A former Syrian prison chief has been convicted in a landmark torture trial in Los Angeles.

It's been twenty years since the U.S. launched a war in Iraq — a conflict justified by faulty intelligence. More than 4000 Americans died along with tens of thousands of Iraqis. The war undermined Americans' trust in government and further…

An agreement between Saudi Arabia and Iran to resume diplomatic relations is being assessed for its regional impact as well as how it could affect U.S. influence in the Middle East. AYESHA RASCOE, HOST: Saudi Arabia and Iran have had tense relations…

The U.S. attorney general traveled to Ukraine to discuss war crimes investigations with top justice officials from around the globe. In an exclusive conversation, NPR interviewed Garland about why this work is personal to him. This episode was…

ASMA KHALID, HOST: The Russian government is operating more than 40 child custody centers for Ukrainian children who have been deported to Russia. That's according to a report by Yale's Humanitarian Research Lab, which is a partner in a new State…

The Russian government is operating a systematic network of at least 40 child custody centers for thousands of Ukrainian children, a potential war crime, according to a new report by Yale University researchers in a collaboration with the U.S. State…

The U.S. has new laws that could make it easier to prosecute war crimes in other countries — something spurred by the war in Ukraine. AILSA CHANG, HOST: The most high-profile aspects of U.S. policy in Ukraine have involved military support against…

An activist is using the FIFA Men's World Cup in Qatar to shine a light on the country's poor record on LGBTQ rights. MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST: In November, the men's soccer World Cup opens in Qatar. And while the country highlights the tournament,…

SCOTT SIMON, HOST: Ukraine is preparing for the first rape case connected to the Russian invasion. Prosecutors say there are many more but acknowledge the challenges ahead. Rape is a war crime, but cases that make it to trials or tribunals are…

WARSAW, Poland — In a refugee center outside the Polish capital, the posters on the wall urge recent arrivals to come forward. "Help Ukraine — Give Testimony!" one reads. "Help us punish the criminals." But relatively few have come forward in this…

As Americans wait for a Supreme Court decision on a case that could overturn the 1973 decision that legalized abortion in the U.S., other countries already provide a snapshot of what that's like. LEILA FADEL, HOST: In 1973, the Supreme Court's Roe v.…

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST: The war in Syria was especially gruesome. What started out as peaceful protests against the regime of Bashar al-Assad soon turned into one of the bloodiest conflicts of this century. Tens of thousands of people died. Millions…

A German court sentenced a Syrian intelligence officer to life in prison, in a landmark war crimes trial. AILSA CHANG, HOST: German judges sentenced a former Syrian intelligence officer to life in prison in a historic verdict - guilty of crimes…

KOBLENZ, Germany — The world's first criminal trial over torture in Syria's prisons ended Thursday with a guilty verdict and life sentence for a former Syrian intelligence officer. The ruling came in a German case against Anwar Raslan, who was…

Maybe you've heard of Kevin Dawes. He was an American freelance photographer who was locked up in a Syrian prison in 2012. He became headline news 3 1/2 years later when he was released with the help of Russia. Maybe you just remember that he…

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: We have a story now of two men who met in a Syrian prison. One of them is an American imprisoned there. And we're about to hear his story for the first time. The other is a British doctor who was on a humanitarian mission.…

German courts and investigators are taking on crimes far beyond their borders — alleged war crimes by ISIS, the Syrian regime and others. RACHEL MARTIN, HOST: German courts and investigators are taking on some of the most difficult criminal cases in…

BERLIN and KOBLENZ, Germany — Hassan Mahmoud believed his testimony about the death of his youngest brother in a Damascus prison would help bring to justice a onetime senior member of Syria's secret police. But even though the trial is thousands of…

AILSA CHANG, HOST: Survivors of Syria's prisons can face risks even after they're free. But some have still stepped up to tell their stories in a German courtroom. For more than a year, German judges in the western city of Koblenz have been taking…

Like most Americans, I learned to ride a bike as a kid. I still remember the glee after learning how to ride a bike on a subdivision road where I grew up in Florida. I had cracked the mysteries of balance, and now I had the giddy pleasure of my…