(2021-05-05). UN Alarmed Over Police Violence in Colombia Protests. latinorebels.com BOGOTàÅ, Colombia (AP) — The United Nations human rights office said it was "deeply alarmed" over violence against protesters in the Colombian city of Cali, where "police opened fire on demonstrators" and allegedly killed and injured several people Monday night.
(2021-05-04). Indian state elections deliver blow to Modi, amid COVID-19 catastrophe. wsws.org There is mounting popular anger against Modi and his far-right BJP government due to their ruinous mishandling of the pandemic, relentless attacks on social and democratic rights, and integration of India into the US war drive against China.
(2021-05-04). Covid-19, vacunas, control de las patentes. globalizacion.ca Al final de este artículo, deseamos que podamos entender por qué el Parlamento Europeo, no aprobó la clasificación de las vacunas contra el Covid-19, como bien público y evitaron la suspensión de sus derechos de propiedad intelectual existentes. Deseamos a…
(2021-05-04). Headlines for May 4, 2021. democracynow.org In Reversal, Biden to Raise Cap on Refugees Admitted to U.S., U.S. Allows Four Refugee Families Separated Under Trump to Reunite, India's Official COVID-19 Caseload Tops 20 Million, Nepal's COVID-19 Crisis Becomes "Unmanageable" Amid Exponential Rise in Cases, Argentina Passes 3 Million Confirmed COVID-19 Cases as Brazil Delays Second Vaccine Doses, Biden Under Pressure as World Health Organization Presses for Waiver on Vaccine Patent Rights, U.S. States Roll Back Coronavirus Restrictions as New Cases Fall Below 50,000 Per Day, Andrew Brown Jr. Laid to Rest Amid Mounting Calls to Hold Officers Who Shot Him Accoun…
(2021-05-04). Hundreds march for essential immigrant workers in Milwaukee May Day. fightbacknews.org Milwaukee, WI – In spite of gusts of wind in excess of 50 miles per hour, more than 250 people marched from the office of Wisconsin's premier immigrant rights organization, Voces de la Frontera, to the office of reactionary U.S. Senator Ron Johnson on the afternoon of May 1. The focus of the march was on essential immigrant workers. | The action was kicked off in the streets outside the recently-opened Voces headquarters. A few speeches, a song, and a prayer got the people in attendance ready to march. Marchers then made their way downtown to pay Senator Johnson's office a visit. Along the way, people chanted in…
(2021-05-04). Vale George Zangalis 1931-1921. greenleft.org.au Communist, trade unionist and class-struggle fighter for migrant rights George Zangalis died on March 25. Radicalised during the Greek civil war, Zangalis remained a fighter until the end, writes Sue Bolton.
(2021-05-04). Between the Lines: Congressional Report Finds US Sanctions to Blame for Venezuela Crisis. mintpressnews.com 
If the U.S. government's propaganda is correct that the current crisis is due to Maduro's mismanagement and corruption, then illegal and inhumane sanctions would not be needed to dislodge the "regime."
(2021-05-04). International rights experts condemn U.S. police killings as 'Crimes Against Humanity'. mronline.org 
"The world is not only watching, it's judging." | May 4, 2021 | Newswire…
(2021-05-04). The right attacks democracy because the right doesn't want democracy. therealnews.com 
From the insurrectionary attack on the Capitol to Republican plutocrats' plots to kill the push for expanded voting rights, the right wing's constant, brazen attacks on democracy are as dastardly as they appear. Will Democrats fight back?
(2021-05-04). A Federal Appeals Court Will Decide if Trans Students Can Continue to Play School Sports. aclu.org 
This year, more than 30 states introduced laws banning trans students from participating in school sports. This is part of an ongoing assault on trans youth — particularly transgender girls — that has been brewing for years. In 2020, Idaho became the first state to pass such a law and the ACLU quickly filed suit along with Legal Voice and Cooley LLP. Yesterday, my colleague Chase Strangio argued in the first case about a law banning trans women and girls from sports to reach an appeals court. The decision in this case will be pivotal as other states adopt similarly discriminatory laws. | Shortly af…
(2021-05-04). Law Pod UK new episode: Henry VIII Powers undermining parliamentary supremacy. ukhumanrightsblog.com 
Episode 143 features Isabel McArdle and Sarabjit Singh QC of 1 Crown Office Row. Isabel practises in indirect tax, healthcare law, personal injury and public law. Sarabjit ("Sab") specialises in tax, with a particular emphasis on all forms of indirect tax and the interface between tax and public law. They have both given seminars on …
(2021-05-04). The Values Of Democracy: Latvian Gay Man Dies After Being Burned Alive. southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | On April 28th, a 29-year-old Latvian medical assistant died of severe burns in the small, idyllic, historical city of Tukums, Latvia. | 29-year-old Normunds Kindzulis suffered burn wounds over 85 percent of his body after he was found engulfed in flames on his front doorstep. | He was allegedly set ablaze by his neighbors for being homosexual, in the bastion of democracy and human rights that stands against the evil "Russian Empire" alongside the other Baltic states — Latvia.
(2021-05-04). Joint Submission To UN Special Rapporteur Over Israel's Settler-Colonial, Apartheid Regime. popularresistance.org On 30 April 2021, the Palestinian Human Rights Organizations Council (PHROC); Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies; and Habitat International Coalition — Housing and Land Rights Network submitted a joint submission to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, Mr Michael Lynk, laying out the framework for the illegality of Israeli colonial settlements, which are key to Israel's settler-colonial and apartheid regime, and analysing their impact on the Palestinian people's rights. The joint submission is pursuant to a call for…
(2021-05-04). UN Breaks Silence and Requests Investigation Following Killings by Colombia Police; Silence from HRW and OAS. orinocotribune.com After several days of brutal police repression in Colombia, the local office of the United Nations finally raised its voice and recommended an investigation into the deaths of dozens of people in protests against President Ivan Duque. On the other hand, nothing have been heard from the Organization of American States (OAS), US Department of State, or Human Rights Watch (HRW)—other than a timid tweet posted on 3 May by HRW's regional spokesperson Jose Miguel Vivanco. | Colombia has experienced massive protests since April 28 in rejection of a controversial tax reform project drafted by Ivan Duque's governmen…
(2021-05-04). UN Breaks Silence and Requests Investigation Following Killings by Colombia Police; Crickets from HRW and OAS. orinocotribune.com After several days of brutal police repression in Colombia, the local office of the United Nations finally raised its voice and recommended an investigation into the deaths of dozens of people in protests against President Ivan Duque. On the other hand, nothing have been heard from the Organization of American States (OAS), US Department of State, or Human Rights Watch (HRW)—other than a timid tweet posted on 3 May by HRW's regional spokesperson Jose Miguel Vivanco. | Colombia has experienced massive protests since April 28 in rejection of a controversial tax reform project drafted by Ivan Duque's governmen…
(2021-05-04). Belgian Parliament Hit by Cyberattack Before Session on China's Xinjiang. sputniknews.com BRUSSELS (Sputnik)y – The Belgian parliament on Tuesday canceled several planned meetings, including on the human rights situation in China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, after a cyberattack hit a company providing internet services for the nation's legislature and government agencies.
(2021-05-04). 19 dead, 846 injured in days-long Colombia protests. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 04 (MNA) — The office of Colombia's human rights ombudsman said 18 civilians and a police officer died in violence during the protests that began throughout the country on April 28, while 846 people, including 306 civilians, were injured.
(2021-05-04). UN human rights office urges calm, after bloodshed in Colombian city of Cali. news.un.org The United Nations human rights office (OHCHR) on Tuesday voiced deep alarm over the violence in the city of Cali in Colombia overnight, as a number of people were reportedly killed and wounded when police opened fire on demonstrators.
(2021-05-04). UN human rights office urges calm, after bloodshed in Colombian city of Cali. news.un.org The United Nations human rights office (OHCHR) on Tuesday voiced deep alarm over the violence in the city of Cali in Colombia overnight, as a number of people were reportedly killed and wounded as police opened fire on demonstrators.
(2021-05-04). Release jailed dissident on medical grounds, UN experts urge Iran. news.un.org United Nations independent human rights experts, on Tuesday, called on Iranian authorities to immediately release a political activist, said to be at risk of severe health complications and even death, if not provided with appropriate medical care.
(2021-05-04). World Leaders Join Human Rights Defenders in Condemning Colombia's Deadly Crackdown on Protesters. commondreams.org The OCHCR and European Union on Tuesday joined human rights defenders in condemning Colombia's deadly crackdown against ongoing protests over scrapped tax reforms and a host of other issues. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2021-05-04). Florida legislatures pass draconian bill restricting voting rights. wsws.org Republicans in both the Florida House and Senate passed SB 90 last week, which places restrictions on drop boxes and the ability of residents to vote by mail.
(2021-05-04). Women's Rights in Nicaragua Under Attack From an Unlikely Source. counterpunch.org Gioconda Belli, the Nicaraguan writer perhaps best known for her autobiography The Country Under My Skin, has been described as 'an icon of Latin American feminist literature'. She spoke recently of the 'extraordinary power' of being a woman, and that despite this power 'women have often been relegated to a second place, one where they
(2021-05-04). Iran, US 'May Be Nearing' Nuclear Deal as Vienna Talks Continue Amid 'Flurry of Diplomatic Contacts'. sputniknews.com Last week, Iranian media outlets claimed Tehran and Washington had reached an agreement in principle on lifting the majority of US sanctions against the Islamic Republic.
(2021-05-04). Waiving nuclear-related sanctions in JCPOA nothing new. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 04 (MNA) — Executive Director of US Arms Control Association, Daryl G. Kimball, believes that it is not something new at this point that the Biden administration is prepared to waive the nuclear-related sanctions identified in the JCPOA.
(2021-05-04). All US sanctions must be lifted effectively, verifiably. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 04 (MNA) — According to the text of the JCPOA, all US sanctions must be lifted effectively and verifiably, the government spokesman Ali Rabiei told Mehr News Agency.
(2021-05-04). Tomgram: Karen Greenberg, The Guantánamo Conundrum. warisacrime.org This article originally appeared at TomDispatch.com. To receive TomDispatch in your inbox three times a week, click here. It seemed obvious enough to me in 2006. When you included the CIA's "black sites" around the globe (where prisoners from the war on terror were being kept and regularly tortured), American military prisons like the shocking Abu …
(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). 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). 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). Colombia: Violent Repression Of Anti-Government Protests. popularresistance.org Residents of Bogota and Medellin continued to report brutal police repression of anti-government protests while Colombia's third largest city Cali retook the streets on Saturday. | The massive turnout followed days of terror that left 10 people dead since Wednesday, the first day of a national strike against a tax reform proposed by the government of President Ivan Duque. | The terrorizing of the local population diminished drastically after local human rights organizations accused Defense Minister Diego Molano of playing a key role in the alleged state terror campaign on Friday. | Indigenous authorities from the…
(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). National Lawyers Guild Urges Biden to Align US Israel-Palestine Policy With International Law. commondreams.org The National Lawyers Guild is calling on the Biden administration to reverse Trump-era pro-Israel policies that violate Palestinians' human rights and international law. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2021-05-03). 125 Democrats Say Military Aid to Israel Shouldn't Depend on Human Rights Record. truthout.org 
In an apparent response to growing calls for making U.S. aid to the Netanyahu government conditional on Israeli adherence to human rights law, 330 members of the U.S. House of Representatives signed The letter — which was signed by virtually all…
(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). 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). 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). 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). 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). UK-based body starts FlyTheFlag campaign for Quds Day. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 03 (MNA) — The Britain-based Islamic Human Rights Commission has started FlyTheFlag campaign ahead of the anniversary of Quds Day amid pandemic.
(2021-05-03). Uganda: President's Son Led Elite Force Linked To Rights Abuses. eurasiareview.com By Lisa Vives | Senior military commanders, including the son of President Yoweri Museveni, have been named in a case before the International Criminal Court for a wave of abductions and torture—adding new charges to claims levelled by opposition politician Robert Kyagulanyi, the former reggae singer known as Bobi Wine. | Prosecutors at the ICC are already reviewing an early submission from Wine that described widespread human rights abuses before presidential polls held in January. | Wine's National Unity Platform party has said that more than 600 members and activists were detained by masked men in veh…
(2021-05-03). Colombia's President withdraws tax proposal following mass protests and other stories. peoplesdispatch.org In today's episode of the Daily Round-up we take a look at the brutal repression of protests in Colombia as President Ivan Duque withdraws a widely denounced tax reform proposal, demonstrations in Thailand following the hospitalisation of a detained protest leader who was on hunger strike, mass 'Kill the Bill' protests in the UK on May Day to demand the withdrawal of a new policing bill, and the forced evictions of Palestinian families in the Sheikh Jarrah locality in Occupied East Jerusalem.
(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). Wednesday 5/5: Vigil for Refugee Rights Stop Child Detention Recognize Asylum. indybay.org 1187 Franklin Street @ Geary…
(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). 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). 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). 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".