(2021-04-02). Four FundaREDES 'Candid Activists' Detained in Apure State. orinocotribune.com 
On March 31, Venezuelan NGO FundaREDES denounced the arrest of two of its members in Apure state, and of two journalists from the Colombian channel NTN24 by the Bolivarian National Guard (GNB). | The opposition activist Javier Tarazona is promoting a smear campaign on social media, referring to the "forced disappearance" of four Venezuelans for allegedly "documenting the violation of human rights in the area" by Venezuelan military deployed to defend Venezuelan sovereignty. | These claims are contradicted by the fact that, while claiming a missing persons case, organizations like the National Union of Press Worke…
(2021-04-02). Young labor leader murdered by Duterte in Philippines. peoplesworld.org 
A 35-year old trade union leader Dandy Miguel was killed on 28 March in Calamba city, after taking cases of extrajudicial killings to the Commission of Human Rights. His death adds to the more than 50 trade unionists that have been killed since Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte came to power in 2016. Dandy Miguel was …
(2021-04-02). Fake News Op in the 'Candid Activists' Case: There was No Arrest, Only Protection of Journalists in Apure. orinocotribune.com This Thursday, April 1, the launch of a new media conspiracy against Venezuela was attempted on social media networks and in the US-financed "free press," but the truth quickly emerged. Finally, the alleged detention of journalists in Apure state, allegedly covering the events in the Colombian-Venezuelan border territory, was reported as false. | A new fake news story was spread by some media and journalists who assured that several journalists and activists were apprehended; some even dared to describe the arrests as "force disappearance." | In addition, social media exploded with manipulations and falsehoods th…
(2021-04-02). New Domestic Terrorism Laws Won't End White Supremacy. aclu.org After the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, calls for new domestic terrorism laws grew louder. Proponents of the laws argue they'll provide law enforcement with more resources to go after white supremacists and stop the violence. Now, with the country reeling from a recent spike in mass shootings, the calls continue. | Not so fast, says Hina Shamsi, director of the ACLU's National Security Project. New domestic terorrism laws will give the government even more power to surveil and criminalize communities of color. Existing counterrorism laws have already disproportionately affected these communities, an…
(2021-04-02). Human Rights for Children: Beyond a Crime, Worldwide: The Immoral, Destructive Impacts of the Covid Measures on Our Children. globalresearch.ca Dear Mr. Nils Melzer, | My name is Peter Koenig, former economist …
(2021-04-02). Treasury Notifies Congress of $650 Billion Emergency Reserves to Fight Global COVID Crisis. indybay.org Washington DC —Treasury notified Congress of its support for $650 billion in IMF global reserves, also known as Special Drawing Rights (SDRs), to assist developing countries struggling with the coronavirus crisis. US law requires a ninety-day advance alert to Congress before the US votes for SDRs with the IMF board.
(2021-04-02). Drawing a Line in a Time of Moral Decay: the Mission of William Alberts. counterpunch.org 
Americans want to be loved, yet are feared almost everywhere in the world. Americans see themselves as just and righteous, yet daily countenance harrowing transgressions of international law and basic human rights. We believe ourselves to be agents of freedom, yet most of us refuse to reflect on the ethical consequences of our imperial aggressions. We prefer not to know what is done in our name, not to see the mounds of corpses that litter the distant rims of the world from American missile and drone strikes. We don't want to know, because such an inquiry threatens the essential tenets of our self-identity, under…
(2021-04-02). Do We Really Want a Second Cold War? zcomm.org The protection of human rights is being geopolitically manipulated to mobilize public support for an anti-Chinese foreign policy in the West that risks generating a dangerous geopolitical confrontation…
(2021-04-02). Will Georgia's Voting Law Be Repealed as Big Business Joins Critics Opposing "Jim Crow" Suppression? democracynow.org 
Activists are demanding accountability from Georgia-based companies in opposing a law that heavily restricts voting rights in the state, which many are calling the worst voter suppression legislation since the Jim Crow era. While some companies, including Coca-Cola and Delta, have weighed in on the Republican-backed crackdown on voting rights, Cliff Albright, co-founder and executive director of Black Voters Matter, says voicing opposition is not enough. "We're calling for a repeal of this voter suppression law, and we're asking these companies to divest future support that they've given," Albright says. "Stand b…
(2021-04-02). Headlines for April 2, 2021. democracynow.org Ex-Supervisor Says Derek Chauvin's Fatal Restraint of George Floyd Violated Use-of-Force Policies , Texas Senate Passes Republican-Led Voter Suppression Bill, Texas Rangers Baseball Stadium to Open at Full Capacity Despite Surging Coronavirus Cases, U.N. Warns Burma Headed for Civil War as Military Junta Continues Brutal Crackdown, At Least 51 Dead, Dozens More Injured in Taiwan Train Crash , Arizona ICE Jail Violated Prisoners' Rights and Failed to Prevent COVID-19 Outbreak, Biden Holds First Cabinet Meeting as Debate over Infrastructure Plan Continues, Unemployment Claims Rise as Pandemic Recovery Remains Uneve…
(2021-04-02). "One more thing": Apple and Swatch at each other's throats. ukhumanrightsblog.com 
Swatch AG v Apple Inc [2021] EWHC 719 (Ch) This case has a history: the long running trade mark dispute between Swatch and Apple about the marks 'I-WATCH' and 'I-SWATCH'. I will go back to that in a moment. The dispute in question concerned trade mark applications designating the following signs, covering a wide range …
(2021-04-01). PDF of April 1 issue. workers.org 
Download the PDF. Bessemer workers fight for justice Workers on the move: ‚ÄÉNorth Carolina schools; ‚ÄÉWashington state Amazon; ‚ÄÉOregon coffee shops; ‚ÄÉWhich side are you on, Marty Walsh? More: Berta Cáceres lives on; Women's sports: inequality, solidarity; The Commune vs. the state; No to anti-Asian violence! Editorial: Voting rights resistance. . . . |
(2021-04-01). Thousands of Migrant Workers Still Being Held in Detention on the Southern Border. globalresearch.ca Media accounts in the United States have shown that thousands of …
(2021-04-01). Vacunas: øUn bien de la Humanidad o un negocio de los grandes laboratorios? globalizacion.ca Pandemia, millones de vidas arrasadas, familias destruidas y la vacuna es un negocio de los grandes laboratorios. El constitucionalismo moderno, los derechos humanos y las democracias crujen ante esta situación. Es moralmente inadmisible que, en medio de una crisis sanitaria…
(2021-04-01). Mexico: President AMLO Rejects US Report on Press Freedom. telesurenglish.net Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) on Thursday condemned a recent report by the U.S. Department of State (DoS) that pointed out lack of press freedom in the country. | RELATED: | "We do not give our opinion on human rights violations in the U.S. We are respectful. We cannot comment on what happens in another country," AMLO said. | The report accused the state-owned news agency NOTIMEX Director Sanjuan…
(2021-04-01). GLOBALink: Rampant Racial Injustice in US Reveals Double Standards on Human Rights: Experts. telesurenglish.net The U.S. always applies double standards on human rights and has habitually pointed fingers at others while ignoring its own obligations to protect Americans' human rights at home, experts have said.
(2021-04-01). Nicaragua And The Western Human Rights Industry. popularresistance.org Every area of reporting has become increasingly shaped by corporate funding either directly or else indirectly, via government bodies strongly under corporate influence. The Western intellectual managerial classes have generally abandoned basic reporting standards. This is self-evident to anyone who has tried to challenge false received wisdom in relation to NATO country aggression against sovereign nations from Cuba and Venezuela to Libya and Syria. | Western organizations and institutions claiming to be accountable and transparent are not — neither UN bodies nor regional institutions like the Organization…
(2021-04-01). Syria Calls US and EU Blockade Economic Terrorism. telesurenglish.net On Thursday, the Syrian Foreign Ministry rejected the United States and the European Union's unilateral coercive measures, described as collective punishment and economic terrorism. | RELATED: | Through letters sent to the Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN), António Guterres, and the President of the Security Council, the Syrian Foreign Ministry said that the imposition of sanctions has remained intact…
(2021-04-01). State Dept Report Faults Iraq on Human Rights Over Shi'ite Militias. news.antiwar.com The annual State Department human rights report has singled out Iraq for criticism with regard to the nation's approach, and The PMF groups are part of the Iraqi security apparatus, but operate somewhat independently. Being Shi'ite militias, the US accuses them of being pro-Iran, and says the government doesn't control them enough. | A particular problem is the civilian protest movements in Iraq, which seek to elect parties that are not d…
(2021-04-01). France must investigate its potential war crime in Mali, activists demand. middleeasteye.net 
France must investigate its potential war crime in Mali, activists demand | French defence ministry has disputed UN's findings that it bombed a wedding party in January | Thu, 04/01/2021 – 17: 33 | According to Minusma, the UN mission in Mali, a French air strike killed 19 civilians in the Malian village of Bounti on 3 January, 2021 (AFP) | Human rights activists are demanding France open an investigation into…
(2021-04-01). U.S. State Department Lists Ukraine's Plentiful Human Rights Abuses In 2020. southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | On March 31st, the US Department of State released its annual Country Reports on Human Rights. | It renewed its report on US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken presented the 45th annual report. | It turns out…
(2021-04-01). Hunting ISIS: Syrian Government Forces Kick Off Operation In Deir Ezzor With Russian Support (Video). southfront.org 
ILLUSTRATIVE IMAGE: Sputnik/Mikhail Alaeddin | On April 1, Syrian government forces kicked off a large-scale combing operation in the southern and western Deir Ezzor countryside. | According to the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), the National Defense Forces and the Palestinian al-Quds Brigade are leading the operation which is backed by the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS). | Government forces are combing the outskirts of the town of al-Mayadin, from the area of al-Banja all the way to the area of Fayda…
(2021-04-01). Controversial Russian mercenary group linked to 'grave human rights abuses' in Central African Republic, new UN probe claims. rt.com 
A UN team has alleged that a controversial private military contractor, brought in by the embattled government of the Central African Republic, is behind a series of troubling and violent attacks in the civil-war-wracked nation. | The working group tasked with assessing the situation in the Central African Republic announced on Tuesday that its members were "deeply disturbed" by a purported link between the mercenaries from the Russian 'Wagner Group' of paramilitaries and potential "grave human rights abuses and violations of international humanitarian law." | The company's contractors have been operating alon…
(2021-04-01). Warships & submarines entering zone of Nord Stream 2 pipeline in 'planned & prepared provocations' to obstruct work, says operator. rt.com 
With the controversial Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline nearing completion and US sanctions against contractors failing to stop its construction, its operator has reported an increased "provocative" activity of warships in the area. | According to Moscow news agency TASS, Nord Stream 2 AG's branch director, Andrey Minin, claimed that the last three months have seen a growth in military presence in the area. | "After the resumption of Nord Stream 2 offshore construction in January 2021, there has been an increase in activity of military ships, planes, and helicopters, as well as civilian ships of foreign countries, w…
(2021-04-01). Unhoused of Santa Cruz Win Another Round in their Legal Struggle to Protect their Rights and Safety. indybay.org On March 30, 2021, Federal Magistrate Susan van Keulen ruled against the City of Santa Cruz motion to vacate the injunction and ordered city officials to meet with the unhoused, the Santa Cruz Homeless Union and Food Not Bombs about the details of a new managed camp on the Benchlands.
(2021-04-01). México — La Cuarta Transformación y los derechos de los inversionistas extranjeros. globalizacion.ca Si la 4T desea sacudirse el yugo del neoliberalismo y reclamar la soberanía nacional, que mire a Pakistán. Ese país asiático está por derogar la mayoría de sus tratados bilaterales de inversiones (TBI), que lo atan de manos para el…
(2021-04-01). La 4T y los Derechos de los Inversionistas Extranjeros. ips-dc.org Si la 4T desea sacudirse el yugo del neoliberalismo y reclamar la soberanía nacional, que mire a Pakistán. | Ese país asiático está por derogar la mayoría de sus tratados bilaterales de inversiones (TBI), que lo atan de manos para el diseño e implantación de políticas públicas y regulaciones en favor del interés público. Los TBI, así como los capítulos de inversiones en tratados de libre comercio, como el TLCAN, definen las obligaciones que tienen los países para otorgar protecciones y privilegios a los inversionistas extranjeros, incluyendo la facultad de demandar a los estados en tribunales supranacionales, com…
(2021-04-01). Unlikely Allies From Across the Political Spectrum Urge Supreme Court to Uphold Students' Free Speech Rights. commondreams.org ______________________________…