(2020-04-14). Progressive lawmakers say pandemic underlines need for Workers' Bill of Rights. peoplesworld.org 
WASHINGTON—Progressive lawmakers are using workers' sacrifices due to the coronavirus pandemic — especially the sacrifices of those who put their lives on the line to serve all of us — to argue for approval of a Workers Bill of Rights, guaranteed pay, retraining money and other pro-labor reforms. The common denominator: All the lawmakers want …
(2020-04-14). Survivor tells of friendship with British soldier after Bergen-Belsen liberation. thecanary.co 
A Holocaust survivor has paid tribute to the "remarkable" British soldier who came to liberate the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp 75 years ago.Mady Gerrard, 90, has a picture of Lieutenant John Randall — with whom she became friends decades later — on display at her home in Cardiff today.Lt Randall and his driver, Cpl Brown, were the first men to enter the camp after stumbling upon it during a reconnaissance mission.They found more than 50,000 prisoners suffering from disease, starvation, neglect and torture, as well as the bodies of thousands of those who had already died. | Gerrard was 14 when she w…
(2020-04-14). Privately-run immigrant jails denying detainees masks, dodging responsibility. peoplesworld.org 
HOUSTON (AP)—Elsy was on the phone in an immigration detention center when guards showed up with face masks and forms to sign. The asylum-seeker from El Salvador and others had resorted to tearing their T-shirts into face coverings after a woman in their unit tested positive for COVID-19. But the guards would not give out …
(2020-04-14). Combatting COVID-19 through solidarity. mronline.org 
Despite a deep economic recession, a profound political crisis and international sanctions that have ravaged its health sector, the South American nation of Venezuela is demonstrating that prioritising lives is possible in the battle against COVID-19.
(2020-04-14). US, Taliban officials meet in Qatar to discuss Afghan prisoner release dispute — report. rt.com 
The chief US negotiator on Afghanistan and the top US commander in that country held talks with Taliban officials in Doha on a prisoner release dispute that helped stall US-led peace-making efforts, according to a Taliban spokesman. | The discussions, held on Monday despite the global coronavirus pandemic, followed some movement on prisoner releases, with the government in Kabul freeing some 300 insurgent detainees and the Taliban releasing a first batch of government prisoners. The dispute over the size and pace of the releases, an increase in Taliban violence and other issues have stalled efforts to end the…
(2020-04-14). Immigrants at US detention centers lead hunger strikes, face persecution demanding protections from pandemic. wsws.org Nearly 200 immigrants, in male and female cell blocks, are currently staging a hunger strike and sit-in at the Mesa Verde ICE Processing Center in Bakersfield, California.
(2020-04-14). Car Rally to #FreeThemAll in Yuba Detention. indybay.org Yuba County Jail | 215 5th St. | Marysville, CA…
(2020-04-14). Tunisian political activists condemn US sanctions on Iran. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Apr. 14 (MNA) — Tunisian activists deplored the arbitrary sanctions imposed by the United States on the Islamic Republic of Iran, despite international condemnation and calls to stop the unjust blockade, especially under the escalating risks of the Corona epidemic around the world.
(2020-04-14). El Salvador Extends State of Emergency Due to Covid-19. telesurenglish.net The Salvadorean Legislative Assembly extended the state of emergency for the COVID-19 pandemic until April 16, a new reported has revealed. | RELATED: | During the extension, the deputies will draw up a new legal project that is in line with the real needs generated by the pandemic. | The legal body will also review fundamental issues to be monitored during the exceptional situation caused by the virus, such as human rights and complian…
(2020-04-14). How Wars, Sanctions, and Militarism Made the Coronavirus Crisis Worse. globalresearch.ca Governments around the world are offering a tragic lesson in how denial, incompetence, and inequity have exacerbated the unfolding coronavirus pandemic. That is just as true in the United States, where President Trump's lies, denials, and half measures — as …
(2020-04-14). Russian FM calls US sanctions inhuman, illegal action. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Apr. 14 (MNA) — Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called the continuation of US sanctions against other countries inhumane and illegal action amid coronavirus pandemic.
(2020-04-14). Anti-Iran sanctions amid COVID-19 battle sign of US 'state terrorism'. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Apr. 14 (MNA) — Former Duma member and head of Russia's center for the Middle East studies Shamil Sultanov says persisting with the economic sanctions against Iran, while the countries are grappling with the coronavirus pandemic, only shows Washington's "state terrorism".
(2020-04-14). US loses opportunity to beat addiction to sanctions: Zarif. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Apr. 14 (MNA) — Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif noted that Washington failed to seize the opportunity created by the COVID-19 outbreak to beat its addiction to sanctions.
(2020-04-14). Kyoto Mayor offers concerns over US ant-Iran sanctions in time of COVID-19. iranian.com Mayor of Kyoto Daisaku Kadokawa, who is also chairman of the Union of Historical Towns, in a message to people and Mayor of Shiraz expressed concerns over the US sanctions imposed against Iran in time of coronavirus outbreak. In his message to Heydar Eskandarpour, Kadokawa said he had received the letter regarding the removal of …
(2020-04-13). Venezuela and Iran Strengthen Ties Against US Sanctions. telesurenglish.net Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro and his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani spoke over the phone Monday in order to strengthen cooperation and brotherhood in the face of the illegal unilateral measures imposed by the United States on both nations. | RELATED: | Both leaders "are evaluating making a common front to fight against the imperial sanctions that affect our nations," the Venezuelan president wrote on his Twi…
(2020-04-13). Congressman John Lewis shares message of support for SPLC's work. splcenter.org Congressman John Lewis has been a tireless champion for equal rights and justice for more than six decades.
(2020-04-13). Federal Wardens Must Immediately Flatten the Curve in our Nation's Prisons. aclu.org With 10 deaths and more than 500 positive COVID-19 cases in the nation's federal prisons, wardens must "
(2020-04-13). Detained children at 'grave risk' of contracting COVID-19 — UNICEF chief. news.un.org Hundreds of thousands of children in detention around the world are at "grave risk" of contracting COVID-19, the head of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said on Monday, calling for their urgent release.
(2020-04-13). Warren and Khanna's "Essential Workers Bill of Rights" Cheered as Much-Needed Protections for Those on Frontlines of Crisis. commondreams.org "If we can find the resources to bail out the cruise and airline industries and other big corporations, we can support the people who risk their lives every day to care for the ill, stock store shelves, and care for children." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-04-13). Iranian American Organizations Urge ICE to Immediately Release Dr. Sirous Asgari. iranian.com Iranian American organizations PAAIA, NIAC, IABA have come together to campaign for the release of Dr. Sirous Asgari from Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody. Dr. Asgari is currently unjustly detained in a civil immigration detention center in Louisiana, which has put his health at serious risk amidst the likelihood of COVID-19 exposure. We, the undersigned …
(2020-04-12). Pope Francis Calls for Debt Forgiveness and Ending Sanctions. telesurenglish.net Pope Francis, offering his Easter message on Sunday, called for the international sanctions that weigh on some countries to be lifted and also called for debt forgiveness. | RELATED: | During his prayer at the Easter mass offered in the Basilica of St. Peter without parishioners, the pontiff declared that the cancellation of debt would allow poor countries to better attend to the crisis caused by the coronavirus…
(2020-04-11). Sanctions the best cure? Trump signs order laying out visa sanctions for countries that 'delay or deny' return of their citizens. rt.com 
US President Donald Trump has signed an order envisioning penalties for foreign nations that are reluctant to take back their citizens or residents as the coronavirus ravages the US, citing "public health risks." | "Countries that deny or unreasonably delay the acceptance of their citizens, subjects, nationals, or residents from the United States during the ongoing pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 create unacceptable public health risks for Americans," the
(2020-04-11). [Comment] Centring sexual and reproductive health and justice in the global COVID-19 response. thelancet.com Global responses to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic are converging with pervasive, existing sexual and reproductive health and justice inequities to disproportionately impact the health, wellbeing, and economic stability of women, girls, and vulnerable populations. People whose human rights are least protected are likely to experience unique difficulties from COVID-19.1 Women, girls, and marginalised groups are likely to carry a heavier burden of what will be the devastating downstream economic and social consequences of this pandemic.
(2020-04-11). First of its type in the world: Iran Rolls Out Ionized Protective Masks Amid COVID-19 Pandemic. iranian.com The Islamic republic, considered one of the worst-hit countries in the world as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and the worst in the Middle East, has been struggling to contain the rapidly spreading outbreak while under harsh unilateral US economic sanctions. Experts in the Iranian Defence Ministry have released protective face masks with ionized …
(2020-04-10). Mike Elk on Frontline Worker Rights, Joe Emersberger on Pandemic Sanctions. fair.org 
Media…
(2020-04-10). Civil Liberties Never Sleep: The ACLU in the Pandemic. aclu.org The COVID-19 pandemic has closed down many businesses, but the work of preserving civil liberties and civil rights continues, as essential as ever. Reports of courts closing down can be misleading. While public trials that require jurors and in-person testimony have been suspended, most courts and lawyers can do their work remotely. The filing of legal briefs continues, and oral arguments and hearings are being held remotely. The work of securing justice continues., , At the ACLU, our most immediate focus has been on civil liberties and civil rights issues arising from the government's response (or lack thereo…
(2020-04-10). Get-out-the-vote effort goes digital for COVID-19 pandemic. splcenter.org Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Alexis Carr was able to knock on doors in Montgomery, Alabama, register people to vote, instruct them on voting rights and encourage them to cast their ballots on Election Day.
(2020-04-10). Weekend Read: Get-out-the-vote effort goes digital for COVID-19 pandemic. splcenter.org Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Alexis Carr was able to knock on doors in Montgomery, Alabama, register people to vote, instruct them on voting rights and encourage them to cast their ballots on Election Day.
(2020-04-10). South Korea Cuts Deal With US to Resume Deliveries of Humanitarian Exports to Iran — Reports. iranian.com Tehran has repeatedly called on Washington to abandon its "illegal" sanctions against the Islamic Republic, especially amid the COVID-19 pandemic, accusing America of threatening the lives and wellbeing of millions of Iranians. Seoul has received a US export license allowing the Asian nation to resume humanitarian export deliveries to Iran, a South Korean Foreign Ministry …
(2020-04-09). Living apart, 'we must stand together' to battle coronavirus pandemic — UN rights chief. news.un.org The COVID-19 pandemic is a "colossal test of leadership", the top UN rights official said on Thursday, underscoring the need for "decisive, coordinated and innovative action from all, and for all".
(2020-04-09). Put women and girls at centre of COVID-19 recovery: UN Secretary-General. news.un.org Limited gains in gender equality and women's rights made over the decades are in danger of being rolled back due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the UN Secretary-General said on Thursday.
(2020-04-09). I'm Queer and I've Been in Solitary. Ellen Isn't Experiencing What I Did. aclu.org On Monday, I ended a 12-hour day returning emails to incarcerated queer folks, providing direct aid for housing to folks living with HIV & AIDS who have been incarcerated and challenging the state of Nebraska to provide humane conditions for incarcerated individuals and decided to mindlessly scroll on Twitter. , , I found the quote from the show Ellen DeGeneres filmed from her multimillion-dollar, multi-room mansion: "One thing that I've learned from being in quarantine is that people — this is like being in jail, is what it is," she said. "It's mostly because I've be…
(2020-04-09). Noam Chomsky blasts Trump for continuing Iran sanctions. iranian.com Eminent American scholar and political commentator Noam Chomsky has blasted US President Donald Trump for continuing crippling sanctions on Iran as the country is fighting the novel coronavirus pandemic. "When the US imposes devastating sanctions — it's the only country that can do that, everyone has to follow … the master. Or else they are …
(2020-04-08). "They Don't Care if You Die": Immigrants in ICE Detention Fear the Spread of COVID-19. aclu.org 
Mario Rodas, Sr. first found out there was a deadly virus spreading through the country while he was watching television at the Plymouth County Correctional Facility in Massachusetts. In early March, Rodas had been pulled over and arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents while driving to the supermarket with his wife, a legal resident and the mother of his three U.S. citizen children. Since then, he'd been in the custody of ICE, mostly at Plymouth. | The more Rodas heard about the disease, the more fearful the 59-year-old became. | "I was scared for my health," he told the ACLU. "I was worr…
(2020-04-08). Nativist Hate Groups Want to Keep People in ICE Detention Despite COVID-19 Threat. splcenter.org Anti-immigrant think tanks are pushing for the U.S. to detain immigrants and asylum seekers throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, even as prisoners stage hunger strikes and other protests in response to what they describe as deteriorating health conditions in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities.
(2020-04-08). Billionaire-backed Human Rights Watch lobbies for lethal US sanctions on leftist governments as 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…
(2020-04-08). As US Consigns Iranians to Death, Corporate Media Look the Other Way. fair.org 
Covid-19 has hammered few countries as hard as it has hit Iran, which reports (as of
(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…
(2020-04-04). 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…
(2020-04-03). 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…
(2020-04-02). 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
(2020-03-27). Weekend Read: SPLC demands ICE act amid pandemic to save the lives of countless immigrants trapped in its crowded detention centers. splcenter.org …
(2020-03-25). 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.
(2020-03-13). No, Venezuela does not have a six child per family policy. zcomm.org I respect UK journalist Andrew Buncombe. As I noted for FAIR last year, he was one of the few corporate journalists who reported on a study linking Trump's financial sanctions on Venezuela to thousands of deaths by the end of 2018. Since 2018, Trump has repeatedly intensified the sanctions and threatened Venezuela with military action,
(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.