Monthly Archives: June 2020

2020-06-16: News Headlines

Peoples Dispatch (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

RT (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…

NLG-SF (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…

Staff (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…

Staff (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…

Medea Benjamin (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.

Fight Back (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…

Fight Back (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…

yenisafak (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…

yenisafak (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…

Andrey Areshev (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…

teleSUR (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…

news.un (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…

RT (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…

Staff (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.

Mark Gruenberg (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 — …

Ken Makin (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

Mark Gruenberg (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 — …

Rose Saxe (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…

Philip Giraldi (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…

Staff (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

teleSUR (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…

WSWS (2020-06-15). 140 Trump admin sanctions ICC officials. wsws.org

Elijah J. Magnier (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 "

Ali Salam (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 …

Paul Dobson (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.

Ali Salam (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.

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (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" …

teleSUR (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…

Fight Back (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.

teleSUR (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.

sputniknews (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.

Peter Koenig (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"

yenisafak (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…

teleSUR (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…

Eliza Egret (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…

RT (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…

Leonard Rubenstein (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…

RT (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…

news.un (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".

Newsclick (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.

WSWS (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.

Yves Engler (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 …

George A. Lopez (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…

Staff (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…

Peoples Dispatch (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…

2020-06-15: News Headlines

Elijah J. Magnier (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 "

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (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" …

yenisafak (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…

Peter Koenig (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"

Fight Back (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.

sputniknews (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). 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…

RT (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…

Newsclick (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.

news.un (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".

WSWS (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.

Eliza Egret (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…

Leonard Rubenstein (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…

Yves Engler (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). 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…

Staff (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…

Andrea Germanos (2020-06-12). Trump Imposes Sanctions Against ICC Officials Investigating US War Crimes. theantimedia.com "The Trump administration's contempt for the global rule of law is plain."

Daniel Borgstrà∂m (2020-06-12). Defying the Curfew in Oakland on June 3, 2020. dissidentvoice.org June 3 was the night of a protest to defy the recently declared curfew in Oakland and defend our Constitutional rights. Thousands attended, the plaza was packed full. This was the community calling the bluff of Law Enforcement, and the latter didn't enforce their curfew. Massive demonstrations had risen up across the country after the …

RT (2020-06-12). 'You'll have a great time': IDF detain RT's Redfish stringer while covering rally against Jordan Valley annexation in West Bank. rt.com Israeli military detained a stringer working for RT's Redfish project as he was filming a Palestinian protest against the annexation of the Jordan Valley and released him only after taking his camera's memory card. | It was the last shooting day for a small Redfish crew working on a documentary about Israel's plans to annex some parts of the West Bank, including the Jordan Valley. Producer Ahmad Al-Bazz and a cameramen stringer, Ameen Nayfeh, set out to the small village of Zubaidat to cover a small protest staged by locals opposing the annexation. | At first, it seemed that it was going to be a regular filmin…

_____ (2020-06-12). Court of Human Rights Deals Major Blow To Israel's War On Palestine Solidarity. popularresistance.org The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled unanimously that the French highest court's 2015 criminal conviction of activists with the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement advocating nonviolent boycotts of Israeli goods violated article 10 (freedom of expression) of the European Convention on Human Rights. | Reacting to the breaking news, Rita Ahmad from the Palestinian-led BDS movement said: | This momentous court ruling is a decisive victory for freedom of expression, for human rights defenders, and for the BDS movement for Palestinian freedom, justice and equality. It confirms a 2016 European U…

Stephen Lendman (2020-06-12). ICC Probe of US War Crimes in Afghanistan. Trump Lashes Back. ICC is "Threat" to America. globalresearch.ca It is fairly well established that Afghanistan, the Taliban, and Osama bin Laden had nothing to do with 9/11 — the mother of all state-sponsored false flags, a pretext for the US to smash one nation after another. | US …

Peoples Dispatch (2020-06-12). US sanctions International Criminal Court over war crimes investigations in Afghanistan. peoplesdispatch.org US president Donald Trump has opposed investigations into war crimes committed by the US-led forces in Afghanistan since 2003. US secretary of state Mike Pompeo termed the ICC a 'kangaroo court'

en.mehrnews (2020-06-12). Syrian MP terms US sanctions as 'war crimes'. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jun. 12 (MNA) — A member of the Syrian Parliament, Mohammad Fawaz, said that the US is committing war crimes by imposing new sanctions against Syria.

Peoples Dispatch (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…

_____ (2020-06-12). Martin Gugino — The "Buffalo Protestor" And Our Friend. popularresistance.org Martin Gugino worked together in Witness Against Torture for years, a close-knit group dedicated to closing the U.S. prison camp at Guantanamo and opposing torture. Our community is beside itself. | None of us is surprised that it was Martin meeting the police line in a posture of non-violence. Martin is gentle, principled, and undaunted. Allied with the Catholic Worker tradition, he is also deeply committed to a tapestry of causes, from fair housing to immigrant rights. Guiding his activism is belief in the sacred power of non-violent resistance to injustice. If that makes him an "agitator," as Buffalo's police…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-06-12). Mining companies in DRC warned against confining workers at mining sites. peoplesdispatch.org Global mining companies operating in the Democratic Republic of Congo have been accused by trade unions of violating workers' rights in the name of the coronavirus pandemic…

Dean Baker (2020-06-12). The Simple Way to Prevent Hedge Funds from Gaming Government Pandemic Research Funding: Don't Give Patent Monopolies. cepr.net The Washington Post had an interesting piece on how a hedge fund managed to secure $16 million in public funds (10,000 food stamp person-years) for a shell company, Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, which then used the money to contract for research with Emory University. When the results showed some promise, Ridgeback Biotherapeutics then sold the rights to …

David Schultz (2020-06-12). The Killing of George Floyd and the Final Fracturing of the Democratic Party, Labor, and Civil Rights Coalition. counterpunch.org George Floyd being killed by a police officer in Minneapolis is not simply about the death of one Black man. His death also killed an historic but uneasy alliance among the Democratic Party, labor unions, and the civil rights movement. The reaction to his death is ending the last vestiges of the historic New Deal

IMEMC News (2020-06-12). Soldiers Map House Of A Detainee In Preparation For Demolishing It. imemc.org On Thursday at dawn, Israeli soldiers invaded Ya'bad town, southwest of the northern West Bank city of Jenin, and mapped out the house of Nazmi Abu Bakr, a 49-year-old Palestinian imprisoned by Israel. The Israeli army is claiming that Abu Bakr is the Palestinian who dropped a brick on soldiers …

_____ (2020-06-12). From Occupation To 'Occupy': The Israelification Of US Domestic Security. popularresistance.org The Israelification of America's security apparatus recently unleashed in full force against the Occupy Wall Street Movement, has taken place at every level of law enforcement, and in areas that have yet to be exposed. The phenomenon has been documented in bits and pieces, through occasional news reports that typically highlight Israel's national security prowess without examining the problematic nature of working with a country accused of grave human rights abuses. But it has never been the subject of a national discussion. And collaboration between American and Israeli cops is just the tip of the iceberg. | Hav…

yenisafak (2020-06-12). UK tabloid story on JK Rowling abuse condemned. yenisafak.com British tabloid The Sun was roundly condemned on Friday for a controversial front-page story about Harry Potter author J. K. Rowling suffering domestic abuse.The story — an interview with Rowling's first husband Jorge Arantes — ran under the headline, "I slapped JK and I'm not sorry."Labour MP Jess Phillips, a vocal women's rights campaigner, tweeted: "The sun headline is awful, the perpetrator more awful still. You'd be surprised how only his hideous arrogant admission will allow some to believe. Still too often doubt and disbelief are the best weapon abusers have in their arsenal… 'no one will bel…

Andrea Germanos, staff writer (2020-06-11). 'Grotesque Abuse' of Authority as Trump Declares National Emergency Over ICC Probe of Alleged US War Crimes. commondreams.org "The Trump administration's contempt for the global rule of law is plain." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Elijah Magnier (2020-06-11). Syria Caesar's Law: Who Does it Target, and How Will it Affect President Assad? 1/3. thealtworld.com In mid-June, the US sanctions against Syria will escalate, with the enactment of "

RT (2020-06-11). European Court of Human Rights backs BDS activists convicted in France, orders Paris to pay €101,000 in compensation. rt.com The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has ruled that France violated the rights of 11 pro-Palestinian activists when it convicted them for campaigning against Israeli goods, and has ordered the government to pay damages. | The criminal conviction against the activists with the global Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement "had no relevant and sufficient grounds," the ECHR

RT (2020-06-11). 'Unconstitutional & illegal!' Seattle mayor shocked by Trump's 'threat to invade' & clear out anarchist zone. rt.com Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan has rebuffed US President Donald Trump's vow to send in troops to remove protesters occupying an abandoned police station if local officials don't act, saying it would be an "illegal" invasion. | Responding to the president's remarks earlier on Thursday — in which he threatened to directly intervene if Seattle officials don't "take back" the city — the mayor insisted any such move would violate the protesters' constitutional rights. | "Lawfully gathering and expressing First Amendment rights, demanding we do better as society… is not terrorism, it's patriotism," Durkan sa…

Pien Huang (2020-06-11). WHO Believes That Mass Protests Are Important Even in a 'Pandemic' Provided They're More Popular Than WHO. anti-empire.com In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, the World Health Organization took time at its daily press conference to address another pressing issue: the wave of protests against police violence and racial injustice. The demonstrations began in the U.S. when George Floyd died on May 25 after a police officer had pressed a knee into his neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds while detaining him in Minneapolis. | The protests are now spreading around the world to Europe, Africa and other regions. | "WHO fully supports equality and the global movement against racism. We reject discrimination of all kinds," said WHO director…

Palestinian BDS National Committee (2020-06-11). European Court of Human Rights Deals Major Blow to Israel's War on Palestine Solidarity. globalresearch.ca ECHR rules unanimously that French highest court's criminal conviction of Israel boycott advocates violates the European Convention on Human Rights' freedom of expression article | *** | The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR)

Tracy Keeling (2020-06-11). Palestinians score huge victory against Israel's apartheid regime in a European court. thecanary.co Palestinians have scored a major victory against Israel's apartheid regime in the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). | On 11 June, the ECHR passed a ruling on a French court's conviction of people boycotting Israeli goods to show solidarity with Palestinians. It found that the convictions violated the European Convention on Human Rights. | As the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement

Marwa Osman (2020-06-11). Israel's Arbitrary Detentions—MES EP.57. thealtworld.com Tough Israel regularly arrests Palestinians and keeps them under illegal detention for months, the number of such arrests have risen in the last couple of months. In complete violation of all established human rights norms, Israel has continued the practice of holding Palestinian detainees without any charge or formal trial for months before they are formally charged with baseless accusations and unfairly tried or released. | To discuss this issue with us from Madrid is Alberto Garcia Watson, activist and member of the International Solidarity Movement. | Dozens of people in the southern countryside of Syria's no…

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2020-06-11). In Landmark Ruling, European Court of Human Rights Sides With BDS Movement Over French Government. commondreams.org In a decision celebrated by international human rights advocates, a European court ruled Thursday that the conviction of 11 activists in France campaigning for a boycott of Israeli goods in solidarity with Palestinians "had no relevant and sufficient grounds" and violated their right to freedom of expression. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Fight Back (2020-06-11). Philippines: Denounce threats against protesters using Covid-19 as pretext. fightbacknews.org Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement of Marco Valbuena, Chief Information Officer, Communist Party of the Philippines. | The Party denounces the Philippine National Police, whose spokesperson today, June 5, disparaged the mass actions against the Anti-Terror Bill saying the protesters compromised public health. The PNP's statement is a thinly veiled threat against the people's civil and political rights. | The PNP has now set the stage to stop further protest actions in an attempt to stop the mounting protest movement against the ATB. Earlier today, in the name of "public health," polic…

PCHR (2020-06-11). PCHR: Weekly Report on Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (04 — 10 Jun 2020). imemc.org Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) Summary of Israeli Violations of Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (04 — 10 June 2020) Israeli occupation forces continued to commit crimes against Palestinian civilians and their properties, including raids into Palestinian cities that are characterized with excessive use of force, assault, …

Ricardo Vaz (2020-06-11). US Sanctions Drive Oil Tankers Away from Venezuela. venezuelanalysis.com Washington seeks to choke off Venezuela's main source of income.

commondreams (2020-06-11). ACLU Comment on Trump ICC Sanctions Order. commondreams.org ______________________________…

IMEMC News (2020-06-11). Soldiers Abduct A Palestinian Detainee Minutes After He Finished Serving A 15-Year Prison Sentence. imemc.org The Palestinian Prisoners' Society (PPS) has reported that Israeli soldiers abducted, Thursday, a Palestinian man merely minutes following his release after he finished serving a prison sentence of fifteen years and six months, the Palestinian Prisoners' Society (PPS) has reported. The PPS stated that the re-arrest of the detainee, Salah …

_____ (2020-06-11). Health Is A Political Choice. popularresistance.org In the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), Article 25 offers an expanded vision of what it could mean to be a human being. Human beings, it notes, have 'the right to a standard of living adequate for [their] health and well-being'. This includes 'food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services'; human beings also have the 'right to security', which means they have the right to compensation for any lack of livelihood due to circumstances beyond their control. | Little of this vision has come to pass for the majority of the world's people. What workers' movements and…

R. Robertson (2020-06-11). Tsuru for Solidarity Vigil: Black Lives Matter/Free Families Detained by ICE. indybay.org Tsuru for Solidarity, a community of Japanese Americans, supports the Black Lives Matter movement and calls for the release of families detained by ICE. On June 7, at Orange Park in South San Francisco, they offered prayers and performed bon odori dance for all the lives lost to state violence. As part of their sojourn, some laid paper cranes in the memorial garden at the former site of the Tanforan Assembly Center where 7,800 were imprisoned in 1942 for just one "crime"–their Japanese ancestry.