(2020-03-27). Iran records 144 new Covid-19 deaths as military sets up emergency 2,000-bed hospital in Tehran. rt.com 
Iran saw nearly 150 new fatalities from coronavirus, health officials disclosed on Friday. The country's military has deployed a makeshift hospital in Tehran as the Islamic Republic continues to battle the respiratory illness. | A health ministry official confirmed that Iran suffered 144 deaths from the previous day, pushing its death toll to 2,378. The Islamic Republic currently has 32,332 confirmed cases of Covid-19, according to a government tally. | The latest figures coincide with the creation of a makeshift hospital in the nation's capital. The Iranian military reportedly converted an exhibition center i…
(2020-03-27). Migrants in California Are Unprotected Against Covid-19 Effects. telesurenglish.net The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA) Friday denounced that migrants in California are at greater risk of contracting Covid-19 because they lack legal protections. | RELATED: | A survey of 1,222 Latin Americans, which this NGO carried out between March 12 and 14, revealed that the Covid-19 has worsened the situation of immigrants. | For this reason, CHIRLA asked the Californian authorities to include immigran…
(2020-03-27). DOJ Seeks to Exploit Coronavirus Emergency to Detain People Indefinitely. truthout.org Throughout U.S. history, presidents have exploited national emergencies to exceed their constitutional powers. Abraham Lincoln illegally suspended habeas corpus during the Civil War. Franklin D. Roosevelt confined people of Japanese descent in internment camps during World War II. And George W. Bush used his post-9/11 "war on terror" to launch two illegal wars, mount a program of torture, conduct extensive unlawful surveillance and illegally detain people. | In light of Donald Trump's national em…
(2020-03-27). Webinar: Coronavirus: Time to End US Sanctions on Iran. indybay.org Online webinar via ZOOM…
(2020-03-27). Australia's imprisoned refugees plead for release as coronavirus risk increases. wsws.org Detainees have protested at being held "in a potential death trap in which we have no option or means to protect ourselves."
(2020-03-27). US Senators Request to Ease Sanctions Against Venezuela, Iran. telesurenglish.net U.S. Senator Christopher Murphy and 10 other lawmakers sent a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin urging them to alleviate the RELATED: | "We are writing to express…
(2020-03-27). Selected Articles: COVID-19 Relief "Bailouts" and "Handouts" globalresearch.ca Online independent analysis of US-led wars, rampant corruption, corporate greed, civil rights and fraudulent monetary transactions is invariably relegated to the bottom rung of search engine results. | As a result we presently do not cover our monthly running costs which …
(2020-03-27). With a Quarter of the World's Population Under US Sanctions, Countries Appeal to UN to Intervene. mintpressnews.com 
Eight countries, representing around one-quarter of all humanity, say that Washington's actions are undermining their response to the COVID—19 pandemic sweeping the planet.
(2020-03-26). Postcard from Krasnodar: How is Russia doing in an era of Western sanctions? peoplesworld.org 
This visit and the article based on it took place before the outbreak of the current coronavirus pandemic. KRASNODAR, Russia—This was my first trip to Russia. I've had prior invitations that I couldn't accept. I had taken enough credit hours in college to major in Russian, but college was over 45 years ago, and before …
(2020-03-26). Gerald Horne's new book 'White Supremacy Confronted' relates apartheid to Jim Crow. peoplesworld.org 
United States' support of the apartheid regime in South Africa intersected with Cold War geopolitics. Anti-communism bolstered racist oppression globally. Additionally, domestic Jim Crow and South African apartheid were two sides of the same anti-communist coin, a currency used to stifle African-American civil rights at home as well as Black liberation and anti-colonial struggles in …
(2020-03-26). Asylum Seekers Stranded in Mexico Face a New Danger: COVID-19. aclu.org 
Since the Trump Administration first unrolled its policy of
(2020-03-26). Colombian prisoners ask for medical help and receive bullets. fightbacknews.org The National Prison Movement (Movimiento Nacional Carcelario) and other prisoner rights groups called a demonstration in Colombian prisons on March 21, to protest the lack of protection against the COVID-19 virus and the general lack of decent healthcare in the Colombian prisons. Twelve Colombian prisons answered the call for a 'cacerolazo,' a protest where one bangs on pots and pans to make enough noise so that the protest is heard. | The protest in the prison Carcel Nacional Modelo de Bogotá began at 9 p.m. on March 21. The prisoners were mostly on lockdown in their cells and began banging on their pots and pan…
(2020-03-26). US Sanctions 20 Iranian, Iraqi Entities Despite Virus Outbreak. telesurenglish.net The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced on Thursday that they had sanctioned 20 Iranian and Iraqi companies companies, officials, and business associates over their alleged support to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. | "The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated 20 Iran- and Iraq-based front companies, senior officials, and business associates that provide support to or act for or on behalf of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF) in addition to transferring lethal aid to Iranian-backed…
(2020-03-26). 8 Nations Address Letter to UN Chief Urging Sanctions Be Lifted. telesurenglish.net Venezuela has joined Wednesday China, Russia, Iran, Syria, North Korea, Cuba, and Nicaragua in their plea to United Nations (U.N.) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to urge the United States (U.S.) to remove its illegal economic sanctions on these countries amid the coronavirus global pandemic. | RELATED: | "Today we have a common enemy. As you've already recognized, it's a time to prepare, to step up and incre…
(2020-03-26). Human rights must be maintained in beating back the COVID-19 pandemic, 'without exception' — UN experts. news.un.org Dozens of independent UN human rights experts stressed on Thursday that in addition to public health and emergency measures, battling the COVID-19 pandemic, must respect the fundamental human rights of every individual.
(2020-03-26). PCHR Calls upon Palestinian Government to Find Mechanisms to Protect and Support the Poor and Low-Income Families in light of the State of Emergency in the Gaza Strip. imemc.org The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) follows up on the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip in light of the state of emergency announced to limit the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). PCHR warns of catastrophic deterioration in the living conditions of the Gaza Strip population if the state of …
(2020-03-26). Two Hundred and Thirty Years of Rights and Liberties Shredded: Why I Oppose the Lockdown. globalresearch.ca Although it was nearly twenty years ago, I can remember 9/11 like it was yesterday. I remember the shock of hearing about the planes crashing into towers, at first believing it was a tragic accident and quickly learning it to …
(2020-03-26). Now Is the Time to Cancel Sanctions on Iran. iranian.com U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has often declared that he considers himself to be a devout evangelical Christian, and in November 2019 told the New York Times Magazine that the Bible "informs everything I do." Given that his religious convictions are based on the Bible, he is doubtless familiar with the command from Philippians 2: 4 that everyone should "look not …
(2020-03-25). SPLC and allies seek federal court injunction in system-wide suit to protect people detained by ICE from contracting COVID-19. splcenter.org The SPLC and its allies asked a federal court today to issue a preliminary injunction requiring that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) take immediate steps to protect people in its custody, particularly those who have medical conditions making them more susceptible to serious illness and death from COVID-19.
(2020-03-25). UN rights chief urges quick action by governments to prevent devastating impact of COVID-19 in places of detention. news.un.org COVID-19 has begun to strike in prisons, jails and immigration detention centres, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet warned on Wednesday, as she urged Governments "not to forget hose behind bars" and to protect those working in closed facilities in their overall efforts to contain the pandemic…
(2020-03-25). Human Rights Council Appeals to Red Cross: Protect Palestinian Prisoners. imemc.org On 24 March 2020, the Palestinian Human Rights Organizations Council (PHROC) letters to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and to the Palestinian diplomatic community, Palestine News Network reported. The letters were urgent appeals with regards to the deteriorating conditions of Palestinian prisoners and detainees in Israeli jails, …
(2020-03-25). Deflection: Pompeo Issues '5 Facts' Claiming Iran Exported COVID-19 To "At Least 5 Countries" iranian.com As even Britain is urging its close US ally to moderate its stance on Iran sanctions as the Mideast country's death toll surges from the coronavirus pandemic, the Washington-Tehran tit-for-tat exchanges and blame game over Covid-19 continues unabated. Yesterday Pompeo issued a new list of five allegations of how Iran's leaders have handled the outbreak. Notably, this featured the …
(2020-03-24). "Humanitarian Solidarity": Even Under U.S. Sanctions, Cuba Sends Doctor Brigade to Italy and More. democracynow.org 
As Italy's death toll soars past 6,000, Cuba has sent medical brigades to combat COVID-19. Cuba has also deployed doctors to Venezuela, Nicaragua, Jamaica, Suriname and Grenada. "The arrival of a medical brigade from Cuba to Italy is pretty historic. You have a leading European nation accepting support in the form of a medical team from a small Caribbean island," says our guest, Peter Kornbluh, director of the Cuba Documentation Project at the National Security Archive at George Washington University. "It just goes to the history of Cuba's deep and long-lasting commitment to humanitarian solidarity with other cou…
(2020-03-24). Technology of Death: The Not-So-Shocking Report on Israeli Weapons Exports. mintpressnews.com 
SIPRI and Amnesty International are right in exposing Israel's thriving weapons exports market while emphasizing the fact that much of these weapons proliferate freely among human rights violators.
(2020-03-24). Business as Usual: Coronavirus, Iran and US Sanctions. dissidentvoice.org Never discount the importance of venality in international relations. While pandemics should provide the glue for a unified front in response — we keep being told of fighting this horrendous "invisible enemy" — it's business as usual in other respects. The United States, with a disparate, confused medical system that risks being overwhelmed, remains committed …
(2020-03-24). Ease sanctions against countries fighting COVID-19: UN human rights chief. news.un.org As the COVID-19 pandemic progresses, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on Tuesday called for an easing of sanctions against countries such as Iran to allow their medical systems to fight the disease and limit its global spread.
(2020-03-24). UK, Europe & IMF Ramp Up Pressure For Trump To Ease Sanctions On Virus-Ravaged Iran. iranian.com Reports and in some cases video began emerging last week of mass shipments of humanitarian supplies being halted and grounded by skittish EU countries worried about violating US-led sanctions on Iran. This as Iranian leaders have lashed out at Washington for ensuring a worsening coronavirus death toll through its "inhuman" sanctions. But the White House has also …
(2020-03-24). Defectors Tell of Torture and Forced Sterilization in Militant Iranian Cult. iranian.com Interviews with defectors, including several who held senior positions, offer the most detailed account to date of what life was like inside the MEK. Read the full story here.
(2020-03-23). Former ICE Director: Release Immigrants from Detention or COVID-19 Will Spread Like Wildfire Inside. democracynow.org 
Alarm is growing about the safety of more than 37,000 people held in immigrant detention centers and private jails that contract with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, where it is nearly impossible for them to avoid close contact to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Nearly half of those detained by ICE are accused of no crime other than civil immigration violations. Immigrants at three jails in New Jersey are now on hunger strikes over unsanitary conditions that put them at high risk during the pandemic.‚Ä®‚Ä® We hear from a detained person on hunger strike and speak wit…
(2020-03-23). Trump intensifies murderous Iran sanctions during COVID-19 crisis. thegrayzone.com As Iran struggles to contain COVID-19, the US has imposed new sanctions that further weaken the Iranian economy and health…
(2020-03-23). This is No Time to Play Politics with our Democracy. aclu.org To ensure elections proceed and eligible Americans can vote, any federal legislative package addressing the impact of COVID-19 on our elections must include an immediate, substantial infusion of federal funding and federal requirements for no-excuse mail-in absentee voting and early in-person voting. While the coronavirus pandemic should not be a political issue, with presidential primaries and the general election coming up, it could soon directly impact our politics. It is simply not an option for Congress to fail to act on these basic issues to protect American elections while the pandemic is ongoing. , , F…
(2020-03-23). Punishing sanctions against Iran are turning the coronavirus pandemic into a massacre. iranian.com Coronavirus is a crisis. In Iran, it's a massacre – because of Trump's sanctions. Even before COVID-19, these sanctions were recognised by Human Rights Watch as undermining access to healthcare. The virus has taken lives globally but in Iran it has been particularly shocking, with hospital beds in parking lots and mass graves visible from space. Hundreds of lives have been …
(2020-03-22). Pakistan PM once again asks Trump to lift Iran sanctions. iranian.com Prime Minister of Pakistan who believes that US sanctions against Iran are cruel and unfair has once again called upon Donald Trump to lift economic sanctions from the Islamic Republic. Imran Khan in a tweet on Sunday said the people of Iran are facing untold suffering as sanctions are crippling Iran's efforts to fight COVID19. …
(2020-03-20). How the ACLU Organized to end Racial Profiling on Greyhound Buses. aclu.org Two years ago, the ACLU set a clear goal: push Greyhound to refuse Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers access to their buses to conduct warrantless searches. As part of the Trump administration's immigration crackdown, CBP officers were targeting bus passengers around the country, boarding their buses to racially profile, harass, and too often, detain people who they suspected of being undocumented. Of course, you can't tell someone's immigration status by how they look or sound — this practice is unconstitutional and blatantly racist. By pushing aggressively with the help of our membership and…
(2020-03-20). Headlines for March 20, 2020. democracynow.org Worldwide COVID-19 Death Toll Tops 10,000 as Italian Nurses "Stop Counting the Dead", Refugee Groups Warn of COVID-19 "Carnage" in Camps Housing Millions, Coronavirus Multiplies Across Australia, Latin America, Africa and Middle East, California Gov. Gavin Newsom Issues Statewide "Stay at Home" Order for 40 Million, New York Mayor Calls on Trump to Mobilize Military to Aid Overwhelmed Hospitals, Georgia State Legislators Urged to Self-Quarantine; Spring Break Revelers Party On in Florida, Demands Grow to Empty ICE Jails as NJ Detention Center Worker Tests Positive, Trump Blasts "Corrupt" Media at Rambling Coronav…
(2020-03-20). Expert: US sanctions on Iran, Venezuela during pandemic could be genocidal. thegrayzone.com Intensified US sanctions on Iran, Venezuela during the COVID-19 pandemic could amount to genocide, a former UN expert warns. Iran…
(2020-03-20). Grassroots effort sponsored by SPLC protects voting rights for hundreds across South Florida. splcenter.org Clutching a clipboard full of voter registration forms under his arm, Marq Mitchell knocked on the front door of a small, beige, stucco house in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
(2020-03-20). Fight To Vote: Florida man's voting rights restored by Amendment 4. splcenter.org Abdul Yaw Akachi was talking to his neighbors one sunny day in Florida when a voting rights advocate walked up to him.
(2020-03-19). Headlines for March 19, 2020. democracynow.org Italy Records Record 475 Coronavirus Deaths as Infections Continue Climbing, British PM Boris Johnson Closes Schools After Reversing Lax Virus Containment Plan, Millions of Brazilians Protest from Windows and Balconies Demanding President's Ouster, World Health Organization Warns Critical Lack of Testing Is Costing Lives, Egypt Arrests Protesters Calling for Release of Prisoners at Risk of COVID-19, Yemen, Already Wracked by U.S.-Supported, Saudi-Led War, Braces for Coronavirus, Trump Admin Tightens Sanctions That Have Devastated Iran's Public Health System, Trump Signs Coronavirus Relief Bill Providing Paid Leav…
(2020-03-19). We Know Prisons Need COVID-19 Plans, but our Arizona Prison Tour Suggests it's not Happening. aclu.org Earlier this month, the
(2020-03-18). Delay or Hold Primaries: Can the 2020 Election Be Safeguarded Amid the Coronavirus Pandemic? democracynow.org 
Tuesday night's primary election for the Democratic presidential nomination was marred by chaos, confusion and fears over the spread of coronavirus at polling places as former Vice President Joe Biden consolidated his lead as he won Florida and Illinois by a wide margin and scored a victory in Arizona. We are joined by Vanita Gupta, former head of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division in the Obama administration, now president of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, the nation's oldest and largest civil rights coalition. They issued a call with 100 voting rights groups for states to proce…
(2020-03-18). The Military Should not be Searching Cars or Checking Documents at the Border. aclu.org There's an old saying that goes, "When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail." This adage is especially applicable to the Trump administration's approach toward border policy, which is ever more militarized. On March 6th, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials
(2020-03-18). [Correspondence] COVID-19 battle during the toughest sanctions against Iran. thelancet.com Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has spread rapidly throughout the world. WHO declared the outbreak a global pandemic on March 11, 2020.1 In Iran, the first official announcement of deaths from COVID-19 was made on Feb 19, 2020. As of March 16, 2020, 14‚Äà991 people have been infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, and 853 people have died from COVID-19. 4996 people have recovered.2…
(2020-03-17). Italy and UK rely on help from Cuba, China, Venezuela to fight coronavirus — as US steps up brutal sanctions. thegrayzone.com Italy requested doctors from China, Cuba, and Venezuela to contain the coronavirus, while Cuba rescued a ship of British citizens….
(2020-03-14). SPLC offices, Civil Rights Memorial Center close. splcenter.org Our work continues with fervor and is needed more now than ever.
(2020-03-13). No, Venezuela does not have a six child per family policy. zcomm.org I respect UK journalist Andrew Buncombe. As I noted for FAIR last year, he was one of the few corporate journalists who reported on a study linking Trump's financial sanctions on Venezuela to thousands of deaths by the end of 2018. Since 2018, Trump has repeatedly intensified the sanctions and threatened Venezuela with military action,
(2020-03-13). Anti-LGBTQ Hate Group Presents "Make the Family Great Again" Petition to U.S. State Department Commission. splcenter.org Anti-LGBTQ hate group Ruth Institute presented a "Make the Family Great Again" petition to the State Department at its Commission on Unalienable Rights meeting Feb. 21.
(2020-03-12). This Law Makes Voting Nearly Impossible for Native Americans in Montana. aclu.org Voting has never been easy for In a state where the majority of individuals vote | by mail, rural tribal communities often work with get-out-the-vote organizer…
(2020-03-11). Keep Calm and Carry on Voting: How to Vote By Mail During the Coronavirus Outbreak. aclu.org Coronavirus should not be a political issue, but with presidential primaries and the general election coming up, it could soon directly impact our politics. We should protect not only our health, but our civil liberties at this time — and one of those civil liberties is our fundamental right to vote. , , For many, the best way to vote while safeguarding your health during this time may be to vote by mail. It's easy to request an absentee ballot and there's still enough time to do so for most states with upcoming primaries. While some states limit who can vote absentee — for example, to people with…
(2020-03-04). [Commentary] Women and girls' health agency: Operationalizing the "Can-Act-Resist" of the women's empowerment process. thelancet.com This year marks the 25th anniversary of Bejing Declaration and Platform for Action — which committed to the improvement of human rights for women and girls, as well as the 5th anniversary of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly ratifying the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG5- to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. Unfortunately, despite advancements made in some areas of gender equality and empowerment, such as reductions in child marriage and female genital mutilation, we have seen minimal improvements in either the health indicators related to women and girls' e…