(2021-01-25). Activists demand justice for Giulio Regeni who was kidnapped and murdered in Egypt. peoplesdispatch.org 
Giulio Regeni, a 28-year-old Ph.D. student at Cambridge University, was kidnapped on January 25, 2016 from Cairo. His body was found a few days later with torture marks. He had been working on Egyptian trade unions for his dissertation…
(2021-01-25). Covid-19: Hundreds of ultra-Orthodox Israelis protest over lockdown rules. middleeasteye.net 
Covid-19: Hundreds of ultra-Orthodox Israelis protest over lockdown rules | Anger has mounted as the government has moved to close illegal religious schools and seminaries | Mon, 01/25/2021 – 10: 16 | Policemen detain an ultra-Orthodox Jew during a protest over coronavirus restrictions in Ashdod, Israel on 24 January 2021 (Reuters) | Hundreds of members of Israel's ultra-Orthodox community…
(2021-01-25). Turkey and Greece resume talks over eastern Mediterranean after five-year hiatus. middleeasteye.net 
Turkey and Greece resume talks over eastern Mediterranean after five-year hiatus | Ankara and Athens have made little progress on the issue, despite 60 rounds of negotiations between 2002 and 2016 | Mon, 01/25/2021 – 13: 34 | The Turkish seismic survey vessel Oruc Reis. Ankara hoped to improve relations with the European Union after it had threatened to sanction Turkey (Reuters) | Turkey a…
(2021-01-25). Amnesty International condemns 'deplorable' conditions in Egypt's prisons. middleeasteye.net 
Amnesty International condemns 'deplorable' conditions in Egypt's prisons | On anniversary of Arab Spring uprising, rights group says detainees held for years in overcrowded prisons suffered torture and sexual abuse | Mon, 01/25/2021 – 20: 45 | "> | Amnesty International denounced inhumane conditions in Egypt's prisons on Monday, 10 years after the start of the Arab Spring in the c…
(2021-01-25). Enforced wearing of masks declared unconstitutional. ukhumanrightsblog.com 
Following my post on the Weimar District Court judgment, here is news from Belgium. This summary of the ruling is from the journal LeVif. The police tribunal in Brussels issued a judgment on 12 January acquitting a man summoned for non-wearing of a mask, according to his lawyer, Hélène Alexandris. The judge concluded that the …
(2021-01-25). German District Court declares Corona Ordinance Unconstitutional. ukhumanrightsblog.com 
In a landmark judgement on January 11, a district court judge in Weimar declared the prohibition on social contact unlawful as contrary to the German Basic Law (Gràºndgesetz). Its order at the time had been unconstitutional because the Infection Protection Act was not a sufficient legal basis for such a far-reaching regulation as a contact …
(2021-01-25). The Weekly Round-Up: Human Rights vs Unfettered Trade: a Party divided? ukhumanrightsblog.com 
In the news: Last week's round-up detailed China's ongoing oppression of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang province. This week, the government narrowly defeated a backbench rebellion in the form of an all-party amendment, strongly endorsed in the Lords, which would have given victims of genocide the ability to obtain a determination in the High Court confirming …
(2021-01-25). Sri Lanka: 'Forced' cremation of COVID victims' bodies must stop – UN rights experts. news.un.org The Sri Lankan Government should end its policy of compulsorily cremating victims of COVID-19, independent UN human rights experts said on Monday.
(2021-01-25). Human rights groups urge new US administration to reverse Houthi 'terrorist' tag. peoplesdispatch.org The groups warn that the decision could have serious negative consequences, such as affecting the import and supply of humanitarian goods, medicines, fuel, and other essential items to Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen…
(2021-01-25). Biden and Congress Must Close Guant√°namo Bay Detention Center, Not Bring New Charges in Unlawful Military Commissions. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2021-01-25). US Torpedoes WTO Panel on 'Made in China' Labels for Hong Kong Products. sputniknews.com Influential foreign policy think tanks in Washington are putting heavy pressure on newly-minted US President Joe Biden not to shred his predecessor's "get tough" approach on China, which has included sanctions, tariffs, and the blacklisting of Chinese companies.
(2021-01-24). Moving the Bar: My Life as a Radical Lawyer — Michael Ratner. theanalysis.news Michael Ratner (1943—2016) was one of America's leading human rights lawyers. Michael won the seminal case in the Supreme Court guaranteeing the right of habeas corpus to Guantanamo detainees. From the torture of prisoners after 911 to the massive racial profiling by the New York Police Department, Michael's voice and vision continue to resonate. His last case, which he worked on until he died, was representing Julian Assange, the editor of WikiLeaks. In a series of interviews with attorneys who knew Michael's work, Law and Disorder hosts Heidi Boghosian and Michael Smith interviewed some of Michael Ratner'
(2021-01-24). Why Calling Israel An Apartheid State Is Not Enough. popularresistance.org B'Tselem, a leading human rights group in Israel, recently released a report concluding that Israel is an apartheid state, with a regime of Jewish supremacy stretching from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea. | The report found that Israel meets the definition of apartheid under international law, which defines apartheid as "inhuman acts committed for the purpose of establishing and maintaining domination by one racial group of persons over any other racial group of persons and systematically oppressing them". | The report received widespread international media attention and was described as a "watershed"
(2021-01-24). The Illusion of Democracy: Power and Secrecy. globalresearch.ca In 2003, millions of people protested against the invasion of Iraq. If Britain and the US had genuine democracies, where the views of ordinary people matter, the invasion, slaughter and torture in Iraq would not have happened. Our governments ignored …
(2021-01-23). Turkish appeals court overturns acquittals in Gezi trial. middleeasteye.net 
Turkish appeals court overturns acquittals in Gezi trial | Court documents say some evidence not included in reasoning for surprise original verdicts over 2013 protests | Sat, 01/23/2021 – 13: 14 | Osman Kavala has remained in jail over charges related to a failed 2016 coup attempt despite the European Court of Human Rights calling for his release (AFP) | A Turkish appeals court has overtu…
(2021-01-23). Palestinian Journalist Released After Seven Months in Prison Without Charges. imemc.org 
Israeli military authorities, which govern the Palestinians in the West Bank under martial law, released Palestinian journalist Mujahed al-Saadi Friday after he was imprisoned for seven months without charges. Al-Saadi was held in so-called 'administrative detention', a euphemism used by Israeli authorities used when they hold Palestinians for extended periods with no charges against them. He …
(2021-01-23). Sri Lanka: Hundreds of plantation workers strike to defend jobs and social rights. wsws.org The determined fight by Gartmore Estate workers to defend their jobs and basic rights is an expression of rising unrest throughout the country's plantation sector.
(2021-01-23). Wednesday 1/27: The Equal Rights Amendment & the Disability Community Town Hall. indybay.org Online panel discussion…
(2021-01-22). Indigenous Land Grab On The Horizon. popularresistance.org BHP and Rio Tinto, two of the world's largest resource extraction companies, have earned themselves a solid reputation for obliterating native lands and communities throughout the world. Leaders in the international mining market, the British-Australian companies are globally condemned for their labor, environmental and human rights abuses. Today, they're hard at work to expand that reputation to Arizona, where their jointly-owned company Resolution Copper advances toward the destruction of ancestral Apache land Oak Flat. | Following the outcry caused by Rio Tinto's deliberate gutting of 46,000-year-old Aborigina…
(2021-01-22). UN expert condemns Egypt's detention of journalists, human rights defenders. middleeasteye.net 
UN expert condemns Egypt's detention of journalists, human rights defenders | Special rapporteur calls on authorities to stop silencing dissent and shrinking civic space in country | Fri, 01/22/2021 – 21: 23 | Egypt has embarked on brutal crackdown on dissent since 2013, jailing more than 60,000 activists (AFP) | A UN rights expert condemned Egypt for targeting journalists, human rights defenders and their fam…
(2021-01-22). Four More Detainees Diagnosed With Coronavirus In Ramon Prison. imemc.org 
The Palestinian Prisoners' Society (PPS) has reported that four additional detainees, held in the Ramon Israeli prison, have been diagnosed with the coronavirus, raising the number of infected political prisoners to seventy-three this month. In a statement released Friday, the PPS said the detainees who have been officially diagnosed with the virus are held in …
(2021-01-22). The Eric Brandt story: How a controversial cop watcher became one of the most successful police reformers in the US. therealnews.com 
Known for his role in the Occupy Denver movement and his controversial, even profane, manner of exercising his First Amendment rights, Eric Brandt has been arrested roughly 200 times while protesting police brutality and advocating for reform. But he's also quietly racked up key victories in court.
(2021-01-22). NIAC Applauds Biden for Plan to Review Impact of U.S. Sanctions on International COVID Response. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2021-01-22). Pandemic will not end for anyone, 'until it ends for everyone'. news.un.org The COVID-19 pandemic "will not end for anyone, until it ends for everyone", an independent UN human rights expert said on Friday, advocating for an equitable and globally-coordinated vaccine distribution programme.
(2021-01-22). Rights Advocates Alarmed by US Spy Agency's Purchase of Warrantless Phone Location Data. commondreams.org "Congress must end this lawless practice and require the government to get a warrant for our location data, regardless of its source." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2021-01-22). Ferdinand von Schirach's Enemies: German public television puts police torture up for consideration. wsws.org The German public television network ARD began the new year with a controversial programme examining the value of police using torture to compel suspects to confess.
(2021-01-22). Violence Threatens Peace in Colombia, United Nations Warns. telesurenglish.net United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia (UNMC) head Carlos Ruiz on Thursday pointed out that violence against former combatants, social leaders, and human rights defenders is "the most serious threat to peace" in this South American country. | RELATED: | Speaking before the UN Security Council (UNSC), he reported that 252 ex-combatants and 378 social leaders and human rights activists have been killed since the signing of the Peace Agr…
(2021-01-22). Capitol Insurrection Shows How Trends On The Far-Right's Fringe Have Become Mainstream. splcenter.org Researchers studying the far right have sounded the alarm over the threat posed by the rapid proliferation of conspiracy theories, disinformation and misinformation for years, noting that shifts in the extreme right's mobilization tactics could present new challenges to stemming a tide of violence.