(2020-11-11). Robert Fisk: Death of a "Controversial" Journalist. dissidentvoice.org 
Robert Fisk, the Independent's Middle East correspondent, died on 30 October aged 74. In reviewing his life and career, the newspaper for which he worked for more than two decades wrote of their star reporter: 'Much of what Fisk wrote was controversial…' As John Pilger noted, in describing Fisk's journalism as 'controversial' the Independent was …
(2020-11-11). The UK Equalities Commission's Labour Antisemitism Report is the Real 'Political Interference'. counterpunch.org 
I recently published for the Middle East Eye website a detailed analysis of last week's report by the Equalities and Human Rights Commission into the question of whether the UK Labour party had an especial antisemitism problem. (You can read a slightly fuller version of that article on my website.) In the piece, I reached two main conclusions. First,
(2020-11-11). Tuesday 11/10: NARAL Post-Election Town Hall on Repro Rights. indybay.org Livestream online…
(2020-11-11). MPs and peers call for urgent action to protect the human rights of Black people. thecanary.co Urgent action must be taken to ensure Black people's human rights are protected equally to those of white people, MPs and peers have said. | The calls come after the findings of an inquiry by the Joint Committee on Human Rights. It suggested that Black people in the UK were in "no doubt" the protection of their rights was "inferior" to those of white people. | "Commissioning reports and apologising is not enough": | The government, NHS and police must now "take action to end the stark inequalities in the protection of human rights of the black community", the committee said. | It also recommended automati…
(2020-11-11). Release detained refugees and give them permanent protection. greenleft.org.au Regular actions are being organised to demand the federal government frees almost 120 refugees detained at Kangaroo Point, reports Alex Bainbridge.
(2020-11-10). UN rights chief Bachelet condemns Tanzania election violence. news.un.org The people of Tanzania should be allowed to express grievances "without fear of reprisals" after nationwide elections, UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet said on Tuesday.
(2020-11-10). Palestinian women's organization leader Khitam Saafin placed in administrative detention for 6 months. peoplesdispatch.org Saafin was sent to administrative detention by an Israeli military commander just days after her arrest during which several other activists and leftist figures were also abducted and detained…
(2020-11-10). UK secret agents bill 'could permit state-sponsored rape and murder'. middleeasteye.net 
UK secret agents bill 'could permit state-sponsored rape and murder' | Parliamentary human rights committee says bill protecting MI5 and police agents lacks safeguards to prevent abuses | Tue, 11/10/2020 – 12: 12 | Thames House, the headquarters of the UK's MI5 intelligence agency, in London (Reuters) | A controversial new law that would allow agents recruited by the UK's police and security agency, MI5, to…
(2020-11-10). UK media watchdog penalises Abu Dhabi TV for interview with Qatari detainee. middleeasteye.net 
UK media watchdog penalises Abu Dhabi TV for interview with Qatari detainee | Ofcom says interview was conducted against the will of former prisoner Mahmoud al-Jaidah | Tue, 11/10/2020 – 18: 28 | Mahmoud al-Jaidah was detained in the UAE between 2013 and 2015, where he is reported to have been tortured (AFP/File photo) | The United Kingdom's media regulator has taken action against Abu Dhabi TV for broadcastin…
(2020-11-10). 'This is war': fighting for abortion rights in Poland. mronline.org 
A mass movement in Poland has succeeded in delaying the implementation of a court decision that would ban nearly every abortion.
(2020-11-10). Jailed female activists in Saudi Arabia may be freed before G20, says ambassador. middleeasteye.net 
Jailed female activists in Saudi Arabia may be freed before G20, says ambassador | Sister of detained activist Loujain al-Hathloul dismisses 'PR stunt' aimed at saving kingdom's reputation | Tue, 11/10/2020 – 11: 29 | This undated handout picture released on the Facebook page of Saudi activist Loujain al-Hathloul shows her in happier times on a beach (AFP) | Female activists in Saudi Arabia could be released f…
(2020-11-10). Dehumanizing the disabled won't end with a Dem in office. therealnews.com 
People with disabilities have loudly pointed out the ways our society and our healthcare system are made inaccessible to them. The COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare the cruelty of these systemic exclusions and injustices, and we can no longer ignore the fact that denying disabled rights means denying human rights.
(2020-11-10). Jailed Saudi female activists may be freed before G20, says ambassador. middleeasteye.net Jailed Saudi female activists may be freed before G20, says ambassador | Sister of detained activist Loujain al-Hathloul dismisses 'PR stunt' aimed at saving kingdom's reputation | Tue, 11/10/2020 – 11: 29 | This undated handout picture released on the Facebook page of Saudi activist Loujain al-Hathloul shows her in happier times on a beach (AFP) | Female activists in Saudi Arabia could be released from prison…
(2020-11-10). New York police to stop forcing Muslim women to remove hijab during arrest. middleeasteye.net 
New York police to stop forcing Muslim women to remove hijab during arrest | As part of a legal settlement, the police department will 'take all possible steps' to avoid making people of any faith remove religious head coverings | Tue, 11/10/2020 – 17: 25 | A woman holds up a poster during a rally to support Muslim rights outside city hall on 10 June 2017 in New York (AFP/File photo) | The New York police depa…
(2020-11-10). Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire greeted with anger and disbelief in Armenia. middleeasteye.net 
Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire greeted with anger and disbelief in Armenia | Parliament building stormed as protesters in Yerevan accuse government of betrayal over peace deal with Azerbaijan | Tue, 11/10/2020 – 13: 56 | Armenian police officers detain a protester during protests in Republic Square in Yerevan on 10 November (AFP) | There was a profound sense of disbelief and national bereavement on the st…
(2020-11-10). Palestinian Feminist Leader Khitam Saafin Ordered to Six Months in Israeli Administrative Detention. globalresearch.ca Detained Palestinian feminist and women's organizer Khitam Saafin was ordered by an Israeli military commander to
(2020-11-10). Digital Rights Advocates Warn Trump's FCC Nominee—Who Backs Plan to Censor the Internet—Is 'Even Worse Than Ajit Pai'. commondreams.org Former telecom lawyer Nathan Simington, a Republican, was tapped by the president after an incumbent balked at a plan to weaken online protections granted under a key law. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-11-10). US imposes Iran-related sanctions on 4 entities, 6 companies. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Nov. 10 (MNA) —United States on Tue. imposed Iran-related sanctions on six companies and four people, accusing them of supplying sensitive goods to an Iranian military firm in Trump administration's latest move to increase pressure on Tehran.
(2020-11-10). After Bolivia, Never Again. popularresistance.org They said that the beasts and savages would never return to Bolivia, as they killed our brothers, persecuted and detained us and burned our houses and radio stations. But we have returned, peacefully, to recover our democratic patria [homeland] armed only with the conscience of the people." | So proclaimed former Bolivian leader Evo Morales on the day his comrade Luis Arce was sworn in as the country's president, having won a landslide election victory in October. Morales himself returned to Bolivia on Monday — nearly one year after he was forced to flee the country…
(2020-11-10). US should end arbitrary detention, harassing Iranian citizens. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Nov. 10 (MNA) — Iran's Permanent Ambassador to Vienna-based International Organizations said that the United States should end arbitrary detentions and harassment of Iranian citizens.
(2020-11-09). End 2020 on a Humane Note: The International Community Calls for Human Rights Protections for Assange, Manning and Snowden. globalresearch.ca When governments don't abide by the law, it is imperative that the international community hold those governments to account. Let's be reminded that during World War II, the
(2020-11-09). Alleged victims of torture target US assets of Libya's Khalifa Haftar in lawsuit. middleeasteye.net 
Alleged victims of torture target US assets of Libya's Khalifa Haftar in lawsuit | Plaintiffs are targeting assets worth millions of dollars owned by Haftar and his family as compensation for his alleged involvement in war crimes, WSJ reports | Mon, 11/09/2020 – 21: 57 | Most of the 17 Haftar-linked properties are owned by limited liability companies controlled by his son Okba Haftar (AFP/File photo) | New det…
(2020-11-09). G20 urged to hold Saudi Arabia accountable over human rights abuses. middleeasteye.net 
G20 urged to hold Saudi Arabia accountable over human rights abuses | Human Rights Watch calls on Riyadh to allow UN experts access to attack sites in Yemen, and allow an independent body to investigate Jamal Khashoggi's murder | Mon, 11/09/2020 – 20: 20 | Saudi Arabia's King Salman speaks via video link during a virtual G20 summit on 26 October (File photo/Saudi Royal Court/AFP) | Human Rights Watch (HRW) has…
(2020-11-09). Iran deprived of 5 million flu vaccine doses this year due to US sanctions — deputy health minister. rt.com 
Iran's deputy health minister has warned of the public health impact caused by US sanctions, as the government tries to import vital flu jabs to vaccinate vulnerable people ahead of the winter months. | Speaking on Monday, Iraj Harirchi said US sanctions had stopped Iran from procuring vital flu vaccine supplies this year, impacting the country's most vulnerable citizens. | Harirchi said "five million doses of purchased flu vaccine have been blocked at an airport due to the sanctions against Iran and they cannot be cleared and exported to the country." | As a result, Iran has not yet distributed the flu vacci…
(2020-11-09). United Nations Review Will Bring U.S. Human Rights Abuses to Light. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2020-11-09). Cote d'Ivoire: 'Tone down the hateful rhetoric', find peaceful solutions — UN rights chief. news.un.org Continuing violence in the wake of elections in Cote d'Ivoire's presidential elections held on 31 October, prompted the UN human rights chief on Monday to call for a peaceful solution, saying it was in "nobody's interests to fuel the threat of increasing political instability".
(2020-11-09). From Police Violence at Home to Killing Civilians in Unending Wars Abroad, US Faces Human Rights Reckoning at UN. commondreams.org An ACLU leader urged the incoming administration to "take bold actions on day one to reverse President Trump's harmful policies." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-11-09). Independent UN experts decry COVID vaccine hoarding: 'No one is secure until all of us are'. news.un.org The only way to fight the COVID-19 crisis is to make affordable vaccines available to everyone, independent UN human rights experts said on Monday, underscoring that in an interconnected and interdependent world, "no one is secure until all of us are secure".
(2020-11-09). Health Effects of Fukushima Nuclear Disaster. globalresearch.ca Introduction | Hisako Sakiyama has a PhD in Medicine and is a Member of the Takagi School of Alternative Scientists, a Japanese NGO established in 1998 to study the environment, nuclear issues, human rights, and other issues in modern society from …
(2020-11-09). Students Push To Remove Police. popularresistance.org Student movements have always raised our current conception of justice and equity. From the civil rights movement and Vietnam War protests, to the anti-apartheid movement and calls to abolish the police, student protests on college campuses have a context and history linked to substantial change in U.S. policies and practices. This is a rite of passage from which we all benefit. | So, it is perplexing that Northwestern University (NU) President Morton Schapiro fails to recognize this as NU students demand a different and better sense of campus safety in their demand to abolish the police…
(2020-11-09). Algerian court reduces journalist Abdelkarim Zeghileche's prison sentence to one year. peoplesdispatch.org Zeghileche's reduced one-year sentence includes a six-month jail term. Since he has already been in pre-trial detention since June 23, he is expected to be released in December…
(2020-11-09). The Affordable Care Act — and With It, Our Civil Rights — Are Under Attack. aclu.org Ask a dozen civil rights lawyers to name the great civil rights laws of the last 100 years, and you'll get a dozen answers. Some might name the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the landmark law which ended segregation in public places and barred discrimination on the basis of race, sex, color, religion, or national origin at work and in other public places. Others might point to the Fair Housing Act, which took aim at dismantling entrenched residential segregation and fighting housing discrimination. Still others might highlight the Americans with Disabilities Act, which paved the way for a more accessible world., ,…
(2020-11-08). Australia's War Crimes and Culture of impunity. strategic-culture.org There is yet no reckoning for Australia's SAS war crimes in Afghanistan, although details of horrendous atrocities are coming to light. A 2016 report detailing the extent of torture and extrajudicial killings by the Australian SAS forces in Afghanistan have been The 2016 report which has recently been seen by two leading Aus…
(2020-11-08). Lebanon's Gebran Bassil calls US sanctions against him an 'injustice'. middleeasteye.net 
Lebanon's Gebran Bassil calls US sanctions against him an 'injustice' | Free Patriotic Movement leader says move was politically motivated and a result of his refusal to break Hezbollah ties | Sun, 11/08/2020 – 11: 53 | Washington has accused Gebran Bassil of corruption and ties to the Hezbollah movement (Reuters) | Former Lebanese foreign minister Gebran Bassil said on Sunday that US sanc…
(2020-11-08). Palestinian detainee Maher al-Akhras ends 104-day hunger strike, to be released on November 26. peoplesdispatch.org 49-year-old Maher al-Akhras, who has been in administrative detention since July, will be released when his current term of detention ends on November 26. He has lost over 40 kg due to his hunger strike…
(2020-11-08). Next US president should remove all anti-Iran sanctions. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Nov. 08 (MNA) — The secretary of Iran's Expediency Discernment Council urged the next US president to remove all unilateral sanctions that have been imposed against the Iranian nation.
(2020-11-08). It is the Equalities Commission, not Labour, carrying out Political Interference. dissidentvoice.org I recently published in Middle East Eye a long analysis of last week's report by the Equalities and Human Rights Commission into the question of whether the UK Labour party had an especial antisemitism problem. (You can read a slightly fuller version of that article on my website.) In the piece, I reached two main conclusions. First, …