(2020-10-25). Call for Prosecution of War Crimes, Crimes Against Humanity, and Genocide Crime in DRC. indybay.org "Congo Week," the annual series of forums, films, and conversation organized by Washington D.C.-based Friends of the Congo was, like so much else, a virtual event this year. It concluded today with the presentation of humanitarian awards to two Congolese groups defending human rights, and to Dr. Denis Mukwege, the world renowned gynecologist and Nobel Prize Winner who founded Panzi Hospital to treat women victims of sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In his acceptance speech, Dr. Mukwege called for prosecution of the 617 war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide crimes documented i…
(2020-10-25). How A Police Killing In Nigeria Sparked A Nationwide Movement. popularresistance.org Nigerian security forces opened fire this week on protesters in Lagos, killing at least 12 demonstrators and marking a deadly escalation in the weekslong protests against police brutality. | Since early October, tens of thousands of Nigerians have been marching in cities throughout the country, demanding the disbandment of a notorious police unit known as SARS—the Special Anti-Robbery Squad. An Amnesty International report published in June documented dozens of cases of torture and extrajudicial killing by the unit. But the incident that sparked the movement was a video of what appeared to be an unprovoked…
(2020-10-25). Life Of Palestinian Hunger Striker In Immediate Danger. popularresistance.org Maher al-Akhras, who has been on a hunger strike since his administrative detention on July 27, is waging a battle against the mighty Israeli occupation apparatus. Every day brings him closer to death, as Israel seems to be trying to prove through his case that the life of Palestinians, like their freedom and human rights, are worth nothing. But the formidable insistence of his hunger strike against the principle of administrative detention, and his determination that the strike will end only once he is free or becomes a martyr, is mobilizing more and more people to his support.
(2020-10-25). Macron's Gamble Will Backfire as Brexit Will Make Both Him and France Big Losers of a No-Deal With Brussels. strategic-culture.org He couldn't save Lebanon, despite all the rhetoric. Libya too was a disaster, as was his more recent battle with the firebrand Turkish president over a row in the Eastern Med about energy exploration. And now, France's cursed President, Emmanuel Macron, is going to lead his nation in a campaign which will take him and the entire French economy over the abyss on Brexit. | Remarkably, as the EU stands and watches, Macron, a man tortured and cursed by defeat wherever he goes around the world, is about to throw the lever on the French economy as he prepares to go into battle against Boris Johnson over UK's rights to…
(2020-10-25). Tens of people detained, tear gas deployed at protest in west Belarus. yenisafak.com Tens of people were detained by police in the town of Lida in western Belarus on Sunday during a protest, Russia's RIA news agency cited the regional branch of the Belarus interior ministry as saying.Police fired tear gas at protesters, RIA said.Protesters have been gathering ahead of the expiry at midnight on Sunday of an ultimatum for Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko to resign, the latest in 11 weeks of demonstrations following a disputed election result.
(2020-10-24). The Covid-19 Numbers Game: The "Second Wave" is Based on Fake Statistics. globalresearch.ca "Red zones", travel bans, quarantines, "red lists". A "Second Wave". Millions of people are lining up for Covid-19 testing. The "Numbers Game". How statistics and "estimates" are used by politicians to justify the closure of the national economy and the derogation of fundamental civil rights.
(2020-10-24). The Squad Calls for UN Inquiry Into Alleged Human Rights Abuses at Trump's DHS. truthout.org The four first-term progressive congresswomen collectively called the Squad led a letter Friday calling for independent international investigation of "recent, ongoing, and credible allegations of egregious human rights abuses by the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), its components, and its private contractors." | "From the unwanted and unnecessary hysterectomies of migrant women, to the forced separation of children from their families, to the indefinite detention of immi…
(2020-10-24). Vostochny spaceport scandals continue: CEO of company operating new Far Eastern Russian cosmodrome arrested on corruption charges. rt.com 
A high-ranking official at the helm of the new state-of-the-art Vostochny spaceport, in Russia's Far East, has been arrested on charges of fraud in a high-profile scandal. The scheme reportedly cost the state over $6.5 million. | Roman Bobkov, the head of the state entity operating the cosmodrome, has been placed in pre-trial detention for two months by a local
(2020-10-24). CEO of new Russian cosmodrome's operator arrested on charges of abuse of office & forgery. rt.com A high-ranking official at the helm of the new state-of-the-art Vostochny spaceport has been arrested on charges of fraud in a high-profile scandal. The scheme reportedly cost the state over $6.5 million. | Roman Bobkov, the head of the space center, a state entity operating the cosmodrome, has been placed in pre-trial detention for two months by a local
(2020-10-24). Israel Lobby Spreads More Lies About Palestine Groups At NYU. popularresistance.org New York University has agreed to settle with the US Department of Education over allegations that the university had not appropriately responded to claims of anti-Semitism. | Two attorneys filed the complaint last year on behalf of a student who alleged that she faced "two years of extreme anti-Semitism on the NYU campus which has created an intolerable and unlawful hostile atmosphere for Jewish students." | Echoing previous attempts by Israel advocates to silence Palestinian rights activists on campuses, the complaint accused Students for Justice in Palestine of creating the "hostile" climate due to the group's…
(2020-10-24). Barrett Poised to Be Sixth SCOTUS Justice Hand-Picked by Federalist Society. truthout.org For Americans tearing their hair out about the imminent conservative super-majority on the United States Supreme Court, we have some pointed advice for you. Familiarize yourself with the work of the Federalist Society, a group comprising thousands of very conservative lawyers advocating a so-called "originalist" version of the Constitution, sanctifying private property rights at the expense of workers, consumers, the environment, social justice and the protection of individual rights. | When w…
(2020-10-24). Monday 10/26: LGBTQIA+ and The Equal Rights Amendment Virtual Town Hall. indybay.org Online event…
(2020-10-23). Sea-Watch Takes Action Against Blockade of Its Rescue Ship. telesurenglish.net The German NGO Sea-Watch on Friday filed an appeal at the Palermo Administrative Court against the blockade of the Sea-Watch 4, a humanitarian vessel which has been detained in port since September. | On August 15, this humanitarian rescue ship, which is owned by Sea-Watch and Doctors Without Borders (MSF), set sail from Spain to rescue migrants in the Mediterranean. | Eleven days after carrying out its f…
(2020-10-23). Indigenous Knowledge Revives Ancient Clam Garden Practices. popularresistance.org La Conner, WA – Tribal communities are reviving 3,500-year-old eco-friendly practices to create sustainable beaches along the Pacific Northwest Coast. | Teams of tribal members and scientists in the U.S. and Canada have scouted various locations that are ideal areas for shellfish, like clams, and other small marine life to nestle and flourish in what is referred to as clam gardens. The concept is to build rock walls near low tidemarks, which in turn traps sediment and sand to create terraces to cultivate intertidal ecosystems. These sanctuaries encourage sea creature growth and development in shallow coastal wate…
(2020-10-23). Film review — "Belly of the Beast": Sterilizations inside the world's largest women's prison. workers.org 
With the world spotlight currently on the forced sterilizations of migrant women inside the ICE detention center in Georgia, the release of the documentary "Belly of the Beast" is timely. The film, by Erica Cohn, exposes the inhumane and illegal practice of sterilizations inside the Central California Women's Facility, the . . . |
(2020-10-23). From Texas to Nigeria, end police brutality! workers.org 
Houston Hundreds of people gathered near Wazobia African Market on the southwest side of Houston on Oct. 14 to protest police brutality in Nigeria. They came together to draw attention to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, known in Nigeria for its extrajudicial killings, torture, extortion, frame-ups and blackmail. "End SARS" protests . . . |
(2020-10-23). 'Coming Together' concert raising awareness for voters rights available to watch now. peoplesworld.org 
Music by radical U.S. composer Frederic Rzewski, African-American composer Florence Price, and Johann Sebastian Bach is featured in an online concert by the Quodlibet Ensemble with countertenor Reginald Mobley. Starting with the digital world premiere of Rzewksi's Coming Together, the 50-minute concert traces a journey from struggle and endurance to hope and resistance amidst challenging …
(2020-10-23). Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict: Israeli-made cluster bombs used in residential areas. middleeasteye.net 
Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict: Israeli-made cluster bombs used in residential areas | New evidence found by Human Rights Watch reveals that Baku's forces repeatedly used cluster bombs in Nagorno-Karabakh | Fri, 10/23/2020 – 10: 07 | The body of a LAR-160 series Israeli-made rocket was found in a residential neighbourhood in Stepanakert (Human Rights Watch) | New evidence has emerged corroborating claims that Aze…
(2020-10-23). Federal judge blocks new DOJ effort to ban WeChat downloads from US app stores, citing users' First Amendment rights. rt.com 
A US federal judge has denied a government request to blacklist the Chinese-owned WeChat program from app stores, arguing that the sweeping ban is far too broad and would violate the speech rights of users. | Magistrate Judge Laurel Beeler shot down the Justice Department's renewed attempt to prohibit the app in a
(2020-10-23). US sanctions Russian CHEMICAL research institute, saying it's 'connected' to Triton computer malware used in foreign cyber attacks. rt.com 
A Moscow research institute involved in developing high-tech S-300 air defense missiles has been blacklisted by the US Treasury Department over alleged "connections" to malware used "against US partners in the Middle East." | The Central Scientific Institute of Chemistry and Mechanics (TsNIIKhM, or –¶–ù–ò–ò–•–ú) is "connected to the destructive Triton malware," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin
(2020-10-23). US sanctions Russian CHEMICAL research institute, saying it's 'connected' to Triton computer malware. rt.com A Moscow research institute involved in developing S-300 air defense missiles has been blacklisted by the US Treasury Department over alleged "connections" to malware used "against US partners in the Middle East." | The Central Scientific Institute of Chemistry and Mechanics (TsNIIKhM, or –¶–ù–ò–ò–•–ú) is "connected to the destructive Triton malware," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin
(2020-10-23). Ocasio-Cortez, Omar, Pressley, and Tlaib Lead Call for UN Probe Into Alleged DHS Human Rights Abuses. commondreams.org "Our government cannot be allowed to commit human rights atrocities or escape investigation, oversight, or criticism based on its powerful geopolitical position, as it so often has." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-10-23). The Supreme Court Case That Could Jeopardize LGBTQ Rights. aclu.org In March 2018, the city of Philadelphia learned that two of the agencies it contracted with to provide foster care services would not, based on religious objection, accept same-sex couples as foster parents. The city told the agencies their contracts with the city were in jeopardy unless they complied with basic nondiscrimination requirements., , While one of the agencies agreed to comply, the other — Catholic Social Services (CSS) — refused. Instead, CSS sued the city, claiming the Constitution gives it the right to opt out of the nondiscrimination requirement. After a lower court and a federal ci…
(2020-10-23). Make America Jeffersonian Again. thealtworld.com A messianic bent leads Americans to dismiss as malign actors every nation deviating from 'self-evident truths' | The whole planet has every reason to be terminally puzzled at how all those lofty Enlightenment ideals Thomas Jefferson embedded in the 1776 Declaration of Independence ended up with…Trump vs. Biden. | Jefferson borrowed freely from Locke, Rousseau, Hume to come up with an eminently quotable Greatest Hits, featuring "self-evident" truths such as "all men are created equal", "unalienable rights", and that searing "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." | Well, Baudrillard would have dubbed the e…
(2020-10-23). Justice Ginsburg's example helped mitigate bad outcomes for women globally. indybay.org Climate change exasperates violence against women worldwide — Justice Ginsburg's example helped mitigate bad outcomes. Elected officials say if Barrett is confirmed systemic injustices, women's rights and climate issues will get worse.
(2020-10-23). Islamic Radio and Television Union condemns US sanctions. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 23 (MNA) — In a statement on Friday, Islamic Radio and Television Union condemned US recent sanctions on the organization and described them as illegal.
(2020-10-23). Countries affected by sanctions to hold virtual seminar. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 23 (MNA) — Iran's Permanent Envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said that countries affected by sanctions will hold a virtual seminar in the near future.
(2020-10-23). FM releases statement on blacklisting of US diplomats in Iraq. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 23 (MNA) — The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a Friday statement, announced sanctions on a number of US authorities including the country's ambassador to Baghdad.
(2020-10-23). Anti-Iran moves won't go unanswered: FM spox. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 23 (MNA) — Stating that Iran has imposed sanctions on the US ambassador to Iraq and a number of other officials involved in the assassination of Martyr Soleimani, Khatibzadeh said that anti-Iran moves won't go unanswered.
(2020-10-23). Mexico: AMLO Seeks Constitutional Reform on National Resources. telesurenglish.net Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador confirmed on Friday that he would seek a constitutional reform to guarantee the country's rights over its national resources. | RELATED: | "The government is not a committee at the service of private groups, individuals, corporations, banks, companies. The government is at the service of the people," Obrador stressed during a press conference. | The announcement com…
(2020-10-23). Exiled Since 2013, NSA Whistleblower Edward Snowden Granted Permanent Residency Rights in Russia. commondreams.org His attorney said the whistleblower still "calls his ultimate goal to return to the United States, but only if he is guaranteed a fair trial." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-10-23). Attacks on Trans Athletes are Also an Attack on Intersex People. aclu.org Intersex people make up as much as
(2020-10-22). Democrats urge US to boycott G20 summit in Saudi Arabia. middleeasteye.net 
Democrats urge US to boycott G20 summit in Saudi Arabia | Forty-five House Democrats urge government to boycott next month's G20 summit in Riyadh over kingdom's human rights violations | Thu, 10/22/2020 – 16: 08 | Sixty-five members of the European Parliament have also signed letter calling for EU to downgrade attendance at G20 (AFP/File photo) | A group of 45 Democratic lawmakers urged the Trump administratio…
(2020-10-22). Israeli NGOs demand government allow UN rights monitors. middleeasteye.net 
Israeli NGOs demand government allow UN rights monitors | Prominent rights groups write to Israel's foreign minister following MEE revelation that OHCHR workers had stopped receiving visas | Thu, 10/22/2020 – 08: 55 | Visitors on a tour held by NGO "Breaking the Silence" walk down Shuhada Street in the West Bank city of Hebron (Reuters) | Major Israeli rights organisations have written to the country's foreign mi…
(2020-10-22). Saudi golf tournament 'sportswashing' women's rights abuses, activists warn. middleeasteye.net 
Saudi golf tournament 'sportswashing' women's rights abuses, activists warn | Rights groups urge organisers, participants and sponsors to boycott Saudi Ladies International in November | Thu, 10/22/2020 – 12: 11 | English golfer Meghan MacLaren (pictured) withdrew from the Saudi Ladies International over human rights concerns (AFP/File photo) | A coalition of human rights groups have called for a boyc…
(2020-10-22). Trump administration plan to label human rights groups 'antisemitic' provokes outrage. middleeasteye.net 
Trump administration plan to label human rights groups 'antisemitic' provokes outrage | Amnesty International accuses US government of trying to 'silence and intimidate' rights groups and stop criticism of Israeli policy | Thu, 10/22/2020 – 13: 59 | Amnesty International stages a demonstration outside the UK headquarters of US travel company Tripadvisor in London (AFP) | A number of human rights organisations…
(2020-10-22). The Heat: U.S.-Iran Tensions. america.cgtn.com 
Iran hits back at a U.S. threat to impose sanctions, after a United Nations arms ban on the Islamic Republic expires.
(2020-10-22). Egypt: 49 executions carried out over 10 days in October. middleeasteye.net 
Egypt: 49 executions carried out over 10 days in October | Human Rights Watch report labels executions on the back of unfair trials a 'violation of the right to life'
| Thu, 10/22/2020 – 12: 31 | The report stated that 15 people had been executed on 3 October alone (AFP) | Egyptian authorities executed 49 people between 3 and 13 October, according to a report released by Human Rights Watch. | Accordi…
(2020-10-22). Trump Regime Threatens New Sanctions on Firms Involved in Russia's Nord Stream 2 Construction. globalresearch.ca Russia's Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline to Germany will be completed and become operational in early 2021. | On Wednesday, Russia's Energy Minister Alexander Novak announced the following: | "Nord Stream 2 will go operational by the end of 2020." | "One of …
(2020-10-22). Rushed Judicial Confirmation Poses Severe Threat to Civil Rights, Damages Legitimacy of the Supreme Court. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2020-10-22). Yemen: Prisoner Swap and What May be Behind It. dissidentvoice.org Transcript of an Interview with Press TV Background The fourth batch of Yemeni detainees has arrived in Sana'a as part of the largest prisoner swap between the country's warring sides. The residents in the capital received 112 prisoners after their plane landed in the Sana'a international airport. 1,081 men will be released in two days. …
(2020-10-22). Voter Suppression and Right-wing Threats Fail to Keep Millions Away from the Polls. globalresearch.ca Efforts aimed at thwarting the fundamental bourgeois democratic rights of the majority of people in the United States are well underway. | President Donald J. Trump has said repeatedly that mail-in voting and early opportunities to cast ballots are inherently fraudulent …
(2020-10-22). Independent UN rights experts urge Thai government to allow peaceful protests. news.un.org Calling the latest imposition of a state of emergency in Thailand, a "draconian measure", ‚ÄØUN-appointed‚ÄØhuman‚ÄØrights experts on Thursday urged the Government there to guarantee the fundamental rights of peaceful assembly and free speech.
(2020-10-22). Wednesday 10/21: Voting Plan, CA Ballot Info, & Voting Rights During COVID-19 Webinar w/ ACLU. indybay.org Online voter webinar and online volunteering opportunities…
(2020-10-22). Justice for Eric Briceno, killed by ELA Sheriffs. fightbacknews.org Los Angeles, CA – Family, neighbors, supporters and Centro Community Service Organization (CSO) attended an October 16 press conference, rally and celebration of the life of Eric Briceno, who was killed by East LA Sheriffs in Maywood, California. Other families who have lost loved ones to police killings also joined the Briceno family. Well-known civil rights attorney Samuel Paz had asked Centro CSO to help the Briceno family. | Briceno was killed on March 16 after his parents called 911 for help with a mental health crisis. Briceno was beaten and tased to death in his bedroom, after he woke up to sheriffs shouti…
(2020-10-22). Saudi Arabia, Belarus Among Countries Joining US-Led Coalition Claiming Women Have 'No International Right to Abortion'. commondreams.org Further distancing itself from longtime allies regarding reproductive rights, the Trump administration on Thursday joined 32 countries in signing a declaration claiming that pregnant people have "no international right to abortion." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-10-22). Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law Activates Network of 23,000 Legal Volunteers to Safeguard Voting Rights For 2020 General Election. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2020-10-21). "A Barrett Confirmation Is a Catastrophe": What Democrats Can Do to Block Trump's Supreme Court Pick. democracynow.org 
Fordham law professor Zephyr Teachout says Senate Democrats can still block the confirmation of President Trump's Supreme Court nominee, Amy Coney Barrett, if they use every possible procedural method available to them to slow and frustrate the process. "A Barrett confirmation is a catastrophe," Teachout says. "A 6-3 majority on the court is basically a bomb coming at what is left of our protections against corruption in politics, against corporate money, against what is left of the Voting Rights Act."
(2020-10-21). Israeli policeman who killed autistic Palestinian charged with reckless homicide. middleeasteye.net 
Israeli policeman who killed autistic Palestinian charged with reckless homicide | Rights group says higher charges should have been levied; defence lawyers say killing was 'tragedy, but not a criminal offense' | Wed, 10/21/2020 – 18: 07 | Demonstrators raise portrait of Iyad al-Halak in protest against Israeli government near prime minister's residence in Jerusalem in July (AFP/File photo) | An Israeli police…
(2020-10-21). European MPs tell Egypt's Sisi to release prisoners of conscience. middleeasteye.net 
European MPs tell Egypt's Sisi to release prisoners of conscience | Egyptian president facing mounting calls by lawmakers from the US and Europe to end his government's rights violations | Wed, 10/21/2020 – 11: 17 | Egypt's President Sisi has been accused by international rights groups of presiding over the country's worst crackdown on human rights in its modern history (AFP/file photo)…