(2018-12-05). This State Agency Is Refusing to Help a Trans Woman Who Says She Was Assaulted by Police. aclu.org New York's Division of Human Rights says it cannot investigate alleged police and corrections abuses because they are not public accommodations. | DeAnna LeTray of Watertown, New York, was arrested in September 2017 during a domestic dispute with her daughter's boyfriend, who she says pointed a gun at her. | LeTray, who is trans, says the Watertown police officers who arrested her mocked her gender expression and questioned her gender identity. Then, at the police station, LeTray says police ripped her hair off her head and, once she got to the jail, she was stripped naked and sexually assaulted. | LeTray filed…
(2018-12-05). Colombian Senator Denounces Murders of Social Leaders. telesurenglish.net Murders and threats against social leaders and human rights defenders, especially in the rural areas of Colombia, have increased despite the peace agreement signed two years ago.
(2018-12-05). Rashida Tlaib To Head US Congressional Delegation To West Bank, Endorses BDS. imemc.org US Democratic Representative-elect Rashida Tlaib plans to lead a delegation of American lawmakers to the West Bank, the congresswoman-to-be has told the Intercept. Tlaib, a Palestinian-American, told the publication that the delegation will focus on "Israel's detention of Palestinian children, education, access to clean water, and poverty" and that the …
(2018-12-05). Body Language Versus Human Lives: Russia, Saudi Arabia & The United States. iranian.com The contrived outrage regarding Putin's high five with Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman obscures the fact that Russia-Saudi and the Saudi-US relations are completely different. The US relationship with Saudi Arabia, a longstanding outrage among those who take US foreign policy rhetoric about "human rights" seriously, is widely in question. The slaughter of Jamal […]
(2018-12-05). Malaysia: Keep Moratorium on Abusive Laws. hrw.org 
| | Riot police members stand guard at the Seafield temple on November 27, 2018 in Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia. | © 2018 Chris Jung/NurPhoto via Getty Images | (Bangkok) — The Malaysian government should reconsider its decision to lift the moratorium on laws previously used to repress dissent, Human Rights Watch said today. The government announced on November 30,…
(2018-12-05). Photos: Protesting for Migrant Rights in El Cerrito. indybay.org On December 1, protesters in El Cerrito created a human billboard out of the letters | S-T-O-P-T-H-E-T-E-A-R-S | Photos by Cornelia Grimes. Please credit the photographer.
(2018-12-05). 70th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. indybay.org Resource Center for Nonviolence | 612 Ocean St, Santa Cruz…
(2018-12-04). Rashida Tlaib to Lead Congressional Delegation to Palestine's Occupied West Bank. mintpressnews.com The first Palestinian-American woman to be elected to Congress, said that her "group will focus on issues like Israel's detention of Palestinian children, education, access to clean water, and poverty."
(2018-12-04). US Owes Reparations to Panama Over Bush's Invasion. truthout.org Last month, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights called on Washington to pay reparations to Panama over George H.W. Bush's illegal invasion there in 1989. We speak with international human rights attorney José Luis Morín, who has been working since 1990 to secure reparations for Panama. He is a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and chairperson of the Latin American and Latina/o Studies Department. We also speak with Greg Grandin, prize-winning author and professor of Latin American history at New York University. | TRANSCRIPT: | AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now! I'm Amy Goodm…
(2018-12-04). Exposing the Israel Lobby Groups Behind the "Political Lynching" of Marc Lamont Hill. mintpressnews.com 
The controversy that has resulted from Marc Lamont Hill's speech is just the latest iteration of a larger effort to silence advocacy for Palestinian rights in the United States, at a time when the Trump administration is set to reveal its Israel-centric "peace plan" that is set to be a disaster for Palestinians.
(2018-12-04). Women and the crisis in Venezuela. mronline.org 
A new report on women's human rights in Venezuela reveals the uneven advances of the Bolivarian Process in this area. | Source
(2018-12-04). Inter-American Commission on Human Rights: U.S. Owes Reparations to Panama over Bush's Invasion. democracynow.org 
Last month, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights called on Washington to pay reparations to Panama over George H.W. Bush's illegal invasion there in 1989. We speak with international human rights attorney José Luis Morín, who has been working since 1990 to secure reparations for Panama. He is a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and chairperson of the Latin American and Latina/o Studies Department.
(2018-12-04). The Effects of the Muslim Ban One Year Later. aclu.org We've had one year of the Muslim ban. Congress must ensure it's the last. | Exactly one year ago today, the Supreme Court allowed the full implementation of Trump's Muslim ban. It would be months still before it heard oral arguments in Hawaii v. Trump and issued its ruling on June 26, allowing the ban to remain in place. But on Dec. 4, 2017, America began to ban millions of Muslims from the United States, even if they have family members, jobs, academic spots, or other compelling connections here, and even if they would otherwise be fully…
(2018-12-04). Rattling the Bars: Stopping Corporate Exploitation in Prisons (Pt. 1/2). therealnews.com 
Eddie Conway talks with Bianca Tylek, found of the Corrections Accountability Corporation about thousands of corporations funding private prisons and immigration detention centers and what citizens can do about it
(2018-12-04). 400+ caravan migrants detained after crossing border fence in Texas. rt.com 
Hundreds of migrants from a Central American "caravan" turned themselves in to the US Border Patrol in El Paso, Texas. They hope to still get asylum in the US, due to to a court challenge to President Donald Trump's new policy.
(2018-12-04). U.S. Urges Europe To Impose Sanctions On Iran Over Missiles. iranian.com The Trump administration is urging Europe to impose tough new sanctions on Iran over its ballistic missile program. The call comes as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is to meet European officials in Brussels this week and after the U.S. and others condemned an Iranian missile launch over the weekend. Iran is expected to be […]
(2018-12-04). Central European University Forced to Leave Hungary. hrw.org 
| | People in Budapest protest a draft law targeting Central European University, Hungary, April 4, 2017. | © Lydia Gall/Human Rights Watch | It was no surprise when the Central European University announced Monday that it's being forced out of Hungary and will move to Vienna. The increasingly authoritarian Hungarian government has spent the last year and a half making it difficult — if not impossible — for the…
(2018-12-04). More US Child Workers Die in Agriculture Than in Any Other Industry. hrw.org 
| | "Sofia," a 17-year-old tobacco worker, in a tobacco field in North Carolina. She started working at 13, and she said her mother was the only one who taught her how to protect herself in the fields: "None of my bosses or contractors or crew leaders have ever told us anything about pesticides and how we can protect ourselves from them….When I worked with my mom, she would take care of me, and she would like always make sure I was okay….Our bosses don't give us anything except for our checks. That's it." | © 2015…
(2018-12-04). Mozambique: Security Forces Abusing Suspected Insurgents. hrw.org 
| | A Mozambican army soldier inspects a building destroyed during a night attack by a suspected armed Islamist group in Chicuaia Velha village, Nangade district, on November 23, 2018. | © 2018 Alexandre Nhampossa | (Johannesburg) — Mozambique security forces have been implicated in serious abuses while fighting an armed Islamist group in the northern province of Cabo Delgado. | Since August 2018, the security forces have allegedly arbitrarily detained, ill-tre…
(2018-12-04). Tunisia: Parliament Should Back Gender Equality in Inheritance. hrw.org 
| | A Tunisian woman holds up a flag during a march to celebrate International Women's Day in Tunis March 8, 2014. | (Tunis) — Tunisia's parliament should take the landmark step of granting women equal rights in inheritance, Human Rights Watch said today. President Beji Caid Essebsi formally submitted a draft law to parliament on November 28, 2018, asking for urgent action on the measure. | The draft law, which was approved by the Council of Minister…
(2018-12-04). Duterte Using Marijuana Is No Joke. hrw.org 
| | Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte gestures during the change of command ceremony of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines April 18, 2018. | © 2018 Reuters | President Rodrigo Duterte said this week that he uses marijuana to stay awake, especially during foreign travel. Will anti-drug agents dare to raid Malacañang, the presidential palace, now that its occ…
(2018-12-04). US Congresswoman-Elect Endorses BDS Movement for Palestinian Rights. theantimedia.com 
(MEE) — Congresswoman-elect Rashida Tlaib has become just the second US lawmaker to express support for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement for Palestinian rights. "I personally support the BDS movement," Tlaib said in an interview with The Intercept news website published on Monday. "I want us to see that segregation and how that has really harmed …
(2018-12-04). Imprisoned Hacktivist Jeremy Hammond Bumped a Guard With a Door — and Got Thrown in Solitary Confinement. theintercept.com Hammond is starting his third week in solitary confinement — a duration that the U.N. says is tantamount to torture.
(2018-12-03). Remembering George H.W. Bush's Inaction on AIDS at Home While Detaining HIV+ Haitians at Guantánamo. democracynow.org 
George H.W. Bush died on the eve of World AIDS Day, an irony not lost on many HIV/AIDS activists who remember the 41st president of the United States for his lack of action in the 1990s as the HIV/AIDS crisis raged on. Bush said little about the crisis during his years as vice president under Ronald Reagan, who didn't even mention AIDS until the penultimate year of his presidency. Despite promises to do more after he was elected president, George H.W. Bush refused to address and fund programs around HIV/AIDS education and prevention, as well as drug treatment. We speak with Steven Thrasher, journalist and doctora…
(2018-12-03). SPLC brings first lawsuit challenging Florida sheriffs' latest collaboration agreements to detain people for ICE. splcenter.org The SPLC sued Monroe County Sheriff Rick Ramsay today for illegally holding a U.S. citizen in the county jail on a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) hold.
(2018-12-03). China: Release Workers, Student Activists. hrw.org 
| | President Xi Jinping speaks during the opening of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in Beijing, China, October 18, 2017. | © 2017 Aly Song/Reuters | (New York) – The Chinese government should immediately release workers and students arbitrarily detained or forcibly disappeared during a nationwide crackdown since mid-2018, Human Rights Watch said today. Those held include factory workers, labor activists, college s…
(2018-12-03). Thousands of People with Disabilities in Croatia Trapped in Institutions. hrw.org 
| | Restraints on a bed in Lopaca Psychiatric Hospital. Emina Cerimovic/Human Rights Watch 2014. cc | On December 3, the world celebrates the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. That includes Croatia, where the Zagreb city authorities are sponsoring an art exhibition and concert, and the city of Krapina will host a walk to raise awareness about disabilities. But for many people with disabilities in Croatia, it will be just one more day spent trapped a…
(2018-12-03). Tackling Hate Speech in Ethiopia. hrw.org 
| | Internet café in Lalibela, Amhara Region, Ethiopia. | © 2010 Hemis.fr/AFP Photo | Hate and dangerous speech is a serious and growing problem in Ethiopia, both online and offline. It has contributed to the growing ethnic tensions and conflicts across the country that have created more than 1.4 million new internally displaced people in the first half of 2018 alone. The government says it will pass a new law on hate speech t…
(2018-12-03). ICC Facing US Threats. hrw.org 
| | The Permanent Premises of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands. | © 2016 UN Photo/Rick Bajornas | (The Hague) — International Criminal Court (ICC) member countries should reaffirm the court's mandate in the face of United States threats to weaken its essential role in international justice, Human Rights Watch said today. The 17th session of the court's annual meeting, the Assembly of States Parti…
(2018-12-02). Cornel West Responds to CNN Firing Marc Lamont Hill. therealnews.com 
"All he's saying is that Palestinian babies deserve the same rights as Israeli babies"
(2018-12-02). UN: War's Impact on People with Disabilities. hrw.org 
(New York) — On December 3, 2018, United Nations Security Council members will shine a spotlight on the disproportionate impact of armed conflict on people with disabilities, Human Rights Watch said today. People with disabilities have been invisible on the peace and security agendas of many countries around the world but are among the people most at risk during conflicts and humanitarian crises. | More than one billion people worldwide, or about 15 percent of the global population, have a disabi…
(2018-12-02). Japan: End Workplace Harassment, Violence. hrw.org 
| | Protesters hold placards during a rally against harassment at Shinjuku shopping and amusement district in Tokyo, Japan, April 28, 2018 | © 2018 Reuters | (Tokyo) — The Japanese government should reform its laws and policies to end violence and harassment in the workplace, Human Rights Watch said in a letter to Japan's Labor Policy Coun…
(2018-12-01). I Quit Google Over Its Censored Chinese Search Engine. The Company Needs to Clarify Its Position on Human Rights. theintercept.com 
I worked as a research scientist at Google when Dragonfly was revealed and resigned in protest after a month of internally fighting for clarification.
(2018-11-30). In Major Threat to Due Process, Marsy's Law Gains Ground Nationwide. aclu.org A growing movement wants to amend the US Constitution and weaken its due process protections in its ill-advised pursuit of victims' rights. | Alongside the major criminal justice reform headlines that came out of the midterm elections, a quieter trend also gained momentum through the ballot box: a budding, national threat to due process and the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. | On Nov. 6, six states adopted, through ballot initiatives, what is known as "Marsy's Law," which e…
(2018-11-30). Wave of red as West Bengal farmers march for rights. greenleft.org.au 
Organised under the banners of All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) and All India Agricultural Workers' Union (AIAWU) of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), thousands of farmers began marching from Singur towards Kolkata, the capital city of West Bengal, on November 27. | The march culminated in front of Governor Raj Bhavan's house the next day to demand cultivable lands be returned to the farmers. | In 2006, the creation of a car plant in Singur made the lands uncultivable. The plant was later…
(2018-11-30). US condemned for tear-gassing refugees, children. greenleft.org.au 
Legal experts and human rights advocates have denounced the tear gassing of children and other asylum seekers by US forces at the Mexico border on November 25. | "The migrants at our southern border include mothers and small children exercising their legal, human right to seek asylum," declared the ACLU in a tweet on November 26. It told the US Customs and Border Protection agency: "Tear gassing children is out…
(2018-11-30). Morocco: Torture Suspicions Mar Mass Trial Verdicts. hrw.org 
| | Rabat, Morocco, July 15, 2018: demonstrators protest heavy jail sentences on imprisoned activists by wearing masks showing their faces. | © 2018 Fadel Senna/AFP/Getty Images | (New York) — The Casablanca Court of Appeals should weigh evidence that the police tortured the defendants when it reviews the convictions of protesters and activists from the Rif region, Human Rights Watch said today. The appeals case began on November 14, 2…
(2018-11-30). Thailand: Don't Send Back Bahraini Dissident. hrw.org 
(New York ) — Thailand's government should ensure that Hakeem Ali Mohamed Ali al-Araibi, a recognized refugee, is not returned to Bahrain, Human Rights Watch said today. If returned, he would face an imminent risk of wrongful detention and ill-treatment by Bahraini authorities. | | | Hakeem Ali Mohamed Ali al-Araibi in detention at Suvarnabhumi airport in Bangkok. | © 2018 Private | "The Thai government needs to realize the grave dangers facing Ha…
(2018-11-30). Indonesia Launches 'Snitch' App Targeting Religious Minorities. hrw.org 
| | An Indonesian woman shows a newly launched smartphone application called 'Smart Pakem' of Jakarta's prosecutor office in Jakarta on November 27, 2018. | © 2018 Adek Berry/AFP/Getty Images | Following your own religious beliefs shouldn't be a crime, but in Indonesia, new technologies are helping authorities identify and potentially prosecute religious minorities who follow "deviant teachings." | On November 22, Bakor Pakem, a body charged with…
(2018-11-29). Should Saudi Crown Prince Be Charged With War Crimes? G20 Host Argentina Considers Probe. democracynow.org 
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman could face prosecution in Argentina for alleged complicity in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and the Saudi-led humanitarian crisis in Yemen. On Wednesday, an Argentine prosecutor reportedly accepted a request by Human Rights Watch to prosecute the crown prince, just hours after he landed in Argentina ahead of the G20 summit. Argentina recognizes universal jurisdiction for war crimes and torture, which means it is able to press charges against the crown prince while he is in the country. We speak with Reed Brody, counsel and spokesperson for Human Rights Watch, and…
(2018-11-29). We're Suing the CIA to Find the Body of a Torture Victim. aclu.org 
The U.S. government's obsessive secrecy has deprived a man's family of basic dignity and closure. | In November 2002, the CIA tortured Gul Rahman to death in a secret prison in Afghanistan. Sixteen years later, Rahman's family is still desperately trying to find out what the CIA did to his body. | To date, the CIA has told his loved ones nothing, and his daughter cannot even give her father a decent burial. | That same month, Gina Haspel oversaw the torture of Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri at a CIA black site in Tha…
(2018-11-28). A Mexican Perspective on Trump's Border Crisis. progressive.org "You've got a President of the United States who is a racist. Instead of having the United States be a world leader in human rights, Trump wants to be world leader of racism. It's very difficult."
(2018-11-28). Hatewatch Headlines 11/29/2018. splcenter.org Border Patrol's use of tear gas an ill omen; High court poised to reverse LGBT rights; How Trump picked up a meme from 4chan on Twitter; and more.
(2018-11-28). NAACP YOUTH LEADERS COMMENT ON THE RESULTS OF THE MISSISSIPPI SENATORIAL RUNOFF ELECTION. naacp.org BALTIMORE — Youth leaders of the NAACP shared the following statements regarding the results of the Mississippi senatorial runoff election: "We are constantly in a war for a fair democracy, not only for voting rights but also for representation that is accountable to the people. Mississippi's election shows that we can't afford to ignore marginalized voters and young people […]
(2018-11-27). UN Announces $9.2m of Funding Following Maduro's Request for Sanctions-Countering Assistance. venezuelanalysis.com The medical and nutritional supplies will reinforce existing UN support for government social programs targeting pregnant women, young children, and HIV carriers.
(2018-11-25). Trump Putting Venezuela on 'State Sponsor of Terrorism' List? zcomm.org The Trump administration is actively exploring the option of placing Venezuela on the state sponsor of terrorism list, to further intensify sanctions that have already caused significant damage to Venezuela's economy…
(2018-11-22). Venezuelan Campesinos Mobilize as Rural Violence Continues. venezuelanalysis.com Hundreds rallied for their rights in western Venezuela amid another campesino assassination.
(2018-11-20). Airbnb's Decision to Exit Israel's Illegal Settlements: A Partial Victory for Human Rights & Accountability. bdsmovement.net 
Airbnb's Decision to Exit Israel's Illegal Settlements: A Partial Victory for Human Rights & Accountability: BNC StatementAirbnb's decision to end its business in Israel's illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory is an important first step. It unfortunately fails to cover settlements in East Jerusalem, which is also occupied according to international law. All Isr…
(2018-11-20). Egypt: Children face shocking violations including torture and enforced disappearance. amnesty.org Update: | On 22 November 2018, Egypt's State Information Service issued a press release in response to Amnesty International's findings denying that any violations against children have taken place. It stated that Amnesty International's information was "not based on well-grounded sources" and did not provide "reliable evidence" to validate its claims of torture and enforced disappearance, arguing that it had comp…
(2018-11-15). Venezuela: Workers Rally to Demand 'Revolutionary Exit from Crisis'. venezuelanalysis.com The public sector in Venezuela has been mobilizing for revised wages and labor rights.