(2019-02-25). Nigeria decides: "The election doesn't hold out much by way of alternatives to the neoliberal challenges" peoplesdispatch.org To understand what this election means for labor rights, women rights and healthcare in the country, Peoples Dispatch interviewed Nnimmo Bassey, a Nigerian author, poet and environmental activist.
(2019-02-25). The Banality of Empire. counterpunch.org This month freshman Rep. Ilhan Omar questioned Trump's nominee for envoy to Venezuela, Elliot Abrams. While her interrogation was somewhat tepid in regard to American imperialism (she said "no one disputes" that the US goal has always been to support democracy and defend human rights), she did bring up the role of the US in the massacres in El Salvador in the 1980s. Massacres in which Abrams is implicated. It was also instructive in that it provided a visual to how deeply debased the American political landscape actually is. Abrams is a Presidential pardoned liar who provided cover for some of the most heinous wa…
(2019-02-25). Internationalist Youth Brigade witnesses Venezuelans' will to resist imperialism. peoplesdispatch.org Members of the Che Guevara Internationalist Youth Brigade worked on different community projects in Venezuela. They witnessed the current situation in the country, which they reported as being contradictory to what is being shown in mainstream media. They also saw how Venezuelans are coming up with ingenious solutions to the problems imposed by economic sanctions for indigenous production of goods.
(2019-02-25). 'Our allegiance is to Irish Republic, declared in 1916, which include everything from the plough to the stars'. peoplesdispatch.org In the first part of our interview with the national executive member of the Communist Party of Ireland, Jimmy Doran, we speak about a varied set of issues, ranging from reproductive rights, austerity policies of the government, to the question of Northern Ireland.
(2019-02-25). Growing calls for nation-wide struggle. indybay.org The attack on public education is part of the broader onslaught against the rights and living standards of the working class across the United States and around the world. It is this global attack that produced the series of teachers strikes across the United States. | The only way in which the striking teachers can carry out their fight to defend public education is by forming rank-and-file committees independent of the union and building for a nationwide strike.
(2019-02-25). SEP national secretary James Cogan calls for maximum participation in rallies to free Julian Assange. wsws.org Cogan explains the connection between the fight for Assange's freedom and the fight against the escalating government attacks in every country against freedom of the press and other basic democratic rights.
(2019-02-25). Attend March 10 Solidarity Vigil in London for Julian Assange. wsws.org The SEP (UK) calls on all defenders of civil liberties and democratic rights, all opponents of imperialist wars for regime change, to attend the March 10 vigil and make it known in your workplaces, campuses and schools.
(2019-02-24). Miami march against war with Venezuela. fightbacknews.org Miami, FL – Over 50 protesters gathered in front of the Trump National Doral Golf Course to boldly demonstrate against U.S. war plans targeting Venezuela. Protesters displayed banners and signs demanding the U.S. government end its sanctions against the Venezuelan people, calling for peace, and denouncing the attempted coup against Venezuela's democratically-elected government. | After an hour of spirited chanting, the crowd took to the streets of Doral and marched over a mile down to United States Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM) — where the U.S. government plots its interventions, coups and invasions agains…
(2019-02-24). Red Cross Denounces Unsanctioned Use of Its Emblems to Smuggle US Aid to Venezuela. globalresearch.ca The largest international aid organization has demanded that activists at the Venezuela-Colombia border not use the insignia of the Red Cross, which isn't participating in what Caracas has dismissed as a US "propaganda show." | The Red Cross learned that some …
(2019-02-24). Princess First-Ever Female to be Saudi Ambassador to Washington. telesurenglish.net Saudi Arabia announced its first-ever female ambassador to the U.S. on Saturday, with journalist Jamal Khashoggi's murder as well as the conflict in Yemen having resulted in strained relations between the two nations. | RELATED: | Khashoggi Fiance Slams EU Human Rights Stance on Saudi Arabia | Princess Reema bint Bandar bin Sultan was appointed the new Saudi envoy to the U.S. Saturday, replacing Prince Khalid bin Salman, who was appointed vice defence minister, AFP reported.
(2019-02-24). Argentine Model Natacha Jaitt Dead, Lawyer Alleges Foul Play. telesurenglish.net Argentine supermodel Natacha Jaitt was found dead Saturday of a suspected drug-related stroke, but there seems to be more than meets the eye after her lawyer argued that Jaitt didn't use drugs due to a "condition," while making the claim that she was the "victim of a crime." | RELATED: | Argentine Novice Speaks Out Against Torture, Abuse in Convent | Jaitt, 41, was found slumped in an "afterhours" bedroom, and the initial police report suggested she had suffered a stroke due to e…
(2019-02-24). 'Embrace democracy, Venezuela!' Bolton threatens new sanctions, Pompeo vows 'action'. rt.com 
Failure of the attempted forcing of US "humanitarian aid" into Venezuela has not deterred the Trump administration hawks from seeking regime change in Caracas. They now threaten new sanctions unless Venezuela "embraces democracy."
(2019-02-24). Lima Group Members Invoke Human Rights While Trampling On Them. therealnews.com 
Venezuelan human rights activist Antonio Gonzalez Plessman discusses the human rights situation in Venezuela and other Latin American states…
(2019-02-24). Pro-Choice Bills Could Cement Illinois as the Midwest's Abortion Care Oasis. truthout.org Illinois Democrats recently introduced legislation to secure and expand reproductive rights, changes that could have far-reaching effects, as people travel to Illinois to secure abortion care that is difficult to access in neighboring states. | And one part of that legislation could help providers cope with that influx of out-of-state patients by expanding the number of medical professionals who can provide in-clinic abortion services. | The two bills proposed last week in the Illinois General Assembly would repeal decades-old statues intended to criminalize abortion providers and require parental notification…
(2019-02-23). How America Rescued Its Weapons Runners After Their Arrest in Haiti. mintpressnews.com 
"The fact that the U.S. took these people and did not charge them, it shows there was a conspiracy. They didn't want them to go before Haitian justice." — Pierre Esperance, National Human Rights Defense Network…
(2019-02-23). Hakeem al-Araibi's release celebrated in Pascoe Vale. greenleft.org.au 
On February 22, I had the privilege of attending the Pascoe Vale Football Club's celebration of Hakeem Al-Araibi's homecoming after roughly 2.5 months in a Thai jail for no crime — other than being a refugee and a human rights advocate. | It was a moving event, and gave a glimpse of the incredible diversity of people who had worked for Hakeem's release, starting with the Bahraini community who alerted many to Hakkem's arrest when they organised a 7-day protest in front of the Thai consulate in…
(2019-02-23). US Sanctions on Venezuela Possibly Worse than Iraq Sanctions Before War. therealnews.com 
News about humanitarian aid shipments to Venezuela almost never compare how tiny a fraction this aid is relative to the devastating damage that US sanctions against Venezuela have caused, which is now as draconian as the pre-Iraq war sanctions were, says CEPR's Mark Weisbrot…
(2019-02-22). Watch | Abby Martin & UN Rapporteur Expose Venezuela Coup. mintpressnews.com On the eve of another US war for oil, Abby Martin debunks the most repeated myths about Venezuela and uncovers how US sanctions are crimes against humanity with UN investigator and human rights Rapporteur Alfred De Zayas.
(2019-02-22). He Can't Breathe: Palestine's Eric Garner. mintpressnews.com 
In Hebron, Palestine on May 17th, 2017, Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) surrounded a young man as he walked through a market. He was about to join the roughly 40% of the male Palestinian population who, since 1967, have been detained or arrested.
(2019-02-22). Why is the Venezuelan Government Rejecting U.S. Food Supplies? counterpunch.org 
There's no denying that a serious economic and humanitarian crisis faces Venezuela. Millions of citizens have left the country, and those who have remained have lost considerable weight and have inadequate access to food and medicine. Hyperinflation continues unabated, and, with the Trump administration recently leveling sanctions against the Venezuelan state oil company (PDVSA), the crisis is only intensifying. More
(2019-02-22). I Moved to Colorado for Freedom as a Transgender Man. Instead, I Found Discrimination. aclu.org Dashir Moore came to Colorado in part for the transgender friendly laws, but he found his employer refused to cover transition-related care. | This piece was originally published in The Denver Post. | When I was a kid, my mom gave me Barbies, but I preferred to play with G.I. Joes. By high school, I was dressing in my brothers' clothes. At Georgia State University, I first heard the word to name who I am: transgender. | I began living as male. I shaved my head and started getting fade haircuts. I started tak…
(2019-02-22). SPLC and Latin GRAMMY Award-winning band release song that teaches immigrants their rights. splcenter.org ‚ÄãThe SPLC and the Latin GRAMMY Award-winning band Flor De Toloache launched a new song today whose lyrics teach immigrants about the rights they can exercise when interacting with law enforcement and immigration authorities.
(2019-02-22). Defying US Borders, Native Americans Are Asserting Their Territorial Rights. thenation.com Defying US Borders, Native Americans Are Asserting Their Territorial Rights…
(2019-02-22). Brazil's Unions Push Back on Assault on Labor. therealnews.com 
Brazil's labor movement is gradually mobilizing against the new right-wing president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, who is putting his program of assaulting labor rights and social security into effect. Mike Fox reports from Brazil…
(2019-02-22). US actor Danny Glover slams US over Venezuela. greenleft.org.au 
During an interview with the Real News Network, US actor and activist Danny Glover criticised the US over its actions against Venezuela. | Glover accused the US of having "taken the billions of dollars that rightfully belonged to the Venezuelan people, [and] placed sanctions on…
(2019-02-22). Philippines: Break the culture of silence, violence and impunity. greenleft.org.au 
The following statement on the February 13 arrest of Filipino journalist Maria Ressa was issued by the Filipino human rights movement, iDefend. | iDefend condemns the arrest of Maria Ressa by the National Bureau of Investigation on February 13 on charges of cyber-libel. | Ressa's arrest is the latest demonstration of how government critics are silenced in a manner which mirrors a familiar style of the late Marcos dictatorship. | For two years, Senator Leila de Lima remains incarcerated on unproven drug charges; former Supreme Court Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno was removed from her post in a Quo Waranto proc…
(2019-02-22). Venezuela's Former Minister of Communes and Culture Talks to TRNN About the Crisis. therealnews.com 
Well-known Venezuelan writer and theorist, Reinaldo Iturriza, says US sanctions and the low price of oil have devastated Venezuela'seconomy…
(2019-02-22). US sanctions cost Venezuela US$38 billion. greenleft.org.au 
Venezuelan Vice President of Planning, Ricardo Menendez said on February 18 that direct losses to the nation's economy from US financial sanctions are estimated to be US$38 billion. | The figure corresponds only to the effects on the production of goods and services, as well as on the oil trade, he said in an interview with the Venezuelan News Agency. | Of this total, $23 billion corresponds to the impact on GDP. $15 billion is related to the siege against Citgo, a subsidiary of the Venezuelan state oil company, in the US, which was seized at the end of January. | The greatest amount of production losses coi…
(2019-02-21). Headlines for February 21, 2019. democracynow.org White Supremacist Coast Guard Lt. Had "Hit List" of Democratic Targets, Trump Considering Anti-Science Adviser to Head Climate Change Committee, SCOTUS Limits State and Local Civil Asset Forfeiture, Massive Fire Kills At Least 80 in Bangladesh, Mexico: 2 Radio Journalists Killed in Past Week, U.N. Warns of Oil Company Complicity in South Sudan Mass Atrocities, Egypt Executes 9 Men over 2015 Prosecutor Killing Amid Claims of Torture, Syria: Civilians Evacuated from ISIS Enclave, Trump Says Alabama Woman Who Joined ISIS Should Not Be Allowed Back in U.S., West Virginia Teachers End Strike After Killing Pro-Charter…
(2019-02-21). SPLC lawsuit: ICE raid at Tennessee slaughterhouse violated workers' constitutional rights. splcenter.org On a quiet, chilly morning in April 2018, Alma drove through the verdant Tennessee hillsides to the ramshackle slaughterhouse where she had been working on the kill floor for more than two years.
(2019-02-21). Ex-Pinochet secret police agent Adriana Rivas' extradition case deferred. greenleft.org.au 
Former secret police agent under dictator General Augusto Pinochet Adriana Rivas will face court again on March 1 to see if she is extradited back to Chile, where she is facing charges relating to alleged torture and kidnapping offences. | While visiting Chile in 2007, Rivas was arrested for the aggravated kidnapping of seven victims in 1976. At the time she was the principal assistant to Manuel Contreras, the former head of Pinochet's National Intelligence Directorate (DINA). | All of the victims subsequently disappeared after undergoing vicious torture sessions. | However, Rivas breached her conditional bail an…
(2019-02-21). Profiteering from misery. greenleft.org.au 
The Australian Financial Review has revealed that the federal Coalition government awarded a $423 million security and cleaning contract for three Manus Island refugee detention centres to Paladin Group, a company that, at the time, was registered to a Kangaroo Island beach shack. | Incredibly, the minister for cruelty and home affairs Peter Dutton claims he knew nothing about it. However, we now know the home affairs department secretary authorised a "closed tender" fo…
(2019-02-20). A Supreme Court Milestone for Students' Free Speech Rights. aclu.org In 1969, a group of public school students protesting the Vietnam War made First Amendment history that stands strong to this day. | This month marks 50 years since the landmark Supreme Court ruling that cemented students' rights to free speech in public schools, Tinker v. Des Moines. We're inspired to see that students still take advantage of their First Amendment rights and speak out on political issues today. | We grew up in Iowa, where our father was a Methodist minister. Believing that faith s…
(2019-02-20). Saudi Scholar: My Father Faces the Death Penalty in Saudi Arabia for Supporting Human Rights. democracynow.org 
While the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul in October sparked international outrage, far less attention has been paid to the ongoing Saudi repression at home. We speak with Abdullah Alaoudh, whose father has been locked up in solitary confinement in Saudi Arabia for his political activism since September 2017. Prior to his arrest, prominent Islamic scholar Salman Alodah had been a vocal critic of the Saudi monarchy who had called for elections with 14 million Twitter followers. But for the past 17 months, Salman Alodah has been silenced. He was one of dozens of rel…
(2019-02-20). Civil rights groups sue New Orleans for map of surveillance camera locations. splcenter.org Representing a Louisiana public defender, the SPLC and the American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana today filed suit against the City of New Orleans over its refusal to provide a map of the city's 400 real-time surveillance cameras. Though the cameras themselves are publicly visible, the City of New Orleans has refused to comply with a public records request for a map of their locations.
(2019-02-19). Trump's Iran strategy: regime change or regime collapse? uwidata.com 
When Donald Trump took office in January 2017, he made it clear that countering Iran was a top priority on his agenda. Trump ripped up the Iran Nuclear Deal, also known as JCPOA; reimposed pre-JCPOA sanctions and even added new ones that were unprecedented in terms of their scope and scale; and put Iranian citizens, …
(2019-02-19). A Wisconsin School District Shrugged After High School Coaches Body-Shamed Cheerleaders. aclu.org Parents say staff are subjecting students to pervasive gender discrimination in the Kenosha Unified School District. | The cheerleaders at Tremper High School in Kenosha, Wisconsin, looked forward to the annual spring banquet as a time to celebrate their hard work in the company of over 100 friends and family members. What they never expected was for the banquet to become a humiliating exercise in body shaming. | In the banquet hall of a Kenosha restaurant in March 2018, the cheer coaches presented some squad members with…
(2019-02-19). Former Pinochet secret police agent Adriana Rivas arrested in Sydney. greenleft.org.au 
The following statement was released by the Australian-based National Campaign for Truth & Justice in Chile on February 19. | *** | After years of eluding justice, notorious Chilean torturer Adriana Rivas has finally been arrested and her extradition request by the Chilean state accepted by Australian authoriti…
(2019-02-18). Angela Davis Returns to Birmingham, Reflecting on Palestinian Rights & Fight for Freedom Everywhere. democracynow.org 
Civil rights icon and scholar Angela Davis returned to her hometown of Birmingham, Alabama, over the weekend. She originally planned the visit to receive the Fred L. Shuttlesworth Human Rights Award from the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, but the institute withdrew the award last month, soon after the Birmingham Holocaust Education Center sent a letter urging the board to reconsider honoring Davis due to her support of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement targeting the Israeli government and Israeli institutions. Facing swift and widespread outcry, the institute then reversed its decision and reinst…
(2019-02-18). Birmingham Civil Rights Group Reoffers Award to Angela Davis—But She Says Community Should Decide. democracynow.org 
The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute sparked international outrage in January when it rescinded the Fred L. Shuttlesworth award for civil rights icon Angela Davis, soon after the Birmingham Holocaust Education Center sent a letter urging the board to reconsider honoring her due to her support of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement. Facing swift and widespread outcry, the institute then reversed its decision and reinstated the award, but Davis has yet to accept it. Democracy Now! spoke with the president and CEO of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, Andrea Taylor, on Saturday, before an alternate e…
(2019-02-18). Racial Equity Groups Mobilize In Support of Voting Rights Act Hearings. naacp.org Atlanta Event 2nd in Series of National Hearings to Restore Voting Rights ATLANTA (February 18, 2019) — On Tuesday, February 19, all eyes will be on Georgia when the Subcommittee on Elections of the Committee on House Administration holds its "Field Hearing on Voting Rights and Election Administration in Georgia." Scheduled for 9: 30 AM EST …
(2019-02-18). Trump Hits Venezuela with More Sanctions as US Military Planes Bring 'Aid'. venezuelanalysis.com Three USAF planes landed 8km from the Venezuelan border, allegedly carrying "humanitarian aid."
(2019-02-16). NAACP Restructures to Advance Advocacy Strategy. naacp.org New York (February 16, 2019)—The nation's most prominent civil rights organization announced today during its annual national board meeting in New York, a strategic restructuring which better positions the organization to lead the critical policy advocacy and social justice work needed to ensure the rights of all people. The group also signed memoranda of understanding …
(2019-02-16). The Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and NAACP to Sign Historic Memorandum of Understanding During Annual Board Meeting. naacp.org The Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity established for African American Men, and the nation's oldest and largest grassroots civil rights organization, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) share common priorities and interests in ensuring the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons …
(2019-02-15). Black Civil Rights Advocate Takes Control of Neo-Nazi Hate Group the National Socialist Movement. splcenter.org The antisemitic and neo-Nazi group the National Socialist Movement (NSM) is now under the control of a black civil rights advocate from California who once dissolved a notorious Ku Klux Klan chapter in Mississippi.
(2019-02-15). Public Citizen: Trump's National Emergency Declaration Paves Way for Sweeping Authoritarianism. democracynow.org 
With one day left to pass a government spending bill before today's midnight deadline to avert another government shutdown, both the House and Senate passed the measure Thursday that came out of the bipartisan conference committee earlier this week. The bill includes nearly $1.4 billion to build 55 miles of new border barriers out of steel, far less than the $5.7 billion requested by President Trump. Democrats quickly condemned the news, and consumer rights nonprofit Public Citizen vowed legal action against him. We speak with Public Citizen President Robert Weissman.
(2019-02-14). Border Patrol Detained Me for Speaking Spanish in Montana. Then My Town Turned Against Me. aclu.org 
Customs and Border Protection violated our rights as U.S. citizens just for speaking Spanish in a grocery store. | I moved to Havre, Montana — near the U.S.-Canada border — in 2014 with my husband and our two young children. Home to around 10,000 people, I've always found Havre to be a friendly town, one where I felt good about raising my kids. But that all changed last May when my friend and I were illegally targeted and detained by a Customs and Border Protection agent, just for speaking Spanish to each other in a convenience store. | I didn't think it was possible for one incident to change our liv…
(2019-02-14). No EU cost for Israeli 'apartheid' in West Bank. bdsmovement.net 
No EU cost for Israeli 'apartheid' in West Bank: In the NewsBy Andrew Rettman Sanctions and governmentsFebruary 14, 2019 | By: | | euobserver
(2019-02-14). New Hampshire Is Trying to Stop College Students From Registering to Vote. aclu.org Voting is my right. I shouldn't have to jump through hoops to exercise it. | Growing up, my parents taught me that voting is not only a right, but a privilege. They voted in every local, midterm, and presidential election, and every time they did so they were sure to show me their "I voted" sticker. | As I grew older, they discussed propositions or candidates with me, asking me what I thought and even providing me with sample ballots. My dad and I would talk about why our opinions were the same or different, and what information we were basing those votes on. When 2016 rolled around, I still wasn't old enough to…
(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