Return to Transcripts main page
Connect the World
City of God Favela Welcomes Homegrown Hero; Mali Jihadist Pleads Guilty to Cultural Destruction; Canadian Program Aims To Understand Sex Trafficking Victims' Choices; Was Rio 2016 a Success? Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired August 22, 2016 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[11:00:24] DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: But it's about much more than simply winning, groundbreaking achievement, unconditional inclusion,
enlightened acceptance.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BECKY ANDERSON, HOST: Highlighting the best of humanity and some of its lows, too. We look back at the Summer Olympic games' most noteworthy
moments. We are live in Rio up next.
Also ahead tonight, an Islamic extremist pleads guilty to destroying religious monuments in the ancient city of Timbuktu. And now he's asking
for forgiveness. More on that story coming up.
Plus...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHAPKO: They truly don't want to be out there.
PAULA NEWTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: They don't have a choice.
CHAPKO: They don't have a choice.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: CNN rides along with an elite unit trying to help vulnerable women in Canada where about half of the sex trafficking victims are
indigenous people. A CNN Freedom Project report for you this hour.
Hello. I'm Becky Anderson. Welcome to Connect the World live from new york this week,
it's a wrap for the 2016 Rio Olympics. Hello, I'm Becky Anderson. Welcome to Connect the World live from New York all this week.
It's a wrap for the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Brazil pulled it off without any major problems, the games coming to an end last night with
the closing ceremony. And while there was a lot of talk about what could go wrong leading up to the games. In the end, those concerns took a
backseat to some history making performances.
CNN's Don Riddell reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT ANCHOR (voice-over): The Rio Olympics was far from perfect. Empty seats suggesting a lack of interest. Boxers and judges
dismissed for debatable scoring. Troubled water that turned uncontrollable green. And American swimmers disgraced.
RYAN LOCHTE, U.S. OLYMPIC SWIMMER: The guy pulled out his gun. He cocked it, put it to my forehead.
I over exaggerated that story.
But there were so much more.
MICHAEL PHELPS, U.S. OLYMPIC SWIMMER: It is a dream come true. I am happy that I came back for one more.
RIDDELL: We crowned Michael Phelps in the pool. Usain Bolt signed off in Rio. We may never see their likes again.
USAIN BOLT, OLYMPIC RUNNER: The world has seen that you can do it the right way, and that's still important.
RIDDELL: Katie Ledecky redefined the concept of crushing the field and finished the best in the world. And Simone Biles took the sports of
gymnastic to unimaginable heights. These are the stars of now and the future.
SIMONE BILES, U.S. OLYMPIC GYMNAST: We are all happy and excited.
RIDDELL (on camera): We'll be seeing you in four years?
BILES: Yes.
(LAUGHTER)
RIDDELL (voice-over): It is about much more than simply winning.
Groundbreaking achievements, unconditional inclusion, acceptance. The sheer joy of the refugee team in action was humbling.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was incredible for me.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She became the hope for a lot of people.
RIDDELL: For a new Olympic nation, Kosovo's first-ever gold medal was heartwarming.
MAJINDA KELMENDI, KOSOVO GOLD MEDALIST: It was a historical moment.
(CHEERING)
RIDDELL: The Brazilian Judoka (ph), who rose from the slums of Rio to stand on top of the podium, a powerful symbol of hope.
This was a game where athletes found a voice. As Olympic bosses dithered. A level playing field was demanded.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Athletes have had their last straw. We are going to make our changes in the doping world.
RIDDELL: With a new Cold War simmering in the pool, America's Lily King became a poster child for clean sport, but her vilified Russian opponent
showed a human side, too, conveying a love of her training home of five years, in America.
JULIA EFIMOVA, RUSSIAN SWIMMING SILVER MEDALIST: They're so much easier than in Russia. Everybody is smiling.
RIDDELL: There was dignity at these Olympics. If you get knocked down, don't just get back up again, but help your opponents out, too.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That was another spirit in me. I feel that was God's spirit in me. I know it was.
RIDDELL: Rio still has its problems and the Olympics could not cure them all, but perhaps the games have shown us the way. The global community
pushing each other and lending hands to those behind. The games still inspire and the games still matter.
Don Riddell, CNN, Rio.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Amanda Davies joins us from Rio. And Amanda, the Brazilians sure know how to throw a party. That closing ceremony described as
carnivalesque.
As you respect on the past 17 days, what do you think the highlights were?
[11:05:07] AMANDA DAVIES, CNN WORLD SPORT: Well, it's difficult to know where to start, really, Becky. And watching that package from Don, you
realize just how many story lines are crammed into these 16 days over an Olympic games. I mean, you have to talk about Usain Bolt, and I was lucky
enough to be there for his final run, final Olympic run ever, when he claimed gold in the 4 x 100 replay with team Jamaica. You saw just what an
impact he was able to have when he walks into the stadium, literally everybody stops and looks at one man.
Seb Coe, the president of the IAAF said to us that he's already talking to Usain Bolt about a possible role in future in athletics. And you can
absolutely see why that is so necessary, particularly given everything that's happened so far.
Michael Phelps in the pool. He wasn't meant to be here, of course. We said farewell to him in
London four years ago, but came back with a vengeance. His younger U.S. teammate Katy Ledecky doing exactly the same. And then Simone Biles set a
new bar for others to follow in the gymnastics hall, didn't she, taking home those four gold medals, her first Olympic games, age just 19. She
absolutely stunned the world with some of the world's most incredible tumbles and turns.
For me, the highlight, absolutely, was being there to see Brazil claim that football gold that they had invested so much in. You know, a gold medal is
a gold medal. But, Becky, sometimes a gold medal is worth more than that.
And for Brazil, that football gold, the one they had never won, was so much more, particularly given the fact that they were lining up against Germany
in the final, Germany the side that had humiliated them so badly here at the World Cup in the semifinal two years ago.
The atmosphere at the Maracana on Saturday night was something unlike any other I had ever experienced at a football match, at a sporting event. It
really was truly special. And you got a sense over the last couple days, particularly with Brazil winning a last couple of gold medals in volleyball
and in the football that Rio, the people here in Brazil started to get behind the Olympic movement for
all the criticism and the concerns in the run-ups to the games, Rio have, as you said, absolutely pulled it off.
And the Brazilian people, at least temporarily, have had something to get excited about. The Olympic games doesn't solve the political problems of a
country, does it? But it certainly brings people together for a moment in time.
ANDERSON: And if that football match is anything to go on and they get some closure over the Germans, well, you know this is a games that worked
out for the Brazilians.
All right, Amanda, thank you for that, on Copacabana Beach there.
We are keeping our eyes on the Olympics this hour. In about 10 minutes' time I'll be joined by a guest with The New York Times to ask, did Rio pull
it off in the end?
Plus, Japan gets a very famous plumber in on the act as the Olympic baton is passed to Tokyo.
Then, one athlete says he can never go home after winning a silver medal. We'll tell you why a little later on.
And from poverty to glory, we'll take you through a favela's colorful parade for one of its own.
Other stories on our radar today. And The Philippines senate has held the first two days of hearings on President Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs.
Police say more than 700 suspects have been killed in the crackdown, which has been condemned by the United Nations.
Russia no longer using an air base in Iran to launch air strikes in Syria. Tehran says the arrangement was only temporary. But Iran's defense
minister did criticize Moscow for publicizing its access, saying it was showing off. The operation was criticized by Washington.
And Iraq has hanged 36 people for the so-called Spiker massacre that killed as many as 1,700 Iraqi military recruits. ISIS ordered the murders at Camp
Spiker, a former U.S. military base near Tikrit two years ago. And Iraqi troops retook the base last year.
Well, grief giving way to fury in southern Turkey as the full horror of a suicide attack on a
Kurdish wedding party becomes clear as families buried some of the 54 victims, their pain turned to protest. And many accused the president of
failing to protect them. Children made up almost half of those killed, their lives taken by a bomber Mr. Erdogan says was as young
as 12 and likely sent by ISIS.
CNN's Ben Wedeman joins us now where it all happened in the city of Gaziantep near the Syrian border. And, Ben, a child taken the lives of
children at a wedding, a sick a gunman taking the lives of children at a wedding; a sick tactic, but for all you and I have seen, Ben, perhaps not
shocking, sadly. What more do we know about what happened and the bomber?
[11:10:13] BEN WEDEMAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, what happened is at about ten minutes before 11:00 Saturday evening this bomb
went off at a wedding party in a Kurdish working class neighborhood. Neighbors told us there were as many as 500 people in the
street, lots of children, lots of women near the exact spot where the bomb went a off, which was just outside the home the newlyweds were going to
move into.
Now, as we heard from the Turkish president, he says that the bomber -- he doesn't specify whether it was a girl or a boy -- was between the ages of
12 and 14. Investigators have found pieces of the suicide vest on the scene.
And according to Turkish officials, 22 of the victims are under the age of 14.
Today, Turkish media filmed the young couple that was the subject of this wedding party. That's Vesna and Nouradin Arqwan (ph). They were only
slightly injured in the attack itself. They were in a hospital overnight. They went to the scene of the blast today to go look at the house they were
supposed to move into.
Apparently, when they saw the level of destruction and obviously well aware of how many of their friends and neighbors were killed in this horrific
suicide attack, both of them broke down. Their friends tried to console them. That didn't work. So they were taken back to the hospital after
Turkish media described them as suffering from a nervous breakdown -- Becky.
ANDERSON: Ben Wedeman reporting for you. Thank you, Ben.
Well, Iraqi authorities say they have prevented a teenager from carrying out a suicide attack in
Kirkuk. They say the would-be bomber was 15-years-old and intended to target a Shia mosque. Kurdistan 24 television had some dramatic video of
his capture. Let's get you the details from CNN's Jomana Karadsheh. She's following developments for you today from Amman.
Who is this kid? And what is has he allegedly told authorities, Jomana?
JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Becky, we first saw this video aired by Kurdistan 24, as you mentioned, showing this alleged
would-be child suicide bomber being apprehended by security forces in Kirkuk. And what seems to be a suicide vest taken off his body.
Now, the governor of Kirkuk province speaking to CNN today said that this would-be child suicide bomber is15-years-old, that he arrived in Kirkuk
about seven days ago from Mosul. He's an internally displaced person. And he said that he was acting suspicious. There was something wrong that
security forces sent, especially after we heard on Sunday evening from security forces in Kirkuk that was already a suicide bombing that targeted
a Shia mosque. So, they moved and they apprehended this would-be child suicide bomber.
And he is saying, according to the governor, he is a member of Ashbal al- Khilafa (ph), or Cubs of the Caliphate, that group of child recruits we have seen time and time again in ISIS propaganda, videos preparing or
carrying out attacks and executions.
Of course, this is, Becky, nothing new to Iraq. ISIS's predecessor al- Qaeda in Iraq used children, it also used women to carry out suicide attacks and other attacks, but also more recently, just a few months ago,
that devastating attack south of Bagdhad that was claimed by ISIS, carried out by a teenager who targeted other teenagers playing football in a
stadium killing dozens.
So, a lot of of concern that we will be seeing more of these sort of attacks, Becky, as ISIS loses grounds and reverts back to these sort of
tactics.
ANDERSON: We were just talking about with Ben, it's a sickening act, isn't it.
Jomana, an update, I know, from you, on the family of that little boy in Aleppo in Syria whose haunting image gained international attention of
late. What do you have?
KARADSHEH: Well, Becky, the tragedy of the Daqneesh family seems to -- it did not end on that day of that air strike on Wednesday when we saw that
haunting image of Omran.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KARADSHEH: This image of 5-year-old Omran Daqneesh has given a new face to the Syrian War: that of a child who shows no reaction to the blood he
wipes from his face, who has seen nothing but war in his short life.
By many accounts, Omran is lucky -- he lived through the air strikes that decimated his neighborhood and his home in Aleppo last week. His older
brother, did not. 10-year-old Ali Daqneesh's photo did not go viral, but his face is also one of the Syrian War. Ali suffered critical injuries in
last Wednesday's air strike and after days in the intensive care unit of an Aleppo field hospital, he succumbed to his injuries.
[11:15:21] DR. ABU RASOUL, ALEPPO MEDICAL CENTER (through translator): His condition got
worse and worse from the first day because of the bleeding and to the traumas to his liver and kidney. His heart stopped three times and we
resuscitated him three times, but unfortunately he passed away.
KARADSHEH: Some 450 people have been killed by fighting in and around Aleppo this month alone, including at least 100 children, 100 children
whose photos, like Ali Daqneesh's, will not go viral in social media, children who will not see an end to war in their homeland.
Thousands more have been killed since the war began in 2012. Large sections of Aleppo, Syria's largest city, have been reduced to rubble. And
the International Red Cross has said the city is on the brink of humanitarian crisis.
Survival is often determined by sheer luck, if one can call it that.
RASOUL (through translator): Omran, whose photo went viral in the western media and affected many people, is still alive. And god willing, and he
will continue his life in better conditions than the ones he is living in now. Whereas his brother, whose photo was not taken, no one mentioned
him. He died and he is by god's side now.
KARADSHEH: For families like the Daqneeshes, it is every beat a humanitarian crisis.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KARADSHEH: Activists and aid workers said this story of the Daqneesh family brought attention back to Aleppo, to the suffering of the Syrian
people, especially in that city and its besieged parts. But their concern is that this will only be for a short time.
And after that, the world will move on and it will be forgotten again.
ANDERSON: All right, Jomana, thank you for that.
Still to come on this show, Connect the World, with me Becky Anderson, out of New York this week, a jihadist pleads guilty to destroying monuments in
the ancient city of Timbuktu. Why the case against him is unprecedented.
And a spectacular sendoff, but what's the verdict from the Olympic host nation? We're live in Rio again to discuss whether Brazil deserves gold or
even a place on the podium for its hosting of the games.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Going out with a bang, well, several. Fireworks lit up the sky over Rio as the 2016 Summer Games came to an end. 19 days, 306
competitions and 42 sporting disciplines. These games have already made history as the first to be held in South America.
Live from New York, you're watching CNN. This is Connect the World with me, Becky Anderson. Welcome back.
The smooth running of the closing ceremony was a stark contrast to the troubled lead-up to the games, wasn't it? Rio 2016 organizers had to
contend with an international doping schedule, not to mention fears over the Zika virus and worries over security at Olympic sites.
By many accounts, Brazil seems to have carried it off. For his view, let's bring Christopher Clarey. He's the global sports columnist from The New
York Times, and joins us from Rio as he winds up his work there for the time being.
Before we talk, Chris, about how Brazil did, an update on the event that certainly served to cast a shadow over the games, but not one that the host
country had any involvement with or control over.
Speedo USA has announced a decision to end its sponsorship of Ryan Lochte, the swimmer who has been held to account for his, let's say, activities and
the way he explained himself over one evening in Brazil.
What's your response to Speedo's announcement today?
CHRISTOPHER CLAREY, NEW YORK TIMES: It's not surprising at all. And I would say that, you know, in a way the Brazilians did effect this this,
because they're the ones who so aggressively pursued the story and the claims after they were made by Ryan about there being a robbery and a
theft.
And I think their swift action, which was surely out of their own interest to show this was not the case, made a difference in this coming to light.
And the fact that Ryan lost his sponsorships, considering how his reputation has taken a hit in the U.S. and globally, it's not surprising.
ANDERSON: All right.
Let's replay just some of those scenes from that closing ceremony, which showcased Brazil's
history and culture, a giant parrot float, an arresting sight for many. While an array of dancers and routines of various styles attested to
Brazil's right and multi-layered artistic heritage, or certainly this was how it was explained, the ceremony even included a striking monochrome
tribute to Brazil's lace making tradition.
The host nation, it seems, seizing the opportunity to show itself off to the world. Carnival-esque is how your paper described the closing show.
Even so, the stadium dotted with empty seats. And that was the story, wasn't it, during much of the event. Why did spectators stay away in Rio?
CLAREY: Well, first of all, you got a lot of tickets to sell in an Olympics. It's a tough economic time here. And I'm sure they had a
problem with the foreign tourism coming in because of all the negativity, and the drum beat coming in. So, I think all those factors played in.
And I think where you really saw it the most was at the athletics, the track and field, half the stadium was full a lot of times at best. And it
was because it maybe an out-of-the-way place, not a sport with a great deal of culture and back ground here in Brazil. So, I think all those factors
played in.
But it definitely hurt the competition.
ANDERSON: A wasteful event that worked out, the words of one local columnist reacting to a poll suggesting that over half of those asked
actually thought the Olympics generated a more positive image of the country. Do you agree with that?
CLAREY: You know, it's a really hard thing to judge right away. I think you need to take a look at maybe a few months, a year or two from now and
get a real sense. But there's no doubt that considering how low expectations were and how much doomsaying there was this, Becky, I think
that people would view it as a qualified success.
I also feel like it's a bit of a pity that we've come to the point that disaster, not having a disaster is success. I mean, there was no major
issue, major problem, but a lot of things went wrong here.
But what didn't go wrong were the athletes and the sports. And that was mostly uplifting and
some tremendous performances here over the last 17 days.
ANDERSON: Yeah, you're absolutely right.
Look, Olympic closing ceremonies frequently a time of generous, if repetitive praise, for the host nations. I just want to go through what
we've heard in the past, and how we might respond to them and some context.
The Atlanta games in 1996 labeled by then International Olympic Committee chief Juan
Antonio Samaranch (ph) as, quote, a most exceptional Olympics. But 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, also exceptional, it seems, a truly exceptional
games. Those are the words of Jacques Rogge.
IOC chief Thomas Bach got creative, but equally fulsome with his plaudits in Rio: these were marvelous games, he told the Maracana stadium on Sunday.
Like, look, we wouldn't expect the heads of the IOC to say anything different.
But looking at it with a little bit more detachment, we're suggesting that Brazil did get quite a lot of things right, and particularly the events
themselves.
Was there anything that future hosts might learn from all of this?
[11:25:07] CLAREY: I'm sorry. The last thing you said, Becky, again?
ANDERSON: What do you think future hosts might learn from Brazil?
CLAREY: I'm more interested in what the IOC learns and what they can apply to future hosts. Because I feel like after Sochi and the winter Olympics
and all the money that was spent and all the controversy that legitimately generated, and then what's happened here in Rio at a time of real crisis
that nobody could have predicted, they need to look at their model.
So, I'm curious what the IOC will learn from what's happened in the last two Olympics, winter
and summer, and how they look at their own model -- financially, what sort of cities they want to take this to, whether they're going to go to a
geographical rotation instead of taking it to new places and whether they'll go to a geographical rotation, instead of taking it to new places
and new markets. It needs a real rethink. I've already started this with what they call the agenda 2020. But I think we need an agenda 2024, too,
after this.
ANDERSON: And to that end, the Paralympics, of course, start in Rio in just over two weeks time. And they have been hit by very low spectator
interest, amongst other issues. And there are an awful lot of other issues that the IOC needs to get to grips with.
Just have a listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARIO ANDRADA, 2016 RIO GAMES SPOKESMAN: What has affected the Paralympics in terms of financing was obviously low ticket sales, lack of sponsorship.
We understand that with the success -- late success of ticket sales for Olympics, we will be able to sell more Paralympic tickets.
So, it's yet to be found how much money will be needed for the Paralympics.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Mario Andrada was speaking there. Christopher, what kind of shape is Paralympic funding in now?
CLAREY: This is an unprecedented situation in the modern history of the Paralympics. And I think what's happening here is I think Rio, again,
understandably to some degree has a big event fatigue here, both I think in terms of their energy levels and the public support and also in terms of
the finances after the World Cup in 2014 and now this massive effort in Rio for the Olympics.
So, it's a real shame what could happen. I mean, we're talking stadiums that could be a quarter full or less for some of these events. After the
huge success of London, which took the Paralympics to a new level, it's a real shame we're coming to this.
And I think it's definitely a byproduct of all the efforts that have been made and had to have been made behind the scenes in the last seven years
here in Rio.
ANDERSON: With that, we're going to leave you to it today.
Well, done. I'm sure you've enjoyed it, but I'm sure it's been tremendously hard work. And thank you for your time during the event on
CNN.
The latest World News Headlines are just ahead. Plus, for the first time ever, a jihadist stands trial in The Hague for destroying cultural sites.
What he had to say about an attack on Timbuktu.
Plus, we'll explain why simply doing this has this Olympic athlete saying he now fears for his life. The details on that are ahead. You're watching
CNN. This is Connect the World with me, Becky Anderson, out of New York this week. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(HEADLINES)
[11:32:04] ANDERSON: Well, a jihadist from Mali has pleaded guilty to destroying monuments in the city of Timbuktu. It is the first time that the
International Criminal Court has tried someone for war crimes over the destruction of cultural sites.
Our senior international correspondent Fred Pleitgen has been following this for us. He is out of London for you today.
A man who not just plead guilty, but showed remorse and regret for his actions. Who is he? And what did he say?
FREDERIK PLETGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORREPSONDENT: Yeah, absolutely. He was a jihadist commander in Timbuktu in 2012. Of course, we know that
large parts of Mali at that point in time, Becky, were overrun by Islamist militias including the town of Timbuktu. This was around June to July of
2012.
And during this time, a lot of historic Islamic sites were destroyed, but also a lot of historic cultural sites in that town as well. And apparently
he was one of the people that ordered the destruction of some of these cultural sites.
And you're absolutely right, Ahmed al-Faqi al-Mahdi did not only plead guilty, but he also said that he wanted to apologize to the people of
Timbuktu, and that he said that he hoped that the time that he will spend in jail will be a time of healing for the people there in Timbuktu.
Let's listen in to exactly what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AHMAD AL-FAQI AL-MAHDI: (through translator): It is with deep regret and with great pain I had to enter a guilty plea, and all the charges brought
against me are accurate and correct. I am really sorry, I am really remorseful. I regret all the damage that my actions have caused.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PLEITGEN: Now the prosecution believes that the trial is going to last about a week. And they obviously do believe that there is going to be a
guilty verdict after a guilty plea has already been put in by the defendant.
Now, the big question is going to be, Becky, how long is this man going to have to spend in jail? He did say he realized that he's going to have to
spend jail time.
Now, observers that we've been talking to say they believe that it's going to be around ten
years that he'll probably have to spend in jail, however, there could be a sentence up to 30 years if, in fact, the prosecution gets the exact way
that it wants.
But at the same time, the chief prosecutor also said that she believes that this is a landmark case
for trying people who get convicted of destroying cultural heritage sites. Let's listen to what she had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FATOU BENSOUDA, ICC PROSECUTOR (through translator): Today's trial is historic. It is particularly historic because the period of time in
question was one of destructive rage. The heritage of mankind was ransacked, and this was ransacked and this was planned -- ransacked by
individuals and groups. Their goal was to destroy any worldview that was different from them by destroying the various material elements that lie at the heart of a
number of communities.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[11:35:14] PLEITGEN: And, Becky, she also made similar remarks in a more global context saying, quote, "deliberate attacks on cultural property have
become actual weapons of war." So, this could be the international community taking a stronger stance on the destruction of cultural goods,
which of course is a big issue, not just as pertains to Mali, Becky.
ANDERSON: Yeah, of course, after the destruction that ISIS has caused in both Syria and Iraq. Let's hope this sets a precedent.
All right. Fred, thank you for that.
Well, Olympic athletes often expect to return home to a hero's welcome, don't they. But one silver medalist says he now fears for his life if he
goes back home. Ethiopian Feyisa Lilesa finished the men's marathon like this, his arms raised in an x. He was protesting what he calls ongoing
persecution of the people of Ethiopia's Oromo people, but the government insists he is welcome back and has nothing to fear.
David McKenzie has more for you today from Johannesburg.
And David, explain the politics at play here, if you will
DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, you know, the IOC has long said that the Olympics and politics shouldn't mix, but as
you know, it often does mix, and the politics is the runner, the marathon runner, an elite athlete, one of the best marathon runners in the world,
making this dramatic gesture at the finish line on the final day of the Olympics in Rio, crossing his wrists like that, which is a very distinct
signal from protesters in Ethiopia.
Ethiopians would certainly immediately recognize the statement he's trying to make to support the cause of the Oromo, the largest ethnic group in
Ethiopia of which Lilesa is a member and the ongoing protests about the -- against the Ethiopian government, who they say have trod over their rights
over the years, over the decades. And those protests really sparked off since November when they protested against the government's moves to
develop their area. They say it's a way to squeeze out Oromo farmers in the area.
And Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have said scores have been killed, thousands arrested, in this crackdown against these protests. The
Ethiopian government has said, well, no, that is not true. And they say that this runner is an Olympian hero, an Ethiopian hero, who should return.
And he's allowed to have his own opinions -- Becky.
ANDERSON: So, David, he says he fears for his life if he returns. So, what is the likelihood he will be persecuted if he goes back?
MCKENZIE: Well, certainly many a activists are saying on social media that it's a guarantee that he would be persecuted, if not immediately, but
eventually. He has a I have wife and two children in Ethiopia who he said he fears for. And he also fears for his own life.
The communications minister of Ethiopia telling CNN pretty stridently that he has nothing to fear. That he's allowed his opinion and he shouldn't
fear for his life, that it is really a stretch, he called it, that he is saying this.
So, you have those difference of opinions, but certainly in the past few years and in the past
few months there have been many, many activists who have been jailed for making similar stands
and using similar symbolism. So, it might be that because he's a high- profile athlete, they might want to steer clear of any kind of persecution of him. But he says he's too afraid to go back, maybe trying for asylum in Brazil, Kenya and the
U.S., he said. And people are already raising money for him online to try and get an asylum.
For now, though, it's this Catch 22. Does he go home or does stay away?
ANDERSON: All right, we'll stay across the story.
It's 5:39 in Johannesburg, it is 11:39 in the morning here in New York.
This is Connect the World. I'm Becky Anderson. Coming up, police in Canada are hitting the
streets to prevent sex trafficking, but they're out to protect, not prosecute. We'll explain in a new report
from CNN's Freedom Project. That is coming up.
Also ahead, curling in a hot climate. We meet the man who brought a niche winter sport to Qatar.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:43:01] ANDERSON: You're back with CNN. This is Connect the World with me, Becky Anderson.
And if you're a regular viewer, you will be well aware that CNN is on a mission to fight slavery in the modern world by giving a voice to the
victims of trafficking and trying to help unravel the crime rings that trade in human life. And we make absolutely no excuses for this at all.
We call it the Freedom Project. Our latest report focuses on Canada's indigenous communities. Well, Paula Newton shows us how authorities in
Winnipeg are hitting the streets to keep women safe.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KIRT CHAPKO, DETECTIVE: So here's this guy talking to her.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: About 3:00, 4:00 in the morning you'll see them out here.
KIRT CHAPKO, WINNIPEG POLICE SERVICE: A lot of the people here, they struggle with many different things.
UNIDENITIFIED FEMALE: You will see older men just sitting in cars idling.
CHAPKO: Nobody wants to be out here doing what they have to do.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How you doing?
NEWTON: Words of comfort and support. They echo most nights through the streets of Winnipeg.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did you sleep yesterday?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah.
NEWTON: Debbie Tambi (ph) is a community outreach worker.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Be safe. We'll see you later.
CHAPKO: You want a ride home or anything? No? You okay? You need anything else?
NEWTON: Kirt Chapko is a police detective, part of an elite unit trying to counter sexual exploitation and human trafficking.
CHAPKO: This is our regular route. We drive in this area, and the other areas that have high levels of exploitation.
NEWTON: They are both leading a transformation, a new way to fight human trafficking, the approach, firmly focused on victims. And most of the ones
they meet here come from Canada's minority indigenous community.
CHAPKO: OK, two females on the south side of Notre Dame. They're walking westbound. They're going to be at the crosswalk shortly.
NEWTON: We ride along with Detective Chapko and observe as undercover officers meet with two women they believe could be trafficking victims.
CHAPKO: Passenger door is closed, and they are going to be heading westbound.
NEWTON: What's different here than in past years? The intent. They are not out to prosecute, but to protect, trying to understand how and why
these women are being sexually exploited.
CHAPKO: It's the misconception that a lot of people have is that, you know, they -- they want to be out there. But they truly don't want to be
out there. It's -- it's...
NEWTON: They don't have a choice?
CHAPKO: They don't have a choice.
NEWTON: Law enforcement officials acknowledge a history of bias and racism that prevented police on the streets from truly understanding how and why
indigenous women are vulnerable, and at risk.
DEPUTY CHIEF DANNY SMYTH, WINNIPEG POLICE SERVICE: There is bias in the police service. We recognize that there's implicit bias. We certainly
have taken steps to try to address that in a myriad of ways.
We have a team that's dedicated just to outreach, just to being out there, and trying to get to know who's out on the street, trying to establish a
relationship with them.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Lots of kits for tonight, hopefully it will be a busy night.
NEWTON: To do that, they've teamed with community workers like Debbie (ph). Once a trafficking victim herself, she explains outreach is neither
quick, nor simple.
[08:35:04] DEBBIE DUMBY, OUTREACH TEAM: We're controlled by, you know, our traffickers. A lot of people call them their boyfriends, or drug dealers.
And you know, you owe money, and you have a choice. You get beaten, or killed, or you go out and work.
We'll get started. I think we have about 68 kids that are missing this morning.
NEWTON: The new approach on the streets of Winnipeg is supported by the government. Jennifer Richardson runs Tracia's Trust (ph) Manitoba's
strategy to combat sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of children. Crucially the provincial government has committed
more than 10 million Canadian dollars each year to fund it, a huge sum for a population of only about 1 million people.
This groundbreaking endeavor focuses on prevention, intervention, and legislation while trying to tackle the issue of why indigenous people, a
small minority of the population, represent more than three quarters of all human trafficking victims in Manitoba, both independent and government
studies have detailed poverty, addiction, family violence, and sexual abuse as key factors.
JENNIFER RICHARDSON, TRACIA'S TRUST: When you look at the context of their environment, and what is going on in the sex trade, the level of violence,
the level of drugs, it's almost like mental terrorism, because they're just acting out what they're engaged in.
NEWTON: And they've been terrorized.
RICHARDSON: Right.
NEWTON: Back with detective Chapko, we learn the two young women they've approached are indigenous. Police will now follow up with social agencies.
CHAPKO: OK, copy that.
NEWTON: And that's what's different and revolutionary about the approach here in Manitoba. A first in Canada, it uses targeted funds, but also
words, deeds, and training, to help fight human trafficking, in a whole new way that prioritizes the needs of victims.
Paula Newton, CNN, Winnipeg.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: And tomorrow, you'll hear the story of a Tanae Little (ph), a survivor who was pulled into the sex trade at just 11 years old.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENITIFIED FEMALE: I always get anxiety coming back.
NEWTON: An older girl, someone who pretended to be her friend, was actually preying on Tanae (ph), luring her with drugs and trafficking her
for sex.
What would happen if you refused to have sex with anybody?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If you're not beat up then you would get raped by a few of them at once.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Of course, you can read a lot more about our Freedom Project any time by
using the website. There you are going to find out a lot more about the mission as well as ways you can report human trafficking yourself and help
victims around the world. That is CNN.com/Freedom.
Well, live from New York today, this is Connect the World. I'm Becky Anderson. Coming up, we meet a pioneering Middle Eastern team who have
their sites set on the winter Olympic games in two year's time.
Plus Rio's City of God Favela becomes the city of goddess a homegrown hero gets a parade of honor. We'll take you there live next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:51:13] ANDERSON: Live from New York, you're watching CNN. This is Connect the World with me, Becky Anderson. Welcome back.
Rio's homegrown hero Rafaela Silva is the talk of town and all of Brazil. She is the first athlete to win gold for the host nation at the 2016
Olympics, a feat all the more remarkable when you consider her humble roots. She was born in Rio de Janeiro's notorious City of God Favela. And
she is being honored with a parade to celebrate her Olympic glory. Getting set for that is our Shasta Darlington who joins us from the City of God.
And describe just where you are and what the atmosphere is like, Shasta.
SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Becky. I'm here outside a small judo studio where kids are getting ready to greet
Rafaela Silva when she shows up in about an hour's time. This is the Faveal where she was born, where she grew up. And while she is a hero
across Brazil, this is where they really -- they really want to grab her and carry her around town. And that's what they're waiting to do.
Hers is such a fantasic story for all of the people around here. This is the notorious favela that most people have heard of because of the movie of
the same name, City of God, that for a couple of decades was controlled by drug dealers.
And now it's still impoverished. And she has shown to the people here that through sport you can climb your way out. In fact, we talked with her
parents, they told us she was pretty hard to control as a kid, a fighter, so they put her in judo classes. And look where she is now.
Especially rewarding when you consider what she went through after the London Olympics. She was disqualified because of an illegal hold. And
then just based a barage of racist attacks on social media. She has gone beyond that. And now she's a hero of all Brazil and showing people -- what
she told us is that, you know, sport is sometimes up, sometimes you're down. But this is something that everybody can get ahead in.
ANDERSON: Right. And she's obviously inspiring a whole bunch of youngsters just behind you -- I don't know if you cameraman can open up for
you, just over your, what, left shoulder there's a couple of what, 5 or 6- year-olds, just turn around -- you can see these little kids. Just open up behind you there -- the other way. There you go.
These two are having a really good go of it. Come on, guys.
DARLINGTON: Exactly.
ANDERSON: I mean, Shasta...
DARLINGTON: Getting ready for Rafaela Silva.
ANDERSON: Absolutely. Well, that's just marvelous.
What do Brazilians think, very briefly, about the Olympics? Do they believe it was a success?
DARLINGTON: You know, the reaction has been really mixed here. There was so much trepidation. Would Rio pull it off and should they be holding
these games at all? What we see at the end, a poll said 62 percent of Brazilians still think the Olympics did more harm than good, but 57 percent
think they made Rio look good. And that's important to Brazilians.
I think the fact that there were some really important gold medals won just in the last couple of days also lifted the mood. You know, the first gold
medal for men's football is something that had the whole country cheering. The men's volleyball also just nailed it in the last few hours.
So, I think it's left a bittersweet taste in people's mouths. They're happy about the gold medals that were won. They're happy that Rio did pull
it off, but they're not sure it was really worth it all, Becky.
ANDERSON: Well, I tell you what, those two little lads behind you, they think Rio pulled it
off, I can tell you. They're still going. Let's hope that we see those two lads in about eight years' time or perhaps even four, who knows.
Shasta, thank you for that.
Your Parting Shots today and as a Scot this is one after my own heart. A desert dreamer brings a winter sport to one of the world's hottest
countries. Jon Jensen has the story for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LAJOS BELLELI, COACH, QATAR CURLING: Rock first. Good.
JON JENSEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: (inaudible) is chasing an Olympic dream no one has ever achieved...
BELLELI: The slide will be good, very good.
JENSEN: ...to make this cold weather sport succeed in one of the hottest countries on the planet.
BELLELI: You push yourself a little harder.
JENSEN: Belleli is the coach of Qatar's new curling team.
BELLELI: It's a good opportunity to be at something here. So, of course it's harder because nobody knows anything about curling.
No, your balance is on your sliding foot.
JENSEN: His club is just a few months old. It's the first in the Middle East. And Belleli, a former national champion from Hungary, is starting
from scratch.
Finding players in this desert nation was one.
BELLELI: No problem, no problem. This is just the first delivery. No problem.
JENSEN: Most are students who had never heard of curling, let alone played it before.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When you deliver, you have to hit, the other rocks and it's pretty hard.
JENSEN: Off the ice more obstacles, a budget to convincing others that curling is even worth it.
And last but not least, the team doesn't even have their own place to play. When they practice, they have to rent time on this ice rink in the middle
of a shopping mall's food court.
JENSEN: Despite the odds, Qatar played its first international tournament this spring in Sweden. They didn't win a single match. But that hasn't
stopped these players from believing.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My dream is to compete and lift my country to be in better ranking.
JENSEN: Belleli hopes to qualify for the winter games in 2018 or at least have fun trying.
BELLELI: It's always important not to enjoy only the results, to enjoy the chase.
JENSEN: And this dream, he says, he'll chase to the end.
Jon Jensen, CNN, Doha.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, before we leave you this hour, we hear a lot about the terrible suffering and loss of innocence of kids caught up in conflict,
don't we? On our Facebook page we have a story that brings some hope. Refugee children share their dreams for the future with high ambitions
despite the trauma they've faced.
You can watch that video and many others on Facebook.com/CNNconnect. That is Facebook.com/CNNConnect.
I'm Becky Anderson. That was Connect the World out of New York for you, where we are all
week. Thank you for watching. We will see you this time tomorrow.
END
