Stories by Liliana Segura

Liliana Segura is an independent journalist and editor with a focus on social justice, prisons & harsh sentencing. subscribe to Liliana Segura's feed

Shoe-Throwing Iraqi Journalist Released From Prison: "Here I Am Free, And My Country Is Still Captured"

Posted on: Sep 15, 2009, Source: AlterNet

Muntader al-Zaidi, who says he was given "electric shocks" and "beaten by electric cables and steel rods" in prison, says he will divulge the names of those who tortured him.

Anti-Choice Floridians Peddling Constitutional Amendment to Criminalize Birth Control Pill

Posted on: Sep 14, 2009, Source: AlterNet

The "Personhood Amendment" would define someone as a "person," regardless of age or health status, "from the beginning of the biological development of that human being."

With Its Prisons Dangerously Full, Why Is California Fighting for Custody of a Dying Prisoner Across the Country?

Posted on: Sep 11, 2009, Source: AlterNet

While other states release low-risk, high-cost prisoners, CA officials want to jail another terminal prisoner, on taxpayers' dime.

Texas Students Who Were Kept Away From Obama Speech Will Be Bused to See Bush Speak

Posted on: Sep 9, 2009, Source: AlterNet

This is the man who once expressed concern for the nation's students by asking: "Is our children learning?"

Embarrassing Rich Lady Peggy Noonan Calls Obama Aides "Out of Touch," Shows No Sense of Irony

Posted on: Sep 4, 2009, Source: AlterNet

The woman who once celebrated the fact that she could see no signs of the economic crisis on Manhattan's Upper East Side has more to say.

How Do We Pass Rational Sex-Offender Laws With Psychos Like Phillip Garrido on the Loose?

Posted on: Sep 3, 2009, Source: AlterNet

With apparent psychos like Garrido wreaking havoc, it's hard for society to be reasonable about the thousands of people have been wrongly swept up by excessive sex offender laws.

Republican Congresswoman: GOP Needs a "Great White Hope"

Posted on: Aug 27, 2009, Source: AlterNet

What decade is this again?

Sarah Palin's Facebook 'Friends' Celebrate Ted Kennedy's Death: "One Less Socialist," "Good Riddens"

Posted on: Aug 26, 2009, Source: AlterNet

One commenter: "Now if we could just talk God into taking Arlin Spector, Harry Reid,and Nancy Pelosi America would be Eutopia!"

How Yawning Got One Court Spectator Six Months in the Slammer and Other Disturbing Acts of Judicial Tyranny

Posted on: Aug 20, 2009, Source: AlterNet

When judges take on airs and lash out in fits of whimsical bullying, innocent people can end up paying the price with jail time -- or their lives.

Can Brutal and Racist Cops Change to Become More 'Sensitive'?

Posted on: Aug 17, 2009, Source: AlterNet

The Boston policeman who called Gates a "banana-eating jungle monkey" had taken racial-sensitivity training classes. It's not clear they work.

Breakthrough: Death Row Prisoner Troy Davis to Get New Innocence Hearing

Posted on: Aug 17, 2009, Source: AlterNet

The U.S. Supreme Court has ordered a judge to "receive testimony and findings of fact as to whether evidence ... establishes [Davis's] innocence."

Do Hate Crime Laws Do Any Good?

Posted on: Aug 3, 2009, Source: AlterNet

There's no indication that getting hate crimes on the books actually prevents them.

Racism Is the Prime Cause for Debunked Obama Birth Certificate Conspiracy Theory

Posted on: Jul 27, 2009, Source: AlterNet

The "birther" conspiracy has been utterly debunked, yet more GOP establishment figures have embraced the transparently racist cause.

DNA Evidence Is No Panacea for Solving Crimes: Huge Backlogs, Inept Testing and Corruption Stand in the Way

Posted on: Jul 15, 2009, Source: AlterNet

Laws expanding DNA collection from people accused of crimes are passing in states across the country. But it doesn't mean that justice will be done.

Obama Puts Evangelical in Charge of National Institutes of Health -- Will His Religion Get in the Way of Science?

Posted on: Jul 10, 2009, Source: AlterNet

Francis Collins has defended practices derided by the God squad. But a man committed to reconciling faith and science brings back bad Bush memories.

While the U.S. Dilly Dallies on Honduras, We Continue to Support a Right-Wing Thug in Colombia

Posted on: Jul 1, 2009, Source: AlterNet

Alvaro Uribe could be re-elected through just the type of referendum the ousted Manuel Zelaya has been accused of trying to carry out.

'A Comedy of Errors': Why It's Time to Get Rid of the So-Called Terrorist Watch List

Posted on: Jun 26, 2009, Source: AlterNet

A new report finds people on the terrorist watch list can more easily buy guns than board planes. But the real problem lies deeper than that.

Life After Guantanamo: Why the Media's Happy-Ending Narrative Is Totally Bankrupt

Posted on: Jun 19, 2009, Source: AlterNet

The transfer of four Uighur prisoners to Bermuda has been treated like a happy human-interest story, but the truth is far darker.

Why is the Obama DOJ Trying So Hard to Block Torture Lawsuits?

Posted on: Jun 15, 2009, Source: AlterNet

News this weekend that Jose Padilla has the right to sue torture lawyer John Yoo is no thanks to the Obama administration.

Note from AlterNet: I Tell Stories for People Who Can't Tell Their Own -- We Need Your Support

Posted on: Jun 12, 2009, Source: AlterNet

At AlterNet, I'm fighting for a society that doesn't victimize the innocent and vulnerable. To do it right, I need your support.

Is Your Newest Facebook Friend a Sleazeball Debt Collector?

Posted on: Jun 9, 2009, Source: AlterNet

Exposing the latest and slimiest ways the "financial services" industry is raking it in from cash-crunched Americans.

Horrible: Dr. Tiller's Wichita Clinic Will Shut Down For Good

Posted on: Jun 9, 2009, Source: AlterNet

"The family of Dr. George Tiller announces that effective immediately, Women's Health Care Services, Inc., will be permanently closed."

Five New Reasons (and One Old One) Why We Must Close Guantanamo Now

Posted on: Jun 5, 2009, Source: AlterNet

A surprising poll shows that by wide margins, Americans don't want to see Gitmo shut down -- here's why it should be closed forever.

Oops! Feds 'Accidentally' Release 266-page Document Mapping Out U.S. Nuclear Sites

Posted on: Jun 3, 2009, Source: AlterNet

"These screw-ups happen," said one former director of central intelligence.

200 Executions and Counting: Texas Gov. Rick Perry's Cruel Death Tally

Posted on: Jun 1, 2009, Source: AlterNet

Today marks the 200th execution under Perry, a record even deadlier than George W. Bush's tenure. What's the matter with Texas?

Controversy Over Torture Photos and Military Commissions Heats Up in Washington

Posted on: May 15, 2009, Source: AlterNet

How far is Obama going to roll back the legacy of Bush's torture policies?

Outrageous: Torture Lawyer John Yoo Gets a Column at the Philadelphia Inquirer

Posted on: May 12, 2009, Source: AlterNet

Yoo joins an 'increasingly rightward-tilting lineup' that includes former Senator Rick Santorum and torture fan Michael Smerconish.

Updated: U.S. Soldier Kills 5 Troops at U.S. Base in Iraq

Posted on: May 11, 2009, Source: AlterNet

'Stressed out' soldier in military custody after attack at Camp Liberty

'The Most Humiliating Experience I Have Ever Had' -- Why Is the Supreme Court So Callous About Privacy?

Posted on: May 8, 2009, Source: AlterNet

A teenage girl is strip-searched and gets snickered at by old men in robes for challenging it -- what's so funny about the Fourth Amendment?

After the Latest U.S. Airstrike, Can Anyone Wonder Why Do 'They' Hate Us?

Posted on: May 8, 2009, Source: AlterNet

In the eyes of the children whose families die in U.S. led wars, the Americans are the terrorists.

'Body Language Expert' on CNN: Condi 'Mopped Up' Student Who Confronted Her on Torture; 'Wish I Could High-Five Condi For That'

Posted on: May 4, 2009, Source: AlterNet

"It's like confronting the Webster dictionary on a word," Janine Driver told Roland Martin. "You can't beat Condoleezza Rice. She is awesome."

Supreme Court Justice David Souter to Retire

Posted on: May 1, 2009, Source: AlterNet

Although details are scarce, Supreme Court Justice David Souter reportedly plans to retire at the end of his term.

Memo to the Media: Obama Did Not Invent 'Yes We Can'

Posted on: Apr 30, 2009, Source: AlterNet

The corporate news claims Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is "co-opting" Obama's election slogan. But it was never his to begin with.

Former Soldier Accused of Brutal Rape and Murder of 14-Year Old Iraqi Girl Starts Trial

Posted on: Apr 29, 2009, Source: AlterNet

23-year-old Steven Green is accused of bragging 'that was awesome' after the premeditated killing of Abeer Qasim Hamza al-Janabi and her family.

Federal Court to Obama DOJ: 'State Secrets' Excuse is Bogus, Torture Victims' Lawsuit Can Proceed

Posted on: Apr 28, 2009, Source: AlterNet

In a crucial defeat for the Obama administration, an ACLU lawsuit on behalf of five victims of extraordinary rendition will move forward.

The Soaring Rate of Abandoned Animals Is the Latest Sign of a Deep Economic Crisis

Posted on: Apr 27, 2009, Source: AlterNet

Abandoned animals and "foreclosure pets" are the innocent victims of our financial downward spiral.

Thousands of Pages of Evidence and a Quarter Million Signatures: What Will It Take For Attorney General to Prosecute Torture Crimes?

Posted on: Apr 23, 2009, Source: AlterNet

Amid citizen outrage and news that torture was used to extract a link between Iraq and al Qaeda, Eric Holder won't say if he intends to prosecute.

FBI Workers Accused of Spying on Teenage Girls in Dressing Room

Posted on: Apr 21, 2009, Source: AlterNet

Two FBI workers allegedly used surveillance equipment to spy on girls as they tried on prom gowns at a charity event at a West Virginia mall.

'A Ton More People Were Wiretapped Than We've Been Led to Believe': FBI Whistleblower Thomas Tamm

Posted on: Apr 17, 2009, Source: AlterNet

The man who blew the lid off Bush's spying program believes more details on government spying must, and will, come to light.

New Bush Torture Bombshell Memos: 10 Horrifying Discoveries

Posted on: Apr 16, 2009, Source: AlterNet

Slamming prisoners into walls, locking them in boxes with insects; these memos are the smoking gun for the sadistic crimes of the Bush administration.

Pages