Monthly Archives: December 2020

2020-12-23: News Headlines

_____ (2020-12-23). Israel's Genocide In Gaza Goes Uninterrupted. popularresistance.org A report published by the United Nations in 2018 stated that by the year 2020 the Gaza Strip would be uninhabitable. It said specifically that, "the United Nations has stated that Gaza may well be unlivable by 2020." The report emphasized also that "Michael Lynk, Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in the Palestinian Territories Occupied Since 1967, drew attention to Israel's persistent non-cooperation with the Special Rapporteur's mandate. As with his two predecessors, Israel has not granted him entry to visit the country, nor the Occupied Palestinian territory." Anyone who thinks that the Gaza S…

José Carlos Llerena (2020-12-23). Peruvian agricultural workers' strike met with violent repression. peoplesdispatch.org Agricultural workers are mobilizing to demand that the Peruvian government and Congress follow through on their promise to pass a law granting labor rights and ensuring better working conditions for workers in this sector…

MEE staff (2020-12-23). Hollywood 'wouldn't touch' Khashoggi documentary, director says. middleeasteye.net Hollywood 'wouldn't touch' Khashoggi documentary, director says | Award-winning director Bryan Fogel says film distributors 'look the other way' when it comes to human rights abuses in kingdom | Wed, 12/23/2020 – 21: 51 | Fogel also slams media companies for making deals with Saudi companies or taking Saudi investment (AFP/File image) | The director of an upcoming documentary about slain Saudi journalist Jamal…

Zoe PC (2020-12-23). Colombian social organizations hail release of peasant leaders, condemn 'frame-up'. peoplesdispatch.org Following mobilizations calling for their release, the judge overseeing the case ruled that the three leaders – Teófilo Acuña, Adelso Gallo and Robert Daza – will not be held in preventative detention while they await trial…

Brandon Jones (2020-12-23). Remembering William Winter: Mississippi governor championed public education and civil rights. splcenter.org &nbsp…

Middle East Eye (2020-12-23). US Sanctions London-based Family of Assad's Wife Under Caesar Act. globalresearch.ca The US issued fresh sanctions on Tuesday against the wife of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and members of her London-based family, in the latest designation on Syria's ruling family under the Caesar Act. | In addition to designating Asma al-Assad for …

Orinoco Tribune (2020-12-23). US Attack: Treasury Department Imposes New Sanctions on Cuba and Nicaragua. globalresearch.ca The US imposed sanctions on three Cuban entities and three Nicaraguan citizens, the US Treasury Department reported today. | The Office of Foreign Assets Control of the Treasury Department sanctioned the Cuban companies Grupo de Administración Empresarial, Financiera Cimex and Kave …

news.un (2020-12-23). Central African Republic: UN rights office warns of 'escalating violence' ahead of Sunday poll. news.un.org Just days before elections in the Central African Republic (CAR), an uptick in armed violence is threatening the safety of civilians and their right to vote, according to the UN human rights office.

WSWS (2020-12-23). Russia imposes sanctions on German officials as Navalny story assumes farcical character. wsws.org For the imperialist powers, no lie is too big, and no story too absurd, to not be employed in the service of war propaganda.

Attorney Kellie Walters (2020-12-23). Outrage After Sacramento Police Illegally Detain and Terrorize 14-Year-Old African-American. indybay.org An African-American mother has expressed outrage at the ongoing practice of illegal detention by the Sacramento Police Department after the City's police officers detained and harassed her under aged son without provocation for the second time in fifteen months.

Margaret Flowers (2020-12-22). This Is How We Fight for Our Human Rights. dissidentvoice.org Person arrested protesting for Medicare for All. New York City. 2009 (HealthcareNow.org.) It was ten years ago last week that the Arab Spring began. I recall it well as the day before Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire in Tunisia and ignited a revolutionary movement, I stood in the snow for hours protesting outside the …

Dr. Pascal Sacré (2020-12-22). The COVID-19 RT-PCR Test: How to Mislead All Humanity. Using a "Test" To Lock Down Society. globalresearch.ca The misuse of the RT-PCR technique is used as an intentional strategy by some governments, supported by scientific safety councils and by the dominant media, to justify the violation of a large number of constitutional rights, the destruction of the economy with the bankruptcy of entire active sectors of society,…

Mehr News Agency (2020-12-22). IRIMC calls on WHO to act against US sanction amid Covid-19. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 22 (MNA) — Cheif of Iran's Medical council called on the Director-General of WHO to take appropriate measures against the US cruel sanctions preventing Iran from providing Covid-19 vaccines.

Paul Antonopoulos (2020-12-22). US Treasury Accuses Vietnam of Currency Manipulation, but this Will Not Lead to Sanctions. globalresearch.ca The U.S. Treasury Department accused Vietnam of currency manipulation in its

Andrea Germanos, staff writer (2020-12-22). Class-Action Suit Sought Over 'Disturbing Pattern of Inhumane Medical Abuse' of ICE Detainees Including Forced Hysterectomies. commondreams.org "In many instances the medically unindicated gynecological procedures," the filing states, "amounted to sexual assault." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

MEE and agencies (2020-12-22). UN calls for $156m to aid Ethiopian refugees in Sudan. middleeasteye.net UN calls for $156m to aid Ethiopian refugees in Sudan | United Nations seeking access to war-torn Tigray region of Ethiopia, from where hundreds of thousands have been displaced | Tue, 12/22/2020 – 16: 37 | Ethiopian refugees who fled fighting in Tigray receive maternity care in the Hamdaiet area of Sudan's eastern Kassala state on 22 November 2020 (AFP) | The United Nations on Tuesday app…

Fight Back (2020-12-22). Solidarity with the trade unionists in the Philippines, Human Rights Day 7. fightbacknews.org We strongly condemn the repression that has been unleashed against leading trade unionists in the Philippines and stand in solidarity with the militant labor federation Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) / May First Movement. | On Human Rights Day, December 10, the Philippine National Police raided the homes and jailed Dennise Velasco of Defend Jobs Philippines; Romina Astudillo, Deputy Secretary-General of Kilusang Mayo Uno-Metro Manila; Mark Ryan Cruz, Regional Executive Committee of KMU-Metro Manila; Jaymie Gregorio Jr. of KMU-Metro Manila; Joel Demate of Solidarity of Labor Rights and Welfare (SOLAR); Rodrigo Esparago o…

SHLMTHH (2020-12-22). The Red House: A cautionary tale. nationofchange.org Let's be clear. Red House is about armed conflict and the violation of human rights in the name of opposing the violation of human rights, which is nakedly oxymoronic.

teleSUR (2020-12-22). Nicaragua: National Assembly Approves Law To Defend Its People. telesurenglish.net Nicaragua's National Assembly approved on Monday the "Law for the defense of people's rights to independence, sovereignty, and self-determination for peace." The legislation aims at ensuring that individuals who act against the country's independence will lose the right to be elected for public service. | RELATED: | The law establishes that "Nicaraguans who lead or finance a coup, who alter the constitutional order, w…

Janice Kortkamp (2020-12-22). "Walk the Streets of Damascus, and Listen to the People Concerning US Sanctions and Aggression Against Syria" globalresearch.ca The Syrian crisis which began in 2011 has left many wondering what it was really about. Most western news observers may be confused, disinterested, or have bought-in to the lies they were told by the media. However, there is an …

sputniknews (2020-12-22). Tunisian Foreign Ministry Denies Plans to Establish Diplomatic Relations With Israel. sputniknews.com CAIRO (Sputnik) – Tunisia has no intention to establish diplomatic relations with Israel or participate in any initiatives that directly or collaterally violate the rights of Palestinians, the Tunisian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.

Niko Harting (2020-12-22). "Health is not a Super basic right" indybay.org What has to change with regard to the handling of our fundamental rights from a legal, but also from a political point of view? The federal government's Corona policy is not without alternatives, and it has by no means always been successful, as the unsuccessful "partial lockdown" has shown. Nor is there "science" that agrees on necessary measures; there are also many critical voices among medical experts.

Ahmad Jalalpour (2020-12-21). Iran Is Nearing Collapse Under the Strain of Covid-19. thenation.com Iran Is Nearing Collapse Under the Strain of Covid-19…

Staff (2020-12-21). Mothers Are Pushing to Free Their Children From Prison During COVID. truthout.org "Mom and Pop's, | I could no longer breathe too good. So I alerted the med tech. I was tested for COVID-19 and it came back positive. Right now, I'm in the south house in a cell by myself. I love you guys very much." | This is an email that no parent should ever have to read. Matthew Echevarria — a survivor of Chicago police torture who was convicted of a crime he did not commit — sent this email to his parents Denise and Brian Bronis from Menard Correctional Center where he is currently i…

Medea Benjamin, Marcy Winograd (2020-12-21). No, Joe, Don't Roll out the Red Carpet for Torture Enablers. commondreams.org We need political leaders and intelligence community officials who acknowledge that torture is illegal under international law, inhumane, and ineffective. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Alan Macleod (2020-12-21). Trump Enacts Sweeping New Sanctions on China, Iran, Venezuela. Biden Promises More To Come. mintpressnews.com The new sanctions come even as an estimated 100,000 people have been killed by American sanctions in Venezuela alone as vital medical equipment and lifesaving drugs have been blocked from entering the country.

RT (2020-12-21). More sanctions! Russian Defense Ministry, aviation & space companies on US Christmas list of 'prohibited' export destinations. rt.com The US Department of Commerce has published a list of 103 Russian and Chinese entities, including the Russian Defense Ministry, that will be affected by the ban on exporting American technology to military end-users. | The list includes the developers of Soyuz space rockets which the US has been reliant on to access to International Space Station. It was

Peoples Dispatch (2020-12-21). Feminist organizations demand abortion rights in Dominican Republic. peoplesdispatch.org During his election campaign, newly elected President Luis Abinader promised to support abortion rights. However, the president of the chamber of deputies from Abinader's party proposed to draft a new penal code without including them…

2020-12-22: News Headlines

Dr. Pascal Sacré (2020-12-22). The COVID-19 RT-PCR Test: How to Mislead All Humanity. Using a "Test" To Lock Down Society. globalresearch.ca The misuse of the RT-PCR technique is used as an intentional strategy by some governments, supported by scientific safety councils and by the dominant media, to justify the violation of a large number of constitutional rights, the destruction of the economy with the bankruptcy of entire active sectors of society,…

Mehr News Agency (2020-12-22). IRIMC calls on WHO to act against US sanction amid Covid-19. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 22 (MNA) — Cheif of Iran's Medical council called on the Director-General of WHO to take appropriate measures against the US cruel sanctions preventing Iran from providing Covid-19 vaccines.

MEE and agencies (2020-12-22). UN calls for $156m to aid Ethiopian refugees in Sudan. middleeasteye.net UN calls for $156m to aid Ethiopian refugees in Sudan | United Nations seeking access to war-torn Tigray region of Ethiopia, from where hundreds of thousands have been displaced | Tue, 12/22/2020 – 16: 37 | Ethiopian refugees who fled fighting in Tigray receive maternity care in the Hamdaiet area of Sudan's eastern Kassala state on 22 November 2020 (AFP) | The United Nations on Tuesday app…

Paul Antonopoulos (2020-12-22). US Treasury Accuses Vietnam of Currency Manipulation, but this Will Not Lead to Sanctions. globalresearch.ca The U.S. Treasury Department accused Vietnam of currency manipulation in its

news.un (2020-12-22). Tigray: Hundreds of civilians reported killed in artillery strikes, warns UN rights chief. news.un.org Reports of artillery strikes on civilians and mass killings of non-combatants in Ethiopia's Tigray region, must be investigated and full access granted to independent investigators, UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet said on Tuesday.

SHLMTHH (2020-12-22). The Red House: A cautionary tale. nationofchange.org Let's be clear. Red House is about armed conflict and the violation of human rights in the name of opposing the violation of human rights, which is nakedly oxymoronic.

Fight Back (2020-12-22). Solidarity with the trade unionists in the Philippines, Human Rights Day 7. fightbacknews.org We strongly condemn the repression that has been unleashed against leading trade unionists in the Philippines and stand in solidarity with the militant labor federation Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) / May First Movement. | On Human Rights Day, December 10, the Philippine National Police raided the homes and jailed Dennise Velasco of Defend Jobs Philippines; Romina Astudillo, Deputy Secretary-General of Kilusang Mayo Uno-Metro Manila; Mark Ryan Cruz, Regional Executive Committee of KMU-Metro Manila; Jaymie Gregorio Jr. of KMU-Metro Manila; Joel Demate of Solidarity of Labor Rights and Welfare (SOLAR); Rodrigo Esparago o…

Janice Kortkamp (2020-12-22). "Walk the Streets of Damascus, and Listen to the People Concerning US Sanctions and Aggression Against Syria" globalresearch.ca The Syrian crisis which began in 2011 has left many wondering what it was really about. Most western news observers may be confused, disinterested, or have bought-in to the lies they were told by the media. However, there is an …

Attorney Kellie Walters (2020-12-22). Outrage After Sacramento Police Illegally Detain and Terrorize 14-Year-Old African-America. indybay.org An African-American mother has expressed outrage at the ongoing practice of illegal detention by the Sacramento Police Department after the City's police officers detained and harassed her under aged son without provocation for the second time in fifteen months.

Niko Harting (2020-12-22). "Health is not a Super basic right" indybay.org What has to change with regard to the handling of our fundamental rights from a legal, but also from a political point of view? The federal government's Corona policy is not without alternatives, and it has by no means always been successful, as the unsuccessful "partial lockdown" has shown. Nor is there "science" that agrees on necessary measures; there are also many critical voices among medical experts.

Staff (2020-12-21). Mothers Are Pushing to Free Their Children From Prison During COVID. truthout.org "Mom and Pop's, | I could no longer breathe too good. So I alerted the med tech. I was tested for COVID-19 and it came back positive. Right now, I'm in the south house in a cell by myself. I love you guys very much." | This is an email that no parent should ever have to read. Matthew Echevarria — a survivor of Chicago police torture who was convicted of a crime he did not commit — sent this email to his parents Denise and Brian Bronis from Menard Correctional Center where he is currently i…

Ahmad Jalalpour (2020-12-21). Iran Is Nearing Collapse Under the Strain of Covid-19. thenation.com Iran Is Nearing Collapse Under the Strain of Covid-19…

Medea Benjamin, Marcy Winograd (2020-12-21). No, Joe, Don't Roll out the Red Carpet for Torture Enablers. commondreams.org We need political leaders and intelligence community officials who acknowledge that torture is illegal under international law, inhumane, and ineffective. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

RT (2020-12-21). More sanctions! Russian Defense Ministry, aviation & space companies on US Christmas list of 'prohibited' export destinations. rt.com The US Department of Commerce has published a list of 103 Russian and Chinese entities, including the Russian Defense Ministry, that will be affected by the ban on exporting American technology to military end-users. | The list includes the developers of Soyuz space rockets which the US has been reliant on to access to International Space Station. It was

Alan Macleod (2020-12-21). Trump Enacts Sweeping New Sanctions on China, Iran, Venezuela. Biden Promises More To Come. mintpressnews.com The new sanctions come even as an estimated 100,000 people have been killed by American sanctions in Venezuela alone as vital medical equipment and lifesaving drugs have been blocked from entering the country.

_____ (2020-12-21). Ex-UK Ambassador On Syria And Propaganda. popularresistance.org Former UK ambassador to Syria Peter Ford on how the US and its allies continue to wage war on Syria via sadistic sanctions, an illegal US military occupation, the OPCW cover-up, and media propaganda that masks the brutality. | Syria and its allies prevented regime change, but the US and its allies are continuing to squeeze Syria's population with crippling sanctions on all aspects of civilian life and a US military occupation in Syria's northeast breadbasket. Peter Ford, the former UK Ambassador to Syria, analyzes the state of the Syria proxy war and the ongoing propaganda campaign to whitewash it.

teleSUR (2020-12-21). China Rejects US Pressure on Cuba Over Human Rights. telesurenglish.net The spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Wang-Wenbin ratified his government's opposition to the double standards and criticism used as an excuse for foreign interference on the island. | RELATED: | Wenbin highlighted China's position that the United States must respect Cuban sovereignty and independence, in addition to eliminating the economic, financial, and commercial blockade that – unilaterally an…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-12-21). Feminist organizations demand abortion rights in Dominican Republic. peoplesdispatch.org During his election campaign, newly elected President Luis Abinader promised to support abortion rights. However, the president of the chamber of deputies from Abinader's party proposed to draft a new penal code without including them…

sputniknews (2020-12-21). US Names New Official to Handle Human Rights, Democracy at State Department. sputniknews.com WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – The US Department of State has selected a new official to handle the functions of promoting democracy and human rights, Secretary of State Michael Pompeo said in a statement.

Aaron Maté (2020-12-20). Ex-UK Ambassador: war on Syria continues with US occupation, sanctions, propaganda. thegrayzone.com Peter Ford, the former UK Ambassador to Syria, on how the US and its allies continue to wage war on Syria via sadistic sanctions, an illegal US military occupation, the OPCW cover-up, and media propaganda that masks the brutality. Syria and its allies prevented regime change, but the US and its allies are continuing to squeeze Syria's population with crippling sanctions on all aspects of civilian life and a US military occupation in Syria's northeast breadbasket. Peter Ford, the former …

Pip Hinman (2020-12-20). Vigil for Muhammad — Malaysian student dies in detention. greenleft.org.au Activists organised a vigil for a young Malaysian student who died in the Villawood detention centre, reports Stephen Langford.

Ricardo Vaz (2020-12-19). US Sanctions Venezuelan Electoral Technology Company. venezuelanalysis.com Ex-Cle Soluciones Biometricas has provided software in voting processes.

Special to People's World (2020-12-18). Remembering protest singer Phil Ochs on his 80th birthday. peoplesworld.org For those not fortunate enough to recall, Phil Ochs was one of our nation's most profound singer/songwriters in the period that bridged the Civil Rights, antiwar, and feminist movements. He was born on December 19, 1940: This week, he would have been 80 years old. His topical songs called for peace and an equitable society. They called for …