(2019-09-10). Monday's Daily Brief: Afghanistan 'direct talks' needed, Nicaragua rights crisis, Bangladesh monsoon and Libya detainees latest, Dorian update. un.org A recap of Monday's top stories: All Afghans must participate in peace process; Nicaragua's rights crisis can be resolved says Bachelet; Rohingya refugees impacted by monsoon rains; Libya detainees to be evacuated to Rwanda; and multiple donors show solidarity with the Bahamas.
(2019-09-10). Nicaragua 'crisis' still cause for concern amid murder, torture allegations: Bachelet. un.org Nicaragua's on-going human rights crisis can be resolved peacefully through dialogue, the UN's top rights official said on Tuesday, before expressing concern about allegations of torture and murder of protesters involved in last year's anti-Government demonstrations.
(2019-09-10). Carrie Lam Rejects US Sanctions Bill on Hong Kong. telesurenglish.net Hong Kong Chief Carrie Lam condemned Tuesday the "Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act", which is being proposed in the U.S. Congress by Senator Marco Rubio, and is expected to pass with bipartisan support. The bill would mandate the U.S. to take economic measures against Hong Kong. | RELATED: | Hong Kong Protestors Ask Trump For US Intervention | At a press conference on Tuesday, Hong Kong lead…
(2019-09-10). Labour promises big expansion of employment rights. thecanary.co Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has promised to put power "in the hands of workers" under plans for a big expansion of employment rights. | He announced that a Labour government would establish a Ministry for Employment Rights, saying it would herald the biggest extension of rights for workers ever seen in the UK. | The aim is to deliver better wages, greater security and give workers more of a say over how their workplaces are run, he told the TUC Congress in Brighton. | Labour was on the side of the people against the "born-to-rule establishment" represented by prime minister Boris Johnson, he told delegates. | He…
(2019-09-10). From a Lebanese Refugee Camp to Harvard, Ismail Ajjawi Inspires Other Palestinian Students. democracynow.org 
Today marks a week since Ismail Ajjawi, a 17-year-old Palestinian student who was denied entry into the United States, began classes with his fellow Harvard freshmen. Ajjawi was initially turned away at Boston's Logan Airport after immigration officials searched his phone and computer, and interrogated him about his religion and social media posts by friends that were critical of U.S. policy. He was then forced to return home to Lebanon, but his case provoked outrage on the Harvard campus and among some Palestinian rights and academic freedom groups. Ajjawi, who is attending Harvard on a full scholarship, was edu…
(2019-09-10). Headlines for September 10, 2019. democracynow.org Wilbur Ross Under Fire After Reports of Political Meddling at NOAA, Trump Says "Bad People" from Hurricane-Ravaged Bahamas Trying to Enter U.S., Boris Johnson Dealt More Blows over Brexit Plan as U.K. Parliament Suspended, U.N. Human Rights Chief: Climate Change Greatest Threat to Human Rights, French Summer Heat Waves Linked to 1,500 Deaths, Paraguay: Human Remains Found Under Former Property of Ex-Dictator Alfredo Stroessner, Bangladesh Imposes Mobile Phone Blackout on Rohingya Refugees, North Korea Fires 2 Projectiles After Proposing Renewal of Talks with U.S., Reports: CIA Extracted Russian Informant Who Prov…
(2019-09-10). 'Democracy for Some, But Not for All': Report Reveals Nearly 1,700 Polling Places Closed Since Supreme Court Weakened Voting Rights Act. commondreams.org Civil rights advocates said Tuesday that The U.S. Supreme Court must restore the key provision of the Voting Rights Act which it invalidated in 2013, after a sweeping new report showed how the court's decision led to the closure of nearly 1,700 polling places across the American South. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2019-09-10). Federal court says secret US terrorism watchlist is unconstitutional. wsws.org A ruling on September 4 in the US Court for the Eastern District of Virginia said that the Terrorist Screening Database violates the due process and equal protection rights of US citizens.
(2019-09-09). Federal workers continue to defend rights vs. Trump, in Congress and in court. peoplesworld.org 
WASHINGTON (PAI)—It says something about Republican President Donald Trump's hatred of the two million federal workers he supposedly supervises, and their unions, that the unions are still defending themselves, their members, and other federal workers in Congress and in the courts against his attempts to break them—after almost a year and a half. In one …
(2019-09-09). Thousands of Chileans March in Memory of Pinochet's Victims. telesurenglish.net Thousands of people on Sunday took part in a march to the Chilean capital's largest cemetery to pay tribute to the victims of the brutal far-right dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet, three days before the 46th anniversary of the coup that overthrew the democratically-elected government of Salvador Allende on Sept. 11, 1973. | RELATED: | Chile: Human Rights March Ends with Police Repression | The protesters began their march from Los Heroes Square and then crossed the Palacio de La…
(2019-09-09). 116 people arrested in week of action to stop the world's biggest arms fair in London. thecanary.co From 2 to 8 September, hundreds of people attended protests outside the gates of the upcoming DSEI arms fair in London. Around 116 demonstrators have reportedly been arrested in the last week for blocking trucks from entering the ExCeL centre. The protests were aimed at preventing the setting up of the arms fair before it started. | A government…
(2019-09-09). We are 'burning up our future', UN's Bachelet tells Human Rights Council. un.org The Human Rights Council opened in Geneva on Monday with a warning from the UN's top rights official that, with forest fires raging in the Amazon, "we are burning up our future, literally".
(2019-09-09). Georgia Kumho Tire workers opt for union. fightbacknews.org Macon, GA – Workers at the Kumho Tire factory in Macon, Georgia, voted to join the United Steelworkers (USW) union, September 7, nearly two years after the initial vote was marred by the company's numerous violations of workers' rights. | While some legal challenges remain before the election results are official, the initial vote count showed 141 votes for the union and 137 against, with 13 challenged ballots still to be resolved at an upcoming hearing. | About 325 workers would be in the USW bargaining unit at Kumho. | An administrative law judge issued an order in May for a new vote at the Kumho factory after…
(2019-09-09). Monday's Daily Brief: Suicide death every 40 seconds, rights chief on climate change link, Venezuela, Dorian updates, desertification summit latest. un.org A recap of Monday's top stories: Someone dies by suicide every 40 seconds says new report; UN rights chief highlights climate change threat, and "devastating toll" on Venezuela; deputy chief Amina Mohammed says halting desertification is a key part of climate action; health agency pledges millions to Hurricane Dorian response.
(2019-09-09). Scourge of slavery still claims 40 million victims worldwide, 'must serve as a wakeup call'. un.org Incidents of modern-day slavery are "only likely to increase" as a result of some of biggest challenges facing the world today, a UN expert outlined in a report for the Human Rights Council in Geneva on Monday.
(2019-09-09). "No Accountability": FBI Investigates ICE Shooting of Undocumented Man in Nashville Suburb. democracynow.org 
The FBI is investigating the shooting of an undocumented immigrant by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent during a traffic stop last week. The shooting occurred Thursday at a supermarket parking lot in Antioch, a suburb of Nashville, where workers often gather to be picked up for a day's work. ICE agents were attempting to detain an unnamed 39-year-old Mexican man, who reportedly attempted to flee in a white box truck, when one of the agents shot him twice. It has now been revealed that the ICE agent involved in the shooting is one of the officers who made headlines in July after community members blocke…
(2019-09-08). The Other Americans: Colombia's Fragile Peace in Splinters. progressive.org The renewal of armed struggle follows neglect of the peace process from the far right. "[President] Duque is taking advantage of the discourse of Donald Trump to put back in place repressive politics," a human rights defender says.
(2019-09-08). UN chief welcomes prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine. un.org United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres welcomed on Sunday, yesterday's exchange of prisoners and detainees between Russia and Ukraine.
(2019-09-07). Trump lauds prisoner exchange between Russia & Ukraine as 'giant step to peace'. rt.com 
US President Donald Trump has praised the prisoner swap between Moscow and Ukraine, congratulating the two countries for making such a move and naming it a "giant step to peace." | Earlier in the day, Russia surrendered 35 individuals to Ukraine that had been held in its prisons and detainment centers, receiving an equal amount of people in return. | Weighing in, Trump wrote that it was indeed a step forward. | Very good news, perhaps a first giant step to peace. Congratulations to both countries!
(2019-09-07). Texas protest says "No kids in cages" fightbacknews.org Arlington, TX – 60 people showed up at a protest organized by the Progressive Student Union (PSU) at the University of Texas at Arlington, September 4, against the Trump administration's change to of policy on the detention of undocumented children. | Mark Napieralski, an organizer from the Progressive Student Union, spoke about how the Flores Agreement banned holding children indefinitely – and how the Trump administration is moving to keep children in indefinite detention in concentration camps along the southern border. | Speakers at the rally included Minister Katie Hays from the Galileo Church and Harold Ch…
(2019-09-06). North Carolina Did What SCOTUS Wouldn't — Ended GOP Gerrymandering. therealnews.com 
A North Carolina state court panel stopped the GOP's gerrymandering plan by ruling that the maps drawn for GOP-dominated voting districts were in violating of the state's constitution, and of the rights of North Carolina voters…
(2019-09-06). Headlines for September 6, 2019. democracynow.org Hurricane Dorian Death Toll in Bahamas Rises to 30, Likely Far Higher, Trump Personally Altered Map to Promote False Hurricane Threat to Alabama, Brazilian Archbishops Denounce Amazon Fires, Brazil's President Taunts U.N. Human Rights Chief over Her Family's Torture by Pinochet, Taliban Suicide Blast Kills 12 in Afghan Capital, Including Two NATO Soldiers, Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwean Liberation Fighter Turned Dictator, Dies at 95, Mike Pence Stayed in Trump Golf Resort 180+ Miles from Talks with Irish Leaders, Brother of British PM Boris Johnson Quits Parliament over Brexit, Federal Judge Rules Federal Terrorism Wa…
(2019-09-06). End religious discrimination. greenleft.org.au 
civil rightsIssue 1236 Australia religious discrimination bill LGBTI MelbourneSeptember 6, 2019A rally against the proposed religious exemptions bill was held in Melbourne on August 31. | The bill wo…
(2019-09-06). NSW to mobilise for free, safe abortion. greenleft.org.au 
abortion decriminalisation Pip HinmanIssue 1236 Australia Reproductive Health Care Reform Bill 2019 reproductive rightsSeptember 6, 2019Supporters of the r…
(2019-09-05). Russia and Turkey's ongoing cooperation provokes tension with Europe and the US. uwidata.com 
Turkey's purchase of the Russian S-400 systems (in spite of US sanctions and threats), along with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's recent visit to Russia and joint inspection of the latest Su-35 and Su-57 fighters with Russian President Vladimir Putin, are both clear indications of the ongoing split in the American-European axis. The US quickly …
(2019-09-05). Was the imprisonment of Iranian-American journalist Marzieh Hashemi spun into expanded US sanctions? thegrayzone.com The relationship between former Air Force analyst-turned-Iranian spy Monica Witt and Hashemi — who was jailed by US authorities this…
(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). Civil rights conference featuring renowned activist Angela Davis to gather in Chicago this November. fightbacknews.org Chicago, IL – Founded in 1973 as an organization that grew out of the movement to free the wrongfully imprisoned Angela Davis and other political prisoners, the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression is set to relaunch this November. This refounding, led by the Chicago Alliance against Racist and Political Repression (CAARPR) and other organizations, will be taking place in Chicago, Illinois on November 22-24 at the Chicago Teachers' Union Hall. | The organizers' main objectives for this conference are to continue to build the struggle for police accountability as well as stand in solidari…
(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). 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). 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…
(2019-08-30). 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 Would Have Violated Media's First Amendment Rights, News Outlets Say. theintercept.com Update: September 6, 2019 | After protests from multiple media organizations, public relations officers at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay have dropped their request for reporters to sign a new set of rules as a precondition for attending military commission proceedings. Reporters must still sign Defense Department ground rules that have been in place since 2010. | 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 t…
(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). 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…
(2019-08-22). A Louisiana Parish Jailed a U.S. Citizen for Being Latinx. We're Suing. aclu.org Officers in a Louisiana jail held a U.S. citizen for four days on an immigration hold simply because of his skin color and name. | Ramon Torres had been a U.S. citizen for nearly ten years when he was detained for four days on an immigration hold — despite having a U.S. passport, a Louisiana driver's license, and a Social Security card, and despite that fact that a court ordered his release. | Torres' ordeal began in August 2018, when he was pulled over and arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated. Torres, a naturalized U.S. citizen since 2009, was carrying multiple forms of identification, inclu…
(2019-08-21). An Arizona Law Requires Surveillance of People Who Are Presumed Innocent. aclu.org The government cannot take shortcuts around constitutional rights. | A pillar of our democracy is the presumption of innocence: before a person has been convicted of a crime, they are considered completely innocent under the law. Yet across the country, people who have not been convicted are punished—both explicitly and implicitly—based on the mistaken assumption that they are dangerous, purely on the basis of an accusation. We do not live in a society where you can be incarcerated or monitored simply because you have been accused of a crime. Doing so violates constitutional rights, fuels mass incarce…
(2019-08-19). Trump is Taking More Money for Raids and Detention. Congress Should Stop Him. aclu.org Without congressional checks, ICE and CBP will continue to overspend and overstep. | 08/27/19 Update: Congress made public today a document outlining the Department of Homeland Security's plan to take nearly $280 million in funds meant for FEMA, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the TSA, among other critical priorities. Over $115 million of these funds will go towards President Trump's growing detention and deportations of immigrants, with the rest being used for sham border courts to…
(2019-08-19). SPLC, allies sue ICE for ignoring medical, mental health and disability needs of detained immigrants. splcenter.org Faour Abdallah Fraihat, who ran a successful construction business for years in California, is currently in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
(2019-08-16). Ernest Coverson on Guns & Human Rights, Carey Gillam Under Attack From Monsanto. fair.org 
Media…
(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…
(2019-08-12). Venezuela Secures New Chinese Oil Investment. venezuelanalysis.com The move defies the US embargo's secondary sanction provisions targeting foreign firms trading with Venezuela.
(2019-08-06). 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.
(2019-07-25). 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.
(2019-06-25). Peace Action Endorses Ilhan Omar for Congress. peaceaction.org Washington, DC — June 25, 2019 — Peace Action has announced its endorsement of Ilhan Omar for Congress in Minnesota's 5th Congressional District. Peace Action is a national grassroots organization working to advance nuclear disarmament, promote government spending priorities that support human needs, encourage real security through international cooperation and human rights, and support nonmilitary …
(2019-06-24). Peace Action Endorses Kara Eastman for Congress. peaceaction.org Washington, DC — June 24, 2019 — Peace Action has announced its endorsement of Kara Eastman for Congress in Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District. Peace Action is a national grassroots organization working to advance nuclear disarmament, promote government spending priorities that support human needs, encourage real security through international cooperation and human rights, and support nonmilitary …