Stories about Law from March, 2009
Ukraine: Yushchenko's Constitution Proposal
Kyiv Scoop and What's Up, Ukraine? comment on the constitutional changes proposed by president Victor Yushchenko.
Russia: Igor Sechin in WSJ
Streetwise Professor and Robert Amsterdam's Blog comment on a WSJ piece based on an interview with Russia's deputy prime minister Igor Sechin.
Cambodia: Evidence at the Khmer Rouge Tribunal
Former Khmer Rouge rebels doubt there will be sufficient evidence to convict the five leaders waiting to stand trial at the Khmer Rouge Tribunal. Because the events occurred 30 years ago, evidence and witnesses could be hard to come by.
Pakistan: Tehreek-e-Taliban Claimed Responsibility
CHUP! – Changing Up Pakistan reports that “Beitullah Mehsud, the head of the Tehreek-e-Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack on the Manawan police academy in Punjab province, which killed at least 13 people.”
Haiti, U.S.A.: Immigration Reform
Haiti's jmc strategies is very interested in U.S. Vice-President Joe Biden's statements on immigration reform: “Biden did not specifically say that the Administration was backing away from a legalization program. It remains therefore to be seen what steps they will take in the future.”
Cuba, Trinidad & Tobago: At the Summit
“It seems far-fetched to think that the summit’s news coverage would be dominated by the one country in the region that is absent from the event” – but The Cuban Triangle thinks that “two factors – a no-news summit agenda, and a vocal regional consensus calling on President Obama to...
Puerto Rico: Murder Rate
“We. Don't. Give. A. Damn. Because it isn't really ‘Us’ getting killed, it's ‘them.’ We don't see the obvious. There is no ‘them’ on an island. There's only Us”: Puerto Rico's Gil the Jenius links to a study reporting that a 10% increase in graduation rates can reduce murder rates...
Morocco: Different Names, Same Story
Despite outward progress, Morocco has faced a number of setbacks for press freedom over the past few years. Most recently, it was reported that Ali Anouzla and Jamal Boudouma, managing editor and publishing director of Moroccan newspaper Al-Jarida Al-Oula (الجريدة الأولى) have each received two-month suspended sentences and fines of MAD 200,000 (approximately USD$23,800) for "defamation" and "insulting the judiciary."
Macedonia: Student Protest Ends in Violence
Recently, the Macedonian government decided to build an Orthodox church with public financing on the main square of Skopje, a decision that the citizens of the city disapproved of. On March 28, a peaceful protest against the construction of the church turned violent when a group of counter-protesters attempted to prevent it. Elena Ignatova reviews the reactions in the Macedonian blogosphere.
Cambodia: Trial begins for Khmer Rouge leader
The Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia began the first public hearing of Kaing Guek Eav, known as Duch. During the Khmer Rouge regime, Duch headed the infamous Tuol Sleng prison in Phnom Penh where thousands died.
Afghanistan: Scandal with the Attorney General
Azar Balkhi writes that Abdul Jabar Sabit, Attorney General of Afghanistan and a Muslim, has been caught dancing drunk at a party in Kabul.
Ukraine: Relations With Russia and Romania
Steve Bandera of Kyiv Scoop writes: “While Russian strategists declare Ukraine “a failed state” on the verge of losing its sovereignty, some Romanian officials and media are suggesting that only part of Ukraine, with its capital in Lviv, can ever come under the alliance’s euroatlantic umbrella.”
Sri Lanka: Rain Water Harvesting Now Law
Navigating on Balance reports that a legislation is in the process of enactment to make rain water harvesting mandatory for new constructions making “Sri Lanka the only country in the world to have a public policy on rain water harvesting!”
Trinidad & Tobago: Shouter Baptist Liberation
triniscene.com pays tribute to the Shouter Baptists of Trinidad and Tobago, who today celebrate “the abolition of laws that prohibited the activities of the Shouter or Spiritual Baptist faith on March 30, 1951.”
Barbados: Animal Cruelty
Barbados Free Press republishes a letter from an “irate hiker” whose group discovered the body of a dog that was hanged from a tree: “The RSPCA was notified. Their response was ‘write a letter to the newspapers’. Where is the the ‘Prevention of Cruelty to Animals’ in such a response?...
Paraguay: Ten Years Since Vice-President Argaña was Assassinated
It's been ten years since the assassination of Paraguayan Vice-President Luis María Argaña and Edgar Ruiz Diaz of Las Preguntas de Venerando [es] has a lot of questions that have never been answered in this unsolved case.
Russia: The Oligarchs’ “Debt-Go-Round”
Copydude writes that Russia's “debt-go-round has become so huge and interwoven that it seems to be taking all the oligarchs down together”: “For the most part though, it’s looking like the end of era – and a very short list of Russians on Forbes next year.”
Russia, Italy: Putin's Namesake Arrested For Shoplifting
Vilhelm Konnander writes about a namesake of Vladimir Putin who was arrested for shoplifting in Italy.
Poland: Justice System
Eternal Remont writes that, according to a study, “only 37 percent of Poles rate their justice system positively.”
Latvia: Data Inspectorate vs Penguin Movement
Free Speech Emergency in Latvia reports that “the Latvian Data State Inspectorate has summoned the administrator of the website of the so-called Penguin Movement to explain what it claims were violations of laws and regulations with regard to handling and protecting personal data.”
Albania: Anti-Smoking Law Not Working
Albanian Blogger writes that Albania's “antismoking law has gone up in smoke.”
