(2021-01-10). Letter: The demonisation of Assange paves the way for more rape and murder by the State. thecanary.co We are relieved the court ruled not to extradite Julian Assange to the US. His immediate release from Belmarsh, classified as torture by the UN Special Rapporteur, especially under coronavirus, must follow. The refusal of bail must be reversed immediately. | As an anti-rape organisation, we resent the original use of alleged sex offences to facilitate Assange's extradition to the US via Sweden. Knowing the evidence, that case was never viable, but it initiated and fuelled a witch-hunt against Assange and diverted from the real target: his Wikileaks reporting. | Assange and Chelsea Manning exposed rape, torture, a…
(2021-01-10). Assange Ruling Is A Blow Against A Free Press — A Closer Look. popularresistance.org Judge Vanessa Baraitser's decision to prevent Julian Assange's extradition to the United States to face trial on espionage-related criminal charges is a partial victory for Assange, his family, and his supporters. Baraitser was not satisfied that US prison authorities would be able to prevent the award-winning journalist from taking his life, given the conditions of solitary confinement and isolation that he would likely face during pre-trial detention and in the event of his conviction. | However, in her ruling, the judge made clear that Assange would have been extradited, if it weren't for his "substantial risk…
(2021-01-10). Communist youth mobilize across Italy demanding safety in schools. peoplesdispatch.org On Thursday, January 7, Communist Youth Front (FGC) organized demonstrations in several cities across Italy demanding safer classrooms. Schools across Italy were supposed to be reopened on that day but the government postponed the reopening to Monday. The FGC organized protests in the cities of Rome, Milan, Naples, Turin, Florence, Perugia, Catania, Padova, Salerno, Taranto, Cosenza, Gorizia and Ascoli. The protesters said that since the beginning of the pandemic, nothing substantial has been done to ensure safety in schools and respect for students' rights during online lessons. | FGC also gave a call for a nati…
(2021-01-09). Braving crackdown, Turkish students resist Erdogan's bid to subjugate universities. peoplesdispatch.org Turkish authorities are cracking down on protests by the student community against president Recep Tayyip Erdogan's bid to control universities placing his loyalists at their helm. The move to appoint Melih Bulu as the rector of Boƒüaziàßi University has been met with widespread protests which have been going on since January 4. On January 8, police detained 30 students in Ankara who had demonstrated in solidarity with the university protests. On January 7, two cadre of the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) were arrested in Antalya for raising a banner in solidarity with the students. Earlier, dozen…
(2021-01-09). During Civil Rights Era, Native American Communities In The South Armed Themselves Against The KKK. popularresistance.org I first heard this story when I was probably eight or nine years old—old enough to know what the Ku Klux Klan was and why it was so dangerous, but young enough to believe the story had clear heroes and villains. My family and I are members of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, the largest Indian tribe east of the Mississippi, headquartered in the southeastern part of the state. I was born there, in Robeson County, but my parents raised me in Durham, where they taught at North Carolina Central University, one of the state's 12 historically-Black colleges and universities. Between my African-American elders…
(2021-01-09). Detainees protest inhuman conditions on Australia's Christmas Island. wsws.org After being denied the right to peacefully demonstrate, detainees set fire to mattresses and buildings in the immigration prison.
(2021-01-09). Carpenters in Detroit denounce draconian pension cuts proposed under 2014 federal law. wsws.org Nearly 20,000 active and retired carpenters and millwrights in the Detroit metropolitan area are facing deep cuts in their pensions in July 2021.
(2021-01-08). 60 High School Seniors Refuse To Serve In The Israeli Army. popularresistance.org Sixty Israelis of eligible draft age have signed a letter declaring their refusal to serve in the military because of Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories. | Departing from previous letters of this kind, the signatories call out the country's education system for various issues, such as encouraging enlistment in the Israel Defense Forces and emphasizing the Jewish narrative in Bible and history classes. | They also draw attention to issues they say the curriculum ignores, such as the expulsion of Arabs in 1948 and the current violation of human rights in the occupied territories. | In a letter sent…
(2021-01-08). Uganda: 'Deteriorating' human rights situation in run-up to elections next week. news.un.org The UN human rights office, OHCHR, is urging authorities in Uganda to ensure elections next week are free and peaceful, noting that the arrest of opposition candidates and their supporters are among several "worrying" developments ahead of the vote.
(2021-01-08). Viet Nam: UN rights office denounces 'increasing clampdown' on freedom of expression. news.un.org The UN human rights office (OHCHR), on Friday, voiced concerns over the use of "vaguely defined laws" in Viet Nam, to arbitrarily detain an increasing number of journalists, bloggers, commentators and rights defenders, amidst what appears to be part of an "increasing clampdown" on the freedom of expression in the country.
(2021-01-08). Hunger strikes at three New Jersey prisons. workers.org 
The filthy conditions, indefinite incarceration and escalating COVID infections have touched off desperate hunger strikes at three New Jersey county jails. Each jail operates as a prison-for-profit, renting space at $120 a day for ICE to jail out-of-state migrant detainees. The N.J. counties use the contracts to generate tens of . . . |
(2021-01-08). Venezuela Reaffirms Its Sovereign Rights Over the Essequibo. telesurenglish.net Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro Thursday signed a presidential decree setting the country's maritime and territorial borders in order to protect national jurisdiction rights, especially on the disputed Essequibo territory. | RELATED: | He informed that the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was notified about his government rejections over the recent International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling…
(2021-01-08). Is Israel Practicing Vaccine Leadership or Medical Apartheid? counterpunch.org 
Israel has a population of around 9 million. About 20 percent of Israel's population are Palestinian citizens of Israel. These people can vote in elections, have representation in the Knesset, and are being vaccinated against COVID-19. But, there are another around 5 million Palestinians who live under Israeli rule, without rights, and like the rest of the world, are suffering from the pandemic.
(2021-01-08). More War by Other Means: Sanctioning the Wife of Syria's President Makes No Sense to Anyone. globalresearch.ca I am a recipient of regular, usual weekly, emails from the Department of the Treasury providing an "Update to OFAC's list of Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) and Blocked Persons." OFAC is the Office of Foreign Assets Control, which is tasked …
(2021-01-08). Censorship in America: The New Abnormal. POTUS Censored by Twitter. globalresearch.ca Speech, media and academic freedoms are too precious to lose. | Without them, all other rights are threatened — totalitarian rule replacing them, enforced by police state harshness. | What happened on Capitol Hill Wednesday has clear earmarks of an orchestrated false …
(2021-01-08). Censorship in America: The New Abnormal. President Trump Censored by Twitter. globalresearch.ca Speech, media and academic freedoms are too precious to lose. | Without them, all other rights are threatened — totalitarian rule replacing them, enforced by police state harshness. | What happened on Capitol Hill Wednesday has clear earmarks of an orchestrated false …
(2021-01-08). German region approves creation of fund to bypass US sanctions designed to stop Gazprom's vital Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. rt.com 
The parliament of the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern has voted to establish a fund to circumvent American sanctions preventing the construction of the Nord Stream 2, a gas pipeline that will connect Russia and Germany. | When completed, it will
(2021-01-08). 'Horrifying beyond words': China embassy tweet on Uighur women rebuked online. middleeasteye.net 
'Horrifying beyond words': China embassy tweet on Uighur women rebuked online | A tweet from Beijing's embassy in the US saying detained Uighur women were now 'emancipated' condemned as misrepresenting 'genocide' and 'forced sterilisation' | Fri, 01/08/2021 – 12: 26 | A demonstrator wears a mask painted with the colours of the East Turkestan flag and a hand bearing the colours of the Chinese flag in a pr…
(2021-01-08). Battleground Baltimore, Jan. 8. therealnews.com 
Local leaders react to the insurrection that happened just 45 minutes away in Washington. D.C.; why a move to end home detention fees might not go far enough; and a "spy plane" that has been flying in Baltimore (ostensibly to solve crime) is headed for St. Louis.
(2021-01-08). Peruvian authorities confirm police responsibility in murder of agricultural worker amid strike. peoplesdispatch.org 
Since the beginning of December, hundreds of agricultural workers have been carrying out a strike demanding labor rights and better working conditions. Since then, 3 agricultural workers have been killed in various incidents of police repression…
(2021-01-08). Requiring Men but not Women to Register for the Draft is Sex Discrimination. aclu.org The requirement that only men — but not women — register for the draft is one of the last examples of overt sex discrimination written into our federal law. Today, we joined two young men and the National Coalition For Men (NCFM) to
(2021-01-08). 100+ Civil Rights, Racial Justice, Labor, and Grassroots Groups Demand Trump Be Immediately Removed from Office, Co-Conspirators Held Accountable. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2021-01-08). Colombia: Over 28,500 People Forced to Displace Over Violence. telesurenglish.net The Ombudsman's Office on Thursday reported that over 28,500 Colombians were forced to displace from their homes in 2020 due to violence. | RELATED: | "Forced displacement is a frequent phenomenon, but the government shows no concern. The victims have no support to restore their rights," Ombudsman Carlos Camargo said, adding that thousands of people live in doorways or makeshift shelters without the necessary health conditions. | The displace…
(2021-01-08). Chile intensifies its war against the Mapuche people. peoplesdispatch.org On the day the verdict was announced regarding the assassination of Mapuche leader Camilo Catrillanca, police carried out a violent raid of 6 Mapuche communites and violently detained members of Catrillanca's family to stop them from attending court…
(2021-01-07). Callamard calls for 'clear, explicit and unambiguous standards' to protect civilian planes during conflicts. news.un.org Urgent measures are needed to protect civilian aircraft flying over conflict zones or other areas where military tensions are high, a UN independent human rights expert said on Thursday.
(2021-01-07). Saudi Arabia: UN rights expert welcomes 'positive first step' toward détente in Gulf. news.un.org Saudi Arabia's action in lifting sanctions against Qatar is a "positive first step" towards normalized relations in the Gulf region, a UN independent human rights expert said on Thursday, urging the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Egypt to follow suit.
(2021-01-07). UN Rights Chief Slams US Capitol Attack. telesurenglish.net UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet on Thursday said that her office is deeply troubled by Wednesday's assault on the U.S. Capitol, noting that the violence showed the destructive impact of hatred by political leaders. | RELATED: | "We are deeply troubled by Wednesday's attack on the U.S. Capitol, which demonstrated clearly the destructive impact of sustained, deliberate distortion of facts, and incitement to…
(2021-01-07). Police Arrest Several People Near Court After Assange's Bail Denied. popularresistance.org London – The police arrested several supporters of Assange who did not have press IDs and refused to disperse as the city is currently under a lockdown and public gatherings prohibited. Among the detained are several women and an elderly man. | Journalists with proper identifications were allowed to continue their work. Earlier in the day, Westminster Magistrates Court refused to release Assange on bail, leaving him incarcerated while a US appeal against the decision not to extradite him to the United States is considered. | Assange was arrested in London in April 2019 and sentenced to 50 weeks in prison for jump…
(2021-01-07). Consumers 'targets of technical bullying' by Chinese tech firms, watchdog warns. rt.com 
The government-backed China Consumers Association (CCA) has accused tech firms in the country of violating consumer rights by misusing data, distorting algorithms and subjecting users to "technical bullying." | While the CCA did not single out any specific companies in its criticism, it raised concerns over firms that have developed rapidly into large-scale organizations in the consumer sector, particularly those dealing with accommodation, food delivery, online shopping, online gaming, transportation and travel. | The watchdog noted that the collection and handling of data have "aroused widespread concern in…
(2021-01-07). Police Reform Advocates Press Minnesota Legislature For More. popularresistance.org Civil rights organizers were back at Minnesota's Capitol as a new legislative session got underway Tuesday, ready to mount another push for changes to police accountability laws less than a week after another fatal police shooting in Minneapolis. | "We know that George Floyd is not an anomaly," said Jaylani Hussein, executive director of the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. "George Floyd represents the history of state violence against people of color in this country and particularly against Black people." | Floyd's death last May in the custody of Minneapolis police officers made M…
(2021-01-07). Tunisian Forces Arrest High-Ranking Al-Qaeda Operative, Interior Ministry States. sputniknews.com CAIRO (Sputnik) – Tunisia's security services have detained a terrorist from among the leaders of the Al-Qaeda* terror group (banned in Russia), the country's interior ministry said on Thursday.
(2021-01-07). China Urges UK to Forget Colonial Mentality in Hong Kong Issues. telesurenglish.net China on Thursday urged the United Kingdom to abandon its illusion of colonial influence on Hong Kong and to cease interfering in China's internal affairs. | RELATED: | British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab on Wednesday said that the arrests of activists in Hong Kong were "a grievous attack on Hong Kong's rights and freedoms" as protected under the Sino-British Joint Declaration. | In response, Foreign Affairs Ministry spok…
(2021-01-07). Nurses Join Calls for Trump to be Removed 'Sanctions, Accountability Needed for Failed Coup'. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2021-01-07). Trump Auction for Arctic Oil Rights Sees Little Interest: 'Era of Drilling for Oil at Any Cost Is Over'. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2021-01-07). The DWP is continuing with sanctions despite a national lockdown. thecanary.co The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has just DWP Jobcentres: remaining open: | On Wednesda…
(2021-01-07). Hirak activists on hunger strike against pre-trial detention hospitalized in Algeria. peoplesdispatch.org The three Hirak activists – Mohamed Tadjadit (25), Noureddine Khimoud (25) and Abdelhak Ben Rahmani (38) – began a hunger strike on December 27 last year after they were denied bail and their pre-trial detention was extended by the authorities…