Category: International

Bizarre, Free Speech, International, Military, Politics, Society

Egyptian Journalist Criminally Charged After Criticizing Al-Sisi

sisi-mouseWe have another abusive crackdown in Egypt under President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Egypt has seen a dramatic rollback on civil liberties under al-Sisi. In Egypt, a teenager was jailed for cartoons of Muhammad and a leading businessman was attacked for a cartoon of Micky Mouse with a beard. Then there was the three-year sentence given Amr Nohan, a 22-year-old law graduate for posting a Facebook image of el-Sisi with Mickey Mouse-style cartoon ears. A leading cartoonist Islam Gawish, 26, was arrested in Egypt by the hyper sensitive al-Sisi government. Now Egypt’s Attorney General Nabil Sadeq ordered an investigation into a TV presenter, Azza Al-Henawy, who simply criticized al-Sisi for not delivering on promise.

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Constitutional Law, Criminal law, Free Speech, International, Politics, Religion, Society

Turkish Government Takes Over Critical Newspaper And Then Immediately Issues Pro-Government Edition

220px-Recep_Tayyip_ErdoganZaman_Front_PageThe rapid decline of civil liberties under the authoritarianism of Turkish president. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been a regular point of discussion on this blog. He has been gradually arresting or threatening the dwindling number of independent journalists in Turkey and this prosecution may succeed in forcing the remaining reporters into silence or living in exile. The latest victim of his abusive rule is Turkey’s largest-circulation newspaper which was seized by the government. The newspaper, Zaman, was one of the most read sources of criticism of Erdogan and this government. The government has now silenced that voice and taken over the newspaper. The very next issue under government control was a markedly pro-government publication.

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Free Speech, International, Media, Society

Canadian Film Board Adopts Gender Quota System For Directors

220px-Hitchcock,_Alfred_02Filmmaking has always been treated as an art form that expresses the vision of actors and directors in the same unique way as painters or authors. Departing from that traditional view, the National Film Board of Canada has committed itself to a quota system that will require half of its publicly funded movies to be directed by women. The policy should raise serious artistic objections as being detached from the art form and artistic vision.

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Bizarre, Criminal law, International, Religion, Society

Indian Brothers Burn Sister Alive For Marrying A Man From Another Caste

220px-Large_bonfireWe have another “honor killing” in India where a family believed that its religious and social standing demanded the murder of a family matter. Rama Kunwar, 30, had simply married for love eight years ago. Her husband was from a different caste, but she had hoped that her family had reconciled to her choice in returning to her village. They hadn’t. Her brother set her on fire and burned her alive as other villagers watched. No one intervened to save her despite her pleas.

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Criminal law, International, Society

Irish 16-Year-Old Boy Charged With Statutory Rape For Consensual Sex With 16-Year-Old Girl

220px-DickseeRomeoandJulietWe have previously discussed the troubling use of statutory rape charges in cases where two teenagers have consensual sex. It is even more problematic when only the boy is charged. Yet, that appears to be the case in Kildare, Ireland where two sixteen year olds had consensual sex but the boy was then charged with rape. Judge Desmond Zaidan expressed “serious concerns” over the charges but the prosecutor has persisted in the case.
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Bizarre, Free Speech, International, Media, Politics, Society

China Bans All Television Depictions Of Gays, Smoking, Drinking, Sexually Suggestive Clothing “And So On”

220px-Revolutionary_operaAs China continues its crackdown on dissidents and journalists and lawyers, it appears to be slipping back into its old habits from the cultural revolution. Chinese censors have issued new regulations banning all depictions of gay people on television. Other depictions banned as “vulgar, immoral and unhealthy content include content showing extramarital affairs, one night stands and underage relationships as illegal on screen. The new censorship regulation also extends to “smoking, drinking, adultery, sexually suggestive clothing, even reincarnation.”

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Environment, International, Society

Whole Foods Pulls Pre-Peeled Tangerines After Humorous Tweet From Londoner Goes Viral

There is a recent controversy over Whole Foods that pushed the buttons for many of us who object to over packaging and unnecessary used of plastics. The United States continues to generate more garbage than any other nation and does not have the type of laws as in Germany where countries must internalize the costs of such packaging (giving them an economic incentive to reduce excess material). Now her twitter account Nathalie Gordon in London found a humorous but effective way to same Whole Foods into dropping a product of pre-pealed oranges sealed in little plastic boxes.

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Free Speech, International, Media, Politics, Society

A Dissenting View On Our Host’s Article “England Moves To Bar Support For Israeli Boycott Movement”

By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor

UKFlagWhile I am usually in agreement with Professor Turley’s views on free speech, I must disagree in large part with his opinion as he states in his article concerning England moving to bar support of local governments to boycott Israel and by extension other governments.

I do agree with his concern and objection of governments jailing individual citizens for engaging in boycotts of various entities. Allowing local governments to enact legislation calling for boycotts themselves is however problematic.
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Constitutional Law, Criminal law, International, Media, Politics, Religion, Society

Russia Arrests Atheist For Questioning The Existence of God On Social Media

225px-Vladimir_Putin_official_portraitPatriarch_Kirill_of_MoscowWe have recently discussed how Islamic countries like Saudi Arabia have arrested and flogged atheists under medieval Sharia legal systems. However, the most recent case is not out of the Middle East but rather Russia. Viktor Krasnov has been arrested for simply stating his belief that “there is no God” during an argument on social media. For his atheist views, Krasnov has been charged with “offending believers feelings.” He is the latest victim of the political alliance of Putin and the Russian Orthodox Church.

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Bizarre, Free Speech, International, Media, Politics, Religion

Egypt Expels Lawmaker For Inviting Israeli Ambassador to Dinner

CcEfGVdXIAApEnUEgypt’s parliament voted overwhelmingly to expel Tawfik Okasha from the legislature for the apparently unforgivable sin of inviting the Israeli ambassador in Cairo for dinner. The picture of him meeting with the ambassador took that opposition into a full rage. Now remember that Egypt has full diplomatic relations with Israel, but Okasha’s merely having dinner with the ambassador resulted in a vote of 465 out of 490 legislators supporting this expulsion.

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Bizarre, Criminal law, International, Politics, Religion

Leading Pakistani Religious Council Declares Law Protecting Women From Domestic Violence To Be “UnIslamic”

The Women’s Protection Act, passed by Pakistan’s largest province of Punjab last week, would seem the type of law that no civilized person could contest. It offers legal protection to women from sexual abuse and violence while calling for the creation of a toll-free abuse reporting hot line and the establishment of women’s shelters. However, the Council of Islamic Ideology, a powerful Pakistani religious body that advises the government on the compatibility of laws with Islam, has now declared that criminalizing violence against women is “un-Islamic.”

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Academia, Bizarre, Constitutional Law, Free Speech, International, Media, Politics, Religion

Oberlin Professor Retained Despite Controversial Facebook Postings

1456789323213We have another case of a professor who was put under scrutiny for her postings on social media. Joy Karega, an assistant professor of “rhetoric and composition” at Oberlin College posted bizarre claims on Facebook blaming Jews and Israel for 9/11 as well as ISIS. The college however has decided that such postings are protected and it is correct in doing so. However, once again, there is a concern over how colleges treat such controversies depending on the views and conclusions of the academics or students.

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Constitutional Law, Free Speech, International

Chinese Businessman Questions Government Crackdown on the Media. . . The Government Immediately Cuts Off His 37 Million Followers

This week offered another insight into how little it takes to be blocked in China. Ren Zhiqiang, a highly influential businessman and commentator, offered a mild criticism of President Xi Jinping’s campaign to tighten control over state-run media. The result was the the government blocked him from Internet sites for spreading “illegal information” and having a “negative impact.” The result of being blocked by sites like Sina Corp.’s Weibo and Tencent Holdings Ltd.’s QQ was the loss of access to more than 37 million followers on Weibo alone. Of course, his complaints are meritless since the chief censor of China announced recently that there is no censorship in China . . . and he should, after all, know. He is the chief censor.

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Bizarre, Criminal law, International, Religion, Society

Islamic Teacher Convicted Of Raping Nine-Year-Old Student After Claiming That She Initiated The Sex

There is a disturbing case out of Snaresbrook Crown Court in England where an Islamic studies tutor raped his 14-year-old pupil and left her pregnant. Mohammed Islam, 31, reportedly started molesting the schoolgirl in 2010 when she was just nine while teaching her the Koran. He has been sentenced to 19 years.

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