#absentia 2011

[fanofspooky]

Scream Queen - Katie Parker

[haveyouseenthishorrormovie]

SUMMARY: Tricia, a woman whose husband went missing seven years ago, learns about a mysterious tunnel which could be the cause of several disappearances including her husband.

[beeapocalypse]

forever unsure on how to draw these guys

[invincible-selfxmade-punk]

Have you ever watched a movie that was so good you never wanted to see it again because you did not think the second or third time could ever top the first?

That's the way it was with the movie Absentia. But after all this time, I'm about to watch it again just because there is little else on that either I haven't seen or that I truly want to see.

[flanaganhorror]

ABSENTIA (2011) dir. Mike Flanagan

[eluviannaa]

For October, 31 days of Lovecraft movies:

- The Call of Cthulhu (2005)

- The Lighthouse (2019)

- Dagon (2001)

- Color Out of Space (2019)

- In the Mouth of Madness (1994)

- The Dunwich Horror (1970)

- The Void (2016)

- Underwater (2020)

- The Whisperer in Darkness (2011)

- The Mist (2007)

- The Endless (2017)

- The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)

- Annihilation (2018)

- The Last Winter (2006)

- Prince of Darkness (1987)

- Resolution (2012)

- Spring (2014)

- The Borderlands (2013)

- Absentia (2011)

- A Dark Song (2016)

- Possession (1981)

- They Remain (2018)

- The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016)

- Possum (2018)

- The Ritual (2017)

- The House by the Cemetery (1981)

- The Resurrected (1991)

- Beyond the Black Rainbow (2010)

- The Innkeepers (2011)

- The Blackcoat's Daughter (2015)

- The Endless (2017)

[beardedmrbean]

The fall of Bashar al-Assad has created a historic opportunity to gather direct evidence of the crimes committed by the Syrian regime, which investigators have been unable to do until now. After 50 years of witnessing massive human rights violations, many Syrians are now demanding truth and justice.

Torture, executions, chemical attacks on civilians, ethnic cleansing, bombing of residential areas, using famine as a weapon of war... The litany of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by Bashar al-Assad's regime appers to be endless. After decades of impunity, international investigators are now hoping to obtain direct access to evidence documenting 50 years of abuses. 

The deposed dictator had maintained his father’s repressive and fear-inducing regime, where any form of dissent could lead to imprisonment. This unrelenting repression reached its peak in the aftermath of the Arab Spring. Since 2011, the UN estimates that more than 300,000 civilians have lost their lives and at least 100,000 Syrians have been forcibly disappeared.

“The fall of Bashar Al-Assad represents an absolutely incredible opportunity,” said Aymeric Elluin, Amnesty International’s arms and conflict advocacy officer. “We need to have access to primary sources to build solid and irreproachable cases, in particular to the places where abuses were committed. However, the regime has blocked our access to Syrian territory since March 2011. Our work has therefore been carried out from a distance, using satellite images and the testimonies of prison survivors who have taken refuge abroad.”

Despite being denied access by Bashar al-Assad's Syria, “we have been able to acquire a great deal of information thanks to Syrian civil society, which very early on collected testimonies and official documents”, said Chloé Pasmantier, a lawyer with the International Federation for Human Rights.

A mountain of evidence

The Syrian regime's chillingly efficient bureaucracy, which kept meticulous records of its crimes, made this initial data gathering easier. The 'César' dossier, which was discovered in 2014 and named after the military photographer who documented the grisly evidence, brought to light the industrial-scale torture inflicted on imprisoned Syrian opponents. His defection made it possible to compile a report containing 55,000 photos of 11,000 detainees who were tortured and died between 2011 and 2013 in several detention centres.

Faced with this mountain of evidence, the UN set up the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism (IIIM) in December 2016. Based in Geneva, this “facilitator of justice” is responsible for centralising evidence and providing input for legal proceedings opened at the national level against Syrian officials in several European countries.

For instance, three former high-ranking members of the regime were tried in absentia in France at the end of May and sentenced to life imprisonment. According to the French Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office, which is also responsible for ruling on war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, 24 proceedings involving the Syrian regime and its auxiliaries are under way, reported French daily Le Monde.

In Germany, Anwar Raslan, a former Syrian intelligence official, was sentenced to life imprisonment for crimes against humanity in January 2022. Raslan was found guilty of the death and torture of prisoners in a secret government detention centre in the capital Damascus between 2011 and 2012. 

The French courts also issued an arrest warrant in November 2023 for Assad himself for the August 2013 chemical attack on Ghouta, near Damascus, which killed more than 1,400 people.

Fear of destruction

Despite the abundance of evidence already collected, the fall of the Syrian regime has opened up a new field of exploration for international investigators by giving them direct access to official buildings and Syrian prisons.

Syria is “the scene of the crime, so if we can have access to the scene of the crime, it changes the game for us”, Robert Petit, the Canadian prosecutor who has headed the IIIM since the beginning of 2024, told AFP.

“Especially as the regime collapsed very quickly, which no doubt prevented the perpetrators from destroying the evidence. This offers very positive prospects when it comes to searching for the truth,” said Johann Soufi, a lawyer specialised in international law. 

The priority now is to preserve this evidence during the transition period. The UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria on Sunday called on rebel groups to “take great care not to disturb the evidence of violations and crimes” by seizing prisons. 

“We must ensure that this evidence is not destroyed, not only by the rebels who have taken power but also by any other party or state. Israel carried out a large number of strikes on several military sites, including the Syrian Scientific Studies and Research Centre, where the regime was developing chemical weapons. Crucial documents regarding the production and use of these weapons were probably destroyed in this bombing,” said Pasmantier. 

According to Pasmantier however, the Syrians have all the knowledge and experience needed to collect and preserve evidence for use in legal proceedings. Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, leader of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group and the new strongman of Damascus, reaffirmed on Wednesday that the torturers would not be granted amnesty. 

Ending the ‘cycle of violence’

It remains to be seen what will happen to those responsible for the crimes committed by the former Syrian regime. “One of the fundamental principles of international justice is that it is always up to national jurisdictions and the people to render justice to the victims,” said Soufi. “Then, a country can request additional expertise and set up, for example, a mixed tribunal like in Cambodia or Lebanon. But this depends on the agreement reached between the United Nations and the requesting state.”

On the other hand, the International Criminal Court (ICC) does not currently have jurisdiction in Syria, as it has not ratified the Rome Statute, the international treaty that established this court. 

“Attempts by the United Nations Security Council to bring the case before the ICC failed because of Russian opposition. But now there is nothing to prevent Syria from ratifying the Rome Statute and submitting a request for retroactivity so that the ICC can take jurisdiction over the crimes committed by Bashar al-Assad's regime,” said Pasmantier. 

However, it is too early to know whether the future Syrian judiciary or the new masters of Damascus will be willing to work with international actors. “It must be stressed that the rebel groups have also committed human rights violations. From now on, the armed groups that have taken power must respect international law and help to ensure that justice can be done in Syria,” said Elluin.

The UN IIIM investigators have said that they are ready to intervene in Syria, even though for the moment no contact has been established with the new authorities. 

That being said, the interim authorities have asked the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) to remain in the country, which sends a “constructive” signal, the organisation said Friday. 

The authorities have said that “they want us to stay in Syria, that they appreciate the work that we have been doing now for many years, that they need us to continue doing that work", Gonzalo Vargas Llosa, UNHCR's representative in Syria, told reporters in Geneva by video link from Damascus. Llosa added that the interim authorities had also said “they will provide us with the necessary security to carry out those activities”. 

According to the experts interviewed by FRANCE 24, the quest for truth and justice must be a central pillar of Syria's future.

“Impunity fuels the feeling of injustice and reinforces the desire for revenge between communities, perpetuating a cycle of violence. The only way to put an end to this is to establish justice that respects human rights. It can serve as a deterrent, demonstrating that criminal acts can have legal repercussions, even decades later,” said Soufi.

“Documenting the facts also means seeking out a historical truth that might otherwise be disputed,” continued Soufi. “Lastly, fulfilling the needs of victims requires upholding their fundamental rights to truth, justice, and redress.”

[leiflitter]

I've figured out the You’re Almost Home Timeline so for the gang who care about the passage of time it's under the cut.

Firstly, I have chosen to totally ignore the gravestone dates because of Reasons, including "okay look I started writing this when it wasn't on streaming and this is mostly so it makes sense to me" and "time is an illusion I just need to know this so I can say what year it'll be on NYE". Felix has a January birthday in my little canon and nobody can stop me.

So let's go!

2007

Felix is in Expensive Rehab Facility until Christmas. Sir James and Lady Elspeth have pulled a lot of strings to make sure that Felix's accident won't impact him in any way, shape or form. This mostly means getting him an expensive tutor and essentially permission to submit all of his work online. No need for tutorials because he's had a hard time and is a very special boy. Felix takes this chance to essentially do as much work while he's stuck in the facility as he can because there's fuck all else to do, and he's being made to quit smoking so he's mad about that. Farleigh's back as if he never left, and Venetia is being an absolute rock.

Oliver returns to Oxford, makes contact with the Student Counselling Services, and throws himself into studying so hard it hurts. He needs to distract himself. They allow him to switch tutors and move to a different dorm where he turns into a studying hermit. If he sees any of the Alpha Hotties, he hides. He becomes invisible again, even more than before. His new tutor helps him switch to an accelerated degree program.

2008

Felix turns 21 and does the Spring and Summer terms. His parents decide to go on a tour of Europe to celebrate Felix getting back on the horse. They also know he's going to graduate, because the Special Little Boy measures are in place for him so all he has to really do is log on to Moodle and submit one of his pre-written essays every so often. He's burned a few bridges because he's being very twattish. Felix decides to sack off Christmas term and heads to Bali in late July/early August. Sir James has made sure he has internet access, so what's the point of even being in Oxford? He meets Lucia, who is 18 and on her Gap Year. Because it's the end of the summer, there aren't many options, so Felix sticks with her. Harry is part of the group from maybe like... week three? Luckily, Lucia is on a cleanse, so although they're partying, she isn't drinking or indulging in anything else. In November, Lu gets food poisoning- or so they think, until the doctor Felix hauls her to gives them the news. Felix contacts his parents in a hurry, and they are flown back to the UK and subjected to a major parental conference. Felix proposes to Lu at a Catton Christmas party.

Oliver graduates early. He doesn't go home for the holidays, saying he needs to keep studying. He decides on teaching because it won't be sustainable to be a student forever. His tutor is a major help; he's from Newcastle, although you wouldn't know it because his accent has long since faded and has taken Oliver under his wing. He remains Oliver's main advisor throughout his studies and is probably the reason he gets the job- he's keeping an eye on him so he knows there'll be a Northern Lad Professor once he eventually retires. They're not exactly friends, but there's a lot of mutual respect there.

2009

Felix turns 22 and marries Lu shortly after. He briefly returns to Oxford, but mostly to make sure he graduates. Harry is born in on the 10th of April and he gets his degree in absentia. Lu gets pregnant with Ru maybe a little too soon afterwards, and Rufus is born prematurely on the 27th of November. Oopsie.

2010

Oliver gets his Masters degree in english literature.

2011

Sir James dies of a heart attack in May.

2013

Ellie is born on the 1st of August. Felix gets a vasectomy.

2014

Oliver gets his PhD. His thesis was titled "Narrative Accessibility and Diversity within Academia".

2015

Lady Elspeth passes away in her sleep.

Then a bit of a time jump until

2020

Oliver is finally an associate professor after being in postdoc for 6 years.

Farleigh finally hits on a startup that works- a designer resale app that offers item verification for an add-on fee. It's wildly successful, mostly because he's been hobnobbing in America hardcore and is getting a ton of celebrity endorsements.

2025

Venetia is diagnosed with lung cancer.

2026

Venetia passes away. Felix is bereft.

Harry gets her A level results and Oxford place, despite being 17- Lucia, having not got a degree herself, is adamant that her children be highly educated as fast as possible... and Harry will turn 18 in her first year anyway. Harry doesn't mind this, as she has a fake ID and cannot wait to be away from boring boarding schools.

Oliver Quick receives an email notifying him that, amongst others, he will be tutoring Harriet Catton.

And then Felix Catton walks into his office, and they proceed to go bonkers.

[cinemphatic]

October Watchlist 2024

🎃 Happy Halloween! 🎃

Fear Street: 1994 (2021) Fear Street: 1978 (2021) Fear Street: 1666 (2021) Oddity (2024) The Houses October Built (2011) Grave Encounters (2011) Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum (2018) The Hitcher (1986) The Stepfather (1987) The Happiness of the Katakuris (2001) The Quiet Family (1998) Men (2022) The Dead Don't Die (2019) One Missed Call (2003) Vampire's Kiss (1988) Rabid (1977) The Unknown (1927) Cuckoo (2024) The Brood (1979) Stereo (Tile 3B of a CAEE Educational Mosaic) (1969) Hour of the Wolf (1968) V/H/S/Beyond (2024) MaXXXine (2024) Frankenstein (1931) Bride of Frankenstein (1935) Phantom of the Paradise (1974) Creep (2014) Sisters (1972) Lisa Frankenstein (2024) The Loved Ones (2009) An American Werewolf in London (1981) Absentia (2011) Fright Night (1985) Baby Blood (1990)

[haveyouseenthishorrormovie]

Top Poll Records Last updated 22nd July 2024.

Most votes: The Blair Witch Project (1999) - 3,139 votes Least votes: Absentia (2011) - 54 votes

Most "Have seen" by number of votes: Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) - 1,752 votes out of 2,493 votes Most "Have seen" by percentage: Coraline (2009) - 89.41% out of 1,228 votes Least "Have seen" by number of votes: Zibahkhana (2007) - 0 out of 444 votes Least "Have seen" by percentage: Zibahkhana (2007) - 0% out of 444 votes

Most "Haven't seen" by number of votes: The Blair Witch Project (1999) - 1,436 out of 1,638 votes Most "Haven't seen" by percentage: Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey (2023) - 79.1% out of 611 votes Least "Haven't seen" by number of votes: Absentia (2011) - 14 out of 54 votes Least "Haven't seen" by percentage: Playdurizm (2020) - 3.97% out of 755 votes

Most "Haven't heard of" by number of votes: Blue Monkey (1987) - 1,611 out of 1,361 votes Most "Haven't heard of" by percentage: Playdurizm (2020) - 95.5% out of 755 votes Least "Haven't heard of" by number of votes: Coraline (2009) - 1 out of 1,228 votes Least "Haven't heard of" by percentage: Coraline (2009) - 0.08% out of 1,228 votes

Vote results 1-100 | 101-200 / 201-300 / 301-400 / 401-500 501-600 / 601-700 / 701-800 / 801-900 / 901-1000 1001-1100 / 1101-1200 / 1201-1300 / 1301-1400 / 1401-1500 1501-1600 / 1601-1700 / 1701-1800 / 1801-1900

[thewarmestplacetohide]

i've recently been getting into lovecraft & cosmic horror as a genre & was wondering if you had film recs? i can't seem to find many cosmic horror movies & am wondering if that's bc it's hard to film?

i would argue that there aren't that many good cosmic horror films for a couple reasons.

mainly, while it has been written for a long time, it has not been a genre that the greater public has been super aware of until the past few decades. but, also, it is hard to film a lot of elements of cosmic horror--namely, the incomprehensibility that often accompanies it.

my top cosmic horror films list would be:

X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes (1963)

From Beyond (1986)

The Call of Cthulhu (2005)

Beyond the Black Rainbow (2010)

Absentia (2011)

Coherence (2013)

Southbound (2015)

The Endless (2017)

Annihilation (2018)

Color Out of Space (2019)

The Block Island Sound (2020)

Glorious (2022)

there's also A Cure for Wellness (2016), which isn't that great of a film, but has some really awesome visuals and a few neat cosmic horror ideas.

[myhumaninteractionsafterall]

Oct. in Film

Forgot to post my halloween doings. Only made it to 85 horror films and a few ere not actually horror films once I got into them.

8 is old so you probably already know how great it is. 23 was great fun. 37 and 40 were both good. I was told 50 was bad, but I actually highly recommend it. 58 was fun and a little different than I expected. 61 was good as was 63. 62 was kind of silly but I enjoyed it. And 65 was maybe the best one (plus it makes fetch happen at the end). 71 may become a new favorite series if they make follow ups. 79 was good and I had forgotten about the first movie in the series. I may watch both of those together next year.

Absentia (2011)

Alone in the Dark (1982)

The Amusement Park (1975)

The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster (2023)

Anything for Jackson (2020)

Appendage (2023)

Baby Ruby (2022)

Barbarian (2022)

The Beyond (1981)

The Blackening (2022)

Bones and All (2022)

The Boogeyman (2023)

Cam (2018)

Children of the Corn (2020)

The Cleansing Hour (2019)

Cobweb (2023)

Dashcam (2021)

The Deadly Spawn (1983)

Deliver Us (2023)

The Devil on Trial (2023)

Dolores Claiborne (1995)

Elevator Game (2023)

Evil Dead Rise (2023)

The Exorcist: Believer (2023)

Five Nights at Freddy's (2023)

Gerald's Game (2017)

Gorgo (1961)

Grave Encounters 2 (2012)

Gretel & Hansel (2020)

Haunt (2019)

Haunted Mansion (2023)

The Haunting of Julia (1977)

Haxan (1922)

The Hidden (1987)

His House (2020)

Hush (2016)

Influencer (2022)

The Invitation (2022)

It Lives Inside (2023)

Knock at the Cabin (2023)

Little Bone Lodge (2023)

Luckiest Girl Alive (2022)

Malum (2023)

Maniac Cop (1988)

Maniac Cop 2 (1990)

Maniac Cop 3: Badge of Silence (1992)

Meg 2: The Trench (2023)

Missing (2023)

Night of the Hunted (2023)

No One Will Save You (2023)

Nocebo (2022)

The Nun II (2023)

Older Gods (2023)

The Passenger (2023)

Pet Sematary: Bloodlines (2023)

The Puppetman (2023)

The Relic (1997)

Saw X (2023)

Scare Package (2019)

Scary Stories (2018)

Seance (2021)

Sick (2022)

Slaxx (2020)

The Sleepless Unrest: The Real Conjuring Home (2021)

Slotherhouse (2023)

Smile (2022)

Spree (2020)

The Stylist (2020)

Superhost (2021)

Tales of the Uncanny (2020)

Talk to Me (2022)

There's Something Wrong with the Children (2023)

Totally Killer (2023)

Unseen (2023)

Unwelcome (2022)

VHS 85 (2023)

Vicious Fun (2020)

Werewolf of London (1935)

The Wrath of Becky (2023)

We Have a Ghost (2023)

A Wounded Fawn (2022)

Wilkolak (2018)

Wrong Turn (2021)

Yogen (2004)

Zombie Girl: The Movie (2009)

[bearkunin]

The Russian State and the Russian Far Right

The recent arrest of Igor Girkin feels like a good excuse to muse about the Russian far right and its relationship with the Russian state.

For those not in the know, Igor Girkin is a war criminal, Russian ultranationalist, prominent military blogger, and has been calling for total mobilisation of Russian society against Ukraine. He was a leader of Donbas separatists in 2014, and took credit for downing an aircraft which turned out to be the civilian MH17. 298 people were killed, including 193 Dutch, 43 Malaysians and 27 Australians. A Dutch Criminal investigation found Girkin among the guilty and sentenced him to life in absentia.

This is not why Girkin has been arrested.

Girkin has been arrested by the Russian state on charges of "extremism", related to his consistent criticism of the Russian state for not being aggressive or punitive enough in its conduct against Ukraine. In the week before his arrest, Girkin called for Putin to be replaced.

"The country cannot survive another six years of this cowardly mediocrity at the helm" Girkin, on Putin.

Despite Russia being increasingly viewed as extremist and fascist, there remains a long history of official state persecution of the extreme right, and it is important to examine this to understand Russian fascism.

Far Right Groups Repressed

There's a long list of Russian far right groups and only one slighter shorter of those banned, disbanded or persecuted. The infamous National Bolshevik Party (subject of many online memes, especially in althistory circles) is banned and it's key leaders have been persecuted by the security services.

National Bolsheviks Protesting with Flairs

The fairly prominent National Republican Party of Russia dissolved following the arrest of its leader. The various iterations of Pamyat faced repression, arrests and were infiltrated by the security services. Slavic Union, the Movement Against Illegal Immigration and Northern Brotherhood were both banned, and their leaders jailed (Dmitry Dyomushkin, Alexander Potkin and Anton Mukhchev respectively). Russian Image, which tried to establish itself as an establishment-friendly far-right movement, after a period of some success, still suffered a similar fate. Individuals, such as the infamous Aleksandr Dugin, turn out to be less "Putin's Rasputin" and are instead purged from their university positions for extremism. (See my long post disputing Dugin's influence here).

Left to Right: Georgy Borovikov, Vladimir Kvachkov, Dmitry Dyomushkin at an ultranationalist march in 2011. All subsequently faced heavy jail time.

Members of minor groups like like National Revival Path of Russian Patriotism (NVSRP), the United Russian National Party (ERNP), the Astrakhan National Movement, National Socialism/White Power (NS/WP), the Sakhalin Tactical Nationalists Club, Militant Organisation of Russian Nationalists (BORN), and Youth Organisation Rus have all been arrested by the security forces.

Members of the Sakhalin Tactical Nationalists Club in a bizarre 2018 New Years Greeting Video.

Even more "establishment" figures on the right suffer political hamstrings. Dmitri Rogozin was banned for running from office for extremist language and his independent political aspirations repeatedly frustrated by the State, before he "came into the fold" so to speak as a firm Putin supporter. Firebrands like Moscow mayor Yuri Luzhkov found themselves pushed out of politics altogether.

Non-Ideological Fascism?

It would be fairly easy to cast this off as typical far-right infighting: the People's Judean Front vs. the Judean People's Front. However, that would ignore a well-documented history of Russian state conservatism and moderation (relatively) in the face of right wing radicalism and in other affairs.

Ultra-nationalism is less-so promoted as "managed." The Russo-Georgian War can be viewed in terms of a classic security dilemma. The annexation of Crimea can be explained through standard realist narratives, and was broadly opportunistic, and not part of a grand long-term plan. In the 2000s, "Eurasianism" was evaluated as "the dog that did not bark" and Putin considered a "vigorous 'joiner'" and on the "bandwagon" of the international order. In the mid-2010s, journalists were eulogising the death of the Russian far right. Russian society, far from being sublimated into a fascistic death cult, has been anesthetized by weaponised apathy. The state utilises strategic relativism, embraces hypocrisy and has "no values and no truth."

Yet, it seems hard to reconcile this "realism" and intentional "apathy" with the aggressive expansionist war against Ukraine, with the explicitly maximalist aim of eradicating an independent Ukrainian nationhood, and the surge in militarist, patriot propaganda on display. When I lived in Kazan, scenes like this at the mall were absolutely not normal:

Clearly, something has changed.

So the question is, how did we get from Point A to Point B: weaponised apathy to mobilised fascism? Or how far between these two points are we really? Or how can both coincide at once? I have further thoughts on this, but this post is already too long so I better cut it off here.

[mariacallous]

A court in Minsk has sentenced the chairman of the Belarusian human rights center Viasna, Ales Bialiatski, to 10 years in a strict regime colony. This news was reported by Viasna itself.

Bialiatski and other defendants in the case – deputy chairman of Viasna Valentin Stefanovich, Viasna lawyer and coordinator of the campaign “Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections” Vladimir Labkovich, human rights activist Dmitry Solovyov – were all found guilty of cash smuggling and financing protests.

Stefanovich received nine years in a strict regime colony, while Labkovich received seven years in a strict regime colony. Solovyov was convicted in absentia and sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment.

Bialiatski, Stefanovich, and Labkovich were arrested in July 2021. They were first charged with tax evasion, but the case was later dropped, and the human rights activists were charged again. According to the investigation, in 2016-2021 they transported at least €201 thousand and $54 thousand from Lithuania to Belarus, as well as financing protests in Belarus in 2020-2021. In particular, financing refers to the payment of fines, the work of lawyers, and providing food in detention centers for those detained because of the protests.

The human rights activists pleaded not guilty. The prosecution asked for them to serve nine to 12 years in jail.

In 2011, Ales Bialiatski was sentenced to four and a half years in prison for tax evasion. The investigation considered the money that “Viasna” spent on helping people to be Bialiatski’s personal income, from which he did not pay taxes. Bialiatski was released in 2014.

In October 2022, Ales Bialiatski, together with the Russian human rights organization Memorial and the Ukrainian organization Center for Civil Liberties, received the Nobel Peace Prize.

Viasna is the largest human rights organization in Belarus. After the elections and the 2020 protests, Viasna documented violations by the security forces. The also helped detainees and torture victims. The organization follows political cases in one way or another related to 2020, which are still ongoing in Belarus.

[billymaysofficial]

Shutter Island (2010)

The Machinist (2004)

Silence of the Lambs (1991)

Jacob’s Ladder (1990)

Black Swan (2010)

Memento (2000)

The Flock (2007)

Requiem for a Dream (2000)

Anamorph (2007)

Martyrs (2008)

The Butterfly Effect (2004)

Rosemary’s Baby (1968)

The 6th Sense (1999)

Side Effects (2013)

Sinister (2012)

Extracted (2012)

Red Lights (2012)

Sleep Tight (2011)

Absentia (2011)

I Saw The Devil (2010)

Frozen (2010)

Orphan (2009)

The Killing Room (2009)

The Broken (2008)

Awake (2007)

Inside (2007)

Mr.Brooks (2007)

Vacancy (2007)

Zodiac (2007)

Bug (2006)

Dark Water (2005)

White Noise (2005)

Hard Candy (2005)

Secret Window (2004)

Saw (2004)

Saw II (2005)

Saw III (2006)

Saw IV (2007)

Saw V (2008)

Saw VI (2009)

Saw 3D (2010)

Stoker (2013)

Frailty (2001)

What Lies Beneath (2000)

Identity (2003)

Mindhunters (2004)

Triangle (2009)

Spider (2002)

Flight Plan (2005)

Unknown (2011)

The Jacket (2005)

Stay (2005)

Seven (1995)

Tell No One (2006)

Das Experiment (2006)

Angel Heart (1987)

The Uninvited (2009)

In Dreams (1999)

The Gift (2000)

Primal Fear (1996)

Deception (2008)

The Invisible (2007)

Arlington Road (1999)

Phone Booth (2002)

The Fourth Kind (2009)

Insomnia (2002)

[beardedmrbean]

Former brigadier general Mohammed Hamo, 65, who lives in Sweden, is accused of "aiding and abetting" war crimes and could get a life jail sentence. 

The war between President Bashar al-Assad's regime and armed opposition groups, including Islamic State, erupted after the government repressed peaceful pro-democracy protests in 2011.

It has killed more than half a million people, displaced millions, and ravaged Syria's economy and infrastructure. 

Wearing a dark blue shirt, jeans and sneakers, Hamo listened carefully and took notes as prosecutor Karolina Wieslander read out the charges.

Wieslander said Hamo had contributed -- through "advice and action" -- to the Syrian army's warfare, which "systematically included attacks carried out in violation of the principles of distinction, caution and proportionality." 

"The warfare was thus indiscriminate," Wieslander told the court.

The charges concern the period of January 1 to July 20, 2012. The trial is expected to last until late May.

'Disproportionate'

The prosecutor said the Syrian army's "widespread air and ground attacks"  caused damage "at a scale that was disproportionate in view of the concrete and immediate general military advantages that could be expected to be achieved." 

In his role as brigadier general and head of an armament division, Hamo allegedly helped coordinate and supply arms to units.

Hamo's lawyer, Mari Kilman, told the court her client denied criminal responsibility.

"In any case he has not had the intent towards the main charge, that indiscriminate warfare would be carried out by others," Kilman said.

Kilman said the officer could not be held liable for the actions "as he had acted in a military context and had to follow orders."

Hamo also denied all individual charges and argued that Syrian law should be applied.

Several plaintiffs are to testify at the trial, including Syrians from cities that were attacked and a British photographer who was injured during one strike.

'Complete impunity'

"The attacks in and around Homs and Hama in 2012 resulted in widespread civilian harm and an immense destruction of civilian properties," Aida Samani, senior legal advisor at rights group Civil Rights Defenders, told AFP.

"The same conduct has been repeated systematically by the Syrian army in other cities across Syria with complete impunity."

This trial will be the first in Europe "to address these types of indiscriminate attacks by the Syrian army", according to Samani, who added that it "will be the first opportunity for victims of the attacks to have their voices heard in an independent court".

Hamo is the highest-ranking military official to go on trial in Europe, though other countries have tried to bring charges against more senior members.

In March, Swiss prosecutors charged Rifaat al-Assad, an uncle of President Bashar al-Assad, with war crimes and crimes against humanity.

However, it remains unlikely Rifaat al-Assad – who recently returned to Syria after 37 years in exile – will show up for the trial, for which a date has yet to be set.

Swiss law allows for trials in absentia under certain conditions.

In November, France issued an international arrest warrant for Bashar al-Assad, accusing him of complicity in crimes against humanity and war crimes over chemical attacks in 2013.

Three other international warrants were also issued for the arrests of Bashar al-Assad's brother Maher, the de-facto chief of the army's elite Fourth Division and two generals.

In January 2022, a German court sentenced former colonel Anwar Raslan to life jail for crimes against humanity. This was the first international trial over state-sponsored torture in Syria and was hailed by victims as a victory for justice.