Many people in her village knew what was happening and did nothing to prevent it. Thats because that area of southern italy is in the firm control of a local mafia family, and one of the alleged rapists is the son of a powerful mafia boss, who is serving time in prison. The problem is that local people still dont want to face up to what happened, as our reporter ellen trapp has been finding out. Now, for her own safety the girl herself isnt able to talk, so some of these scenes have been reconstructed. Ellen melito di porto salvo, a town of 12,000 in southern calabria, is a mafia stronghold. A young girl is said to have been raped here by seven or more young men, repeatedly, for years from the time she was 13. Well call her lucia. Many people here are said to have known about it and looked away. We struck up a conversation with a local daycare teacher. But when our talk turned to the rapes, she clammed up. I cant understand you. Ellen the mayor, giuseppe meduri, defends his community. He says he knows and respects lucias parents. Mayor meduri if everyone had known about it, we would have to say that the state has failed in its duty. Its not true. Its unthinkable and unimaginable that everyone here knew about it. Ellen what happened . Lucia was 13 years old when her first flirtation with a young man from the town ended. Jealousy is said to have played a role. The former boyfriend and his friends took revenge by raping her again and again. The alleged assailants include the son of the local mafia boss and the brother of a police officer. Lucias ordeal continued for about two years. We met the Public Prosecutor who began investigating the case in september 2015. He says lucia wrote down in extensive detail what was done to her, when, and by whom. Mr. Paci when a case reaches a magnitude like this one, where there were several people abusing this girl at various times, in various places, often with a great deal of premeditation and planning going into it, then theres no way this could have gone completely unnoticed. Ellen many locals still subscribe to omerta the mafias code of silence. Public prosecutor gaetano paci believes thats true in melito as well. Hes worked in southern italy for 30 years, battling the mafia, and knows how powerful they can be. In summer 2015, lucia described what was happening to her in an essay for school. The teacher decided to take action. She informed lucias parents, then accompanied them to the police. Lucia had by then already told her mother everything, but hadnt been believed. Her father told the son of the local mafia boss to stop tormenting his daughter, to no avail. Several times a week, young men assaulted an unwilling, underaged girl in a car. Its hard to believe that no one knew, or at least suspected, a thing. Even now that the story is out, theres no public outcry in town. The power of the mafia seems unlimited here. No, i never heard anything about it. This could happen anywhere, in any country on earth. Shes the daughter of a friend of mine. A respectable family. But these things happen. Ellen Claudio Cordova is dismayed by the towns response. The journalist has been threatened by the mafia for years, and knows the town well. He knows how much people fear the mafia here. Mr. Cordova the lamonte family controls everything. Melitos Municipal Administration has been disbanded several times because the ndrangheta and the lamontes infiltrated it. Anyone who wanted to start a business gets harassed by the lamonte family. It begins with intimidation and moves on to damage and threats. Ellen houses in the outskirts of melito all owned by the lamonte clan are said to have been where some of the assaults took place. Claudio cordova says lucias case is not an isolated one. Mr. Cordova another girl was also raped for years by a group of young mafiosi. The priest at her church was found guilty of false testimony and failure to render assistance. In other words of covering up these assaults. Ellen gang rapes are not unusual here. The regional Child Protection officer agrees with that conclusion. But the problem in italy is not just the mafia its also the taboo against talking about sex. Mr. Marziale the highest Italian Court once ruled that women who wear jeans provoke rape. And one time, when the wife of a naval officer was raped in a subway station in rome and then killed, the court ruled that if the woman had not tried to defend herself, she would probably still be alive. Ellen lucia is still alive, but shes no longer in melito. She now lives in an undisclosed location in northern italy. Her parents whereabouts are also a secret. The alleged rapists are in pretrial detention, facing prison sentences of up to 20 years. And the residents of melito . Many will have to live with a guilty conscience for having looked away. Damien the eight suspects have been arrested, of course, but still, its incredible that the mafia still has such power in some parts of italy. Just imagine, youre a teenager and you go to school, and then suddenly one day you find out that some of your classmates are about to be deported. Thats the experience of schoolchildren in the eastern german town of cottbus. Thats because German Authorities are now deporting migrants whose applications for asylum have been rejected. Over the past two years, more than one million refugees and migrants have come to germany. But not all of them are then granted the right to stay. And with parliamentary elections coming up in september, the government here is keen to show voters who are nervous about migration that failed asylumseekers are sent back, even when theyre still at school. Their classmates though, in cottbus, at least, are not accepting the decision without a fight. Reporter this group of High School Students is meeting up to plan their next move. 17yearold vincent rau and his friends in cottbus are trying to prevent three afghan classmates from getting deported. Mr. Rau there still a war going on in afghanistan. The German Military is there, preventing or trying to prevent terrorism. Theres terrorism, attacks and kidnappings there every day. The country simply isnt safe. You cant deport people there. Reporter Wali Yousafzai is one of the students who is scheduled for deportation. In 2015 he fled kunduz in northern afghanistan. Hes been attending school in cottbus for a year. Mr. Yousafzai my heart swells when i see how my classmates are helping my friends and me. They stand by me and are doing all they can. They love us and we love them. Reporter wali doesnt understand everything his german classmates are saying. In kunduz, he never went to a proper school. Now he spends four hours a day learning german. When he tells his own story, he prefers to do it in his native language. The taliban abused and threatened him, he said, and he fled via the balkans. He says he was shocked when his asylum application was rejected. Mr. Yousafzai if youve never experienced it, you dont know how awful it is. I couldnt sleep for two nights after the rejection letter came. I kept thinking about my hearing and what id done wrong. I had no money for an attorney. I was at my wits end. Mr. Rau i burst into tears in front of the entire class. I couldnt speak because i was so upset. Two hours later, our entire class got together. It was hard for everyone when they learned our classmates would have to go. Reporter so the students decided to do something. They made posters, organized concerts, and collected donations. Theyve collected around 2000 euros to pay for a lawyer to represent wali. The students also drafted an online petition they hope will force the local state parliament to take up the case again. Its already received more than 70,000 signatures, as well as the odd piece of hate mail. Mr. Rau someone wrote on facebook that he hoped we drowned in the wave of refugees. Mr. Roskos people called us rich hippies. We were just lumped together in one group. People didnt listen. That hurts. Reporter the city of cottbus has been of no help. A spokesman said that if an asylum request has been refused, local authorities have no choice but to carry out a deportation. Mr. Glossmann in individual cases it can be regrettable, but we need a legal basis for everything we do. Sometimes it may seem a bit heartless, but thats the way it is. We have to stay within the framework were given, and treat everyone the same. Reporter vincent and his classmates arent giving up. Theyre collecting signatures on the streets. But it isnt easy to get locals to take an interest in three young afghan refugees. Racially motivated crimes have been on the rise in cottbus since 2015. The classmates always go out to collect signatures in groups, often without success. Ask someone else. Mr. Rau the least of it is when they take away our flyers. Weve gotten into fights, which really isnt necessary and is dangerous. All that needs to happen is for someone to have some pepper spray in his pocket. If you get that in your eyes, you have to go to the hospital. Reporter in the evening, the students play football its a welcome chance for wali to show what he can do. Wali dreams of finishing school in germany and training as a mechanic. His lawyer has appealed his rejected asylum application, so for the time being, he can stay. Still, wali doesnt like being home alone. Hes afraid the police will come get him. Mr. Yousafzai i cant go back to kunduz or kabul. There are so many spies that would betray me to the taliban for money, and theyd do me harm. Reporter the students have set up a telephone chain. If the police do show up, vincent and his friends will gather at walis apartment. That would at least be a show of solidarity, even though they know they couldnt prevent wali from being deported. Damien great to see how politically engaged some young people are. And given that this is a part of the country with violent antimigrant groups though, theyre also taking risks. This issue is one of the most controversial in germany right now. Some countries have been declared safe by the german government, which means asylumseekers from those regions are invariably sent back. But can we really call places like afghanistan safe . Let me know what you think about that or any of the stories on todays show. Vladimir owns a transport company in serbia. But when he went to work one morning, his Company Buildings had vanished. Overnight, masked, unidentified men had turned up with bulldozers and demolished them, as well as other properties of other businesses, all to make way for a new governmentbacked building project. Its all part of the serbian governments attempts to redevelop the center of the capital, belgrade. Reporter another cold morning in belgrade, especially up on this windswept building site. Many days there are three shifts working around the clock. Serbia is pouring all its resources into the project, which aims to give the capital a new, modern face. At first i thought it was a joke. But now, we can see its going to provide a lot of work for many years to come. So, im happy. It enables us to feed our families. And our belgrade of the future is going to look amazing. Reporter this is what that future is supposed to look like, according to the abu dhabi investors, and aleksander vucic. President elect vucic therell be a 200metertall tower in the middle belgrades next landmark. There used to be mice and rats scurrying around in this area. Snakes, even. But now its been cleaned up. Reporter true enough, although there was no public tender for the exclusive development. For most people in serbia, thats business as usual including Vladimir Markovic, until he had firsthand experience of the projects less savory side. At 2 00 a. M. On april 25, 2016, surveillance camera footage showed a digger approaching accompanied, say eye witnesses, by a group of masked men. They were there to demolish a block of buildings in the savamala district. They included the premises of Vladimir Markovics haulage firm, which were razed to the ground, as were the properties of other local businesses. The demolition squad arrived without warning. Fortunately, nobody was inside the buildings at the time. Mr. Markovic i went straight to the police. But at the station, they told me they had instructions to refuse my complaint. It was unbelievable, because its against the law. Reporter until recently, Sasa Jankovic was the federal ombudsman a position that gave him access to the transcripts of police phone calls. And they showed that a number of residents had dialed the Emergency Services number on the night in question to no avail. Mr. Jankovic all i could do was write a report saying that the police had abandoned the local people. The masked men were given a free hand. Reporter but who were the masked men, and who sent them . And who ordered the police to stand down . Investigative journalist Sandra Petrusic wanted answers about the scandal above all, from interior minister nebojsa stefanovic. Her employer, news magazine nin, put her expose on its front page. Ms. Petruic he refused all requests for an interview. He refused to provide information on the background to the demolition in savamala, or on the behavior of the police. Reporter the article didnt do much. The minister responded by suing petrusic and the magazine for defamation. In a major blow to her and other critical journalists, the court found in favor of the minister. His supporters celebrated on hearing the ruling. Its the only court case to date connected to the scandal against a journalist, rather than the people actually responsible for the scandal. The magazine was ordered to pay the minister damages of around 2500 euros. Sandra petrusic plans to file an appeal. Ms. Petruic the minister denies any knowledge, but somebody in his ministry and the police had to have known about it, and the interior minister should have taken an interest in that, the very next day after the demolition. I still wonder why he didnt order an internal investigation. Reporter Vladimir Markovic and other people affected by the demolitions are determined to continue their fight. After losing his business premises, markovics only hope is that the prosecutors will bring charges against those responsible. But theres no sign of that happening any time soon. A growing number of people in serbia believe that the courts are now knuckling under to political pressure from above. Mr. Markovic im really worried. Wheres our country headed to these days . What does the future hold if what happened to me goes unpunished . This is a violation of fundamental civil rights. I want to see a more stable serbia, with independent institutions. Reporter marcovic wants the rule of law to be upheld, but not everyone in serbia shares his priorities. Meanwhile, work at the countrys biggest building site continues apace. A flashy Waterside Development that will give belgrade a luxurious facelift if need be, even at the cost of the civil rights of its citizens. Damien they live in central europe, and with ancient pagan magic, they can heal the sick. At least thats what many local people believe in the carpathian mountains on the border of ukraine and poland. Known as molfars, theyre sort of like witch doctors, or shamans, and they use herbs and folk traditions to deal with all sorts of illnesses, from asthma to cancer. But they can also cast spells and curses, and they even say they can predict the future. Our reporter was skeptical, so he decided to go to the mountains of western ukraine to meet molfar magdalena to find out just how powerful her healing powers are. Reporter the landscape around the settlement of verkhovyna in the carpathians is remote and magical, so its perhaps understandable that the region is associated with magic. This is magdalena mochiovski. She is a molfarka as the female molfar are known. She personifies the secret knowledge of her homeland. Ms. Mochiovksi you cant become a molfar. You have to be born one. Molfars have sacred knowledge that is passed down for generations. Reporter people here have always been religious there are 40 churches for some 30,000 people in verkhovyna. And their faith predates christianity. Magdalena shows us the tools of her trade a nail pendulum, a dull knife, and herbs. She says she can use these things to heal people. Oracle bones are used to foretell the future. They come from rabbits. This one helps ward off the evil eye. Ms. Mochiovksi you can recognize a witch by looking through a witch bone. Reporter we buy some bread and water. Were supposed to keep them overnight so that a molfar can read the future. Were skeptical. People in the carpathians earn money from tourism and timber. Their spirituality is heavily influenced by ancient practices. Magic and shamanism have learned to coexist here alongside christianity or is it the other way around . Molfars use christian symbols as well, and they mix prayers in with ancient spells. Theres something amiss between this woman pawla and her neighbor. Only a magic will help. Dovbush, the molfar, uses a pendulum to make the diagnosis. Mr. Dovbush show me who is my friend and who is my enemy. Do you feel something on your palm . Warmth . You have a good friend who envies you your work. Reporter before things get really serious, pawla has to put a coin on the side of the path. Its a toll for demons. Then dovbush and pawla withdraw. Mr. Dovbush burn, burn, my black pain. Dont forget to burn the queen of pain. Return to her, torture her, punish her, dont spare her during the day or the night. Reporter pawla says shes relieved. Molfar dovbush has promised her neighbors envy will disappear. Faith and superstition are as inseparable as smoke and air in the carpathians. Recently, molfars have been conjuring on behalf of their entire country, ukraine, which is waging war against separatists in the east. Magdalena recites a spell for protection. Ms. Mochiovksi just as smoke leaves fire, so shall the enemy leave our borders, today and for all time. Reporter we head on by horsedrawn cart to a town high up in the mountains to see another celebrated molfarka. This woman is 72, but people still come to her. She doesnt want to tell our fortune today, but does show us how its done. You need bread. Its put three times into water, and you count from nine to one. If everythings fine, the bread will float. If not, it sinks. Reporter but weve come during fasting season, and its forbidden to practice magic right now. The woman says that politicians also have their fortunes told, but shes careful around them. Politicians from kyev reportedly also consulted the famous molfar mykhailo nechay. Five years ago, he was discovered stabbed to death. Magdalena believes it was a political assassination. Ms. Mochiovksi he knew ukraines future, and he spoke many times of a war that was about to break out. So they probably decided to kill him so his secrets would go to the grave with him. Reporter whatever the truth, magic hasnt been able to protect ukraine from war. Damien pagan traditions meet christian devotion a very european combination. Well, thats it for this week. Thanks very much for watching. Do feel free to get in touch on twitter, email, or facebook with your thoughts or comments, we always love hearing from you. But for now its goodbye from me and the whole team here. And do join us next week for more personal stories from all over europe. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Visit ncicap. Org] steves in a nutshell, classical rome lasted about 1,000 years roughly 500 b. C. To 500 a. D. Rome grew for 500 years, peaked for 200 years, and fell for 300 years. The first half was the republic, ruled by elected senators. The last half was the empire, ruled by unelected emperors. In its glory days, the word rome meant not just the city, but what romans considered the entire civilized world. Everyone was either roman or barbarian. People who spoke latin or greek were considered civilized, part of the empire. Everyone else, barbarian. According to legend, rome was founded by two brothers, romulus and remus. Abandoned in the wild and suckled by a shewolf, they grew up to establish the city. In actuality, the first romans mixed and mingled here in the valley between the famous seven hills of rome. This became the roman forum. In 509, they tossed out their king and established the relatively democratic roman republic. That began perhaps historys greatest success story, the rise of rome. From the start, romans were expert builders, and they had a knack for effective government. This simple brick building was once richly veneered with marble and fronted by a grand portico. Its the curia. The senate met here and set the legal standards that still guide western civilization. The reign of julius caesar, who ruled around the time of christ, marked the turning point between the republic and the empire. The republic, designed to rule a small citystate, found itself trying to rule most of europe. Something new and stronger was needed. Caesar established a nononsense, moredisciplined government, became dictator for life, and, for good measure, had a month named in his honor, july. The powerful elites of the republic found all this change just too radical. In an attempt a faction of roman senators assassinated caesar. His body was burned on this spot in 44 b. C. The citizens of rome gathered here, in the heart of the forum, to hear mark antony say, in shakespeares words, friends, romans, countrymen, lend me your ears. Ive come to bury caesar, not to praise him. But the republic was finished, and rome became the grand capital of a grand empire. The via sacra, or sacred way, was the main street of ancient rome. It stretched from the arch of Septimius Severus to the arch of titus. Romes various triumphal arches, named after the emperors who built them, functioned as publicrelations tools. Reliefs decorating the various arches show how war and expansion were the business of state. Romes thriving economy was fueled by plunder and slaves won in distant wars
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