Growing protests in US immigrant detention centers over coronavirus pandemic
wsws.org | 2020-03-31
Detainees have stepped up their protests against unsanitary conditions over the very real fear of coronavirus spreading rapidly through the vast immigration detention network in the US.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/31/immi…

Amnesty International USA and LIRS launch "Hope Can't Be Quarantined" campaign to help immigrants and asylum-seekers held in detention during the COVID-19 crisis
commondreams.org | 2020-03-31
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commondreams.org/newswire/2020/03/31/amnesty-international-usa-and-lirs-launch-hope-cant-be-quarantined-campaign-help?cd-origin=rss

Coronacrazy? Quarantined rapper cheers as his German shepherd GNAWS on retriever in sickening livestream (VIDEO)
rt.com | 2020-03-31
A popular Russian rapper with a long record of controversy has added apparent animal abuse to his list of sins. He livestreamed his dog attacking someone else's pet, cheering it on and asking viewers if they wanted more action. | Animal rights activists in Russia are after the blood of Aleksey Dolmatov, better known by his stage name Guf. The 40-year-old is a veteran award-winning performer, but lately it's his erratic behavior rather than his music that has been making headlines. | On Monday, Guf seemingly hit a new low as he was walking his German shepherd named Gucci near his country house. In a livestream…
rt.com/russia/484592-russian-rapper-animal-cruelty/

One Quarter of the World's Population is Under US Sanctions
Alan MacLeod | zcomm.org | 2020-03-31
Eight countries, representing around one-quarter of all humanity, say that Washington's actions are undermining their response to the COVID–19 pandemic sweeping the planet.
zcomm.org/znetarticle/one-quarter-of-the-worlds-population-is-under-us-sanctions/

The US Decries Political Persecution of Nicaraguans But Won't Grant Them Asylum
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-03-31
The second time around, John Martínez-Picado knew what awaited him inside "El Chipote." It had been almost a year but the spiral-shaped prison with its overcrowded underground cells and concrete beds on the floor still haunted him. He hadn't forgotten the suffocating feeling

Honk for Justice: COVID-safe Car Rally to End ICE Detention
Sam Tunick | indybay.org | 2020-03-31
We will meet at SP+ Parking (50 Broadway, San Francisco), then depart as a caravan at noon to circle the ICE office and Civic Center Plaza.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/03/29/18831928.php

Covid-19: Cuba Deserves Relief From US Sanctions
Peter Kornbluh | thenation.com | 2020-03-31
Covid-19: Cuba Deserves Relief From US Sanctions…
thenation.com/article/world/coronavirus-cuba-sanctions-aid/

#EndCOVIDSanctions Coalition Applauds Members of Congress for Call to Suspend Iran Sanctions
commondreams.org | 2020-03-31
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commondreams.org/newswire/2020/03/31/endcovidsanctions-coalition-applauds-members-congress-call-suspend-iran?cd-origin=rss

How a Human Rights Lawyer Went From Hero to House Arrest
James North | thenation.com | 2020-03-31
How a Human Rights Lawyer Went From Hero to House Arrest…
thenation.com/article/activism/steven-donziger-chevron/

"Stay Home and Have the Baby"
Jenny Brown | zcomm.org | 2020-03-31
Texas and Ohio have ordered a stop to abortions, saying they're not essential medical services. Other states will follow. Right-wing forces are using the pandemic as a pretext to crack down dramatically on abortion rights. We can't let them…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/stay-home-and-have-the-baby/

Who's happy about coronavirus?
Claire Provost | zcomm.org | 2020-03-31
Our rights and democracies are under threat. But how this crisis reshapes our world depends on us…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/whos-happy-about-coronavirus/

Unilateral Sanctions Should Be Lifted to Help Countries Deal With COVID-19 – Experts
sputniknews.com | 2020-03-31
MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The unilateral restrictive sanctions imposed on developing countries should be eased or waived entirely to help them tackle the spread of the coronavirus disease along with the economic consequences of the pandemic, analysts stated.
sputniknews.com/analysis/202003311078777023-unilateral-sanctions-should-be-lifted-to-help-countries-deal-with-covid-19/

Government inaction puts staff and inmates in immigration detention at risk
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2020-03-31
Refugees & migrants Niko LekaIssue 1259 Australia COVID-19 detention NewcastleMarch 31, 2020The federal government is not taking the nece…
greenleft.org.au/content/government-inaction-puts-staff-and-inmates-immigration-detention-risk

Robodebt scam exposed as a rort
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2020-03-31
Welfare Kerry SmithIssue 1259 Australia Robodebt ACOSS welfare rightsMarch 31, 2020The tide appears to be turning against the federal government's pun…
greenleft.org.au/content/robodebt-scam-exposed-rort

'A Shameful New Low': Amid COVID-19 Crisis, Alberta Govt. Ponies Up $1 Billion for Keystone XL Tar Sands Pipeline
Andrea Germanos, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2020-03-31
"We need billions of public dollars invested directly in vulnerable communities dying from COVID-19, not spent propping up massive oil companies and unneeded projects that would trample Indigenous rights and exacerbate the climate crisis." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
commondreams.org/news/2020/03/31/shameful-new-low-amid-covid-19-crisis-alberta-govt-ponies-1-billion-keystone-xl-tar?cd-origin=rss

'Pandemics Know No Borders': Democrats Call on Trump Admin to Suspend Sanctions on Iran During Coronavirus Outbreak
Eoin Higgins, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2020-03-31
"We need to cancel all economic sanctions during this crisis." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
commondreams.org/news/2020/03/31/pandemics-know-no-borders-democrats-call-trump-admin-suspend-sanctions-iran-during?cd-origin=rss

Human Rights Advocates Slam Trump for Caving to Gun Lobby and Classifying Firearms Stores as Essential Businesses Amid Pandemic
Julia Conley, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2020-03-31
Human rights defenders on Tuesday demanded that the Trump administration reverse its decision to designate gun stores as essential businesses during the coronavirus pandemic. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
commondreams.org/news/2020/03/31/human-rights-advocates-slam-trump-caving-gun-lobby-and-classifying-firearms-stores?cd-origin=rss

As Federal Judge Weighs Release of Children in Immigration Detention, COVID-19 Risks Grow
commondreams.org | 2020-03-30
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commondreams.org/newswire/2020/03/30/federal-judge-weighs-release-children-immigration-detention-covid-19-risks-grow?cd-origin=rss

Pompeo behind corona? Iran's foreign ministry employs PHOTOSHOP to take a not-so-subtle jab at US sanctions (PHOTO)
rt.com | 2020-03-30
Iranian diplomats have yet again taken aim at ongoing US sanctions which are hampering the country's efforts to battle the coronavirus outbreak, this time showing off decent photo-editing skills. | The image, posted by the ministry on Twitter, is a call to "stop aiding war crimes" and "obeying immoral and illegal US sanctions," echoing earlier comments by the country's top diplomat Javad Zarif. | The picture features "sanction" written in large right in the center, its letter "O" stylized as coronavirus with a tran…
rt.com/news/484509-iran-pompeo-coronavirus-us-sanctions/

Release inmates in Yemen to avert nationwide coronavirus outbreak, experts urge
news.un.org | 2020-03-30
An international panel of human rights experts called today for the immediate release of political prisoners and detainees in war-ravaged Yemen to help avert a nationwide outbreak of COVID-19.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/03/1060642

ACSO Requests $255M in New Funding; COVID-19 Reaches Santa Rita Without Plans in Place
IWOC Oakland | indybay.org | 2020-03-30
Just over a week into the "shelter in place" directive that is now statewide, COVID-19 has reached Santa Rita Jail. The County confirmed on March 26 that a nurse working in one of the jail's housing units has tested positive for the virus. In response, that pod as well as one other in Santa Rita were placed under quarantine on Friday, March 27. The second pod was quarantined allegedly in response to a case of pneumonia or other similar medical condition. All transportation of detainees between the jail and the federal courthouse has been suspended, according to a federal court notice. Community advocates warn tha…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/03/29/18831919.php

Prominent organizations and individuals urge Gov. Pritzker to free Gerald Reed
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2020-03-30
Chicago, IL – Two dozen prominent organizations and individuals have urged Gov. J. B. Pritzker in a letter to use "the powers of [his] office to provide long overdue justice to Gerald Reed." Reed's deteriorating health puts him at extreme risk due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He has heart failure, and late last year while awaiting a new trial at Cook County jail he had a heart attack. | Reed was wrongfully convicted 29 years ago based on a confession extracted through torture by subordinates of Chicago Police Commander Jon Burge. His conviction was vacated on December 18, 2019 by Judge Thomas V. Gainer, who ordered…
www.fightbacknews.org/2020/3/30/prominen…

Israel's Shin Bet Slaps PLC Member with Administrative Detention
Ali Salam | imemc.org | 2020-03-30
The Shin Bet, Israel's intelligence agency, on Sunday, decided to renew the detention of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) member and Hamas leader, Hasan Yousuf, for four months, under administrative detention. Sheikh Hasan Yousuf, 65, was scheduled for release on March 31, 2020, and just two days before his release, …
imemc.org/article/israels-shin-bet-slaps-plc-member-with-administrative-detention/

Honk for Justice: COVID-safe Car Rally to End ICE Detention
Sam Tunick | indybay.org | 2020-03-30
We will meet at SP+ Parking (50 Broadway, San Francisco), then depart as a caravan at noon to circle the ICE office and Civic Center Plaza.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/03/29/18831928.php

PM Orban secures open-ended emergency powers from parliament to fight coronavirus in Hungary
rt.com | 2020-03-30
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Monday secured the right to rule by decree to fight the coronavirus outbreak. His Fidesz party passed a law in parliament granting the PM open-ended extra powers. | The legislation extending a state of emergency has triggered criticism from opposition parties, human rights groups and the Council of Europe, as it contains no timeframe, Reuters reports. The law also imposes jail time of up to five years on those hindering measures aimed at containing the spread of the virus and on those spreading false information related to the crisis. | The government said the law would…
rt.com/newsline/484497-orban-emergency-powers-hungary/

COVID-19 stoking xenophobia, hate and exclusion, minority rights expert warns
news.un.org | 2020-03-30
Combatting the COVID-19 pandemic must also include stamping out what one independent human rights expert has called the "darker sides" of the disease: verbal and physical attacks against Chinese and other minority communities, and excluding them from access to healthcare.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/03/1060602

PCHR Calls upon International Community to Assist Healthcare System in Gaza Strip to Fight Coronavirus
PCHR | imemc.org | 2020-03-30
The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) is closely monitoring the health conditions in the Gaza Strip, and the healthcare system's preparedness to combat the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) and its possible outbreak. PCHR confirms that the healthcare system will not be able to deal with patients infected with the coronavirus …
imemc.org/article/pchr-calls-upon-international-community-to-assist-healthcare-system-in-gaza-strip-to-fight-coronavirus/

Colombia: Violence Against Social Leaders Continues
telesurenglish.net | 2020-03-30
Harassment and violence against social leaders in Colombia has continued, despite the ongoing quarantine that has been imposed due to the Covid-19 outbreak. | RELATED: Colombia: ELN Announces Ceasefire Over COVID-19 | Social and agricultural leaders comply with isolation in their homes as part of the restrictive measures for the spread of the virus. Because of this circumstance, they are easy targets for violent acts. | The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights said on Twitter this week that the aggression against John Restrep…
telesurenglish.net/news/colombia-violence-on-social-leaders-continues-despite-the-quarantine-20200330-0005.html

Japanese government planning attacks on democratic rights on pretext of pandemic
wsws.org | 2020-03-30
Health experts are warning that Japan could see a wider COVID-19 outbreak, in part due to the complete lack of preparation by the Abe government.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/30/japa…

Know Your Rights during COVID-19 (Coronavirus)
National Lawyers Guild | indybay.org | 2020-03-30
While the COVID-19 pandemic necessitates public health measures to reduce the impact of the virus on our communities and health care systems, we must be vigilant and resist authoritarian and violent tendencies.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/03/28/18831875.php

'Incredibly selfish': Labour MP who broke Covid-19 travel rules to wish elderly father happy birthday leaves people divided
rt.com | 2020-03-30
A UK lawmaker who traveled miles to celebrate the birthday of his father

'Need Our Help?' Iran's IRGC Mocks US For Now Leading World In COVID-19 Cases
Zero Hedge | iranian.com | 2020-03-30
On the same day the United States leveled yet more sanctions against the Islamic Republic, blacklisting 20 Iran- and Iraq-based companies, officials and individuals for supporting terrorism, leaders in Tehran took to publicly mocking the US for now being the global epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic. As of Friday evening numbers of US confirmed cases …
iranian.com/2020/03/29/need-our-help-irans-irgc-mocks-us-for-now-leading-world-in-covid-19-cases/

In a 10-Day Span, ICE Flew This Iranian Detainee Across the Country Nine Times
ProPublica | iranian.com | 2020-03-30
Less than two weeks ago, the Trump administration urged Americans to avoid nonessential travel to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Major airlines slashed their routes. All the while, Sirous Asgari took nine different flights around the country. None of them was by choice. Asgari bounced around on chartered jets from Louisiana to Texas to …
iranian.com/2020/03/30/in-a-10-day-span-ice-flew-this-iranian-detainee-across-the-country-nine-times/

Civil rights groups condemn COVID-19 authoritarianism
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2020-03-30
Democracy Jacob AndrewarthaIssue 1259 Australia civil rights COVID-19March 30, 2020Against expert health and civil rights advice, governments are opting for authoritarian measures they claim will protect u…
greenleft.org.au/content/civil-rights-groups-condemn-covid-19-authoritarianism

'The Strike Wave Is in Full Swing': Amazon, Whole Foods Workers Walk Off Job to Protest Unjust and Unsafe Labor Practices
Julia Conley, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2020-03-30
Labor rights advocates on Monday urged support and solidarity with Amazon employees who walked off the job in the company's warehouse on Staten Island following what the workers said was an unacceptable response by Amazon to at least one case of coronavirus at the facility. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
commondreams.org/news/2020/03/30/strike-wave-full-swing-amazon-whole-foods-workers-walk-job-protest-unjust-and-unsafe?cd-origin=rss

As coronavirus infects women in Yarl's Wood, detainees make urgent demands
Eliza Egret | thecanary.co | 2020-03-29
As coronavirus (Covid-19) begins to infect detainees, women trapped in Yarl's Wood immigration detention centre are demanding their immediate release. Many of these women have already fled from dangerous situations, and include people with pre-existing health conditions an…
thecanary.co/trending/2020/03/29/as-coronavirus-infects-women-in-yarls-wood-detainees-make-urgent-demands/

Evo Morales Expresses Solidarity With Venezuela Amid US Attacks
telesurenglish.net | 2020-03-29
Former Bolivian President Evo Morales said that with the most recent attack by the United States government against Venezuela, Washington intends to distract public opinion about the collapse of the country's health services in the face of Covid-19. | RELATED: | Russia Calls to Lift 'Genocidal' Sanctions Against Venezuela | "The US is in a humanitarian crisis. The health services of its main cities are beginning to collapse," stressed the leader of the Movement to Socialism (MAS) o…
telesurenglish.net/news/Evo-Morales-Expresses-Solidarity-With-Venezuela-Amid-US-Attacks-20200329-0004.html

PCHR Condemns Israeli Authorities Discriminatory Treatment of Palestinian Workers Suspected with Coronavirus
PCHR | imemc.org | 2020-03-29
The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights strongly condemns the Israeli occupation authorities' discriminatory and unethical treatment towards Palestinian workers in Israel, by dumping workers suspected with coronavirus symptoms in the West Bank at checkpoints and seam points within the Annexation Wall that separates Israel and the West Bank without providing …
imemc.org/article/pchr-condemns-israeli-authorities-discriminatory-treatment-of-palestinian-workers-suspected-with-coronavirus/

Isareli Settlers Attack Palestinians, Injure One near Hebron
Ali Salam | imemc.org | 2020-03-28
Israeli settlers attacked, on Friday, Palestinian herders and other civilians in the village of Al-Tuwani, south of Hebron in the southern occupied West Bank, according to a local activist. Fo'ad Amour, a local rights activist, told Palestinian WAFA News Agency that illegal colonial settlers, accompanied by attack dogs, assaulted herders …
imemc.org/article/isareli-settlers-attack-palestinians-injure-one-near-hebron/

How Many Nedas? Iran Sanctions Are Biological Warfare Against Civilians
Richard Eskow | commondreams.org | 2020-03-28
General view of a hospital where health officers, wearing masks and special protective suits, take care of a patient infected by the coronavirus (COVID-19) at a hospital in Tehran, Iran on March 02, 2020. (Photo: Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
commondreams.org/views/2020/03/28/how-many-nedas-iran-sanctions-are-biological-warfare-against-civilians?cd-origin=rss

Russia Calls to Lift 'Genocidal' Sanctions Against Venezuela
telesurenglish.net | 2020-03-28
Russia's Foreing Minister Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova Friday reiterated her country's call to lift the illegal economic sanctions imposed by the United States on Venezuela, which they consider as a "genocide tool" in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. | RELATED: | Putin Urges G20 to Lift Sanctions on Goods Due to COVID-19 | "We will not tire of repeating our call to immediately cancel arbitrary unilateral sanctions that at the current juncture of the epidemic become almost a weapo…
telesurenglish.net/news/Russia-Calls-to-Lift-Genocidal-Sanctions-Against-Venezuela-20200328-0001.html

Trump intensifies murderous Iran sanctions during COVID-19 crisis
The Grayzone Project | iranian.com | 2020-03-28
As Iran struggles to contain COVID-19, the US has imposed new sanctions that further weaken the Iranian economy and health system.
iranian.com/2020/03/28/trump-intensifies-murderous-iran-sanctions-during-covid-19-crisis/

'Truly a Civil Rights Hero': Rev. Joseph Lowery Dead at 98
Andrea Germanos, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2020-03-28
"We've come too far, marched too long, prayed too hard, wept too bitterly, bled too profusely and died too young, to let anybody turn back the clock on our journey to justice," Lowery said in 2013. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
commondreams.org/news/2020/03/28/truly-civil-rights-hero-rev-joseph-lowery-dead-98?cd-origin=rss

Weekend Read: SPLC demands ICE act amid pandemic to save the lives of countless immigrants trapped in its crowded detention centers
splcenter.org | 2020-03-27
splcenter.org/news/2020/03/30/weekend-read-splc-demands-ice-act-amid-pandemic-save-lives-countless-immigrants-trapped-its

Weekend Read: SPLC demands ICE act amid pandemic to save the lives of countless immigrants trapped in its crowded detention centers
splcenter.org | 2020-03-27
splcenter.org/news/2020/03/30/weekend-read-splc-demands-ice-act-amid-pandemic-save-lives-countless-immigrants-trapped-its

Weekend Read: SPLC demands ICE act amid pandemic to save the lives of countless immigrants trapped in its crowded detention centers
splcenter.org | 2020-03-27
As COVID-19 continues to spread around the world, tens of thousands of immigrants, many of whom came to this country seeking asylum, seem to have been forgotten by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

With a Quarter of the World's Population Under US Sanctions, Countries Appeal to UN to Intervene
Alan Macleod | mintpressnews.com | 2020-03-27
Eight countries, representing around one-quarter of all humanity, say that Washington's actions are undermining their response to the COVID–19 pandemic sweeping the planet.
mintpressnews.com/coronavirus-quarter-worlds-population-under-us-sanctions-appeal-to-un/266096/

Protect 'healthcare heroes' from COVID-19, urges UN rights expert
news.un.org | 2020-03-27
States and business leaders must step up efforts to ensure that the selfless doctors, nurses, first-responders and other medical professionals working on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic receive adequate protective equipment, a UN rights expert said on Friday.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/03/1060502

Asylum Seekers Stranded in Mexico Face a New Danger: COVID-19
Ashoka Mukpo | aclu.org | 2020-03-26
Since the Trump administration first unrolled its policy of forcing migrants to wait in Mexico for their asylum hearings, advocates have been warning that the practice places them in danger. Now, the global coronavirus outbreak is putting an exclamation point on those warnings and adding a new, frightening layer of risk into the lives of asylum…
aclu.org/news/immigrants-rights/asylum-seekers-stranded-in-mexico-face-a-new-danger-covid-19

Colombian prisoners ask for medical help and receive bullets
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2020-03-26
The National Prison Movement (Movimiento Nacional Carcelario) and other prisoner rights groups called a demonstration in Colombian prisons on March 21, to protest the lack of protection against the COVID-19 virus and the general lack of decent healthcare in the Colombian prisons. Twelve Colombian prisons answered the call for a 'cacerolazo,' a protest where one bangs on pots and pans to make enough noise so that the protest is heard. | The protest in the prison Carcel Nacional Modelo de Bogotá began at 9 p.m. on March 21. The prisoners were mostly on lockdown in their cells and began banging on their pots and pan…
www.fightbacknews.org/2020/3/26/colombia…