(2019-01-14). China to Trudeau: 'Don't Become a Laughing Stock'. telesurenglish.net Former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig, being held in China on suspicion of endangering national security, is not entitled to diplomatic immunity, China's foreign ministry said Monday. | RELATED | Huawei Arrest: Canada Faces 'Serious Consequences' Says China | Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Friday appealed to China over the detention of two Canadians and accused the country of "not respecting the principles of diplomatic immunity" in one of the cases. | Asked about Trudeau'
(2019-01-14). The 'Private Governments' That Subjugate U.S. Workers. commondreams.org American workers have never achieved the array of rights won by workers in other industrialized countries.(Photo: Mr. Fish) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files……
(2019-01-14). Barr Must Restore the Integrity of the DOJ & Reactivate Civil Rights Enforcement. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2019-01-14). Advocates Raise U.S. Water Quality, Access and Pollution as a Civil Rights Issue with the UN. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2019-01-14). William Barr Has a Long History of Abusing Civil Rights and Liberties in the Name of 'National Security'. aclu.org Barr's ideas of secret trials, profiling, and discrimination must face congressional scrutiny during his confirmation hearings. | On Tuesday, the Senate Judiciary Committee will begin hearings on William Barr's nomination to be the next attorney general of the United States, offering senators an opportunity to scrutinize his record and views. | Such scrutiny is especially crucial in the Trump era. As we've seen throughout his time in office, from imposing the Muslim ban to the recent shutdown fight over border wall funding, President Trump has tried to use "national security" as a pretext to justify discriminator…
(2019-01-14). Canada's Trudeau Accused of Violating First Nations Rights over Gas Pipeline. globalresearch.ca There are moments that define a politician. There are legacies that they leave. But the reality of high office is often so different from the easy promises of opposition. | As a poster boy politician, who entered office promising a new …
(2019-01-14). Brazil to Treat Landless Workers Activists as Terrorists: Govt. telesurenglish.net Brazil's far-right government under President Jair Bolsonaro will seek to classify "invasions" of farmland by landless workers as akin to terrorism, with harsher penalties for the activists, an Agriculture Ministry official said on Monday. | RELATED: | Italian Leftist Detained in Bolivia as Part of Brazil's 'Red Purge' | Nabhan Garcia, land issues secretary at the ministry, said the government must convince the National Congress to change the law to give police broader autonomy…
(2019-01-14). 'China is after us': Uighurs in Pakistan report intimidation. aljazeera.com Members of Uighur Muslim community say Islamabad is not fighting for their rights as it keeps close ties with China.
(2019-01-14). Where Abortion Fights Will Play Out in 2019. truthout.org With Democrats now in control of the US House of Representatives, it might appear that the fight over abortion rights has become a standoff. | After all, abortion-rights supporters within the Democratic caucus will be in a position to block the kind of curbs that Republicans advanced over the past two years when they had control of Congress. | But those on both sides of the debate insist that won't be the case. | Despite the Republicans' loss of the House, anti-abortion forces gained one of their most sought-after victories in decades with the confirmation of Justice Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. Now,…
(2019-01-14). Noah Perry to Legalize Human Trafficking in NY. indybay.org NYS Assembly Bill A99 for indefinite detention effectively legalizes human trafficking. First it's three days, then another five days, then another sixty days, then ninety and another ninety, and another, with no end in provision.
(2019-01-14). The 'Private Governments' That Subjugate U.S. Workers. truthdig.com Corporate dictatorships—which strip employees of fundamental constitutional rights, including free speech, and which increasingly rely on temp or contract employees who receive no benefits and have no job security—rule the lives of perhaps 80 percent of working Americans. These corporations, with little or no oversight, surveil and monitor their workforces. They conduct random drug testing, impose punishing quotas and targets, routinely engage in wage theft, injure workers and then refuse to make compensation, and ignore reports of sexual harassment, assault and rape. They use managerial harassment, p…
(2019-01-14). USA: Submission to the UN Human Rights Committee in advance of the adoption of list of issues priort to reporting. amnesty.org This submission highlights Amnesty International's concerns in relation to the implementation of the International Covenant for Civil and Political Rights in the United States of America in advance of the adoption of the List of Issues Prior to Reporting for the fifth periodic report. | Amnesty International provides documentation on issues in the USA related to the obstacles to implementation at the domestic level; the continued use of the death penalty; the use of lethal force by law enforcement; the prevalence of gun violence and the failure to protect the right to life; the failure to respect sexual and repro…
(2019-01-14). Finland: Submission to the UN Human Rights Committee in advance of the adoption of the list of issues prior to reporting. amnesty.org Amnesty International provides the below information to the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Committee (the Committee) ahead of the adoption of the list of issues prior to reporting in advance of the 7th periodic report of Finland at its 125th session in March 2019. | This submission sets out some of Amnesty International's key concerns about the fulfilment of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (the Covenant), and in particular with regard to violence against women (Articles 2-3, 7 and 26), forced marriage (Articles 2 and 23), discrimination on the grounds of gender, gender identity and sexu…
(2019-01-14). Amnesty International's Refugee Rights Action Lab. amnesty.org This is a short briefing about Amnesty International's Refugee Rights Action Lab 2017 – a 9-month 'journey' which provides a new way of supporting and connecting staff and activists, including refugees, campaigning on refugee rights. This document shares lessons learned during the process which will be particularly useful for those considering similar projects.
(2019-01-14). Russia: Chechen authorities resume homophobic crackdown. amnesty.org Amnesty International has received credible information that the authorities in Chechnya, a republic in the south of Russia, have unleashed a new wave of attacks on people believed to be gay or lesbian. At least two people are reported to have been tortured to death since December 2018. | | The Russian LGBT Network has verified reports that the Chechen authorities have detained arou…
(2019-01-14). Nepal: Authorities must proactively act to eradicate the harmful practice of banishing women and girls to insanitary and dangerous huts during their menstrual cycles. amnesty.org Responding to the death in Bajura district, Nepal, of a woman and her two young sons who had been forced to sleep in an outhouse during her menstruation, a practice known as Chhaupadi, Amnesty International said, the authorities must take urgent action to eradicate this discriminatory, harmful practice. | "In order to prevent further deaths, the Nepali authorities must immediately put in place a comprehensive strategy, designed in consultation with Nepali women's rights groups, to eliminate Chhaupadi. This should include effective enforcement of existing laws criminalizing Chhaupadi and widespread education progr…
(2019-01-14). Human Rights Council Membership Has Its Consequences. hrw.org 
This month, a new group of countries took their place as members of the world's top human rights body. | For the next three years, those sitting on the United Nations Human Rights Council will include the likes of the Philippines, where thousands have been killed in the name of President Rodrigo Duterte's "war on drugs"; Eritrea, found by a UN inquiry to have committed crimes against humanity; and Bahrain, which routinely retaliates against rights activists who raise concerns about government abuses. | | | Overview of the Uni…
(2019-01-14). Russian Authorities Increase Pressure on Crimean Human Rights Lawyer. hrw.org 
| | Law enforcement officials during the search in Emil Kurbedinov's office, Bakhchysarai, Crimea, January 26, 2017. | © 2017 Anton Naumlyik (RFE/RL) | Few human rights lawyers are brave enough to work in Crimea these days. A recent letter from Russia's Ministry of Justice to Crimean defense lawyer Emil Kurbedinov threatening his profession is yet another stark reminder that Ru…
(2019-01-14). Submission for the Human Rights Committee for the Upcoming Periodic Review of the United States of America. hrw.org List of Issues Submission to the | United Nations Human Rights Committee | During its Periodic Review of the United States of America | January 14, 2019 | | Harsh Criminal Sentencing | Summary | In the United States, state and federal courts regularly impose disproportionate criminal sentences, often in a racially disparate manner. This contributes to the large number of people behind bars in the country. In 2018, people in the state of Florida voted to end laws banning those with felony convictions from voting but questions remain about how to effectively implement the state's reforms. Thirty-three other…
(2019-01-14). Shuttered IRS Is Sending Automated Warnings of Asset Seizures, With Nobody to Call to Stop Them. theintercept.com The letter from the IRS is dated December 24, 2018, the Monday after the start of the government shutdown. The headline reads, "Notice of intent to seize (levy) your property or rights to property." It describes how the recipient, Aaron Caddel, owner of a small chain of boutique bakeries called Mr. Holmes Bakehouse, has 30 days to pay the $86,296.40 owed the government or face seizure of the funds from his company's bank account. | Caddel, who has two stores in Los Angeles and one in San Francisco, insists that the entire issue is a misunderstanding, one he had been wor…
(2019-01-14). We The Workers: A limited documentary about labour rights groups in China. wsws.org The main problem of We The Workers is not the director's stylistic approach but the film's uncritical attitude towards the political agenda of the labour activists.
(2019-01-13). Israel to Deport Human Rights Watch Director for Supporting BDS. theantimedia.com 
(MEMO) — Israel will deport the Director of Human Rights Watch (HRW)'s regional office, Omar Shakir, refusing a Supreme Court petition. On Thursday the Israeli government submitted its response to a Supreme Court petition previously filed by Shakir in a bid to fight the deportation order against him. The response stated that: "[Shakir] promoted the boycott of …
(2019-01-13). Outrage In Canada After Militarized RCMP Arrest 14 Wet'Suwet'en Land Defenders on Sovereign Indigenous Land. therealnews.com 
Solidarity protests erupt across Canada while Justin Trudeau faces hostile questions about indigenous rights in British Columbia
(2019-01-12). Israeli Airstrikes Pound Warehouse at Syria's Damascus Airport. theantimedia.com 
(ANTIWAR.COM) — Syrian air defenses came to life around the Damascus airport on Friday night, as Israeli warplanes carried out attacks in the area. Reports from Syrian state media say that the attacks centered on a warehouse outside of the airport. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed the warehouse was hit and said a second target …
(2019-01-12). New Afghan Defense Minister Should Face Investigation, Sanctions. hrw.org 
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's appointment in December of Asadullah Khalid as defense minister should have rung alarm bells not only in Kabul, but in the capitals of Afghanistan's major donors. That it didn't says a lot about how little human rights matter to an increasingly shaky government, and to donors looking for an exit from the long Afghan war. | | | Defense Minister of Afghanistan, Asadullah Khalid. | © US Department of State file photo | Credible evidence of serious human rights abuses and war crimes linked to K…
(2019-01-11). Climate Change Afoot. thenation.com Climate Change Afoot…
(2019-01-11). Exclusive: Angela Davis Speaks Out on Palestine, BDS & More After Civil Rights Award Is Revoked. democracynow.org 
In a Democracy Now! exclusive, legendary activist and scholar Angela Davis speaks out after the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute rescinded a human rights award for her, reportedly due to her activism for Palestinian rights. In September, the institute announced that it would award Davis the Fred L. Shuttlesworth Human Rights Award, named after the civil rights icon. But last Friday, the institute voted to withdraw the award and cancel this year's gala event. The institute rescinded the award days after the Birmingham Holocaust Education Center sent a letter urging the board to reconsider honoring Davis due to he…
(2019-01-11). Deaths of Women in Custody During Hurricane Florence Could Have Been Prevented. aclu.org Law enforcement and corrections officials must have emergency plans in place to protect any person in their custody when extreme weather strikes. | Amid rising floodwaters from Hurricane Florence in September, two women in the custody of the Horry County Sheriff's Office were left to drown in the back of a transport van. | The facts are as straightforward as they are damning. The two deputies, Joshua Bishop and Stephen Flood, transporting Nicolette Green and Wendy Newton to a hospital for mental health treatment disregarded roadblocks indicating flooded roadways. Floodwaters quickly overtook the van, and it was s…
(2019-01-11). Minneapolis protest rejects Trump border wall and attacks on immigrants. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN – Protesters gathered Wednesday evening, January 9, in frigid weather, on Lake Street in south Minneapolis to say no to President Trump's border wall and his racist attacks on immigrants. The protest was organized on less than a 24-hour notice by the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC). | President Trump went on national TV from the Oval Office Tuesday night, spewing a string of lies and racist manipulation in an attempt to pressure congressional Democrats to fund his border wall in order to end the partial government shutdown, which is now the second longest shutdown in U.S. hist…
(2019-01-11). America Needs Economic Rights. Now Is the Time to Push for Them. thenation.com America Needs Economic Rights. Now Is the Time to Push for Them.
(2019-01-11). Ex-President Karzai Betrays Afghan Women. hrw.org 
| | Former President of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai speaks at a panel discussion titled 'Disrupting the Established Order' at the TRT World Forum, themed 'Envisioning Peace and Security in a Fragmented World' at the Swiss Hotel The Bosphorus in Istanbul, Turkey on October 3, 2018. | © 2018 Arif Hudaverdi Yaman/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images | After former Afghan President Hamid Karzai finished his remarks at the 2019 Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi, a voice…
(2019-01-11). Syria: Deadly School Attack Was Unlawful. hrw.org 
| | A photograph taken by a local anti-government media outlet of a remnant of a 240mm mortar projectile used in a deadly attack by Syrian government forces on Jarjanaz on November 24, 2018. | © 2016 Syria Now | (Beirut) — A November 24, 2018 attack by Syrian government forces near an elementary school that killed six children, a teacher, and a student's mother, appears to have been unlawful and indiscriminate. All parties to the conflict, including th…
(2019-01-11). Malaysia: Law Proposed Against Criticizing Monarchy. hrw.org 
| | Malaysia's newly elected Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad attends a news conference in Pataling Jaya, Malaysia, May 12, 2018. | © 2018 REUTERS/Stringer | (Bangkok) — The Malaysian government's proposed new law to protect the monarchy from "insults" is its latest backtracking on human rights promises, Human Rights Watch said today. On January…
(2019-01-11). Why Doesn't Trump Talk about This Man? hrw.org 
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(2019-01-10). The BDS movement salutes Angela Davis. bdsmovement.net 
The BDS movement salutes Angela Davis : PACBI StatementThe Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI), a founding member of the BDS movement for Palestinian rights, salutJanuary 10, 2019 | By: | | Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI)
(2019-01-10). What Are Federal Employees' Rights to Protest the Government Shutdown? aclu.org People don't lose their First Amendment rights if they work for the government. | Standing up for your First Amendment right to protest can be challenging — especially if you're a government employee. | Since Dec. 22, nearly 800,000 government employees nationwide have been affected by the partial federal government shutdown, putting a stop to work and paychecks. Despite President Trump's claim that federal workers " agree 100 percent with what I'm doing," many have wond…
(2019-01-10). William Barr Was an Ardent Champion of Mass Incarceration. aclu.org The last time he was attorney general, Barr proclaimed that only prisons reduce crime, and that we need a lot more of them. | In 1992, a little less than a year into his new job, Attorney General William P. Barr added to the zeitgeist of "tough-on-crime" policies when he issued the Bush administration's " 24 Recommendations to Strengthen Criminal Justice." Barr's harsh approach, which included expanding capacity for pretrial detention and offsetting the cost of such expansion with the labor of prisoners, was distilled by the Office of Poli…
(2019-01-10). Rescinding a Human Rights Award to Angela Davis Was Cowardly and Unfair. progressive.org One would think that opposing Israel control of Palestinian territories seized in the 1967 war, which the international community recognizes as a foreign belligerent occupation, would not be particularly controversial.
(2019-01-10). A Bloody Day of Protest in Sudan. hrw.org 
| | This picture taken on January 9, 2019 shows tear gas fumes erupting during a protest in the Sudanese capital Khartoum's twin city of Omdurman. | © 2019 AFP/Getty Images | Yesterday's protest in the Sudanese city of Omdurman was particularly bloody. Government security forces responded to peaceful demonstrations with live ammunition, rubber bullets, and tear gas, killing at least three protesters and injuring several others, in broad daylight. As in pr…
(2019-01-10). US: Suit Filed Over Immigration FOIA Request. hrw.org 
| | An image of the first page of the complaint from a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit filed on behalf of Human Rights Watch by Nixon Peabody. | © 2019 Human Rights Watch | (San Francisco, January 10, 2019) — Human Rights Watch filed suit today against the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for their failure to respond adequately to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for detailed immi…
(2019-01-10). EU: Postpone Vote on Vietnam Free Trade Agreement. hrw.org 
| | Deputies attend the opening ceremony of the National Assembly's autumn session in Hanoi, Vietnam October 23, 2017. | © 2017 Reuters | (Brussels) — The European Parliament and the European Council should postpone the ratification of the proposed EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement until the Vietnamese government takes concrete steps to improve its increasingly abusive human rights record, Human Rights Watch said today. In Vietnam's latest m…
(2019-01-10). Thailand: Insurgents Bomb School, Attack Hospital. hrw.org 
(New York) — Separatist insurgents in Thailand's southern border provinces targeted a school and a hospital in renewed attacks, Human Rights Watch said today. Deliberate attacks on civilian structures are war crimes. | | | Family photo of police medic Capt. Sineenath Kongput, who was seriously wounded in a car bombing in Thepa district, Songkhla province, Thailand, on January 8, 2019. | © Private | On the morning of January 8, insurgents detonated a bomb outside Thairath Wi…
(2019-01-10). Unjustly Jailed Blogger Faces New Charges in Azerbaijan. hrw.org 
| | Mehman Huseynov. | © 2017 Aziz Karimov | Azerbaijan authorities know no limits when it comes to silencing government critics. As everyone was celebrating the New Year, Azerbaijan authorities were busy pressing new charges against one of the country's most popular anti-corruption bloggers, Mehman Huseynov. | Huseynov has been serving a 2-year prison sentence after he was prosecuted for defaming an entire police station in Baku, because he…
(2019-01-09). Why Trump's Effort to Eliminate Disparate Impact Rules Is a Terrible Idea. aclu.org The Trump administration is reportedly looking for ways to do away with disparate impact rules, a move that could hurt millions of vulnerable people. | If no one tells you they're discriminating, is it still discrimination? | According to the Trump administration, the answer is no. In a memo reported by The Washington Post last week, the administration has placed in its cross hairs a civil rights enforcem…
(2019-01-09). Frank Chapman condemns shameful and cowardly decision to revoke award to Angela Davis. fightbacknews.org Chicago, IL — Longtime leader in the Black liberation movement and the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, Frank Chapman, condemned the January 4 decision of the Alabama-based Birmingham Civil Rights Institute to abruptly cancel their plan to present Angela Davis with the Fred Shuttlesworth Award. Fred Shuttlesworth was a prominent leader in the civil rights movement. | Chapman stated, "Angela Davis and Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth were dearest friends and co-leaders in the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression at the same time that I served as its executive director."
(2019-01-09). Bernie Sanders Responds to Trump's Border Wall Address, Debunking President's Lies About Immigration. democracynow.org 
After Donald Trump addressed the nation Tuesday in a speech that attacked immigrants and demanded a border wall, Sen. Bernie Sanders called out the president for lying to the American people and creating a false crisis at the border. We speak with Oscar Chacón, executive director of Alianza Americas, an immigrant rights group based in Chicago.
(2019-01-09). Venezuela: Suspected Plotters Tortured. hrw.org 
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(2019-01-09). Tiffany and Co. Announces New Diamond Transparency. hrw.org 
| Starting today, Tiffany and Co. will begin sharing the origins of its diamonds with its customers, setting a new level of transparency among large jewelry retailers. As part of this welcome initiative, all of Tiffany's stores will now provide the country or region of origin for all newly-sourced diamonds above .18 carat. It's now time for others in the industry to do the same. | Transparency is the first step to improve human rights in a supply chain. When I shop i…
(2019-01-09). United Kingdom: Older People Left Without Support. hrw.org 
| | Older woman leaving a community center with programs for older people in East London. | © 2018 Stephanie Hancock for Human Rights Watch | (London) — Older people in England are at risk of not getting adequate assistance to live independent, dignified lives due to uneven assessments for social services, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. In doing so, the United Kingdom government risks failing to secure older persons' rights to health, and to live in the community. | For the 35-page report, "
(2019-01-09). Wall Can't Fix Problems at Southern US Border. hrw.org 
| | View of a part of the Benito Juarez stadium in Tijuana, Mexico, November 25, 2018. | © 2018 Jonathan Pedneault/Human Rights Watch | In his speech to the American public on Tuesday night, President Donald Trump put forward a nonsensical argument that the construction of some kind of barrier on the US-Mexico border would fix an incredible range of wildly exaggerated problems. There is a crisis on the border and throughout the…