(2021-06-03). Venezuela Rejects Colombia's Unilateral Decision to Open Border Crossings. orinocotribune.com On Wednesday, June 2, Venezuela rejected the decision of the Colombian government to unilaterally open the border crossings between the two countries, informed Foreign Affairs Minister Jorge Arreaza. | The information was made public through a communiqué of the Venezuelan Foreign Affairs Ministry, indicating that "this sort of border ambush shows that the Colombian government continues to engage in political tricks in order to distract public opinion from the notorious acts of human rights violations that for 36 days have shaken Colombian society and the whole world." | In the statement, Venezuela expresses that…
(2021-06-03). Human Rights Mission Condemns State Terrorism In Colombia. telesurenglish.net Colombia's International Human Rights Verification Mission on Thursday ordered an investigation into President Ivan Duque's administration for "torturing, disappearing, raping, and murdering Colombian citizens during the social outbreak." | RELATED: | "The government is encouraging police brutality, which has limited the right of the people to protest peacefully and to take part in the country's political decisions," the Mission c…
(2021-06-03). Central Syrian Insurgency: ISIS Attacks Continue Despite Russian, Syrian Airstrikes. southfront.org 
Illustrative image | More than 110 airstrikes have targeted ISIS hideouts in Syria's central region, the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported on June 2. | At least 100 of the airstrikes were carried out by warplanes of the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS), while the rest were conducted by Syrian military helicopters. The airstrikes targeted hideouts of ISIS cells in the outskirts of the towns of al-Sholah in western Deir Ezzor and al-Sukhnah in eastern Homs. | "Russian reconnaissance planes flew over d…
(2021-06-03). Ecuador: Quito Metropolitan Council Approves Removal of Mayor. telesurenglish.net During an extraordinary meeting that began on Wednesday afternoon, members of Quito's Metropolitan Council approved a request for the removal of Jorge Yunda, the mayor of Ecuador's capital city. | RELATED: | This request was filed by the "Front of Professionals for the Dignity of Quito". The Mayor's lawyer argued that such request violates the principles established in the Inter-American Convention on Human Rights since the only way to re…
(2021-06-03). Leftist Candidate Castillo Condemns Fujimori Father's Crimes. telesurenglish.net Free Peru's (PL) leftist presidential candidate Pedro Castillo Wednesday held a meeting with relatives of victims who suffered forced disappearance during Alberto Fujimori's presidency (1990-2000). | RELATED: | Castillo received a public letter from families of the Cantuta case victims, in which they denounced ongoing human rights violations and urged for justice. | He met also the relatives of 24-year-old Inti Sotelo, who…
(2021-06-03). This time may be different: on the UN commission of inquiry investigating violations in the occupied Palestinian territory. mronline.org 
Thanks to a rapidly changing political context the new UN Human Rights Council commission announced on May 27th may be different from those in the past—this one may actually help hold Israel accountable. | June 3, 2021…
(2021-06-03). Weapons expo disrupted by rainbow coalition. greenleft.org.au Standing up against the war profiteers at the Land Forces exhibition in Brisbane was a rainbow coalition of First Nations peoples, peace, climate and human rights defenders. Alex Bainbridge, Jim McIlroy and Steffi Leedham report.
(2021-06-03). Rights groups sign letter denouncing human rights abuses in Egypt. peoplesdispatch.org 63 international human rights and civil society organizations signed a letter calling on the Egyptian government to "immediately end a crackdown on freedom of association, independent groups, and peaceful dissent," Middle East Eye reported on Tuesday, June 1. Among the prominent organizations that signed the letter are Access Now, Freedom House, Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN), Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS), EuroMed Rights, Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR), Odhikar Bangladesh, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and Egyptian Human Rights Forum. | The letter urges the…
(2021-06-03). The Tigray Conflict: Ethiopia's Humanitarian Disaster — Harry Sanders. ukhumanrightsblog.com 
This article was written by Harry Sanders, a content writer for the Immigration Advice Service. Since November 2020, the Tigray region in the north of Ethiopia has been the epicentre of an awful (and hugely underreported) humanitarian disaster. War and violence have sent the region's inhabitants fleeing over the Ethiopian border in search of asylum, …
(2021-06-03). We Stand With Cuba Against the US Embargo and Hybrid War. counterpunch.org On May 26, The New York Review of Books published an open letter signed by a group of successful artists and writers — including Junot Díaz and Edwidge Danticat — stating that Cuban artist Luís Manuel Otero Alcántara is "detained…solely for expressing his ideas through his art." We the undersigned challenge the aforementioned signatories to
(2021-06-03). PDF of June 3 issue. workers.org 
Download the PDF. U.S. behind detention of Venezuelan diplomat Release Alex Saab! Ama-zen? Alabama mine strike. Editorial: Reparations NOW for Black Tulsans! A year after George Floyd, fight police terror! Cleveland, Seattle, Oakland. From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free: March on Washington Global class impact Being . . . |
(2021-06-03). Roman Protasevich Claims Belarusian Opposition Might Betray Him. southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | On June 2nd, Roman Protasevich, co-founder of the Telegram channel Nexta, who was detained in Minsk, said that shortly before his arrest, his relations with supporters of opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya had gone wrong. | The state television channel of Belarus ONT showed a video in which Protasevich recalls his contacts with Franak Vyachorka, an adviser to Tikhanovskaya."I filmed Tikhanovskaya's visit to Athens. Everything was fine, we worked for two days. He praised me. He fl…
(2021-06-03). The Second Amendment Was Created to Arm White People to Control Black People. truthout.org 
Do African Americans have Second Amendment rights? That's the question Emory University professor Carol Anderson set out to answer in her new book, The Second, which looks at the constitutional right to bear arms and its uneven application throughout U.S. history. She says she was prompted to write the book after the 2016 police killing of Philando Castile, who was fatally shot during a traffic stop after he told the officer he had a legal firearm. Anderson says the Second Amendment was alway…
(2021-06-03). The UN Took Away Iran's Right to Vote in the General Assembly. telesurenglish.net On Thursday, Iran strongly condemned the United Nations' decision to remove its voting rights in the General Assembly due to the delay in paying membership dues worth some US$16 million. | RELATED: | "US economic terrorism prevents Iran from paying for food, let alone UN fees," Foreign Affairs Minister Mohamad Javad Zarif tweeted. | The Iranian official suggested that the United Nations collect the unpaid fees us…
(2021-06-03). Activists aim to block Israeli ships from US ports in solidarity with Palestinians. popularresistance.org Palestinian rights activists are aiming to block ships operated by an Israeli shipping line from unloading cargo in key US port cities as part of a campaign to pressure Israel over its numerous violations of international law. | The Arab Resource and Organizing Center (Aroc), which is leading the effort, told Middle East Eye on Wednesday that its "Block the Boat" campaign had successfully prevented a ship operated by Zim Integrated Shipping Services Ltd from docking in Oakland, California.
(2021-06-03). 100+ Democracy Scholars Issue Dire Warning About Threats to Voting Rights in US. zcomm.org "Our democracy is fundamentally at stake. History will judge what we do at this moment."
(2021-06-02). Bolivarian National Guard Detains Colombian Spy in Táchira. orinocotribune.com 
The Bolivarian National Guard (GNB) detained a member of the Armed Forces of Colombia in the border state of Táchira. According to sources, the detained individual was carrying out espionage operations within Venezuela. | According to a report from the GNB, the apprehended person, identified by the name of Jhorman Benjamín Ortega Tarazona, was incercepted by GNB personnel as he displayed "suspicious behavior" in the vicinity of a Citizen's Attention Post in Vega de Aza, a Venezuelan town located 68 kilometers away from the Colombian city of Cúcuta. | Identification documents of Jhorman Benjamín Ortega Tarazona, w…
(2021-06-02). Colombia: At Least 3,789 Police Brutality Cases Since April 28. telesurenglish.net The Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) Temblores reported on Wednesday at least 3,789 cases of police brutality amid the national strikes in Colombia, which have extended for 36 days. | RELATED: | According to the latest report, 45 out of the 3,789 cases were homicides, 65 victims suffered eye injuries, 187 cases of gunshots, and 25 cases of sexual violence. Temblores said that there had been 1,649 arbitrary detentions an…
(2021-06-02). Venezuelan Soldiers Freed After Capture in Border Region. venezuelanalysis.com The eight soldiers had been detained by Colombian "irregular armed groups" following an ambush.
(2021-06-02). Colombia's Partnership with NATO Allows It to Breach Human Rights Without Condemnation. globalresearch.ca Since Joe Biden's …
(2021-06-02). Colombia o la hipocresía europea. globalizacion.ca Un régimen que criminaliza la protesta social y que en su respuesta a la misma suma un reguero continuo de violaciones sistemáticas a los derechos humanos. Un régimen que ha añadido a la represión policial, que causa ya decenas de…
(2021-06-02). Dan Kovalik on Elections, Rebuilding and the Ongoing Proxy War in Syria. mintpressnews.com Despite the Western reaction, Assad, in power since 2000, looks set to govern for seven more years. His major task will be attempting to break armed opposition groups in Idlib and to repair a nation destroyed by 10 years of war and crippling sanctions.
(2021-06-02). US Moves Against Ethiopia and Eritrea: Atrocities Alleged, Sanctions Imposed (Interview). orinocotribune.com US hostilities towards Ethiopia and Eritrea look more and more like those preceding US wars in Yugoslavia, Libya, and Syria, writes Ann Garrison. | On May 20, the US Senate passed Senate Resolution 97 "calling on the Government of Ethiopia, the Tigray People's Liberation Front, and other belligerents in the conflict in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia to cease all hostilities, protect human rights, allow unfettered humanitarian access, and cooperate with independent investigations of credible atrocity allegations." The resolution also called on neighboring Eritrea to withdraw troops from Ethiopia. | On May 21, Camer…
(2021-06-02). Syria's Truly Been a Site of World War, Their Vote for Peace & Against Foreign Interference Must be Respected. orinocotribune.com 
Daniel Kovalik teaches International Human Rights at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, and is author of the Electing Assad for another term, Syrians have made an imperfect but rational choice, preferring their own leader over foreign fighters and governments who ruined the…
(2021-06-02). Israel: Violence, hate speech, discrimination against Palestinian minority must stop — UN expert. juancole.com ( UN Human Rights, Office of the High Commissioner) | GENEVA | — A UN human rights expert condemned attacks on Israel's Palestinian minority by extreme right-wing and vigilante groups, including settlers — at times with the reported backing of security forces — and urged Israel to fully and equally protect all of its citizens …
(2021-06-02). Hassan Diab is accused of a deadly explosion. Supporters say his continued persecution isn't justice. therealnews.com 
Roger Clark of the Hassan Diab Support Committee and author and human rights academic Monia Mazigh say officials based their case against Diab on problematic evidence.
(2021-06-02). Activists protest Australia's role in arms trade, human rights abuses. greenleft.org.au Renee Lees reports that residents protested outside the site of the world's biggest arms dealers — Thales and BAE Systems — as part of the Disrupt Land Forces action.
(2021-06-02). Was Mark Ruffalo wrong to accuse Israel of Genocide? zcomm.org The precise characterization is less important than an acknowledgment that it is wrong to keep Palestinians in a condition of statelessness and without basic human rights…
(2021-06-02). U.S. behind detention of Venezuelan diplomat: Release Alex Saab! workers.org 
Editor notes: Sara Flounders is part of a humanitarian delegation to Cabo Verde, led by Cabo Verdean religious leader Bishop Filipe Teixeira of the Diocese Of Saint Francis of Assisi, Catholic Church of the Americas. The delegation has tasked itself with exposing the U.S. role in the kidnapping, torture and . . . |
(2021-06-02). U.S. behind detention of Venezualan diplomat: Release Alex Saab! workers.org Editor notes: Sara Flounders is part of a humanitarian delegation to Cabo Verde, led by Cabo Verdean religious leader Bishop Filipe Teixeira of the Diocese Of Saint Francis of Assisi, Catholic Church of the Americas. The delegation has tasked itself with exposing the U.S. role in the kidnapping, torture and . . . |
(2021-06-02). Mexican Cartel Hunts Down Police Officers, Kills Them In Front Of Their Families. southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | In Mexico, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) has started its own policy of terror. | The extremely violent organization has begun hunting police officers in their homes, abducting, torturing and ultimately killing them. | The cartel kidnapped several members of an elite police force in the state of Guanajuato, tortured them to obtain names and addresses of fellow officers and is now hunting down and killing police at their homes, on their days off, i…
(2021-06-02). Headlines for June 2, 2021. democracynow.org Biden Addresses Voting, Racial Wealth Gap as He Visits Tulsa Race Massacre Site on 100th Anniversary, 100+ Scholars Call for Congressional Action to Enact Federal Voting Rights Protections, Biden Ends Contested Trump-Era "Remain in Mexico" Policy, Rights Groups Call for End to Repressive, Invasive Technologies in Immigration Practices, Washington State's Most Populous County Bans Use of Facial Recognition Technology, Biden Administration Suspends Oil & Gas Leases in ANWR But Defends Massive "Willow" Project, Three Bombs Kill 10 People, Disable Electric Grid in Kabul, Sri Lanka Shoreline Coated in Plastic Debris f…
(2021-06-02). Latest Law Pod UK episode: Bill Browder on the Magnitsky Act. ukhumanrightsblog.com 
In Episode 145, Emma-Louise Fenelon speaks to
(2021-06-02). 100+ Democracy Scholars Issue Dire Warning About Threats to Voting Rights in US. truthout.org 
I cannot write computer code, and I have no idea how to make a decent roux. The engine block on a standard-issue Honda may as well be a Rubik's Cube to me. I don't know how to serve drinks to 25 people simultaneously from behind the bar on a busy game day. I couldn't begin to conduct an autopsy, or a symphony. In a million years I would not try to drive an 18-wheeler through a Colorado snowstorm, because I would die explosively for lack of experience. I do what I do, and am thrilled on the…
(2021-06-02). United States Extends Authorization for Transactions with PDVSA—Made in USA Only. orinocotribune.com Washington extended the "licenses" of US companies Chevron Corp, Halliburton, Schlumberger Limited, Baker Hughes and Weatherford International to make transactions with Venezuela's state-owned oil company Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA). The licenses were extended until the end of the year, confirmed the United States Department of the Treasury, within the framework of illegal US sanctions. | In the midst of unilateral "sanctions" and an economic blockade against Venezuela, the "8H General License" extends until December 1, 2021 the deadline for some companies to reduce their activities with the state-owned Petról…
(2021-06-02). Jewish Defenders of Palestinian Rights Say 'Together We Can Stop Machinery of Division and Fear'. commondreams.org "The work of dismantling all oppression is OUR collective work. We will not be pitted against each other," wrote 300+ Jewish leaders. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2021-06-02). Dallas High School Valedictorian Scraps Approved Speech to Speak Out Against State's Extreme Anti-Choice Law. commondreams.org "I refuse to give up this platform to promote complacency and peace, when there is a war on my body and a war on my rights," said Paxton Smith at her high school graduation in Dallas. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2021-06-02). Too Much Power. commondreams.org "If we modern humans are, in effect, addicted to power, perhaps we need something like a collective twelve-step program." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2021-06-02). First in the U.S.: "Rights of Nature" State Constitutional Amendment Filed in Florida to Protect Waterways. commondreams.org ______________________________…