(2019-05-25). Human Rights Organizations Denounce Impact of Sanctions on Venezuela. plenglish.com 25 de mayo de 2019, 00: 10Caracas, May 25 (Prensa Latina) The blockade imposed against Venezuela has caused great damage to the health, food and daily lives of its citizens, denounced Lucrecia Hernandez, representative of the non-governmental organization Sures.
(2019-05-25). Virginia Prisons Putting Up Obstacles to Ramadan Observance. theintercept.com For the last three weeks, Muslims around the world have been observing the month of Ramadan by fasting from food and drink from sunrise to sunset — a period of about 16 to 18 hours in the United States. The six to eight non-fasting hours, then, are an important time to recharge and rehydrate. Yet in at least two Virginia state prisons, according to civil rights groups, Muslims are being denied basic rights, despite constitutional protections and federal laws around religious freedom. | In one Virginia prison, Muslims known to be fasting are not being served breakfast before sunrise, while at another prison,…
(2019-05-25). 70+ US Army & Navy veterans urge Trump to stop Iran war-mongering, stick to diplomacy. rt.com 
An open letter signed by 76 retired generals, admirals, and ambassadors calls on US President Donald Trump to stop stoking fears of war with Iran and ditch "ineffective" sanctions and threats in favor of "aggressive diplomacy."
(2019-05-25). Only Donald Trump Can Stop Mohammed bin Salman's Execution Spree. theantimedia.com (MEE) — The world took no notice when three Muslim scholars — Salman al-Odah, Awad al Qarni and Ali al-Omari — were first detained in September 2017. Reuters reported at the time that all three were outside the state-backed clerical establishment and recorded Odah's past period of imprisonment two decades earlier for having tried to set up a Muslim Brotherhood inspired …
(2019-05-24). Assange, Espionage, and the Cult of Personality. commondreams.org Wikileaks founder Julian Assange holds a press conference at Park Plaza Hotel on October 23, 2010 in London, England. The series released at the time included leaks of American military documents, nearly 400,000 in total, included details about how the torture and the abuse of detainees by Iraqi police, was ignored by U.S. forces. On Thursday it was reported that the U.S. government has filed charges under the Espionage Act for Assange's work as a journalist. (Photo: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files……
(2019-05-24). China Will Protect its Companies from US Trade War Threat. telesurenglish.net China's Commerce Ministry spokesman Gao Feng announced his country will take all necessary measures to safeguard the rights and legitimate interests of Chinese companies and demanded the United States correct its "wrongful actions." | RELATED: | China Ready to Tackle US President Trump's Tech Cold War | "If the U.S. wants to continue trade talks, they shou…
(2019-05-24). The Only Solution to America's Political Crisis. truthdig.com Hardly a day has gone by over the last two years when one hasn't been able to learn of yet another soul-numbing outrage on the part of President Donald Trump and his administration. The stories have been relentlessly disturbing: | Trump's suggestion of moral equivalency between neo-Nazis and civil rights protesters in Charlottesville, Va. | The vicious separation of children from their migrant parents at the southern border. | The concoction of a fake na…
(2019-05-24). The 500-Year-Long Battle to Save the Planet. truthdig.com "As Long as Grass Grows: The Indigenous Fight for Environmental Justice From Colonization to Standing Rock" | A book by Dina Gilio-Whitaker | Land, culture, and history are inextricably intertwined, and for the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, environmental justice also preserves cultures. This philosophy was vividly on display during the Standing Rock protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline in 2016—'17. But what followed was nothing less than a series of human rights abuses by heavy-handed law enforcement and private security personnel. Hundreds of people were arrested, and many were roughed up. | S…
(2019-05-24). Six immigrant children dead in US custody since September. wsws.org Protecting the lives and democratic rights of immigrants requires a fight against imperialist war and the capitalist system.
(2019-05-24). Friday's Daily Brief: Honouring fallen peacekeepers, action against gender-based violence; LGBT rights in Kenya, Rohingya water crisis. un.org Friday's main stories include: Honouring UN peacekeepers; landmark conference to combat sexual and gender-based violence in crises; Kenya upholds LGBT ban; UNICEF's plea for Afghani children; Brazil's bid to compensate tobacco smokers; Water shortages in Bangladesh…
(2019-05-24). Trump's charges against Assange are historic attack on press freedoms. Media and Obama helped set the stage. thegrayzone.com It is not just Trump, but the media, Obama, Bush, mainstream "human rights" organizations, Republicans and Democrats alike that put…
(2019-05-24). US abortion rights attacks escalate. greenleft.org.au 
Legislative attacks on abortion rights in the US have escalated this year, as social conservatives have shifted tactics with an unprecedented wave of state abortion bans adopted. | The most restrictive legislation was signed into law by Alabama's governor on May 15. It bans abortion altogether, except for cases of medical emergency. Pregnancy resulting from sexual assault is no exception and doctors performing abortions are criminalised with penalties of up to 99 years in jail. | On May 7, Georgia became the fourth state this year (after Kentucky, Mississippi and Ohio) to sign into law an abortion ban from t…
(2019-05-24). As the far right grows, its mask comes off. greenleft.org.au 
The brutal face of hard right and fascist reaction has been on vivid display on the issues of women's rights and the climate crisis in the past few weeks. | In Germany the AfD (Alliance for Germany) launched a vicious attack on inspirational teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg, portraying her as an extremist and suggesting she needs treatment for her "psychosis" — a shabby reference to her autism. | Rejecting near-unanimous scientific opinion, the AfD said that the climate justice movement is scare mongering about levels of carbon dioxide emissions, asserting that the gas is a beneficial plant nutrient.
(2019-05-24). Lone US senator decries use of Espionage Act against Assange as establishment keeps mum. rt.com 
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) has become a rare voice among the US politicians to denounce the new US indictment of WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange as an encroachment on First Amendment rights.
(2019-05-24). Alabama Is Trying to Ban Abortion. Today We Filed Suit to Stop Them. aclu.org Abortion is a right and this attack on abortion rights won't succeed. | Last week, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed legislation banning nearly all abortions. The law, which threatens doctors with up to 99 years in prison for performing abortions, is the anti-abortion opposition's true agenda on display: ban abortion, jail doctors, and push this essential health care out of reach. | These are undoubtedly dark times in the fight for reproductive freedom as Alabama and states across the South and Midwest aggressively push to place such onerous restrictions on abortion so that the procedure is all but rendered inaccessib…
(2019-05-24). Ecuador: Discontent Marks Moreno's First Two Years in Office. telesurenglish.net Ecuador's President Lenin Moreno celebrates two years in office amid protesting citizens who demand fulfillment of electoral offers, request respect for senior citizens' rights and reject austerity policies. | RELATED: | Ecuador: Retirees Demand Gov't Pay Their Pensions | After having taken distance from the leftist political and social forces that brought him to…
(2019-05-24). DHS is Locking Immigrants in Solitary Confinement. aclu.org As ICE detention numbers reach record high, new reports are extremely troubling. | In 2012, I visited the federal supermax prison ADX Florence in Colorado and spoke with men living in solitary confinement. I listened closely to their stories of anguish, but I could not understand how they survived it. They told me of the horror of being trapped in a small room, without access to fresh air or sunlight, for at least 22 hours a day—alone, afraid, and not knowing when it would end. I learned that people in solitary confinement talk to the walls, to themselves, to no one — sometimes they stop talking altog…
(2019-05-24). Oakland council resolution puts heat on county sheriff's office. peoplesworld.org 
OAKLAND, Calif. — With unanimous passage May 21 of a resolution urging an independent performance and financial audit of the Alameda County Sheriff's Office headed by Sheriff Gregory Ahern, the Oakland City Council has joined a rising chorus of demands by human rights and racial justice organizations and family members of inmates who have lost …
(2019-05-24). Second Venezuelan Child Dies As US Blockade Stops Transplant. telesurenglish.net The Executive Secretary of the Venezuelan National Human Rights Council (CNDH), Larry Devoe, denounced through his official account in Twitter, the death of a seven-year-old infant as a result of the impossibility of receiving a bone marrow transplant, due to the economic blockade imposed on Venezuela by the United States Government (USA). | "The seven-year-old boy had chronic lymphoblastic leukemia and is the second child to die while awaiting for a bone marrow transplant, because this procedure is performed via an agreement between Venezuela and Italy that was sus…
(2019-05-24). In Latest Attack on Women and Trans People, Trump Invites Medical Providers to Discriminate Against Already-Marginalized Patients. commondreams.org The Trump administration unveiled its latest attack in recent days on the rights of transgender people and women, proposing a rule that would gut Obama-era protections against discrimination in the medical field. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files……
(2019-05-24). War is War on Mother Earth. counterpunch.org 
"In order to achieve the massive systemic and cultural transformations required for mitigating climate change…we're going to have to deal with the socially sanctioned, institutionalized violence perpetrated by U.S. foreign policy that is pouring fuel on the fire of global warming." — Stacy Bannerman Climate Change Causes War There is the close relationship between war More
(2019-05-23). For Afro-Colombians, the 2016 Peace Treaty Brought No Peace. thenation.com For Afro-Colombians, the 2016 Peace Treaty Brought No Peace…
(2019-05-23). The EU Opens to Colonialism Reparations. "Fundamental rights of people of African descent" globalresearch.ca Colonialism Reparation welcomes that the European Parliament has approved by a large majority the resolution on the "Fundamental rights of people of African descent" recognising the current situation of structural racism and asks that the former colonising Member States follow …
(2019-05-23). Selected Articles: Risk of Nuclear War Now Highest Since World War 2: UN. globalresearch.ca 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 …
(2019-05-23). "India Loses Again, and the World Loses with It": Siddhartha Deb on Modi's Landslide Re-election. democracynow.org 
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi appears set to enter a second term in a landslide victory. Election results show Modi's Hindu nationalist BJP party leading in 325 of the 543 seats in Parliament. At this rate, these numbers will give him an even greater majority than in 2014, when his party claimed the first outright majority in decades. Most analysts had predicted Modi's BJP party would lose seats in this election. Modi's government has been criticized for a crackdown on civil society, targeting political opponents, journalists, human rights activists, lawyers and writers. Human rights groups have also raised…
(2019-05-23). How the U.S. Crackdown on Abortion Laws Influences Other Countries. therealnews.com 
As Americans struggle to decide the fate of reproductive rights state by state, the U.S. government has imposed a "Gag Rule" that would remove U.S. federal funding from any country or international organization that provides abortions or even advises women that abortion is their choice…
(2019-05-23). Why Are Leading Democrats Supporting Trump on Venezuela? thenation.com Why Are Leading Democrats Supporting Trump on Venezuela?
(2019-05-23). Washington declared 'sanctuary state' as governor looks to stand out in crowded 2020 race. rt.com 
Washington has passed a law barring authorities from questioning people's immigration status — what Governor Jay Inslee boasts is the strongest 'sanctuary state' law in the US, netting him progressive cred for the 2020 election.
(2019-05-23). Palestinians overwhelmingly condemn German Parliament's anti-Palestinian resolution. bdsmovement.net 
Palestinians overwhelmingly condemn German Parliament's anti-Palestinian resolution: Open LetterPalestinian civil society coalitions, human rights organizations, labor unions, and representatives of the Palestinian people, condemn in the strongest terms the German Parliament's resolution which is based on outright lies and equates the nonviolent BDS movement for Palestinian right…
(2019-05-22). How ICE Is Using Solitary Confinement to Punish Asylum Seekers, Including LGBT & Disabled Immigrants. democracynow.org 
Since 2012, ICE has used solitary confinement as a routine punishment for thousands of immigrants and asylum seekers locked up in immigration jails across the country. We look at a new, damning investigation by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists that has revealed this widespread abusive use of solitary confinement in immigration jails overseen by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The United Nations special rapporteur on torture says solitary confinement should only be used in exceptional circumstances, and defines extended use of solitary as "inhuman and degrading treatment." Despit…
(2019-05-22). Abortion rights rally in St. Paul, MN. fightbacknews.org Up to 500 people gathered at the state capitol building here, May 21, joining a national day of action in response to the new round of abortion restrictions and bans in Alabama, Kentucky, Ohio, Missouri and Georgia. Chants of "Our bodies, our choice," and "No more" echoed across the capitol complex. | Planned Parenthood and NARAL Pro-Choice Minnesota helped organized the rally. There were a range of speakers and supportive politicians urging all to fight back on the attacks on women and choice. A woman spoke about a very hard personal decision she and her husband made in the second trimester. Doctors stated their…
(2019-05-22). Activists Push Back Against Conservative Threat to Safe and Legal Abortion. therealnews.com 
With abortion rights under threat across the country and conservative anti-abortion bills gaining momentum, women and activists are taking their protests to the streets to defend their right to privacy and bodily autonomy…
(2019-05-22). US shutters large migrant facility in Texas amid flu outbreak. rt.com 
The US border control agency has halted intake at a migrant holding facility in Texas after an outbreak of a "flu-related illness." The closure comes just one day after a 16-year-old detainee died in custody.
(2019-05-21). Jennifer Harbury: Deaths of Guatemalan Children at Border Have Roots in Decades of U.S.-Backed Genocide. democracynow.org 
Five Guatemalan children have died after being apprehended by U.S. Border Patrol since December. We look at the humanitarian crisis unfolding on the border and its ties to decades of bloody U.S. intervention in Latin America with human rights attorney Jennifer Harbury. Her husband, Efraín Bámaca Velásquez, was a Mayan comandante and guerrilla who was disappeared after he was captured by the Guatemalan army in the 1980s. After a long campaign, she found there was U.S. involvement in the cover-up of her husband's murder and torture. "We trained them. We taught them torture techniques. We funded them, and we armed t…
(2019-05-21). Detained, Abused & Denied Medical Care: How Trump Immigration Policies Led to Child Deaths at Border. democracynow.org 
A 16-year-old Guatemalan boy died in U.S. custody Monday after spending a week in immigration jail. Carlos Gregorio Hernandez Vasquez was found dead at a Border Patrol station at Weslaco, Texas, just one day after being diagnosed with the flu. He was not hospitalized. This marks the fifth death of a Guatemalan child apprehended by Border Patrol since December. Before last year, it had been more than a decade since a child died in the custody of U.S. immigration officials. We speak with Fernando Garcia, the founding director of the Border Network for Human Rights, an advocacy organization based in El Paso, and Jen…
(2019-05-21). Children of ISIL terrorists likely held in 'secret detention facilities', UN human rights office warns. un.org In Syria, it is suspected that children whose fathers fought for terrorist group ISIL are being held in unidentified "settlements" and "secret detention facilities" away from their mothers, the UN human rights office (OHCHR) said on Tuesday.
(2019-05-21). Family of Jailed Saudi Feminist Loujain Al-Hathloul: She Was Waterboarded, Flogged & Electrocuted. democracynow.org 
It's been a year since women's right activist Loujain Al-Hathloul was detained and jailed in Saudi Arabia for leading a movement to lift the kingdom's ban on female drivers and overhaul its male "guardianship" system. Despite international outcry, she's been imprisoned ever since. During that time, her family says, she's been held in solitary confinement and faced abuse, including electric shocks, flogging and threats of sexual violence. The Saudi government has resisted calls from human rights groups and lawmakers from around the world to release Loujain and the other jailed activists. We speak with two of Louja…
(2019-05-21). Judge orders new union vote at Kumho Tire plant in Georgia. fightbacknews.org Washington D.C. – An administrative law judge ordered a new union vote at a Kumho Tire factory in Macon, Georgia, after finding that company officials violated workers' rights during the first election in October 2017. | The first vote resulted in a narrow loss for the workers, who were seeking to join the United Steelworkers (USW) union. After that vote, the USW filed complaints with the National Labor Relations Board accusing the company of illegal conduct in its effort to suppress the union. | In his ruling, Administrative Law Judge Arthur J. Amchan wrote that the company's illegal conduct was "pervasive" and…
(2019-05-21). Taking Action to #StopTheBans. progressive.org Across the country this week, advocates for reproductive justice and women's rights are rallying to put a stop to the onslaught of restrictive abortion laws.
(2019-05-21). 'We're Still Going to Be Making Sure People Have Access to Abortions They Want and Need' – CounterSpin interview with Jill Heaviside and Oriaku Njoku on reproductive rights assaults. fair.org 
Janine Jackson interviewed Jill Heaviside and Oriaku Njoku about resisting assaults on reproductive rights for the May 17, 2019, episode of CounterSpin. This is a lightly edited transcript. | Media…
(2019-05-21). Tuesday's Daily Brief: Libya civil war, African displacement, global trade tensions, terrorists' children 'secretly detained', and more. un.org Tuesday's stories include: Libya facing "permanent division", regional war; Africa event highlights forcible displacement; terrorists' children 'secretly detained' in Syria; Venezuelans need protection; global trade tensions rise.
(2019-05-20). Border Patrol Museum Demonstrators Targeted In Crackdown On Immigrant Rights Protests. shadowproof.com Four activists turned themselves in to El Paso police on May 13 after the police issued warrants for their arrest related to a nonviolent demonstration inside a United States Border Patrol museum.
(2019-05-20). Venezuela: Widespread Gasoline Shortages as Sanctions Take Toll on Oil Sector. venezuelanalysis.com Long queues have been seen at gas pumps around the country in recent days.
(2019-05-20). Headlines for May 20, 2019. democracynow.org Trump Threatens "Official End of Iran" Via Tweet If It Provokes the U.S., First Phase of Kushner's Middle East Peace Plan to Focus on Palestinian Economy, Sweden Requests Detention of Assange as WikiLeaks Accuses U.S. of Illegally Seizing His Property, Australian Voters Choose Conservative PM Morrison Over Opponent Who Vowed to Tackle Climate Change, Austria Calls Snap Election After Far-Right Leader Caught in Corruption Scandal, Protesters Take to the Streets Ahead of European Parliament Elections, Narendra Modi on Track for Second Term as Prime Minister as Voting Ends in India, Taiwan Legalizes Same-Sex Marriag…
(2019-05-19). Coalition win makes fightback urgent. greenleft.org.au 
The right-wing dominated Coalition's win in the May 18 federal election is a major setback for the climate action movement, the union movement and the interests of working people in Australia. | It will no doubt lead to an acceleration of attacks on union rights, the living standards of workers and the poor and is a serious blow to the growing climate action movement among youth and the population generally. | We must now urgently take steps to unite and step up the fight to defend the movements for progressive change in this country. | Despite this electoral setback, which occurred in the face of opinion po…
(2019-05-17). NAACP and Civil Rights Groups Hold Rally on the 65th Anniversary of Brown v. Board. naacp.org 
On May 16, NAACP along with civil rights organizations and members of Congress held a rally on Capitol Hill to make the promise of Brown v. Board of Education a reality for all. In honor of the 65th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, speakers addressed the still urgent struggle for education equity as well …
(2019-05-17). New York Passes a Bill to Ensure No One Loses Their Home for Calling the Police. aclu.org 
Americans shouldn't be threatened with losing housing because they called for help. | In cities and towns across New York state — and around the country — you can be evicted just for calling for police or emergency assistance. Fortunately, that's about to change in New York. The State Legislature recently passed a bill — unanimously in the Assembly and 58 to 1 in the Senate — to prote…
(2019-05-17). Oriaku Njoku & Jill Heaviside on Abortion Rights in Georgia and Beyond. fair.org 
Abortions will happen, as they always have. The question is what they'll be like, for whom? If that's your question about the future, it makes sense to talk with the people who are doing the work now — of support, advocacy and funding to allow women to access safe and affordable abortion care.
(2019-05-17). United States: Resisting Trump's attacks on migrants. greenleft.org.au 
Green Left Weekly's Jacob Andrewartha and Zane Alcorn spoke to Justin Akers Chacón, a Mexican-based, US immigrant rights activist, in Melbourne for the Marxism conference in April. | What can you tell us about the current situation in the US regarding immigration, particularly as we enter the second half of US President Donald Trump's term in office? | The situation is really dire in many ways. Trump has ratcheted up the attack on immigrants, including trying to prevent thousands of Central American asylum-seekers from even reaching the border where they could apply for asylum. | He has done this by essentially s…
(2019-05-13). What's Trending: Black News Recap. naacp.org 
Blavity: Civil Rights Organizations Are Fighting For Crystal Mason, Who Was Imprisoned For Voting, To Be Released From Prison Crystal Mason, a Texas woman who was sent to prison for voting, is fighting for her freedom with the help of new additions to her legal team.The Texas Civil Rights Project, American …