(2020-06-20). Turkey rejects UN group's claims on activities in Libya. yenisafak.com Turkey has rejected "unfounded" allegations by the UN Human Rights Special Procedures."We reject the unfounded and unfortunate allegations in the press release of the UN Human Rights Special Procedures," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy said in a statement.Aksoy said Turkey, extending its support to the internationally recognized Libyan government upon its request and pursuant to UN resolutions, emphasized from the very beginning that there was no military solution to the conflict in Libya."In this context, Turkey spares no effort to ensure a lasting and sustainable ceasefire and to reinvigorate the politica…
(2020-06-20). Libya says 190 bodies found in mass graves by Haftar. yenisafak.com The Libyan army said Saturday 190 corpses have been found in mass graves south of Tripoli and the city of Tarhuna since June 5. | In a statement, the army said 106 bodies, including children and women, were found with signs of torture inside a hospital morgue in Tarhuna on June 5. | A further 37 bodies were found in another hospital in the city, of which 14 corpses were identified, the military said. | According to the statement, 15 additional bodies were found in Qasr bin Ghashir area, south of Tripoli. The military said those bodies belonged to persons kidnapped by militia of warlord Khalifa Haftar. | The remai…
(2020-06-20). Turkish sailors freed after 3-month captivity in Eritrea. yenisafak.com Three Turkish sailors on a world tour detained in the East African country of Eritrea were freed Saturday as a result of Ankara's intervention.Selim Ekmekcioglu, Ibrahim Ignak and Erman Lutfu Atamer regained their freedom under the instruction of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the intervention of Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, according to diplomatic sources.Seyda Ekmekcioglu told Anadolu Agency that her husband called her to say they had been freed."I spoke to my husband for the first time today since April 25. H sounded fine. He said their condition was very good and that they were treated very well in…
(2020-06-20). Friday 6/26: United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture. indybay.org Advocacy for Humankind is Hosting an Event for United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture.
(2020-06-19). Policing Protest: the Dangers of Media Bias During Urban Uprisings. counterpunch.org Peter Blackmer is a Research Fellow at the Detroit Equity Action Lab, an initiative of the Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights at Wayne State University Law School.
(2020-06-19). Twin Histories: Segregation and Police Violence in Minneapolis. counterpunch.org 
George Floyd's murder tape gives sight, if you look closely, of a world little-named in pieces on his killing. Sustained police savagery marks this world, one city bureaucrats worked, long ago, to segregate, and more recently to keep that way. It is Minneapolis. And knowing its linked police and housing histories is crucial to making sense of today's protests. These histories show a city saturated in violence—state-sanctioned violence.
(2020-06-19). European Court of Human Rights Upholds Right to Boycott Israel. ahtribune.com 
"Criminal conviction of activists involved in the BDS campaign boycotting products imported from Israel had no relevant and sufficient grounds and violated their freedom of expression" | That is the heading on the 11 June 2020 press statement from the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), announcing that it had overturned the conviction by a French court of eleven individuals for engaging in BDS activity. | The Court ruled that their conviction violated Article 10 of the European Convention of Human Rights — the right to freedom of expression — which states: | "Everyone has the right to freedom o…
(2020-06-19). The Caesar Act: The Latest Western Attack on Syria Didn't Drop From a Plane. mintpressnews.com 
As Syria struggles to recover from over a decade of US-imposed conflict, it faces a new deadly threat in the form of sweeping sanctions under the Caesar Act.
(2020-06-19). Human Rights Council calls on top UN rights official to take action on racist violence. news.un.org The UN's top rights official, Michelle Bachelet, is to spearhead efforts to address systemic racism against people of African descent by law enforcement agencies, the Human Rights Council decided on Friday. The resolution — decided unanimously without a vote – follows a rare Urgent Debate in the Council earlier in the week, requested by the African group of nations, following the death of George Floyd in the US state of Minnesota.
(2020-06-19). United Nations calls for reparations to confront legacy of slavery and colonialism. peoplesworld.org 
GENEVA—Reparations should be paid and countries must confront the legacy of slavery and colonialism to better understand continuing "systematic discrimination," according to UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet. She was speaking at the UN session in Geneva on Wednesday in an urgent debate in response to the killing of George Floyd at the …
(2020-06-19). Trump Signed a Bill Calling for Sanctions Against China's So-called "Treatment of Uighurs" globalresearch.ca Leaked excerpts from the upcoming memoir The Room Where It Happened has made stunning allegations against U.S. President Donald Trump. Former U.S. National Security Advisor, John Bolton, claims in his book that Trump attempted to interfere in a …
(2020-06-19). Latino groups, AFL-CIO hail Supreme Court's pro-DACA decision. peoplesworld.org 
WASHINGTON—Immigrant rights groups, the AFL-CIO and other human rights organizations hailed the U.S. Supreme Court's June 18 decision which effectively leaves in place the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and blocks President Donald Trump's long campaign to end DACA and toss its 700,000 recipients — the Dreamers — out of the country. …
(2020-06-19). Free Muntaqim, Mutulu and all U.S. political prisoners! workers.org 
Two prisoner liberation movements in the U.S. have finally awakened people to the fact that there are political prisoners in the U.S. The first is the international outcry during COVID-19 letting the world know that people are being held in prisons, jails and detention centers without personal protective equipment, adequate . . . |
(2020-06-19). Yemen: Saudi Airstrike Kills Four Children as UN Removes Kingdom From List of Child Killers. mintpressnews.com 
Adrianne Lapar, director of Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict said the decision "sends the message that powerful actors can get away with killing children."
(2020-06-19). High Court says California can stay a sanctuary state. peoplesworld.org 
WASHINGTON—By a 7-2 vote, but without a written decision being issued, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled California can stay a sanctuary state for undocumented people — a position the state's union movement strongly pushed to passage several years ago. Technically, the justices rejected the anti-Hispanic anti-migrant GOP Trump regime's demand the justices hear the …
(2020-06-19). 'Proud': Episodes of the long march for LGBTQ rights in France. peoplesworld.org 
Timed for release during LGBTQ Pride Month, the 2018 French "episodic cinema" Proud (Fiertés in French) is now available for a wider viewing in the United States opening on June 19 in virtual cinema in select cities though Kino Marquee. Proud consists of three episodes, each about 50 minutes in duration, focusing on the evolution …
(2020-06-19). Barbaric U.S. Sanctions on Syria Are Futile Extension of Failed Regime-Change War. strategic-culture.org A total blockade of war-torn Syria is the desired effect of sweeping new sanctions imposed this week by the United States. The purpose is to prevent the Arab nation from achieving reconstruction and international normalization after suffering nearly a decade of war. | Washington's objective is to make regime change in Damascus inevitable by making social conditions in the country as unbearable for the population as it possibly can. | With cruel Orwellian irony, the American sanctions implemented this week bear the words "Syria Civilian Protection Act". | The U.S. legislation was passed by both parties in the Cong…
(2020-06-19). Hong Kong: Draft law on national security must comply with rights obligations. news.un.org The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said on Friday that her office was closely following developments as China's top legislative body, the National People's Congress, holds talks on a proposed national security law for Hong Kong.
(2020-06-19). Detention of HDP leader Selahattin Demirtas is violation of rights, says top Turkish court. peoplesdispatch.org The Turkish constitutional court said the detention of Selahattin Demirtas is in violation of his rights to liberty and security provided by the country's constitution. He has been in jail since November 2016…
(2020-06-19). America's Intifada Must Dig Deeper. counterpunch.org Palestinians' sustained struggle for freedom and independence offers many lessons The murder of George Floyd and the White House's mishandling (to put it politely) of the COVID-19 pandemic may be providing the perfect toxic storm to fix America. The road to creating an equitable American society will be long and hard, but the U.S. civil rights
(2020-06-19). Amazon Unveils Augmented Reality to Enforce Social Distancing in New Norm for Corporate America. mintpressnews.com Amazon has started testing on several social distancing technologies following demands for public safety amid COVID-19 and the intrusive changes will likely have a permanent effect on workers' rights to privacy.
(2020-06-19). Reverse Logic: Trump Sanctions the International Criminal Court. globalresearch.ca The decision by the Trump administration to sanction members of the International Criminal Court defies logic, in so far as there is any logic to sanctions. As a policy tool, such tools are supposedly designed to target specific members of …
(2020-06-19). The US "Caesar's Law" Sanctions Regime against Syria. How It Will Affect Lebanon: Israel Will be Targeted. globalresearch.ca The enactment of "
(2020-06-19). Why Is the US Still Sanctioning Syria? Beijing Pressures Washington. globalresearch.ca Chinese media highlighted a recent plea by Beijing to the US to lift sanctions against Syria. | China's CGTN in an article titled, " A Chinese envoy on …
(2020-06-19). Turkey neutralizes three terrorists in N. Iraq operation. yenisafak.com Turkish army on Friday neutralized three terrorists as part of Operation Claw-Tiger in northern Iraq, security sources said.Operation Claw-Tiger is being carried out in line with Turkey's legitimate defense rights arising from the international law, and is oriented against the PKK and other terrorist elements that have recently escalated harassment and attacks on Turkish security posts and base areas, threatening the security of border and civilians.The operation is continuing successfully.Operation Claw-Tiger, launched right after Operation Claw-Eagle, has been destroying terrorist targets in Haftanin, northern…
(2020-06-19). EU extends sanctions on Russia: Merkel. yenisafak.com EU leaders have agreed to extend diplomatic and economic sanctions against Russia for another six months, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Friday. | Speaking at a news conference in Berlin, after a videoconference meeting of EU leaders, Merkel criticized Russia for not taking sufficient steps to implement the 2015 Minsk agreement, aimed at ending the conflict in eastern Ukraine. | "In today's European Council meeting we decided to extend these sanctions for another six months," Merkel said. | The sanctions were first imposed in 2014 in response to Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea and were later expand…
(2020-06-19). Iran's Foreign Minister Zarif Urges E3 to 'State Publicly What They Admit Privately'. sputniknews.com The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, a treaty covering Iran's nuclear program, included seven countries and was signed in 2015, envisaging Tehran curbing its nuclear research programs in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. However, the decision by the Trump administration to leave the agreement in 2018 put the plan at risk.
(2020-06-18). Civil Rights Class Action Filed in Reponse to Oakland Police Abuses of George Floyd Protesters. indybay.org "It was so heartening to see so many young Black people expressing their outrage and wanting to be part of the change, and they were attacked by our police department, that tells them 'don't come out here, because we will make your life hard, we will hurt you if you organize, we will hurt you if you say that there is anything wrong with society.'" | — Walter Riley…
(2020-06-18). "Tear Gas Is a Weapon": Amnesty Report Reveals Police Use of Tear Gas Fuels Rights Abuses Worldwide. democracynow.org 
As police officers in nearly 100 U.S. cities and towns have fired tear gas on protesters in recent weeks and left many with severe injuries, a new Amnesty International report finds the use of tear gas continues to grow each year, and fuels police human rights violations against peaceful protesters on a global scale. "Everywhere we look, police are just very quick to use tear gas, which is not a safe product and can cause real injuries," says Brian Castner, senior crisis adviser on arms and military operations for Amnesty International.
(2020-06-18). Planet Earth Police Department Blew Up Seven Innocent Black People in Somalia, Including a Child. anti-empire.com 
The United States military has not adequately investigated two air raids in Somalia earlier this year that have killed at least seven civilians, including a child, according to the Human Rights Watch (HRW). [HRW is a major lobbyist for regime-change wars, and as such they're very tame on the Pentagon. If they say seven there was likely more.] | In a report released on Tuesday, the rights group said the killing of the civilians was in apparent violation of the laws of war. The HRW was referring to incidents on February 2 and March 10 in Jilib and Janaale, where no evidence of a military target involving the al-Sha…
(2020-06-18). The Empire Declares a "Maximum Pressure" War of Economic Strangulation on Devastated Syria. anti-empire.com 
The United States has imposed a sweeping set of new sanctions against any country, individual or entity that provides support to the Syrian government – a campaign that experts warn may devastate the lives of ordinary Syrians trying to survive and rebuild after nine years of war. | The Caesar Act, passed in Congress
(2020-06-18). A Landmark Supreme Court Decision Affirms LGBTQ Rights. aclu.org 
It's been more than 50 years since Black and Brown trans women led the revolutionary Stonewall Riots, fighting back against police brutality and discrimination and launching a movement for equality. This week, we celebrated another incredible landmark in the fight for LGBTQ rights. , , In a 6 to 3 decision, the Supreme Court affirmed that it is illegal for employers to fire or otherwise discriminate against someone simply because they are LGBTQ. Though more work remains to protect the rights of the LGBTQ community, this decision will go a long way towards affirming legal protections in education, housing, cred…
(2020-06-18). Crippling new sanctions punish Syrian civilians for US defeat in proxy war. thegrayzone.com As Syria tries to recover from a nearly decade-long war, the US has imposed crippling new sanctions under the Caesar…
(2020-06-18). PCHR: Weekly Report on Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (June 11 — 17, 2020). imemc.org Palestinian Centre for Human Rights Israeli violations of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory (11 — 17 June 2020) Summary The Israeli forces continued to commit crimes and multi-pronged violations against Palestinian civilians and their properties, including raids into Palestinian cities that are characterized with excessive use of force, …
(2020-06-18). Irish housing rights group demands ban on evictions during COVID-19 crisis. peoplesdispatch.org A Day of Action was observed on June 17 on the call of the Community Action Tenants Union of Ireland. The COVID-19 lockdown has worsened the plight of tenants and homeless people in Irish cities…
(2020-06-18). Starving Syria and Lebanon into submission. thealtworld.com Hezbollah and its allies won't wait for their countries to be crippled before retaliating for the 'Casear Act' | As the so-called 'Caesar Act' came into force on Wednesday, the US announced the imposition of individual sanctions on 39 prominent Syrians — including President Bashar al-Asad and his wife Asma al-Akhras — while Secretary of State Mike Pompeo served notice that additional, more punishing, sanctions are to follow. | It is futile to point out that this Act is illegal, or set out all the evidence that those who will be punished most by it are the ordinary people of Syria, the great majority o…
(2020-06-18). US imposes new sanctions on Syria under Caesar Act. peoplesdispatch.org The US administration announced a new set of political and economic sanctions against Syria on June 17, Wednesday, under the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection act. The act was enacted in the US in December 2019 and made part of the National Defence Authorisation act for the year 2020. | The Caesar act asks the government of Syria and its allies, Russia and Iran, to halt military operations aimed at retaking territories captured by armed militias and rebel forces supported by Turkey and the US in Syria. The Syrian government has rejected the act, saying that it cannot allow such a division of the country. | The exe…
(2020-06-18). Open letter to Colombia's press freedom foundation on promoting free press. colombiareports.com Dear Fernando et al, I am writing to express my surprise that the Assembly of the Foundation for the Freedom of the Press (FLIP) has not taken action, i.e. sanctions,…
(2020-06-18). Mexican autoworkers say General Motors is covering up COVID-19 outbreak at Silao plant. wsws.org The coverup of COVID-19 cases by GM and hundreds of manufacturing companies across Mexico is not only sanctioned by the López Obrador government, it is part of an official policy of under-reporting cases.
(2020-06-18). Damascus to confront US sanctions as it does against terrorism: Syrian Foreign Ministry. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jun. 18 (MNA) — Syrian Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Thursday, strongly condemning the fresh round of US sanctions against the country.
(2020-06-17). 'I am my brother's keeper', Philonise Floyd tells UN rights body, in impassioned plea for racial justice. news.un.org The UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on Wednesday heard powerful testimony from the brother of George Floyd, whose death, captured on video, while a police officer knelt on his neck for over eight minutes in Minneapolis, has sparked worldwide protest.
(2020-06-17). Support grows in Chicago for a new approach to police accountability. peoplesworld.org 
CHICAGO—This city is the national epicenter of police torture of African-American men. So, it's not surprising tens of thousands have taken to the streets following the police execution of George Floyd. "The wounds run deep here. Many protests make this an uprising," Jazmine Salas, 28, co-chair of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression …
(2020-06-17). Police detain PKK/YPG terror sympathizer who jumped on PM Johnson's car. yenisafak.com British police on Wednesday detained a sympathizer of the terrorist YPG/PKK after he allegedly tried to jump on Prime Minister Boris Johnson's car in front of parliament.The man is thought to be among a small group of protesters who carried symbols of the YPG/PKK in Parliament Square.According to eyewitnesses, the man jumped on the prime minister's car while Johnson was leaving the House of Commons after Prime Minister's Questions – a weekly session where lawmakers ask the government questions.A security vehicle hit Johnson's car when it had to break suddenly due to the incident, but there are no reports of injur…
(2020-06-17). Why Cuban doctors should receive the Nobel Peace Prize. zcomm.org Due to Cuba's extraordinary commitment to humanity, to public health and to internationalism, a group of human rights organizations and social movements across the world have launched a campaign to award the Nobel Peace Prize to Cuba's Henry Reeve medical brigade…
(2020-06-17). On Behalf of 43 NGOs, Al Mezan calls to lift Israel's illegal Gaza closure at the UN Human Rights Council, Geneva. imemc.org Al-Mezan Center For Human Rights: United Nations Human Rights Council — 43rd Regular Session Item 7 — Human Rights Situation in Palestine and other occupied Arab territories Joint Oral Intervention Delivered by: Al Mezan Centre for Human Rights NGOs in special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social …
(2020-06-17). Florida Wants To Reinstate A 'Poll Tax' For Ex-Felons. therealnews.com 
The state's appeal to require payment of court fees before voting access is restored would amount to a poll tax, says Phil Telfeyan.
(2020-06-17). Trump signs bill allowing anti-China sanctions over alleged Uighur human rights abuses. rt.com 
President Donald Trump has signed a bill that would allow the US to sanction Chinese officials for the alleged repression of Uighur Muslims in China's Xinjiang Province. The bill passed Congress with bipartisan support. | Trump signed the act into law on Wednesday, and a statement from the president accused the Chinese government of the "systematic use of indoctrination camps, forced labor, and intrusive surveillance to eradicate the ethnic identity and religious beliefs of Uyghurs and other minorities in China." | The president will now have 180 days to submit a report to Congress identifying the officials re…
(2020-06-17). 'An Unstoppable Movement': Sanders Praises Grassroots After Target Announces $15 Minimum Wage. commondreams.org Longtime labor rights advocate Sen. Bernie Sanders on Wednesday welcomed the announcement that retail giant Target will permanently raise the starting wage for all hourly full-time and part-time workers at U.S. stores, distribution centers, and headquarters locations to $15 per hour beginning July 5. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-06-17). The US' Planned Imposition of Draconian "Secondary Sanctions" on Syria. Targets Any Entity Doing Business with Syria. globalresearch.ca The US hopes that making Syrians even more desperate than they already are could catalyze another Color Revolution at one of the country's most critical moments in its history, which could then be exploited for regime change purposes. | Reuters reported …
(2020-06-17). SCOTUS Must Now Ensure LGBTQ People Are Not Turned Away From Taxpayer-Funded Programs. aclu.org On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a