(2020-06-30). Chinese Parliament Unanimously Passes National Security Law for Hong Kong – Reports. sputniknews.com The legislation, supported by Hong Kong leadership, caused protests in the city, as some residents saw it as undermining their liberties. It also drew criticism and sanctions from the United States, despite Beijing repeatedly stating that the matter of Hong Kong is the nation's internal affair and should not be interfered with.
(2020-06-30). Oakland Police Banned from Using Tear Gas, Rubber Bullets, Grenades at Protests. indybay.org Interview with Walter Riley, civil rights attorney with the National Lawyers Guild, on the June 18, 2020 temporary restraining order banning Oakland police from using tear gas, rubber bullets, flash bang grenades and other "battlefield weapons" during current Black Lives Matter protests.
(2020-06-30). "Moment of Elation": In 1st Big Abortion Case of Trump Era, SCOTUS Strikes Down Strict Louisiana Law. democracynow.org 
In the first big ruling on abortion in the Trump era, the Supreme Court has struck down a restrictive abortion law in Louisiana that would have left the state with just one abortion clinic. The 2014 law required doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of their clinic, an onerous requirement that often made it impossible for abortion providers to continue to operate. "It was a moment of elation," says Lakeesha Harris, director of reproductive health and justice at Women with a Vision, a women's rights organization based in New Orleans. "Many of us have been working…
(2020-06-30). Venezuela's Maduro Expels EU Ambassador Following New Sanctions. venezuelanalysis.com The Venezuelan president demanded "respect" from European countries.
(2020-06-30). Supreme Court tosses Louisiana anti-abortion law, drawing cheers. peoplesworld.org 
WASHINGTON—By a 5-4 margin, with GOP-named Chief Justice John Roberts casting the deciding vote, the U.S. Supreme Court on June 29 threw out a restrictive Louisiana anti-abortion law. That drew cheers from pro-choice and women's rights groups, who warned, however, that the fight over the right to choose continues, both in the courts and at …
(2020-06-30). A win for women's rights win at the Supreme Court. liberationnews.org 
On June 29, the Supreme Court overturned an abortion restriction law in its decision in June Medical Services LLC v. Russo. The case posed a direct threat to abortion rights in the United States, and the decision is a win for women's rights. Although the court has a conservative, anti-abortion majority, this decision was no …
(2020-06-30). Bill Clinton's Serbian War Atrocities Exposed in New Indictment. counterpunch.org 
President Bill Clinton's favorite freedom fighter just got indicted for mass murder, torture, kidnapping, and other crimes against humanity. In 1999, the Clinton administration launched a 78-day bombing campaign that killed up to 1500 civilians in Serbia and Kosovo in what the American media proudly portrayed as a crusade against ethnic bias. That war, like most of the pretenses of U.S. foreign policy, was always a sham.
(2020-06-30). ICE is Leaving Immigrants to Die in Detention, and Retaliating When They Speak Out. counterpunch.org 
The spread of COVID-19 to immigrant detention facilities poses a mortal danger to everyone who is unjustly detained. For months now advocates, organizers and those detained have urged elected officials and governmental agencies to take affirmative steps to prevent needless deaths and suffering inside immigrant detention facilities.
(2020-06-30). House OKs anti-redlining bill, 230-178. peoplesworld.org 
WASHINGTON—GOP President Donald Trump's regime wants to let banks redline communities of color. The Democratic-run U.S. House doesn't—and with backing from organized labor, civil rights, and community groups, the Dems won a 230-178 straight party-line vote on the issue. Technically, what was on the table on June 29 was a joint resolution, HJRes 90, to …
(2020-06-30). Bachelet renews call for accountability in Philippines war on illegal drugs. news.un.org The Human Rights Council should consider supporting new accountability measures against perpetrators of extrajudicial killings in the Philippines' so-called war on illegal drugs, the UN's top rights official said on Tuesday.
(2020-06-30). Confronting the Living History of the Civil Rights Struggle. thenation.com Confronting the Living History of the Civil Rights Struggle…
(2020-06-30). Istanbul conference urges special UN envoy on Kashmir. yenisafak.com A conference in Turkey called on Tuesday for the secretary-general of the UN to appoint a special envoy to resolve the dispute surrounding Kashmir and for it to start mediation efforts on holding a UN-sanctioned plebiscite in the region.In a 13-point joint declaration issued at the end of a virtual two-day international conference on Kashmir hosted by Istanbul University, the participants demanded an "early, just and durable resolution" in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions.Welcoming recent remarks by Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that Ankara is "in favor of resolving the Kashmir issue by t…
(2020-06-30). Forbidden Apps: India Must Uphold Legal Rights of Int'l Investors Including Chinese, Beijing Says. sputniknews.com New Delhi (Sputnik): India on Monday "decided to block 59 apps" including many of Chinese origin, due to "security of data and risk to privacy relating to operation". New Delhi said, it has credible knowledge that those Apps "pose a threat to the sovereignty and integrity of India", and banned them.
(2020-06-30). America's Revolutionary Founders Would be Anti-Government Extremists Today. globalresearch.ca "It is the duty of the patriot to protect his country from its government."—Thomas Paine | "When the government violates the people's rights, insurrection is, for the people and for each portion of the people, the most sacred of the rights …
(2020-06-29). Jewish Watchdog Slams Black Lives Matter UK Over Calls to Sanction Israel. sputniknews.com Created in the US in 2013 as an anti-racism activism and protest movement, Black Lives Matter has enjoyed a surge in support and media coverage in the wake of the George Floyd protests across the US and around the world. Activists have been criticized by conservatives, and by Israel supporters, however, over their attacks on the Jewish State.
(2020-06-29). Concepts in Leader's letter to Western youth becoming 'clear and clearer: activist. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jun. 29 (MNA) — A human rights activist believes that what the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei mentioned in his letter to the West's youth is becoming 'clearer' by the day.
(2020-06-29). Doctors for Assange Say UK May be Liable for His Torture. globalresearch.ca In a new letter to the British medical journal The Lancet, Doctors for Assange say that the British government may be held legally responsible for the torture of the imprisoned WikiLeaks publisher. | *** | Here is the doctors' statement followed by …
(2020-06-29). Chris Hedges On Contact: Julian Assange Extradition Hearing. popularresistance.org Chris Hedges discusses the extradition hearing of Julian Assange with lawyer, author and professor, Marjorie Cohn. | Marjorie Cohn is professor emerita at the Thomas Jefferson School of Law, where she taught from 1991 to 2016, and a former president of the National Lawyers Guild. | Professor Cohn is the editor of and a contributor to 'The United States and Torture: Interrogation, Incarceration and Abuse', and 'Drones and Targeted Killings: Legal, Moral, and Geopolitical Issues'.
(2020-06-29). Torture of journalists triggers protests in Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan State. peoplesdispatch.org Reporters Without Borders (RSF) in a statement called it completely unacceptable for representatives of the security forces to commit acts of torture against journalists reporting from the region…
(2020-06-29). Federal Court Rules Trump Effort to Detain Man Indefinitely Without Charges 'Cannot Withstand Constitutional Scrutiny'. commondreams.org Held without charges or evidence since 2017—and imprisoned overall for nearly two decades—the judge ordered, pending an appeal, for the U.S. government to release Adham Hassoun. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-06-29). 'Enough of European colonialism': Maduro says EU envoy to be expelled after block sanctions 11 Venezuelan officials. rt.com 
Venezualan President Nicolas Maduro has expelled the EU ambassador to the country, giving the diplomat 72 hours to pack up and leave, after Brussels imposed sanctions on Venezuelan officials, including on members of parliament. | Maduro's decision to banish Isabel Brilhante Pedrosa comes after the European Council decided to spap a flurry of punitive sanctions on about a dozen of high-ranking Venezuelan officials. | The 11 Venezuelans that have been hit in the latest crackdown include lawmaker Luis Parra, who replaced opposition figurehead Juan Guaido at the helm of the National Assembly in January. | "I have…
(2020-06-29). US Supreme Court Ruling on HIV/AIDS Funding Undermines Health and Human Rights. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2020-06-29). Undermining Human Rights and Global Fight Against HIV/AIDS, Supreme Court Affirms Anti-Prostitution Pledge. commondreams.org Critics called the ruling "a step back for human rights and public health." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-06-29). As Supreme Court Blocks Louisiana's Anti-Choice Law, Reproductive Rights Groups Breathe Sigh of Relief—and Prepare for Continued Fight. commondreams.org Reproductive rights groups on Monday expressed relief after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a restrictive anti-choice law in Louisiana, the latest state regulation blocking access to abortion care to be rejected by the high court. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-06-29). Israel's illegal annexation plans for Palestine, 'disastrous' for wider Middle East — Bachelet. news.un.org The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights warned Israel on Monday not to proceed along the "dangerous path" of annexing a swathe of occupied Palestinian territory, urging the Government to listen to its own former senior officials along with the "multitude of voices around the world".
(2020-06-29). Facing 45 years' imprisonment for property damage. workers.org 
Released by Center for Constitutional Rights New York June 22 — The undersigned civil and human rights organizations, legal associations, and policy institutes condemn the excessive and politically-motivated charges that the federal government is leveling against two members of our community, Colin Mattis and Urooj Rahman, and its aggressive effort . . . |
(2020-06-29). China 'carrying out demographic genocide' against Uyghur Muslims. thecanary.co 
The Chinese government is taking draconian measures to slash birth rates among Uyghurs and other minorities as part of a sweeping campaign to curb its Muslim population. This is taking place even as the government encourages some of the country's Han majority to have more children.While individual women have spoken out before about forced birth control, the practice is far more widespread and systematic than previously known. This is according to an AP investigation based on government statistics, state documents, and interviews with 30 ex-detainees, family members and a former detention camp instructor.The campa…
(2020-06-29). Pride 2020 Brings Wins And Losses For LGBTQ Civil Rights. therealnews.com 
Trump reverses medical discrimination protections for trans people, while SCOTUS rules employers cannot fire workers for being gay or trans.
(2020-06-29). No End to Illegal US Sanctions War on Iran. globalresearch.ca Since Iranians ended a generation of US installed fascist tyranny in 1979, both militant wings of its war party waged state terror on the Islamic Republic and its people. | Its main strategy has been and continues to be weaponized sanctions….
(2020-06-29). Philippines: 7 anti-mining leaders arrested. fightbacknews.org The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) joined various organizations in denouncing the Duterte regime and its armed forces for the unlawful arrest of anti-mining leaders Datu Reynaldo Ayuma and six other Lumads at Purok 6, Barangay Blanco, Balingasag, Misamis Oriental on June 26. | "The Party calls on local and international environmentalist and human rights advocates to look into the escalating incidents of abuses perpetrated by the Duterte fascist regime against anti-mining communities while fast-tracking the enactment of the fascist Anti-Terror Bill (ATB)," stated Marco L. Valbuena, Information Officer, C…
(2020-06-29). Kosovo Indictment Proves Bill Clinton's Serbian War Atrocities. globalresearch.ca President Bill Clinton's favorite freedom fighter just got indicted for mass murder, torture, kidnapping, and other crimes against humanity. In 1999, the Clinton administration launched a 78-day bombing campaign that killed up to 1500 civilians in Serbia and Kosovo …
(2020-06-29). After 17 Months of Unlawful Detention, Court Orders Release of U.S. Resident Wrongfully Detained Under Patriot Act. aclu.org For well over a year, the U.S. government has held Adham Hassoun in a detention facility without trial, without criminal charge, and without end in sight. Today, a court ordered the government to release him and expressed contempt for the government's frivolous and alarming legal position: "Distilled to its core, [the government's] position is that [it] should be able to detain Mr. Hassoun indefinitely based on the executive branch's say-so, and that decision is insulated from any meaningful review by the judiciary. The record in this case demonstrates firsthand the danger of adopting [the governmentR…
(2020-06-29). DHS Watchdog Confirms: ICE is Failing to Protect Detained People From COVID. aclu.org As cases of COVID-19 in immigration detention facilities have exploded in recent months, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has continued to argue that it has done all that it possibly can to manage this crisis. A new
(2020-06-29). After 12 Months In Administrative Detention, Israel Releases Young Palestinian Mother. imemc.org The Israeli authorities released, Monday, a young Palestinian woman, a mother, identified as Shorouq al-Badan, 25, after holding her under arbitrary Administrative Detention orders, without charges or trial, for nearly 12 months. Al-Badan was welcomed by her family, including her children who were unable to see her throughout the duration …
(2020-06-29). Center for Constitutional Rights Blasts Misleading NYC Budget that Fails to Defund Police and Invest in Communities, Demands Genuine $1 Billion NYPD Cut. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2020-06-29). Israeli Forces Detain Nine Palestinians in the West Bank, One in Gaza. imemc.org Israeli forces detained, Monday morning, nine Palestinian civilians, including a minor, from the occupied West Bank, according to the Palestinian Prisoners' Society (PPS). The PPS said that the occupation forces detained two Palestinians from the Hebron district Al-Arroub refugee camp; identified as Hamada Adawi, and Ahmed Raafat Al-Badawi, a minor, …
(2020-06-29). Facebook, Twitter Shares Suffer Losses in Early Trading As Ban on Hateful Conduct Gathers Steam. sputniknews.com Earlier, multiple companies, including Coca-Cola, US telecommunications firm Verizon, and consumer goods giant Unilever announced they were pulling their ads from Facebook and Twitter as part of the #StopHate4Profit campaign, initiated by the US National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and other minority rights groups.
(2020-06-29). China to impose visa sanctions on US:spox. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jun. 30 (MNA) —Beijing said on Monday it will impose visa restrictions on US individuals with "egregious conduct" on Hong Kong-related issues, mirroring US sanctions against unnamed Chinese officials deemed responsible for curbing freedoms in the city.
(2020-06-29). The Fight's Not Over. Doctors Like Me Will Continue Pushing for Abortion Rights. truthout.org When I was a medical student, I was one of thousands of students who received a mailing from an anti-abortion organization that included this so-called joke: | Q: What would you do if you were in a room with Hitler, Mussolini, and an abortionist and you had a gun with two bullets? | A: Shoot the abortionist twice. | I was infuriated that people were trying to scare me and my fellow students out of providing care that people need. At the time, only 12 percent of ob-gyn programs included abort…
(2020-06-28). The Stonewall Riots Didn't Start The Gay Rights Movement. popularresistance.org Despite what you may hear during this year's fiftieth anniversary commemorations, Stonewall was not the spark that ignited the gay rights movement. The story is well known: A routine police raid of a mafia-owned gay bar in New York City sparked three nights of riots and, with them, the global gay rights movement. In fact it is conventional to date LGBTQ history into "before Stonewall" and "after Stonewall" periods—not just in the United States, but in Europe as well. British activists can join Stonewall UK, for example, while pride parades in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland are called "Christopher Street…
(2020-06-28). The Struggle To Protect The Sacred Place Where Life Begins. popularresistance.org As the Trump administration neared the end of its first year in office in 2017, it seemed environmental activists had lost one of the most hard-fought battles in the movement's history. Thanks to a last-minute maneuver by Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, Congressional Republicans succeeded in passing legislation allowing oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, or ANWR. Some of the worst fears of environmental and Indigenous rights groups for what might happen under the administration appeared to be coming true. | However, two and a half years later, no drilling or seismic testing has taken place in the re…
(2020-06-28). 'Inject Obama with Wuhan flu': As liberals celebrate Sacha Baron Cohen's latest stunt, reports suggest all was not as it seemed. rt.com 
'Borat' star Sacha Baron Cohen "infiltrated" a right-wing event and posed as a racist singer, but details surrounding the stunt suggest it was staged to make the crowd look more like willing participants than they actually were. | At a 'March for Our Rights 3' rally in Olympia, Washington, Baron Cohen dressed in overalls and donned a fake beard before making his way to a stage at the event, where he proceeded to
(2020-06-28). UN highlights urgent need to tackle impact of likely electric car battery production boom. news.un.org Demand for raw materials used in the production of electric car batteries is set to soar, prompting the UN trade body, UNCTAD, to call for the social and environmental impacts of the extraction of raw materials, which include human rights abuses, to be urgently addressed.
(2020-06-28). Rogue States Sanction the International Criminal Court. zcomm.org It should be appreciated that while geopolitical actors can get away with murder, their rogue behavior is a precedent for all states, and weakens what procedures exist to uphold the most basic norms of international law…
(2020-06-28). Sunday 6/28: 'The Condor & The Eagle' New Film & Discussion on Climate & Indigenous Rights (online). indybay.org Online/virtual…
(2020-06-27). Bree Newsome Took Down the Confederate Flag 5 Years Ago. She's Still Organizing. truthout.org Five years ago today, 30-year-old activist Bree Newsome Bass shocked the world by climbing a 30-foot flag pole and taking down the Confederate battle flag at the South Carolina State Capitol Building — a flag that state leaders had first raised in 1961 to tell the budding civil rights movement to "stay out!" | Almost 55 years later, Newsome put her boots, courage and backpack on, and defied those racist warnings in the most daring and audacious way possible, head-on. After taking the f…
(2020-06-27). Israeli atrocities on the rise. peoplesdispatch.org Two recent reports released by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs of the United Nations in the occupied Palestinian Territories (OCHA oPT), on June 18 and 24, describe the blatant human rights violations and war crimes committed by the Israeli occupation against the Palestinian population in the three occupied Palestinian territories of West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza. | The two reports cover May 2020 and the first fifteen days of June 2020, respectively, and compile data on acts committed by the Israeli government, armed forces and intelligence services to subjugate and oppress Palestinia…
(2020-06-27). UN should support Palestine human rights: Rep. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jun. 27 (MNA) —Riadh Al-Mansoor, representative of Palestinian National Authority to UN, called on the United Nations and the international societies to support the interests and self-determination rights of all nations such as Palestine.
(2020-06-27). Rewriting History & Rehabilitating George W. Bush. strategic-culture.org 
To hear Barack Obama now making the claim that Bush was committed to the rule of law and human rights is just the latest betrayal of a Democratic Party that has systematically prevented a reckoning for the crimes of the 43rd president, a party that is clearly uninterested in truth or accountability, and is more than willing to rewrite history to advance its political goals.
(2020-06-27). Bahrain: A Police State Built on Intimidation and Torture. thealtworld.com Exclusive— Welcome to Bahrain, the cemetery of the living, the home of chambers of death, the kingdom of widespread impunity, police brutality, extrajudicial killings and repression. | Welcome to Bahrain, where the most gruesome arts of torture are heinously and systematically practised by the security services, including the use of electro-shock devices, forced standing techniques, suspension in painful positions (while handcuffed and exposed to extreme cold or hot temperature), medical negligence, beatings, threats of rape or murder and sexual abuse, etc. in order to inflict permanent suffering on the peac…
