National Security
Supreme Court considers reinstating Boston Marathon bomber’s death sentence
The Supreme Court agreed Monday to hear a government appeal to reinstate the death penalty for Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who was convicted in 2013.
In July, the federal appeals court in Boston threw out Tsarnaev’s sentence because it said the judge at his trial did not do enough to ensure the jury would not be biased against him.
Then-Attorney General William Barr promised to appeal the decision and the Justice Department followed through in October. The appeals court ordered a new trial to determine whether Tsarnaev should be executed for the 2013 attack.
If the justices overturn the appeals court, Tsarnaev’s death sentence could be reinstated.
Reinstating the death sentence in Tsarnaev’s case could put the Biden administration in a tough spot since President Biden vowed to end the death penalty during his campaign.
The case will not be heard until the fall.
Tsarnaev and his older brother, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, planted two pressure-cooker bombs near the finish line of the marathon that killed three people and seriously injured more than 250 others. Tamerlan Tsarnaev was killed during a shootout.
Tsarnaev was convicted of all 30 charges against him, including conspiracy and use of a weapon of mass destruction and the killing of a Massachusetts Institute of Technology police officer. Tsarnaev is currently in federal prison in Colorado.
Follow Annaliese Levy on Twitter @AnnalieseLevy
International
Mental health crisis spikes among Afghan women after Taliban regained control two years ago
The women of Afghanistan are suffering a mental health crisis since the Taliban regained power two years ago. According to a joint report from three U.N. agencies released Tuesday, approximately 70% of women experience feelings of anxiety, isolation and depression.
The numbers continue to rise, as there has already been a significant jump between April and June of this year alone, with an increase from 57% the preceding quarter.
The report, conducted by U.N. Women, the International Organization for Migration and the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, interviewed women online, in-person and in group consultations as well as individual telesurveys.
592 Afghan women in 22 of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces took part in the study. The Associated Press reports:
They have barred women from most areas of public life and work and banned girls from going to school beyond the sixth grade. They have prohibited Afghan women from working at local and non-governmental organizations. The ban was extended to employees of the United Nations in April.
Opportunities to study continued to shrink as community-based education by international organizations was banned and home-based schooling initiatives were regularly shut down by the de facto authorities — a term use by the U.N. for the Taliban government.
Afghanistan is the only country in the world with restrictions on female education and the rights of Afghan women and children are on the agenda of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
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