Disgraceful yet illuminating reactions to the 2002 coup that briefly ousted Hugo Chavez: IACHR, CPJ and RSF
Joe Emersberger | zcomm.org | 2020-05-18
The Inter American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) The IACHR claimed in 2009 report on Venezuela that its reaction to the "the attempted coup d'état [of 2002] was immediate and decisive" and that it "warned that these acts constituted an interruption of the constitutional order as defined in the Democratic Charter." The evidence it offered Read…
zcomm.org/zblogs/disgraceful-yet-illuminating-reactions-to-the-2002-coup-that-briefly-ousted-chavez-iachr-cpj-and-rsf/

Ottawa's Ties with Far Right Colombian President Undermines Human Rights Rhetoric Regarding Venezuela
Yves Engler | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-18
A week ago a former Canadian soldier instigated a harebrained bid to kidnap or kill Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Launched from Colombia, the plot failed spectacularly with most of the men captured or killed. | Still, the leader of the …
globalresearch.ca/ottawa-colombian-president-undermine-human-rights-regarding-venezuela/5713214

Sanctions in the Era of Pandemic
Phyllis Bennis | zcomm.org | 2020-05-18
From Venezuela to Iran, Washington's illegal and inhumane economic sanctions are putting millions of lives at risk…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/sanctions-in-the-era-of-pandemic/

Coronavirus 'Immunity Passports' are not the Answer
Esha Bhandari | aclu.org | 2020-05-18
As governments the world over seek ways to jumpstart economic activity, one proposal is a so-called "immunity passport" that would allow certain people who test positive for COVID-19 antibodies to return to work before others. We at the ACLU have serious concerns about the adoption of any such proposal, because of its potential to harm public health, incentivize economically-vulnerable people to risk their health by contracting COVID-19, exacerbate racial and economic disparities, and lead to a new health surveillance infrastructure that endangers privacy rights. , , An immunity passport system is fundamentall…
aclu.org/news/privacy-technology/coronavirus-immunity-passports-are-not-the-answer

Revealed: The Secret US-Iran Deal that Installed Kadhimi in Baghdad
David Hearst | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-18
Tehran ordered Shia factions to back prime minister in return for Washington 'looking the other way' over release of assets targeted by sanctions, Iraqi officials tell MEE | *** | The nomination of Mustafa al-Kadhimi as Iraqi prime minister was the result …
globalresearch.ca/secret-us-iran-deal-installed-kadhimi-baghdad/5713223

As Gerry Adams' internment conviction is 'quashed', Britain's shameful past in Ireland comes back to haunt it
Peadar O'Cearnaigh | thecanary.co | 2020-05-16
On 13 May, the Supreme Court quashed the 1973 and 1975 convictions of former leader of Sinn Féin ( SF) Gerry Adams. The court held that because Adams "was not detained lawfully" it "follows that he was wrongfully convicted of the offences of attempting to escape from lawful custody". This means "his convictions for those offences must be quashed". | The floodgates of similar cases could…
thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2020/05/16/as-gerry-adams-internment-conviction-is-quashed-britains-shameful-past-in-ireland-comes-back-to-haunt-it/

Israeli Courts Extend Detention of 47 Palestinian Prisoners
IMEMC & Agencies | imemc.org | 2020-05-16
Two Israeli military courts reportedly extended, on Saturday, the detention of 47 Palestinian prisoners. The Ramallah-based Palestinian Prisoners' Society (PPS) said, early this morning, that the Israeli military courts of Ofer and Salem, extended the detention of 47 Palestinian prisoners, under some pretexts. The PPS noted that the courts' decisions …
imemc.org/article/two-israeli-courts-extend-detention-of-dozens-of-palestinian-prisoners/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=two-israeli-courts-extend-detention-of-dozens-of-palestinian-prisoners

DeRay McKesson on the Threat to Protesters' Rights
aclu.org | 2020-05-15
Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, protests have erupted across the country. Some are related to the virus: Protestors in Ohio and Michigan took to the streets and state capitols to call for an end to their governors' stay-at-home orders. Others are calling out an ongoing injustice: the killing, often at the hands of the state, of Black Americans. Now, the rights of participants in protests across the spectrum could be at stake unless the Supreme Court weighs in on an important decision., , In this episode of At Liberty, we speak with DeRay McKesson, an activist at the center of an important ACLU…
aclu.org/news/free-speech/deray-mckesson-on-the-threat-to-protesters-rights

As US Reels From COVID-19, Trump Turns to Sanctions, War Making and Threats
Alan Macleod | mintpressnews.com | 2020-05-15
The Trump admin has decisively chosen war over peace and conflict over cooperation. Yet it appears less able than ever to coerce the world into following its lead.
mintpressnews.com/us-reels-covid-19-trump-sanctions-war-threats/267592/

Oppose the Israeli Annexation of West Bank Settlements
Howie Hawkins | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-05-15
It is time for the United States to end its bipartisan blanket support for Israeli policies that violate the human rights of Palestinians. At this critical moment, where Israel has announced its intention to annex Israeli settlements on the West Bank with the support of the Trump administration, we must speak out and resist this …
dissidentvoice.org/2020/05/oppose-the-israeli-annexation-of-west-bank-settlements/

How a teenager in the '60s South became a Communist
Al Neal | peoplesworld.org | 2020-05-15
Once upon a time, and sadly, not so long ago in the grand scheme of history, a young high schooler in Virginia spent his summer, the summer of 1964, watching the Civil Rights Movement play out before his eyes. Little did this student, Scott Marshall, know how life-changing that first Freedom Summer would turn out …
peoplesworld.org/article/how-a-teenager-in-the-60s-south-became-a-communist/

South Africa's NUMSA calls out leading company for violating workers' rights
Peoples Dispatch | peoplesdispatch.org | 2020-05-15
Excellerate Services, owner of South Africa's largest private security company, has failed to pay its workers' outstanding wages while forcing them to work without PPEs, sanitizers and other protective measures, as per the union…
peoplesdispatch.org/2020/05/15/south-africas-numsa-calls-out-leading-company-for-violating-workers-rights/

'Not their business': Iran slams US threats to reimpose UN sanctions
Peoples Dispatch | peoplesdispatch.org | 2020-05-15
The US has threatened to reimpose UN sanctions on Iran if its draft resolution to extend the arms embargo is vetoed in the UN Security Council…
peoplesdispatch.org/2020/05/15/not-their-business-iran-slams-us-threats-to-reimpose-un-sanctions/

Israeli Troops Detain 5 Palestinians, Including a Minor and Former Prisoner
Ali Salam | imemc.org | 2020-05-15
Israeli forces, on Thursday evening, detained five Palestinians from the northern districts of Nablus and Qalqilia, in the occupied West Bank. Local Fatah official, Munir Gaghoub, stated that Israeli troops abducted three Palestinians, including a former prisoner, seized a vehicle at the entrance of Beita town, south of the city …
imemc.org/article/israeli-troops-detain-5-palestinians-including-a-minor-and-former-prisoner/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=israeli-troops-detain-5-palestinians-including-a-minor-and-former-prisoner

Arabs, UN Must Move to Swiftly Protect the Status of Palestinian Refugees
Ramzy Baroud | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-05-14
'Heinous racism,' is how the Geneva-based Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor described a recent decision by Lebanese authorities to bar Palestinian refugee expats from returning to Lebanon. Lebanon's restrictions on its ever-diminishing population of Palestinian refugees is nothing new. However, this event is particularly alarming as it may be linked to a long-term official policy regarding …
dissidentvoice.org/2020/05/arabs-un-must-move-to-swiftly-protect-the-status-of-palestinian-refugees/

UN rights chief warns against mishandling the lifting of COVID-19 lockdowns
news.un.org | 2020-05-14
The UN Human Rights High Commissioner on Thursday warned of potential risks as more countries move to lift lockdown measures put in place to contain COVID-19 spread.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/05/1064062

US Uses "Humanitarian Intervention" to Advance Economic and Strategic Interests
Roger D. Harris | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-05-14
No More War focuses on the one nation in recent times that has been continuously engaged in wars of aggression. In fact, that nation has been engaged in wars or military occupations in all but five years since its founding in 1776. Author and professor of human rights law at the University of Pittsburgh, Dan …
dissidentvoice.org/2020/05/us-uses-humanitarian-intervention-to-advance-economic-and-strategic-interests/

Deadly gas leak in India, grim wake-up call for global chemical industry: UN rights expert
news.un.org | 2020-05-14
Last week's deadly toxic gas leak at a Korean-owned polymer plant in south-eastern India, is a grim wake up call for the chemical industry to acknowledge and fulfil its responsibility to respect human rights, the UN independent expert who monitors the issue, said on Thursday.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/05/1064092

In Fear of Falling Behind and Privacy Invasions, Students Demand Action on Remote Learning
Kate Ruane | aclu.org | 2020-05-14
Mia's high school peers are completing class assignments from their school parking lot because they, like many families in their rural Maryland community, lack access to internet at home. Delina, a high school junior from Arizona, has to wait until all her younger siblings finish their schoolwork using the one computer at home before she can use it to start hers. One student from New Jersey fears that the lack of privacy protections for students using remote learning technology puts their mom at increased risk of deportation. , , This is the reality of education in America during the COVID-19 crisis, accordin…
aclu.org/news/disability-rights/in-fear-of-falling-behind-and-privacy-invasions-students-demand-action-on-remote-learning

DeVos is Rolling Back Protections for Sexual Harassment and Assault Survivors in Schools. We're Suing to Put a Stop to It
Jennesa Calvo-Friedman | aclu.org | 2020-05-14
By the time a student graduates from college

From Lebanon to Syria, the Arab World is Failing Palestinian Refugees
Ramzy Baroud | mintpressnews.com | 2020-05-13
Heinous racism. That is how the Geneva-based Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor described a recent decision by Lebanese authorities to bar Palestinian refugee expats from returning to Lebanon. | Lebanon's restrictions on its ever-diminishing population of Palestinian refugees is nothing new. However, this event is particularly alarming as it may be linked to a long-term official policy regarding the residency status of Palestinian refugees in this Arab country. | Many were ta…
mintpressnews.com/lebanon-syria-arab-world-failing-palestinian-refugees/267521/

[UPDATED] Venezuelan Oil Sector Continues Slump Amid Pandemic, US Sanctions
Ricardo Vaz | venezuelanalysis.com | 2020-05-13
The Maduro government is working to repair refineries with Chinese and Iranian assistance to tackle fuel shortages.
venezuelanalysis.com/news/14874

Hong Kong urged to drop prosecutions of leading activists, not to silence peaceful protest
news.un.org | 2020-05-13
Independent UN human rights experts urged Hong Kong authorities on Wednesday to immediately drop the criminal prosecution of 15 pro-democracy activists who participated in peaceful protests across the Special Administrative Region of China last year.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/05/1063842

Take 'all appropriate public health measures' to protect detainees from coronavirus, UN urges
news.un.org | 2020-05-13
UN agency chiefs on Wednesday highlighted the heightened vulnerability to COVID-19 of detainees, and others in confinement, urging Governments to take "all appropriate public health measures" to keep them safe from the deadly disease.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/05/1063862

During COVID-19 Crisis, We Must Prioritize the Release of Pregnant People
Lauren Kuhlik | aclu.org | 2020-05-12
This piece was first published on USA Today., , Andrea Circle Bear was 30 years old and had only recently given birth when she died of COVID-19. Circle Bear was incarcerated for a drug-related charge at the time of her death. She spent the final weeks of her pregnancy in a local jail and then a federal prison, spaces that are known hotbeds for virus transmission…
aclu.org/news/prisoners-rights/during-covid-19-crisis-we-must-prioritize-the-release-of-pregnant-people

Russia terms US struggles to retain JCPOA rights 'groundless'
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-18
TEHRAN, May 18 (MNA)

"Can Democracy Survive the Pandemic?": Election Hangs in the Balance as Trump Attacks Mail-In Voting
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-05-15
The coronavirus pandemic poses unprecedented challenges to the November presidential election, as President Trump and the GOP capitalize on the moment to attack voting rights. We speak with Emily Bazelon, staff writer at The New York Times Magazine, whose new cover story examines the bureaucratic and political challenges of mobilizing widespread vote-by-mail by November. We also speak with Jena Griswold, secretary of state of Colorado, which already has universal vote-by-mail and the second-highest voter turnout in the country.
www.democracynow.org/2020/5/15/securing_…

Detainees call for their release from Mantra prison
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2020-05-18
Refugees & migrants Chloe DS and Chris SleeIssue 1266 Australia COVID-19 Mantra Hotel detainees MelbourneMay 1…
greenleft.org.au/content/detainees-call-their-release-mantra-prison

US unable to block Iran gasoline shipments to Venezuela: Source
Press TV | iranian.com | 2020-05-18
A senior source within the Iranian petroleum industry says the United States would be practically unable to block shipments of gasoline from Iran to Venezuela at a time the two countries need to cooperate to mitigate the impacts of American sanctions on their energy sectors. Hamid Hosseini, who serves as the spokesman of the Iranian …
iranian.com/2020/05/17/us-unable-to-block-iran-gasoline-shipments-to-venezuela-source/

Google Play Removes Iranian App Used against Coronavirus
Tasnim News | iranian.com | 2020-05-17
The anti-Iran sanctions imposed by the "Wild West" have forced Google to remove Iranian mobile application 'Mask', developed to tackle the novel coronavirus and warn people to avoid high-risk areas, from its Play Store, a health official said. Iranian Health Ministry spokesperson Kianoosh Jahanpoor said in a post on his Twitter account that the homegrown …
iranian.com/2020/05/16/google-play-removes-iranian-app-used-against-coronavirus/

Dallas County Officials are Leaving Vulnerable People to Catch COVID-19 in Jail
Andrea Woods | aclu.org | 2020-05-12
Wykivia and Ideare Bailey were taking every precaution. Worried for their asthmatic daughter due to the spread of COVID-19, the couple was meticulous in cleaning, sanitizing, and social distancing to reduce every possible threat. However, when Ideare was arrested for property theft and booked into the Dallas County Jail on April 6, there was no way to adhere to those precautions. Held in a crowded intake room, he could not maintain six feet of distance from other people. Forced to live in a dormitory with 60 other people

Refugee rights supporters occupy the Mantra Hotel
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2020-05-12
Refugees & migrants Kerry SmithIssue 1265 Australia asylum seekers Mantra Hotel medevacMay 12, 2020At 7.30am on May 12, refugee and…
greenleft.org.au/content/refugee-rights-supporters-occupy-mantra-hotel

SPLC fights to keep children out of juvenile detention, other confined settings during pandemic
splcenter.org | 2020-05-11
splcenter.org/news/2020/05/11/splc-fights-keep-children-out-juvenile-detention-other-confined-settings-during-pandemic

Doctors Speak Out About COVID 19 & The Violent Suppression Of Your Rights
Ryan Cristián | thelastamericanvagabond.com | 2020-05-11
The only question, is whether We The People have the courage to stand for what we know to be right, or if we will allow ourselves to be scared into passively accepting the "new normal," a locked down controlled society that was prepped for, planned out, and designed years ago. I for one, will never …
thelastamericanvagabond.com/censorship/doctors-speak-out-about-covid-19-violent-suppression-your-rights/

Our Privacy is on the Clock
Billy Easley | aclu.org | 2020-05-11
This piece originally appeared in The Hill., , Important issues sometimes divide our nation, but one area where most of us share common ground surrounds is the belief that warrantless secret spying on Americans is unjust. , , Soon, the Senate is scheduled to vote on the USA FREEDOM Reauthorization Act of 2020, a bill that would extend provisions of the Patriot Act that expired in March. These provisions are currently not consistent with Americans' fundamental rights. However, if Congress chooses to reauthori…
aclu.org/news/national-security/our-privacy-is-on-the-clock

"A Lynch Mob": After Months of Inaction, 2 White Men Are Charged with Murder of Ahmaud Arbery in GA
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-05-08
The two white men caught on camera shooting and killing Ahmaud Arbery, an unarmed 25-year-old African American man, were arrested and charged Thursday with murder. The arrests came two days after video of the attack in February was shared with the public, sparking widespread outrage. Today would have been Arbery's 26th birthday. We speak with civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump, who represents the Arbery family and formerly represented Trayvon Martin.
www.democracynow.org/2020/5/8/ahmaud_arb…

SPLC's Civil Rights Memorial Center publishes children's activity book online
splcenter.org | 2020-05-06
splcenter.org/news/2020/05/06/splcs-civil-rights-memorial-center-publishes-childrens-activity-book-online

Detainees put at high risk for COVID-19 at Madison, Wi., jail
Annika Lee | liberationnews.org | 2020-05-05
To protect them from COVID-19, incarcerated people must be freed.
liberationnews.org/detainees-put-at-high-risk-for-covid-19-at-madison-wi-jail/

Mashpee Wampanoag tribe's trust status threatened by Department of Interior
Dylan Gamez Citron and Kimberly Barzola | liberationnews.org | 2020-05-04
"This is a violation of our rights…"
liberationnews.org/mashpee-wampanoag-tribes-trust-status-threatened-by-department-of-interior/

Florida voting rights trial to be argued online
splcenter.org | 2020-04-24
splcenter.org/news/2020/04/25/florida-voting-rights-trial-be-argued-online