Stories about Law from May, 2008
Trinidad & Tobago: Ah Have ah Tabanca
“You know if this was a relationship with a man, you wouldn’t still be here. You would never stick around and take this abuse. Stay for what? Because this is where you were born? This is what you know? This is the only place that understands you?”: Trinidad and Tobago...
Jamaica: Gays and Golding
Kadene Porter at Jamaica's Abeng News Magazine analyzes the Prime Minister's controversial BBC interview in which he said that there would be no gays in his Cabinet: “It is rather strange that this single issue has come to define the morals of a people, considering the heinous nature of crimes...
Ukraine: Tymoshenko's Politics
Foreign Notes writes about PM Yulia Tymoshenko's defeat in the Kyiv election, her meeting with PM Vladimir Putin, and the future of her cabinet.
India: On Mobocracy
Shashwati's Blog on mobocracy – where mobs hand out punishment in India.
Cayman Islands: Not Here?
Cayblogger responds to a mainstream media editorial by examining the Cayman Islands’ attitude towards homosexuality and crime: “There have been, what… five murders in Cayman this year to only one ‘gay kiss?’ Which means that we, as a society, are less tolerant of a gay kiss than of a murder.”
Colombia: Paramilitary Leaders Extradited to the United States
In Colombia, 14 demobilized paramilitary bosses were recently extradited to the United States to face charges of drug trafficking. Bloggers in Colombia discuss how this might affect the current political situation in the country and how much the jailed individuals might reveal now that they have very little incentive to keep silent.
Libya: Double Standards
From Libya, Abaalhasan [Ar] objects to the police's inaction against a group of gays who were standing outside a bar and disturbing passers-by and asks: why does the government crackdown on any voice of opposition but not on those who go against the norms of society? It is not clear...
Albania: Reckless Driving
Stepping Stones writes about reckless driving in Albania.
Ukraine: Inflation and Currency Revaluation
Edward Hugh of A Fistful of Euros discusses inflation, currency revaluation and politics in Ukraine.
Ukraine: A View From Crimea
Last week, Ukraine banned Moscow mayor Yuri Luzhkov from the country, after he called for Russia to take ownership of Sevastopol, a Ukrainian Black Sea naval port. The incident received much coverage in the Russian and Ukrainian media and blogs. Below is one more post, written by a Russophone resident of Balaklava, a Crimean town that has an official status of a district of the city of Sevastopol.
Estonia: “Asymmetrical Bilingualism”
Itching for Eestimaa writes about “asymmetrical bilingualism” and the Estonia report by Doudou Diene, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.
Haiti: Breaking the Law?
Haitian blogger Wadner Pierre shares his thoughts on the philosophy of nonviolence and, in the words of Thoreau, when “it is important for honest men to break the law.”
Hong Kong: Private Deal Against Basic Law?
Luke pointed out that the private deal between Hong Kong government and the Time Square property management concerning the Time Square public space may have violated the Basic Law [zh], which protects freedom of expression and gathering.
Saudi Arabia: Monkeys and Residents
Muqeem in KSA [Ar], from Saudi Arabia, is wondering why authorities haven't taken any measures against the problem residents are having with wild monkeys and asks whether it was because not many citizens live in that particular area.
Ukraine: Vote-Buying
Kyiv Scoop reports on vote-buying in Kyiv.
Saudi Arabia: Dhahran Under Siege
Saudi Arabia hosted the Gulf Cooperation Council's Summit in its Eastern province, bringing the leaders of Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and the UAE under one roof - and holding the residents of Dhahran and Dammam hostage for the duration of their meeting as all the main highways leading to and from the city were shut.
Russia: Circassians
Window on Eurasia writes about Circassians’ “100-year-long resistance to Russia’s southward advance.”
Estonia: Arnold Meri's Trial
Itching for Eestimaa writes about the trial of Arnold Meri: “On Voice of America he's an ‘ex-officer.’ On Russia Today he's a ‘war hero.’ And on the BBC, he's a ‘Soviet war figure’.”
Trinidad & Tobago: Don't Touch My Buddy
Grounding recalls an effective campaign in response to “a surge in racism and racist attacks in France” and wonders: “What would it really be like for us to have a similar campaign here in T & T?”
Uzbekistan: IMU Arrest in Europe
Nathan reports that police in the Netherlands, France, and Germany arrested 10 men suspected of financing the IMU, Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, aimed at establishment of an Islamic theocracy in central Asia and the overthrow of the regime of Uzbek President Islom Karimov.
Afghanistan: A Case of the Judiciary
SunLeaf tells story of a Journalist student convicted of insulting Islam (the punishment for this crime is death), which vividly reflects the state of the Judiciary in Afghanistan.
