2018-09-12: News Headlines

TeleSur English (2018-09-12). Arreaza: Venezuela Will Continue to 'Fully Collaborate' With UN Human Rights Council. venezuelanalysis.com At the U.N., Venezuela's Jorge Arreaza compared the economic blockade to the economic war waged against Chile's socialist government in the seventies.

teleSUR (2018-09-12). Mapuche Man Extradited to Chile Despite UN Requests. telesurtv.net Despite requests by the United Nations Human Rights Committee to postpone the trial, the Lonko, or Indigenous chief, was extradited by Argentine Federal Police.

Murtaza Hussain (2018-09-12). The U.S. Goes to War Against the ICC to Cover Up Alleged War Crimes in Afghanistan. theintercept.com John Bolton is on a jihad against the ICC, seeking to ensure that the U.S. is free of international norms on human rights.

Rebecca Gordon (2018-09-12). Holding the Line on Torture, US Torture Policy, One Organization at a Time. globalresearch.ca Sometimes the good guys do win. That's what happened on August 8th in San Francisco when …

Democracy Now! (2018-09-12). Headlines for September 12, 2018. democracynow.org "Storm of a Lifetime": Hurricane Florence Barrels Down on Carolinas' Coast, Ahead of Florence, SC Officials Say They Will Not Evacuate Ridgeland Prison, Florence Threatens Catastrophic Waste Spills from Pig Farms, Coal Ash Ponds, 6 Years Before Florence, North Carolina Passed Law Banning Studies of Sea Level Rise, Ahead of Florence, Trump Tries to Celebrate Admin. Response to Hurricane Maria, Merkley: Trump Admin Diverted $10M from FEMA to ICE to Build Detention Centers, HHS to Triple Size of Texas Tent Camp for Migrant Children, Stephen Miller's Former Rabbi Slams Him at Rosh Hashanah Services over Family Separa…

RT (2018-09-11). Washington's ICC hypocrisy 'without limits,' US doesn't care about human rights — analysts to RT. rt.com Washington's threats against the International Criminal Court (ICC) are evidence of American hypocrisy, as the US is "continually calling for the heads of others" and doesn't actually care about human rights, analysts told RT. |

Democracy Now! (2018-09-11). Trump Admin Punishes PLO for Trying to Prosecute Alleged Israeli War Crimes in International Court. democracynow.org On Monday, President Trump's national security adviser, John Bolton, announced the administration will close the Palestine Liberation Organization's office in Washington as retaliation for the Palestinians' efforts to bring alleged Israeli military war crimes to the International Criminal Court. Palestinian diplomat Saeb Erekat called the move "an affirmation of the U.S. administration's determination to continue its policies of blackmail and extortion and undermining the peace process and the two state solution." We speak with Jamil Dakwar, director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Human Rights Program.

Rebecca Gordon (2018-09-11). Psychologists Are Standing Up Against Torture at Gitmo. thenation.com Psychologists Are Standing Up Against Torture at Gitmo…

Democracy Now! (2018-09-11). John Bolton Threatens International Criminal Court Judges for Probing U.S. Torture in Afghanistan. democracynow.org President Trump's national security adviser, John Bolton, has threatened U.S. sanctions against International Criminal Court judges if they proceed with an investigation into alleged war crimes committed by U.S. troops in Afghanistan. In 2016 an ICC report accused the U.S. military of torturing at least 61 prisoners in Afghanistan during the ongoing war. The report also accused the CIA of subjecting at least 27 prisoners to torture, including rape, at CIA prison sites in Afghanistan, Poland, Romania and Lithuania. Bolton said in a speech at the Federalist Society Monday, "We will let the ICC die on its own. After…

Yves Engler (2018-09-11). The Original 9/11: 45 Years After Pinochet's Coup. counterpunch.org On this day in 1973 the democratically elected president of Chile, Salvador Allende, was overthrown by General Augusto Pinochet. In the aftermath, 3000 leftists were murdered, tens of thousands tortured and hundreds of thousands driven from the country. Since it doesn't serve to justify further domination by the powerful few in the Canadian media will commemorate More

aclu (2018-09-11). Trump Administration Threatens International Criminal Court Judges and Prosecutors for Doing Their Jobs. aclu.org John Bolton's threats against ICC judges and prosecutors give solace and comfort to war criminals. | In an unprecedented attack on one of the most important judicial bodies in the world, National Security Advisor John Bolton on Monday threatened to sanction the International Criminal Court and its staff if the court approves a full investigation into U.S. torture in Afghanistan. The U.S. is not a member of the court, but it has supported the court's efforts to hold perpetrators of war crimes accountable — as long as those efforts don't involve U.S. or close allies. | In a Jeffrey St. Clair (2018-09-10). Nike's Bad Air. counterpunch.org The place is in Honduras, a so-called free-trade zone or maquiladora—little more than a ragged swath hacked out of the rainforest and ringed by a tall fence, tipped with razor-sharp wire. Inside a clump of factories produce cut-rate apparel for American companies. Armed guards, many of them veterans of the Honduran defense forces (accused by human right groups of assassinations, drug-running, and torture of political prisoners), patrol the borders. More

Shared by Hezvo Mpunga (2018-09-09). Canada's Yemeni Community Calls on Trudeau Government to End Arms Sales to Saudis. therealnews.com Hamza Shaiban says arms sales to Saudis cannot be reconciled with Canada's commitment to 'stand up for human rights'

aclu (2018-09-07). Repealing the Death Penalty in New Hampshire Is Personal. aclu.org The state's legislature has an opportunity to override the governor's veto and finally repeal the death penalty. | New Hampshire is the only state in New England that still puts people to death. The Northeast region, and much of the nation, has recognized capital punishment for what it is: a practice of a bygone era that is inherently unjust, often racially charged, and has resulted in the torture of individuals put to death. | This could change for New Hampshire on Sept. 13, when state legislators have an opportunity to override

Democracy Now! (2018-09-07). As 400+ Children Remain Separated from Parents, Trump Admin Wants to Detain Kids Indefinitely. democracynow.org The Trump administration is attempting to remove court-imposed time limits on the detention of immigrant children. The administration's proposal would allow immigrant families to be held in detention indefinitely, ending the long-standing 1997 Flores agreement which says that children cannot be jailed for more than 20 days. More than 400 children remain separated from their parents more than a month after a court-imposed deadline requiring the Trump administration to reunite all of the separated families. The American Civil Liberties Union says it appears ICE officials had access to the phone numbers of hundreds…

Democracy Now! (2018-09-07). Headlines for September 7, 2018. democracynow.org Sen. Cory Booker Releases Kavanaugh Documents in Act of "Civil Disobedience", New Documents Contradict Kavanaugh's Sworn Testimony, Kavanaugh Conflates Birth Control with Abortion, Trump Admin Seeks to Allow Indefinite Detention of Immigrant Families, ICE, DOJ Subpoena Millions of North Carolina Voting Records, Top Trump Admin Officials Deny They Penned Scathing Anonymous Op-Ed, Baghdad Massacre Trial for Blackwater Mercenary Ends in Hung Jury, Gunman Kills Three at Cincinnati Bank, Then Shot Dead by Police, Cincinnati Officer Who Tased 11-Year-Old Girl Will Face Discipline, Jury Gives $1 Fine to Man Who Punched…

Democracy Now! (2018-09-06). Arundhati Roy: The U.S. Is Growing Closer to India Militarily as Modi Expands Crackdown on Dissent. democracynow.org Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis are in New Delhi today for talks aimed at deepening military and trade ties between India and the United States. India is the largest weapons importer in the world. The trip comes just a week after the Indian government conducted raids across the country targeting prominent human rights activists, lawyers, poets and critics of the Narendra Modi government. At least five people were arrested. Critics say the arrests are part of a broader attempt by Modi's government to silence dissidents ahead of next year's general election. We speak with the prize-w…

Democracy Now! (2018-09-06). The Kavanaugh Cover-up? Role in Torture & Domestic Spying Policy Remains Unknown as Papers Withheld. democracynow.org Judge Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court confirmation hearing enters its third day today. On Wednesday Capitol Police arrested 73 people protesting Kavanaugh's nomination. The protests began almost immediately when Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley tried to start the hearing. Protesters included Women's March organizers from 26 states. Among them was a teenager who stood on a chair and said, "I'm 18, and I'm here for the youth of the country. You're ruining my future." We speak to Hina Shamsi, director of the American Civil Liberties Union's National Security Project, and Vince Warren, executive direct…

Aba Blankson (2018-09-03). NAACP Supports Prisoners Across the Nation Protesting Long Sentences, Inhumane Conditions, and Forced Labor. naacp.org As the nation celebrates Labor Day, we must recognize those that labor every day for pennies per hour in prisons, jails, and detention centers across the country. Many imprisoned individuals are conducting peaceful protests to call for an end to unnecessarily long sentences, prison conditions that respect human rights, and fair wages for a day's […]

Democracy Now! (2018-08-31). Four Days in Occupied Western Sahara—A Rare Look Inside Africa's Last Colony. democracynow.org In this exclusive broadcast, Democracy Now! breaks the media blockade and goes to occupied Western Sahara in the northwest of Africa to document the decades-long Sahrawi struggle for freedom and Morocco's violent crackdown. Morocco has occupied the territory since 1975 in defiance of the United Nations and the international community. Thousands have been tortured, imprisoned, killed and disappeared while resisting the Moroccan occupation. A 1,700-mile wall divides Sahrawis who remain under occupation from those who fled into exile. The international media has largely ignored the occupation—in part because M…

Democracy Now! (2018-08-30). Update on Prison Strike Demanding End of "Slave Labor": After 10 Days, Protests Spread to 11 States. democracynow.org Prisoners across the country join work stoppages, hunger strikes and commissary boycotts in at least 11 states to protest prison conditions and demand the end of what they call "prison slavery." Organizers report prisoners in South Carolina, Georgia, Florida and Indiana are demonstrating. Individuals in Texas, California and Ohio have gone on hunger strike, including some in solitary confinement. Meanwhile, at least six people have been hunger-striking inside the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, Washington, for more than a week. We speak with Amani Sawari, prison strike organizer working on behalf of Jailhou…