(2019-01-03). Iraq Vows to Buck US Sanctions on Iran and End US Troop Presence. mintpressnews.com Many Iraqi leaders called Trump's recent surprise visit to their country a violation of their nation's sovereignty. This has ended up leading to a wider backlash and resulted in multiple Iraqi politicians demanding a complete end to the US military presence in the country.
(2019-01-03). What If Bernie Sanders Opposed Sanctions Against Venezuela? zcomm.org The politically-charged questions Sanders would likely get from the press, along with his possible responses…
(2019-01-03). Saudi Arabia to Condemn 5 to Death Over Khashoggi Murder. telesurenglish.net Saudi Arabian prosecutors will seek the death penalty for five of the 11 suspects detained over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the Saudi state news agency SPA reported Thursday, as a Saudi court held a first hearing on the case. | RELATED | Netflix Bows to Saudi Pressure, Removes Episode on Khashoggi | Saudi Arabia said it also sent new letters to the Turkish public prosecutor asking for "any evidence connected to this case," which has rattled the Saudi royal court and <...
(2019-01-03). As Trump Applauds Brazil's New Pro-Fascist President, Bolsonaro Wastes No Time Attacking Environment and Marginalized Brazilians. commondreams.org Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro—whose inauguration on New Year's Day was lauded by U.S. President Donald Trump—wasted no time Wednesday introducing policies targeting the environment, indigenous Brazilians, the LGBTQ community, and other marginalized populations, realizing the worst fears of progressives who have protested the openly misogynist, pro-torture president. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files……
(2019-01-03). Iran Boosts Gasoline Production To Insulate From U.S. Sanctions. iranian.com Iran is closer to achieving self-sufficiency in gasoline by raising its national production capacity to more than 100 million liters daily, Iranian media report. The increase will come from a capacity increase at the Persian Gulf Star refinery on the Persian Gulf, which is fed condensate from the giant South Pars gas field that Iran shares […]
(2019-01-03). Trump's 'Game of Thrones' poster leaves everyone puzzled. rt.com 
President Trump kicked 2019 off in bizarre style, bringing an oversize Game of Thrones-inspired meme poster to his first cabinet meeting. The poster's appearance has journalists, pundits, and the twitterati confused. |
(2019-01-02). Venezuela Lost Billions as Result of US-led Sanctions: Maduro. telesurenglish.net Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro pointed out that the international sanctions applied by the United States and its allies against his country have caused multi-billion dollar losses in 2018 in an effort to suffocate the Venezuelan economy. | RELATED: | Venezuelan President Denounces Int'l Attacks to 'Steal Wealth' | "We have a fierce battle against international sanctions that have caused Venezuela to lose at least 20 billion dollars in 2018," said the Venezuelan leader. | Maduro…
(2019-01-02). Bolsonaro Excludes LGBTI Community From Human Rights Policies. telesurenglish.net Brazil's new far-right President Jair Bolsonaro signed an executive order removing policies aimed at protecting LGBTI rights in the country as part of his newly elected government. | RELATED: | Bolsonaro Gives Agriculture Ministry Power Over Indigenous Land | The new Ministry of Women, Family, and Human Rights of Bolsonaro's administration will not have the mandate to protect LGBTI community. | The measure signed by Bolsonaro mentions "women, children and adolescents, youth, the…
(2019-01-02). Netflix Removed Clip That Criticized Saudi Arabia's Human Rights Record. commondreams.org The November episode of "Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj" addressed the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. (Photo: YouTube screen grab) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files……
(2019-01-02). As the 115th Congress Ends, Here Are the Important Civil Rights Battles We've Won. aclu.org During the last two years of Trump, ACLU activists have won fights ranging from advancing criminal justice reforms to stopping border wall funding. | The past two years have been challenging times, as we have witnessed attacks on our shared values and civil rights from the Trump White House and a Republican-dominated Congress. It can sometimes feel difficult to make change happen, but even in this hostile climate, ACLU activists helped drive key legislative victories to advance civil liberties during the 115th Congress, which ends tomorrow. As the new Congress is sworn in on Thursday, these victories should remin…
(2019-01-02). Selected Articles: America's Wars, Coups and Sanctions in 2019. globalresearch.ca For seventeen years, Global Research, together with partner independent media organizations, has sought Truth in Media with a view to eventually "disarming" the corporate media's disinformation crusade. | In 2019, we call upon our readers to participate in an important endeavor….
(2019-01-02). Young cultural workers take lead in celebrating 50 years of art and culture in the Philippine revolution. fightbacknews.org Utrecht, Netherlands – Hundreds of cultural workers, youth, human rights and political activists, artists, academics, Filipino and other migrant nationalities and representatives of political parties and formations from all over the world, jampacked the auditorium of center for art and culture in this central Dutch city, December 29, to celebrate "Fifty Years of Art and Culture in the Filipino People's Struggle for National and Social Liberation" and the anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) on December 26, 1968. | The celebration was organized by the National Democratic Fron…
(2019-01-02). With Deadline Looming, Groups Urge Public to Speak Out Against DeVos' Plan to Steamroll Rights for Sexual Assault Survivors. commondreams.org With the deadline for public comment fast approaching, advocacy groups are urging their supporters to let the Trump administration know its proposed changes to the federal law that bars sex-based discrimination in schools are unacceptable as they would "make it easier for schools to sweep campus sexual assault under the rug." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files……
(2019-01-02). US Border Patrol Unleashes Tear Gas Against Children in Mexico. truthout.org In what human rights groups condemned as a " cruel and inhumane" act that must be independently investigated, agents with President Donald Trump's Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on Tuesday reportedly hit women, children, and journalists near the U.S.-Mexico border with tear gas, smoke, and pepper spray. | According to an Associated Press photographer presen…
(2019-01-02). In 2019, Women's Rights Are Still Not Explicitly Recognized in US Constitution. truthout.org Over nine decades, efforts to amend the U.S. Constitution to recognize women's rights have faced major challenges. | Congress finally passed such legislation, known as the Equal Rights Amendment, in 1972. The amendment would recognize women's equal rights to men under the law. | Despite concerted campaigns by women's rights groups, it fell short of the 38 states that needed to ratify it in order for it to become part of the Constitution. The original deadline for states to ratify was 1979. Congress extended the deadline to 1982, b…
(2019-01-01). Four Days in Occupied Western Sahara—A Rare Look Inside Africa's Last Colony. democracynow.org 
In this special rebroadcast of a Democracy Now! exclusive documentary, we break the media blockade and go 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 occupat…
(2019-01-01). Human Rights Abuses: Israel Most Condemned Country At UN In 2018. iranian.com Israel was the most condemned country at the UN in 2018 with the General Assembly passing at least 20 resolutions against Tel Aviv for human rights abuses, illegal settlements on occupied Palestinian territory and its continued occupation of East Jerusalem says Anadolu Agency. At least six efforts passed at the end of November sought to draw attention to the […]
(2018-12-31). An Extraordinary Year for Civil Rights. naacp.org This was an extraordinary year for the NAACP. From building more political power in communities of color to fighting to protect the federal bench from those who have a record of purposefully harming our communities, we've had great successes—and it was your support that made it all happen. Here's a look at what we did […]
(2018-12-31). A Disaster for Brazil: Noam Chomsky on Brazil's New Far-Right President Jair Bolsonaro. democracynow.org 
As Brazil's President-elect Jair Bolsonaro prepares to take office on Tuesday, we return to our conversation with world-renowned political dissident, linguist and author Noam Chomsky shortly after the election. Bolsonaro's impending presidency marks the most radical political shift Brazil since military rule ended more than 30 years ago. Bolsonaro is a former Army officer who has praised Brazil's former military dictatorship, spoken in favor of torture and threatened to destroy, imprison or banish his political opponents. Bolsonaro has also encouraged the police to kill suspected drug dealers, and once told a fem…
(2018-12-31). UDHR: Setting Limits On Power Still Pending Since 1948. therealnews.com 
An attentive review of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights suggests that 70 years on we have not fully averted the kinds of mistakes that the drafters of the UDHR sought to prevent from ever being repeated
(2018-12-31). The Long Hand of U.S. Intervention: The Intercept's 2018 World Coverage. theintercept.com 
Many of the world's troubles are legacies of American intervention. In Iraq, there is the continuation of a war that began with the U.S. invasion in 2003. One of the casualties is an American citizen imprisoned in Iraq for more than a decade, a victim of torture, secret evidence, and witnesses who later recanted. Decades of U.S. meddling in Central America, and support for repressive dictatorships there, have undermined social fabrics; gangs are rampant, and if joining them is easy, getting out is not. In Yemen, where the Saudi-led war has been supported by the U.S. military, children are dying of starvation. | <...
(2018-12-31). Bahrain: Rights Defender's Conviction Upheld. hrw.org 
| | Bahraini human rights activist Nabeel Rajab arrives for his appeal hearing at court in Manama, February 11, 2015. | © 2015 Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters | (Beirut) — The Bahrain Court of Cassation, the country's court of last resort, on December 31, 2018 upheld a five-year sentence for Nabeel Rajab, a prominent human rights defender, Human Rights Watch said today. | The sentence arose from comments criticizing torture in a Bahrain prison and the Saudi-…
(2018-12-31). UAE: Rights Defender's Conviction Upheld. hrw.org 
| | Ahmed Mansoor speaks to Reuters in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, November 30, 2011. | © 2011 Reuters | The United Arab Emirates Federal Supreme Court, the country's court of last resort in state security cases, on December 31, 2018, upheld a 10-year sentence for Ahmed Mansoor, an award-winning human rights activist, Human Rights Watch said today. | In May, an Abu Dhabi court sentenced Mansoor to 10 years in prison for "defaming" the UAE on s…
(2018-12-30). Canada's Barbaric Policies Toward Native Peoples (2/2). therealnews.com 
MP Niki Ashton tells Paul Jay that Canadian government policy in Indigenous communities must be premised on the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, including the principle of respect for free, prior, and informed consent in cases of land development
(2018-12-28). The Courts Consistently Brushed Back Trump's Assaults on Immigrants in 2018. aclu.org From family separation to the asylum ban, our independent judiciary stepped in to ensure that the president is not above the law. | This article was originally published in t he Los Angeles Times. | For immigrants, there's no way to sugarcoat 2018. The Trump administration enacted a series of draconian policies targeting noncitizens, and the one that will most define the year — and this administration — is the separation of thousands of children, some less than a year old, from their mothe…
(2018-12-28). What Can Humanity Learn From The Great Law Of Peace (2/2). therealnews.com 
Stuart Myiow, Wolf Clan Representative of the Mohawk Traditional Council, says Western 'democracies' wrongly prioritize individual rights over the rights of the collective
(2018-12-28). The Roots of Venezuela's Economic Crisis. therealnews.com 
As US sanctions against Venezuela take an ever-greater toll on the country and its people, it is important to understand how the sanctions work and the extent of the damage they have caused, say Steve Ellner and Greg Wilpert, in a joint analysis of the situation
(2018-12-27). The First Step Act Is a Small Step for Incarcerated Women. aclu.org While the law ends two gender-specific indignities of federal incarceration, it only begins to scratch the surface for incarcerated women. | The enactment of the First Step Act earlier this month will bring some much-needed change to our criminal justice system. But the First Step Act remains just that, a first step — particularly with respect to the impact that mass incarceration has had on cisgender women and trans people. | The legislation ends two gender-specific indignities…
(2018-12-27). Amber Heard: I Spoke Up Against Sexual Violence and Faced Our Culture's Wrath. aclu.org It's time to reform institutions that protect men accused of abuse. | This piece was originally published in The Washington Post. | I was exposed to abuse at a very young age. I knew certain things early on, without ever having to be told. I knew that men have the power — physically, socially and financially — and that a lot of institutions support that arrangement. I knew this long before…
(2018-12-27). Counterbalancing Disproportionate Power: The Message from Harris Gleckman. therealnews.com 
No major democratic country deals with domestic civil or criminal matters related to human rights based on a voluntary system, explains Harris Gleckman, in an op-ed on the disproportionate power wielded by transnational businesses in the current world system
(2018-12-26). 8-Year-Old Guatemalan Boy Dies in Border Patrol Custody Days After High Court Rejects Asylum Ban. democracynow.org 
For the second time this month, a Guatemalan child has died in the custody of U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Eight-year-old Felipe Gómez Alonzo died in New Mexico on Christmas Eve, after being detained since December 18. This follows the death of a 7-year-old indigenous Guatemalan girl, Jakelin Caal Maquín, who died on December 8, two days after she and her father presented themselves at the border in a bid for asylum. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has rejected President Trump's asylum ban, which attempted to deny asylum to anyone entering the country from outside of a legal port of entry. Supreme Court Chief…
(2018-12-26). Muslim Ban: Meet the Yemeni Americans Suing Trump in an Attempt to Reunite with Loved Ones. democracynow.org 
A group of Yemeni Americans have filed a new federal lawsuit over President Trump's Muslim ban. The suit alleges the State Department has revoked previously approved visas, preventing many Yemenis from reuniting with their families living in the United States. We speak to two of the plaintiffs and the Center for Constitutional Rights, which brought the lawsuit.
(2018-12-26). The Battle to Stop Family Separation. aclu.org How a Congolese mother and child set in motion an extraordinary battle that exposed government conduct unprecedented in its cruelty and carelessness. | This piece originally appeared at The New York Review of Books. | In March 2017, John Kelly, then Secretary of Homeland Security, said in an interview with CNN that the Trump administration was considering a national policy to separate parents f…
(2018-12-24). UN Members Thwart China's Bid to Gut Funds for Myanmar Probe. hrw.org 
| | Smoke is seen rising from Burma's Taung Pyo Let War village from across the border in Bangladesh. | | © 2017 Private | United Nations member countries thwarted an attempt by China to slash proposed funding for investigations into Myanmar's ethnic cleansing campaign against Rohingya Muslims. This ensures that a newly established UN body will have the necessary financing to gather and preserve criminal evidence for future trials. | After marathon negotiations — during which China called for cutting the propos…
(2018-12-23). Iraq/Kurdistan Region: Risk of Double Trials for ISIS Ties. hrw.org 
| | Cigarette burns cover the hands and arms of 18-year-old "Karim." Kurdish authorities held him for 13 months. He then returned home and was rearrested by authorities under Baghdad's control, who tortured and held him for months. | © 2018 San Saravan | (Beirut) — Sunni Arab boys who serve prison time in Iraq's Kurdistan region for Islamic State (also known as ISIS) connections risk rearrest after their release if they try to reunite with their families…
(2018-12-22). Bangladesh: Violent Campaign Targets Opposition. hrw.org 
| | Police rush Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) supporters at a protest on February 9, 2018, Dhaka, Bangladesh. | © 2018 Allison Joyce/Getty Images | (New York) — A repressive political environment in Bangladesh ahead of the December 30, 2018 national elections is undermining the credibility of the process, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. Bangladeshi authorities should impartially investigate allegations of election violence and ensure that…
(2018-12-21). States Are Cracking Down on the Movement for Palestinian Rights—but Cities Are Pushing Back. thenation.com States Are Cracking Down on the Movement for Palestinian Rights—but Cities Are Pushing Back…
(2018-12-21). 'We Should Expect Them to Keep Developing New Ways to Subvert Public Will' – CounterSpin interview with Paul Rosenberg on GOP power grabs. fair.org 
Janine Jackson interviewed Paul Rosenberg about Republican post-election power grabs for the December 14, 2018, episode of CounterSpin. This is a lightly edited transcript. | Media…
(2018-12-21). #SaveHakeem — Stop deportation of Bahraini refugee. greenleft.org.au 
Bahraini refugee Hakeem Al-Araibi has been held in detention in Thailand since November 27, facing the terrifying prospect of deportation to the country where he was tortured. | Al-Araibi fled to Australia in 2014 and was accepted as a refugee. In November, he travelled on UN travel documents to Thailand for a short holiday with his wife. When he arrived at Bangkok airport, Al-Araibi was arrested under an Interpoll "Red Notice" (an international arrest warrant) issued by the Bahrain government. | Interpol is not meant to issue red notices for refugees, so this red notice should never have been issued for Al-Araib…
(2018-12-21). US: Don't Return Asylum Seekers to Mexico. hrw.org 
| | The port of entry to Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. © 2017 Human Rights Watch | (Washington, DC) — The US Department of Homeland Security has announced a policy, effective immediately, that will return asylum seekers to Mexico while their claims are processed in the United States. This raises serious concerns about whether asylum-seeking adults and families will be obstructed in their ability to pursue their asylum claims…
(2018-12-20). 'Domestic Workers Don't Have Protections Against Discrimination and Harassment' – CounterSpin interview with Mariana Viturro on Domestic Workers Bill of Rights. fair.org 
Janine Jackson interviewed Mariana Viturro about the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights for the December 14, 2018, episode of CounterSpin. This is a lightly edited transcript. | Media…
(2018-12-20). US Deporting Iraqis Without Valid Documents. hrw.org 
| | Protesters rally outside the federal court just before a hearing to consider a class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of Iraqi nationals facing deportation, in Detroit, Michigan, US, June 21, 2017. | © 2017 Reuters/Rebecca Cook | (Beirut) — The United States government has deported at least 30 of a planned 1,400 people originally from Iraq back to their country, in some cases threatening long imprisonmen…
(2018-12-20). Iran: Imprisoned Dissident Dies. hrw.org 
| | Rajai Shahr Prison, Karaj, Iran. | © 2004 Private | (Beirut) — Iranian authorities should immediately carry out an independent and impartial investigation into the death of an imprisoned activist on a hunger strike, Human Rights Watch said today. Anyone found responsible for wrongdoing in the death of Vahid Sayadi Nasiri should be held accountable. Iranian authorities have systematically failed to conduct transparent investigations into at least prio…
(2018-12-20). Déjà vu on the Greek-Turkey Border. hrw.org 
| | Migrants that crossed the land border between Greece and Turkey are seen at the Pre-Removal Detention Center in the village of Fylakio, Northern Greece, February 24, 2017. | © 2017 Alexandros Avramidis /Reuters | Ten years ago, I documented a systematic pattern of brutal Greek border police pushbacks of migrants and asylum seekers at the Evros River border that divides Greece and Turkey. Last week, as I edited a new Human Rights Watch report, I felt as though I was re-reading my old report. | Here's a paragraph fro…
(2018-12-20). Ten Good News Stories for Kids in 2018. hrw.org 
| | Girls in India during a hygiene training as part of the Great WASH Yatra. Himanshu Khagta, WASH United, 2012 | A couple of years ago, a friend following me on Twitter said he found my feed really depressing. "Doesn't anything good ever happen for children?" he asked. | Spreading doom and gloom sometimes seems an occupational hazard of human rights work. But I've taken my friend's words to heart and now, as we approach the end of the year, here are 10 good news stories for kids: | A number of armed forces and armed grou…
(2018-12-19). ALP National Conference a sham. greenleft.org.au 
Bill Shorten surprised no one with his laughingly tiny reforms at the Australian Labor Party National Conference over December 16—18. | If you expected debate, let alone proposals to stop the Adani coalmine or refugee boat turn-backs or the closure of off-shore detention centres, then you would have been disappointed as these things did not happen. | If you were hoping that there might be a commitment to increase the Newstart Allowance or to back progressive industrial relations reforms that will actually change the rules for workers, you would be doubly disappointed as these things were also rejected. | Cl…
(2018-12-19). Britain Should Stand Up for Saudi Women Activists. hrw.org 
| | British Prime Minister Theresa May (L) stands with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on the steps of number 10 Downing Street on March 7, 2018 in London, England. | © 2018 Leon Neal/Getty Images | Last week, the British Foreign Office celebrated the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Human Rights Day by highlighting the courageous work of human rights defenders around the wo…
(2018-12-19). Guatemala: New Attack on Anti-Corruption Body. hrw.org 
(New York) — The decision by the government of President Jimmy Morales to expel investigators with the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala is a major blow to efforts to bring corrupt officials to justice, Human Rights Watch said today. | | | Guatemala's President Jimmy Morales attends the Latin America and Caribbean International Economic Forum at the Bercy Finance Ministry in Paris | © 2017 Charles Platiau/Reuters | On December 18, 2018, the government announced that it was withdrawing the d…
(2018-12-19). Myanmar: Disband Panel on Crimes Against Rohingya. hrw.org 
| | Rohingya refugees walk through rice fields after crossing the border from Myanmar into Palang Khali, Bangladesh, October 19, 2017. | © 2017 Jorge Silva/Reuters | (New York) — Myanmar should disband its commission of inquiry into abuses in Rakhine state because it is clearly unwilling to seriously investigate alleged grave crimes against ethnic Rohingya, Human Rights Watch said today. | At a news conference on December 12, 2018, Rosario Manalo, chair of the Independ…
(2018-12-14). Every Single Member of US Congress Approved Crushing Sanctions on Nicaragua. grayzoneproject.com After defeating a violent US-backed coup attempt, Nicaragua's elected government faces the NICA Act. The bill aims to force the…