Far-Right Party Performs Strongly in Ukrainian Vote

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.

Abuse Photos Attest the Need for Child Protection Law in China

A viral photo showing a smiling female kindergarten teacher lifting a child by his ears who then bursts into tears, has triggered online discussion on child abuse in China and the need for further child protection legislation.

El Salvador's Tough Abortion Laws

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...

Thailand: Gun Crimes on the Rise

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...

Pakistan: Increase In Crime Affects Eid Celebrations

Omair Alavi reports that increase in crime rate in Karachi marred the recent Eid-ul-Azha celebrations.

Cuban Government Lifts Travel Restrictions for Citizens

On October 16, the Cuban government announced plans to eliminate controversial travel restrictions on Cuban citizens. The policy will take effect in January of 2013.

Ukraine: Election Monitors’ Websites Under DDoS Attack

Ukrainian domestic election monitoring organizations and projects using crowdsourcing for mapping election violations (see GV post) reported [uk] being DDoS-ed on the day of the vote: […] web-sites of election...

Sri Lanka: Tales Of Police Torture

Chitrangi posts news of police brutality on a 20 years old unmarried youth from Rabavava, Ihala Puliyankulama, Puttalam and many more in her blog.

Gambia: Dramatic Increase in Executions

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: Election Votes for Sale Via Social Network

Odessablog draws attention [en] to a VKontakte page [ru] used by those who are willing to sell their Oct. 28 election votes. Roma Lexikov, one of the very few users...

Slovakia: Protesting SOZA's Newest Copyright Fees

SOZA's general manager Vladimír Repčík addressed Slovak high school seniors via his blog on October 22, urging them to register with his agency and pay €15 for their traditional graduation parties. Tibor Blazko reports on the controversy.

Ukraine: Technology for Transparent Elections

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

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...

Kazakhstan: Misused National Symbols

People should be punished for displaying the coat of arms on garbage trucks and for using the national flag as a construction tool or toy bag.

Ukraine: Crowdmapping Election Violations

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...

Thailand: Problems in Implementing Information Act

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...

Ukraine: Pre-Election Roundup

In the run-up to the October 28 general election in Ukraine, discover a selection of relevant blog posts.

Cuba: Four Years Jailtime for Angel Carromero

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...

Kyrgyzstan: Child Abduction Caught on Tape

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

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...

Ukraine: Homophobic Bill Considered Ahead of Election

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.