(2019-05-11). Colombia: Leftist Congressman Denounces Threats at IACHR. telesurenglish.net Colombia's leftist congressman Ivan Cepeda has attended a hearing at the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) in Kingston, Jamaica to denounce death threats against him as a consequence of his role in the Colombian Supreme Court of Justice (CSJ) in a case against former President Alvaro Uribe. | Cepeda says Uribe was using bribes and and witness tampering the case against him that charges Uribe ordered paramilitary groups to carry out massacres in the department of Antioqu…
(2019-05-11). Statement from Venezuelan social movements to Embassy Protectors in U.S. liberationnews.org 
"Your defense of the headquarters of the Embassy of the Venezuelan State in Washington, D.C. is an emblematic case of struggle for respect of international law, human rights and the right of peoples to choose their own form of government."
(2019-05-11). Guatemala: Outcry Over Press Censorship After Judicial Ruling. telesurenglish.net Guatemalan ombudsman, media associations, and international organizations decried the lack of press freedom in the country Friday after a justice prohibited a morning newspaper from publishing information about leading presidential candidate Sandra Torres. | RELATED: | Indigenous Guatemalans Complete 200km March Against Corruption | The ombudsman Jordan Rodas, a human rights attorney, said the resolution of an appeals chamber that favored Torres, who is leading in the polls and…
(2019-05-11). US: New Rule Will Evict Up to 55,000 Legal Immigrant Children. telesurenglish.net A new rule has been proposed by the U.S. President Donald Trump's administration Friday, which the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has inferred will lead to the eviction of over 55,000 children with legal residency or citizenship. | RELATED: | Trump Bids to Send Migrants to Democrat-run Sanctuary Cities | The proposed plan seeks to "require the verification of the eligible immigration status of all recipients of [subsidized housing] who are under the age of 62,"
(2019-05-11). Women of Color Call on Congress to End Ban on Federal Abortion Funding. truthout.org As women of color fighting for reproductive health and rights, we must speak truth to power because too often the policies of those in power do not reflect the priorities or lived truths of our communities. We see decisions that time and again ignore the daily struggle our communities must contend with as a result of policies that systematically hinder our ability to thrive — and that's exactly what happened in Democrats' Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS) funding bill. | Although we welcome the inclusion of much-needed protections to Title X family planning funding…
(2019-05-11). Mexican Mothers Continue 23-City March For Missing 40,000. telesurenglish.net For the eighth consecutive year, thousands of families gathered across Mexican cities to honor the memory of their disappeared loved ones and urge authorities to continue the search for the missing. | RELATED: | Rights Commission Links Mexican Authorities to Ayotzinapa Case | "I've been crying for the past eight years. I just want to know what happen…
(2019-05-11). Ahed Tamimi Protests for Palestinians in UK. telesurenglish.net Ahed Tamimi, an icon of Palestinian resistance, is on the front lines of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign and the Stop The War Coalition march Saturday in London to protest against Israel's bombing of Gaza and long-time illegal occupation of Palestinian land. | RELATED: | Israelis Storm Home, Arrest Younger Brother of Ahed Tamimi | Tamimi is from the Palestinian village of Nabi Saleh in the occupied West Bank. She rose to prominence when she was jailed for eight months in Israel…
(2019-05-11). Animal rights activists free 9,000 pheasants and vow to 'dismantle the shooting industry'. indybay.org Over 9,000 pheasants were freed by animal rights activists from a farm in Suffolk as part of their campaign to "dismantle the shooting industry, farm by farm, shoot by shoot". Suffolk Police confirmed they were investigating the incident at Heath Hatcheries in Mildenhall that happened on the night of Friday, April 19. They said a number of unknown persons cut the fence to access the property, and then broke into the cages "allowing thousands of breeding stock pheasants to escape."
(2019-05-11). Uruguay: 7 Military Prosecuted for Torture During Dictatorship. telesurenglish.net Uruguayan prosecutor Ricardo Perciballe, specializing in crimes against humanity, requested the prosecution of several members of the national air force for torture at the Boiso Lanza base during the country's last dictatorship. | RELATED: | Uruguay To Ask Argentina for Operation Condor Documents | Perciballe requested the prosecution of seven Uruguayan…
(2019-05-10). Colombia: 'Terrible trend' of rights defenders killed, harassed; UN calls for 'significant effort' to tackle impunity. un.org Alarmed by the "strikingly high number" of human rights defenders being killed, harassed and threatened in Colombia, the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) in the country on Friday, called on authorities to "make a significant effort" to "tackle the endemic impunity" surrounding these cases.
(2019-05-10). Human Rights Attorneys in Court to Defend Lawsuit Challenging Unlawful Trump Administration Turnback Policy. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2019-05-10). Friday's Daily Brief: human rights in Colombia, Myanmar and Nigeria, global displacement, and more. un.org This Friday, we cover: the UN calling for an end to attacks against human rights defenders; a record number of displaced due to conflict and disasters; human rights issues in Myanmar; 900 children released from the ranks of a north-east Nigeria self-defense armed group; and referenda asking for the border dispute between Belize and Guatemala to be examined by the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
(2019-05-10). Nakba 2019: Eurovision fails to hide suffering of Palestinians. greenleft.org.au 
The annual commemoration of al Nakba on May 15 — the 1947 catastrophe when 750,000 Palestinians were evicted from their homes and thousands of Palestinian villages wiped off the map — coincides this year with the Eurovision Song Contest, taking place in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv. | Ramadan has also begun, and Israeli crackdowns during Ramadan and around al Nakba commemorations are a given. What is different this year is the viciousness of the attacks and Israel's determination that its Eurovision PR showcase will proceed, uninterrupted by questions about its human rights record. | As Palestine…
(2019-05-10). Denying Impact of Venezuela Sanctions is 'Like Climate Denial'. therealnews.com 
CEPR co-director Mark Weisbrot responds to Guaidó economic advisors' dismissal of the U.S. sanctions' effects on Venezuela…
(2019-05-10). US Foreign Policy as Bellicose as Ever. counterpunch.org 
It only took a few months under Donald Trump's presidency for the US to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement, impose new sanctions on Russia, reverse the normalisation of diplomatic relations with Cuba, announce its intention to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal, warn Pakistan, threaten Venezuela with military intervention, and declare a readiness to More
(2019-05-10). Headlines for May 10, 2019. democracynow.org Trump Increases Tariffs on $200 Billion of Chinese Goods, Trump Nominates Patrick Shanahan as Pentagon Chief, Former U.S. Intel Analyst Charged Over Whistleblowing About Drone Program, Chelsea Manning Freed from Jail After 62 Days as WikiLeaks Grand Jury Expires, Dozens of Civilians Die as Syrian and Russian Warplanes Pound Idlib, Baghdad Suicide Bomb Claimed by ISIS Kills 8, French Activists Contest Saudi Arms Shipment, Citing Civilian Deaths in Yemen, U.S. Seizes North Korean Ship, Accusing it of Violating Sanctions, Water and Power Cut to Venezuelan Embassy in D.C. as Activists Continue Occupation, Alabama Sen…
(2019-05-10). US Seizes North Korean Ship Suspected of Violating International Sanctions. theantimedia.com (ZH) — Just hours after North Korea launched another round of short-range missiles, its second launch in under a week, the Washington Post is reporting that US authorities have seized a North Korean ship used to sell coal in violation of international sanctions. The FBI and federal prosecutors have confirmed the ship, "the Wise Honest", is approaching US territorial …
(2019-05-10). Sri Lanka: bombings a pretext for intensified repression. greenleft.org.au 
The Sri Lankan army and police have used the bombings of churches and hotels on Easter Sunday as a pretext for repression, targeting people who have no connection with the group responsible, the National Thowheed Jamath (NTJ — National Monotheism Society). | The NTJ, an extremist Islamic group, is believed to be linked to the Islamic State, based in Iraq and Syria. | Sri Lankan police have been raiding numerous Muslim groups with "Thowheed" in their name, even if they are opposed to the NTJ. As of May 2, at least 130 Muslims had been detained, according to Tamilnet. | Non-Muslims have also been affected. On…
(2019-05-10). Can Democracy Save America? counterpunch.org Homer, playwrights, eloquent political writers, historians and philosophers left comments, speeches and books about how Greeks governed themselves. In addition, thousands of inscriptions mention or describe persons, decisions, and institutions of political importance. Most of the surviving evidence, including that from ostracism, the ten-year banishment of politicians voters perceived dangerous, comes from Athens. Tradition has it More
(2019-05-10). House Funding Bill Shows How Far We've Come in the Fight for Reproductive Freedom—And How Far We Have to Go. aclu.org A key bill makes important strides for reproductive health, and shows why we need presidential candidates to show leadership on abortion coverage | This week the House Appropriations Committee advanced the Labor, Health, and Human Services appropriations bill, the annual bill that funds federal health and education programs. It makes important strides forward on reproductive health and rights–and it also shines a light on the need for presidential leadership on abortion coverage.
(2019-05-10). Workers rally around the world for May Day. greenleft.org.au 
As the gap between rich and poor widens, millions of workers around the world marched for workers' rights on May Day. | May Day, also known as Labor Day, began in 1890 with the campaign for the 8-hour work day. It has since become a key day for workers' campaigns around the world. | This May Day, workers marched against the fascist Rodrigo Duterte regime in the Philippines, against austerity and the rise of the far-right in Europe and against US President Donald Trump's attacks on immigrants. | Low-paid workers in Indonesia marched for fair pay, millions of Cubans celebrated 60 years of the ongoing revolution, an…
(2019-05-10). Government Targeting of Black Activists Reminiscent of COINTELPRO. therealnews.com 
In October 2017, a leaked memo entitled, "Black Identity Extremist Intelligent Assessment" revealed a government surveillance program targeting black activist liberation movements. Eddie Conway talks with Professor Adjoa Aiye and Sue Udry, executive director of Defending Rights and Dissent. They are members of the BIE Abolition Collective, a coalition of lawyers, activists and advocates who…
(2019-05-10). Iraqi Immigrants Deserve Their Day in Court. aclu.org My dad was almost deported without a fair hearing. But a new bill could ensure that doesn't happen again | This week, two of my home-state congressmen introduced bipartisan legislation to ensure that approximately 1,000 Iraqis who are now at risk of deportation or detention are given two years to have their immigration cases heard. I'm so grateful to Congressman Andy Levin (D-Mich.) and Congressman John Moolenaar (R-Mich.) for their action because no other family should ha…
(2019-05-10). NAACP to Hold People's Hearing for Voting Rights in Birmingham. naacp.org On May 13, the NAACP, a member of the W.K. Kellogg Racial Equity Anchor Collaborative, will hold a People's Hearing on voting rights in Birmingham, Alabama. At the hearing, Birmingham-area residents will publicly share their personal experiences facing voting rights interference and barriers at the polls — which disproportionately impact historically disenfranchised voters and communities …
(2019-05-10). Trump administration takes war on women to the U.N. workers.org 
President Donald Trump took his war on the rights of women and gender-nonconforming people to the U.N. the week of April 22. It's bitterly ironic that the Trump administration threatened to veto the U.N. resolution on ending sexual violence during wars and hostile conflicts if the U.N. did not go . . . | Continue reading Trump administration takes war on women to the U.N. at Workers.org
(2019-05-10). Chelsea Manning Has Just Been Released From Jail. theantimedia.com (ANTIWAR.COM) — Whistleblower Chelsea Manning has been released from jail on Thursday, following months in detention for "contempt" after she refused to testify before a grand jury investigating WikiLeaks. The official reason is that the mandate of the grand jury in question has expired. This explanation is likely a bit of legal sleight of hand on the court's …
(2019-05-10). Chelsea Manning released after 2 months' detention, might be back in jail in 6 days. rt.com 
Whistleblower Chelsea Manning has been released from a Virginia prison where she spent the last 62 days for refusing to testify on her 2010 leak of classified military files before a grand jury.
(2019-05-10). Corporate murder: Trial opens of France Télécom executives over worker suicides. wsws.org To shrink a workforce legally protected from sacking, executives adopted a covert policy of psychological torture designed to coerce workers to quit or commit suicide.
(2019-05-09). Thursday's Daily Brief: ambulance attack in Libya, #GlobalGoals defenders, human rights in Cambodia, Swine Fever. un.org On Thursday, we cover: a tragic attack against an ambulance in Libya; six new advocates for the 17 Sustainable Development Goals; a call for a change in political culture in Cambodia; and how Swine Fever in China is affecting global food prices.
(2019-05-09). "The Fourth Amendment Doesn't Apply Here" — U.S. Border Guards Arrest Arizona Immigrant Rights Volunteer. theintercept.com U.S. border officials arrested a human rights advocate, denying her access to an attorney when she accompanied an asylum-seeker to a border crossing.
(2019-05-09). Sanctions kill. Top US economist says 'the world needs more journalists willing to report' that fact. thecanary.co In April 2019, two leading economists at the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) produced a revealing study regarding the impact of economic sanctions on Venezuela. The economists, Mark Weisbrot and Jeffrey Sachs, estimated that US sanctions killed 40,…
(2019-05-09). The Atlantic illustrates everything that's wrong with media coverage of Venezuela sanctions. mronline.org "Trump's Venezuela Policy: Slow Suffocation," an Atlantic report (4/17/19) by Uri Friedman and Kathy Gilsinan, passed up a rich opportunity to expose the humanitarian pretexts for economic intervention, and instead exhibited the worst tendencies of corporate media coverage of U.S. policy in Latin Ame | Source
(2019-05-09). Headlines for May 9, 2019. democracynow.org House Judiciary Votes to Hold Attorney General Barr in Contempt of Congress, Senate Panel Subpoenas Donald Trump Jr. to Testify About Russia, Trump Administration Announces New Sanctions on Iranian Metal Exports, Bodies of 4 Migrants Found in Arizona as Trial of Humanitarian Aid Volunteer Wraps Up, New York Bill Would Allow Congress to Obtain Trump's State Tax Records, Trump Laughs and Jokes as a Supporter Suggests Shooting Migrants, Maryland Judge Approves Supervised Release for White Nationalist Accused of Terror Plot, Five Killed in Kabul, Afghanistan as Taliban Attack U.S. Nonprofit, Pakistani Taliban Claims…
(2019-05-09). National Assembly VP Detained and 55 Armed Forces Officers Expelled in Attempted Putsch Fallout in Venezuela. venezuelanalysis.com Three more lawmakers also had their immunity from prosecution revoked on Wednesday.
(2019-05-09). No One Should be Forced to Give Birth Alone in a Jail Cell. aclu.org A mentally ill woman gave birth in a county jail in Florida. Incredibly, she is not the first. | At 3 a.m., inside her solitary jail cell in Broward County, Florida, Tammy Jackson began having contractions. It took hours for corrections officers to reach a doctor, who said he'd check on Jackson when he came into work…
(2019-05-09). Congress, Laws Suppressing Boycotts of Israel Are Unconstitutional. Sincerely, Three Federal Courts. aclu.org Congress has a constitutional duty to protect the rights of the American people, including the First Amendment right to participate in boycotts. | Congress just got yet another reminder that the First Amendment right to political boycotts is alive and well in the United States, and any legislative attempt to infringe on that right puts them squarely against the Constitution. | Last week a federal district court in Texas blocked as unconstitutional a state law that required government contractors to certify that they d…
(2019-05-09). After Judge's Ruling, Charlottesville May Be Stuck With Statues of Confederate Generals Lee, Jackson. splcenter.org A judge has ruled that a civil rights-era law forbidding the removal of "war memorials" applies to Confederate statues that became flashpoints during a deadly Virginia gathering of white nationalists and neo-Nazis.
(2019-05-09). Trump ratchets up anti-immigrant campaign. greenleft.org.au 
While much of the media continues to focus on the Mueller report and the squabbles between the White House and the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives, US President Donald Trump's real crimes are scarcely addressed or are ignored altogether. | This column will take up one of these crimes, Trump's intensification of his racist war on immigrants. He is not alone on this — the ultra-right throughout Europe and elsewhere have similar anti-immigrant policies. | In recent weeks Trump has appointed new officials at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
(2019-05-09). Trump's achievements in pressure on Iran: from economic sanctions to military confrontation. uwidata.com 
Exactly a year ago, on May 8, 2018, U.S. President Donald Trump took a pivotal decision on pulling his country unilaterally out of the international nuclear agreement on the Iran nuclear deal brokered by international mediators — the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany. Trump claimed that the Administration of his …
(2019-05-08). US Venezuela Sanctions Violate Human Rights, International Law: UN Expert. venezuelanalysis.com UN expert Idriss Jazairy stated that unilateral measures are against the U.N.'s Declaration on the Principles of International Law concerning friendly relations and cooperation among States.
(2019-05-08). Women's Rights Are Human Rights. thenation.com Women's Rights Are Human Rights…
(2019-05-08). Trump's "Deal of the Century" Will Use Sanctions, Military Threats to Force Palestinian Acceptance. mintpressnews.com Recently leaked provisions of the plan include threats of US sanctions & military force if Palestinians reject the plan and a requirement for Palestinians to pay the Israeli Defense Forces for protection.
(2019-05-08). Democratic-Aligned Think Tank Knocks Bernie Sanders for Vote Aimed at Avoiding War With Iran. theintercept.com A mainstream, Democratic Party-aligned foreign policy think tank is knocking Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., for voting against new sanctions on Iran in 2017 — though the think tank itself and many members of its board oppose new Iran sanctions. | Sanders has been an outspoken supporter of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and said at the time that he voted against the measure in…
(2019-05-08). Headlines for May 8, 2019. democracynow.org Iran to Suspend Part of Nuclear Deal Citing U.S. Sanctions, Pompeo Makes Surprise Visit to Iraq As U.S.-Iran Tensions Mount, UN Rapporteur Slams U.S. For Using Sanctions to Precipitate Humanitarian Disasters, 1 Dead, 8 Injured in Colorado School Shooting Near Columbine, NYT: Trump's Tax Records Show He Lost Over $1 Billion Between 1985 and 1994, House Prepares to Hold Barr in Contempt as Justice Dept. Advises Trump to Invoke Executive Privilege, Georgia Enacts One of Nation's Most Restrictive Abortion Bans, Uber & Lyft Drivers Strike Ahead of Uber's Wall Street Debut, Tens of Thousands of Teachers in Oregon to Wa…
(2019-05-08). Remembering the Woman Who Renovated the House that RBG Built. aclu.org Lenora Lapidus led the ACLU's Women's Right Project for nearly two decades. She died on Sunday, May 5. | On the 50th anniversary of Selma's Bloody Sunday, one of the darkest stains in our nation's civil rights history, President Obama spoke with hope and confidence about Americans who were "unencumbered by what is, because you're ready to seize what ought to be." Lenora Lapidus lived her life by this principle. | Public servants come in many forms. They're elected officials, politicians, activists, lawyers, organizers, students, ordinary citizens, and steadfast patriots. Our beloved Lenora represen…
(2019-05-08). Transgender People's Rights Are in Peril. progressive.org The majority-conservative Supreme Court is poised to review the rules on discriminating against trans people in the workplace.
(2019-05-08). NAACP Statement on House Hearings Regarding Domestic Terrorism. naacp.org The NAACP, the nation's foremost civil rights organization, released the following statement in response to the House Committee on Homeland Security hearing on domestic terrorism today: "We welcome this vital and necessary hearing. The hatred and venom that has already harmed our nation needs to be addressed at the highest levels of government. Nothing is …
(2019-05-08). New Era for the ERA? 35 Years Later, Will Equal Rights Amendment Finally be Ratified? democracynow.org 
Activists and lawmakers testified last week before a House Judiciary subcommittee in the first congressional hearings on the Equal Rights Amendment in more than 35 years. The constitutional amendment was approved by Congress in 1972, and was ratified by 35 states over the next decade — three states short of the required total needed by a 1982 deadline. Nevada and Illinois have since ratified the amendment. A bill by Rep. Jackie Spear would eliminate the 1982 deadline, leaving the ERA just one state away from becoming a part of the U.S. Constitution. We speak with co-presidents and CEOs of the ERA Coalition/…
(2019-05-08). 'Climate Change Is the Real Job Killer' – CounterSpin interview with Joe Uehlein on Green New Deal. fair.org 
"It's the best framework that we, in labor, have seen in a very long time for advancing workers' rights. It sets a federal jobs guarantee for people who want to go to work fighting the climate crisis, and it also provides for what they call living wages, or family-supporting wages, in that jobs guarantee."
(2019-05-08). Wednesday's Daily Brief: updates from the Near East and Libya, Ebola in DR Congo, World War remembrance. un.org On Wednesday, we cover: chronic hunger in the Middle East; the toll of war on Gazans; the one-year-long detention of an academic in Iran; Syrian health facilities under attack; Ebola casualties in the Democratic Republic of the Congo hitting the 1,000 mark; and a two-day remembrance effort for those who died during the Second World War.