Stories about Law from May, 2013
Macedonian Journalist's Arrest Stirs Protest
Macedonian journalists gathered [mk; video and text: sq, mk] in front of the Criminal Court in the capital Skopje today to protest against the arrest of their colleague, Tomislav Kezarovski, according to this note [en] posted in the Macedonian Facebook group titled “Journalists and citizens in defense of the right...
Chinese Activist Detained After Protesting String of Child Molestation Cases
A Chinese activist was beaten up and detained by local authorities in China a few days after she demonstrated in front of a primary school whose principal allegedly sexually abused six school girls. In less than one month, the local media have exposed more than eight cases of sexual abuse of school children.
Qatar: New Cyber Crime Law Could Threaten Online Speech
Qatar is looking to shore up its legislation regarding cybercrime, including punishment for accessing sensitive government data, but a draft law recently approved by the country's cabinet also puts limits on online expression.
Taiwan Copyright Bill Worse Than SOPA
It said the U.S Stop Online Piracy Act demands IP blocking requests to be determined in court while the Taiwan copyrights amendement filter list will be managed by a government administrative body.
Tajik Constitution's ‘Fairy Tales’
Mardikornoma blog comments [tj] on the constitution of Tajikistan, suggesting that it has become more of a fairy tales book than the country's supreme law: As I skim through the pages of Tajikistan's Constitution, I cannot help thinking that this document must be from some other country.
Journalists Fight Hired Hooligans and Police Indifference in Ukraine
May 18 was an eventful day in Ukraine's capital Kyiv. But of all the highlights of that day, only one incident - an attack on journalists that the police first failed to prevent and then failed to investigate properly - still remains in the spotlight, fueling online discussions and real-life protests.
Vietnam and Same Sex Marriage
Writing for Tuoitrenews, Valentine Vu explains why Vietnam is not yet ready for the legalization of same sex marriage: …majority of the population still holds prejudice against homosexuality being a disease, in fear of it being contagious, and afraid of losing face value if a friend/family member is gay
13-year-old Girl Publicly Shamed in China
A 13-year-old girl was handcuffed and then paraded on the streets after “accidentally spilling water on a town government vehicle” in Guizhou province. Fauna from ChinaSMACK translated Chinese netizens’ reaction.
Yemen: Two Men Killed for Overtaking a Sheikh's Wedding Convoy
Two young Yemeni men were killed last week for bypassing a wedding procession of a Sheikh (tribal leader) in Yemen's capital Sanaa. Khalid Al-Khateeb and his friend Hassan Aman were driving in their car when they came across a tribal wedding procession and were shot to death for over-taking the convoy. The wedding convoy belonged to Sheikh Ali Abd Rabo Al-Awadhi, a member in Yemen's Islah party and a member of the National Dialogue. The murder sparked an outrage among netizens and activists.
China: Constitutionalism is for Capitalists
The use of constitutionalism is but a new way to force China to adopt Western political systems.
Copyright Amendment Could Bring Web Filter System to Taiwan
Many Taiwanese believe that the recent proposed copyright amendment put forward by the government is a setback for democracy. The amendment will provide legal ground for an ISP-level blocking of websites under a black list system.
Jamaica's Blog Action Day: What Police Can Do
Jamaican bloggers marked their own version of Blog Action Day (dubbed JA Blog Day), on May 23. Netizens discussed the disturbing issue of police brutality, state security abuses and extra judicial killings - particularly fitting as the date for the event was the third anniversary of the "Tivoli Gardens Massacre", which took place during the country's state of emergency in 2010.
Indian Ruling on Vedanta Mining Plans Favours Tribal Rights
India's Supreme Court recently ruled that village councils should make the final decision as to whether controversial British company Vedanta Resources can mine for bauxite in the eastern state of Odisha. Vedanta wants to mine on land that the local Dongria Kondh people hold sacred.
“When a Burglar Enters Your Home”: Debating Serbia's Self-Defense Law
Saško Bogeski killed a burglar in his home in Belgrade on Tuesday and was immediately arrested. The authorities believe this to be the case of excessive self-defense. Serbian netizens have united in their support for Bogeski and are demanding urgent changes to the relevant laws. Tamara Gočmanac reports.
India's Media Giant Takes on Student Blogger
Sans Serif reports about a legal battle between Indian media giant Times Publishing House and Aparajita Lath, a student of the National Institute of Juridical Sciences (NUJS) for her 669-word blog post in February 2013 capturing the Times group’s trademark tussle with the Financial Times of London.
South Korea's Child Porn Law Blasted for Restricting Freedom of Expression
A new youth protection law in South Korea, meant to protect children by clamping down on child pornography, is being assailed for its broad language that labels net users who unknowingly downloaded suspicious content and artists who depict children in their work as criminals.
Trinidad & Tobago: Invented E-mails or Political Demise?
Monday's sitting of Trinidad and Tobago's Parliament saw the Opposition Leader quoting from several e-mails, which, he alleged, implicate key government ministers, including the Prime Minister, in attempting to cover up her administration's actions surrounding the Section 34 controversy. Netizens have been debating whether the e-mails are even real and what it could mean politically if they are...or are not.
Well-Known Chinese Leftist Advocates Militarized Internet
A prominent Chinese nationalist has called for China to take tighter control of the country's Internet in part by building an online army of civilians to monitor the Web and promote the communist party.
Free Speech and South Korea's Child Porn Law
A DeviantART website user wrote how South Korea's Children and Youth Protection law, that cracks down on child porn, can greatly undermine freedom of expression. Rough English translation appears in the latter half of the post. (There soon will be a detailed GV post on this issue)
69th Anniversary of Crimean Tatar Deportations: Memory and Politics in Crimea
On May 18, some 30,000 people gathered at a rally in Crimea's capital Simferopol to honor the memory of the victims of the 1944 Crimean Tatar deportations and to demand the immediate resignation of Anatoly Mogilev, the chairman of Crimea's Council of Ministers.
