(2021-05-03). Quibbling Over Cruelties: Human Rights Watch, Israel and Apartheid. dissidentvoice.org Criticism of Israel's policies towards Palestinians has always induced a defensive rage from its defenders and advocates. A Threshold Crossed, a report by Human Rights Watch, lit several fires of rage and disapproval. Israel, according to the authors, is responsible for apartheid policies. The word, and the application of its meaning, is immemorially nasty. This …
(2021-05-03). Quibbling Over Cruelties: Human Rights Watch, Israel And Apartheid — OpEd. eurasiareview.com Criticism of Israel's policies towards Palestinians has always induced a defensive rage from its defenders and advocates. The word, and the application of its meaning, is immemorially nasty. This deeply though through policy of Afrikaans origin speaks to a hatred not merely of Black Africans but British imperialism an…
(2021-05-03). Quibbling Over Cruelties: Human Rights Watch, Israel and Apartheid. southfront.org 
Illustrative image: אי־אף־פי | Written by Dr. Binoy Kampmark. | Criticism of Israel's policies towards Palestinians has always induced a defensive rage from its defenders and advocates.
(2021-05-03). The Weekly Round-Up: #KillTheBill, FPN reviews, and rights under threat in India. ukhumanrightsblog.com 
In the news: People aged 42 and over are now able to book their Covid-19 vaccines, joining the more than 33.8 million people in the UK who have received their first dose. The news comes as the Joint Committee on Human Rights called for a review of all fixed penalty notices (FPNs) for lockdown breaches …
(2021-05-03). Large Explosion Hit HTS Warehouse In Syria's Idlib Province (Photos, Videos). southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | On April 3, a large explosion took place near the city of Kafraya in Idlib province. According to photos provided from the area, the explosion occurred at the warehouse of the al-Qaeda-affiliated Hayat Tahrir Sham (HTS). | Shells and IEDs are manufactured at the warehouse that was located near al-Furousiyyah refugee camp in al-Fu'ah area in the north-east of Idlib. | According to the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights,…
(2021-05-03). Whistleblower Daniel Hale, The Drone Program And The War On Our Right To Know. popularresistance.org The United States' drone assassination program is illegal under international law, but the whistleblower who exposed it, Daniel Hale, is being prosecuted under the Espionage Act. Chip Gibbons of Defending Rights and Dissent describes who Daniel Hale is and why his act of leaking information about the program to a journalist is akin to Daniel Ellsberg leaking the Pentagon Papers. Gibbons also places Hale's action in the broader context of FBI surveillance, the war on whistleblowers and other truthtellers, such as Julian Assange, and the assault on our right to know.
(2021-05-03). West Michigan labor unions rally for International Workers Day. fightbacknews.org Grand Rapids, MI – West Michigan labor unions joined by community and social justice groups celebrated International Workers Day on May 1 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. | This year May Day for workers focused on safe working conditions during the COVID pandemic, unemployment for stage hands and gig workers who are out of jobs, and building a stronger union movement through the PRO Act. Other speakers from community and social justice groups talked about immigrant rights for workers, criminal justice reform needed in the wake of George Floyd's death, and the Equality Act in Congress. | "During this health crisis where…
(2021-05-03). Why Delivery Workers Across the Planet Are Rising Up Against Exploitation. zcomm.org Even before the crisis of the pandemic, food delivery companies have seen their profits skyrocket while their "self-employed" workers suffer rights violations and were banned from unionizing…
(2021-05-03). This week in history: May 3-9. wsws.org 25 years ago: Bosnian war crimes trials open in The Hague On May 7, 1996, the first in a series of war crimes trials stemming from the war in Bosnia opened in the international court at The Hague, Netherlands. Dusan Tadic, a Bosnian Serb, stood accused of carrying out atrocities against Bosnian civilians, including murder, rape and torture.
(2021-05-03). 1000-plus join May Day march in Minneapolis. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN — On a hot 87-degree afternoon, a large crowd assembled at the starting location for the International Workers Day march that was hosted by a large coalition of union, immigrant rights groups and other progressive organizations in the Twin Cities area. | The Coalition was initially called for by Minnesota Workers United and the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee, and quickly grew from there to include 17 unions, seven immigrant rights organizations and ten other activist groups. | A contingent of made up of Freedom Road Socialist Organization supporters and members marched behind a…
(2021-05-03). San Jose May Day march demands justice for all. fightbacknews.org San Jose, CA – More than 500 people marched through downtown San Jose for the annual May Day event. On one side of the street, hundreds of cars carrying Mexican flags and flags of the United Farm Workers Union drove by and honked in support. The May Day Coalition of San Jose organized the march and invited dozens of speakers from various community and labor organizations to raise issues important to their community. The community groups marched from Roosevelt Park to San Jose City Hall. | Many of the attendees of the were receptive to the needs of the unemployed. Immigrant rights groups immediately connected the…
(2021-05-03). They have weaponized the law against my son, says mother of Thai activist on hunger strike. peoplesdispatch.org Protests are breaking out in Thailand against the continued detention of Parit Chiwarak who has been on a hunger strike for close to 50 days. He is in pre-trial detention on lese-majeste and sedition charges and has been moved to a hospital…
(2021-05-03). Blinken Says Biden Administration to Focus on Guantanamo in 'Months Ahead'. sputniknews.com Earlier, the Biden administration announced its plans to review the policy on the future of the notorious prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and said that it plans to shutter the detention center by the end of its tenure.
(2021-05-03). Unionists help newly abandoned refugees. greenleft.org.au Chris Slee reports on community support for the Medevac refugees who have recently been released from hotel detention.
(2021-05-03). Wednesday 5/5: Vigil for Refugee Rights Stop Child Detention Recognize Asylum. indybay.org 1187 Franklin Street @ Geary…
(2021-05-03). German philosopher rejects Sheikh Zayed book award. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 03 (MNA) — German philosopher Jurgen Habermas rejected a literary award by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Sunday over human rights concerns in the Persian Gulf country.
(2021-05-03). Australian PM Defends Decision to Jail, Impose Fines on India Returnees Amid Racism Allegations. sputniknews.com Australia's decision to ban arrivals from India comes on the back of similar travel bans by other nations, including the US and the United Kingdom. However, Australia's threat to jail passengers travelling from India during the ban has prompted criticism from the Australian Human Rights Commission, the nation's federal watchdog.
(2021-05-03). Press 'a cornerstone' of democratic societies, UN says. news.un.org The United Nations Secretary-General on Monday urged governments to "do everything in their power" to support free, independent and diverse media, which the UN's top human rights official highlighted as "a cornerstone of democratic societies".
(2021-05-03). Free press 'a cornerstone' of democratic societies, UN says. news.un.org The United Nations Secretary-General on Monday urged governments to "do everything in their power" to support free, independent and diverse media, which the UN's top human rights official highlighted as "a cornerstone of democratic societies".
(2021-05-03). Military exports to Indonesia strain NZ's human rights record. greenleft.org.au Information is coming to light about New Zealand's exports to Indonesia's military forces, which are engaged in a long-running and escalating conflict in West Papua, reports Maire Leadbeater.
(2021-05-03). Kent State, April 4, 1970: Was It about Civil Rights or 
Murdering Student Protesters? globalresearch.ca When Ohio National Guardsmen fired sixty-seven gun shots in thirteen seconds at Kent State University (KSU) on May 4, 1970, they murdered four unarmed, protesting college students and wounded nine others.
(2021-05-03). Ongoing Russia-France Business Relations Despite EU Sanctions. globalresearch.ca On April 29, Russian President Vladimir Putin held videoconference with leaders …
(2021-05-03). The International Economics Of Self-Harm — Analysis. eurasiareview.com By Carlos Kuriyama* | Implementing or threatening another territory with economic sanctions in order to achieve a nation's political end is an age-old tactic. In ancient and medieval Europe, trade blockades were put in place to obtain commercial privileges or to compel opponents to surrender. Today, with globalisation, territories are more connected and interdependent, and the mechanisms of economic coercion are evolving in these new circumstances. | Common coercive tools in trade include import tariffs, trade remedies and export prohibitions or restrictions affecting specific goods from a particular source or…
(2021-05-03). Russia Appreciates Importance Of French Business Despite European Sanctions. eurasiareview.com On April 29, Russian President Vladimir Putin held videoconference with leaders of several French companies-members of the Franco-Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI France-Russia) to discuss some aspects of Russian-French trade, economic and investment cooperation, including the implementation of large joint projects as well as the prospects for collaborative work. | Putin noted that the Economic Council of the Franco-Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry is still operational in spite of difficulties, and the late April meeting was the fourth time since 2016. From the historical records, France h…
(2021-05-03). EU Summons Russian Envoy to Condemn Moscow's Entry Ban on European Officials. sputniknews.com MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Senior EU officials summoned the Russian ambassador to the bloc, Vladimir Chizhov, on Monday to criticise Moscow's decision to ban eight European citizens from entering the country, in retaliation to similar EU sanctions.
(2021-05-02). Iran Claimed Breakthrough Prisoners Swap Deal With US, UK. Washington Denies — Reports. southfront.org 
© Flickr/ peyman abkhezr | Iran is about to reach a breakthrough prisoners swap dead with the US and the UK, the al-Mayadeen TV reported on May 2. | An unnamed Iranian source told the Beirut-based channel that Iran and the US may soon finalize a prisoner exchange deal that would see Tehran freeing four Americans who were charged with spying for their country. | In return, the US would release four Iranian who were charged with violating sanctions imposed on Tehran. The US may also un-freeze Iranian assets worth a…
(2021-05-02). Russian Warplanes Bombed ISIS Terrorists In Central Syria Ahead Of Large-Scale Operation. southfront.org 
Russian Su-25 attack aircraft take off from the Khmeimim airbase in Syria © Dmitriy Vinogradov / Sputnik | The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) And its allies are preparing to kick off a large-scale operation against ISIS cells in the central region, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported on May 2."Preparations are underway to launch a large-scale military operation in the deserts of Raqqa and Hama with support from Russian warplanes," the London-based monitoring group said in a report. | As a part of the ongoing…
(2021-05-02). End 'Forever Wars,' Biden Told as White House Releases Document on Trump's Secret Lethal Force Rules. commondreams.org "Secretive and unaccountable use of lethal force is unacceptable in a rights-respecting democracy, and this program is a cornerstone of the 'forever wars' President Biden has pledged to end. He needs to do so," said the ACLU's Brett Max Kaufman. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2021-05-02). Iran foreign trade in year 1399 amid pandemic, sanctions. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 02 (MNA) — The statistics show that Iran was able to continue its foreign trade despite being under pressure from the tough sanctions and the Covid-19 pandemic.
(2021-05-02). Government Report Documents US Responsibility For Venezuela's Humanitarian Dilemma. popularresistance.org The US government blames the crisis on the mismanagement and corruption of the Venezuelan government headed by Nicolás Maduro. The Venezuelan government faults the US and its allies for imposing sanctions, unilateral coercive measures illegal under international law. | An official US Congressional Research Service report issued April 28, Venezuela: Background and US Relations, suggests the Venezuelan government has valid arguments that it is being strangulated by US sanctions. According to the report: | It is difficult to attribute precisely the extent of Venezuela's economic collapse that is due to US sanctions…
(2021-05-02). World Police: Washington Seeks To Imprison Foreign Businesspeople. popularresistance.org The United States uses economic sanctions as a weapon against states that choose a development path independent of US global domination. Sanctions can take the form of blocking a nation's financial and trade transactions, not allowing financial institutions to process them. The US can also freeze the assets of another country. | Washington employs sanctions as a tool to destabilize governments that refuse to kow-tow to it. Sanctions are a weapon of war on civilians. Richard Nixon made this clear when, with Chile's 1970 election of socialist Salvador Allende, the US president ordered the CIA to "make the economy s…
(2021-05-02). On Contact: Police Abuse And Torture. popularresistance.org Chris Hedges discusses police abuse and torture with civil rights attorney Flint Taylor. Taylor's new book is 'The Torture Machine: Racism and Police Violence in Chicago'. With his colleagues at the People's Law Office, Taylor has argued landmark civil rights cases exposing the corruption and cover-ups within the Chicago Police Department and throughout the city's political machine, from the alderman to the mayor's office. The book takes the reader from the 1969 murder of Black Panther Party Chairman Fred Hampton and Panther Mark Clark — and the historic 13-year trial that followed — to the pursuit of…
(2021-05-02). 1500 rally and march in Chicago on May Day. fightbacknews.org Chicago, IL – The movements for immigrant rights, against police crimes, and the labor movement of essential workers united today to mark May 1, International Workers Day in Chicago. Banners read "Legalization for all," "Stop police crimes" and "Justice for essential workers." | The mobilization represented the unity reached between the major immigrant rights group the state, the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR), and the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (CAARPR). ICIRR's two legislative priorities are legalization for all and a pathway to citizenship at the feder…
(2021-05-02). Wednesday 5/5: Vigil for Refugee Rights Stop Child Detention Recognize Asylum. indybay.org 1187 Franklin Street @ Geary…
(2021-05-02). Mumia Abu-Jamal Supporters Rise Up with March, Rally and Ritual in Oakland. indybay.org Remembering that the Black Panther Party started off with police-watching patrols, demonstrators took to the streets in Oakland on April 24 with the call "Free Mumia!" Earlier in the week, a group of UN human rights experts expressed serious concerns over his treatment and wellbeing and called on authorities to urgently address the situation.
(2021-05-02). Students demand police accountability on U of MN president's front lawn. fightbacknews.org St. Paul, MN – Students for A Democratic Society (SDS) held a sit-in at Eastcliff Mansion, the home of University of Minnesota President Joan Gabel, April 30, to demand police accountability on campus, community control of the police, and to divest from the West Command Task Force. The occupation lasted from noon to 6 p.m. and had an extensive program which included marshal training, cop watch, know your rights training, an explanation of CPAC, and a discussion of disability justice and policing. | The sit-in ended with a rally where community members and students spoke. Almost 100 people attended the rally, whil…
(2021-05-02). Iran: International Labor Day Gatherings Under Siege By Security Forces — OpEd. eurasiareview.com On May 1st, International Workers' Day, workers, and retirees held protest rallies in more than 20 cities in Iran, including Tehran, Karaj, Arak, Mashhad, Khorramabad, Marivan, Kermanshah, Haft Tappeh, Tabriz, Sanandaj, Rasht, Boroujerd, Qazvin, Sari, Ilam, … to commemorate International Workers' Day and to pursue their rights. | Workers are celebrating International Workers' Day in a situation where, according to government statistics, which is far from the truth, six million people partially and 1.5 million permanently lost their jobs during the coronavirus crisis up to October 2020. And between the fall o…
(2021-05-02). How The UN Betrayed The Women Of Iran — OpEd. eurasiareview.com By Dalia Al-Aquidi* | When Iran was elected by the UN Economic and Social Council to its Commission on the Status of Women, concerns were raised about the kind of message the international organization was sending to the world. | Since the commission's job is the global promotion of equality and women's empowerment, the minimum requirement for membership should be respect for women and their right to make their own decisions. As a woman who was born and raised in the Middle East and has spent most of her adult life fighting for women's rights in this troubled region, I was insulted and flabbergasted by this ou…
(2021-05-02). Animal Liberation Conference in September. indybay.org The Animal Liberation Conference brings together the most dedicated animal rights activists from around the world and empowers them to take bold, collective action to achieve revolutionary social and political change for animals.
(2021-05-02). How Nicaragua Thrives Despite Illegal US Intervention. orinocotribune.com By Madeline McClure — Apr 27, 2021 | In March, 2021, I traveled to Nicaragua as a delegate with the Sanctions Kill! coalition to witness the impact of the 'coercive measures' the U.S. uses to impose its political and economic interests, rationalized by its allegations of repression and political crisis. Yet rather than find a people under dictatorship, I arrived to a society thrumming with autonomous productivity, bolstered by decades of redistributed wealth, historic self-determination and a disciplined sense of resiliency. | There's a feeling in the air that the U.S. media hasn't quite been able to put its…
(2021-05-02). Como prospera Nicaragua a pesar de la intervención ilegal de Estados Unidos. globalizacion.ca En marzo de 2021, viajé a Nicaragua como delegado de Sanctions Kill! coalición para presenciar el impacto de las 'medidas coercitivas' que usa Estados Unidos para imponer sus intereses políticos y económicos, racionalizados por sus acusaciones de represión y crisis…
(2021-05-02). Como prospera Nicaragua a pesar de la intervención ilegal de Estados Unidos. globalizacion.ca En marzo de 2021, viajé a Nicaragua como delegado de Sanctions Kill! coalición para presenciar el impacto de las 'medidas coercitivas' que usa Estados Unidos para imponer sus intereses políticos y económicos, racionalizados por sus acusaciones de represión y crisis…