Monthly Archives: February 2020

2020-02-29: News Headlines

RT (2020-02-29). BOM for… BOMB? Indian man assaulted by passengers on train after they misinterpreted his luggage tag. rt.com An ordinary airport luggage tag got an Indian man beaten up on a train and briefly detained after frightened fellow passengers suspected he was a terrorist carrying an explosive device. | Ganesh Shinde was taking an express train to Mumbai on the way back from a friend's wedding in another city. At some point, the 32-year-old man asked a fellow passenger for a charger. | Citing the Railway Protection Police (RPF), the Indian Express reported that the two started chatting, and soon Shinde told his new acquaintance that he wanted to show him something about the "recipe to make a bomb." It is unclear what Shinde…

RT (2020-02-29). 'He knows the entire conspiracy': India says it nabbed Pulwama bomber's co-conspirator in FIRST ARREST over attack that killed 40. rt.com Indian investigators have claimed a breakthrough in the long-running probe into the deadly attack in Kashmir that left 40 troops dead last year, stating they arrested a man who drove an explosives-laden car and hid the bomber. | India's National Investigation Agency (NIA) said on Friday that they had detained 22-year-old Shakir Bashir Magrey, owner of a shop near the Lethpora bridge where the Pulwama terrorist attack unraveled on February 14 last year. | The attack, which saw a suicide bomber — later identified via DNA as Adil Ahmad Dar — ramming a vehicle strapped with explosives into an Indian conv…

Fight Back (2020-02-29). Protest demands reversal of decision in Chicago police torture survivor case. fightbacknews.org Chicago, IL – In an attack on the human rights movement to stop police torture in Chicago, a Cook County judge ordered a torture survivor back to prison for life on February 14. In doing so, Judge Thomas Hennelly ignored irrefutable X-ray evidence of Gerald Reed's torture at the hands of the infamous Jon Burge "midnight crew," flouted the findings of the governor-appointed Torture Inquiry and Relief Commission — which affirmed Gerald's claim of torture — and overturned the ruling of the judge formerly assigned to the case, who vacated Reed's original conviction before retiring. | In response to Hennel…

Fight Back (2020-02-29). ILPS holds anti-imperialist study on sanctions. fightbacknews.org New York, NY – On February 27, around two dozen people filled Project Reach in Chinatown for the International League of Peoples' Struggle (ILPS) study and discussion on sanctions and imperialism. | This study was in coordination with the Sanctions Kill campaign that was begun by several anti-war groups in the United States late in 2019. The Sanctions Kill campaign wants to raise the issue of sanctions and how the U.S. government uses them to carry out its imperialist agenda without ever dropping a bomb. Currently, one third of the world's population is living under sanctions and those sanctions are responsible f…

RT (2020-02-28). 'Not noble to cheer human suffering': Tehran shreds US offer of 'help' with coronavirus as Pompeo vows to 'sustain' sanctions. rt.com Washington's offer to assist Tehran with its Covid-19 outbreak is pure hypocrisy, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said, condemning the top US diplomat after he promised to keep up crippling sanctions on Iran while vowing to send aid. | While US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told lawmakers on Friday that the administration had extended an offer to help Tehran beat back the lethal virus, he couldn't help but take jabs at "the regime," insisting Washington would "sustain [its] pressure" through a devastating sanctions campaign — at one point going as far as to say that Iranians were "thankful" to suffer under…

Robert Scheer (2020-02-28). Julian Bond Was a Radical Long Before MLK. truthdig.com A new book shows how the activist's positions on issues like the Vietnam War and environmental justice helped move civil rights leaders left.

teleSUR (2020-02-28). Civil Rights Advocates Reject Trump's Denaturalization Office. telesurenglish.net The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC)and other NGOs defending the rights of migrants criticized the creation of a special office responsible for withdrawing citizenship because President Donald Trump administration could use it as a tool for his "xenophobic and racist" agenda. | RELATED: | "The Trump Administration creates an office to try to abuse, frighten, and intimidate Latinos and all immigrants or refugees…

Paul Antonopoulos (2020-02-28). Washington Ponders Imposing Sanctions on Serbia for Russian Weapon Purchases. globalresearch.ca With Russia delivering another round of the Pantsir S1 anti-missile defense system to Serbia on Tuesday, EU and U.S. officials have reacted. Both Brussels and Washington have sent their warnings to Serbia, with Washington even threatening sanctions against the Balkans …

news.un (2020-02-28). Connecticut prison warning: Prolonged solitary confinement may 'amount to torture', UN expert warns. news.un.org The "excessive use" of solitary confinement by the prison service in the US state of Connecticut, prompted an independent UN human rights expert to voice alarm on Friday.

Brad Parker (2020-02-28). I Was Meant to Talk About Palestinian Kids at the UN. Israel Forced Me Out. globalresearch.ca Belgium caved into Israeli pressure to disinvite me from the Security Council. In doing so, they helped undermine human rights work for Palestinian children. | *** | Last week, the government of Belgium caved in to intense Israeli government pressure and effectively …

teleSUR (2020-02-28). Colombian Movement Defends UN Report Against Govt's Attacks. telesurenglish.net Human rights group Defendamos la Paz movement on Friday defended a RELATED: | The movement, which includes high-profile politicians such as Humb…

Alison Bodine (2020-02-28). In Defense of Mother Earth: Indigenous Rights Are Human Rights! RCMP Out of Wet'suwet'en! globalresearch.ca In the dark early morning on February 6, 2020, the RCMP violently raided Wet'suwet'en territory in Northern British Columbia, Canada. | "They're invading our people again, starting in the wee hours of the morning, arresting people who have been providing food …

teleSUR (2020-02-28). Bolivia: Ex-Leader of Indigenous Women Federation Detained. telesurenglish.net Bolivia's Prosecutor's Office Thursday ordered the arrest of Felipa Huanca, the former leader of the Bartolina Sisa Confederation of Indigenous Women (CMCBS), a grassroots organization that has been politically close to the RELATED: | Huanca was arrested for a…

Sina Toossi (2020-02-28). Prominent Iranian physician clears up misconceptions about outbreak & impact of sanctions. iranian.com Prominent Iranian physician & member of the Health Ministry Minoo Mohraz has for her part defended the health ministry's data but has also said the number of people infected has been underreported because sanctions had blocked access to diagnostic kits: twitter.com/SinaToossi/status/1233409214… twitter.com/SinaToossi/status/1233409467… twitter.com/SinaToossi/status/1233409591… twitter.com/SinaToossi/status/1233409679… twitter.com/SinaToossi/status/1233409919… twitter.com/SinaToossi/status/1233410030… twitter.co

Staff (2020-02-27). Headlines for February 27, 2020. democracynow.org Fears of Coronavirus Pandemic Grow as U.S. Cites First "Community Spread" of Pathogen, Trump Blames "Caronavirus" Fears on Democrats and Fake News Reporting, Trump Taps VP Mike Pence, Who's Blamed for Indiana HIV Outbreak, to Lead Coronavirus Response, Gunman Kills 5 at Molson Coors Brewery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Physicians Group Calls U.S. Migrant Family Separations "Torture", U.S. Drops Charge Against Scott Warren, Who Aided Migrants Crossing Desert, House Approves Emmett Till Act to Make Lynching a Federal Hate Crime, Feds Arrest Five Neo-Nazis for Threatening Journalists and Activists, ABC Suspends David Wr…

Binoy Kampmark (2020-02-27). Julian Assange, Political Offences and Legal Restraints: Day Three of Extradition Hearings. dissidentvoice.org Wednesday, February 26, Woolwich Crown Court. Today, the focus shifted to the protagonist himself and the nature of the US-UK Extradition Treaty of 2003, a contentious document that shines all too favourably for US citizens. Julian Assange, whose deteriorating condition has been noted for months by psychologists, doctors and UN Special Rapporteur on torture, Nils …

Robert Jago (2020-02-27). Indigenous Rights Are Trudeau's Last Priority. thenation.com Indigenous Rights Are Trudeau's Last Priority…

news.un (2020-02-27). Myanmar: 'Multidimensional and long-standing' root causes behind rights minority abuses, says Bachelet. news.un.org The Human Rights Council on Thursday held an interactive dialogue with UN rights chief, Michelle Bachelet, on the root causes of violations and abuses suffered by the Rohingya mainly-Muslim minority and other minorities in Myanmar. She said the Government now has a historic opportunity to counteract systematic violations, "by bringing its people together, as one".

Edward Burmila (2020-02-27). The Chicago Police Department's History of Torture. thenation.com The Chicago Police Department's History of Torture…

Eva Lopez (2020-02-27). Defending Immigrants' Rights and Reproductive Freedom in the U.S. Supreme Court. aclu.org The U.S. Supreme Court will hear a number of cases this term that will have a crucial impact on civil rights and civil liberties — from LGBTQ equality to reproductive freedom and immigrants' rights. Earlier in the term, the ACLU had two cases asking whether workers can be fired for being LGBTQ. On March 2, we will be arguing a case on immigrants' rights, and we have filed or will file friend-of-the-court briefs in major cases involving reproductive freedom, contraceptive access, and religious freedom. | We sat down with David | Cole, the ACLU's national legal director, to discuss what's in store for the…

Anne Khodabandeh (2020-02-27). America's Iran Policy Backed Into a Corner By MEK in Albania. iranian.com Since well before President Trump pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal in 2018, the U.S. and Iran have been in a de facto state of non-military warfare with sanctions, economic sabotage, cyber-attacks, disinformation campaigns and social media attacks the weapons of choice. Both countries have exploited conflict in the region, especially after the rise …

teleSUR (2020-02-27). 2019 Marked by Crackdowns in Latin America: Amnesty. telesurenglish.net Human Rights watchdog Amnesty International described Latin America in its 2019 annual report, released Thursday, as a region where citizens were attacked for protesting and defending human and environmental rights, with governments often using measures in "flagrant disregard for their obligations under domestic and international law." | RELATED: | The text depicts the regional scenario marked by states' inability to cha…

Leila Rafei (2020-02-26). Family Separation, Two Years After Ms. L. aclu.org When the ACLU filed

news.un (2020-02-26). Impunity persists for alleged violations in Occupied Palestinian Territories, UN Human Rights Council hears. news.un.org Justice is still absent for Palestinian demonstrators shot by Israeli soldiers during weekly protests in Gaza, the UN Human Rights Council heard on Wednesday.

Anjali Salvador (2020-02-26). Stopping the Anti-Abortion Ordinances of East Texas. aclu.org Waskom. | Naples. Joaquin. Tenaha. Rusk. Gary. Wells. These names might sound unfamiliar | now, but you'll be hearing more about them soon enough. | They | are seven cities in East Texas that, within the last several months, each | passed so-called "sanctuary city for the unborn" ordinances — moves that are | blatantly unconstitutional. | Waskom, Texas was the

news.un (2020-02-25). UN human rights chief warns of women's rights complacency. news.un.org Michelle Bachelet, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, has warned against complacency on women's rights at an event marking the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration, a landmark agenda for the empowerment of women.

Ashoka Mukpo (2020-02-24). From Being Tortured in Sri Lanka to the U.S. Supreme Court. aclu.org On a frigid day in early February, Vijayakumar Thuraissigiam | stands under an awning on a street corner in lower Manhattan along with one of | his attorneys, Celso Perez of the ACLU. Both are bundled in heavy winter | jackets. Perez is holding his phone up and squinting as he concentrates on the | tinny voice of a translator emanating from its speaker. | "I want them to be aware that you're traveling," Perez says | into the phone. | The voice on the other line translates what Perez said into | Tamil, the native language of Sri Lanka's largest ethnic minority. Thuraissigiam, | heavyset in his late 40s with a…

Ben Norton (2020-02-24). Chile's US-backed gov't is shooting anti-austerity protesters, blinding and maiming by the thousands. thegrayzone.com Chile has responded to anti-neoliberal protests with brutally violent repression. 10,365 people have been detained; 3765 treated for wounds in…

Eoin Higgins (2020-02-24). Sanders Will Not Attend AIPAC Conference Over Concern for 'Basic Palestinian Rights'. iranian.com Democratic 2020 presidential primary frontrunner Sen. Bernie Sanders earned the praise of progressives after announcing on Sunday he would not attend the annual AIPAC conference due to his concerns over the group's willingness to endorse the views of bigots and its dismissal of the human rights of Palestinians. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), also a candidate …

Staff (2020-02-21). Malcolm X's Daughter Ilyasah Shabazz on Her Father's Legacy & the New Series "Who Killed Malcolm X?" democracynow.org Fifty-five years ago today, Malcolm X was assassinated. The civil rights leader was shot to death on February 21, 1965, at the Audubon Ballroom in New York City. He was only 39 years old. Details of his assassination remain disputed to this day. Earlier this month, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance said he was considering reopening the investigation, just days after a new documentary series about the assassination was released on Netflix called "Who Killed Malcolm X?" It makes the case that two of the three men who were convicted for Malcolm X's murder are actually innocent and that his uncaught killers wer…

splcenter (2020-02-21). Weekend Read: SPLC files civil rights complaints as asylum seekers wage hunger strikes. splcenter.org

splcenter (2020-02-20). We won a major victory for voting rights. splcenter.org

Jonathan Hafetz (2020-02-20). U.S. Resident Indefinitely Detained Without Charge Secures His Day In Court. aclu.org Adham Hassoun will | finally have his day in court. A federal judge has rejected the government's sweeping | claim that it can, on its own say-so, indefinitely imprison him without charge | and without a fair trial. | Adham is a long-time U.S. resident and a father of three. As we previously his criminal sentence and was set to be released from prison almost three years | ago. But the government — claiming unprecedented and unconstitutional…

Tyler Durden (2020-02-08). Iraq and Russia Prepare to Boost Military Ties as US Threatens Sanctions. theantimedia.com Iraq and Russia are preparing for deepening military coordination.

splcenter (2020-02-02). SPLC and the SPLC Action Fund Hire Internationally Renowned Human and Civil Rights Leader as New President and CEO. splcenter.org Margaret Huang brings 25 years of experience advocating against discrimination and oppression around the world.

Peace Action (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 …

Peace Action (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 …

2020-02-29: Social Media Postees

Please be social by posting these 'POSTEES' on social media!

US Court Blocks Trump Policy Forcing Migrants To Wait in Mexico
telesurenglish.net | 2020-02-29
A U.S. federal appeals court in San Francisco on Friday blocked a Trump administration policy that has forced tens of thousands of migrants to wait in Mexico for months for hearings in U.S. immigration courts. | RELATED: | Civil Rights Advocates Reject Trump's Denaturalization Office | A 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel found the plaintiffs were likely to succeed in their argument that the program violated U.S. immigration law and international treaty obligations on the tr…
telesurenglish.net/news/US-Court-Blocks-Trump-Policy-Forcing-Migrants-To-Wait-in-Mexico-20200228-0018.html

Protest demands reversal of decision in Chicago police torture survivor case
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2020-02-29
Chicago, IL – In an attack on the human rights movement to stop police torture in Chicago, a Cook County judge ordered a torture survivor back to prison for life on February 14. In doing so, Judge Thomas Hennelly ignored irrefutable X-ray evidence of Gerald Reed's torture at the hands of the infamous Jon Burge "midnight crew," flouted the findings of the governor-appointed Torture Inquiry and Relief Commission

ILPS holds anti-imperialist study on sanctions
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2020-02-29
New York, NY – On February 27, around two dozen people filled Project Reach in Chinatown for the International League of Peoples' Struggle (ILPS) study and discussion on sanctions and imperialism. | This study was in coordination with the Sanctions Kill campaign that was begun by several anti-war groups in the United States late in 2019. The Sanctions Kill campaign wants to raise the issue of sanctions and how the U.S. government uses them to carry out its imperialist agenda without ever dropping a bomb. Currently, one third of the world's population is living under sanctions and those sanctions are responsible f…
www.fightbacknews.org/2020/2/28/ilps-hol…

BOM for… BOMB? Indian man assaulted by passengers on train after they misinterpreted his luggage tag
rt.com | 2020-02-29
An ordinary airport luggage tag got an Indian man beaten up on a train and briefly detained after frightened fellow passengers suspected he was a terrorist carrying an explosive device. | Ganesh Shinde was taking an express train to Mumbai on the way back from a friend's wedding in another city. At some point, the 32-year-old man asked a fellow passenger for a charger. | Citing the Railway Protection Police (RPF), the Indian Express reported that the two started chatting, and soon Shinde told his new acquaintance that he wanted to show him something about the "recipe to make a bomb." It is unclear what Shinde…
rt.com/news/481990-indian-man-train-bom/

'He knows the entire conspiracy': India says it nabbed Pulwama bomber's co-conspirator in FIRST ARREST over attack that killed 40
rt.com | 2020-02-29
Indian investigators have claimed a breakthrough in the long-running probe into the deadly attack in Kashmir that left 40 troops dead last year, stating they arrested a man who drove an explosives-laden car and hid the bomber. | India's National Investigation Agency (NIA) said on Friday that they had detained 22-year-old Shakir Bashir Magrey, owner of a shop near the Lethpora bridge where the Pulwama terrorist attack unraveled on February 14 last year. | The attack, which saw a suicide bomber

Civil Rights Advocates Reject Trump's Denaturalization Office
telesurenglish.net | 2020-02-28
The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC)and other NGOs defending the rights of migrants criticized the creation of a special office responsible for withdrawing citizenship because President Donald Trump administration could use it as a tool for his "xenophobic and racist" agenda. | RELATED: | Federal Judge Finds US in Contempt for Deporting Minors | "The Trump Administration creates an office to try to abuse, frighten, and intimidate Latinos and all immigrants or refugees…
telesurenglish.net/news/Civil-Rights-Advocates-Reject-Trumps-Denaturalization-Office-20200228-0007.html

Julian Bond Was a Radical Long Before MLK
Robert Scheer | truthdig.com | 2020-02-28
A new book shows how the activist's positions on issues like the Vietnam War and environmental justice helped move civil rights leaders left.
truthdig.com/articles/julian-bond-was-a-radical-long-before-mlk/

Washington Ponders Imposing Sanctions on Serbia for Russian Weapon Purchases
Paul Antonopoulos | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-28
With Russia delivering another round of the Pantsir S1 anti-missile defense system to Serbia on Tuesday, EU and U.S. officials have reacted. Both Brussels and Washington have sent their warnings to Serbia, with Washington even threatening sanctions against the Balkans …
globalresearch.ca/washington-ponders-imposing-sanctions-serbia-russian-weapon-purchases/5704976

Connecticut prison warning: Prolonged solitary confinement may 'amount to torture', UN expert warns
news.un.org | 2020-02-28
The "excessive use" of solitary confinement by the prison service in the US state of Connecticut, prompted an independent UN human rights expert to voice alarm on Friday.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/02/1058311

In Defense of Mother Earth: Indigenous Rights Are Human Rights! RCMP Out of Wet'suwet'en!
Alison Bodine | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-28
In the dark early morning on February 6, 2020, the RCMP violently raided Wet'suwet'en territory in Northern British Columbia, Canada. | "They're invading our people again, starting in the wee hours of the morning, arresting people who have been providing food …
globalresearch.ca/indigenous-rights-human-rights-rcmp-out-wetsuweten/5704955

I Was Meant to Talk About Palestinian Kids at the UN. Israel Forced Me Out
Brad Parker | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-28
Belgium caved into Israeli pressure to disinvite me from the Security Council. In doing so, they helped undermine human rights work for Palestinian children. | *** | Last week, the government of Belgium caved in to intense Israeli government pressure and effectively …
globalresearch.ca/i-was-meant-talk-about-palestinian-kids-un-israel-forced-me-out/5704980

Colombian Movement Defends UN Report Against Govt's Attacks
telesurenglish.net | 2020-02-28
Human rights group Defendamos la Paz movement on Friday defended a UN report on the human rights situation in Colombia during 2019 that was recently refected by the conservative government as interference in domestic affairs. | RELATED: | Pot-Banging in Colombia Against Government's Political Genocide | The movement, which includes high-profile politicians such as Humb…
telesurenglish.net/news/Colombian-Movement-Defends-UN-Report-Against-Govts-Attacks–20200228-0011.html

'Not noble to cheer human suffering': Tehran shreds US offer of 'help' with coronavirus as Pompeo vows to 'sustain' sanctions
rt.com | 2020-02-28
Washington's offer to assist Tehran with its Covid-19 outbreak is pure hypocrisy, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said, condemning the top US diplomat after he promised to keep up crippling sanctions on Iran while vowing to send aid. | While US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told lawmakers on Friday that the administration had extended an offer to help Tehran beat back the lethal virus, he couldn't help but take jabs at "the regime," insisting Washington would "sustain [its] pressure" through a devastating sanctions campaign

Bolivia: Ex-Leader of Indigenous Women Federation Detained
telesurenglish.net | 2020-02-28
Bolivia's Prosecutor's Office Thursday ordered the arrest of Felipa Huanca, the former leader of the Bartolina Sisa Confederation of Indigenous Women (CMCBS), a grassroots organization that has been politically close to the Movement Towards Socialism (MAS). | RELATED: | A Washington Post Survey Rules out Electoral Fraud in Bolivia | Huanca was arrested for a…
telesurenglish.net/news/Bolivia-Ex-Leader-of-Indigenous-Women-Federation-Detained-20200228-0002.html

Añez Criticized for Sexist Stereotypes In Presidential Spot
telesurenglish.net | 2020-02-28
Bolivian de facto president Jeanine Añez is under public scrutiny these days after releasing her presidential candidacy through a video that not few have considered full of sexist stereotypes. | RELATED: | Bolivia: Ex-Leader of Indigenous Women Federation Detained | In the video, she represented Bolivia as an abandoned house, which she and her people rebuilt. Besides the twisted and fake representation of her administration, Añez has been the target of criticism for replicating soci…
telesurenglish.net/news/anez-criticized-for-macho-stereotypes-In-presidential-spot–20200228-0017.html

Prominent Iranian physician clears up misconceptions about outbreak & impact of sanctions
Sina Toossi | iranian.com | 2020-02-28
Prominent Iranian physician & member of the Health Ministry Minoo Mohraz has for her part defended the health ministry's data but has also said the number of people infected has been underreported because sanctions had blocked access to diagnostic kits: twitter.com/SinaToossi/status/1233409214… twitter.com/SinaToossi/status/1233409467… twitter.com/SinaToossi/status/1233409591… twitter.com/SinaToossi/status/1233409679… twitter.com/SinaToossi/status/1233409919… twitter.com/SinaToossi/status/1233410030… twitter.co
iranian.com/2020/02/28/prominent-iranian-physician-clears-up-misconceptions-about-outbreak-impact-of-sanctions/

'Good News for Democracy': Wisconsin Appeals Court Rejects Voter Purge Targeting More Than 200,000 People
Julia Conley, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2020-02-28
Voting rights advocates applauded a Wisconsin appeals court ruling Friday which is set to stop a voter purge from going forward—sparing more than 200,000 people from having their names removed from voter lists. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…
commondreams.org/news/2020/02/28/good-news-democracy-wisconsin-appeals-court-rejects-voter-purge-targeting-more?cd-origin=rss

Defending Immigrants' Rights and Reproductive Freedom in the U.S. Supreme Court
Eva Lopez | aclu.org | 2020-02-27
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear a number of cases this term that will have a crucial impact on civil rights and civil liberties

Julian Assange, Political Offences and Legal Restraints: Day Three of Extradition Hearings
Binoy Kampmark | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-02-27
Wednesday, February 26, Woolwich Crown Court. Today, the focus shifted to the protagonist himself and the nature of the US-UK Extradition Treaty of 2003, a contentious document that shines all too favourably for US citizens. Julian Assange, whose deteriorating condition has been noted for months by psychologists, doctors and UN Special Rapporteur on torture, Nils …
dissidentvoice.org/2020/02/julian-assange-political-offences-and-legal-restraints-day-three-of-extradition-hearings/

Indigenous Rights Are Trudeau's Last Priority
Robert Jago | thenation.com | 2020-02-27
Indigenous Rights Are Trudeau's Last Priority…
thenation.com/article/activism/wetsuweten-canada-pipeline-protests/

Myanmar: 'Multidimensional and long-standing' root causes behind rights minority abuses, says Bachelet
news.un.org | 2020-02-27
The Human Rights Council on Thursday held an interactive dialogue with UN rights chief, Michelle Bachelet, on the root causes of violations and abuses suffered by the Rohingya mainly-Muslim minority and other minorities in Myanmar. She said the Government now has a historic opportunity to counteract systematic violations, "by bringing its people together, as one".
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/02/1058261

The Chicago Police Department's History of Torture
Edward Burmila | thenation.com | 2020-02-27
The Chicago Police Department's History of Torture…
thenation.com/article/culture/lawrence-ralph-torture-letters-review/

America's Iran Policy Backed Into a Corner By MEK in Albania
Anne Khodabandeh | iranian.com | 2020-02-27
Since well before President Trump pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal in 2018, the U.S. and Iran have been in a de facto state of non-military warfare with sanctions, economic sabotage, cyber-attacks, disinformation campaigns and social media attacks the weapons of choice. Both countries have exploited conflict in the region, especially after the rise …
iranian.com/2020/02/27/americas-iran-policy-backed-into-a-corner-by-mek-in-albania/

2019 Marked by Crackdowns in Latin America: Amnesty
telesurenglish.net | 2020-02-27
Human Rights watchdog Amnesty International described Latin America in its 2019 annual report, released Thursday, as a region where citizens were attacked for protesting and defending human and environmental rights, with governments often using measures in "flagrant disregard for their obligations under domestic and international law." | RELATED: | DR: Medina Offers Triumphalist Speech to Downplay Protests | The text depicts the regional scenario marked by states' inability to cha…
telesurenglish.net/news/the-year-that-made-latin-america-tremble-20200227-0021.html

Family Separation, Two Years After Ms. L
Leila Rafei | aclu.org | 2020-02-26
When the ACLU filed Ms. L v. ICE exactly two years ago, it was clear what was going on at the border was shocking and unprecedented: A Congolese mother and her six-year-old daughter had been torn apart by Immigration and Customs Enforcement for seemingly no reason at all. ICE sent them to detention sites thousands of miles away from one another, where for four months they had hardly any contact and didn't know whether they'd ever see each other again. It was an act of senseless cruelty

Impunity persists for alleged violations in Occupied Palestinian Territories, UN Human Rights Council hears
news.un.org | 2020-02-26
Justice is still absent for Palestinian demonstrators shot by Israeli soldiers during weekly protests in Gaza, the UN Human Rights Council heard on Wednesday.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/02/1058191

Stopping the Anti-Abortion Ordinances of East Texas
Anjali Salvador | aclu.org | 2020-02-26
Waskom. | Naples. Joaquin. Tenaha. Rusk. Gary. Wells. These names might sound unfamiliar | now, but you'll be hearing more about them soon enough. | They | are seven cities in East Texas that, within the last several months, each | passed so-called "sanctuary city for the unborn" ordinances

Avoid the mistake of not planning the transition from coal
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2020-02-26
Climate workers' rights & unions Steve O'BrienIssue 1255 Australia just transitions NewcastleFebruary 27, 2020I wa…
greenleft.org.au/content/avoid-mistake-not-planning-transition-coal

Union leader: 'There are no jobs on a dead planet'
Susan Price | greenleft.org.au | 2020-02-26
Climate Paul McAleerIssue 1255 Australia workers rights SydneyFebruary 26, 2020Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) Sydney Branch secretary Paul McAleer sent the following message to the Western Sydney climate…
greenleft.org.au/content/union-leader-there-are-no-jobs-dead-planet

The murder of Hannah Clarke shows what's wrong with the system
Kathy Fairfax | greenleft.org.au | 2020-02-26
feminism Sue BoltonIssue 1255 Australia men's rights femicideFebruary 26, 2020The day after Rowan Baxter brutally incinerated his ex-partner Hannah Clarke and their children, the detective in charge of the inv…
greenleft.org.au/content/murder-hannah-clarke-shows-what%E2%80%99s-wrong-system

UN human rights chief warns of women's rights complacency
news.un.org | 2020-02-25
Michelle Bachelet, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, has warned against complacency on women's rights at an event marking the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration, a landmark agenda for the empowerment of women.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/02/1058021

From Being Tortured in Sri Lanka to the U.S. Supreme Court
Ashoka Mukpo | aclu.org | 2020-02-24
On a frigid day in early February, Vijayakumar Thuraissigiam | stands under an awning on a street corner in lower Manhattan along with one of | his attorneys, Celso Perez of the ACLU. Both are bundled in heavy winter | jackets. Perez is holding his phone up and squinting as he concentrates on the | tinny voice of a translator emanating from its speaker. | "I want them to be aware that you're traveling," Perez says | into the phone. | The voice on the other line translates what Perez said into | Tamil, the native language of Sri Lanka's largest ethnic minority. Thuraissigiam, | heavyset in his late 40s with a…
aclu.org/news/immigrants-rights/from-being-tortured-in-sri-lanka-to-the-u-s-supreme-court

Chile's US-backed gov't is shooting anti-austerity protesters, blinding and maiming by the thousands
Ben Norton | thegrayzone.com | 2020-02-24
Chile has responded to anti-neoliberal protests with brutally violent repression. 10,365 people have been detained; 3765 treated for wounds in…
thegrayzone.com/2020/02/24/chiles-us-backed-shooting-protesters-blinding-maiming-thousands/

Sanders Will Not Attend AIPAC Conference Over Concern for 'Basic Palestinian Rights'
Eoin Higgins | iranian.com | 2020-02-24
Democratic 2020 presidential primary frontrunner Sen. Bernie Sanders earned the praise of progressives after announcing on Sunday he would not attend the annual AIPAC conference due to his concerns over the group's willingness to endorse the views of bigots and its dismissal of the human rights of Palestinians. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), also a candidate …
iranian.com/2020/02/24/sanders-will-not-attend-aipac-conference-over-concern-for-basic-palestinian-rights/

Malcolm X's Daughter Ilyasah Shabazz on Her Father's Legacy & the New Series "Who Killed Malcolm X?"
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-02-21
Fifty-five years ago today, Malcolm X was assassinated. The civil rights leader was shot to death on February 21, 1965, at the Audubon Ballroom in New York City. He was only 39 years old. Details of his assassination remain disputed to this day. Earlier this month, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance said he was considering reopening the investigation, just days after a new documentary series about the assassination was released on Netflix called "Who Killed Malcolm X?" It makes the case that two of the three men who were convicted for Malcolm X's murder are actually innocent and that his uncaught killers wer…
www.democracynow.org/2020/2/21/malcolm_x…

Weekend Read: SPLC files civil rights complaints as asylum seekers wage hunger strikes
splcenter.org | 2020-02-21
splcenter.org/news/2020/02/22/weekend-read-splc-files-civil-rights-complaints-asylum-seekers-wage-hunger-strikes

We won a major victory for voting rights
splcenter.org | 2020-02-20
splcenter.org/news/2020/02/20/we-won-major-victory-voting-rights

U.S. Resident Indefinitely Detained Without Charge Secures His Day In Court
Jonathan Hafetz | aclu.org | 2020-02-20
Adham Hassoun will | finally have his day in court. A federal judge has rejected the government's sweeping | claim that it can, on its own say-so, indefinitely imprison him without charge | and without a fair trial. | Adham is a long-time U.S. resident and a father of three. As we previously explained, Adham completed | his criminal sentence and was set to be released from prison almost three years | ago. But the government

Iraq and Russia Prepare to Boost Military Ties as US Threatens Sanctions
Tyler Durden | theantimedia.com | 2020-02-08
Iraq and Russia are preparing for deepening military coordination.

Iraq and Russia Prepare to Boost Military Ties as US Threatens Sanctions

SPLC and the SPLC Action Fund Hire Internationally Renowned Human and Civil Rights Leader as New President and CEO
splcenter.org | 2020-02-02
Margaret Huang brings 25 years of experience advocating against discrimination and oppression around the world.
splcenter.org/news/2020/02/03/splc-and-splc-action-fund-hire-internationally-renowned-human-and-civil-rights-leader-new