what happened last week in Asia, Africa and the Americas

Hey, this is Sham Jaff, your very own news curator. Each week, I highlight some of the biggest stories from regions and countries that are historically underreported in Western media. My goal is to burst our Western-centric bubbles, and expand the view we hold of the world we share with one another. Questions, comments, concerns? You can reach me anytime by replying to this mail. And if this newsletter was forwarded to you, you sign up at whathappenedlastweek.com.

Today in the newsletter: Issue #366 takes you to South Korea. Remember what happened on Halloween in Itaewon? 159 young people died in a crowd crush. The police were totally overwhelmed. And it turned out, they had no guidelines for such a scenario to begin with. Now come consequences.

15 months after the 2022 Itaewon crowd crush, 3 police officers have been indicted

What happened
Three police officers, including the head of Seoul's police, have been formally charged regarding their response to the deadly crowd crush in Itaewon in 2022 that killed 159 people.

Why this matters
This is a stark reminder of the devastating consequences of negligence and the need for transparent and effective leadership in emergency situations. Public awareness and advocacy for better safety standards and governmental accountability is essential, not just in South Korea but globally.

Tell me more
The Seoul Western District Prosecutors Office has accused these officers of not responding correctly to 11 emergency calls during the critical moments of the tragedy. Additionally, one officer faces charges for falsely claiming they visited the accident site that day. Yikes.

What exactly happened that night?
Itaewon has hosted Halloween celebrations in Seoul for years. However, on the evening of October 29, 2022, people started calling the police about the extreme crowding in Itaewon, well before things got worse. Four police dispatches were sent out to Itaewon. This time around, it was way too packed; so much so that people were unable to move; some slipped below the feet of others, unable to breathe. Most who died that night were young South Koreans – largely in their teens and early 20s.

What's been the reaction since?
Well, there's been a lot of frustration and anger, especially because the government kind of admitted they weren't ready for a crowd that big. This has led to quite a bit of the heat being directed at President Yoon Suk Yeol and his administration, with people feeling like they're not really taking responsibility for what went down.

How are those affected coping now?
It's been really tough for many. One survivor, Lee, told CNN she hasn’t even gone back to Itaewon since then, and they're not convinced the government really learned anything. One mother shaved her head publically. Meanwhile, President Yoon Suk Yeol is facing pressure to green-light a new bill for a new investigation into the 2022 Itaewon crowd crush. The bill was passed at the opposition-controlled National Assembly earlier this month. Lee Jeong-min, who's leading the charge for the victims' families, feels like the government's not really seeing their side of things. "We have never denounced or criticized the government over the past year. However, the government always treated us like anti-government forces," said Lee Jeong-min.

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The rest of Issue #366 takes you to Ghana (that will receive its stolen art from Britain as a loan and why that is controversial). Plus, Eritrea's jailed the most journalists in Africa, the continent's richest man is still the richest man for the 13th time, Saudi Arabia and alcohol are friends again, there are stronger domestic violence laws in Jamaica, a major malaria vaccination is underway in Cameroon, Indonesia's first trans doctor, Singapore's Prime Minister does not wear pink all the time, and a 9-year-old photographer who's definitely met more celebrities than all of us combined, and so much more.

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what happened last week in Asia, Africa and the Americas

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