Stories about Law from January, 2011
South Africa: Debate on secrecy bill resumes
Parliamentary hearings on South Africa's Protection of Information Bill resumed last week with heated debate over provisions threatening to restrict press freedom and access to information.
Liberia: The Liberian Saga
Aaron Leaf blogs about the Liberian saga: angry court, jailed editor, president's speech.
Vietnam to expel undocumented foreign workers
saigonnezumi discusses the social and economic impact if Vietnam decides to expel about 30,000 undocumented foreign workers.
Ukraine: YouTube Helps Discipline Traffic Police
Tetyana Bohdanova reports on how Ukrainians are using the Internet to expose unlawful actions committed by traffic police.
Ukraine: Police Treatment of Foreigners Raises Concerns Ahead of Euro 2012
Tetyana Bohdanova reviews the netizens' reactions to a recent episode of ill-treatment of foreigners by the Ukrainian police, a trend that is especially alarming since Ukraine is currently preparing to co-host the 2012 European Football Championship together with Poland.
Ecuador: Netizens Discuss Referendum on Constitution
President Rafael Correa has presented 10 questions in a "popular consultation," a referendum which amends several parts of the most recent Constitution drafted in 2008. Ecuadorians are using blogs and Twitter to discuss the proposed changes.
Cuba: Fariñas Arrested & Released
Uncommon Sense has been following the recent arrest of Cuban independent journalist Guillermo Fariñas and calls his detainment a “We told you so” moment. He has subsequently been released.
Jamaica: “Dog-Paw”
“The cliche that truth is stranger than fiction is true”: Active Voice interviews the author of Dog-Heart about parallels with the story of Christopher ‘Dog Paw’ Linton, who was recently arrested by Jamaican police.
Jamaica: Wikileaks & “Dudus”
Jamaica Salt says that Wikileaks only confirmed what people already knew about the Christopher “Dudus” Coke extradition, which “pretty much makes this whole Jamaican govt enquiry completely redundant (at a cost of JA 40 million), but they carry on regardless and the Jamaican people have to eat it.”
Russia: “Anonymous Bomb” and “Random Scapegoats” of Domodedovo
In the aftermath of the Jan. 24 suicide bombing at Moscow's Domodedovo Airport, which killed at least 35 people and left over 100 wounded, some Russophone bloggers are once again discussing the ominous patterns that grow more and more obvious with each new major terror attack in Russia.
Bangladesh: Superiority Between Judiciary and Parliament
Judiciary or parliament, which is superior in Bangladesh? An Ordinary Citizen sheds a light on the recent controversy involving judiciary and the parliament.
Bahamas, D.R.: Fish Poaching
Bahama Pundit‘s Larry Smith notes that “a recent report…has confirmed that poaching by commercial fishermen from the Dominican Republic is the greatest single threat to Bahamian seafood resources.”
Guyana: End of Relationship, Not End of Life
The Guyana Groove is concerned about “the extremely high rate” of domestic violence, especially “in those cases in which one or both of the partners left the relationship.”
Trinidad & Tobago: Young People Die in Car Accident
On the heels of a horrific car crash in which two young people lost their lives, KnowTnT.com blogs about “three elements that cumulatively share in the complicity of this tragedy.”
Cuba: Marta's Victory
Crossing the Barbed Wire blogs about the experience of Marta Diaz Rondon, who was reportedly imprisoned and beaten by “men who claim to be patriots and protectors of Cuba’s security.”
Cuba: Old Age in Cuba
“Hands shaking with Parkinson’s offer sugary snacks at bus stops, wrinkled faces offer razor blades for only five pesos”: Generation Y says that the system the elderly helped to build “cannot provide them with a dignified old age.”
Cambodia: Garment Worker Open University
Anne Elizabeth Moore blogs about the Garment Worker Open University project in Cambodia. It aims to unite factory workers in Phnom Penh and inform them about their legal rights
China: P2P service down for copyright compliance
When leading Chinese P2P website VeryCD was shut down in 2009, it was back online the next day. This time, it appears the network won't be back up until all copyrighted materials are removed: ‘The days of “free” movie downloads for Chinese users,’ writes [zh] tech blogger William Long, ‘are...
El Salvador: Transparency Law Stalled
A law that, “would have required government institutions, and private entities tied to the state, to make information available to the public without, necessarily, a formal request, by establishing an accessible database of information,” is stalled, as reported by Voices from El Salvador's Weblog.
Guatemala: Former President on Trial on Embezzlement Charges
Central American Politics writes about the trial of former Guatemalan President Alfonso Portillo, “currently on trial in Guatemala on embezzlement charges.”
Russia: Domodedovo Airport Blast
A bomb exploded at Moscow's Domodedovo airport, at least ten casualties reported. An avalanche of Twitter items here (RUS) and here (RUS, ENG). @ann_mint, who works at Domodedovo, was one of the first Twitter users to report on the blast; “There're victums in #domodedovo Pray for us,” she wrote (ENG)...
