Daily Archives: September 24, 2020

2020-09-24: News Headlines

Binoy Kampmark (2020-09-24). Assange on Trial: Suicide, Hallucinations and Psychological Torture. counterpunch.org September 22. Central Criminal Court, London. The prosecutors in the Julian Assange case did their show trial predecessors from other legal traditions proud. The ghosts of such figures as Soviet state prosecutor Andrey Vyshinsky, would have approved of the line of questioning taken by James Lewis QC: suggest that Assange, accused of 17 counts of

Michael Jansen (2020-09-24). Failing Palestinian Self-determination. globalresearch.ca The UN is marking its 75th birthday with a virtual opening of the 75th session of the General Assembly. While UN agencies have carried out successful humanitarian assistance and research programmes, peacekeeping missions and efforts to protect the rights of …

A. Majumdar (2020-09-24). PDF of September 24 issue. workers.org Download the 12-page PDF. Whistleblower: ICE abuses detainees ALSO: Migrant caravan for residency; Defend BLM activist lawyers; Trump, Biden, and U.S. decline; 'Free Palestine' webinar; U.S. Cold War vs TikTok; Is Marxism still relevant? WORKERS ORGANIZE: Illinois; North Carolina. WORLD: Editorial: Ginsburg & SCOTUS. WORLD: Belarus; Bolivia. TEAR DOWN THE . . . |

MEE correspondent (2020-09-24). Iranian press review: Middle East's highest peak gravely threatened by mining. middleeasteye.net Iranian press review: Middle East's highest peak gravely threatened by mining | Meanwhile, US sanctions lead to flu vaccine shortage and conservatives want the next president to be a military commander | Thu, 09/24/2020 – 12: 35 | Mount Damavand is under threat from mining in its foothills (Greger Ravik/flickr) | Conservatives say next president should be from military : | Conse…

MEE staff (2020-09-24). Three UK Labour MPs demoted over opposition to torture prosecution bill. middleeasteye.net Three UK Labour MPs demoted over opposition to torture prosecution bill | Nadia Whittome, Beth Winter and Olivia Blake defied a Labour Party whip to oppose Overseas Operations Bill against 'vexatious' lawsuits

| Thu, 09/24/2020 – 14: 31 | Kuwaiti and British soldiers take part in exercises about 40km north of Kuwait City (AFP) | Three Labour MPs have lost their roles in the United Kingdom shadow cabine…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-09-24). Groups from across the world ask UN General Assembly to act against Israeli apartheid. peoplesdispatch.org More than 450 civil society and human rights groups from across the globe released a letter addressed to the ongoing 75th session of the UNGA asking it to revive its anti-apartheid bodies and take action to end Israeli occupation of Palestine…

Stephen Lendman (2020-09-24). Russia Intends Military Cooperation with Iran When UN Arms Embargo Expires. globalresearch.ca On issues related to the JCPOA nuclear deal and expiring UN arms embargo on Iran next month, the Trump regime is isolated on the world stage. | Commenting on its unlawful imposition of what it called "snapback" sanctions on Iran, its …

Kenn Orphan (2020-09-24). RBG and America's Priestly Class. counterpunch.org "It would be naive to depend on the Supreme Court to defend the rights of poor people, women, people of color, dissenters of all kinds. Those rights only come alive when citizens organize, protest, demonstrate, strike, boycott, rebel, and violate the law in order to uphold justice." — Howard Zinn The history of most ancient

yenisafak (2020-09-24). US to announce more Iran sanctions on Thursday, top envoy says. yenisafak.com The United States will slap new sanctions on a number of Iranian officials and entities including a judge who sentenced Iranian wrestler Navid Afkari to death, U.S. Special Representative for Iran and Venezuela Elliott Abrams told a hearing at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Thursday.Navid Afkari was executed earlier this month after being convicted of stabbing a security guard to death during anti-government protests in 2018, Iranian state media reported, in a case that has sparked international outcry. Iran's Supreme Court rejected a review of the case in late August.

Duncan Hosie (2020-09-24). When will DeSantis listen to his own voters on ex-felons' voting rights? aclu.org On Sept. 11, Gov. Ron DeSantis and state Republican leaders won their legal battle to disenfranchise hundreds of thousands of people with prior felony convictions. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit embraced Republican politicians' specious arguments that ex-felons should be required to pay all fines and fees before voting., , This decision dealt a blow to Floridians who care about racial justice and basic principles of democracy. The ruling also spited an unlikely and less discussed constituency: Republican voters., , This story starts in 2018, when DeSantis and Republican politicians camp…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-09-24). Algerian journalist Belkacem Djir acquitted of all charges by Algiers court. peoplesdispatch.org 34-year-old Djir was accused of 'blackmail' and using a 'false identity' and sentenced to three years in prison in a common law case. He is now expected to be released soon after over a year in detention…

_____ (2020-09-24). The Man Who Inspired A Generation. popularresistance.org My encounter with the Al-Araj family began in 2009, the year I met Basil and Shireen and started joining them in demonstrations in Al-Walaja village. On 6 March 2017, Basil was murdered by the Israeli army. He was 31 years old. Others will speak of his martyrdom, I will speak of his life and what he told me. Basil would have wanted it told this way. I learned intimate details about Basil and his family life the third time we were detained together. He was 24 years old, I was twice his age. This was in what Basil accurately described as "a holding pin not fit for animals" which I and many Palestinian males shared…

Families Belong Together (2020-09-24). Sunday 9/27: #FreeTheFamilies Vigil for ICE Detainees in Walnut Creek. indybay.org Civic Park, 1375 Civic Dr, Walnut Creek, CA 94596…

yenisafak (2020-09-24). UK preparing sanctions against Belarus: Minister. yenisafak.com The British foreign secretary announced on Thursday the UK was preparing sanctions against Belarus over alleged human rights abuses.Speaking at the House of Commons, Dominic Raab said that Alexander Lukashenko, who was sworn in as Belarus' president last week, has "a wholesale lack of legitimacy."Protests in Belarus broke out after Lukashenko, who has served as president since 1994, was declared the winner of Aug. 9 polls. Opposition candidates, however, accused the administration of rigging the vote.Raab said the UK did not accept the rigged election results, and slammed the "thuggery" used against protestors."I…

Alan Macleod (2020-09-23). Hoping to Force an Outcome, US Sanctions Opposition Parties in Venezuela Ahead of Elections. mintpressnews.com Sanctions on Venezuela are nothing new. But Secretary of State Pompeo recently took the unusual step of sanctioning leaders of local opposition parties in an attempt to pressure them to pull out of upcoming elections.

Anya Parampil (2020-09-23). US & allies ignore Colombia political assassinations. thegrayzone.com Red Lines host Anya Parampil speaks with human rights lawyer Santiago Salinas Miranda about a wave of massacres and political assassinations sweeping Colombia. They discuss the Colombian government's role in the murders and ask why the international community has turned a blind eye to the killings.

Binoy Kampmark (2020-09-23). Assange's Eleventh Day at the Old Bailey: Suicide, Hallucinations and Psychological Torture. dissidentvoice.org September 22. Central Criminal Court, London. Today, the prosecutors in the Julian Assange case did their show trial predecessors from other legal traditions proud. The ghosts of such figures as Soviet state prosecutor Andrey Vyshinsky, would have approved of the line of questioning taken by James Lewis QC: suggest that Assange, accused of 17 counts …

WSWS (2020-09-23). Assange faces "very high risk of suicide," medical expert tells court. wsws.org Kopelman's evidence confirms the warnings made since November 2019 by Doctors for Assange that Assange is suffering "psychological torture" and "could die in prison."

Craig Murray (2020-09-23). Your Man in the Public Gallery: Assange Hearing Day 14. globalresearch.ca Monday was a frustrating day as the Assange Hearing drifted deep into a fantasy land where nobody knows or is allowed to say that people were tortured in Guantanamo Bay and under extraordinary rendition. The willingness of Judge Baraitser to …

Staff (2020-09-23). Who Is Amy Barrett? Front-Runner to Replace RBG Is Anti-Abortion Member of Patriarchal Catholic Group. democracynow.org We look at President Trump's top pick for a woman to fill the Supreme Court seat left vacant by the death of the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg: U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Amy Coney Barrett, who is a devout Catholic who has taken conservative stances on abortion, gun rights, immigration and LGBTQ rights. Barrett's involvement with the conservative Catholic group People of Praise, whose members pledge a lifelong loyalty oath to the group, has also raised questions about her ability to rule independently. "There's some real concerns about whether her involvement in there will affect her ability to be impartial a…

_____ (2020-09-23). The End Of The 'Rules Based International Order'. popularresistance.org The 'western' countries, i.e. the United States and its 'allies', love to speak of a 'rules based international order' which they say everyone should follow. That 'rules based order' is a way more vague concept than the actual rule of law: | The G7 is united by its shared values and commitment to a rules based international order. That order is being challenged by authoritarianism, serious violations of human rights, exclusion and discrimination, humanitarian and security crises, and the defiance of international law and standards. | As members of the G7, we are convinced that our societies and the world have rea…

Brigitte Amiri (2020-09-23). Reproductive Abuse is Rampant in the Immigration Detention System. aclu.org Last week, a hideous allegation emerged in a

UCSF Preterm Birth Initiative (2020-09-23). Thursday 9/24: Healthcare as Sanctuary: ICE, Birthing People, and Justice for Immigrants. indybay.org Online (FREE)…

MEE staff (2020-09-23). Saudi dissidents launch new party calling for democracy in kingdom. middleeasteye.net Saudi dissidents launch new party calling for democracy in kingdom | New group calls for independent judiciary, elected parliament and equality under law | Wed, 09/23/2020 – 23: 01 | NAAS aims to 'establish a path to democracy as a governing system' in Saudi Arabia (Twitter) | Exiled Saudi activists have formed a political party calling for democracy and respect for human rights in the kingdom, a move that bri…

Dianne Mathiowetz (2020-09-23). Whistleblower exposes: ICE abuses detainees. workers.org EDITOR'S NOTES: As we go to press, a Sept. 21 press release from Georgia Detention Watch announced that Cipriano Chavez-Alvarez, 61, is the third detainee at the Stewart Detention Center located in Lumpkin, Georgia to die of COVID-19. Press conference on ICE abuse, Ocilla, Ga., Sept. 15. Whistleblower Dawn Wooten . . . |

Workers World Party (2020-09-23). Stop forced sterilizations! Shut down all detention centers! workers.org The Prisoner Solidarity Committee of Workers World Party commends the heroic action of Dawn Wooten, a licensed practical nurse, for exposing forced sterilizations at the Irwin County, Georgia ICE (Immigration & Customs Enforcement) Detention Center operated by LaSalle Corrections, a private for-profit prison. Project South, one of the advocacy groups . . . |

Chauncey K. Robinson (2020-09-23). American horror story of the 21st century: U.S. immigration detention centers. peoplesworld.org Halloween may be fast approaching, but you don't have to wait until Oct. 31 for a truly scary tale. Damning reports and allegations have come out detailing the nightmarish conditions at immigration detention camps in the United States. Things were already bad inside the centers, but the situation is now exacerbated by a deadly global …

Ian Cobain (2020-09-23). UK troops to be shielded from torture prosecutions under proposed law. middleeasteye.net UK troops to be shielded from torture prosecutions under proposed law | The Overseas Operations Bill would protect British troops from murder or torture prosecutions once five years have passed since the alleged crime | Wed, 09/23/2020 – 19: 56 | A British soldier searches Iraqis at a checkpoint on the road to Basra in 2003 (AFP/File photo) | Members of the UK parliament have voted to back a new law proposi…

Paul Antonopoulos (2020-09-23). Washington Is Left Isolated as It Passes Renewed Sanctions Against Iran. globalresearch.ca After the US State Department claimed that Tehran did not meet the terms of the "nuclear deal," Washington renewed its anti-Iranian sanctions on Monday. The UN and the EU found the claims made by Washington to be unconvincing and refused …

Peter Koenig (2020-09-23). Iran — US Sanctions — Unilateralism — Turning the Clock Back to Before the Nuclear Deal. globalresearch.ca Background | Iran's President Hassan Rouhani has slammed US sanctions against his country, saying they are a flagrant violation of the UN charter. | In an address to the UN General Assembly, Rouhani said the Iranian nation successfully withstood the US maximum …

Staff (2020-09-23). Front-Runner to Replace RBG Is Anti-Abortion Member of Catholic Group. truthout.org We look at President Trump's top pick for a woman to fill the Supreme Court seat left vacant by the death of the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg: U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Amy Coney Barrett, who is a devout Catholic who has taken conservative stances on abortion, gun rights, immigration and LGBTQ rights. Barrett's involvement with the conservative Catholic group People of Praise, whose members pledge a lifelong loyalty oath to the group, has also raised questions about her ability to rule independen…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-09-23). Why are Indian farmers protesting Modi's agriculture bills? peoplesdispatch.org During this pandemic, the Narendra Modi led BJP government in India has pushed through multiple legislations that are a direct assault on people's rights. The latest among these are three bills on agriculture. The government passed these three bills brazenly flouting parliamentary rules and ignoring the protesting farmers across the country.

news.un (2020-09-23). Mali: Rights expert calls for 'immediate release' of former officials detained during coup. news.un.org An independent UN human rights expert has called on Mali's coup leaders to release former government officials, who have been detained for more than a month.

Louise Melling (2020-09-23). For Justice Ginsburg, Abortion Was About Equality. aclu.org Justice Ginsburg is often quoted as having said, "Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you." She did exactly that when it came to reproductive rights and abortion in particular. Justice Ginsburg fought, she cast decisive votes, and she led in a way to bring others along by speaking the truth about why abortion matters: Abortion rights are about equality, restrictions on abortion about the forever story to treat women as second-class citizens. Her mark is in the jurisprudence, it's on our protest posters, and it's in our hearts., , Writing in dis…

Press TV (2020-09-23). Iran: US Sanctions Unilateralism. dissidentvoice.org PressTV Interview — slightly enhanced transcript Background Iran's President Hassan Rouhani has slammed U-S sanctions against his country, saying they are a flagrant violation of the UN charter. In an address to the UN General Assembly, Rouhani said the Iranian nation successfully withstood the U-S maximum pressure campaign. He added, Iran even flourished under the …

_____ (2020-09-23). US Bully In Last Chance Saloon. popularresistance.org US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced this week the reimposition of international sanctions against Iran. Trouble is nobody is listening to Washington's remonstrations any longer. Not only has the emperor no clothes, he's lost bullying power too. | The Trump administration asserts it has the legal right to invoke "snapback" UN sanctions on Iran over Washington's baseless allegations that Tehran is in breach of the 2015 international nuclear accord. This is in spite of the fact that the American side forfeited its legal rights when it unilaterally quit the nuclear deal in May 2018.

news.un (2020-09-23). Guterres advocates for digital world that 'strengthens human rights, advances peace'. news.un.org Amidst a technological era that "beckons with vast opportunity", new risks exist to global peace, stability and development, the UN chief told a side event of the General Assembly on Wednesday, aiming to help ensure access to digital technologies for all.

_____ (2020-09-23). VIDEO: The Creeping Socialism Republicans Cannot Understand. strategic-culture.org Republicans have double standards when it comes to "Socialism" they are apt to point out the poverty of nations like Venezuela and Cuba but neglect to mention that it was the West who put them under further sanctions. Watch the video and read more in the

ACLU (2020-09-23). At the Polls, Episode 2: How might changes to the Postal Service impact the election? aclu.org Did you know the U.S. Postal Office existed before the Declaration of Independence? The USPS' role in this country is so essential that it was written into the Constitution. This year, it's preparing for an unprecedented task: delivering millions of mail-in ballots for Election Day. , , In this week's episode of

yenisafak (2020-09-23). Germany doesn't recognise Lukashenko as Belarus president after swearing in. yenisafak.com Germany still does not recognise Alexander Lukashenko as president of Belarus even after his inauguration on Wednesday, government spokesman Steffen Seibert said.Lukashenko was sworn in for a new term on Wednesday in an inauguration denounced as illegitimate by the opposition, which called for more protests against his 26-year rule.A German Foreign Ministry spokesman said Berlin wanted to agree European Union sanctions against Belarus as quickly as possible.

Laura Flanders (2020-09-23). Mourn Justice Ginsburg and Fight to Close Irwin Detention Center. commondreams.org An overview of Irwin County Detention Center in Ocilla, Ga. (Photo: Google Maps) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Laura Flanders (2020-09-23). Mourn Justice GInsburg, Fight to Close Irwin Detention Center. commondreams.org An overview of Irwin County Detention Center in Ocilla, Ga. (Photo: Google Maps) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Andrea Germanos, staff writer (2020-09-22). Trump Admin. Set to Continue 'Superspreader Executions' With Sixth State-Sanctioned Killing. commondreams.org "The government's rush to kill has caused senseless risk for incarcerated people, prison staff, and everyone who lives in Terre Haute, Indiana." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

_____ (2020-09-22). Report, Monday, September 21: Julian Assange Hearing. popularresistance.org Monday was a frustrating day as the Assange Hearing drifted deep into a fantasy land where nobody knows or is allowed to say that people were tortured in Guantanamo Bay and under extraordinary rendition. The willingness of Judge Baraitser to accept American red lines on what witnesses can and cannot say has combined with a joint and openly stated desire by both judge and prosecution to close this case down quickly by limiting the number of witnesses, the length of their evidence, and the time allowed for closing arguments.

Global Research News (2020-09-22). Selected Articles: US Sanctions and Assange's Extradition Trial. globalresearch.ca If you look to Global Research as a resource for information and understanding, to stay current on world events, or to experience honesty and transparency in your news coverage, please consider making a

Staff (2020-09-22). Whistleblower Nurse in ICE Jail Alleges Forced Sterilization & Neglect Amid 8th COVID Death. democracynow.org As ICE confirms the 20th person to die in its detention in fiscal year 2020, making it one of the deadliest periods in the agency's history, we talk to the whistleblower at the center of an explosive complaint that accuses an ICE jail in Georgia of failing to adhere to coronavirus safety protocols and performing a large number of unwanted hysterectomies on detainees. The doctor who carried out the procedures became known to women inside the facility as "the uterus collector." Whistleblower Dawn Wooten, a nurse at the Irwin County Detention Center, says the neglect and abuse at the facility was "jaw-dropping." We…

Staff (2020-09-22). 18-Year-Old Indigenous Climate Activist Fights to Save Arctic Wildlife Refuge. truthout.org This story originally appeared in Teen Vogue and is republished here as part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. | In March, Ph.D. candidate and climate justice organizer Maia Wikler traveled to Alaska to continue reporting on the ongoing human rights and climate crisis in the Arctic. She is directing a short documentary film, with support from The North Face, featuring the Gwich'in women who are leading the fight to protect…

Tanya Wadhwa (2020-09-22). Thousands take the streets in national strike in Colombia. peoplesdispatch.org On September 21, thousands of Colombians participated in a national strike and mobilized across the country against the right-wing government of president Iván Duque. Several massive demonstrations were carried out in different cities in rejection of police brutality, economic crisis facing the country due to the COVID-19 pandemic and ceaseless assassination of social leaders. | A large number of citizens and members of various human rights organizations, left-wing political parties, social movements, students, teachers, women, LGBTQI, Indigenous and Afro-descendent organizations took to the streets throughout th…

yenisafak (2020-09-22). Migrant maids forced to 'live-in' like 'slaves' as anger tears through Hong Kong. yenisafak.com A Hong Kong court's decision to uphold a compulsory rule for migrant domestic workers to live with their employers drew criticism on Tuesday from labour rights advocates, who said it exposed foreign maids to conditions akin to modern slavery.The live-in rule for Hong Kong's 370,000 domestic workers, mostly women from poor families in the Philippines and Indonesia, has long been denounced as discriminatory and inhumane – essentially putting employees on call 24 hours a day.Monday's court ruling responded to a challenge to the requirement that was filed three years ago by Filipino Nancy Lubiano. She argued that the…

Julia Conley, staff writer (2020-09-22). "What's Your Voting Plan?" Organizers Urge Americans to Get #VoteReady on National Voter Registration Day. commondreams.org As the U.S. marked the eighth annual National Voter Registration Day on Tuesday, advocacy groups focused on issues ranging from reproductive rights and the climate crisis to immigrant and voting rights urged the public to ensure they are registered to vote in the November 3 general election. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…