slaves. you're watching d.w. there is up next world story is where we look at the world's 1st court case over state sponsored torture in syria i'm terry marshall thanks for watching. every day counts for us and for our planet. global ideas is on its way to bring you more conservation. how do we make cities streamer how can we protect animals and their habitats what to do with all our waste. we can make a difference by choosing reforestation over

a g 4 station recycling over disposable smart new solutions overstrained said in our war against the earth is truly unique and we know that their uniqueness is what allows us to live and survive gloom ideas be a modern mental soon to global 3000 on g.w. and on the. edge of. this week on world stories. new hope for migrants in the u.s. . women are fighting in militias in congo. let's we begin in germany where the world's 1st criminal trial on torture in syria has taken place the 1st verdicts have been announced for the bereaved families of the victims it is

just the beginning. there always fresh flowers next to add a must if is put trait. he disappeared in syria 8 years ago the few remaining photos of him after his daughter was 1st most precious possessions she's looked at them if hours and times trying to conjure up his presence the day it happened was a way her mother then living in northern syria was on her way to visit her husband in damascus they hadn't seen each other in months 15 minutes before she arrived she called them and said i need to stay in i'll be there in 15 so he said that i clean the how everything is perfect and i'm just waiting for you'll. see our 15 minutes later she i've. she called him and he never responded oh i'm. you know i mean to the day i was like this is according to neighbors armed men had

come to take allie most of her away. for her mother and sisters had to flee syria one week later and leave him behind they still don't know anything about what happened to him. the guy actually survived by leaving syria and not getting killed there maybe i have physically survived somehow. you cannot just get used to the fact that you lost your dog the one second you know you cannot just used to the far get used to the fact that he just disappeared for nor is a. wife or his father is one of 130000 people who have gone missing in syria investigators believe most of them were disappeared in bashur prisons a german court has now convicted one former syrian intelligence officer for his role in the torture of prisoners in syria another offices trial is still ongoing

when the trial began held a vigil in front of the courthouse. either in mind myself and i remind the whole word every day that my balance was political was against your only demand that freedom justice and the state of law and for that reason has been this appeared for almost 80 years now and this is not acceptable i'm not going to be silent about that. feels at home in berlin but said she could see herself eventually returning to syria and rebuilding the country in the meantime it's important for her to be in germany at this historic moment we are working our best. to be a part of the bad decision making. because you cannot dismiss and decide anything about us without us. u.s. president joe biden's plans to reform asylum laws are giving hope to many asylum

seekers who are waiting in mexican comes to enter america. every morning at sunrise crosses the bridge over the rio grande that to mexico her daily mission is to help refugees to get to the other side as immigrants re fair to the united states on this side people already know her and are called somebody asking for her help. now there is a possibility again to offer a person who is being persecuted and who has a life threat to apply for asylum. after 4 years suborder is finally opening again for immigrants qualifying for asylum many of them have been waiting in mexico for years under inhumane circumstances this is what our role as a people that care about their circumstances the fact that they're here means that people their families and they need to that press is the fact that they're not

alone. this is why is here to guide them and assist them in the process these immigrants came together 2 years ago and created the informal refugee camp. ever since they refused to move insisting to stay as close as possible to the united states they came from haiti central america and also from parts in mexico where criminality is. a total of $25000.00 immigrants seeking asylum have been stuck in mexico for years president biden said ministration has now allowed them to wait for their hearings in the united states. for them. this is the culmination of years of waiting and for sister norma it's an honor to be part of it and 3 in good mosul yeah pickles and finally this is so beautiful i'm tired it has been a day full of emotions and very exhausting and to free the mood for these families they have suffered

a lot and now the united states is opening its doors for them. but i was. once on a u.s. soil n.g.o.s are taking care of them around 1009 percent have family members or friends living in the united states but this is not the end of their trip up there nothing this long journey is just starting the goal it's not here yet in the. meanwhile on the mexican side of the border more families who were forced to flee iraq big hoping that the new biden administration will let them in. we are on their threat to my family and i we had to scape because they said they want to kill us. as long as the root of the problem is not address the increase of criminal activity in mexico and central america is still going to force families to abandon their hopes.

the eastern democratic republic of congo is ruled by rival militias. women are among these rebel fighters running of them experienced abuse as teenagers. we are on foot the beauty of the landscape cannot distract from the constant fear of kidnap or being caught up in fighting. as soon as we get close the rebel militia sends an escort to take us to that base. one of them is mama for either she joined the militia almost 20 years ago after another group attacked her village the man killed her parents with machetes 6 of them raped her she was just 15 she'd already been married the same group that killed her husband. i felt defeated my life had defeated me i saw what they had done to me and how they killed

my family i couldn't continue my life like it had been i mean really so i decided to become a fighter and drive them out. given the chance she'd shoot them on the spot she says when a former teacher began recruiting people to take revenge she joined him many in her group survived similar trustees it's a militia of traumatized damaged young people. they killed my father they killed everyone in my family that's the only reason i became a fighter. for terry bench and survival they control around 20 villages in the area security for food in a deal they say is consensual but we saw local people running in fear from them the idea of consent is complicated for everyone. it's only when we are alone that says

this. i hear that other people run away from the group but i think how can i run i have no one to help me i have no land i have no one who could help me build a life. and. she would like to trade her gun for the life she had before as a farmer negotiate through my shop till i would have had a good life with my husband one like other people have but that was taken away from me 7 o'clock. now she pours what hope she has in her children that they will have choices one day. despite its many coronavirus creases madrid's restriction so for relaxed the spanish capital is becoming the new favorite destination of lockdown we return from

all over europe. meeting friends and enjoying drinks and sun a rare pastime these days but possible in madrid and that's why the spanish capital has become a refuge for young tourists from france it's so so depressing being in a country but is nothing's open it's gloomy all day you have to be back there's a curfew it at 6 you can't even see your friends or know cafes there's no you know you can't sit down with anyone you literally can't do anything in france. in madrid coronavirus restrictions are less strict than in other parts of europe and negative p.c.r. test was enough frenzy to demand tears to come here she didn't have to quarantine and also brought a friend i come here there's there's friends there is. it's amazing it's a dream come true. i dreamed that theodore stark and i you could be have also

precede the students live in germany and are spending a few days here they planned the trip with friends knowing that germany has advised its population to avoid travelling tyrus countries. somehow you feel bad if you travel because other people are self isolating and you're not supposed to travel at the moment. but i don't think you can stay at home for a whole year either. we want to see the world while we're in the prime of our lives . during the day the students explore the city in the evenings they stay at home they say they feel safer keeping to themselves others feel differently madrid's police sometimes have to break up illegal parties held after curfew with participants ignoring current contact restrictions which is ideal for this spread of the virus this party was organized by french tourists.

illegal parties also worry dr laura sons in the end they all contribute to more infections. that get in america so we already have to be very careful with family members and in our everyday lives unnecessary contact has to be avoided it. the young people we met this afternoon in madrid think both can work being responsible and enjoying the freedoms of life we do all the p.c.r. test and everything we wear the mask when we have to we don't want to bother spanish people you know we just want to leave again and in france we're going to do that from now madrid is one of the few cities in europe that still lies some leeway that could change at any time.

life when it's no longer for a big. career when you're finally allowed to pursue it. it's your opinion when you can finally say it. is freedom more important than homeland. we need artists in exile living in berlin. march 20th. next on d w. this motor home is motorists. it's a practice site for forensic technicians. did the killer enjoy a chuckle. in your printing is seems. to think. there's a trend to new technology can help solve the. world today. in

60 minutes. passionate drama competition wife marketing numbers atmosphere power fight at intuition love money. fans friends fast. i'm. on you tube. i'm an author and witness to world events that's all. this is in my life because i didn't want. to germany it was like a child. and half blind.