Jewish Activists Demand Governor Newsom Release Detainees In Light of Covid-19 Outbreak
Leon Kunstenaar | indybay.org | 2020-03-22
In a March 21 press release, Never Again Action Bay Area calls on Governor Newsom to take immediate steps to release migrants from unsanitary, overcrowded "death camp" detention centers…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/03/21/18831710.php
Santa Rita Jail Solidarity During the Coronavirus Pandemic
IWOC Oakland | indybay.org | 2020-03-22
As businesses, schools, and institutions close to reduce the transmission of COVID-19, many people are wondering how to support people in jails, prisons, and immigration detention centers.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/03/19/18831666.php
Jewish Activists Demand Governor Newsom Release Detainees In Light of Covid-19 Outbreak
Leon Kunstenaar | indybay.org | 2020-03-22
In a March 21 press release, Never Again Action Bay Area calls on Governor Newsom to take immediate steps to release migrants from unsanitary, overcrowded "death camp" detention centers…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/03/21/18831710.php
The Coronavirus Conundrum and Human Rights
Neve Gordon, Catherine Rottenberg | commondreams.org | 2020-03-22
Let's not allow our leaders to use this crisis to push for repressive tactics domestically. (Photo: U.S. Army Photo by John Pellino/flickr) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
commondreams.org/views/2020/03/22/coronavirus-conundrum-and-human-rights?cd-origin=rss
ACLU Demands the Release from Prisons and Jails of Communities Vulnerable to COVID-19
ACLU-NC | indybay.org | 2020-03-22
ACLU Also Calls for Release of People Currently in Pretrial Detention Because of Cash Bail to Prevent a Public Health Crisis…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/03/19/18831668.php
Iran Doubts US Aid Amid Pandemic, Suspects Their Involvement in Virus Spread – Supreme Leader
sputniknews.com | 2020-03-22
According to the head of state, Washington has offered to help Tehran fight the coronavirus outbreak. At the same time, the United States stated this week that there will be no sanctions relief for Iran, despite calls to ease the pressure amid the coronavirus pandemic.
sputniknews.com/world/202003221078664569-iran-doubts-us-aid-amid-pandemic-suspects-their-involvement-in-virus-spread—supreme-leader/
Because of the Threat of Coronavirus Turning ICE Detention Into 'Death Camps,' Groups Rallying to Free Families Held Around Country
Eoin Higgins, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2020-03-22
commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/border_3.jpg …
Coronavirus crisis causes surge in dangerous channel crossings by desperate refugees
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2020-03-21
Fears around the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic have caused a surge in refugees trying to cross the English channel to the UK. The refugees risk their lives making these journeys in dangerous inflatable boats.Border patrols have blocked more than a 100 refugees from entering the UK this week. There are fears that 3,000 refugees living in desperate conditions in northern France are at high risk of contracting coronavirus.Desperation: Care4Calais founder Clare Moseley said it was only a matter of time before the virus swept through refugee camps.Bella Sankey, director of charity Detention Action, told the P…
thecanary.co/discovery/news-discovery/2020/03/21/coronavirus-crisis-causes-surge-in-dangerous-channel-crossings-by-desperate-refugees/
[Comment] UN General Assembly tuberculosis targets: are we on track?
Suvanand Sahu, Lucica Ditiu, Lovett Lawson, Francine Ntoumi, Denise Arakaki, Alimuddin Zumla | thelancet.com | 2020-03-21
The 2018 UN General Assembly (UNGA) Political Declaration on Tuberculosis was a turning point in global efforts to end the tuberculosis epidemic.1,2 Ambitious targets were set for scale-up and roll-out of diagnostic, treatment, and prevention services, political commitments, principles of equity and human rights, and financing, implementation, and research. Targets included diagnosing and treating an additional 40 million people with tuberculosis by 2022 and generating US$13 billion per year for tuberculosis care and prevention and $2 billion per year for research and development.
thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30565-1/fulltext?rss=yes
How the ACLU Organized to end Racial Profiling on Greyhound Buses
Andrea Flores | aclu.org | 2020-03-20
Two years ago, the ACLU set a clear goal: push Greyhound to refuse Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers access to their buses to conduct warrantless searches. As part of the Trump administration's immigration crackdown, CBP officers were targeting bus passengers around the country, boarding their buses to racially profile, harass, and too often, detain people who they suspected of being undocumented. Of course, you can't tell someone's immigration status by how they look or sound
Expert: US sanctions on Iran, Venezuela during pandemic could be genocidal
Aaron Maté | thegrayzone.com | 2020-03-20
Intensified US sanctions on Iran, Venezuela during the COVID-19 pandemic could amount to genocide, a former UN expert warns. Iran…
thegrayzone.com/2020/03/20/expert-us-sanctions-on-iran-venezuela-during-pandemic-could-be-genocidal/
It's Been Open Season on Voting Rights Since SCOTUS Gutted Voting Rights Act
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-03-20
Election protection is increasingly seen as a critical issue in the US. Since the gutting of the Voting Rights Act by the Supreme Court, there have been problems with voter purging, voter ID laws, what some call modern-day 'poll taxes', precinct closures, and difficulties with voting machines. Congress has noted serious attempts to hack into voting systems in the US based in partisan politics. Women Rising Radio joins two election protection activists to talk about threats to the U.S. electoral p…
truthout.org/audio/its-been-open-season-on-voting-rights-since-scotus-gutted-voting-rights-act/
UN rights chief urges South Sudan authorities to address inter-communal violence
news.un.org | 2020-03-20
Authorities in South Sudan must address intercommunal violence if the nation is to achieve lasting peace, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said on Friday, in response to a recent escalation in fighting in the east and central parts of the country.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/03/1059822
Stop Tightening the Thumb Screws against Iran. A Humanitarian Message
Kathy Kelly | globalresearch.ca | 2020-03-20
U.S. sanctions against Iran, cruelly strengthened in March of 2018, continue a collective punishment of extremely vulnerable people. Presently, the U.S. "maximum pressure" policy severely undermines Iranian efforts to cope with the ravages of COVID-19, causing hardship and tragedy while …
globalresearch.ca/stop-tightening-thumb-screws-humanitarian-message/5706832
Stop Tightening the Thumb Screws against Iran. A Humanitarian Message
Kathy Kelly | globalresearch.ca | 2020-03-20
U.S. sanctions against Iran, cruelly strengthened in March of 2018, continue a collective punishment of extremely vulnerable people. Presently, the U.S. "maximum pressure" policy severely undermines Iranian efforts to cope with the ravages of COVID-19, causing hardship and tragedy while …
globalresearch.ca/stop-tightening-thumb-screws-humanitarian-message/5706832
Sanctions: Unilateral Coercive Measures for Regime Change in Venezuela
Nino Pagliccia | globalresearch.ca | 2020-03-20
In discussing the issue of "sanctions" there are two main points that need to be made. One is the use of the correct terminology when referring to the government actions that the US, Canada and the EU take in order …
globalresearch.ca/sanctions-unilateral-coercive-measures-regime-change-venezuela/5706847
Iran's IMF Request Shows Just How Desperate Tehran has Become
Andrew Korybko | globalresearch.ca | 2020-03-20
The combination of crippling American sanctions, the compliance with the aforesaid by the US' "comprehensive global strategic partner" India (formerly one of Tehran's top energy partners) out of fear of so-called "secondary sanctions", the uncontrollable outbreak of COVID-19 in the …
globalresearch.ca/iran-imf-request-shows-desperate/5706926
Fighting COVID 19 in Cuba, China and the United States
W. T. Whitney | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-20
Governments, according to Thomas Jefferson, are supposed to guarantee people's rights to "life liberty and the pursuit of happiness." COVID 19 has out people's lives and health in the spotlight now. What kind of tools do governments have at their disposal to protect lives and health? Cuba has the advantages of forward-looking leadership, well-orchestrated state…
counterpunch.org/2020/03/20/fighting-covid-19-in-cuba-china-and-the-united-states/
Fighting COVID-19 in Cuba, China, and the United States
W. T. Whitney Jr. | peoplesworld.org | 2020-03-20
Governments, according to Thomas Jefferson, are supposed to guarantee people's rights to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." COVID-19 has put people's lives and health in the spotlight now. What kinds of tools do governments have at their disposal to protect lives and health? Cuba has the advantages of forward-looking leadership, well-orchestrated state planning, …
peoplesworld.org/article/fighting-covid-19-in-cuba-china-and-the-united-states/
Grassroots effort sponsored by SPLC protects voting rights for hundreds across South Florida
splcenter.org | 2020-03-20
Clutching a clipboard full of voter registration forms under his arm, Marq Mitchell knocked on the front door of a small, beige, stucco house in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
splcenter.org/news/2020/03/20/grassroots-effort-sponsored-splc-protects-voting-rights-hundreds-across-south-florida
The Sudanese Ousted a Dictator Last Year–Why Is Washington Still Imposing Sanctions?
Mitchell Plitnick | thenation.com | 2020-03-20
The Sudanese Ousted a Dictator Last Year–Why Is Washington Still Imposing Sanctions?
thenation.com/article/world/sudan-revolution-sanctions-trump/
'In This Dark Hour for the Iranian People,' Groups Demand Trump End Inhumane Sanctions Amid COVID-19 Outbreak
Jessica Corbett, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2020-03-20
More than two dozen U.S. organizations came together Friday to pressure the Trump administration to recognize the coronavirus pandemic as a "shared threat" and temporarily ease economic sanctions on Iran, one of the countries hardest hit by the disease with nearly 20,000 COVID-19 cases and over 1,400 deaths. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
commondreams.org/news/2020/03/20/dark-hour-iranian-people-groups-demand-trump-end-inhumane-sanctions-amid-covid-19?cd-origin=rss
We Know Prisons Need COVID-19 Plans, but our Arizona Prison Tour Suggests it's not Happening
Corene Kendrick | aclu.org | 2020-03-19
Earlier this month, the Prison Law Office and the ACLU National Prison Project filed an emergency motion in federal court in Phoenix. The motion asks the judge to order the Arizona Department of Corrections (ADC) to consult with a correctional health care expert to develop a plan to prevent, manage, and treat any COVID-19 outbreaks in the state's 10 prisons. You might think this is an obvious request, but we've spent the last decade observing the Arizona pri…
aclu.org/news/prisoners-rights/we-know-prisons-need-covid-19-plans-our-arizona-prison-tour-suggests-its-not-happening
The Military Should not be Searching Cars or Checking Documents at the Border
Shaw Drake | aclu.org | 2020-03-18
There's an old saying that goes, "When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail." This adage is especially applicable to the Trump administration's approach toward border policy, which is ever more militarized. On March 6th, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials announced that the Department of Defense would deploy 160 active-duty troops to ports of entry at the border
How Victims of the US' "Maximum Pressure" Campaign Are Coping with Coronavirus
Vanessa Beeley | mintpressnews.com | 2020-03-18
Despite crippling sanctions, years of war, military intervention and a "maximum pressure "campaign that has only increased since the coronavirus began, victims of America's heavy-handed foreign policy are rising to the challenge.
mintpressnews.com/victims-us-maximum-pressure-sanctions-coping-with-coronavirus/265834/
China's Damning US Human Rights Report May Be Propaganda, but It's Not Wrong
Alan Macleod | mintpressnews.com | 2020-03-18
China just released a 13,000-word report on the state of human rights in the United States. While the report clearly has an agenda, it's not inaccurate.
mintpressnews.com/chinas-us-human-rights-report-propoganda-but-not-wrong/265854/
Delay or Hold Primaries: Can the 2020 Election Be Safeguarded Amid the Coronavirus Pandemic?
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-03-18
Tuesday night's primary election for the Democratic presidential nomination was marred by chaos, confusion and fears over the spread of coronavirus at polling places as former Vice President Joe Biden consolidated his lead as he won Florida and Illinois by a wide margin and scored a victory in Arizona. We are joined by Vanita Gupta, former head of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division in the Obama administration, now president of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, the nation's oldest and largest civil rights coalition. They issued a call with 100 voting rights groups for states to proce…
www.democracynow.org/2020/3/18/democrati…
US Imposes New Iran Sanctions, Complicating Coronavirus
Jason Ditz | iranian.com | 2020-03-18
Last week, Iranian officials emphasized that US sanctions are making their reaction to the coronavirus outbreak much more difficult, leading to both Iran and China to urge the US to put those sanctions on hold for humanitarian reason. Not going after Iran for humanitarian reasons, needless to say, isn't a policy that the administration considers, …
iranian.com/2020/03/17/us-imposes-new-iran-sanctions-complicating-coronavirus/
US ramps up sanctions devastating Venezuela's health sector as coronavirus spreads
Leonardo Flores | thegrayzone.com | 2020-03-17
Promising to "smash" Venezuela's government during a "maximum pressure March," Trump has imposed crushing sanctions that force Venezuela to spend…
thegrayzone.com/2020/03/17/us-sanctions-venezuelas-health-sector-coronavirus/
Spain Locks Down & Nationalizes Private Healthcare as Coronavirus Deaths Double & Cases Skyrocket
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-03-17
Europe is the epicenter of coronavirus, and Spain now has the second most cases in Europe, with more than 2,000 new cases in 24 hours and the number of deaths doubled. We'll go to Madrid for an update, where more than half of the country's cases have been reported. This comes as the Spanish government announced it is nationalizing hospitals and private healthcare companies to better manage the pandemic. We are joined by María Carrión, a freelance journalist and former Democracy Now! producer who is also executive director of FiSahara and co-founder of Nomads HRC, which focus on human rights in Western Sahara.
www.democracynow.org/2020/3/17/spain_cor…
Iran calls on Europe to defy US sanctions amid COVID-19 outbreak
Press TV | iranian.com | 2020-03-17
Iran's foreign minister has called on London and the European Union to defy Washington's anti-Iran sanctions amid the outbreak of the novel coronavirus. In a Monday phone conversation with his British counterpart Dominic Raab, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif denounced the US' illegal and unilateral sanctions against Iran as an obstacle to the battle …
iranian.com/2020/03/17/iran-calls-on-europe-to-defy-us-sanctions-amid-covid-19-outbreak/
SPLC offices, Civil Rights Memorial Center close
splcenter.org | 2020-03-14
Our work continues with fervor and is needed more now than ever.
splcenter.org/news/2020/03/20/splc-offices-civil-rights-memorial-center-close
No, Venezuela does not have a six child per family policy
Joe Emersberger | zcomm.org | 2020-03-13
I respect UK journalist Andrew Buncombe. As I noted for FAIR last year, he was one of the few corporate journalists who reported on a study linking Trump's financial sanctions on Venezuela to thousands of deaths by the end of 2018. Since 2018, Trump has repeatedly intensified the sanctions and threatened Venezuela with military action, Read…
zcomm.org/zblogs/no-venezuela-does-not-have-a-six-child-per-family-policy/
Anti-LGBTQ Hate Group Presents "Make the Family Great Again" Petition to U.S. State Department Commission
Hatewatch Staff | splcenter.org | 2020-03-13
Anti-LGBTQ hate group Ruth Institute presented a "Make the Family Great Again" petition to the State Department at its Commission on Unalienable Rights meeting Feb. 21.
splcenter.org/hatewatch/2020/03/16/anti-lgbtq-hate-group-presents-make-family-great-again-petition-us-state-department
US House rams through Nicaragua regime-change bill with zero opposition
Ben Norton | thegrayzone.com | 2020-03-12
Not one member of the House of Representatives spoke up against a bipartisan bill sponsored by hardliners that ramps up…
thegrayzone.com/2020/03/12/us-house-sanctions-nicaragua/
This Law Makes Voting Nearly Impossible for Native Americans in Montana
Alora Thomas-Lundborg | aclu.org | 2020-03-12
Voting has never been easy for Native Americans living on rural reservations in Montana, which are often geographically isolated, with limited access to postal service and transportation. The passage of the Montana Ballot Interference Prevention Act (BIPA) has made these obstacles even greater, severely inhibiting Native Americans' access to the ballot. That's why we're suing. | In a state where the majority of individuals vote | by mail, rural tribal communities often work with get-out-the-vote organizer…
aclu.org/news/voting-rights/this-law-makes-voting-nearly-impossible-for-native-americans-in-montana
Keep Calm and Carry on Voting: How to Vote By Mail During the Coronavirus Outbreak
Nicole Hansen | aclu.org | 2020-03-11
Coronavirus should not be a political issue, but with presidential primaries and the general election coming up, it could soon directly impact our politics. We should protect not only our health, but our civil liberties at this time
Civil Rights Memorial Center closed through March
splcenter.org | 2020-03-10
The Civil Rights Memorial Center (CRMC) in Montgomery, Alabama, is closed and will remain closed through the end of March 2020.
splcenter.org/news/2020/03/10/civil-rights-memorial-center-closed-through-march
Are Our Prisons and Jails Ready for COVID-19?
Maria Morris | aclu.org | 2020-03-06
The | country and the world face a public health emergency in the new coronavirus | causing COVID-19. The media is filled with concerns about how we will respond. | Will we close schools? Cancel sporting events and other large gatherings? Work | from home? Avoid public transportation? | But | little has been said about one of the most vulnerable sectors of our | population: the people in our prisons and jails. Although people often think of | prisons and jails as closed environments, they are not. Medical staff, correctional | staff, and visitors come from the community into the facilities every day and | then…
aclu.org/news/prisoners-rights/are-our-prisons-and-jails-ready-for-covid-19
[Commentary] Women and girls' health agency: Operationalizing the "Can-Act-Resist" of the women's empowerment process
Anita Raj | thelancet.com | 2020-03-04
This year marks the 25th anniversary of Bejing Declaration and Platform for Action