teleSUR (2019-04-25). Colombia: Nationwide Strike Against Duque's Neoliberal Policies. telesurenglish.net Workers, farmers, teachers, students, and pensioners are staging a nationwide "Peace and Justice" strike to reject President Ivan Duque's neoliberal policies, supporting Indigenous rights and defending the peace process in Colombia being left behind by the head of state. | RELATED: | Colombians Protest After Infant of FARC Ex-Militant Murdered | The Central Union of Workers (CUT) president Diogenes Orjuela informed that demonstrators in Bogota will march towards the Bolivar Squar…

John Ranson (2019-04-25). Artist Vince Laws brings his devastating attack on the DWP to a top arts venue. thecanary.co Vince Laws is an artist, a poet and a disability rights activist. His artwork DWP Deaths Make Me Sick is a memorial to people … | Read more Artist Vince Laws brings his devastating attack on the DWP to a top arts venue | By John Ranson

Jake Johnson (2019-04-25). 'Should Send Chills Down the Spine of Anyone with a Conscience': Trump Reportedly Considered Detaining Kids at Guantanamo. globalresearch.ca The Trump administration earlier this year reportedly considered detaining migrant children at Guantánamo Bay, the 17-year-old U.S. prison in Cuba that human rights advocates have condemned as a horrific stain on American history. | "The idea of incarcerating children at Guantánamo …

Consortiumnews (2019-04-25). UK Israel Lobby Adds Muscle as US Counterpart Weakens. consortiumnews.com British politics are being plunged into a stifling silence on the longest example of mass human rights abuses sanctioned by the West in modern history, writes Jonathan Cook. By JonathanCook Jonathan-Cook.net For decades it was all but taboo to suggest… Read more →

commondreams (2019-04-25). Report Finds US Sanctions on Venezuela Are Responsible for Tens of Thousands of Deaths. commondreams.org ______________________________…

teleSUR (2019-04-25). US Sanctions Killed Over 40,000 Venezuelans Since 2017. telesurenglish.net The Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) released Thursday a study revealing that President Donald Trump's actions against Venezuela are mostly affecting not President Nicolas Maduro's administration but the civilian population, as more than 40,000 deaths have been brought about by U.S. economic sanctions. | RELATED: | Russian Intel: West 'Tearing Apart' Venezuela Like Syria, Libya | "The sanctions are depriving Venezuelans of lifesaving me…

Dr. Binoy Kampmark (2019-04-25). Continued Detentions: The Intended Role for Chelsea Manning. globalresearch.ca The noose is tightening around the WikiLeaks world, yet another dedicated attempt to strangle the channels of information that might cast light over the dastardly deeds of state. Connections are being targeted; associates are being brought in. Officials of the …

commondreams (2019-04-25). National Civil Rights Organization Calls for Facebook to Immediately Remove Militia Group Postings Holding Migrants Hostage. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Staff (2019-04-25). Trump's Attacks on Census Go Well Beyond Citizenship Question. truthout.org This week, the Supreme Court heard arguments as to whether or not the Trump administration can add a citizenship question to the decennial census. The malicious intent of this question ought to be glaringly apparent. When a nativist administration — which has from the get-go hammered at the rights of immigrants, especially those who are poor and of color, and which has unleashed federal agencies to do their worst against vast numbers of people — asks such a question, it do…

Scott McCoy, Senior Policy Counsel, SPLC Action Fund (2019-04-25). SPLC Action Fund: Florida House bill would contradict Amendment 4, making it harder for people with past felony convictions to vote. splcenter.org The Florida House this week passed House Bill 7089, an unnecessary piece of legislation that would purportedly restore voting rights to people with past felony convictions, but would actually create hurdles by requiring them to pay all their criminal fines and fees — even if they have been converted to civil liens — before they could get their voting rights restored.

Staff (2019-04-25). Allowing People in Prison to Vote Shouldn't Be Controversial. truthout.org Bernie Sanders's statement that people should be able to vote while in prison has sparked self-righteous, near-gleeful outrage from Republicans and Democrats alike. Fox News was aflutter with news of Sanders wanting to allow "terrorists" to vote, and played footage of the Boston Marathon bombing in response. GOP Chair Ronna McDaniel tweeted that it was "beyond extreme" and proved "how radical the Dem…

RT (2019-04-25). Civilians are the real victims (and targets) of Trump's Venezuela sanctions. rt.com The Trump administration claims that its increasingly punitive sanctions on Venezuela "do not target the innocent people" but the government of President Nicolas Maduro. A new report on the effects of sanctions debunks that myth.

Jason Ditz (2019-04-25). Ukraine's President-Elect Demands Sanctions Against Russia Over Passports. theantimedia.com (ANTIWAR.COM) — Ukraine's President-elect Volodymyr Zelensky has demanded that the international community impose new sanctions against Russia to punish them for a new decree offering Russian passports to ethnic Russians in war-torn eastern Ukraine. Since Ukraine's revolution installed a pro-West government, measures against ethnic Russians sparked a rebellion in the far east, which ended in a stalemate, …

pip.hinman (2019-04-25). Refugee sends plea from Manus Island. greenleft.org.au Thousands turned out for refugee rights rallies across the country on Palm Sunday, April 14. | Kurdish refugee Farhad Bandesh, who is detained on Manus Island, addressed the rally in Newcastle by phone. Below is an edited transcript of his speech. | *** | My name is Farhad Bandesh. | I speak to you from Manus Island, where I have been imprisoned and tortured with others, like our friends on Nauru, for nearly six years. | I wish to acknowledge the land of the Awabakal people of the Kulin Nation, stolen land, and I pay respect to Indigenous people, past, present and future. | I want to thank you all so very much fo…

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2019-04-25). Florida GOP Condemned for Undermining Hard-Won Voting Rights for Felons With 'Modern Day Poll Tax'. commondreams.org Florida state lawmakers are under fire for passing legislation critics call a "modern day poll tax" that would undermine last year's successful ballot initiative to restore voting rights for people who have completed felony sentences. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files……

Helen Walsh (2019-04-25). 2nd Annual Berkeley Forum on Access and Disability Rights. indybay.org Ed Roberts Campus | 3075 Adeline St Berkeley 94703…

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2019-04-25). Economists Warn Trump's Sanctions Targeting Venezuela 'A Death Sentence for Tens of Thousands of People'. commondreams.org Two American economists warn that U.S. sanctions targeting Venezuela "are a death sentence for tens of thousands of people" and that the nation's humanitarian crisis will worsen as long as the sanctions continue. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files……

pip.hinman (2019-04-25). Still in detention after 10 years, Tamil refugee must now fight cancer. greenleft.org.au Sivaguru Navanitharasa is a Tamil refugee who fled Sri Lanka in 2008. After staying for a year in Malaysia with no legal status, he set out for Australia, where he has been detained for nearly 10 years, first on Christmas Island and then in Villawood detention centre. | Navanitharasa is now in MITA immigration detention centre in Broadmeadows, Melbourne, where he faces a new challenge: overcoming cancer. | Navanitharasa has been recognised as a refugee, but remains in detention because ASIO classified him as a security risk. This was due to his previous membership of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a…

WSWS (2019-04-25). Australian rugby player Israel Folau challenges sacking over social media posts. wsws.org The moves to sack Folau over his social media posts are an attack on the player's basic rights and on freedom of speech.

plenglish (2019-04-25). Cuban FM Calls for Int'l Efforts to Prevent New US Sanctions. plenglish.com Havana, Apr 25 (Prensa Latina) Cuba"s Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez called on Thursday for efforts by the international community to avoid the effects of new US actions aimed at economically choke the island.

Eoin Higgins, staff writer (2019-04-25). Civil Rights Group Demands Facebook Take Down Content Showing Far-Right Militants Holding Migrants Hostage. commondreams.org "These videos include content showing possible assault, kidnapping and false imprisonment, among other illegal acts." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files……

plenglish (2019-04-25). Indigenous People March in Brazil for Land and Rights. plenglish.com 25 de abril de 2019, 13: 28Brasilia, Apr 25 (Prensa Latina) Representing 150 indigenous communities in Brazil, about 3,000 natives gathered again in Brasilia on Thursday during the second day of the Free Land Camp (Acampamento Terra Livre – ATL, in Portuguese language), in defense of lands and rights, threatened by the government.

allen sanford (2019-04-25). Government Sanctioned Racketeering. indybay.org The city of Oakland was ground zero for the housing crisis.The collapse of Indy Mac Bank and the failure on the part of Lehman Brothers to correct the documentation before selling the securities to Fannies Mae in bundles of securities is what cause the Chinese government to threaten to liquidate their subprime mortgage holdings of $140 billion with Fannie Mae. | Henry Paulso, Steve Mnuchin and Jerry Brown collaborated. | They used MERS and Ocwen financial to put 67 million illegally generated mortgage transactions into the system between 2006 and 2009. | The present political system in Oakland is the result of Je…

Fran Quigley (2019-04-25). American Healthcare Horror Stories: An Incomplete Inventory. commondreams.org The horrible statistics of the U.S. healthcare system mask the reality that every data point is someone's mother or spouse or beloved child, enduring unrelenting, grinding pain and days and nights tortured by illness. (Photo: US Navy/flickr/cc) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files……

Democracy Now! (2019-04-24). Supreme Court Appears Set to OK Census Citizenship Question Despite Risk of Undercounting Millions. democracynow.org The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments Tuesday in a case challenging the Trump administration's plans to include a citizenship question on the 2020 census. Voting rights activists fear that adding the question will deter immigrants from participating in the census and lead to a vast undercount in states with large immigrant communities. Census officials have estimated 6.5 million people will not respond to the census if the citizenship question is added. This undercount could affect everything from the redrawing of congressional maps to the allocation of federal funding. The case centers on whether Commerce Secre…

Democracy Now! (2019-04-24). Bernie Sanders Spurs Debate on Prisoner Voting Rights, But the Idea Is "Not as Radical as It Seems" democracynow.org Presidential candidate and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders said at a town hall Monday that he believed in restoring voting rights for prisoners, sparking a national discussion about re-enfranchisement for the more than 2 million Americans behind bars. Presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg has spoken out against prisoner voting rights, while Senator Elizabeth Warren said "I'm not there yet" on the issue. Senator Kamala Harris said "there has to be serious consequence for the most extreme types of crimes," referencing her background as a prosecutor. We speak with Ari Berman, senior writer at Mother Jones, about the pu…

United Nations (2019-04-24). UN rights chief 'strongly' condemns 'shocking' mass executions in Saudi Arabia. un.org Despite repeated appeals by the United Nations human rights system, Saudi Arabia's decision to go ahead with the beheading of 37 men, drew strong condemnation on Wednesday from UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet.

Alexander Rubinstein (2019-04-24). Human Rights Watch Report Reveals Major Free-Speech Impact of Anti-BDS Movement. mintpressnews.com Human Rights Watch has been subjected to intense backlash by Israel and its supporters, including a number of state governments, for its role in publicizing the home rental company Airbnb's operations in the illegally occupied West Bank.

United Nations (2019-04-23). Protect women's rights 'before, during and after conflict' UN chief tells high-level Security Council debate. un.org Over the course of the past decade, there has been "a paradigm shift" in understanding the devastating impact of sexual violence in conflict on international peace and security, UN Secretary-General António Guterres told the Security Council during a high-level debate on Tuesday.

Staff (2019-04-23). Trump's Latest Iran Sanctions Show an Unraveling of US Foreign Policy. therealnews.com Col. Lawrence Wilkerson says unilateral sanctions against Iran are illegal, and show the ascendancy of John Bolton; they intensify tension with China and threaten our international position…

Democracy Now! (2019-04-23). Right-Wing Vigilantes Hold Migrants Hostage on U.S. Border. Did Border Patrol Give Tacit Approval? democracynow.org The FBI has arrested the head of an armed vigilante group that has repeatedly filmed itself detaining migrant border crossers at gunpoint. Sixty-nine-year-old Larry Mitchell Hopkins is the leader of the far-right, pro-Trump group calling itself United Constitutional Patriots, which the American Civil Liberties Union described as an "armed fascist militia organization." His arrest came just days after the ACLU accused the vigilantes of illegally detaining 300 migrants, including young children, near Sunland Park, New Mexico, last week. We speak to Peter Simonson, executive director of the ACLU of New Mexico.

Democracy Now! (2019-04-23). Headlines for April 23, 2019. democracynow.org Sri Lankan Minister Says Easter Bombings Were Retaliation for NZ Mosque Attacks, Trump Admin to Ratchet Up Unilateral U.S. Sanctions on Iranian Oil, House Democrats Subpoena Former White House Counsel Don McGahn, Trump Sues to Quash Subpoena Requesting 10 Years of Financial Records, Sen. Kamala Harris Calls for Trump's Impeachment, Breaking from Democratic Leaders, Sen. Elizabeth Warren Proposes Canceling Student Loan Debt, Making Public Colleges Free, Supreme Court to Weigh Citizenship Question on 2020 Census, Supreme Court to Decide If LGBTQ Workers Are Protected by Civil Rights Act, Charges Dropped Against 3 A…

splcenter (2019-04-23). SPLC answers questions about antigovernment extremists who detain migrants along the U.S.-Mexico border. splcenter.org In recent days, media outlets have reported that armed militia groups, acting as border vigilantes, have been detaining migrants at gunpoint along the along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Robert Mackey (2019-04-23). Benjamin Netanyahu Plans to Name an Illegal Settlement in Donald Trump's Honor. theintercept.com Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, announced on Tuesday that he plans to name a new illegal settlement in the occupied Golan Heights in honor of Donald Trump, to thank the American president for agreeing to overlook the unlawful nature of Israel's annexation of the territory seized from Syria in 1967.PM Netanyahu will present to the government a resolution calling for naming a new c…

RT (2019-04-23). Meghan McCain accuses Whoopi Goldberg of finding terrorism 'funny' in voting rights debate. rt.com The conversation on daytime talk show 'The View' descended into an unusually sharp shouting match after Meghan McCain had a rather emotional reaction to Bernie Sanders' comments about felons being allowed to vote.

Democracy Now! (2019-04-22). Dallas Goldtooth: Hold Banks Accountable for Financing Climate Chaos & Violating Indigenous Rights. democracynow.org As millions celebrate Earth Day around the globe, we speak with organizer Dallas Goldtooth about indigenous-led anti-pipeline activism in the United States. President Trump signed two executive orders earlier this month to facilitate the approval of pipeline projects at a federal level, limiting states' ability to regulate such projects. The move is intended in part to clear the way for permitting on the northeastern Constitution pipeline, which has stalled after New York invoked the Clean Water Act to reject the project on environmental grounds. This comes as climate activists have filed a federal lawsuit with t…

Alexander Rubinstein (2019-04-22). North Korea Pleads for Food Aid as Trump Sanctions Noose Tightens. mintpressnews.com As much as Trump likes to rail against the failed policies of his predecessor, he seems to be mimicking them, using North Korea's food shortages as leverage to force the country to denuclearize, a move that DPRK believes would bring about only a swifter death.

Kevin Gosztola (2019-04-22). In Rejecting Chelsea Manning's Appeal, Court Essentially Ignores All Arguments For Release From Jail. shadowproof.com The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals rejected an appeal from Chelsea Manning, which challenged a district court's order that found her in civil contempt. | On March 8, a federal district court jailed Manning for refusing to testify before a grand jury investigation into WikiLeaks. She was held in prolonged solitary confinement for around 27 days before authorities at the William G. Truesdale Adult Detention Center moved her to general population. | Judges for the appeals court offered no explanation [ PDF] as to wh…

ACLU (2019-04-22). Supreme Court Takes Cases of People Fired for Being LGBTQ. aclu.org The court will consider whether to take anti-discrimination protections away from LGBTQ people. | Can a business fire someone because they're LGBTQ? The Supreme Court will soon tell us. | After a funeral home outside Detroit fired Aimee Stephens because she is transgender, Aimee won a federal appeals court ruling that the firing violated the federal law barring sex discrimination in the workplace. After Don Zarda was fired from his job as a skydiving instr…

Democracy Now! (2019-04-19). Headlines for April 19, 2019. democracynow.org Mueller Report Shows No Trump-Russia Conspiracy But Leaves Open Question of Obstruction, Trump Admin to Spend $40 Million on New Immigration Detention Camps, Central American Migrants Claim Assault by Mexican Authorities, ACLU Warns of "Fascist Militia" Holding Migrant Border Crossers at Gunpoint, Nicaragua Bans Anti-Government Protests, Arresting Dozens, Mali's Government Resigns as Protesters Condemn Ethnic Violence, Sudan: Mass Protests Demand Civilian Rule After Omar al-Bashir's Ouster, Bangladeshi Teen Burned to Death After Reporting Sexual Assault, Saudi Court Suspends Hearing for 11 Women's Rights Activist…

splcenter (2019-04-19). Weekend Read: Cuban asylum seekers detained in Louisiana. splcenter.org Every day, tens of thousands of immigrants are locked behind bars in the United States. Many are detained for months, even years, far from their loved ones and communities.

Robert Mackey (2019-04-19). Northern Ireland Mourns Lyra McKee, Journalist and LGBT Activist Shot at Nationalist Riot. theintercept.com Lyra McKee, a young writer and activist for LGBT rights, was killed by a bullet fired in the direction of police officers and journalists in Derry.

Democracy Now! (2019-04-18). Headlines for April 18, 2019. democracynow.org Attorney General Barr to Release Redacted Mueller Report, John Bolton Praises Monroe Doctrine as U.S. Sanctions Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua, New U.S. Sanctions to Target Remittances & Companies Doing Business in Cuba, North Korea Tests New Weapon, Rejects Role of U.S. Secretary of State, Trump Administration to End Reporting on Size of U.S. Nuclear Arsenal, Former Peruvian President Alan García Dies by Suicide as Police Move In, Teen Who Threatened Colorado Schools Dead of Self-Inflicted Gunshot, Philadelphia DA Clears Path for Mumia Abu-Jamal to Appeal Murder Conviction, New York Grants Parole to Brink's Heist Ge…

ACLU (2019-04-18). Dialing 911 Can Get You Evicted. aclu.org The eviction of Beverley Somai for calling the police is part of a disturbing trend. | Last year, Beverley Somai learned a brutal truth that too many people across the country face: Calling the police can get you evicted. | In 2017, Ms. Somai and her adult disabled son moved to Bedford, Ohio, to seek housing stability and better educational and employment opportunities. However, a few months after settling in, Ms. Somai discovered that her neighbor played loud music at all hours of the night, making it impossible for her and her son to rest. Even worse, the neighbor began to intimidate Ms. Somai and her son by fo…

United Nations (2019-04-18). Thursday's Daily Brief: impact of bad working conditions, Syria and Libya humanitarian news, human rights in Bahrain, families reunified in South Sudan. un.org Thursday's top news includes: A new report on the dangerous impact of stressful working conditions; the need to decongest Al Hol camp in Syria; a US$2 million allocation from the UN's emergency fund to ramp up the humanitarian response in Libya; human rights concerns over a mass terrorism trial in Bahrain; and 6,000 children reunited with their parents and caregivers in South Sudan.

patrick (2019-04-18). Victory for Boycott HP Campaign: Netherlands Trade Union FNV Drops HP as Partner for its Member Offers. bdsmovement.net Victory for Boycott HP Campaign: Netherlands Trade Union FNV Drops HP as Partner for its Member Offers: UpdateMarking a significant victory for the Boycott HP campaign and the global Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, Federatie Nederlandse Vakbeweging (FNV), the largest trade union of the Netherlands, with 1.1 million members, has dropped HP as a partner in their offers to thei…

ACLU (2019-04-17). South Dakota Can't Silence Our Protest Against the Keystone XL Pipeline. aclu.org The "Riot-Boosting" Act Constitutes Self-Censorship and a Loss of our First Amendment Rights. | This piece originally appeared at NDN Collective. | For Indigenous Peoples in South Dakota, the land is more than just the ground beneath our feet. | We believe in and act upon the notion that people, nature, society and all living things are interconnected, in relation to one another, and operate as a system. Our Indigenous cultures have taught us through our languages, stories a…

Democracy Now! (2019-04-17). ICC Makes "Dangerous Decision" to Drop Probe into U.S. War Crimes in Afghanistan After U.S. Pressure. democracynow.org The International Criminal Court has announced it will not investigate possible war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by the United States and other actors in Afghanistan. The court suggested the U.S.'s lack of cooperation with the investigation was behind the decision. Earlier this month, the U.S. revoked the visa of the ICC's chief prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda. A 2016 report by the ICC accused the U.S. military of torturing at least 61 prisoners in Afghanistan during the ongoing war. The report also accused the CIA of subjecting at least 27 prisoners to torture, including rape, at CIA prison sites in A…

Emily Early, Staff Attorney, Economic Justice Project (2019-04-16). What the Supreme Court ruling could mean for civil asset forfeiture. splcenter.org As the U.S. Supreme Court pointed out on Feb. 20, the constitutional clause that protects Americans from having to pay "excessive fines" traces its lineage to the Magna Carta, which set forth certain rights in England more than 800 years ago.

pip.hinman (2019-04-12). Refugee rights activists take aim at Liberals in Corangamite. greenleft.org.au The Combined Refugee Action Group (CRAG) launched its campaign to highlight the cruel treatment of refugees in the country's most marginal electorate, Corangamite, on April 7. | #ChooseFairnessAndDecency, which was launched at the Barwon Heads Bridge, is asking voters to consider "fair" and "decent" policies for asylum seekers asking Australia for protection and a chance to rebuild their lives. | CRAG's decision to campaign in Corangamite is aimed at adding pressure on Liberal MP Sarah Henderson, who holds the seat by a margin of 0.03% after last year's redistribution. | CRAG will be distributing its policy compa…