(2021-02-11). Explaining India's farmer uprising, the largest strike in human history. thegrayzone.com Anya Parampil speaks with New Delhi-based journalist Prasanth Radhakrishnan about the historic farmer strike currently sweeping India Radhakrishnan explains why farmers are rising up, how they are organized, and how the neoliberal government of Narendra Modi has responded to the movement. Just one day after this interview, the Modi government raided the offices of Radhakrishnan's employer, Newsclick.in, and detained its editors in what has been denounced as an act of intimidation against critical media. Learn more about the disturbing press crackdown …
(2021-02-11). PDF of February 11 issue. workers.org 
Download the 12-page PDF. Haiti: Struggle intensifies Black History Month: Salute to Rosa Parks, Harry Haywood, Ben Fletche ALSO: Nurses, autoworkers, teachers on the move! Reparations for racist pandemic!; Capitalist accumulation and agriculture; GameStop bubble; COVID: comparing economic systems. Editorial: Dangling the carrot. GLOBAL: Sanctions Kill. Yemen: Bait and switch. . . . |
(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 …
(2021-02-11). Australian mining companies in Myanmar put profit ahead of human rights and democracy. greenleft.org.au As protests grow against the February 1 military coup in Myanmar/Burma, the country's military elites try to protect their ill-gotten gains, and Australian mining companies carry on as if nothing happened, writes Allen Jennings.
(2021-02-11). Biden confronts Xi over rights, security, economic practices. laprensalatina.com (Update 1: adds Xi comments in pars 4-6, updates dateline, minor edits) Washington/Beijing, Feb 10 (efe-epa).- United States President Joe Biden on Wednesday (Thursday Beijing time) spoke to his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping for the first time as leader and expressed concern over a range of issues including human rights, regional security and Beijing's economic …
(2021-02-11). Australia must cut all business and military ties to Myanmar/Burma coup regime. greenleft.org.au The Socialist Alliance strongly condemns the February 1 military coup in Myanmar/Burma and the detention of Aung San Suu Kyi and other leaders of the National League for Democracy and calls on the Australian government to deny recognition to the regime.
(2021-02-11). Myanmar finalizing law to curb, monitor internet, activists say. laprensalatina.com Yangon, Myanmar, Feb 11 (efe-epa).- The military junta in Myanmar is finalizing a cybersecurity law that will allow it to carry out internet blackouts, ban content and demand data from users, about 160 Myanmar nonprofits reported. In a joint statement on Wednesday, the civil society organizations indicated that the proposed law violates digital rights, privacy …
(2021-02-11). Saudi women's rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul released after 1001 days in prison. peoplesdispatch.org Her release as per a judge's order also includes the conditions that she stay on probation for three years and refrain from travelling outside of Saudi Arabia for five years…
(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). 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). The March Continues: SPLC launches community poem, drawing inspiration for human rights from verse makers across the U.S. splcenter.org  …
(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). 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). 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). 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). 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). 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). 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). DOJ confirms Biden will continue push for Assange's extradition as human rights groups call to drop case before US appeal deadline. rt.com 
The Joe Biden administration will continue to pursue extradition for Julian Assange, the Justice Department said, rebuffing calls from rights groups to reverse course ahead of an appeal deadline in the WikiLeaks co-founder's case. | DOJ spokesman Marc Raimondi said on Tuesday that Washington has not abandoned plans for Assange's extradition from the UK, noting that Biden will still challenge a January ruling from a British judge barring extradition over concerns that Assange might take his own life in American custody. | "We continue to seek his extradition," Raimondi told Reuters, signaling that the new Biden…
(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). 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). 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). 'The Fight Is Not Over': Prominent Women's Rights Activist Loujain al-Hathloul Released From Saudi Prison. commondreams.org www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(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). 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). 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). Loujain al-Hathloul Released After Over 1000 Days in Prison. counterpunch.org On Wednesday, February 10th, women's rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul was released from prison in Saudi Arabia after over 1000 days in prison. Loujain has been a fearless women's rights activist and the news of her release is uplifting. In December of 2020, Loujain was sentenced to almost six years in prison by a terrorism court.
(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 …
(2021-02-10). 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…
(2021-02-09). 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). 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). 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). 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). 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). 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). 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). 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). 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). 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). 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 …