(2019-11-29). Over 250 students arrested in Michigan by ICE in fake university scam. wsws.org After arresting 161 students in January and February earlier this year, US Immigrations and Customs Enforcement revealed that they had detained an additional 91 students in an ongoing sting operation conducted by the federal agency.
(2019-11-29). World AIDS Day at GLIDE. indybay.org Sanctuary at GLIDE Church, 330 Ellis Street at Taylor St. (enter through Taylor St. gates), San Francisco…
(2019-11-29). Evo Morales and the Rights of Mother Earth. counterpunch.org I lived in Bolivia for about 9 months in 1991, in a small town near Vinto. Vinto is the place where, a couple of week ago, a mob of thugs dragged the mayor, Patricia Arce, out of her office, cut all her hair off, drenched her in red paint and shoved her barefoot through the More
(2019-11-29). Sri Lankan president appoints minority government and puts security forces on alert. wsws.org While the new administration will continue draconian "national security" measures, it confronts deep-seated popular opposition to the attacks on social and democratic rights.
(2019-11-29). Trump signs Hong Kong "democracy" bill. wsws.org Entitled the "Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act"—and passed by the US Congress with only one dissenting voice in the House of Representatives so it was veto-proof—the legislation has nothing to do with either.
(2019-11-29). Privacy and Big Tech's Surveillance of Our Lives and Bodies. counterpunch.org Data privacy is the biggest tech human rights concern today. While this contention might seem exaggerated to some, to most people working in tech today experts are aware of how new technology poses serious threats to our privacy as the recent case of Google's recent purchase of Fitbit which ensures the tech giant's reach into More
(2019-11-29). Scott Z. Burns' The Report exposes CIA torture, then absolves the Democrats. wsws.org The Report is a film dramatization of the events surrounding the US Senate Intelligence Committee's investigation into and writing of a report on pervasive CIA torture under the Bush administration.
(2019-11-29). Indian police arrest 4 suspects following chilling rape & murder of vet in Hyderabad. rt.com 
Police have arrested four suspects in the wake a brutal rape and murder of a veterinarian in the Hyderabad area of India. Those detained include a prime suspect in the harrowing crime that has shocked the nation. | The four men were brought into custody on Friday, just one day after the badly burnt body of 27-year-old vet Priyanka Reddy was found, local media reported. The police were able to flag the suspects after browsing through CCTV footage from the crime scene. | Among those arrested is the prime suspect, identified as Mohammed Pasha, a local truck driver. Pasha, along with the other three men, is accuse…
(2019-11-29). In swipe at US, New Delhi says foreign nations must 'respect' its decision to purchase Russian S-400 systems. rt.com 
The decision to purchase Russian S-400 systems was based solely on the merit of the military hardware, India's foreign minister has said, stressing that national security will never be undermined by objections from foreign states. | Despite pressure from Washington to abandon the deal, India is set to procure five S-400 anti-air batteries as part of a $5.4 billion arms sale with Moscow. Speaking on Thursday to India's upper house, the Council of States, External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar stressed that New Delhi had made the merits of the purchase "very clear," and that national security cannot b…
(2019-11-29). Cyprus decries maritime border deal between Turkey, Libya's govt. rt.com 
Cyprus' Foreign Ministry on Friday decried an agreement between Turkey and Libya's UN-backed government to delineate the maritime boundaries between the two countries as a serious breach of international law. | The ministry said a Memorandum of Understanding the two countries signed has no legal validity and can't undermine the rights of Cyprus or other eastern Mediterranean countries, AP reports. | It also said Turkey's "distortion" of international law doesn't afford it any legal rights and demonstrates that Ankara "is alone in its views." | Turkey doesn't recognize Cyprus as a state and is conducting explor…
(2019-11-28). 'This Was a Test Case to See How a Couple of Photos Could Silence Women' – CounterSpin interview with Mallory McMaster on Katie Hill. fair.org 
Janine Jackson interviewed reproductive rights advocate Mallory McMaster about Katie Hill for the November 22, 2019, episode of CounterSpin. This is a lightly edited transcript. | Media…
(2019-11-28). Operation Condor 2.0: After Bolivia coup, Trump dubs Nicaragua 'national security threat' and targets Mexico. thegrayzone.com After presiding over a far-right coup in Bolivia, the US dubbed Nicaragua a "national security threat" and announced new sanctions,…
(2019-11-28). German autoworkers protest as unions sanction wave of jobs cuts. wsws.org Hardly a day passes without a large or small company announcing redundancies and savings measures in highly industrialize state of Baden-Wàºrttemberg in southwest Germany.
(2019-11-28). US Vows to 'Reinforce' Sanctions, Accuses Venezuela and Cuba of Stirring Regional 'Strife'. venezuelanalysis.com Elliott Abrams reiterated support for Guaido and denied that sanctions are damaging the Venezuelan economy.
(2019-11-28). Beijing Slams US Anti-China Legislation. globalresearch.ca Time and again, the US unacceptably meddles in the internal affairs of other countries — what the UN Charter's principle of non-intervention prohibits. | House and Senate members unanimously passed the so-called Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act (HKHRDA) of …
(2019-11-28). Jordan Demands Israel To Release Corpse Of Detainee Who Died In Prison. imemc.org Jordanian Foreign Minister, Ayman Safadi, has confirmed that the Kingdom has officially demanded Israel to release the corpse of detainee Sami Abu Diak, 37, who died in Israeli prisons, and to allow its transfer to Jordan to be buried by his family there. The Palestinian detainee carries what is known …
(2019-11-28). Iran's Barter Deals with China Help Decoupling from Western Economies. dissidentvoice.org According to a PressTV Report of 24 November, 2019, Iran and China are working on a trade or barter deal that would circumvent US sanctions. It would bypass US-dollar denominated transactions, exchanging Iranian oil for Chinese goods and services and investments. The head of the Tehran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (TCCIMA), Masoud …
(2019-11-28). US media ramps up anti-China campaign over Uyghur "human rights" wsws.org Washington has a long record of cynically exploiting "human rights" to justify regime-change operations, military provocations and wars, while ignoring the gross abuses of key allies.
(2019-11-28). PSC: UK Universities Invest in Companies Complicit in Israeli Crimes. imemc.org Research released by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign on the week of the United Nations 'Day of Solidarity' with The Palestinian people, has estimated that universities in the United Kingdom invest over £450,000,000 in companies complicit in Israeli violations of Palestinian human rights, including through supplying weapons and technology to the …
(2019-11-28). Trump backs Hong Kong protesters, signs 'human rights' bill… 'out of respect for President Xi'? rt.com 
President Donald Trump has approved legislation backing Hong Kong's 'pro-democracy' protest movement, disregarding Beijing's repeated warnings for Washington to mind its own business and stop meddling in China's internal affairs. | Dubbed the 'Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act,' the bill blazed through both houses of Congress earlier this month with virtually unanimous consent from lawmakers. In addition to threatening sanctions over human rights violations, the law requires the State Department to "certify" once a year whether Hong Kong enjoys sufficient "autonomy," though exactly how officials will qu…
(2019-11-28). Arundhati Roy: It's Hard to Communicate the Scale and the Shape of This Shadow Taking India Over. democracynow.org 
Human rights groups are condemning the Indian government for carrying out widespread torture, extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests and other crimes in Kashmir after the region's special status was revoked in August. We speak to the acclaimed Indian author Arundhati Roy about the crackdown in Kashmir, rising authoritarianism in India and other issues.
(2019-11-28). Vigil for West Papua. greenleft.org.au 
international solidarity Bernadette SmithIssue 1247 Australia West PapuaNovember 28, 2019Human rights activists are holding regular vigils outside the Indonesian Consulate in Sydney, calling for a United Nations-supervised referendum to allow the people of…
(2019-11-28). Animal testing saves profits, not lives. greenleft.org.au 
environment Doug Leith Mary MerkenichIssue 1247 Australia animal rights MelbourneNovember 28, 2019Melbourne Save Animals in Lab…
(2019-11-28). Argentina: abortion rights in sight. greenleft.org.au 
abortion rights Pip Hinman Rosana FanjulIssue 1247 Argentina reproductive rightsNovember 28, 2019Pro-choice campaigners are hopeful that Argentinian president-elect Alberto Fernández will…
(2019-11-28). The Ensuring Integrity Bill is not just an attack on unions. It's an attack on our prospects for a better future. greenleft.org.au 
workers' rights Tim GoodenIssue 1247 Australia Ensuring Integrity BillNovember 28, 2019The federal Coalition government's latest union-busting bill is not only an attack on the rights of workers to organise for better wages and conditions — it…
(2019-11-28). Sam Watson 1952-2019: A giant of the Aboriginal rights struggle. greenleft.org.au 
Indigenous rights Jim McIlroyIssue 1247 Australia Sam WatsonNovember 28, 2019Sam Watson, a leader of the Aboriginal rights struggle, died on November 27, aged 67. A prominent author, playwright and filmmaker, Watson was also the Socialist Alliance's (SA) Aboriginal and…
(2019-11-27). "If I Could Just Look at Her" aclu.org 
Watch the journey of two separated parents trying to cross the border and reunite with their children.: | " data-whitelisted="false" data-domain="www.youtube.com"> | In October, the Trump administration admitted that in a 12-month period, beginning in July 2017, it separated 4,370 immigrant children from their parents at the border. Since then, over 1,000 more have been separated under a dubious loophole that all…
(2019-11-27). Storied national civil rights group re-founded at Chicago gathering. peoplesworld.org 
CHICAGO — "We share a vision for community control of the police, freedom for all political prisoners and the wrongfully convicted. Abolishing the police and prisons, is part of a larger vision of changing and abolishing governments that oppress us," declared Frank Chapman, to a gathering here Nov. 22-24 to re-establish the National Alliance Against …
(2019-11-27). 20 Years After The Battle of Seattle: Vandana Shiva & Lori Wallach on Historic 1999 WTO Protests. democracynow.org 
Twenty years ago this week, tens of thousands of activists gathered in Seattle to shut down a ministerial meeting of the World Trade Organization. Grassroots organizers successfully blocked world leaders, government trade ministers and corporate executives from meeting to sign a global trade deal that many called deeply undemocratic, harmful to workers' rights, the environment and Indigenous people globally. On November 30, 1999, activists formed a human chain around the Seattle convention center and shut down the city's downtown. Police responded by firing tear gas and rubber bullets into the mostly peaceful cro…
(2019-11-27). Headlines for November 27, 2019. democracynow.org Trump Knew of Whistleblower Complaint When He Released Ukraine Aid, Colombian Protesters Call for Second General Strike, Chilean President Seeks to Deploy Military to Streets Amid Protests, IACHR Says Commission Should Investigate Human Rights Abuse in Bolivia, Pompeo Calls on Egypt to Respect Press Freedom, After Raid of Mada Masr, Videos Emerge of Iran's Bloody Crackdown Against Protesters, Jeremy Corbyn Condemns Anti-Semitism, After Criticism from Top Rabbi, Chemical Plant Explodes in Texas; Wildfires Rage near Santa Barbara, CA, New York City Council Votes to Ban Flavored E-Cigarettes…
(2019-11-27). In defence of human rights in Chile: An open letter to the Australian community. greenleft.org.au 
international solidarityIssue 1247 Australia ChileNovember 27, 2019We express our deep concerns about human rights violations taking place in Chile, including the de facto war that billionaire President Sebastian Piñera has unleashed on his people. | On October 18, Chilean students took to the streets to protest a hike in public transport…
(2019-11-26). 'Erdogan thumbs his nose at Trump': US senator says Turkey crossed 'another red line' with S-400 test, calls for new sanctions. rt.com 
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is mocking the US and has crossed a new "red line" as Ankara decided to start testing its S-400 air defense systems, a US senator said, calling for new sanctions against Turkey. | Turkey's persistence in its desire to actually use the armaments it procured from Russia was bemoaned by US Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen in a bitter tweet.The official said that Ankara's push for testing radars of the S-400 systems just two weeks a…
(2019-11-26). PETA mocked over demand for University of Georgia to retire 'miserable' bulldog mascot. rt.com 
The militant animal rights group PETA has called for the retirement of University of Georgia's bulldog mascot, posting a video supposedly showing him looking miserable. The message backfired among the offended Dawgs fans. | "He looks miserable," tweeted People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) on Monday, posting a video of Uga X at a rainy-day football game. Uga was sitting dry in a dog house while people around him endured the wet and cold weather. | HE LOOKS MISERABLE! | No dog deserves to be packed up, carted from state to state, and paraded in front of a stadium full of screaming fans. | Animals…
(2019-11-26). "An Attack on the Human Rights Movement": Israel Deports Human Rights Watch Monitor. democracynow.org 
The Israeli government deported the director of Human Rights Watch's Israel and Palestine office, Omar Shakir, on Monday. The organization said the move places Israel in an "ugly club" of authoritarian regimes. Israel has accused Shakir of supporting the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, a nonviolent global campaign aiming to pressure Israel over its treatment of Palestinians. A 2017 Israeli law bans foreigners from Israel if they publicly support the BDS movement. Omar Shakir joins us from Stockholm to discuss his recent deportation and his plans to address the European Parliament regarding Israel's sy…
(2019-11-26). We're Grateful for the Constitution. aclu.org Thanksgiving is here: that time of year when we pause to take stock of all we're grateful for. At the ACLU, we're saying thanks for all the crucial wins from our legal teams — and for the Constitution. | In just the last few months, we've racked up many essential victories in the ongoing battle to protect civil liberties and civil rights. The scope of these victories is breathtaking: they span criminal justice, privacy, religious freedom, reproductive rights, due process for immigrants, racial justice, LGBTQ rights, and the right to protest the Keystone pipeline, among others. We've won crucial victories…
(2019-11-26). Footballers' union registers record growth after huge equal pay win. greenleft.org.au 
sport workers' rights & unions women's liberation Kerry SmithIssue 1247 AustraliaNovember 26, 2019The Professional Footballers Association (PFA), the union representing Australia'..
(2019-11-25). Blinded Palestinian Journalist Exposes Israel's Increasing Violence Against Media. mintpressnews.com 
2018 saw a 52 percent increase in the number of violations against Palestinian press, the majority of them comprised physical abuse, arrests or detentions, questioning, preventing coverage and shutting down websites and social media accounts.
(2019-11-25). In Nicaragua, She Dodged Bullets. Now She's Stuck at the Border. aclu.org 
(Ciudad Juarez, Mexico) The sting of tear gas was still in Julia's eyes when she ran into a public park in the center of the Nicaraguan city of Estelí on June 20, 2018. Earlier that day, she'd wrapped her face in a blue-and-white bandanna — the colors of the Nicaraguan flag — and joined a student-led march against the government of President Daniel Ortega, whose proposed cuts to social benefits were sparking tense street demonstrations across the country. [Note: 'Julia' is a pseudonym; the ACLU is protecting her identity for her safety.] | As the students marched through the streets, paramilitary p…
(2019-11-25). The Trump Administration is Unlawfully Detaining a U.S. Resident Without Charge. aclu.org Adham | Hassoun completed his criminal sentence and was set to be released from prison almost | three years ago. But the government — now claiming unprecedented and | unconstitutional powers under the USA Patriot Act — continues to hold Adham in | detention, indefinitely and without charge. | We're | in court to secure his freedom. | Adham | has called the United States home for 30 years. Born in Lebanon to Palestinian | refugees, Adham and his family — like many other refugees — suffered…
(2019-11-25). Violence against women a barrier to peaceful future for all. news.un.org Senior officials from across the United Nations on Monday stood in solidarity with survivors of violence against women and activists working to end the all-too common human rights violation.
(2019-11-25). Amnesty International Toes US Gov't Line in Urging Unrest in Iran. mintpressnews.com The US gov't has long attempted to foment popular uprisings and hijack or manipulate protests in Iran, now rights groups like Amnesty International, seem to be parroting the tactic.
(2019-11-25). Headlines for November 25, 2019. democracynow.org Navy Secretary Ousted amid Dispute over Accused War Criminal Eddie Gallagher, Released State Dept. Emails Implicate Pompeo in Giuliani Ukraine Plot, Bloomberg Jumps into 2020 Race by Buying Millions in Campaign Ads, Sen. Graham Blocked Armenian Genocide Resolution at White House Request, Ruth Bader Ginsburg Released from Hospital in Good Health, Hong Kong: Pro-Democracy Candidates Win Nearly 90% Seats in Local Elections, Security Forces Raid Offices of Egypt's Last Independent Media Outlet, Iraqi Security Forces Kill 13 Protesters amid Anti-Government Demonstrations, Israel Deporting Head of Human Rights Watch's…
(2019-11-25). Police Raid Egypt's Last Independent News Outlet Mada Masr Amid "Increasingly Hostile" Media Climate. democracynow.org 
Egyptian security forces raided the office of Mada Masr, the country's last independent media outlet, and arrested three of its journalists this weekend. The raid began Sunday afternoon, when nine plainclothes security officers entered the Mada Masr office in Cairo, seizing phones and laptops and holding the staff in the building for more than three hours. They then arrested editor-in-chief Lina Attalah, managing editor Mohamed Hamama and reporter Rana Mamdouh. It came just a day after security forces arrested senior editor Shady Zalat at his home. All four journalists were released from detention Sunday night. T…
(2019-11-24). A staggering one-in-three women, experience physical, sexual abuse. news.un.org Violence against women and girls is among the most widespread, and devastating human rights violations in the world, but much of it is often unreported due to impunity, shame and gender inequality, the UN highlighted ahead of Monday's World Day to stamp out abuse of women and girls.
(2019-11-22). Meet the Tucson 12: Under Trump, Protesters Are Being Hit With Felony Riot Charges. theintercept.com 
Illustration: Hanna Barczyk for The Intercept | On the night of August 14, a small group of around 20 Tucson, Arizona-based activists and community members stood outside the Pima County Adult Detention Complex, making noise. They sang, they chanted, they banged drums and pans loud enough to reach the ears of those caged behind the facility's beige concrete walls. Standing on a sidewalk, some lit small, handheld fireworks; others held up a large banner bearing the famed prison abolitionist refrain, "Fire to the prisons." The message to those inside, as with most every noise demonstration held outside a prison:…
(2019-11-22). Congress Quietly Unites To Extend "Temporary" Patriot Act Under Cover Of The Impeachment Distraction. thelastamericanvagabond.com The only time Republicans and Democrats can agree is when they are discussing the expansion of the permanent war and surveillance state. The Last American Vagabond takes a closer look at the many layers of deception about how legislation gets pushed through which contains buried provisions that further erode the U.S. Constitution and liberty. This is …
(2019-11-22). U.N. Rapporteur: Julian Assange Has Faced Psychological Torture; He Should Not Be Extradited to U.S. democracynow.org 
This week Swedish prosecutors dropped an investigation into sexual assault allegations against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, stemming from 2010. Assange, who has always denied the allegations, took refuge inside the Ecuadorian embassy in London for over seven years to avoid extradition to Sweden on the charges. British authorities dragged him out of the Ecuadorian embassy in April and he has since been jailed in London's Belmarsh prison on charges related to skipping of bail in 2012, when he first entered the embassy to avoid extradition to Sweden over the now-dropped sexual assault charges. The United States…
(2019-11-21). Weekend Read: The struggle for Native American voting rights. splcenter.org November is Native American Heritage Month — a fitting time to honor the resistance and resilience of Native peoples, including their fight to be heard by and represented in the government that dispossessed them for centuries.
(2019-11-21). Congress Just Temporarily Extended the Government's Spying Powers. aclu.org Congress today temporarily extended the NSA's spying powers that time and again have been used to violate our rights. Disturbingly, this three-month extension was snuck into a broader funding bill, forcing members of Congress to choose between extending this program and causing a government shutdown. The extension is an unnecessary lifeline to spying programs that are plagued with compliance violations, have no proven intelligence value, and violate our rights. | Under Section 215 of the Patriot Act, one of the spying | powers extended, the government believes it has the right to collect our | personal inform…
(2019-11-20). Transgender Day of Remembrance: "Celebrate the Living" While Honoring Loved Ones Lost to Hate. democracynow.org 
November 20 is Transgender Day of Remembrance, a day that honors the thousands of transgender and gender nonconforming people who have been killed around the world. The Day of Remembrance is also a celebration of the community's resistance and a call to action to fight for policies and a shift in culture that protects trans lives. At least 22 transgender and gender nonconforming people have been killed in the United States this year, and over 3,000 transgender and gender nonconforming lives have been taken since 2008 around the world. We speak with LaLa B Zannell, longtime transgender rights advocate and the co-p…