(2020-01-23). Americans Need to Hear More from Iranians. Here's Where to Start. commondreams.org Sanctions starve our people of food, medicine, and safety while public figures threaten us with more violence. (Photo: Shutterstock) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-01-23). Sikh politician 'forced' to flee Pakistan after claiming he faced assault & death threats — reports. rt.com 
A Sikh politician known for his human rights advocacy has reportedly left Pakistan after claiming he was attacked and received threats against his life. | Radesh Singh Tony ferried his family out of Pakistan amid growing concerns over their safety, local media reported. A prominent member of the local Sikh community, Tony had served as the president of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Pakistan Minorities Alliance. In 2018, local media reported that he became the first candidate from the Sikh community to run as an independent in Pakistan's general election. | In a video posted to Twitter on Wednesday, Tony is seen app…
(2020-01-23). Cyprus govt backtracks on claim Turkey 'stole offshore gas data'. rt.com 
A government spokesman in Cyprus backpedaled Thursday on a claim that Ankara may have stolen technical data to pinpoint a target for gas drilling in waters where the island nation has exclusive economic rights. Kyriakos Koushos told AP that no such data theft had occurred and his use of the word "stolen" in a Wednesday program by Greece's state broadcaster was a mistaken "a slip of the tongue." | However, Koushos asserted that Turkey did obtain data that enabled it to send a drill ship to a specific location that two energy companies licensed by Cyprus, Eni and Total, had pre-selected to carry out their own ex…
(2020-01-23). US imposes Iran-related sanctions on two people and six companies, mostly Chinese. rt.com 
The United States applied new economic sanctions to two Iranian individuals and six companies, including four firms tied to Iran's national oil company, as tensions between the country peaked after the killing of Gen. Soleimani. | The United States has applied fresh economic sanctions to two Iranian individuals and six companies, including four firms tied to Iran's national oil company. The move comes following a military standoff between both countries. | The US Department of the Treasury accuses the four international petroleum and petrochemical firms of helping Tehran export "hundreds of millions of dollars…
(2020-01-23). Australian Open: Daniil Medvedev suffers bleed, Rafael Nadal hails ballgirl bravery, Serena Williams talks boxing. rt.com 
Nick Kyrgios and Gilles Simon both mocked Rafael Nadal and earned sanctions from umpire Fergus Murphy on an eventful day at the Australian Open when top seed Nadal dealt with an incident of his own and questions about his legacy. | After both players were given time violations, Kyrgios made umpire Murphy smile by appearing to impersonate Rafael Nadal's trait of tucking his hair behind his ears and checking his shorts before serving. | Simon then left Kyrgios twirling his racket with laughter after performing his own impression of the world number one, although Kyrgios could afford a joke at that stage, serving…
(2020-01-23). Martin Luther King Jr. and the fight for social equality. wsws.org King's conception of a mass democratic movement for civil rights based on the unified action of all the oppressed sections of the population is being replaced with an essentially racialist narrative that presents all of American history in terms of a struggle between whites and blacks.
(2020-01-23). Amendment 4 is Still on the Line. Here's What's New. aclu.org The right to vote cannot depend on how much money you have. That's what
(2020-01-23). US Airstrike Kills 15 Civilians in Afghanistan, Including 3 Women and 3 Children. theantimedia.com (ANTIWAR.COM) — A US airstrike against a Taliban splinter group, which killed Mullah Raaz Mohammed Nangyalai, also killed 15 civilians, according to the Independent Human Rights Commission (IHRC) of Afghanistan. The IHRC went on to say this was a "clear violation of human rights" and issued a report calling on foreign forces to be more careful that civilians …
(2020-01-23). Trump to Issue New Rule Restricting Visas for Pregnant Women in Latest Attack on Most Vulnerable. commondreams.org In the Trump administration's latest effort to strip migrants and travelers to the U.S. of their rights, the U.S. State Department is planning to issue new guidance to consular officers empowering them to refuse visas to pregnant travelers. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-01-22). A Torturer Meets His Victims: CIA Psychologist Defends Brutal Methods at Guantánamo Military Hearing. democracynow.org 
On Tuesday, the psychologist identified as the "architect" of the CIA's torture program testified for the first time to the war court at Guantánamo Bay. James Mitchell was in the courtroom for a pretrial hearing for five 9/11 suspects who had been subject to torture, euphemistically called "enhanced interrogation techniques." Mitchell and his partner, Dr. Bruce Jessen, were paid $81 million to help design the CIA's torture methods, including some of the agency's most abusive tactics. The pair had no prior experience in interrogation. At the hearing, Mitchell reportedly told defense lawyers he only came to Guantán…
(2020-01-22). "The Senate Voted for a Cover-Up": GOP Senators Tilt Impeachment Trial in Trump's Favor. democracynow.org 
After the first marathon day leading up to President Trump's impeachment trial, we speak with Vince Warren and Baher Azmy, executive director and legal director, respectively, of the Center for Constitutional Rights. In a 13-hour session, the Republican-controlled U.S. Senate approved rules for the impeachment trial that Vince Warren says are tantamount to a "cover-up." Under the rules, each side will be given 24 hours over a three-day period for opening arguments. Senators also agreed to automatically admit evidence from the House inquiry into the trial record. Republicans rejected 11 amendments from Democrats t…
(2020-01-22). Brazil's Bolsonaro government charges journalist Glenn Greenwald with "cybercrimes" wsws.org The trumped-up charges against Greenwald by Bolsonaro's fascistic government are of a piece with the global assault on free speech and democratic rights and the jailing of WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange.
(2020-01-22). Baltimore marchers brave sleet and snow to resist war and racism. fightbacknews.org Baltimore, MD – Several dozen Baltimore community activists and youth endured sleet, hail, snow and rain to stage a march January 18 from East to West Baltimore and to downtown to draw the connections to ongoing war and racism with food stamp cuts and workers' rights. | The group rallied at Penn North, the neighborhood of Freddie Gray, and ended at Lexington Market. Organizers reported that the response was deeply encouraging. The group then held a car caravan to a general assembly of the FMLN (Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front) of the Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia region. | The march was initiate…
(2020-01-22). Headlines for January 22, 2020. democracynow.org Senate Approves Rules for Trump's Impeachment Trial, Spain Declares Climate Emergency & Readies Climate Legislation, Australian Wildfires Release Massive Amounts of Greenhouse Gas, Airstrikes in Syria Kill 40 People, Including Children, in Idlib, Protesters Denounce Lebanon's Newly Formed Government, U.S. Deports Honduran Children Seeking Asylum to Guatemala Despite Being Ill, Hillary Clinton Slams Bernie Sanders in New Documentary But Says She Will Support Democratic Nominee, Architect of CIA's Torture Program Testifies in War Court at Guantánamo Bay, The Guardian: Bezos's Cellphone Was Allegedly Hacked by Saudi…
(2020-01-22). Hard Evidence on Torture and Ill-Treatment Against Palestinian Detainees at Israeli Interrogation Centers. globalresearch.ca Since its creation, the occupying state developed and enforced laws and practices that led to both the systematic use of torture and to absolute impunity for the perpetrator of this crime. There has never been any individual or agency held …
(2020-01-22). Canada: One-Third of Prison Population is Indigenous. telesurenglish.net Though Indigenous people account for only five percent of the general Canadian population, they represent more than 30 percent of the detainees in the country's prisons, a RELATED: | The correctional investigator of Canada Ivan Zinger described what he called "the Indigenization of Cana…
(2020-01-22). Soldiers Assault A Palestinian Child Hours After His Release From Prison. imemc.org Israeli soldiers assaulted, on Wednesday morning, a Palestinian child just a few hours after his release from a detention facility. The Head of the Palestinian Association for Prisoners and Ex-Prisoners, Mohammad Hamida, said the soldiers, stationed at the Container military roadblock, northeast of Bethlehem, repeatedly assaulted the child, identified as …
(2020-01-22). Independent UN rights experts call for 'immediate investigation' into alleged Bezos phone hack by Saudi Arabia. news.un.org Independent UN rights experts said on Wednesday they were "gravely concerned" over allegations that in 2018, a messaging app account belonging to the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia was used to hack into The Washington Post owner's mobile phone, calling for an "immediate investigation" by authorities in the United States.
(2020-01-22). Denver students say: No war on Iran! fightbacknews.org Denver, CO – Students from Denver Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) met on campus
| January 21 to continue the rallying against U.S. aggression towards Iran and the U.S.
| occupation of Iraq. This action comes after the illegal act of war of the Trump
| regime in which Qassem Soleimani was assassinated in the Baghdad International Airport. | The U.S. has claimed that they are backing off from war at this time, but will continue to add
| sanctions against Iran which will harm the people of Iran. One SDS member noted
| in his speech, "Sanctions are an act of war; countless citizens died in…
(2020-01-22). 'An Absolute Red Alert': Snowden Joins Journalists and Rights Advocates Worldwide Rallying to the Side of Glenn Greenwald. commondreams.org "It should be clear to anyone—no matter their political persuasion—that the Bolsonaro administration is taking these actions in a purely retaliatory manner in an attempt to criminalize journalism." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-01-21). Voting Rights Advocate: The Impeachment of Trump Is Needed to Protect Our Elections & Democracy. democracynow.org 
The impeachment trial begins its proceedings in the Senate today amid accusations of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell attempting to rush the impeachment process. Senators will have 16 hours for questions and four hours for debate, after 24 hours for opening arguments on each side. We speak with Rick Perlstein, historian and author, and Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. Clarke says that thanks to the rules set by McConnell, Trump's impeachment trial could be over within a week, with much of the debate taking place in the evening. The proces…
(2020-01-21). Virginia passes the Equal Rights Amendment, but the struggle continues. peoplesworld.org 
January 15, 2020, was a historic day in America: Both houses of the Virginia General Assembly approved the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). Virginia was the 38th state to do so. This puts the ERA over the top in terms of the number of states which have signed on. The U.S. Constitution establishes that amendments require …
(2020-01-21). CBP Deported an Iranian Student With Valid Visa, Defying Court Order. aclu.org Last night, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) deported an Iranian student with a valid visa, despite a federal court order prohibiting his removal. | Shahab Dehghani arrived at Boston Logan Airport on Sunday, January 19 to study at Northeastern University, where he was enrolled. Customs officials detained him and questioned him for hours, abruptly revoking his student visa, which the State Department granted after a year of intense vetting. | As CBP tried to put Shahab on the next available flight, supporters and friends gathered at night in the arrivals hall at Logan to demand that CBP stop deporting…
(2020-01-21). Lebanon: UN rights office calls for de-escalation of protest violence. news.un.org What had been largely peaceful demonstrations against Lebanon's Government in the capital Beirut grew increasingly violent over the weekend, sparking the concern of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
(2020-01-21). PCHR: Palestinians Injured at Great March of Return. imemc.org Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) works around the clock to document all Israeli violations and war crimes against Great March of Return (GMR) peaceful protestors, especially children, women and the elderly. Aside from legal documentation of Israeli war crimes, PCHR follows urgent cases that require immediate and advanced medical …
(2020-01-21). At Least 10 Killed in Two Days of Violence Across Iraq. telesurenglish.net At least 10 people were killed and 138 wounded over the past two days across Iraq as a result of violent clashes between protesters and security forces, the country's High Commission for Human Rights (OHCHR) said. | RELATED: | Demonstrators were…
(2020-01-21). UN human rights ruling could boost climate change asylum claims. news.un.org The UN Human Rights Committee has determined that countries cannot deport people who have sought asylum due to climate-related threats.
(2020-01-21). The US Sanctions on Iran Are Causing a Major Humanitarian Crisis. thenation.com The US Sanctions on Iran Are Causing a Major Humanitarian Crisis…
(2020-01-20). SPECIAL: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in His Own Words. democracynow.org 
Today is the federal holiday that honors Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He was born January 15, 1929. He was assassinated April 4, 1968, at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. He was just 39 years old. While Dr. King is primarily remembered as a civil rights leader, he also championed the cause of the poor and organized the Poor People's Campaign to address issues of economic justice. Dr. King was also a fierce critic of U.S. foreign policy and the Vietnam War. We play his "Beyond Vietnam" speech, which he delivered at New York City's Riverside Church on April 4, 1967, as well as his last speech, "I've Been to…
(2020-01-20). 'Come and take it': Thousands rally in Virginia against new gun-control laws (PHOTOS, VIDEOS). rt.com 
Thousands of gun-rights supporters and militia members have gathered at the Virginia State Capitol in Richmond, in an armed show of defiance against a slew of gun laws proposed by Governor Ralph Northam. | Northam — who shot to international infamy last year when a yearbook
(2020-01-20). Severe Torture in Israeli Prisons Targets Palestinian Steadfastness: Walid Hanatsheh, Samer Arbeed, Mays Abu Ghosh and More. imemc.org Photo: Walid Hanatsheh after his interrogation. | In the last months of 2019 and early 2020, a growing number of cases of severe physical torture against Palestinian detainees carried out by Israeli Shin Bet interrogators have been documented.
(2020-01-17). Headlines for January 17, 2020. democracynow.org Senate Impeachment Trial Opens as Accountability Office Says Trump Broke Law by Withholding Aid, Pentagon Contradicts Trump and Says 11 U.S. Troops Injured in Iranian Strikes, Senate Votes to Approve USMCA, Report: Six Banks Reaped $18 Billion Last Year from Trump Tax Cuts, Guatemalan Protesters Demand Outgoing President Be Arrested for Corruption, Deported Immigrant Rights Leader Jean Montrevil Sues U.S. Government, FBI Arrests 3 Suspected Neo-Nazis Ahead of Pro-Gun Rally in Richmond, Virginia, Florida Supreme Court Upholds Law Limiting Voting Rights for People with Felony Convictions, Harvard Law Students Prote…
(2020-01-17). 2019 Proved We Can Stop Face Recognition Surveillance. aclu.org This piece originally appeared on In 2019, we proved face recognition surveillance isn't | inevitable. Now, it's time for Congress to rein in the technology once and for | all. | Last year, communities banded together to prove that they | can — and will — defend their privacy rights. As part of ACLU-led campaigns, three | California cities — Francisco,…
(2020-01-16). Conspiracy Theories, Threats of Violence Loom Over Coming Gun Rally in Richmond. splcenter.org Gun-rights activists and antigovernment extremists are planning a protest in Richmond, Virginia, on Monday fueled by antigovernment conspiracy theories and accompanied by online calls for violence.
(2020-01-16). Arkansas Legislators' Attack on Abortion is Unconstitutional. aclu.org The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled time and again that | reproductive privacy is "central to personal dignity and autonomy, [which] are | central to the liberty protected by" the Constitution. The Court has made | eminently clear that under the Constitution, the right of a pregnant person to | terminate a pregnancy prior to viability is a right so essential to our freedom | that our government cannot ban or impose an undue burden on its exercise. But | despite the long-standing clarity of this principle, reproductive health and rights | continue to come under blistering, unrelenting attack. | Nowhere is this cl…
(2020-01-12). Ex-US intel officer: Pompeo 'lying through his teeth' on Iran. thegrayzone.com The Trump administration is imposing new sanctions on Iran and defying Iraq's call for a US troop withdrawal. This comes…
(2020-01-06). SPLC Statement on the Detainment of Iranians and Iranian Americans. splcenter.org The following statement is by Southern Poverty Law Center Interim President and CEO Karen Baynes-Dunning following reports that Iranians and Iranian Americans are being detained and questioned at U.S. ports of entry:…
(2019-12-02). Civil Rights Are on the Chopping Block in New Supreme Court Term. zcomm.org Hello, A very small proportion of ZNet content is available only to Sustainers. You can become a sustainer for a small repeating donation – monthly or yearly via the links for Sustaining, or Donating, available on the top page of ZNet.
(2019-12-02). The War on Truth: How Israel's Social Media Trolls Conquered Facebook. zcomm.org Israel may have found a way to circumvent the influence of Facebook on the discussions pertaining to Palestinian rights and the Israeli occupation…
(2019-06-25). Peace Action Endorses Ilhan Omar for Congress. peaceaction.org Washington, DC — June 25, 2019 — Peace Action has announced its endorsement of Ilhan Omar for Congress in Minnesota's 5th Congressional District. Peace Action is a national grassroots organization working to advance nuclear disarmament, promote government spending priorities that support human needs, encourage real security through international cooperation and human rights, and support nonmilitary …
(2019-06-24). Peace Action Endorses Kara Eastman for Congress. peaceaction.org Washington, DC — June 24, 2019 — Peace Action has announced its endorsement of Kara Eastman for Congress in Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District. Peace Action is a national grassroots organization working to advance nuclear disarmament, promote government spending priorities that support human needs, encourage real security through international cooperation and human rights, and support nonmilitary …