'Pathway to Peace' Would Revolutionize US Foreign Policy
Ilhan Omar | zcomm.org | 2020-02-21
The seven bills would steer US foreign policy towards international norms and remove support for human rights violators. While the chances are slim that these bills will pass, they outline a progressive foreign policy.
zcomm.org/znetarticle/pathway-to-peace-would-revolutionize-us-foreign-policy/
Extensive Chemical Safety Fraud Uncovered at German Testing Laboratory
Jonathan Latham | counterpunch.org | 2020-02-21
The case of an animal rights activist who infiltrated an independent German chemical testing laboratory has triggered the discovery of an apparently extensive chemical testing fraud. LPT Hamburg, with around 175 employees, is one of the largest contract laboratories in Germany. It is a family owned private company. It prepares regulatory studies on behalf of…
counterpunch.org/2020/02/21/extensive-chemical-safety-fraud-uncovered-at-german-testing-laboratory/
UN List of Firms Aiding Israel's Settlements was Dead on Arrival
Jonathan Cook | counterpunch.org | 2020-02-21
Nazareth. After lengthy delays, the United Nations finally published a database last week of businesses that have been profiting from Israel's illegal settlement activity in the West Bank. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, announced that 112 major companies had been identified as operating in Israeli settlements in ways that violate human…
counterpunch.org/2020/02/21/un-list-of-firms-aiding-israels-settlements-was-dead-on-arrival/
Windrush draft 'branding Home Office institutionally racist was watered down'
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2020-02-21
A warning not to water down a review into the Windrush scandal has been issued after it was reported that a portion branding the Home Office "institutionally racist" was stripped out. | The delayed independent review was commissioned after people with a right to live in the UK were wrongfully detained or deported to the Caribbean. | The Times reported sources saying the phrase "institutionally racist" was included in an earlier draft of the Windrush review led by Inspector of Constabulary Wendy Williams, but had subsequently been removed. | Labour MP David Lammy, a vocal campaigner over the scandal caused by the…
thecanary.co/uk/news/2020/02/21/windrush-draft-branding-home-office-institutionally-racist-was-watered-down/
Don't Extradite Julian Assange Says Council of Europe's Commissioner for Human Rights
sputniknews.com | 2020-02-21
On 28 January the parliamentary arm of Europe's largest human rights body, the Council of Europe, passed a resolution on media freedom declaring that Julian Assange's extradition to the US "must be barred" and that he "must be promptly released". The body is made up of 327 legislatures from each of the Council's 47 members, which includes the UK.
sputniknews.com/europe/202002211078369422-dont-extradite-julian-assange-says-council-of-europes-commissioner-for-human-rights/
New push on cyber 'security' laws
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2020-02-21
cyber security laws Viv MileyIssue 1254 Australia privacy Bill of RightsFebruary 21, 2020Worried about online privacy? You should be. Not only are social media corporations spying on you, thanks to Austral…
greenleft.org.au/content/new-push-cyber-security-laws
The Supreme Court Will Decide Whether Asylum Seekers Receive Their Day in Court
Nicky Vogt | aclu.org | 2020-02-20
In March, we will be in front of the U.S. Supreme Court to defend the right to a day in court for asylum seekers and other vulnerable noncitizens. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) vs. Vijayakumar Thuraissigiam considers whether immigrants are entitled to seek judicial review of their expedited removal orders in federal court. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals agreed with our argument that the Constitution guarantees that individuals deprived of their liberty have their day in federal court. | That decision w…
aclu.org/news/immigrants-rights/the-supreme-court-will-decide-whether-asylum-seekers-receive-their-day-in-court
Minnesota House subcommittee passes bill to end local jail contracts with ICE
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2020-02-20
St. Paul, MN – On February 19, the House Subcommittee on Local Government voted to pass House File 3060. HF 3060 is a bill that would end contracts that local jails in Minnesota have with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to detain people facing civil immigration charges. Currently several county jails in Minnesota have contracts with ICE to hold hundreds of immigrants facing deportation. | The bill, sponsored by democrat Representative Fue Lee, who represents part of north Minneapolis, will now advance to the Government Operations Committee. | Before voting on the bill, the committee heard testimony fr…
fightbacknews.org/2020/2/20/minnesota-house-subcommittee-passes-bill-end-local-jail-contracts-ice
Immigrant rights activists rally at MN capitol for driver's licenses for all
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2020-02-20
St. Paul, MN – More than 40 immigrant rights activists from all over the state of Minnesota rallied at the capitol here, February 11, the opening day of the legislative session. People traveled from as far as Zimmerman and Rochester to participate in the action. The rally and lobbying action were organized by Minnesota Immigrant Movement (MIM) and Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC). Activists asked the Minnesota legislature to support driver's licenses for all and to make Minnesota a sanctuary state. | Dressed in red, MIM and MIRAC members rallied in the rotunda of the capitol, calling on represe…
fightbacknews.org/2020/2/19/immigrant-rights-activists-rally-mn-capitol-driver-s-licenses-all
We won a major victory for voting rights
splcenter.org | 2020-02-20
splcenter.org/news/2020/02/20/we-won-major-victory-voting-rights
US slaps sanctions on Russian oil company trading with Venezuela
wsws.org | 2020-02-20
The unilateral sanctions are aimed at tightening the US blockade of Venezuela's crisis-ridden economy.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/02/20/vene…
Commission of Detainees' Affairs Calls for Release of Dying Prisoner
IMEMC & Agencies | imemc.org | 2020-02-20
The Israeli occupation authorities transferred Palestinian prisoner suffering from cancer, Muwaffaq Arouq, 77, from Barzilai Medical Center, back to al-Ramleh prison clinic, despite his deteriorated health condition. Commission of Detainees' Affairs said in a statement, on Wednesday, that Arouq was transferred from Barzilai Medical Center, a 617-bed hospital in Ashkelon, …
imemc.org/article/commission-of-detainees-affairs-calls-for-release-of-dying-prisoner/
U.S. Resident Indefinitely Detained Without Charge Secures His Day In Court
Jonathan Hafetz | aclu.org | 2020-02-20
Adham Hassoun will | finally have his day in court. A federal judge has rejected the government's sweeping | claim that it can, on its own say-so, indefinitely imprison him without charge | and without a fair trial. | Adham is a long-time U.S. resident and a father of three. As we previously explained, Adham completed | his criminal sentence and was set to be released from prison almost three years | ago. But the government
May 1 Movement launched in Sydney
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2020-02-20
workers' rights and unions Jim McIlroyIssue 1254 Australia CFMEU MUA SydneyFebruary 20, 2020Up to 100 people attended the launch of the…
greenleft.org.au/content/may-1-movement-launched-sydney
Reza Berati's struggle remembered
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2020-02-20
refugee rights Alex SalmonIssue 1254 Australia Nauru and Christmas Island detention centresFebruary 20, 2020The Refugee Rights Action Network WA (RRAN) organised a commemoration on February 17, the 6th anniversary of the death of Kurdish-…
greenleft.org.au/content/reza-beratis-struggle-remembered
Venezuela files ICC lawsuit over US sanctions
Susan Price | greenleft.org.au | 2020-02-20
international solidarity Paul DobsonIssue 1254 Venezuela ICC International Court of Justice US blockadeFebruary 20, 202…
greenleft.org.au/content/venezuela-files-icc-lawsuit-over-us-sanctions
'We Are Proud to Stand By His Side': High-Profile Muslim Rights Group Emgage Endorses Bernie Sanders for President
Eoin Higgins, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2020-02-20
"Senator Sanders has built a historically inclusive and forward-thinking movement: one that represents America as a set of ideas grounded in the belief that all humans are equal and worthy of a dignified life." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
commondreams.org/news/2020/02/20/we-are-proud-stand-his-side-high-profile-muslim-rights-group-emgage-endorses-bernie?cd-origin=rss
CNN reporter triggered by Fox interviewing InfoWars' 'Gun Girl' quickly reminded of own network's history with racists & criminals
rt.com | 2020-02-19
In a case of the pot calling the kettle black, Oliver Darcy fumed at Fox News describing Kaitlin Bennet as a "gun rights activist" after her tumultuous visit to a college campus. Twitter was quick to remind him of CNN's own sins. | …
rt.com/usa/481244-cnn-fox-kaitlin-bennett-ohio/
Scotland is putting the Tories to shame over women's rights
Steve Topple | thecanary.co | 2020-02-19
Scotland could well be about to lead the way in an area of women's rights. If the move happens, it will put the Westminster, Conservative-led government to shame. But the deal is not a done one just yet. | Period poverty: | Period poverty is when girls and women can't afford sanitary products. As the website Global Women Connected noted, it's a major issue across the UK. This is because: |
thecanary.co/trending/2020/02/19/scotland-is-putting-the-tories-to-shame-over-womens-rights/
How Much Cruelty Can Trump Get Away With? Ask Obama
Rebecca Gordon | thenation.com | 2020-02-19
How Much Cruelty Can Trump Get Away With? Ask Obama.
thenation.com/article/politics/trump-obama-torture/
Brexit trade talks 'a different ball game' to Canada agreement, PM warned
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2020-02-19
Boris Johnson has been warned that the European Union (EU) views negotiations with the UK as a "different ball game" to the trade talks which secured an agreement with Canada. | The prime minister wants a Canada-style trade deal which would leave the UK free to diverge from EU rules. | But a key aide to Brussels' chief negotiator Michel Barnier said the EU would not budge from its insistence on a "level playing field" on state subsidies, environmental protections and workers' rights as the price of any deal. | Stefaan De Rynck said: "It's clear that for us it's a different ball game that we are playing with the U…
thecanary.co/uk/news/2020/02/19/brexit-trade-talks-a-different-ball-game-to-canada-agreement-pm-warned/
No to religious discrimination
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2020-02-19
LGBTI rights Chris JenkinsIssue 1254 Australia anti-discrimination law LGBTI communityFebruary 19, 2020As people were fleeing their burning homes and volunteer firefighters were crowdfundi…
greenleft.org.au/content/no-religious-discrimination
Uphold rainbow rights and kill the religious privilege bill
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2020-02-19
LGBTI rights Paul GregoireIssue 1254 Australia homophobia Anti-Discrimination lawsFebruary 19, 2020Mardi Gras season is upon us, a good time to reflect on the government that is about to table…
greenleft.org.au/content/uphold-rainbow-rights-and-kill-religious-privilege-bill
ICE's Destruction of Records Must Be Stopped
Kate Oh | aclu.org | 2020-02-18
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is | notorious for committing rampant unconstitutional and inhumane abuses in its | detention system
Profiting from Loss: How Business in Illegal Israeli Settlements Continues Unchecked
Jonathan Cook | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-02-18
After lengthy delays, the United Nations finally published a database last week of businesses that have been profiting from Israel's illegal annexation and settlement activity in the West Bank. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, announced that 112 major companies had been identified as operating in Israeli settlements in ways that violate …
dissidentvoice.org/2020/02/profiting-from-loss-how-business-in-illegal-israeli-settlements-continues-unchecked/
PCHR Welcomes the Publication of UN Database on Business Enterprises Operating in Israeli Settlements
PCHR | imemc.org | 2020-02-18
On 12 February 2020, after three years of delay and consistent pressure by Palestinian, regional and international organizations, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) issued a report on business enterprises involved in certain activities related to unlawful Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT). This …
imemc.org/article/pchr-welcomes-the-publication-of-un-database-on-business-enterprises-operating-in-israeli-settlements/
Human Rights Expert: Settlement Database, an "Important Initial Step"
IMEMC & Agencies | imemc.org | 2020-02-18
Office of the High Commissioner of the United Nations published a report, on Friday, by Michael Lynk, Special Rapporteur for human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory, welcomed the newly released settlement database. Lynk stated that "While the release of the database will not, by itself, bring an end to …
imemc.org/article/human-rights-expert-settlement-database-important-initial-step/
UN rights experts 'gravely' concerned at spike in civilian casualties in north-west Myanmar following internet shutdown
news.un.org | 2020-02-18
Independent UN human rights experts on Tuesday voiced grave concern over the killing and displacement of civilians in north-west Myanmar during the intensifying conflict between the military and an armed group, the Arakan Army, amid an information blackout in some parts of Rakhine and Chin states.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/02/1057651
Courtroom erupts in response to racist decision in Gerald Reed case
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2020-02-18
Chicago, IL – The courtroom was packed February 14. This was my fourth Gerald Reed court hearing. Usually, there is a crowd of folks who show up to support Gerald and his mother, Armanda Shackleford, who has been fighting for her son since he was arrested, tortured and framed in 1990. Shackleford sits in the front row, wearing her Free Gerald Reed t-shirt. Together we sit for an hour, two hours, three, and hear powerful men debate the innocence of a man whose sentence was vacated a year ago. | But today was different. Two alderpersons were there, Rossana Rodriguez-Sanchez and Jeanette Taylor, to show their suppor…
fightbacknews.org/2020/2/18/courtroom-erupts-response-racist-decision-gerald-reed-case
Free Gerald Reed Now!
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2020-02-18
Fight Back! News Service is circulating the following statement from the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, the Chicago Torture Justice Center, and Mamas Activating Movements for Abolition and Solidarity. | Judge Thomas J. Hennelly has attempted to illegally reverse the order of another judge, Thomas V. Gainer, who vacated the conviction of Gerald Reed and ordered a new trial. Gainer vacated Reed's conviction after overwhelming evidence that his "confession" to a double murder in 1990 was the fruit of horrible torture by police working under Commander Jon Burge, torture so extreme that it b…
fightbacknews.org/2020/2/17/free-gerald-reed-now
There is a Coordinated Attack Against Trans Youth in State Legislatures
Rose Saxe | aclu.org | 2020-02-18
Less than a | month and a half into 2020, this state legislative session has seen unprecedented attacks on LGBTQ people, and an alarming focus | on bills that would harm trans youth. | Also | alarming: These bills, and the terminology used in them, use similar language and clearly come from a common | playbook. | Right now, | bills are pending in 10 states that | would criminalize l…
aclu.org/news/lgbt-rights/there-is-a-coordinated-attack-against-trans-youth-in-state-legislatures
Bill Barr Wants Sheriffs to Join His Attacks on State and Local Governments
Brian Tashman | aclu.org | 2020-02-13
Attorney General Bill Barr, speaking at the National Sheriffs' Association conference in Washington, D.C., encouraged sheriffs to join the Trump administration as it launches a "significant escalation" in the federal government's efforts to retaliate against cities and states with policies designed to protect immigrant communities. | For | Barr's Department of Justice, that escalation includes new lawsuits against | states and municipalities with immigrant-protective policies.
aclu.org/news/immigrants-rights/the-attorney-general-wants-sheriffs-to-join-his-attacks-on-state-and-local-governments
Iraq and Russia Prepare to Boost Military Ties as US Threatens Sanctions
Tyler Durden | theantimedia.com | 2020-02-08
Iraq and Russia are preparing for deepening military coordination.
Iraq and Russia Prepare to Boost Military Ties as US Threatens Sanctions
SPLC and the SPLC Action Fund Hire Internationally Renowned Human and Civil Rights Leader as New President and CEO
splcenter.org | 2020-02-02
Margaret Huang brings 25 years of experience advocating against discrimination and oppression around the world.
splcenter.org/news/2020/02/03/splc-and-splc-action-fund-hire-internationally-renowned-human-and-civil-rights-leader-new
SPLC sues Alabama school district for violating students' due process rights after cell phone is mistaken for gun
splcenter.org | 2020-01-28
Andre and his friend were taking turns on a cell phone, playing a video game called Last Day on Earth: Survival