(2019-01-25). My Time as an NAACP LAW Fellow. 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 has played […]
(2019-01-25). FIFA urges Thai PM to free Bahraini footballer Hakeem al-Araibi. aljazeera.com FIFA secretary-general calls for 'humane outcome' as concern grows over extradition of detained refugee player.
(2019-01-25). France, Yellow Vests and the MEK. counterpunch.org No one today is surprised at the foreign policy of the United States. War, violation of international law and disdain for human rights are all characteristics of the criminal enterprise known as the U.S. government. Most of the U.S.'s allies display some or all of these same vices, but some are often considered above such More
(2019-01-25). "Remain in Mexico" Policy Is a Virtual Wall, Will Lead to Deaths, Rights Attorneys Say. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2019-01-25). The Radicalization of U.S. Policy on Venezuela. zcomm.org The Trump administration's escalation included financial sanctions against the Venezuelan government and measures against the nation's oil industry…
(2019-01-25). Amnesty International Should Oppose US Economic Sanctions and Incitement of a Military Coup in Venezuela. mintpressnews.com Writers, academics and political activists wrote the following letter to Amnesty International encouraging the group to publically oppose US sanctions and incitement of a military coup in Venezuela.
(2019-01-25). TransCanada and First Nations' Rights: Who's Banking the Coastal GasLink Pipeline? globalresearch.ca On January 7, 2019, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police trespassed on the land of the Wet'suwet'en people and arrested 14 land defenders in heavily militarized fashion, following the orders of fossil fuel behemoth TransCanada. | The militarized police were enforcing an …
(2019-01-25). Pompeo, Hypocrisy and War. counterpunch.org On January 2 US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Brazil, and his Department noted that in discussions with Foreign Minister Ernesto Araujo they "highlighted the importance of working together to address regional and global challenges, including supporting the people of Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua in restoring their democratic governance and their human rights." Pompeo More
(2019-01-25). Arrest of Marzieh Hashemi Reveals Bipartisan Nature of Police State. counterpunch.org Arresting PressTV's Marzieh Hashemi on no criminal charges demonstrates by any objective measure the United States operates as a rogue state in its utter contempt for accepted international human-rights law and standards. Hashemi, an African American mother and grandmother converted to Islam, moved to Iran more than 25 years ago. She has become an internationally More
(2019-01-25). CodePink's Medea Benjamin Disrupts Pompeo Speech to Denounce U.S. Regime Change Agenda in Venezuela. democracynow.org 
On Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pledged to send $20 million to the Venezuelan opposition in the form of humanitarian aid to address the shortages of food and medicine caused in part by harsh U.S. sanctions. Pompeo made the announcement while speaking at the OAS, the Organization of American States. Pompeo's speech was interrupted by CodePink co-founder Medea Benjamin, who held a sign reading, "OAS: Don't Support a Coup in Venezuela."
(2019-01-25). It's Time to Update Aging Voting Equipment Before the 2020 Election. aclu.org Sixteen million voters encountered problems voting in 2016. A big culprit was aging voting equipment. | When Ronald Campbell went to his polling location in Horry County, South Carolina, to vote in the 2018 midterms, he wasn't expecting it to become an odyssey. But when he and his wife arrived at their polling location, the lines were so long that Ronald feared he and his wife wouldn't be physically able to stand for the amount of time it would take to get to the voting booth. Nevertheless, they returned to the polling location four separate times throughout the day until the line had become reasonable — th…
(2019-01-25). It's Time to Give TSA Screeners Full Union Rights. thenation.com 
The shutdown has exposed how dangerous it can be to starve critical safety personnel. | The post It's Time to Give TSA Screeners Full Union Rights…
(2019-01-25). Silence of the Lambs: The Case of Marzieh Hashemi. counterpunch.org In the wake of the outcry after the abduction and murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi—in a foreign country and under the directive of a rogue Crown Prince—one would think the threshold to condemn the detention of an American journalist in the United States without charge or trial would be quite low. Unfortunately, it has More
(2019-01-25). Groups hope renewed focus on Venezuela will bring much-needed aid. aljazeera.com Rights groups and Venezuelans on Colombia border say more funding is needed to cope with influx of migrants.
(2019-01-25). The right's looming challenge to democracy in Greece. zcomm.org In 2019, the capacity of its left to successfully confront the far right's continuing political ascent will be severely tested…
(2019-01-25). Watch 14th Vigil for Assange Here at 4PM EST Today. consortiumnews.com As Julian Assange's lawyers filed a petition with the Inter-American Court for Human Rights and WikiLeaks is mentioned in a new Mueller indictment unveiled Friday, join us live for an online discussion starting at 4pm. Tune in at 4 pm…. Read more →
(2019-01-25). Sights and Sounds from Oakland's 5th Annual Reclaim King's Radical Legacy Events. indybay.org On Martin Luther King Jr. Day in Oakland on January 21, 2019, the Anti Police-Terror Project hosted a powerful and moving day of civil rights speakers, marches, children's activities, drums, music, song, and dance. In tribute to families who have lost loved ones to police violence, guns were melted and cast into into stars, displayed in a pattern recreating the constellations visible in the night sky when Oscar Grant was murdered ten years ago. These video clips capture some of the sights and sounds from morning and evening events.
(2019-01-25). Antiwar Hero Medea Benjamin Disrupts Pompeo Speech on Venezuela. theantimedia.com 
(CJ Opinion) — Before they launch missiles, they launch narratives. Before they drop bombs, they drop talking points. Before they implement crushing starvation sanctions, they demonize and condemn. Before they invade, they propagandize. Before the killing starts, manipulation paves the way. For this reason, the front line of any antiwar movement is a fight against the establishment …
(2019-01-25). Saudi Ritz-Carlton Purge "Creative and Efficient," Says Morgan Stanley Boss. theantimedia.com 
(MEE) — The detention of scores of Saudi royals and businessmen in Riyadh's Ritz-Carlton, where some were reportedly tortured, may be one of the most creative and efficient ways of tackling corruption, Morgan Stanley's James Gorman said on Thursday. Speaking on a panel at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Gorman, CEO and chairman of the …
(2019-01-25). How Not to Report on Prison Conditions. counterpunch.org The United States, by all metrics, has one of the cruelest prison systems in the world. In addition to having 25 percent of the world's prison population (with just 5 percent of the world's people), U.S. prisons use tortuous solitary confinement, tolerate widespread sexual violence, host massive racial disparities, and routinely abuse children, among other human rights More
(2019-01-25). Saudi Arabia: Access for independent monitors urgently needed amid more reports of torture of activists. amnesty.org Amnesty International has obtained new reports of torture and abuse inflicted on a group of Saudi Arabian human rights activists who have been in arbitrary detention since May 2018. These reports follow similar testimonies from November 2018 into the torture of a number of the activists, and highlight the urgent need to allow independent monitors access to those in detention, the organization said today. | According to the testimonies, a total of ten human rights defenders were tortured, sexually abused, and subjected to other forms of ill-treatment during their first three months of detention, when they were hel…
(2019-01-25). Immigration Advocates Reject Democrats' Plan to Offer Trump "Smart Wall" truthout.org As Democratic leaders in the House reportedly prepare to release a plan to compromise with President Trump by proposing a "smart wall" — that is, increased border security without a literal, physical wall — advocates for immigrants' rights and civil liberties are skeptical. | "We are very disappointed but not surprised that the Democrats would propose 'smart wall' funding — they have included such allocations in previous reform proposals and supported inclus…
(2019-01-25). Tunisia: Bloggers Held for Criticizing Officials. hrw.org 
| | Revolutionary graffiti adorns a wall of the Prime Minister's office in Tunis, January 22, 2011. | © 2011 Reuters/Finbarr O'Reilly | (Tunis) — Tunisian authorities are investigating, charging, and in some cases detaining bloggers and social media activists merely for their peaceful criticism of public officials, Human Rights Watch said today. Several said they have begun to censor themselves because of police action and threat of prosecut…
(2019-01-25). South Dakota Rejects Restrictions on Trans Athletes. hrw.org 
| | Rainbow flags for sale are photographed on June 24, 2017. | © 2017 Reuters | South Dakota lawmakers have rejected a bill which would have barred transgender students from participating in athletics consistent with their gender identity. | The ACLU and other organizations spoke out against the bill, with the South Dakota High School Activities Association, the Association of School Boards in South Dakota, the South Dakota Education Associa…
(2019-01-25). Venezuela: Arrests, Killings in Anti-Government Protests. hrw.org 
| | A demonstrator is detained by security forces during clashes at a protest against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's government in Caracas, Venezuela, July 10, 2017. | © 2017 Reuters/Carlos Garcia Rawlins |
| (New York) — Venezuelan officials should be held accountable if security forces resort to the same repressive tactics they have used in previous crackdowns against anti-government protests, Human Rights Watch said today. | On January 23,…
(2019-01-25). Lebanon: Environmental Prosecutors Named. hrw.org 
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(2019-01-25). Egypt's LGBT Crackdown Expands to Stifle Journalists. hrw.org 
| | Screenshot of an August 2018 television segment in which Egyptian anchor Mohamed Al-Ghaity interviewed an unidentified gay guest. Al-Ghaity was sentenced to one year in prison for the interview in January 2019. | © 2018 LTC TV/YouTube | An Egyptian television anchor was unexpectedly sentenced to one year in prison for interviewing a gay man on TV last week. The conviction of Mohamed Al-Ghaity,…
(2019-01-25). While Google paid lip-service to workplace activists, their lawyers fought to strip their rights. rt.com 
Employees at web giant Google are in an uproar after it was reported the company had been pushing to overturn a labor law ruling protecting activists who organize over workplace email and forums.
(2019-01-25). Congress Is Pushing Sanctions Against Supporters of Syria's Bashar al-Assad. theintercept.com On Tuesday, the House of Representatives unanimously passed legislation to impose new sanctions on the Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad and its allies, and those who do business with them. The move comes a month after President Donald Trump's announcement to withdraw troops from Syria, and as some Arab governments are thawing relations with the Assad regime, which has all but secured a military victory after nearly eight years of war. The measure has been passed by the House twice in previous sessions, and a companion bill currently remains pending in the Senate. | House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Eliot…
(2019-01-25). Championing hope and human rights in Kibera. amnesty.org …
(2019-01-25). Zimbabwe: Security forces must be held accountable for the brutal assault on human rights. amnesty.org The Zimbabwean authorities must act swiftly to ensure security forces are held to account for ongoing brutal human rights violations, including torture, rape, beatings and killings of civilians, Amnesty International said today as the crackdown continues against last week's 'stay-away'. | | Dozens o…
(2019-01-25). DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF KOREA: GESTURES ARE NOT ENOUGH AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL SUBMISSION FOR THE UN UNIVERSAL PERIODIC REVIEW, 33RD SESSION OF THE UPR WORKING GROUP, MAY 2019. amnesty.org This submission was prepared for the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in May 2019. In it, Amnesty International evaluates the implementation of recommendations made to the DPRK in its previous UPR, including in relation its engagement and cooperation with the UN human rights mechanisms and other international human rights-related organizations.
(2019-01-25). Sri Lanka: Hope flickers as justice still proves elusive. amnesty.org Time is running out for the Sri Lankan authorities to deliver on its 2015 commitments to truth, justice, reparations and guarantees of non-recurrence, Amnesty International warned today in a new briefing. | As the tenth anniversary of the end of Sri Lanka's internal conflict looms in May, progress on UN Human Rights Council Resolution 30/1 has proceeded at a glacial pace, the hopes of the victims of crimes under international law and human rights violations and abuses during the conflict have been reduced to a flicker. |
(2019-01-24). A Trans Woman Was Charged With 'False Personation' for Giving the NYPD Her Real Name. aclu.org 
While in custody, officers cuffed Linda Dominguez to her cell using pink handcuffs and repeatedly called her by her old first name. | On her way home from the bus stop on a spring night in the Bronx last year, Linda Dominguez cut across a park because it was the most direct route to her apartment. Even though others leaving the bus were also crossing the park, three officers from the New York City Police Department singled out and arrested Linda, a Latina transgender woman, and took her to the precinct. | Linda, who doesn't speak English, had no idea why the police had stopped her or what they were arresting her…
(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). 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). 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). 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). 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). A Voice for LGBT Rights Silenced in Brazil. hrw.org 
| | Jean Wyllys during the 15th LGBT Conference in Brazil ¥s Congress on June 6, 2018. | © 2018 José Cruz/Agência Brasil | Brazil ¥s Congress has lost an important voice for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people at a time when it is most needed: Jean Wyllys, an openly gay member of Congress, has announced he will give up his seat over fears for…
(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). 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). Saudi Arabia: Let Outside Monitors See Detainees. hrw.org 
| (Beirut) — Saudi authorities should immediately allow independent international monitors to enter Saudi Arabia and meet with detainees, including those who have alleged torture, Human Rights Watch said today. The detainees should include the prominent princes and business leaders held as part of a so-called corruption probe, and the prominent women's rights advocates detained since May 2018. | Media outlets have reported that Saudi authorities opened two investigations into the torture allegati…
(2019-01-24). Libya: Displaced Population Can't Go Home. hrw.org 
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(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). 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). 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…