(2021-02-11). Attacks on tenants' rights intensify in Indianapolis, activists resist. liberationnews.org 
Dozens of activists convened on the steps of the Indiana State Capitol building at 9 am on Feb. 8, bearing freezing temperatures to protest the Indiana General Assembly's attacks on the limited rights that tenants have in Indiana. The protest, called for by Family Promise of Greater Indianapolis and supported by the Indianapolis branch of …
(2021-02-10). UN expert calls on UAE to release jailed human rights defenders. middleeasteye.net 
UN expert calls on UAE to release jailed human rights defenders | Sentenced to ten years in prison, three imprisoned human rights defenders have been subjected to 'conditions that may amount to torture', says UN Special Rapporteur | Wed, 02/10/2021 – 15: 56 | A police officer enters Dubai's Al-Awir central prison in the United Arab Emirates, on 21 May 2020 (AFP/File photo) | A United Nations expert has called…
(2021-02-10). A Pro-Cairo Lobby is Spending Big to Make Sure Biden Doesn't Cut Aid to Egypt's Dictatorship. mintpressnews.com President al-Sisi is afraid that his free rein to commit human rights abuses are over now that Trump is out of office, that's why he hired Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck to the tune of $65,000 per month to whitewash his image and keep the American money flowing.
(2021-02-10). China's 'Sea of Conflict'. peoplesworld.org 
President Joseph Biden Jr's. administration faces a host of difficult problems, but in foreign policy, its thorniest will be its relations with the People's Republic of China (PRC). How it handles issues of trade, security, and human rights will either allow both countries to hammer out a working relationship or pull the U.S. into an …
(2021-02-10). The March Continues: SPLC launches community poem, drawing inspiration for human rights from verse makers across the U.S. splcenter.org  …
(2021-02-10). US senators urge Biden to press Turkey on human rights, 'combative' foreign policy. middleeasteye.net 
US senators urge Biden to press Turkey on human rights, 'combative' foreign policy | Fifty-four senators signed letter sent to Biden, saying Ankara needed to end 'crackdown on dissent' | Wed, 02/10/2021 – 14: 55 | Prior to Joe Biden's inauguration, the then-president-elect did not respond to multiple requests for call with Erdogan (AFP) | A bipartisan majority of the US Senate called on President Joe Biden to…
(2021-02-10). Lab Animal Torturers Ridicule Antivivisectionists as 'Sentimentalists'. indybay.org Patent holding drugpushing vivisectors ridicule those who oppose lab animal torture as 'sentimentalists'
(2021-02-10). I'm on Hunger Strike in Guantánamo. I Dream of Cooking for My Family. truthout.org 
There are very few freedoms at Guantánamo Bay prison, where I have been held without charge or trial — referred to as Guantánamo ISN 1461 — for over 16 years. The right to starve myself is one of them, but even then, they force-feed me, to spare themselves the embarrassment of my death. | Back in Pakistan, before I was kidnapped and tortured and flown halfway around the world in chains, I loved cooking. There is nothing more satisfying than preparing a hot meal for your family and sharing i…
(2021-02-10). Vaccination and public/private coercion. ukhumanrightsblog.com 
In an earlier post I discussed the problem of "vaccine hesitancy" and written evidence to Parliament to Parliament outlining ways in which a vaccination against Covid-19 without consent could be put on a par with capacity under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and with Section 3 of the Mental Health Act 1983. Since the announcement …
(2021-02-10). Loujain al-Hathloul: Saudi activist released from prison. middleeasteye.net 
Loujain al-Hathloul: Saudi activist released from prison | Blogger Nouf Abdulaziz, who was also swept up in Mohammed bin Salman's 2018 crackdown on dissent, also reportedly released | Wed, 02/10/2021 – 16: 56 | In a photo shared by her sister on social media, Loujain is shown smiling after her release (Screengrab/Twitter) | Saudi women's rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul has returned home after spendin…
(2021-02-10). Quienes somos y qué queremos los Socialistas Democráticos. dsausa.org El Grupo de Trabajo por los Derechos de los Inmigrantes de DSA los invita a un seminario web en español: "Quienes somos y qué queremos los Socialistas Democráticos." Escuche a algunos de nuestros miembros sobre su trabajo en DSA y en sus comunidades. Zoom Información de registro en instrucciones y respuesta. Join…
(2021-02-10). How Defeating Keystone XL Built A Bolder, Savvier Climate Movement. popularresistance.org When President Biden rescinded a crucial permit for the Keystone XL pipeline last week, it marked the culmination of one of the longest, highest-profile campaigns in the North American climate movement. The opposition to Keystone XL included large environmental organizations, grassroots climate activist networks, Nebraska farmers, Texas landowners, Indigenous rights groups and tribal governments. Few environmental campaigns have touched so many people over such large swaths of the continent. | The Keystone XL resistance was part of the ongoing opposition to the Canadian tar sands, one of the most carbon-intensive…
(2021-02-10). US Sanctions Obstructing Humanitarian Aid in Venezuela, New Report Finds. venezuelanalysis.com A US Government and Accountability Office report found that sanctions have pushed the Venezuelan economy into crisis.
(2021-02-10). UN To Assess the Impact of US Sanctions on Venezuela. telesurenglish.net United Nations representative Alena Douhan visits Venezuela to assess the impact of U.S. economic sanctions imposed on the Bolivarian nation since 2015. | RELATED: | The visit announcement came shortly after the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) acknowledged that its country's sanctions on Venezuela have killed tens of thousands of people. | The results of the analysis of the U.S. unilateral coercive measures imposed on this…
(2021-02-10). Britain Says It Wants 'To Defend Human Rights Across The Globe' But Is Selective About Its Support. strategic-culture.org The "defence of human rights" by the government of Boris Johnson is a charade, and the treatment of the Chagos Islanders is cruel and loathsome. | Hong Kong used to be a British colony and was returned to China in 1997. Since then there have been disagreements between Britain and China concerning governance of the region, and the British government has poked its nose where it has no right to dictate the conduct of affairs. It
(2021-02-10). Only 'following orders', no defence for any Myanmar atrocities: UN expert. news.un.org The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar on Wednesday said that security forces in the country must "stand down before there are more casualties" among protesters, amid reports of use of lethal force against those demonstrating against last week's military takeover.
(2021-02-10). UN expert calls on UAE to free jailed rights defenders. yenisafak.com A UN expert Wednesday said she feared three human rights defenders serving 10-year prison sentences in the UAE are being mistreated in conditions that may amount to torture and urged authorities to release them."Issuing long-term prison sentences to human rights defenders, in connection to their human rights work, is a practice that cannot continue, and is an issue I will be prioritizing during my mandate," said Mary Lawlor, UN special rapporteur on human rights defenders."Not only have Mohammed Al-Roken, Ahmed Mansoor, and Nasser Bin Ghaith been criminalized and imprisoned for their non-violent and legitimate c…
(2021-02-10). UK Muslims ask UN to halt Sri Lanka's forced cremations. yenisafak.com The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) submitted a complaint to the UN on Tuesday over the forced cremations of Muslims in Sri Lanka who died of COVID-19.The MCB in partnership with UK-based law firm Bindmans submitted the complaint to the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) on behalf of their families. "No other state has carried out such unjust and discriminatory measures. We very much hope that the Sri Lankan government will change its policy in line with the World Health Organization's advice," Zara Mohammed, secretary general of the MCB, said in a statement, describing the government's policy as "unprecedented."Tay…
(2021-02-10). Impeachment Won't Stop Threat Trump's Allies Pose to Global Reproductive Rights. truthout.org 
As Donald Trump faces his second impeachment trial this week,
(2021-02-10). UN urged to question Bangladesh over Israeli tech bought for peacekeeping. middleeasteye.net 
UN urged to question Bangladesh over Israeli tech bought for peacekeeping | The UN has denied claims that it required Bangladesh to buy Israeli surveillance equipment for its peacekeeping operations
| Wed, 02/10/2021 – 14: 37 | Bangladesh is the largest contributor of uniformed personnel to UN peacekeeping missions in the world (AFP) | Several rights groups have called on the United Nations to quest…
(2021-02-10). Biden supports repatriating foreign nationals from Syria, says US diplomat. middleeasteye.net 
Biden supports repatriating foreign nationals from Syria, says US diplomat | Several European countries refuse to repatriate adults from Syria, saying they should be tried where they are accused of committing crimes | Wed, 02/10/2021 – 19: 29 | Tens of thousands of women and children have been detained in camps run by Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces militia in northeast Syria (AFP) | The Biden administrat…
(2021-02-10). GAO Report Shows Biden Should Scrap Trump's Economic Sanctions On Venezuela. popularresistance.org Washington, DC ‚Äï A new report from the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) finds that US economic sanctions on Venezuela are harming the Venezuelan economy, especially by depressing oil production and exports, and that they are also hindering US-backed humanitarian assistance to the country. The report, which looks at the impact of US sanctions on Venezuela's economic crisis, was requested by former chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Eliot Engel (D-NY) and committee member Congressman Andy Levin (D-MI). | "This report from the GAO offers more evidence that these unilateral, illeg…
(2021-02-10). Keep protesting, pleads freed refugee. greenleft.org.au Released refugees are pleading with supporters to keep up the pressure on government until all refugees are released from on-shore and off-shore detention. Chris Slee reports.
(2021-02-10). Democracy Not Feudalism: A Left-Libertarian Critique of the Libertarian Right Part 1. realprogressives.org "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.—That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, —That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem mos…
(2021-02-10). US Sanctions Caused Thousands of Deaths in Venezuela, GAO Says. globalresearch.ca All Global Research articles can be read in 27 languages by activating the "Translate Website" drop down menu on the top banner of our home page (Desktop version). | *** | U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) acknowledged that U.S. sanctions on Venezuela …
(2021-02-09). PCHR: Landmark Decision of the Pre-Trial Chamber of the ICC Welcomed by Al-Haq, Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, PCHR and Addameer. imemc.org 
On Friday, 5 February 2021, over one year since the Office of the Prosecutor closed its preliminary examination into the Situation in the State of Palestine, the Pre-Trial Chamber of the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued its decision affirming that the Court has full territorial jurisdiction over the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt), i.e. the West …
(2021-02-09). Democrats WANT To Lose The Midterms: Notes From The Edge Of The Narrative Matrix. thealtworld.com Republicans: Good. | Democrats: We hear you and we honor your experience. | ‚ùñ | The USA is the single worst human rights offender on our planet. The fact that most of its transgressions take place outside its own borders makes it more egregious, not less. So-called human rights watchdog groups which fail to acknowledge this fact are propaganda constructs. | ‚ùñ | By 2024 the only mainstream US political debate allowed will be about whether America should nuke Russia or China. | ‚ùñ | "Kindly let me help you or you will drown, said the monkey putting th…
(2021-02-09). Honduras Demands Justice for Nursing Student Killed by Police. telesurenglish.net Hondurean human rights activists took to the streets at Intibuca Department to demand justice for nursing student Keyla Martinez, who was allegedly murdered by the National Police. | RELATED: | Honduras' Civic Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations (COPINH), which called for the demonstration, held President Juan Orlando's government responsible for the crime against Martinez. | The young woman, 26, died i…
(2021-02-09). UN experts call on Israel to stop torture, inhuman treatment of Palestinians. middleeasteye.net 
UN experts call on Israel to stop torture, inhuman treatment of Palestinians | Panel of rights experts said Israel was using a 'grave loophole within the Israeli judicial system' to defend its use of torture | Tue, 02/09/2021 – 18: 13 | Arbeed was detained in 2019, and after being subjected to interrogation by Israel's Shin Bet domestic intelligence service, he suffered from kidney failure and broken ribs (AFP…
(2021-02-09). Neoliberal Authoritarianism in Egypt. dissidentvoice.org The whiplash of authoritarianism is being ruthlessly used in Egypt. On January 6, 2021, Ahmed Khalifa, social news editor of Egypt 360 website, was arrested after publishing a series of reports on workers' legitimate protests. He was falsely charged with joining a terrorist group and spreading fake news, and remains in detention to date. Before his arrest, Khalifa …
(2021-02-09). Demands To Drop The Charges On The 646 Mass Arrested. popularresistance.org Minneapolis, MN — Three months after six hundred forty-six people were mass arrested on Interstate 94 in Minneapolis, calls to drop the charges are continuing. A February 5 rally at the Hennepin County Government Center demanded specifically that a felony charge on college student Amina McCaskill be dropped, along with the charges and citations given to the other 645. Dozens braved single-digit temperatures for the Friday rally that featured Amina and numerous speakers that were also part of the 646. Unicorn Riot live streamed the rally and spoke with Amina afterwards. Civil rights lawyer, Nekima Levy Armst…
(2021-02-09). Disabled Advocates Demand Better Vaccine Access as They Face Greater Risks of Dying from COVID-19. democracynow.org 
As the U.S. death toll from the coronavirus tops 465,000, we speak with two disability rights activists about growing calls to prioritize giving COVID vaccines to people with physical and mental disabilities. Some states, including California, are failing to prioritize vaccines for people with serious physical or developmental disabilities, even though studies show they are up to three times more likely to die from COVID-19. "I use a ventilator to breathe, and I have respiratory failure," says disabled activist Alice Wong, founder of the Disability Visibility Project and host of the podcast "Disability Visibility…
(2021-02-09). New app Clubhouse becomes free speech haven in Turkey amid Bogazici protests. middleeasteye.net 
New app Clubhouse becomes free speech haven in Turkey amid Bogazici protests | The audio-only social media application has quickly become a centre of activism in Turkey's deeply polarised society | Tue, 02/09/2021 – 08: 54 | Protesters take photos as Turkish police officers detain demonstrators during a rally in support of Bogazici University students in Istanbul on 4 February 2021 (AFP) | When Turkish p…
(2021-02-09). Twitter suspends accounts, removes verification of Saudi political prisoners. middleeasteye.net 
Twitter suspends accounts, removes verification of Saudi political prisoners | Decision criticised as 'uncalled for' as the detainees are held in situations beyond their control | Tue, 02/09/2021 – 11: 54 | Ali al-Omari (L) and Awad al-Qarni have been in jail since 2017. Their verified Twitter badge has recently been removed by the social media giant (Twitter) | Twitter has removed the blue verified badge from…
(2021-02-09). Turkish authorities arrest 65 revolutionaries in a bid to break the backbone of the growing anti-government resistance. mronline.org 
Sixty-five people were detained in Istanbul last week after a press conference announcing the launch of a new opposition alliance, the United Fighting Forces (BMG).
(2021-02-09). Loujain al-Hathloul was released, but other Saudi women activists remain behind bars. middleeasteye.net 
Loujain al-Hathloul was released, but other Saudi women activists remain behind bars | MEE takes a look at other advocates still imprisoned in Saudi Arabia for pushing for women's rights in the kingdom | Tue, 02/09/2021 – 17: 55 | MEE takes a look at the women's rights activists still behind bars in Saudi Arabia (Illustration by Mohamad Elasaar/MEE) | After more than 1,000 days in detention, Saudi women'
(2021-02-09). Defendants no longer required to state nationality at the start of criminal cases. ukhumanrightsblog.com 
On 8 February 2020, small but significant changes were made to the Part 3 (Case Management) of the Criminal Procedure Rules and Practice Directions 2020 ("CrimPR"). These changes remove the requirement that defendants in criminal trials provide their nationality to the court at preliminary hearings. The question is now to be asked only where a …
(2021-02-09). Immigrants Shouldn't Have to Sacrifice Themselves to COVID for Basic Rights. truthout.org 
During the election campaign that led him to the White House, Joe Biden
(2021-02-09). Analysis: Israel's Crimes, Legitimacy and Free Speech. imemc.org 
By Ron Forthofer for the Palestine Chronicle Israel is waging an intense campaign against the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement, a nonviolent campaign called for by Palestinian civil society in 2005. This Movement was modeled on the campaign against South African Apartheid. Palestinians felt compelled to issue the call for a BDS campaign since previous …
(2021-02-09). 'Bolivar Act' to tighten U.S. sanctions against elected Venezuelan government. peoplesworld.org 
On January 28, a group of U.S. Congressmen, led by former Green Beret and now Republican Party legislator, Michael Waltz, introduced into the Congress a new bill dedicated to smashing democracy in Venezuela, cumbersomely entitled the "Bipartisan Banning Operations and Leases with Illegitimate Authoritarian Regime (BOLIVAR) Act." The creators of the law tendentiously established the …
(2021-02-09). "Bolivar Act" to tighten U.S. sanctions against elected Venezuelan government. peoplesworld.org On January 28, a group of U.S. Congressmen, led by former Green Beret and now Republican Party legislator, Michael Waltz, introduced into the Congress a new bill dedicated to smashing democracy in Venezuela, cumbersomely entitled the "Bipartisan Banning Operations and Leases with Illegitimate Authoritarian Regime (BOLIVAR) Act." The creators of the law tendentiously established the …
(2021-02-09). Stand with Newsclick: Journalism With a Spine. peoplesdispatch.org We, a group of publications from around the world, join together against the harassment of Newsclick, the Indian web-based news portal. The detention of its editors and the smearing of its reputation in the press is a calculated move to intimidate coverage of the farmer's revolt and other mass struggles that are ongoing in India. | We stand with Newsclick, journalism with a spine. | Vijay Prashad, Chief Correspondent Globetrotter, Executive Director Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research | Zoe Alexandra, Peoples Dispatch | Eugene Puryear, Host BreakThrough News | Ben Becker, Editor-in-Chief BreakThrough Ne…
(2021-02-09). Democrats Disarm Themselves Before Trump's Senate Impeachment Trial. counterpunch.org Donald Trump, has with luck, eluded the consequences of being a failed gambling czar with no respect for the law. But his luck has reached a new level with Congressional Democrats refraining from holding him accountable for breaking the law and violating the Constitution as regularly as the rising and setting of the sun for
(2021-02-09). This is Biden's Chance to End ICE's Abuses — For Good. aclu.org President Biden's 100-day deportation moratorium, announced late last month, was a monumental achievement for immigrant justice activists and immigrant communities. Less visible but potentially groundbreaking: The Department of Homeland Security's promise to conduct a top-to-bottom review of programs and policies governing the arrests and deportations of immigrants in the United States. | While a Texas court temporarily enjoined the deportation moratorium (the ACLU has
(2021-02-09). Advocates Urge Sec. Blinken to Step Up Support for Human Rights Defenders. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2021-02-09). New ICC ruling 'opens the door' for justice in occupied Palestine — Independent UN expert. news.un.org The ruling of the International Criminal Court (ICC) that is does have jurisdiction over grave crimes committed in occupied Palestinian territory is a "significant step forward in the quest for justice and accountability", an independent UN human rights expert said on Tuesday.
(2021-02-09). Syria: UN experts call on 57 states to repatriate women and children from squalid camps. middleeasteye.net 
Syria: UN experts call on 57 states to repatriate women and children from squalid camps | United Nations group of experts says countries of origin have primary responsibility to protect nationals in vulnerable situations outside their territories | Tue, 02/09/2021 – 14: 21 | Children hold onto water containers in al-Hol camp, Syria, 8 January 2020 (Reuters) | UN human rights experts have urged 57 countri…
(2021-02-09). Activist accuses Avon and Somerset police of unlawful arrest, detention and discrimination. thecanary.co On 25 January, Avon and Somerset police arrested literary activist Ros Martin outside Bristol magistrates court for damage to the pavement by chalking and a breach of coronavirus (Covid-19) regulations. Martin has made a number of complaints to the police force for what she believes is "unlawful arrest, detention & discriminatory treatment". Her case reflects widespread issues of police disregarding people's health, using coronavirus regulations to clamp down on protest, and institutionalised racism in the Avon and Somerset police force. | Blatant disregard for safety during a pandemic: | While taking her…
(2021-02-09). My Path to Becoming A Real Progressive. realprogressives.org 
I suspect there are still many voters and registered Democrats who were like me in 2016. | I believed the Democratic Party represented me — a liberal American concerned about civil liberties, individual rights, democracy, and free enterprise. In short, I believed the party was socially progressive and promoted social welfare. | I believed these things about the party which is why I toed the party line. | From the 1990s onward, I was largely indifferent to politics. I had a passive attitude towards what happened in Washington. Only every four years did politics become sort of interesting. I didn't follow t…
(2021-02-09). "I wanted to be waterboarded for real," says "The Mauritanian" star on playing a Guantanamo detainee. salon.com Salon spoke to Tahar Rahim who went to great, physically uncomfortable lengths to play a man accused of terrorism…