(2020-06-23). Whistleblowing, the Pandemic and a 'Law and Order' System of Injustice. zcomm.org America, my country deemed an African American fighting for his civil rights as a threat to national security…
(2020-06-22). PCHR Follows with Concern Continued Detention of Citizens on Grounds of Freedom of Expression and Peaceful Assembly. imemc.org The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) follows with concern the continued summonsing and detention of several Fatah Movement activists and cadres by the Internal Security Services (ISS) on grounds of a protest and social media posts on the 14th anniversary of the internal Palestinian division between Fatah and Hamas movements. …
(2020-06-22). Pussy Riot co-founder Pyotr Verzilov jailed for 15 days on 'hooliganism' charges, activist says he was set up by police. rt.com 
Pyotr Verzilov, a controversial Russian shock artist and co-founder of 'punk' art collectives Pussy Riot and Voina – along with ex-wife Nadezhda Tolokonnikova – has been jailed for 15 days for "swearing in public." | The penalty comes the day after Verzilov said police questioned him about last year's Moscow protests, specifically over allegedly using violence against a law enforcement officer. | On Sunday evening, the activist was released, but after a street altercation he was again detained, taken to a police station, and kept overnight. Cops accused him of "repeatedly expressing obscene language." | On Mon…
(2020-06-22). 'Assad must go' no more, says US envoy for Syria. Except US policy is still regime change by another name. rt.com 
While special envoy James Jeffrey says the US no longer demands regime change in Syria, only "change of behavior," his explanation shows this distinction is without a difference and no November election results will change it. | "We're not demanding total victory, we're not saying that Assad has to go," Jeffrey said on Monday, during a Instead, he explained, the goal of the Caesar Syria Civil…
(2020-06-22). Syrians confirm death of missing relatives by photos. yenisafak.com Hundreds of thousands of Syrians searching for their relatives have stepped up their efforts after the US adopted the Caesar Act, a law which imposes sanctions on the Syrian regime for war crimes.Families, who have long given up on ever finding their relatives, click on web links where photos of people killed in regime prisons are posted, in a desperate attempt to confirm the death of their loved ones.Imaduddin Rasit, the founding member of a France-based association monitoring Syrian casualties of war and prisoners, said more than 6,000 photos of people tortured to death were shared on the internet.The photos we…
(2020-06-22). UN Chief calls for reparations to amend slavery's legacy. mronline.org 
The U.N.'s Human Rights Chief Michelle Bachelet urged countries to confront legacy of slavery and colonialism.
(2020-06-22). L.A. Theatre Works streams six free audio productions by Black playwrights. peoplesworld.org 
Good news for those who love old-fashioned radio theatre! L.A. Theatre Works, considered the world's leading producer of audio theater, has chosen six titles by Black playwrights from its extensive collection of work to stream free on its website. They are all available to stream free of charge at latw.org/black-voices, now through Aug. 30. The …
(2020-06-22). Threat of lone wolf attacks 'growing' in UK, Home Secretary Patel warns after Reading stabbing spree. rt.com 
The man who stabbed three people to death in Reading wasn't part of any terror group, the UK's Home Secretary Priti Patel has told Parliament, warning that the threat of such lone attackers was on the rise in the country. | "The terrorist threat that we face is complex, diverse and rapidly changing. It is clear that the threat posed by lone actors is growing," Patel said as she appeared before MPs to report on Saturday's incident in Reading. | A man brought a knife to a local park and used it to attack people who were relaxing there. He was able to kill three people and injure three others before being detaine…
(2020-06-22). Don't forget that Human Rights Watch, not only OAS Chief Luis Almagro, helped a US-backed military coup in Bolivia. zcomm.org On November 10 of 2019, Bolivian President Evo Morales was overthrown and barely escaped the country alive. The military publicly "suggested" that he resign. The military and police also made it clear that they would not protect him from vigilantes who wanted to lynch him. His house was ransacked by opposition supporters the night he
(2020-06-22). Massive Uprisings Confront White Supremacy. globalresearch.ca That's not a chip on my shoulder. | That's your foot on my neck. | — Malcolm X | On May 25, a Minneapolis police officer tortured George Floyd to death in what his brother, Philonise Floyd,
(2020-06-22). A Ridiculous Debate on Sexual Orientation, But a Welcome Ruling. counterpunch.org The Supreme Court just affirmed a right I thought I always had: not to be fired for my sexual orientation. The 6-3 ruling found that, under existing civil rights legislation against sex-based discrimination, it's illegal for employers to discriminate against their employees based on sexual orientation or gender identity. It feels ridiculous that this needed
(2020-06-22). School of the Americas: Training Torturers & Secret Police for US-Backed Dictators Since 1946. globalresearch.ca This article was originally published in December 2015. | For the past 69 years, many of the most notorious U.S.-backed South American dictators, along with their secret police and torturers, have learned their dark arts from a secretive American training facility….
(2020-06-22). Earthjustice Statement on Final Court Decision in Klamath River Water Rights Case. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2020-06-22). Opponents of police crimes say no to the Minneapolis Foundation. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN – A coalition of police accountability and civil rights organizations held a press conference to denounce plans by Mayor Jacob Frey to turn over police accountability efforts to the Minneapolis Foundation and an unnamed group of advisors. This comes on the heels of nine city council members declaring they will disband the Minneapolis Police Department. | The Minneapolis Foundation is headed by former Minneapolis mayor R.T. Rybak. During his tenure as mayor, 38 people lost their lives at the hands of Minneapolis police officers, including Abu Kassim Jeilani, Fong Lee and Terrance Franklin. Rybak fa…
(2020-06-22). Germany arrests suspected Assad regime torturer. yenisafak.com German police arrested a Syrian former secret service employee on suspicion of crimes against humanity, officials said on Monday. | Alaa M., who arrived in Germany as a refugee in 2015, was arrested in the central state of Hesse on Friday, the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office said in a statement. | The suspect worked for the military intelligence as a doctor, and he was strongly suspected of torturing inmates in 2011 at an Assad regime prison in the city of Homs. | The prosecutors accused the Assad regime of using brutal force to suppress the political opposition, torturing and murdering many of them in prisons…
(2020-06-22). Muslim bloc to address situation in Kashmir. yenisafak.com The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) "upon the request of Pakistan" will hold an emergency meeting at the level of foreign ministers over the current situation in Jammu and Kashmir, according to the Turkish Foreign Ministry on Monday.Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu will also participate in the Emergency Meeting of the OIC Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir, where "possible joint actions within the OIC concerning the ongoing problems regarding human rights and freedoms in Kashmir will be discussed," said the statement.Additionally, foreign ministers of Azerbaijan, Niger, Pakistan and Saudi Arab…
(2020-06-22). Leader of India's Traders' Body Detained While Attempting to Burn Chinese Goods. sputniknews.com New Delhi (Sputnik): After an unprecedented border clash between India and China along the Line of Control in Ladakh, there has been growing anti-Chinese sentiment in the country. The traders' body kicked off a boycott campaign against Chinese goods in Delhi on 10 June.
(2020-06-22). Tehran condemns ratification of anti-Iranian human rights resolution by UNHRC. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jun. 22 (MNA) — The Spokesperson of the Iranian ministry of foreign affairs Abbas Mousavi censured approval of an anti-Iranian human rights resolution in the 43rd session of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC).
(2020-06-22). Monday 6/22: Educators For Black Sanctuary. indybay.org 1000 Broadway, downtown Oakland…
(2020-06-22). U.S. Threats Cannot Deter Cuba's Internationalist Approach. strategic-culture.org As the U.S. continues its defunding of international organisations, the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) is next in line, as U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declared his country's funding conditional upon "U.S. values". The mismanagement of funds, particularly at UN institutions, is a well-known occurrence. However, the corruption existing at international institutions reflects the obscure, or non-existent process, of accountability, which capitalism encourages in order to maintain the monopoly over human rights rhetoric. | Under U.S. President Donald Trump, pointing out corruption is becoming a veneer…
(2020-06-22). Selected Articles: US Sanctions on Syria. globalresearch.ca If you look to Global Research as a resource for information and understanding, to stay current on world events, or to experience honesty and transparency in your news coverage, please consider making a
(2020-06-22). 115+ Groups Urge Biden (and Trump) to Support 'Fair and Just Foreign Policy Regarding Israel and Palestinian Rights'. commondreams.org More than 115 organizations on Monday urged Joe Biden and President Donald Trump to adopt a U.S. policy toward the Israeli government and Palestinian people that is "based on the principles of equality and justice for all." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-06-21). Confusion reigns after Pussy Riot co-founder detained in Moscow – Pyotr Verzilov says he was questioned over 2019 protests. rt.com 
Pyotr Verzilov, a controversial Russian shock artist and co-founder of 'punk' art collectives Pussy Riot and Voina along with ex-wife Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, says police have questioned him over last year's Moscow protests. | The activist was detained at a rented apartment in the Russian capital on Sunday. Between two and 10 people forced their way into the flat and Verzilov "disappeared" afterwards, according to MediaZona — an alternative media outlet created as a spin off from Pussy Riot — which cited eyewitnesses. Footage circulating online shows the door of the flat badly damaged in the aftermath…
(2020-06-21). United Nations Sets Up Inquiry Into Racism After George Floyd Death. popularresistance.org Geneva – The U.N. Human Rights Council on Friday condemned discriminatory and violent policing after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis last month and ordered a report on "systemic racism" against people of African descent. | The 47-member-state forum unanimously adopted a resolution brought by African countries. The mandate also asks U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet to examine government responses to peaceful protests, including alleged use of excessive force, and deliver findings in a year's time. | Philonise Floyd, the brother of the Black man whose death under the knee of a whit…
(2020-06-21). Global ban needed on bogus 'conversion therapy', argues UN rights expert. news.un.org "Conversion therapy" is built on the false premise that it can alter the sexual orientation of gender diverse people, and many more countries around the world need to recognize its "dehumanizing" and deeply corrosive impact, according to a UN report that's before the UN Human Rights Council this month.
(2020-06-21). Israel has Forced 20 East Jerusalem Families to Demolish Their own Homes in 2020. imemc.org New statistical figures, released by the East Jerusalem-based Center for Economic and Social Rights, show that since early 2020, Israeli occupation authorities have forced 20 Palestinian households in East Jerusalem, to knock down their own newly-built homes themselves. Director of the center, Ziyad Alhamoury, confirmed that the demolition orders issued by …
(2020-06-21). Israeli Forces Arrest Fourteen Palestinians, Including Two Children. imemc.org The Palestinian Prisoners' Society (PPS), reported that Israeli forces detained fourteen Palestinians across the West Bank, on Saturday night and Sunday morning, nine of whom were abducted by Israeli police from Al-'Isawiya town in East Jerusalem. The nine abductees were identified as Hassan Yasser Darwish, 14, Muhammad Murad Dari, Omar …
(2020-06-20). Oakland: Restraining Order Restricts Teargas, Flashbangs And Projectiles. popularresistance.org On June 18, 2020, at 1 pm, an Oakland judge issued a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) and Order to Show Cause against the Oakland Police Department. The order was filed by civil rights attorneys Dan Siegel and Walter Riley and National Lawyers Guild – San Francisco Bay Area attorney James Burch. | This initial victory is part of a larger lawsuit by the attorneys on behalf of two organizational plaintiffs, Anti Police-Terror Project and Community Ready Corps, and individual plaintiffs, Oakland Tech student Akil Riley and protestors Ian Mcdonnell, Nico Nada, Azize Ngo, and Jennifer Li on behalf of themselves and s…
(2020-06-20). Voting Rights Advocates Warn of Impending 'Disaster' in Kentucky After Bid to Increase Slashed Number of Polling Sites Fails. commondreams.org Jefferson County has a population of roughly 767,000 and will have just one polling location. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-06-20). At Least 5.6 Million Palestinians Live in Refugee Camps. telesurenglish.net On the World Refugee Day (June 20), human rights defenders recalled that 5.6 million Palestinians survive as refugees in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Gaza, and the West Bank. | RELATED: | They represent more than a fifth of all people with this legal status worldwide, according to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). | The origin of the diaspora of this Arab people began in 1948 when the…
(2020-06-20). Vote by hypocritical UN Human Rights Council on race and policing in US is 'new low' — Pompeo. rt.com 
The US has slammed the UN Human Rights Council for holding a vote on a resolution that criticized America's record of police brutality and racism, saying the vote demonstrated "hypocrisy" and showed why the US quit the body. | The UN rights body "has long been and remains a haven for dictators and democracies that indulge them," Secretary of State Michael Pompeo said in a statement. | "If the Council were honest, it would recognize the strengths of American democracy and urge authoritarian regimes around the world to model American democracy and to hold their nations to the same high standards of accountabilit…
(2020-06-20). How the Supreme Court undermined the Black vote. nationofchange.org Black Americans braved police violence at Selma and galvanized support for the Voting Rights Act. Fifty years later, the Supreme Court's Shelby decision ushered in a new era of racially targeted voter suppression.
(2020-06-20). 'Shell must not get away with this': Niger Delta still waiting for big oil to clean up devastating pollution. nationofchange.org Titled "No Clean-Up, No Justice," the new report explains that for "more than five decades, the people of Ogoniland, in the Niger Delta, have struggled against oil pollution, destruction of the environment and human rights violations."
(2020-06-20). Quebec film distributors censor Roman Polanski's J'accuse. wsws.org Yielding to the anti-democratic #MeToo campaign, distributors in Quebec refused to buy the rights to Polanski's remarkable film about the Dreyfus Affair.
(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.
(2020-06-20). Finally, the EU and Trump See Eye-to-Eye on One International Policy: China. strategic-culture.org Both Trump and the EU are turning on China for very similar reasons but with different timescales ahead of them. The West still struggles with what it requires from China and whether it wants to get rich and become a big spender, or become poorer and flood western markets with cheaper and cheaper goods. Expect more devaluation of the Yuan. | EU is "rebalancing this relationship" with China. EU ambassador to the UK Joà£o Vale de Almeida tells Chatham House. It's not about "isolating" or "ganging up" on China, but it's about addressing issues. We have different systems of values on human rights and other area…
(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). Mexico: Enforced Disappearances at Anti-Police Brutality Rally. telesurenglish.net Mexico's Jalisco State Human Rights Commission (CEDHJ) Thursday denounced police brutality during protests demanding justice for Giovanni Lopez in early June. | RELATED: | "At least eight minors and four women were arbitrarily and violently deprived of their liberty, besides the kidnappings that have not yet been fully determined," CEDHJ states. | On June 4, the citizens of Guadalajara marched towards the local government's hea…
(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). The UAW's Juneteenth stunt. wsws.org If the UAW has suddenly "discovered" its opposition to discrimination, it is only in order to use race in order to divert workers' anger along harmless, officially sanctioned forms of protests.
(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). 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). 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). Trump retweets his critic Max Blumenthal, who changes handle to slogans like 'US sanctions kill kids' for Trump audience to read. rt.com 
On Thursday, followers of Donald Trump's Twitter feed were able to read scathing criticisms of the US president, thanks to a careless retweet of a post by journalist Max Blumenthal, who seized the chance to weaponize his name. | The trolling session of the US troll-in-chief started with Blumenthal attacking former US National Security Advisor John Bolton and the left-wing figures lionizing him for writing a book that makes his former boss look bad. | John Bolton, a notoriously mendacious enemy of all living beings on the planet, is discovering what every other great Republican hope of the Resistance has: liber…
(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). 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). 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 . . . |