Stories about Law from December, 2008
Uganda: Being a journalist is unpredictable
Daniel Kalinaki, an editor at the Ugandan daily The Monitor, explains that being a journalist in Uganda is an unpredictable profession: this week the paper has received a letter to “present ourselves at the Criminal Investigations Directorate to assist the police investigations that a story we published in the paper...
Bermuda, Grenada: Freedom of Information
Bermudian blogger Vexed Bermoothes reports that Grenada is in the process of introducing a Freedom of Information Act and public sector integrity legislation, with additional plans to “establish a common code of practice and ethics for media.”
Thailand: Revenge of the reds
Forget the yellow protesters who occupied Thailand’s airports last month. Today’s anti-government protests in Bangkok are organized by supporters of the ousted government. They have vowed to launch bigger street actions “to restore democracy.” Do not confuse them with the Left. They just like the color red.
Cuba: Letter to Castro
Cuban diaspora blogger Uncommon Sense links to an open letter [ES] to Fidel Castro, written by a political prisoner.
Barbados: Football Match Mayhem
As four people are shot at a football match, Barbados Free Press says that this is “what happens when you combine no rule of law with no effective police force and a top-down culture of corruption in government…”
Southeast Asia: Controversies and tragedies of 2008
In the previous post (Southeast Asia: Newsmakers of 2008), I wrote about the major events that took place in Southeast Asia. In this article, I will highlight other stories which became controversial as well.
Mexico: Campaign to Curb Drunk Driving
The latest campaign to curb driving while intoxicated in Mexico has already jailed 456 drivers writes Jessica Uribe of Vivir México [es].
Bahamas: Students & Drugs
“In the Bahamas, the average age for male and female students who peddle and smoke weed/drugs is age 13 and 14, respectively”: Adrian Gibson at Weblog Bahamas says that “the illicit drug plague has ripped our social fabric and will unremittingly haunt the history of our island chain for many...
Ukraine: Top ten bribes 2008
Wu Wei draws attention to a Kyiv Post story on the top ten bribe cases uncovered by Ukrainian authorities in 2008.
Turkey: Apology Shakes Apologia over Armenian Genocide
Challenging 90 years of institutionalized denial of the massacre and deportation of the Ottoman Empire's indigenous Armenian community during WWI, tens of thousands of Turkish intellectuals, academics, writers, journalists and dissidents have apologized online for the "Great Catastrophe."
India, Bangladesh: Maritime Dispute
The New Horizon analyzes the reasons behind the recent maritime dispute between Bangladesh and India. Read the post for details.
Egyptian and Tunisian Bloggers against Censorship
In December 2006 frustrated Tunisian bloggers launched the "Action Blank Post" initiative in defense of freedom of speech. Supporting bloggers from all over the world posted a blank on their blogs on the 25th of December, and now bloggers have united again in this anti-censorship tradition, as Marwa Rakha shows.
Lebanon: Abolishing the death penalty
Sursock posts about Lebanon's current plan to abolish the death penalty and a brief history of the activism that lead to this decision.
Southeast Asia: Newsmakers of 2008
For Southeast Asia, 2008 was a year of terrible disasters, both natural and man-made. Rice consumption was reduced, milk products were contaminated with melamine, jobs were lost, bloggers were arrested, and homes were destroyed. But the situation is not hopeless.
Ethiopia: Clerics seek constitutional ban on homosexuality
EthioBlog reports that religious leaders in Ethiopia have urged lawmakers to amend the country's constitution to ban homosexuality, sparking a heated debate amongst the readers of the blog about homosexuality in Ethiopia with over 300 comments.
Bangladesh: The Siemens Bribery Scandal And The Son Of Ex-Prime Minister
Shada Kalo blog looks deep into the recent Siemens Bribery Scandal and analyzes the case of $5.3 million bribes to government officials in Bangladesh including the son of the Ex-Prime Minister.
Zimbabwe: Update on Jestina Mukoko's abduction
Denford Magora's Zimbabwe Blog posted some photos of human rights activist Jestina Mukoko (who was abducted a couple of weeks ago) appearing in court yesterday accused of recruiting insurgents to topple Mugabe. A few hours later he reported that “although not being freed, it looks as though the abductees will...
Western Sahara: Student Reported Detained
Saharawi-students.org reports that a Saharawi law student has been detained in Tan Tan. The student was released after 10 hours.
Mexico: Beauty Queen Busted for Arms
Former Mexican beauty queen Laura Elena Zúñiga Huizar was recently busted for arms, ammunition and cash writes Jessica Uribe of Vivir México [es].
Barbados: Journalists Appear in Court
Barbados Free Press is keeping an eye on the case of the two arrested journalists, calling the open court hearing “a stunning victory by the dozens of local news media people who showed up to support”, while at the same time denouncing local mainstream media for not making an issue...
Romania: Revolution's Anniversary
A note on the anniversary of the 1989 revolution in Romania to overthrow Ceausescu – at Eternal Remont.
