March 24, 2000

MoJo Must Reads

Fight disinformation: Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters.


_
World Bank to finance Russian child torturers

Mar. 24, 2000

Even more examples of Russian forces torturing Chechen children in “filtration camps” have come to light through AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL’s investigations. Amnesty documented Russian soldiers gang raping young girls and boys and punishing other children by, in one boy’s case, cutting off an ear. The soldiers sawed another boy’s teeth off and shredded his lips with a metal file.

Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch has issued a call to delay World Bank aid to Russia in light of the abuses. The World Bank is slated to make a $100 million payment to the nation, which Russia would like to receive before the Sunday’s presidential elections.

This comes at a time when Russia is anticipating severe food shortage, according to STRATFOR. Ironically enough, acting President Vladimir Putin last week scolded administrators for not getting agriculture subsidies for equipment and seed supplies to farmers in Chechnya.

Read the AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL news release here.

To comment on the World Bank’s policy in Russia, if you are a US citizen, contact US Executive Director Jan Piercy at
Phone: (202) 458-0110
Fax: (202) 477-2967
Email: jpiercy@worldbank.org

—KS

WE CAME UP SHORT.

We just wrapped up a shorter-than-normal, urgent-as-ever fundraising drive and we came up about $45,000 short of our $300,000 goal.

That means we're going to have upwards of $350,000, maybe more, to raise in online donations between now and June 30, when our fiscal year ends and we have to get to break-even. And even though there's zero cushion to miss the mark, we won't be all that in your face about our fundraising again until June.

So we urgently need this specific ask, what you're reading right now, to start bringing in more donations than it ever has. The reality, for these next few months and next few years, is that we have to start finding ways to grow our online supporter base in a big way—and we're optimistic we can keep making real headway by being real with you about this.

Because the bottom line: Corporations and powerful people with deep pockets will never sustain the type of journalism Mother Jones exists to do. The only investors who won’t let independent, investigative journalism down are the people who actually care about its future—you.

And we hope you might consider pitching in before moving on to whatever it is you're about to do next. We really need to see if we'll be able to raise more with this real estate on a daily basis than we have been, so we're hoping to see a promising start.

payment methods

WE CAME UP SHORT.

We just wrapped up a shorter-than-normal, urgent-as-ever fundraising drive and we came up about $45,000 short of our $300,000 goal.

That means we're going to have upwards of $350,000, maybe more, to raise in online donations between now and June 30, when our fiscal year ends and we have to get to break-even. And even though there's zero cushion to miss the mark, we won't be all that in your face about our fundraising again until June.

So we urgently need this specific ask, what you're reading right now, to start bringing in more donations than it ever has. The reality, for these next few months and next few years, is that we have to start finding ways to grow our online supporter base in a big way—and we're optimistic we can keep making real headway by being real with you about this.

Because the bottom line: Corporations and powerful people with deep pockets will never sustain the type of journalism Mother Jones exists to do. The only investors who won’t let independent, investigative journalism down are the people who actually care about its future—you.

And we hope you might consider pitching in before moving on to whatever it is you're about to do next. We really need to see if we'll be able to raise more with this real estate on a daily basis than we have been, so we're hoping to see a promising start.

payment methods

We Recommend

Latest

Sign up for our free newsletter

Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

Get our award-winning magazine

Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights.

Subscribe

Support our journalism

Help Mother Jones' reporters dig deep with a tax-deductible donation.

Donate