(2020-04-23). Puerto Rico, Protest, Prison: Johanna Fernández and Jose Saldaña Talk About The Young Lords. counterpunch.org Johanna Fernández, child of immigrants from the Dominican Republic and professor at New York's Baruch College, has just published The Young Lords: A Radical History, a book about the 1960s Puerto Rican activist group. The Young Lords began as a Chicago street gang; then, inspired by the Black Panther Party, morphed into a militant rights
(2020-04-23). UN chief warns that coronavirus pandemic is becoming a 'human rights crisis'. thecanary.co 
UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres has said the coronavirus pandemic is "a human crisis that is fast becoming a human rights crisis".The UN chief issued a video message warning there is discrimination in the delivery of public services to tackle coronavirus (Covid-19) and there are "structural inequalities that impede access to them".He said the pandemic has also seen "disproportionate effects on certain communities, the rise of hate speech, the targeting of vulnerable groups, and the risks of heavy-handed security responses undermining the health response".He warned that with "rising ethno-nationalism, populi…
(2020-04-23). 'Can't offer help with one hand & smother with the other': Russia slams West & its allies after anti-sanction draft fails at UNGA. rt.com 
Moscow has blasted the decision by a group of countries, including the US, to block a draft resolution calling for an end to unilateral sanctions on developing countries gripped by the coronavirus pandemic. | The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) rejected two draft resolutions on Wednesday, aimed at supporting the battle against the Covid-19. Both of the Russia-sponsored and the Riadh-championed drafts received at least one "nay" after they were circulated among the body's members on Wednesday. A single objection is enough for a draft to be defeated in line with the special voting protocol in effect at th…
(2020-04-23). Sean Hannity and Rick Scott's best sheriff friend under DOJ and Fl DOH investigation. indybay.org The Justice Department and Florida Department of Health are investigating Sheriff Carmine Marceno for civil rights abuses, human rights abuses, ADA violations and felony abuse of disabled adults.
(2020-04-22). Car caravan to free Gerald Reed, prisoners facing pandemic. fightbacknews.org Chicago, IL – 100 cars surrounded the Thompson Center in Chicago's Loop, April 20, during Governor J.B. Pritzker's daily press briefing on COVID-19. The caravan protest was held to demand Pritzker free police torture survivor Gerald Reed and all vulnerable prisoners at Cook County Jail, Illinois Department of Corrections prisons and ICE detention centers in Illinois – especially those over 60, those with medical conditions, and those who the governor's own Torture Commission has already confirmed are victims of police torture and therefore wrongfully convicted. | In the lead car of the caravan, Frank Chapman of t…
(2020-04-22). Sanctioned Countries Are Now Leading the World in the Fight Against Coronavirus. thealtworld.com 
Countries currently facing US sanctions, around a quarter of the world's population, are faring far better than the United States and leading the global fight against COVID-19. | MPN— After weeks of dismissing it as a liberal "hoax" designed to unseat the president, brushing the virus off as no big deal and under control, the Trump administration is clearly floundering in its response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite weeks of warning where it could have taken precautionary steps, the United States currently has four times the confirmed cases and twice the deaths of any other country. At the same time, the c…
(2020-04-22). First military sat launch means SPACE CLUB membership for embattled Iran, but US may respond to it with MORE SANCTIONS. rt.com 
Strangled by America's maximum pressure campaign, Iran was still able to send a military satellite into orbit, spelling the start of its space era. But from the US, the achievement will be met with only one thing: more sanctions. | Dubbed Noor (Persian for 'light'), the military satellite was on Wednesday morning propelled to 425km above ground by a multi-stage rocket launched by the aerospace arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). | Iran had been trying — and failing — to bring a satellite into orbit before, but the Wednesday's event means much more than just one successful missile la…
(2020-04-22). Bolivia: Social Leaders Denounce Gov't for Rights Violations. telesurenglish.net Bolivian social organizations announced Tuesday a joint statement against the de facto regime due to human rights violations during COVID-19 outbreak management in the Andean nation. | RELATED: | "We have reached the point where they politized the quarantine and the health emergency. The government is using justice because now everything is intimidation, trials, and threats," affirmed Andronico Rodriguez, vice-presi…
(2020-04-22). UN rights chief rejects killings acknowledged by Cameroon, and Iran's execution of child offenders. news.un.org The UN's human rights chief has been weighing in on recent killings committed by State authorities, or by rogue members of State military forces, emphasizing that all Governments must strictly abide by international law and hold those who serve, accountable for any violations.
(2020-04-22). Palestinian Detainee Dies In Israeli Prison. imemc.org The Palestinian Prisoners' Society (PPS) has reported that a detainee died, on Tuesday at night, in the Negev Desert Detention Camp, after fainting in the shower, and Israeli soldiers failed to provide him with any medical aid for more than thirty minutes. The PPS stated that the detainee, Nour Jaber …
(2020-04-22). No Justification for a Coronavirus. Deprive Americans of Their Civil and Individual Rights. globalresearch.ca In the aftermath of two national catastrophes (Oklahoma City bombing in 1995 and 911 in 2001), past history has shown that the US Congress seized the opportunity to penalize Americans and deprive them of their constitutionally guaranteed civil and individual …
(2020-04-22). Iran Is Suffering Under the Coronavirus, and the US Is Imposing Fresh Sanctions. thenation.com Iran Is Suffering Under the Coronavirus, and the US Is Imposing Fresh Sanctions…
(2020-04-22). How Trump's Foreign Policy Puts Troops at Risk of Covid-19. thenation.com How Trump's Foreign Policy Puts Troops at Risk of Covid-19…
(2020-04-22). U.S. Cruel Sanctions—MES EP.50. thealtworld.com While US officials claim their sanctions do not affect humanitarian aid nor the medical and food supply of other countries, in Iran and Syria these areas are being targeted almost directly. | Meanwhile, Yemen's war shows no signs of abating 10 days after the Saudi-led military coalition declared a unilateral truce. We discuss this segment with Dr. Ziad Al Hafez, former Secretary General of the Arab National Conference from Washington. | Simultaneously, Yemen announced its first case of COVID-19, as aid organizations warned the country's health system, which has all but collapsed since the Saudi aggression against…
(2020-04-21). Death Trap Jail: Pepper-Sprayed, Otay Mesa Detainees Demand Release as COVID-19 Spreads Inside. democracynow.org 
We look at the mounting number of COVID-19 cases inside immigration jails across the country and one of the largest outbreaks at the Otay Mesa Detention Center near San Diego, run by private prison company CoreCivic. Prisoners were told to sign contracts, written only in English, in exchange for receiving face masks. When some refused to sign, guards pepper-sprayed them. This comes as activists say hundreds imprisoned in detention centers in California are on hunger strike. We get an update from Ruth Mendez, community activist and volunteer with Otay Mesa Detention Resistance.
(2020-04-21). NYC Immigrant Communities Fight Hunger, Exploitation & Invisibility Through Mutual Aid. democracynow.org 
We look at how the coronavirus pandemic is impacting undocumented people here in New York City, where the coronavirus has hit immigrant communities the hardest, even as the numbers of daily deaths statewide has declined in recent days. As reports of widespread poverty and hunger continue in the immigrant communities, people are also organizing and helping each other through mutual aid despite extraordinarily difficult circumstances. We are joined by Juan Carlos Ruiz, Lutheran pastor at Good Shepherd Church in Brooklyn and co-founder of the national New Sanctuary Movement and the New Sanctuary Coalition here in Ne…
(2020-04-21). Israeli Forces Invade Homes, Detain Several Palestinians Across the West Bank. imemc.org Israeli forces detained a total of 9 Palestinians in invasions across the occupied West Bank, according to Palestinian WAFA news Agency. Security sources said that Israeli forces, on Tuesday, detained 2 Palestinian youths from the Bethlehem-area village of Nahalin, after storming and searching their family homes. Sources added that the …
(2020-04-20). Headlines for April 20, 2020. democracynow.org U.S. Fatalities Top 40,000; Nursing Homes Hit Hard as Death Tolls Soar | , Trump and Governors at Odds over Coronavirus Testing as Uneven Reopening of States Commences, Right-Wing Groups Organize Anti-Lockdown Protests Around the Country | , New Deal on Relief for Small Businesses Could Be Imminent But May Lack Key Democratic Provisions, Immigrant Prisoners at Otay Mesa Launch Hunger Strike, Denounce Inhumane Treatment | , Michael Cohen to Be Released from Federal Detention as Prisoners Nationwide Face Mounting Coronavirus Risk, Italy Records Lowest Daily Death Toll in a Week; Spain & France Also Show Signs of Pr…
(2020-04-20). 'The US Reaction to Pressure to Ease Sanctions Was to Double Down' – CounterSpin interview with Joe Emersberger on sanctions under Covid-19. fair.org 
"If there were an opposition movement in countries like Canada and the United States and Europe, the demand wouldn't just be, 'You gotta stop this'; the demand would actually be, 'Hey, we've got to prosecute the people involved with this. This is killing people. This is a crime. People should be facing legal consequences for this.'"
(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.
(2020-04-23). German court opens first Syria torture trial. yenisafak.com Two suspected members of President Bashar al-Assad's security services had charges of torture and sexual assault read out against them on Thursday in a German court, in what lawyers say is the first trial for war crimes by Syrian government agents.Anwar R., a former intelligence officer who applied for asylum in Germany six years ago after leaving Syria, is charged with 58 murders in a Damascus prison where prosecutors say at least 4,000 opposition activists were tortured in 2011 and 2012.Grey haired, with a bald patch and wearing a moustache, glasses and a dark sweater, he sat calmly behind a glass cubicle erect…
(2020-04-23). 'Turkey will have a voice in the new world's order'. yenisafak.com Turkey will make its voice heard in the new world order after the novel coronavirus outbreak, the country's parliament speaker said on Thursday.Turkish Parliament held a special sitting on the centenary of the first session of the Grand National Assembly National, which coincides with the country's National Sovereignty and Children's Day.In an opening speech, Mustafa Sentop told the lawmakers following the pandemic, countries would discuss how to "evolve" the world, adding that Turkey would protect its rights in the making of the "new world order."Stressing that the global COVID-19 outbreak exposed that the curre…
(2020-04-23). Head of EU delegation to Turkey marks Children's Day. yenisafak.com The head of the EU delegation to Turkey marked the National Sovereignty and Children's Day Thursday, wishing for a world that ensures the rights and well-being of children.Ambassador Christian Berger and his wife recorded a video message for Anadolu Agency to observe the 100th anniversary of the Turkish parliament on behalf of the delegation.They also shared two "very special" childhood photos of themselves that were taken in Vienna and Athens.Highlighting the importance of the centennial celebrations, Berger said: "A day that was dedicated by the founder of the Republic, Mustafa Kemal Atatàºrk, to all child…
(2020-04-23). Britain is Failing to Release Enough Prisoners Despite COIVD-19 Threat, Warns Penal Reform Charity. sputniknews.com The Prison Governors' Association has warned that unnecessary deaths across the prison estate in England and Wales is inevitable if something isn't done to address the overcrowding among detention facilities, which is as high as 175% of capacity.
(2020-04-20). Human Rights Watch cabildea por sanciones letales contra Nicaragua y Venezuela, mientras arrecia la crisis de Covid-19. thegrayzone.com Human Rights Watch está orgullosamente asumiendo el crédito por sanciones devastadoras contra Nicaragua, mientras busca escalar la guerra económica en…
(2020-04-23). Sanctioned, Alone, but Still More Efficient: How Iran Fights Coronavirus and the US. iranian.com The 2019—20 coronavirus pandemic is taking a toll all over the globe, causing severe socioeconomic disruption, the stock market crash, millions of job losses,…
(2020-04-23). EU censures US for refusing to ease sanctions on Iran. iranian.com The European Union has censured the United States for refusing to ease sanctions on the Islamic Republic and blocking an International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan to Iran to help it fight the COVID-19 pandemic. "We supported first to soften the sanctions and second, the request by Iran to the International Monetary Fund for financial help," EU foreign …
(2020-04-22). Iran Non-Oil Exports Hit $60bln in Two Years. iranian.com Iran has pocketed around $60 billion from exports of products, services and energy since the US withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal and imposed its sanctions on the country's sale of crude two years ago. A senior official at the ministry of trade (MIMT) said on Tuesday that Iran had shipped a total of 135 …
(2020-04-21). 'US sanctions prepared Iran to face historic oil crash'. iranian.com First Vice President Es'haq Jahangiri says America's tough sanctions targeting Iran's economy and energy sector have helped the Islamic Republic adapt to the historic oil market crash, which has seen US crude futures plunge below zero for the first time in history. "Crises and sanctions [imposed by] the United States of America have enabled us …
(2020-04-22). 'Cruel and Outrageous': DeVos Blocks Undocumented Students From Receiving Coronavirus Emergency Aid. commondreams.org Immigrant rights groups on Wednesday condemned the Trump administration's decision to exclude undocumented students from a $6 billion aid program that the Education Department unveiled earlier this month, calling the exclusion needlessly "cruel." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(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…
(2020-04-16). 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…
(2020-04-15). "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…
(2020-04-13). 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). 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.
(2020-04-10). 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). 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.
(2020-04-04). 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.
(2020-04-02). 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.
(2020-03-13). 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.