(2018-11-21). Lebanon: Deportation Threat for Sudan Refugees. hrw.org 
| | People wave a Lebanese national flag during a protest in Central Beirut December 11, 2006. | © 2006 Reuters | (Beirut) — The Lebanese government should revoke the deportation orders of three United Nations-recognized Sudanese refugees and release them from detention, Legal Agenda, the Anti-Racism Movement (ARM), Human Rights Watch, Insan, and the Lebanese Center for Human Rights (CLDH) said today. Dur…
(2018-11-21). Hundreds of teachers walk off for refugees. greenleft.org.au 
Teachers, education support staff and even some principals walked off government and private schools across Victoria and assembled at the State Library on November 20, in support of refugees currently being detained on Manus Island and Nauru. A similar protest was held in Brisbane that same day. | More than 30 refugee support organisations, including Teachers for Refugees, which organised the protest, had set November 20, Universal Children's Day, as the deadline for the federal government to evacuate refugee children and their families in offshore detention centres to Australia. | The Walk Off for Refugees…
(2018-11-21). DRC: Human rights concerns persist as electoral campaigns kick-off. amnesty.org Election campaigning will take place in a hostile political environment that leaves little room for people to freely and safely exercise their human rights, Amnesty International said ahead of the 22 November start of political campaigns for the long-awaited elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). | The government maintains a blanket ban on protests other than those organized by politicians close to outgoing President Joseph Kabila. Opposition supporters, as well as people calling for improvements to security and services, have faced threats, intimidation, harassment, arrests and violent dispersal of…
(2018-11-21). NGO WORKER PRISON VISIT DENIED FOR MONTHS. amnesty.org Taiwanese activist Lee Ming-che, the first foreign NGO worker detained after China's new Foreign NGO Management Law came into effect, has been sentenced to five years' imprisonment for "subverting state power". His family is not allowed to see him since the last prison visit on 10 September 2018. His whereabouts remain uncertain.
(2018-11-21). Nicholas Kristof and the China Trade War. counterpunch.org You really have to wonder if there is a ban on columnists and reporters mentioning wanton violation of the copyrights and patents of U.S. companies as a potential weapon for China in its trade war with the United States. Incredibly, as aspects of the trade war get highlighted and debated, wholesale violations of copyrights and More
(2018-11-21). Syria: Thousands of digital activists to track how US-led air strikes destroyed Raqqa. amnesty.org Thousands of digital activists around the world will take part in an innovative new crowdsourcing data project Amnesty International is launching today, which uses satellite imagery to help plot how the US-led military coalition's bombings destroyed almost 80% of the Syrian city of Raqqa. | "Strike Tracker" is the next phase of an in-depth Amnesty International investigation, in partnership with Airwars, into the shocking scale of civilian casualties resulting from four months of US, UK and French bombardment to…
(2018-11-21). Trinidad and Tobago: Authorities have no justification for failure to respect international obligations over asylum. amnesty.org The Trinidad and Tobago authorities must stop criminalizing the peaceful protest of migrants and refugees and find human rights-based solutions for them consistent with its existing obligations under international law, Amnesty International said today. | In response to official statements from Trinidad and Tobago's Attorney General, Faris Al-Rawi, suggesting that the country was not yet legally required to establish systems for addressing the growing number of migrants and refugees reaching the Caribbean island, as it has not ratified the UN Refugee Convention, Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas director at Amnesty In…
(2018-11-21). A Ukraine Initiated UN Resolution on Crimea, Supposedly "Annexed" and "Occupied" by Russia. globalresearch.ca A Ukraine-initiated resolution, condemning alleged human rights violations in Crimea, has been approved by the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian & Cultural Issues) of the UN General Assembly (UNGA). The text is openly hostile toward Russia. The peninsula is supposedly …
(2018-11-21). United Arab Emirates: Open Letter to Drivers, Teams and Performers at the Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix 2018. amnesty.org In this joint open letter, human rights organizations urge drivers, teams and performers at the Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix 2018 to use their celebrity status to call on the UAE authorities to immediately and unconditionally release all prisoners of conscience who have been detained solely for peacefully criticizing the authorities, or for calling or advocating for the respect and protection of human rights.
(2018-11-21). DR Congo: Pre-Election Crackdown on Activists. hrw.org 
| | Three members from the Vigilence Citoyenne (VICI) citizens' movement who were arrested in Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, with 14 of their colleagues on November 1, 2018. The activists were charged with incitement to civil disobedience and were provisionally released on November 18. | © Private 2018 | (Kinshasa) — The Democratic Republic of Congo government has made new arrests of pro-democracy activists during November…
(2018-11-21). Headlines for November 21, 2018. democracynow.org Trump Sides with "Great Ally" Saudi Arabia over Khashoggi Killing, Lawmakers Condemn Trump's Defense of Saudi Arabia, WaPo Publisher Blasts Trump over Murder of Columnist Jamal Khashoggi, Rights Groups: Saudi Arabia Is Torturing Feminist Activists, Yemen: Saudi-Led War Caused 85,000 Young Children to Die from Hunger, Afghanistan: Suicide Bomber Kills 50 at Kabul Religious Gathering, DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen Warns Migrant Caravan over Asylum, Texas ICE Jail to Release 29 Families After Federal Ruling on Asylum, Mississippi GOP Senate Candidate Posed for Photos in Confederate Garb, Federal Judge Strikes Down…
(2018-11-21). Zambia: Anti-corruption activist facing trumped-up charges must not be jailed. amnesty.org A Zambian human rights activist is facing jail simply for accusing the country's judiciary of corruption, Amnesty International said today. | | Gregory Chifire's verdict and sentencing are due to be delivered on 23 November following a grossly unfair trial on four trumped-up contempt of court charges. | "This trial is an affront to t…
(2018-11-21). Council of Europe: A Threat to Rights of People With Disabilities. hrw.org 
| | The headquarters of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg. | © 2018 Human Rights Watch | (Brussels) — Council of Europe member states should oppose new proposed standards regulating the detention and forced treatment of people with disabilities, Human Rights Watch said today. The body in charge of developing the standards, the Council of Europe's Committee on Bioethics (DH-BIO), consisting of expert…
(2018-11-21). Libya: Migrants Forced off Ship at Libya Port. hrw.org 
| (Milan) — Libyan security forces forcibly removed 79 migrants and asylum seekers on November 20, 2018 from the Panama-flagged cargo ship Nivin in the port of Misrata in Libya, after they refused to leave the ship for 10 days, Human Rights Watch said today. Security forces reportedly used force and tear gas. An unknown number of people were taken to hospital, and others were taken to the al-Karareem detention center in…
(2018-11-21). Greece: Dire Conditions for Asylum Seekers on Lesbos. hrw.org 
| | A boy holds a bicycle at a camp next to the Moria refugee camp in the island of Lesbos on August 5, 2018. | © 2018 Aris Messinis/AFP/Getty Images | (Brussels) — The already dire conditions in the overcrowded Moria camp for asylum seekers on the Greek island of Lesbos may deteriorate into a full-blown humanitarian disaster as winter approaches unless urgent action is taken, Human Rights Watch said today. | "Thousands of people seeking protection in E…
(2018-11-21). Harmful 'Gender Identity' Resolution Passed by Ontario Party. hrw.org 
| | Revellers hold a giant pride flag during the "WorldPride" gay pride Parade in Toronto, June 29, 2014. | © 2014 Reuters | Delegates to a gathering of the governing political party of Canada's largest province passed a resolution dismissing gender identity theory as an "unscientific 'liberal ideology,'" an ugly contrast to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's supportive stance on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights. | At a party conference last weekend, d…
(2018-11-21). The Iranian Albatross That Donald Trump Has Hung Around Its Own Neck. iranian.com Trump's policy of not just exiting JCPOA, but of going that 'mile' further in seeking to overthrow Iran as well, through sanctions will eventually become seen as 'the Albatross' which Trump injudiciously — and without compelling need — hung about his own neck. Mr. Trump, nor anyone else in his administration, has announced any conclusions about […]
(2018-11-21). Families Could Be Held Indefinitely in Unlicensed Detention Centers. truthdig.com Migrant families could be held indefinitely in unlicensed detention centers under a new federal plan that also would end critical court protections for immigrant children, according to new court records. | Under the so-called Flores agreement, created in 1997, the U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement "shall release a minor from its custody without unnecessary delay" to a parent, relative, legal guardian or adult designated by a parent. | But new Trump administration regulations would dismantle the landmark Flores agreement and allow authorities to release children only to a parent or legal guardian — even if…
(2018-11-21). The bravery of those who speak out from Manus Island will go down in history. amnesty.org By Charmain Mohamed, Head of Refugee and Migrants Rights | Since 2013 Australia has been sending refugees who attempt to reach its shores by boat to be 'processed' on Manus Island, Papua New Guinea. On this remote island thousands of people have endured years of detention and abuse while their refugee claims are assessed. | The Australian government has gone to great lengths to hide the magnitude of the suffering it has caused on Manus Island. | Between 2015 and 2017 there were strict secrecy laws in place, designed to stop staff from speaking out about conditions in detention centres. Details about contractors a…
(2018-11-21). Survivors Confront Far Right's #HimToo Campaign in Portland. truthout.org As the speakers began sharing survivors' stories of sexual assault and trauma, the crowd of several hundred rally attendees stood in breathless silence in a downtown Portland, Oregon, park on Saturday, November 17. This event, called Survivors Are Everywhere: A Survivor Shout Out, had been organized by the anti-fascist coalition Pop Mob (short for Popular Mobilization) and was meant to bring together survivors' stories as a challenge to another event being held only feet away, one organized by affiliates of the…
(2018-11-21). Boston Police Has a Secret Point System That Turns Normal Teenage Behavior Into Gang Membership. aclu.org The department arbitrarily labels immigrant teenagers as gang members and helps the federal government deport them. | In the face of the Trump administration's stepped-up deportation efforts, officials in Boston and other progressive cities have declared their communities safe spaces for immigrants. But behind the scenes, progressive havens like Boston are facilitating the deportations of some of our most vulnerable young people. | As the federal government's rhetoric and action around immigration have sharpened and hardened, young immigrants are being systematically slandered and deprived of their rights here in…
(2018-11-21). Oprah's Animal Rights Consciousness Needs Improvement. indybay.org Please ask Oprah Winfrey to stop advertising meat and dairy.
(2018-11-21). Senators ask Trump to investigate if MBS was responsible for Khashoggi's death. rt.com 
In a rare bipartisan effort, the senior Republican and Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee have both asked President Donald Trump to launch a human rights probe into Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman.
(2018-11-21). Mexico: President-Elect's Party Submits Bill For National Guard. telesurenglish.net The National Regeneration Movement proposes that national guard members receive human rights training and are tried by civil courts.
(2018-11-21). Richard Ojeda Comes Out Swinging on Abortion Rights. theintercept.com "Throughout history, rich women have always had access to the care that they want or need and they always will. It's only poor and working class women who have died in back alleys."
(2018-11-21). Federal Judge Blocks Trump's Anti-Immigrant Military Enlistment Policy. aclu.org Last year, the Pentagon implemented a background investigation process that effectively banned green card holders from serving in the military. | Despite attacking family members of fallen war heroes, criticizing Sen. John McCain for being captured in war, and recently deploying troops…
(2018-11-21). Singapore: Government must end harassment of online news platform targeted over critical article. amnesty.org A news editor facing a criminal investigation over an article that criticized the Singapore government is the latest victim of an escalating crackdown on freedom of expression in the country, Amnesty International said today. | Singapore police yesterday raided the home of Terry Xu, editor-in-chief of The Online Citizen (TOC) news site, and seized all his electronic equipment. Police informed him he was being investigated for criminal defamation over an article published on his website on 4 September. Authorities have also threatened action against the alleged author of the article, Willy Sum. | "The targeting of…
(2018-11-20). The Iranian Albatross that Donald Trump Has Hung Around Its Own Neck. mintpressnews.com Trump's policy of not just exiting JCPOA, but of going that 'mile' further in seeking to overthrow Iran as well, through sanctions will eventually become seen as 'the Albatross' which Trump injudiciously — and without compelling need — hung about his own neck.
(2018-11-20). Democratic Republic of Congo: Activists' whereabouts unknown after arrest. amnesty.org Activists Arsene Katolo, Alain Muwaka, Oto Shaminga, Heritier Losomba, Miko Booto, Enoch Muanda and Mwanza are being held incommunicado at an unknown location in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). They were arrested on 11 September in the capital Kinshasa while distributing leaflets against plans to use voting machines in the upcoming elections.
(2018-11-20). Saudi Arabia: Detained Women Reported Tortured. hrw.org 
| (Beirut) — Informed sources say that Saudi interrogators tortured at least three of the Saudi women activists detained beginning in May 2018, Human Rights Watch said today. The reports allege that torture by Saudi authorities included administering electric shocks, whipping the women on their thighs, and forcible hugging and kissing, Human Rights Watch said today. The sources were concerned that they and the activists would suffer reprisals if the women were identified publicly. | Saudi Arabia…
(2018-11-20). República Democráica del Congo: Activistas en paradero desconocido tras ser arrestados. amnesty.org Los activistas Arsène Katolo, Alain Muwaka, Oto Shaminga, Héritier Losomba, Miko Booto, Enoch Muanda y Mwanza permanecen recluidos en régimen de incomunicación en paradero desconocido en la República Democrática del Congo. Fueron detenidos el 11 de septiembre en la capital, Kinshasa, cuando distribuían panfletos contra el plan de utilizar máquinas de votación en las próximas elecciones.
(2018-11-20). Uzbekistan: Stop Harassing Human Rights Defenders. hrw.org 
| | Akzam Turgunov, a former political prisoner and rights activist, has been increasingly subjected to surveillance by security services in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. | © 2017 Steve Swerdlow for Human Rights Watch | (Tashkent) — The Uzbek authorities should stop harassing human rights activists, including those recently released from prison, and ensure their safety, Amnesty International, Civil Rights Defenders, Front Line Defenders, the International P…
(2018-11-20). Saudi Arabia: Reports of torture and sexual harassment of detained activists. amnesty.org Several Saudi Arabian activists, including a number of women, who have been arbitrarily detained without charge since May 2018 in Saudi Arabia's Dhahban Prison, have reportedly faced sexual harassment, torture and other forms of ill-treatment during interrogation, Amnesty International said today. | According to three separate testimonies obtained by the organization, the activists were repeatedly tortured by electrocution and flogging, leaving some unable to walk or stand properly. In one reported instance, one of the activists was made to hang from the ceiling, and according to another testimony, one of the det…
(2018-11-20). Undercutting Female Circumcision. counterpunch.org 
There is this news that a representative of the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry in Malaysia recently defended the practice of infant female circumcision in Malaysia at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva. It is part of a Malaysian cultural "obligation", he said. But "the type of circumcision practiced is very mild and does not involve any cutting," he added. More
(2018-11-20). Azerbaijan: Right to freedom of peaceful assembly must be protected and detained peaceful demonstrators released. amnesty.org The 17 November 2018 detention of Azerbaijani opposition leaders and activists as they were attempting to organize a peaceful rally in the capital Baku is a violation of the right to freedom of peaceful assembly.
(2018-11-20). Bahrain: No Free Elections in Current Environment. hrw.org 
| | Protesters hold photos of Sheikh Ali Salman, Bahrain's main opposition leader and Secretary-General of Al-Wefaq Islamic Society, as they march asking for his release in the village of Jidhafs, west of Manama, in Bahrain on June 16, 2015. | | © 2015 Reuters | (Beirut) — The upcoming parliamentary elections in Bahrain, scheduled for November 24, 2018, are occurring in a repressive political environment that is not conducive to free elections,…
(2018-11-20). Israel: Airbnb to End Settlement Rentals. hrw.org 
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(2018-11-20). Florida: HIV Care Lacking for Transgender Women. hrw.org 
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(2018-11-20). France: Press UAE Crown Prince on Abuses in Yemen. hrw.org 
| | Saudi-led coalition aircraft struck three apartment buildings in Faj Attan, a densely populated neighborhood in Sanaa, on August 25, 2017. Two of the buildings were completely destroyed and the third suffered extensive damage. | © 2017 Mohammed al-Mekhlafi | (Paris) — President Emmanuel Macron of France should raise serious concerns with Abu Dhabi's crown prince regarding laws-of-war violations in …
(2018-11-20). The UN is Right: Families in UK Are Going Hungry. hrw.org 
| | Sign outside Wisbech food bank in Cambridgeshire, UK | © 2018 Human Rights Watch | The United Nations expert on poverty and human rights has warned that the UK government is inflicting " unnecessary misery" on people living in poverty. Professor Philip Alston's preliminary findings of his 11-day visit to the country found the go…
(2018-11-20). Vietnam: End Crackdown on Freedom of Expression. hrw.org 
(New York) — Vietnam should drop all charges against human rights campaigner Huynh Thuc Vy, who faces trial under article 276 of the 1999 penal code for allegedly disrespecting the national flag, Human Rights Watch said today. She faces up to three years imprisonment if convicted by the People's Court of Buon Ho town, Dak Lak province at trial on November 22. | | | Huynh Thuc Vy holds a sign that reads "Praying for Tran Huynh Duy Thuc and for Vietnam. S…
(2018-11-20). Russia: LGBT Conference Attacked, Disrupted. hrw.org 
| | Yulia Malygina and Anna Golubeva, directors of Resource LGBQIA Moscow. | © 2017 Resource LGBTQIA Moscow | (Moscow) — A prominent Russian lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) support group had to cancel an annual Inclusive Family conference in Moscow after homophobic threats and an attack with pepper spray, Human Rights Watch said today. Police should conduct a thorough and effective investigation capable of identifying and holding those re…
(2018-11-20). Egypt: Children face shocking violations including torture and enforced disappearance. amnesty.org The Egyptian authorities have committed shocking violations against children since 2013, with at least six tortured in custody and 12 subjected to enforced disappearances since 2015, according to new findings published by Amnesty International today. |
(2018-11-20). Egypt: Joint Statement: Children face shocking violations including torture and enforced disappearance. amnesty.org The Egyptian authorities must uphold their legal obligation to protect the rights of children, in particular those arrested or detained, said Amnesty International and the Egyptian Front for Human Rights on World Children's day. | Egyptian security forces have forcibly disappeared at least 12 and physically tortured at least six children since 2015 in relation to political cases. Prison officials have failed to separate children from adults in places of detention, while both civilian and military courts regularly prosecuted and sentenced children along with adults in military trials and even sentenced at least th…
(2018-11-20). Turkey: European Court decision on detained opposition leader exposes broken judicial system. amnesty.org Responding to today's ruling by the European Court of Human Rights that Turkey's repeated extensions to the pre-trial detention of opposition leader Selahattin Demirta≈ü, were politically motivated and violated Articles 5(3) and 18 of the European Convention on Human Rights and were "stifling pluralism and freedom of political debate", Turkey Strategy and Research Manager, Andrew Gardner said: | "This ruling by Europe's top human rights court should have far-reaching implications within the country where civil society actors are routinely remanded in prolonged pre-trial detention under trumped up charg…
(2018-11-20). Iran To Cap Gasoline Sales To Curb Smuggling. iranian.com Iran is reintroducing fuel cards that will cap petrol purchases in a bid to combat rampant smuggling, state media reported on Tuesday. Smuggling has boomed in recent months as the rial has plummeted against the dollar in the face of the reimposition of crippling US sanctions following Washington's withdrawal from a landmark 2015 nuclear deal […]
(2018-11-20). More US Sanctions. This Time, An Alleged Russia-Iran Scheme To Send Oil To Syria. iranian.com The United States on Tuesday said it sanctioned six individuals and three entities to disrupt an Iranian-Russian network that it said was providing millions of barrels of oil to the Syrian government and funding militant groups Hamas and Hezbollah. U.S. officials said Russia facilitated the delivery of oil from Iran to Syria, and that a variety of […]
(2018-11-20). US promises to 'disrupt' oil shipments to Syria, sanctions Russian & Iranian companies. rt.com 
The US has introduced sanctions against what it called a network of petroleum shipments to Syria, including Russian and Iranian companies and individuals. Washington says it wants to disrupt shipments to Syrian-owned ports.
(2018-11-20). Iraqi Dinar May Replace Dollar And Euro In Iran's 2nd Largest Export Market. iranian.com Amidst continuing talks between Iran and Iraq over how to settle payments for Iraq's natural gas imports from Iran in the face of Washington sanctions, Iranian officials are mulling over Iraq's offer to pay in Iraqi Dinars instead of the dollar or Euro, according to Iranian state media. This follows the September announcement by Iran that it planned […]
(2018-11-20). Papua New Guinea: Australian and PNG leaders must act urgently to save lives on Manus Island. amnesty.org The misery of indefinite detention in Papua New Guinea (PNG) is pushing increasing numbers of refugees and people seeking asylum to suicide attempts and self-harm, a new report by the Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA) and Amnesty International finds today. | | In the report, …