(2019-02-13). Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law to Deliver Closing Arguments in SFFA v. Harvard. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2019-02-13). New Hampshire Law Illegally Targets Young Voters Ahead of 2020 Primary. aclu.org The state wants students to face criminal penalties if they don't pay to change their out-of-state licenses after voting. | The New Hampshire 2020 primary is still almost a year away, but state legislators are already working to disenfranchise voters. HB 1264, a law set to go into effect in July 2019, will change the definition of what it means to be a "resident" of New Hampshire, forcing people with out-of-state driver's licenses or car registrations to switch to the state versions if they register to vote. | While it may sound like an archaic DMV issue, it's actually a burden on the right to vote. In New Hamps…
(2019-02-13). 70 More Bodies Found, 2 Clandestine Graves Uncovered in Mexico. telesurenglish.net Mexican authorities say they have found 49 clandestine graves with 69 bodies inside on a rural property in Colima state. | RELATED: | 2 Migrant Caravans Detained at US-Mexico Border After Crossing | The State Prosecutor's Office says they are working to have all 69 cadavers identified through DNA and forensic examinations. The office also stated that around 70 federal employees have been put on the job to investigate the discovery located in a community just outside of Tecoman…
(2019-02-13). In Prison, the Power's On, But There's No Accountability. counterpunch.org The power is back on at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn and the street outside is relatively silent, but it shouldn't take a week without heat during a polar vortex and hour after hour of hands hammering on windows, to sound an alarm about conditions in federal lock up. The Metropolitan Detention Center Brooklyn More
(2019-02-13). Nigeria: Authorities must uphold human rights during and after elections. amnesty.org The Nigerian authorities must protect people from violence and ensure full respect for freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association before, during and after the country's upcoming general election, Amnesty International said ahead of the votes scheduled for 16 February and 2 March 2019. | There have been several instances of violence at election campaign rallies in some states in recent months, including the deaths of four people in Kano state in clashes between rival political supporters in December 2018. | "The election-related violence in states such as Kano, Kwara, Kogi, Rivers, Taraba and Bayelsa…
(2019-02-13). Thailand: Lift Ban on Outspoken TV Station. hrw.org 
| | Thai authorities suspend broadcasting of the outspoken Voice TV for criticizing the ruling military junta. | © 2019 Voice TV | (New York) — Thailand's media commission should immediately reverse its decision to suspend broadcasting by Voice TV, Human Rights Watch said today. Taking a television station off the air, even temporarily, is unjustified censorship that will raise doubts about the fairness of the media environment ahead of nationa…
(2019-02-13). March & Rally: Hands Off Venezuela! NO coup – NO war – NO sanctions! indybay.org UN Plaza, 7th and Market Sts.
(2019-02-13). The Jungle: A makeshift society within the global refugee crisis. wsws.org Playwrights Joe Murphy and Joe Robertson have created a thoughtful treatment of one of humanity's most acute social crises.
(2019-02-13). Egypt steps up executions as six people put to death within two weeks. amnesty.org Egyptian authorities today hanged three prisoners convicted of killing a police officer during clashes that erupted in the weeks following the deadly Rabaa massacre. The executions brought the total number of executions in Egypt to six within a span of two weeks. | Responding to the news, Amnesty International's North Africa Campaigns Director Najia Bounaim said: | "These executions, which come just days after three other people were put to death in separate cases, mark an alarming escalation in executions so far this year. | "The death pe…
(2019-02-13). Trump pushes for more anti-immigrant concessions from the Democrats. wsws.org The government funding agreement represents a capitulation by the Democrats to Trump's demand for a border wall and his mass detention of undocumented immigrants.
(2019-02-13). Incarcerated Immigrants Are Being Tortured. truthout.org In El Paso, Texas, not far from where President Trump delivered a speech riddled with falsehoods and jingoism at a pro-wall rally on Tuesday, at least nine Sikh men reportedly fleeing persecution in India have been on hunger strike in an immigration jail known for weeks. | The asylum seekers are protesting their detention and the conditions of the jail, and Immigration and Customs Enfo…
(2019-02-13). China: Prisoner of conscience ill-treated in prison: Lee Ming-che. amnesty.org Taiwanese activist Lee Ming-che has been given rotten food and insufficient clothing in his freezing prison cell. As a result of exposing these prison conditions, his wife is not allowed to visit him again until 22 April 2019. Sentenced in 2017 to five years' imprisonment for "subverting state power", Lee Ming-che is a prisoner of conscience and should be immediately and unconditionally released.
(2019-02-13). Diez horas con la globalización-El individuo Nación. indybay.org Diez horas con la globalizacion-El Individuo Nación | Oscar Sánchez Fernández de la Vega | Creer que nuestra identidad nos la puede proporcionar un territorio, un idioma, nuestras tradiciones y mucho menos una bandera, un himno o una patria es simplificar lo complejo. Con seguridad nuestra "individualidad" está potencialmente en nosotros mismos y todos los derechos deberían de orientarse a que se desarrollase total y libremente. | Hay que defender la identidad, puesto que la diferencia es un elemento constitutivo de cada ser humano y también de las identidades colectivas en que este se agrupa.
(2019-02-13). Why we must support 14 women determined to fight hate in Poland. amnesty.org …
(2019-02-12). Wright State Faculty Ends One of the Longest Strikes at a Public University in U.S. History. democracynow.org 
In Dayton, Ohio, faculty members at Wright State University have just concluded one of the longest public university strikes in U.S. history. On Sunday, the university's administration reached a tentative contract agreement with the faculty union's executive committee, which union members will vote to ratify in coming days. The strike began late last month, when the university imposed a contract on faculty members that worsened working conditions and decreased benefits. When the administration refused to negotiate, 85 percent of Wright State University's union members voted to authorize a strike. We speak with Ru…
(2019-02-12). Take Action Now: Help Pass Crucial Voting Rights Reforms. thenation.com Take Action Now: Help Pass Crucial Voting Rights Reforms…
(2019-02-12). (Another) Mockery of Justice in Russia. hrw.org 
Oyub Titiev, a Chechen human rights activist, has been behind bars for more than 13 months on bogus drug charges and his trial is now drawing to a close. Today, the defense filed its last motion, and the judge declined it — just as she has declined all other defense motions. | | | Oyub Titiev at the Shali court in Chechnya, February 12, 2019. | © 2019 Tanya Lokshina/Human Rights Watch | When Oyub's trial began last summer, we had little, if any, expectations for a fair hearing. A man jailed by Chechen authorities in…
(2019-02-12). Tunisia: Scant Help to Bring Home ISIS Members' Children. hrw.org 
…
(2019-02-12). Remembering Alison Des Forges, 10 Years Later. hrw.org 
| | Alison Des Forges | Ten years ago today, our beloved colleague Alison Des Forges died in the crash of Flight 3407 traveling from Newark to her home in Buffalo. Alison had recently been in Uganda to meet with her research team that, to my great fortune, included me. A colleague and I had just finished documenting a series of massacres by the Lord's Resistance Army, headed by Ugandan rebel leader Joseph Kony. While in Kampal…
(2019-02-12). Egypt: A Move to Enhance Authoritarian Rule. hrw.org 
| | Egyptian policemen standing guard outside a polling station with an electoral banner depicting incumbent President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi seen with a caption reading in Arabic 'for the sake of Egypt we will continue the story of a nation', in the capital Cairo's central neighborhood of Zamalek, March 26, 2018. | © 2018 Khaled Desouki/AFP/Getty Images | (Beirut) — Proposed amendments to Egypt's constitution, including granting the armed…
(2019-02-12). Where do Apparel Companies Stand on Women Workers? hrw.org 
| | A worker inside a garment factory in Tamil Nadu, India. India passed a law governing sexual harassment at the workplace in 2013. The Indian government can play a leadership role in advocating for a binding ILO Convention on violence and harassment at work, while simultaneously revamping efforts to implement the law in country. | © 2013 Dhiraj Singh/Bloomberg via Getty | Will the fashion industry throw its weight behind the global #MeToo movement? The next few months will tell us how committed apparel companies are…
(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). 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). 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). Thailand: Bahraini Footballer Goes Home to Australia. hrw.org 
| (New York) — Thailand has freed a Bahraini refugee football player threatened with extradition since November 2018 following global pressure from athletes, sports federations, and rights groups, Human Rights Watch said today. | On February 11, 2019, Thai prosecutors dropped their extradition case against Hakeem Al-Araibi, sought by…
(2019-02-11). Lebanon: No Justification for LGBT Crackdown. hrw.org 
| | Activists take part in a protest outside the Hbeish police station in Beirut on May 15, 2016, demanding the release of four transgender women and calling for the abolishment of article 534 of the Lebanese Penal code, which prohibits having sexual relations that 'contradict the laws of nature'. | © 2016 ANWAR AMRO/AFP/Getty Images | (Beirut) — Lebanese security forces have repeatedly interfered with human rights events related to gender a…
(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 →
(2019-02-10). Sudan: Video Footage Shows Extreme Violence, Abuse. hrw.org 
…
(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). 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). Victim Lands Behind Bars in Tunisia. hrw.org 
| Correction/Clarification: Contrary to what Human Rights Watch reported, the authorities arrested and prosecuted the alleged assailants along with A.F., the complainant. The court sentenced all three on February 11 to six months in prison for "sodomy" under article 230 of the penal code. It also sentenced the alleged assailants to an additional two months for robbery and violence. According to one defense lawyer, A.F. retracted his allegation of rape, both during his interrogation at the police station and during his appearance before the judge. He also denied having…
(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). 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). 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). 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). 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). 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). 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). 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). 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). 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). 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…
(2019-02-06). "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…