(2020-04-17). EU lockdown exits will need more open borders, jobs chief says. rt.com 
European Union countries will need to ease border restrictions to let in cross-border and seasonal workers as they gradually pull out of lockdowns and relaunch their economies, the bloc's commissioner for jobs said on Friday. | The EU Commission issued guidelines to the 27 member states in March, urging them to let critical frontier workers, such as in the health or food sectors, cross borders. Some 1.5 million people live in one EU country and work in another. The situation improved after many countries' initial reflex to close frontiers but problems remained, Jobs and Social Rights Commissioner Nicolas Schmi…
(2020-04-17). Nigeria: Police Brutality Is More Lethal Than COVID-19. telesurenglish.net Nigeria's National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) denounced that the victims of police brutality outnumber those killed by COVID-19 on its territory as the Nigerian police are suspected of having carried out 18 extra-judicial killings between March 30 and April 13. | RELATED: | "While the new coronavirus has killed eleven patients, security forces have extrajudicially executed 18 people to enforce orders," the NHRC head Tony Ojukwu said and added that h…
(2020-04-17). Russia stresses formation of anti-sanctions campaign. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Apr. 17 (MNA) — Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov reiterated Moscow's opposition to the US' unilateral sanctions against Iran, calling for the formation of an anti-sanctions campaign amid the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
(2020-04-16). PCHR Fears Coronavirus Spread in Israeli Prisons and Detention Centers. imemc.org The Palestinian Center For Human Rights (PCHR): Palestinian Prisoners' Day is celebrated every year on the 17th of April, which was endorsed by the Palestinian National Council in 1974 as a national day to pay tribute to Palestinian prisoners and their sacrifices, and to support, advocate and promote their right to …
(2020-04-16). Bolivian coup leader freaks out on The Grayzone for 'fascist' label in complaint to OAS 'human rights' arm. thegrayzone.com The director of far-right Bolivian coup leader Camacho's presidential campaign threw a slander-laced tantrum against The Grayzone in a letter…
(2020-04-16). Bachelet: Countries Must Allow Safe Return of Its Citizens. telesurenglish.net Latin American governments must allow the return of their countries' citizens despite the COVID-19, urged the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, on Thursday. | RELATED: | Even though the borders of many nations in the world and Latin America are closing, to stop the advance of COVID-19, "everyone has the right to refresh their country of origin," Bachelet said. | Bachelet's statements c…
(2020-04-16). As pandemic rages, U.S. economic sanctions against Cuba are getting deadlier. peoplesworld.org 
We know that for almost 60 years the U.S. government has blockaded Cuba and, in the process, has damaged Cuba's economy and threatened the health and safety of the Cuban people. We know that the Cuban people are now defending themselves against the COVID-19 virus and know, too, that COVID-19 often causes death. We know …
(2020-04-16). Rights of Children at Risk at 'An Unprecedented Speed and Scale' as School Closures Drive Turn to Online Learning. commondreams.org The new warning is issued in a open letter from 33 organizations across the globe. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-04-16). The U.S. Opposes the IMF to Create Liquidity to Help Countries. telesurenglish.net The United States Thursday rejects the possibility that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) creates liquidity by issuing Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) and argued that such nominal currency will not be effective in solving the pandemic-induced economic crisis. | RELATED: | "A number of IMF countries support a general delivery of SDRs to the membership. In our view, an SDR allocation is not an effective tool to respond to urgent…
(2020-04-16). Rouhani vows continuation of development despite outbreak. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Apr. 16 (MNA) — Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that Iranians won't sit idle for a moment for country's development despite two concurrent fights against sanctions and coronavirus, and continue observing health protocols.
(2020-04-16). Caricom Demands End of US Sanctions Against Cuba and Venezuela. telesurenglish.net The members of the Caribbean Community -CARICOM-, called this Wednesday for the lifting of the U.S. sanctions against Cuba and Venezuela. | RELATED: | "All countries must be part of the global effort to combat Covid-19," the region's heads of government agreed during the emergency Summit convened by Caricom. | The meeting, which took place via videoconference, also condemned the U.S. decision to suspend funding to the Wo…
(2020-04-16). Zarif lauds China COVID19 aid to Iran. iranian.com Iranian Foreign Minister in a message on Thursday thanked China for providing medical aid to Iran in time of coronavirus outbreak and slammed US sanctions that hindered Iran's fight against pandemic. "I am very happy to talk to my old friend, Wang Yi, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister again," Zarif said in a Twitter …
(2020-04-16). Will The US Launch Another War Against Iraq? iranian.com The US administration views Iraq as an arena for confrontation with Iran, with the aim of subjugating the country to its hegemony and dominance. The US imposes harsh sanctions on Iran and is trying to close the Iraqi market to prevent Tehran from smuggling its oil through Mesopotamia, and to obstruct the sale of gas …
(2020-04-16). 'A Tremendous Victory': Indigenous and Climate Campaigners Celebrate as Federal Court Deals Another Blow to Keystone XL. commondreams.org Indigenous rights groups and climate action campaigners credited their years-long effort to block the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline for securing the latest legal victory against TC Energy on Wednesday, after a federal judge in Montana invalidated the company's water-crossing permit to build the pipeline. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-04-15). "I Want an Apology": Black Doctor Who Tests Homeless for Coronavirus Handcuffed by Miami Police. democracynow.org 
We speak with Dr. Armen Henderson, an African-American doctor who was handcuffed and detained outside his home Friday as he was wearing a mask and preparing for a volunteer shift to test homeless people for COVID-19. "I want the officer held accountable. There's no way that you racially profile me and then you arrest me, detain me, during a pandemic, when you have no mask on, where hundreds of police officers throughout Miami-Dade County have tested positive," says Dr. Henderson, who is an internal medicine physician, assistant professor of medicine at the University of Miami and an organizer with Dream Defenders…
(2020-04-15). COVID-19 environmental roll back 'irrational' and irresponsible': rights expert. news.un.org Countries must not use the COVID-19 pandemic as an excuse to weaken environmental protection and enforcement, a UN independent human rights expert said on Wednesday.
(2020-04-15). The Endless Cruelty of US Sanctions: The US Interception of Chinese Medical Supply to Cuba. dissidentvoice.org Enhanced transcript on an interview with PressTV Background Cuba complained recently that a shipment of test kits, masks and respirators, donated by the Chinese Alibaba group, didn't arrive because the American company tasked with transportation feared breaching US sanction rules. Washington imposed an embargo on Cuba in 1962 after the island nation nationalized its oil …
(2020-04-14). Week of action demands that all immigrants detained in Minnesota be released. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN – In a press conference held by video on April 14, several immigrant rights organizations announced a week of action happening this week to demand that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and elected officials at the state and county level take action now to free all immigrants held in ICE detention in the state. | Immigration detainees are detained on civil charges and ICE has broad leeway to release people. In the current situation with the rapid spread of the deadly COVID-19 virus, the conditions in Minnesota jails are ripe for the infection and death to spread quickly. Speakers at the p…
(2020-04-14). Colombia: Security Council hears of 'epidemic of violence' against civil society and ex-combatants. news.un.org While political actors in Colombia are uniting to confront COVID-19, they must also work together to fight "the epidemic of violence" against civil society leaders, human rights defenders and former combatants, the head of the UN mission in the country said on Tuesday during a Security Council meeting held by videoconference.
(2020-04-14). Kyoto Mayor offers concerns over US ant-Iran sanctions in time of COVID-19. iranian.com Mayor of Kyoto Daisaku Kadokawa, who is also chairman of the Union of Historical Towns, in a message to people and Mayor of Shiraz expressed concerns over the US sanctions imposed against Iran in time of coronavirus outbreak. In his message to Heydar Eskandarpour, Kadokawa said he had received the letter regarding the removal of …
(2020-04-13). Iranian American Organizations Urge ICE to Immediately Release Dr. Sirous Asgari. iranian.com Iranian American organizations PAAIA, NIAC, IABA have come together to campaign for the release of Dr. Sirous Asgari from Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody. Dr. Asgari is currently unjustly detained in a civil immigration detention center in Louisiana, which has put his health at serious risk amidst the likelihood of COVID-19 exposure. We, the undersigned …
(2020-04-13). Congressman John Lewis shares message of support for SPLC's work. splcenter.org Congressman John Lewis has been a tireless champion for equal rights and justice for more than six decades.
(2020-04-13). Federal Wardens Must Immediately Flatten the Curve in our Nation's Prisons. aclu.org With 10 deaths and more than 500 positive COVID-19 cases in the nation's federal prisons, wardens must "
(2020-04-10). Mike Elk on Frontline Worker Rights, Joe Emersberger on Pandemic Sanctions. fair.org 
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(2020-04-10). Get-out-the-vote effort goes digital for COVID-19 pandemic. splcenter.org Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Alexis Carr was able to knock on doors in Montgomery, Alabama, register people to vote, instruct them on voting rights and encourage them to cast their ballots on Election Day.
(2020-04-10). Civil Liberties Never Sleep: The ACLU in the Pandemic. aclu.org The COVID-19 pandemic has closed down many businesses, but the work of preserving civil liberties and civil rights continues, as essential as ever. Reports of courts closing down can be misleading. While public trials that require jurors and in-person testimony have been suspended, most courts and lawyers can do their work remotely. The filing of legal briefs continues, and oral arguments and hearings are being held remotely. The work of securing justice continues., , At the ACLU, our most immediate focus has been on civil liberties and civil rights issues arising from the government's response (or lack thereo…
(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…
(2020-04-08). "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). 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). 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…
(2020-04-04). 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…
(2020-04-03). 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…
(2020-04-02). 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.
(2020-03-27). Weekend Read: SPLC demands ICE act amid pandemic to save the lives of countless immigrants trapped in its crowded detention centers. splcenter.org …
(2020-03-13). 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.