(2021-01-01). People's Vaccine: Calls Grow for Equal Access to Coronavirus Vaccine as Rich Countries Hoard Supply. democracynow.org 
While the United States, Britain and other wealthy countries race to vaccinate their populations against the coronavirus, a new report finds that as much as 90% of the population in dozens of poorer countries could be forced to wait until at least 2022 because wealthy countries are hoarding so much of the vaccine supply. A growing movement is calling for the development of a people's vaccine and the suspension of intellectual property rights to expand access. We speak with Dr. Mohga Kamal-Yanni, a policy adviser to the People's Vaccine Alliance, and Achal Prabhala, a public health advocate and coordinator of the…
(2021-01-01). Venezuela: Opposition-Controlled Parliament To Fade Next Week. telesurenglish.net Venezuela's new Parliament will elect its Board of Directors on January 5, thus renewing the Legislative branch that has promoted foreign aggression and economic sanctions against the country over the last five years. | RELATED: | Since its installation in Jan. 2016, the outgoing opposition-controlled National Assembly advanced an agenda aimed at delegitimizing President Nicolas Maduro's administration and supporting for…
(2021-01-01). Argentina Legalizes Abortion in Landmark Moment for Women's Rights. zcomm.org The victory is the result of five years of mass protest marches by Argentina's grassroots women's movement, which began as a Twitter campaign against gender violence…
(2021-01-01). Reproductive Rights Advocates Say Ohio Fetal Remains Bill Is Unconstitutional. truthout.org Reproductive rights and civil liberties groups condemned as "unconstitutional and medically unnecessary" a bill signed into law Wednesday by Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine requiring the burial or cremation of fetal remains resulting from abortion. |
(2021-01-01). US Sanctions Cuban Bank for Alleged Ties With Military, Pompeo Says. sputniknews.com WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – The United States has added Cuban Banco Financiero International to its list of sanctioned entities, saying it is controlled by the country's military, State Secretary Mike Pompeo said Friday.
(2021-01-01). Stop The Sweeps in Santa Cruz: Activists Resist Closing San Lorenzo Park. indybay.org Interviews with human rights activist Abbi Samuels and unhoused activist Hannah, who lives in a homeless encampment in San Lorenzo Park in downtown Santa Cruz.
(2020-12-31). 7 Ways Women of Colour Resisted Racism This Year. commondreams.org Women are leading anti-racist activism around the world, from Black Brazilians running for election to Germany's migrant rights movement. #12DaysofResistance | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-12-31). Rights group says Philippine forces shot dead 9 indigenous community leaders. laprensalatina.com Bangkok, Dec 31 (efe-epa).- Philippines security forces have killed nine suspected members of a leftist guerrilla group on Panay Island, sparking an allegation that the deceased were civilians and indigenous community leaders. Another 17 people were arrested during a joint police and military operation on Wednesday. According to Karapatan, a network of human rights organizations, …
(2020-12-31). Palestinian rights have always been secondary to the 'national interest' of Arab regimes. mronline.org 
Normalisation with Israel is just the latest example of Arab rulers advancing their own interests at the expense of Palestinians.
(2020-12-31). Saudi preacher Yousef al-Ahmad sentenced to four years in prison. middleeasteye.net 
Saudi preacher Yousef al-Ahmad sentenced to four years in prison | Charges against the Islamic scholar and academic said to include attending a book fair and visiting detainees in jail | Thu, 12/31/2020 – 13: 50 | Ahmad was detained by Saudi authorities in September 2017 as a part of a widespread crackdown on scholars and intellectuals (Screengrab/Twitter) | Saudi preacher Yousef al-Ahmad has been sen…
(2020-12-31). Black man tests positive for Covid-19 after being wrongfully detained by maskless Virginia police officer in viral video. rt.com 
A black man has tested positive for Covid-19 soon after a maskless white officer mistakenly detained him at a mall in Virginia, his fiancee has said. Police previously apologized and admitted the officer had broken Covid-19 rules. | Jamar Mackey got tested three days after the altercation with a maskless officer, and the positive result arrived on Christmas Eve, the man's fiancee, Shantel Covil, told local news channel WAVY-TV. | "I'm very angry that they put my family at risk. Me and Jamar, that's one thing. But our kids, that's what upsets me the most," Covil said. | They arrested him, of course, no gloves,…
(2020-12-31). Critics Warn Repeal of Section 230 'Would Be Devastating for Human Rights, Social Movements, and Marginalized People'. commondreams.org Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is trying to tie the repeal to proposed $2,000 coronavirus relief checks. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-12-31). US failed miserably in reviving sanctions: Iran UN envoy. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 31 (MNA) — Iran's Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations said that the United States sustained heavy defeat miserably in the revival of international sanctions against Tehran.
(2020-12-31). Reproductive Rights Advocates Slam 'Unconstitutional and Medically Unnecessary' Fetal Remains Law Signed by Ohio Governor. commondreams.org The ACLU called Senate Bill 27 "just one more transparent attempt to obstruct Ohioans from exercising their constitutionally protected reproductive rights." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-12-31). In Potential Final Protest Targeting UN, Trump Administration—Joined by Just Israel—Votes Against 2021 Budget. commondreams.org U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Kelly Craft said the decision was based on alleged "anti-Israel bias" and global refusal to reimpose sanctions on Iran. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-12-31). Argentinian government expects rapid implementation of abortion law. laprensalatina.com Buenos Aires, Dec 31 (efe-epa).- Argentina will rapidly implement the newly approved law to legalize abortion to ensure greater reproductive rights reach women in the Latin American country, a top government official has said. Vilma Ibarra, the legal and technical secretary of the Argentinian government, said the preparatory stage for the amendment of the law …
(2020-12-31). Thai authorities detain 14 suspected pro-democracy protesters. laprensalatina.com Bangkok, Dec 31 (efe-epa).- Thai authorities on Thursday arrested 14 suspected members of the pro-democracy movement that in recent months has staged a wave of mass protests calling for political and royal reforms. The NGO Thai Lawyers for Human Rights said on Twitter that the detainees were accused of breaching the emergency law banning street …
(2020-12-31). Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy back in jail again. laprensalatina.com Hong Kong, Dec 31 (efe-epa).- Hong Kong's top court on Thursday remanded pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai in custody again after allowing prosecutors to appeal against his bail in a national security law case. The Court of Final Appeal granted an interim order to detain the 73-year-old founder of Apple Daily until a hearing on …
(2020-12-31). Argentina: 'Ground-breaking' new abortion law crucial to ending gender discrimination — UN experts. news.un.org The year drew to a close in Argentina with "a ground-breaking law" that legalizes abortions up to 14 weeks of pregnancy, in a move that independent UN rights experts called on Thursday, "a crucial step in eliminating discrimination against women and girls".
(2020-12-31). The Art Of The Legal Hack. popularresistance.org In our legal system — designed to protect private property, individual rights, and market exchange — it can actually be very difficult to share things legally. Attorney Janelle Orsi found this out the hard way as she worked with co-housing groups, worker cooperatives, and community gardens. "Our clients kept running up against legal barriers that make no sense: employment laws for co-ops in which people are both employer and employee. Landlord-tenant law for cohousing projects in which people are both landlords and tenants." | Such frustrations led Orsi to co-found (with Jenny Kassan) the Sustainable Econo…
(2020-12-31). US Blockade Prevents Venezuela From Funding COVAX. popularresistance.org Venezuela's Health Minister Carlos Alvarado on Sunday said that the economic blockade imposed by the United States is preventing his country from funding the COVAX initiative led by the World Health Organization (WHO). | He recalled that his country offered to place US$18 million into the COVAX fund, but as a result of the U.S. blockade, Venezuela has not "been able to free those resources to pay the fund." | Alvarado added that the U.S. sanctions have affected other vaccination programs previously conducted through the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) revolving fund. | "We have not been able to pay the re…
(2020-12-31). Iran execution of child offender breaks international law: UN rights office. news.un.org The execution of an Iranian man for a crime allegedly committed when he was 16 years old has been condemned by the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) and raised concerns over violations of his right to a fair trial.
(2020-12-30). A rave, a DJ and a debate. Palestinians outraged over techno party at holy site. middleeasteye.net 
A rave, a DJ and a debate. Palestinians outraged over techno party at holy site | Despite issuing an event permit, the Palestinian government arrests renowned Palestinian DJ Sama Abdulhadi and extend her detention for 15 days | Wed, 12/30/2020 – 12: 26 | Palestinian DJ Sama Abdulhadi poses outside her Parisian flat during a photo session on 7 December 2017 (AFP) | A dance party on Saturday has c…
(2020-12-30). 'Sold out': Uighurs fear deportation as China ratifies extradition treaty with Turkey. middleeasteye.net 
'Sold out': Uighurs fear deportation as China ratifies extradition treaty with Turkey | Uighur activists urge Turkish government not to abide by agreement that could put tens of thousands at risk of being detained in internment camps
| Wed, 12/30/2020 – 10: 17 | Supporters of China's Muslim Uighur minority protest in Istanbul against B…
(2020-12-30). Prominent Moroccan historian and human rights activist arrested in Rabat. middleeasteye.net 
Prominent Moroccan historian and human rights activist arrested in Rabat | Maati Monjib, who has been targeted by authorities using Israeli spyware, is accused of money laundering | Wed, 12/30/2020 – 11: 36 | Maati Monjib, a Moroccan historian, political analyst and human rights activist, speaks in the Moroccan capital, Rabat, 20 February 2014 (AFP) | Moroccan historian and human rights activist Maati Monjib w…
(2020-12-30). Civil Rights Groups Fight Back Against Georgia's Voter Purges. zcomm.org The importance of the January 5 Senate runoff elections in Georgia cannot be overestimated…
(2020-12-30). UN human rights expert calls for withdrawal of US sanctions on Syria. peoplesdispatch.org Alena Douhan, the UN special rapporteur about the negative impact of the unilateral coercive measures on human rights, said the US sanctions violated the human rights of the Syrian people…
(2020-12-30). Brazil: Bolsonaro's Remarks Targeting Rousseff Spark Critics. telesurenglish.net Brazil's former President Dilma Rousseff (2011-2016) on Tuesday condemned spiteful comments made by far-right President Jair Bolsonaro who discarded acts of torture committed against her during the dictatorship's rule (1964-1985). | RELATED: | Previously, through a video posted on social networks, Bolsonaro cast doubts on acts of torture committed against Rousseff during her years of imprisonment and requested an X-ray sho…
(2020-12-30). Argentina's Senate Passes Safe Abortion Law. telesurenglish.net Argentina's Senate Wednesday passed the Safe Abortion Law after a 12-hour session, in a victory for the women's movement that has been fighting for this right for over five decades. | RELATED: | "We are living in a historical moment. Our struggle has become law," members of the Campaign for Free, Legal and Safe Abortion Rights said. | This morning, the green color that identifies the battle for safe abortion rights in the c…
(2020-12-30). Bangladesh urges UN to participate in Rohingya relocation process. laprensalatina.com Dhaka, Dec 30 (efe-epa).- The government of Bangladesh said on Wednesday that it was ready to involve the United Nations in the process of relocating Rohingya refugees to a remote island, after a barrage of criticism by rights groups over the lack of transparency in the transfers. The government urged the UN to join the …
(2020-12-30). We Can Take Our Democracy Back. Here's How. commondreams.org First, we need to stop pretending that voters don't support abortion rights. They do. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-12-29). Recidivist Criminal and Constitutional Outlaw Trump Rushes to Pardon Criminal Lawbreakers. counterpunch.org 
Serial lawbreaker Donald J. Trump is embarking on the most sordid presidential pardon spree in American history. He has already pardoned convicted crooks, thieves, and violent outlaws. Trump's pardon lawyers are frantically assembling more MAGA besotted individuals and groups to be pardoned wholesale. The number may climb into the hundreds. The queue is long. Trump
(2020-12-29). Argentineans to Hold Vigil in Support of Safe Abortion Bill. telesurenglish.net Argentina's feminist movements Tuesday called for a vigil in front of Congress to accompany the Senate vote on the Safe Abortion bill. | RELATED: | The vote, which will begin on Tuesday afternoon and end on Wednesday morning, will also be accompanied by anti-abortion demonstrations. | The square in front of the Congress will be divided with a fence. The left side will be set for women's rights activists, while the right si…
(2020-12-29). Want Bargaining Rights with That? progressive.org Two new bills are protecting fast-food workers in New York City from being fired without just cause.
(2020-12-29). In 'Monumental Win for Reproductive Freedom,' Mass. Lawmakers Override Governor's Veto to Affirm and Expand Abortion Rights. commondreams.org A coalition of supporters celebrated the development as "an important step in removing medically unnecessary barriers to abortion care." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-12-29). NGOs denounce holding Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia despite repression. laprensalatina.com Beirut, Dec 29 (efe-epa).- The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and other associated NGOs on Tuesday criticized the decision to hold the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia for a second consecutive year, despite ongoing repression, including the recent jailing of a woman's rights activist. "A year later, the repression orchestrated by the Saudi authorities …
(2020-12-29). Netherlands violates nationality rights: UN rights committee. news.un.org The Netherlands has violated a child's rights by registering children under the category "nationality unknown" as opposed to Stateless — leaving them ineligible to access international protections, the UN Human Rights Committee ‚ÄØdeclared‚ÄØon Tuesday.