(2019-04-10). Government, Indigenous Groups Reach Accord After Rojas' Murder. telesurenglish.net Following the murder of land rights leader Sergio Rojas, the government and Indigenous peoples of Costa Rica has come to an agreement on matters related to security and territorial protections, Casa Presidencial website said Sunday. | RELATED: | Activists, Right Groups Demand Justice for Slain Costa Rican Indigenous Leader | According t…
(2019-04-10). WikiLeaks Says Assange Spied On in Ecuador Embassy. telesurenglish.net A surveillance operation against Julian Assange in Ecuador embassy in London was uncovered by WikiLeaks, the whistleblower group said Wednesday and added that Images, videos, and documents gathered during the operation were offered for sale. | RELATED: | UN Torture Expert Urges Ecuador Not to Expel Assange | WikiLeaks that Spanish police undertook a sting operation against some unnamed people in Madrid who offered to sale the gathered intelligence. | WikiLeaks, during a press conferenc…
(2019-04-10). Boston and New Haven hold rallies for transgender visibility. liberationnews.org 
"Capitalists all the world over don't care about the rights of trans people or any working people. They only care about profits."
(2019-04-10). More Sanctions on Venezuela: Operation Florida 2020 (Pt 1/2). therealnews.com 
Senators Menendez and Rubio introduced a bipartisan bill to intensify the sanctions that are strangling Venezuela's economy. Mark Weisbrot says this is largely possible because members of Congress are unaware of the suffering the sanctions are causing in Venezuela…
(2019-04-10). Pompeo: Sanctions Increase "Pain and Suffering" in Venezuela (Pt 2/2). therealnews.com 
Sec. of State Mike Pompeo recently openly admitted that the sanctions are causing pain and suffering and that this would accelerate the process of toppling the Maduro government. Mark Weisbrot discusses the approach and what Democrats and progressives could do to stop this…
(2019-04-10). It's Time to End US Military Aid to the Philippines. counterpunch.org Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's bloody "War on Drugs" has now claimed over 27,000 lives — almost all poor and indigent people, including children, summarily executed by police or vigilantes. Over 140,000 pre-trial detainees are being held in overcrowded Philippine prisons, many on trumped up drug charges; 75 percent of the total prison population still awaits More
(2019-04-10). Kenya: Human Rights Orgs Join Extrajudicial Killings Case. telesurenglish.net A Kenyan judge has allowed the Independent Medico-Legal Unit (IMLU) and Kenya Humans Right Commission (KHRC) to act as interested parties in a lawsuit filed by widows and mothers against the government regarding extrajudicial killings. | RELATED: | Philippines: Court Orders Release of Anti-Drug Killing Reports | The participation of these human rights organizations is expected to give the case a boost. They will be added to the list of other interested parties, which includes th…
(2019-04-10). US: Understaffed Prison Mailrooms Cause Ban on Book Donations. telesurenglish.net The Washington State Department of Corrections discretely implemented a new policy effective since March 25, which bans nonprofit organizations from donating books to prisons. | RELATED: | More Than a Million Florida Ex-Convicts Obtain Voting Rights | The policy took donors by surprise, including the Seattle-based nonprofit Books to Prisoners, which tweeted that "they didn't bother to tell us first. We only know now because we found this memo on their website today. We're ready t…
(2019-04-10). The BE HEARD Act Will Overhaul Workplace Harassment Laws. aclu.org The groundbreaking, comprehensive bill takes on workplace harassment and discrimination. | For more than a decade, Tarana Burke and survivors across the country have used #MeToo to share their experiences of sexual violence, raise women's voices, and respond to the needs of survivors. In its current incarnation, #MeToo has sparked an unprecedented examination of sexual harassment, including sexual assault, in our workplaces, and illuminated the multiple manifestations of workplace discrimination. | In the midst of this historic reckoning, the ACLU and coalition partners drafted and shared with members of Congress…
(2019-04-10). Congressional Action to End the Bans—Now and Into the Future. aclu.org Trump thought he won, but Members of Congress are pushing back. | For the first time since President Trump issued his Muslim ban, Congress proposed a legislative solution today to protect immigrant communities from discriminatory bans, immediately and permanently. | The long-awaited NO Ban Act, introduced by Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Representative Judy Chu (D-Calif.), would immediately rescind the Muslim ban as well as President Trump's asylum ban and refugee ban, definitively ending these discriminatory abus…
(2019-04-10). The American People Support LGBTQ Equality. Congress Should Too. aclu.org Opponents of equality are spewing myths about transgender people and nondiscrimination protections on Capitol Hill. | In the past seven days, the House of Representatives has held two historic hearings on the Equality Act, HR 5, a bipartisan bill that would add explicit protections from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity to our civil rights laws, and update the laws to provide increased protection for all women and people of color. What was most notable from…
(2019-04-10). Venezuela: US Imposes Fresh Sanctions as Rival Marches Held. globalresearch.ca The US Treasury Department imposed a new round of sanctions targeting Venezuela's oil industry on Friday. | The measures identified 34 vessels owned by Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA as "blocked property" in a bid to further tighten the screws on …
(2019-04-10). Terrorist Designations: Trump and Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps. dissidentvoice.org It's designed to give the US more leg room in the sanction stakes but may end up having its own hemming consequences. The designation by the Trump administration of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a foreign terrorist organisation was meant to expand options for the US while shutting others out. While Trump attempts to …
(2019-04-10). Cuba: The New Constitution Comes Into Force Today. telesurenglish.net The National Assembly of the People's Power (ANNP) will proclaim Wednesday the new Cuban Constitution during a session honoring the 1869 Constitution of Guaimaro, the first supreme law that the 'Republic under Arms' adopted while fighting against the Spanish crown. | RELATED: | Arreaza: Venezuela Will Send Oil to Cuba Despite U.S. Sanctions | "Neither Cu…
(2019-04-10). Terrorist Designations: Trump and Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps. globalresearch.ca It's designed to give the US more leg room in the sanction stakes but may end up having its own hemming consequences. The designation by the Trump administration of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a foreign terrorist organisation was …
(2019-04-10). U.S. is manufacturing a crisis in Venezuela so that there is chaos and 'needed' intervention. mronline.org America has for years been waging an economic war against Venezuela, including debilitating sanctions which have dramatically affected the state's ability to purchase medicines, and even mundane replacement parts needed in buses, ambulances, etc. | Source
(2019-04-10). U.S. Attacks Venezuela in UN Security Council. plenglish.com 10 de abril de 2019, 16: 13United Nations, Apr 10 (Prensa Latina) In clear interference in Venezuela"s internal affairs, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence assured the U.N. Security Council today that his government will continue to adopt sanctions against that country.
(2019-04-10). House Votes to Restore Net Neutrality as Millions of People Watch Online. theantimedia.com (CD) — Digital rights groups applauded Wednesday as the U.S. House passed the Save the Internet Act (H.R. 1644), in a 232-190 vote, with just one Republican joining the Democrats in supporting the legislation. VICTORY! House votes 231-190 to restore #NetNeutrality. The bill (HR 1644) survived an onslaught of amendments pushed by the telecom lobby, while more than …
(2019-04-10). UN Pays Little Heed to Venezuelan Migration and Economic Issues. plenglish.com United Nations, Apr 10 (Prensa Latina) Presided over this month by the United Kingdom, the UN Security Council looks into what some refers to Venezuela's migration and economic crisis, but ignores the causes and sanctions that create them.
(2019-04-09). UN rights chief Bachelet appeals for dialogue in Sudan amid reports '70 killed' in demonstrations. un.org Sudan's authorities have an "over-arching responsibility" to protect protesters, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, said on Tuesday, amid reports that 70 people have died in the latest anti-Government clashes.
(2019-04-09). Washington Appeals Court: Evidence May Prove Climate Action Against Tar Sands Pipeline Was Necessary. shadowproof.com A Washington state appeals court concluded a trial court violated the constitutional rights of climate activist Kenneth Ward, who engaged in civil disobedience against Kinder Morgan, when he was prohibited from presenting a necessity defense. "Ward's past successes in effectuating change through civil disobedience in conjunction with the proposed expert…
(2019-04-09). Kirstjen Nielsen's Cruel Legacy: Outgoing DHS Secretary Proudly Separated Families & Caged Children. democracynow.org 
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen has been forced out of her role at the helm of President Trump's immigration policy after reportedly resisting a move by the president to revive his family separation policy at the U.S. border. We look at Nielsen's legacy with Renée Feltz, a Democracy Now! correspondent and producer who has long reported on the criminalization of immigrants, family detention and the business of detention. Nielsen oversaw Trump's "zero tolerance" family separation policy last year and came under fire by Democrats for lying to Congress about the policy, as well as for withh…
(2019-04-09). Bill to End Yemen Siege Passes—No Thanks to MSNBC – After Khashoggi outrage passes, cable network goes back to ignoring US-backed humanitarian disaster. fair.org 
by Adam Johnson | Progressives—along with a handful of libertarian-leaning Republicans—finally passed a bill in both houses of Congress last week to invoke the War Powers act and end US support for the Saudi-led bombing of Yemen, an entirely one-sided war that's killed thousands of Yemeni civilians over the last four years with assistance and direction of the US military. | The bill's proponents achieved this human rights victory with virtually no help from America's leading libe…
(2019-04-09). Venezuela combats sanctions with solidarity. workers.org 
In its latest act of international piracy against the people of Venezuela, the U.S. government has targeted the shipment of oil between the Bolivarian Republic and socialist Cuba. These new sanctions have been imposed on the 34 ships operated by Venezuela's state-run oil company, Petroleos de Venezuela S.A., as well . . . | Continue reading Venezuela combats sanctions with solidarity at Workers.org
(2019-04-09). Utah Passed a Law to Protect Noncitizens From Automatic Deportation. aclu.org By reducing the maximum penalty for a misdemeanor by one day, lawmakers reduced the harm of an unfair federal immigration law | Utah is known for its red rock canyons, steep ski slopes, and a mega-majority Republican legislature. And now it can be recognized as one of just a handful of states to pass legislation that helps noncitizens avoid deportation if they are convicted of a misdemeanor. | The bill, which was signed into law by Gov. Gary Herbert on March 25, clarifies that misdemeanor convictions in Utah can no longer be interpreted as aggravate…
(2019-04-09). Trump Picks Family Separation Advocate Kevin McAleenan to Be Acting Secretary of Homeland Security. aclu.org By elevating McAleenan, the president has signaled that he seeks to maximize cruelty. | With his selection of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Kevin McAleenan to serve as acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), President Trump has once again shown that he has no regrets over his administration's disastrous policy of separating families. | McAleenan was one of the three DHS officials to recommend the cruel and inhumane policy to outgoing Secretary Kirstjen…
(2019-04-09). A Harvard Professor Filed a Shareholder Lawsuit to Restrict Shareholder Rights. theintercept.com Over the past two years, some senior officials at the Securities and Exchange Commission have indicated that they would be open to corporations foisting mandatory arbitration on their shareholders, and now a team of pro-corporate players are ready to put them to the test. Two lawyers have joined with a high-profile Harvard professor on a pivotal case that could strip away shareholders' rights to sue public companies. The Harvard professor, Hal S. Scott, runs a Wall Street advocacy group support…
(2019-04-09). In leaked court testimony, Assange denounces his illegal detention. wsws.org The WikiLeaks founder declared: "No journalist, no citizen, should accept that what they speak about can be defined from day to day by reasons of political expediency."
(2019-04-09). US Imposes Even More Sanctions on Venezuela as Rival Protests Held. theantimedia.com (VA) — The US Treasury Department imposed a new round of sanctions targeting Venezuela's oil industry on Friday. The measures identified 34 vessels owned by Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA as "blocked property" in a bid to further tighten the screws on Venezuela's oil sector. "Treasury is taking action against vessels and entities transporting oil, providing a lifeline to …
(2019-04-09). Cameras Linked to Chinese Government Stir Alarm in U.K. Parliament. theintercept.com It is a Chinese state-owned company that is implicated in disturbing human rights violations. But that has not stopped Hikvision from gaining a major foothold in the United Kingdom. Through a network of corporate partners, the Hangzhou-based security firm has supplied its surveillance cameras for use on the British parliamentary estate, as well as to police, hospitals, schools, and universities throughout the country, according to sources and procurement records. | Hikvision, whose technology the U.S. government recently banned federal agencies from purchasing, is generating millions of dollars in annual revenue…
(2019-04-09). US labels Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps a terrorist group. wsws.org Trump and Pompeo made a point of threatening other foreign countries, officials and businesses with retaliatory sanctions and possible criminal prosecution.
(2019-04-08). Battle of Dignity 2 Begins: Statement by the PFLP in the Occupation Prisons. fightbacknews.org Fight Back News Service is circulating the following April 8 statement from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). | The organization of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine inside the prisons calls for a general mobilization among its ranks, announcing the first to enter the hunger strike. | In the context of the Battle of Dignity (Karameh) 2, which was decided upon by the prisoners' movement inside the Zionist detention camps immediately after the prison administration disavowed their own agreements, the organization declares that the Popular Front in the prisons is mobilizing in…
(2019-04-08). UN special rapporteur warns the Tory government about torture and press freedom. thecanary.co United Nations special rapporteur on torture Nils Melzer has warned Britain's Conservative government about possible violations of the human rights of a journalist. Melzer … | Read more UN special rapporteur warns the Tory government about torture and press freedom | By James Wright
(2019-04-08). Kirstjen Nielsen's Brutal and Calamitous Leadership of the Department of Homeland Security Comes to an End. aclu.org She implemented some of the Trump administration's most vicious policies and repeatedly violated the law. | Late yesterday, President Trump announced that Kirstjen Nielsen has resigned as the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Trump said that Kevin McAleenan, the commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), will serve as Acting Secretary. | Nielsen's tenure as head of one of the country's largest government agencies was a humanitarian catastrophe, consistently showing a clear disregard for civil rights and people's lives. Indeed, just over a week prior to her resignation, CBP age…
(2019-04-08). UN Rapporteur: US Sanctions on Venezuela Are 'Blunt' Way to Engineer Regime Change, Causing Blanket Starvation. thegrayzone.com US sanctions against Venezuela are like "going into microsurgery with a kitchen knife" and are holding an entire population hostage,…
(2019-04-08). Venezuela: US Imposes Fresh Sanctions as Rival Marches Held. venezuelanalysis.com Washington further tightened the screws on Venezuela's oil industry Friday.
(2019-04-08). Over 40 Groups Call on Congress to Oppose Sanctions, Military Intervention. venezuelanalysis.com Several US groups are pressuring Congress to oppose sanctions and military intervention against Venezuela.
(2019-04-08). On the Eve of Israel's Election, Netanyahu Thanks Trump for Sanctioning Iran at His Request. theintercept.com "Thank you, my dear friend, President Donald Trump," Israel's embattled prime minister tweeted, "for answering another one of my important requests."
(2019-04-08). Israeli Forces Briefly Detain 15-Year-Old Brother of Ahed Tamimi. theantimedia.com (MEE) — Israeli forces raided the home of prominent former prisoner Ahed Tamimi overnight and detained her 15-year-old brother Mohammed in the occupied West Bank village of Nabi Saleh, their father told Middle East Eye. The teenager was released on bail on Monday evening after some 17 hours in custody. "They stormed in at around 2: 30 am. We woke …
(2019-04-06). When It Comes to the Death Penalty, the Supreme Court Legalized Torture Long Ago. theintercept.com 
Months before the U.S. Supreme Court sparked fresh outrage over the death penalty by upholding the planned execution of a man who risks drowning in his own blood, Justice Stephen Breyer invited Missouri Solicitor General D. John Sauer to consider the matter "as a person rather than a lawyer." | It was November 2018. Oral arguments in Bucklew v. Precythe were about halfway done. The issue at hand: Russell Bucklew, condemned to die for a murder and rape committed in 1996, suffered from a rare medical condition calle…
(2019-04-05). EU Clamps Down on Freedom of Speech in name of Copyright Protection. therealnews.com 
Julia Reda of the Pirate Party warns that the law does not protect creators, but large interest groups. Internet platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, Twitter will install filters and ban access to material individuals upload who do not buy the rights for everything they use…
(2019-04-05). Myanmar military target civilians in deadly helicopter attack, UN rights office issues war crimes warning. un.org Intensifying clashes between the Myanmar military and armed separatists that reportedly involved a deadly helicopter bombing raid on civilians earlier this week in Rakhine state, have been condemned by the UN human rights office, OHCHR.
(2019-04-05). Venezuelans brave torrential border river, face exploitation, abuse — UN urges greater protection. un.org Noting that the Venezuela refugee crisis will leave some 1.1 million children, returnees and people in-transit lacking protection and basic services across Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) in 2019, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) called on regional Governments to uphold their rights and protect unaccompanied, undocumented children.
(2019-04-05). The Brexit rollercoaster. greenleft.org.au 
Two very different demonstrations within less than a week of each other neatly illustrated just how polarised British politics is. | On March 23, an estimated 1 million people took to the streets calling for a second referendum or "people's vote" on Britain's decision to leave the European Union (EU). | They argue that the electorate has a better idea now of the deal it might be getting and what the consequences are for the economy and people's rights to live, work and travel freely in any of the 27 member states. | This crowd was socially liberal and mostly leftish-leaning. The People's Vote campaign leadership…
(2019-04-04). Ghosts of Vietnam: Jane Fonda Scores a Victory for Women's Rights and for History. progressive.org Veterans resisted the induction of the activist and actress into the National Women's Hall of Fame. But women won out.
(2019-04-04). Corporate Media More Worried About Avocado Toast Than Human Lives. fair.org 
The New York Times ( 4/1/19) describes the impact that closing the southern border would have on "American manufacturers," "grocery shoppers and farmers," "business owners," "border residents" and, finally—in the last two paragraphs of a 33-paragraph story—on "migrants." | Trump's border policies display zero regard for human rights, but for several news outlets, as Trump foments xenophobia, what's at stake is brunch.
(2019-04-04). SPLC seeks release of detained journalist whose work challenged ICE, a year after he was arrested. splcenter.org Memphis journalist Manuel Duran filed a habeas petition yesterday, seeking his immediate release from detention.
(2019-04-04). New Images From an Alabama Prison Reveal Horrific Conditions and Abuse. aclu.org Brutal conditions and violence are unseen hallmarks of our prison system. | A trove of photographs depicting brutalized and murdered prisoners in Alabama's St. Clair Correctional Facility has thrust the treatment of our nation's 2.3 million incarcerated people into public view. The first horror is what these people have endured in prison. The second horror is that while shocking, it is not a surprise. | As a lawyer who has represented prisoners for more than two decades, I have come to expect such violence and degradation of human…
(2019-04-04). How VAWA Takes on the Systems That Perpetuate Domestic and Sexual Violence. aclu.org VAWA goes beyond support for survivors to addressing laws that perpetuate violence | Today the House of Representatives passed the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2019 (H.R. 1585). This VAWA bill authorizes programs and funding that support survivors of gender-based violence. But it also does more: It tackles some of the laws and institutions that perpetuate domestic violence and sexual assault across the country. Dismantling these structural causes of gender-based violence is essential to ensuring the security and dignity of survivors, their families, and communities. | Protecting the Right to…
(2019-04-04). Venezuela delegation urges concrete solidarity action. greenleft.org.au 
Solidarity activists who recently returned from a fact-finding tour of Venezuela are calling for concrete actions by the Australian community to assist the Venezuelan people currently facing economic hardship, primarily as a result of harsh US sanctions. | Among the proposals raised at a March 30 forum held in the Maritime Union of Australia Sydney offices were to send a container's load of goods directly to grassroots organisations and to raise funds for an agro-ecological school. | There is also a proposal to send a solidarity delegate to Venezuela in January next year. | Freelance journalist Joe Montero told t…