(2020-02-04). Encampment Struggle and Suppression in Santa Cruz. indybay.org The history below was intended as a prologue to an earlier post entitled "Documents on Homeless Encampments and Civil Rights". However its length grew, so I'm posting it separately. For the Documents go to www.indybay.org/newsitems/2020/02/01/188… .
(2020-02-04). Boris Johnson's government uses London terror attack to call for indefinite detention. wsws.org For all the cries of "apologist!" in the corporate media, the roots of terrorist groups in the predatory intrigues of the major powers are widely known.
(2020-02-04). Assange's Treatment Threatens the 'Future of Our Democracies', Says UN Torture Expert. sputniknews.com Professor Nils Melzer, the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, says that the governments of the US, Sweden and the UK have shown "bad faith" in failing to address evidence that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been subjected to torture.
(2020-02-03). Bolivia: Evo Morales' Legal Representative Arrested. telesurenglish.net The legal representative of former Bolivian President Evo Morales has been sentenced to six months in prison in a new attack on the reputation of the Movement towards Socialism (MAS) ahead of the upcoming elections. | Judge Armando Zeballos ordered the pre-trial detention…
(2020-02-03). 'Horrific': Human Rights Advocates Call for Investigation Into Death of Second Monarch Butterfly Defender in Mexico. commondreams.org Human rights defenders on Monday demanded a full investigation into the death of a second conservation activist in Michoacan state, Mexico, after the body of a tour guide in one of the country's largest butterfly preserves was found several days after the man went missing. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-02-03). Boris Johnson and Brussels set out competing visions for post-Brexit trade. thecanary.co 
The UK and European Union are on collision course for a Brexit trade battle as Boris Johnson and Michel Barnier set out competing visions of the future relationship.Major stumbling blocks are already obvious, just days after the UK left the European Union, with battles over fishing and the application of a "level playing field" on issues including state subsidies, environmental standards and workers' rights.The prime minister insisted there was "no need" to abide by EU rules and said that British fishing grounds are "first and foremost" for UK boats.Boris Johnson speaks in the Painted Hall of the Old Royal Naval…
(2020-02-02). Minneapolis protest rejects Trump's expansion of Muslim ban to six new countries. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN – More than 50 people protested Saturday, February 1, outside the Federal Courthouse in downtown Minneapolis to condemn Donald Trump adding six more countries to his administration's travel ban. | The protest was called by the Council on American-Islamic Relations-Minnesota (CAIR) just a day earlier and was endorsed by the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota, Black Immigrant Collective, Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC), Anti-War Committee, among others. | The Minneapolis protest was emceed by Jaylani Hussein of CAIR-MN. State Attorney General Keith Ellison and former State Repre…
(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.
(2020-02-01). Mexico: UNICEF calls for implementation of protocol to protect migrant children. news.un.org Authorities in Mexico are being reminded by the UN children's agency, UNICEF, of the need to protect the rights of migrant children who enter the country.
(2020-01-31). Headlines for January 31, 2020. democracynow.org Senate Poised to Acquit President Trump in Impeachment Trial, World Health Organization Declares International Public Health Emergency, U.S. Special Envoy Warns of International Crisis in Idlib, Syria, Britain Formally Withdrawing from European Union Tonight, Pentagon Deploys 1st Low-Yield Nuclear Warhead-Armed Submarine, Trump Admin Poised to Loosen Restrictions on Use of Landmines, Human Rights Groups Condemn Mexico for Crackdown on Central American Migrants, Mexican Butterfly Conservationist Found Dead, Bolivia's Movement for Socialism Candidate Luis Arce Returns to Bolivia, U.S. Pushes EU to End Ban on Chemic…
(2020-01-31). US Middle East peace plan 'lopsided', says independent UN rights expert. news.un.org A United States plan released this week to resolve the decades-long conflict between Israelis and Palestinians is "lopsided" and will only entrench occupation, an independent UN human rights expert said on Friday.
(2020-01-31). Do not confuse food charity with 'right to food', UN expert tells Italians, labelling food system exploitative. news.un.org A sophisticated Italian food system is placing a heavy burden on Italy's workers and farmers, an independent UN human rights expert said on Friday, following an 11-day visit to the country that many regard as the world's food capital.
(2020-01-31). Security Council renews Central African Republic arms embargo. news.un.org The UN Security Council on Friday renewed the arms embargo against the Central African Republic (CAR) and extended the mandate of the expert panel assisting its sanctions committee for the country.
(2020-01-30). Anti-Trump-themed 'Immigrant Food' restaurant owned by lobbyists for right-wing Latin American coup leaders who fueled migration crisis. thegrayzone.com The shocking story of how wealthy Latin American regime-change hitmen exploited immigrant rights, international food, and a pliant DC media…
(2020-01-29). 'This Type of Surveillance Threatens Us All' – CounterSpin interview with Chip Gibbons on FBI vs. 1st Amendment. fair.org 
Janine Jackson interviewed Defending Rights & Dissent's Chip Gibbons about the FBI vs. the First Amendment for the Media…
(2020-01-29). Headlines for January 29, 2020. democracynow.org McConnell Tries to Secure Votes to Block Impeachment Witnesses, "Our Rights Are Not for Sale": Palestinians Reject Trump's Middle East Plan, Trump Praises Pompeo for Shouting and Cursing at NPR Reporter, WaPo Reinstates Reporter Suspended for Tweeting About Kobe Rape Case, Death Toll from Coronavirus Virus Hits 132, with 6,000 Infected, Over 100,000 Syrian Civilians Flee Regime Offensive in Idlib, Floods Kill 30, Displace 16,000 in Madagascar, Mississippi to Shut Down Unit of Parchman Prison After Deaths of 9 Prisoners, Maryland Cop Charged with Murder for Killing Handcuffed Man in Police Car…
(2020-01-29). We're Back in Court this Week Defending Access to Safe Abortion in Kentucky. aclu.org The ACLU is back | in court today once again to stop Kentucky's attempt to block access to | abortion. We've been here before. Over the past three years, the Kentucky | General Assembly has passed bill after bill that limits — and even bans — a | person's ability to get an abortion. And time after time, we've gone to court to | protect people's rights to get the care they need. | At issue this | week is a law that makes it a crime for doctors at Kentucky's last remaining | abortion clinic to perform an abortion procedure that is the standard of care. | In reality, the law is nothing more than a…
(2020-01-28). Asylum-Seekers Are Being Abandoned in Guatemala in a New Policy Officials Call a "Total Disaster" aclu.org In late November, U.S. immigration authorities began | deporting some Central American asylum-seekers to Guatemala under a new | policy that makes it nearly impossible for them to seek asylum in the U.S. | But Guatemalan human rights workers say that their country's | asylum system isn't capable of handling even the relatively small numbers that | have been sent there so far, and that asylum seekers' precarious status in the | country has already pushed many to leave. | "They're preferring to move on…
(2020-01-28). SPLC sues Alabama school district for violating students' due process rights after cell phone is mistaken for gun. splcenter.org Andre and his friend were taking turns on a cell phone, playing a video game called Last Day on Earth: Survival — about staying alive on a zombie-infested planet — when a real-life gunshot rang out.
(2020-01-27). Under Pressure in Impeachment Trial, Trump Steps Up Attacks on Reproductive Rights. democracynow.org 
Donald Trump on Friday became the first sitting president in U.S. history to attend the so-called March for Life, the annual anti-abortion rally held in Washington, D.C., that draws thousands of participants. President Trump — who once described himself as "pro-choice in every respect" — accused Democrats of infanticide and falsely stated that Virginia Governor Ralph Northam supports an abortion bill that would "execute a baby after birth." The March for Life began in 1974 in response to the landmark 1973 Supreme Court ruling in Roe v. Wade, which guaranteed the constitutional right to abortion. Past…
(2020-01-27). Headlines for January 27, 2020. democracynow.org Impeachment Trial Resumes as Leaked Bolton Manuscript Bolsters Democrats' Case, Coronavirus Death Toll Reaches 81 in China as Disease Spreads Around the World, Pentagon: 34 U.S. Troops Have Brain Injuries After Iranian Attack on Iraqi Airbase, Deadly Crackdown on Iraqi Protests Continue as 100,000s March Against U.S. Military Presence, Turkey Earthquake Kills 38; At Least 1,600 Hospitalized, Ugandan Activist Vanessa Nakate Slams Racist Media After Being Cropped from Photo with White Activists, Trump Attends Anti-Abortion "March for Life" as Admin Continues Assault on Reproductive Rights, High-Ranking Pharma Exec…
(2020-01-27). "Ours to Tell": New Film Highlights Personal Stories About the Importance of Abortion Access. democracynow.org 
As Roe v. Wade faces unprecedented attacks, the new short film "Ours to Tell" puts a human face to the fight for reproductive justice and highlights those whose stories are often sidelined by the media: LGBTQ communities and communities of color. The film focuses on Ylonda, Nick, Hannah and Brittany, four people who discuss how having access to abortion shaped their lives. The film was directed by Rayka Zehtabchi and was created by Planned Parenthood and We Testify. For more on the film, as well as the state of reproductive rights in the United States, we speak with Renee Bracey Sherman, founder and executive dir…
(2020-01-24). Hundreds of Thousands of Iraqis Protest Against US Occupation. theantimedia.com (TMU) — Iraq's parliament voted last month to expel the U.S. troops who have been occupying the country for nearly twenty years. However, the United States government has refused to comply with the order and has threatened harsh sanctions if they are forced to leave. The presence of the United States military is unwelcome in Iraq and the rest of the …
(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
(2020-01-16). 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.
(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 …