(2019-08-19). A Dangerous Alliance: Governments Collaborate with Surveillance Companies to Shrink the Space for Human Rights Work. commondreams.org Little is known about this industry, which operates from the shadows despite repeated requests for more transparency. (Photo: g4ll4is / Flickr) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2019-08-19). Anti-War Committee denounces Israel's ban of Omar and Tlaib. fightbacknews.org Fight Back News Service is circulating the following August 15 statement from the Twin Cities based Anti-War Committee. | The Minnesota Anti-War Committee condemns the Israeli government's August 15 decision not to allow US Representatives Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib from entering occupied Palestine, to which the Israeli state controls all access. Reps. Omar and Tlaib join the thousands of peace activists, human rights officials and people of conscience around the world who are denied entry over their support for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign against Israel and its Zionist policies of occu…
(2019-08-19). #CloseTheCamps: Protest by Healthcare & Harm Reduction Workers for Migrant Rights. indybay.org Office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), | 630 Sansome St, San Francisco 94111…
(2019-08-19). Group Identifies Human Remains Along the Border. truthout.org | | In a special broadcast from the Arizona-Sonora border, we look at how the bodies and bones of more than 3,000 people have been found in the Sonoran Desert since 2001, and speak with Robin Reineke, the co-founder of the Tucson-based organization Colibrí Center for Human Rights. Colibrí Center is dedicated to identifying the remains of people passing through the desert and, since its founding, has identified at least 100 migrants through meticulous forensic work and DNA data collection of people's remains…
(2019-08-19). US Is Obstructing Treaty to Ban "Killer Robots" truthout.org | | Human rights advocates renewed their call for a preemptive ban on so-called "killer robots" on Monday as they accused the United States of being among a small number of countries working to halt progress on an international treaty to address the numerous concerns the weapons raise. | The accusation came a day before representatives from dozens of countries gather in…
(2019-08-19). America's Benevolent Bombing of Serbia. globalresearch.ca Twenty years ago, President Bill Clinton commenced bombing Serbia in the name of human rights, justice, and ethnic tolerance. Approximately 1,500 Serb civilians were killed by NATO bombing in one of the biggest sham morality plays of the modern era. …
(2019-08-19). Trump Wields Sanctions Hammer, but to What End? truthdig.com WASHINGTON — Call it the diplomacy of coercion. | The Trump administration is aggressively pursuing economic sanctions as a primary foreign policy tool to an extent unseen in decades, or perhaps ever. Many are questioning the results even as officials insist the penalties are achieving their aims. | Since taking office in January 2017, President Donald Trump has used an array of new and existing sanctions against Iran, North Korea and others. His Treasury Department, which oversees economic sanctions, has targeted thousands of entities with asset freezes and business bans. The State Department has been simi…
(2019-08-19). Trump Wanted Navy Stationed Along Venezuelan Coast. telesurenglish.net The United States President Donald Trump proposed deploying navy ships along the Venezuelan coast to prevent the entry of products into the country according to a report by Axios news portal. | RELATED: | US: Already Interfering in Upcoming Venezuelan Elections | Trump devised the idea of the maritime blockade of Venezuela with his security advisors ac…
(2019-08-19). Professor slams US for causing 'intense hardships' abroad, and media for not holding it to account. thecanary.co Jeffrey Sachs — director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University — a long-time critic of US foreign policy. And speaking to The Canary, he slammed devastating US sanctions on countries like Venezuela and I…
(2019-08-19). Kashmir and Palestine: Solidarity and Unity in Opposing Global Militarization. globalresearch.ca The Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions National Committee (BNC), the largest coalition in Palestinian society, shares the shock and anger of Kashmiris and democratic forces in India and across the world over the authoritarian decision of the Bharatiya Janta Party-led …
(2019-08-19). "They Are Irreplaceable, and They Mattered": Group Identifies Human Remains Along the Border. democracynow.org 
In a special broadcast from the Arizona-Sonora border, we look at how the bodies and bones of more than 3,000 people have been found in the Sonoran Desert since 2001, and speak with Robin Reineke, the co-founder of the Tucson-based organization Colibrí Center for Human Rights. Colibrí Center is dedicated to identifying the remains of people passing through the desert and, since its founding, has identified at least 100 migrants through meticulous forensic work and DNA data collection of people's remains and family members who are alive. In 2018, it launched the Bring Them Back Campaign to call for dignity and dem…
(2019-08-18). Women in India Are Defending Democracy in Face of Rising Hindu Nationalism. truthout.org | With fascism on the rise, Indian women are organizing to foster communal harmony and safeguard constitutional rights.
(2019-08-18). Iranian Oil Tanker Leaves Gibraltar Despite US Pressure. telesurenglish.net The Iranian oil tanker seized as a tool of confrontation between the Persian country and the West has finally left Gibraltar Sunday after the British territory rejected a request from the United States to pursue the detention. | RELATED: | France Fires Back at Trump Over Iran Comments | The Adrian Darya 1, formerly known as Grace 1, left anchorage off Gibraltar around 11: 00 p.m.
(2019-08-18). Sanders Unveils Plan to End Cash Bail, Ban Private Prisons, and 'Fundamentally Transform' US Criminal Justice System. commondreams.org "If we stand together, we can eliminate private prisons and detention centers. No more profiteering from locking people up." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2019-08-17). After 10 years, federal executions set to resume. workers.org 
Attorney General William Barr is moving the United States backward. He is taking hard-fought civil rights gains to the dumpster. Just like President Donald Trump, he has nothing but racist contempt for people caught up in the so-called criminal justice system. Barr suddenly announced in a Department of Justice press . . . | Continue reading After 10 years, federal executions set to resume at Workers.org
(2019-08-17). Tulsi Gabbard lists political correctness among threats to American values. rt.com 
Widespread efforts to silence speech deemed to be offensive threaten US constitutional rights, Democratic presidential hopeful Tulsi Gabbard says. Her latest campaign ad takes aim at the hot-button issue of political correctness. | In a new campaign video posted on Twitter, Gabbard lists political correctness alongside things like overly powerful IT corporations and government overreach. All three infringe on Americans' personal rights, she says. | Big tech, overreaching government, political correctness — our constitutional rights are under attack. As president, I'll protect your rights to free speech, c…
(2019-08-17). Tulsi Gabbard lists political correctness among threats to American values. rt.com 
Widespread efforts to silence speech deemed to be offensive threaten US constitutional rights, Democratic presidential hopeful Tulsi Gabbard says. Her latest campaign ad takes aim at the hot-button issue of political correctness. | In a new campaign video posted on Twitter, Gabbard lists political correctness alongside things like overly powerful IT corporations and government overreach. All three infringe on Americans' personal rights, she says. | Big tech, overreaching government, political correctness — our constitutional rights are under attack. As president, I'll protect your rights to free speech, c…
(2019-08-17). Corrections Officer Who Struck Rhode Island ICE Protesters With Pickup Truck Resigns. commondreams.org "In a Twitter post, Never Again Action described Woodworth's resignation as a 'first step' but called for Wyatt to be shut down and for people detained there to be released," Mukpo wrote. (Photo: Never Again Action/Twitter Screengrab) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2019-08-17). Bini's Lawyer: Ecuador Prosecutor's Still Have no Evidence. telesurenglish.net The lawyer to Swedish expert in open software development, Ola Bini, said Friday that the Ecuadorean government still has no evidence to support its claim that Bini has hacked any state computer systems. | RELATED: | Ecuador: Ola Bini's NGO Office Sacked, Tech Equipment Stolen | For over two months, Ecuador's administration under President Lenin Moreno held Bini in detention, claiming he tried to "hack" computers belonging to presidential of…
(2019-08-17). Trump DOJ Urges Supreme Court to Legalize Firing Workers for Being Transgender. truthout.org | | In an escalation of the Trump administration's attacks on the LGBTQ community, the Justice Department Friday night filed a brief urging the right-wing Supreme Court to legalize the firing of workers solely for being transgender. | Buzzfeed described the Justice Department's move, which was widely condemned by rights groups, as one of the Trump administration's "most aggressive steps yet to legalize an…
(2019-08-17). "In the US Prison Industrial Complex, slavery can be used as form of punishment" dissidentvoice.org 
On the 31st July 2019 a group of incarcerated people at Scotland Correctional, North Carolina, started a hunger strike in order to protest against the use of torture in the correctional facility. In the United States, there are more than 2 million people incarcerated. To know more about the hunger strikers' conditions, Alex Anfruns has …
(2019-08-16). Ernest Coverson on Guns & Human Rights, Carey Gillam Under Attack From Monsanto. fair.org 
Media…
(2019-08-16). North Korea Suspends Talks With South Korea Because of U.S. Sanctions. therealnews.com 
While U.S.-North Korea nuclear talks fail to proceed because of a lack of unanimity within the Trump administration, the North suspended peace talks with the South because of the U.S.'s refusal to lift economic sanctions, says Tim Shorrock…
(2019-08-16). Israel bans Representatives Omar and Tlaib from entering Palestine. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN – U.S. Representatives Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) have joined the ranks of thousands of human rights activists and millions of diaspora Palestinians who have been denied entry to Palestine by the occupying Israeli regime. | Reps. Omar and Tlaib had planned a congressional trip to the West Bank for next week, initially agreed to by the Israeli regime "out of respect for the U.S. Congress and the great alliance between Israel and America." However, on August 15 Israel announced a reversal of its previous decision and banned the delegation's entrance. | The announcement came imm…
(2019-08-16). Friday's Daily Brief: Education key for Rohingya, DR Congo violence continues, Zimbabwe protest latest, women's rights in Iran, environmental protection. un.org Our main stories today: Two years in, Myanmar's Rohingya youth need more education; DR Congo testimonies highlight armed brutality; appeals for Zimbabwe to 'stop cracking down' on protesters; Iran urged to release women jailed for protesting veiling laws; and new human rights agreement on environmental protection.
(2019-08-16). 'Quash' convictions and release women jailed for protesting against wearing veils in Iran, urge UN rights experts. un.org Decades-long prison sentences handed down to three women protesting the strictly enforced wearing of veils in Iran, have drawn alarm and condemnation from six United Nations independent human rights experts.
(2019-08-16). Environmental protection moves 'closer to the people' through new human rights agreement. un.org The UN environment agency and human rights office (OHCHR) signed a landmark new agreement on Friday aimed at better protecting vulnerable human and environmental rights defenders and their families, while increasing protection for people and the places where they live, across the world.
(2019-08-16). The Great Land Robbery: How Federal Policies Dispossessed Black Americans of Millions of Acres. democracynow.org 
Over the 20th century, black people in the U.S. were dispossessed of 12 million acres of land. Half of that loss — 6 million acres — occurred over just two decades, from 1950 to 1969, a period largely associated with the civil rights struggle. This mass land dispossession, which affected 98% of black agricultural land owners, is part of the pattern of institutional racism and discrimination that has contributed to the racial wealth gap in the United States. Many of the driving forces behind this land theft were legal and originated in federal policies, as documented by Vann Newkirk, staff writer at Th…
(2019-08-15). Truck Rams Anti-ICE Protest in Rhode Island. therealnews.com 
A corrections officer struck Never Again protestors with his truck outside of the Wyatt Detention Facility in Rhode Island, hospitalizing two while other protestors were pepper sprayed by police. Update: A Captain involved in the incident was placed on leave pending an independent investigation, officials say…
(2019-08-15). The Challenges of Breastfeeding as a Black Person. aclu.org How our workplaces and healthcare system create barriers to breastfeeding. | The fight to protect individual choices about reproductive care, including breastfeeding, is an ongoing battle. The central lesson of the reproductive justice movement is that choice means little without access. That lesson applies equally to breastfeeding. | Though laws, in the workplace and other contexts, are in place to protect the right to breastfeed, many low-income women and w…
(2019-08-15). The US is already interfering in the upcoming Venezuelan elections. uwidata.com US President Donald Trump has maintained strong economic pressure against Venezuela, having signed numerous decrees blocking the assets of the Venezuelan authorities within US jurisdiction. Giants such as the Central Bank of Venezuela and the state-owned oil company PDVSA were also included in the sanctions list. Now, Washington has announced it will even impose sanctions …
(2019-08-14). 40 Percent of ICE Detainees Held in Solitary Confinement Have a Mental Illness, New Report Finds. theintercept.com The report from the Project on Government Oversight builds on an ICIJ and Intercept investigation into ICE's widespread use of solitary confinement.
(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). 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, French fighters in Iraq, Mediterranean migrant and Aden updates. 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). '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). 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). 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…
(2019-08-12). 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.
(2019-08-09). Over 132,400 Opposed 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…
(2019-08-08). 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.
(2019-08-06). 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.
(2019-07-25). 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.
(2019-07-23). Non-Aligned Movement Condemns US Sanctions Against Venezuela. venezuelanalysis.com The 120-member movement held a ministerial meeting in Caracas as a US spy jet reportedly violated Venezuelan airspace.
(2019-07-18). Venezuela: Trump Diverts Central America Aid to Guaido as EU Threatens More Sanctions. venezuelanalysis.com Guaido's team is receiving over $40 million to fund salaries, travel, training, propaganda and technical assistance.
(2019-07-15). UN Human Rights Council Adopts Resolution Rejecting US Sanctions. venezuelanalysis.com The draft resolution was approved with 28 votes in favor, 14 against and five abstentions, and was presented by Venezuela and Palestine on behalf of the Movement of Non-aligned Countries.