Sarah Johnson

Child bride spared execution in Iran after blood money is paid Guardian story helped to draw attention to planned hanging of Goli Kouhkan over death of abusive husband

Iran executes more women than any other country, mostly for killing their husbands in self-defense, or because of abuse. Yet no one tells the men, “If you want to live, don’t abuse your wife.” Perhaps they should. Glad that she was spared. Many were not.

www.theguardian.com/global-devel...

How Kenya’s jailhouse lawyer turned a life sentence into a legal career behind bars After being incarcerated for murdering her partner, Ruth Kamande studied the legal system to understand her own case. Now she is fighting to reform Kenya’s laws

I visited Lang'ata women's max security prison in Nairobi, Kenya to meet Ruth Kamande - convicted of murdering her boyfriend. She studied for a law degree in prison and helps other incarcerated women. I wrote about her for @theguardian.com Women in prison series www.theguardian.com/global-devel...

The deadliest wait: five women on death row Up to 1,000 women globally await execution in prison, with mitigating factors such as child abuse and coercion ignored

As part of a @theguardian.com women in prison series, I looked at the cases of five women on death row around the world. Do you think they should be facing the death penalty? www.theguardian.com/global-devel...

How many women are in prison and on death row around the world? – in charts While fewer women than men are incarcerated, their numbers are rising faster and most often for non-violent offences

And here is an explainer laying out the main issues with some fantastic visuals done by @anlugonz.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/global-devel...

Experts warn of ‘global crisis’ as number of women in prison nears one million Number of women incarcerated around the world rising at nearly three times the rate of men, with female prisoners often subjected to sexual violence and forced labour

I've spent the last year looking into women in prison around the world, with help from so many people. We @theguardian.com are running a series on the topic. Here is the first piece revealing some of what women, many of whom are ignored and forgotten, face. www.theguardian.com/global-devel...

Child bride faces execution in Iran unless she pays £80,000 in ‘blood money’ Goli Kouhkan, 25, on death row for seven years for killing her abusive husband, has until December to settle with the victim’s family

I've had so many people get in touch after reading this v sad story I wrote, and so has @iranhumanrights.bsky.social I can only dream it helps, in however tiny a way, instigate some kind of change www.theguardian.com/global-devel...

Africa’s children: 20 years on, what happened to the millennium babies? In 2005, the Guardian documented the births of 10 babies as a way to tell the story of millions across the continent. We caught up with three of them, finding hardship – and hope

man, this is a very sad piece.

www.theguardian.com/global-devel...

Africa’s children: 20 years on, what happened to the millennium babies? In 2005, the Guardian documented the births of 10 babies as a way to tell the story of millions across the continent. We caught up with three of them, finding hardship – and hope

I spent months trying to track down ten children in countries across Africa the Guardian last spoke to a decade ago, when they were 10 years old. I found three and sent in-country reporters and three photographers to visit them. Here are their stories: www.theguardian.com/global-devel...

Africa’s children: 20 years on, what happened to the millennium babies? In 2005, the Guardian documented the births of 10 babies as a way to tell the story of millions across the continent. We caught up with three of them, finding hardship – and hope

This is a very moving and sobering feature about three 19 and 20-year-olds, from Ghana, Malawi and South Africa, almost two decades after they were profiled by The Guardian as babies and then 10-year-olds.

All of them are struggling, but striving to live better lives.

US destruction of contraceptives denies 1.4m African women and girls lifesaving care, NGO says Incineration of $9.7m of contraceptives to lead to 174,000 unintended pregnancies and 56,000 unsafe abortions, IPPF says

A senseless waste of vital resources that could have helped over 1.4 million women and girls in Africa. Agonising reminder of how ideology can tragically override compassion and reason.

From Sri Lanka to Tanzania: the pioneering hotels run entirely by women In countries where tourism is still a male domain, all-female establishments are providing much-needed job opportunities

I saw that Amba Yaalu, the first entirely female-run hotel, had opened in Sri Lanka earlier this year and had to find out more. It turns out it isn't the only hotel solely operated by women ... www.theguardian.com/global-devel...

A fundraiser has been set up here: gofund.me/0798200c and Alhassan Fatawu, who lost his stall, has one for him and colleagues: gofund.me/060c6136

Massive cleanup under way in Ghana after fire destroys one of world’s biggest secondhand markets Thousands of traders face ruin after blaze razes two-thirds of Accra’s Kantamanto, which receives an estimated 15m used clothes from global north each week

So sad to hear about the huge fire that has devastated Kantamanto market in Accra, Ghana. It is one of the largest secondhand clothes markets in the world. I visited in 2023 and found it a thriving and bustling place, albeit with problems.
www.theguardian.com/global-devel...

Snoop Dogg and Dr Dre sample song by London learning disabilities charity Prolific US hip-hop artists have used the track Watermelon Fantasy, created in 2018 by Daylight Studio

Possibly the most uplifting story I've written in 2024.
Watermelon Fantasy, a song written by 3 people with learning disabilities and produced by 2 music pros, was sampled by Snoop Dogg and Dr Dre for Outta Da Blue from album Missionary.
Happy New Year! www.theguardian.com/music/2024/d...