(2019-08-14). Brazil: 100,000 Daisies in Defense of Working Women's Rights. telesurenglish.net Women from all over Brazil met at the Ministries Square in Brasilia on Wednesday to hold the "Daisies March," an even to defend agrarian reform and women's rights and reject gender violence and President Jair Bolsonaro. | RELATED: | Students Strike, Protest Across Brazil as Moro Orders Crackdown | "Brazilian women have a broad agenda of demands which…
(2019-08-14). Won't Block Venezuela Ships Despite US Sanctions, Panama Claims. telesurenglish.net The Panama Canal will continue authorizing vessels coming from Venezuela provided they present the necessary paperwork, the waterway's chief said on Wednesday, suggesting a new round of U.S. sanctions on the South American nation should not make a difference to canal traffic. | RELATED: | Food Shipment Destined For Venezuela Seized Due to US Blockade
(2019-08-14). "Voyage of the Damned:" Hundreds of refugees stranded in the Mediterranean. wsws.org Europe's governments have shut their doors to refugees rescued from the sea after fleeing death and torture.
(2019-08-14). Saudi Woman Activist Refuses to Deny Torture in Prison. telesurenglish.net Imprisoned women's rights activist Loujain Hathloul rejected Saudi Arabia's proposal to secure her release from prison in exchange for a video statement denying reports she was tortured in custody, her family said Tuesday. | RELATED: | Nicki Minaj Cancels Saudi Concert Citing Women, LGBT Rights | Hathloul, along with at least a dozen other women's rights activists, was arrested over a year ago as Saudi Arabia ended a ban on women driving cars, which many of the detainees had lon…
(2019-08-14). "River of Fire": In New Memoir, Sister Helen Prejean Reflects on Decades of Fighting Executions. democracynow.org 
The Trump administration is moving ahead with plans to resume the death penalty after a more than 15-year moratorium. This week Attorney General William Barr proposed fast-tracking executions in mass murder cases, and last month ordered the execution of five death row prisoners beginning in December. The federal government has executed just three people since 1963 — the last being in 2003. The death penalty is widely condemned by national governments, international bodies and human rights groups across the world. Experts say capital punishment does not help deter homicides and that errors and racism in the…
(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). UN recommends multilingual education to preserve Indigenous languages. peoplesworld.org 
"The United Nations stands ready to support all initiatives aimed at realizing the rights and aspirations of Indigenous peoples." — UN Secretary-General António Guterres UN Assistant Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, stressed on Friday, August 9, the importance of providing multilingual education to indigenous communities so that they can preserve their native languages. Many of these languages …
(2019-08-13). Defending the environment now more lethal than soldiering in some war zones — and indigenous peoples are suffering most. nationofchange.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 connection to their environment. | Recently released figures show that indigenous groups are continuing t…
(2019-08-13). NYPD Arrest 44 On 2nd Day of Protests Against Amazon-ICE Links. telesurenglish.net Hundreds of demonstrators gathered at Amazon Books in Manhattan Sunday to protest the company's involvement with the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement. On the second day of protests, 44 protestors were detained by New York's Police. | RELATED: | Labor Abuse Allegations Surrounded Factory Raided by ICE | The demonstration was organized by local Jewish leaders, who say Amazon provides technology that helps ICE make detentions and has contracts with the Department of Hom…
(2019-08-13). When ICE hit Mississippi, its citizens showed up for immigrant families. nationofchange.org The Mississippi immigration raid detained hundreds and left children stranded on the first day of school. It also evoked a massive humanitarian response in a state not traditionally friendly to immigrants.
(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). Tuesday's Daily Brief: Hong Kong airport disruption, Geneva Conventions at 70, new Ebola drug breakthrough, French fighters face Iraq execution; Europe pushed on stranded migrants and Aden update. un.org Our main stories today cover: Human rights chief on chaos at Hong Kong airport; Geneva Conventions have been 'limiting brutality' for 70 years; breakthrough drug in DR Congo Ebola fight; France pushed to repatriate nationals on death row in Iraq; 'Race against time" for migrants in Mediterranean…
(2019-08-13). Rights Groups, Cities To Sue Trump's Anti-Poor Migrant Policy. telesurenglish.net United States government's plan to limit access to citizenship and permanent residence for migrants with low economic resources undermines democracy and penalizes parents for seeking help to feed their children, migrant and Latino advocacy groups said Tuesday. | RELATED: | US To Deny Visas to Legal Immigrants for Being Too Poor | "This illegal rule is just another attempt to vilify immigrants," San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera said in a statement. The city of San Francisco a…
(2019-08-13). 'Act with restraint' UN human rights chief urges Hong Kong authorities and protestors, following airport disruption. un.org After two consecutive days of chaos at Hong Kong International Airport, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Michelle Bachelet expressed her concern and condemned "any form" of violence or destruction of property and urged the demonstrators to "express their views in a peaceful way".
(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). On the 3-month anniversary of his death, community rallies for #Justice4Jalen. fightbacknews.org Jacksonville, FL – On August 2, the Jacksonville Community Action Committee (JCAC) and the family of Jalen Mays held a vigil to remember his life on the three-month anniversary of his death. At the vigil, the protesters chanted, "Justice for Jalen." | The family has been calling for accountability and transparency since his death on the morning of May 2, at Orange Park Medical Center. His death occurred a day after being detained after what is believed to be a violent arrest by Jacksonville Sheriff's Officers S.R Maddox and M.J Reddish. Those two officers had previously been placed on administrative leave accordi…
(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). UN-Backed Conference on Torture to Be Held in Egypt. telesurenglish.net An international conference organized by the United Nations on torture will be held on Sept. 4 and 5 in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, while the country has been accused to be responsible for "a torture epidemic," as it has one of the worst records worldwide on abuse. | RELATED: | Car Explosion Kills 19 at Cancer Institute in Central Cairo | Organized by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights for the Middle East and North Africa (Romena) and the Egyptian government's…
(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). Expanding Involuntary Confinement is Not the Answer to Solve Gun Violence. aclu.org Institutionalizing people against their will is usually a mistake. | In the wake of last weekend's tragic shootings, President Trump did what he does best: stoked fear and cast blame. He proclaimed that "we must reform our mental health laws to better identify mentally disturbed individuals who may commit acts of violence and make sure those people, not only get treatment, but when necessary, involuntary confinement." | There are two things wrong with the idea of involuntary commitment as a solution to gun violence. First, focusing on people with identifiable mental disabilities won't help. The data is clear: men…
(2019-08-13). 'Give Me Your Tired and Your Poor… Who Can Stand on Their Own Two Feet': Top Trump Official Rewrites Statue of Liberty Greeting. commondreams.org "Cuccinelli may as well have this engraved on a plaque, hang it around his neck, and wear it for the rest of his life," said the director of the ACLU's immigrant rights project | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2019-08-13). Reproductive Rights Advocates Fight Latest Extreme Abortion Ban as Tennessee GOP Attempts to Criminalize Procedure. commondreams.org Reproductive rights advocates were in Nashville Tuesday to testify against a new anti-choice bill proposed by Republican lawmakers in Tennessee, shifting national attention back to extreme efforts by the GOP to restrict women's right to abortion care. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(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). 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). 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). How Indigenous Mexicans Took on Big Energy and Won. thenation.com How Indigenous Mexicans Took on Big Energy and Won…
(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). 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). 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…
(2019-08-09). 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
(2019-08-08). 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). 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). 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). 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). 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). 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.
(2019-08-05). 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.
(2019-08-01). 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.
(2019-07-26). 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.