Stories about Law from January, 2011
Pakistan: Blackwater Again?
Adil Najam writes about the very strange case of Raymond Davis, a said staff member of the US Consulate in Lahore, who shot two Pakistani men dead in a crowded part of Lahore.
Cuba, Trinidad & Tobago: Looking at Egypt
Cuban bloggers speculate that the Egypt protests may set an example for Cubans, issue advice to the Egyptian people and blog about similarities and differences between the two countries, while from Trinidad and Tobago, Globewriter calls social networking “the new human rights weapon”.
Trinidad & Tobago: In Solidarity Over Kato's Death
gspotttt and Globewriter join their voices in offering “tribute to the life of slain Sexual Minorities Uganda human rights defender David Kato Kisule.”
Cuba: Arrest & Release #3
A third arrest and release for Guillermo Fariñas in three days: Uncommon Sense has the details.
Jamaica: Leah & Dog Paw
“Will she herald a new kind of representational politics since she has personally breached not only the uptown/downtown divide but also the legit/illegit one by literally commingling with a Don?”: Active Voice thinks that Leah Tavares-Finson “is a fascinating character.”
Ukraine: “Three Nations”?
Paul Goble of Window in Eurasia cites an interview [ENG] with a member of the Lviv City Council, who explains [UKR] that the real conflict in contemporary Ukraine is not between ethnic Ukrainians and ethnic Russians – instead, three different national projects are competing for dominance within the country.
Egypt: Government Thugs involved in Looting, Lawlessness
The world continues to watch the fast paced developments in Egypt, now on its fifth day of demonstrations against the 30-year rule of president Hosni Mubarak. Despite the Internet block imposed by the government, some Egyptians are back on Twitter today, telling the world what is happening around them in...
Bangladesh: How Much For The Desk Clerk?
Commenting on the corruption in Bangladesh Kazi Rubaiat Imam at The Lunatic Is On The Grass proposes to develop a website where everyone can “see and update the rates of bribes for getting things done at the government offices”.
Brazil: Ministry of Culture abandons Creative Commons
Brazilian Minister of Culture's decision to remove a Creative Commons license from its website provoked all sorts of reactions on social networks and among bloggers. It is the first instance of undoing of the previous government inclusive public policies regarding Internet, digital culture and authorial rights.
Czech Republic: The Czech Roma During the Holocaust
Czech Position writes in detail about “the wartime fate of the Roma” – whose “tremendous suffering and loss [are] often reduced to little more than a historical footnote.”
Romania: Accession to the Schengen Zone
Kosmopolito writes about Romania's “clumsy way” to the Schengen zone.
Serbia, Kosovo: Comment on Dick Marty's Report
Belgraded.com comments on Dick Marty's “report on organized criminal activities committed by the Kosovo Albanian side during and after Kosovo conflict”: “As it turns out, there are now at least two things Serbs and Kosovars have in common – people who committed crimes during the war and politicians and other...
Hungary: New Media Law To Be Modified?
Hungarian Watch reports that “Hungary seems poised to make changes to media law” – but “freedom of the press is still on shaky ground.”
Hungary: Filtering Foreign Media Content?
Hungarian Spectrum reports that the official Hungarian news agency seems to be supplying other media outlets with “wrong translations” of foreign media content, perhaps trying “to conceal some of the bad news–bad that is from the point of view of the government–from the Hungarian public.” Galamus Csoport, however, offers “accurate...
Albania: Anti-Government Protest in Tirana
Home of the Albanian Blogger and A Nevada Yankee in King Zog's Court share their thoughts on the Jan. 21 anti-government protests and violence in Tirana.
Czech Republic: Lawyers Uncertain About Ukrainian Politician's Right to Asylum
Czech Position reports that “uncertainty prevailed among [Czech] lawyers on whether [former Ukrainian Economy Minister] Bohdan Danylyshyn merits asylum in the Czech Republic.”
Bulgaria: Sofia's Sugar Factory Tragedy
Maya's Corner writes about Sofia's Sugar Factory, where two people died in 2009 when the neglected building collapsed, and the fate of other landmarks owned by “predator ‘investors’.”
Ukraine: The Newest Euro 2012 Scandal
Foreign Notes writes about the latest Euro 2012 controversy in Ukraine: “In other words, the Ukrainian national team could find itself banned from the Euro 2012 football tournament that the country is itself hosting…”
Poland: Blogger Prosecuted for Criticizing Local Mayor
Jakub Górnicki writes about the case of Łukasz Kaprowicz, a Polish journalist and blogger who was sued for defamation after he had criticized the mayor of the town of Mosina in his blog posts.
India: The Great TriValley University Scam
Runa at Uber Desi writes in details about the scam of Tri Valley University in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area, which has now been shut down. Hundreds of Indian students, mostly from Andhra Pradesh, were enrolled in this University and they now face the threat of...
Cuba: Second Arrest for Fariñas
On learning that Guillermo Fariñas was arrested for a second time in less than 24 hours, Uncommon Sense says: “Nothing is unusual about what is happening…what is unusual is for the police to move so aggressively against someone with Fariñas’ profile, someone whose arrest will get at least a few...
