Stories about Law from September, 2014
Gay Rights in Trinidad & Tobago Once Again Out of Reach as Prime Minister Backpedals
Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has backed off of past promises to decriminalise homosexual acts, saying "it would not be prudent" to do so now.
Second Hunger Strike Over Highway May Leave Trinidad & Tobago Fighting For Its Soul
Environmentalist Dr. Wayne Kublalsingh takes up a second hunger strike to protest the construction of a section of highway, but the stakes are now much higher than a simple road.
Hong Kong Police Unleash Tear Gas on Peaceful Pro-Democracy Protesters
The police cracked down on protesters after Occupy Central with Love and Peace began a massive sit-in calling for genuine democratic elections.
Laos Joins Southeast Asian Neighbors in Imposing Stricter Internet Controls
The new law will criminalize online criticism of government policies and outlaw "Spreading information that distorts truth or tarnishes the dignity and rights of individuals, sectors, institutions and organizations."
Violent Clashes Between Hong Kong Police and Peaceful Student Protesters
Hundreds of student protesters raised their hands to show they were unarmed and formed a human shield to block riot police. But they were pepper sprayed and dozens arrested.
Anton Nossik on the Coming End of Facebook, Twitter, and Google in Russia
Media expert and founding member of the Russian blogosphere Anton Nossik explains why he thinks the end is nigh in Russia for websites used by billions around the globe.
Egypt’s Escalating War on Gays Just Landed 6 Men Behind Bars for 2 Years
While Egypt doesn't have a specific law to prosecute same-sex relationships, the government has been vicious in its crackdown on gays under vague laws such as committing "indecency" and "debauchery."
China Sentences Peaceful Uyghur Scholar Ilham Tohti to Life in Prison
"I scream for our ethnic group, but I scream louder for China," Ilham Tohti said through his lawyer.
Why Militant Maoists Are Attacking Mobile Phone Towers in India
Authorities say Maoists set fire to a trio of telephone towers in rural India. These are the latest of more than 200 towers that Maoists have targeted in recent years.
In Crimea, No Room for Blogger Liza Bogutskaya And Her Pro-Ukrainian Views
Liza Bogutskaya's outspokenness against what she sees as Russia's illegal occupation of Crimea has made her a favorite of pro-Ukrainians online and an enemy of the Russian state administering Crimea.
CPJ Calls on Obama to Defend the Right to Report in the Digital Age
With more and more world governments targeting journalists with communications surveillance, the Committee to Protect Journalists is asking the Obama administration to clean up its act.
Newspapers Predict Spain's Conservative Party Will Shelve Their Restrictive Abortion Bill to Save Face in Elections
Spain's abortion bill has met with pushback not only from parties in the opposition but also from within the current governing party's rank and file.
Minority Scholar Ilham Tohti Denies Chinese Authorities’ Accusation That He Led a Double Life at Separatism Trial
Lawyers for Ilham Tohti said the prominent Uyghur scholar was chained with leg irons and denied access to food and warm clothes while detained. The verdict is due next week.
Bahraini Human Rights Activist Maryam Al Khawaja Is Released From Prison While She Awaits Trial
Maryam Al Khawaja was arrested when she tried to enter the country to visit her jailed father, who is on his 27th day of a hunger strike.
Right to Be Forgotten: A Win for Argentina's Lawsuit-Happy Celebrities?
What kind of information is in the public interest? Is it possible (or desirable) to define this? Free expression attorney Ramiro Alvarez examines this question in the context of Argentina.
Trinidadian Diaspora Blogger Appeals to Domestic Violence Victims After Seeing Rice Viral Video
Once the video of Ray Rice (the American football player for the Baltimore Ravens) hitting his wife went viral, Trinidadian diaspora blogger Afrobella couldn't get the incident out of her...
Criticizing the Government Could Get You Arrested in Malaysia. Is it Time to Repeal the Sedition Act?
The law was passed in 1948 and it has been used ever since to harass the opposition
Nearly 70% of Young Iranians Use Illegal Internet Circumvention Tools
According to Iran’s list of Computer Crimes, the distribution of both circumvention technology and instructions to use such tools are both illegal. Violating these laws can result in severe punishment.
Egyptian Blogger Alaa Abd El Fattah Released on Bail
Prominent Egyptian activist and blogger Alaa Abd El Fattah was released on bail today but the road to justice is a long and bumpy one, says netizens.
Who Says You Can Block Google? Chinese Citizen Sues Telco, Demands Answers
The Chinese government has a heavy hand when it comes to online content. But exactly which government authorities set Internet censorship policy? A citizen lawsuit against China Unicom seeks answers.
Oscar Pistorius’ Verdict Ends the Biggest Social Media Event in South African History
According to Data Drive Insights, the trial is the biggest social media event in South Africa's history, producing an estimated 3.5 million tweets since Reeva Steenkamp's murder in February 2013.
