Democracy Is Fragile. Civil Rights Activists Already Know That
Reverend William Barber | zcomm.org | 2020-02-03
Mitch McConnell's conduct of Trump's Senate trial recalls the baleful history of southern racial injustice in the civil rights era…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/democracy-is-fragile-civil-rights-activists-already-know-that/

Organization of Islamic Cooperation rejects Trump's 'deal of the century' peace plan for Middle East
rt.com | 2020-02-03
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which consists of more than 50 Muslim-majority countries, has asked member states not to cooperate in any way with US President Donald Trump's peace plan for Israel and Palestine. | During a special session in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Monday, the OIC's executive committee called on all member states "not to engage with [Trump's] plan or to cooperate with the US administration in implementing it in any form." The body also asked members to refrain from any actions that "do not adhere to the inalienable rights of Palestinians." | OIC Secretary General Yousef Al-Othai…
rt.com/news/479965-arab-cooperation-rejects-trump-plan/

Palestine: Legally Overriding a UN Security Council Veto. In Response to Trump's Annexation Scheme
Stephen Lendman | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-03
In response to the Trump regime's annexation scheme of the century, Palestinians have binding recourse

Swiss humanitarian channel for Iran is 'not sign of US goodwill,' FM Zarif says
rt.com | 2020-02-03
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Monday that the Swiss humanitarian channel is not a sign of the United States' goodwill. "This is a small step and we thank the Swiss government for its efforts… but this channel is not a sign of America's goodwill at all," ISNA quoted Zarif as saying. | The Swiss and US governments on Thursday said a humanitarian channel to bring food and medicine to Iran has started trial operations to help supply Swiss goods to the population without tripping over US sanctions, Reuters reported. | Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said on Monday that Teh…
rt.com/newsline/479940-swiss-humanitarian-channel-iran/

Documents on Homeless Encampments & Civil Rights
posted by Norse | indybay.org | 2020-02-03
Cops and rangers in the City of Santa Cruz continue to harass, cite, and arrest those outside without shelter in spite of the 2018 Martin v. Boise decision and its further validation by higher courts. To assist those making the case to leave homeless folks alone unless real alternate shelter is available (which it is not in Santa Cruz), here are the texts of those decisions.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/02/01/18830292.php

'All US has done could only spread fear': China slams Washington for 'stoking panic' against Beijing over coronavirus
rt.com | 2020-02-03
China's Foreign Ministry has slammed Washington over the coronavirus outbreak, saying the US has been using it to fuel mass hysteria against Beijing, introducing measures that hurt civil rights more than they fight the virus. | Speaking at a press briefing on February 3, China's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said that contrary to advice from World Health Organization (WHO), the American government has inappropriately "overreacted," especially by banning travelers who have been to China in the past two weeks. | "The US government hasn't provided any substantial assistance to us, but it was the first…
rt.com/news/479950-china-coronavirus-slams-washington/

Evacuated Aussies from China shifted to remote island
yenisafak.com | 2020-02-03
Australia has begun evacuating its citizens from virus-hit China to a remote island, local media reported on Monday.At least 300 Australians were flown to Exmouth city in western Australia on a chartered flight from Wuhan, the epicenter of the fatal coronavirus, according to ABC News. It was the first of the two flights engaged to evacuate the Aussies from Wuhan, a city of 11 million people.A second flight is scheduled for later this week. | The evacuees are en route to Christmas Island

Kremlin Reminds Erdogan of Offer to Visit Crimea to Assess Situation With Crimean Tatars
sputniknews.com | 2020-02-03
MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Earlier in the day, Erdogan said that Ankara did not recognise Crimea's reunification with Russia and would continue monitoring the situation around the rights of the Crimean Tatars.
sputniknews.com/russia/202002031078215145-kremlin-reminds-erdogan-of-offer-to-visit-crimea-to-assess-situation-with-crimean-tatars/

Boris Johnson and Brussels set out competing visions for post-Brexit trade
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2020-02-03
The UK and European Union are on collision course for a Brexit trade battle as Boris Johnson and Michel Barnier set out competing visions of the future relationship.Major stumbling blocks are already obvious, just days after the UK left the European Union, with battles over fishing and the application of a "level playing field" on issues including state subsidies, environmental standards and workers' rights.The prime minister insisted there was "no need" to abide by EU rules and said that British fishing grounds are "first and foremost" for UK boats.Boris Johnson speaks in the Painted Hall of the Old Royal Naval…
thecanary.co/uk/news/2020/02/03/boris-johnson-and-brussels-set-out-competing-visions-for-post-brexit-trade/

Euromed: Peace Plan Strips Palestinians of Their Rights and Protects Israel From Accountability
IMEMC & Agencies | imemc.org | 2020-02-02
The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor followed the US President Donald Trump's announcement of a plan to solve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict entitled "Peace for Prosperity" which was celebrated by Israel and rejected by the Palestinians. The Geneva-based Euro-Med Monitor highlighted in a press statement, on Wednesday, the American plan, which calls …
imemc.org/article/euromed-peace-plan-strips-palestinians-of-their-rights-and-protects-israel-from-accountability/

Minneapolis protest rejects Trump's expansion of Muslim ban to six new countries
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2020-02-02
Minneapolis, MN – More than 50 people protested Saturday, February 1, outside the Federal Courthouse in downtown Minneapolis to condemn Donald Trump adding six more countries to his administration's travel ban. | The protest was called by the Council on American-Islamic Relations-Minnesota (CAIR) just a day earlier and was endorsed by the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota, Black Immigrant Collective, Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC), Anti-War Committee, among others. | The Minneapolis protest was emceed by Jaylani Hussein of CAIR-MN. State Attorney General Keith Ellison and former State Repre…
www.fightbacknews.org/2020/2/2/minneapol…

SPLC and the SPLC Action Fund Hire Internationally Renowned Human and Civil Rights Leader as New President and CEO
splcenter.org | 2020-02-02
Margaret Huang brings 25 years of experience advocating against discrimination and oppression around the world.
splcenter.org/news/2020/02/03/splc-and-splc-action-fund-hire-internationally-renowned-human-and-civil-rights-leader-new

Soldiers Detain Schoolchildren, Collect Fingerprints
IMEMC News | imemc.org | 2020-02-02
Israeli soldiers detained, Sunday, several Palestinian schoolchildren, near Bethlehem, south of occupied Jerusalem in the West Bank, and collected their fingerprints. Morad Abu Mfarreh, a teacher at Teqoua' Secondary School in Teqoua' town, south of Bethlehem, said the soldiers collected the fingerprints of the children using a mobile device. Abu …
imemc.org/article/soldiers-detain-schoolchildren-collect-fingerprints/

Mexico: UNICEF calls for implementation of protocol to protect migrant children
news.un.org | 2020-02-01
Authorities in Mexico are being reminded by the UN children's agency, UNICEF, of the need to protect the rights of migrant children who enter the country.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/02/1056522

Soldiers Assault, Injure, A Palestinian In Hebron
IMEMC News | imemc.org | 2020-02-01
Israeli soldiers assaulted, on Friday evening, a young Palestinian man from Beit Ummar town, north of the southern West Bank city of Hebron, causing various cuts and bruises. Media sources said the soldiers stopped a young man, whose identity remained unknown at the time of this report, and detained him …
imemc.org/article/soldiers-assault-injure-a-palestinian-in-hebron/

Victory for a murdered solicitor's family in the High Court underlines the importance of human rights law in Brexit UK
Peadar O'Cearnaigh | thecanary.co | 2020-02-01
On 31 January, Geraldine Finucane, the widow of murdered human rights solicitor Pat Finucane, moved a step closer to a full public inquiry into her husband's killing. The High Court granted her permission to challenge the apparent lack of action that followed the Supreme Court's ruling in February 2019. The Supreme Court ruled that…
thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2020/02/01/victory-for-a-murdered-solicitors-family-in-the-high-court-underlines-the-importance-of-human-rights-law-in-brexit-uk/

Headlines for January 31, 2020
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-01-31
Senate Poised to Acquit President Trump in Impeachment Trial, World Health Organization Declares International Public Health Emergency, U.S. Special Envoy Warns of International Crisis in Idlib, Syria, Britain Formally Withdrawing from European Union Tonight, Pentagon Deploys 1st Low-Yield Nuclear Warhead-Armed Submarine, Trump Admin Poised to Loosen Restrictions on Use of Landmines, Human Rights Groups Condemn Mexico for Crackdown on Central American Migrants, Mexican Butterfly Conservationist Found Dead, Bolivia's Movement for Socialism Candidate Luis Arce Returns to Bolivia, U.S. Pushes EU to End Ban on Chemic…
www.democracynow.org/2020/1/31/headlines

Do not confuse food charity with 'right to food', UN expert tells Italians, labelling food system exploitative
news.un.org | 2020-01-31
A sophisticated Italian food system is placing a heavy burden on Italy's workers and farmers, an independent UN human rights expert said on Friday, following an 11-day visit to the country that many regard as the world's food capital.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/01/1056402

Security Council renews Central African Republic arms embargo
news.un.org | 2020-01-31
The UN Security Council on Friday renewed the arms embargo against the Central African Republic (CAR) and extended the mandate of the expert panel assisting its sanctions committee for the country.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/01/1056472

Union motion: Support real action on the climate
Fred_F | greenleft.org.au | 2020-01-31
Climate workers' rights & unionsIssue 1251 AustraliaJanuary 31, 2020Unionists active in the climate change movement have drafted the following model motion to help break the silence on the fact that the catastrophic bushfires are connected to climate change. | It also seeks to build support for the February 22 national day of action…
greenleft.org.au/content/union-motion-support-real-action-climate

Anti-Trump-themed 'Immigrant Food' restaurant owned by lobbyists for right-wing Latin American coup leaders who fueled migration crisis
Alexander Rubinstein | thegrayzone.com | 2020-01-30
The shocking story of how wealthy Latin American regime-change hitmen exploited immigrant rights, international food, and a pliant DC media…
thegrayzone.com/2020/01/30/anti-trump-immigrant-food-lobbyists-coup-fueled-migration-crisis/

'This Type of Surveillance Threatens Us All' – CounterSpin interview with Chip Gibbons on FBI vs. 1st Amendment
Janine Jackson | fair.org | 2020-01-29
Janine Jackson interviewed Defending Rights & Dissent's Chip Gibbons about the FBI vs. the First Amendment for the January 17, 2020, episode of CounterSpin. This is a lightly edited transcript. | Media…
fair.org/home/this-type-of-surveillance-threatens-us-all/

We're Back in Court this Week Defending Access to Safe Abortion in Kentucky
Amber Duke | aclu.org | 2020-01-29
The ACLU is back | in court today once again to stop Kentucky's attempt to block access to | abortion. We've been here before. Over the past three years, the Kentucky | General Assembly has passed bill after bill that limits

Headlines for January 29, 2020
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-01-29
McConnell Tries to Secure Votes to Block Impeachment Witnesses, "Our Rights Are Not for Sale": Palestinians Reject Trump's Middle East Plan, Trump Praises Pompeo for Shouting and Cursing at NPR Reporter, WaPo Reinstates Reporter Suspended for Tweeting About Kobe Rape Case, Death Toll from Coronavirus Virus Hits 132, with 6,000 Infected, Over 100,000 Syrian Civilians Flee Regime Offensive in Idlib, Floods Kill 30, Displace 16,000 in Madagascar, Mississippi to Shut Down Unit of Parchman Prison After Deaths of 9 Prisoners, Maryland Cop Charged with Murder for Killing Handcuffed Man in Police Car…
www.democracynow.org/2020/1/29/headlines

Austria's Green-right alliance sells out migrants
Susan Price | greenleft.org.au | 2020-01-29
climate justice immigration rights Jacob Andrewartha Margarita WindischIssue 1251 Austria Austrian Greens…
greenleft.org.au/content/austria-green-right-alliance-sells-out-migrants

Bangladesh's garment workers: the human faces behind 'fast fashion'
Susan Price | greenleft.org.au | 2020-01-29
workers' rights & unions Paul GregoireIssue 1251 Bangladesh garment workersJanuary 29, 2020In the backstreets of Dhaka's Mirpur precinct, towards the end of lunchtime on a Friday, streams of garment workers make their way back towards the gates of the…
greenleft.org.au/content/bangladesh-garment-workers-human-faces-behind-fast-fashion

Asylum-Seekers Are Being Abandoned in Guatemala in a New Policy Officials Call a "Total Disaster"
Ashoka Mukpo | aclu.org | 2020-01-28
In late November, U.S. immigration authorities began | deporting some Central American asylum-seekers to Guatemala under a new | policy that makes it nearly impossible for them to seek asylum in the U.S. | But Guatemalan human rights workers say that their country's | asylum system isn't capable of handling even the relatively small numbers that | have been sent there so far, and that asylum seekers' precarious status in the | country has already pushed many to leave. | "They're preferring to move on…
aclu.org/news/human-rights/asylum-seekers-are-being-abandoned-in-guatemala-in-a-new-policy-officials-call-a-total-disaster

SPLC sues Alabama school district for violating students' due process rights after cell phone is mistaken for gun
splcenter.org | 2020-01-28
Andre and his friend were taking turns on a cell phone, playing a video game called Last Day on Earth: Survival

Headlines for January 27, 2020
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-01-27
Impeachment Trial Resumes as Leaked Bolton Manuscript Bolsters Democrats' Case, Coronavirus Death Toll Reaches 81 in China as Disease Spreads Around the World, Pentagon: 34 U.S. Troops Have Brain Injuries After Iranian Attack on Iraqi Airbase, Deadly Crackdown on Iraqi Protests Continue as 100,000s March Against U.S. Military Presence, Turkey Earthquake Kills 38; At Least 1,600 Hospitalized, Ugandan Activist Vanessa Nakate Slams Racist Media After Being Cropped from Photo with White Activists, Trump Attends Anti-Abortion "March for Life" as Admin Continues Assault on Reproductive Rights, High-Ranking Pharma Exec…
www.democracynow.org/2020/1/27/headlines

Under Pressure in Impeachment Trial, Trump Steps Up Attacks on Reproductive Rights
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-01-27
Donald Trump on Friday became the first sitting president in U.S. history to attend the so-called March for Life, the annual anti-abortion rally held in Washington, D.C., that draws thousands of participants. President Trump

"Ours to Tell": New Film Highlights Personal Stories About the Importance of Abortion Access
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-01-27
As Roe v. Wade faces unprecedented attacks, the new short film "Ours to Tell" puts a human face to the fight for reproductive justice and highlights those whose stories are often sidelined by the media: LGBTQ communities and communities of color. The film focuses on Ylonda, Nick, Hannah and Brittany, four people who discuss how having access to abortion shaped their lives. The film was directed by Rayka Zehtabchi and was created by Planned Parenthood and We Testify. For more on the film, as well as the state of reproductive rights in the United States, we speak with Renee Bracey Sherman, founder and executive dir…
www.democracynow.org/2020/1/27/ours_to_t…

Hundreds of Thousands of Iraqis Protest Against US Occupation
The Mind Unleashed | theantimedia.com | 2020-01-24
(TMU)

Hundreds of Thousands of Iraqis Protest Against US Occupation
The Mind Unleashed | theantimedia.com | 2020-01-24
(TMU)

Amendment 4 is Still on the Line. Here's What's New
Orion Danjuma | aclu.org | 2020-01-23
The right to vote cannot depend on how much money you have. That's what a federal court ruled in October, when it blocked Florida's attempt to force returning citizens

Conspiracy Theories, Threats of Violence Loom Over Coming Gun Rally in Richmond
splcenter.org | 2020-01-16
Gun-rights activists and antigovernment extremists are planning a protest in Richmond, Virginia, on Monday fueled by antigovernment conspiracy theories and accompanied by online calls for violence.
splcenter.org/hatewatch/2020/01/16/conspiracy-theories-threats-violence-loom-over-coming-gun-rally-richmond