(2021-04-08). Court Upholds $10 Million Judgment Against Bolivian Leaders for 2003 Massacre. orinocotribune.com April 6, 2021, Miami — Yesterday, a federal judge rejected an attempt by Bolivia's former president, Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada, and former defense minister, José Carlos Sánchez Berzaín, to vacate a $10 million damages award against them for the massacre of unarmed Indigenous people in 2003. A jury found the former officials liable under the Torture Victim Protection Act (TVPA) in April 2018, after a month-long trial that included six days of jury deliberations. The trial marked the first time in U.S. history that a former head of state sat before his accusers in a U.S. human rights trial. In an unusual move…
(2021-04-08). Myanmar: 53 Journalists Detained, Prosecuted Since Military Coup. eurasiareview.com 
A total of 53 reporters have been detained or prosecuted since the military coup on February 1, said journalist U Myint Kyaw, citing data from fellow members of the media. | Twenty-six of them are under detention, 15 of them have been charged under Section 505(a) of the Penal Code, and the rest have been released, said U Myint Kyaw. | "Prosecution is not a good sign for all the journalists. It is no longer safe for them to do reporting. In some cases, family members are urging journalists to quit. In some cases, journalists themselves have concerns for their safety. All these factors contribute to a decline in…
(2021-04-08). PDF of April 8 issue. workers.org 
Download the PDF. NO STALLNG: U.S. out of Afghanistan! Alabama mine workers strike What Bessemer union drive means Philly: Protect Squirrel Hill George Floyd's killer on trial Cesar Chavez Day Georgia anti-vote law strikes out Editorial: Wanna pay no taxes? TEAR DOWN THE WALLS: Detention centers exploit trans people Evaluating . . . |
(2021-04-08). Ukraine, U.S. drum up war threats against Donbass and Russia. mronline.org 
The USA has the unique condition of being a flagrant violator of human rights within its own borders and in practically every region of the world. No other nation has such a systematic record. Its massive control of media and communications hides this truth from its own people. | April 8, 2021 | Newswire…
(2021-04-08). United States Is Using Human Rights Issues to Attack China to Maintain Its Hegemony over the Global Economy. globalresearch.ca Joe Biden's presidency has been welcomed by Western media outlets …
(2021-04-08). Shahid Buttar and Dan Kovalik. projectcensored.org Mickey's first guest is Shahid Buttar, who in 2020 ran against Speaker Nancy Pelosi for her seat in the House of Representatives; he speaks about prospects for progressive change in 2021. Then author Dan Kovalik returns to the program to discuss his latest work, "Cancel This Book," which warns of the dangers of 'cancel culture.' | Notes: | Shahid Buttar is a civil-rights lawyer; he's worked at public-interest organizations including the Bill of Rights Defense Committee and the Electronic Frontier Foundation. In the 2020 election, he challenged long-time incumbent Nancy Pelosi for her seat in California's 12th Dis…
(2021-04-08). The Capitol Raid And Pandemic Can Help Us Empathize With Venezuelans. popularresistance.org The January 6th raid on the Capitol and the pandemic that has upended the lives of every American seemingly have nothing to do with Venezuela. But the effects they had on U.S. political and economic stability offer a glimpse into what Venezuelans have been going through for the past several years of failed coups and sanctions. | Remember how January 6th felt? The shock, confusion and fear. The constant refreshing of Twitter feeds or eyes glued to cable news, watching a bunch of extremists attempt to overthrow the government. The not knowing what was going to happen next and whether it would impact our daily lives…
(2021-04-08). Judge Terminates Zoom Access To Donziger Trial To Limit Public Access. popularresistance.org New York — U.S. trial judge Loretta Preska has denied all Zoom access to the upcoming contempt trial of human rights lawyer Steven Donziger in a widely condemned move that his lawyers say is designed to limit public access to an unprecedented one-sided trial run by a private Chevron prosecutor. | Marty Garbus, who is representing Donziger along with Rob Kuby, condemned the move as an "obvious and transparent attempt to hide public scrutiny of a farcical proceeding with a biased judge, no jury, and a private Chevron prosecutor." | Donziger organized the international legal team that won a historic $9.5 billi…
(2021-04-08). Standing With Daniel Hale, Standing With Whistleblowers. popularresistance.org Join us for a special broadcast featuring DRAD Policy Director Chip Gibbons, Jesselyn Radack head of Whistleblower and Source Protection Program (WHISPeR) at ExposeFacts, and whistleblowers who have faced Espionage Act charges. | Last week, Daniel Hale, a drone whistleblower, pled guilty to one count of violating the Espionage Act. Hale admitted in court that he gave to an investigative reporter documents detailing human rights abuses pertaining to the US's troubling assassination program. Although this information was in the public interest, the government nonetheless indicted Hale under the Espionage Act. | Thi…
(2021-04-08). Report: Biden May Expel Russian Diplomats and Impose More Sanctions. globalresearch.ca According to
(2021-04-08). Israeli Warplanes Attack Syrian Capital, Wounding Four Soldiers. news.antiwar.com Syrian state media is reporting that Israeli warplanes operating in Lebanon attacked the capital city of Damascus overnight, with Syrian air defenses were quick to activate during the attack, and Syria reported that they were able to shoot down most of the missiles before anything was hit. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says the attacks were aimed at a military post. | Lebanon's al-Manar TV reported that air defense missiles were heard exploding near the border. The…
(2021-04-08). Nobel Peace Prize Winner Jody Williams Slams Biden Admin for Claiming Landmines Are a "Vital Tool" democracynow.org 
The Biden administration is facing criticism from human rights groups after it announced this week it will leave in place a Trump-era policy to allow military commanders to use landmines across the globe. A Pentagon spokesperson described landmines as a "vital tool in conventional warfare" and said restricting their use would put American lives at risk, despite Biden's campaign promise to promptly roll back Trump's policy. Jody Williams, recipient of the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize for her work with the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, says landmines were invented "in order to maim people" and have a devastati…
(2021-04-08). Nobel Peace Prize Winner Jody Williams Slams Biden Admin for Claiming Landmines Are a "Vital Tool" democracynow.org The Biden administration is facing criticism from human rights groups after it announced this week it will leave in place a Trump-era policy to allow military commanders to use landmines across the globe. A Pentagon spokesperson described landmines as a "vital tool in conventional warfare" and said restricting their use would put American lives at risk, despite Biden's campaign promise to promptly roll back Trump's policy. Jody Williams, recipient of the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize for her work with the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, says landmines were invented "in order to maim people" and have a devastati…
(2021-04-08). Report: Biden May Expel Russian Diplomats and Impose More Sanctions. news.antiwar.com According to One unnamed source told Bloomberg the moves could involve sanctions on individuals close to Russian President Vladimir Putin and the expulsion of Russian diplomats the US will claim have ties to Russian intelligence. | The actions would be framed as "retaliation" for the hack of the software firm SolarWinds and alleged election interference. Both accusations are entirely unfounded, as the US has failed to pr…
(2021-04-08). Israel 'flagrantly violated' obligations to vaccinate Palestinians, Amnesty says. middleeasteye.net 
Israel 'flagrantly violated' obligations to vaccinate Palestinians, Amnesty says | Rights group says failure to vaccinate Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza is a sign of 'institutionalised discrimination' | Thu, 04/08/2021 – 16: 52 | For Palestinians living in the occupied West Bank and Israeli-blockaded Gaza, the vaccination rollout has lagged far behind (AFP) | Amnesty International has accused…
(2021-04-08). 260 Faith, Labor and Development Groups Press IMF, G20 and White House on COVID Response. indybay.org Ahead of Spring IMF and World Bank Meetings, World's Largest Unions, Human Rights Groups, Environmental and Religious Institutions Call for Aid, Debt Relief, Access to Emergency Reserves and Climate Protections…
(2021-04-08). Ten Things for US to Understand about Latin America. indybay.org The more we know about what is really happening in Latin America, the more we can see that the region can be a source of inspiration rather than a threat requiring US sanctions.
(2021-04-07). Georgia: Democracy for who? liberationnews.org 
A sweeping attack on voting rights, SB 202, signed into law by Georgia Governor Brian Kemp last week, is causing outrage across the country.
(2021-04-07). How Did The Cancel Culture Become Dominant So Quickly? — OpEd. eurasiareview.com 
By cancel culture, I mean the idea that people have rights and responsibilities and obligations and entitlements based on their skin color or their ethnic origin. A person's identity is defined by the group they belong to. There are no individual rights. There are only group rights. | The cancel culture rejects the political view encapsulated in the Declaration of Independence. In particular, it rejects the idea that people have a right to pursue their own happiness. It also rejects the idea of basic rights guaranteed in the Constitution, including freedom of speech, freedom of religion and freedom of assembly…
(2021-04-07). US, Iran See Indirect Nuclear Talks As Constructive. eurasiareview.com 
U.S. and Iranian officials are calling talks in Vienna productive as the two sides and the other signatories of a 2015 agreement on Iran's nuclear program work to revive the deal. | U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price said there is no expectation of direct negotiations for now, but that the United States is "open to them because we are open to diplomacy." | He said the meetings in Vienna are a "potentially useful step as we seek to determine what it is that the Iranians are prepared to do to return to compliance" with the agreement, which limited Iran's nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.
(2021-04-07). Houston Flooding Polluted Reefs More Than 100 Miles Offshore. eurasiareview.com 
Runoff from Houston's 2016 Tax Day flood and 2017's Hurricane Harvey flood carried human waste onto coral reefs more than 100 miles offshore in the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, according to a Rice University study. | "We were pretty shocked," said marine biologist Adrienne Correa, co-author of the study in Frontiers in Marine Science. "One thing we always thought the Flower Garden Banks were safe from was terrestrial runoff and nutrient pollution. It's a jolt to realize that in these extreme events, it's not just the salt marsh or the seagrass that we need to worry about. Offshore ecosystems…
(2021-04-07). Stop Using Our Tax Dollars for Human Rights Abuses: Pass the Philippines Human Right Act. counterpunch.org While the deadline for filing Federal income taxes has been postponed to May 17, the traditional deadline (April 15) is an appropriate time for U.S. taxpayers to reflect on what our tax dollars fund. A significant portion of our taxes funds human rights abuses in the Philippines. Since 2016, the year when Rodrigo Duterte was
(2021-04-07). The Promise of Systemic Equality Starts at Home. aclu.org For more than a century, the ACLU has been on the frontlines advancing civil liberties and civil rights. This has meant not only defending rights for all but taking bold positions in order to help America live up to her own ideals — a reality that is better than where we are, and one that is never finished. For over 100 years, this aspiration of a more perfect union has been our story. | Today, we are focused on a new chapter of that story: one where we've turned our attention inward to our own culture and systems to evolve as an organization that is reflecting internally the ambitions we have set extern…
(2021-04-07). India to Continue Buying Russian Weapons Despite US Sanction Threats. asia-pacificresearch.com …
(2021-04-07). Reforming An Uprising, But Not The Police. popularresistance.org As the Derek Chauvin trial continues, Minneapolis residents witness the militarization of their city. Fearful of another uprising, terrified lawmakers have erected barricades and razor wire fences around the Government Center, City Hall, and police stations. The fortification is estimated to cost $645,000. Additionally, law enforcement has been using surveillance planes to look for signs of unrest. After backlash from community members, Minneapolis officials dropped their plan to hire social media influencers to share state-sanctioned messaging about the Chauvin trial. | On March 12, 2021 — as the jury sele…
(2021-04-07). Cambodia: 'Stop Covid-19' System Raises Privacy Concerns. eurasiareview.com 
The Cambodian government's "Stop Covid-19" QR Code system raises serious privacy and other human rights concerns, Human Rights Watch said today. The authorities should use less-rights-intrusive measures to contain and prevent the spread of the Covid-19 virus. | On February 20, 2021, Cambodia's Ministry of Post and Telecommunications and Ministry of Health initiated a QR Code system that aims to assist with contact tracing of new Covid-19 cases, which have recently increased. The ministries should publicly explain how the data collected through the QR Code system is used, who has access to the data and for what…
(2021-04-07). UAE official not suited to be Interpol chief, says former UK prosecutor. middleeasteye.net 
UAE official not suited to be Interpol chief, says former UK prosecutor | Major General Ahmed Naser al-Raisi has been linked to human rights abuses, including the torture of two British citizens | Wed, 04/07/2021 – 16: 27 | A coalition of human rights groups warned last year that Raisi's appointment would 'damage' Interpol's reputation (AFP) | The United Arab Emirate's security chief is ill-suited to run Inter…
(2021-04-07). NYPD "Goon Squad" Manual Teaches Officers to Violate Protesters' Rights. zcomm.org Internal NYPD documents shed new light on the Strategic Response Group, or SRG, the heavily militarized police unit behind the crackdown on George Floyd protesters…
(2021-04-07). Russia Warns Western Pressure and Sanctions on Myanmar Could Lead to 'Full-Scale Civil Conflict'. news.antiwar.com Since the February 1st coup in Myanmar, Russia on Tuesday
(2021-04-07). What is the true value of a companion animal? ukhumanrightsblog.com 
Pendragon v Coom [2021] EW Misc 4 CC (22 March 2021) As we all know, the acquisition of puppies during lockdown has gone through the roof with the inevitable sad consequences of remorse followed by neglect and even abandonment. Dog theft has spiralled as the market responds by escalating the price of pedigree puppies. But …
(2021-04-07). Law Pod UK new episode: Courts tussle with Uber, Ola and the Gig Economy. ukhumanrightsblog.com 
In Episode 139 of Law Pod UK Alasdair Henderson of 1 Crown Office Row joins Rosalind English to discuss the recent ruling by the UK Supreme Court that drivers whose work is arranged through Uber's smartphone app work for Uber under workers' contracts and so qualify for the protections afforded by employment law, such as …
(2021-04-07). Iraq: Arrests among LGBTQ+ community in Kurdish city sparks fierce debate. middleeasteye.net 
Iraq: Arrests among LGBTQ+ community in Kurdish city sparks fierce debate | The recent detentions have been met with differing reactions from Kurdish social media users as well as from politicians | Wed, 04/07/2021 – 13: 53 | While some applauded the security forces for making the arrests, saying such operations would protect the Kurdish community from a 'moral collapse,' others reacted angri…
(2021-04-07). Thursday 4/8: Amplyfying LGBTQIA+ Activism : The Pursuit for Equality & Fundamental Rights. indybay.org Online via Zoom…
(2021-04-07). Iranian Ship Linked To IRGC Attacked In Red Sea. eurasiareview.com 
An Iranian ship linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has been attacked in the Red Sea. | The Saviz was hit by limpet mines, Iran's Tasnim news agency reported on Tuesday. | The attack took place off the coast of Eritrea and led to several injuries, according to Al Arabiya TV. | A US official told Reuters that the United States did not carry out the attack. | The Wall Street Journal reported last month that Israel has targeted at least 12 Iranian ships heading for Syria since late 2019. | The vessels have mostly been carrying oil in breach of US sanctions. However, the report said cargo and mi…
(2021-04-07). Meeting To Revive Iran Nuclear Deal Begins In Vienna. popularresistance.org The Joint Commission of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)—the Iran nuclear deal—resumed talks in Vienna on Tuesday, with the lifting of sanctions on Iran and nuclear implementation measures at the center of the agenda. | Representatives from Iran, China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the European Union met for an hour. Although not at the session, the US envoy remained a few meters away from the venue, which was understood as a gesture of willingness to rescue the agreement. | Several participants qualified the meeting as positive, including Russia's permanent represent…
(2021-04-07). Al-Qaeda Police: Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham Arrested Nine Terrorists In Greater Idlib. southfront.org 
Illustrative image | Al-Qaeda-affiliated Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) is still working to tighten its grip over the northwestern Syria region of Greater Idlib. | In the last few days, the terrorist group's security forces arrested a number of infamous terrorists in Greater Idlib for not so clear reasons. | On April 4, seven terrorists, who were operating independently in Greater Idlib, were arrested by HTS. Enab Baladi listed the detainees as follows: | Abu al-Laith M'abar, Abu Osama al-Gaza'iri and Abu al-Darda' al-Gaza'ir…
(2021-04-07). United States Using Human Rights Issues To Attack China To Maintain Its Hegemony Over The Global Economy. southfront.org 
Written by Dr. Leon Tressell exclusively for SouthFront Joe Biden's presidency has been welcomed by Western media outlets as signifying…
(2021-04-07). Coalition Urges DOJ to Instruct the National Archivist to Publish the Equal Rights Amendment in the Constitution. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2021-04-07). Conflicts Compounded By COVID-19 Devastating Socio-Economic Development In Sub-Saharan Africa. eurasiareview.com 
The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the terrible legacy of deliberately divisive and destructive policies that have perpetuated inequality, discrimination, and oppression across Sub-Saharan Africa, Amnesty International said in its annual report published early April 2021. | Across the Sub-Saharan region, the devastating impact of armed conflict in countries such as Ethiopia, Mozambique, Cameroon, and Nigeria, was compounded by the pandemic as a number of states weaponized it to crack down on human rights. The crackdowns included killings of civilians and arrests of opposition politicians and supporters and huma…
(2021-04-07). Jordan's King Abdullah says 'sedition is buried' following 'painful' rift with half-brother arrested after criticizing govt. rt.com 
King Abdullah II of Jordan has said that the Arab state is stable after his half-brother, Prince Hamzah, was accused of conspiring with foreign powers to undermine national security and placed under house arrest. | The former crown prince was one of 16 people detained on Saturday over an alleged plot against the royal family, while mobile phone and internet access was cut at his home. | In the monarch's first public comments about the dramatic rift at the heart of the royal family, King Abdullah said on Wednesday that his half-brother had now sworn allegiance to Jordan, its constitution, and its laws. | Also o…
(2021-04-07). Biden administration ready to consider 'some form of diplomacy' with North Korea — White House. rt.com 
Washington is prepared to talk to North Korea if it paves the way to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki has said, but that doesn't mean US sanctions are going away. | "We are prepared to consider some form of diplomacy if it's going to lead us down the path toward denuclearization," Psaki said on the possibility of relations between Washington and Pyongyang. | Getting the Korean Peninsula to ditch nuclear weapons remains a "clear objective" for the Biden administration, she insisted, before adding: "We are, of course, continuing to enforce sanctions." | Last week, w…
(2021-04-07). Lula supera ampliamente a Bolsonaro. globalizacion.ca En la encuesta más abarcativa de temas, Lula supera a Bolsonaro. El sondeo realizado por la empresa XP/Ipespe indica, al mismo tiempo, las razones del cambio. Cuando Lula recuperó sus derechos políticos -aunque reafirme siempre que no es candidato, que…