(2019-08-13). Detention camps are concentration camps. mronline.org 
In June it was finally settled, the short-term detention centers run by the U.S. Border Patrol were—quite technically—concentration camps. While they are not the extermination camps of the Holocaust, the rounding up and mass incarceration of people who haven't seen a judge fits the definition exactly, according to expert Andrea Pitzer. The legal definition of […] | Source
(2019-08-13). Immigration & Detention Solidarity on Tisha B'av in San Jose. indybay.org James P. McEntee Sr. Plaza, County Of Santa Clara Government Building, 70 W Hedding St, San Jose, CA 95112…
(2019-08-13). SPLC joins brief opposing Kansas law targeting immigrants. splcenter.org The SPLC and 29 worker and immigrant rights organizations filed an amicus brief today urging the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold a court decision stating that a Kansas identity theft law cannot be used to turn local law enforcement into immigration agents.
(2019-08-13). Mexican Women Protest Alleged Rape of 2 Teen Girls by Police. telesurenglish.net Hundreds of angry protesters amassed outside Mexico City's Attorney General building Monday to demand justice after reports that a teen girl was allegedly raped by four police officers. | RELATED: | Mexico Says 122 Mexicans Detained in Mississippi ICE Raids | As anger spilled over, protesters reportedly smashed the glass doors of the building. Proteste…
(2019-08-13). Unequal Justice: John Roberts' Dark Legacy of Voter Suppression. progressive.org Plaintiffs are litigating voting rights cases in Alabama, Georgia, Texas, North Carolina, and several other states. Some will succeed, some will fail, but all will be more uncertain and expensive thanks to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
(2019-08-13). UK Expected To Release Illegally Seized Iranian Tanker. telesurenglish.net Iran is celebrating a diplomatic victory, as they claim the U.K. is expected to release the seized Iranian tanker, following negotiations. Iranian maritime authorities said Tuesday that they had been in talks with the U.K. government, and showed documents that prove that Iran did not violate sanctions against Syria, the reason given by the U.K. for the seizure. | RELATED: | UK Wants European Force to Police Persian Gulf | Jalil Eslami, deputy head of Iran's Ports and Maritime Organization, s…
(2019-08-13). Toni Morrison: The remarkable life of a remarkable woman. greenleft.org.au 
African-American novelist Toni Morrison — winner of the Pulitzer Prize (1988), the Nobel Prize for Literature (1993), and many other awards — died on August 5 at the age 88. Following the announcement, Derrick Johnson, president and CEO of the civil rights organisation NAACP, remarked: "Rest in power to #ToniMorrison, one of the most prolific writers of our time." | "It is with profound sadness we share that, following a short illness, our adored mother and grandmother, Toni Morrison, passed away peacefully last night surrounded…
(2019-08-12). Jews Join Forces to Denounce Trump's Deportation Machine. truthdig.com 
Despite his support for Israel—which some see as a shield Donald Trump uses against accusations of anti-Semitism—progressive Jews are horrified by the president's immigration policies, particularly those targeting undocumented immigrants. In the last month, thousands have taken to the streets, to detention centers, even to businesses they see as siding with the a…
(2019-08-12). Farmworkers rise up against Trump and labor exploitation. peoplesworld.org 
The article that follows was previously published in Truthout. Washington State today is ground zero in the effort to hold back the massive use of agricultural guest workers by U.S. growers, and to ensure that farmworkers, both those living here and those coming under the H-2A visa program, have their rights respected. For a second …
(2019-08-12). The World is Uniting for International Law, against US Empire. dissidentvoice.org 
"We oppose the extraterritorial application of unilateral measures." That is not Cuba, Nicaragua, Iran, Russia, or China talking about the most recent unilateral coercive measures imposed by the United States against Venezuela, i.e. economic sanctions that have become an economic blockade, but the European Union. Even allies who have embarrassed themselves by recognizing the phony …
(2019-08-12). Really? McFaul 'plants US flag' in Twitter to claim it as free speech sanctuary. rt.com 
Michael McFaul says he can say whatever he wants on Twitter because it's an American platform. Yeah, the very same Twitter that 'shadowbans,' silences alternative media, and hosts fake Russian bots that meddle in US elections.
(2019-08-12). The World Is Uniting for International Law, Against US Empire. globalresearch.ca "We oppose the extraterritorial application of unilateral measures." | That is not Cuba, Nicaragua, Iran, Russia, or China talking about the most recent unilateral coercive measures imposed by the United States against Venezuela, i.e. economic sanctions that have become …
(2019-08-12). Brazil: Indigenous Women Occupy Health Ministry, Demand Rights. telesurenglish.net Approximately 1,500 women from 113 Indigenous tribes of Brazil occupied the headquarters of the Special Secretariat of Indigenous Health (Sesai) Monday in the country's capital Brasilia in defense of the differentiated healthcare subsystem of Indigenous peoples. | RELATED: | Brazilian Government Threatens to End Indigenous Health System | "We are here representing those who have not yet come to say that we will never accept any imposition of the destructive agenda of Bolsonaro…
(2019-08-12). How Indigenous Mexicans Took on Big Energy and Won. thenation.com How Indigenous Mexicans Took on Big Energy and Won…
(2019-08-12). Portugal: Truck Drivers Start Nationwide Strike Over Low Wages. telesurenglish.net Portugal's government ordered striking fuel-tanker workers back to work in some parts of the country Monday after fuel supplies ran low amid a self-declared "energy crisis" for the second time since April. | RELATED: | Portugal's Doctors, Nurses Strike to Defend Health System, Demand Labor Rights | "The government had no alternative but to recognize the need to resort to a civil requisition," cabinet secretary of state Tiago Antunes told reporters, adding that mini…
(2019-08-12). Murders of Environmental Defenders Are Rising Worldwide. truthout.org | | Despite centuries of persecution, indigenous groups still manage or have tenure rights over at least a quarter of the world's land surface. Often inhabiting these lands as far back as memory extends, they share a deep and unique…
(2019-08-12). Trump admin sabotages Iran diplomacy at every turn. thegrayzone.com With its recent sanctions on Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, the Trump administration continues to undermine any possibility of diplomacy…
(2019-08-12). Venezuela Secures New Chinese Oil Investment. venezuelanalysis.com The move defies the US embargo's secondary sanction provisions targeting foreign firms trading with Venezuela.
(2019-08-12). U.S. starts blockade of Venezuela. fightbacknews.org Chicago, IL – On August 6, U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton attended a gathering of representatives from the right-wing governments of Latin America. There, he announced the next stage in the U.S. campaign to defeat the Bolivarian Revolution: A total blockade of Venezuela. All U.S. citizens are banned from doing business with "the Maduro regime," and any company – U.S. or international – that does business with the Venezuelan government will be subject to fines, asset seizures and sanctions. While the announcement did not include the immediate deployment of the U.S. Navy to enforce the blockade, Bolton…
(2019-08-12). Barr Blasted by Rights Advocates for 'Absolutely Despicable' Speech Slamming 'Anti-Law Enforcement DAs'. commondreams.org U.S. Attorney General William Barr was swiftly criticized by rights advocates on Monday for a speech in which he promised to deliver a bill—requested by President Donald Trump—to expedite certain death sentences and took aim at "district attorneys that style themselves as 'social justice' reformers." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2019-08-12). "Empowering women and indigenous peoples" will help us more effectively combat climate change says UN report. nationofchange.org 
Recognizing indigenous lands rights and empowering women and indigenous communities is crucial if we are to fight climate change, says a new UN report released last week. | In the special report released by the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), scientists call for policy changes in land use, farming, and eating habits in order to help cut emissions that are heavily contributing to the warming of the Earth. | The report calls for: "Policies that enable and incentivise sustainable land management for cli…
(2019-08-11). Israel's Flagship Lobby Organization Collapses. therealnews.com 
Richard Silverstein discusses the fall of The Israel Project (TIP), the best-funded organization promoting pro-Israeli propaganda in the United States and around the world. Why did TIP collapse and what does this mean for organizing around Palestinian rights?
(2019-08-10). Manifestantes en Bradenton defienden los derechos de los inmigrantes y los refugiados. liberationnews.org 
Los esfuerzos locales para fortalecer la comunidad y empoderar a los inmigrantes y refugiados continúan en Sarasota y Bradenton.
(2019-08-09). ICE Raids on Undocumented Immigrants Create Fear and Enable Exploitation. therealnews.com 
The recent ICE raids that detained 680 food workers in Mississippi not only strike fear and terror in the hearts of immigrants, but are a calculated move to enable greater exploitation of immigrants because it increases their insecurity and makes organizing more difficult…
(2019-08-09). More British complicity exposed in latest 'CIA Torture Unredacted' report. mronline.org The latest report about kidnappings, rendition, 'black sites' and torture is a remarkable piece of investigative work. It provides us with nothing less than a litany of shocking evidence and testimony and at 403 pages it makes for truly grim reading. This article is made up of a very brief set of extracts from the […] | Source
(2019-08-09). We have Until Aug 13 to Oppose Trump's Anti-Trans Health Care Plan. aclu.org A proposed rule would undermine protections for transgender people and others facing discriminatory denials of health care and insurance coverage. | The Trump Administration has shown it will stop at nothing to undermine access to health care for marginalized communities. Most recently, the Administration has proposed to undermine critical protections against sex discrimination in Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, the Health Care Rights Law. Instead of combatting discrimination in accessing health care a…
(2019-08-09). Peace for Colombia. greenleft.org.au 
Latin American solidarity activists rallied for peace and justice in Colombia, in Sydney on August 3. | Speakers called for an end to the killings of social leaders. More than 600 social leaders, including indigenous land rights activists and human rights advocates, have been killed since 2016. | Photos and stories of many of the activists were displayed in Sydney's iconic Circular Quay. | The action was organised by United for Colombia and included a cultural festival of music, dance, theatre and poetry. | international solidarity
(2019-08-09). Venezuela: US imposes full-fledged embargo. greenleft.org.au 
United States President Donald Trump's administration has imposed a sweeping economic embargo against Venezuela in its efforts to oust the Nicolas Maduro government. | An executive order signed by Trump on August 5 declares all Venezuelan state assets in the US "blocked", prohibiting them from being "transferred, paid, exported, withdrawn, or otherwise dealt in" unless specific exemptions are issued by the Treasury Department. All transactions with Venezuelan state entities are likewise forbidden. | Cruci…
(2019-08-08). Fordham U students win fight to have Palestine rights club. liberationnews.org 
On Aug. 5, Justice Nancy Bannon of the Supreme Court of the State of New York annulled Fordham University's decision to ban Students for Justice in Palestine from its campus.
(2019-08-08). Why Do We Hate Immigrants? thenation.com Why Do We Hate Immigrants?
(2019-08-08). UN rights chief bemoans unilateral sanctions on Venezuela, fearing 'far-reaching implications'. un.org A new set of unilateral sanctions imposed by the United States on Venezuela this week prompted the concern of the United Nations' top rights official on Thursday, who said in a statement that she feared they would have a "potentially severe impact" on the human rights of the South American nation's "long-suffering" people.
(2019-08-08). Steps taken to end Saudi 'guardianship' system for women, 'encouraging' start. un.org Allowing Saudi women to apply for passports and travel without their guardians' permission is "an encouraging move" towards the "complete abolition of the 'guardianship' system," independent United Nations rights experts said on Thursday, but more action is needed to fully dismantle these restrictions.
(2019-08-07). More Sanctions Against Venezuela Means More Suffering. therealnews.com 
The Trump administration's new sanctions freeze all of Venezuela's U.S.-based assets and those of anyone who helps Maduro which will only increase poverty, says Venezuelan economist Francisco Rodriguez…
(2019-08-07). Wednesday's Daily Brief: Syrian detainees, Zimbabwe hunger crisis, Kabul attack, Mexico disappearances, new tech to feed the world. un.org Wednesday's top stories: Syrian detainees "failed by Security Council"; Zimbabwe experiencing "worst-ever hunger crisis"; Guterres welcomes new Mozambique peace accord; deadly Kabul attack; Mexico "responsible for enforced disappearances"; indigenous languages at risk; and how innovation should be used to feed the world.
(2019-08-07). UN Security Council 'utterly failed' Syrian detainees; a victim voices her plea to 'end impunity and stop this horror'. un.org The Security Council has "utterly failed Syrian detainees and their families", Amina Khoulani, Co-founder of Families for Freedom, told the Security Council on Wednesday, during a meeting focussed on those who have been jailed or gone missing across Syria, during years of brutal conflict.
(2019-08-07). BAYAN-USA: Stop the Attacks on Human Rights Defenders Now! fightbacknews.org Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from BAYAN-USA. | Threats and Harassment by Government Forces Foreshadowed Shooting of Human Rights Defender Brandon Lee | BAYAN-USA condemns the shooting of Brandon Lee, Cordillera Human Rights Alliance's paralegal volunteer and provincial human rights officer in Ifugao, on August 6 in Lagawe, Ifugao leaving him seriously injured. This attack is part of a spate of attacks on human rights defenders targeted by the U.S.-Duterte regime in its attempts to violently silence all opposition. It was Lee's dedication to seeking justice for victims of human ri…
(2019-08-07). Four in 10 indigenous languages at risk of disappearing, warn UN human rights experts. un.org Of 7,000 indigenous languages spoken today, four in 10 are in danger of disappearing, rights experts said on Wednesday, in a call for a decade of action to reverse the "historic destruction" of age-old dialects.
(2019-08-07). Headlines for August 7, 2019. democracynow.org Dems and Grieving Communities Voice Resistance to Trump Visits to El Paso and Dayton, FBI Investigating Gilroy Mass Shooting as Domestic Terror, Dems Call on Congressional Leaders to Pass Bills Addressing White Supremacy, Civil Rights Groups Rally Against Gun Violence and White Supremacy at White House, Walmart Workers Plan Walkout to Protest Gun Sales, Toni Morrison, Visionary Author and Nobel Laureate, Dies at 88, Nigerian Journalist and Political Activist Omoyele Sowore Arrested After Calling for Revolution, U.S Warns Turkey Against Syria Attacking Kurdish Forces in Syria, 25% of World's Population Under "Extr…
(2019-08-06). Washington Escalates Venezuela Sanctions into Full-Fledged Embargo. venezuelanalysis.com The latest measures amount to a total trade embargo impacting both US and foreign entities.
(2019-08-06). All States have 'primary responsibility' to protect against hate attacks. un.org The UN's top rights official has added her voice to condemnation of the weekend mass-shootings in the cities of El Paso and Dayton, insisting on Tuesday that "not just the US, but all States" should do more to stop discrimination.
(2019-08-06). Intensified Al Qaeda and ISIL activity in Yemen 'deeply worrying', says UN Human Rights Office. un.org Armed groups affiliated with the Al Qaeda and ISIL terror groups, appear to have intensified their activities in Yemen, Ravina Shamdasani, a spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) declared on Tuesday, describing the situation as an example of "deeply worrying developments" that have seriously impacted civilians over the past ten days.
(2019-08-06). Tuesday's Daily Brief: Venezuela-Colombia baby breakthrough, Italy piles on rescue boat pressure, States must combat hate, Kashmir rights latest and a musical plea to combat CAR hunger. un.org Tuesday's main stories: Colombia offers nationality to born of Venezuelan parents; '€1 million' fines for rescue boats; States must do more to stop hate attacks; Egypt terror attack condemned by Security Council, UN chief; Kashmir developments risk people's rights; and striking a chord for 1.8 million hungry Central Africans.
(2019-08-05). New Civil Rights Memorial to be installed on 54th anniversary of Voting Rights Act. splcenter.org Jimmie Lee Jackson was beaten and shot by Alabama state troopers during a peaceful voting rights march on Feb. 18, 1965.
(2019-08-03). 'You don't have any rights': CBP agents interrogate US citizen and seize his phone after Venezuela solidarity trip. thegrayzone.com The detention of a US citizen returning from Venezuela was an apparent extension of the US government's efforts to punish…
(2019-08-01). US Sanctions Iran's Foreign Minister; Move Seen as Rebuke of Diplomatic Offer. theantimedia.com The latest US sanctions on Iran are very specific, hitting FM Javad Zarif, blocking all property and financial interests he has in the US.
(2019-07-30). NYC power outage reveals a profit-hungry and racist system. liberationnews.org 
Electricity, transportation, decent water and other services are basic human rights.
(2019-07-29). Protesters in Bradenton defend the rights of immigrants and refugees. liberationnews.org On Sunday, seventeen people gathered at the Manatee County Courthouse in downtown Bradenton to demand an end to US concentration camps for refugees and mass deportations of immigrants.
(2019-07-26). Family of Herbert Lee to visit Civil Rights Memorial that honors his sacrifice. splcenter.org Clifton Franklin was a high school football running back who — at 16 — wanted to play in a big game between Louisiana rivals. His mother, however, had other plans.
(2019-07-25). Hawaiians are Taking to the Streets and Exercising their First Amendment Rights. aclu.org We're ensuring the right to protest and cultural access at the world's tallest mountain. | Driving up Daniel K. Inouye Highway on the Big Island of Hawai'i at 4: 30 in the morning is a sight few will forget: a silent, pitch-black road, with black lava and sparse trees. The dark air is a chilly 50 degrees. In our backpacks are packaged tuna, crackers, water, walkie talkies, and a voice recorder. However, the most important items are without a doubt our blue ACLU of Hawai'i legal observer vests and first aid kit, which is stocked with goods like antacid (to rinse our eyes of pepper spray) and earbuds. Sitting in the…
(2019-07-25). Venezuela: US Sanctions Target Subsidized Food Program as Foro de Sao Paulo Kicks Off. venezuelanalysis.com Washington has targeted companies and individuals it alleges are profiteering from the CLAP food initiative.