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Charles Taylor: The Fall Guy and Substitute Justice

Wed, 30 May 2012 15:21:02 +0000

Jaclyn Burger

Charles Taylor, one of West Africa’s most infamous political figures, was arrested and handed over to the Special Court for Sierra Leone in 2006 to be tried for crimes committed during that country’s brutal civil war. Last month, after a trial that lasted almost five years, featured 115 witness testimonies, and cost approximately $250 million, the court found Taylor guilty of 11 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including murder, rape, sexual slavery, and the conscription of child soldiers. The prosecution requested an 80-year prison sentence.

Goal! Dictators Score in International Sports

Tue, 29 May 2012 15:23:30 +0000

Arch Puddington

We are encountering yet again one of the great clichés of public life: “There is no place for politics in the world of sports.” This ignoble refrain was first advanced prior to the 1936 Berlin Olympics—the Hitler Games. It was repeated in the run-up to the 1980 Moscow Olympics, an event that was widely boycotted to protest the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

An Opportunity for Justice in the Congo

Wed, 23 May 2012 16:14:39 +0000

Morgan Huston

*The author is a member of the Freedom House research staff.

A Challenge to ‘Separate but Equal’ in Bosnia

Mon, 21 May 2012 17:10:36 +0000

S. Adam Cardais

After months of debate, a group of 20 politicians, scholars, journalists, and civic leaders gathered in Sarajevo last month to present its thoughts on where Bosnia and Herzegovina will be in 2025. The group, backed by Germany’s Friedrich Ebert Foundation, offered five scenarios to pique policymakers—not, it emphasized, to predict the future.

The Pigs Are Flying in China

Wed, 16 May 2012 16:40:57 +0000

Tyler Roylance

Earlier this month, Chinese authorities were forced to temporarily suspend trading of shares in the online unit of the People’s Daily newspaper, the official mouthpiece of the ruling Communist Party. The price had soared so rapidly since the website’s April debut on the Shanghai Stock Exchange—giving it a greater market value than the New York Times—that it triggered regulatory rules aimed at halting speculative manipulation.

Transparency’s Demise in Argentina

Tue, 15 May 2012 17:16:10 +0000

Britta Crandall

“You are immensely lucky to be living in a full democracy where each of you can say, feel, express, and shout whatever you wish.”

—President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, April 29, 2012

Zimbabwe after Mugabe: An Interview with Karl Beck

Mon, 14 May 2012 17:52:23 +0000

In the following interview, Karl Beck, Freedom House’s director for Southern Africa, discusses possible political scenarios for Zimbabwe after 88-year-old President Robert Mugabe leaves the scene.

Can't view the video? Visit the following link:

http://youtu.be/XaAxhjldDsU

A ‘To Do’ List for Internet Freedom

Fri, 11 May 2012 14:42:23 +0000

Daniel Calingaert

Almost a year ago, Swedish foreign minister Carl Bildt declared before the UN Human Rights Council that the “same rights that people have offline … must also be protected online.” This was the underlying theme of a groundbreaking May 2011 report by UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression Frank La Rue.

Dictatorships Go High Tech—With Our Help

Wed, 09 May 2012 14:37:01 +0000

Daniel Calingaert

When news broke last month that Swedish telecommunications company TeliaSonera had collaborated with Eurasian dictatorships, it should have come as no surprise. The firm reportedly gave the security services of Azerbaijan, Belarus, and Uzbekistan complete access to their countries' telecom systems, thereby facilitating intercepts of telephone calls and text messages. This collaboration, sadly, fits a pattern.

Slamming the Door on Press Freedom in Bahrain

Tue, 08 May 2012 20:19:01 +0000

Courtney C. Radsch