By Cameron W. Barr. Fifteen years have passed since Maria Elena Ruiz last saw her husband. This story is all too familiar in Latin America. The difference is that here in Colombia, entering its fourth decade of civil war, the dirty war is still on. By David Aquila Lawrence.
News travels fast among friends.
And so it was that news spread about Mustafa, a civil servant who had been picked up by Algeria's security forces and tortured. He seemed like the last person to be suspected of dealing with Islamic extremists, who have waged one of the most brutal insurgencies in the world. But such is the nature of this conflict - that Algeria's security forces have fought back just as hard, often with little respect for human rights. By Scott Peterson.