Stories about Law from February, 2013
Iran: Will Thieving Officials Also Have Their Hands Chopped Off?
Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad once again proved his talent for making surprising headlines when he played a video for the parliament implicating some of the country's leading officials in a corruption scandal.
One Joke Too Many? Bhutanomics Satire Blog is Suddenly Blocked
Rousing suspicions that Bhutan's government does not appreciate the humor of political satire blog Bhutanomics, the website was blocked on January 12, 2013 from a major internet service provider with no explanation or warning.
Somyot Case Ignites Lese Majeste Debate in Thailand
Activist Somyot Prueksakasemsuk was found guilty by the Bangkok Criminal Court of violating the Lese Majeste (anti-royal insult) law. As editor of the Voice of Taksin magazine, Somyot was slapped with a 10-year jail sentence for publishing articles that ‘insulted’ the monarchy. Somyot's case ignited debate on whether it's time for Thailand to reform the controversial law
Saudi Activist Trial Postponed Without Prior Notice
A new trial was supposed to start today [Feb 4, 2013] for Saudi Political and Civil Rights Association (ACPRA) co-founder Dr Abdulkareem al-Khudr. Two of the association's co-founders, Dr Abdullah al-Hamid and Dr Mohammad al-Qahtani, have been already under trial and contentious weekly interrogation for over the previous six months. al-Khudr is the author of several papers making the case for political and civil rights from an Islamic prospective, contradicting the state's official positions.
Trinidad & Tobago: Questionable Résumés
Trinidad and Tobago-based bloggers weigh in on the latest political controversy, in which Hafizool Mohammed, who serves on the Commission of Inquiry into the 1990 attempted coup, had many indiscrepancies on his résumé, but was appointed to his post in spite of them.
China: Police Pressure Whistleblower to Expose Source
The whistleblower of the sex tapes scandal in Chongqing, Zhu Ruifeng, is being pressured by the Chongqing police to surrender the original tapes of the 7 sex videos implicating eleven government officials.