Stories about Law from August, 2014
Prominent Egyptian Activist Alaa Abdel Fattah Goes on Hunger Strike
Egyptian activist and blogger Alaa Abdel Fattah has entered an open-ended hunger strike until he is released from prison, his family said in a statement posted on Facebook today.
Five Million People Have Had Enough of Myanmar's Current Constitution
Myanmar's opposition is pushing a large-scale constitutional reform effort to remove "undemocratic provisions" that it says sustain the country's current military-backed government.
Freedom of Information and Data Protection Dealt A Blow in Mexico: IFAI Won't Challenge Telecom Law
Disappointment and frustration prevail as the IFAI's decision leaves Mexico's citizens defenseless against the country's crucial new telecom law.
Demanding Gender Equality in the Bahamas
Lynn Sweeting, blogging at Womanish Words, wants equality for women in the Bahamas and pens a poem in that regard.
Thailand's Military Junta Cements Its Power With ‘Undemocratic’ Interim Constitution
Thailand’s military government has enacted an interim constitution which critics described as a charter that is designed to perpetuate a military dictatorship.
Journalist and Democracy Advocate Ahmed Rizwan Abdulla Missing in the Maldives
The prolific social media user is vocal against hatred in the name of religion and has not been shy about criticizing the Maldives Islamist Adhaalath Party and other political parties.
Russia Just Doubled Its Internet Surveillance Program
At first glance, "SORM 2.0" seems redundant, but the reform of police surveillance online could vastly expand the reach of the Kremlin.
Even Pussy Riot Fears Russia’s New Internet Crackdown
There was no way to predict that Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, the former Pussy Riot political prisoner, would curtail her online activism to avoid being targeted by the Attorney General.
Jamaica: #Ferguson & #Gaza
Jamaica-based blogger Annie Paul republishes a compilation of tweets that show the similarities between the standoff in #Gaza and in #Ferguson, where yet another unarmed black man was gunned down by the police. The response to the resulting protests by U.S. law enforcement has been so brutal that netizens are...
Defending Human Rights in Jamaica
When JFJ [Jamaicans For Justice] began, extra-judicial killings by police were commonplace. Yet, not a single police officer had ever – not in the entire history of Jamaica – been ever held accountable for one of these murders. It was a matter that desperately needed addressing. The death of Mario Deane...
In the Fight Against Russia, Ukraine Flirts with Kremlinesque Internet Censorship
A new draft law in Ukraine could grant the government extensive powers to shut down media outlets and block websites in the name of national security.
Hundreds Join a Grieving Father's Silent Protest of Slow Hit-and-Run Investigation in Serbia
Luka Jovanović, 21, was killed while he was fixing his own car on Branko Bridge in Belgrade with several friends.
Human Rights Experts: Pakistan Could Become a “Police State” Under Protection Ordinance
If implemented in its current form, the consequences of Pakistan's "Protection Ordinance" on citizens’ rights will be far reaching, both on and offline.
Human Kidney Trafficking in China
A recent court case in Jianxi province revealed the insider story of human kidney trafficking business in China. Charles Liu from theNanfang.com curated the local investigative report on the operation of the underground business. … a 21 year-old man looking to prove to his family that he was financially independent....
Nine More Political Dissidents Are Stripped of Their Nationalities in Bahrain
One man's sister said he was tortured before the sentencing. A special commission found that Bahrain tortured and mistreated opponents of the regime in the past.
Killers Roam Free After Brutally Murdering a Defender of India’s Untouchables
"Burn him! Erase all his traces" - shouted the killers of Sanjay Khobragade, a Dalit rights activist from Maharashtra, India. Sanjay is one of many Dalits who face such cruelty.
What Gardening Has Taught Me About Civic Responsibility
Our Trinidad-based Caribbean editor has learned a lot of things in her garden. She shares eight seeds that germinated into her civic consciousness here.
TJournal's Vadim Elistratov Says It's a Political Time to Be Russian
Elistratov explains the creep of politics in Russian daily life, saying the recent barrage of oppressive laws is changing the tone of the country's social discourse.
Caribbean Court of Justice Mired in Controversy
Barbados Free Press says that few people realise “that the vaunted Caribbean Court of Justice carries no actual power or authority”, partly because compliance with the court's decisions is apparently voluntary. Comparing the institution to a toothless bulldog, the post went on to provide links to reports on several incidents...
A Man's Fatal Beating Puts Police Brutality Back on the Front Burner in Jamaica
Mario Deane was beaten while in police custody for marijuana possession. This type of violence has plagued the country's political culture from as far back as the 1970s.
After a 15-Year-Old's Gruesome Murder, Some Serbians Seek the Death Penalty's Return
The man suspected of abducting and killing 15-year-old Tijana Jurić was arrested on Aug. 7, 2014, in Belgrade. He confessed, sparking public outrage in the small Eastern European country.
