(2019-01-24). Black Children Don't Have Nick Sandmann's Rights. thenation.com Black Children Don't Have Nick Sandmann's Rights…
(2019-01-24). American-Iranian TV Anchor Marzieh Hashemi Released From FBI Custody Without Charge. mintpressnews.com 
U.S. citizen Marzieh Hashemi, an anchor on Iran's English-language service Press TV, has been released without charge after being illegally detained for ten days by the FBI. | Hashemi was arrested earlier this month while boarding an internal U.S. flight from St. Louis to Denver where she had been filming a documentary on the Black Lives Matter movement. The 59-year-old African American is a convert to Islam and has been living in Iran for the past several years. | Her arrest prompted protests across the worl…
(2019-01-24). NAACP Law Fellowship Blog Posts. naacp.org I applied for the NAACP's law fellows program because of the organization's legacy in protecting the rights of people of color and in doing so the rights of all people. Law school has allowed me to more fully contextualize the history of race in the United States, and I recognized the crucial role the NAACP […]
(2019-01-24). Roe: 47 Years and Counting. counterpunch.org 
Do Americans have a right to privacy? This "right" is not enumerated in the Constitution but the Ninth Amendment states, "The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people." The battle over the right to privacy, especially a woman's right to an abortion, defines the culture wars. | More
(2019-01-24). Lawyer Wolfgang Kaleck: Bush, Rumsfeld & Cheney Are a Troika of Tyranny & Should Be in Prison. democracynow.org 
As Venezuela faces an attempted coup supported by the U.S., Brazil and the European Union, we speak with human rights attorney Wolfgang Kaleck. In November, John Bolton accused Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua of being part of a "troika of tyranny." Kaleck says the real "troika of tyranny" is George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld, who should be in prison for war crimes. Kaleck is a human rights attorney who for decades has been at the forefront of the legal fight to hold powerful actors and governments around the world accountable for human rights abuses. His new book, titled "Law Versus Power: Our Global…
(2019-01-24). New US sanctions target Iran-backed fighters in Syria. aljazeera.com Fatemiyoun Division, comprising Afghan fighters, and Zaynabiyoun Brigade, comprising Pakistanis, put on blacklist.
(2019-01-24). A Disturbing Number of Missouri Towns Evict Residents for Calling the Police. aclu.org The ACLU is urging towns across Missouri to repeal unjust 'nuisance ordinances.' | Over the last few decades in towns and cities across America, local authorities have passed laws that punish people for calling 911 with steep fines and eviction, even when they are seeking police protection. Known as nuisance ordinances, these laws present victims of crime with an impossible choice. As a domestic violence survivor in St. Louis put it: "If I…
(2019-01-24). US: Iranian TV Anchor Released from Detention Without Charge. telesurenglish.net Iranian Press TV anchor Marzieh Hashemi, who was detained for being a "material witness" in an investigation but was not charged with any crime, was released Wednesday after 10 days of detention in the United States. | RELATED: | Iranians Call For Protest Against Arrest of TV Anchor by FBI | The journalist Hashemi, who was born Melanie Franklin in the United States and changed her name after converting to Islam, is already reunited with her family in Washington DC. | "Marzieh and h…
(2019-01-24). 'We will not be bullied into silence'. zcomm.org Over 350 scholars and Civil Rights movement veterans speak out in support of Palestinian rights and Angela Davis…
(2019-01-24). Arizona Provides Me Unequal Healthcare Because I'm Transgender. aclu.org I'm part of a class-action lawsuit to ensure that the state of Arizona includes transition-related health care in its insurance coverage. | I'm a professor of family studies and human development at the University of Arizona, and I have dedicated my career to studying how discrimination impacts LGBTQ adolescents. I'm also transgender, and I know from experience that growing up is different — and still much more difficult — for LGBTQ youth. So it came as a disappointment when I learned that the state university where I work does not cover transition-related healthcare for its employees or their depende…
(2019-01-24). Assange Takes Legal Action to Force Trump Administration to Reveal Charges Against Him. globalresearch.ca Lawyers Further Seek To Compel Ecuador To Prevent Extradition To The United States | Lawyers for Julian Assange have filed an urgent application to the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights (IACHR), based in Washington D.C., to direct the Trump Administration to …
(2019-01-24). What's been learned won't be easily forgotten. mronline.org 
A young Venezuelan intellectual argues that the revolutionary potential of Chavismo may be in abeyance, but it could come back to life again. | Source
(2019-01-24). Rights group says Egypt 'more dangerous than ever' for critics. aljazeera.com At least 113 Egyptians were detained in 2018 for peacefully criticising the government, says Amnesty International.
(2019-01-24). Amid a Deteriorating Landscape for Abortion Rights, a Critical Victory in New York. commondreams.org As threats to legal abortion increase, we are championing policies that safeguard the ability of women to make our own decisions. (Photo: Susan Melkisethian/flickr) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files……
(2019-01-24). National Civil Rights Group Commends NYS Legislation Expanding Voting Rights. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2019-01-24). Iran: Prominent Labor Activist Rearrested. hrw.org 
(Beirut) — Iranian authorities on January 20, 2019 arrested two activists who had alleged that authorities tortured them in detention, Human Rights Watch said today. The arrests of Ismael Bakhshi, a prominent labor rights activist, and Sepideh Gholian, a journalist and labor rights activist, came the day after Iranian state television broadcast confessions that they said they were forced to make in detention. | | | Screen shot from Islamic Republic of Iran Broad…
(2019-01-24). Education Finally Gets Global Attention. hrw.org 
| Today, the global community marks the first International Day of Education. | For students, teachers, and organizations that support children's right to education, it's been a long time coming. Since the 1990s, activists have mobilized to try and ensure education gets more attention globally and nationally. The United Nations hopes to use this day to highlight education's fundame…
(2019-01-24). Russia: First Criminal Case under 'Undesirables' Law. hrw.org 
| | Anastasiya Shevchenko at her court hearing in Rostov-on-Don on January 23, 2019. | © Alissa Vasilyeva, Rostov-on-Don, 2019 | (Moscow) — Russian authorities opened their first criminal case against a Russian activist for alleged involvement with a so-called "undesirable" foreign organization, Human Rights Watch said today. On January 23, 2019 Rostov-on-Don court placed Anastasia Shevchenko, a member of the Open Russia Civic Movement (ORCM), under hou…
(2019-01-24). Libya: Displaced Population Can't Go Home. hrw.org 
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(2019-01-24). UN/ECOWAS: Release Report on Gambia Migrant Massacre. hrw.org 
| | Massacre survivor Martin Kyere at Accra cemetery where six bodies were returned from Gambia. | © 2018 Bénédict De Moerloose/TRIAL International | (Geneva) — Five United Nations human rights monitors have urged the UN and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to release their report on the 2005 massacre in Gambia of more than 50 Ghanaian and other West African migrants, Human Rights Watch and TRIAL…
(2019-01-24). WikiLeaks Sues to Unseal Secret US Charges Against Julian Assange. theantimedia.com 
(ZH) — WikiLeaks announced in a Wednesday statement that it's seeking to force the Trump administration to unseal any charges against founder Julian Assange, according to AP. According to the statement, they have filed a legal challenge with the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights in Washington, while also asking Ecuador to prevent Assange's extradition to the United States. …
(2019-01-24). US Releases American Journalist After 10-Day Detention Without Charges. theantimedia.com 
(ANTIWAR.COM) — 10 days ago, US citizen Marzieh Hashemi was arrested at the St. Louis Lambert Airport, and transferred into FBI custody. On Wednesday, she was finally released, having never been charged with a crime. Hashemi is a journalist and an anchor for Iran's PressTV, and her arrest was the subject of mounting international scrutiny, though the US …
(2019-01-24). Queer and trans domestic workers are organizing against discrimination. zcomm.org The future is inclusive labour rights for trans and lesbian women, our right to health access and housing guaranteed, and to be seen by our skill, not by our gender or sexual identity…
(2019-01-24). French Sex Workers Seek Repeal of Ban on Paying for Sex. telesurenglish.net On Tuesday, around 30 sex workers backed by nine associations, including a medical charity, went to the Constitutional Council to argue the law infringed their sexual and commercial freedom and made them more vulnerable to attack. | RELATED: | Amsterdam Sex Workers Demand Equal Rights, Fight Stigmatization | The law, which punishes people caught paying for sex with fines of up to US$1,800 for first-time offenders and 4,270 euros for repeat offenders, took years to make its way th…
(2019-01-24). Championing hope and human rights in Kibera. amnesty.org …
(2019-01-24). Venezuela: More than a dozen people killed in protests. amnesty.org In response to reports that at least a dozen people were killed in the context of the protests in Venezuela, Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas director at Amnesty International, said: | "Since the beginning of the week, thousands of people in Venezuela have taken to the streets to protest the serious institutional and human rights crisis that has gripped the country. Instead of seeking solutions and engaging in dialogue to address their demands, the authorities under the command of Nicolás Maduro have responded by sending military and police officials onto the streets to apply their policy of repression." |
(2019-01-24). Iran's 'year of shame': More than 7,000 arrested in chilling crackdown on dissent during 2018. amnesty.org The Iranian authorities carried out a shameless campaign of repression during 2018, crushing protests and arresting thousands in a wide-scale crackdown on dissent, said Amnesty International, a year after a wave of protests against poverty, corruption and authoritarianism erupted across the country. | The organization has today revealed staggering new figures showing the extent of the Iranian authorities' repression during 2018. Over the course of the year, more than 7,000 protesters, students, journalists, environmental activists, workers and human rights defenders, including lawyers, women's rights activists, m…
(2019-01-24). Egypt 'more dangerous than ever' for peaceful critics. amnesty.org Eight years after the start of Egypt's revolution, the Egyptian people are facing an unprecedented attack on freedom of expression, Amnesty International said today. Tens of thousands took to the streets to demand greater protections for human rights during the 25 January revolution of 2011, but under President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi the space for dissent is being crushed out of existence. | Over the course of 2018, the Egyptian authorities arrested at least 113 people simply for peacefully expressing their views. Many were detained without tria…
(2019-01-24). China: Secret detention places writer at risk of torture. amnesty.org Responding to the Chinese authorities' confirmation that Australian-Chinese writer Yang Hengjun has been detained on suspicion of "endangering national security", Joshua Rosenzweig, East Asia Research Director at Amnesty International commented: | "The Chinese authorities have serious questions to answer over the detention of Yang Hengjun, but it could be months before we find out anything more about his condition or what they're accusing him of doing. | "If it's true that Yang is being held under 'residential surveillance in a designated location', then there is cause for serious concern over his wellbeing. Faci…
(2019-01-24). How a human rights club in Africa's biggest slum helps young people stay on track. amnesty.org Bossvill and Sylvia, both 17, are members of Amnesty International's Human Rights Club, which takes place in their school in Kibera, the largest urban slum in Africa. They reveal how their new-found skills are helping them solve problems at home and in their community… | Bossvill's story: | | Life has its positives and negatives in Kibera. Sometimes friends want you do things you're uncomfortable with, often bad things. If you don't, they will leave you out. | I want to stay in school and I want to gain the skills that will help me…
(2019-01-24). "A human rights defender should have no limits" amnesty.org Vincent, 27, grew up in Kibera, Kenya. Many of his friends dropped out of school, but he was determined to take a different path… | School was an hour's walk away. It had its good and bad sides. Some students came from rich families. It was frustrating as I didn't understand why we were poor. But I came to realise that's life and I wanted to make the best of the situation. | In Kibera, poverty is a huge problem. People live here because they do not have the opportunity or means to live elsewhere. Young people start taking drugs at an early age, gender-based violence is rife and children, especially girls, are r…
(2019-01-24). Mexico: State protection measures were not enough to prevent the killing of environmental defender Julián Carrillo. amnesty.org The Mexican state failed in its obligation to ensure the effective protection of the environmental human rights defender Julián Carrillo, said Amnesty International in the report Caught between bullets and neglect: Lack of protection for defenders of the territory in the Sierra Tarahumara, published today, three months after his death. | "The Indigenous Rarámuri people of the community of Coloradas de la Virgen have for years faced a series of attacks and threats because of their work defending human rights and their ancestral territory," said…
(2019-01-24). Mexico: Caught Between Bullets and Neglect: Lack of Protection for Defenders of the Territory in the Tarahumara Sierra. amnesty.org This document addresses the Mexican State's failure to effectively protect the defenders of the land, territory and environment in the Sierra Tarahumara, specifically the members of the Rarámuri Coloradas de la Virgen indigenous community. Amnesty International documented the case of Rarámuri defender Julián Carrillo who was killed in October 2018 despite having protection measures from the Mechanism for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders and Journalists.
(2019-01-24). Russian Federation: Human rights defender under house arrest: Anastasia Shevchenko. amnesty.org On 23 January, Anastasia Shevchenko, an Open Russia human rights defender from Rostov-on-Don, in southern Russia, was put under house arrest and may face up to six years in prison if convicted. This is the first time the Russian authorities have opened a criminal case under the repressive "undesirable organizations" law. It is a worrying precedent and could open the floodgates to the prosecution of hundreds of Open Russia members across the country. Anastasia Shevchenko is a prisoner of conscience. She must be immediately and unconditionally released.
(2019-01-24). Flickering Hope: Truth, Justice, Reparation and Guarantees of Non-Recurrence in Sri Lanka. amnesty.org In 2015, Sri Lanka co-sponsored Resolution 30/1 at the UN Human Rights Council to demonstrate the newly elected government's commitment to break with impunity for a past marked by serious human rights violations. While the Resolution was welcomed both domestically and internationally, three years on, progress has been slow and political will, dimming. In 2017, the government was granted a two-year extension to implement the Resolution. A detailed report on Sri Lanka's implementation of Resolution 30/1 will be submitted to the Human Rights Council, by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, during it…
(2019-01-24). "Educating people through entertainment – key in Kibera" amnesty.org Julian, 24, is a member of Wasanii Sanaa in Kibera. Since she joined the youth organisation she's grown in confidence and is now a role model in her community… | I've spent my whole life in Kibera. In my community there's a lot of drugs, which leads to young people dropping out school. As kids grow up, they become thieves or fall pregnant. My parents have always been strict, but if you don't have people to take care of you, it's as though there's no way out. | Some of my friends in high school took drugs and they wanted me to join in I said no, and ran the risk of looking uncool, but it wasn't the path for me.
(2019-01-24). "Kibera should be seen as a place of hope" amnesty.org Kibera should be seen as a place of hope. There's great potential here. I have grown up in the slums. I have been to primary and secondary school here. Now I am taking electrical engineering at university. This is just one story. Many other people are taking other courses, but people don't see them, they just see the small evil that is happening. | I am aware of the issues that exist in the slums, but the fear of them remaining encourages me to speak out. | Gender-based violence is a big issue. People fear mentioning it. They don't want to talk about domestic violence, but I want to break this silence. Through my…
(2019-01-24). México: Entre balas y olvido: Ausencia de protección a personas defensoras del territorio en la Sierra Tarahumara. amnesty.org La publicación se relaciona con la falla del Estado mexicano de ofrecer efectiva protección a las personas defensoras de la tierra, territorio y ambiente en la Sierra Tarahumara, en específico a los miembros de la comunidad indígena rarámuri Coloradas de la Virgen. Amnistía Internacional documentó el caso del defensor rarámuri Julián Carrillo, asesinado en octubre de 2018, pese a que tenía medidas de protección por parte del Mecanismo de Protección para Defensores de Derechos Humanos y Periodistas.
(2019-01-24). Ethiopia: Open letter to members of the House of Peoples Representatives on Ethiopia's Draft CSO Law. amnesty.org Amnesty International is writing this letter to request you and all members of the House of Peoples Representatives (HoPR) to carefully consider our concerns on the proposed Civil Societies and Organizations (CSO) law and our recommendations as laid out in the Commentary posted on our website, the link of which is provided below: www.amnesty.org/en/documents/afr25/9622/……
(2019-01-24). Sri Lanka: Letter to the Prime Minister on the investigation into the enforced disappearance of Prageeth Eknaligoda. amnesty.org Amnesty International notes with disappointment that very little information has been made available to investigators from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in the last four years. The court case is currently proceeding, but in the absence of full disclosure by the military on details of the investigation requested by the CID of the Sri Lanka Police.
(2019-01-24). Mozambique: Further Information: Journalist's request for provisional release rejected: Amade Abubacar. amnesty.org On 18 January, Macomia's District Judicial Court ruled that the pre-trial detention of journalist Amade Abubacar was lawful and ordered that he remain in detention awaiting trial. Mr. Abubacar was arrested by police on 5 January and transferred from the Macomia District Police Command to military detention in Mueda district. He was held incommunicado by military forces for 12 days before being transferred back into police custody. He is currently being held at the Macomia District Police Command.
(2019-01-24). Lawsuits against Australian government reveal horror in refugee camp. wsws.org Former Manus Island detention centre security staff members have filed cases alleging physical and psychological harm.
(2019-01-23). US Detention of American-Iranian Journalist Draws Local, International Protests. mintpressnews.com Iran's Foreign Ministry lodged a protest on Tuesday with the Swiss ambassador to Tehran, who has represented the U.S. in diplomatic relations with Iran since 1980, when diplomatic ties were severed between the countries.
(2019-01-23). The Brazen Detention of Marzieh Hashemi, America's Newest Political Prisoner. mintpressnews.com Today Marzieh Hashemi sits alone. Isolated and entombed deep in a government catacomb, she stands charged with no offense but in the eyes of this administration guilty as charged . . . a Muslim, a journalist, and a US ex-pat who has found shelter from its storm in Iran.
(2019-01-23). Argentine Abortion Rights War Returns After Victim's Baby Dies. telesurenglish.net The death of a premature baby girl in Argentina, the daughter of a 12-year-old rape victim, has triggered protests and calls from Pro-Choice advocacy groups in the survivor's defense. | RELATED: | Ecuador's Women Mobilize for Abortion Access as National Assembly Debates Relaxing Ban | Assaulted by her 65-year-old neighbor six months…
(2019-01-23). The Times of Israel's Flawed Attack on the NY Times' MLK and Palestinian Rights. mintpressnews.com 
Calling Michelle Alexander's editorial in the New York Times a "new low" was a hyperbolic act of click-bait to appeal to the Times of Israel's readers. One that lacked journalistic and editorial integrity.
(2019-01-23). Mexico to Release Tlanixco's Indigenous Political Prisoners. telesurenglish.net A state court in Mexico revoked 50-year-long prison sentences against three Indigenous Nahuatl people involved in the defense of water in their territory after documented irregularities in their processes. | RELATED: | Mumia Abu-Jamal's Words for Mexican Nahuatl Political Prisoners | "The affected filed an appeal against the irregularities in the process that led to such sentence," said Jorge Olvera, president of the Human Rights Commission of the State of Mexico (Codhem), adding that…
(2019-01-23). 'Fake judicial case': Protesters demand US release detained Iranian journalist. rt.com 
Protests have broken out outside UN offices in Tehran, as a US-born Iranian journalist prepares for an appearance before a grand jury in America. The demonstrators are demanding the release of the detainee. |
(2019-01-23). Dutch Postcode Lottery Continues Support Human Rights. hrw.org 
| | Dutch Postcode Lottery's Ambassador Quinty Trustfull with Human Rights Watch's Executive Director Kenneth Roth 2018 © Roy Beusker Fotografie | (Amsterdam) — Human Rights Watch thanks the Dutch Postcode Lottery and its players for their steadfast support of our work with ‚Ǩ1.35 million a year for another five years. Support from players of the Dutch Postcode Lottery since 2009 has helped Human Rights Watch strengthen its research and advocacy work worldwide, as well as establish and develop i…
(2019-01-23). Pakistan: Garment Workers' Rights at Risk. hrw.org 
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