Stories about Law from March, 2012
Slovakia: Paying More Due to Corruption in the Area of State Tenders
Tibor Blazko highlights the ongoing public debate on corruption in the area of state tenders in Slovakia.
India, Bangladesh: Caught In The Cyber War
A cyber war between Bangladesh and India broke out last month as Bangladeshi hackers defaced Indian border security Force's website in protest of the recent border killings by BSF. Indian hacker groups retaliated by defacing Bangladesh government ministry websites and a cyber war followed.
Kuwait: Call to Kill the “Infidel” Twitter User
A Kuwaiti Twitter user has been detained, pending investigation, over a tweet in which he allegedly insulted Prophet Mohammed. The issue is taking a sectarian twist in Kuwait as the Twitter user Hamad Al-Naqi denies the charges, claiming that his account was hacked, while others charge that it is a Shiite attack on Sunni Islam. Meanwhile, a protest was held calling for the Twitter user to be killed for his alleged blasphemy.
Brazil: Irregularities Denounced in the Council of Representatives of Emigrants
Founded at the end of 2012, the Conselho de Representantes de Brasileiros no Exterior [Council of Representatives of Brazilians Abroad], or the CRBE, linked to the Ministry of External Affairs, has provoked the indignation of expatriate Brazilians owing to allegations of irregularities in the election process for its representatives.
Guinea-Bissau: Constitutional Limits on the Presidential Elections
Claims of widespread fraud during the presidential elections in Guinea Bissau, on 18 March, allows for the possibility that the April ballot will take place with a single candidate – Carlos Gomes Jr. His concurrent Kumba Ialá, refuses to participate in the second round, and the Constitution doesn't allow the replacement of candidates.
Moldova: 917-Day Marathon to Elect the President is Over
After two and a half years of repeated failures to elect the head of state, the Moldovan politicians finally managed on March 16 to give the country its new president, Nicolae Timofti. But will this former judge become a true leader of the nation?
This Week in the Caribbean Blogosphere
Again this week, the regional blogosphere was dominated by talk of Pope Benedict XVI's visit to Cuba. With reports of repression at an all-time high, Cuban bloggers were dismayed by the outcome of the trip.
The Cuba the Pope Leaves Behind
Pope Benedict XVI's trip to Cuba has come to an end, a visit bookended by the Castro brothers: President Raul Castro greeting the pontiff at the airport and Fidel Castro meeting with him before his departure. But bloggers are suggesting that despite the Pope's message of change and hope for the future, it looks like business as usual on the island.
Chile: Daniel Zamudio, Victim of a Brutal Hate Crime, Passes Away
Daniel Zamudio, a young gay man, became the victim of a brutal attack on March 3. In this post we show some of the reactions from blogs, online news sites and Twitter since the news broke and until March 27, when his death was announced.
Slovenia: Family Code Referendum (and Other “Election Season” Updates)
Sleeping With Pengovsky has been covering Slovenia's referendum on the Family Code (here and here), the mayoral by-elections, and the upcoming presidential election.
Georgia: Anti-discriminatory legislation ahead of Armenia, Azerbaijan
Unzipped: Gay Armenia comments on the passage of legislation in Georgia outlawing discrimination based on ethnicity, gender, age, and political as well as religious views. The blog notes that the inclusion of sexual orientation makes Georgia “clearly the most advanced country in the South Caucasus in terms of legislative provisions...
Chile: Twitter Debates Therapeutic Abortion While the Senate Waits
While the senate continues to postpone the debate over the legalization of therapeutic abortion, the exchanging of opinions has continued unabated in Chilean cyberspace, most noticeably following two televised debates on the subject.
Tunisia: Bloggers Help Draft the Constitution
On October 23rd, 2011, Tunisians elected an assembly to draft its new constitution, following the toppling of the Ben Ali regime. Now, five months later, the assembly has just started studying the draft proposals. Yet, disagreements about the first article of the constitution is slowing down the work of the assembly and Islam and the Arab identity are at the heart of debates nationwide. Netizens are chipping in to help bridge the gap.
Kuwait: Could a Hash Tag Send Twitter Users to Prison?
As in any country with netizens using Twitter, hash tags are created every day, every hour and somne times even every few minutes. In Kuwait, one user created a hash tag #بطارية (battery in Arabic) and all hell broke loose. Kuwaiti blogger Abdullatif AlOmar tells us why.
Cuba: Pope Arrives Today; What Will His Visit Bring?
Pope Benedict XVI is due to arrive today in Cuba, even as bloggers chronicle the “wave of arrests and threats” preceding the papal visit. But top of mind for most bloggers, particularly from the diaspora, is whether or not the pontiff will decide to meet with the Ladies in White and other members of the political opposition.
Jamaica: Hoodie is No Excuse
“An excited man kills someone for the flimsiest of causes. And someone asks us to believe it’s due to clothing choices!”: Diaspora blogger Grasshopper Eyes The Potomac comments on the Trayvon Martin case.
Tibetans, the police and China
Tom Lasseter blogs about what he saw in his travel to Tongren, an ethnic Tibetan town in Qinghai Province where two men set themselves on fire last week.
Serbia: Controversy Over Draža Mihailović's Rehabilitation
Draža Mihailović was a commander of the Chetnik movement during World War II. In 1946, he was captured by the communist Yugoslav authorities, convicted of war crimes and executed. The ongoing tribunal for his rehabilitation has been supported by some professors and politicians in Serbia, but the public is divided.
United States: “I am Trayvon Martin”
The indignation of American citizens and Internet users around the world over the murder of Martin Trayvon Florida continues to grow. This young black man was shot at the exit of a store by a security guard of the city of Sanford. For many it is a racist murder, and the law "Stand your ground" (Defend yourself), that legitimate self-defense in Florida, must be challenged.
Belarus: “15+2=17″ – Bloggers React to Executions of Kanavalau and Kavalyou
At TOL's East of Center, Jeremy Druker and Anna Shamanska review and translate some of the reactions from the Belarusian blogosphere to last week's executions of the two young men convicted for the 2011 Minsk subway bombing: “Many Belarussian users on [… Vkontakte …] used pictures of Kavalyou and Kanavalau...
Bangladesh: Court Orders Shutting Down of Facebook Pages for Blasphemous Contents
On 21 March a Bangladesh court ordered concerned authorities to shut down five Facebook pages and a website for blaspheming the Prophet Mohammed, the Koran and other religious subjects. Netizens fear whether this ruling, if imposed, will be used as a precedence to curb freedom of speech in the future.
