(2020-06-16). Why Cuban doctors should receive the Nobel Peace Prize? peoplesdispatch.org Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Cuba has taken an active role in extending international solidarity to nations hard-hit by the virus. So far, they have sent medical brigades to 27 countries to assist in the fight against coronavirus. Due to Cuba's extraordinary commitment to humanity, to public health and to internationalism, a group of human rights organizations and social movements across the world have launched a campaign to award the Nobel Peace Prize to Cuba's Henry Reeve medical brigade. | On the
(2020-06-16). India summons Pakistani ambassador after embassy staff detained following road accident. rt.com 
Pakistan's ambassador was summoned to the foreign ministry in New Delhi after two Indian embassy employees were held by Pakistani police, following an alleged hit-and-run incident in Islamabad on Monday. | The ambassador was handed a protest note against what India called "abduction and torture" of the staff of its embassy, officially called the High Commission. The two men were "video-graphed and coerced to accept a litany of fictitious allegations and concocted charges," the statement by the ministry read. | The embassy employees were "kept in illegal custody for more than 10 hours" and were released only af…
(2020-06-16). Civil Rights Class Action Filed in Reponse to Oakland Police Abuses of George Floyd Protesters. indybay.org "It was so heartening to see so many young Black people expressing their outrage and wanting to be part of the change, and they were attacked by our police department, that tells them 'don't come out here, because we will make your life hard, we will hurt you if you organize, we will hurt you if you say that there is anything wrong with society.'" | — Walter Riley…
(2020-06-16). Headlines for June 16, 2020. democracynow.org In Long-Awaited Victory, SCOTUS Rules LGBTQ Workers Protected by the Civil Rights Act, Atlanta Mayor Orders New Police Rules After Killing of Rayshard Brooks, 911 Dispatcher Raised Concerns About Police Treatment of George Floyd During His Arrest and Killing, Protester Shot in Albuquerque While Toppling Racist Statue; Right-Wing Militia Members Arrested, 19-Year-Old BLM Protester Oluwatoyin "Toyin" Salau Found Dead One Week After Disappearance, Mourners Demand Justice for Killing of Black Teenager Na'Kia Crawford in Ohio, FBI, DOJ to Review Probes into Two Black California Men Found Hanging from Trees, U.N. Human…
(2020-06-16). Civil Rights Activist Annie Chambers Is Marching Again Against Police Brutality. therealnews.com 
Reverend Annie Chambers marched for civil rights with Dr. Martin Luther King throughout the 60s. This month she took to the streets to demand an end to police brutality when Baltimore City joined the nationwide movement calling for justice for George Floyd, a Black man killed by police in Minnesota. | The lifelong organizer says that while history repeats itself, racism is even worse than in her youth. "In the 50s and 60s we were taught to suffer. We got beat and shot and attacked by dogs. And you heard what Donald Trump say—get the dogs out on them," Chambers said in a phone interview with The Real News on…
(2020-06-16). Trump Hammers Cuba While Cuba Cures the Sick. mintpressnews.com 
Not content to sabotage Cuba's domestic health sector, the Trump administration has been attacking Cuba's international medical assistance, from the teams fighting coronavirus to those caring for underserved communities in 164 countries.
(2020-06-16). Hundreds march to defend DACA for immigrant youth, support movement against police terror. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN – With the Supreme Court set to rule on their future, almost 1000 immigrant youth and their supporters marched on June 12 to defend the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program that shields 800,000 young immigrants from deportation. | Organized by the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC), the march started outside of Senator Amy Klobuchar's office on Washington Avenue and marched to the Hennepin County Jail in downtown Minneapolis. | The march was very spirited, and speakers and chants made repeated connections between the fight against deportation and the fight of Blac…
(2020-06-16). After Rayshard Brooks murder by Atlanta police, NAARPR demands community control of the police. fightbacknews.org Chicago, IL – Frank Chapman, Executive Director of the recently formed National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, today, June 15, called for immediate passage of legislation establishing democratic community control of the police in every city and town across the nation. | Chapman stated, "This is really the only way the people will have the power to make the changes that everyone is demanding in the wake of countless murders by police. This is the only way to stop the killings, torture and brutality — a virtual war against Black and brown communities." | "What is it going to take? How many…
(2020-06-16). UN Should Establish A Commission Of Inquiry On Systemic Racism And Law Enforcement In The US. popularresistance.org On Wednesday, June 17, 2020, the United Nations Human Rights Council will hold an "Urgent Debate" on systemic racism in law enforcement. The proximate catalyst for this debate is the recent police killing of George Floyd and many other Black people in the United States, and the breath-taking national and transnational uprising of the past two weeks against systemic racism in law enforcement. | The Urgent Debate is more than opportunity for discussion—it's an opportunity for meaningful action. In a letter to the President of the UN Human Rights Council, I, along with the UN Working Group of Experts on People…
(2020-06-16). Israel's annexation of West Bank to flout int'l law: UN. yenisafak.com The agreement by the new coalition government of Israel to annex significant parts of the occupied Palestinian West Bank after July 1 would violate a cornerstone principle of international law, a group of UN experts said Tuesday.Forty-seven of the independent Special Procedures mandates appointed by the Human Rights Council said such move by Israel "must be meaningfully opposed by the international community"'."The annexation of occupied territory is a serious violation of the Charter of the United Nations and the Geneva Conventions, and contrary to the fundamental rule affirmed many times by the United Nations S…
(2020-06-16). US authorities to monitor hanging deaths of two black men. yenisafak.com US federal authorities will monitor ongoing investigations regarding the hanging deaths of two black men in southern California, according to local officials."So we're making sure that we're transparent, fully accountable, and we're gonna constantly be cross-checking each other's to make sure we're right at the right conclusions based on the evidence and the facts that we have at hand," Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said Monday, explaining why he requested a monitor and review from the FBI, US Attorney's office in the Central District of California and Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division.It…
(2020-06-16). Why U.S. Is a Major Human Rights Violator. strategic-culture.org The U.S. State Department annually publishes an extremely biased report on human rights around the world. Conveniently, the report omits one of the most systemic violators of human rights on the planet. Under Donald Trump, the United States has graduated from systemic human rights violator to human rights pariah, as witnessed by recent murders and assaults by police of innocent people on the streets of America. Although the United States has historically been more than willing to criticize the human rights policies of other countries, including in the venue of the United Nations, it has bristled at attempts to ha…
(2020-06-15). UN to Hold Hearing Over 'Systemic' US Racism, Police Brutality. telesurenglish.net The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) agreed Monday to hold an emergency debate Wednesday on "systemic racism, police brutality and violence against peaceful protests" in the United States and elsewhere. | RELATED: | UNHRC's decision followed a request last week by Burkina Faso on behalf of 54 African countries in response to the killing on May 25, of George Floyd, a black U.S. citizen, under the knee of…
(2020-06-15). Human Rights Council picks up again after COVID suspension, to hold racism debate. news.un.org After a three month long COVID-19-enforced break, the Human Rights Council resumed on Monday, giving the green light to a rare Urgent Debate on racism, alleged police brutality and violence against protesters sickened by the killing of American George Floyd in police custody.
(2020-06-15). President Maduro: United States Is Living An Anti-Racist Spring. popularresistance.org President Maduro said that the US is experiencing an anti-racist spring, in reference to the massive protests for the murder of George Floyd. | "People on the street are saying who Donald Trump is every day," said the Venezuelan president during his participation on Monday in the TV show "Between Values," in which he also asserted that the American people "live an anti-racist spring". | On the other hand, he stressed that historical figures such as Malcolm X and Martin Luther King are more present today than ever among Americans who fight for their rights. "They are the martyrs for a future hope, for a new societ…
(2020-06-15). 'Seismic shift in policing': NYPD disbands controversial plainclothes 'anti-crime' unit. rt.com 
The New York Police Department has liquidated its anti-crime unit, reassigning some 600 plainclothes cops to neighborhood policing and detective work as protesters nationwide demand reforms in the wake of the George Floyd killing. | NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea announced the disbanding of the unit in a press conference on Monday, calling it "a seismic shift in the culture of how the NYPD polices this great city." Heralding the move as "closing one of the last chapters of 'Stop, Question and Frisk'" — the controversial policing tactic beloved by ex-mayor Michael Bloomberg and criticized by civil rights gr…
(2020-06-15). Woman Struck by BPD Officer, Defunding the Police, and More. therealnews.com 
Attorney J. Wyndal Gordon talks about his client who was punched by an officer after she struck another officer.
(2020-06-15). Facebook backs down from allowing ban on word 'unionize'. peoplesworld.org 
SAN JOSE, Calif.—Facebook has apparently backed down from guidance to firms using its office management app, Facebook Workplace, that they could ban the word "unionize." The ban was used as an example in an internal company memo telling customers such as Walmart — which is notorious for its hatred of unions and workers' rights — …
(2020-06-15). Defund the Police, Invest in Communities. counterpunch.org 
Five years ago, the U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division released a damning report on the Ferguson, Missouri police department. "Ferguson's law enforcement practices are shaped by the city's focus on revenue rather than by public safety needs," the report summary concluded, "contributing to a pattern of unconstitutional policing" and practices that "both reflect
(2020-06-15). Facebook backs down from allowing ban on word "unionize" peoplesworld.org SAN JOSE, Calif.—Facebook has apparently backed down from guidance to firms using its office management app, Facebook Workplace, that they could ban the word "unionize." The ban was used as an example in an internal company memo telling customers such as Walmart — which is notorious for its hatred of unions and workers' rights — …
(2020-06-15). What Today's Supreme Court Ruling Means for the LGBTQ Community. aclu.org 
The Supreme Court has ruled that What did the Supreme Court's decision say?: | The Supreme Court ruled that the federal law prohibiting sex discrimin…
(2020-06-15). America's Supernational Sovereignty. thealtworld.com Iran and Syria again on the receiving end of sanctions | One of the most disturbing aspects of American foreign policy since 9/11 has been the assumption that decisions made by the United States are binding on the rest of the world, best exemplified by President George W. Bush's warning that "there was a new sheriff in town." Apart from time of war, no other nation has ever sought to prevent other nations from trading with each other, nor has any government sought to punish foreigners using sanctions with the cynical arrogance demonstrated by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. The United States uniquely seeks to pen…
(2020-06-15). Supreme Court Ruling on LGBTQ Rights Defangs Trump's Attack on Trans Health Care. truthout.org The Supreme Court's ruling on anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ people is not only an extraordinary victory for workplace equity, it also provides strong legal pushback against Donald Trump's attempts to roll back health care discrimination protections for LGBTQ people. | The Supreme Court on Monday unambiguously
(2020-06-15). Bank of England Infringes Human Rights: Venezuelan Central Bank. telesurenglish.net The Bank of England (BoE) is "putting lives at risk" by denying access to gold reserves, Legal representatives of the Central Bank of Venezuela (BCV) denounced Monday. | RELATED: | BoE refuses to release around US$1.13 billion of gold reserves which the South American nation could use to fight the health emergency derived from the COVID-19 outbreak. Venezuela is seeking to get a court order for the urgent release of abo…
(2020-06-15). 140 Trump admin sanctions ICC officials. wsws.org …
(2020-06-15). US Congress "Caesar's Law" Directed against Syria: Who Does It Target and How Will It Affect President Assad? globalresearch.ca In mid-June, the US sanctions against Syria will escalate, with the enactment in Congress of "
(2020-06-15). Fourteen Palestinians Detained by Israeli Forces across West Bank. imemc.org Israeli forces, on Monday, abducted 14 Palestinians from several areas of the occupied West Bank, Palestinian WAFA News Agency reported. Local sources said that Israeli police arrested five Palestinians after ransacking their houses in the al-Tur neighborhood of East Jerusalem, southern West Bank. Sources added that police assaulted two brothers …
(2020-06-15). Venezuela Slams Interpol Arrest of CLAP Contractor in Cape Verde. venezuelanalysis.com Colombo-Venezuelan Alex Saab was detained on a Washington-issued arrest warrant en route to Iran, where he reportedly looked to negotiate food and medicine import contracts.
(2020-06-15). Eight Palestinians, Including one Minor Detained by Israeli Forces in West Bank. imemc.org Israeli forces arrested seven Palestinian civilians across the occupied West Bank, on Sunday at dawn, according to the Palestinian Prisoners' Society. Israeli soldiers abducted three Palestinian civilians from the southern West Bank city of Bethlehem, identified as; 1. Osaid Al-Din Abu Shaira, 17, from Aida refugee camp, 2.
(2020-06-14). The Corona Pandemic and Trump's Trade War against China: America's Dependence on "Made in China". Potential Disruption of the US Economy. globalresearch.ca Introduction | The US has been threatening China with trade sanctions for several years. At the outset of the Trump administration in January 2017, Washington not only envisaged punitive trade measures, it also called for "an investigation into China's trade practices" …
(2020-06-14). African Countries Call for Urgent UN Debate Over Racism. telesurenglish.net African countries on Friday called on the United Nation Human Rights Council to urgently debate racism and police impunity, amid growing protests over George Floyd's death in the United States and other parts of the world. | RELATED: | In a letter written on behalf of 54 African countries, Burkina Faso's ambassador to the UN in Geneva asked the UN's top rights body for an "urgent debate" on "racially inspired human ri…
(2020-06-14). Protests across Chicago mark National Day of Action to Stop Police Crimes. fightbacknews.org Chicago, IL – Protesters demand the mass exoneration of everyone tortured and framed by Chicago cop Reynaldo Guevara. It was one of the three demonstrations that took place in Chicago, June 13. Cites across the U.S. participated in the National Day of Action to Stop Police Crimes called by the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression.
(2020-06-14). Putin Condemns 'Mayhem and Rioting' at US Anti-Racism Protests. telesurenglish.net Russian President Vladimir Putin criticized Sunday the violence and mayhem during the anti-racism protests in the United States. | RELATED: | "If this fight for natural rights, legal rights, turns into mayhem and rioting, I see nothing good for the country," Putin said in an interview with Rossiya-1 television, adding that in his country they "have never supported this." | The Russian president said he supports U.
(2020-06-14). Police in Armenia Says Arrested Over 250 Pro-Opposition Protesters Over Breach of Lockdown. sputniknews.com YEREVAN (Sputnik) – Armenian police have detained over 250 people who gathered in front of the National Security Service (NSS) building in the capital of Yerevan over violation of social distancing rules, law enforcement said in a statement.
(2020-06-14). Bill Gates and the Depopulation Agenda. Robert F. Kennedy Junior Calls for an Investigation. globalresearch.ca Robert F Kennedy Jr, an avid Defender of Children's Rights and anti-vaccination activist, has launched a petition sent to the White House, calling for "Investigations into the 'Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation' for Medical Malpractice & Crimes Against Humanity"
(2020-06-14). 'EU may recognize Palestinian state if Israel annexes W.Bank'. yenisafak.com The European Union's recognition of Palestine as a state would become "inevitable" if Israel moves forward with its controversial plan to annex the West Bank, Luxembourg's foreign minister has said. | Speaking to German weekly Der Spiegel, Jean Asselborn called for a tougher EU stance against the Israeli government's plan to annex significant parts of the West Bank. | "To simply write reproachful letters would be a humiliation for the EU and would significantly weaken its credibility," Asselborn stressed, suggesting stronger measures like economic sanctions or the recognition of Palestine as a state if Israel doe…
(2020-06-14). Venezuela Denounces Arbitrary Arrest of Alex Saab by Interpol. telesurenglish.net The Venezuelan government described the arrest of businessman Alex Saab by Interpol on Saturday as an arbitrary detention that seeks to infringe on the rights of citizens in the Bolivarian Republic. | RELATED: | Saab was traveling through the island-nation of Cape Verge on Saturday when Interpol arbitrarily arrested him and prevented him from returning home. | According to a statement from the Venezuelan Foreign Min…
(2020-06-14). Human Rights Expert Hopes COVID-19, Climate Change And Racial Injustice Are A 'Wake-Up Call'. popularresistance.org The optimistic way is to see Covid-19 as a trial run for what's on the way with climate change in the sense that it really is a crisis that has affected vast numbers of people that has shown up the importance of being prepared and the importance of listening to the warning signals, and the potential for totally disproportionate impact on different groups of the population—whether by gender, class, race and so on. Covid-19 could provide some sort of wake-up call to those of us who are pretending that climate change is going to be manageable and we don't really need to do anything until it actually starts to…
(2020-06-13). As people continue to take to the streets, knowing your rights is more important than ever. thecanary.co Last week's Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests saw the police in London acting heavy-handedly, Kettling: a favoured police tactic: | The Metropolitan police…
(2020-06-13). CHAZ 2.0? Nashville protesters descend on Tennessee Capitol as governor vows 'autonomous zones will not be tolerated'. rt.com 
Taking cues from Seattle, protesters in Nashville are attempting to create their own "autonomous zone" near the Tennessee Capitol, but the governor is having none of it, warning that "lawlessness" will not stand in his state. | A small group of demonstrators showed up to Nashville's Legislative Plaza near the state capitol on Friday, setting up a tent and tables, laying out food and even informally renaming the area to "Ida B. Wells Plaza" after the famed civil rights leader. The move mirrors a similar effort in Seattle, where activists have occupied several city blocks and an abandoned police station for near…
(2020-06-13). [Perspectives] Accountability for medical participation in torture. thelancet.com After revelations of the participation of US health professionals in torture of detainees in military or CIA custody in the wake of 9/11, citizens filed complaints to disciplinary and licensing boards in seven states against psychologists who had been publicly identified as having been part of the torture apparatus. All of the complaints were eventually dismissed, only one with an explanation. In light of the disciplinary bodies' resistance to investigate participation in torture, much less impose sanctions, colleagues and I, then representing Physicians for Human Rights, helped a New York legislator, Richard Got…
(2020-06-13). UK lashes out at Washington for threatening ICC with sanctions, says justice must be done impartially & without fear. rt.com 
Judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC) should be able to work independently without fear of sanctions, the UK's foreign secretary said in an apparent jab at Washington, which threatened the body for probing US troops. | "The UK strongly supports the International Criminal Court in tackling impunity for the worst international crimes," Dominic Raab said. "We will continue to support positive reform of the court, so that it operates as effectively as possibly. ICC officials should be able to carry out their work independently and impartially, and without fear of sanction." | Earlier the Donald Trump ad…
(2020-06-13). International Criminal Court oversight chief 'deeply regrets' US decision to target officials investigating Afghanistan war crimes. news.un.org Responding to the decision of the United States Government to sanction International Criminal Court (ICC) officials and their family members, O-Gon Kwon, President of the Assembly of States Parties, the body that oversees the ICC, denounced the measures which, he said, undermine the "endeavour to fight impunity and to ensure accountability for mass atrocities".
(2020-06-13). International Criminal Court vs US exceptionalism. peoplesdispatch.org Newsclick's Prabir Purkayastha analyses the decision by the Donald Trump administration to impose sanctions on the International Criminal Court. The ICC is conducting a probe into war crimes by the US in Afghanistan.
(2020-06-13). Service Prosecuting Authority drops all but one investigation into British war crimes in Iraq. wsws.org The British government is serving notice that it has no intention of honouring domestic or international law outlawing abuse, torture and murder by its military and security forces.
(2020-06-13). Canada Isolates Itself against World Opinion on Palestinian Rights. dissidentvoice.org The Palestinian solidarity movement is unsettling Canada's diplomatic apparatus. In the final week of their multi-year campaign for a seat on the United Nations Security Council they've been forced to respond to a well-documented, strong campaign in defense of Palestinian rights. Yesterday, Canada's Permanent Representative to the UN, Marc-André Blanchard, delivered a letter to all …
(2020-06-13). Targeting the ICC: Misguided Sanctions Imposed Yet Again. commondreams.org Afghan children look on as a U.S. soldier from the Provincial Reconstruction team (PRT) Steel Warriors patrols in the mountains of Nuristan Province on Dec. 19, 2009. (Photo: Tauseef Mustafa/AFP/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-06-13). International Lawyers Oppose Philippines Anti-Terrorism Bill. popularresistance.org Over 100 international lawyers and lawyers' associations issued an open letter to President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra, and members of the Congress of the Philippines. The urgent open letter was issued to express high levels of concern about the proposed Anti-Terrorism Bill in the Philippines, which has been harshly criticized for its violations of human rights norms. | As the letter notes, "The international community is alarmed by the apparent abuses of power and civil unrest that the law will bring about. It will suppress and criminalize free speech and dissent, labe…
(2020-06-13). As Trump Ignores COVID and Attacks Cities, Local Leaders Build for Our Future. truthout.org The last several months have brought a heightened level of anxiety, anger and exhaustion — feelings that, for many of us, have existed at a steady elevation since the end of 2016. The events of these past few weeks, in particular, are a bleak reminder that the oppressive institutions that have allowed COVID-19 to ravage communities of color continue to perpetuate state-sanctioned and white supremacist violence against Black people in this country. | In the midst of it all, I've found li…
(2020-06-12). Europe's top human rights court overturns French conviction of BDS activists. peoplesdispatch.org A French court had convicted 11 BDS activists for 'incitement to economic discrimination' after they organized a boycott protest against Israel outside a supermarket in France during the Israeli invasion of Gaza in 2009-10…