(2018-12-08). German Court Confirms BDS Advocacy is Protected Freedom of Expression and Assembly. bdsmovement.net 
German Court Confirms BDS Advocacy is Protected Freedom of Expression and Assembly: In the NewsA German court confirms that advocating for BDS and Palestinian rights constitutes freedom of expression and assembly, rights that are protected by the German constitution and are essential for democracy. The court ruled that the German city of Oldenburg unlawfully violated these fundamental rights when it revoked a perm…
(2018-12-08). Auschwitz Survivor Supports BDS: 'I Have Experienced Fascism'. telesurenglish.net Auschwitz survivor, 94-year-old Esther Bejarano, expressed support for the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement because she has "experienced what fascism is." | RELATED: | This is What Solidarity Looks Like: Major BDS Victories in 2018 | Bejarano was sent to Auschwitz in the early 1940s. She escaped death thanks to her musical talents and mixed Jewish-Aryan ancestry. After World War II she emigrated to Palestine but 15 years later she returned to Ger…
(2018-12-08). The Dead End of "Comprehensive Immigration Reform" truthout.org "La lucha obrera no tiene frontera." "The working class struggle has no borders." | That's a chant you'll often hear on an immigrant rights protest. But for too long, this sentiment has been absent from the mainstream debate around immigration. | That's because the movement for immigrant justice and equality has been damaged politically for over a decade by its support for the pro-corporate framework known as "comprehensive immigration reform" (CIR). | Comprehensive immigration reform takes as its starting point the need to offer enhanced border security and enforcement against "bad" immigrants as the preconditio…
(2018-12-08). Myanmar: Quash Conviction of Kachin Activists. hrw.org 
| | People displaced in the conflict between the Burmese military and the Kachin Independence Army are seen at a church in Tanai Township, Kachin State, June 14, 2017. | © 2017 Reuters | (Bangkok) — Myanmar authorities should quash the convictions of three ethnic Kachin activists found guilty of defaming the military, Human Rights Watch said today. Zau Jat, Lum Zawng, and Nang Pu were each sentenced to six months in prison and a 500,000 kyat…
(2018-12-08). U.S. Wants Huawei CFO To Face Fraud Charges — Court Hearing. iranian.com U.S. prosecutors want a top executive of China's Huawei Technologies Co Ltd to face charges of fraud linked to the skirting of Iran sanctions, a Vancouver court heard on Friday. Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou, 46, who is also the daughter of the company founder, was arrested on Dec. 1 at the request of the United […]
(2018-12-07). As Voter Fraud Scandal in North Carolina Deepens, Democrats Push Voting Rights Bill. therealnews.com 
Tar Heel Democrats are voting to expand voter rights, while Republicans push voter IDs to hold on to power. We speak to NC state representative Graig Meyer
(2018-12-07). The Universal Declaration of Human Rights at 70: Time to De-Colonize Human Rights! counterpunch.org 
"…recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world." These are the words in the preamble of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) promulgated 70 years ago on December 10, 1948. They were More
(2018-12-07). Huawei CEO Meng Wanzhou Faces Iran Fraud Charges, Court Hears. telesurenglish.net The chief financial officer of Chinese telecoms giant Huawei has been charged with fraud for allegedly breaking U.S. sanctions on Iran. | RELATED: | Canada Arrests Huawei CFO by US Request, Tensions Rise, Stocks Fall | Meng Wanzhou, daughter of Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei, was arrested in Vancouver, B.C. Saturday and faces extradition to the U.S. | The court is yet to decide whether or not to allow bail, while China has demanded Ms Meng's release, insisting she has not violate…
(2018-12-07). No Relief: William Barr Is as Bad as Jeff Sessions — if Not Worse. aclu.org Barr's record suggests he will continue the former attorney general's worst policies while promoting a sweeping view of executive power. | Donald Trump's nomination of William Barr to succeed Jeff Sessions as attorney general ought to raise alarm bells across the country. Barr is as bad as Sessions was on the full range of civil rights issues that fall with the Justice Department's purview. And he's a longstanding advocate of expansive executive power. | It's almost certainly the latter view that attracted President Trump, whose own power is likely to be called into question should the Mueller investigation…
(2018-12-07). Bolsonaro Abolishes Human Rights Ministry For 'Family Values'. telesurenglish.net The transition team of Brazil's President-elect Jair Bolsonaro has named the evangelical pastor Damares Alves – an ardent critic of the abortion rights movement, as the future minister of human rights, family and women, which will also oversee indigenous communities and their territories. | RELATED: | Brazilian President-Elect Adds 5th Military Man to Cabinet | Alves, currently an adviser of an evangelical group of legislators and far-right senator and pastor Magno Malta, has been pa…
(2018-12-07). CIA Torture Killed My Father. I Want to Know What They Did With His Body. aclu.org The truth hurts, but it also helps. | This piece was originally published by The Washington Post. | I believe there are two paths in life — the paths of right and wrong — and that all people know the right path in their hearts. So I believe that people in America, if they can read this, will know the right thing for their government to do is tell me and my family what happened to my father's body. | My father was Gul Rahman. Sixteen ye…
(2018-12-07). Mexico to Include Domestic Workers in Social Security Institute. telesurenglish.net Mexico's Supreme Court of Justice approved a bill forcing employees to grant domestic workers a social security number, citing discriminatory practices – and gave the institute six months to develop a program for them. | RELATED: | Ecuador Women Blaze Trail in Scoring Labor Rights for Domestic Workers | The bill, proposed by Minister Alberto Perez Dayan, brands as "discriminatory" the fact that domestic workers are excluded from the Federal Law of Work and the legal framework of t…
(2018-12-07). Somali Journalist Critically Hurt in Car Bombing. hrw.org 
On Tuesday evening, veteran Somali journalist and media rights activist Ismail Sheikh Khalifa was critically wounded when a bomb planted in his car exploded in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu. Ismail was leaving the TV studio where he hosts a weekly show, when the bomb detonated remotely. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack. | | | Somali journalist and media rights activist Ismail Sheikh Khalifa. | © Radio…
(2018-12-07). Russia: Human Rights Defender Jailed. hrw.org 
| | Russian human rights activist Lev Ponomarev at an All-Russian convention on the protection of human rights. | © 2017 Anton Novoderezhkin\TASS via Getty Images | Update: On December 7, the Moscow City Court reduced Ponomarev's sentence to 16 days detention, after hearing an appeal in his case. | (Moscow) — A Russian court has unjustly jailed one of the founders of Russia's human rights movement for a Facebook post about a peaceful protest, Hum…
(2018-12-07). Poland Denies Entry to Environmental Activists to Attend Climate Talks. hrw.org 
When I traveled to Poland to attend the United Nations climate conference yesterday, I passed through immigration without any problems. But not all representatives of civil society groups participating in the negotiations have been that lucky. | | | Women climate change activists demand respect for rights at Paris Agreement signing ceremony outside the United Nations in New York, April 2016. | © 2016 Katharina Rall/Human Rights Watch | Human Rights Watch is aware of at least 13 people whom Polish authorities, over the pas…
(2018-12-07). Mali: Dangerous Upsurge in Abuse by Ethnic Militias. hrw.org 
| | Peuhl animal herders waiting to cross the Bani River, near Sofara, central Mali. On August 7, 2018, Dozo militia allegedly detained 11 Peuhl traders as they waited to cross the river to go to Sofara market, and later killed them. | © 2011 Tuul and Bruno Morandi / Alamy Stock Photo | Ethnic militias have killed over 200 civilians and burned dozens of villages in communal violence in central Mali during 2018, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. Most victims have been ethnic Peuhl villagers targeted b…
(2018-12-07). Senegalese Students Open Up the Conversation About Sexual Abuses. hrw.org 
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(2018-12-07). Family Planning Scholar Arrested on Vague Accusations in Tehran. hrw.org 
| | Iran's national flags are seen on a square in Tehran February 10, 2012. | © 2012 Reuters | Two academics with ties to Australian universities are among those arrested or required to go to a police station to face questioning in Iran during a weeks-long crackdown. The Iranian authorities claim those arrested used scientific projects as a cover to infiltrate Iran and create obstacles for the country's plans to increase its birth rate. The accusation is another use by Iranian authorities of the vaguely defined wo…
(2018-12-07). Cambodia: Repeal of Abusive Associations Rule. hrw.org 
| | Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen arrives to attend the Cambodian People's Party (CPP) congress in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on January 19, 2018. | © 2018 Samrang Pring / Reuters | (New York) — The Cambodian government's revocation of a repressive regulation on nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) should jump-start genuine efforts to repeal all laws that restrict basic rights, Human Rights Watch said today. | On November 27, 2018…
(2018-12-07). Why Iraq Is Crucial To U.S. Sanctions On Iran. iranian.com Iraq, OPEC's second-largest oil producer and one of Iran's largest trade partners might come to enjoy even longer sanction waivers from Washington than the eight countries that scored a 180-day sanction relief last month. The reason: curbing Iran's influence over its neighbor is a long-term goal, not something that could be done with sanctions inside a […]
(2018-12-07). Well, did he? Bolton says he knew of Huawei exec's arrest 'in advance,' contradicts own spokesman. rt.com 
The saga into the arrest of a top Huawei executive continues, with John Bolton saying he knew the woman was going to be detained ahead of time. However, the national security adviser's own spokesman says he didn't have a clue.
(2018-12-07). Japanese police detain Zengakuren activists for nearly three weeks. wsws.org The police measures used against this student group are part of a broader attack on basic democratic rights.
(2018-12-07). Canada arrests top Chinese executive for "sanctions busting" wsws.org The arrest and impending extradition to the US of Meng Wanzhou is a diplomatic and geopolitical provocation that has effectively blown up the US-China trade-war "truce" after less than a week.
(2018-12-06). Americans Endorsed Voting Rights in 2018, but Some State Lawmakers Want to Sabotage These Victories. aclu.org 
State legislators are ignoring their voters' wishes and engaging in new tactics to suppress the vote. | The 2018 election ushered in a wave of voting rights victories. Voters in Florida, Michigan, Maryland, and Nevada all made it easier to register and vote, showing that voters reject voter suppression efforts and <...
(2018-12-06). How George H.W. Bush and Other Conservatives Undermined his Americans with Disabilities Act Legacy. progressive.org Bush deserves credit for what he did to make the ADA happen. But federal civil rights laws are just empty symbolic gestures unless the executive branch vigorously enforces them and judges take them seriously.
(2018-12-06). Re-education Camps, Infiltration, Surveillance: China Criticized over Persecution of Uyghur Muslims. democracynow.org 
The United Nations and human rights groups have accused China's government of setting up massive anti-Muslim "re-education" camps in the northwest Xinjiang province to disappear, jail and brainwash Uyghur Muslims. Some estimates put the population in the camps at up to 2 million. After months of denials, China acknowledged their existence in October, saying they are part of efforts to counter extremism. But Uyghurs say it's a form of collective punishment—and that they live under a high-tech surveillance state designed to eradicate Islam. We speak to Rushan Abbas, a Uyghur-American activist based in Washing…
(2018-12-06). Rattling the Bars: Stopping Corporate Exploitation in Prisons (Pt 2/2). therealnews.com 
Eddie Conway talks with Bianca Tylek, founder of the Corrections Accountability Corporation about thousands of corporations funding private prisons and immigration detention centers and what citizens can do about it
(2018-12-06). Canada Arrests CFO of Chinese Telecom Giant for Violating US Sanctions on Iran. theantimedia.com 
(MEE) — Canada arrested China's Huawei Technology's chief financial officer for allegedly violating US sanctions on Iran, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday. Meng Wanzhou faces possible extradition to the US, WSJ added. A Canadian justice department spokesperson said she was arrested on 1 December. A Huawei spokesman said the arrest happened as Meng was transferring …
(2018-12-06). Argentina: Modify Resolution on Use of Force. hrw.org 
| | A member of Argentine National Gendarmerie aims his gun to demonstrators during a protest against government-proposed pension reforms as protesters march to Argentine National Congress in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on December 14, 2017. | © 2017 Mariano Sanchez/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images | (Washington, D.C.) — A new government resolution in Argentina to regulate the use of firearms by security agents runs counter to basic human rights standards and could enc…
(2018-12-06). Turkey: Seek UN Inquiry on Khashoggi. hrw.org 
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(2018-12-06). Yemen: Talks Should Address Rights Concerns. hrw.org 
| | Imports sit destroyed in a damaged warehouse at the port in Hodeida city, Yemen. | © November 2016 Kristine Beckerle / Human Rights Watch | Participants to the Yemen talks in Sweden should prioritize key human rights issues, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and Mwatana Organization for Human Rights said today. The issues should include removing impediments to the free flow of humanitarian aid and vital commercial goods such…
(2018-12-06). Gender violence awareness and murders are both on the rise. greenleft.org.au 
As part of #16daysofactivism, a global campaign to highlight gender-based violence, Domestic Violence NSW (DV NSW) hosted a panel of journalists and rights advocates to address the difficulties in reporting sexual assault and domestic and family violence on November 29. | Jenna Price from the University of Technology in Sydney and co-creator of Destroy the Joint's "Counting Dead Women" project spoke alongside artist, advocate and survivor of family violence Amani Haydar, author and journalist Jess Hill, journalist and advocate against gender-based violence N…
(2018-12-05). Why I Ended the Horror of Long-Term Solitary in Colorado's Prisons. aclu.org 
Long-term isolation has disastrous physical and mental health effects that can amount to torture. The practice must be abandoned across the nation. | In Colorado, long-term solitary confinement used to be a tool that was regularly used in corrections. The problem is that it was not corrective at all. It was indiscriminate punishment that too often amounted to torture and did not make anyone safer. | The practice was pervasive because it was considered reasonable and effective. It was neither. In practice, long-term isolation punished people in a way that not only lacked humanity but sense. And when a program lack…
(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). President Trump Is Accelerating the Militarization of the Southwest Border. aclu.org Under President Trump, the slide toward a fully militarized border between the U.S. and Mexico is happening rapidly to the detriment of civil rights. | For decades, the ACLU has fought back against the militarization of domestic law enforcement agencies and the use of the military in our communities. Nowhere is this militarization more pronounced than on the border between the U.S. and Mexico — and President Trump is only making it worse. | The creation of the Department of Homeland Security after 9/11 accelerated the government's operations on the U.S.-Mexico border. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP…
(2018-12-05). Venezuela's Maduro Seeks 'Golden Finish' to 2018 with International Offensive as Russia & Turkey Blast US Sanctions. venezuelanalysis.com Economic, financial, political, military, and counter-terrorism ties were strengthened between Caracas and both countries.
(2018-12-05). How False Testimony and a Massive U.S. Propaganda Machine Bolstered George H.W. Bush's War on Iraq. democracynow.org 
As the media memorializes George H.W. Bush, we look at the lasting impact of his 1991 invasion of Iraq and the propaganda campaign that encouraged it. Although the Gulf War technically ended in February of 1991, the U.S. war on Iraq would continue for decades, first in the form of devastating sanctions and then in the 2003 invasion launched by George W. Bush. Thousands of U.S. troops and contractors remain in Iraq. A largely forgotten aspect of Bush Sr.'s war on Iraq is the vast domestic propaganda effort before the invasion began. We look at the way U.S. media facilitated the war on Iraq with journalist John "Ri…
(2018-12-05). Does the Second Amendment Protect Only White Gun Owners? aclu.org Recent police killings of Black men for possessing guns they were legally carrying shows the racial double standards of "the good guy with a gun." | The most common refrain from gun rights supporters in the wake of mass shootings or other gun violence is that the best response to a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun. Yet in recent weeks, we have seen two Black men, a group already disproportionately victimized by police use of lethal force, shot and killed by police while protecting those around them w…
(2018-12-05). Humanitarians Released on Bail in Greece. hrw.org 
| | Sean Binder, a search-and-rescue volunteer who helped migrants and asylum seekers at sea, has been detained in Greece on unfounded charges. © Private, 2018 | Four humanitarian activists who had been imprisoned on baseless charges in Greece were released on bail today by an investigative judge. The authorities should now drop the ridiculous charges against them. | Among those bailed is 23-year-old Syrian refugee Sarah Mardini. Mardini traveled by boat from Turkey to Greece in 2015. When the engine failed, she and he…
(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,…
(2018-12-04). 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). Rattling the Bars: Stopping Corporate Exploitation in Prisons (Pt. 1/2). therealnews.com Eddie Conway talks with Bianca Tylek, founder 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). 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). 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). 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). 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…
(2018-12-03). 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). 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). There's No Real Difference Between Border Walls and Border Fences. aclu.org 
Democrats, led by Sen. Chuck Schumer, are playing word games when it comes to funding Trump's border wall. | Sometime between now and Dec. 21*, when the current appropriation for the Department of Homeland Security will expire, Congress needs to provide the agency with another's year's funds. A single word has become a sticking point for the politicians who will vote on that funding: "wall," as in President Trump's border wall. | Trump and his Republican allies are demanding billions of dollars for walls along the U.S.-Mexico border. Democrats, wanting to be seen as opposing Trump, say that they won't vote for b…
(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…