Onto the next 'child-rights crisis'? Greta Thunberg launches fundraiser to battle Covid-19 pandemic
rt.com | 2020-04-30
Apparently not content to rescue mankind from only one doomsday scenario, teenage eco-warrior Greta Thunberg has sprung into action again, launching a fundraising campaign to help the children of the world survive Covid-19. | The project will see the young activist partner with Denmark's Human Act Foundation to pledge $100,000 each to the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), which brings humanitarian aid to children around the globe. | Though the Covid-19 outbreak has largely spared the young, Thunberg nonetheless branded the pandemic a "child-rights crisis" in a statement announcin…
rt.com/news/487304-greta-next-apocalypse-coronavirus/

May 1 Actions to Counter "ReOpen America" Rallies; Demand Trump/Pence #OutNOW
Curt Wechsler | indybay.org | 2020-04-30
Join us to demand Trump, Pence, the whole fascist regime #OutNow in social distancing counter protest of the May 1st fascist rallies that demand the end to sheltering at home and demand their rights to disregard the health and lives of the most vulnerable. In contrast to this, unite with refuse fascism by saying Humanity first and in the name of humanity we refuse to accept a fascist America.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/04/29/18832688.php

In ICE Detention, Forced to Pay for Soap
Jack Herrera | thenation.com | 2020-04-30
In ICE Detention, Forced to Pay for Soap…
thenation.com/article/politics/coronavirus-ice-detention-soap/

BRICS ministers demand removal of US sanctions amid outbreak
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-04-30
TEHRAN, Apr. 30 (MNA)

Medically Vulnerable Immigrants Seek Emergency Release from ICE Detention in Alabama
commondreams.org | 2020-04-29
______________________________…
commondreams.org/newswire/2020/04/29/medically-vulnerable-immigrants-seek-emergency-release-ice-detention-alabama?cd-origin=rss

Roger Waters: We need to save this fragile planet
Newsclick | peoplesdispatch.org | 2020-04-29
Vijay Prashad speaks to Roger Waters on issues ranging from the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the protests in Chile to the coup against Evo Morales Ayma in Bolivia and the struggle to liberate Palestine.
peoplesdispatch.org/2020/04/29/roger-waters-we-need-to-save-this-fragile-planet/

Israel Orders One Halt Construction and Two Demolition Orders of Palestinian Structures
Ali Salam | imemc.org | 2020-04-29
The Israeli army, on Tuesday, ordered a Palestinian resident of Bardala village in the northern Jordan Valley to halt construction on his home, citing a lack of Israeli permission to build, a local source reported. Aref Daraghme, a human rights activist, told Palestinian WAFA News Agency that occupation authorities instructed …
imemc.org/article/israel-orders-one-halt-construction-and-two-demolition-orders-of-palestinian-structures/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=israel-orders-one-halt-construction-and-two-demolition-orders-of-palestinian-structures

Chilean police repress a peaceful protest in Santiago, detain 30
Peoples Dispatch | peoplesdispatch.org | 2020-04-29
On April 27, the Chilean national police force, the Carabineros, violently repressed a peaceful protest at the Dignity Plaza in the capital Santiago. The protest was called for by several social organizations against the Carabineros on their 93rd anniversary and against the right-wing government led by President Sebastián Piñera. | Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, dozens of Chileans, wearing face masks and maintaining social distance, gathered at the iconic Dignity Plaza, to express their rejection of the Carabineros, on their 93rd anniversary. The protesters expressed their repudiation of the police force by banging…
peoplesdispatch.org/2020/04/29/chilean-police-repress-a-peaceful-protest-in-santiago-detain-30/

Small vendors hard hit by government ordered demolitions in Zimbabwe
Pavan Kulkarni | peoplesdispatch.org | 2020-04-29
Human rights organizations allege that the Zimbabwe government is taking advantage of the lockdown powers to go on a demolition spree, displacing small vendors en masse…
peoplesdispatch.org/2020/04/29/small-vendors-hard-hit-by-government-ordered-demolitions-in-zimbabwe/

Federal Bill Would Release Vulnerable People from Prisons to Help Stop Spread of COVID-19
Kanya Bennett | aclu.org | 2020-04-29
A month ago, Congress gave the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) increased authority to reduce the federal prison population. On March 29th, Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act ( CARES Act), providing DOJ and BOP with the ability to expand home confinement eligibility. Then, Attorney General William Barr "applaud[ed] the substantial steps ta…
aclu.org/news/prisoners-rights/federal-bill-would-release-vulnerable-people-from-prisons-to-help-stop-spread-of-covid-19

Cuba Cannot Get Swiss Respirators Due to US Inhuman Blockade
telesurenglish.net | 2020-04-29
Journalist Laura Hunter published an article in the Swiss newspaper Le Courrier denouncing that the companies IMT Medical AG and Acutronic Medical Systems AG were ordered not to sell high-tech respirators to Cuba. | RELATED: | US Prevents Cuba From Acquiring Pharmaceutical Raw Materials | Claiming that they do not wish to subvert the U.S. unilateral sanctions, those companies, which were acquired by Vyaire Medical two years ago, refused to deliver their products, as the Cuban For…
telesurenglish.net/news/Cuba-Cannot-Get-Swiss-Respirators-Due-to-US-Inhuman-Blockade-20200429-0013.html

Bezalel Smotrich: Israel's New Minister for Jerusalem Affairs Takes Aim at the Holy Sanctuary
Miko Peled | mintpressnews.com | 2020-04-29
Israel's right-wing poster boy has been slated for the role of Minister for Jerusalem Affairs, giving him both the position and power to carry out his apocalyptic vision of building a Jewish Temple on the site of the Dome of the Rock.
mintpressnews.com/bezalel-smotrich-apocalyptic-vision-israel-new-minister-jerusalem-affairs/267104/

Minnesotans protest Trump's threats on Iran
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2020-04-28
St. Paul, MN – Over 30 cars occupied the parking lot of Minnesota Senator Tina Smith, April 26, to call on her to denounce President Trump's attacks and sanctions on Iran. Trump has escalated the threats against Iran by announcing on Twitter, April 22, that he told the Navy "to shoot down and destroy any and all Iranian gunboats if they harass our ships at sea." Unlike Minnesota's Representative Ilhan Omar, Senator Smith has remained silent while Trump again threatened Iran with further acts of war. | The safe-distance car protest was the first Twin Cities anti-war action during the coronavirus pandemic. It was o…
fightbacknews.org/2020/4/28/minnesotans-protest-trump-s-threats-iran

During Coronvrius: Cuba to the rescue, but don't tell the American people
Medea Benjamin | mronline.org | 2020-04-28
Anti-Cuba zealots in the Trump administration have been enticing Cuban doctors working overseas to defect, paying journalists to write negative stories, slapping sanctions on Cubans in charge of the program, and strong-arming countries to expel Cuban doctors.
mronline.org/2020/04/28/during-coronvrius-cuba-to-the-rescue-but-dont-tell-the-american-people/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=during-coronvrius-cuba-to-the-rescue-but-dont-tell-the-american-people

Sudan: Coronavirus could be tipping point for 'untold suffering', Bachelet urges sanctions relief
news.un.org | 2020-04-28
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government and people of Sudan could experience "untold suffering" unless donors act fast to shore up a country still in transition, the top UN human rights official warned on Tuesday.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/04/1062782

'Did Biden's lawyer write this?' WaPo receives 'Noble' for 'embarrassing' attempt to obfuscate sexual assault claim in headline
rt.com | 2020-04-28
The Washington Post was lambasted on social media after running a bizarrely tortured headline that took great pains to avoid direct mention of sexual assault allegations dogging Joe Biden, the presumptive 2020 Democratic nominee. | "Developments in allegations against Biden amplify efforts to question his behavior," read…
rt.com/usa/487075-washington-post-biden-headline/

Chaos and Fear in Latin America's Prisons as COVID-19 Spreads
telesurenglish.net | 2020-04-28
As the coronavirus pandemic is starting to spread across Latin America's massively overcrowded prisons, putting the lives of tens of thousands at risk, riots have been reported in almost all the region's countries as inmates say their fundamental rights to safety and protection are being violated. | RELATED: | Cuban News Agency Reporter Arrested in Chile for 'No Reason' | A riot was reported Monday in the Castro Castro prison in Peru's capital, Lima, resulting in a fire and the d…
telesurenglish.net/news/Terror-in-Latin-Americas-Prisons-as-COVID-19-Spreads–20200428-0020.html

PCHR Condemns Restrictions on Freedom of Journalistic Work in Gaza
PCHR | imemc.org | 2020-04-27
At approximately 12: 30 on Saturday, 25 April 2020, Palestinian police in Gaza city arrested a Palestine TV Satellite's press crew while recording an interview in Jabalia refugee camp, claiming that they did not have the necessary authorization for photographing and conducting interviews. The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) condemns …
imemc.org/article/pchr-condemns-restrictions-on-freedom-of-journalistic-work-in-gaza/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=pchr-condemns-restrictions-on-freedom-of-journalistic-work-in-gaza

"Unconscionable": Planned Parenthood Pres. Condemns States Using Pandemic to Limit Abortion Access
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-04-27
As much of the U.S. remains on lockdown, abortion rights are under attack nationwide. We get an update on the fight for abortion access with Alexis McGill Johnson, acting president and CEO of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. "Our bodies have literally been deemed essential," she says, "and yet the control of our bodies and the right to control our own bodies has not."
www.democracynow.org/2020/4/27/coronavir…

'Toxic lockdown culture' of repressive coronavirus measures hits most vulnerable
news.un.org | 2020-04-27
Disturbing details have emerged from dozens of countries that a "toxic lockdown culture" against the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted drastically on society's most vulnerable members, the UN human rights Office (OHCHR) said on Monday. The development follows UN Secretary-General António Guterres's call last week for States not to use the COVID crisis as a pretext for repressive measures, in which he urged Governments to recognize that the threat was the "virus, not people".
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/04/1062632

FRSO online event: COVID-19 pandemic striking Black and brown communities
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2020-04-27
New York City, NY

Family Receives Body of Deceased Palestinian Prisoner
Ali Salam | imemc.org | 2020-04-27
The Palestinian Authority's Detainees Affairs Commission announced on Sunday that Israeli authorities are set to release the corpse of the Palestinian detainee, Nour Barghouthi to his family late on Sunday evening, the Palestinian WAFA News Agency reported. After serving 4 years in Israel's Naqab prison, Barghouthi, 23, died on Wednesday, …
imemc.org/article/family-receives-body-of-deceased-palestinian-prisoner/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=family-receives-body-of-deceased-palestinian-prisoner

They Were Willing to Make the Ultimate Sacrifice for the U.S., but Trump Won't Let Them Become Americans
Scarlet Kim | aclu.org | 2020-04-24
Ange Samma, a 22-year-old green card holder from Burkina Faso, came to the United States seven years ago, when he was still a teenager. After studying electrical engineering at community college, he decided to enlist in the U.S. Army in 2018. He wanted to give back to his adopted country and also hoped joining the military would help him achieve his goal of becoming an electrical engineer. , , Ange currently serves on active duty as a soldier in South Korea. But despite serving this country on a U.S. military base in a foreign country, he still hasn't been able to obtain citizenship through his military servic…
aclu.org/news/immigrants-rights/they-were-willing-to-make-the-ultimate-sacrifice-for-the-u-s-but-trump-wont-let-them-become-americans

"We Don't Have the Capacity to Treat": Palestinian-Canadian Doctor Says Israel Must Lift Gaza Siege
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-04-24
As fears continue to grow about what a rampant outbreak of the coronavirus might do to the occupied Palestinian territory, already crippled by years of Israeli sanctions, we get an update from Dr. Tarek Loubani, Palestinian-Canadian doctor and emergency physician who volunteers in the Gaza Strip and returned from a trip there last month. "Testing is severely limited," he says. "There have been fewer tests in Gaza so far throughout the entire pandemic than there were in South Korea yesterday."
www.democracynow.org/2020/4/24/tarek_lou…

We're Going to Court on April 27 to Strike Down This Poll Tax for Good
Daniel Tilley | aclu.org | 2020-04-24
On April 27, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), ACLU of Florida, and our litigation partners will go to trial in U.S. District Court against the state of Florida to win the ability to vote for hundreds of thousands of eligible state voters now being denied that basic right. | In November 2018, more than 64 percent of Florida voters approved Amendment 4, returning the right to vote to Floridians convicted of felonies who completed their sentence and supervision. The only persons excluded are those convicted of homicide or sexual crimes. | Immediately, the Florida Legislature set out to undermine voters'…
aclu.org/news/voting-rights/were-going-to-court-on-april-27-to-strike-down-this-poll-tax-for-good

Stir Crazy! Episode #21: Don't Bleach Me Bro!
Staff | therealnews.com | 2020-04-24
On today's show: TRNN Managing Editor Marc Steiner, TRNN Executive Political Editor Don Rojas, and special guest Sahar Aziz, director of the Center for Security, Race and Rights. Hosted by Kim Brown.
therealnews.com/stories/stir-crazy-episode-21-dont-bleach-me-bro

Florida voting rights trial to be argued online
splcenter.org | 2020-04-24
splcenter.org/news/2020/04/25/florida-voting-rights-trial-be-argued-online

Death Trap Jail: Pepper-Sprayed, Otay Mesa Detainees Demand Release as COVID-19 Spreads Inside
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-04-21
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.
www.democracynow.org/2020/4/21/otay_mesa…

Netflix to Stream Remastered Versions of Kiarostami's Films
Iran Front Page | iranian.com | 2020-04-27
The world's leading provider of online entertainment service Netflix is going to offer the remastered versions of a number of movies directed by late Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami. Netflix has signed a deal with mk2 Films, a French company that has acquired all rights to dozens of movies from Iranian filmmaker Kiarostami. Every year, mk2 …
iranian.com/2020/04/26/netflix-to-stream-remastered-versions-of-kiarostamis-films/

'What a Threat!': In Latest Effort to Exploit Pandemic, Trump Indicates He May Condition State Coronavirus Aid on Sanctuary City Policies
Julia Conley, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2020-04-29
Immigrant rights advocates on Tuesday condemned President Donald Trump for suggesting that his administration could enact retribution against sanctuary cities by holding up coronavirus relief funding for certain states. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
commondreams.org/news/2020/04/29/what-threat-latest-effort-exploit-pandemic-trump-indicates-he-may-condition-state?cd-origin=rss

Human Rights Watch cabildea por sanciones letales contra Nicaragua y Venezuela, mientras arrecia la crisis de Covid-19
Ben Norton | thegrayzone.com | 2020-04-20
Human Rights Watch está orgullosamente asumiendo el crédito por sanciones devastadoras contra Nicaragua, mientras busca escalar la guerra económica en…
thegrayzone.com/2020/04/20/human-rights-watch-sanciones-nicaragua-venezuela/

What it's Like in ICE Detention During a Pandemic
aclu.org | 2020-04-17
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…
aclu.org/news/civil-liberties/what-its-like-in-ice-detention-during-a-pandemic

Solidarity needed; non-citizen 'essential workers' under increased attack
Ana Santoyo | liberationnews.org | 2020-04-17
Immigrant detainees fight back against unsafe conditions in ICE centers.
liberationnews.org/solidarity-needed-non-citizen-essential-workers-under-increased-attack/

Bolivian coup leader freaks out on The Grayzone for 'fascist' label in complaint to OAS 'human rights' arm
Ben Norton | thegrayzone.com | 2020-04-16
The director of far-right Bolivian coup leader Camacho's presidential campaign threw a slander-laced tantrum against The Grayzone in a letter…
thegrayzone.com/2020/04/16/bolivia-coup-the-grayzone-cidh-camacho-maclean/

Venezuelan Crude Production Falls amid Coronavirus Crisis
Ricardo Vaz | venezuelanalysis.com | 2020-04-16
The Caribbean country has seen worsening gasoline shortages as the US ramps up secondary sanctions.
venezuelanalysis.com/news/14847

Congressman John Lewis shares message of support for SPLC's work
splcenter.org | 2020-04-13
Congressman John Lewis has been a tireless champion for equal rights and justice for more than six decades.
splcenter.org/news/2020/04/14/congressman-john-lewis-shares-message-support-splcs-work

Venezuela Extends COVID-19 Quarantine as Pope Criticizes Sanctions
Paul Dobson | venezuelanalysis.com | 2020-04-13
This is the first time the Pontiff has spoken out against the measures.
venezuelanalysis.com/news/14842

Mike Elk on Frontline Worker Rights, Joe Emersberger on Pandemic Sanctions
CounterSpin | fair.org | 2020-04-10
Media…
fair.org/home/mike-elk-on-frontline-worker-rights-joe-emersberger-on-pandemic-sanctions/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=mike-elk-on-frontline-worker-rights-joe-emersberger-on-pandemic-sanctions

Get-out-the-vote effort goes digital for COVID-19 pandemic
splcenter.org | 2020-04-10
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.
splcenter.org/news/2020/04/11/get-out-vote-effort-goes-digital-covid-19-pandemic

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/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=senate-bill-challenges-online-encryption-constitutional-rights-to-speech-and-privacy

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/

Venezuela Blasts US 'Transition' Plan as 'Tutelage'
Lucas Koerner | venezuelanalysis.com | 2020-03-31
Washington has threatened to "increase" crippling sanctions until Caracas accepts the deal.
venezuelanalysis.com/news/14830

Rosneft Dodges US Sanctions by Transferring Venezuela Operations to Russian State Firm
Paul Dobson | venezuelanalysis.com | 2020-03-30
Moscow insists that its support for the Venezuelan government and role in its oil industry will remain unchanged.
venezuelanalysis.com/news/14829