(2022-02-03). Russia reveals plans in case of cut-off from US dollar. rt.com 
The Kremlin has urged calm in the face of massive US sanctions | Moscow is prepared for the possibility that harsh US sanctions could restrict its banks' access to dollar transactions, the Kremlin has said, admitting that the potentially unprecedented measures have officials worried. | Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov told journalists on Wednesday that Moscow is well aware of the threat of massive sanctions coming from the American side amid an ongoing row over Ukraine. "Certainly, the Kremlin is concerned, because the sanctions behavior of the US is absolutely unpredictable," he said. | The spokesman wen…
(2022-02-03). 'Police used Bogota bus terminals to torture protesters'. colombiareports.com Bogota police used bus terminals in Colombia's capital as illegal detention centers during protests last year, according to opposition politicians. The accusation made by two Bogota city council members was…
(2022-02-03). Israel's Claims to be a Democracy ring Hollow as Amnesty Finds it an Apartheid State. juancole.com By Nasim Ahmed | — ( Middle East Monitor ) — Amnesty International became the latest human rights group to label Israel an apartheid state. In a damning report titled "Israel's Apartheid against Palestinians" the rights group concludes that the occupation state has imposed a "cruel system of domination" and is committing "crimes against humanity." …
(2022-02-03). Spike Lee to produce Kaepernick series. rt.com 
The filmmaker was tapped by ESPN for its documentary about the 49ers quarterback-turned activist | ESPN Films announced on Tuesday that Spike Lee will take charge of its upcoming documentary series about Colin Kaepernick. Lee will have access to never-before-seen footage from Kaepernick's archive. | The director will record additional interviews with the NFL star to create "a full, first-person account of his journey" from childhood in an adoptive white family to athletic stardom to black rights advocacy. | The 34-year-old was born to a white mother from a black father and was put up for adoption, with the Kae…
(2022-02-03). Ilhan Omar Warns Democrats' Ukraine Proposal Only 'Escalates the Conflict'. scheerpost.com 
By Jessica Corbett / Common Dreams Congresswoman Ilhan Omar on Wednesday delivered a detailed rebuke of congressional Democrats' proposed legislative response to the escalating crisis involving Ukraine and Russia, declaring that "when the United States says it champions human rights, democracy, and peace, we should mean it." "Instead of spending $500 million on weapons, we should …
(2022-02-03). Amnesty International Defends Report on Israeli Apartheid, Rejecting Criticism from U.S. & Israel. democracynow.org 
Amnesty International has become the third major human rights organization to accuse Israel of committing the crime of apartheid against Palestinians in a new report released on Tuesday. Amnesty finds Israel's system of apartheid dates back to the country's founding in 1948 and has materialized in abuses including massive seizures of Palestinian land and property, unlawful killings, forcible transfer, drastic movement restrictions, and the denial of nationality and citizenship to Palestinians — all of which constitute apartheid under international law. We speak with Amnesty International USA's executive dir…
(2022-02-03). Thursday 2/3: 15th Amendment Day: Protect Voting Rights & Pass Living Wages Now! Virtual Rally w/ PPC. indybay.org Online via livestream…
(2022-02-03). Supreme Court dismisses protestors' appeal over PKK flag conviction. ukhumanrightsblog.com 
Pwr v Director of Public Prosecutions [2022] UKSC 2 — judgment here On 26 January 2022 the Supreme Court ruled that s.13(1) Terrorism Act 2000 ("TA 2000 ") is a strict liability offence and that, whilst it does interfere with Art.10 ECHR (freedom of expression), the interference is lawful, necessary and proportionate. BACKGROUND S.13 provides …
(2022-02-03). Berlin Administrative Court declares criticism of capitalism unconstitutional. wsws.org The German court judgement and its written grounds represent a fundamental attack on democratic rights. The aim is to ban socialist ideas and any criticism of capitalism.
(2022-02-03). Jan Egeland on Afghanistan Facing Famine, a Massacre in DR Congo & Civilian Casualties in Syria. democracynow.org 
The United Nations warns Afghanistan is "hanging by a thread" as millions in the country suffer from hunger and are at risk of freezing to death during the winter as U.S. sanctions have devastated the economy. We get an update on what is now the world's largest humanitarian crisis from Jan Egeland, secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council. He also discusses how the NRC has condemned the deadly attack on a camp for displaced people in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the organization's humanitarian concerns after the U.S. raid in Syria targeting an ISIS leader that reportedly killed at least 13, inc…
(2022-02-02). Can Israel Stop the World from Saying 'Apartheid'? Concealing the Suffering in Palestine. independentmediainstitute.org On January 27, 2022, the Hebrew-language news site Walla published part of the text from a telegram sent by Amir Weissbrod—who is part of the Israeli Foreign Ministry—to Israeli embassies around the world. The telegram warned the Israeli diplomats that in the upcoming 49th regular session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), which …
(2022-02-02). Amnesty Apartheid Report: The Walls Protecting Israel are Finally Crumbling. dissidentvoice.org The walls protecting Israel are quickly crumbling. A year ago, it was Israel's most celebrated human rights group, B'Tselem. Months later, it was the New York-based Human Rights Watch, whose senior staff have often enjoyed a revolving door with the US State Department. Now, the one speaking up is Amnesty International — an organisation widely …
(2022-02-02). Apartheid 2.0: Amnesty International Joins Chorus condemning Israeli rule over stateless Palestinians. juancole.com 
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) — The Israeli state has won the trifecta of condemnation by major human rights organizations, as, on Tuesday, Amnesty International joined with Human Rights Watch and B'Tselem in calling Israeli rule over the 5 million Palestinians of the Occupied Palestinian Territories a form of Apartheid. Amnesty carried out its investigation and …
(2022-02-02). Free Alex Saab! Join webinar conversation with Camila Saab Feb. 3. fightbacknews.org Tucson, AZ – Camila Saab, the wife of Alex Saab, a Venezuelan diplomat illegally detained by the U.S., will speak on a webinar organized by the Alliance for Global Justice on February 3 at 6: 30 p.m. Eastern Time. There will be an update on his case and opportunities to participate in actions to demand his freedom. | Saab has played an important…
(2022-02-02). PSUV is Against Corrupt Officials, There will be No Impunity, Says Diosdado Cabello. orinocotribune.com Diosdado Cabello, first vice president of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), declared the resounding condemnation of the party against any act of corruption committed by officials in public posts, and stated that the full weight of justice should fall on those who get involved in criminal activities. | Cabello emphasized that there should be no impunity in cases such as the ones that recently led to the detention of a mayor and a deputy in the state of Zulia, who had been linked to drug trafficking; and a mayor in Anzoátegui state linked to fuel mafias. | At the press conference, the PSUV leader stat…
(2022-02-02). Cross-Border Police Surveillance Treaty Undermines Privacy Rights. projectcensored.org According to a report by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) reviewed a surveillance treaty, drafted by the Council of Europe's (CoE)…
(2022-02-02). Texas: UT-Austin students rally for abortion rights. fightbacknews.org Austin, TX — On the evening of February 1, around 15 students at the University of Texas at Austin rallied on the steps of UT Tower to speak out for abortion rights. | Austin Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) called the rally, given the attacks on reproductive rights in Texas, Florida and across the country. Chants included, "We won't back down from this fight, abortion is a human right!" and "When women's rights are under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back!" | Speakers highlighted the need to defend abortion rights for all — women, but also trans and non-binary folks who are affected b…
(2022-02-02). Cuba starts public consultation on new family code. peoplesdispatch.org On Tuesday February 1, Cuba started the process of popular consultation on its new Family Code, which changes the concept of the family nucleus and expands rights to the LGBTQIA community. Around 7 million Cubans will be able to give their opinion on the text in more than 78,000 consultation posts located throughout the island. | For the task, 1,428 electoral inspectors and 27,891 employees were appointed to ensure the transparency of the process. | 23 versions of the new code have been presented during three months of debate in 2021. It must now be reviewed by the Cuban population by April 30. | The document bri…
(2022-02-02). Feb. 3 Webinar: Camila Saab, Wife Of Diplomat/US Political Prisoner. popularresistance.org Alex Saab is a Venezuelan diplomat the US government has illegally seized and imprisoned for what the US considers "violation" of the illegal US economic warfare on Venezuela. He was in fact assisting Venezuela in legally working around the US blockade on his country by finding the means to import food, medicine, and materials for the Venezuelan oil industry. The US is seeking to coerce Alex Saab into disclosing the methods Venezuela uses to circumvent the US-Canadian-European sanctions with the goal of further tightening the economic blockade and suffering on the Venezuelan people. These sanctions are illegal ac…
(2022-02-02). Tomorrow February 3 Webinar: In Conversation with Camila Saab, Wife of Alex Saab & Special Guest, Oscar López Rivera. orinocotribune.com 
Alex Saab is a Venezuelan diplomat the US government has illegally seized and imprisoned for what the US considers "violation" of the illegal US economic warfare on Venezuela. He was in fact assisting Venezuela in legally working around the US blockade on his country by finding the means to import food, medicine, and materials for the Venezuelan oil industry. The US is seeking to coerce Alex Saab into disclosing the methods Venezuela uses to circumvent the US-Canadian-European sanctions with the goal of further tightening the economic blockade and suffering on the Venezuelan people. These sanctions are illegal ac…
(2022-02-02). US behavior in imposing sanctions unpredictable: Kremlin. en.mehrnews.com The Kremlin spokesman expressed concern about the unpredictability of US behavior in imposing sanctions on other countries and called for an end to Washington's provocative actions against Moscow.