Anti-Corruption in the Middle East? Start with Elections

Khalil Gebara, longtime Global Integrity contributor and president of the Lebanese Organization for the Enhancement of Transparency, ponders governance in the Middle East. Accountability starts with elections, he argues. Arab Reform Bulletin: Arab countries lack peaceful mechanisms to regulate the functioning of institutions. They have yet to embrace the principles of good governance and respect…

Russian Human Rights Lawyer Poisoned

Novaya Gazeta reports that Karinna Moskalenko, a lawyer representing the family of a murdered Russian journalist, has mercury poisoning. Mercury has been found in Moskalenko’s car; husband and children are also sick; police are investigating. The following is a World Movement for Democracy email alert: DemocracyAlert: Russian Human Rights Lawyer Karinna Moskalenko Poisoned According to…