Jewish Activists Demand Governor Newsom Release Detainees In Light of Covid-19 Outbreak
Leon Kunstenaar | indybay.org | 2020-03-24
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

Sanctions: Unilateral Coercive Measures for Regime Change in Venezuela
Nino Pagliccia | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-24
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 to achieve regime change. The second is of course the impact that those actions have.
counterpunch.org/2020/03/24/sanctions-unilateral-coercive-measures-for-regime-change-in-venezuela/

Business as Usual: Coronavirus, Iran and US Sanctions
Binoy Kampmark | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-03-24
Never discount the importance of venality in international relations. While pandemics should provide the glue for a unified front in response

From Noncompliant Bodies to Civil Disobedience
Susan Stryker | thenation.com | 2020-03-24
From Noncompliant Bodies to Civil Disobedience…
thenation.com/article/society/crip-camp-disability-rights/

UN calls for respecting human rights in COVID-19 fight
yenisafak.com | 2020-03-24
UN experts on Tuesday called on governments to respect human rights while combatting the coronavirus pandemic.In a joint statement by the chairs of the 10 UN Treaty Bodies, the experts called on states to ensure equal access to health care to all without any discrimination."Only by including all people in COVID-19 strategies can the pandemic be combatted," said Hilary Gbedemah, chairwoman of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women.Experts also warned states to take extra care of vulnerable people such as "elders, people with disabilities, minorities, indigenous peoples, refugees, asylum s…
yenisafak.com/en/news/un-calls-for-respecting-human-rights-in-covid-19-fight-3514859

India Releases Ex Jammu and Kashmir Chief Omar Abdullah after Eight Months of Detention
sputniknews.com | 2020-03-24
New Delhi (Sputnik): Around 500 Kashmiri leaders were detained after India stripped the state of its special status in August. Among those detained were former state leaders Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah, and Mehbooba Mufti.
sputniknews.com/india/202003241078688552-india-releases-ex-jammu-and-kashmir-chief-omar-abdullah-after-eight-months-of-detention/

'We need joint action, not fake news': Moscow slams HRW chief for touting story on Russia's rich grabbing life-saving ventilators
rt.com | 2020-03-24
Russia's top diplomat in the US has demanded the Human Rights Watch chief stops spreading misinformation about Russia's readiness to fight Covid-19, after he touted an article claiming it's letting the wealthy buy up ventilators. | www.facebook.com/RusEmbUSA/posts/1265573… | Anatoly Antonov, Russia's envoy in Washington, has penned a scathing rebuke to the group's executive director, Kenneth Roth, who tweeted that the Kremlin was "doing nothing to stop wealthy Russians from buying up ventilators," all that while "leaving ordinary Russians with a likely shortage of this life-saving eq…
rt.com/news/483907-coronavirus-russia-hrw-ventilators/

UK, Europe & IMF Ramp Up Pressure For Trump To Ease Sanctions On Virus-Ravaged Iran
Zero Hedge | iranian.com | 2020-03-24
Reports and in some cases video began emerging last week of mass shipments of humanitarian supplies being halted and grounded by skittish EU countries worried about violating US-led sanctions on Iran. This as Iranian leaders have lashed out at Washington for ensuring a worsening coronavirus death toll through its "inhuman" sanctions. But the White House has also …
iranian.com/2020/03/23/uk-europe-imf-ramp-up-pressure-for-trump-to-ease-sanctions-on-virus-ravaged-iran/

Former ICE Director: Release Immigrants from Detention or COVID-19 Will Spread Like Wildfire Inside
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-03-23
Alarm is growing about the safety of more than 37,000 people held in immigrant detention centers and private jails that contract with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, where it is nearly impossible for them to avoid close contact to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Nearly half of those detained by ICE are accused of no crime other than civil immigration violations. Immigrants at three jails in New Jersey are now on hunger strikes over unsanitary conditions that put them at high risk during the pandemic.‚Ä®‚Ä® We hear from a detained person on hunger strike and speak wit…
www.democracynow.org/2020/3/23/ice_dente…

COVID-19 Will Spread Like Wildfire in Migrant Jails If Detainees Aren't Released
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-03-23
Alarm is growing about the safety of more than 37,000 people held in immigrant detention centers and private jails that contract with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, where it is nearly impossible for them to avoid close contact to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Nearly half of those detained by ICE are accused of no crime other than civil immigration violations. Immigrants at three jails in New Jersey are now on hunger strikes over unsanitary conditions that put them at high…
truthout.org/video/covid-19-will-spread-like-wildfire-in-migrant-jails-if-detainees-arent-released/

UN expert raises alarm over migrant, asylum seeker 'pushbacks' at Turkey-Greece border
news.un.org | 2020-03-23
Greece must take immediate action to end the violence against migrants and asylum seekers at the border between Turkey and Greece, an independent UN human rights expert said on Monday, expressing alarm at reports of violence at the hands of some Greek security officers and unidentified armed men.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/03/1059992

Car protest at Gov. Walz's mansion demands immediate release of immigrants in Minnesota jails
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2020-03-23
Saint Paul, MN – In one of the first known protests organized since the widespread implementation of 'social distancing' and 'shelter-in-place' with the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, a car caravan lined Summit Avenue outside Governor Tim Walz's mansion in Saint Paul to demand immediate release of all immigrant detainees in Minnesota jails. | The protest participants stayed in their cars to avoid social spread of coronavirus. Cars were painted and adorned with posters with slogans like "Governor Walz: Free them all." People in some cars led chants with megaphones. Periodically, all the cars would honk at the…
fightbacknews.org/2020/3/23/car-protest-gov-walz-s-mansion-demands-immediate-release-immigrants-minnesota-jails

Trump intensifies murderous Iran sanctions during COVID-19 crisis
Aaron Maté | thegrayzone.com | 2020-03-23
As Iran struggles to contain COVID-19, the US has imposed new sanctions that further weaken the Iranian economy and health…
thegrayzone.com/2020/03/23/trump-intensifies-murderous-iran-sanctions-during-covid-19-crisis/

El Salvador: First Covid-19 Quarantine Arrests Announced
telesurenglish.net | 2020-03-23
Journalists and human rights activists from El Salvador have announced more than 250 arrests after official Nayib Bikele, Salvadorean President, decreed an official quarantine. | RELATED: | Salvadoran Assembly Passes Law of Reconciliation | Between other measures to restrain Covid-19, only one member per family could buy supplies like food or medicines. Also, only public servants who are related to food delivery, transportation, and other basic services are allowed to go out. | In the first…
telesurenglish.net/news/–el-salvador-covid19-quarantine-arrests-denounced-20200323-0001.html

Venezuelan President Demands US Lift Economic Sanctions
telesurenglish.net | 2020-03-23
Venezuelan President, Nicolas Maduro, requested that the U.S. government lift its sanctions due to the Covid-19 (coronavirus) outbreak that whas already had a major affect on the Venezuelan economy. | RELATED: | Venezuela Guarantees Medicines to Fight Coronavirus | Maduro called on the Venezuelan people to help demand the end of the economic blockade, especially during this "worldwide crisis period". The Bolivarian Republic leader also requested the elimination of "financial, oil and food sanctions. | "Venezu…
telesurenglish.net/news/Venezuela-nicolas-maduro-demands-u-s-lift-economic-sanctions-20200323-0006.html

Venezuela: 200 Nationals Stranded at US Base To be Repatriated
telesurenglish.net | 2020-03-23
Venezuelan citizens, who are stranded in North American territory due to the Covid- 19 sanitary emergency, will be repatriated by the government, a new report said on Monday. | RELATED: Venezuela: Nicolas Maduro Demands U.S. Lift Economic Sanctions | According to local news media, the Bolivarian government requested U.S authorities to allow a Conviasa airline flight to return the Venezuelan citizens. This is an administrative measure to restrain the virus' spread and give all Venezuelan citizens the sa…
telesurenglish.net/news/venezuela-200-nationals-stranded-in-the-us-to-be-repatriated-20200323-0008.html

The pro-Western World Uyghur Congress (WUC) Is Being Used "To Detonate the World"
Andre Vltchek | globalresearch.ca | 2020-03-23
You were told, by Western mass media outlets, to pity Uyghurs, an ethnic Chinese minority group from Xinjiang Province. You were instructed to 'stand by them', and to "defend their rights". | They told you that Uyghurs are being discriminated against, …
globalresearch.ca/uyghur-wuc-used-west-detonate-world/5707203

Arab League Demands Israel Release Palestinian Prisoners
Rami Almeghari | imemc.org | 2020-03-23
The League of Arab States, consisting of 22 Arab countries, addressed international human rights organizations and other relevant bodies, on Monday, what they describe as an imperative release of thousands of Palestinian prisoners, from Israeli jails. A press release, issued by the Deputy-Secretary General of the Arab States' League for …
imemc.org/article/arab-league-demand-israel-release-palestinian-prisoners/

Justice Dept reassures Americans only judges can suspend their constitutional rights during coronavirus epidemic
rt.com | 2020-03-23
The US Department of Justice has reassured Americans freaked out by a request to Congress for powers of indefinite detention without trial by explaining that only judges

Coronavirus: Latest updates from across the world
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2020-03-23
Covid-19 has infected hundreds of thousands of people across the globe.Here are the latest updates:

The Coronavirus Exposes the Foolishness of the US Sanctions Policy
Annelle Sheline | thenation.com | 2020-03-23
The Coronavirus Exposes the Foolishness of the US Sanctions Policy…
thenation.com/article/world/coronavirus-iran-sanctions/

EU Supports Iran, Venezuela Bids for IMF COVID-19 Funds
telesurenglish.net | 2020-03-23
Foreign Ministers of the European Union (EU) supported Monday Iran and Venezuela's requests for financial aid to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to fight the coronavirus pandemic. | RELATED: | IMF Rejects Venezuela's Request for $5B in Virus Aid | "We are going to support this request because these countries are in a very difficult situation mainly due to the U.S. sanctions that prevent them from having income by selling their oil," EU Foreign Affairs Chief Josep Borrell said at a vi…
telesurenglish.net/news/EU-Supports-Iran-Venezuela-Bids-for-IMF-COVID-19-Funds-20200323-0012.html

This is No Time to Play Politics with our Democracy
Sonia Gill | aclu.org | 2020-03-23
To ensure elections proceed and eligible Americans can vote, any federal legislative package addressing the impact of COVID-19 on our elections must include an immediate, substantial infusion of federal funding and federal requirements for no-excuse mail-in absentee voting and early in-person voting. While the coronavirus pandemic should not be a political issue, with presidential primaries and the general election coming up, it could soon directly impact our politics. It is simply not an option for Congress to fail to act on these basic issues to protect American elections while the pandemic is ongoing. , , F…
aclu.org/news/voting-rights/this-is-no-time-to-play-politics-with-our-democracy

Which side are you on?
Michael T. Hertz | nationofchange.org | 2020-03-23
Coalition is what we need in our country. Individual rights, yes, but coalition is needed to combat emergencies.
nationofchange.org/2020/03/23/which-side-are-you-on/

'Ticking Time Bombs': Democrats and Advocates Demand Release of At-Risk Inmates Amid Coronavirus Pandemic
Jessica Corbett, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2020-03-23
Rights advocates and Democrats holding state and federal elected offices across the United States are doubling down on demands for the release of "at-risk" inmates and more prevenative measures in jails and prisons to prevent mass outbreaks of the new coronavirus, which has killed at least 473 people and infected over 35,000 nationwide as of Monday morning. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
commondreams.org/news/2020/03/23/ticking-time-bombs-democrats-and-advocates-demand-release-risk-inmates-amid?cd-origin=rss

Punishing sanctions against Iran are turning the coronavirus pandemic into a massacre
Massoud Shadjareh | iranian.com | 2020-03-23
Coronavirus is a crisis. In Iran, it's a massacre – because of Trump's sanctions. Even before COVID-19, these sanctions were recognised by Human Rights Watch as undermining access to healthcare. The virus has taken lives globally but in Iran it has been particularly shocking, with hospital beds in parking lots and mass graves visible from space. Hundreds of lives have been …
iranian.com/2020/03/23/punishing-sanctions-against-iran-are-turning-the-coronavirus-pandemic-into-a-massacre/

US Urged to Release Detainees at ICE Centers as Virus Spreads
telesurenglish.net | 2020-03-22
Legal rights groups RAICES, Rapid Defense Network, and ALDEA-The People's Justice Center filed an emergency lawsuit on behalf of families and children detained by the United States (U.S.) Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to demand their immediate release as the new coronavirus is fast-spreading across the country. | RELATED: | Trump Dismissed Intel, Warned in January of COVID-19 Threat | The organizations said Saturday in a press release that all the migrant detention cen…
telesurenglish.net/news/US-Urged-to-Release-Detainees-at-ICE-Centers-as-COVID-19-Spreads-20200322-0008.html

Israel's Palestinian Inmates to Hunger Strike Due to COVID-19
telesurenglish.net | 2020-03-22
Palestinians detained in Israel threatened to start an indefinite hunger strike to protest Israel's response to the coronavirus pandemic including a ban on meeting attorneys, absence of preventive measures, and refusal of protection gear, Haaretz reported Sunday. | RELATED: | 'Dear World, How Is the Lockdown?' Gaza Takes To Twitter | Prisoners affiliated with Hamas, the group governing Gaza, returned their breakfast and lunches Thursday, and others affiliated with Fatah, the faction tha…
telesurenglish.net/news/Covid-19-Israels-Palestinian-Inmates-Threaten-to-Hunger-Strike-20200322-0009.html

Pakistan PM once again asks Trump to lift Iran sanctions
IRNA | iranian.com | 2020-03-22
Prime Minister of Pakistan who believes that US sanctions against Iran are cruel and unfair has once again called upon Donald Trump to lift economic sanctions from the Islamic Republic. Imran Khan in a tweet on Sunday said the people of Iran are facing untold suffering as sanctions are crippling Iran's efforts to fight COVID19. …
iranian.com/2020/03/22/pakistan-pm-once-again-asks-trump-to-lift-iran-sanctions/

[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/

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

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

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

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…

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/

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…

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

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

[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