Stories about Law from March, 2014
Draft Penal Code in Violation of Women and Children's Rights
This week, the Mozambican NGO Fórum Mulher (Women's Forum) organized a march in protest of a change to the penal code that would threaten human rights. A group of civil society organizations delivered a note on February 24, 2014 denouncing violations of the rights of women, children and sexual minorities...
Tajik MP Comes Out Against Cousin Marriage
Saodat Amirshoeva, a female MP in Tajikistan, has a passion for trying to regulate marriage. She is now urging the parliament to ban cousin marriage.
Trinidad & Tobago: Coup Commission
Do Trinis care dat de report from de Commission ah Enquiry into Abu Bakr coup attempt in 1990 finally out? A Trini Speaks suggests that the release of the findings may be a case of too little, too late.
What Vybz Kartel's Conviction Says About Jamaican Justice & Dancehall
Since the Vybz Kartel murder conviction, Jamaica has been divided on the verdict, with upset fans maintaining his innocence and others feeling reassured about the workings of Jamaica's justice system.
Accused of Murder and Desperate for Justice, Peasants on Hunger Strike in Paraguay
Issues of land distribution and judiciary corruption come to the forefront as peasants accused of the Curuguaty massacre on hunger strike await a fair trial to prove their innocence.
Young Woman in Madagascar Kills Herself after Photos Were Re-posted on Facebook
Koolsaina writes that a Malagasy girl killed herself [fr] after photos of her were posted on a Facebook page that showcase photos of young women from Madagascar without their consent. A call to Facebook administrators was initiated to take down the page. As of today (March 16, 2014), Koolsaina reports...
The Hidden Rules of Chinese TV Series Censorship
Chinese film and TV directors often blame strict censorship for losing domestic viewers. But what limits do censorship place on the content of Chinese TV series?
Ultraman Comic Book Banned in Malaysia for Using the Word ‘Allah’
Ultraman may be a comic book hero but the translation of the word God into Allah is considered by Malaysia’s Home Affairs Ministry as a threat to public order.
GV Face: Happy 25th Birthday, Web!
What's the difference between the Internet and the Web? Why is an open web so important? An all-star panel of techies and rights defenders talks it out on GV Face.
Jamaican Dancehall Star Vybz Kartel Found Guilty of Murder
Jamaican dancehall star Vybz Kartel has been found guilty of murder. As the courthouse proceedings were live tweeted, social media exploded with commentary about the justice process and Kartel's fate.
Barefoot Lawyers Empowering Rural Bangladeshi Women
In Bangladesh, around 6,000 “barefoot lawyers” have been trained by the country's biggest NGO under its human rights and legal services (HRLS) program, reports Scott Macmillan at BRAC blog. These women act as one-woman mobile legal services clinics for the poor, especially women in rural areas where the traditional justice...
Russia Blocks Four Opposition Media Portals
"I don't even know if anyone is reading this anymore." - Putative opposition leader Alexey Navalny in his blog which was blocked today by order of Russia's Attorney General's office.
Russia’s Best News Portal Decimated
In Russia’s jingoist climate today, it is now much easier for corporate owners and state authorities to meddle in the politics of the country’s news websites.
For Abortion Rights in Bolivia, A Modest Gain
Bolivia's highest court rejected a constitutional challenge to a restrictive abortion law, while ruling that legal abortions no longer require a judge's consent.
Activists Mobilize for Passage of Brazil's Internet Bill of Rights
Internet rights activists are in Brasilia today to pressure the National Congress to approve the Brazilian bill of rights for Internet users, known as the Marco Civil. One of them is former Global Voices collaborator Diego Casaes, who works with global civic organization Avaaz and wrote on Facebook [pt] before heading to the capital city: Hoje...
Young Activists Battle Bad Parking Habits in Kazakhstan
A group of young activists in Pavlodar, a city in northeastern Kazakhstan, have founded a movement aimed at teaching manners to drivers. The young people confront motorists who park on sidewalks or in other improper places and ask them to move the vehicles to designated parking spots. The movement coordinates its...
Countering Hate Speech in Tokyo's Koreatown
Shin-Okubo, a district in Tokyo with high concentration of ethnic Korean residents, has been experiencing an escalation of anti-Korean protests by some extremely racist citizen groups in recent years.
100 Days in Prison without Trial: The Story of Alaa Abd El Fattah
Prominent Egyptian blogger Alaa Abd El Fattah completed his 100th day in prison without trial today. Watch this video to find out about his case and more.
Pascal Simbikangwa, Prime Accused in the Rwandan Genocide, Goes on Trial in France
Pascal Simbikangwa, charged with complicity in the 1994 Rwandan genocide, is finally being brought to trial in a French court, 20years after the massacre of about 800,000 ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus.
Kazakhstan: Devaluation, Demonstrations, and Lacy Underwear
"I came out in my last pair of lacy panties, which will be banned in our country as of July 2014."
A Chronology of International Violations by Russian Troops in Ukraine
The popular Maidan Translations blog republished a Facebook post by Dmitry Tymchuk, Head of the Ukrainian Center for Military-Political Studies, that describes several alleged international violations and “irregular actions” since late February 2014. Tymchuk begin this run-down by saying: For instance, on February 28, at 8.45 a.m. the flight of...
