· August, 2011

Stories about Law from August, 2011

Trinidad & Tobago: More Questions on State of Emergency

  24 August 2011

As the State of Emergency continues in Trinidad and Tobago, the government's communication efforts about it continue to be muddled at best: Is it limited or national? Is there a solid strategy in place or not? Local bloggers are voicing their opinions, confusion and frustration online.

Cuba: Female Activists Detained

  24 August 2011

Four women who took to Havana's Capitol building to protest recent actions against The Ladies in White have reportedly been detained; Uncommon Sense has the details.

Peru: Congress Passes Law Requiring Prior Consultation With Indigenous Peoples

  24 August 2011

The Peruvian Congress unanimously approved the ‘Prior Consultation Law‘ for indigenous or native peoples (“Ley de Consulta Previa a los Pueblos Indígenas u Originarios“[es] in Spanish), which establishes the mandatory or biding character of the consultations with indigenous peoples [es]. It is expected that President Ollanta Humala will soon sign...

Sri Lanka: Grease Devils Targetting Women In The North And The East

  23 August 2011

D.B.S Jeyaraj shares a report of the The Womens Action Network (WAN) on the attacks on women by assailants posing as the mythical character “Grease Devil”. The attacks have occurred mostly in the Northern and Eastern provinces of Sri Lanka and the victims are generally Tamil speaking Tamil and Muslim...

Jamaica: Obama Rejects Plea for Garvey Pardon

  23 August 2011

Geoffrey Philp is surprised by the Obama administration's rejection of the request for a presidential pardon for Marcus Garvey on the grounds that “it would be ‘a waste of time and resources’ since Garvey had been ‘dead for ages‘”, saying: “Marcus Garvey has joined the ancestors. So this plea for…exoneration...

Guyana: Supporting T&T's State of Emergency

  23 August 2011

Demerara Waves reports that Guyana has officially declared its “support of Trinidad and Tobago’s limited state of emergency that has been imposed to quell a spike in drug-related murders and other forms of violence.”

Trinidad and Tobago: Debating a State of Emergency

  22 August 2011

On Sunday 21 August, the government of Trinidad and Tobago declared a national state of emergency to deal with the violent crime that has afflicted the Caribbean nation in recent years. This legal move — which affects citizens' civil rights — triggered debate and concern among Trinidadians online.

Peru: Customers Show Support for Ripley Department Store Employees

  22 August 2011

Peruvian social networks are buzzing with talk about the temporary closing of a Ripley department stores. Although the closing of the store is officially in accordance with the lack of a security certificate issued by the Civil Defense, it has come about in the middle of a long conflict with its employees.

Russia: “Democracy Without Balls”

RuNet Echo  21 August 2011

Oleg Klimov writes [ru] that Mikhail Gorbachev, speaking on the 20th anniversary of the Soviet Union's collapse, said that “Putin is no dictator – he has just castrated democracy by depriving citizens of the democratic right to choose.”

Lebanon: Smoking Banned

“The Lebanese Parliament endorsed a law that bans smoking in public or closed spaces. The law also bans any sort of tobacco advertising and promotions….” reports Moudz, who added that “Non-smokers have been overjoyed today with the news filling up the social timelines with their expressions of approval.”

Sri Lanka: The Return Of The Grease Devils

  19 August 2011

In many rural areas of Sri Lanka the mythical figure of the Grease Yaka (Grease Devil) is being blamed for nighttime assaults on women and thefts/robberies. A number of suspects have been arrested and a few of them even mob-lynched by villagers. Rezwan investigates.

Lebanon: Special Tribunal Unseals Indictment

“The first question that comes to mind is: is this it? After nearly six years of investigation, does the case truly rest solely on telecommunications data? What about witness testimony? Forensics? DNA analysis? Magnifying glasses and trench coats?” asks Qifa Nabki while summarizing the indictment and posting his first reaction...

Kuwait: Fined for Bad Breath

From Kuwait, Mark shares a news item about an Arab motorist who was fined by a policeman for “having bad breath.” “If they’re issuing tickets for bad breath then my previous joke about how sunglasses should be banned might actually happen,” he blogs.