· October, 2012

Stories about Law from October, 2012

Far-Right Party Performs Strongly in Ukrainian Vote

  31 October 2012

While the results of the Oct. 28 elections in Ukraine are still being finalized, netizens are already discussing the anticipated outcome. Many are paying special attention to VO Svoboda, a far-right party, and its victorious leap over the 5% threshold necessary to get any Parliament seats.

El Salvador's Tough Abortion Laws

  30 October 2012

Voices from El Salvador highlights several stories of Salvadoran women affected by the country's abortion ban, ” which includes cases of rape, incest, and when the health of the woman is at risk.” The issue is compounded by other women’s rights issue, including femicide (El Salvador has the highest rate in...

Thailand: Gun Crimes on the Rise

  30 October 2012

Thailand's homicide rate has declined since 2006 but criminal cases involving guns are on the rise. Bangkok Pundit analyzes some statistics on gun crimes, homicide cases, and gun ownership in Thailand

Gambia: Dramatic Increase in Executions

  28 October 2012

Nine prisoners were put to death on one day in August 2012. The sudden increase in capital punishment over the last few months as well as confusing declarations from President Jammeh have worried citizens of Gambia as well as those in neighbouring countries. The death penalty was abolished in 1993 but reinstated by Yahya Jammeh one year after the coup of July 1994.

Ukraine: Technology for Transparent Elections

  27 October 2012

Amidst mounting allegations of the ruling party's use of administrative resource during election campaign, the government has pledged to keep the Oct. 28 free and fair. Local election monitoring groups, however, have been utilizing new technology to ensure electoral transparency and to check governmental pledges for themselves.

Costa Rican Bloggers Speak Up for Freedom of Expression

  26 October 2012

Ticoblogger summarizes [es] the participation of bloggers, journalists, and activists in the forum “Online Anonymity, Pseudonyms and Freedom of Expression” held on Wednesday, October 24, 2012. The post links to presentations by Gustavo Araya [es, pdf], Julio Córdoba [es], and José Medrano [es].

Ukraine: Crowdmapping Election Violations

  26 October 2012

ElectUA.org [uk] is a crowdsourcing tool used to report and map election violations in Ukraine. A project of Internews-Ukraine, its goal [en] is “to encourage citizens to have active social position and monitor the electoral process.” So far, 1,177 reports have been submitted; the parliamentary vote is to take place...

Thailand: Problems in Implementing Information Act

  26 October 2012

Saksith Saiyasombut and Siam Voices translate an article written by ThaiPublica about Thailand's experience in implementing the Official Information Act of 1997: Thai citizens were given more rights to request the disclosure of official government information…But even with such progress, it hasn’t resulted in simpler access to official information yet,...

Cuba: Four Years Jailtime for Angel Carromero

  24 October 2012

The Cuban Triangle reports that Angel Carromero, the Spanish Popular Party leader has been sentenced to four years in prison for vehicular manslaughter in the deaths of Cuban human rights advocates Oswaldo Paya and Harold Cepero. Carromero was at the wheel when the vehicle, carrying Paya, Cepero, and Swedish national...

Kyrgyzstan: Child Abduction Caught on Tape

  24 October 2012

A spine-chilling video caught on a CCTV camera in a small provincial town in Kyrgyzstan appears to depict an abduction of an 11-month-old child in a crowded market place. The video has become a focal point for discussion among Kyrgyzstani netizens, with many blaming the child's mother for neglect and even complicity in the abduction.

Brazil: Rethinking Drug Policy

  24 October 2012

Rio Real blog wrote about the launch of Pense Livre (Think Free) [pt] in September 2012, a network to urge a rethink of Brazil’s drug policy. The author stresses that drug decriminalization would remap Rio de Janeiro, and links to an interview [pt] to Pedro Abramovay, a lawyer and law professor who...

Ukraine: Homophobic Bill Considered Ahead of Election

  24 October 2012

Shortly after scrapping the infamous defamation bill in early October, Ukrainian MPs passed another scandalous proposal in the first reading, aimed at “defending children from the propaganda of homosexual lifestyle and the HIV/AIDS infection associated with it.” Tetyana Bohdanova reports.