Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Jonathan Moens

stokee62.bsky.social @stokee62.bsky.social · Jul 28

Really powerful article from @jonathanmoens.bsky.social
and colleagues about the abuse of older people through restraints. Focuses on Italy, Spain and Portugal but occurs much more widely
undark.org/2025/07/25/e...

Coercive Care: Southern Europe’s Reliance on Elder Restraints

In parts of Europe, nursing homes use physical restraints on residents, citing safety. But experts warn of harm.

undark.org

1 3

Jonathan Moens @jonathanmoens.bsky.social · Jul 28

Many thanks to #IJ4EU fund for the support.

Jonathan Moens @jonathanmoens.bsky.social · Jul 28

And the other versions, focusing on their national context:

- in Spanish with @eldiario.es : www.eldiario.es/sociedad/ata...

- in Portuguese with @jornalexpresso.bsky.social : expresso.pt/sociedade/20...

- in Italian with L'Espresso (in print and soon online): lespresso.it/c/attualita/...

Atar a los mayores: muchas residencias siguen sujetando a personas, a pesar de la falta de base científica

Aunque la legislación las reserva como último recurso por el riesgo de daño, las sujeciones en centros de mayores son más rutinarias de lo esperable: los profesionales explican que a veces no hay más ...

www.eldiario.es

1

Jonathan Moens @jonathanmoens.bsky.social · Jul 28

Our investigation is published across four publications and in four languages. Here's the English version:
- @undark.org: undark.org/2025/07/25/e...

Coercive Care: Southern Europe’s Reliance on Elder Restraints

In parts of Europe, nursing homes use physical restraints on residents, citing safety. But experts warn of harm.

undark.org

1

Jonathan Moens @jonathanmoens.bsky.social · Jul 28

We can't imagine how difficult it is to be a nurse — especially in understaffed, high-pressure environments. But the evidence, and the testimonies we gathered, point to a system that too often relies on restraints not for care, but for control.

1

Jonathan Moens @jonathanmoens.bsky.social · Jul 28

We also found that there is virtually no scientific evidence they improve patient outcomes. On the contrary, they can cause serious physical and psychological harm.

1

Jonathan Moens @jonathanmoens.bsky.social · Jul 28

National laws, regulations and guidelines, meanwhile, claim restraints should only be used as a last resort. But through FOI requests, court documents, interviews & more, we found that physical restraints are often used routinely — sometimes with deadly consequences.

1

Jonathan Moens @jonathanmoens.bsky.social · Jul 28

We focused on Italy, Spain, and Portugal, three of Europe’s fastest ageing countries where such restraints are still commonly used. Many health professionals justify the practice, saying it prevents elderly people from falling, wandering, or pulling out IV lines.

1

Jonathan Moens @jonathanmoens.bsky.social · Jul 28

Over the past few months, @nataliedonback.bsky.social, Joana Ascensão and I have been investigating a widespread yet little-known practice in European elder care: the use of physical restraints in nursing homes — belts, straps, bed sheets, and side rails that restrict movement.

1 1 3

Jonathan Moens @jonathanmoens.bsky.social · May 19

thanks to @ire.org for the support & @mattbwarren.bsky.social & rest of the team for editing

1

Jonathan Moens @jonathanmoens.bsky.social · May 19

despite being inadmissible in court since 2010, we found evidence that BEOS is still influencing court rulings and is being marketed to law enforcement agencies around the world. in two cases, suspected rapists were released from police custody in large part because BEOS pointed to their innocence

1

Jonathan Moens @jonathanmoens.bsky.social · May 19

touted as a scientific alternative to torture, BEOS is marketed as near-infallible. but every independent neuroscientist and legal expert i spoke with said the opposite: the science is deeply flawed, based on weak studies and unproven claims about memory

1

Jonathan Moens @jonathanmoens.bsky.social · May 19

i learnt that police and investigative agencies continue to use the systems, which can cost upward of $100,000, to generate leads, corroborate findings, and screen suspects -- sometimes years after the original crime

1

Jonathan Moens @jonathanmoens.bsky.social · May 19

i first came across the technology, known as BEOS, years ago when i read a NYT article about it published in 2008. BEOS was used to convict a woman called Aditi Sharma of poisoning her former fiancé. this was in 2008. so i wondered: what happened since?

www.nytimes.com/2008/09/15/w...

India's use of brain scans in courts dismays critics (Published 2008)

www.nytimes.com

1

Jonathan Moens @jonathanmoens.bsky.social · May 19

suspects are made to wear a headset and listen to crime-related phrases like "I pulled out my knife," or "I stabbed him in the back." the machine claims to detect if they actively participated in these scenarios — and police have used it in murder, rape, and terrorism cases.

1

Jonathan Moens @jonathanmoens.bsky.social · May 19

for @ScienceMagazine i spent the past year investigating a brain technology used by Indian police to determine if suspects committed a crime. the technology has been used in hundreds high-stake cases. yet it has little to no science backing. 🧵
www.science.org/content/arti...

Indian police are trying to ‘read minds' of suspects, over neuroscientists' objections

A controversial profiling of the brain’s electrical activity has shaped court decisions and bail applications

www.science.org

2 4 4

Reposted by Jonathan Moens

Bellingcat @bellingcat.com · May 7

Exclusive: Bellingcat in partnership with @tjekdet.dk , @politiken.dk and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) can reveal the identity of a key administrator behind MrDeepFakes, one of the world’s largest providers of non-consensual deepfake pornography. www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/05...

Unmasking MrDeepFakes: Canadian Pharmacist Linked to World’s Most Notorious Deepfake Porn Site - bellingcat

Double life: open source investigation reveals Canadian hospital pharmacist's links to MrDeepFakes, the most notorious deepfake porn website in the world.

www.bellingcat.com

17 370 840

Jonathan Moens @jonathanmoens.bsky.social · Mar 12

also many thanks to @journalismfund.bsky.social for the support

1 3

Jonathan Moens @jonathanmoens.bsky.social · Mar 12

news.mongabay.com/2025/03/braz...

Brazil communities accuse companies of ‘green grabbing’ for wind energy

Jeane Da Gama Costa, 42, grew up in Umburanas, a small municipality of Bahia, in northeastern Brazil. Her family raised cattle for meat and grew crops like beans, corn and watermelon. It was a quiet a...

news.mongabay.com

Jonathan Moens @jonathanmoens.bsky.social · Mar 12

obrigado!

1

Reposted by Jonathan Moens

Michael Klingler @mklingler.bsky.social · Mar 12

Check out the latest publication of the stunning investigative journalism project by @jonathanmoens.bsky.social and @thojbauer.bsky.social in @mongabay.bsky.social, refering to our empirical study on green grabbing for renewable energy in Brazil @naturesustain.bsky.social

Brazil communities accuse companies of ‘green grabbing’ for wind energy

Jeane Da Gama Costa, 42, grew up in Umburanas, a small municipality of Bahia, in northeastern Brazil. Her family raised cattle for meat and grew crops like beans, corn and watermelon. It was a quiet a...

news.mongabay.com

3 3 6

Jonathan Moens @jonathanmoens.bsky.social · Mar 12

thanks especially to @thojbauer.bsky.social who travelled to Bahia and Piaui to do the on-the-ground reporting and without whom i would not have been able to do this complex project.

2 1 3

Jonathan Moens @jonathanmoens.bsky.social · Mar 12

as well as on @MongabayOrg in English

2

Jonathan Moens @jonathanmoens.bsky.social · Mar 12

in Italian on @irpimedia.eu: irpimedia.irpi.eu/enel-brasile... (thanks to Michele Luppy and Federico Marsi from PlaceMarks for the visuals)

La corsa alle terre per le rinnovabili. Le strategie di Enel in Brasile

Enel Green Power è diventata una delle più grandi aziende di rinnovabili in Brasile. Tuttavia, ha raggiunto questa posizione in parte appoggiandosi a società locali, accusate in diversi casi di land g...

irpimedia.irpi.eu

1 2 2

Jonathan Moens @jonathanmoens.bsky.social · Mar 12

you can find the articles in Portuguese for @theintercept.com www.intercept.com.br

Home | Intercept Brasil

Responsabilizamos os poderosos com um jornalismo investigativo destemido

www.intercept.com.br

1 2 2