(2020-10-21). Brennan's Nuremberg Defense: One More Whitewash of the CIA's Torture Program. counterpunch.org 
With his disingenuous memoir, Brennan has now joined forces with former CIA directors and deputy directors such as Tenet, McLaughlin, Goss, and Michael Morell who refuse to recognize the CIA created a sadistic program that went far beyond DoJ guidelines, and then lied about the extent of the torture and the fact that nothing was learned that stopped terrorist activity.
(2020-10-21). European MPs tell Egypt's Sisi to release prisoners of conscience. middleeasteye.net 
European MPs tell Egypt's Sisi to release prisoners of conscience | Egyptian president facing mounting calls by lawmakers from the US and Europe to end his government's rights violations | Wed, 10/21/2020 – 11: 17 | Egypt's President Sisi has been accused by international rights groups of presiding over the country's worst crackdown on human rights in its modern history (AFP/file photo)…
(2020-10-21). Millions of garment workers face job losses in Bangladesh. peoplesdispatch.org According to a recent study conducted by the Center for Global Workers Rights, "millions of workers are at greater risk of losing their jobs" due to global brands "demanding price cuts and delaying payments to suppliers"
(2020-10-20). Chomsky: from nuclear weapons to Iran, Trump's worst threats are dangerously ignored. thegrayzone.com Noam Chomsky warns that the Trump administration poses a unique threat to humanity, and its most reckless policies are receiving far too little attention. Noam Chomsky discusses the White House's threats to the New START treaty, the last remaining accord limiting the US and Russia's nuclear weapons arsenals; its latest round of crippling sanctions and threats against Iran; the bipartisan US refusal to accept a Middle East Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone, which would terminate Israel's nuclear weapons program; and the silencing of …
(2020-10-20). Amazonia: In the Flames, They See Money. counterpunch.org Sà¥nia Guajajara delivered this speech to accept the 2020 Letelier-Moffitt Human Rights Award on behalf of the Association of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB). The Association is standing up to powerful corporations, backed by an oppressive government, to protect indigenous rights and lands — all while fighting a deadly pandemic. On October 15, award-winning author
(2020-10-20). Nova Scotia Fishers' Rights; US Accuses Russians of Cyberwarfare. sputniknews.com Tensions between Indigenous and non-Indigenous fishermen come to a head in Nova Scotia, Canada, as angry mobs attack.
(2020-10-20). Saudi youths face death despite ban on capital punishment against minors. middleeasteye.net 
Saudi youths face death despite ban on capital punishment against minors | Riyadh accused of 'gulf between rhetoric and reality' as young detainees kept on death row despite King Salman's decree | Tue, 10/20/2020 – 13: 54 | Demonstrators stage a mock execution in Washington in protest against Saudi children sentenced to death in the kingdom (AFP/File photo) | Saudi detainees accused of committing crim…
(2020-10-20). The Communist Party of China: Putting the People First. dissidentvoice.org 
Wherever we lift one soul from a life of poverty, we are defending human rights. And whenever we fail in this mission, we are failing human rights. — Kofi Annan, former United Nations Secretary-General Among other items "proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the common people," the preamble to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights …
(2020-10-20). Amy Coney Barrett, Constitutional Precedent, and the Problem of Originalism. counterpunch.org 
Supreme Court Justice nominee Amy Coney Barrett is a threat to many constitutional precedents, including Roe v. Wade (abortion rights), National Federation of Business v. Sebelius, (Obamacare), and Obergefell v. Hodges (marriage equality). It may not simply be her ideology or pre-judged opinions that pose the problem, it is her constitutional interpretive method of Originalism that is the issue.
(2020-10-20). Britannic Impunity: Torture and the UK Overseas Operations Bill. counterpunch.org 
It was praised by Michael Clarke, former Director-General of the Royal United Services Institute, as "clear and entire laudable" — at least up to a point. The UK Overseas Operations (Service Personnel and Veterans) Bill would "give [British] troops serving overseas much-needed extra protection against fraudulent or frivolous claims against them of criminal behaviour." It
(2020-10-20). Russian Cabinet strikes down proposed law to ban transgender people from amending sex assigned at birth on official documents. rt.com 
Russian authorities have rejected amendments to the country's family code, which would have enshrined in law a ban on marriage and adoption by same-sex couples, and restricted transgender people from officially changing gender. | The proposed laws, written by Senator Elena Mizulina, were focused on the rights to be the parent of a child, including changing the rules for deprivation of custody. If passed, the new family code would have taken custody decisions into the hands of the court, meaning that a parent would have to be found guilty before their offspring could be removed. | However, most prominently, the…
(2020-10-20). Women's Rights, No Strings Attached. thenation.com 
Roe v. Wade allows women to have
(2020-10-20). When Canada became a dictatorship: 50 years after Quebec's 'October Crisis'. peoplesworld.org 
(2020-10-20). Our rights and our duties. nationofchange.org Our rights should be restated, so the rights of any citizen shall be the rights of all citizens.
(2020-10-20). Safeguard human rights defenders, rights of NGOs in India, Bachelet urges. news.un.org Highlighting that India has long had a strong civil society at the forefront of "groundbreaking human rights advocacy within the country and globally", the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, raised concerns on Tuesday that "vaguely defined laws are increasingly being used to stifle these voices".
(2020-10-20). New Global Campaign — Nestle's Troubled Waters. popularresistance.org Evart is taking center stage in North America's "water wars" as local advocates demand that Nestlé Waters North America revert its claimed rights to the White Pine Springs back to the public trust. These springs, a source for Ice Mountain's bottled water brand, have long been subject to community opposition due to the company's legacy of broken promises, ecological harm, and removal of our most precious public resource: our water. | Nestlé Waters' announcement last summer that it is considering the sale of its bulk bottled water business…
(2020-10-20). Iran's export going on stably despite tough sanctions. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 21 (MNA) — Executive of Tehran Province Industrial Townships said that export of country's products remains stable despite all tough and illegal sanctions imposed against the Islamic Republic of Iran.
(2020-10-20). COVID-19 in Prisons Is Far Worse Than Previously Thought, Data Trackers Say. truthout.org James King was incarcerated in California's San Quentin State Prison for roughly six years. He spent much of that time analyzing the politics of incarceration by chronicling his experiences living in one of the country's most notorious prisons. When he was released from prison in December 2019, he joined the staff of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, where he has campaigned for decarceration. | While incarcerated, King endured life in a cramped and racially segregated prison — a sit…
(2020-10-20). Unequal Justice: Confirmation Hearings Exposed Barrett as a Hardcore Rightwing Activist. progressive.org Her goal on the court will be to drive America back to the days before the New Deal and the civil rights movement.
(2020-10-20). Rights Advocates and Dems Reiterate Calls to #BlockBarrett as McConnell Vows to Confirm Trump Nominee on Monday. commondreams.org "If we're to have courts that protect equal justice for everyone, we need a nominee who will defend our civil and human rights. Amy Coney Barrett is not that nominee." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-10-20). Global Reproductive Health on the Ballot this November. commondreams.org 2020 has the chance to be a historic year for international reproductive rights. (Photo: Tami Chappell/AFP/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-10-20). 'Exciting and Historical Moment': Their Rights Restored, 67,000+ Former Felons Set to Vote in Florida Amid Record Early Turnout. commondreams.org "There are thousands upon thousands of energized and inspired returning citizens throughout the state that will not be denied, that will be a voice, and will have an impact in determining who wins Florida." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-10-19). Massive Rally In Support Of Sipekne'katik Harvesters, Treaty Rights. popularresistance.org Halifax, Nova Scotia – About a thousand people gathered in Grand Parade on Sunday, singing, drumming and voicing their support for Indigenous harvesters on Nova Scotia's southwestern shore, who are exercising their right to fish — outside the commercial season. | It's an assertion of treaty, constitution and court-protected rights that has cost Sipekne'katik fishers dearly since their launch of a moderate livelihood fishery in mid-September. This week, they were the target of assault, arson, vandalism, threats and intimidation.
(2020-10-19). Iran hits out at 'fearful' US after UN arms embargo expires. middleeasteye.net 
Iran hits out at 'fearful' US after UN arms embargo expires | Tehran continues its war of words with Washington after Mike Pompeo threatened to sanction those doing arms deals with Iran now that a UN embargo has ended | Mon, 10/19/2020 – 16: 18 | Iranians visit a weaponry and military equipment exhibition in the capital Tehran in February 2019 (AFP/File photo) | Iran hit out at the United States on Monday afte…
(2020-10-19). Rule Draconia: Tories and Labor Collude in Enabling Act for State Crimes. counterpunch.org 
The Tory government (with the collusion of the Labour leadership) is ramming through one of the most draconian and tyrannical laws ever seen in an ostensible democracy, a bill that will give a wide and ever-expanding number of state agencies the power to torture, rape and kill citizens without any legal consequences. This is no rhetorical exaggeration; it is the plain fact — as that notoriously far-left commie rag, the Spectator, points out.
(2020-10-19). UAE: Sexual assault allegations cast shadow on 'Orwellian' Ministry of Tolerance. middleeasteye.net 
UAE: Sexual assault allegations cast shadow on 'Orwellian' Ministry of Tolerance | Wife of former Emirati detainee says rape allegations further evidence of country's double standards on tolerance | Mon, 10/19/2020 – 12: 02 | Emirati Minister of State for Tolerance Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak al-Nahyan (C) speaks to a nun during a Papal mass for an estimated 170,000 Catholics at the Zayed Sports C…
(2020-10-19). Widespread abuse revealed in Islamic schools across Sudan. middleeasteye.net 
Widespread abuse revealed in Islamic schools across Sudan | An investigation by BBC Arabic into Sudan's khalwas has revealed that thousands of boys are routinely tortured by their teachers | Mon, 10/19/2020 – 14: 42 | As many as six or seven children are often chained together as punishment at some religious schools in Sudan (Jess Kelly/BBC News) | Thousands of boys are routinely brutally beaten, shackled and…
(2020-10-19). UK parliament to probe reports UAE 'torture' chief could become head of Interpol. middleeasteye.net 
UK parliament to probe reports UAE 'torture' chief could become head of Interpol | Inquiry will hear that the global police organisation is open to manipulation by 'rogue' member states including Russia, China and the UAE | Mon, 10/19/2020 – 13: 11 | UAE security chief Nasser Ahmed al-Raisi, left, pictured in 2018 (Wikicommons) | British MPs will be told this week that Russia is a "criminal state" which is "ab…
(2020-10-19). Hawaii's People Recognize Voting as a Matter of Survival. telesurenglish.net A robust optic of newly registered U.S. voters is pointing to a 2020 turnout that may likely shatter all records. That holds true even for Hawaii which has traditionally one of the lowest voter turnout of any U.S. state. | RELATED: | The reason for the paltry number is rooted in the fact that, according to the UN Commissioner on Human rights, Hawaii has been a nation Illegally occupied since 1893. Many in the native Hawa…
(2020-10-19). Thai police to probe four media outlets as protests continue. peoplesdispatch.org Thailand's police announced a probe into four media outlets covering the ongoing anti-government protests on Monday, October 19. The probe was sanctioned in an order published on Friday and announced earlier today. The probe, sanctioned by the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society, will be conducted against four media outlets — Prachatai, The Reporters, Voice TV and The Standard — along with an online pro-protest page 'Free YOUTH'. | The order will also include a probe into more than 300,000 URLs on social media and other digital platforms that the police have identified to be in violation of Thai law…
(2020-10-19). Costa Rica: Unions Back on the Streets To Reclaim Rights. telesurenglish.net Costa Rican Unions called a march on Monday to protest against the government's intentions of imposing new taxes and the Public Employment law project that is expected to be determined on Tuesday in the Legislative Assembly. | RELATED: | The protests take place amid a so-called great national strike against President Carlos Alvarado's neoliberal initiatives, including the announcement of a $1.750 million loan from the Internatio…
(2020-10-19). Swedish Left opposes dilution of employment protection act. peoplesdispatch.org The Left Party, the Communist Party of Sweden, and the Communist Party have raised strong objections against the dilution of labor rights embedded in the current employment protection act…
(2020-10-19). Women March in SF for Rights and to Protest Trump. indybay.org Women protest in cities throughout US…
(2020-10-19). Tuesday 10/20: Digital Town hall: How the Amy Coney Barrett SCOTUS Nomination Threatens Ours Rights. indybay.org Online via livestream…
(2020-10-19). US imposes sanctions on Chinese companies over Iran. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 19 (MNA) — The US has imposed Iran-related sanctions on five Hong-Kong shipping companies, one Australian entity, and one Chinese investment group.
(2020-10-19). US Iran-Related Sanctions on Chinese Entities 'Wrong Approach', Russian Envoy to UN Says. sputniknews.com UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) – The United States' approach to impose sanctions on Chinese and Hong Kong individuals and entities in relation to Iran's nuclear program is wrong and Russia will continue to do business with the Islamic Republic, Russian Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Dmitry Polyanskiy said in a statement.
(2020-10-19). At least 56 US lawmakers urge Egypt's Sisi to release prisoners. yenisafak.com In a letter being sent to the Egyptian leader on Monday, the 55 Democrats and one Independent — Senator Bernie Sanders — said al-Sisi should free detained lawyers, activists, journalists and other prisoners of conscience amid a COVID outbreak in Egypt's prison system.Led by Democratic lawmakers Ro Khanna, Jim McGovern and Sherrod Brown, the bicameral letter urges Sisi "to immediately and unconditionally release those prisoners whose cases we have cited, and all other prisoners of conscience unjustly detained for exercising their fundamental human rights.""These are people who should never have been im…
(2020-10-19). Iran plots course after end of 13-year arms embargo. yenisafak.com A 13-year UN-mandated arms embargo on Iran officially expired Sunday, effectively paving the way for the sanctions-battered country to import and export conventional weapons.In a statement, Iran's Foreign Ministry called it a "momentous day for the international community," which it said has protected the UN Security Council Resolution 2231 and the 2015 nuclear deal."As of today, all restrictions on the transfer of arms, related activities and financial services to and from the Islamic Republic of Iran, and all prohibitions regarding the entry into or transit through territories of the UN member states previously…
(2020-10-19). Amid US Sanctions, Venezuelan Oil Tanker at Risk of Spilling 1.3 Million Barrels and Devastating Caribbean Ecosystems. commondreams.org The companies that own a Venezuelan oil vessel that's been positioned of the country's coast for nearly two years called on the U.S. to give a "green light" to unload 1.3 million barrels of oil after local environmental advocates expressed alarm over the recent tilted appearance of the boat. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-10-18). Latest UN report on Venezuela is not remotely honest (Part 2). zcomm.org On September 15, UN investigators ( the so called "Mission") published a 411 page report about the human rights situation in Venezuela.[1] Part 1 of my analysis of the report focused on its gross dishonesty about opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez. The Mission reviewed his career since 2000 but never mentioned his proud participation in coup
(2020-10-18). Egypt court releases satirist and blogger Shady Abu Zaid. middleeasteye.net 
Egypt court releases satirist and blogger Shady Abu Zaid | Cairo's Criminal Court orders release of Abu Zaid with probationary measures after more than two years in detention | Sun, 10/18/2020 – 12: 18 | Abu Zaid's release was met with jubilation and scepticism as thousands continue to languish in Egypt's jails (Screengrab/Facebook) | A Giza criminal court ordered the release of satirist and video blogge…
(2020-10-18). Belarus protests: Dozens detained by cops & rubber bullets fired during another large anti-opposition march in Minsk (VIDEOS). rt.com 
Thousands of people took to the streets of Minsk again on Sunday, as mass anti-government protests continued across the country. Sporadic scuffles erupted between demonstrators and police, with dozens reportedly detained. | The Belarusian capital has played host to weekly protests against the government of President Alexander Lukashenko, since a disputed presidential election in August. This Sunday, the procession was dubbed 'The Partisan March' by its organizers. | Tens of thousands marched through the city's center, where they repeatedly ran into cordons erected by riot police and were forced to change cours…
(2020-10-18). Structural Racism in Liberal Armor: Newsome's Veto of Domestic Workers' Rights Bill. zcomm.org "We won't stop because we are unstoppable now and we can say the domestic workers are invincible and we are strong and we will not stop until he signs SB1257 and gives us the rights we deserve as essential workers."
(2020-10-18). 'Distraction Mechanism': NYT's Crocodile Tears Over Iran Sanctions. popularresistance.org What seems to be a compassionate plea for mercy from Washington by a major US newspaper is actually just a furthering of the US propaganda war against Iran that's responsible for the strangling sanctions that frustrate its ability to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, a doctor and activist told Sputnik. | An op-ed by the New York Times Editorial Board on Tuesday urged: "Iran's Covid-19 Death Toll Is Rising. Show Mercy, Mr. Trump." However, while the article noted the extensive and deliberate damage US President Donald Trump's "maximum pressure" policies toward Tehran have had…
(2020-10-18). Security Resources for Anarchists and Activists. indybay.org Federal regulations state that government agencies "May not investigate U.S. persons or collect or maintain information about them solely for the purpose of monitoring activities protected by the First Amendment or the lawful exercise of other rights secured by the Constitution or laws of the United States". – But the Joint Base Lewis-McChord Anti-Terrorism Office (JBLMATO) is ignoring the law and still spying on you!
(2020-10-18). Iran "Resistance" strategy defeats US " Maximum Pressure" en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 18 (MNA) — Ali Rabiei noted, "Pushing back sanctions, reducing the effects of sanctions and increasing social resistance were the strategies of the Islamic Republic of Iran to overcome the US policy of maximum pressure."
(2020-10-18). Thais want Coalition gov't to sanction Thai dictatorship. greenleft.org.au Thai democracy activists took to streets after the violent police attack on a peaceful mass democracy protest in Bangkok, reports Peter Boyle.
(2020-10-17). Persecuting Assange Is A Blow To Reporting And Human Rights Advocacy. popularresistance.org If it were not for a tiny handful of journalists—ShadowProof's Kevin Gosztola preeminent among them—Americans might be utterly unaware that a London magistrate, for the last month, has been considering nothing less than whether journalists have a right to publish information the US government doesn't want them to. Not whether outlets can leak classified information, but whether they can publish that information on, as in the case of Wikileaks, US war crimes and torture and assorted malfeasance to do with, for instance, the war on Afghanistan, which just entered its 19th year, with zero US corporate me…
(2020-10-17). Unelected Bolivian govt detains, doxxes, threatens international observers on eve of election. thegrayzone.com Bolivia's unelected transitional administration has repeatedly threatened international electoral observers, detained monitors from Argentina in the airport, and shared the private information of Spanish supervisors with a far-right activist. By Ben Norton LA PAZ, BOLIVIA — On the eve of Bolivia's first election since a violent November 2019 military takeover that removed President Evo Morales from office, the unelected de facto government has detained, doxxed, and threatened international electoral observers. On October 16, Bolivia's migration department shared the private information …
(2020-10-17). Minneapolis protest demands legalization for immigrants. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN – Around 100 people marched through downtown Minneapolis, October 14, from Senator Amy Klobuchar's office to the Hennepin County Jail. The march was part of an ongoing campaign by the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) demanding legalization for all immigrants including those eligible for DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), TPS (Temporary Protected Status), and DED (Deferred Enforced Departure) status. More than a million immigrants that hold these statuses are in increasing danger of deportation because of recent court rulings that open the door to the Trump administra…