(2019-09-04). UN Report on Yemen: US, UK Accomplices to Atrocities, While Inaction Continues. therealnews.com 
Prof. Asad Abukhalil argues that the UN Human Rights Council's report on Yemen acknowledges US and UK complicity in the war crimes being committed, but it still soft-pedals them because the US dominates the body…
(2019-09-04). Bolsonaro Slams UN's Bachelet for 'Meddling' in Brazil. telesurenglish.net Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro continued his attacks on foreign leaders and U.N. personnel this week as he shifted his attention to human rights chief Michelle Bachelet. | RELATED: | Brazil: Bolsonaro Seeks to Privatize Strategic Economic Sectors | Bolsonaro accused Chile's former leader Michelle Bachelet, now the United Nations human rights chief, of meddling in his country's affairs after she criticized a rise police violence and an erosion of democracy. | In comments to re…
(2019-09-04). Fall 2019 National Immigrant Solidarity Network News Alert! indybay.org More Trump's Racist Raids, Killings and Immigrant Children Indefinite Detentions!
(2019-09-04). What is Happening in Venezuela, and What Can the U.S. Do? PART III. indybay.org PART III of a three-part series on Venezuela, written after participating in an End-Sanctions delegation in April 2019. The PDF has the Tikkun magazine article that combines the three parts: What's really happening, Why did both Obama and Trump sanction Venezuela, and How did the Venezuelan economy get so messed up?>
(2019-09-04). What is Happening in Venezuela, and What Can the U.S. Do? PART II. indybay.org PART II of a three-part series on Venezuela, written after participating in an End-Sanctions delegation in April 2019. The PDF has the Tikkun magazine article that combines the three parts: What's really happening, Why did both Obama and Trump sanction Venezuela, and How did the Venezuelan economy get so messed up?>
(2019-09-04). What is Happening in Venezuela, and What Can the U.S. Do? PART I. indybay.org PART I of a three-part series on Venezuela after participating in an End-Sanctions delegation in April 2019. The PDF has the Tikkun magazine article that combines the three parts: What's really happening; Why did both Obama and Trump sanction Venezuela, and How did the Venezuelan Economy get so messed up?>
(2019-09-04). Sanctions and Double Standards. indybay.org Sanctions are war with other means-and not an alternative to war. The civilian population pays the price with their bodies and their lives. Export prohibitions on the most important revenues of a country cause impoverishment and suffering. That Iran has not attacked another country militarily in the last 100 years is mostly unmentioned in the media.
(2019-09-04). Mandatory Vaccine Agenda Is Step-by-Step Repealing Religious & Philosophical Exemptions. globalresearch.ca The Mandatory Vaccine Agenda is a worldwide plan which has been picking up steam lately. Unfortunately for the causes of individual rights, medical autonomy and sovereignty, natural health and freedom in general, many countries and US states have been accelerating …
(2019-09-04). U.S. Journalist & Activist Brandon Lee Shot in Philippines After Being Called "Enemy of the State" democracynow.org 
American journalist and indigenous and environmental rights activist Brandon Lee remains in critical condition in the Philippines more than four weeks after being shot multiple times outside his home in the northern region of the country in early August. Lee was shot at least four times in the back and face on August 6 in what his family and advocates say was an attempt by the Philippines government to kill him. Brandon Lee is a Chinese American born and raised in San Francisco, but he has spent the last decade in the Philippines, where he has a wife and young daughter. He is a correspondent for the weekly newspa…
(2019-09-04). Nigerian Journalist & Activist Omoyele Sowore Remains Jailed for Calling for Peaceful Protests. democracynow.org 
Journalist and pro-democracy activist Omoyele Sowore is entering his second month in jail for calling for peaceful nationwide protests against the government. Sowore called his movement "Revolution Now" and mobilized activists to take to the streets August 5. But just two days before the protests were set to begin, Sowore was arrested by the state and accused of attempting to take over the government. He's been imprisoned for more than a month now as human rights groups continue to call for his immediate release. We speak with his wife Opeyemi Sowore and Nani Jansen Reventlow, one of the attorneys representing Om…
(2019-09-04). New Human Rights Watch report highlights dangers in industry SPLC seeks to reform. splcenter.org A new report released by Human Rights Watch today highlights the increasingly dangerous conditions facing meatpacking workers across the United States — underscoring dangers the SPLC uncovered within an industry it has long sought to reform.
(2019-09-03). Groups force Lesotho clothing factories owner to end gender-based violence. peoplesworld.org 
WASHINGTON—A landmark alliance of unions and women's rights groups in the Southern African nation of Lesotho teamed up to pressure a Taiwanese factory owner into signing a pact to end gender-based sexual harassment and violence at its plants, the director of the AFL-CIO's Solidarity Center says. In an August 29 interview with Chris Garlock on …
(2019-09-03). U.N. Report Finds U.S. Likely Guilty of War Crimes in Yemen. truthdig.com 
A new report by a group of investigators commissioned by the U.N. Human Rights Council says the United States, Britain and France may be culpable for war crimes in Yemen. The three countries back a Saudi Arabia- and United Arab Emirates-led coalition fighting on the side of the government in the current Yemeni civil war, which has been ongoing for five years. | "Five years into the conflict, violations against Yemeni civilians c…
(2019-09-03). Courts back Trump administration as ICE continues to force-feed immigrants. wsws.org Force-feeding typically can causes excruciating pain, is dangerous when performed on unwilling participants, and is recognized by international doctors' associations as a form of torture.
(2019-09-03). Max Blumenthal: Nicaragua beat US regime change, but sanctions and sabotage continue. thegrayzone.com The Grayzone's Max Blumenthal explains how Nicaragua celebrated the 40th anniversary of the Sandinista Revolution just one year after defeating…
(2019-09-03). Meet the militantly pro-Israel Trump official directing the economic war on Iran. thegrayzone.com From her influential post at the Treasury Department, Sigal Mandelker has vowed to defend "our great partner, Israel" by sanctioning…
(2019-09-03). Roger Waters and John Pilger make powerful defence of Julian Assange in London. wsws.org Pilger stated: "By defending Julian Assange, we defend our most sacred rights. Speak up now or wake up one morning to the silence of a new kind of tyranny."
(2019-09-03). When Religious Ideology Drives Abortion Policy, Poor Women Suffer the Consequences. commondreams.org Abortion rights supporters in Missouri take part in a protest, after state lawmakers passed rules aimed at closing Missouri's only abortion clinic, May 30, 2019. (Photo: AP Photo/Jeff Roberson) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2019-09-03). UN experts decry torture of Rakhine men and boys held incommunicado by Myanmar's military. un.org Allegations of torture and ill-treatment leading to the death of ethnic Rakhine men and boys being held in incommunicado detention by Myanmar's military, has prompted three independent UN rights experts to call for an end to the practice and for "credible, independent" investigations.
(2019-09-03). Nowhere is safe to hide in war-torn Yemen, say UN-appointed rights experts. un.org The people of Yemen have been subject to "numerous" possible war crimes in recent years including forced recruitment of children and sexual abuse in detention, UN-appointed senior rights experts said on Tuesday, in an appeal to the international community to do more to end the conflict.
(2019-09-03). US Imposes Sanctions on Iran Space Agencies. telesurenglish.net The United States has imposed sanctions on Iran's civilian space agency and two research organizations Tuesday, claiming they were being used to advance Tehran's ballistic missile program. | RELATED: | Iran Urges European Partners to Fulfill Nuclear Commitments | "The United States will not allow Iran to use its space launch program as a cover to advance its ballistic missile programs," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement. | He said Iran's Aug. 29 attempt to test a…
(2019-09-03). Insecurity and violence turn Nigeria into a 'pressure cooker' that must be addressed, says UN rights expert. un.org Nigeria is a pressure cooker of internal conflicts and generalized violence that must be addressed urgently, an independent United Nations expert said on Tuesday, following a fact-finding visit to the country.
(2019-09-03). Rohingya Verification Scheme Related to Genocide: Report. telesurenglish.net A report published by Fortify Rights Tuesday said that the National Verification Card (NVC) scheme targeting Myanmar's Rohingya Muslims is part of a campaign by Myanmar authorities that seeks to erase their identity. | RELATED: | 100,000 Rohingyas Rally in Bangladesh to Mark Genocide Day | "The Myanmar government is trying to destroy the Rohingya people through…
(2019-09-03). Workers Need More Rights and Economic Democracy. dissidentvoice.org As someone who has been a union member since I was a Marine with the American Servicemen's Union until I retired last year as a Teamster as well as a member of the Industrial Workers of the World, I have lived the reality of mistreatment of workers in the United States. It is good to …
(2019-09-03). Groundswell grows for the Biloela family to stay. greenleft.org.au 
refugee rights Jonathan StraussIssue 1236 Australia Biloela Tamil refugees CairnsSeptember 3, 2019I joined the September 1 vigil in Ca…
(2019-09-03). 25 years since the IRA's ceasefire and the UK still doesn't know how to relate to Ireland. thecanary.co On 31 August 1994, the IRA announced the first of two major ceasefires in the 1990s. It ended a 26-year period of war and violence. | Yet despite the hope brought by that ceasefire, it was met with suspicion and mistrust. And through its botched handling of Brexit and…
(2019-09-03). A New York Jail Forced a Trans Woman Into a Men's Facility. aclu.org Trans women routinely face harassment and discrimination in jails and prisons. | Jena Faith's experience in the Steuben County Jail was a living nightmare. | The military veteran spent four weeks in the jail awaiting trial last spring. She was initially housed in the jail's women's facility without incident, but things changed when officials suddenly transferred her to the men's facility, despite the fact that she is a woman. | During the weeks that Jena spent as a woman in a men's jail, she was routinely targeted with physical and verbal harassment from other incarcerated people and guards. On her first day in t…
(2019-09-03). Voting Rights Advocates Celebrate 'Huge Win for Democracy' as NC State Court Strikes Down GOP's Gerrymandered District Map. commondreams.org State officials have two weeks to redraw North Carolina's district map following a unanimous ruling by a state court, which found that Republicans in the state were guilty of partisan gerrymandering. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2019-09-02). Linking Popular Movements and Unions is a Winning Strategy for Workers. dissidentvoice.org 
After years of declining power and stagnant wages, workers in the United States are awakening, striking and demanding more rights. A Bureau of Labor Statistics report shows the number of striking workers is the highest since 1986. In 2018, 485,000 people went on strike, a number not exceeded since the 533,000 people in 1986, and 2019 will be even …
(2019-09-02). Labor Rights Are Human Rights — It's Time We Guaranteed Them in the Constitution. thenation.com Labor Rights Are Human Rights — It's Time We Guaranteed Them in the Constitution…
(2019-09-02). Corbyn outlines potential impact of no-deal Brexit on communities across Britain. thecanary.co 
Jeremy Corbyn has offered Leave voters a vision to transform Britain as he pledged to block a no-deal Brexit.The Labour leader, holding a shadow cabinet meeting in Salford to plan the next steps to stop what he called Prime Minister Boris Johnson's "dictatorial approach" to Parliament, said Leave-voting areas had suffered from austerity and decades of lack of investment.He went through regions of England detailing the damage he claimed a no-deal EU exit could do.Corbyn said: "So to people who voted leave, they may have many, many reasons for voting leave but nobody wanted to lose their rights, lose their job or s…
(2019-09-01). Refugees Returned to Mexico Face Physical & Psychological Torture in US, Danger in Mexico. therealnews.com 
Laura Carlsen spoke to asylum seekers in Tijuana, Mexico, who were turned back at the US-Mexico border. They tell about harrowing experiences with US border patrol and the dangers they face in Mexico…
(2019-08-31). 'CA has decriminalized illegal alien crime': Outrage as Kate Steinle's killer's conviction tossed. rt.com 
A California appeals court has thrown out the conviction of an illegal immigrant who shot a woman on a San Francisco pier after escaping deportation due to the city's sanctuary policy, triggering further outrage. | Jose Ines Garcia Zarate's conviction on charges of being a convicted felon in possession of a gun was thrown out by a California state appeals court on Friday, reviving the furor over a case that has defined the immigration debate. The 1st District Court of Appeal ruled the judge failed to offer the jury the option of acquitting the Mexican national on the theory he only possessed the weapon "for a…
(2019-08-31). At least 10 teenagers injured after gunfire erupts at high school football game in Alabama. rt.com 
At least six teenagers received gunshot wounds after unidentified assailants opened fire at the end of a high school football game in Mobile, Alabama. | Mobile Police Chief Lawrence Battiste told local media that two individuals were detained in connection with the attack. He said that 10 people were injured in total, but four of the injuries were not gunshot wounds. The victims ranged in age from 15 to 18 years old. Their conditions were not immediately clear. | Witnesses say there was a fight in the stands several minutes before the end of the game. | Footage taken after the shooting shows police cars swarmi…
(2019-08-30). Trump Hits Lebanon Bank with His Favorite Econo-Political Battering Ram. mintpressnews.com 
The fact that the U.S. sanctions countries whenever its president pleases could in itself be considered a hostile act. Even in wartime, these sorts of collective punishments are illegal under the Geneva Conventions.
(2019-08-30). Draconian Rules at Guantánamo Bay Violate Media's First Amendment Rights, News Outlets Say. theintercept.com Military officials at Guantánamo Bay have drafted restrictive new rules for journalists visiting the naval base that require journalists to agree to have all their interviews vetted and supervised by public affairs officers. | The policy was handed out this week to journalists, including one from The Intercept, who were asked to sign and return it within as little as 26 hours if they wanted to attend military commission proceedings in the coming weeks. | "[Journalists] may not participate in any activity related to their work, including any news or information gathering activity, if they are not accompanied by a…
(2019-08-30). War on the Mexican border: How did it happen? greenleft.org.au 
immigrant rights Barry SheppardIssue 1235 United States US-Mexico border wallAugust 30, 2019What became the United States was first a series of white British — "White Anglo-Saxon Protestant" (WASP) — settler colonies. | Besides starting the…
(2019-08-30). No right to discriminate. greenleft.org.au 
civil rights freedom of speech Alex SalmonIssue 1235 Australia religious discrimination bill PerthAugust 30, 2019A ral…
(2019-08-30). Marching for the right to protest. greenleft.org.au 
civil rights Alex BainbridgeIssue 1235 Australia BrisbaneAugust 30, 2019Hundreds of people marched through Brisbane on August 28 in opposition to the Queensland Labor government's proposed anti-protest laws. | The local council tried to ban the march but lost the cour…
(2019-08-30). "All-Out Attack": Trump's Anti-Immigrant Policies Target Children, Cancer Patients & Servicemembers. democracynow.org 
On Tuesday, the Trump administration reportedly ended its "medical deferred action" program, which allows immigrants with serious health problems to stay in the U.S. for up to two years beyond the terms of their visas to receive critical treatment. Just one day later, it announced that some children born to U.S. servicemembers and government employees stationed overseas will no longer automatically receive citizenship. The policy changes come days after the Justice Department asked the Supreme Court to allow the Trump administration to implement its rule banning almost all migrants from seeking asylum in the Unit…
(2019-08-30). Headlines for August 30, 2019. democracynow.org Florida Declares State of Emergency Ahead of Hurricane Dorian, Justice Department: Comey Violated FBI Rules But Will Not Face Charges, Former FARC Rebels to Take Up Arms Again in Colombia, Report: Indian Forces Are Beating and Torturing Kashmiris in Detention, UAE Accused of Bombing Saudi-Backed Forces in Yemen, Prominent Pro-Democracy Activists Arrested Ahead of Saturday's Protest, Scottish Judge Refused to Block Boris Johnson's Plan to Suspend Parliament, Ebola Death Toll Tops 2,000 in Democratic Republic of the Congo, Environmental Groups Threaten to Sue Trump over Methane Rules, NAACP Calls for Alabama Gov. t…
(2019-08-30). Extraordinary rise in NSW police strip searches. greenleft.org.au 
civil rights Rachel EvansIssue 1235 Australia strip searches SydneyAugust 30, 2019The number of strip searches carried out by NSW police has risen almost 20-fold in less than 12 years, with young people…
(2019-08-29). How Solitary Confinement Kills: Torture and Stunning Neglect End in Suicide at Privately Run ICE Prison. theintercept.com 
Guards at an ICE jail put Efraín Romero de la Rosa in solitary confinement despite a diagnosis of schizophrenia. He killed himself after 21 days.
(2019-08-29). How Ohio's Chamber of Commerce Killed an Anti-Pollution Bill of Rights. theintercept.com 
Emails reveal that the Ohio Chamber of Commerce enlisted a key Republican lawmaker in a successful effort to nullify the Lake Erie Bill of Rights.
(2019-08-29). LGBTI activists slam draft religious discrimination bill. greenleft.org.au 
LGBTI rights Kerrie SmithIssue 1235 Australia religious discrimination billAugust 29, 2019LGBTI activists have slammed the federal Coalition government's draft religious discrimination bill and vowed to step up protests. | Commenting on the draft that wa…
(2019-08-29). Taxpayers Have Been Ordered to Pay Over $2 Million For Discriminating Against LGBTQ People. aclu.org Government officials should know that discrimination comes with a cost to taxpayers. | Last week, a federal appeals court ruled that the Commonwealth of Kentucky was liable for $224,000 for the actions of Kim Davis, who refused to do her job and issue marriage licenses (to same-sex or different-sex couples) as county clerk. | While Davis' story made national headlines, her case isn't the only one in the past year where a court case filed by the ACLU has led to a bill for discriminatio…
(2019-08-27). Woman Goes Into Premature Labor After Aggressive Arrest; Judge Still Sends Her to Jail. therealnews.com 
In this episode we will look at a federal lawsuit accusing police of violating the civil rights of a then-pregnant woman that has cleared a major hurdle. Court filings reveal the harrowing experience for a woman who went into labor shortly after she was put in handcuffs and jailed.
(2019-08-27). Stripped of Their Rights. aclu.org In 2011, guards at an Illinois prison violated the constitution when they carried out a mass strip-search of incarcerated women. | In March 2011, a tactical team of guards at a state prison in Lincoln, Illinois gathered 200 women and ushered them into a gymnasium, where they were brought in small groups into a separate room nearby. Inside that room, they were told to strip naked in plain view of other guards, cadets, and civilians, without any explanation. Women on their periods were ordered to remove their tampons and sanitary pads. One-by-one, each woman was ordered to lift her breasts, cough and squat, and dis…
(2019-08-27). "Kochland": How David Koch Helped Build an Empire to Shape U.S. Politics & Thwart Climate Action. democracynow.org 
Billionaire conservative donor David Koch died Friday at the age of 79 from prostate cancer. David Koch — who was worth some $42 billion — and his brother Charles poured massive amounts of money into funding climate change denial through conservative think tanks and politicians. The Koch brothers founded the political advocacy group Americans for Prosperity in 2004, which is credited with turning the "tea party" into a full-fledged political movement. They also backed "right-to-work" efforts, which aim to weaken labor rights and quash union membership. The brothers made their fortune running Koch Indu…
(2019-08-26). "The Situation Was Very Bad": Feminist Activist Kavita Krishnan on What She Saw in Kashmir. democracynow.org 
In Kashmir, residents have entered their fourth week of a severe lockdown after India revoked the special status of the Indian-controlled part of the Muslim-majority territory. On August 5, India imposed a curfew and cut off all communications to the region. More than 4,000 people, including many political leaders, have been detained, while local residents report facing increasing shortages of food and medicine. Over the weekend, India blocked a delegation of Indian opposition politicians from visiting Kashmir, including Rahul Gandhi, the former president of the Indian National Congress. India's actions have led…