(2019-02-08). Trump Sanctions, Regime Change Strategy in Venezuela Can Only Cause More Violence and Suffering. counterpunch.org Washington has been trying to topple Venezuela's government for at least 17 years, but the Trump administration has taken a more openly aggressive tack than its predecessors. Last week, administration officials kicked their efforts into high gear by anointing their chosen successor to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro Moros in advance of any coup d'etat. The 35-year-old More
(2019-02-08). This Day. US Blockade of Cuba Came into Effect 57 Years Ago. globalresearch.ca The United States' economic, commercial and financial blockade against Cuba celebrates today 57 years of its official enactment, repudiating the international community which considers this policy anachronistic and a violation of human rights. | According to historical notes, on February 3, …
(2019-02-08). U.S. media ignore—and applaud—economic war on Venezuela. mronline.org 
The U.S. media chorus supporting a U.S. overthrow of the Venezuelan government has for years pointed to the country's economic crisis as a justification for regime change, while whitewashing the ways in which the U.S. has strangled the Venezuelan economy (FAIR.org, 3/22/18). Sister Eugenia Russian, president of Fundalatin, a Venezuelan human rights NGO that was […] | Source
(2019-02-08). Trump mistakenly praises Church for 'abolition of civil rights,' Dems go wild (VIDEO). rt.com 
Donald Trump mistakenly lauds Christians for suppressing civil rights — the opposite of what he was due to say — and his political opponents mock the president, and hint that he was sending a coded message to his base.
(2019-02-08). Reject the shameful media campaign for regime change in Venezuela. greenleft.org.au 
Corporate media outlets in Australia and internationally are overwhelmingly campaigning in support of the United States' regime change push in Venezuela. | The US has waged an unrelenting destabilisation campaign to undermine the democratically elected government of Venezuela — one that dates back to when Hugo Chavez was first sworn in as president in 1998. | This campaign has included failed military coups, assassination attempts, economic warfare via sanctions and other measures. Throughout all this, the US has received the full backing of the corporate media. | These same corporate media outlets have lar…
(2019-02-08). Morocco: Free Facebook Commentator. hrw.org 
(Beirut) — Moroccan authorities should free an entrepreneur who was sentenced to two years in prison in violation of his right to free speech and review his conviction given its abusive nature, Human Rights Watch said today. An appeal of Soufian al-Nguad's conviction is underway and continues on February 11, 2019. | | | Soufian al-Nguad, from his Facebook account. | © 2018 Private | A court of first instance in Tetouan, a city in northern…
(2019-02-08). After Dissent in Louisiana Abortion Case, Warnings That 'Kavanaugh Has Declared War on Roe v. Wade'. commondreams.org While relieved that the Supreme Court temporarily blocked state's anti-abortion law, NARAL says "it's a sobering reminder that our rights hang by a dangerously thin thread." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files……
(2019-02-08). #DefundHate: Progressives Tell Democrats Trump's Anti-Immigration Agenda 'Does Not Deserve a Dime' More. commondreams.org At a rally on Capitol Hill Thursday, two progressive freshman lawmakers whose own personal immigration experiences have helped inspire them to fight President Donald Trump's racist anti-immigration agenda, were among those demanding that Congress defund the agencies tasked with violating immigrants' and refugees' rights. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files……
(2019-02-08). Indonesia: Free Three Papuan Activists. hrw.org 
| | Yanto Awerkion (far left) detained in the Timika police station in September 2017 for his role in organizing a petition calling on the UN to organize a referendum in Papua. | (Jakarta) — Indonesian authorities should release and drop treason charges against three Papuan activists for peaceful advocacy in the Papua mining town of Timika, Human Rights Watch said today. The Indonesian government is currently imprisoning at least nine people…
(2019-02-07). Marzieh Hashemi: taken captive by Democracy. uwidata.com The unmotivated arrest and custody of Iranian journalist Marzieh Hashemi, an American national working for Press TV, has shown the whole world once again how the paragon of the Free World tramples on reporters' rights. Marzieh Hashemi, the face of the Iranian channel, an African-American with dual citizenship, was detained at an airport in St […]
(2019-02-07). Lawsuit Dismissed Against American Studies Association Over Israel Boycott. bdsmovement.net 
Lawsuit Dismissed Against American Studies Association Over Israel Boycott: In the NewsUS federal judge dismisses lawsuit seeking to deter academic associations from adopting boycotts for Palestinian rights. | Academic Boycott Right To BoycottFebruary 5, 2019 | By: | | Palestine Legal
(2019-02-07). The South Dakota Legislature's Transphobia. aclu.org Members of the legislature have renewed their attack on transgender students with three separate bills targeting their civil rights. | After a short-lived victory in January, transgender students in South Dakota are once again being targeted with legislation that would put them at greater risk and, at the same time, cause serious damage to the state's reputation and economy. | On Jan. 24, lawmakers in the state Senate scuttled a bill requiring transgen…
(2019-02-07). Pennsylvania Can't Be a Model for Reform if We Undermine People's Rights. aclu.org Members of the state's General Assembly should deny ballot access to a "victims' rights" constitutional amendment that threatens due process. | Elected officials and corrections administrators in Pennsylvania have been doing a bit of a victory lap after the recent announcement that our state prison population dropped by 1,000 people in 2018. On the heels of the passage of the Clean Slate Act — a new law to automatically seal some people's criminal records from public view — some ha…
(2019-02-07). In Zapata's shadow, Minneapolis says "Yes" to refugees. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN – A sizable crowd gathered at the base of the statue of Mexican revolutionary Emiliano Zapata at South Minneapolis's Plaza Centenario, February 2, for an event titled "Rally Against the Wall." The demonstration was initiated by Minnesota Caravan Solidarity/Minnesota en Solidaridad con la Caravana, a coalition of international solidarity and immigrants' rights groups in Minnesota's Twin Cities. About 90 demonstrators chanted in support of the refugees travelling in large groups from Central American countries like Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador to seek asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border and cond…
(2019-02-07). Trump Moves to End Consumer Protections From Payday Lenders. truthout.org In what progressive lawmakers and advocacy groups decried as the Trump administration's latest " shameful" attack on vulnerable families, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) unveiled a plan on Wednesday that would gut regulations protecting consumers from predatory payday lenders. | Vanita Gupta, president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, denounced the CFPB's plan as "a slap in the face to c…
(2019-02-07). Myanmar's Hollow Denial of Rape of Rohingya. hrw.org 
| | A Rohingya woman walks through Kutupalong refugee camp in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, March 22, 2018. | © 2018 Reuters | Despite a mountain of evidence to the contrary, the government of Myanmar denies their armed forces raped Rohingya women and girls in a campaign of ethnic cleansing that forced more than 740,000 Rohingya Muslims to flee the country since late 2017. | In a long-delayed submission to the United Nations women's rights committee this week, Myanmar said there was "no evidence to support these wild claims…
(2019-02-07). Syrian Rights Activist Honored. hrw.org 
(New York, February 7, 2019) — A courageous advocate for the rights of refugees and people with disabilities is the 2019 recipient of the prestigious Alison Des Forges Award for Extraordinary Activism, Human Rights Watch announced today. | | | © Chris Floyd | The winner, Nujeen Mustafa, is a leading voice for justice in her country, Syria. Mustafa was born with cerebral palsy, unable to walk without assistance. She never attended school and taug…
(2019-02-07). Support grows to free Hakeem Al-Araibi. greenleft.org.au 
The campaign to stop the refoulment of refugee Hakeem al-Araibi from Thailand to Bahrain is growing, with many football authorities taking a stand. | Sports stars, trade unionists, the Bahraini community, human rights organisations and politicians gathered in Melbourne and Sydney on February 1 to demand that Araibi be freed from a Thai prison. | Meanwhile, the Bahraini government has formally lodged a request to extradite Araibi from Thailand to Bahrain to face trumped up charges. If this happens, his life will be in danger. | Araibi is a semi-professional footballer and former member of the Bahraini national foo…
(2019-02-07). Pushing Back Trump's Attack on Reproductive Choice. hrw.org 
| | A woman walks past a mural on a Family Health Options clinic in the Kibera slums in Nairobi, Kenya, May 16, 2017. © 2017 Reuters | United States lawmakers — including many female legislators elected in the recent mid-term elections — are pushing back against President Donald Trump's attacks on the reproductive rights of women outside the US. | Today, lawmakers re-introduced the Global Health, Empowerment and Rights Act (Global HER Act). The act, introduced in 2017, would bar the US from restricting fund…
(2019-02-07). Russia: Journalist Faces Unjustified Criminal Charges. hrw.org 
| | Svetlana Prokopyeva, Pskov. | © 2019 Pavel Dmitriyev | (Moscow) — Russian authorities opened a criminal investigation against a journalist for criticizing the authorities in her comments about a recent suicide bombing, Human Rights Watch said today. Russia also fined the radio station and newsfeed websites that carried her comments. | If she is prosecuted, the journalist, Svetlana Prokopyeva, faces up to seven years in prison on charges of "justifyi…
(2019-02-07). 'This Needs to Happen Nationally': Ohio City Ditches Columbus Day to Make Election Day Paid Holiday. commondreams.org Heeding a call by progressives including voting rights and indigenous rights groups alike, the city of Sandusky, Ohio will swap Columbus Day for Election Day as a paid holiday—allowing all city workers to take Election Day off so they can vote. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files……
(2019-02-07). Labor must oppose Trump coup in Venezuela. greenleft.org.au 
The Australian Labor Party leadership has failed its first foreign policy test in 2019 by falling in behind the Coalition government's support for the Donald Trump administration's recognition of Juan Guaidó as un-elected "interim President" of Venezuela, in violation of international law. | Labor's support for Trump's regime change push, and its silence on the US's illegal sanctions and threats of military actions against a sovereign nation, should be cause for serious soul searching by Labor party members. | Just a few months ago, pa…
(2019-02-07). Spanish state vs Catalonia: putting a political trial on trial. greenleft.org.au 
On February 12, the trial of 12 Catalan politicians and social movement leaders involved in the October 1, 2017 independence referendum is set to begin in the Spanish Supreme Court. | The leaders face sanctions as harsh as 25 year's jail for their alleged offences — rebellion, sedition and embezzlement of public funds. | It is the first of three trials. Other defendants, including former police chief, José Lluís Trapero, will face the National High Court. Those members of the Catalan parliament who allowed discussion and voting on the referendum enabling law will face the High Court of Justice of Catalonia…
(2019-02-07). Afghanistan: Prosecute Abuse of Women Football Players. hrw.org 
| | Afghanistan women's football. | © Courtesy of Afghanistan women's national football team | (New York) — Afghan authorities should fully investigate and appropriately prosecute the sexual assault claims by 20 members of Afghanistan's national women's football team, Human Rights Watch said today. The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), football's world governing body, should assist and monitor Afghan government prosecutions and promot…
(2019-02-07). "Breathtaking and Terrifying": UN Partners With CIA-Funded Palantir. theantimedia.com 
(CD) — The CIA-funded California software firm Palantir Technologies and the World Food Program (WFP) have announced a five-year $45 million partnership that data privacy and human rights advocates are describing as "breathtaking and terrifying" as well as "horribly irresponsible and potentially incredibly harmful." The partnership, according to a joint statement released Tuesday, builds on a pilot project that allowed the United Nations …
(2019-02-06). US Media Ignore—and Applaud—Economic War on Venezuela. fair.org 
The US media chorus supporting a US overthrow of the Venezuelan government has for years pointed to the country's economic crisis as a justification for regime change, while whitewashing the ways in which the US has strangled the Venezuelan economy (FAIR.org, 3/22/18). A UN rapporteur declares that "sanctions kill" (Independent, 1/26/19)—but few in Western media are listening to his message. | Sister Eugenia…
(2019-02-06). "Liar-in-Chief": Rep. Ilhan Omar Slams Trump's SOTU Remarks on Border, Venezuela, Israel & More. democracynow.org 
In his State of the Union address on Tuesday night, President Trump called for bipartisan unity while he attacked Democrats and the Robert Mueller investigation, denounced efforts to expand abortion rights in Virginia and New York, attacked immigrants and reiterated his demand for a border wall—with no mention of the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, which delayed his address by a week. Women in Congress wore all white to the speech in a nod to the movement for women's suffrage. After the address, former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams made history, becoming the first African-Americ…
(2019-02-06). Headlines for February 6, 2019. democracynow.org Trump Attacks Immigrants, Abortion Rights, Democratic Investigations in SOTU, Stacey Abrams Slams Gov't Shutdown, Voter Suppression in SOTU Response, School Apologizes for Racist Yearbook Photos as VA Gov. Northam Resists Resignation, Pope Francis Acknowledges Priests Sexually Abused Nuns, Ex-President of Costa Rica Accused of Sexual Assault, At Least 29 Haitian Migrants Killed in Shipwreck, Taliban Attacks Kill 50 in Afghanistan, CNN: Saudis Gave U.S. Weapons to al-Qaeda, Other Militants in Yemen, CENTCOM Head Was Not Notified of U.S. Troop Withdrawal from Syria, Anti-BDS Lawsuit Against Salaita & American Studi…
(2019-02-06). Russia: Jehovah's Witness Convicted. hrw.org 
| | Dennis Christensen (behind the windows) talks with his interpreter at the Zheleznodorzhy District Court in Oryol, January 28, 2019 | © 2019 Human Rights Watch | (Moscow) — A Russian court on February 6, 2019 convicted Dennis Christensen, a Jehovah's Witness adherent and Danish citizen, on extremism charges for practicing his faith, Human Rights Watch said today. The court sentenced Christensen to six years in prison. The conviction is a blatant viol…
(2019-02-06). The Power Is Back on at Brooklyn Jail, but a Visiting Federal Judge Found Untreated Gunshot Wound, "Black Blotchy Mold," and Ongoing Crisis. theintercept.com 
A spate of court hearings relating to a federal jail revealed a humanitarian crisis that goes beyond freezing temperatures and a power outage.
(2019-02-06). Trump's State of Union Stokes Fear With Nationalist Rhetoric. therealnews.com 
The President's State of the Union speech demanded an end to investigations, while demonizing immigrants and Venezuela, and attacking abortion rights. Our panelists Jacqueline Luqman, Eugene Puryear, and Helena Olea discuss the speech
(2019-02-06). Brazil: Bill Could Shield Abusive Police. hrw.org 
| | A military police armored vehicle passes by a person killed by police on April 7, 2016 in the Jacarezinho favela. Military police killed tow other people during the same raid. | © 2016 Carlos Cout | (Sà£o Paulo) — A bill unveiled by Jair Bolsonaro ¥s government in Brazil on February 4 could be used to let police officers who kill people in unjustifiable circumstances evade punishment, Human Rights Watch said today. | "The new bill could spur an incr…
(2019-02-06). Accommodating Asylum-Seekers and Migrants with Disabilities. hrw.org 
"If I stayed in Honduras, I was going to die," said José Medrano (not his real name), a 31-year-old man with a physical disability and a wheelchair user I met last week in a shelter for asylum seekers and migrants in Mexico City. He complained of his home country's lack of rehabilitation services and substandard medical treatment. | | | José Medrano (not his real name) a Honduran man with a disability on his way to the US border. | © 2019 Libertad Hernández | José is among hundreds of Central Americans heading to the Unit…
(2019-02-06). Poland: Women's Rights Activists Targeted. hrw.org 
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(2019-02-05). What's the Deal with Sanctions in Venezuela, and Why's It So Hard for Media to Understand? venezuelanalysis.com CEPR's Alexander Campbell looks at US sanctions against Venezuela and how the media ignore their effects.
(2019-02-05). PATRICK LAWRENCE: In Venezuela, US Forgets What Century It Is. consortiumnews.com Destabilizing other nations in gross violation of international law will no longer go unopposed, writes Patrick Lawrence. By Patrick Lawrence Special to Consortium News The Venezuela crisis worsens by the day. Early last week the U.S. sanctioned PdVSA, the state-owned… Read more →
(2019-02-05). Palestinian Professors' Unions Urge Pitzer College to Uphold Faculty Vote to Suspend Study Abroad with Complicit Israeli Institutions. bdsmovement.net 
Palestinian Professors' Unions Urge Pitzer College to Uphold Faculty Vote to Suspend Study Abroad with Complicit Israeli Institutions: Open LetterThe Palestinian Federation of Unions of University Professors and Employees (PFUUPE) urges Pitzer College to stand by an overwhelming majority of its faculty refusing to be complicit in Israel's denial of Palestinian rights and its blatan…
(2019-02-05). UPDATE: Students and Faculty Plan Walkout Over Johns Hopkins' ICE Contract. therealnews.com 
"ICE is a racist institution that terrorizes black and brown communities and violates the human rights of the families it separates," says one Hopkins professor.
(2019-02-05). Iran: Environmentalists' Flawed Trial. hrw.org 
| | A campaign poster showing environmental activists, Taher Ghadirian, Niloufar Bayani, Amirhossein Khaleghi, Houman Jokar, Sam Rajabi, Sepideh Kashani, Morad Tahbaz and Abdolreza Kouhpayeh, who have been in detention for six months. | © 2018 #anyhopefornature Campaign | (Beirut) — Iran's judicial authorities are violating fair trial standards in the case of eight environmentalists who have been detained for over a year, Human Rights Watch said today.
(2019-02-04). NAACP Mourns the Passing of Actor Kristoff St. John. naacp.org Prayers Go Out to Family of 10-Time NAACP Image Award Winner BALTIMORE (February 4, 2019)—The nation's foremost civil rights organization issued the following statement regarding the passing of actor Kristoff St. John, who passed away today at age 52. The NAACP mourns the passing of Kristoff St. John and our condolences and prayers go out […]
(2019-02-04). The Supreme Court Is Considering Whether the Government Can Dodge the First Amendment by Outsourcing Its Power. aclu.org A case about a video banned from public access cable TV could have important implications for our constitutional rights. | The First Amendment bars the government from censoring speech that it doesn't like. That rule also goes for a private organization that takes on a government role. But when exactly is an organization considered a stand-in for the government? The Supreme Court will soon hear a case to decide. | Before smartphones, the internet, and digital cameras, it wasn't easy to get your videos in front of…
(2019-02-04). 'Palestinian Rights Has Become an Incredibly Mainstream Issue' – CounterSpin interview with Josh Ruebner on BDS bans. fair.org 
Janine Jackson interviewed Josh Ruebner about BDS bans for the February 1, 2019, episode of CounterSpin. This is a lightly edited transcript. | Media…
(2019-02-04). High School Could Have Been Hell for My Transgender Son. Don't Make It Hell for the Next Kid. aclu.org I had hoped that my son would wait until after high school to come out as transgender. But I realized I'd prefer a thriving son over a dead daughter. | This piece was originally published on USA Today. | When I gave birth to my first baby, the doctor said, "It's a girl!" Before I even knew my child, those words helped me imagine the future. | But the future was different from what I expected. | By the time my c…
(2019-02-04). Unexpected Dangers for Fleeing Saudi Women. hrw.org 
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(2019-02-04). UK, Stand Firm against Data Demands in Death Penalty Cases. hrw.org 
| | WhatsApp and Facebook messenger icons are seen on an iPhone in Manchester , Britain March 27, 2017. | © 2017 Reuters | After heated debate, the United Kingdom has just inched closer to adopting laws that would allow the United States to demand and obtain digital evidence — such as e-mails, texts, and chats — directly from companies that are storing it in…
(2019-02-04). Cambodia: Acid Attack Survivors Denied Treatment, Justice. hrw.org 
| (Phnom Penh) — Survivors of acid violence in Cambodia are unlawfully denied free medical care and face pressure to accept inadequate settlements, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. The Cambodian government should enforce its laws that require legal, social, and medical support to survivors of acid attacks. | The 48-page report, " 'What Hell Feels Like': Acid Violence in Cambodia," documents the use by private a…
(2019-02-03). "I'm Actually Freer Than They Are" hrw.org 
In recent years, Chinese authorities have intensified their efforts against human rights defenders, subjecting them to various kinds of harassment and continuous surveillance, or detaining and prosecuting them on fabricated criminal charges. Human Rights Watch has extensively documented cases from across China. | Human Rights Watch spoke to more than two dozen Chinese human rights defenders, asking them to share stories of the police harassment they had recently experienced. Some said the harassment felt so routine they could not…
(2019-02-01). Congress, Don't Give DHS Unrestricted Authority to Build a 'Smart Wall'. aclu.org What Congress must do to ensure that border technology doesn't trample on the rights of border communities. | On Thursday, House Democrats unveiled their proposal for a $55 billion Department of Homeland Security budget. The proposal includes some strong provisions — including no funding for a border wall, no new Border Patrol agents, and a requirement for Immigration and Customs Enforcement to cut its detention of immigrants and phase out the jailing of immigrant families. But there are also a number of troubling elements, ch…
(2019-02-01). UPDATED Venezuela: US Rejects Calls for Dialogue Ahead of Dueling Marches. venezuelanalysis.com Draconian US sanctions and calls for dialogue set the stage for pro- and anti-government marches this weekend.
(2019-02-01). "Do We as a Society Have a Right to Kill?": Chinonye Chukwu's Film "Clemency" Examines Death Penalty. democracynow.org 
As the state of Texas this week carried out the nation's first execution of the year, we look at "Clemency," a new film starring Alfre Woodard that examines the death penalty from the perspective of those who have to carry out executions as well as the condemned. Woodard portrays prison warden Bernadine Williams as she prepares to oversee what would be her 12th execution as warden in the aftermath of one that was horribly botched. As her life seems to unravel, Williams, for the first time, grapples with what it means to be part of a system of state-sanctioned murder, as the execution date for Anthony Woods, playe…