(2020-12-02). Update: Forced-hysterectomy victims in ICE detention deported. therealnews.com 
Eddie Conway talks to Azadeh Shahshahani, Project South Legal and Advocacy Director and lawyer for Dawn Wooten, a nurse at Irwin County Detention Center and the whistleblower who sounded the alarm on ICE abuses, including the case of ICE detainees being forced to have hysterectomies while in custody…
(2020-12-02). Egypt: Amnesty condemns 'horrifying execution spree'. middleeasteye.net 
Egypt: Amnesty condemns 'horrifying execution spree' | Dozens of people have been put to death in the past two months according to UK-based rights group | Wed, 12/02/2020 – 08: 14 | Amnesty said the 'execution spree' followed an incident in September at Cairo's Tora prison in which several policemen and death-row prisoners were killed in a botched breakout attempt (AFP) | Amnesty Internati…
(2020-12-02). Labor's Continuing Corbyn "Antisemitism" Saga. counterpunch.org 
The fallout regarding the UK's Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) report on antisemitism in the Labour party continues, as do its repercussions for the former leader Jeremy Corbyn. I discussed the report in a previous CounterPunch post, pointing out that while it didn't uphold the claim by the Jewish Labour Movement, which issued the first
(2020-12-02). Palestinian prisoner Maher-al-Akhras released after 103-day hunger strike. workers.org 
Hunger striker Maher al-Akhras Palestinian political prisoner Maher al-Akhras was released from Israeli prison Nov. 26. He had staged a hunger strike for 103 days in protest of his arrest and incarceration. He was held by occupation forces under "administrative detention" and was never charged with a crime. Akhras, who . . . |
(2020-12-02). Update: Forced-hysterectomy victims in ICE detention deported. therealnews.com Eddie Conway talks to Azadeh Shahshahani, Project South Legal and Advocacy Director and lawyer for Dawn Wooten, a nurse at Irwin County Detention Center and the whistleblower who sounded the alarm on ICE abuses, including the case of ICE detainees being forced to have hysterectomies while in custody…
(2020-12-02). Palestinian prisoner Maher al-Akhras released after 103-day hunger strike. workers.org Hunger striker Maher al-Akhras Palestinian political prisoner Maher al-Akhras was released from Israeli prison Nov. 26. He had staged a hunger strike for 103 days in protest of his arrest and incarceration. He was held by occupation forces under "administrative detention" and was never charged with a crime. Akhras, who . . . |
(2020-12-02). Separated Families, Death, and Despair — All at the Hands of CBP. We Need Action, Now. aclu.org Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is at the heart of some of the greatest moral horrors of the last four years, personified in stories that we cannot forget: the
(2020-12-02). Iran Calls On The International Community To Confront Israel. popularresistance.org Iran is asking the international community to confront the Israeli regime's actions, "a murderer of children" and "a violator of human rights." | In a message sent on Tuesday to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, Iranian President Hasan Rohani has declared Iran's strong support for the Palestinian people to achieve their ideals. | Rohani condemned the recent actions of the Israeli regime against the Palestinians, including the killing of Palestinians in custody and the torture of prisoners, especially women and children…
(2020-12-02). The Handmaid's Tale: making a drama out of a crisis. news.un.org The Handmaid's Tale, an award-winning television series, may be about a fictional "alternative reality", but the show's creators have gone to great lengths to ensure that references to themes such as climate change, human rights abuses, and refugees, are as real and accurate as possible, by collaborating closely with UN experts.
(2020-12-02). US sanctions prevent Iran from buying medical equipment. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 02 (MNA) — UN Special Rapporteur said that the US has imposed sanctions on companies that were trying to supply Iran with ventilators.
(2020-12-02). Tuesday 12/8: 18th Annual Human Rights Awards. indybay.org Zoom ID: 864 8365 0623 | us02web.zoom.us/j/86483650623 | Call in: +1 669-900-9128…
(2020-12-02). Is the U.S. Actually a 'Police State'? strategic-culture.org Eric ZUESSE | Is the phrase "police state" anything more than propaganda that a government uses against a foreign government that it wants to overthrow — such as the U.S. did against Iraq before invading it in 2003, and against Libya and Syria since 2011, and against Venezuela since 2012, and against Ukraine since 2013, and in all instances destroyed those countries, allegedly to 'bring democracy and human rights and the rule of law, and fight against corruption' there (as if that were honestly the intention)? | The phrase "police state" is used propagandistically to denigrate a foreign nation that one's ow…
(2020-12-02). 250 Million People Participate In Countrywide Strike In India. popularresistance.org On Thursday, November 26, India witnessed the biggest organized strike in human history. Over 250 million workers and farmers, along with their allies among students, feminists and civil society groups participated in the nationwide strike. The strike coincides with India's Constitution Day, which commemorates the adoption of the constitution in 1949, and comes in the background of an unprecedented attack on workers' rights and farmers' protections by the right-wing government of prime minister Narendra Modi.
(2020-12-02). 'We Need Real Housing Relief for All Tenants'. progressive.org In New York City and throughout the nation, activists are standing up for renters' rights. Rising rents, stagnant wages, and low rental vacancy rates were a toxic mix long before COVID-19 hit U.S. shores.
(2020-12-02). Rainbow Rebellion takes aim at lack of LGBTI rights. greenleft.org.au Rainbow Rebellion marched and chanted through the city's street on November 28 as part of Pride Week, reports Petrina Harley.
(2020-12-01). Israel Releases Mays Abu Ghosh, Palestinian Student Jailed for Membership in Leftist Campus Group. commondreams.org Abu Ghosh—imprisoned for 15 months after joining a banned college organization that opposes Israel's illegal occupation—described torture by her jailers. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-12-01). Warning of International Law Violations, Rights Groups Demand Halt to Trump Weapons Sale to UAE. commondreams.org "In Yemen, airstrikes by the Saudi- and Emirati-led Coalition are responsible for the majority of civilian casualties," 29 groups write in a new letter. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-12-01). Detained Egypt rights lawyer seriously ill and 'at risk' in detention, says family. middleeasteye.net 
Detained Egypt rights lawyer seriously ill and 'at risk' in detention, says family | Hoda Abdelmoneim's husband and daughter are urging authorities to release her after her pretrial detention period has expired | Tue, 12/01/2020 – 15: 51 | "> | Human rights lawyer Hoda Abdelmoneim's pretrial detention expired on 21 November, but she remains in custody (Suppl…
(2020-12-01). France threatens to seek EU-level response if hit by US sanctions over its digital tax on tech giants. rt.com 
France's finance minister has vowed it won't back down in the face of looming US trade sanctions in response to its digital tax on American tech giants, and said it would instantly seek a reaction from the EU if hit by tariffs.
(2020-12-01). Egypt: Photographer and model released after arrest over pyramid photoshoot. middleeasteye.net 
Egypt: Photographer and model released after arrest over pyramid photoshoot | Latest instance of detentions by Egyptian forces over images of women deemed too 'provocative' has garnered mixed reactions online | Tue, 12/01/2020 – 13: 52 | Model Salma al-Shimi in one of the images taken at the Saqqara site (Screengrab/Twitter) | Photos of an Egyptian model have sparked intense debate online, after both the ph…
(2020-12-01). Detained Egypt rights lawyer seriously ill and 'at risk' in detention, says family. middleeasteye.net Detained Egypt rights lawyer seriously ill and 'at risk' in detention, says family | Hoda Abdelmoneim's husband and daughter are urging authorities to release her after her pretrial detention period has expired | Tue, 12/01/2020 – 15: 51 | Human rights lawyer Hoda Abdelmoneim's pretrial detention expired on 21 November, but she remains in custody (Supplied) | The family of detained huma…
(2020-12-01). Egypt: Photographer and model arrested over pyramid photoshoot. middleeasteye.net Egypt: Photographer and model arrested over pyramid photoshoot | Latest instance of detentions by Egyptian forces over images of women deemed too 'provocative' has garnered mixed reactions online | Tue, 12/01/2020 – 13: 52 | Model Salma al-Shimi in one of the images taken at the Saqqara site (Screengrab/Twitter) | Photos of an Egyptian model have sparked intense debate online, after both the photographer an…
(2020-12-01). 'Not useful': Iranian govt speaks out against its parliament backing an end to international inspections of nuclear sites. rt.com 
The national parliament of Iran on Tuesday approved a bill demanding the suspension of UN inspections of its nuclear facilities, but the country's government has opposed the move as "neither necessary nor useful." | The bill approved by MPs would suspend any further UN inspections, and require the government to "produce and store 120kg per year of uranium enriched to 20 percent" if European signatories to the 2015 nuclear deal fail to provide relief from oil and banking sanctions. | This would run counter to Iran's commitments under the deal agreed with world powers, and the parliament's vote prompted the exec…
(2020-12-01). LGBT activists demand boycott of cosmetics chain Lush over donation to 'anti-trans' group Woman's Place UK. rt.com 
Activists are calling for cosmetics brand Lush to be 'cancelled' over the discovery that its UK arm donated £3,000 to Woman's Place UK, a women's rights group that has been accused of stoking anti-trans sentiment. | Women's Place UK received the donation for "events organisation," according to a financial filing published by the group over the weekend. All hell broke loose when LGBT outlet Pink News revealed the grant and claimed it came from Lush's "charity pot," despite supposedly violating the company's donation rules. Woke Twitter erupted in a cancellation frenzy. | Will be not buying a single thing…
(2020-12-01). "I spoke to impoverished families in 1975 and little has changed since then" dissidentvoice.org 
A British family from the film Smashing Kids, 1975. Photograph: John Garrett John Pilger interviewed Irene Brunsden in Hackney, east London about only being able to feed her two-year-old a plate of cornflakes in 1975. Now he sees nervous women queueing at foodbanks with their children as it's revealed 600,000 more kids are in poverty …
(2020-12-01). #24. Silenced in Savannah: Journalist Abby Martin Challenges Georgia's BDS "Gag Law" projectcensored.org Journalist and filmmaker Abby Martin, a supporter of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement that aims to end support for Israel's oppression of Palestinians, was scheduled to give a…
(2020-12-01). Monday 11/30: Gen Z and the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) Webinar. indybay.org Online via Zoom…
(2020-12-01). Chile: Ex-Police Chief Rozas Testifies Over Human Rights Offenses. telesurenglish.net Former Director of Chile's Military Police (Carabineros) Mario Rozas on Monday testified as he faces 36 claims on crimes against humanity and human rights violations, following the popular unrest unleashed in October 2019. | RELATED: | Describing Rozas's testimony as "pertinent and necessary for the clarification of the facts", lawyer Claudia Perivancich presented a request to Santiago's 7th Court of Guarantee early this year in order to take his declar…
(2020-12-01). Beijing Urges US to Lift All 'Illegal Sanctions' Amid Venezuela-Related Restrictions on Chinese Firm. sputniknews.com Washington blacklisted the China National Electronic Import-Export Company (CEIEC) for aiding the Venezuelan government, vowing to block all transactions with the firm or any entity that owns a 50 percent or higher stake in it.
(2020-12-01). Venezuela Denounces US Sanctions Against CEIEC, Foreign Ministry States. sputniknews.com MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Caracas considers the recent US sanctions against the China National Electronic Import-Export Company (CEIEC) an attempt to destabilize the situation ahead of elections, according to a Venezuelan Foreign Ministry statement.
(2020-12-01). 29 organizations call for blocking arms sales to UAE. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 01 (MNA) — Signing a letter, twenty-nine arms control and human rights organizations have voiced their opposition to $23 billion worth of US arms sale to the United Arab Emirates.
(2020-12-01). Envoy says UN must give decisive response on Fakhrizadeh case. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 01 (MNA) — Iran's Permanent Representative to UN Office in Geneva called on the High Commissioner for Human Rights to take decisive action against the assassination of Iranian nuclear scientist.
(2020-12-01). These Visa Recipients Are Stuck in the US And Demanding Their Rights. thenation.com These Visa Recipients Are Stuck in the US And Demanding Their Rights…
(2020-12-01). Terrorism Against Cuba Instigated from Abroad on Social Media. telesurenglish.net Frustrated that their votes did not work to keep the "worst government" in U.S. history in power for another four years and that during their term, they could not bring the Cuban Revolution to its knees, the anti-Cuban extremist forces in Miami are once again betting on the tactic of outrights terrorism against Cuba. | RELATED: | Parallel to the attempts at a soft coup that are being rehearsed these days in Havana, under the observation and…
(2020-12-01). Communities Look Beyond Washington for Solutions to Human Rights Threats. commondreams.org We have seen over the past four years that the U.S. political system is unable to hold leaders accountable even to its own Constitution, and we're watching as the system's legitimacy crumbles, along with protections for basic rights and the most vulnerable. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-12-01). US sanctions Chinese telecom firm for links with Venezuela's CANTV. peoplesdispatch.org The United States has imposed sanctions on a major Chinese tech firm, China National Electronics Import and Export Corporation (CEIEC), for conducting business with Venezuela. The sanctions were announced on November 30, Monday, by the US Treasury Department. The move is based on allegations that the CEIEC is assisting the Venezuelan government to "suppress" dissent. | The allegations come in light of Venezuelan government-run telecom firm CANTV blocking certain websites and platforms linked with pro-coup and pro-Guaido groups. The US government stated that the contract with the CEIEC has assisted in the supposed…
(2020-12-01). Venezuela Rejects US Harassment Against Chinese Tech Company. telesurenglish.net Venezuela's Foreign Affairs Minister Jorge Arreaza called harassment the new U.S. sanctions against China Corporation of Electronic Imports and Exports (CEIEC), which provides telecommunications services in the Latin American country. | RELATED: | "We denounce the U.S. government's coercive measures which were imposed to affect projects in favor of the Venezuelan people ahead of the parliamentary elections," Arreaza tweeted. | On Mond…
(2020-12-01). Women: Part and Parcel of the Persecuted Shiite Community in Bahrain. thealtworld.com Exclusive— Bahraini Women's Day is annually celebrated on 1st December as part of an initiative by the so-called Supreme Council for Women, supposedly an umbrella organization tasked to oversee and honor the "achievements and valuable insights and contribution made by Bahraini women". | Conversely however, this has not necessarily translated into progress for the rights of women in Bahrain. Indeed, Manama has failed to adopt any viable policies that would affect the status of women, who continue to endure the authority's deliberate efforts to silence its political opponents. | In 2002, Bahrain became the fir…
(2020-12-01). MPs ratify general outlines of counteractive plan on JCPOA. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 01 (MNA) — Lawmakers ratified on Tue. the general outlines of a counteractive plan for the lifting of sanctions after the failure of JCPOA's European parties to fulfill commitments and in wake of assassination of an Iranian scientist.
(2020-12-01). Rights groups oppose US arms sale to UAE; demand end of its role in Yemen war. peoplesdispatch.org Two different letters signed by various international organizations were issued on November 30. The signatories ask the US to end all military cooperation with the UAE and also to end its support to the war in Yemen…
(2020-11-30). The Planet Cannot Heal Until We Rip the Mask Off the West's War Machine. counterpunch.org 
Making political sense of the world can be tricky unless one understands the role of the state in capitalist societies. The state is not primarily there to represent voters or uphold democratic rights and values; it is a vehicle for facilitating and legitimating the concentration of wealth and power into fewer and fewer hands.
(2020-11-30). As Thailand continues repression, protesters stand guard against coup. peoplesdispatch.org 
Five Thai human rights activists presented themselves before the police on Monday. Meanwhile, over the previous days, protesters held "coup prevention" actions and marched to the barracks of a regiment commanded by the king…
(2020-11-30). Egypt prosecutor 'temporarily' closes file on Giulio Regeni murder case. middleeasteye.net 
Egypt prosecutor 'temporarily' closes file on Giulio Regeni murder case | No suspects have been identified in case of slain Italian student who was tortured and killed four years ago, Egyptian prosecutor says | Mon, 11/30/2020 – 19: 31 | Activists of human rights organisation Amnesty International take part in a demonstration in Piazza Castello in Turin on 25 January (AFP/File photo) | Egypt's public prosecuto…
(2020-11-30). Egyptian man returns to Australia after 10 month imprisonment in Egypt over Facebook post. middleeasteye.net 
Egyptian man returns to Australia after 10 month imprisonment in Egypt over Facebook post | Waled Youssef was accused of belonging to a banned political group and imprisoned in the notorious Tora prison in Cairo
| Mon, 11/30/2020 – 07: 35 | Youssef's return home comes as Egypt continues to three rights activists from the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights after meeting with E…
(2020-11-30). Egypt prosecutor 'temporarily' closes file on Giulio Regeni murder case. middleeasteye.net Egypt prosecutor 'temporarily' closes file on Giulio Regeni murder case | No suspects have been identified in case of slain Italian student who was tortured and killed four years ago, Egyptian prosecutor says | Mon, 11/30/2020 – 19: 31 | Activists of human rights organisation Amnesty International take part in a demonstration in Piazza Castello in Turin on 25 January (AFP/File photo) | Egypt's public prosecuto…
(2020-11-30). Egyptian man returns to Australia after jailing in Egypt over Facebook post. middleeasteye.net Egyptian man returns to Australia after jailing in Egypt over Facebook post | Waled Youssef was accused of belonging to a banned political group and imprisoned in the notorious Tora prison in Cairo
| Mon, 11/30/2020 – 07: 35 | Youssef's return home comes as Egypt continues to imprison rights activists from the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights after meeting with European dip…
(2020-11-30). Egyptian man returns to Australia after 10 month imprisonment in Egypt over Facebook post. middleeasteye.net Egyptian man returns to Australia after 10 month imprisonment in Egypt over Facebook post | Waled Youssef was accused of belonging to a banned political group and imprisoned in the notorious Tora prison in Cairo
| Mon, 11/30/2020 – 07: 35 | Youssef's return home comes as Egypt continues to three rights activists from the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights after meeting with E…
(2020-11-30). Egyptian man returns to Australia after jailing in Egypt over Facebook post. middleeasteye.net Egyptian man returns to Australia after jailing in Egypt over Facebook post | Waled Youssef was accused of belonging to a banned political group and imprisoned in the notorious Tora prison in Cairo
| Mon, 11/30/2020 – 07: 35 | Youssef's return home comes as Egypt continues to imprison rights activists from the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights after meeting with European dip…
(2020-11-30). ICE detainees in New Jersey stage hunger strike over coronavirus threat. wsws.org Nine immigrants held at Bergen County Jail in Hackensack are demanding release from the rat-infested facility where social distancing is not possible.
(2020-11-30). The Questions You Probably THINK You Know the Answer to — But Likely Don't — About ICE Detention. aclu.org What is ICE detention? What is it not?: | Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE — pronounced "ice," like a cube) detention is civil detention. It is not intended to be