Human Rights

Human rights are being violated in the name of drug treatment, according to a report from the UN's special rapporteur on torture.

Iran continues to execute drug offenders at a torrid pace. Around 500 went to the gallows in 2011, hundreds more last year, and 24 more so far this year.

The smart money is saying hold off on a California marijuana legalization initiative until 2016, but some will pay the price for waiting.

A British grandmother caught smuggling 10 pounds of cocaine into the Indonesian resort of Bali has been sentenced to death -- even though prosecutors asked only for 15 years. The court said her actions hurt Bali's reputation as a tourist destination.

Allegations of torture and mistreatment by Mexican soldiers and police have increased dramatically as President Calderon wages his drug war, Amnesty International says in a new report.

A Caravan of Peace calling for an end to failed prohibitionist drug policies in the US and Mexico will leave San Diego in August and arrive in Washington, DC, in September. It's hoping to educate some people along the way and have a lasting impact.

On Mother's Day, mothers speak out against the drug war, in the United States and Mexico.

Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, presidential pre-candidate for Mexico's left-leaning Democratic Revolutionary Party, says he will end the drug war if elected. Meanwhile, the rightist PAN's nominee takes a drug test.

Iran executed nearly 500 people for drug crimes last year, according to a new report from Iran Human Rights, a Norway-based NGO. Drug executions made up more than 70% of all executions in the Islamic Republic.

We go around the world to find the most important international drug policy stories of 2011.