Assange and the Cowardice of Power
Michael Howard | counterpunch.org | 2019-04-18
Trump has never heard of WikiLeaks, the publishing organization whose work he repeatedly and unequivocally touted during the 2016 election campaign. "I know nothing about WikiLeaks," he told reporters after Julian Assange was illegally arrested, after being illegally detained for seven years, in London.
counterpunch.org/2019/04/18/assange-and-the-cowardice-of-power/

Israel Uses Animal Rights to Distract From War Crimes
Staff | truthout.org | 2019-04-18
As unarmed Palestinians continued to be " gunned down like birds on their own land," in the words of human rights lawyer Noura Erakat, news of an avian rescue set Israeli and international media aflutter. "Sick Gaza parrot saved by Israeli animal rights group," as the Times of Israel's headline proclaimed. | The story of Koki the African Grey, who was operated on by an Israeli bird specialist after accidentally ingesting bleach, was even p…
truthout.org/articles/israel-uses-animal-rights-to-distract-from-war-crimes/

Dialing 911 Can Get You Evicted
ACLU | aclu.org | 2019-04-18
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 fol…
aclu.org/blog/womens-rights/violence-against-women/dialing-911-can-get-you-evicted

'Borderland Citizenship' Could Bring Justice to Both Sides of Trump's Wall
Matthew Longo | thenation.com | 2019-04-18
Border dwellers in the US and Mexico are subject to two authorities. It's only fair to give them the cross-border rights and permissions to match.
thenation.com/article/border-citizenship-mexico-us-deportation/

US 'Tightens Noose' on Cuba
Staff | therealnews.com | 2019-04-18
Sec. of State Pompeo announced that Cuban Americans and US citizens who lost property after Cuba's 1959 revolution can now sue companies that have benefitted from this property. This represents an important intensification of sanctions on Cuba, says Jeb Sprague…
therealnews.com/stories/us-tightens-noose-on-cuba

Victory for Boycott HP Campaign: Netherlands Trade Union FNV Drops HP as Partner for its Member Offers
patrick | bdsmovement.net | 2019-04-18
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…
bdsmovement.net/news/victory-boycott-hp-campaign-netherlands-trade-union-fnv-drops-hp-partner-its-member-offers

Trump Cracks Down on Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela
Staff | truthdig.com | 2019-04-18
CORAL GABLES, Fla. — The Trump administration on Wednesday intensified its crackdown on Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela, rolling back Obama administration policy and announcing new restrictions and sanctions against the three countries whose leaders national security adviser John Bolton dubbed the "three stooges of socialism." | "The troika of tyranny — Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua — is beginning to crumble," Bolton said in a hard-hitting speech near Miami on the 58th anniversary of the United States' failed Bay of Pigs invasion of the island, an attempt to overthrow the Cuban government. | The m…
truthdig.com/articles/trump-cracks-down-on-cuba-nicaragua-and-venezuela/

The Iran Floods and US Sanctions: 10 Million at Risk, But Who Cares?
Jan Oberg | counterpunch.org | 2019-04-18
You have certainly not heard much about this in the West. And it didn't get a fraction of the media attention (and none of the hundreds of millions of Euro pledges by the perversely rich) that the Notre Dame fire did. However, if disastrous floods had hit 28 out of 31 provinces and affected 10 million people…
counterpunch.org/2019/04/18/the-iran-floods-and-us-sanctions-10-million-at-risk-but-who-cares/

US Slides Down Annual Press Freedom Ranking, With Watchdog Calling Nation 'Problematic' for Reporters' Rights
Julia Conley, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2019-04-18
An annual accounting of press freedoms around the world describes an "intense climate of fear" in which reporters are being forced to work, calling out world leaders like President Donald Trump and Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro for their attacks on the press. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files……
commondreams.org/news/2019/04/18/us-slides-down-annual-press-freedom-ranking-watchdog-calling-nation-problematic?cd-origin=rss

US Sanctions Affect Venezuelans' Security and Wellbeing
plenglish | plenglish.com | 2019-04-18
By Wiliam Urquijo PascualCaracas, Apr 18 (Prensa Latina) The economic sanctions implemented by the United States affect the security and wellbeing of the Venezuelan people, the Government charged in response to the new unilateral measures announced in Washington on Wednesday.
www.plenglish.com/index.php?o=rn&id…

Human rights advocate Professor Stuart Rees denounces attacks on WikiLeaks publisher
WSWS | wsws.org | 2019-04-18
"This is not a legal controversy. It is a massive political issue. The US culture of revenge has to be exposed and challenged. Grass roots outrage needs to be mobilised."
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/04/18/rees…

Looking Back at 1919: Immigration, Race, and Women's Rights, Then and Now
Arnold R. Isaacs | counterpunch.org | 2019-04-18
Reading about immigration policy, religious and racial bigotry, and terrorism fears in America in 1919 offers an eerie sense of decades melting away and past and present blurring together. The blend isn't exact. Bigotry was expressed much more explicitly a century ago, not in code as it usually is now. Jim Crow laws in the…
counterpunch.org/2019/04/18/looking-back-at-1919-immigration-race-and-womens-rights-then-and-now/

Russia Reiterates its Condemnation to US Unilateral Sanctions against Cuba (+Photos)
plenglish | plenglish.com | 2019-04-18
Simferopol, Apr 18 (Prensa Latina) Russia has reiterated Friday its strong condemnation of the application of unilateral sanctions by the United States, commenting on the recent White House announcement of a new package of punitive measures against Cuba.
www.plenglish.com/index.php?o=rn&id…

Venezuela Slams US Economic War, Aggression
plenglish | plenglish.com | 2019-04-18
Caracas, Apr 18 (Prensa Latina) Venezuela rejected today new actions of aggression and economic war by the United States against Caracas, Nicaragua and Cuba aimed by sanctioning enterprises that have decided to make direct foreign investment on the Caribbean island.
www.plenglish.com/index.php?o=rn&id…

US attorney general orders denial of bond, indefinite detention of asylum seekers
WSWS | wsws.org | 2019-04-18
The action by William Barr overturns more than a decade of legal precedent and sets the stage for the criminalization of refugees seeking asylum.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/04/18/immi…

Roger Waters to Madonna: If You Believe in Human Rights, Don't Play Tel Aviv
Andrea Germanos | theantimedia.com | 2019-04-18
(CD) — Continuing his call to musicians to boycott an upcoming international song competition, rock legend Roger Waters on Wednesday urged Madonna not to perform at a Tel Aviv contest. The venue at issue is the Eurovision Song Contest, which takes place mid-May. Madonna's press team confirmed this month that she'd be performing. But in so doing, according to …

Roger Waters to Madonna: If You Believe in Human Rights, Don’t Play Tel Aviv

USA Reinforces Attacks against Venezuela Through Bank Sanctions
plenglish | plenglish.com | 2019-04-18
Washington, Apr 18 (Prensa Latina) The United States Government increased the aggressiveness towards Venezuela and the administration of its constitutional president, Nicolás Maduro, through the imposition of new sanctions against the Central Bank of the South American country.
www.plenglish.com/index.php?o=rn&id…

Canada's Liberal government attacks refugee rights
WSWS | wsws.org | 2019-04-18
The Trudeau government is pursuing anti-refugee policies and collaborating with Washington in its anti-immigrant witch hunt.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/04/18/trre…

The Escalating Assaults on Abortion Rights
Bob Price | indybay.org | 2019-04-18
New Valencia Hall | 747 Polk St (near Ellis), SF | (near Civic Center BART and Muni Lines 19, 21, 38, 47, 49)…
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/04/15/18822751.php

Venezuelan FM Calls U.S. Measures Crimes against Humanity
plenglish | plenglish.com | 2019-04-18
Caracas, Apr 18 (Prensa Latina) Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza considered as crimes against humanity the new sanctions announced by the U.S. government against the Central Bank of the South American country.
www.plenglish.com/index.php?o=rn&id…

South Dakota Can't Silence Our Protest Against the Keystone XL Pipeline
ACLU | aclu.org | 2019-04-17
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…
aclu.org/blog/free-speech/rights-protesters/south-dakota-cant-silence-our-protest-against-keystone-xl

Julian Assange Arrested: Murdering Human Rights, Freedom of Speech, Murdering Freedom
Peter Koenig | dissidentvoice.org | 2019-04-17
Indignation has no limits! Arresting Julian Assange is murdering the truth, murdering Human Rights — and eliminating freedom of speech, let alone freedom of the media. The latter has been a farce since a while, but what happened on 11 April and in preparation of 11 April — the storming by UK police of the …
dissidentvoice.org/2019/04/julian-assange-arrested-murdering-human-rights-freedom-of-speech-murdering-freedom/

VIDEO: European Parliament Debates Assange Extradition
Consortiumnews | consortiumnews.com | 2019-04-17
The European Parliament Tuesday held a fiery debate on Julian Assange's fate. Some MEPs argued the matter had no place in their body, others said human rights & press freedom were fundamental European issues. Video by Cathy Vogan. Watch the… Read more ?…
consortiumnews.com/2019/04/17/video-european-parliament-debates-assange-extradition/

ICC Makes "Dangerous Decision" to Drop Probe into U.S. War Crimes in Afghanistan After U.S. Pressure
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2019-04-17
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…
www.democracynow.org/2019/4/17/icc_makes…

Progress against torture in Afghan detention centres, but Government needs to do more, says UN report
United Nations | un.org | 2019-04-17
Torture is likely still widespread in Afghanistan's State-run prisons for detainees linked to ongoing conflict there, the UN said on Wednesday, while also noting an "encouraging reduction" in the level of abuse since 2016.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/04/1036791

Opening Tombs and Resurrecting Lives
Rev. William Alberts | counterpunch.org | 2019-04-17
Easter is about opening tombs and resurrecting lives. Today's tombs include the Trump administration's walls and bans and lies that confine people, threaten their safety, and block their aspirations and fulfillment. Thus, in this life, Easter is celebrated whenever people, fleeing such oppression, are offered the safety of sanctuary. Here, people of faith not only…
counterpunch.org/2019/04/17/opening-tombs-and-resurrecting-lives/

States intensify attacks on reproductive rights
Martha Grevatt | workers.org | 2019-04-17
It's war. Patriarchal diehards in state legislatures across the country are bound and determined to criminalize what should be a private decision between a woman, a girl or a gender-oppressed individual and their doctor. The target of their new legislation is to kill the now-still-legal right to terminate a pregnancy. . . . | Continue reading States intensify attacks on reproductive rights at Workers.org…
workers.org/2019/04/16/states-intensify-attacks-on-reproductive-rights/

Overturning Roe v. Wade: Ohio "heartbeat" bill brings right-wing goal closer
Michelle Zacarias | peoplesworld.org | 2019-04-17
Last week, the Ohio General Assembly passed Senate Bill 23–the six-week abortion ban that Republican legislators are calling the "heartbeat" bill. Ohio is one of 16 states to pursue such a bill, part of a growing trend to limit women's access to reproductive health options. According to the Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive rights research and …
peoplesworld.org/article/overturning-roe-v-wade-ohio-heartbeat-bill-brings-right-wing-goal-closer/

Fuerza popular se enfrenta al régimen guatemalteco
Sam Ordóñez | workers.org | 2019-04-17
El dia 8 de abril fue asesinado por seis tiros de bala Hemil Leonel Nájera Trigueros, defensor de los derechos humanos e integrante del equipo de campaña política del Movimiento para la Liberación de los Pueblos (MLP) en el municipio de la Libertad, departamento de Petén, Guatemala. Hemil Leonel Nájera . . . | Continue reading Fuerza popular se enfrenta al régimen guatemalteco at Workers.org…
workers.org/2019/04/16/fuerza-popular-se-enfrenta-al-regimen-guatemalteco/

'3 stooges of socialism': Bolton attacks Venezuela, Cuba & Nicaragua in impotent verbal intervention
RT | rt.com | 2019-04-17
In a speech full of colorful phrases, from 'three stooges of socialism' to 'troika of tyranny,' US national security adviser John Bolton threatened Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua with regime change and announced more sanctions. | …
rt.com/usa/456853-bolton-three-stooges-socialism/

Selected Articles: Preventing the Sale of Venezuelan Oil to Cuba
Global Research News | globalresearch.ca | 2019-04-17
Online independent analysis of US-led wars, rampant corruption, corporate greed, civil rights and fraudulent monetary transactions is invariably relegated to the bottom rung of search engine results. | As a result we presently do not cover our monthly running costs which …
globalresearch.ca/preventing-the-sale-of-venezuelan-oil-to-cuba/5674761

Denied Entry to U.S., BDS Co-Founder Omar Barghouti Condemns McCarthyite Repression in U.S. & Israel
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2019-04-16
Critics are demanding answers after the Trump administration refused to allow prominent Palestinian human rights activist Omar Barghouti to enter the United States for a speaking tour, despite his valid U.S. visa. Barghouti is co-founder of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, or BDS, an international campaign to pressure Israel to comply with international law and respect Palestinian rights. When he arrived at the Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv on April 10, Barghouti was told the United States was denying him entry. He was not given an explanation. Barghouti and his supporters say the move was motivat…
www.democracynow.org/2019/4/16/denied_en…

What 1919 Taught Us
Arnold Isaacs | thenation.com | 2019-04-16
What 1919 Taught Us…
thenation.com/article/tom-dispatch-1919-taught-us-womens-voting-rights-immigration-racism/

Screw the far right's selective outrage on the Notre Dame fire
Bryan Wall | thecanary.co | 2019-04-16
The famous Notre Dame cathedral in Paris has been damaged by a fire. And it didn't take far-right figures long to kick their selective … | Read more Screw the far right's selective outrage on the Notre Dame fire | By Bryan Wall…
thecanary.co/trending/2019/04/16/screw-the-far-rights-selective-outrage-on-the-notre-dame-fire/

What the Supreme Court ruling could mean for civil asset forfeiture
Emily Early, Staff Attorney, Economic Justice Project | splcenter.org | 2019-04-16
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.
splcenter.org/news/2019/04/16/what-supreme-court-ruling-could-mean-civil-asset-forfeiture

Silicon Valley-Funded Privacy Think Tanks Fight in D.C. to Unravel State-Level Consumer Privacy Protections
Lee Fang | theintercept.com | 2019-04-16
After years of ignoring the issue, lawmakers on Capitol Hill are suddenly engaged in a furious fight over enacting national legislation to establish basic online privacy rights for consumers. As with the crafting of much legislation dealing with complicated issues, legislators are relying on experts to help codify the consumer protections. | In a twist that is all too familiar in Washington, D.C., however, many of the groups that have positioned themselves as expert voices on consumer privacy are pushing for a bill that hews closely to tech industry interests. Lawmakers who are famously ignorant on technology iss…
theintercept.com/2019/04/16/consumer-privacy-laws-california/

Cash bail system drives mass incarceration of the poor — lawsuit against Detroit
RT | rt.com | 2019-04-16
Detroit's bail system disproportionately harms poor defendants and violates their constitutional rights, according to a lawsuit filed by the ACLU in that city, where a third of the population lives below the poverty line. | …
rt.com/usa/456752-cash-bail-drives-mass-incarceration/

ILPS condemns arrest of Julian Assange, Demands his immediate release as journalist
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2019-04-15
Fight Back News Service is circulating the following April 14 statement from the Office of the Chairperson, International League of Peoples' Struggle (ILPS). | We, the International League of Peoples' Struggle (ILPS), strongly condemn the arrest of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange by British authorities under the direction of the US government. We defend his rights as a journalist and demand his immediate release. | Assange has earned the ire of the US for exposing the truth about US behind-the-scenes machinations in its drive to carry out foreign interventions and launch wars of aggression for regime chang…
www.fightbacknews.org/2019/4/14/ilps-con…

Ohio's Mayor's Courts Increase Injustice Across the State
ACLU | aclu.org | 2019-04-15
Revenue-oriented mayor's courts subvert justice. They must be reformed to protect the rights of Ohioans. | Karen G.'s daughter still remembers the day when "mommy had her pink bracelets on." Unfortunately, Karen was wearing pink handcuffs, not bracelets. | On May 10, 2010, the day of Karen's youngest daughter's birthday, Karen and her daughters were on their way to pick up a birthday cake. They stopped by Lockland Mayor's Court to present documentation that Karen had renewed her driver's license. But once she arrived at the court, Karen was told that she had to pay a $600 fine for driving without a license before…
aclu.org/blog/criminal-law-reform/ohios-mayors-courts-increase-injustice-across-state

Venezuela: Canada Imposes Fresh Sanctions as Pompeo Vows to 'Tighten Noose'
Ricardo Vaz | venezuelanalysis.com | 2019-04-15
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the Lima Group have pledged more sanctions against Venezuela.
venezuelanalysis.com/news/14431

Episode Two of "Animal Matters": How the Cause Went From the Leftist Fringe to the Trans-Ideological Mainstream
Glenn Greenwald | theintercept.com | 2019-04-15
The cause of animal rights is about far more than just the treatment of animals. It is central to our most pressing global challenges and debates.
theintercept.com/2019/04/15/episode-2-of-animal-matters-how-the-cause-went-from-the-leftist-fringe-to-the-trans-ideological-mainstream/

Assange and the Cowardice of Power
Michael Howard | dissidentvoice.org | 2019-04-14
Donald Trump has never heard of WikiLeaks, the publishing organization whose work he repeatedly and unequivocally touted during the 2016 election campaign. "I know nothing about WikiLeaks," he told reporters after Julian Assange was illegally arrested, after being illegally detained for seven years, in London. "It's not my thing and I know there is something …
dissidentvoice.org/2019/04/assange-and-the-cowardice-of-power/

Greater transparency, fairer prices for medicines 'a global human rights issue', says UN health agency
United Nations | un.org | 2019-04-14
While developing countries have long struggled with the price of medicines, today's costs have rendered it a world-wide challenge, and the key topic of concern at a global medicines forum in South Africa, co-sponsored by the World Health Organization (WHO).
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/04/1036651

NYC rallies for the Negros 14, farmers killed by Duterte regime
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2019-04-13
New York, NY – Forty people gathered in front of the Consulate General of the Philippines, April 10, in New York City to demand justice for the Negros 14, and to stop the killings in the Philippines, as part of a global day of action. | The Negros 14 were a group of farmers murdered on March 30, with 12 others being illegally arrested. These murders are part of a continuous campaign by the Duterte government to target peasants and workers in the country. | The action was organized by the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines Northeast and the Malaya Movement Northeast. The crowd chanted and…
www.fightbacknews.org/2019/4/13/nyc-rall…

Friday's Daily Brief: human rights in Sudan, sombre anniversaries for Rwanda and Nigeria, and fears of 'chaos' in Libya
United Nations | un.org | 2019-04-12
Top news on Friday included: a call for respect for human rights in Sudan's protests; the 25th anniversary of the genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda; five years since the Chibok girls were abducted in Nigeria; the UN chief condemning a deadly terrorist attack in Pakistan; continued fighting in Libya's capital; and an update on Colombia's peace process.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/04/1036601

Sudan military committed to 'ensuring stability' and 'peaceful transition' says senior diplomat, as UN rights chief appeals for protesters' rights to be upheld
United Nations | un.org | 2019-04-12
Sudan's military has an "overarching duty" to refrain from using violence against protesters and ensure that their human rights are protected amid concerns of a further escalation, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said on Friday.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/04/1036571

Chicago Teachers Union members vote to strike four operators at five charter schools
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2019-04-12
Chicago, IL – Five charter schools could face strikes in coming weeks, as educators battle for living wages, adequate student supports, pension rights and protections for immigrant and diverse learners. | After two historic strikes against charter operators, including the first in the nation's history last December, Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) members who work at five charter schools announced strike vote results April 9, at Instituto del Progreso Latino, one of the charter operators with which union members are bargaining. The five schools employ 134 CTU members who educate almost 1800 students. | 94% of…
www.fightbacknews.org/2019/4/12/chicago-…

Refugee rights activists take aim at Liberals in Corangamite
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2019-04-12
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…
greenleft.org.au/content/refugee-rights-activists-take-aim-liberals-corangamite

West Papua: Destruction and displacement in Nduga
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2019-04-12
Independent human rights monitors are reporting that thousands of people have been displaced and healthcare facilities burned as a result of Indonesian military operations in Nduga, West Papua, according to the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP). | The investigation is the latest documentation of the horror of Indonesia's military occupation of West Papua. | The Nduga Case investigation team from Front Line Defenders gathered extensive information on the humanitarian crisis in the region in March. | They estimate that more than 32,000 people have been internally d…
greenleft.org.au/content/west-papua-destruction-and-displacement-nduga

Sudanese Military Topples Omar al-Bashir as Anti-Government Protesters Vow to Stay in Streets
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2019-04-11
After months of protest, the Sudanese military ousted President Omar al-Bashir on Thursday, ending his nearly 30 years of authoritarian rule. Tens of thousands of protesters marched in celebration on the streets of Sudan. The military has set up a transitional military council to rule the country for two years, according to a televised statement by Sudan's minister of defense. The news comes after months of protests demanding al-Bashir's resignation. Protesters have been staging a massive sit-in in the capital, Khartoum, since Saturday. Rights groups say at least 50 people have been killed in Sudanese protests si…
www.democracynow.org/2019/4/11/sudanese_…