(2020-04-01). Iran coronavirus death toll rises to over 3,000. rt.com 
A total of 3,036 coronavirus patients have died in Iran, with 138 deaths in the past 24 hours, the Health Ministry reported on Wednesday. | The ministry's spokesman, Kianush Jahanpur, said the country now has a total of 47,593 people infected, with 2,987 new cases in the past 24 hours, while 15,473 people have recovered. | Speaking on Wednesday in a televised cabinet meeting, President Hassan Rouhani said that the coronavirus crisis is "a great opportunity for Americans to apologize… and to lift the unjust and unfair sanctions on Iran." | One of the worst hit countries in the region, Iran has urged the inter…
(2020-04-01). 'Ask the government': Former Celtics star claims NBA season could resume at classified US Air Force site Area 51. rt.com 
Having held the 2019 Summer League at the University of Nevada, NBA chiefs could find a novel solution to ending the season at a less conventional base in the state — with Area 51 suggested by former champion Paul Pierce. | Area 51, the US Air Force base which is notorious among conspiracy theorists and UFO enthusiasts, could become the home of the NBA as a makeshift setting for the conclusion of the season, former All-Star Paul Pierce has suggested. | Responding to a proposal by former rival Jay Williams that the remainder of the campaign could be played on cruise ships, Boston Celtics icon Pierce named…
(2020-04-01). Threat of ICE Detention Centers Turning Into Death Camps, Groups Rallying to Free Families. indybay.org ICE is making the pandemic more dangerous for everyone.
(2020-04-01). Innovative COVID-19 Safe Protest in San Francisco. indybay.org Boisterous Car Rally Honks for Justice for ICE Detainees…
(2020-04-01). Huawei Warns Beijing Will Take US Companies Down if Trump Agrees to New Chip Sanctions. sputniknews.com Earlier, US media reported that the Trump administration had put together new restrictions to try to cut Huawei off from the global chip supply industry, with the rule requiring companies using US-made chip-making-technology to get licenses before selling certain chips to the Chinese tech giant.
(2020-04-01). Fire breaks out at Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh. yenisafak.com A fire has broken out at a Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh's southern Cox's Bazar district on Wednesday, according to local police and Rohingya."Units of local fire brigade rushed to the spot just after they were informed about the fire and they are still working there," said Prodip Kumar Das, officer in charge of a local police station in Cox's Bazar.The cause of the fire is yet to be known. "We will investigate the cause of the fire", Das told Anadolu Agency.Meanwhile, a Rohingya rights worker told Anadolu Agency that they have come to know primarily that the fire might have caused from cooking pan.
(2020-04-01). Iranian foreign ministry's "SANCTION" graphic beamed tonight on Azadi Tower in Tehran. iranian.com …
(2020-03-31). Coup plan B! US tells Guaido he may renounce his Venezuela 'presidency' claim — but they'll still support him. rt.com 
The US State Department magnanimously agreed that opposition politician Juan Guaido may not actually be president of Venezuela, but insisted he still has to be part of a transition government if Caracas wants sanctions relief. | Secretary of State Mike Pompeo put forth a "democratic transition framework" on Tuesday, under which Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro would set up a power-sharing interim government with Guaido, that would arrange for elections in six months to a year. | According to Pompeo, the proposal "protects the interests and equities of all Venezuelan people who desperately seek a resolution…
(2020-03-31). Amnesty International USA and LIRS launch "Hope Can't Be Quarantined" campaign to help immigrants and asylum-seekers held in detention during the COVID-19 crisis. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2020-03-31). Economic sanctions should be lifted to prevent hunger crises in countries hit by COVID-19 — UN rights expert. news.un.org As the world exhibits new bonds of solidarity in response to the coronavirus pandemic, it is a matter of "humanitarian and practical urgency to lift unilateral economic sanctions immediately," to prevent hunger crises in pandemic-hit countries, a UN human rights expert, said on Tuesday.
(2020-03-31). How a Human Rights Lawyer Went From Hero to House Arrest. thenation.com How a Human Rights Lawyer Went From Hero to House Arrest…
(2020-03-31). Peru: Congress Approves Police Protection Law. telesurenglish.net Human rights organizations and the Legal Defense Institute of Peru denounced on Monday the approval of a bill giving police forces legal protection while using armament during operations. | RELATED: | The Peruvian Congress presented the bill N ∞ 31012 to parliament in September of 2019. The legal body approved the law project on March 16. Congress alleges the bill is valid due to COVID-19 spreading in the Andean nation. | The main reason for the…
(2020-03-31). The US Decries Political Persecution of Nicaraguans But Won't Grant Them Asylum. truthout.org The second time around, John Martínez-Picado knew what awaited him inside "El Chipote." It had been almost a year but the spiral-shaped prison with its overcrowded underground cells and concrete beds on the floor still haunted him. He hadn't forgotten the suffocating feeling — "as if you were going to have a heart attack," Martínez-Picado said. He also hadn't fully recovered from the trauma of being forced to witness guards torture his cellmates, pulling out their fingernails and cutt…
(2020-03-31). #EndCOVIDSanctions Coalition Applauds Members of Congress for Call to Suspend Iran Sanctions. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2020-03-31). Covid-19: Cuba Deserves Relief From US Sanctions. thenation.com Covid-19: Cuba Deserves Relief From US Sanctions…
(2020-03-31). On the Need for Dissent and Debate in These Urgent Times. thenation.com On the Need for Dissent and Debate in These Urgent Times…
(2020-03-31). Government inaction puts staff and inmates in immigration detention at risk. greenleft.org.au 
(2020-03-31). 'A Shameful New Low': Amid COVID-19 Crisis, Alberta Govt. Ponies Up $1 Billion for Keystone XL Tar Sands Pipeline. commondreams.org "We need billions of public dollars invested directly in vulnerable communities dying from COVID-19, not spent propping up massive oil companies and unneeded projects that would trample Indigenous rights and exacerbate the climate crisis." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-03-31). Amnesty Slams Trump for Classifying Gun Stores as 'Essential Businesses' During Pandemic. commondreams.org Human rights defenders on Tuesday demanded that the Trump administration reverse its decision to designate gun stores as essential businesses during the coronavirus pandemic. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-03-31). 'Pandemics Know No Borders': Democrats Call on Trump Admin to Suspend Sanctions on Iran During Coronavirus Outbreak. commondreams.org "We need to cancel all economic sanctions during this crisis." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-03-30). COVID-19 State of Emergency: Powers and Restrictions Under Palestinian and International Law. imemc.org The Palestinian Center For Human Rights (PCHR): Introduction: On 05 March 2020, the Palestinian President issued a decree declaring a 30-day state of emergency to combat the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) in Palestine.
(2020-03-30). Release inmates in Yemen to avert nationwide coronavirus outbreak, experts urge. news.un.org An international panel of human rights experts called today for the immediate release of political prisoners and detainees in war-ravaged Yemen to help avert a nationwide outbreak of COVID-19.
(2020-03-30). PCHR Calls upon International Community to Assist Healthcare System in Gaza Strip to Fight Coronavirus. imemc.org The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) is closely monitoring the health conditions in the Gaza Strip, and the healthcare system's preparedness to combat the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) and its possible outbreak. PCHR confirms that the healthcare system will not be able to deal with patients infected with the coronavirus …
(2020-03-30). COVID-19 stoking xenophobia, hate and exclusion, minority rights expert warns. news.un.org Combatting the COVID-19 pandemic must also include stamping out what one independent human rights expert has called the "darker sides" of the disease: verbal and physical attacks against Chinese and other minority communities, and excluding them from access to healthcare.
(2020-03-30). Prominent organizations and individuals urge Gov. Pritzker to free Gerald Reed. fightbacknews.org Chicago, IL – Two dozen prominent organizations and individuals have urged Gov. J. B. Pritzker in a letter to use "the powers of [his] office to provide long overdue justice to Gerald Reed." Reed's deteriorating health puts him at extreme risk due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He has heart failure, and late last year while awaiting a new trial at Cook County jail he had a heart attack. | Reed was wrongfully convicted 29 years ago based on a confession extracted through torture by subordinates of Chicago Police Commander Jon Burge. His conviction was vacated on December 18, 2019 by Judge Thomas V. Gainer, who ordered…
(2020-03-30). Israel's Shin Bet Slaps PLC Member with Administrative Detention. imemc.org The Shin Bet, Israel's intelligence agency, on Sunday, decided to renew the detention of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) member and Hamas leader, Hasan Yousuf, for four months, under administrative detention. Sheikh Hasan Yousuf, 65, was scheduled for release on March 31, 2020, and just two days before his release, …
(2020-03-30). 'Need Our Help?' Iran's IRGC Mocks US For Now Leading World In COVID-19 Cases. iranian.com On the same day the United States leveled yet more sanctions against the Islamic Republic, blacklisting 20 Iran- and Iraq-based companies, officials and individuals for supporting terrorism, leaders in Tehran took to publicly mocking the US for now being the global epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic. As of Friday evening numbers of US confirmed cases …
(2020-03-30). In a 10-Day Span, ICE Flew This Iranian Detainee Across the Country Nine Times. iranian.com Less than two weeks ago, the Trump administration urged Americans to avoid nonessential travel to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Major airlines slashed their routes. All the while, Sirous Asgari took nine different flights around the country. None of them was by choice. Asgari bounced around on chartered jets from Louisiana to Texas to …
(2020-03-30). Civil rights groups condemn COVID-19 authoritarianism. greenleft.org.au 
(2020-03-28). [Obituary] Aron Goldhirsch. thelancet.com Medical oncologist specialising in breast cancer. Born on April 25, 1946, in Landsberg am Lech, Germany, he died on Feb 26, 2020, in Lugano, Switzerland, aged 73 years.
(2020-03-28). Trump intensifies murderous Iran sanctions during COVID-19 crisis. iranian.com As Iran struggles to contain COVID-19, the US has imposed new sanctions that further weaken the Iranian economy and health system.
(2020-03-27). Weekend Read: SPLC demands ICE act amid pandemic to save the lives of countless immigrants trapped in its crowded detention centers. splcenter.org …
(2020-03-27). Protect 'healthcare heroes' from COVID-19, urges UN rights expert. news.un.org States and business leaders must step up efforts to ensure that the selfless doctors, nurses, first-responders and other medical professionals working on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic receive adequate protective equipment, a UN rights expert said on Friday.
(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
(2020-03-25). 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.
(2020-03-24). "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…
(2020-03-23). This is No Time to Play Politics with our Democracy. aclu.org Update 03/27/2020: Congress passed a $2 trillion stimulus package intended to address the broad impacts of the COVID-19 global pandemic. While it included $400 million for states to expand access to the ballot for eligible voters, as outlined in this blog, more can and must be done to safeguard our democracy. , , 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.
(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). 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). 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). 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…
(2020-03-13). 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,
(2020-03-04). [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…