Stories about Law from January, 2014
Have Acne? South Korea Will Tax Your Treatment
Taxing your pimple outbreak? It is indeed a creative way to collect more taxes.
Whistleblower Barrister Expelled for Denoucing Dictatorial Trends in Burundi
Isidore Rufyikiri, Barrister at the Bujumbura Court in Burundi has been expelled from the Bar Association for denouncing dictatorial practices by the regime in power [fr] : J'ai osé dénoncer ce que les autres n'osent pas dénoncer, à savoir la dérive vers l'instauration d'un régime dictatorial au Burundi et la...
Don't Stop the Party: Copyright Issues Threaten Trinidad Carnival Fete
The Copyright Organisation of Trinidad and Tobago has threatened to shut down a popular Carnival fete, but organisers and patrons alike now have a voice through social media.
Egypt's Anti-Terrorism Law to Target Internet
Facebook, among other sites, will come under new scrutiny in Egypt, when a draft "anti-terrorism" law comes into effect.
Citizen Journalists Expose Police Brutality During Protests in Algeria
Protests, which shook El Guerrara town, exposed violent practices by the police in Algeria. Netizens filmed and denounced these practices. Abou Semmar reports.
Landfill Smoke Continues To Hold Trinidad's Capital Hostage
For the fourth consecutive day, anyone venturing into Port of Spain has had to endure thick, toxic smoke drifting from the city's main landfill. Netizens are complaining on Twitter.
Ukraine Rolls Back Short-Lived Anti-Protest ‘Dictatorship Laws’
The Ukrainian Parliament voted to revoke the controversial so-called "dictatorship laws" at the same time that the Ukrainian Prime Minister resigned, but protests still continue.
Trinidad & Tobago: Smoke in the City
With multiple fires at Trinidad's main landfill, citizens who work and live in and around the capital have been trying to deal with the effects of the thick smog.
Cable Providers Begin Dropping Russia's Only Independent TV Station
The prospect that Russian cable television providers might drop TV Rain became a reality today, when two major cable companies reported their decisions to end access to the station.
Guyanese Website Could Be Game Changer in Regional Crime Fighting
Crimefighting in Guyana is changing thanks to a new website - and there's hope that the technology could tip the balance in favour of the good guys throughout the region.
“There Are No Other Problems” in Tajikistan Besides Name Games
More than a week after Tajikistan's Prosecutor General made a controversial statement about “unpatriotic” surnames, Internet users in the country continue debating whether the ending of one's surname is a good measure of the person's level of patriotism. Many netizens, however, are angry about the fact that the Prosecutor General...
Congrats Tunisia on the New Constitution!
Bloggers from across the region paid tribute to Tunisia for adopting a new constitution, three years after the ousting of dictator Zeine el Abidin Ben Ali.
The Other Side of Social Media
That’s Twitter – it makes a joke out of serious issues and takes jokes seriously. - comments blogger Purba Ray while discussing Sunanda Pushkar’s sudden death who underwent a Twitter spat with a Pakistani journalist. The unusual death of the wife of Indian minister Shashi Tharoor has created a lot...
‘AFTER 25 Conference': Tokyo and Berlin Discuss Creative Culture
As Berlin and Tokyo mark 20 years of friendship as sister cities, representatives of two creative industries, including Chairman of the Club Commission of Berlin Marc Wohlrabe and Takahiro Saito, a lawyer and member of Let's Dance, a consortium that fights against Japan's dance regulations, will come together for the AFTER 25 conference on...
China Sentences Citizens’ Movement Icon Xu Zhiyong to Four Years in Prison
His imprisonment is part of a crackdown by new Chinese Communist Party leadership under President Xi Jinping against political liberals who have been trying to advocate for constitutional reform.
Protest Against Rape : WordToon by Subhendu Sarkar
In India women often fall prey to sex crimes where police fail to take proper action. Subhendu Sarkar, an artist from Kolkata created cartoons from words (see Youtube video) in an workshop called “wordtoon” urging everybody to protest against rape.
Trinidad & Tobago: Crime Fighting?
Yes, the Government is on the crime busting trail again. But, as always, it depends on your definition of ‘crime.’ Wired868 tackles, tongue firmly in cheek, the government's pushing of the Bail Amendment Bill, insinuating that in political speak, there are criminals and ‘criminals’.
Chinese Billionaire Activist's Confession and Release
Chinese billionaire activist Wang Gongquan, who was arrested and detained for more than 4 months, was released on bail after making “confessions” that he and another citizen right activist Xu Zhiyong had organized and incited criminal activities to assemble a crowd to disrupt order in public space. Offbeat China has...
Kyrgyz Woman Abducted for Marriage Tells Her Story on Twitter
A young woman was recently kidnapped for marriage in Bishkek. After police saved her from the kidnappers, the woman told the story of her "nightmare" on Twitter.
Online Petition to Stop Torture in Tajikistan
An increasing number of social media users in Tajikistan are calling on their friends and followers to sign an online petition [ru] to pressure the country's authorities to stop the use of torture. The petition was started following the death of an opposition party activist, 34-year old Umed Tojiev, in a Tajik prison...
Rule of Law Overturned in Nauru
The government of the tiny pacific island nation of Nauru has caused a legal and political storm by getting rid of its senior judiciary.