In Tehran, the female Iranian-American journalist who was captured and imprisoned by the Iranian government has successfully completed a week of fasting. Roxana Sabari was sentenced to 8 years in prison after she was found guilty of spying for the U.S. government in Washington. Sabari began to fast to protest her sentencing and secure her release. Her father has recently said that she has lost ten pounds already. After having her press card revoked in 2006, Ms. Saberi was originally arrested for buying a bottle of wine, which is against the law in Tehran. Eventually, the charges escalated to spying for the U.S. Sabari’s family has secured the most prominent human rights lawyer in Iran for her appeal, and both President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Iran’s top judiciary official have urged an investigation and fair appeal. This case has increased tensions between the U.S. and Iran just when it seemed their relationship might be thawing out.

In Hungary, attacks against the ethnic group Roma, more commonly known as gypsies, have increased at an alarming rate. Within the past year, at least seven Roma have been killed, plus around thirty attacks involving Molotov cocktails have occurred. In February, a Roma man and his four-year-old son were killed outside their home outside of Budapest. It is reported that many of these attacks are carried out by military or police personnel, and have no motivation other than that the victims are Roma. There is a long-standing stereotype that all Roma are petty thieves and criminals. Authorities believe attacks have increased because of this stereotype, in conjunction with the rise in unemployment and economic turmoil. Violence has also increased in the Czech Republic. As of now, Hungarian police have chosen not to name ethnicity as a motivation for the attacks, and have at times maintained the attacks are occurring between warring factions of Roma.

According to the United Nations, an average of seventy civilians have been killed per day in the civil war in Sri Lanka between the government and the rebel Tamil Tigers. The government currently has the rebels pinned in a small portion of land, and are pushing to eliminate the group entirely. They rejected a cease-fire agreement on Sunday because they want a full surrender. The U.N. estimates that anywhere from 50,000 to 100,000 civilians are still trapped in the narrow portion of the land the rebels still claim. The Red Cross and the U.N. are greatly concerned about the lack of humanitarian aid flowing into the area. There are very little medical supplies and water, plus no food has been received for over three weeks. It is reported that the rebels are forcing civilians to take up arms against the government and are now even recruiting children as young as twelve. A total of 6,432 civilians have died in the fighting during the past three months.

Iran must handle Ms. Sabari’s appeal very delicately. The unjust treatment of an American citizen could cause serious outrage in the United States and would significantly increase strain on an already burdened relationship. It seems that the charges against Sabari are trumped up, as buying a bottle of wine somehow turned to a charge of treason overnight. It almost looks as if the Iranian government was looking for any excuse to arrest and try her. There is no question that the law is the law, and she was caught breaking it, but treason is going too far.

The global recession has people panicking and looking for a scapegoat. In Hungary, and it s neighboring countries, it seems that the Roma have become the popular target. One must remember that the Roma were persecuted along with the Jews during the Holocaust. Because it seems that the government has a hand in some of the attacks, or at least certain agencies do, there needs to be some external pressure. There is no just motivation for the attacks, and are getting increasingly worse. Someone needs to exert control of the mobs, and if the Hungarian government won’t do it, the international community should.

It is understandable, that the Sri Lankan government wants the total destruction of the Tamil Tigers, but to what lengths are they willing to go. Is the civilian sacrifice worth it? If the fight continues on for much longer, there could be serious discontent and unhappiness from the civilian population. The government should consider this cease-fire and aim for the disarmament of the group in treaty talks. 6,432 civilian deaths in three months is unacceptable no matter what the cause.