Daily Archives: September 15, 2020

2020-09-15: News Headlines

Staff (2020-09-15). "Mass Voter Disenfranchisement": GOP Ramps Up Assault on Voting Rights Across U.S. Ahead of Election. democracynow.org With just seven weeks to go before the U.S. presidential election, the battle for the White House is increasingly being fought in courts across the country. From Wisconsin to Florida, Pennsylvania to Colorado, judges are making major rulings deciding who gets on the ballot, how a record number of mail-in ballots are handled and distributed, and who ultimately gets to vote on November 3. Ari Berman, senior writer at Mother Jones and author of "Give Us the Ballot: The Modern Struggle for Voting Rights in America," says Republicans are carrying out a nationwide attack on voting rights aimed at keeping a shrinking wh…

_____ (2020-09-15). Day Five: Julian Assange Case. popularresistance.org Paused last week due to a COVID19 scare, Julian Assange's extradition hearing resumed today with witness testimony from Eric Lewis, chairman of the board of Reprieve and a lawyer who "represents Guantanamo and Afghan detainees in litigation, seeking redress and accountability for torture and religious abuse while in US custody." | Lewis confirmed that before being asked to provide expert testimony on this case, he opined in the press that he believes Assange shouldn't be extradited or prosecuted, and while he handled the facts objectively in providing his witness statement, those are still his views today.

Binoy Kampmark (2020-09-15). Assange's Fifth Day at the Old Bailey: Supermax Prisons and Special Administrative Measures. dissidentvoice.org Having had a coronavirus scare towards the end of last week, necessitating a brief suspension of proceedings for September 11, the extradition proceedings for Julian Assange resumed with Eric Lewis. The chairman of the board of Reprieve, who has cut his teeth on representing Afghan detainees in US custody and those in Guantánamo, has not …

Staff (2020-09-15). Remembering Kevin Zeese: A fighter for peace and justice. therealnews.com Peace activist and human rights attorney Kevin Zeese died of a heart attack on the morning of September 6. As his life partner, Dr. Margaret Flowers, and their community grieve, they celebrate his life by carrying on the work that they began together. | Zeese was known for organizing around many human rights issues, centering opposition to U.S. imperialism abroad and mass incarceration at home. He brought national attention to

Vanessa Beeley (2020-09-15). Wildfires Rage Across Syria in Wake of Increased US-Led Economic Warfare. mintpressnews.com The combination of a ten year military war, maximum pressure economic sanctions, the deliberate destruction of essential civilian infrastructure and the blatant scorched earth policies of the American neocolonialist foreign policy-managers are designed to reduce Syria to another failed state following NATO's Libya blueprint.

Stephen Lendman (2020-09-15). Three Life Sentences Plus 40 Years for Convicted Israeli Settler. globalresearch.ca Convictions of Israelis for crimes against Palestinians are rare exceptions, not the rule — almost never against soldiers and other security forces. | According to Yesh Din Volunteers for Human Rights, violence by Israeli forces and settlers occurs daily, nearly always …

_____ (2020-09-15). Inside The World Uyghur Congress. popularresistance.org In recent years, few stories have generated as much outrage in the West as the condition of Uyghur Muslims in China. Reporting on the issue is typically represented through seemingly spontaneous leaks of information and expressions of resistance by Uyghur human rights activists struggling to be heard against a tyrannical Chinese government. | True or not, nearly everything that appears in Western media accounts of China's Uyghur Muslims is the product of a carefully conceived media campaign generated by an apparatus of right-wing, anti-communist Uyghur separatists funded and trained by the US government.

news.un (2020-09-15). UN urges a more equal, inclusive world, marking International Day of Democracy. news.un.org The United Nations marked the annual International Day of Democracy, on Tuesday, calling on world leaders to build a more equal, inclusive and sustainable world, with full respect for human rights.

_____ (2020-09-15). On Its 27th Anniversary: Defeat Oslo, Confront Normalization, Escalate BDS. popularresistance.org The agreement signed on the White House lawn and the famous handshake of Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat was falsely billed as a promise of peace and hope for Palestinians, denied both for decades upon decades, but was in reality a program for continued and intensified colonization and the suppression of the Palestinian liberation struggle. The entire project of Oslo was always intended to intensify the repression, division and fragmentation of the Palestinian people, while imposing a Palestinian "security" framework over the Palestinian people struggling for their rights, for return and liberation.

yenisafak (2020-09-15). Activists decry 'genocide' of China's Uighur Muslims. yenisafak.com Nearly two dozen activist groups said on Tuesday that crimes against humanity and genocide are taking place against Uighurs in China's remote Xinjiang region, where more than 1 million people are held in camps.There was no immediate response to the allegations by the Chinese foreign ministry, contacted by Reuters. China says the camps are vocational education and training centres as part of counter-terrorism and deradicalisation measures.The open letter signed by groups including the U.S.-based Uighur Human Rights Project and Genocide Watch calls on the United Nations Human Rights Council to launch an investigati…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-09-14). Day 5 of Assange trial: Wikileaks' publication of Afghan War Logs was basis for ICC case. peoplesdispatch.org Today's witness presented by the defense, Eric Lewis, tried to impress upon the fact that once Assange could be subjected to arbitrary detention methods and highlighted the tremendous contributions of Wikileaks in advancing an ICC investigation of the US…

sputniknews (2020-09-14). The Cause of Julian Assange Is the Cause of Freedom — Free Assange Now. sputniknews.com Julian Assange is a victim of torture, grotesque character assassination, and shameful judicial procedures that amount to vengeful persecution, not a fair and proportional prosecution.

WSWS (2020-09-14). Australian government, Labor opposition silent on sadistic British show-trial of Julian Assange. wsws.org The Australian political and media establishment has largely responded to the vicious attacks on Assange's legal and democratic rights by pretending that they are not occurring.

Kathryn Shihadah (2020-09-14). Israeli Human Rights Group Highlights How Israel Makes Fishing in Gaza Deadly. mintpressnews.com As is the reality with most elements of Palestinian life under Israeli occupation, the greatest challenge in Gaza's fishing industry is not the whether, or fluctuations in the market — it's simply living to fish another day.

_____ (2020-09-14). Unipolar Spin: Why Imperial Leftists Vilify Russia's Social Democracy. strategic-culture.org A lie told a thousand times becomes the truth. In reading countless articles from the Atlantic Council press outlets (NYT, WaPo, VICE News, et al), we take for granted that modern Russia is a right-wing regime controlled by an authoritarian personality bent on total domination. As a result, the debate then gets framed on why or whether its right for leftists to attack it as such, since this is used to further justify collective punishment (sanctions) against a whole people. | What escapes us is why creating propaganda that will result in collective punishment is in any way the business of self-declared leftists i…

news.un (2020-09-14). Rise to the occasion to tackle injustice, Bachelet urges Human Rights Council. news.un.org UN Member States gathered in person in Geneva on Monday for a new session of the Human Rights Council, where UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet urged countries to "rise to the occasion" to tackle injustice everywhere.

WSWS (2020-09-14). COVID-19 outbreak at Virginia migrant detention center caused by repression of anti-police brutality protesters. wsws.org The outbreak at the Farmville detention center demonstrates the capitalist class's disdain for democratic rights and the lives of the entire population.

Bradley Crowder (2020-09-14). Beating Trump isn't enough. peoplesworld.org Popular forces today are in crisis, reeling from a half century of neoliberal assault and organizational and ideological collapse. Unions are at their lowest density rates in a century. The historic gains of the democratic struggles to secure voting rights, access to reproductive health, and more are also under assault on all fronts. Now, together, …

news.un (2020-09-14). Journalism under fire: UNESCO raises alarm over surge of attacks on media workers covering protests. news.un.org Clampdowns on the media have increased sharply in 2020, the UN cultural agency said on Monday, highlighting 21 protests around the world this year in which State security forces have violated journalists' rights.

_____ (2020-09-14). Our Unjust System Of Mass Supervision. popularresistance.org Wisconsin's disastrous system of mass supervision is at odds with our widely shared values of justice, human dignity and compassion. Detaining people struggling with poverty, housing insecurity, mental health issues and addiction issues for alleged rule violations is at odds with common sense approaches to justice. Yet, public officials in Wisconsin have been keeping its prisons and jails overcrowded for many years by doubling down on this unjust practice. | A new report by Human Rights Watch and the ACLU demonstrates the deep racial injustice and extent of the harm caused by mass supervision in Wisconsin.

yenisafak (2020-09-14). 'Turkey will not compromise on rights in E.Med'. yenisafak.com The Turkish defense minister said on Monday that "sacrificing our rights in the Eastern Mediterranean is out of question"."We have rights, concerns, and interests in the Eastern Mediterranean. Some countries are making counter moves and taking actions against them. We follow them with great patience," Hulusi Akar said following the Distinguished Observer Day activities of the Mediterranean Storm — a five-day military exercise.Stressing that Turkey will resolutely continue to do what is necessary to protect its rights, Akar said it is out of question to sacrifice and give up rights in the region."We are in favor…

_____ (2020-09-14). The greatest loss of democracy and liberty in modern Britain. truepublica.org.uk At TruePublica, we believe in social cohesion, the rule of law, civil liberty, human rights and of course, democracy. Recent events, both Brexit and Covid-19, have given this government, in particular, an opportunity to act in bad faith and create a space for emergency legislation used to abuse the normal workings of representative and parliamentary …

Kenny Stancil, staff writer (2020-09-14). "Blood All Over": Physicians' Group Identifies 115 Head Injuries Caused By So-Called "Less-Lethal" Projectiles. commondreams.org "We must ban the use of kinetic impact projectiles in crowd-control situations due both to the life-threatening injuries they can cause and their potential to violate freedom of expression and assembly," says Physicians for Human Rights. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Zoe PC (2020-09-13). "The number one demand on the streets of Colombia is for justice" peoplesdispatch.org Massive protests have broken out in Colombia following the torture and murder of Javier Ordóñez by the police. Nicolás Arias of Colombia Informa talks about what led to this outburst, the demands being raised and the structural violence of the state…

teleSUR (2020-09-13). Social Leaders Honor Victims of Police Brutality in Colombia. telesurenglish.net Colombia's social leaders and activists Saturday paid tribute to the people who were killed in the latest demonstrations in Colombia against police brutality. | RELATED: | The protests arose last week to reject the murder of lawyer Javier Ordoñez by police officers in Bogota. In the demonstrations, at least 13 people were killed, over 400 people were injured, and dozens were detained. | Saturday afternoon, dozens of people gathered at th…

yenisafak (2020-09-13). At least 100,000 protesters gather in Belarusian capital, police detain 250. yenisafak.com At least 100,000 Belarusian anti-government protesters flooded the centre of Minsk on Sunday, a Reuters eyewitness said, and police detained around 250 people, the Interfax news agency cited the Interior Ministry as saying.Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko is facing a groundswell of public anger after declaring a landslide win at last month's presidential election that his opponents say was rigged. Lukashenko denies these allegations.

yenisafak (2020-09-13). China calls Hong Kong people arrested at sea 'separatists'. yenisafak.com The 12 Hong Kong people arrested at sea by mainland authorities last month were separatists, a spokeswoman for China's foreign ministry said on Sunday, in response to her U.S. counterpart's characterisation of the arrest as a deterioration of human rights.The comment came a day after relatives of the detainees held a news conference in Hong Kong demanding the urgent return of the 12 who were intercepted by the Guangdong coast guard on Aug. 23 on a boat bound for Taiwan.Donning masks and hats to shield their identities, they made their first public appeal for help and information on their relatives' plight, pleadi…

Steve Topple (2020-09-13). Cummings now wants to roll back human rights laws. He's out of control. thecanary.co The Telegraph has reported that Boris Johnson's government is set to 'opt out' of human rights laws. This is, of course, part of Brexit. … | By | The Telegraph has

_____ (2020-09-12). Scheer Intelligence: Trump Is The Sweaty Armpit Of Monopoly Capitalism. popularresistance.org Over the past several decades, the largest corporations have absorbed and destroyed all opposition—big and small—and slowly come to play a role in every aspect of Americans' lives. That's the central argument of journalist David Dayen's latest book, Monopolized: Life in the Age of Corporate Power. On this week's installment of Scheer Intelligence, the American Prospect editor joins host Robert Scheer to discuss how corporations peddle the idea that consumers have the "freedom" to buy whatever they want in order to distract the public as their rights are increasingly eroded.

teleSUR, ce (2020-09-12). Mike Pompeo to Make Official Visit to Guyana. telesurenglish.net U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo is expected to visit Guyana next week according to Guyanese news outlets. | RELATED: | Pompeo, who is expected to visit on September 17 and 18 will be the highest-ranking United States official to visit Guyana. | The Secretary of State is reportedly expected to sign a number of agreements with President Irfaan Ali. | In July, the State Department announced visa sanctions against former Governmen…

WSWS (2020-09-12). UK Conservative government votes down Grenfell Tower safety recommendations as inquiry resumes. wsws.org The inquiry's toothless "suggestions"—that tower block tenants be granted a few minimal safety rights—have been tossed into the bin by the Tories.

yenisafak (2020-09-12). 'Turkey supports unconditional dialogue on East Med'. yenisafak.com Ankara will always support unconditional dialogue on the Eastern Mediterranean issue since we believe that the one who is in the right does not stay away from the negotiation table, Turkey's top diplomat said on Saturday."Turkey is always in favor of dialogue. Turkey has never had its eyes on the rights of other countries, but has always defended its own rights and will continue to do so," Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said at a news conference with his Maltese counterpart Evarist Bartolo in the Mediterranean resort city of Antalya.Inviting Greece or other countries to the negotiation table is not an act of a…

ACLU (2020-09-11). The Myth of the "Bad" Immigrant. aclu.org Immigrant communities are often asked to "get right with the law," but is the law right in the first place? That's what Alina Das asks in her new book, No Justice in the Shadows. She delves into her experience as the daughter of immigrants, an immigration attorney, and a clinical law professor to explore the intersection of immigration and the criminal justice system. , , Too often, she argues, our immigration system is used as a tool of discrimination and oppression, rather than as a tool of justice, and the consequences are dire. Our current immigration system is breaking up families, and forcing people to f…

People's World (2020-09-11). ELECTION 2020: All the information you need about voting in your state. peoplesworld.org Find all the information you need to know about voting in your state — deadlines, dates, and rules — at the links below. >>You have the right to vote. If anyone tries to stop you, call the Election Protection Hotline at 1-866-687-8683 and check out this guide outlining your voting rights. Alabama: Election deadlines, dates, and …

People's World (2020-09-11). ELECTION 2020: Everything you need to know to vote in your state. peoplesworld.org Find all the information you need to know about voting in your state — deadlines, dates, and rules — at the links below. >>You have the right to vote. If anyone tries to stop you, call the Election Protection Hotline at 1-866-687-8683 and check out this guide outlining your voting rights. >>If you think voting …

Sherri Williams (2020-09-11). We Can't Dismiss Young Voters. Here's Why. thenation.com Young voters are often perceived as ambivalent. But history shows us that young people led the nation's most significant movements, including the fight for voting rights.

teleSUR (2020-09-11). Venezuela: Commission Announces Contingency Plan for Fuel Supply. telesurenglish.net The government entity denounced in a communiqué the negative impact of the unilateral coercive measures imposed by the government of the United States on the Venezuela people and economy, and especially the sanctions in the past two years on Venezuela's oil industry by U.S. President Donald Trump. | RELATED: | With the goal of suffocating the economy, Washington's punitive measures and actions against Venezuela, and particularly aga…

Brett Wilkins, staff writer (2020-09-11). NYT's Krugman Pilloried on 9/11 Anniversary for Claiming No 'Mass Outbreak of Anti-Muslim Sentiment' in US After 2001 Attacks. commondreams.org Anti-Muslim hate crimes soared after 9/11, and thousands of Muslims in the U.S. were detained—and some tortured—in George W. Bush's futile anti-terror dragnet. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Kat DesCamp-Renner (2020-09-11). The Direct Line From Portland To Authoritarian Crackdowns Around the World. commondreams.org Federal officers walk through tear gas during a dispersal of about 300 protesters in front of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention building on August 26, 2020 in Portland, Oregon. Protests continued for the 91st night in Portland as activist called for solidarity with rallies in Kenosha, Wisconsin. (Photo: Nathan Howard/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…