· October, 2011

Stories about Governance from October, 2011

USA: Lawrence Lessig's “Republic, Lost”

  24 October 2011

@Therealpsmst recommends [mk] the talk by anti-corruption activist, law professor and Creative Commons founder Lawrence Lessig (@lessig): “Republic, Lost” is about the role of campaign contribution racket in the times of crisis and ways to reform the U.S. political and financial system.

Chile: Students Storm Former Congress Building

  24 October 2011

Robert L. Funk reports on the storming of the former Congress building in Santiago by students during “a Committee meeting to which the Education Minister had been invited”. Protesters refused to leave, and the President of the Senate, Guido Girardi, “declared that as the parliament is a public institution and...

East Timor: Petition to Keep the Country Debt-Free

  24 October 2011

The Movimento Kontra Deve (Movement Against Debt) and East Timor and Indonesia Action Network (ETAN) have launched a joint petition to “For a Debt-Free Timor-Leste”. The Government of Timor-Leste is currently free of debt. Despite current substantial income from petroleum resources, the government has announced plans to begin borrowing.

Cuba: Recounting Repression

  24 October 2011

Pedazos de La Isla posts two accounts of Cuban dissidents being beaten and detained, allegedly “just for trying to travel within their own country” and “for demonstrating peacefully”.

Haiti: Enough of Occupation

  24 October 2011

The Haitian Blogger has had enough of the United Nations occupation of Haiti, saying: “All Haitian's [sic] will start respecting the U.S. and it's [sic] proxy the UN MINUSTAH military force when they begin to put a value on Haitian life.”

Russia: Government to Launch Content Monitoring in December 2011

RuNet Echo  24 October 2011

Roskomnadzor, Russian telecommunications control body, will launch content monitoring system in December 2011, Kommersant.ru reports [ru]. The system ordered in March, 2011 (see GV analysis here) is now in pre-release condition. Its documented abilities allow the monitoring of up to 5 mln keywords published at the websites registered as online mass media...

Russia: Cursing Policeman Fired After YouTube Video Leak

RuNet Echo  24 October 2011

Russian policeman who has been caught on camera [ru] cursing at his colleagues was fired after the video became public, corrupcia.net reported [ru]. Company commander of Omsk traffic police was accusing other policemen of producing not enough violation protocols. The case highlighted the so-called “sticks” system, in which police evaluation is based...

Arab World: Cheering on Tunisia's Elections

  23 October 2011

Tunisians are receiving positive vibes from netizens across the Arab world as they go to the polls today to elect a 218 member constituent assembly which will rewrite the country's constitution, appoint an interim president and a caretaker government. The elections are historic in that they are described as the Arab world's first free elections following revolutions which toppled the dictators of Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. All eyes are on Tunisia today, as Tunisians reap a fruit from their revolution.

Hungary: Oct. 23 Opposition Rally

  22 October 2011

Hungarian Spectrum and The Contrarian Hungarian write about the Oct. 23 anti-government rally, organized through a Facebook community called Egymillióan a magyar sajtószabadságért [hu; 88,272 ‘likes’]/One Million for the Freedom of Press in Hungary [en; 720 ‘likes’] – and about a pro-government rally, which was scheduled to take place on...

Bangladesh: Protest Against A New Law For Homeless People

  21 October 2011

Faustina Pereira at BRAC Blog protests against a newly promulgated law in Bangladesh which permits forcibly instituting the poor, the shelterless and beggars into “shelter homes” through arrests, and attempts to leave the shelter homes would be a punishable offence. An online petition has also been put up and more...

Bolivia: President Says Road Will Not Go Through TIPNIS

  21 October 2011

Dario Kenner reports form La Paz: “In a press conference this morning President Evo Morales said the road project his government has been determined to build will not go through the TIPNIS national park and indigenous territory. This is a dramatic change in policy. It comes after a two month...