(2019-03-28). Immigrant rights delegation to visit U.S.-Mexico border. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN – In the shadow of President Trump's declaration of a 'state of emergency' to build a wall at the U.S.-Mexico border, the Legalization for All Network is organizing a national delegation of immigrant rights activists to go on a fact-finding and solidarity delegation to the border. The delegation will include activists from the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC), Milwaukee's Young People's Resistance Committee (YPRC) and from the U.S. Palestinian Community Network. | The delegation will learn about the history of the U.S.-Mexico border since its unjust creation with the U.S. milita…
(2019-03-28). Rights Groups Urge UN to Protect Palestinians on 'Great March' Protest Anniversary. globalresearch.ca Almost 20 Palestinian rights groups — both regional and international — urged the United Nations to protect Gazans who participate in the anniversary of the "Great March of Return" protests this coming Saturday. | In a letter sent to UN Secretary-General …
(2019-03-28). When Taking a Walk At Night Was an Act of Civil Disobedience. aclu.org Oregon remembers Minoru Yasui, a civil rights icon who broke the law to protest the curfews put on Japanese Americans at the start of World War II. | Seventy-six years ago, Minoru "Min" Yasui sat in a cell at the Multnomah County Jail in Oregon when he read a newspaper article detailing how Walter Pierce, the state's former governor and U.S. congressman, called for Japanese immigrants in the United States to be sent to Japan. Ever the racist and xenophobe, Pierce wasn't done. He even suggested revoking birthright citizens…
(2019-03-28). Headlines for March 28, 2019. democracynow.org Boeing to Update Software Implicated in Crashes of 737 MAX Jets, Federal Judge Strikes Down Medicaid Work Requirements, Migrant Asylum Seekers in El Paso Detained in Open-Air Parking Lot, Trump Says Puerto Rico Received Too Much Aid After Hurricane Maria, Florida Police Identify Second Parkland Survivor Who Died by Suicide, Rep. Ilhan Omar Challenges Trump Admin Rule Easing Overseas Gun Sales, NRA Advised Far-Right Australian Party on Overturning Gun Controls, NRA Official Reached Out to Sandy Hook Conspiracy Theorist, Charlottesville Murderer James Alex Fields Pleads Guilty to Hate Crimes, Facebook to Ban White…
(2019-03-28). Central Mali: Top UN genocide prevention official sounds alarm over recent ethnically-targeted killings. un.org The United Nations Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, Adama Dieng, expressed on Thursday his deepest concern and strongly condemned recent attacks against villages in Mali, including mass-killings last weekend in the Mopti region, which left 160 dead, including some 50 children, according to the UN human rights office (OHCHR).
(2019-03-28). Free Press: HUD Action Against Facebook Just a First Step in Protecting Users' Civil Rights. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2019-03-28). Biggest Migrant Caravan Forming Amidst Broken US Border Patrol. telesurenglish.net A "mother of all caravans" is building up in Honduras, the federal interior secretary said Wednesday while the United States Office of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said the immigration system at the U.S. southern border has reached a breaking point. | RELATED: | Negligence Leaves ICE Detention Facilities Overrun With Mumps | "We are aware that a new caravan is forming in Honduras that they're calling the mother of all caravans . . . and which could be [made up of] more th…
(2019-03-28). Spain: Court Issues Warrant For North Korean Embassy Intruders. telesurenglish.net An international arrest warrant has been issued, by Spanish authorities, for two alleged intruders from a group who broke into the North Korean embassy in Madrid last month. | RELATED: | North Korea Quits Liaison Office With South After US Sanctions | Following an investigation into the incident, a document from Spanish Judge Jose de la Mata revealed that the intruders attempted to coerce North Korean envoy So Yun-sok to deflect before stealing equipment including computers, ha…
(2019-03-28). All charges dropped against Jussie Smollett, victim of Chicago police. fightbacknews.org Chicago, IL – Immediately after all charges were dropped Tuesday morning, March 26 against actor Jussie Smollett and the record of his arrest and prosecution expunged, Frank Chapman, Co-Chairperson of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, addressed the media. Smollett is a star of the Fox Television series "Empire." | "This is another example of the CPD doing what they do," Chapman declared. "They have falsely accused people, tortured confessions and framed-up innocent people, killed people — there is no justice when it come to the CPD. The people of this city are tired of this. We n…
(2019-03-28). US threatens Turkey over Russian S-400 air defence purchase. wsws.org Despite Washington's threats of sanctions and a downgrade in US-Turkish military security ties, Erdogan has vowed to proceed with the purchase and deployment of the S-400.
(2019-03-28). Introducing "Animal Matters," Our New Video Series About Animal Rights, Factory Farms, and the Agriculture Industry. theintercept.com Our first episode debuts today: it is time for humanity to grapple with its treatment of animals and the multilevel damage done by animal agriculture.
(2019-03-28). Mary Robinson is well-intentioned, but good intentions can't win climate justice. greenleft.org.au 
Climate Justice: Hope, Resilience, and the Fight for a Sustainable Future
| By Mary Robinson
| Bloomsbury Publishing, 2018 | Mary Robinson, the former president of Ireland, is undoubtedly sincere in her determination to fight climate change and "putting people at the heart of the solution". Unfortunately, her new book shows that sincerity is not enough. | As well as heading her own climate justice foundation, Mary Robinson is the former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and UN Special Envoy on Climate Change. She…
(2019-03-28). Free Julian Assange and Chelsea Manning! wsws.org The fate of these political prisoners must be a focus of attention of the entire working class and all those who defend democratic rights.
(2019-03-28). MUA rally in solidarity with Pakistani dockworkers. greenleft.org.au 
Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) members rallied outside the Pakistani Consulate on March 26 to demand the dropping of all charges against the Karachi Dockworkers Union president and another unionist who were arrested following a dispute at Hutchison Ports' Karachi International Container Terminal (KICT). | The arrests occurred as Karachi dockworkers were protesting about safety conditions on the site after a worker was run over by a vehicle on March 17. The union leaders were released on bail after 10 days in detention. | The KICT Labour Union has joined with the International Transport Workers' Federation…
(2019-03-28). Not Piracy But 'A Matter of Survival': Refugees Take Control of Ship Headed Back to 'Hell' in Libya. commondreams.org Human rights advocates and other critics on Thursday called for empathy and aid for more than 100 refugees who took control of a tanker that had picked them up in the Mediterranean this week. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files……
(2019-03-28). Poem: Now Is Not The Time. greenleft.org.au A long time ago Martin Luther King | Sought justice for his minority, | But his white friends demurred, "That's not a thing | | If you can't persuade the majority. | Now's not the time, wait your turn, you'll get there". | Well, even longer, the sorority | | Campaigned for equal treatment, equal care, | Yet heard again the dreaded, sad refrain: | "Now's not the time, but hold, do not despair." | | Perhaps longer still, gays faced fierce disdain | When seeking basic rights that others own, | Strong prejudice diminished their campaign, | | They struggled on, till law was set in stone | That — like oth…
(2019-03-27). Florida: Why Republican Lawmakers are Defying—and Denying—the Voters. counterpunch.org 
In Florida's November 2018 election, voters approved the following amendment to their state's constitution: "Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, any disqualification from voting arising from a felony conviction shall terminate and voting rights shall be restored upon completion of all terms of sentence including parole or probation. (b) No person convicted More
(2019-03-27). A Real-Life Game of Risk: Why Civilizationism Is Biggest Threat to Human Rights in the 21st Century. mintpressnews.com True liberal values and human rights face their largest threat to date, a rapidly growing system of global governance based on opportunistic alliances rooted in populism and an unfettered bid for power argues Dr. James Dorsey.
(2019-03-27). UN's Bachelet rejects Sri Lankan official's 'spin' on Human Rights Council encounter, urges reforms. un.org The UN's top rights official on Wednesday rejected claims by Sri Lankan officials that she distanced herself from a report on the country and instructed her staff to be more "cautious" in future, before stressing her commitment to justice for victims of grave abuses during the civil war.
(2019-03-27). Yemen hospital airstrike under investigation amid resurgence of deadly cholera. un.org UN human rights staff in Yemen are investigating an apparent airstrike on a hospital in opposition-held territory which reportedly killed at least seven civilians on Tuesday, amid fears that cholera is spreading "like wildfire", one of the organization's senior humanitarian officials has warned.
(2019-03-27). The Department of Homeland Security's Attack on Asylum Seekers at the Border Continues. aclu.org The U.S. is systematically violating the rights of asylum seekers and turning them back into Mexico where they are often abused. | In a desperate attempt to escape immediate threats to their life, the Castro* family fled their home country of El Salvador, hoping to make it to the U.S.-Mexico border to seek refuge. What they found instead at the port of entry in Eagle Pass, Texas, were cruel U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers and no protection to be found. | After being physically pushed back into Mexico by CBP officers, the Castro family was told that they must get on a list in Mexico and wait. In…
(2019-03-27). Forced pregnancy in Italy violated 'woman's human right to health', UN experts rule. un.org The Italian Government violated a woman's "human right to health" after a law which denied her the right to refuse fertility treatment she had previously agreed to, "led her to undergo a forced pregnancy", the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) said on Wednesday.
(2019-03-27). Fighting Fascism in an Era of Lies. truthdig.com This article was originally published in Counterpunch. | We do not live in a post-truth world and never have. On the contrary, we live in a pre-truth world where the truth has yet to arrive. As one of the primary currencies of politics, lies have a long history in the United States. For instance, state sponsored lies played a crucial ideological role in pushing the U.S. into wars in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan, legitimated the use of Torture under the Bush administration, and covered up the crimes of the financial…
(2019-03-27). Australian government exploits fascist atrocity in New Zealand to push online censorship. wsws.org The entire political establishment is seeking to cover up its responsibility for the fascist attack and exploit it to crack down on the democratic rights of ordinary people.
(2019-03-26). "Hold Israel Accountable": Palestinians Call on Int'l Community to Oppose Golan Heights Annexation. democracynow.org 
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in Washington on Monday to meet with President Trump, who signed an order officially recognizing Israel's control of the Golan Heights in defiance of international law. We speak with Budour Hassan, a Palestinian writer and project coordinator for the Jerusalem Center for Legal Aid and Human Rights, and Jehad Abusalim, scholar and policy analyst from Gaza. He runs the Gaza Unlocked campaign for the United States for the American Friends Service Committee.
(2019-03-26). Tenants 'forced out their homes' by global investment firms, say UN experts. un.org UN human rights experts have condemned the 'egregious' business practices of global private equity and investment firms which, they say, have transformed the global housing landscape by raising rents and forcing some tenants out of their homes.
(2019-03-26). UN expert condemns new sentence for jailed Venezuelan judge as 'another instance of reprisal'. un.org Maria Lourdes Afiuni, a jailed Venezuelan judge arrested ten years ago, has been slapped with a further five-year sentence, prompting a UN human rights expert to express his "grave concern", describing the further punishment as an act of "reprisal against her".
(2019-03-26). Top 5 Reasons Why the House Should Pass the Paycheck Fairness Act. aclu.org The law would give working women the legal tools they need to challenge discrimination and close the gender pay gap. | More than 55 years after the Equal Pay Act was passed, women working fulltime and year-round, on average, are paid only 80 cents for every dollar paid to their male counterparts. The disparity for women of color is even more severe. This wage gap has remained stagnant for years and continues to squeeze women's pocketbooks, erode their earning potential, and deprive them of the means to improve their own lives and support their families. | It's long past time to update the Equal Pay Act to give wo…
(2019-03-25). TUNE IN: 50th NAACP Image Awards Airs Live this Saturday, March 30 on TV One. naacp.org On Saturday, March 30, 2019, the best and brightest in Black Hollywood will gather at the Dolby Theatre to celebrate the 50th NAACP Image Awards. Shaping up to be a night to remember, NAACP, the nation's foremost civil rights organization, will award activists and entertainers alike for their contributions to the culture over the past …
(2019-03-25). Trump's Sanctions Kill Venezuelan People. Why Can't UN Rights Chief Michelle Bachelet 'Fully Acknowledge' That? venezuelanalysis.com Joe Emersberger takes apart Bachelet's recent comments on Venezuela and US-led sanctions.
(2019-03-25). Pennsylvania Is Jailing Mentally Ill People Who Belong in Treatment. aclu.org The people in jail have disabilities so severe they cannot be prosecuted under the Constitution. | For the third time in less than four years, the ACLU of Pennsylvania and co-counsel from Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer asked a federal judge last week to order Pennsylvania's Department of Human Services to reduce the time that people with severe psychiatric disabilities spend waiting in jail for treatment beds. These people's mental disabilities are so significant that under the Constitution they can be neither prosecuted nor punished, which means they cannot be kept in a prison or jail. | How disabled are our clie…
(2019-03-25). On International Day, UN stands in solidarity with some 20 detained staff. un.org Marking International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members, UN Secretary-General António Guterres paid tribute to UN personnel abducted, detained or missing while serving.
(2019-03-24). Venezuela Update: UN Human Rights Report, More Sanctions. therealnews.com 
UN Human Rights Commissioner presented a critical report on Venezuela, which the government denounced for ignoring opposition violence. Meanwhile, the Trump administration introduced even more sanctions on the economically reeling country…
(2019-03-24). HR1: A Call for Campaign Finance Reform, Ethics, and Voting Rights. therealnews.com 
Rep. John Sarbanes of Maryland joins us to explore the legislation that he's spearheading to end the involvement of dark money in politics, allow public campaign financing, and demand major ethics and voting rights reforms, and why Republicans are threatening kill it in the Senate…
(2019-03-23). Trump Official Boasts Crippling US Sanctions on Venezuela Are Like Darth Vader's Death Grip. thegrayzone.com A Trump administration official bragged that US sanctions on Venezuela are "like in Star Wars when Darth Vader constricts somebody's…
(2019-03-22). Human Rights Attorney to Trump: "Israel Is Not Interested in the Golan Heights for Security" democracynow.org 
Just weeks before major elections in Israel that could determine the future of embattled Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Trump declares the U.S. will recognize Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights, in defiance of international law and decades of U.S. policy. The announcement comes as he is set to host Netanyahu at the White House next week amid the annual conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, where Vice President Mike Pence will speak, along with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, among others. A growing number of Democrats—…
(2019-03-22). Boston: a sanctuary city for business alone. liberationnews.org 
Boston police collaborate with ICE despite "sanctuary city" status.
(2019-03-22). The Silencing of Manuel Duran Ortega. progressive.org A journalist fights detention and deportation by ICE.
(2019-03-22). UPDATED: US Sanctions Venezuelan Banks After Guaido Aide Accused of Leading 'Terrorist Cell'. venezuelanalysis.com After vowing "consequences" over Marrero's arrest, the US Treasury sanctioned Venezuela's development bank BANDES and two major public banks.
(2019-03-21). The FBI Won't Hand Over Its Surveillance Records on 'Black Identity Extremists,' so We're Suing. aclu.org The ACLU and the Center for Media Justice are suing the FBI for records about the surveillance of Black activists—a tactic with a long, sordid history | At a time when violence by white supremacists is on the rise, the FBI appears to be targeting Black people in a secret intelligence program concerning so-called "Black Identity Extremists"— an inflammatory term for a group that doesn't even exist. The bureau's practice echoes earlier, shameful government surveillance programs that sought to discredit civil rights and Black power activists who were critical to advancing racial equality — and it e…
(2019-03-21). Catholic Bishops Stopped My Surgery Because I'm Transgender. aclu.org Gender-affirming care is lifesaving and supported by medical professionals. Yet Oliver Knight and many other transgender people are denied this care. | After years of working to affirm my identity in a world where transgender people are questioned constantly about their decisions, I felt hopeful as I arrived for the surgery I had waited so long for. I was 27, and I would finally be closer to calling my body home. | Since I was a kid, I've felt like my body didn't match my soul. I felt uncomfortable in clothes. I felt disgusting when I showered. Everything felt wrong, but it took me a while to figure out why. | On…
(2019-03-20). Ex-UN Human Rights Expert Blasts 'Manipulation' on Venezuela: 'We Are Swimming in an Ocean of Lies'. thegrayzone.com Former UN Special Rapporteur Alfred de Zayas criticized the human rights commissioner's past reports on Venezuela, calling them "unprofessional" and…
(2019-03-20). Palestinians Salute Pitzer College for Overwhelming Vote in Support of Palestinian Rights, Condemn Anti-democratic Veto by University President. bdsmovement.net 
Palestinians Salute Pitzer College for Overwhelming Vote in Support of Palestinian Rights, Condemn Anti-democratic Veto by University President: UpdatePitzer College faculty, students and staff voted overwhelmingly to suspend a study abroad program with Haifa University over Israel's discriminatory policies against Palestinians. In an anti-democratic move, Pitzer's president ve…
(2019-03-20). US Imposes New Sanctions as Venezuelan Government Denounces Takeover of Diplomatic Offices. venezuelanalysis.com Trump warned that the "toughest sanctions" have yet to be imposed.
(2019-03-19). VIDEO: The Grayzone testifies at the UN — 'Humanitarian crisis in Venezuela: Propaganda vs. reality'. thegrayzone.com The Grayzone's Max Blumenthal and Anya Parampil spoke about Venezuela at a side event at a United Nations Human Rights…
(2019-03-19). The Future of Line 3. progressive.org Climate, indigenous rights, and water security are all at stake in the ongoing fight against Enbridge's tar sands pipeline.
(2019-03-18). 10 NAACP Women You Should Know About. naacp.org 
Since its founding in 1909, women have been at the forefront of leadership at NAACP. Rosa Parks, Myrlie Evers, and even Eleanor Roosevelt are just a few of the iconic women who have shaped the NAACP into the civil rights force that it is now. From our founders, Executive Directors, staff and members, Black women have always …
(2019-03-15). Venezuela: US Threatens New Sanctions as Hyperinflation Slows Down. venezuelanalysis.com The US government has increased pressure against Caracas mainly by targeting the oil industry.
(2019-03-14). The Reality Behind Trump's Coalition for Regime Change in Venezuela. venezuelanalysis.com As the cast of regime change actors from Abrams to Bolsonaro reveals, the US attempt to oust Maduro has nothing to do with democracy or human rights.
(2019-03-12). Venezuela: Electricity Recovery Continues as US Withdraws Diplomatic Staff. venezuelanalysis.com US officials have threatened new sanctions while Venezuelan authorities continue reactivating the electric grid.