Threat of ICE Detention Centers Turning Into Death Camps, Groups Rallying to Free Families
Eoin Higgins | indybay.org | 2020-04-02
ICE is making the pandemic more dangerous for everyone.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/04/01/18832002.php

Serbian govt to revoke coronavirus information control decree
rt.com | 2020-04-02
Serbia's government will revoke a decree giving it control over information on the coronavirus outbreak. The decision follows protests and the detention of a journalist for reporting that a major hospital lacked protective gear and properly trained staff, Reuters reports. | Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said the decree, which came into force on Saturday, would be revoked on Thursday "so not a shadow could be cast on our work." | The emergency measure, which said information about the coronavirus outbreak could only come from Brnabic or those authorized by her, had drawn criticism from the Organization for Securit…
rt.com/newsline/484760-serbia-information-control-protests/

Innovative COVID-19 Safe Protest in San Francisco
Protest News | indybay.org | 2020-04-02
Boisterous Car Rally Honks for Justice for ICE Detainees…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/03/31/18831976.php

'Criminal blockade': Cuba outraged as delivery of Covid-19 aid from Alibaba chief aborted 'at the last minute' due to US sanctions
rt.com | 2020-04-02
Cuba has slammed the US' "criminal blockade" of the country after the embargo stood in the way of the delivery of Covid-19 test kits and ventilators donated by Chinese e-commerce tycoon Jack Ma. | "The criminal blockade of the imperial government violates the human rights of the Cuban people," President Miguel Diaz-Canel tweeted on Wednesday. | #NoMásBloqueo #CubaSalvaVidas The criminal blockade of the imperial government violates the hu…
rt.com/news/484743-cuba-covid19-us-blockade/

Indian Women's Rights Authorities Cite Steady Rise in Domestic Violence Cases Amid Lockdown
sputniknews.com | 2020-04-02
New Delhi (Sputnik): India announced a national lockdown on 24 March to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. The 21-day quarantine has brought the country to a standstill, suspending all means of transport and shuttering nearly all business establishments except those providing emergency services.
sputniknews.com/india/202004021078802204-indian-womens-rights-authorities-cite-steady-rise-in-domestic-violence-cases-amid-lockdown/

Mexico: Migrant Population Vulnerable to the COVID-19
telesurenglish.net | 2020-04-01
Social organizations and human rights defenders in Mexico denounced the lack of hygiene and optimal sanitary conditions in migrant shelters in the country during Coronavirus' outbreak. | RELATED: | Endangered Animals Sighted in Mexican Caribbean Due to COVID-19 | Alejandra Macías Delgadillo, director of the organization Asylum Access Mexico, asked state institutions for a report on the preventive measures in these facilities to avoid the spread of COVID-19 among migrants. She…
telesurenglish.net/news/mexico-migrant-population-vulnerable-to-the-covid19-20200401-0004.html

COVID-19: International community must step up to prevent pandemic from devastating vulnerable on the run
news.un.org | 2020-04-01
Given how quickly the COVID-19 pandemic is spreading, an outbreak is "looking imminent" in the world's refugee camps, crowded reception centres or detention facilities where migrant families are sheltering, the Executive Director of the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) said on Wednesday.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/04/1060872

The Added Importance of the Census, in Light of COVID-19
Steven K. Choi | aclu.org | 2020-04-01
Last year around this time, my biggest worry was how the inclusion of the Trump administration's proposed citizenship question would depress participation in the decennial census. Thankfully, our Supreme Court victory means there is no citizenship question on the census. Now, I have a new worry: a global pandemic and the health of my loved ones. As it turns out, the 2020 Census plays a role here too, as it will have enormous implications on our health care for decades to come. | Specifically, the census will determine the allocation of $300 billion dollars of federal aid for the states' health care

New York Mobilizes Rikers Island Prisoners To Dig Mass Graves for Coronavirus Victims
Alan Macleod | mintpressnews.com | 2020-04-01
Rikers Island itself is on the verge of near collapse, over 300 inmates and staff have tested positive and human rights campaigners warn conditions in the notorious prison are dire.
mintpressnews.com/new-york-mobilizes-rikers-island-prisoners-to-dig-mass-graves-for-coronavirus-victims/266284/

'Unorthodox': The vagaries of victimization
Michael Berkowitz | peoplesworld.org | 2020-04-01
Esty Shapiro is being persecuted for being a Jew. Her rights are taken away. She's denied education, subject to sexual abuse, cut off from the larger society, routinely humiliated and turned into a breeding machine. Everything in her environment reinforces discrimination and a second-class role. Esther Shapiro, granddaughter of Holocaust victims, is clearly being persecuted …
peoplesworld.org/article/unorthodox-the-vagaries-of-victimization/

Trudeau Recalls Congress for Emergency Aid Against COVID-19
telesurenglish.net | 2020-04-01
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Wednesday that he is recalling the Canadian parliament again for expanded emergency aid as his country is facing the greatest economic and health challenge since the Second World War due to the COVID-19 crisis. | RELATED: | Canada Must Rescind Sanctions Against Venezuela | Trudeau told his daily press conference that recalling the parliament is part of a "Team Canada" effort to combat the COVID-19 spread that has shut down huge sections of the ec…
telesurenglish.net/news/Trudeau-Recalls-Congress-for-Emergency-Aid-Against-COVID-19-20200401-0014.html

US wrong if it thinks virus will stop China in Iran: Analysis
Press TV | iranian.com | 2020-04-01
China's long-running pursuit of infrastructure projects in Iran is set to continue despite intensified US sanctions as the Islamic Republic battles the novel coronavirus, analysts say. China is Iran's largest crude oil customer and a top trade partner. It regards the Middle Eastern powerhouse a key destination in China's trillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative involving …
iranian.com/2020/04/01/us-wrong-if-it-thinks-virus-will-stop-china-in-iran-analysis/

Iranian foreign ministry's "SANCTION" graphic beamed tonight on Azadi Tower in Tehran
The Iranian | iranian.com | 2020-04-01
iranian.com/2020/03/31/iranian-foreign-ministrys-sanction-graphic-beamed-tonight-on-azadi-tower-in-tehran/

Covid-19: Cuba Deserves Relief From US Sanctions
Peter Kornbluh | thenation.com | 2020-03-31
Covid-19: Cuba Deserves Relief From US Sanctions…
thenation.com/article/world/coronavirus-cuba-sanctions-aid/

On the Need for Dissent and Debate in These Urgent Times
John Nichols | thenation.com | 2020-03-31
On the Need for Dissent and Debate in These Urgent Times…
thenation.com/article/politics/dissent-debate-massie-aoc/

Government inaction puts staff and inmates in immigration detention at risk
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2020-03-31
Refugees & migrants Niko LekaIssue 1259 Australia COVID-19 detention NewcastleMarch 31, 2020The federal government is not taking the nece…
greenleft.org.au/content/government-inaction-puts-staff-and-inmates-immigration-detention-risk

Robodebt scam exposed as a rort
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2020-03-31
Welfare Kerry SmithIssue 1259 Australia Robodebt ACOSS welfare rightsMarch 31, 2020The tide appears to be turning against the federal government's pun…
greenleft.org.au/content/robodebt-scam-exposed-rort

COVID-19 State of Emergency: Powers and Restrictions Under Palestinian and International Law
PCHR | imemc.org | 2020-03-30
The Palestinian Center For Human Rights (PCHR): Introduction: On 05 March 2020, the Palestinian President issued a decree declaring a 30-day state of emergency to combat the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) in Palestine.
imemc.org/article/covid-19-state-of-emergency-powers-and-restrictions-under-palestinian-and-international-law/

COVID-19 stoking xenophobia, hate and exclusion, minority rights expert warns
news.un.org | 2020-03-30
Combatting the COVID-19 pandemic must also include stamping out what one independent human rights expert has called the "darker sides" of the disease: verbal and physical attacks against Chinese and other minority communities, and excluding them from access to healthcare.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/03/1060602

Release inmates in Yemen to avert nationwide coronavirus outbreak, experts urge
news.un.org | 2020-03-30
An international panel of human rights experts called today for the immediate release of political prisoners and detainees in war-ravaged Yemen to help avert a nationwide outbreak of COVID-19.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/03/1060642

Prominent organizations and individuals urge Gov. Pritzker to free Gerald Reed
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2020-03-30
Chicago, IL – Two dozen prominent organizations and individuals have urged Gov. J. B. Pritzker in a letter to use "the powers of [his] office to provide long overdue justice to Gerald Reed." Reed's deteriorating health puts him at extreme risk due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He has heart failure, and late last year while awaiting a new trial at Cook County jail he had a heart attack. | Reed was wrongfully convicted 29 years ago based on a confession extracted through torture by subordinates of Chicago Police Commander Jon Burge. His conviction was vacated on December 18, 2019 by Judge Thomas V. Gainer, who ordered…
www.fightbacknews.org/2020/3/30/prominen…

Civil rights groups condemn COVID-19 authoritarianism
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2020-03-30
Democracy Jacob AndrewarthaIssue 1259 Australia civil rights COVID-19March 30, 2020Against expert health and civil rights advice, governments are opting for authoritarian measures they claim will protect u…
greenleft.org.au/content/civil-rights-groups-condemn-covid-19-authoritarianism

'Need Our Help?' Iran's IRGC Mocks US For Now Leading World In COVID-19 Cases
Zero Hedge | iranian.com | 2020-03-30
On the same day the United States leveled yet more sanctions against the Islamic Republic, blacklisting 20 Iran- and Iraq-based companies, officials and individuals for supporting terrorism, leaders in Tehran took to publicly mocking the US for now being the global epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic. As of Friday evening numbers of US confirmed cases …
iranian.com/2020/03/29/need-our-help-irans-irgc-mocks-us-for-now-leading-world-in-covid-19-cases/

In a 10-Day Span, ICE Flew This Iranian Detainee Across the Country Nine Times
ProPublica | iranian.com | 2020-03-30
Less than two weeks ago, the Trump administration urged Americans to avoid nonessential travel to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Major airlines slashed their routes. All the while, Sirous Asgari took nine different flights around the country. None of them was by choice. Asgari bounced around on chartered jets from Louisiana to Texas to …
iranian.com/2020/03/30/in-a-10-day-span-ice-flew-this-iranian-detainee-across-the-country-nine-times/

[Obituary] Aron Goldhirsch
Andrew Green | thelancet.com | 2020-03-28
Medical oncologist specialising in breast cancer. Born on April 25, 1946, in Landsberg am Lech, Germany, he died on Feb 26, 2020, in Lugano, Switzerland, aged 73 years.
thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30642-5/fulltext?rss=yes

Weekend Read: SPLC demands ICE act amid pandemic to save the lives of countless immigrants trapped in its crowded detention centers
splcenter.org | 2020-03-27
splcenter.org/news/2020/03/30/weekend-read-splc-demands-ice-act-amid-pandemic-save-lives-countless-immigrants-trapped-its

Asylum Seekers Stranded in Mexico Face a New Danger: COVID-19
Ashoka Mukpo | aclu.org | 2020-03-26
Since the Trump administration first unrolled its policy of forcing migrants to wait in Mexico for their asylum hearings, advocates have been warning that the practice places them in danger. Now, the global coronavirus outbreak is putting an exclamation point on those warnings and adding a new, frightening layer of risk into the lives of asylum…
aclu.org/news/immigrants-rights/asylum-seekers-stranded-in-mexico-face-a-new-danger-covid-19

SPLC and allies seek federal court injunction in system-wide suit to protect people detained by ICE from contracting COVID-19
splcenter.org | 2020-03-25
The SPLC and its allies asked a federal court today to issue a preliminary injunction requiring that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) take immediate steps to protect people in its custody, particularly those who have medical conditions making them more susceptible to serious illness and death from COVID-19.
splcenter.org/news/2020/03/25/splc-and-allies-seek-federal-court-injunction-system-wide-suit-protect-people-detained-ice

This is No Time to Play Politics with our Democracy
Sonia Gill | aclu.org | 2020-03-23
Update 03/27/2020: Congress passed a $2 trillion stimulus package intended to address the broad impacts of the COVID-19 global pandemic. While it included $400 million for states to expand access to the ballot for eligible voters, as outlined in this blog, more can and must be done to safeguard our democracy. , , 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.
aclu.org/news/voting-rights/this-is-no-time-to-play-politics-with-our-democracy

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

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

Fight To Vote: Florida man's voting rights restored by Amendment 4
splcenter.org | 2020-03-20
Abdul Yaw Akachi was talking to his neighbors one sunny day in Florida when a voting rights advocate walked up to him.
splcenter.org/news/2020/03/24/fight-vote-florida-mans-voting-rights-restored-amendment-4

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

[Correspondence] COVID-19 battle during the toughest sanctions against Iran
Amirhossein Takian, Azam Raoofi, Sara Kazempour-Ardebili | thelancet.com | 2020-03-18
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has spread rapidly throughout the world. WHO declared the outbreak a global pandemic on March 11, 2020.1 In Iran, the first official announcement of deaths from COVID-19 was made on Feb 19, 2020. As of March 16, 2020, 14‚Äà991 people have been infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, and 853 people have died from COVID-19. 4996 people have recovered.2…
thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30668-1/fulltext?rss=yes

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/

[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