(2020-04-08). San Diego "Honk for Justice" Calls for the Release of people in ICE Detention. indybay.org Author Pedro Rios serves as director of the AFSC's U.S./Mexico Border Program and has been on staff with AFSC since 2003. He is a steering committee member of the Southern Border Communities Coalition, which brings together over 60 organizations along the Southern border working to support migrants and border communities.
(2020-04-08). Migrants in detention in Texas face COVID-19. workers.org Austin, Texas Migrants being held in detention in Texas have been facing abhorrent sanitary conditions in the detention facilities long before the coronavirus pandemic began. Now that the virus is here, and threatens to infect such a vulnerable and captive population at higher rates than the general population, many migrants . . . |
(2020-04-08). 'Fighting COVID-19 harder without relying on domestic capacities'. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Apr. 08 (MNA) — A member of Iran's Expediency Council believes that US sanctions are hampering Iran's efforts to contain the outbreak but one should not underestimate the domestic capacities of the country.
(2020-04-08). 'Innocent Iranians dying as US sanctions limit humanitarian aid'. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Apr. 08 (MNA) — The US Senator Chris Murphy says that the US sanctions against Iran have led to the death of innocent people amid the outbreak of the coronavirus.
(2020-04-08). Iran welcomes Russia's idea of green corridors: FM Zarif. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Apr. 08 (MNA) — Criticizing the US resistance to global demands for the lifting of sanctions on Iran, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif welcomed Russia's idea of 'green corridors free of trade wars and sanctions'.
(2020-04-08). Amid Plague, Sanctions are Genocide. counterpunch.org Sanctions have long been indefensible; now in the time of Covid-19, more so than ever. Nor are they some minor phenomena. Over a quarter of humanity lives under U.S. economic sanctions. That means millions of people lack untroubled access to food and medicines during a lethal pestilence. Thus in Iran, where the government fears millions of deaths from Covid-19, sanctions amount to genocide. Under ordinary circumstances, these embargoes are economic warfare. By putting Iran and Venezuela under economic siege even before the pandemic, the U.S. had murdered tens of thousands of those countries' citizens. Yet most Am…
(2020-04-08). Tottenham Manager May Face Police Warning After Training With Players in Park Amid COVID-19 Lockdown. sputniknews.com As we have recently found out, staying within four walls is quite a challenge, but four athletes, who spend most of their time training and preparing for competitions, self-isolation appears to be nothing short of torture.
(2020-04-08). Billionaire-backed Human Rights Watch lobbies for lethal US sanctions on leftist governments as the Covid crisis rages. thegrayzone.com Regime change-hungry HRW is proudly taking credit for crushing new US sanctions on Nicaragua while pushing to escalate Washington's economic…
(2020-04-07). Racism, COVID-19 and Black people — WW commentary. workers.org 
April 4 marks the 52nd anniversary of the assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the great civil rights leader, who sacrificed his life to realize a dream for social equality. The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He was gunned down in cold blood when he went . . . |
(2020-04-07). Left members of the European Parliament outline pandemic recovery plan. peoplesworld.org 
BRUSSELS, Belgium—A Europe-wide coalition of left and progressive members of the European Parliament has outlined a wide-ranging plan to help the continent's workers cope with the coronavirus pandemic and particularly its economic impact. Among the measures unveiled are "maintaining work and income," guaranteed housing for all and strengthening Europe's collective bargaining rights for workers — …
(2020-04-07). COVID-19 Disastrous for US-Detained Migrants Amnesty Int. Warns. telesurenglish.net The risk that the new coronavirus poses to the people detained in the United States' large migration centers will have disastrous consequences if not addressed without delay, Amnesty International warned in a RELATED: | "The United States has confirmed more cases of COVID-19 than any other country in the world, yet ICE conti…
(2020-04-07). Doctors detained for demanding protective gear in Pakistan. peoplesdispatch.org At least 67 health workers who were protesting against the non-availability of personal protection equipment kits for medical professionals were detained by security forces in Balochistan province on Monday…
(2020-04-07). Pakistani doctors detained for demanding safety gear. peoplesdispatch.org On March 6, doctors in the town of Quetta in Pakistan took out a protest demanding personal protection equipment that is vital while working with COVID-19 patients. Instead of addressing their concerns, the government detained them. This is a reflection of the larger situation in the country where doctors are struggling without adequate resources.
(2020-04-07). Bolivian Authorities Request Protection for Vulnerable Group. telesurenglish.net Bolivia's Ombudsman Office requested the de facto government provide benefits to the population during COVID-19 outbreak that has affected most of the world. | RELATED: | The administrative body, who overlooks people's rights, asked the government to extend the "Family Coupon" program and a pension for the familiar basket. According to the people's defendant institution, these actions should benefit vulnerable and fe…
(2020-04-07). World Health Day: PCHR Calls for Providing Medical Supplies and COVID-19 Testing Kits to Gaza Strip's Health Sector. imemc.org Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) World Health Day is celebrated each year on April 7th, and it was first sponsored by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1950 to raise health awareness. The theme for World Health Day 2020 is "Year of the Nurse and Midwife" to support nurses …
(2020-04-07). Children vulnerable to abuse and violence during coronavirus lockdowns, UN experts warn. news.un.org Independent UN human rights experts have called on States to boost child protection measures to help safeguard the welfare of millions of children who may be more exposed to violence, sale, trafficking, sexual abuse and exploitation during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
(2020-04-07). Under Trump the NLRB Has Gone Completely Rogue. thenation.com Under Trump the NLRB Has Gone Completely Rogue…
(2020-04-07). Iran Demands US End Their Oil Sanctions. telesurenglish.net Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Tuesday called on the U.S. government to stop sanctions on Iran's oil exports. | RELATED: | "Iran is rich in human & natural resources. We don't need charity from (U.S. President) Donald Trump," Zarif tweeted. | The remarks of Zarif was an allusion to the recent help offer by Trump amid the surge of the novel coronavirus in Iran. | "What we want is for him to stop…
(2020-04-07). Zarif: Iran does not need Trump's charity. iranian.com Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in a message urged US to stop preventing Iran from selling oil, saying Iran does not need Trump's charity. "Iran is rich in human & natural resources. We don't need charity from @realDonaldTrump —who's forced to buy ventilators from sources he's sanctioned," Zarif wrote on his Twitter account on …
(2020-04-07). 'Cruel, Reckless, and Deadly': Amnesty Warns of Looming Covid-19 Disaster for Detained Immigrants and Refugees in US. commondreams.org "We are adrift, about to sink, because if there is one person to be infected, in our unit we would all perish." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-04-07). 'A Day That Will Live in Infamy': This Is What It Looked Like When Wisconsin Forced In-Person Voting During a Pandemic. commondreams.org As footage of Wisconsin's crowded polling stations flooded the internet Tuesday, public health officials and civil rights advocates condemned the state's Supreme Court and Republican legislative leaders for allowing in-person voting during the coronavirus pandemic and thwarting Democratic Gov. Tony Evers' last-minute efforts to address voter safety concerns. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-04-06). INSTEX: A way to get around US sanctions? liberationnews.org 
On March 31, the trade vehicle INSTEX completed its first transaction by facilitating Iran's purchase of drugs and pharmaceutical supplies.
(2020-04-06). Morocco releases over 5,600 incarcerated people amid COVID-19 threat in prisons. peoplesdispatch.org Several human rights groups and organizations had appealed to the king for the release of all political prisoners and detainees, a large number of whom were part of the popular Rif protests in Morocco.
(2020-04-06). Senate Bill Challenges Online Encryption, Constitutional Rights to Speech and Privacy. projectcensored.org A Senate bill, the EARN IT Act of 2020, introduced by Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) in March 2020, appears to revise regulations aimed at preventing online sexual…
(2020-04-06). Amid Sanctions and Military Mobilization, Maduro Pens Letter Urging Americans to Question Trump. mintpressnews.com "I wholeheartedly ask you not to allow your country to be dragged once again into another unending conflict, another Vietnam, another Iraq, but this time, closer to home."
(2020-04-06). Prison shelling in Yemen kills five women and a child: UN rights chief condemns possible war crime. news.un.org The UN has condemned the shelling of the women's section of the Central Prison in a district of Yemen's war-torn Taizz Governerate, in the south of the country, which has left at least five women and one child dead, and wounding more than 11, with casualties expected to rise.
(2020-04-06). Rights experts warn against discrimination in COVID-19 response. news.un.org Fearing a needless increase in COVID-19 deaths due to discrimination, UN independent human rights experts on Monday called for Governments to commit to racial equity and equality in their response to the pandemic.
(2020-04-06). Everyone Must be Counted in the 2020 Census. aclu.org Every 10 years, the federal government conducts a census to count everyone living in the United States. For people of color, especially Black people, the census has traditionally been exclusionary and deeply flawed. | Article 1, Section 2 of the Constitution was intentionally designed to protect the institution of slavery by immorally reducing those enslaved to three-fifths of a human being. It remains the only reference to slavery in the Constitution and was the law when the first census was completed in 1790 and for 75 years thereafter until the 14th Amendment was passed. Two hundred thirty years later, Bla…
(2020-04-06). Sanctioning the Way for COVID-19. cepr.net MarketWatch See article on original site While the United States is fighting COVID-19 here at home, US sanctions against other governments are aiding the virus' spread abroad. They've already likely contributed to many unnecessary deaths in Iran, and Venezuela's experience with the pandemic may also be much more deadly due to these punitive measures. COVID-19 …
(2020-04-06). Trump's Iran sanctions policy on the turn. iranian.com The past week witnessed a sudden spurt of tensions in the US-Iran standoff. There was intense speculation that to divert public attention in America from his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, Trump might order a military attack on Iran. Trump himself fuelled the speculation with the sudden outburst in a tweet on April 1: "Upon …
(2020-04-04). Human Rights and Natural Facts. dissidentvoice.org 
Where do human rights come from? And can we establish a firm philosophical base for their existence? For Hobbes, a thin version of human rights stemmed from the fact that humans want to persist in their existence by doing whatever necessary to preserve their own life. From this, Hobbes deduced that humans have the "natural" …
(2020-04-04). Stop Tightening the Thumb Screws: A Humanitarian Message. zcomm.org One way to help others survive is to insist that the United States lift sanctions against Iran and instead support acts of practical care…
(2020-04-04). Refugee supporters to defy police ban on car cavalcade. greenleft.org.au 
(2020-04-03). Protect Immigrant Communities: Fear Mounts of Deadly COVID-19 Outbreak in U.S. Border Camps, ICE Jails. democracynow.org 
The Congressional Hispanic Caucus has joined thousands of medical professionals and immigration rights groups to demand that Immigration and Customs Enforcement release all prisoners from immigration jails as the coronavirus continues to spread. Meanwhile, immigration advocates are working to prepare crowded encampments of asylum seekers across the U.S.-Mexico border for a potentially catastrophic outbreak of COVID-19. Since the implementation of the Trump administration's "Remain in Mexico" policy, tens of thousands of asylum seekers from regions like Central America and Africa have been stranded in Mexican bord…
(2020-04-03). Detained immigrants across Deep South feel like 'sitting ducks' as ICE ignores their safety amid global pandemic. splcenter.org COVID-19 began to infect the nation at rapid speed in March, reaching every corner of the country and taking the lives of more than 6,000 people by April 3. The United Nations has dubbed the coronavirus the "most challenging" crisis the globe has witnessed since World War II.
(2020-04-03). Amazon on strike: what workers need to know about their rights. thegrayzone.com Red Lines host Anya Parampil speaks with Kevin Gustafson, an organizer with Democracy at Work and host of the Sensible…
(2020-04-03). 7 ways to (virtually) support refugee rights on Palm Sunday. greenleft.org.au 
People seeking asylum and refugees are going…
(2020-04-02). "There Aren't Enough Tests": As Pandemic Intensifies, Global South Prepares for the Worst. democracynow.org 
After devastating China, Europe and the United States, the coronavirus pandemic is now intensifying across the Global South. The United Nations warns the pandemic is poised to destroy fragile economies in poor nations, decimating food security, education and human rights. We speak with Yanis Ben Amor, assistant professor of global health and microbiological sciences at Columbia University and executive director of the Center for Sustainable Development at the Earth Institute.
(2020-04-02). Refugees held by ICE struggle for their lives. liberationnews.org 
Immigrant refugees being held in ICE detention centers are struggling for their lives and demanding to be released to prevent their deaths from COVID-19.
(2020-04-02). Fighting for immigrant rights during a pandemic. splcenter.org As people across the country are confined to their homes during the COVID-19 pandemic, little attention has been given to a group of people whose health is in danger because they are locked away from the outside world — people in immigrant detention centers.
(2020-04-02). COVID-19 Doesn't Discriminate — Neither Should Congress' Response. aclu.org Congress' third bill addressing the impacts of COVID-19, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), was a necessary attempt to respond to this public health crisis but its exclusion of immigrant communities is downright racist and xenophobic. Immigrants were
(2020-04-02). Biden walks balance between relaxation of sanctions & continuing maximum pressure. iranian.com Statement from Vice President Joe Biden on Sanctions Relief During COVID-19 In times of global crisis, America should lead. We should be the first to offer help to people who are hurting or in danger. That's who we are. That's who we've always been. And, in the midst of this deadly pandemic that respects no …
(2020-04-01). The Added Importance of the Census, in Light of COVID-19. aclu.org Last year around this time, my biggest worry was how the inclusion of the Trump administration's proposed citizenship question would depress participation in the decennial census. Thankfully, our Supreme Court victory means there is no citizenship question on the census. Now, I have a new worry: a global pandemic and the health of my loved ones. As it turns out, the 2020 Census plays a role here too, as it will have enormous implications on our health care for decades to come. | Specifically, the census will determine the allocation of $300 billion dollars of federal aid for the states' health care — mo…
(2020-03-31). Venezuela Blasts US 'Transition' Plan as 'Tutelage'. venezuelanalysis.com Washington has threatened to "increase" crippling sanctions until Caracas accepts the deal.
(2020-03-30). Abortion is essential health care: Covid-19 crisis exploited to attack women's rights. liberationnews.org 
The following article is re-published from Breaking the Chains magazine.
(2020-03-30). Rosneft Dodges US Sanctions by Transferring Venezuela Operations to Russian State Firm. venezuelanalysis.com Moscow insists that its support for the Venezuelan government and role in its oil industry will remain unchanged.
(2020-03-27). Weekend Read: SPLC demands ICE act amid pandemic to save the lives of countless immigrants trapped in its crowded detention centers. splcenter.org …
(2020-03-26). Asylum Seekers Stranded in Mexico Face a New Danger: COVID-19. aclu.org 
Since the Trump administration first unrolled its policy of
(2020-03-25). SPLC and allies seek federal court injunction in system-wide suit to protect people detained by ICE from contracting COVID-19. splcenter.org The SPLC and its allies asked a federal court today to issue a preliminary injunction requiring that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) take immediate steps to protect people in its custody, particularly those who have medical conditions making them more susceptible to serious illness and death from COVID-19.
(2020-03-25). UN, EU Urge Venezuela Sanctions Relief as Coronavirus Outbreak Intensifies. venezuelanalysis.com The South American nation has 91 reported COVID-19 cases so far.