(2019-02-13). Why we must support 14 women determined to fight hate in Poland. amnesty.org …
(2019-02-11). Anti-War protesters say 'No' to Klobuchar presidential bid. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN – A contingent of demonstrators braved the cold and dense snowfall, February 10, establishing an anti-war presence at Boom Island Park, where Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar announced her 2020 presidential bid. | Klobuchar has a long history of voting with Republicans on the issues of foreign intervention and militarism, to include voting "Yea" on bills that imposed economic sanctions on Syria and Iran, added $61 billion to the defense budget, extended the expiration date of the PATRIOT Act, and authorized President Trump to transfer precision guided munitions to the Israeli apartheid regime. She…
(2019-02-11). Grand Theft Venezuela, Stealing a Nation: Financial Warfare Precipitates Economic Collapse. globalresearch.ca Michael Hudson explained that Washington "treat(s) Venezuela as an extension of the US economy, running a trade surplus in oil to spend in the United States or transfer its savings to US banks." | Sanctions prevent Maduro's government "from gaining access …
(2019-02-11). Trapped Emirati Woman Rejected Asylum in Macedonia. telesurenglish.net An Emirati woman who fled her family is currently trapped in a detention center in North Macedonia where her claim for asylum has been rejected. | RELATED: | Saudi Woman Arrives in Canada After Being Granted Asylum | The woman's friends claim her request for asylum was rejected because of pressure by the Emirati government on Macedonia's authority, accord…
(2019-02-11). Guatemalan Migrants Go Into Hiding in North Carolina. telesurenglish.net Guatemalan migrants living in North Carolina are hunkering down inside their homes in fear of being detained by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during one of their raids. | RELATED: | Guatemala: Amnesty Reform Would Excuse Those Guilty of Genocide | "I have lived here [Charlotte] for 16 years and it had never been this hard. There…
(2019-02-11). Negotiations Hit Snag as Shutdown Deadline Approaches. truthdig.com WASHINGTON — As the White House refused to rule out the possibility that the federal government may shut down again, negotiators clashed over whether to limit the number of migrants authorities can detain, creating a new hurdle for a border security compromise Congress can accept. | With a Friday deadline approaching, the two sides remained separated over how much to spend on President Donald Trump's promised border wall. But rising to the fore on Sunday was a related dispute over curbing Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, the federal agency that Republicans see as an emblem of tough immigration p…
(2019-02-11). Glenn Greenwald Defends Rep. Ilhan Omar: Criticizing Israeli Lobby & AIPAC Is Not Anti-Semitic. democracynow.org 
Democratic Congressmember Ilhan Omar of Minnesota is facing criticism today after commenting on a tweet by Glenn Greenwald. On Sunday, Greenwald tweeted, "GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy threatens punishment for @IlhanMN and @RashidaTlaib over their criticisms of Israel. It's stunning how much time US political leaders spend defending a foreign nation even if it means attacking free speech rights of Americans." Rep. Omar retweeted his post and added the line: "It's all about the Benjamins baby." She later named AIPAC as the organization paying American politicians to be pro-Israel.
(2019-02-11). Fact-Checking Common Myths on Transition-Related Care for Trans People. aclu.org Transition-related care is medically necessary for many transgender people, yet insurance companies continue to deny coverage for these treatments. | Dashir Moore, a transgender man from Georgia, wanted a fresh start in life. So at the age of 31, he packed up and moved to Colorado, a state that offered both a great lifestyle and trans healthcare. He hoped he could finally be himself. | Things went well at first. Almost immediately after Dashir arrived in Colorado, he was able to update the gender marker on his driver's license. He got a job as a customer service rep. | Then he scheduled chest surgery. No strang…
(2019-02-11). US: Pro-Israel Lobby Accuses Ilhan Omar Of Anti-Semitism. telesurenglish.net Democratic Rep. from Minnesota, United States, Ilhan Omar was accused of anti-Semitism Sunday for criticizing Israel's influence in the U.S. Congress. | RELATED: | Israel Top Court Liable For War Crimes For Forcibly Transferring Palestinians: Rights Group | She said that the members of Congress support Israel because of money they receive from the pro-Israel lobby which sparked a Twitter battle. She tweeted that support for Israel was "all about the…
(2019-02-11). Gutting Payday Loan Rules Will Harm Vulnerable Families. hrw.org 
| | Gutting payday loan rules will harm vulnerable families | © Seth Anderson/Flickr | Proposed plans to get rid of rules designed to protect largely low-income consumers from abusive high-interest loans risk the well-being of some of America's most vulnerable households. | The United States Consumer Financial Protection Bureau recently announced the proposal to rescind rules that would have meant payday and auto-title lenders had to make sure that customers could repay loans under the terms of the contract. Loans not…
(2019-02-11). Chinese authorities extract forced confessions from student activists. wsws.org The crackdown reflects the fear in the Chinese ruling circles of a political movement of the working class for social and democratic rights that challenges the government itself.
(2019-02-11). Atlanta-based rapper 21 Savage detained by ICE agents in "targeted operation" wsws.org The 26-year-old Shéyaa Bin Abraham-Joseph is facing "removal proceedings before the federal immigration courts" for overstaying a temporary residency visa that expired in 2006.
(2019-02-11). Lebanon: No Justification for LGBT Crackdown. hrw.org (Beirut) — Lebanese security forces have repeatedly interfered with human rights events related to gender and sexuality in violation of international human rights protections, Human Rights Watch said today in a complaint to United Nations (UN) human rights officials. | The complaint follows unsuccessful attempts by Human Rights Watch to meet with Lebanon's General Security officials about recent security force actions that have undermined the rights o…
(2019-02-11). Ilhan Omar's Criticism of Israeli Lobby and AIPAC Is Not Anti-Semitic. truthout.org Democratic Congressmember Ilhan Omar of Minnesota is facing criticism today after commenting on a tweet by Glenn Greenwald. On Sunday, Greenwald tweeted, "GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy threatens punishment for @IlhanMN and @RashidaTlaib over their criticisms of Israel. It's stunning how much time US political leaders spend defending a foreign nation even if it means attacking free speech rights of Americans." Rep. Omar retweeted his post and added the line: "It's all about the Benjamins baby." She later named AIPAC as the organization paying American politicians to be pro-Israel. | Transcript: | AMY GOODMA…
(2019-02-11). ICE Detainees on Hunger Strike Being Force-Fed Like Those at Guantánamo. consortiumnews.com Organizations ranging from the ACLU to Human Rights Watch condemn the practice as "inherently cruel, inhuman, and degrading," writes A. Naomi Paik. Protesters depicting detainees of the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis) By A. Naomi… Read more →
(2019-02-11). Thailand: Bahraini Footballer Goes Home to Australia. hrw.org …
(2019-02-10). 2 Migrant Caravans Detained at US-Mexico Border. telesurenglish.net Two groups of migrant caravans were detained by the United States Border Patrol at the U.S.-Mexico border. | RELATED: | Chomsky, Others Slam Trump's Hardened Immigration Policies | One group of 325 undocumented migrant caravan members was detained at the Arizona-Mexico border by the Border Patrol of Tuscan Thursday. | On Friday, another group of 290 undocumented migrants was arrested after crossing the border in the area of southwestern New Mexico. They were arrested near Antelope W…
(2019-02-10). Sudan: Video Footage Shows Extreme Violence, Abuse. hrw.org 
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(2019-02-10). Australia Court Rules it is the 'Wrong Time' for Coal. hrw.org 
| | A coal mine near Gunnedah, Australia, September 11, 2012. | © AP Photo/Rob Griffith | An Australia court has rejected an appeal to grant permission to develop a new coal mine because it will contribute to global warming, the latest in a series of court rulings grounded in concerns over climate change. | It is the "wrong time" for coal, the Environmental and Land Court of New South Wales concluded, "because the GHG [Greenhouse Gas] emissi…
(2019-02-10). Man's testicles tasered during horrific police arrest (VIDEO). rt.com 
Disturbing bodycam video shows Arizona cops tasering a man 11 times, including on the testicles, as his horrified family scream for them to stop. The police are now being sued for "excessive force and torture."
(2019-02-10). Want to 'destroy' your ex? Sanctuary will name fish after former lover & feed it to a bear. rt.com 
An Oregon bear sanctuary has come up with the perfect anti-Valentine's Day 'celebration'. It will name a salmon after your former partner and let one of its 1,000-pound bears "tear into your ex."
(2019-02-10). Pox Americana: Vijay Prashad on Venezuela, India, Mexico, Congo, and U.S. Hegemony. theintercept.com There is a brazen, bipartisan push by the U.S. government for regime change in Venezuela with the Trump administration officially declaring opposition leader Juan Guaidó as the "legitimate" president. The economic sanctions imposed on Venezuela by the U.S. are aimed at starving the population into submission with notorious neoconservatives John Bolton and Elliott Abrams coordinating the campaign to overthrow the government of Nicolás Maduro. What we are witnessing right now in Latin America is a modern iteration of the same dirty tactics that the U.S. has historically used against the nations south of the U.S. bo…
(2019-02-09). What does the media not get about sanctions on Venezuela? greenleft.org.au 
Last week, the US formally adopted sanctions on Venezuelan national oil company PDVSA, as well as on CITGO, its US-based distribution arm, as part of its press for regime change in Caracas. National Security Advisor John Bolton estimated the actions would affect some $7 billion in assets and would block $11 billion in revenue to the Venezuelan government over the next year. The State Department was quick to add, "These new sanctions do not target t…
(2019-02-09). Will the US Speak Out on Hungary's Rights Crisis? hrw.org 
| | Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban addresses the supporters after the announcement of the partial results of parliamentary election in Budapest, Hungary, April 8, 2018. | © 2018 Reuters | When he visits Hungary next week, US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo should raise the alarm in light of Hungary's deteriorating human rights situation. | Instead of sending a message of business as usual, he should make clear that Hungary's backsliding on human rights has implications for its relations with the US. | Undermin…
(2019-02-09). Rape Victim Lands Behind Bars in Tunisia. hrw.org 
| Imagine seeking police assistance after being gang raped — and finding yourself behind bars. This is what happened to 22-year-old A.F., who was arrested on charges of homosexual conduct after he went to a police station in the southern Tunisian town of Sfax in January to report the assault. | Instead of treating A.F. as a victim in need of support, police detained him and subjected him to a forced anal examinationat a local hospital. These unscientific and invasive "exams," in…
(2019-02-08). Dems Accuse Trump Admin of "State-Sponsored Child Abuse" as Separated Migrant Children Scandal Grows. democracynow.org 
Trump administration officials are acknowledging that there may be thousands more missing immigrant children who were separated from their parents than originally reported. This was the focus of a hearing on Thursday of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations. We speak to Lee Gelernt, deputy director of the ACLU Immigrants' Rights Project. He is the lead lawyer on the ACLU's national challenge to the Trump administration's family separation practice. He testified at the hearing yesterday.
(2019-02-08). In Alabama, a Muslim Man Was Denied the Presence of His Imam During His Execution. aclu.org The Supreme Court's ruling to move forward with Domineque Ray's execution violates the Establishment Clause's principle of religious neutrality. | Domineque Ray was pronounced dead last night at 10: 12 p.m. Thirty minutes prior, his execution by lethal injection began. | His last words were a proclamation of his Muslim faith in Arabic. But Ray's imam was missing from the room, despite Ray's repeated requests to the state for his imam's presence. In the days leading up to his death, Ray w…
(2019-02-08). Planned Parenthood: SCOTUS Halts Louisiana Abortion Law for Now, But Roe v. Wade Fate Uncertain. democracynow.org 
The Supreme Court has temporarily blocked a restrictive Louisiana anti-choice law from going into effect Thursday, in a major victory for reproductive rights advocates. The case was seen as a litmus test for determining whether millions of women across the nation will continue to have access to abortions. The divided court ruled 5 to 4 in favor of an emergency appeal by a Louisiana-based abortion provider, Hope Medical Group for Women, to temporarily block a Republican-backed law that could have left the state with just a single doctor legally allowed to perform abortions. The law requires doctors who perform abo…
(2019-02-08). Ocasio-Cortez & Markey Unveil Sweeping "Green New Deal" to Radically Shift U.S. Off Fossil Fuels. democracynow.org 
After months of anticipation, Democratic New York Congressmember Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey introduced a resolution for the Green New Deal Thursday, presenting a sweeping plan to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in 10 years, make major investments in public transit and federal jobs, fully transition the U.S. electricity off fossil fuels and codify indigenous peoples' rights to prior consent and approval for decisions that affect them. Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi seemed to mock the proposal on Wednesday, referring to it as a "green dream, or whatever they call i…
(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). Brett Kavanaugh Is Already Done Pretending He Respects Abortion Rights. thenation.com Brett Kavanaugh Is Already Done Pretending He Respects Abortion Rights…
(2019-02-08). Amnesty International modifies its position on US sanctions and threats against Venezuela. zcomm.org Last year, I asked Amnesty International for its position on US economic sanctions against Venezuela. I also asked Amnesty's position on the threats US officials have made against Venezuela's government, including open encouragement of Venezuela's military to perpetrate a coup. Last year, Amnesty replied that it took "no position" on US economic sanctions. Regarding US Read more…
(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). 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…
(2019-02-08). Swiss Prosecutors Squander Opportunity to Counter Kleptocracy. hrw.org 
| | In December 2016, authorities seized a yacht reportedly worth $100 million from Teodorin Obiang, the president's eldest son and vice president, as part of an ongoing Swiss investigation into money-laundering. | © 2009 Madmack66 (Wikimedia Commons) creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ | The son of the president of Equatorial Guinea, Teodorin Nguema Obiang, who is also vice president, kept a US$100-million superyacht in the Netherlands and 25 exotic cars in Switzerland. The yacht is worth more than Equatorial…
(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). Bangladesh Opposition Leader Zia in Prison a Year. hrw.org 
| | Bangladesh's former prime minister and opposition leader Khaleda Zia, center, leaves after a court appearance in Dhaka, Bangladesh, December 28, 2017. | © 2017 AP Photo/A.M. Ahad, File | One year ago, Khaleda Zia, the leader of Bangladesh's main opposition party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), was sent to prison. Zia was convicted ahead of the December 2018 elections when the courts acted on longstanding cases against her. | While Human Rights Watch takes no position on the underlying merits of the ca…
(2019-02-07). Anti-LGBT Groups Launch Movement Against Federal Equality Act. splcenter.org Anti-LGBT hate group leaders and activists recently launched a new project, the #Gone2Far movement (GTFM), to oppose H.R. 2282, the federal Equality Act, which seeks to amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to include protections for the categories of a person's sex, sexual orientation and gender identity.
(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). 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). 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). 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). 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). Florida Anti-Immigrant Group Lobbies To Introduce Legislation Attacking Immigrants. splcenter.org Anti-immigrant group Floridians for Immigration Enforcement (FLIMEN) lobbied legislators in Florida to introduce legislation mandating E-Verify and banning sanctuary measures.
(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). 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). 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). 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). 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). 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…