(2020-04-10). Freedom from Fear: John Pilger Discusses Coronavirus Propaganda, Imperialism, and Human Rights. counterpunch.org John Pilger is the world-renowned journalist and filmmaker. The author of several books and maker of over 60 documentaries (the latest being The Coming War on China and The Dirty War on the NHS), Pilger has won dozens of prestigious awards and has been honoured by several universities. I asked him about the coronavirus in
(2020-04-10). EEU regards US sanctions on Iran amid COVID-19 'irrational'. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Apr. 10 (MNA) — In a Friday telephone conversation with Iran's ambassador to Russia, Minister of Commerce of the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) said that the union supports Iran's stance on the US irrational sanctions especially amid the global battle against the coronavirus…
(2020-04-10). Trump executive order asserts US property rights in outer space. wsws.org The assertion of property rights follows the creation of the US "Space Force" branch of the military, as capitalism demands a return on investment in space.
(2020-04-10). Grand jury records in notorious 1946 US lynching case to remain sealed. wsws.org The heinous crime near the Moore's Ford Bridge in Georgia sparked wide outrage which contributed to the emergence of the civil rights movement.
(2020-04-10). Watchdog calls India's citizenship law 'discriminatory'. yenisafak.com Human Rights Watch has termed India's new citizenship law as discriminatory in a new report.The Citizenship Amendment Act along with a planned nationwide verification process to identify illegal immigrants is a threat to millions of Indian Muslims, said the report released on Thursday.The law which was approved last December accelerates citizenship for Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, and Christians from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh, but blocks naturalization for Muslims.Muslim leaders fear the new law will be linked to a nationwide exercise where every citizen would be asked to prove Indian citizenship.Many organi…
(2020-04-09). Federal Judge Orders ICE to Release Four Detained Immigrants at Risk of Serious Illness or Death From COVID-19 Infection. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2020-04-09). Ventilators Not Bombs, Humanitarian Aid Not Sanctions, Cooperation Not Regime Change. commondreams.org We need more ventilators and protective equipment for our doctors and nurses, not more bombs, economic sanctions against people who do us no harm, and futile attempts at regime change. (Photo: Erik McGregor/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-04-09). Amir-Abdollahian urges US to leave banditry, lift sanctions. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Apr. 09 (MNA) — Iranian Parliament Speaker's Special Aide for International Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian called on the United States to leave its hawkish policies against the country amid the fight against COVID-19.
(2020-04-09). 'Anybody with conscience opposes anti-Iran sanctions'. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Apr. 09 (MNA) — Alireza Miryousefi, spokesperson for the Iranian Mission to the UN, said nobody would approve of the cruel US sanctions against Iran amid the current coronavirus crisis.
(2020-04-09). Political independence, opportunities, threats of COVID-19. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Apr.10 (MNA) —World is witnessing independent human stances by international figures and bodies amid coronavirus outbreak defying the US Trump's unilateral and unjust sanction policy.
(2020-04-09). Puebla Group Rejects Sentencing of Former President Correa. telesurenglish.net The Puebla Group on Wednesday demanded an end to the judicial persecution of political leaders in Latin America after Ecuadorian courts imposed a prison sentence on former President Rafael Correa. | RELATED: | The Latin American leader was sentenced to eight years in prison on alleged corruption charges. The decision includes the withdrawal of his political rights for 25 years. | "Ecuador's reactionary political sectors have incre…
(2020-04-09). Living apart, 'we must stand together' to battle coronavirus pandemic — UN rights chief. news.un.org The COVID-19 pandemic is a "colossal test of leadership", the top UN rights official said on Thursday, underscoring the need for "decisive, coordinated and innovative action from all, and for all".
(2020-04-09). Put women and girls at centre of COVID-19 recovery: UN Secretary-General. news.un.org Limited gains in gender equality and women's rights made over the decades are in danger of being rolled back due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the UN Secretary-General said on Thursday.
(2020-04-09). I'm Queer and I've Been in Solitary. Ellen Isn't Experiencing What I Did. aclu.org On Monday, I ended a 12-hour day returning emails to incarcerated queer folks, providing direct aid for housing to folks living with HIV & AIDS who have been incarcerated and challenging the state of Nebraska to provide humane conditions for incarcerated individuals and decided to mindlessly scroll on Twitter. , , I found the quote from the show Ellen DeGeneres filmed from her multimillion-dollar, multi-room mansion: "One thing that I've learned from being in quarantine is that people — this is like being in jail, is what it is," she said. "It's mostly because I've be…
(2020-04-09). 'Important Step' as Federal Judge Orders ICE to Release Detained Immigrants at Heightened Risk for COVID-19. commondreams.org In a ruling celebrated Thursday by rights advocates seeking the liberation of as many detained immigrants as possible during the coronavirus pandemic, a federal judge in San Francisco ordered the release of four men whose respective ages and medical conditions make them particularly vulnerable to COVID-19. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-04-09). After 'Civic Catastrophe' in Wisconsin, Congress Urged to Fully Fund National Vote-by-Mail for November. commondreams.org Calls are mounting from rights advocates for Congress to fully fund a nationwide shift to mail-in voting during the coronavirus pandemic after a "civic catastrophe" in Wisconsin Tuesday, when the state's Republican legislative leaders and Supreme Court forced people to vote in-person despite the serious threat to public health. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-04-09). Noam Chomsky blasts Trump for continuing Iran sanctions. iranian.com Eminent American scholar and political commentator Noam Chomsky has blasted US President Donald Trump for continuing crippling sanctions on Iran as the country is fighting the novel coronavirus pandemic. "When the US imposes devastating sanctions — it's the only country that can do that, everyone has to follow … the master. Or else they are …
(2020-04-08). "They Don't Care if You Die": Immigrants in ICE Detention Fear the Spread of COVID-19. aclu.org 
Mario Rodas, Sr. first found out there was a deadly virus spreading through the country while he was watching television at the Plymouth County Correctional Facility in Massachusetts. In early March, Rodas had been pulled over and arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents while driving to the supermarket with his wife, a legal resident and the mother of his three U.S. citizen children. Since then, he'd been in the custody of ICE, mostly at Plymouth. | The more Rodas heard about the disease, the more fearful the 59-year-old became. | "I was scared for my health," he told the ACLU. "I was worr…
(2020-04-08). Chicago: Over 200 cars join protest demanding mass release from jails, detention centers. fightbacknews.org Chicago, IL – Hundreds of people took their cars to Chicago's jails and detention centers on Tuesday morning, April 7, to demand a mass release of incarcerated people in the city. Isolated from each other in their cars, they were united in their message: Jails, prisons and detention centers must be depopulated before the spread of COVID-19 turns them into death camps. | Nearly 300 protesters in 200 cars targeted three locations: ICE headquarters, the Juvenile Temporary Detention Center and Cook County Jail. Cars carried banners with slogans such as "Free them all" and "Mass release now." Organizers also gave spee…
(2020-04-08). Nativist Hate Groups Want to Keep People in ICE Detention Despite COVID-19 Threat. splcenter.org Anti-immigrant think tanks are pushing for the U.S. to detain immigrants and asylum seekers throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, even as prisoners stage hunger strikes and other protests in response to what they describe as deteriorating health conditions in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities.
(2020-04-08). 3 Palestinians Detained by Israeli Forces, Including 2 Former Prisoners. imemc.org Israeli forces on Wednesday, detained two Palestinians after invading the town of Abu Dis, east of Jerusalem, according to Days of Palestine. Israeli soldiers reportedly invaded the town and ransacked the homes of the 2 unidentified Palestinian men, before abducting them. The two men are former prisoners, one serving fifteen …
(2020-04-08). Billionaire-backed Human Rights Watch lobbies for lethal US sanctions on leftist governments as Covid crisis rages. thegrayzone.com Regime change-hungry HRW is proudly taking credit for crushing new US sanctions on Nicaragua while pushing to escalate Washington's economic…
(2020-04-08). President Rouhani Blasts US Medical Terrorism. iranian.com Iran's President Hassan Rouhani lashed out at the US sanctions and pressures which have deprived the Iranian people of their right to import drugs and medical equipment amid the coronavirus outbreak. "The Americans violate the approvals of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the White House which was a terrorist in economic fields is now …
(2020-04-08). As US Consigns Iranians to Death, Corporate Media Look the Other Way. fair.org 
Covid-19 has hammered few countries as hard as it has hit Iran, which reports (as of
(2020-04-07). Children vulnerable to abuse and violence during coronavirus lockdowns, UN experts warn. news.un.org Independent UN human rights experts have called on States to boost child protection measures to help safeguard the welfare of millions of children who may be more exposed to violence, sale, trafficking, sexual abuse and exploitation during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
(2020-04-07). Zarif: Iran does not need Trump's charity. iranian.com Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in a message urged US to stop preventing Iran from selling oil, saying Iran does not need Trump's charity. "Iran is rich in human & natural resources. We don't need charity from @realDonaldTrump —who's forced to buy ventilators from sources he's sanctioned," Zarif wrote on his Twitter account on …
(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). 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). 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). 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). 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 …
(2020-04-04). 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). 7 ways to (virtually) support refugee rights on Palm Sunday. greenleft.org.au 
People seeking asylum and refugees are going…
(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.
(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). COVID-19 Doesn't Discriminate — Neither Should Congress' Response. aclu.org Congress' third bill addressing the impacts of COVID-19, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), was a necessary attempt to respond to this public health crisis but its exclusion of immigrant communities is downright racist and xenophobic. Immigrants were
(2020-04-01). The Added Importance of the Census, in Light of COVID-19. aclu.org 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 — mo…
(2020-03-27). Weekend Read: SPLC demands ICE act amid pandemic to save the lives of countless immigrants trapped in its crowded detention centers. splcenter.org …
(2020-03-25). SPLC and allies seek federal court injunction in system-wide suit to protect people detained by ICE from contracting COVID-19. splcenter.org 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.
(2020-03-20). Grassroots effort sponsored by SPLC protects voting rights for hundreds across South Florida. splcenter.org 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.
(2020-03-13). No, Venezuela does not have a six child per family policy. zcomm.org 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,
(2020-02-08). Iraq and Russia Prepare to Boost Military Ties as US Threatens Sanctions. theantimedia.com Iraq and Russia are preparing for deepening military coordination.