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# Corruption, culture and the impossibility of justice: August 20th - 26th on openDemocracy
- URL: https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/corruption-culture-and-impossibility-of-justice-august-20th-26th-on-opendemocracy/
- Published: 2012-08-26T15:08:59.000Z
- Updated: 2026-04-23T01:10:40.000Z
- Description: In the week of the ruling on Breivik’s sentence, we begin and end on what this means for Norway and the world. Robert Lambert looks at implications for security, Pål Grøndahl at what constitutessanity in the eyes of the law, while Kjetil Østli, who covered both the events and the trial, has writte
- Author: openDemocracy Supporters
- Tags: The Week in 1 Minute, #Migrated, #en, #Import 2026-04-09 17:27, #appended-excerpt

London-born/Oslo-resident artist, playwright and actress Kate Pendry has investigated evil in her art for years. This last year evil came closer yet; **from hearing the bomb go off to sitting in on the court case, she reflects on the terror** and her adopted nation in an [openDemocracy video interview.](http://cts.vresp.com/c/?openDemocracy/926362899a/b5696a98c8/eb55cb2171&ref=opendemocracy.net) 

This week too, **openDemocracy Russia launches a week of leading voices from Russian civil society** on [Russian human rights at the crossroads](http://cts.vresp.com/c/?openDemocracy/926362899a/b5696a98c8/2123421299&ref=opendemocracy.net). Presented by Human Rights Watch veterans, Anna Sevortian and Tanya Lokshina, we have so far considered the [renewed crackdown on civil society](http://cts.vresp.com/c/?openDemocracy/926362899a/b5696a98c8/c12d2f2cc3&ref=opendemocracy.net), human rights violations in the [turbulent north Caucasus](http://cts.vresp.com/c/?openDemocracy/926362899a/b5696a98c8/b87e25f119&ref=opendemocracy.net), [LGBT rights](http://cts.vresp.com/c/?openDemocracy/926362899a/b5696a98c8/08046e5b21&ref=opendemocracy.net) – ‘just don’t say gay’, [media freedom](http://cts.vresp.com/c/?openDemocracy/926362899a/b5696a98c8/d7d8d81b6b&ref=opendemocracy.net), the heartbreaking [situation with palliative care](http://cts.vresp.com/c/?openDemocracy/926362899a/b5696a98c8/5958caf2d1&ref=opendemocracy.net) and Russia’s [nationalist protesters](http://cts.vresp.com/c/?openDemocracy/926362899a/b5696a98c8/6b6d785d08&ref=opendemocracy.net). 

By contrast, [Irvine Welsh urges](http://cts.vresp.com/c/?openDemocracy/926362899a/b5696a98c8/1ccac931a3&ref=opendemocracy.net) aspiring writers to **‘express your culture’** if you don’t want it to disappear into image-dominant, global mass culture. [Sunder Katwala](http://cts.vresp.com/c/?openDemocracy/926362899a/b5696a98c8/41e2901ce0&ref=opendemocracy.net) is less surprised than Welsh by the ‘multi-and-popular cultural event’ opening the London Olympics. 

Meanwhile ourBeeb, having looked at how [market research](http://cts.vresp.com/c/?openDemocracy/926362899a/b5696a98c8/ece94440bd&ref=opendemocracy.net) drives that institution, and whether it can help to [save the nation’s local media](http://cts.vresp.com/c/?openDemocracy/926362899a/b5696a98c8/c7ab8124a9&ref=opendemocracy.net), reveals that if [women scientists are from Venus, the BBC is from Mars](http://cts.vresp.com/c/?openDemocracy/926362899a/b5696a98c8/8272df1044&ref=opendemocracy.net). 

Gender relations make various startling appearances this week, whether in the way [women are paying for the recession in the UK](http://cts.vresp.com/c/?openDemocracy/926362899a/b5696a98c8/5560f8e0a4&ref=opendemocracy.net), offset by a rousing call to defend [London’s Women’s Library](http://cts.vresp.com/c/?openDemocracy/926362899a/b5696a98c8/7e1d1b4658&ref=opendemocracy.net); or a sobering piece on how [Ethiopian sex-workers](http://cts.vresp.com/c/?openDemocracy/926362899a/b5696a98c8/4011b0f2fe&ref=opendemocracy.net) reconcile themselves to their lot. 

The greatest flurry in the comments spaces is provoked by [Markha Valenta’s latest column](http://cts.vresp.com/c/?openDemocracy/926362899a/b5696a98c8/b3ff076f06&ref=opendemocracy.net) in which she discovers, among many things, that **the biggest gap between men’s and women’s feeling of safety is in** [**the richer countries of the west**](http://cts.vresp.com/c/?openDemocracy/926362899a/b5696a98c8/309cec4976&ref=opendemocracy.net). But for those who wish to point out the risk of violence to males, our site shows this in[South Africa](http://cts.vresp.com/c/?openDemocracy/926362899a/b5696a98c8/ab3cae8d28&ref=opendemocracy.net), and of course, in [Syria](http://cts.vresp.com/c/?openDemocracy/926362899a/b5696a98c8/7ca8ce30bc&ref=opendemocracy.net) which, Paul Rogers explains, now [scares Washington](http://cts.vresp.com/c/?openDemocracy/926362899a/b5696a98c8/ee40a2e85d&ref=opendemocracy.net) as well as our [Arab Awakening columnists](http://cts.vresp.com/c/?openDemocracy/926362899a/b5696a98c8/36b8258ba5&ref=opendemocracy.net). 

Corruption is another theme, dimming countries’ prospects from[Romania](http://cts.vresp.com/c/?openDemocracy/926362899a/b5696a98c8/4342ef03e2&ref=opendemocracy.net) to [India,](http://cts.vresp.com/c/?openDemocracy/926362899a/b5696a98c8/6ed0b8d90e&ref=opendemocracy.net) [Ethiopia](http://cts.vresp.com/c/?openDemocracy/926362899a/b5696a98c8/041d3375a1&ref=opendemocracy.net) (again), to the [world’s security sectors](http://cts.vresp.com/c/?openDemocracy/926362899a/b5696a98c8/de9e603624&ref=opendemocracy.net). But in a first for openDemocracy, [Seth Redniss](http://cts.vresp.com/c/?openDemocracy/926362899a/b5696a98c8/fcb825f426&ref=opendemocracy.net) made us laugh about the crisis in the Middle East. 

**You may not want to miss the following:** 

[Rafael Correa on Assange and Pinochet](http://cts.vresp.com/c/?openDemocracy/926362899a/b5696a98c8/2dfa0f7ff9&ref=opendemocracy.net) 

[Laurie Penny on rape](http://cts.vresp.com/c/?openDemocracy/926362899a/b5696a98c8/d730672f3e&ref=opendemocracy.net) 

[US Navy adviser loses her career after blowing whistle on admirals keen to provoke Iran](http://cts.vresp.com/c/?openDemocracy/926362899a/b5696a98c8/4a08bde645&ref=opendemocracy.net)

**openDemocracy’s week in 400 words is emailed to Members and Friends to help pay for our great content. Please forward this to any contact you think might be interested and want to join; they should see** [**here**](http://cts.vresp.com/c/?openDemocracy/926362899a/b5696a98c8/de5b8d9c6a/openDemocracy/d4022f1a75/TEST/e64101092e&ref=opendemocracy.net) **or email** [**supporters@opendemocracy.net**](mailto:supporters@opendemocracy.net)**.**

**In the week of the ruling on Breivik’s sentence**, we begin and end on what this means for Norway and the world. Robert Lambert looks at implications [for security](http://cts.vresp.com/c/?openDemocracy/926362899a/b5696a98c8/f37fd98c38&ref=opendemocracy.net), Pål Grøndahl at what constitutes[sanity in the eyes of the law](http://cts.vresp.com/c/?openDemocracy/926362899a/b5696a98c8/cdae0e2742&ref=opendemocracy.net), while Kjetil Østli, who covered both the events and the trial, has written a haunting narrative on the[impossibility of justice](http://cts.vresp.com/c/?openDemocracy/926362899a/b5696a98c8/c6307f387e&ref=opendemocracy.net).