· December, 2010

Stories about Law from December, 2010

Pakistan: The Blasphemous Use Of Blasphemy Law

  25 December 2010

The interpretation of Blasphemy law in Pakistan has, for long, aroused controversy and has been criticized and questioned by the human rights activists. It has been used as a tool to spread violence and incite fear specifically among the minorities. Neitzens call for amendment of the law.

India: Doctor Gets Life Sentence On Sedition Charges

  25 December 2010

On 24th December, 2010, a Sessions Court in Raipur, Chattisgarh, convicted civil rights activist Dr. Binayak Sen on charges of sedition and conspiracy. The court found Dr. Sen guilty of aiding Maoist rebels in the State and have sentenced him to life imprisonment. Netizens reacted to the verdict.

Caribbean: Defining Moments of 2010

  24 December 2010

Many landmark events happened in the Caribbean this year, prompting reactions from the regional blogosphere. Here's a look back at some of the most important stories of 2010...

Venezuela: Police Repression During Protest Over University Law

  24 December 2010

Miguel Octavio in The Devil's Excrement says that students faced severe police repression during a protest against a new law that gives the government more control over universities. Furthermore, in Venezuela News and Views Daniel Duquenal reports that an AFP journalist was hurt while taking pictures of the protest.

China: Legal action threatened over #netfreedom violation

  23 December 2010

Sina blogger Wu Fei has written a letter to Tencent CEO Ma Huateng threatening legal action over the company's specific practice of filtering from QQ one term protected by the constitution and used across the Chinese Internet, government websites included: “freedom of speech”.

Hungary: New Media Law and Censorship

  23 December 2010

BloggingPortal.eu and Hungarian Spectrum (here and here) discuss Hungary's new media law. According to BloggingPortal.eu, “[u]nder this new law, a National Media and Communications Authority (NMHH) will be set up – a body that Reuters reports will be ‘dominated by people loyal to the ruling Fidesz party.’ Members of this...

Haiti: Post-Election Update

  22 December 2010

“Two weeks after the preliminary results were announced, the streets of Port-au-Prince are calm, but the situation is just as confusing and worrying”: prophet N gives an update.

Bermuda: Government Inspiration?

  22 December 2010

Vexed Bermoothes suspects that the government has sent him an inspirational postcard, saying: “Sending a post card won’t change the tone of Bermuda politics, halt the gang warfare, and or make us nicer people.”

China: Gold farming couple handed down heavy sentence

  22 December 2010

The verdict this month of a fine of USD 450,000 and several years in prison for one couple who ran a gold farm throughout 2007 has left those following the trial shocked, angered and wondering how something so common in China could suddenly be punished so heavily.

Venezuela: Hugo Chavez Granted Special Powers for 18 Months

  22 December 2010

On December 17, Caracas Gringo wrote that President Hugo Chavez “was granted special powers to rule by presidential decree until June 2012.” An Enabling Law that Venezuelan Analysis reports was passed “in order to bring rapid relief to 130,000 flood victims and to further engrain 21st Century Socialism in the...

Guatemala: International Commission Against Impunity Extended to 2013

  21 December 2010

In Central American Politics, Mike writes that “the United Nations General Assembly agreed to extend the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala's (CICIG) mandate another two years until September 2013. […] Colom requested the extension because he did not believe that the justice and security sectors would be able capable...

Guyana: Dispensable Lives?

  20 December 2010

“Thinking about how things are in Guyana these days, particularly about how cheap human life has become”, reminds Imran Khan of a poem he penned a few years ago in “a poor attempt to speak to injustice and inequality.”

Africa: The Scandal of the “Ill-gotten Gains”

  20 December 2010

In the scandal of the wealth accumulated by some African politicians, the French Supreme Court of Appeals reversed the verdict pronounced by Paris Court of Appeals a year ago. The court of appeal deemed that the claim of embezzlement filed by Transparency International against the leaders of RDC, Gabon and Equatorial Guinea and their entourage was valid. Bloggers discuss the implications of this wealth accumulated by African leaders in contrast with the poverty of the rest of the population.

South/North Korea: A Review of 2010 in Keywords

  20 December 2010

From Cheonan incident in March to the latest North Korean attack on Yeonpyeong island, Global Voices took a look back at the year’s hottest keywords that have been widely circulated over Korean internet venues.

Japan: Woman sued Google Street View for pics of underwear

  19 December 2010

Again troubles for Google Street Views [en] in Japan. Reports said [en] that a young woman sued Google for showing pictures of her underwear drying on the balcony and claimed about 7,000 USD for damages. A blogger at Gundam Nikki commented saying that such an action is exaggerated and due...