(2020-04-18). Stuck Behind Bars, Inmates & Immigrants Are Sitting Ducks for COVID-19. sputniknews.com $1.7T giveaway to millionaires tucked in CARES Act; Virus poses serious risk to detained immigrants; Activists call to empty jails amid crisis…
(2020-04-18). Gaza siege, sanctions show anti-human nature of Israeli regime, US: Larijani. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Apr. 17 (MNA) — Iran's Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani said the continuation of Gaza siege by the Israeli regime and the anti-Iran sanctions by the US reveal the true anti-human nature of those regimes.
(2020-04-18). US pursues its sanctions even on cases related to COVID-19: Interior min. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Apr. 18 (MNA) — Iranian Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli said that the United States pursued its sanctions even on cases that were related to the coronavirus, also known as COVID-19.
(2020-04-18). Palestinian compares virus lockdown to Israel's occupation. yenisafak.com A Palestinian immigrant living in Malaysia has said the latest stay-at-home order to curb the spread of coronavirus reminds him of life under Israeli occupation.Muslim Imran, chairman of the Palestinian Cultural Organization of Malaysia (PCOM), said restrictions on movement and living under curfew were part of his and thousands of other Palestinians' daily life back home."This is nothing new for us. Many of us live under Israeli occupation and curfews," said Imran.He said that for Palestinians in West Bank and Gaza uninterrupted electric supply is a far-fetched dream due to Israel's sanctions on fuel.The man, who…
(2020-04-18). Why Hatred That Drove Timothy McVeigh To Kill 168 People Lives On 25 Years After Oklahoma City Bomb. sputniknews.com On 19 April 1995 white supremacist and gun rights supporter Timothy McVeigh parked a rented van outside the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. Moments after he locked it up and walked off, it exploded killing 168 people, including 19 children. But what was his motivation and who else was involved?
(2020-04-17). Arab Parliaments Call for Immediate Release of Palestinian Prisoners. imemc.org On the eve of Palestinian Prisoners Day, the Cairo-based Arab States' Parliaments Forum, on Thursday, called for the immediate release of all Palestinian prisoners from various Israeli prisons and detention centers, as well as halt of all Israeli violations against the Palestinian people. In a statement, issued by the forum …
(2020-04-17). Thousands Join Virtual Rally to Demand World Without Prisons as Coronavirus Spreads in Detention Centers. commondreams.org "In the midst of a global pandemic, prisons are Petri dishes and all sentences are death sentences." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-04-17). ICE is Deporting COVID-19 Positive Detainees from Private Immigration Prisons. mintpressnews.com By continuing deportations of quarantined detainees during a pandemic, ICE is greatly increasing the risk of spreading the deadly virus to other countries officials and activists warn,…
(2020-04-17). Solidarity needed; non-citizen 'essential workers' under increased attack. liberationnews.org 
Immigrant detainees fight back against unsafe conditions in ICE centers.
(2020-04-17). What it's Like in ICE Detention During a Pandemic. aclu.org As millions of people in the U.S. shelter in their homes, and millions more who aren't able to stay indoors practice social distancing or other measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19, a crisis is brewing in the facilities where immigrants are detained. Cramped conditions and inadequate access to hygiene or medical care have created what one medical expert called a "tinderbox" for the disease in a letter to Congress., , Many of those in detention are asylum seekers, who came to the U.S. to ask for protection after fleeing violence and persecution in their home countries. Many others were long-time U.S. resi…
(2020-04-17). PCHR: Weekly Report on Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (09 — 15 April 2020). imemc.org The Palestinian Center for Human Rights Summary of Israeli Violations of Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (09 — 15 April 2020) Israeli occupation forces (IOF) continued to violate Palestinians' human rights and commit crimes against civilians and their properties, conducting raids into Palestinian cities without regard to the …
(2020-04-17). UN human rights office calls for compassion following Rohingya deaths at sea. news.un.org The UN human rights office (OHCHR), is calling for compassion for people desperately seeking shelter, after 30 Rohingya refugees from Myanmar died on a boat in the Bay of Bengal that had spent nearly two months at sea.
(2020-04-17). Zimbabwe court orders government to protect health workers. peoplesdispatch.org The order was issued by the court in response to a petition filed by Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights and the Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights over the lack of proper equipment to deal with the spread of the virus…
(2020-04-17). Latam: COVID-19 Puts Imprisoned Environmental Defenders at Risk. telesurenglish.net The Spanish NGO Alliance for Solidarity reported that hundreds of Latin American environmental defenders who remain incarcerated are at high risk due to the pandemic. | RELATED: | On the occasion of the International Day of the Farmer's Struggle on April 17, human rights defenders recalled that, in countries such as El Salvador, Colombia, and Guatemala, there are hundreds of social leaders imprisoned for defending th…
(2020-04-17). US must improve COVID-19 strategy to keep tens of millions from falling into poverty, urges rights expert. news.un.org The United States must take urgent additional steps to prevent tens of millions of middle-class Americans hit by the COVID-19 pandemic from being "plunged into poverty", according to an independent UN human rights expert.
(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). Concerns of COVID-19 loom large on International Day of Palestinian Prisoners. peoplesdispatch.org The International Day of Palestinian Prisoners on April 17 is marked annually to remember and express solidarity with the thousands of Palestinians imprisoned in Israeli jails and detention and interrogation centers…
(2020-04-17). International day of peasant struggle: Peasant rights and COVID-19. peoplesdispatch.org Today, April 17, is the International Day of Peasant Struggle. Millions of peasants around the world celebrate this day since 1996. Faced with the COVID-19 pandemic, La Via Campesina has issued the slogan, 'stay home but not silent — in the times of pandemic, peasants are united to feed the people.' Our 180 member organizations in 80 countries observe this day to commemorate the massacre of 19 peasants struggling for land and justice in Brazil in 1996. This is the day when LVC members celebrate the struggles of peasants and small-scale farmers for their rights. | The current economic system has come togethe…
(2020-04-17). Guatemala: Social Organizations Dennounces Massive Layoffs. telesurenglish.net Guatemalan Civil organizations and lawmakers denounced massive layoffs during the labor stoppage due to COVID-19. The complainants claim that these suspensions occurred without any action or sanctions by the Ministry of Labor. | RELATED: | Labor sector authorities published decree 140-2020 entitled "Electronic procedure for registration, control, and authorization of suspension of employment contracts," which protects contractors in…
(2020-04-17). COVID-19: Rights experts highlight LGBTI discrimination, antisemitism. news.un.org New guidance from the UN human rights office, issued on Friday, sets out key actions to protect lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex (LGBTI) people against discrimination during the COVID-19 pandemic.
(2020-04-17). UN Issues Call to Protect Children From 'Potentially Catastrophic' Economic and Social Effects of Pandemic. commondreams.org World governments must work together to keep the coronavirus pandemic from evolving into "a broader child-rights crisis," the United Nations said Thursday. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(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). Locked-Up Immigrants Face Danger and Despair. progressive.org Tens of thousands of immigration detainees fight to protect themselves from COVID-19.
(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). PLO: On Palestinian Prisoners' Day — Prisoners Between the Threat of COVID-19 and Israel's Arbitrary Policies. imemc.org Palestine Liberation Organization — Negotiations Affairs Department Introduction Since the onset of this more than half-a-century long Israeli occupation, the detention and abuse of Palestinian prisoners have not been limited to factors of a specific nature. Under all circumstances, irrespective of the situation and time, the occupation authorities have permitted …
(2020-04-16). Venezuelan Crude Production Falls amid Coronavirus Crisis. venezuelanalysis.com The Caribbean country has seen worsening gasoline shortages as the US ramps up secondary sanctions.
(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). 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 …
(2020-04-15). "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). 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). 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 "
(2020-04-13). 'We Need Both Equity and Rights'. progressive.org Felicia Wong of the Roosevelt Institute on how to reclaim FDR's vision for America.
(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). Venezuela Extends COVID-19 Quarantine as Pope Criticizes Sanctions. venezuelanalysis.com This is the first time the Pontiff has spoken out against the measures.
(2020-04-12). Derrick Broze Interview — Government Induced Coronavirus Fear, Removal Of Your Rights & SOLUTIONS. thelastamericanvagabond.com Joining me today is the founder of The Conscious Resistance, activist, researcher and author Derrick Broze. He is here today to discuss his outstanding work on the Coronavirus event, his coverage of 5G (both as it pertains to Coronavirus and just its inherent dangers as a technology) and the real world solutions for the many …
(2020-04-10). Mike Elk on Frontline Worker Rights, Joe Emersberger on Pandemic Sanctions. fair.org 
Media…
(2020-04-10). Black, Indigenous Americans Hit Hard by COVID-19. therealnews.com 
Civil rights leader Ben Chavis joins us to talk about why this is happening, how we have to address this epidemic, and what it means for our future.
(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…
(2020-04-10). 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.
(2020-04-09). 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). 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…
(2020-04-06). 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). 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…
(2020-04-04). 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.