Child brides. Some married for love, some as a way to guarantee safe passage, while others were paired off as local tradition demanded, raising awkward questions for german authorities. Thats why parliament passed a new law here in germany that officially makes 18 the minimum age for marriage and nullifying any existing marriages involving anyone under 16. Our reporter met with a girl who was torn between being a dutiful daughter and choosing how she would like to live. Hevi is a kurdish girl who now lives in a secret location somewhere in germany, anonymously and in fear of her own family and a forced marriage. She talks about how, on her 15th birthday, her life took a sudden and radical turn for the worse. The violence i experienced at home was really brutal. To get spat on so often by my father that was the worst, because i felt so humiliated. Hevi comes from a devout muslim family. Her father is an imam. The family started to isolate hevi more and more. They didnt allow her to get together with her friends. Then, her father picked out a husband for his underage daughter and was going to make her marry him. I thought about killing myself. That was my first idea for how to solve my dilemma. I didnt know anything at all about any organizations where i could go to or to get any kind of support. They made me feel so small, i didnt even know i could get help anywhere. Hevis case is no isolated one, says terre des femmes. The Human Rights Organization has produced a video calling for action. More and more young girls are coming to germany as refugees. Some of them have been forced to marry in the camps on the way. Around 1400 married minor girls were registered last year in germany, one out of four under the age of fourteen. The true number is thought to be even higher. Mahmoud and his wife fled to germany from a village in syria. They dont understand what the debate is about. Mahmouds wife was underage when they married. Mahmoud is reluctant to speak openly about it. Getting married young is unusual in germany, but its normal for us. My whole family my mother, aunts, grandmother they all got married very young. That may be unusual here, but we want to live with our traditions. But the refugees traditions clash with german law. Human rights organizations argue that protecting children takes precedence over religious or cultural traditions. Traditions are important, but they mustnt violate human rights. If they do, the german state has to invoke the law and take adequate measures to protect these girls. Concerning underage marriage, we treat this as a human rights violation. In many cases, girls have been forced into marriage especially the ones under age 16. Ahmed massoun fled syria for germany. He explains that its also a subject of heated debate in his home country. He says every second girl in the refugee camps in jordan, lebanon and iraq is married while underage so theyll have someone to protect them during the journey. Tightening of the german laws is for him the wrong approach. For the people who come here and arrive here like getting married already, and the girls about 15 or 16, i think, the German Government has to make some exception. But the bill scheduled for a vote this summer has no provision for reviewing individual cases. It requires the annulment of all marriages between minors under age 16. Terre des femmes says this is the only way these girls can integrate into german society. Hevi knows all too well how it feels to be torn between tradition and the need to live her own life. I always thought if i said anything, i would be betraying my family, and i felt guilty and cried. Then a teacher asked me what was wrong with me. The tears started flowing, and that was a relief. If i hadnt had been for that teacher, i probably wouldnt be around today. Hevi is glad she got the help she did. Now she plans to study and build a life of her own. At this summers g20 in hamburg, germany is on high alert. Holding a major summit in a big city poses a big security risk, attracting thousands of peaceful demonstrators but also some prepared to use violence. The infamous clashes at the genoa g8 in 2001 showed how quickly things can escalate when battles erupted between the Italian Police and anti globalization protestors leaving many injured, and a young man killed. Victims like lorenzo guadagnucci, who complained about excessive use of force, still wait for justice. Lorenzo guadagnucci recalls the fateful night on july 22, 2001, during the g8 summit in genoa. That night, the headquarters of globalization protestors were stormed by police. Italian newspapers later reported beatings, and scenes resembling a dictatorship. They were relentless. I tried shielding my head with my arms and legs. These acts of violence were preceded by days of rioting. Angry protestors from all over europe had taken to the streets in genoa and totally overwhelmed the Italian Police. A 23yearold italian was shot in the head by a policeman and killed. When police stormed the protestors headquarters, guadagnucci was so badly beaten that he had to be hospitalized. He suffered multiple burns from a police taser. We were trapped. There was no escape. The police were in total control. Nothing justifies their extreme violence. Many protestors suffered permanent injuries. Guadagnucci took the issue to court, along with more than a hundred other victims. And after all those years he won. None of the policemen can be charged for their acts of violence because of the statute of limitation. And Italys Interior Ministry is taking a soft stance. One of the main offenders was given just a 50 euro fine to pay to his own department. Despite being convicted of committing torture and bodily harm. Lawyer tambuscio went to the European Court of human rights. The judges condemned the Excessive Force displayed by Italian Police. And demanded that the italian state pass a law against abuse and torture. But Gianni Tonelli from the Italian Police union says that such laws already exist. He agrees that his colleagues used Excessive Force but says not every officer from back then should still be held under suspicion. Its not the polices fault that our Justice System works so slowly. Nobody in the police force wants to evade justice. But you cant blame the accused if the courts dont deliver sentences in time. Tonelli also rejects claims that no disciplinary action was taken against the Police Officers who were in genoa in 2001. The accused were temporarily suspended from duty. For some, this meant the end of their careers. Everything was done according to protocol. Today, some of those who sustained injuries at the g8 summit will be awarded financial compensation of 45,000 euros. The italian authorities want to pay their way out of further trials. But guadagnucci, like many others, wont play along. Does italy take the European Convention for human rights seriously . If all we get after the ruling from the European Court of human rights is money, then this is a legitimate question today, guadagnucci lives in the hills of florence. He still feels bitter that his country failed to enforce the European Legal principles against violent abuse and torture. Strangers in their own home. Thats what Crimean Tatars have experienced ever since russia annexed crimea from ukraine three years ago. While many ethnic russians live there, this Muslim Minority group is native to the peninsula and fought against the takeover. Now many tatars say that russian authorities are making their lives difficult. Our reporter, Juri Rescheto met a tatar family and asked if they had any hope of their lives improving under moscows control. Eftade is a crimean tatar. She is the youngest in the osmanov family and papa aivazs favorite. He is busy on the construction site in the yard. For several years now, aivaz has been trying to build a house for the family of six. Aivaz hey, eftade, did your sister make coffee . Eftade what . Aivaz did your sister made coffee . Eftade yeah. Crimean tatars were allowed to return here in the 1990s after having been expelled by stalin during world war ii. And they began to cultivate old traditions once again. Crimean tatars were not allowed to attend university during the soviet regime. Many still live in rural areas as selfsupporting farmers. Eftade let me do that, papa aivaz here, hold the bowl. We have enough fresh eggs. Sometimes we sell them to the neighbors. The idyllic charm that i sense here in bakhchisaray is deceptive. Many here are deeply afraid. The situation is not good. Every morning i expect the police to come and question me and search my house. I am the chairman of the local mejlis organization. It is a kind selfgovernmental arm of the Crimean Tatars. My colleague, who is chairman of the regional mejlis organization, has been in prison for the past two years. Another activist is not allowed to leave the country. And a third one is under investigation. I am not worried about myself, but i am worried for my children. The mejlis was classified by russia as an Extremist Organization and subsequently forbidden. Since then tatars stand under general suspicion. Some disappear without a trace, like the son of a man who im going to meet. The 31yearold was abducted directly in front of his house. It was caught on video by closedcircuit cameras. Still, there is allegedly no trace of the kidnappers. Here there is an utter absence of law. It is all arbitrary. You never know what is going to happen to you, not even in the next halfhour. I just want one thing to have my son back. Healthy and alive. Nothing else. Human rights activists have been documenting how intimidation and extortion have been straining relations between those who have recently taken power, and those people who traditionally lived here; but especially the Crimean Tatars. And not just in bakhchisaray. Ethnic russians here in simferopol are celebrating National Unity day. It is a three hour extravaganza of cheering patriotism, but the celebration has nothing to do with crimea or the russian annexation. Its like living on a powder keg. Our people are subject to extreme pressure. Its an opinion shared by most Crimean Tatars. Suddenly they are foreigners in their own home, in crimea. Ever since the failed coup in turkey in july last year, the countrys government has ruthlessly targeted those it perceives as opponents. Among the journalists, judges and Civil Servants who lost their jobs, one group that has particularly suffered are academics. More than 7000 are thought to have been dismissed from universities. While some fled the country, others stayed on to confront the repression. Open protest may be nearly impossible, but that hasnt stopped some of them from devising their own unique form of dissent. Yet this will to fight has to come too late for others who found the damage to their careers and reputation too much to bear. Its the First Time Since the funeral that hasan durkal has returned to the grave of his best friend. Mehmet fatih tras killed himself by jumping from the 7th floor. He was 33 years old. The Research Assistant from Southern Turkey had been dismissed after signing a petition criticizing military operations in kurdishdominated areas of the country. His friend says he was driven to suicide. The university, the media and the Justice System all branded him as an enemy of the state. Not everyone has the psychological strength to deal with Something Like that. If he had not been ostracized, he would not have committed suicide. Hasan durkal, a schoolteacher, signed the academics for peace petition, too and was also dismissed. He feels lost without his friend. Early last year, turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan launched an attack on the critical academics who had signed the petition. Erdogan referred to them as socalled intellectuals who were undermining turkey and who should no longer be paid by the state. Feminist sociologist yasemin ozgun lost her job after signing the petition. A difficult period began. But she and other academics have found an innovative way of continuing to teach. Shes about to give a lecture in a park in ankara, instead of in a classroom. I used to be at the University Till 6 pm every night. But i havent lectured since last june and now im all wound up as if it were the first time. Many academics still work at institutions like the university of ankara. But thousands of scholars have lost their jobs in purges that have mostly affected alleged followers of usbased cleric Fethullah Gulen and leftwing critics of the government like yasemin ozgun. The dismissed lecturers have started organizing what they call street academies. They give lectures in cafes or in public parks. The classes take place rain or shine. Today, former students and colleagues have come to support yasemin ozgun. My contract wasnt extended for political reasons. But a university doesnt necessarily need a building. It can be anywhere. And thats why im here. On top of regular university, i do my best not to miss any Street Academy lecture. Ozguns lecture is about feminist politics, a subject that would be hard to find on the syllabuses of most turkish universities these days. So far, the authorities are tolerating the Street Academy, but nobody knows for how long. After the class, the lecturers and students warm up with some hot soup. Ozgun feels encouraged by todays turnout. The government keeps trying to marginalize us, branding us as isolated cases. But here the people who have come to listen show me that im not alone, that i havent committed a crime. After the lecture ozgun and her colleagues go to a cafe. They cant afford much more than tea since they lost their jobs. I get the equivalent of about 400 euros from the teachers union. But that doesnt get me very far. I still have to pay off my mortgage. And how will i find a job . Private schools arent allowed to employ us either. I would be able to get a Research Grant from france or germany, but my passport has been confiscated. Thesedo feel trapped. Ot be in mehmet fatih tras couldnt deal with the situation anymore. The place where he used to sit in his local bar is empty. He would often come here with friends for a beer after work. The bartender knew him well. She says that toward the end he became increasingly silent. Hasan durkal still comes to try to overcome his friends death, to remember him and to keep his ideals alive. His dream of a peaceful, Democratic Society lives on. We mustnt stop questioning the political conditions that led to his death. Those political conditions in turkey have already led to hundreds of deaths, thousands of arrests and countless cases of exile. There are a lot of bears in romania. Their numbers are estimated at 6000 and rising, after a recent law that prohibits shooting them as a way of population control. The ban was introduced after fierce pressure from Animal Rights activists. But critics say now the countryside is over run with these beasts with damage to crops, livestock and even attacks on people are increasing. And hunters fear for their livelihoods especially since bear trophies can command thousands of euros. These forests in romanias transylvania region are the hunting grounds of the gamekeepers attila csiki and sandor ference. This is the home of europes largest predator, the brown bear. The brown bears natural habitat is remote from human settlements. But the bears population keeps growing currently there are more than 6,000 here. The hunters say this is a problem. Theyre finding more and more bear tracks outside the forests. The population is simply too large. Too many are living here. So theyre spreading, even into the villages. And the People Living in the surrounding farms suffer the consequences. When seeking a meal, a romanian brown bear isnt exactly choosy, especially if hes hungry. A few weeks ago, a bear killed livestock belonging to farmer ferenc biro. First he tried to come through the window. Here you can see the marks from his claws. That didnt work, so he destroyed the door and attacked my cows. Romanias gamekeepers say the threat will increase. Up to now, a hundred bears could be hunted and killed per year to regulate the population. But now the government has forbidden bear hunting. The effect is that bears lose their fear of humans, because theyre no longer hunted. That can have bad consequences. Many hunters are angry at this man, leonardo bereczky. Hes an Animal Rights activist and bear expert who helped get the ban passed. He says all the talk about dangerous bears is just fear mongering. They are very, very calm and balanced animals, from many points of view. And this is proved, that in many areas in romania where bears occur in the cities, where bears come to garbage dumps. They are really so rare, those incidents where bears attack people. I think its a much bigger threat the car, which is running one meter from us every day. This friend of the bears thinks the hunters are just upset that theyre losing business. People from all over the world want to hunt bears, and the romanian hunting associations charge three to eight thousand euros for the coveted trophies. Most bears are selected by hunters, which are big bears. And its logical, because these individuals bring the money. But even the little bear in leonardos care isnt tame, as he experiences a few seconds later. The occurrence of bears in the village gamekeeper attila csiki takes us where camera teams havent been welcome before the hunting stand. As we drive there, he says the gamekeepers need the hunting fees, because the romanian state provides too little funding for their work. We continue to the Hunting Lodge on foot. Here he and sandor ference often lay in wait for days with their wealthy clients who want to take home a bear skin. And then suddenly its here. Hes eight or nine years old. A large male. The bear is focused on this heap of garden waste. Its bait to attract them. Shooting a bear this size used to bring the gamekeepers 7,000 euros. Its a huge loss for us that these predators can no longer be hunted. That costs us the important revenues we urgently need for our territory. Many of us are afraid well go broke. Then another bear trots onto the clearing, a female. Hunters say the ban only increases the number of poachers shooting europes most powerful predators. The debate about the future of the brown bear wages on, and our reporter told us that there is now on average one bear attack each day thats it for today. Thank you for watching. Until next time, its goodbye from me and the whole focus on europe team
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