Stories about Governance from February, 2016
29 February 2016
Can Goodwill Gestures Help End Burundi's Political Crisis?
Two blocked radios are permitted back on the air, arrest warrants were lifted and some prisoners to be freed -- yet many remain unconvinced about the government's good intentions.
Belgrade Mayor Stands By Police Chief Who Interfered in Journalists’ Work
Belgrade Mayor Siniša Mali has refused to comply with the request of Serbia's Ombudsman to fire the chief of the Communal Police, who interfered with the work of journalists.
Youth NGOs in Central and Eastern Europe Tackle Corruption With a New Documentary Series
In the former Yugoslavia and former USSR, "from kindergarten to university, generations of children and students grow up learning about corruption from their own experiences."
28 February 2016
The Malaysian Insider News Website Blocked by Authorities for Posting ‘Unverified’ Report on Government Corruption
"Such unilateral action could also be construed as an attempt to intimidate the media against running critical news reports."
27 February 2016
Desperate for Safer Roads, Russians Are Literally Filling Potholes with Money
In the past five weeks, there’s been a new slew of pothole-related scandals. Depending on your attitude about lousy public services and motorways, these stories will either entertain or disconcert.
25 February 2016
An Exiled Scholar Says Thailand's Junta Is Harassing His Family
"I already found this injustice unbearable. But to go after my family who had nothing to do with me — this is absolutely unacceptable."
Fearing Foreign Influence, Iran's Hardliners Bash the BBC Ahead of Legislative Elections
"Those that claim that foreign media is supporting the reformists are charlatans."
UN Human Rights Official Pulls No Punches in Assessment of Hungary
After a nine-day visit, UN Special Rapporteur Michel Forst highlighted the disheartening conditions human rights activists face in Hungary.
24 February 2016
When Elections Are a Joke, the People Tell Election Jokes
Election fraud and other misdeeds have been a widespread problem in the Balkans. As the saying goes, 'If I didn't laugh, I'd cry.'
Bolivians Use Social Media to Expose Electoral Fraud in President Morales’ Referendum
"None of this is new. But this time, it shows the power of social media, and that now we are able to impact a campaign with the truth."
22 February 2016
Love in the Time of Zika
An interview with Salvadoran reproductive rights activist Sara García. In El Salvador, abortion is defined by law as a criminal act, without exception.
An Alleged Male Prostitution Ring Ignites Debate About Privacy and Journalism Ethics in Colombia
"By publishing the video of the ex-deputy minister, you have made yourself I would argue an example of what future journalists should NOT do."
Albanian Police Use Force Against Protesters Defending the Capital's Last Public Park
One police officer was heard threatening them with the words: "There will be blood!"
21 February 2016
Ghanaian Facebook Commentator Sued For Defamation by Deputy Attorney General
'Is there any fundraising effort to support our brother Evron Rothschild Hughes fight this impudence of a libel suit filed against free speech by Ghana's Deputy Attorney General?'
20 February 2016
Protests at Indian Universities Add Fuel to Public Outrage Over Sedition Laws
The arrest of student leader Kanhaiya Kumar on sedition charges has posed a rare legitimacy test for Prime Minister Nahendra Modi and his "intolerant" ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.
18 February 2016
A Blogger Exposes Personal Data Protection Flaw on Macedonia's Election Commission Website
"The mishap is at a very amateurish level from the perspective of professional principles of working with personal data on the open Web."
Venezuela's President Finally Discovers Facebook, a Decade After the Social Network's Arrival
"I refuse to be a hypocrite or a brown-noser, you know that the country is in a bad way, due to your and your cabinet's ineptitude."
Hungary’s Teachers Are Mad As Hell and They’re Not Taking It Anymore
Dissatisfaction with the declining state of Hungarian education has been brewing for years and has culminated in a protest by 30,000 people in Budapest.
Violence Claims 49 Lives in an Overcrowded, Underguarded Mexican Prison
Forty percent over capacity, short on guards and supplies, and awash in violence. This is life in many of Mexico's prisons.
17 February 2016
One Man's Harrowing Experience Spurs Bangladesh's High Court to Ensure Emergency Treatment for All
Saif Kamal detailed in a Facebook post how he tried in vain to save a man who had been run over, but was turned away by hospital after hospital.
