Stories about Law from August, 2007
Malawi: Moving on Despite the Politics of Section 65
The phenomenal story of 19 year-old Malawian blogger William Kamkwamba continues to attract attention from around the globe. William began making headlines after his appearance at the TEDGlobal 2007 conference in Tanzania, in June, where he talked about how he built a windmill using locally available resources in a remote part of Malawi where the easiest means of energy is fuel, wood, kerosene and candlelight.
Nepal: Legal Process and Money
Legal News From Nepal comments on the escalating prices for legal processes.
Egypt: Blogging for Civil and Religious Freedoms
The struggle for personal freedoms is ongoing in Egypt and the nation's bloggers continue to demand the liberty of citizens. Whether it be religious freedom or freedom from the wrath of a brutal police state, Egypt is speaking out against the inhumane treatment of her citizens this week. Plus a veteran blogger gives us a rare look into the inner workings of Egypt's most historic remaining cities.
Bangladesh: under curfew
Civil unrest began in Bangladesh on the 20th of August when a petty dispute broke out concerning comments passed by armed forces personnel during a soccer match at a university gymnasium ground. An army camp has occupied part of the ground since the declaration of a state of emergency on...
Russia: Blogger on Trial for Writing Fiction
Blogger Dmitry Shirinkin faces trial for having written on his blog that he had purchased a gun and was going to kill a few dozen people in one of the city’s colleges. According to Shirinkin, the text - posted on April 21, but made private on April 22 - was a work of fiction, "inspired" by the Virginia Tech shooting. According to the prosecutor's office, however, Shirinkin has violated Article 207 of the Russian Criminal Code by "distributing false information on a planned terrorist act." The trial is likely to take place in September; if convicted, the Russian blogger may receive a three-year prison sentence.
Jamaica: Media Emergency?
“I am a big supporter of the media and their freedom of speech. I do believe in the public’s right to know. However, I don’t know that the media has some emergency rights giving them free reign over the roads.” Beyondbee wonders what constitutes a “media emergency”.
Estonia: Russia
Yet another blog battle is raging in the comments section of Edward Lucas’ post on the Russo-Estonian relations.
Kuwait: Jailed Blogger Released
Following a local and regional outcry, jailed Kuwaiti blogger Bashar Al-Sayegh was released in Kuwait earlier today. While some bloggers celebrated the release, others warned that it could be a signal of more restrictions which could curtail freedom of speech in Kuwait. Another blogger expresses his disgust with men in...
Nigeria: Chevron to face trial over murder in the Niger Delta
Black Looks reporting about the trial of the oil giant, Chevron: “After waiting 8 years, Chevron oil company is finally being brought to trial in the US over the murder of villagers in the Niger Delta in 1998 and 1999.”
Bulgaria: “Roma Vendetta”
Eternal Remont writes about Roma violence in Sofia: “Two Words I NEVER Wanted to See in a Headline Together […] Roma Vendetta.”
Russia: BBC Radio Off Russian FM
As the parliamentary and presidential elections draw near, the BBC's Russian-language broadcasts have been chased out of Russian FM radio. Vilhelm Konnander has more on it.
Belarus: Students and KGB
TOL's Belarus translates a blog entry written by a Belarusian student who was summoned to the KGB and questioned on his studies and life in Lithuania.
Turkey: wordpress.com ban inspires firestorm of criticism
Matthew Mullenweg, founding developer of the popular WordPress blogging platform, has received a letter from the lawyers acting on behalf of a Turkish Islamic-creationist, Adnan Oktar, aka Harun Yahya, claiming to be responsible for the blanket ban on blogs hosted on the wordpress.com blogging platform in Turkey. On August 17th, 2007, the Turkish Fatih Second Civil Court of First Instance blocked access to all wordpress.com blogs in response to a suit filed by Adnan Oktar’s lawyers on the grounds that blogs hosted on the platform published allegedly defamatory and “unlawful” statements about their client.
Bahamas, Haiti: Illegal Immmigration
Rick Lowe, writing at WeblogBahamas.com, features an article by the late Dr. Julian Simon to make a point about what should be done regarding the Bahamas’ illegal immigration issue.
Libya, Bulgaria: Torture of the Tripoli Six
The Balkan Yankee awaits the world's reaction to Libya's acknowledgment of torture of the recently-released Bulgarian medics.
Kuwait: Blogger Bashar Al-Sayegh Arrested
Kuwait yesterday joined the ranks of countries with jailed bloggers, following the arrest of Bashar Al-Sayegh. How did bloggers in Kuwait and around the region react? Here's a quick review.
Malaysia: Malaysian Youtube Rapper
Cowboycaleb comments on a rap video that a Malaysian student in Taiwan uploaded on youtube. The video has the Malaysian national flag as the backdrop. Malaysian police are contemplating charging the student under the country's sedition charge.
Mauritania criminalizes slavery
Mauritania has made slavery a criminal offense, but Vive la Francophonie wonders if slavery can be abolished by laws alone (Fr). “Slavery is a mental attitude as old as humanity…The problem of slavery is in large part psychological,” Francophonie writes. “Mauritania, like the rest of the world, should fight against...
Russia: Neo-Nazi Execution Video
One of the most discussed topics in the Russian blogosphere last week was a graphic video of what appeared to be the execution of two ethnically non-Russian men by masked figures claiming to be members of a Russian neo-Nazi group. Anton Nossik, a representative of the company that oversees LiveJournal's Russian segment, blogs about the Russian authorities' irrational reaction to the video.
China: Blogs deleted, barred and officially backed
An eventful week on the backside of the Chinese blogsphere with an entire blogging website desisted, one high-profile blog deleted and another put on the unmentionable list; two web 2.0 companies battle it out in the courts and one novice blogger tries to gain readers the nouveau-riche way.
Vietnam: Web Censorship
When I began considering posting on Global Voices from Vietnam, the first thought that came to mind was what exactly was I allowed to post? What topics could I cover, and which ones should I avoid? The media in communist Vietnam is state controlled, and although the internet isn’t as...
