Stories about Law from March, 2011
Russia: “iPad 2 Smuggling in Full Blossom”
Profy writes about the attempts to smuggle iPad 2 into Russia.
Jamaica: Enquiry No Laughing Matter
As the Manatt Dudus Enquiry is extended for the third time, GWAP comments: “A Commission that should have cost Jamaican tax payers JMD $37 million has now skyrocket[ed] to JMD...
Kenyan Bloggers Form an Association; BAKE
On Friday 25th March, several Kenyan bloggers held a meeting in the Kenyan capital Nairobi, under the newly formed BAKE ( Bloggers Association Kenya). The meeting was the 4th in an initiative by some of Kenyas veteran bloggers .
China: Crackdown on Activists and Opinion Leaders
The Chinese government's crackdown on human rights activists and opinion leaders continues. Samuel Wade from China Digital Timeshas compiled information from all sources to update on the situation.
Brazil: On Opening the Archives of the Dictatorship
A collective blogging was called to demand the opening of the archives of the Brazilian military dictatorship (1964-1985), responsible for torturing of thousands and for killing 380 Brazilians. Of these, 147 remain missing and nothing is known about the fate of their bodies. Until now their families are suffering without knowing their stories.
Russia: Mapping Bribery Online
Anton Nosik shares [ru] a link to RosKomVzyatka (‘Russian Committee for Bribes’), Ushahidi-based platform that allows users to map bribes (both given and taken) anonymously. It's another transparency project after...
Russia: Blogger Translates Articles on Alexey Navalny
LJ user vadda translates from English into Russian two recent texts about Alexey Navalny, a prominent Russian anti-corruption activist: one text, by Andrew E. Kramer, appeared in the New York...
Bolivia’s Conflicting Stance With the USA on Coca Chewing
The 1961 UN Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs ordered the elimination of chewing coca leaves within 25 years of the treaty going into effect. Bolivia has again resurfaced as a proponent to eliminate this UN ban. The US moved to block Bolivia’s request, further citing that an amendment to the article shows Bolivia’s lack of cooperation in the fight against the drug trade.
Nigeria: Ken-Saro Wiwa “Killer” Judge Becomes Acting Chief Judge
Justice Ibrahim Auta, the judge who was handpicked by the Abacha regime to head the kangaroo tribunal that sentenced renowned environmentalists and minority rights activist Ken Saro-Wiwa to death by...
Lebanon: Claim your Parking Spot
Dutch Blogger Sietske asked the Lebanese people in her latest post to claim what's rightfully theirs: “their parking spots.”
Russia: A Riot Police Officer's Twitter and Blog
A Good Treaty writes about an anonymous Moscow riot police (OMON) officer, who started tweeting in January (@OMON_Moscow, RUS, over 3,000 followers) and also has a blog (LJ user omon-moscow,...
Ukraine: “A War of Monuments”
Back in February, Uilleam Blacker of Memory at War: Blog wrote about “a war of monuments” in Ukraine.
Bhutan: No Resolve In The Possession Of Tobacco Debate
Tshering Tobgay reports that the Bhutan Narcotics Control Agency has rejected a plea by the Bhutan police to quantify the amount of tobacco possessed which can be criminalized under the...
Colombia: Controversy Over Photos of Minors Published by Adult Magazine
An article, titled "Let the children come to me" (referencing Mark 10:14), which includes photos from an exhibition by photographer Mauricio Vélez depicting staged scenes of nude underage boys (or models pretending to be minors) being watched by actors dressed as Catholic priests has caused controversy both offline and online.
Russia: 2010 Cyber-Crime Market Research
Group IB, Russian cyber-security research company, publishes [ru] Russian Cyber-Crime Market in 2010 report. According to the research, Russian hackers commit nearly 35 percent of all cyber-crimes. DDOS-attacks (from $90...
Jamaica: Passing the Buck
“To date, the Enquiry has been fascinating and compelling TV”: Jamaica and the World reports on the latest developments in the Manatt Dudus Enquiry, which “involved politicians placing the blame...
China: Opinion Battle on Baidu's Copyright Infringement
More than fifty Chinese writers have formed an alliance protesting against copyright infringement by the Baidu Wenku platform, a Chinese version of Google Books which allows users to read, share or download books for free.
China: Can we tolerate Baidu’s “evil” stand on IP rights?
Peking University professor, Hu Yong, comments on the recent debate on Baidu Wenku's copyright infringement in China Media Project.
Russia: Tribute to SOVA's Galina Kozhevnikova
At OpenDemocracy.net, Andreas Umland pays tribute to Galina Kozhevnikova, the deputy director of the “SOVA” NGO and a prominent researcher of Russia's extreme right-wing movements, who died earlier this month:...
Ukraine: Reasons for Targeting Ex-President Kuchma
LEvko of Foreign Notes explains possible reasons – here and here – for targeting Ukraine's ex-president Leonid Kuchma, against whom a criminal investigation has recently been opened on suspicion of...
Russia: Heroin Epidemic; Attitude to Sex
Posts about heroin epidemic and attitudes to sex in Russia – at OpenDemocracy.net.
