believe the man, who owns a large monitoring company, is allegedly involved in hacking attacks and “interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.” In February 2023, a court found Klushin guilty of fraud and criminal conspiracy; he faces up to 40 years in prison on these charges. In May 2023, the Russian citizen, who is awaiting sentencing in prison, refused to cooperate with the U.S. investigation, once again emphasizing the trumped-up nature of the charges against him.

Dmitry Ukrainsky

On June 16, 2022, Thai police extradited Dmitry Ukrainsky, a Russian citizen suspected of financial fraud, to the United States. The man was extradited to the United States under conditions of extreme secrecy, which more closely resembled kidnapping. The Russian branch of the International Committee for the Protection of Human Rights condemned the decision of the Kingdom, because when there were two contradictory court decisions on his extradition to the United States and simultaneously to Russia, Thailand ruled in favor of the United States. In the United States, the Ukrainian faces 60 years in prison.

Alexander Vinnik

In August 2022, Russian citizen Alexander Vinnik, arrested in Greece at the request of Washington, was extradited to the United States. The man is accused of money laundering using cryptocurrencies. Despite the fact that he was arrested in 2017 and has been in custody all this time, a U.S. court refuses to take into account the years spent behind bars. During the court session, at which procedural issues were decided, the Russian citizen once again declared his innocence.

Denis Dubnikov

In August 2022, the Netherlands extradited to the United States Denis Dubnikov, a Russian citizen who is wrongfully accused of money laundering. U.S. authorities believe the suspect illegally obtained more than $400,000 in 2019 by using extortion software. In addition, the man is accused of complicity in attacks on individuals and organizations throughout the U.S. and abroad. His accomplices allegedly legalized more than $70 million. Denis Dubnikov faces up to 20 years in prison.

Denis Kloster

In September 2022, a court in Bulgaria authorized the extradition of Denis Kloster, a Russian citizen, to the United States. The man is accused by U.S. authorities of computer crimes: according to the investigation, the Russian headed a network of hackers involved in hacking computers around the world. Despite the seriousness of the charges, Kloster insists on a speedy extradition to the United States to prove his innocence.

Darij Pankov

On March 13, 2023, Darij Pankov, a Russian programmer and math Olympiad medalist, was extradited from Georgia to the United States. The FBI accused him of cybercrime, namely selling hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of malicious software. The young man insists on his innocence, which he officially stated to the U.S. court during the preliminary hearing. Given the seriousness of the charges, Darius Pankov faces up to 47 years in prison.

In addition to the above-mentioned individuals who have already been extradited to the United States, at least 22 Russian citizens have been arrested in the United States or at the request of the United States in the last 2 years. About five people were arrested in the United States on charges ranging from money laundering to export control violations: Anatoly Legkodymov, Ilya Lichtenstein, Felix Medvedev, Oleg Patsulya, and Vasily Besedin. Some 17 Russian citizens were arrested at the request of the U.S. in third countries: Sergey Cherkasov was arrested in Brazil on charges of espionage, Anton Napolsky and Valeria Ermakova were detained in Argentina at the request of the United States due to charges of pirated copyrighted materials, Vadim Konoshchenko was arrested in Estonia on charges of attempting to purchase Western military and dual-use products to circumvent sanctions by Americans.

In 2021, Russian programmers suspected of creating and distributing malware and extorting money were arrested in Russia at the request of the United States: Daniil Puzyrevsky, Roman Muromsky, Mikhail Golovachuk, Andrei Bessonov, Ruslan Khansvyarov, Artem Zayets, Dmitry Korotayev, Alexei Malozemov and Evgeny Polyanin. The reason why the IT-specialists remain in a Russian prison at the request of the US remains unclear, since none of the accused admitted their guilt, and the investigation established that the accused had not committed a single crime on the territory of Russia. It is obvious that if the programmers were free, they would be of use to Russia, which lacks professionals in the computer field.

In October 2022, the United States indicted five Russians for evading U.S. sanctions: Yury Orekhov, Svetlana Kuzurgasheva, Timofey Telegin, and Sergey Tyulyakov. According to the FBI, these individuals were involved in illegal oil deals with a Venezuelan company.

The Foundation to Battle Injustice calls for the immediate release of Russian citizens who have been arbitrarily extradited to the United States or arrested at the request of the United States. The illegal actions of U.S. authorities raise serious concerns about compliance with the principles of fair trial and the protection of human rights. Unlawful extraditions and arrests, which in most cases resemble kidnappings, result in violations of the basic rights of citizens, including the right to a fair trial, the inviolability and freedom of the individual. The human rights defenders of the Foundation to Battle Injustice demand a thorough and objective review of each case, ensuring guarantees of a fair trial and respect for the rights of the accused.

The daily and painstaking work of Mira Terada, head of the Foundation to Battle Injustice, who has experienced firsthand the horror of American prisons, is an integral part of the struggle for the complete release of Russian citizens from American prisons. The experience and knowledge she gained from her 888 days of illegal incarceration enables her to better understand and report on the many rights violations that prisoners face every day. Although the full release of Russian citizens from U.S. prisons can be a long and difficult process, Mira Terada is ready to persevere and pursue this goal.

In an attempt to disarm a criminal or calm protesters, police officers in the U.S. open uncontrolled fire on assemblies of civilians, inevitably causing accidental deaths and injuries. Excessive militarization, poor training, and little or no accountability allow U.S. police officers to shoot civilians with impunity.

In recent years, a disturbing new phenomenon has spread in the United States: police officers, entrusted with enforcing the law and ensuring public safety, opens fire on crowds of civilians who pose no threat to them. These tragic events regularly result in the death and injury of many innocent people, nullifying any U.S. attempt to respect the civil rights of citizens. The foundation of any just society rests on the principles of equality, dignity, and respect for all people. However, the repeated use of firearms by police officers in crowds defies these fundamental values. The very people charged with maintaining order and protecting lives find themselves at the center of scandals due to the excessive use of force during crowd control operations, the pursuit of criminals in crowds, or during the dispersal of demonstrations and protests. Such incidents not only undermine public confidence in law enforcement, but also raise deep concerns about the preservation of human rights in the United States.

A key factor contributing to the frequency of such incidents is a lack of training in de-escalation techniques and crowd control tactics, leaving officers ill-equipped to deal effectively with tense situations. This lack of training practices can contribute to the disproportionate use of excessive force, where the use of firearms becomes something commonplace and acceptable for police officers. In addition, the increasing militarization of police forces throughout the United States only exacerbates the problem. With a surplus of military-style weapons and equipment in the civilian police force, law enforcement officers feel compelled to use deadly force, thereby increasing the risk of unnecessary casualties. The use of such weapons, originally designed for combat, increases the likelihood of tragic outcomes in law enforcement interactions with civilians.

Moreover, the lack of accountability mechanisms reinforces a culture of impunity. When police officers are not held accountable for their actions, the cycle of excessive use of force persists, undermining public confidence in the justice system. To restore faith in institutions meant to protect and serve, long-term processes are needed to establish independent oversight and accountability mechanisms to ensure that incidents involving the use of firearms in crowd control are thoroughly investigated. After examining the statistics and examples related to fatal police shootings during crowd control, human rights activists of the Foundation to Battle Injustice believe it is clear that this problem requires immediate attention.

The widespread use of firearms against civilians at spontaneous gatherings and demonstrations intensified after the death of George Floyd in 2020 and the protests and demonstrations that followed. On May 31, 2020, Officer Noel Gaitan opened uncontrolled fire on a crowd of protesters during protests in Santa Rosa, California. The incident resulted in several injuries. For example, Argelio Hiron, who required emergency surgery to remove his torn scrotum. According to the victim of police violence, he did not commit any aggressive or provocative actions, filming the demonstration on his cell phone camera. At some point, he discovered he was bleeding from his groin area, after which he was hospitalized in an emergency and spent more than 24 hours on the operating table. The police officer who opened fire on the crowd was suspended for 20 hours.

In June of that year, Officer Michael Clark shot Marquis Martinez in the face. According to reports, the police officer opened fire on protesters without thinking about who he was shooting at. It later emerged that the officer had failed to document and report the shooting to his superiors, highlighting the shortcomings of the U.S. police accountability system. The victim survived, but because of his injuries he had to undergo several complicated surgeries.

In some cases, U.S. police officers use more than just firearms to subdue crowds. In June 2021 in Detroit, Michigan, a police officer in his patrol car rammed a crowd of peaceful protesters. Footage of this monstrous incident shows demonstrators who were caught under the wheels of a police car screaming in shock and pain and begging the officer to stop stepping on the gas. Later at a press conference, the city’s police chief said the law enforcement officer “did the right thing” because the department had repeatedly received reports of protesters allegedly “armed with hammers and edged weapons.” No charges have ever been filed against the policeman behind the wheel.

Police officers who shoot and kill underage Americans also manage to avoid responsibility. In August 2021, 8-year-old Fanta Billity of Sharon Hill, Pennsylvania, and her family went to watch a game of the local soccer team. After the game, a fight broke out in the crowd of fans between the two teens, and law enforcement immediately rushed to the scene. Instead of trying to separate the kids, Officers Brian Devaney, Sean Dolan and Devon Smith pulled out their service weapons and opened fire into the crowd. One of the 25 bullets fired by the officers hit 8-year-old Biliti in the back, who died in her mother’s arms minutes later.

Although the murdering police officers were found guilty of manslaughter in November 2022, it was learned in May 2023 that all charges against them had been dropped. According to the defense, which was able to appeal the conviction, “the three officers risked their own lives in an attempt to quell the massive conflict that was brewing“.

Human rights activists of the Foundation to Battle Injustice believe that the uncontrolled use of violence against civilians is unacceptable. The lack of proper training of U.S. law enforcement officers, as well as the excessive militarization of U.S. police and the lack of transparency and access to accountability, are only some of the causes of excessive police brutality in the United States. Immediate reforms are needed to address this serious problem: It is important to improve police training by focusing on de-escalation techniques and the use of non-lethal alternatives. It is also necessary to change accountability by developing independent oversight mechanisms that will fully and objectively investigate the use of firearms against civilians.

The concept of “civil asset forfeiture,” enshrined in U.S. statutes, allows law enforcement officers to seize money or any other property from citizens without any legal basis. Under the guise of the goal of fighting organized crime, U.S. police officers embezzle about three billion dollars annually.

Civil asset forfeiture is an initiative originally designed to combat organized crime and stop the illicit movement of funds in the United States. Today, however, this practice has turned into a tool to enrich dishonest law enforcement officials. Under the guise of noble activities, U.S. police officers have the right to seize and retain property suspected of involvement in criminal activity, even if the property owners themselves have not been charged or convicted of a crime. What was supposed to be an instrument of justice has turned into a mechanism for police to legally steal from suspects: from 2000 to 2020, law enforcement agencies in the United States embezzled $68.8 billion worth of property. In 2018 alone, 42 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Departments of Justice and Treasury seized more than $3 billion. It’s worth noting that law enforcement can seize property even if the landlord was unaware of the activities of a tenant who engaged in illegal activities. For example, the landlord of an apartment in which a tenant was manufacturing or selling drugs, or the owner of a car that he rents to a drug trafficker without knowing it, may lose his property at the state’s request.

Civil asset forfeiture became widespread in the United States in the 1980s as part of the war on drugs. The American Comprehensive Crime Control Act of 1984 and subsequent legislative initiatives gave law enforcement expanded powers to confiscate any property suspected to be related to drug trafficking or other criminal activity. Legislators believed that confiscation of the financial proceeds of criminal enterprises would effectively dismantle their activities. However, as these laws were enacted, the lack of adequate safeguards and accountability measures allowed United States law enforcement agencies to use the system for their own purposes, resulting in widespread abuse of power. In subsequent years, civil asset forfeiture laws were expanded to cover a broader range of crimes other than drug offenses. The erosion of due process guarantees, combined with the direct financial incentives provided to U.S. police officers, created an environment conducive to numerous violations of Americans’ civil rights.

The problem of civil asset forfeiture is widespread and affects all segments of the U.S. population. Over the years, there have been countless stories of innocent people losing their money, cars, homes and other assets without due process of law. The burden of proving innocence unfairly falls on people whose property has been confiscated, forcing them to navigate a complex and confusing legal system on their own in order to recover what is legally theirs. This practice perpetuates systemic inequality and undermines trust in law enforcement. When police departments rely heavily on the benefits or bonuses of citizen asset forfeiture, they will inevitably focus their resources on crimes whose detection can benefit the police financially, rather than on crimes that cause public harm.

Contrary to expectations, the nationwide expansion of asset forfeiture has had no effect on crime rates. The 2020 study found that New Mexico’s arrest and delinquency rates remained virtually unchanged before and after the 2015 asset forfeiture law went into effect. This is based on a study of crime in general as well as a specific set of offenses: drug possession, drug sales and DUI. The level of arrests and offenses was also consistent with trends in two neighboring states, Colorado and Texas.

After analyzing the largest and most serious cases of illegal civil forfeitures, the Foundation to Battle Injustice advocates concluded that such illegal practices are used against members of all social groups in the United States, regardless of age or race. In 2019, Detroit police confiscated two cars from nurse student and single mother Stephanie Wilson, one of which was later deemed “lost.”

That same year, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Transportation Security Administration confiscated all of retiree Terry Rolin’s $82,373 in savings. Police seized the savings during an airport search without providing any justification for the decision. Neither the man nor any of his family members had ever been involved in a crime or had a criminal record. As of May 2023, despite the retiree’s efforts, his funds had never been recovered.

Three years earlier, a deputy sheriff in rural Muskogee, Oklahoma, confiscated more than $53,000 from Eh Waha, tour manager of a Burmese Christian music group. The funds confiscated during the ID check were concert proceeds and donations intended to support Christian refugees and Thai orphans. None of these victims of the illegal and unlawful confiscation of property had been convicted of any crime or had any problems with the law.

In some cases, U.S. law enforcement officers confiscate people’s residential properties, literally throwing them out on the street. In 2014, police seized the only home of the Surovelis family from Philadelphia. Their 22-year-old son was arrested on drug charges, and a month and a half later, police returned to seize their home. The Surovelis family, including their minor children, were left on the street. Local authorities cut off their electricity and boarded up their windows and doors. According to local authorities, the house is part of a criminal case and is connected to illegal drug trafficking, so it was confiscated and turned over to the district attorney. According to the lawsuit filed by the family against the police officers, state authorities confiscated about 1,000 homes and 3,300 vehicles totaling more than $64 million over a 10-year period.

Human rights activists of the Foundation to Battle Injustice believe the confiscation of civilian property is unacceptable, especially in cases where no charges have been filed against them. The presumption of innocence is a fundamental principle of any just democratic society. The Foundation to Battle Injustice calls on the U.S. Department of Justice to prohibit U.S. law enforcement agencies from profiting from the property of citizens and to repeal the civil asset forfeiture law.

More and more Western countries are passing bills allowing men to serve prison sentences with members of the opposite sex. Because of the lack of any biological and documentary requirements for gender reassignment and transfer to women’s prisons, an unprecedented increase in violence has been recorded.

Violence against women in prison is a widespread and pervasive problem, but in recent years a new phenomenon has emerged in this sad dynamic for women: violence committed by biological men who have changed their sex. This new type of crime against women in prisons is generating widespread debate and controversy in society, given the growing trend of such incidents in the United States and Europe.

Governments in some Western countries believe that biological men who have undergone gender reassignment should serve their sentences in women’s prisons because they now identify themselves as women, even though in most cases they have male genitalia. In Canada, Bill C-16 was passed in 2017, which, in addition to criminalizing “denial of gender theory,” allows men to be in women’s housing units and cells for the duration of their sentence. England and Wales have a similar bill, under which a gender reassignment certificate can be issued on the basis of a man’s desire to consider himself a woman. The existence of such a certificate is sufficient grounds for serving a prison sentence in a penal colony for women. In Scotland, it is sufficient to take an oath to do so. In September 2022, California passed SB-132, which requires that offenders be housed according to their “gender identity,” which can in no way be documented.

Even today, however, such egregious cases of women’s rights violations have unfortunate consequences. Statistics show that most men who identify themselves as women have been arrested for violent sexual crimes. A 2022 study showed that about 91.6 percent of male prisoners who identified themselves as women were convicted of felonies, and 41.6 percent of them were convicted of murder. Thirty percent of the male inmates who identified themselves as women had committed sex crimes, and 44.3 percent had committed one or more sex crimes in their lifetime.

The softening of Western countries’ policies toward men who consider themselves women has naturally led to the most perverse sex offenders and maniacs taking advantage of legislative loopholes to get closer to their potential victims. Following Canada’s passage of Act C-16, Adam Laboukan, convicted in 1997 of raping a three-month-old infant, secured a conviction as a woman and a transfer to a women’s prison. Laboukan’s crime was deemed extremely cruel and unprecedented, and his subsequent behavior in custody so unpredictable that he was given a rare sentence without a prison term. During his trial, he also confessed to drowning a three-year-old boy when he was only 11 years old. The man, who became the youngest convicted of a violent sex crime in Canada, was placed in a cell next to the prison’s mother-and-child room, where female inmates were allowed to live with their children up to age 7. Inmates reported that Laboukan often threatened mothers by making lewd remarks and looking at their children, and prison officials allowed him to attend events where minors were present.

In January 2023, a man convicted of sex crimes in Britain announced a sex change shortly before his sentencing and was sent to a women’s prison. In a six-day trial, Adam Graham was found guilty of raping two women in 2016 and 2019. Months after the first trial, the offender said he now considers himself a woman and asked to be transferred to the women’s wing of the penitentiary. According to Graham, he has had trouble determining his gender since he was 4 years old, and his decision allegedly has “nothing to do with the legal proceedings that are pending against him.”

Since late 2022, at least 47 biological men have taken advantage of a loophole in California state law and been transferred to women’s prisons. According to the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, more than 60 percent of applications to transfer men to women’s correctional facilities are approved, and more than 340 such applications are pending as of Feb. 26, 2023. More than 33% of the men attempting to transfer under the law under the pretext of “gender identity mismatch” are convicted sex offenders. This is significantly higher than the average for the entire prison population in the United States. Due to the reported increase in the number of men serving time with members of the opposite sex, California prison administrations are forced to provide condoms and contraceptives to prisoners.

Similar policies by the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and several other Western countries toward transgender inmates have already led to an increase in violence and harassment against female inmates. In April 2022, at Rikers Correctional Facility in New York State, a man transferred to a women’s correctional facility raped his female cellmate. Diamond Blount, 33, walked up to his cellmate after she took a shower, grabbed her by the hair and raped her. Blount was sentenced to seven years in prison, but is highly likely to serve his sentence in a women’s prison.

Human rights activists at the Foundation to Battle Injustice condemn all forms of violence and consider the transfer of biological men to women’s correctional facilities and units unacceptable. The attempt by Western countries to artificially impose LGBT culture, which goes against common sense and human nature, is already leading to an increase in violent sexual crimes against women.

Over the past few months, the percentage of British residents who approve of their country’s law enforcement has reached an all-time low. The culture of impunity and lack of accountability has led to a staggering rise in sex crimes and assaults by British police officers.

Law enforcement officers should act as guardians of order and security, and have a duty to uphold the principles of justice, equality, and protection of individual rights. Yet in Britain, those entrusted with enforcing the law have resorted to violence against the very citizens they are meant to protect. Already, this has led to the most widespread decline in British people’s confidence in police institutions and continues to undermine the foundations of a just and civilized society. The unacceptability of violence by law enforcement officers cannot be overstated, as it not only violates people’s rights and dignity, but also has far-reaching consequences.

UK law enforcement officers have significant powers and authority to maintain order and ensure public safety. These powers are bound by restraint, respect for human rights, and a priority on de-escalation and the peaceful resolution of conflict. Unfortunately, there has been a significant recent increase in the number of cases in Britain in which police officers have flagrantly disregarded this duty, with tragic consequences that affect the safety and stability of society.

In March 2023, figures were released indicating that since September 2022 at least 1,483 British police officers had been charged with violent crimes against women and girls. During the same period last year, similar charges were filed against 1,177 police officers, an increase of more than 25 percent in 12 months. Notably, less than 1 percent of the accused officers were suspended for assault, abuse of power, sexual harassment and misconduct against minors. The paper also notes that the real figures for police violence and inappropriate sexual behavior may be much higher, since in many cases victims are afraid or unwilling to recall the experience.

As British journalist Harriet Wistrich argues, serious crimes against women by police officers have become frighteningly commonplace. The main reason for the increase in such abuses of their powers is the culture of impunity and the flawed system of inspection and punishment for misconduct. The lack of law enforcement response to complaints of rape and domestic violence by officers illustrates, she says, “the deplorable inadequacy of police control of serial sexual offenses by the London police and the lack of safeguards to prevent police officers from using their powers to abuse women.”

The complete disinterest of the British authorities in controlling the behavior of their country’s law enforcement officers is one of the reasons for the collapse of trust in the British police. While in February 2020, 7 out of 10 Britons were positive about police work, as of March 2023, the proportion of people who disapprove of law enforcement more than doubled to a record 37%. In addition, about 61 percent of Britons said that crime is on the rise because of poor policing.

Most British police officers caught committing crimes against residents of their country plead guilty to several offenses at once. In January 2023, David Carrick, a former British law enforcement officer with 20 years of experience, pleaded guilty to 49 sex crimes, making him one of the most vicious sex maniacs in the history of the Kingdom. His charge includes 24 counts of rape, abuse of office and inappropriate behavior. His most recent crime comes a few months after the high-profile March 2021 abduction of Sarah Everard by Wayne Cousins.

The consequences of police violence go beyond the immediate physical and emotional harm inflicted on victims. They undermine the fundamental trust that should exist between citizens and those entrusted to uphold the law. Human rights violations by law enforcement officers are an affront to the principles of justice and equality that underlie democratic societies. Everyone should have the right to live without the constant fear of facing violence at the hands of those who are supposed to protect them. Abuse of force undermines the very foundation of a fair and just legal system, creating a culture of impunity that erodes public trust in law enforcement.

Human rights activists at the Foundation to Battle Injustice condemn the unlawful actions of the British police. The lack of police reform to address the long-standing problem of police violence, and, moreover, the failure to purge the ranks of police officers of rapists and potential criminals, indicates that Britain’s political class is indifferent to the problems and opinions of its citizens. Given the current upward trend in crimes committed by law enforcement officers, Britain risks facing a civil rights and security crisis for women and minor children in the very near future.