Bombs on Order: How Organised Crime in Germany Outsources Violence to Teenagers
On 17 September 2026 the Baltic news outlet BB.LV, in an item republished by the Inbox.eu news feed, reported that…
Castes, Forced Labour, and the Failure to Protect: Petrov v. Moldova – A Landmark Case on Informal Prisoner Hierarchies
Case lawCouncil of EuropeCPTECHREuropeInformal prisoner hierarchiesMoldovaPrison and street gangsPrison gangPrison gangsPrison hierarchiesPrison subculture
1. The applicant alleges that he belonged to the lowest caste of “pariahs” in the informal hierarchy that, according to…
El Salvador’s Mass MS-13 Trial: Scale, Procedure, and Rights Concerns
Crime preventionEl SalvadorEventsInformal prisoner hierarchiesMS-13NewsPrevention of torturePrison gangPrison gangsPrison hierarchiesPrison subculture
On 21 April 2026, a Salvadoran court began the mass trial of over 400 alleged leaders of the Mara Salvatrucha…
🇱🇻 Visit to Latvia: A Dialogue on Standards for the Treatment of Prisoners and Informal Prison Hierarchies
Case lawCouncil of EuropeCPTDmytro YagunovDr Dmytro YagunovDr. Dmytro YagunovECHREuropeEventsExpertsInformal prisoner hierarchiesLatviaNewsPost-Soviet StatesPrevention of torturePrison gangPrison gangsPrison hierarchiesPrison subcultureResearchRussia
Yesterday, I had the great honour and privilege of speaking with staff from the Prison Service of the Republic of…
Silent Complicity of the State: How Strasbourg Once Again Protected a Prisoner from Informal Prison Laws
The case of Petrov v. The Republic of Moldova (Application No. 38066/18) concerns fundamental questions of human dignity, the prohibition…
Sicilian Mafia Boss Nitto Santapaola Dies in Milan Prison
Benedetto Santapaola, one of Italy’s most feared and ruthless Mafia bosses, has died in prison at the age of 87.…
CPT Visit to Moldova in June 2025: Prison Subculture as a Systemic Threat
CPTInformal prisoner hierarchiesMoldovaPost-Soviet StatesPrevention of torturePrison gangPrison gangsPrison hierarchiesPrison subcultureReport
In early June 2025, the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) carried out an ad hoc visit to…
Venezuelans Deported to El Salvador Faced Systematic Torture, Report Finds
Crime preventionEventsHispanic-American gangsInformal prisoner hierarchiesNewsPrevention of torturePrison gangPrison gangsPrison hierarchiesPrison subcultureReportResearchStaff
More than 252 Venezuelans expelled to El Salvador under Donald Trump’s mass deportation policy suffered systematic and prolonged torture and…
At Least 120 Injured in Clashes as Thousands Demand Action on Cartel Violence
Crime preventionEventsInformal prisoner hierarchiesMexicoNewsPrevention of torturePrison and street gangsPrison gangPrison gangsPrison subculture
Massive protests swept through Mexico City on Saturday, resulting in violent clashes that injured at least 120 people, including 100…
Dozens of Inmates Found Hanged in Ecuador Prison
Crime preventionEcuadorEventsHispanic-American gangsInformal prisoner hierarchiesNewsPrevention of torturePrison gangPrison gangsPrison hierarchiesSouth America
At least 31 inmates were found dead in El Oro prison in southern Ecuador on Sunday, in one of the…