When I lived in Madrid and reported for The Christian Science Monitor as a kind of mega-stringer (writing a lot each week and given the rare title of “Special Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor,” versus the usual “Special to the Christian Science Monitor”) from 1975 – 1978 a big ongoing issue were shadowy vigilante groups – who had no consquences. Some believed they were paramilitary — old-line Francoists out to try and halt the transition into democracy.
These groups would sometimes beat up a journalist or editor and they almost never were caught or prosecuted. And some believed it was no coincidence but, rather, people in the government and law enforcement who were pleased to look the other way.
Fast forward to Russia where some of the reports coming out of Putin’s Russia are chilling. But in this case its gays who are the targets.
GO HERE to read America blog’s shocking post showing a teen who was abducted, the photos of what his captors did to him — and the fact that the teen is now believed dead at the hands of his torturers.
Who could easily be identified and arrested.
If the government wanted.
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.