Daily Archives: November 3, 2020

2020-11-03: News Headlines

Ted Kelly (2020-11-03). International calls for release of Palestinian prisoner on hunger strike. workers.org The International Association of Democratic Lawyers, in a resolution released late last month, called for the immediate release of Maher al-Akhras, a Palestinian man imprisoned by Israeli occupation. Detained without charges under the notorious "administrative detention" policy, al-Akhras has been staging a hunger strike for almost 100 days. Hunger striker . . . |

Liberation Staff (2020-11-03). Over 100,000 Polish women march against right wing's latest attack on reproductive rights. liberationnews.org For almost two weeks straight, hundreds of thousands of Polish women have marched through the streets of Warsaw and other major Polish cities, protesting the right-wing government's move to ban access to nearly all abortions.

Cooper Feste and Russell Wiley (2020-11-03). Dallas tenants stop an eviction, demand housing rights. liberationnews.org The tenants of Estelle Village apartments are calling for ceased evictions per the CDC moratorium.

Nadda Osman (2020-11-03). Egypt court orders release of more than 600 detainees swept up in crackdown. middleeasteye.net Egypt court orders release of more than 600 detainees swept up in crackdown | The prisoners include journalists, politicians and students who had been in pre-trial detention for over a year | Tue, 11/03/2020 – 14: 50 | A picture taken during a guided tour organised by Egypt's State Information Service on 11 February, 2020, shows the entrance of the Tora prison clinic in the Egyptian capital Cairo (AFP/fi…

Staff (2020-11-03). "I Am a Citizen": Watch Nikki Giovanni Read Her Poem "Vote" on the Power of the Ballot. democracynow.org Acclaimed poet and activist Nikki Giovanni has a new collection of poems called "Make Me Rain," a celebration of her Black heritage, as well as an exploration of racism and white nationalism. In the poem "Vote," Giovanni offers her thoughts on the importance of voting. It was filmed by The Meteor, a feminist collective of activists, journalists and creators, part of a daily Instagram series focusing on voting rights.

_____ (2020-11-03). 'The Coming War On China' — Watch John Pilger's Powerfully Relevant Documentary. strategic-culture.org Caitlin JOHNSTONE | "The aim of this film is to break a silence: the United States and China may well be on the road to war, and nuclear war is no longer unthinkable," Pilger says in his 2016 documentary The Coming War on China, which "In a few years China has become the world's second-biggest economic power," Pilger's introduction continues. "The United States is the world's biggest military power, with bases and missiles and ships covering ever…

CFJPIME (2020-11-03). Canadian Organizations: Maintain Support for Palestinian Self-Determination at UN. globalresearch.ca As the UN General Assembly gears up for a series of votes on 16 annual resolutions in support of Palestinian human rights, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) and the Coalition of Canadian Palestinian Organizations (CCPO) …

Peoples Dispatch (2020-11-03). Widespread condemnation of Israeli raids and arrests of Palestinian leaders, activists. peoplesdispatch.org Organizations have called for the swift and unconditional release of all the Palestinian leaders and activists arrested in the late night raids on Monday, while also demanding freedom for all Palestinian political prisoners and administrative detainees…

news.un (2020-11-03). Nigerians need justice, UN rights experts say, in call for inquiry into protestor killings. news.un.org The Nigerian Government must establish a credible, independent inquiry into the recent killing of at least 12 peaceful protestors by soldiers, a group of independent UN human rights experts said on Tuesday, as demonstrations against a discredited police unit continue across the country.

news.un (2020-11-03). UN expert urges Myanmar not to undermine 'very lifeblood of democracy' ahead of polls. news.un.org An independent UN human rights expert has called on the Government and military of Myanmar to stop persecuting opposition supporters, including journalists and student protesters, ahead of next week's general elections.

news.un (2020-11-03). Cà¥te d'Ivoire: UN reports 3,000 flee abroad amid electoral violence. news.un.org Several thousand people have fled from election-related violence in Cà¥te d'Ivoire to seek sanctuary in neighbouring Liberia, Ghana and Togo, fearing a repeat of the major conflict that followed the election in 2011, the UN refugee agency UNHCR said on Tuesday.

Walter Mosley (2020-11-03). To Repair Our Country, Start by Repairing Our Political Language. thenation.com To Repair Our Country, Start by Repairing Our Political Language…

_____ (2020-11-02). 'Let The World Remember How We Lost Palestine'. popularresistance.org Occupied Palestine – Today, Palestinians and human rights advocates around the world are marking 103 years since the Balfour Declaration was issued on November 2, 1917. | Using the hashtag #Balfour103, Palestinian and pro-Palestine activists have called to participate in a campaign they launched to commemorate the 103rd anniversary of the Balfour Declaration, rejecting the ominous promise. | The Balfour Declaration was issued by Britain when Arthur James Balfour, Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, sent a letter to Lord Lionel Walter Rothschild, one of the leaders of the World Zionist movement…

Federico Fuentes (2020-11-02). Maduro's anti-blockade law deepens debate over revolution's future. zcomm.org Maduro proposed the new anti-blockade law, arguing it is essential to helping circumvent the sanctions. But some sectors believe it represents an important departure from the socialist policies of his predecessor, Hugo Chávez…

Anya Parampil (2020-11-02). Survivors of Bolivia coup massacre cry out for justice — A Grayzone original documentary. thegrayzone.com The Grayzone traveled to Bolivia to produce this documentary investigating the coup government's massacre of indigenous protesters in the Senkata area of El Alto in November 2019. We interviewed family members of victims and human rights lawyers trying to hold the Jeanine àÅñez transitional administration to justice. By Anya Parampil Camera, editing and scoring by Ben Norton…

MEE staff (2020-11-02). Egypt detains two men on 'suspicion' over their sexual orientation: HRW. middleeasteye.net Egypt detains two men on 'suspicion' over their sexual orientation: HRW | Seif Bedour and Ahmed al-Ganzoury are now imprisoned with alleged Fairmont hotel rapists and have been subjected to abuse in custody, rights group says | Mon, 11/02/2020 – 16: 48 | Egyptian authorities arrested Seif Bedour (left) and Ahmed al-Ganzoury (right) for 'suspicion' over their sexual orientation (Human Rights Watch/Private) | Eg…

Areeb Ullah (2020-11-02). Saudi Arabia 'censored' criticism by top economist during T20 summit. middleeasteye.net Saudi Arabia 'censored' criticism by top economist during T20 summit | Nobel Laureate Joseph Stiglitz criticised Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman over the murder of Jamal Khashoggi | Mon, 11/02/2020 – 11: 15 | Joseph Stiglitz shed light on human rights violations in Saudi Arabia during his virtual participation at the Think 20 summit hosted by Riyadh (Screengrab) | Saudi Arabia censored a speech gi…

RT (2020-11-02). Discrimination against men? Navalny-ally Milov challenges law preventing mothers of young kids being imprisoned, but not fathers. rt.com Russian activist Vladimir Milov has complained to the Constitutional Court about sexism against men embedded in the country's laws. In Russia, women with young children cannot be jailed for administrative offenses, but men can. | As per the country's legal code, certain sections of society cannot be detained for administrative offenses, such as pregnant women, people under 18, and women with children under the age of 14. In 2019, Milov was jailed for 30 days despite having a two-year-old son, and now wants the law to be changed to include fathers with children under 14, as well as mothers. | According to the T…

The Canary (2020-11-02). Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe 'relieved' at avoiding prison after court hearing. thecanary.co Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has expressed her relief at not being sent back to prison after appearing before a court in Iran, according to her family.The 42-year-old British-Iranian dual national was told she would be returned to Evin prison in Tehran following Monday's hearing, but it was adjourned before she could put forward a defence, her husband Richard Ratcliffe said.She has been detained in Iran since 2016, when she was sentenced to five years in prison over allegations, which she denies, of plotting to overthrow the Iranian government. | Free Nazanin campaign can confirm that today (Monday 2 November) Nazan…

news.un (2020-11-02). Protect children and relief workers caught up in conflict, urges UN rights envoy. news.un.org Indiscriminate attacks on education and health facilities during armed conflict is having a "dramatic impact" on children and humanitarian personnel, the UN envoy for Children and Armed Conflict said on Monday.

Paul Dobson (2020-11-02). US Cuts Venezuela's Diesel Lifeline with Sanctions Clampdown. venezuelanalysis.com The move is expected to have a "devastating" impact on agriculture, water treatment and electricity generation.

Peoples Dispatch (2020-11-02). 100+ days without Garifuna community members. peoplesdispatch.org Over 100 days have passed since 5 members of the Garifuna community in Triunfo de la Cruz, Honduras were kidnapped by armed men dressed in police uniforms. Four of the five who were abducted are members of OFRANEH, a grassroots organization of the Afro-descendant and indigenous Garifuna community in Honduras. OFRANEH, along with other Honduran and international human rights organizations have been mobilizing to demand their immediate safe return. They have criticized the Honduran government led by Juan Orlando Hernández for its lack of seriousness and will to find those responsible and bring the disappeared home…

news.un (2020-11-02). UN rights chief warns of possible war crimes in Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. news.un.org The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has warned of possible war crimes in the ongoing fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone.

ACLU (2020-11-02). At the Polls, Episode 8: Know Your Rights on Election Day. aclu.org It's time for the main event: Election Day. Are you ready to vote? , , Election Day is finally here, and we at the ACLU are here to ensure you As we enter the final s…

Julia Conley, staff writer (2020-11-02). 'We Plan to Stay Relentless': After Pepper-Spray Attack by Police, NC Poll Marchers Vow Return on Election Day. commondreams.org A minister in Alamance County, North Carolina on Monday said he and other voting rights advocates intend to return to the streets on Election Day, three days after police pepper sprayed a gathering of 200 marchers in Graham, N.C. as they held a Get Out the Vote rally. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

WSWS (2020-11-02). Kenosha shooter Kyle Rittenhouse extradited to Wisconsin. wsws.org The 17-year-old vigilante was being held in an Illinois juvenile detention facility on charges of gunning down two protesters in Kenosha, Wisconsin in August, and wounding a third.

Raul Diego (2020-11-02). New COVID-19 Security Measures Will Make Health a Prerequisite for Travel. globalresearch.ca As the multi-sector, global response to the coronavirus tightens the noose around civil liberties, CommonPass stands out as one of the most appalling and dangerous attacks on basic human rights in the name of public health. | *** | Imagine standing …

Andrew Emett (2020-11-02). Innocent mother beaten by Philly cops on video filing lawsuit. nationofchange.org Attorneys representing the victim have confirmed she is filing a civil rights case against the police department.

Keisha N. Blain (2020-11-02). This Election, Black Women Are Coming to the Rescue—Again. thenation.com This Election, Black Women Are Coming to the Rescue—Again…

Teaneck International Film Festival (2020-11-02). Saturday 11/14: "Good Trouble": Virtual Screening of Documentary on Civil Rights Icon, Rep. John Lewis. indybay.org Online/virtual screening…

Mehr News Agency (2020-11-02). 22 Iranian convicts transferred from Iraq to Islamic Republic. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Nov. 02 (MNA) — Iranian Deputy Justice Minister for Human Rights and International Affairs said that 22 Iranian convicts have been transferred from Iraq to Iran.

Keisha N. Blain (2020-11-02). This Election, Black Women Are Leading the Way—Again. thenation.com This Election, Black Women Are Leading the Way—Again…

_____ (2020-11-02). How Maher al-Akhras Is Resisting Israel's Administrative Detention. popularresistance.org Facing imminent death, 49-year-old Maher al-Akhras has been refusing to eat in prison for more than three months. The Palestinian father of six has been protesting his repeated arbitrary arrests; he is currently in administrative detention, without charge or trial. | Like many hunger strikers before him, Akhras does not seek death, although he is evidently prepared to die. The hunger strike is his way of refusing to become a modern-day Sisyphus, completing one administrative detention only to begin another. Reclaiming his body from the hands of Israeli authorities, he now wields his own life as a card to make a s…

Brett Wilkins, staff writer (2020-11-02). 'Huge Victory for Texas Voters': Federal Judge Rules in Favor of 127,000 Drive-Thru Ballots. commondreams.org "This is what democracy looks like," said one ACLU lawyer. "Our justice system did its duty today to ensure voting rights are protected and our democracy remains intact." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Rohollah Faghihi (2020-11-02). Millions of Iranians at Risk as US Sanctions Choke Insulin Supplies. globalresearch.ca A new tranche of sanctions imposed by the US on Iran has exacerbated the insulin shortage crisis in the Islamic Republic and boosted its smuggling, patients and doctors told Middle East Eye. | On 8 October, the US Treasury announced that …

_____ (2020-11-02). Grace Is Out Of Jail And Back In School. popularresistance.org Oakland County, MI – Ten minutes before her debut and three months after she became known as the Michigan girl sent to juvenile detention for failing to do her online schoolwork, Grace* hurried into a bustling doughnut shop in suburban Detroit and plopped into a leather chair next to her mother. She straightened her headband and searched her pockets, unsuccessfully, for lip gloss. She tapped a few final notes into her phone. | Then, ignoring her mother's request to sit up straight, Grace leaned in toward her laptop and, for the first time since her case gained national notoriety as a symbol of racial inequities i…

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (2020-11-01). The Covid-19 Numbers Game: The "Second Wave" is Based on Fake Statistics. globalresearch.ca "Red zones", travel bans, quarantines, "red lists". A "Second Wave". Millions of people are lining up for Covid-19 testing. The "Numbers Game". How statistics and "estimates" are used by politicians to justify the closure of the national economy and the derogation of fundamental civil rights.

Mehr News Agency (2020-11-01). Press conf. of 'Devotees of Velayat Sanctuary 9' held. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Nov. 01 (MNA) — The press conference of a large-scale Air Force military drill, codenamed Fada'eeyan-e Harim-e Velayat 9 (The Devotees of the Velayat Sanctuary 9), was held.

sputniknews (2020-11-01). Corbyn's Suspension: Labour May Lose $7 Mln a Year in Funding From Unions, UK Media Says. sputniknews.com On Thursday, former UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn was suspended from the party following his comments on the Equalities and Human Rights Commission's Labour-related report into allegations of anti-Semitism.

Mehr News Agency (2020-11-01). $8b of import items on domestic production list. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Nov. 01 (MNA) — Strengthening domestic production has become a major focus of the Iranian government in the past few years, as the country is determined to nullify the US sanctions.

Mehr News Agency (2020-11-01). US imposition of cruel sanctions on Iran, 'a failed policy'. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Nov. 01 (MNA) — Chairman of Iran-Russia Parliamentary Friendship Group said that the US imposition of sanctions against Islamic Republic of Iran is a failed policy.

Walter Smolarek (2020-10-31). Federal court strikes blow to voting rights in key battleground state Minnesota. liberationnews.org A 2-1 decision by federal judges on the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals has raised the prospect that hundreds of thousands of mail-in votes will not be counted in the critical swing state of Minnesota.

Maryam Jameela (2020-10-31). Research keeps ignoring disabled People of Colour. But we exist too. thecanary.co Disabled People of Colour are being left out of conversations on disability rights. It's happening in government reports and even in reports from charities. Experiences of ableism are not separate from experiences of racism. And disabled People of Colour don't experience ableism or racism in turns, only one at a time. Other factors often complicate things too. It's time we worked to bring these issues forward.What we're doing: The Canary's investigations unit uncovers, among other things, stories about communities organising amongst themselves. These communities are forced to act for themselves when the es…

_____ (2020-10-31). Weaponising Human Rights: Can the Magnitsky Act Deny Due Process? strategic-culture.org The Australian parliament seems about to approve a 'human rights' law that would establish the ability to exert arbitrary state power over individuals in other countries who have been accused of human rights violations. Ironically, this law gives the accused no day in court, and no chance to see charges or evidence, confront accusers, present a defence or have a ruling made by an authority other than the prosecution.

_____ (2020-10-31). Sanctions, Elections And Tactical Opportunities. popularresistance.org First, the very existence of the Venezuelan nation-state is at stake in the upcoming elections. Of course, all countries on the periphery struggle for their existence in the unequal power relationship that exists between the Global North and the Global South. This is a global class struggle, where the aggressor is the imperialist pole, represented by NATO. They aim to recolonize our continent. | As such, the struggle in the upcoming elections is not with the Venezuelan opposition, which merely reflects the White House's interests.

Emily Apple (2020-10-31). Jeremy Corbyn's suspension is a massive distraction from what's actually in the EHRC report. thecanary.co Jeremy Corbyn's suspension from the Labour Party was rightly greeted with shock and an On 29 October, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) published its long-awaited report into antisemitism in the Labour Party. The BBC

WSWS (2020-10-31). Starmer begins purge of Corbyn supporters from UK Labour Party. wsws.org To enforce its McCarthyite witch-hunt Labour's "Governance and Legal Unit" declared that the Equality and Human Rights Commission's (EHRC) "Investigation into antisemitism in the Labour Party" could not be criticised by any party member.

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2020-10-31). 'So, So Cruel': Rights Advocates, Biden Campaign Sound Alarm About Immigration Agenda Stephen Miller Is Crafting for Trump's Second Term. commondreams.org According to the Democratic nominee, "This agenda is designed to do one thing only: divide our communities with cheap, xenophobic rhetoric, and demonize those seeking to make legitimate asylum claims." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

_____ (2020-10-31). Modern Piracy And US Sanctions. popularresistance.org Washington announced in August that it had confiscated 1.1 million barrels of gasoline from four tankers en route between the two countries, which are both under illegal US sanctions. | "We estimate that in excess of $40 million will be recouped by the United States related to the sale of petroleum from those four vessels," Michael Sherwin, the acting US attorney for the District of Columbia, told reporters by telephone. He added that a "great portion" of it would be contributed to a US fund for victims of "state-sponsored terrorism," without providing any details.

Virginia Rodino (2020-10-30). Why I'm Voting Green in 2020. globalresearch.ca Author's note: Kevin and I worked on this article together right before his untimely passing on September 6. I met Kevin during Ralph Nader's 2004 presidential campaign. Throughout the years since, I appreciated seeing his anti-imperialist and eco-socialist arguments strengthen …