(2020-04-07). The Decade of Transformation: Remaking International Relations. dissidentvoice.org 
The coronavirus pandemic is magnifying the cruelty of US foreign policy. The economic collapse is showing the failure of neoliberalism and how the empire-economy is not working for the people of the world, including the United States. The US is losing its global dominance as it demonstrates its own incompetence in response to the pandemic …
(2020-04-07). Left members of the European Parliament outline pandemic recovery plan. peoplesworld.org 
BRUSSELS, Belgium—A Europe-wide coalition of left and progressive members of the European Parliament has outlined a wide-ranging plan to help the continent's workers cope with the coronavirus pandemic and particularly its economic impact. Among the measures unveiled are "maintaining work and income," guaranteed housing for all and strengthening Europe's collective bargaining rights for workers — …
(2020-04-07). Racism, COVID-19 and Black people — WW commentary. workers.org 
April 4 marks the 52nd anniversary of the assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the great civil rights leader, who sacrificed his life to realize a dream for social equality. The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He was gunned down in cold blood when he went . . . |
(2020-04-07). Czech MPs approve extending state of emergency to end-April. rt.com 
Czech lawmakers on Tuesday approved extending a state of emergency until April 30. This is a shorter period than the government had wanted for using the extraordinary legal framework to further tackle the coronavirus outbreak, Reuters said. | Prime Minister Andrej Babis' government had sought a one-month extension to May 11 for the state of emergency, which allows the cabinet to curb some rights of citizens, including freedom of movement or enterprise, and gives it more flexibility in areas such as public procurement. | The Czech Republic took some of the swiftest action to all but lock down the country in Mar…
(2020-04-07). San Diego "Honk for Justice" Calls for the Release of people in ICE Detention. indybay.org Author Pedro Rios serves as director of the AFSC's U.S./Mexico Border Program and has been on staff with AFSC since 2003. He is a steering committee member of the Southern Border Communities Coalition, which brings together over 60 organizations along the Southern border working to support migrants and border communities.
(2020-04-07). Doctors detained for demanding protective gear in Pakistan. peoplesdispatch.org At least 67 health workers who were protesting against the non-availability of personal protection equipment kits for medical professionals were detained by security forces in Balochistan province on Monday…
(2020-04-07). Pakistani doctors detained for demanding safety gear. peoplesdispatch.org On March 6, doctors in the town of Quetta in Pakistan took out a protest demanding personal protection equipment that is vital while working with COVID-19 patients. Instead of addressing their concerns, the government detained them. This is a reflection of the larger situation in the country where doctors are struggling without adequate resources.
(2020-04-07). Coronavirus: Sanctions and Suffering. globalresearch.ca In the midst of the most horrendous crisis to confront the entire human family in recent decades, the United States elite, it appears, is hell-bent on perpetuating massive sanctions against certain states and affecting regime change in some of them. …
(2020-04-07). 60 Spanish associations call for lifting Iran sanctions. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Apr. 07 (MNA) — Some 60 Spanish political and social associations released a statement, calling for an immediate suspension of sanctions against Venezuela, Cuba, Iran and Palestine in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.
(2020-04-07). US' anti-Iran measures against intl. human rights: Judiciary spox. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Apr. 07 (MNA) — Iranian Judiciary Spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaeili deplored the US' unjust sanctions, which have negatively affected the Islamic Republic's ability to respond to the coronavirus pandemic, saying such measures are a clear breach of international human rights laws.
(2020-04-07). Iran Demands US End Their Oil Sanctions. telesurenglish.net Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Tuesday called on the U.S. government to stop sanctions on Iran's oil exports. | RELATED: | "Iran is rich in human & natural resources. We don't need charity from (U.S. President) Donald Trump," Zarif tweeted. | The remarks of Zarif was an allusion to the recent help offer by Trump amid the surge of the novel coronavirus in Iran. | "What we want is for him to stop…
(2020-04-07). A Simple Democratic Transition Framework for Venezuela: End All "Sanctions" counterpunch.org On March 31 the US Secretary of State issued a press statement proposing a "pathway" by which all Venezuelans would live happily ever after. At least that is what Mike Pompeo seems to wish. He "call[s] on all Venezuelans, whether military or civilian, young or old, of all ideological tendencies and party affiliations, to consider
(2020-04-07). We don't need charity from Trump: Zarif. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Apr. 07 (MNA) — Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif called for the US to stop sanctions on Iran, including oil sanctions.
(2020-04-07). Range of INSTEX should be beyond borders of EU: Ulyanov. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Apr. 07 (MNA) — Criticizing the continuation of sanctions against Iran amid the coronavirus crisis, Russia's Permanent Representative to International Organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov called on more countries to participate in the implementation of INSTEX.
(2020-04-07). The Radical Work of Healing. zcomm.org Fania and Angela Davis On a New Kind of Civil Rights Activism…
(2020-04-07). Under Trump the NLRB Has Gone Completely Rogue. thenation.com Under Trump the NLRB Has Gone Completely Rogue…
(2020-04-07). Bolivian Authorities Request Protection for Vulnerable Group. telesurenglish.net Bolivia's Ombudsman Office requested the de facto government provide benefits to the population during COVID-19 outbreak that has affected most of the world. | RELATED: | The administrative body, who overlooks people's rights, asked the government to extend the "Family Coupon" program and a pension for the familiar basket. According to the people's defendant institution, these actions should benefit vulnerable and fe…
(2020-04-07). 'Certainly a Good Start': New Labour Leader Keir Starmer Praised for Apology to UK Jewish Community. sputniknews.com The new Labour chief also pledged to cooperate fully with the Equality and Human Rights Commission's investigation into antisemitism in the party – the Commission was due to publish its report in the summer, but coronavirus may delay the process.
(2020-04-06). INSTEX: A way to get around US sanctions? liberationnews.org 
On March 31, the trade vehicle INSTEX completed its first transaction by facilitating Iran's purchase of drugs and pharmaceutical supplies.
(2020-04-06). Morocco releases over 5,600 incarcerated people amid COVID-19 threat in prisons. peoplesdispatch.org Several human rights groups and organizations had appealed to the king for the release of all political prisoners and detainees, a large number of whom were part of the popular Rif protests in Morocco.
(2020-04-06). Senate Bill Challenges Online Encryption, Constitutional Rights to Speech and Privacy. projectcensored.org A Senate bill, the EARN IT Act of 2020, introduced by Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) in March 2020, appears to revise regulations aimed at preventing online sexual…
(2020-04-06). Amid Sanctions and Military Mobilization, Maduro Pens Letter Urging Americans to Question Trump. mintpressnews.com "I wholeheartedly ask you not to allow your country to be dragged once again into another unending conflict, another Vietnam, another Iraq, but this time, closer to home."
(2020-04-06). Nearly 60 Groups Demand End to Sanctions During COVID-19 Crisis. telesurenglish.net Approximately 60 organizations in Spain on Monday demanded the suspension of sanctions and blockades against Venezuela, Cuba, Iran and Palestine so that they can face the COVID-19 outbreak with full force. | RELATED: | In a joint statement, the political groups indicated that these coercive measures are preventing various international organizations from supplying food and medicine to the population of these countri…
(2020-04-06). COVID-19 Illuminates Our Food System's Failure to Protect the Most Vulnerable. commondreams.org Excruciating industry-standard abuses, such as beak trimming and tail docking, and overcrowded and unsanitary conditions suppress animals' immune systems and create the perfect breeding ground for diseases that pose an existential threat to humanity. (Photo: Farm Sanctuary/flickr/cc) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-04-06). PCHR Condemns Israeli Defense Minister's Statements, Stresses Linking Humanitarian Aid to Politics is Unacceptable. imemc.org The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) condemns the Israeli Defense Minister, Naftali Bennett's statements linking the entry of medical supplies into the Gaza Strip to combat Coronavirus with the return of Israeli soldiers who have been held by Palestinian armed groups in the Gaza Strip since 2014. PCHR stresses …
(2020-04-06). Rights experts warn against discrimination in COVID-19 response. news.un.org Fearing a needless increase in COVID-19 deaths due to discrimination, UN independent human rights experts on Monday called for Governments to commit to racial equity and equality in their response to the pandemic.
(2020-04-06). On Palestinian Child Day — There are 200 Children Detained in Israeli Prisons. imemc.org Head of the Palestinian Prisoners and Ex-Prisoners Commission, Qadri Abu Bakr, on Sunday, said that Israel has 200 Palestinian children in detention, commemorating 'Palestinian Child Day' on April 5th, Palestinian WAFA News Agency reported. In a statement, Abu Bakr said that since the year 2000, Israel has arrested no less …
(2020-04-06). Iran's Call for Sanctions Removal Rejected Due to US' Bullying: MFA. globalresearch.ca He made the remark during a press conference on Monday that was held online due to the outbreak of coronavirus. | To a question about the remarks by some American officials, including Donald Trump, about contacting Iran for suspension of …
(2020-04-06). Sanctioning the Way for COVID-19. cepr.net MarketWatch See article on original site While the United States is fighting COVID-19 here at home, US sanctions against other governments are aiding the virus' spread abroad. They've already likely contributed to many unnecessary deaths in Iran, and Venezuela's experience with the pandemic may also be much more deadly due to these punitive measures. COVID-19 …
(2020-04-06). Washington Slams Cuba's Doctors as US Embargo Blocks Coronavirus Aid. globalresearch.ca The coronavirus pandemic is exposing the cruelty of US imperialism to the world as Washington's crippling economic sanctions remain in full effect. The decades-old US embargo on Cuba
(2020-04-06). National Civil Rights Group and Hundreds of Medical Professionals Call on the Trump Administration and States to Release Racial Data for COVID-19 Tests, Cases and Outcomes. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2020-04-06). Prison shelling in Yemen kills five women and a child: UN rights chief condemns possible war crime. news.un.org The UN has condemned the shelling of the women's section of the Central Prison in a district of Yemen's war-torn Taizz Governerate, in the south of the country, which has left at least five women and one child dead, and wounding more than 11, with casualties expected to rise.
(2020-04-06). Everyone Must be Counted in the 2020 Census. aclu.org Every 10 years, the federal government conducts a census to count everyone living in the United States. For people of color, especially Black people, the census has traditionally been exclusionary and deeply flawed. | Article 1, Section 2 of the Constitution was intentionally designed to protect the institution of slavery by immorally reducing those enslaved to three-fifths of a human being. It remains the only reference to slavery in the Constitution and was the law when the first census was completed in 1790 and for 75 years thereafter until the 14th Amendment was passed. Two hundred thirty years later, Bla…
(2020-04-06). Selected Articles: Fake Coronavirus Data, Fear Campaign. Spread of the COVID-19 Infection. globalresearch.ca Online independent analysis of US-led wars, rampant corruption, corporate greed, civil rights and fraudulent monetary transactions is invariably relegated to the bottom rung of search engine results. | As a result we presently do not cover our monthly running costs which …
(2020-04-06). Trump's Iran sanctions policy on the turn. iranian.com The past week witnessed a sudden spurt of tensions in the US-Iran standoff. There was intense speculation that to divert public attention in America from his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, Trump might order a military attack on Iran. Trump himself fuelled the speculation with the sudden outburst in a tweet on April 1: "Upon …
(2020-04-06). Citing 'Irreparable Harm,' Federal Judge Blocks Oklahoma Attempt to Ban Abortion During Pandemic. commondreams.org Reproductive rights advocates celebrated on Monday after U.S. District Judge Charles Goodwin granted a temporary restraining order against the state of Oklahoma's ban on abortions during the coronavirus pandemic on the grounds that denying the right to the medical procedures would cause "imminent, irreparable harm" to state residents. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-04-05). US Weaponizing COVID-19 Against Venezuela, Iran: Oliver Stone. telesurenglish.net "As a number of religious scholars have warned, 'plagues expose the foundations of injustice' in our societies," film director Oliver Stone wrote in an op-ed Saturday exposing the United States (U.S.) government "profound lack of human decency" amid the new coronavirus pandemic. | RELATED: | In the piece published by the New York Daily News, Stone denounces the U.S. government for refusing to remove murderous sanctions on Iran and Venezuela…
(2020-04-05). Israeli Forces Detain Palestinian Governor of Jerusalem. telesurenglish.net Israel has detained Sunday the Palestinian Authority (PA) Governor of Jerusalem Adnan Ghaith over "illegal" activities and imprisoned him for the seventh time in the previous 18 months period. | RELATED: | "Adnan Ghaith was detained this morning for Palestinian activity in Jerusalem, which is illegal," police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told AFP. | Ghaith's lawyer, Rami Othman, said his client, who was taken for q…
(2020-04-04). Human Rights and Natural Facts. dissidentvoice.org 
Where do human rights come from? And can we establish a firm philosophical base for their existence? For Hobbes, a thin version of human rights stemmed from the fact that humans want to persist in their existence by doing whatever necessary to preserve their own life. From this, Hobbes deduced that humans have the "natural" …
(2020-04-04). Stop Tightening the Thumb Screws: A Humanitarian Message. zcomm.org One way to help others survive is to insist that the United States lift sanctions against Iran and instead support acts of practical care…
(2020-04-04). Refugee supporters to defy police ban on car cavalcade. greenleft.org.au 
(2020-04-03). Protect Immigrant Communities: Fear Mounts of Deadly COVID-19 Outbreak in U.S. Border Camps, ICE Jails. democracynow.org 
The Congressional Hispanic Caucus has joined thousands of medical professionals and immigration rights groups to demand that Immigration and Customs Enforcement release all prisoners from immigration jails as the coronavirus continues to spread. Meanwhile, immigration advocates are working to prepare crowded encampments of asylum seekers across the U.S.-Mexico border for a potentially catastrophic outbreak of COVID-19. Since the implementation of the Trump administration's "Remain in Mexico" policy, tens of thousands of asylum seekers from regions like Central America and Africa have been stranded in Mexican bord…
(2020-04-03). Detained immigrants across Deep South feel like 'sitting ducks' as ICE ignores their safety amid global pandemic. splcenter.org COVID-19 began to infect the nation at rapid speed in March, reaching every corner of the country and taking the lives of more than 6,000 people by April 3. The United Nations has dubbed the coronavirus the "most challenging" crisis the globe has witnessed since World War II.
(2020-04-03). Amazon on strike: what workers need to know about their rights. thegrayzone.com Red Lines host Anya Parampil speaks with Kevin Gustafson, an organizer with Democracy at Work and host of the Sensible…
(2020-04-03). Political prisoners should be among first released in pandemic response, says UN rights chief. news.un.org The decision by many Governments to release prisoners to slow the transmission of new coronavirus, was welcomed on Friday by the UN's top rights official, Michelle Bachelet.
(2020-04-03). Editorial from Zimbabwe praises U.N. call to end sanctions. workers.org The Herald, Zimbabwe's largest newspaper in Harare, the capital, published the following editorial on March 27 commenting on the COVID-19 pandemic and sanctions. With the coronavirus pandemic escalating every second and reaching unprecedented levels globally, it is no time to play political games with people's lives. The big brother mentality . . . |
(2020-04-03). 7 ways to (virtually) support refugee rights on Palm Sunday. greenleft.org.au 
People seeking asylum and refugees are going…
(2020-04-02). "There Aren't Enough Tests": As Pandemic Intensifies, Global South Prepares for the Worst. democracynow.org 
After devastating China, Europe and the United States, the coronavirus pandemic is now intensifying across the Global South. The United Nations warns the pandemic is poised to destroy fragile economies in poor nations, decimating food security, education and human rights. We speak with Yanis Ben Amor, assistant professor of global health and microbiological sciences at Columbia University and executive director of the Center for Sustainable Development at the Earth Institute.
(2020-04-02). Refugees held by ICE struggle for their lives. liberationnews.org 
Immigrant refugees being held in ICE detention centers are struggling for their lives and demanding to be released to prevent their deaths from COVID-19.
(2020-04-02). Fighting for immigrant rights during a pandemic. splcenter.org As people across the country are confined to their homes during the COVID-19 pandemic, little attention has been given to a group of people whose health is in danger because they are locked away from the outside world — people in immigrant detention centers.