Democracy & Civics

Spain's Mass Graves Closed for Now

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A Spanish judge who pledged to investigate the deaths of thousands during the Spain Civil War and the Franco regime conceded mass grave exhumation to regional courts after pressure from Spanish conservatives. The Times of London reports that Judge Baltasar Garzon ordered the exhumation of 25 mass graves across Spain thought to hold over 114,000 people who disappeared throughout General Franco’s 36-year dictatorship. In addition to the remains of Spain’s most famous poet, Garzon hoped to identify the bodies of union members and Franco’s left-leaning opponents at the behest of family members. Garzon alleged that tens of thousands of people were killed on orders from 44 high-ranking regime leaders and Franco himself, accusing them of crimes against humanity
Opposition to Garzon’s move came from members of the conservative Popular Party, the Catholic Church, and the public prosecutor’s office, which said a federal investigation would violate a 1977 national amnesty agreement. Other objectors stated the prosecution of 70-year-old crimes was a needless reopening of past scars.

Democracy & Civics

Lip-Syncing the Cultural Revolution

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China’s Ministry of Culture announced it may punish individuals, groups and organizers who lip-sync or pretend to play an instrument in live commercial performances. The ministry’s website noted that those who attempt to “cheat the public” would be punished, though specific penalties were not listed. According to Agence France-Presse, the “semi-official” China News Service suggested that first-time offenders would be publicly exposed. The Guardian reports that professional performers could have their business licenses revoked for multiple offenses in a two-year period. A ministry representative said officials plan to consult the public before settling on final details.

Democracy & Civics

The Czech Republic's Meth Crackdown

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Prague, capital of the Czech Republic, is cracking down on the sale of medicines made with ephedrine and pseudoephedrine in order to control production of homemade methamphetamine, one of the country’s most common drugs. The Prague Post said the two chemicals are key ingredients of pervitine — “a more refined form” of crystal methamphetamine, or speed — and are commonly found in cold medicines. The National Drug Squad will restrict sales to one package per week and will coordinate pharmacy databases to monitor purchases. Most of the European Union’s methamphetamines originate in the Czech Republic, where it is made in homemade laboratories and smuggled across borders. The use of speed, which was given to Nazi soldiers during World War II to stimulate alertness and fight fatigue, became widespread during the former Czechoslovakia’s communist era.

Democracy & Civics

Violence Claims Mexican Journalist

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Armando Rodriguez, a veteran Mexican crime reporter, was recently shot to death outside his home in the border city of Ciudad Juarez, according to news site Frontera NorteSur. Rodriguez, a reporter for the newspaper El Diario, covered crime for more than a decade in Juarez, and was one of the first to report on the infamous rapes and murders of scores of women in Juarez. Police say they have no motive or suspects yet, but Rodriguez had received at least one threat and, according to the article, “his killing occurred exactly one week after a severed human head was discovered at a monument to journalists in Ciudad Juarez.” Mexico has become increasingly dangerous for journalists, who are being targeted by drug gangs to reveal sources and as revenge for incriminating stories. Rodriguez is the sixth journalist to be murdered in Mexico this year.

Democracy & Civics

Prison in Greenland? It's Casual.

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The small island of Greenland is home to one of the most lax prison systems in the world, where most convicts are free to leave during the day and are only locked up overnight. Radio Netherlands said Greenland’s convicts spend the first tenth of their sentence in lock-down, but if their conduct is good enough, they can progress to the open prison system, in which prison doors are locked only from 9:30 p.m. and 6:30 a.m.
Peter Kristensen, director of Greenland’s prison system, told RN the open-prison system emphasizes prisoner rehabilitation rather than punishment, adding that “we only have 56,000 people in Greenland, and we can’t afford to lose any of them.” Prisoners are allowed to work regular jobs, study, visit family and friends, and enjoy amenities like movie and music facilities inside the detention centers. Prisoners are even allowed to carry guns on weekend hunting trips — the only time they are accompanied by armed prison guards. The more serious offenders do not qualify for this regime, and instead have been sent to a conventional prison in Denmark.

Democracy & Civics

Dalai Lama Admits Tibet Policy 'Failure'

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The Dalai Lama has acknowledged that his drive for genuine autonomy in Tibet has failed. Agence France-Presse reports that even though representatives for the Tibetan government are in China for the eighth round of Chinese-Tibetan dialogue, the Dalai Lama said his “faith and trust in the Chinese government is thinning” and the situation in Tibet is worsening. The Dalai Lama has advocated a “Middle Way” approach of compromise and dialogue with the communist Chinese since their occupation of Tibet began in 1949. “I have to accept failure,” he said. He described the situation in Tibet as one of martial law and said Tibetan culture and the people “are being handed down a death sentence.”

Democracy & Civics

U.S. Border Checkpoints Move Inland

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An activist group says that the United States has expanded border checkpoints deeper into the nation than the Constitution permits — but government officials say they’re acting within the limits of the law as defined by the federal court system. The American Civil Liberties Union is highlighting what it refers to as “Constitution-free zones” in America that extend 100 miles inside U.S. borders and encompass nearly two-thirds of the nation’s citizens, reports Wired News. The checkpoints are protected under the Fourth Amendment, which give border authorities search-and-seizure rights — yet according to ACLU spokeswoman Caroline Fredrickson, extending those powers into U.S. territory is “a classic example of law enforcement powers expanding far beyond their proper boundaries — in this case, literally.” Federal authorities, however, say the ACLU they are following Supreme Court guidelines. Since 9/11, the government has allowed the Department of Homeland Security to set up more than 30 new internal checkpoints where they can ask people for their papers without telling them why.

Democracy & Civics

Proposition B: ‘Chump Change’ or ‘Massive Budget Hole’?

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By Tim Kingston
The Truthiness Report: No. 7 in a series on election advertising. The battle over public power and the hospital bond have vacuumed up much of San Francisco’s attention and political capital this season. But there’s an equally significant, if under-the-radar, item up for grabs: Proposition B.
The “Establishing [an] Affordable Housing Fund” measure mandates that 2.5 cents out of every $100 in property taxes go to create what is essentially a dedicated San Francisco affordable housing account. Proponents and opponents alike agree that it would raise roughly $2.7 billion over its 15-year lifespan — in fact, that’s about all they agree on.

Democracy & Civics

Women on Top in Rwandan Parliament

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Women will form the majority in Rwanda’s national parliament, making it the first country in the world to have more female legislators than men. According to the Independent, women have won around 56 percent of the seats in parliament after four days of peaceful elections. Women will have at least 44 of the 80 total seats. “The problems of women are understood much better, much better by women themselves,” one female voter said. President Paul Kagame’s Rwandan Patriotic Front secured a majority in the elections — only the second since the 1994 genocide that killed 800,000 people there.

Democracy & Civics

U.K. Takes Cue from U.S. Sex Offender Law

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Four communities in England will start running background checks on possible sex offenders, similar to “Megan’s Law” in the U.S.
The BBC reports that Warwickshire, Cambridgeshire, Cleveland and Hampshire will initiate one-year pilot programs allowing parents, guardians and caretakers to learn from police about any histories of abuse for people who have access to their children. The program was inspired by the murder of Sarah Payne, an eight- year-old who was kidnapped and killed by a convicted sex offender in 2000. Under the program, police must provide a background check between 24 hours and 10 days, depending on the urgency of the request, and will refer cases to other law enforcement agencies if prior convictions are discovered. If a convicted offender is found to be no longer a risk, authorities have the option to not disclose prior abuses. Only people directly responsible for a child may access such information and they are prohibited from spreading it around.