Stories about Law from April, 2013
Brazil: Police Condemned for the Carandiru Massacre
Over 20 years after the rebellion in São Paulo’s Carandiru Penitentiary, ending with the deaths of 111 inmates, 23 military police have been condemned to 156 years in jail for a total of 13 fatalities.
Pavel Durov, Russia's Zuckerberg, Fights for Control of His Creation
Something strange is happening with Vkontakte, Russia’s homegrown version of Facebook. In the last couple of months, the company’s founder and current head, Pavel Durov, has suffered three very public “kicks in the teeth,” one of which might even lead to criminal charges.
Ukraine's TVi Saga: 31 Journalists Resign
On FT.com's beyondbric blog, Graham Stack writes [en] about the “murky takeover” and “a tangled history of offshore ownership” of the Ukrainian TV station TVi, 31 of whose journalists resigned [uk] on April 29.
Marijuana in China
Chengdu Living has an interesting post on the potential disappearance of relatively free weed smoking atmosphere in China as the police has recently started to crack down on Marijuana trade.
Ukrainian Lawmakers Propose to Ban Abortions
In early April, three MPs from the opposition political force “Svoboda” registered a bill that would ban abortions in Ukraine. Tetyana Bohdanova reports on the online reactions to this legislative initiative.
Impartial Justice Wanted in Côte d'Ivoire
Human Rights Watch reports that there is still work to do to achieve impartial justice in the post-2010-11 elections crisis in Côte d'Ivoire: The ICC’s one-sided approach has legitimized the same approach by Ivorian judicial authorities and undermined perceptions of the ICC’s impartiality.
Red Cross’ China Scandal – This Time About Sex
While Chinese people still remember Red Cross China's corruption scandal during the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, a new scandal has exposed, this time it also involves Guo Meimei, a then “manager at China Red Cross”, showed off her fancy sports cars and luxury handbags on Sina Weibo in 2011. This time...
Chinese Corruption Spreading to Hong Kong “Like SARS & Avian Flu”
A misconduct scandal implicating Timothy Tong, the former chief of the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), has Hong Kong and mainland Chinese people worried that ubiquitous corruption in China has spread to Hong Kong.
Haiti: “Better Prisons, Fewer Prisoners”
Haiti does not need more prisons, it needs better prisons and fewer prisoners. Haiti Chery provides some interesting statistics which support his view.
RSF Addresses the Situation at Ukraine's TVi Channel
On April 26, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) issued a statement [en; fr; uk – .pdf] on the situation at the Ukrainian TV station TVi: Reporters Without Borders condemns the sudden change of management at the opposition TV station TVi, announced three days ago, and is disturbed to learn that ensuing...
Indigenous People Occupy Brazil's Congress Over Land Rights Bill
The occupation of a plenary session of the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies by around 300 indigenous people, on April 16, have caught congressmen by surprise and have put the spotlight on proposed amendment to the Constitution number 215, which transfers the power to demarcate indigenous land from the Executive to the Legislative power.
Nobel Laureates: On with Ríos Montt Trial
“If this case does not move forward, survivors of Guatemala’s genocide are being victimized all over again,” says Nobel Peace laureate Jody Williams, co-founder of the Nobel Women’s Initiative. “They have taken a huge risk in testifying, and many have been harassed, intimidated and threatened. To annul the case would...
Saudi Arabia Summons Human Rights Activist for Interrogation
Omar Al-Saeed, a member in the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association (ACPRA), has been summoned for interrogation on April 22 and asked to re-appear next week. He is the latest in a series of human rights activists being interrogated and on trial in Saudi Arabia.
Hungarian Students Blog on Freedom of Information Requests
Hungarian grassroots student union Hallgatói Hálózat (Student Network) started a blog that curates freedom of information requests related to higher education. The blog, titled Transparent Education [hu], is using the Hungarian public freedom of information request service KiMitTud [hu] to track down the allegations of misuse of funds by university student governments. The blog's author...
Saudi Judge Bars Women from Trial of Human Rights Activist
Just ten days after the first Saudi woman was granted a lawyer's license, a judge prohibited women from attending the public trial of activist Dr. Abdualkareem al-Khudar, founding member of the Kingdom's defiant leading human rights organisation, the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association (ACPRA).
Japan's Cherry Blossom Tradition Tests Rookie Employees
Among the thousands of people that fill Japan's parks every spring to picnic under the delicate pink cherry blossoms are young professionals sent by their bosses to reserve a spot for the company's outdoor feast.
Japan's Next Election Campaign will be Tweeted, Emailed and Blogged
Japan has approved a bill that will allow political candidates to tweet and blog during their election campaigns. Up until recently Japanese electoral candidates had to cautiously navigate their Facebook pages, Twitter accounts and blogs to avoid breaking the country's strict election laws which banned all online political activity.
Thailand Police Shame Drunk Drivers on Facebook
Bangkok's Metropolitan Police has posted photos of drunk drivers on the public Facebook page of its deputy chief. The move is an apparent effort to show the seriousness of the police in apprehending drunk drivers but some are skeptical about its effectiveness and even its legality.
Popular Demonstrations in Porto Alegre Reverse Increased Bus Fares
Weeks of popular demonstrations in the city of Porto Alegre in favour of reduced bus fares have precipitated the decision to return to the previous rate.
Legal Checklist For Doing Business in China
Is Your Company Bribing Anyone? The United States vigorously enforces its Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), which penalizes improper payments to foreign officials by US companies. In certain situations, US companies can be liable under the FCPA for payments made by their Chinese partner. Canada and most European countries have...
“Manipulative” Coverage of Macedonia's Media Law
“Practice indicates that responsible and ethical journalism is never the result of state legislation and regulations, but of the voluntary compliance with the code created by the media community itself.” This statement from the Guide on Ethics in Journalism [mk] opens Žarko Trajanoski's analysis [en] of the “manipulations” by Macedonia's...
