San Diego "Honk for Justice" Calls for the Release of people in ICE Detention
repost | indybay.org | 2020-04-07
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.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/04/05/18832119.php

Pakistani doctors detained for demanding safety gear
Peoples Dispatch | peoplesdispatch.org | 2020-04-07
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.
peoplesdispatch.org/2020/04/07/pakistani-doctors-detained-for-demanding-safety-gear/

Doctors detained for demanding protective gear in Pakistan
Peoples Dispatch | peoplesdispatch.org | 2020-04-07
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…
peoplesdispatch.org/2020/04/07/doctors-detained-for-demanding-protective-gear-in-pakistan/

Bolivian Authorities Request Protection for Vulnerable Group
telesurenglish.net | 2020-04-07
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: | Bolivians Unable to Quarantine, Protest All Over the Country | 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…
telesurenglish.net/news/bolivia-public-defenders-request-protection-for-vulnerable-groups-20200407-0008.html

Coronavirus: Sanctions and Suffering
Dr. Chandra Muzaffar | globalresearch.ca | 2020-04-07
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. …
globalresearch.ca/coronavirus-sanctions-suffering/5708944

60 Spanish associations call for lifting Iran sanctions
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-04-07
TEHRAN, Apr. 07 (MNA)

US' anti-Iran measures against intl. human rights: Judiciary spox
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-04-07
TEHRAN, Apr. 07 (MNA)

A Simple Democratic Transition Framework for Venezuela: End All "Sanctions"
Nino Pagliccia | counterpunch.org | 2020-04-07
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…
counterpunch.org/2020/04/07/a-simple-democratic-transition-framework-for-venezuela-end-all-sanctions/

Range of INSTEX should be beyond borders of EU: Ulyanov
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-04-07
TEHRAN, Apr. 07 (MNA)

We don't need charity from Trump: Zarif
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-04-07
TEHRAN, Apr. 07 (MNA)

Iran to Test Asymptomatic People to Contain COVID-19
telesurenglish.net | 2020-04-07
Iran's Health Minister Said Namaki announced that the number of new infections has been reduced for the eighth consecutive day. However, his country would increase the number of diagnostic tests to detect asymptomatic patients and control the COVID-19. | RELATED: | Iran Nearly 60 Groups Demand End to Sanctions During COVID-19 Crisis | So far, the Iranian authorities have conducted 211,136 tests via phone or virtual media; they have monitored the health of 70 million of the 83…
telesurenglish.net/news/Iran-toTestAsymptomatic-People-to-Contain-COVID-19-20200407-0006.html

Iran Demands US End Their Oil Sanctions
telesurenglish.net | 2020-04-07
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Tuesday called on the U.S. government to stop sanctions on Iran's oil exports. | RELATED: | Nearly 60 Groups Demand End to Sanctions During COVID-19 Crisis | "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…
telesurenglish.net/news/Iran-Demands-US-End-Their-Oil-Sanctions–20200407-0007.html

Czech MPs approve extending state of emergency to end-April
rt.com | 2020-04-07
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…
rt.com/newsline/485171-czech-extend-state-emergency/

Left members of the European Parliament outline pandemic recovery plan
Mark Gruenberg | peoplesworld.org | 2020-04-07
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

The Radical Work of Healing
Angela Davis | zcomm.org | 2020-04-07
Fania and Angela Davis On a New Kind of Civil Rights Activism…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/the-radical-work-of-healing-2/

Under Trump the NLRB Has Gone Completely Rogue
Lynn Rhinehart | thenation.com | 2020-04-07
Under Trump the NLRB Has Gone Completely Rogue…
thenation.com/article/politics/nlrb-workers-rights-trump/

'Certainly a Good Start': New Labour Leader Keir Starmer Praised for Apology to UK Jewish Community
sputniknews.com | 2020-04-07
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.
sputniknews.com/uk/202004071078866103-certainly-a-good-start-new-labour-leader-keir-starmer-praised-for-apology-to-uk-jewish-community/

Morocco releases over 5,600 incarcerated people amid COVID-19 threat in prisons
Peoples Dispatch | peoplesdispatch.org | 2020-04-06
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.
peoplesdispatch.org/2020/04/06/morocco-releases-over-5600-incarcerated-people-amid-covid-19-threat-in-prisons/

Amid Sanctions and Military Mobilization, Maduro Pens Letter Urging Americans to Question Trump
Alan Macleod | mintpressnews.com | 2020-04-06
"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."
mintpressnews.com/nicolas-maduro-letter-oppose-war-venezuela-coronavirus/266397/

Nearly 60 Groups Demand End to Sanctions During COVID-19 Crisis
telesurenglish.net | 2020-04-06
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: | US Weaponizing COVID-19 Against Venezuela, Iran: Oliver Stone | 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…
telesurenglish.net/news/Nearly-60-Groups-Demand-End-to-Sanctions-During-COVID-19-Crisis-20200406-0004.html

Senate Bill Challenges Online Encryption, Constitutional Rights to Speech and Privacy
VINS | projectcensored.org | 2020-04-06
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…
projectcensored.org/senate-bill-challenges-online-encryption-constitutional-rights-to-speech-and-privacy/

COVID-19 Illuminates Our Food System's Failure to Protect the Most Vulnerable
Leah Garcés | commondreams.org | 2020-04-06
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… …
commondreams.org/views/2020/04/06/covid-19-illuminates-our-food-systems-failure-protect-most-vulnerable?cd-origin=rss

Netanyahu, Gantz Agree on Plan to Annex Parts of the West Bank
telesurenglish.net | 2020-04-06
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his main rival, Blue and White party chief Benny Gantz agreed Monday on a proposal that would allow Israel to annex portions of the West Bank under a unity government led by their two parties, Haaretz reported. | RELATED: | Israeli Forces Detain Palestinian Governor of Jerusalem | The Israeli leaders, until now political rivals, agreed that Netanyahu would bring the proposal to be voted this summer, provided that it is accepted by the Uni…
telesurenglish.net/news/Netanyahu-Gantz-Agree-on-Plan-to-Annex-Parts-of-the-West-Bank–20200406-0008.html

UN Chief Calls for Protection of Women from Domestic Violence
telesurenglish.net | 2020-04-06
United Nations General Secretary Antonio Guterres called on governments to protect girls and women from the increase in domestic violence during the COVID-19 quarantine period. | RELATED: | Israeli Forces Detain Palestinian Governor of Jerusalem | "Violence is not limited to the battlefield. Violence is not limited to the battlefield. For many women and girls, the threat is greatest precisely where they should be safest. For many women and girls, the threat is greatest where they sho…
telesurenglish.net/news/un-guterres-calls-for-protection-from-domestic-violence-during-quarantine-20200406-0006.html

Sanctioning the Way for COVID-19
Matt Sedlar | cepr.net | 2020-04-06
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 …
cepr.net/u-s-sanctions-in-a-time-of-coronavirus-are-morally-depraved-as-well-as-illegal-under-international-law/

Washington Slams Cuba's Doctors as US Embargo Blocks Coronavirus Aid
Dave DeCamp | globalresearch.ca | 2020-04-06
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 blocked a coronavirus aid shipment from a Chinese entrepreneur last month, another …
globalresearch.ca/washington-slams-cuba-doctors-us-embargo-blocks-coronavirus-aid/5708787

Sanctioning the Way for COVID-19
Matt Sedlar | cepr.net | 2020-04-06
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 …
cepr.net/u-s-sanctions-in-a-time-of-coronavirus-are-morally-depraved-as-well-as-illegal-under-international-law/

Cuban Medical Team Arrives in Barbados to Help Fight COVID-19
telesurenglish.net | 2020-04-06
A team of Cuban medical professionals including 100 intensive care specialists arrived Sunday in Barbados to join the Caribbean nation in its fight against the rapid spread of the new coronavirus. | RELATED: | Nearly 60 Groups Demand End to Sanctions During COVID-19 Crisis | Barbados Health Minister Jeffrey Bostic held a virtual press conference Sunday in which he…
telesurenglish.net/news/Cuban-Medical-Team-Arrive-in-Barbados-to-Help-Fight-COVID-19-20200406-0011.html

Iran's Call for Sanctions Removal Rejected Due to US' Bullying: MFA
Mehrnews | globalresearch.ca | 2020-04-06
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 …
globalresearch.ca/iran-call-sanctions-removal-rejected-due-us-bullying/5708812

PCHR Condemns Israeli Defense Minister's Statements, Stresses Linking Humanitarian Aid to Politics is Unacceptable
PCHR | imemc.org | 2020-04-06
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 …
imemc.org/article/pchr-condemns-israeli-defense-ministers-statements-stresses-linking-humanitarian-aid-to-politics-is-unacceptable/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=pchr-condemns-israeli-defense-ministers-statements-stresses-linking-humanitarian-aid-to-politics-is-unacceptable

Rights experts warn against discrimination in COVID-19 response
news.un.org | 2020-04-06
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.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/04/1061122

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
______________________________…
commondreams.org/newswire/2020/04/06/national-civil-rights-group-and-hundreds-medical-professionals-call-trump?cd-origin=rss

Prison shelling in Yemen kills five women and a child: UN rights chief condemns possible war crime
news.un.org | 2020-04-06
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.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/04/1061182

Everyone Must be Counted in the 2020 Census
Ebony Miranda | aclu.org | 2020-04-06
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…
aclu.org/news/voting-rights/everyone-must-be-counted-in-the-2020-census

Citing 'Irreparable Harm,' Federal Judge Blocks Oklahoma Attempt to Ban Abortion During Pandemic
Jessica Corbett, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2020-04-06
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… …
commondreams.org/news/2020/04/06/citing-irreparable-harm-federal-judge-blocks-oklahoma-attempt-ban-abortion-during?cd-origin=rss

Trump's Iran sanctions policy on the turn
M. K. Bhadrakumar | iranian.com | 2020-04-06
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 …
iranian.com/2020/04/05/trumps-iran-sanctions-policy-on-the-turn/

Selected Articles: Fake Coronavirus Data, Fear Campaign. Spread of the COVID-19 Infection
Global Research News | globalresearch.ca | 2020-04-06
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 …
globalresearch.ca/selected-articles-fake-coronavirus-data-fear-campaign-spread-covid-19-infection/5708837

Israeli Forces Detain Palestinian Governor of Jerusalem
telesurenglish.net | 2020-04-05
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: | High Population Density Challenge for Gazans to Fight COVID-19 | "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…
telesurenglish.net/news/Israeli-Forces-Detain-Palestinian-Governor-of-Jerusalem-20200405-0010.html

US Weaponizing COVID-19 Against Venezuela, Iran: Oliver Stone
telesurenglish.net | 2020-04-05
"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: | 'The US Has Become a Force of Evil': Oliver Stone | 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…
telesurenglish.net/news/Oliver-Stone-Slams-Sanctions-on-Iran-Venezuela-Amid-Pandemic–20200405-0008.html

Stop Tightening the Thumb Screws: A Humanitarian Message
Kathy Kelly | zcomm.org | 2020-04-04
One way to help others survive is to insist that the United States lift sanctions against Iran and instead support acts of practical care…
zcomm.org/zmagazine/stop-tightening-the-thumb-screws-a-humanitarian-message/

Human Rights and Natural Facts
Dan Corjescu | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-04-04
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" …
dissidentvoice.org/2020/04/human-rights-and-natural-facts/

COVID-19: Many refugees face destitution and disease
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2020-04-04
Refugees & migrants Jonathan StraussIssue 1260 Australia COVID-19 temporary protection visasApril 5, 2020Other than those held in detention, refugees and those seeking asylum who are…
greenleft.org.au/content/covid-19-many-refugees-face-destitution-and-disease

Protect Immigrant Communities: Fear Mounts of Deadly COVID-19 Outbreak in U.S. Border Camps, ICE Jails
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-04-03
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…
www.democracynow.org/2020/4/3/covid_us_m…

Detained immigrants across Deep South feel like 'sitting ducks' as ICE ignores their safety amid global pandemic
splcenter.org | 2020-04-03
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.
splcenter.org/news/2020/04/03/detained-immigrants-across-deep-south-feel-sitting-ducks-ice-ignores-their-safety-amid

Amazon on strike: what workers need to know about their rights
Anya Parampil | thegrayzone.com | 2020-04-03
Red Lines host Anya Parampil speaks with Kevin Gustafson, an organizer with Democracy at Work and host of the Sensible…
thegrayzone.com/2020/04/03/amazon-strike-workers-rights/

Political prisoners should be among first released in pandemic response, says UN rights chief
news.un.org | 2020-04-03
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.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/04/1061002

Editorial from Zimbabwe praises U.N. call to end sanctions
| workers.org | 2020-04-03
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 . . . | Continue reading Editorial from Zimbabwe praises U.N. call to end sanctions at Workers.org…
workers.org/2020/04/47476/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=editorial-from-zimbabwe-praises-u-n-call-to-end-sanctions

Medical experts call for release of refugees and asylum seekers
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2020-04-03
Refugees & migrants Zebedee ParkesIssue 1259 Australia COVID-19April 3, 2020More than 1100 medical professionals have called on Minister for Home Affairs Peter Dutton to urgently release people in detention for their own health and that of the community. Many are in…
greenleft.org.au/content/medical-experts-call-release-refugees-and-asylum-seekers

7 ways to (virtually) support refugee rights on Palm Sunday
ZEB | greenleft.org.au | 2020-04-03
Refugees & migrants Zebedee ParkesIssue 1259 Australia COVID-19April 3, 2020For the first time in years, we won't be able to organise mass multicultural and interfaith Palm Sunday rallies and marches for refugee rights. | People seeking asylum and refugees are going…
greenleft.org.au/content/7-ways-virtually-support-refugee-rights-palm-sunday

Fighting for immigrant rights during a pandemic
Katrina Huber | splcenter.org | 2020-04-02
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