(2021-05-07). US Accuses Iran of Making 'Unrealistic Demands' for Sanctions Relief. news.antiwar.com Indirect negotiations between the US and Iran that have been ongoing in Vienna to revive the nuclear deal are dragging out due to the fact that the Biden administration refuses to lift all Trump-era sanctions. On Thursday, The unnamed official told reporters that a deal could be reached quickly if Iran has the political will.
(2021-05-06). UN launches key initiative to protect seafarers' human rights amid COVID-19 crisis. news.un.org Around 200,000 cargo ship crew members are stranded at sea, beyond the length of their contracts due to COVID-19 restrictions, placing a major strain on their physical and mental health. New UN guidelines were published on Thursday, aimed at helping the industry better protect human rights at sea, as new COVID variants threaten to further delay crew turnover.
(2021-05-06). Quibbling Over Cruelties: Human Rights Watch, Israel and Apartheid. counterpunch.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.
(2021-05-06). Latin America rights groups face growing threats, attacks: Bachelet. news.un.org UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet on Thursday issued an alert over the rising number of threats, attacks and attempts to undermine national human rights institutions, in Latin America and the Caribbean.
(2021-05-06). Anonymous Colombia Puts Duque on the Ropes with Massive Hacking Operation. orinocotribune.com 
The Anonymous group has been active during the human rights crisis in Colombia, sending a strong message to Iván Duque and taking down webpages of the Army, Senate, and Presidency. | On Tuesday, the international anarchist organization Anonymous reported through social media networks that it had returned "to Colombia due to the injustices generated" in the context of police and military repression against protests that have left 19 dead, 89 disappeared, and hundreds injured in the past week, according to the National Ombudsperson's Office. However, Anonymous often remains silent regarding the near-weekly massacre…
(2021-05-06). Niger: New Government Should Investigate Massacres. eurasiareview.com Niger's first democratic transition since independence provides President Mohamed Bazoum's new administration with an opportunity to prioritize accountability for alleged war crimes committed by all sides in Niger's armed conflict, Human Rights Watch said today in a On March…
(2021-05-06). Cuba begins days against homophobia and transphobia. mronline.org 
Cuba is celebrating from Tuesday to May 30 the 14th edition of the Conference against Homophobia and Transphobia, under the slogan 'All rights for all people.' | May 6, 2021 | Newswire…
(2021-05-06). 300,000 Deported in Biden's First 100 Days. orinocotribune.com 
By Jake Johnson — Apr 29, 2021 | A rights group warns that the U.S. president is "well on track to repeat" Obama's failures. | Rights group United We Dream warned Tuesday that unless he takes immediate steps to improve his administration's treatment of immigrants, President Joe Biden is at serious risk of repeating the destructive failures of former President Barack Obama, who deported Despite Biden's characterization of Obama's mass deportations as a "
(2021-05-06). Justice Department Raises Concerns Over Cyber Ninjas' "Audit" of Arizona Ballots. truthout.org 
The Department of Justice's (DOJ) Civil Rights Division has expressed serious concerns over an audit of the 2020 election in Arizona's largest county, noting that the firm hired to conduct the review may be taking illegal actions. | In a letter written by Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Pamela Karlan, the DOJ worried that 2.1 million ballots from Maricopa County may be compromised due to the lack of security at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum where the audit is taking plac…
(2021-05-06). Police and State Violence Have Secondary Impacts: Complex and Lasting Trauma. truthout.org 
These last weeks, months, years and decades we keep on adding names to the list — Adam Toledo, Daunte Wright, Ma'Khia Bryant, Ronald Johnson, Pierre Loury, Rekia Boyd, Nickolas Lee, Laquan McDonald, Archie Lee Chambers, Maurice Granton, Anthony Alvarez…. The list of victims of police murder seems never-ending. Then there is the list of police torture survivors — Gerald Reed, Stanley Howard, Tony Anderson, Darrell Fair, Sean Tyler, Kilroy Watkins, and on and on and on. Many of us…
(2021-05-06). Why HRW Designating Israel's Crimes as Apartheid Is a Very Big Deal. zcomm.org Human Rights Watch issuing an unsparing, 200-plus page legal and factual report concluding that Israeli government authorities are guilty of the crime of apartheid, is a very big deal…
(2021-05-06). Drone Whistleblower Jailed Ahead Of July Sentencing. popularresistance.org A federal judge ordered drone whistleblower Daniel Hale's arrest, and United States authorities took him into custody. | On April 23, Judge Liam O'Grady signed an order suggesting Hale violated the terms of his supervised release. An arrest warrant was issued, and on April 28, he was jailed. | Judge Theresa Carroll Buchanan, a different judge than the one who has presided over his case, held a hearing on the alleged "pretrial release violation." Hale maintained no violation had occurred, yet the court scheduled a bond revocation and detention hearing for May 4. | The chain of events came after a "special conditio…
(2021-05-06). Venezuela Reiterates Its Commitment To Human Rights And Justice. popularresistance.org Mexico City, Mexico – The Venezuelan Attorney General's Office submitted an updated report to the International Criminal Court (ICC) on April 30 detailing its efforts to address alleged human rights abuses by state officials. | In September 2018, Venezuela's right-wing opposition, with support from the US and a handful of allied countries, filed a suit before the ICC accusing the Nicolás Maduro government of being responsible for "crimes against humanity" during violent anti-government protests in 2017. | Attorney General Tarek William Saab said his office had engaged in "meticulous" work to defend human rights.
(2021-05-06). UK: Second round of strikes at DVLA over safety at Covid-19 hotspot. wsws.org The action called by the Public and Commercial Services union is the only strike officially sanctioned by any trade union over Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic.
(2021-05-06). "Monumental Moment": U.S. Backs Waiving COVID Vaccine Patent Rights After Months of Blocking Talks. democracynow.org 
The Biden administration has announced it now supports temporarily waiving the intellectual property rights for COVID vaccines, in what the World Trade Organization is calling a "monumental moment." India and South Africa first proposed the waiver in October, but the United States and other wealthy nations blocked the WTO from even opening negotiations on the proposal. Supporters say the waiver is critically needed to increase the rate of vaccine production for the Global South as COVID-19 rapidly spreads in India, Latin America and other regions where few vaccines are available. Biden's support for the waiver is…
(2021-05-06). Illegal sanctions serious obstacles to fight Covid-19. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 06 (MNA) — Iran's Deputy Representative to UN Zahra Ershadi called illegal and illegitimate sanctions against developing countries a serious obstacle to the fight against the Coronavirus.
(2021-05-06). Over 100 Countries Back TRIPS Waiver On COVID-19 Vaccines. eurasiareview.com President Cyril Ramaphosa says a proposal by South Africa at the World Trade Organisation to waiver specific Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) obligations related to the manufacturing of COVID-19 vaccines is now supported by over 100 countries. | The President said this when he responded to oral questions in the National Assembly on Thursday. | "We want to manufacture vaccines locally against the pandemic. It is for this reason that South Africa and India proposed the TRIPS waiver at the World Trade Organisation to enable the manufacturing of COVID-19 vaccines in developing countrie…
(2021-05-06). Central Syria: 15 Fighters Of Palestinian-led Force Killed, Or Injured In New ISIS Attack. southfront.org 
Illustrative image. | On May 5, at least 15 fighters of the Palestinian pro-government al-Quds Brigade were killed or injure as a result of an attack by ISIS cells in central Syria. | According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the attack took place in the outskirts of the town of al-Sukhnah in the eastern countryside of Homs."Syrian Observatory activists have documented the death of three members of the Palestinian al-Quds Brigade and the injury of 12 others in an attack by ISIS cells when members of the al-Quds Br…
(2021-05-06). US Special Forces trained Mexican drug cartels linked to decapitation, torture, rape. thegrayzone.com An investigation into how U.S. Special Forces trained feared Mexican drug cartels responsible for grisly murders, and how Pentagon-backed counter-insurgency in Colombia and Guatemala has bled into organized crime. (This article was first published in CovertAction Magazine.) The Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) has established itself as one of the most feared paramilitaries in Mexico over the last decade. Images of the group have become the standard depiction of the Mexican cartels writ large. Their propaganda videos often feature groups …
(2021-05-06). Policeman Who Reportedly Raped 11-Year-Old Had a Record And Was Rehired Due to Police Negligence. sputniknews.com Last week, Alabama State Trooper Christopher Bauer was arrested on charges of sexually abusing an underage girl. He is currently being held in the Montgomery County Detention Facility under a $105,000 bail.
(2021-05-06). Vigil for Refugee Rights, Stop Child Detention, Recognize Asylum at UUSF. indybay.org Unitarian Universalist Society of S.F. holds Cinco de Mayo morning Vigil…
(2021-05-06). African Human Rights Vs. Western Human Rights. orinocotribune.com By Thomas C Mountain — May 4, 2021 | If you ask those of us living in the Africa, almost all of us will tell you that the "human rights" that matter most are those that are basic to the right to life; food, water, shelter, medical care and education for your children. | If you and you family are cold, hungry, sick and illiterate do you think "freedom of the press" has any connection to your daily reality? | If you children are dying of water borne dysentry or malaria exacerbated by malnutrition do "free and fair elections" matter at all to you? | In the west "human rights" exist in an upside down reality whe…
(2021-05-06). The Striking Silence of OAS' Luis Almagro on Colombia's Human Rights Crisis. orinocotribune.com While there are plenty of reasons to be aware of what is happening in Colombia, the Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Luis Almagro , looks the other way. | As of noon this Tuesday, May 5, the Uruguayan head of OAS had not said a word about the human rights crisis in Colombia, nor has he expressed any crisis of conscience regarding the police repression and human rights abuses, which according to the National Strike Committee, had killed 27 people by May 2. | Instead of following events that should concern him, due to his high position in the regional organization, Almagro met via vid…
(2021-05-06). Colombian security forces are massacring people on the streets. thecanary.co In Colombia the right-wing government of Iván Duque is killing people taking part in an ongoing national strike protesting the government's economic policies and widespread human rights abuses. | Since the strike began at the end of April, Colombian human rights groups have estimated that In addition to the killings, there has been a major militarisation of cities, with reports of disappearances, sexual assaults on wom…
(2021-05-06). 36 Civil Society Organizations Urge Biden to Reverse Draconian Sanctions Against Cuba. commondreams.org "A policy position guided by human rights needs to address how U.S. sanctions towards Cuba severely limit the rights of Cuban citizens to food security, climate justice and dignity." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2021-05-06). Papuan resistance groups branded as 'terrorists'. greenleft.org.au Branding armed Papuan resistance groups as "terrorists" has sparked strong condemnation from human rights groups across Indonesia and in West Papua, writes David Robie.
(2021-05-06). Fish-mageddon: Royal Navy deployed to monitor French fisherman. thecanary.co Two Royal Navy vessels have been Until Brexit, a 200-year old treaty defined fishing rights. This is yet another example of how post-Brexit trade deal issues are causing friction between the UK and EU countries. | EU support: | The EU backed the fishermen, saying that th…
(2021-05-06). Video: French Boat Rams Into British Ship Off Jersey as Fishing Tensions Run High. sputniknews.com Earlier, around 60 French fishing boats gathered off the largest UK Channel island to protest post-Brexit fishing rights.
(2021-05-06). DOJ Warns GOP-Led Arizona Election Audit May Violate Civil Rights Law. commondreams.org The U.S. Justice Department on Thursday wrote to Arizona's GOP state Senate president warning that the Republican-run audit of the 2020 election may violate civil and voting rights law. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2021-05-06). 100+ Groups Launch Nationwide Campaign to Combat GOP Assault on Democracy. commondreams.org Organizers of the John Lewis National Day of Action, planned for May 8, aim to ignite support "to protect our voting rights and our democracy." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2021-05-06). Moscow to respond to any new western sanctions: Lavrov. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 06 (MNA) — Commenting on EU threats to impose new sanctions against Russia, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Brussels is obsessed with impunity and that this is a road to nowhere.
(2021-05-06). Shaming Chevron to Help Myanmar. dsausa.org No one supports general sanctions that would injure the people of Burma, but a campaign to deprive the military machine of the revenues it needs to continue the war against its own people could have an impact.
(2021-05-06). Sunday 5/30: Animal Sanctuary Volunteer Day. indybay.org 2785 Franklin Canyon Rd, Martinez…
(2021-05-06). Latoya Rule: 'We want spit hoods permanently banned'. greenleft.org.au The family of Wayne 'Fella' Morrison, who was killed in custody, are pushing for torture devices to be banned. Renfrey Clarke reports.
(2021-05-05). Students detained amid crackdown on Hirak movement in Algeria and other stories. peoplesdispatch.org In today's episode of the Daily Round-up we take a look at the crackdown on the weekly, student-led 'Tuesday Marches' as part of the Hirak protest movement in Algeria, the strike to demand fair pay and compensation by graduate student workers at New York University in the US, civilian casualties reported following Israeli airstrikes in Syria, and the necessity of equitable global vaccination against Covid-19.
(2021-05-05). Why Human Rights Watch Designating Israel's Crimes as Apartheid Is a Very Big Deal. commondreams.org "It's a huge victory for our movement," writes Phyllis Bennis, a fellow with the Institute for Policy Studies."When Human Rights Watch, by far the human rights organization with the most direct access to power in Washington, says that Israel is guilty of the crime of apartheid, that action not only reflects the discourse shift fought for and won by so many who have gone before, it also pushes that shift even farther." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2021-05-05). 'I'm an Intersectional Cisgender Millennial Woman of Color': CIA Goes Full Woke in Widely Mocked Promo Video. orinocotribune.com 
A recruitment ad for the Central Intelligence Agency featuring a smorgasbord of woke buzzwords has been ruthlessly mocked on social media, with many accusing the spy agency of using 'diversity' to airbrush its shady dealings. | The CIA apparently wants Americans to know that despite its history of toppling democratically elected governments and operating torture 'black sites', it is still very much an equal opportunity employer. | In a promotional video for the agency, an employee explains how she "used to struggle with imposter syndrome," but later rejected the "patriarchal ideas" holding her back, realizing…
(2021-05-05). Why Human Rights Watch Designating Israel's Crimes as Apartheid Is a Very Big Deal. ips-dc.org Human Rights Watch is the best-known and arguably the most influential among Washington elites of any of the many human rights organizations in the United States. So when HRW issues an unsparing, 200-plus page legal and factual The key findings are that it is Israel's "intent to maintain the domination of Jewish Israelis over Palestinians across Israel and the Occupied Pale…
(2021-05-05). People's Action/Justice is Global Statement on White House Support of the TRIPS Waiver. peoplesaction.org Contact: Johanna Kichton, press@peoplesaction.org, 240.206.1145 WASHINGTON, D.C.—Justice is Global Director Tobita Chow today released the following statement in response to Ambassador Katherine Tai's announcement of U.S. support for the TRIPS waiver, which would suspend patent rights for COVID-19 vaccines so countries like India and South Africa can access live-saving medication: "The White House's decision today …
(2021-05-05). "Millions of Lives Are at Stake": Pressure Grows on Biden to Back WTO Waiver on Vaccine Technology. democracynow.org 
Pressure is growing on the Biden administration to support a temporary waiver on intellectual property rights for COVID-related medicines and vaccines at the World Trade Organization. India and South Africa first proposed the waiver in October, but it was blocked by the United States and other wealthy members of the WTO. Big Pharma has also come out against the proposal and has lobbied Washington to preserve its monopoly control. More than 100 countries have supported the waiver, which they say is critical to ramp up production of vaccines, treatments and diagnostic tests in the Global South. Ahead of the kickoff…
(2021-05-05). Pressure Grows on Biden to Back WTO Waiver on Vaccine Technology. truthout.org 
Pressure is growing on the Biden administration to support a temporary waiver on intellectual property rights for COVID-related medicines and vaccines at the World Trade Organization. India and South Africa first proposed the waiver in October, but it was blocked by the United States and other wealthy members of the WTO. Big Pharma has also come out against the proposal and has lobbied Washington to preserve its monopoly control. More than 100 countries have supported the waiver, which they say is critical…
(2021-05-05). 12 Members of US Congress Call on Biden Not to Support India's IP Waiver Request. sputniknews.com In October 2020, India and South Africa submitted a proposal to the World Trade Organisation to allow member countries to waive intellectual property rights, including patents related to COVID-19 vaccines and other technologies during the pandemic.
(2021-05-05). Jailers Tortured and Murdered Marvin Scott III, Family Says After Viewing Video. truthout.org 
In their first one-on-one interview since viewing horrific footage of their son's in-custody homicide at the hands of eight Collin County, Texas, jailers on March 14, the parents of Marvin Scott III told Truthout that their son experienced a "whole day of torture" instead of receiving the help he needed during a mental health crisis. | The five-hour video, which lacked audio, was so horrible, LaSandra Scott tells Truthout, that, "They might as well have just shot him so it could be over qui…
(2021-05-05). Biden's U-Turn on Refugees Aligns With Voter Support for Pro-Immigrant Policies. truthout.org 
Earlier this week, President Biden, under pressure from his own voter base, executed what might end up being the most consequential political U-turn of his presidency. | Having disappointed refugee rights advocates and the progressive wing of the Democratic Party a few weeks ago by
(2021-05-05). Violent Crackdown On Colombia Protests Leaves At Least 19 Dead (18+, Videos). southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | The UN Human Rights office (OHCR) expressed its concern over the violent crackdown on protests against tax changes in the Colombian city of Cali. | In comments made on May 4th, during a press briefing in Geneva, spokeswoman Maria Hurtado said the body was working to verify the exact number of casualties but reports suggested a number of people had been killed and wounded overnight in Cali."We express our profound shock at the events there and stress our solidarity with those…
(2021-05-05). Venezuela Reiterates Its Commitment to Human Rights and Justice in ICC Report. venezuelanalysis.com Attorney General Saab stressed Venezuela's willingness to work with the ICC but expressed frustration with the court's "lack of transparency."
(2021-05-05). Colombians Keep Protesting Despite Curfew. telesurenglish.net Human rights advocate Andres Maiz confirmed that Colombians remained in the streets protesting on Tuesday night despite the curfew imposed by President Ivan Duque. | RELATED: | "Duque believed the curfew would prevent students, Indigenous people, farmers, and Afro-descendants from continue protesting against the systematic violations of their rights," Maiz said. | Colombians also rejected the statements made by former Presid…
(2021-05-05). American or Iranian detainees not part of Vienna talks. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 05 (MNA) — In reaction to some reports about the release of American prisoners, Russia's Permanent Representative to the International Organizations said that American or Iranian detainees are not a part of the Vienna talks.
(2021-05-05). Understand the uprising in Colombia's streets. peoplesdispatch.org The mass mobilizations of the Colombian people over the last week have been met with unprecedented levels of repression. As of today, human rights organizations have confirmed that at least 31 people have been killed in the violent acts by security forces and hundreds have been detained. As the national strike completes one week, we look at why people are on the streets, how they have responded to this horrific violence and what are their key demands.
(2021-05-05). Algerian journalists protest state persecution on World Press Freedom Day. peoplesdispatch.org A sustained and systematic campaign by the Algerian government has targeted journalists and news portals critical of its policies. Several journalists have been arbitrarily detained or face judicial persecution…