(2020-07-03). Another reason to tear down the walls: Ohio jail 100% COVID-positive. workers.org 
Cleveland, Ohio In a recent report, the Ohio Immigrant Alliance stated that the Morrow County Correctional Facility in Mt. Gilead is the first county jail in the state to be 100 percent COVID-positive. The jail, holding local prisoners as well as Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees, is also the first . . . |
(2020-07-03). Lawyers Get No Bail In Property Damage Case, Face 45 Years In Prison. popularresistance.org The Center for Constitutional Rights and a coalition of other civil rights organizations are calling on federal prosecutors to release on bail two New York attorneys who are accused of throwing Molotov cocktails into an empty New York police car during protests in Brooklyn on May 30. The lawyers — Colinford Mattis and Urooj Rahman — are facing a minimum of 45 years in prison if convicted on the federal charges. The two were initially released on bail, but then the federal government challenged the bail conditions, sending them back to pretrial detention — a move that shocked many in the legal co…
(2020-07-03). Civil rights groups sue N.Carolina town over protest ban – but where were they when 3 other states banned pipeline protests? rt.com 
The ACLU and other groups have sued Graham, North Carolina, calling the city's ban on "demonstrations of two or more people" while under a declared emergency unconstitutional. They've remained silent on similar laws, though. | Graham violated protesters' First Amendment rights to freedom of assembly and speech with the law, which bars two or more people (or even a single person carrying a sign) from assembling without a protest permit during a declared state of emergency, the suit, filed on Thursday, states. The Alamance County Sheriff's Office announced last Friday that no further protest permits would be iss…
(2020-07-03). US Imposes Additional Economic Sanctions Against Venezuela and Iran. globalresearch.ca The US government is seeking to economically drown Venezuela and Iran by wanting to seize fuel that Tehran is sending to Caracas. This is part of a sustained aggressive and illegal policy against both countries. The US Attorney's Office requested …
(2020-07-03). On the Road to Justice with im/migrant TPS holders. workers.org 
By G. Lechat Inspired by the great Civil Rights Movement and in solidarity with Black Lives Matter, immigrant Temporary Protected Status recipients organizing with Alianza TPS Nacional are forging a "Road to Justice." This is the name they gave their 200+ car caravan that converged on Washington, D.C., June 23-24 . . . |
(2020-07-03). When Rogue States Sanction the International Criminal Court. counterpunch.org 
Even Orwell would be at a loss to make sense of some of the recent antics of leading governments. We would expect Orwell to be out-satirized by the American actions to impose penalties and sanctions on officials of the International Criminal Court, not because they are accused of acting improperly or seem guilty of some
(2020-07-03). British MoD taught Saudi troops how to 'stay popular with the press,' as 100s trained in UK last year — report. rt.com 
Amid the Saudi-led military campaign in Yemen, some of its soldiers were taught in the UK how to look good in front of the world's media in case of any "potential wrongdoing," a new report says. | Ministry of Defence data published by Declassified UK reveals that hundreds of Saudis entered the country for training at six Royal Air Force (RAF) sites in 2019. As the Saudis arrived, their country's campaign against Yemen's Houthi rebels entered its fourth year, and a ban on UK-made weapons exports to the desert kingdom came into effect, in response to growing human-rights concerns. | Although the UK's training of…
(2020-07-03). Cameroon and Nigeria: the Risk of Breathing. dissidentvoice.org There is a long history of human rights violations by Cameroon's government against its Anglophone people. Brutalized by war with Boko Haram, the Cameroon military is now engaged in low intensity warfare against militant Anglophone separatists. On May 15, 2019 for instance, Cameroon's military attacked Anglophone Separatist Bamenda, burning 70 dwellings and stores in retaliation …
(2020-07-03). Protecting migrant workers in Kuwait: a Resident Coordinator's blog. news.un.org In Kuwait, the UN has played an important role in countering xenophobic rhetoric, falsely blaming the spread of COVID-19 on migrant workers. In this opinion piece, Tarek El Sheikh, the United Nations Resident Coordinator in the country, highlights the efforts being made to safeguard the rights of foreign residents.
(2020-07-03). Turkey accuses France of committing crimes in Libya. yenisafak.com Turkey's ruling party spokesman on Friday accused France of committing crimes in civil war-torn Libya."France has committed crimes in Libya," said Omer Celik, spokesman for the Justice and Development (AK) Party.Celik said as France's crimes have surfaced with mass graves, it is posing as a human rights defender to get away with the crimes by blaming Turkey.Recalling France's colonial history, he said: "France is guilty.""[France] cannot cover those mass graves by excessive attacks on Turkey or on our president."Libya has been torn by civil war since the ouster of late ruler Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The country's…
(2020-07-03). Erdogan dispels accusations about Hagia Sophia. yenisafak.com Turkey's president said Friday that accusations against the country about Hagia Sophia directly target its sovereignty.Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony of a mosque in Istanbul, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Turkey will always protect the rights of Muslims and the minorities living in the country.A Turkish court is about to announce its verdict on converting the 6th-century structure to a mosque.The Hagia Sophia was used as a church for 916 years. In 1453, it was converted into a mosque by Ottoman Sultan Mehmet II when the empire conquered Istanbul.Following the restoration work during the Ottoman era and…
(2020-07-02). Saharawi activist Mahfouda Bamba Lefkir, "I left the small prison just to enter the big one" peoplesdispatch.org After six months in jail on a politically-motivated charge, Saharawi Human rights activist Mahfouda Bamba Lefkir has been released but enjoys only partial freedom…
(2020-07-02). Two Palestinian Prisoners Embark on Hunger Strike. imemc.org Two Palestinian prisoners declared, on Thursday, that they would embark on an open hunger strike, in protest of their imprisonment under administrative detention by the Israeli occupation authorities. The Palestinian Prisoners' Society issued a statement, explaining that the two prisoners, identified as Fadi Ghonaimat and Oday Shehada, have begun hunger …
(2020-07-02). City of Chicago announces plan for mass arrest and detention of youth over holiday weekend. wsws.org The plan for arrest and jailing of teenagers comes as the Lightfoot administration has stepped up policing in wake of recent protests and as President Trump urges Democratic leaders in Illinois to take "decisive action" against gun violence.
(2020-07-02). History Provides Clues Into Israel's West Bank Annexation. popularresistance.org Palestine has been annexed, occupied, stolen, and Palestinians have been dispossessed, exiled, caged, detained, subjected to an apartheid regime, and killed by the state of Israel for over seven decades. Every few years the world wakes up to protest some aspect of Israeli apartheid, occupation, or a massacre, and then it returns safely to its deep slumber. | Every so often, Israel manages to awaken the angst of the European Union and other international organizations with some announcement or another, a murderous attack on Palestinians, a declaration of annexation or "sovereignty," and then, as if under the influ…
(2020-07-02). Oakland Police Banned from Using Tear Gas, Rubber Bullets, Grenades at Protests. indybay.org Interview with Walter Riley, civil rights attorney with the National Lawyers Guild, on the June 18, 2020 temporary restraining order banning Oakland police from using tear gas, rubber bullets, flash bang grenades and other "battlefield weapons" during current Black Lives Matter protests.
(2020-07-02). Markey Bill Backed by Sanders and Warren Seeks to Abolish Qualified Immunity. truthout.org In the wake of the recent killings of George Floyd in Minnesota and Breonna Taylor in Kentucky — which sparked a national uprising against racial injustice and police violence — Sens. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) on Wednesday introduced a new bill in the U.S. Senate that would end "qualified immunity" for law enforcement officers accused of excessive force and violating the constitutional rights of civilians. | An antiquated legal doc…
(2020-07-02). Wednesday 7/1: The Fight for Reproductive Rights: A Supreme Court Briefing. indybay.org Online via Zoom & livestream…
(2020-07-02). What Price Will Israel Pay For Annexing The Last Of Palestine? popularresistance.org The systematic and collective appropriation of Palestinian land by the State of Israel is not an accident of British colonial history. Palestinians are not the Chagos Islanders of the Eastern Mediterranean, a people considered by the UK government to be too weak and scattered to bother about. | The dispossession of Palestinian land was a product of British foreign policy. Lord Balfour may not have intended a Jewish state when he issued his declaration in 1917 recognising the rights of Jews to set up a "homeland", a deliberately ambiguous phrase. At that point, two percent of Palestine was owned by Jews. | In an e…
(2020-07-02). Pelosi calls for new sanctions on Moscow, amid 'Russian bounties' allegations. rt.com 
As the fallout from dubiously sourced allegations about 'Russian bounties' on US troops in Afghanistan continues, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called for fresh sanctions against Russia's defense and intelligence sectors. | Moscow paid Taliban fighters bounties to kill American soldiers in Afghanistan, and President Donald Trump ignored intelligence briefings on the matter, an anonymously sourced New York Times report claimed last Friday. Trump called the story a "phony hit job" against him, his Defense Department found no corroborating evidence, and National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien said on Wednesday that…
(2020-07-02). Why You Should Give A F*ck | Ep. 4 | Voter Rights. therealnews.com 
We discuss your rights as a voter, and how in many places those rights are under attack from people in power.
(2020-07-02). SEP presidential candidates Kishore and Santa Cruz file federal lawsuit challenging ballot access restrictions in California. wsws.org The Socialist Equality Party's candidates argued in court filings Tuesday that the state's requirement that the candidates gather 200,000 voter signatures is impossible to meet during the pandemic and a violation of basic democratic rights.
(2020-07-02). Mezan: "Marking the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, Al Mezan Highlights Abuse of 92 Children Crossing Gaza's Buffer Zone" imemc.org Al-Mezan Center For Human Rights: Press Release: To mark the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, Al Mezan highlights its recent monitoring and documentation concerning the torture and abuse of Palestinian children attempting to cross the Israeli-imposed buffer zone, or access-restricted area, in Gaza.
(2020-07-02). Palestinian Civil Society Reiterates Call for Immediate Targeted Sanctions to Stop Israel's Annexation and Apartheid. imemc.org The Palestinian Center For Human Rights: Israel's extremist government decided today to keep everyone in the dark about if and how it will make use of the "golden opportunity" offered by the Trump administration to embark on de jure annexation of large swathes of the occupied Palestinian West Bank. No …
(2020-07-02). Amnesty: "Israel/OPT: Unlawful "annexation" plan promotes 'law of the jungle' and must be stopped" imemc.org Statement By Amnesty International: The Israeli authorities must immediately abandon plans to further "annex" territory in the occupied West Bank which breach international laws and exacerbate decades of systematic human rights violations against Palestinians there, Amnesty International said on the day the Israeli cabinet is due to begin its deliberations …
(2020-07-02). PCHR: Weekly Report on Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (25 Jun — 01 July 2020). imemc.org Summary Israeli forces continued to commit crimes and multi-faceted violations against Palestinian civilians and their properties, including invasions into Palestinian cities that are characterized with excessive use of force, assault, abuse and attacks on civilians. This week, Israeli Forces' excessive use of force rendered 9 injuries among Palestinian civilians, including …
(2020-07-02). Former correctional officers charged with assaulting inmate and falsifying reports. nationofchange.org "Our communities entrust correctional officers to protect detention facilities and the inmates housed within them, and when such officers commit crimes within a detention facility, they will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law."
(2020-07-02). Beijing passes anti-democratic security law for Hong Kong. wsws.org While Beijing has concerns about imperialist intrigues in Hong Kong, its chief fear is that unrest in the city over democratic and social rights will spill over the border into the rest of China.
(2020-07-02). América Latina necesita acceder a recursos sin generar deuda: Emisión de Derechos Especiales de Giro. cepr.net Latindadd Ver artículo en sitio original América Latina atraviesa por una crisis múltiple, se gesta la tormenta perfecta en la región, con grandes limitaciones sanitarias para afrontar el Covid-19 y ante la recesión más profunda desde la Gran Depresión (1872-1896), la proyección de contracción para la región, según CEPAL[1] es del 5.3% el 2020, con un mayor impacto …
(2020-07-02). Cuban Spies Disguised as Doctors. dissidentvoice.org The European Union now excludes travelers from the COVID-ridden U.S., but welcomes those from the virtually COVID-free Cuba. Cuba, the country that sends doctors and infectious disease specialists around the world to fight the pandemic, the country the U.S. has held in contempt for 60 years, villified with every epithet and sanctioned and embargoed and …
(2020-07-02). GEO Group's ICE Jail Lies to Immigration Lawyer, Attempts Unlawful Deportation. unicornriot.ninja Aurora, CO — On the morning of June 30, 2020, Pablo Mackleen Grijalva's lawyer tried to contact him at the GEO Group's ICE jail where he is detained, but to her shock, the officer on the phone told her he was not there. She immediately…
(2020-07-02). Iran to overcome sanctions relying on its capabilities. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 02 (MNA) — Iranian Parliament Speaker's Special Adviser for International Affairs said that Islamic Republic of Iran will overcome sanctions relying upon its capabilities and potentials.
(2020-07-02). Tuesday 7/7: It's Not Working! The Erosion of Labor Rights in America (webinar). indybay.org Livestream: www.youtube.com/KQED…
(2020-07-02). Cuban Asylum Seeker Describes Vicious Pepper Spray Attack on Hunger Strikers at ICE Detention Facility. commondreams.org A Cuban asylum-seeker on Thursday described a pepper spray attack he and about two dozen other people faced in May at a private prison where ICE is holding immigrants. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-07-02). 300+ Law Professors Agree: Congress Should 'Pass a Bill Tomorrow' to End Qualified Immunity for Police. commondreams.org More than 300 law professors from universities across the U.S. on Thursday signed a letter imploring Congress to pass legislation to fully abolish qualified immunity for law enforcement officers and hold local governments accountable when their officers violate a person's constitutional rights. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-07-01). Youth activist speaks up for environmental protection at Human Rights Council. news.un.org At the UN Human Rights Council on Wednesday, a teenager from Cà¥te d'Ivoire has explained why protecting the environment matters so much.
(2020-07-01). Launch of New NAFTA Marred by Detainment of Mexican Labor Activist, Hundreds of Court Challenges Against New Mexican Labor Law. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2020-07-01). Pro-Israel Racist Group ADL Moves To Co-Opt Black Lives Matter. popularresistance.org For those who yearn for an end to systemic racism, these are exhilarating times as Black activists and organizations lead a global uprising against symbols and structures of white supremacy. | But if you are a racist group masquerading as a civil rights organization, these days are fraught with the danger that you'll get found out. | It's a balancing act that has for years bedeviled the Anti-Defamation League, a major Israel lobby group in the United States. The crisis is particularly acute right now as the ADL tries to portray itself as an ally of Black Lives Matter while also shielding Israel from criticism ove…
(2020-07-01). Global protests against Israel's 'Annexation Plan'. peoplesdispatch.org 
Protests, both on the ground and on the virtual platforms, were organized on Wednesday July 1 across the world to denounce the proposed Israeli annexation of parts of the occupied Palestinian land in the West Bank. Several organizations are also demanding international sanctions against Israel if it goes ahead with the move. | Civil society movements, including the Palestinian Boycott, Divest and Sanctions (BDS), organized protests in countries such as the US, the UK, Canada, Germany and Spain, among several others. | Israel had announced that it would start the process of annexation of the parts of the occupied…
(2020-07-01). Black Lives Matter is 'anti-christian' & 'anti-civilizational' — outspoken senior Russian Orthodox Bishop. rt.com 
A prominent Russian cleric believes the 'Black Lives Matter' movement isn't a battle for human rights, but rather a "struggle for who is most important in humanity." He says its true nature is "becoming increasingly apparent." | Bishop Savva of Zelenograd, the deputy administrator of the Moscow Patriarchate says the campaign is "anti-Christian and anti-civilizational." | Also on rt.com | | The churchman was reacting to news that the statue of Emperor…
(2020-07-01). US Supreme Court Ruling that Children of Asylum-Seekers Must be Released from Detention Lacks Necessary Provisions for Parents; Risks Further Family Separation. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2020-07-01). Trump Ramps Up Attack on NYT, Says Russia Bounty Story's 'Secret Source Probably Doesn't Even Exist'. sputniknews.com Democrats have asked Congress to consider new sanctions against Moscow over media claims that Russia has been paying Taliban-affiliated militants to kill American and other coalition troops serving in Afghanistan. Russian officials have vocally denied the allegations, and accused those pushing them of trying to further undermine Russia-US ties.
(2020-07-01). House Speaker Pelosi Calls For 'Immediate' Sanctions on Russia Over 'Taliban Bounties' Reports. sputniknews.com Earlier, Democratic Senator Bob Menendez formally requested new sanctions be imposed on top Russian officials, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, over unconfirmed allegations that Russia offered reward money to Taliban-linked militants to assassinate US soldiers.
(2020-07-01). How Nursing Homes Got Away With Hiding Bodies During the COVID-19 Outbreak. aclu.org 
When COVID-19 first reached the U.S., the epicenter was a single nursing home in Washington State, where 45 people died. That nursing home outbreak was a precursor of what was to come. Ever since, the virus has been devastating nursing homes across the country, due in part to
(2020-07-01). Harvard drops penalties on 'single-gender' social clubs after years-long litigation. rt.com 
Harvard University will no longer sanction students who take part in single-gender organizations, concluding the penalties would not survive an ongoing legal challenge from fraternities and sororities. | The Ivy League school said it would no longer enforce the ban on same-sex clubs on Monday, with Harvard president Lawrence Bacow
(2020-07-01). AFL-CIO urges cut U.S. aid to Philippines, endorses Philippine Human Rights Act. fightbacknews.org Washington DC – Last week, the largest federation of unions in the United States joined the growing call in the United States to cut U.S. military aid to the Philippine government under President Rodrigo Duterte. | The AFL-CIO, made up of 55 national and international unions, together representing more than 12 million active and retired members, voted to endorse the Philippine Human Rights Act (PHRA). The PHRA calls on the U.S. Congress to "suspend United States security assistance to the Philippines until such time as human rights violations by Philippine security forces cease and the responsible state forces a…
(2020-07-01). UN human rights chief brands Israel's annexation of more Palestinian land illegal. peoplesworld.org …
(2020-07-01). ICE is Leaving Immigrants to Die in Detention. zcomm.org And Retaliating When They Speak Out…
(2020-07-01). Federal judge rules Trump administration must release detained children from ICE detention centers. nationofchange.org "They need to make the sensible choice and release the parents to care for their children."
(2020-07-01). Appeals Court Puts On Hold Decision Granting Voting Rights Restoration to Floridians. commondreams.org ______________________________…