2020-02-15: News Headlines

Monterey Peace and Justice Center (2020-02-15). U.S. Sanctions: The Weaponization of the Global Financial System. indybay.org Monterey Peace and Justice Center | 1364 Fremont Boulevard | Seaside, CA 93955…

WSWS (2020-02-15). Trump administration's national counterintelligence strategy focuses on "hacktivists, leaktivists and public disclosure organizations" wsws.org A major assault on First Amendment rights of free speech and freedom of the press is being prepared.

WSWS (2020-02-15). White House orders militarized border patrol unit to carry out raids in "sanctuary cities" wsws.org The new policy was announced as Trump gave a fascistic speech to border patrol agents, pledging to fight the "left."

yenisafak (2020-02-15). Russia detains Ukrainian vessel in Sea of Azov. yenisafak.com The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) said it detained a vessel with four Ukrainian nationals in the Sea of Azov on Saturday.Upon inspection, the crew was found to lack the necessary identification and licenses to fish in the area, it said in a statement."The ship's captain failed to comply with the border patrol's legal requirement to stop and attempted to escape," it said, noting that more than 290 specimens of flounder-kalkan fish were found, as well as an illegal fishing net.The vessel and its crew were delivered to the port of Kerch for further investigation, it added.

Eds. (2020-02-14). Over 4000 Professors and Scholars from across Canada and around the world sign "Statement of Solidarity with the Wet'suwet'en people of British Columbia" mronline.org We ask that the illegal work on Unist'ot'en territory by Coastal Gas Link be immediately stopped. We request that the federal and provincial governments respect Indigenous rights as outlined in our constitution, in countless court rulings, as well as the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous people (UNDRIP) and 'Anuc niwh'it'en (Wet'suwet'en law) |

The Canary (2020-02-14). Huawei rejects new US charges against Chinese tech giant. thecanary.co The US justice department has added new criminal charges against Chinese tech giant Huawei and several subsidiaries, accusing the company of a brazen scheme to steal trade secrets from competitors in America.The new indictment also alleges the company provided surveillance equipment to Iran that enabled the monitoring of protesters during 2009 anti-government demonstrations in Tehran, and that it sought to conceal business that it was doing in North Korea despite economic sanctions there.The company disputed the allegations in a statement and said they were "without merit". | False allegations by US officials and…

RT (2020-02-14). Anti-BDS laws are meant to censor & control speech, journalist Abby Martin tells RT after suing Georgia govt over cancelled talk. rt.com Barred from speaking at a public university over her refusal to sign a pledge of allegiance to Israel, journalist Abby Martin is now suing the state of Georgia, arguing its anti-BDS legislation sets fire to the First Amendment. | Slated to give a keynote talk at a media literacy conference at Georgia Southern University later this month, Martin was asked to sign what amounts to a loyalty oath to the State of Israel, mandated under a 2016 Georgia law barring the government from hiring contractors who boycott Israeli products or associate with the global Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. Martin t…

Media Lens (2020-02-14). UN Special Rapporteur on Torture Demolishes Fake Claims Targeting Julian Assange. dissidentvoice.org On the face of it, the task seems almost hopeless. As Tolstoy wrote: 'The power of the government is maintained by public opinion, and with this power the government, by means of its organs — its officials, law courts, schools, churches, even the press — can always maintain the public opinion which they need.' (Leo …

Media Lens (2020-02-14). 'Burned at the Stake' — The UN Special Rapporteur on Torture Demolishes the Fake Claims Targeting Julian Assange. globalresearch.ca On the face of it, the task seems almost hopeless. As Tolstoy wrote: | 'The power of the government is maintained by public opinion, and with this power the government, by means of its organs — its officials, law courts, schools, …

PCHR (2020-02-14). PCHR Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (06 — 12 February 2020). imemc.org Summary This week, PCHR documented 191 violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law (IHL) by Israeli occupation forces (IOF) and settlers in the occupied Palestinian territory. This was reflected in dealing with the peaceful protests organized against Trump's declaration of Trump's Peace Plan for the Middle East …

Telesur (2020-02-14). US Rejects UN List of Firms with Ties to Israeli Settlements. globalresearch.ca United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Thursday the U.S. government would not give any information for The list was released Wednesday by the United Nations' human rights …

teleSUR (2020-02-14). Far-Right Group Arrested for Xenophobic Plans in Germany. telesurenglish.net German authorities detained a group of 12 men for allegedly setting up a far-right organization with the goal of carrying out attacks against politicians, asylum seekers and Muslims, the Federal Prosecutor's Office (GBA) informed. | RELATED: | Prosecutors confirmed that four of the suspects took part in a plan to organize a "terrorist organization" in September last year and regularly met and contacted each other by phone, on o…

IMEMC News & Agencies (2020-02-14). Adalah: Over 2,000 Bedouin Preschoolers Stuck at Home due to School Bus Budget Dispute. imemc.org School transportation for children from 20 villages in Naqab (Negev) region ground to sudden halt after regional council blames Israeli Education Ministry for failing to transfer funds. Adalah — The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel filed an urgent court petition Tuesday, 11 February 2020, as 2,200 preschool …

Eoin Higgins, staff writer (2020-02-14). 'These are the Bad Times': Trump to Deploy Heavily Armed Border Patrol Tactical Units to Help With Immigration Arrests in Sanctuary Cities. commondreams.org "It is unbelievable how much this action will undermine public safety. Unbelievable." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

John Washington (2020-02-13). The Epidemic of Hunger Strikes in Immigrant Detention Centers. thenation.com The Epidemic of Hunger Strikes in Immigrant Detention Centers…

Brian Tashman (2020-02-13). Bill Barr Wants Sheriffs to Join His Attacks on State and Local Governments. aclu.org Attorney General Bill Barr, For | Barr's Department of Justice, that escalation includes new lawsuits against | states and municipalities with immigrant-protective policies.

news.un (2020-02-13). Transitional justice processes critical to lasting peace, Security Council hears. news.un.org For countries to move forward after conflict or mass atrocities, suffering must be acknowledged and justice served, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights told the Security Council on Thursday.

IMEMC News & Agencies (2020-02-13). Israel Further Severs Ties with UN over Settlement Blacklist. imemc.org Israel has suspended its ties with the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Israeli Foreign Ministry (FM) announced on Wednesday, several hours after the UN body published a list of 112 companies that do business in West Bank settlements. FM Israel Katz's office said he ordered the "exceptional …

Eds. (2020-02-12). The blockade, a weapon that causes more death than war. mronline.org It deliberately affects defenseless civilians, such as children, the elderly and the sick. The US blockade against Cuba is the most severe and prolonged applied against any country, but it is estimated that one third of the world's population suffers its effects: there are more than eight thousand sanctions in 39 countries. |

Whitney Webb (2020-02-12). Gruesome Details Emerge of Israel's Torture of Palestinian Prisoners. mintpressnews.com One prisoner was hospitalized for kidney failure and 11 broken ribs. Another had his genitals bitten by a security dog while a third man was left wheelchair-bound and unrecognizable.

Staff (2020-02-11). Headlines for February 11, 2020. democracynow.org New Hampshire Voters Head to Polls for First Primary of 2020, Coronavirus Death Toll Tops 1,000, with Over 42,000 Confirmed Cases, Chuck Schumer Calls for Investigation into Trump's Retaliation-Motivated Firings, DOJ Reviewing Ukraine Info from Giuliani, DOJ Charges 4 Chinese Military Hackers in 2017 Equifax Breach, El Salvador President Bukele and Armed Officers Confront Lawmakers over Military Funding, Fears Mount for 5 Activists Detained in Philippines, Sinn Féin Scores Major Victory in Ireland, Syrian and Turkish Forces Step Up Attacks as 100,000s Face Humanitarian Disaster, Massive Locust Swarms Threaten Cro…

Eds. (2020-02-11). The Torture Machine, Racism and Violence in Chicago. mronline.org The Torture Machine, Racism and Police Violence in Chicago, by People's Law Office and longtime National Lawyers Guild attorney Flint Taylor, is a meticulously detailed and authentic, truly appalling story of shame and disgrace to the city of Chicago, its political and police administration establishments, and numerous judges of the Cook County criminal courts; an […] |

Ronald Newman (2020-02-10). How Civil Liberties and Civil Rights Broke Through in Iowa. aclu.org Our next president | must be committed to protecting and advancing the civil liberties and civil | rights guaranteed to all of us in the Constitution, and the current goal for | our key issues. We now have most of the results from the Iowa caucuses last week, | and one thing stood out to us: Voters overwhelmingly supported candidates who | made specific commitments to Rights for All policies. | When we launched | the Rights for All effort last year, we were determined to elevate ke…

Tyler Durden (2020-02-08). Iraq and Russia Prepare to Boost Military Ties as US Threatens Sanctions. theantimedia.com Iraq and Russia are preparing for deepening military coordination.

Staff (2020-02-07). Human Rights Watch: 200 Salvadoran Asylum Seekers Killed, Raped or Tortured After U.S. Deportation. democracynow.org A shocking new report says at least 200 Salvadoran asylum seekers were either killed, raped or tortured after being deported from the United States back to El Salvador. Human Rights Watch found that some 138 people deported to El Salvador were murdered by gang members, police, soldiers, death squads or ex-partners between 2013 and 2019. The report says most of the victims were killed within two years after being deported, by the same perpetrators the asylum seekers had fled from. From Denver, Colorado, we speak to Clara Long, senior researcher for Human Rights Watch. And joining us from El Salvador, we speak to "

Fred_F (2020-02-07). Animal rights groups' attempt to hijack climate movement rejected. greenleft.org.au

splcenter (2020-02-02). SPLC and the SPLC Action Fund Hire Internationally Renowned Human and Civil Rights Leader as New President and CEO. splcenter.org Margaret Huang brings 25 years of experience advocating against discrimination and oppression around the world.

splcenter (2020-01-28). SPLC sues Alabama school district for violating students' due process rights after cell phone is mistaken for gun. splcenter.org Andre and his friend were taking turns on a cell phone, playing a video game called Last Day on Earth: Survival — about staying alive on a zombie-infested planet — when a real-life gunshot rang out.

Peace Action (2019-06-25). Peace Action Endorses Ilhan Omar for Congress. peaceaction.org Washington, DC — June 25, 2019 — Peace Action has announced its endorsement of Ilhan Omar for Congress in Minnesota's 5th Congressional District. Peace Action is a national grassroots organization working to advance nuclear disarmament, promote government spending priorities that support human needs, encourage real security through international cooperation and human rights, and support nonmilitary …

Peace Action (2019-06-24). Peace Action Endorses Kara Eastman for Congress. peaceaction.org Washington, DC — June 24, 2019 — Peace Action has announced its endorsement of Kara Eastman for Congress in Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District. Peace Action is a national grassroots organization working to advance nuclear disarmament, promote government spending priorities that support human needs, encourage real security through international cooperation and human rights, and support nonmilitary …