From Lebanon to Syria, the Arab World is Failing Palestinian Refugees
Ramzy Baroud | mintpressnews.com | 2020-05-13
Heinous racism. That is how the Geneva-based Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor described a recent decision by Lebanese authorities to bar Palestinian refugee expats from returning to Lebanon. | Lebanon's restrictions on its ever-diminishing population of Palestinian refugees is nothing new. However, this event is particularly alarming as it may be linked to a long-term official policy regarding the residency status of Palestinian refugees in this Arab country. | Many were ta…
mintpressnews.com/lebanon-syria-arab-world-failing-palestinian-refugees/267521/

Something About Julian Assange You Should Know
Andrey Areshev | strategic-culture.org | 2020-05-13
It is not just our family who suffers from the infringement of Julian's rights. If our family and Julian's lawyers are not off-limits, then nothing is. The person responsible for allegedly ordering the theft of Gabriel's DNA is Mike Pompeo, who last month threatened the family members of lawyers working at the International Criminal Court.
strategic-culture.org/news/2020/05/13/something-about-julian-assange-you-should-know/

Ethical Human Rights: China criticizes New Zealand for supporting Taiwan
Anthony Ravlich | indybay.org | 2020-05-13
If my book was less suppressed the UN may well take a more positive view of Taiwan's wish to gain formal recognition in the World Health Organization. The UN seems to be following China's 'One-China policy' by excluding Taiwan.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/05/13/18833000.php

Contact Tracing, Immunity Cards and Mass Testing: Are We on The Fast Track to a National ID?
John Whitehead | mintpressnews.com | 2020-05-13
CHARLOTTESVILLE ( Rutherford) —- No one is safe. No one is immune. No one gets spared the anguish, fear and heartache of living under the shadow of an authoritarian police state. | That's the message being broadcast 24/7 with every new piece of government propaganda, every new law that criminalizes otherwise lawful activity, every new policeman on the beat, every new surveillance camera casting a watchful eye, every sensationalist news story that titillates and distracts, every new prison or detention center built to house troublemake…
mintpressnews.com/contact-tracing-immunity-cards-mass-testing-national-id/267488/

IndustriALL questions violations of worker rights by Shell in Nigeria
Peoples Dispatch | peoplesdispatch.org | 2020-05-13
82% of oil giant Shell's workforce in Nigeria is sourced through labor contractors. As per IndustriALL, the workers "live in poverty with no job security, poor healthcare and little regard for health and safety."
peoplesdispatch.org/2020/05/13/industriall-questions-violations-of-worker-rights-by-shell-in-nigeria/

At San Quentin: 'No state execution by COVID-19!'
Judy Greenspan | workers.org | 2020-05-13
May 9

Chechen leader Kadyrov BANNED from Instagram AGAIN, loses account with 1.4 MILLION followers
rt.com | 2020-05-13
For many in the 21st century, losing social media access would be a devastating blow. However, for Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, it's just another day. For the third time in three years, Kadyrov has been banned from Instagram. | According to Instagram's owners, Facebook, the ban was in relation to US sanctions against the Chechen leader. | Since 2017, Kadyrov has been sanctioned by the United States under the terms of the Magnitsky Act. Signed by President Barack Obama in 2012, and later expanded in 2016, the Magnitsky Act enables the US government to sanction foreign government officials implicated in allege…
rt.com/russia/488533-kadyrov-banned-instagram-again/

Imposing Sanctions Is A War Crime Amid Pandemic
commondreams.org | 2020-05-13
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commondreams.org/newswire/2020/05/13/imposing-sanctions-war-crime-amid-pandemic?cd-origin=rss

Lavrov slams US' baseless accusations against Russia, China amid coronavirus pandemic
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-13
TEHRAN, May 13 (MNA)

Trump ally Lindsey Graham seeks China sanctions over coronavirus probe: report
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-13
TEHRAN, May 13 (MNA)

Beijing denounces 'immoral' US Senate bill threatening China with sanctions over Covid-19
rt.com | 2020-05-13
Beijing has lashed out at US legislation which seeks to impose sanctions on China if it fails to cooperate with Washington's investigation into the coronavirus pandemic. | The bill would require the president to notify Congress within 60 days that China had "provided a full and complete accounting" to any US-led probe into the coronavirus outbreak. The rule would also apply to investigations carried out by American allies and UN agencies such as the World Health Organization (WHO). | The legislation also demands that China shutter all "wet markets" which can pose a risk to human health. It also calls for the i…
rt.com/news/488528-china-us-sanctions-coroavirus-probe/

Leaders from sanctioned countries condemn U.S. sanctions amid COVID-19 pandemic
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2020-05-12
Minneapolis, MN – Over 1000 people attended an online panel hosted by the United National AntiWar Coalition, May 9. In a panel entitled, "U.S. Sanctions During the COVID-19 Pandemic, a Global Threat" leaders representing six countries facing harsh U.S. sanctions highlighted the leading role of the United States in undermining the healthcare infrastructure of sovereign states in order to foment regime change. | U.S. imposed economic sanctions currently impact 39 countries, representing one third of the global population. These sanctions result in chronic shortages of basic necessities and have inhibited the abilit…
www.fightbacknews.org/2020/5/12/leaders-…

Lebanon to Enter 4-Day Lockdown After Jump in COVID-19 Cases
telesurenglish.net | 2020-05-12
Lebanon will reimpose a four-day nationwide stay at home order, the government announced Tuesday, after a jump in coronavirus cases over the past week. | RELATED: | Lebanese Army Denies Torturing Detained Protesters Despite Reports | The lockdown will go into force Wednesday and end Monday authorities said, while the country's information minister Manal Abdel-Samad said that all businesses will be closed, with the exception of those in the medical, industrial, and agricultural sectors.
telesurenglish.net/news/Lebanon-to-Enter-4-Day-Lockdown-After-Jump-in-COVID-19-Cases-20200512-0021.html

Minneapolis vigil honors Carlos Ernesto Escobar-Mejia, first person to die of COVID-19 in ICE detention
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2020-05-12
Minneapolis, MN – After dark on Monday, May 11, the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) held a candlelight vigil at the Minneapolis Federal Courthouse to remember Carlos Ernesto Escobar-Mejia. He is the first person reported to die of COVID-19 while in jail detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The speakers at the vigil called on people to remember Carlos and called on government officials to free all ICE detainees. | Because of COVID-19, all vigil participants wore a mask and maintained social distance. | During the vigil, Escobar-Mejia's name was also projected on a large wall o…
www.fightbacknews.org/2020/5/12/minneapo…

Dallas County Officials are Leaving Vulnerable People to Catch COVID-19 in Jail
Andrea Woods | aclu.org | 2020-05-12
Wykivia and Ideare Bailey were taking every precaution. Worried for their asthmatic daughter due to the spread of COVID-19, the couple was meticulous in cleaning, sanitizing, and social distancing to reduce every possible threat. However, when Ideare was arrested for property theft and booked into the Dallas County Jail on April 6, there was no way to adhere to those precautions. Held in a crowded intake room, he could not maintain six feet of distance from other people. Forced to live in a dormitory with 60 other people

Political Prisoners Teach-In: Mumia, migrant rights and cages
Teresa Gutierrez | workers.org | 2020-05-12
These slightly edited remarks were made April 24 at the "U.S. Empire vs. Political Prisoners" teach-in webinar sponsored by Mobilization4Mumia and held in honor of the 66th birthday of political prisoner and revolutionary Mumia Abu-Jamal, incarcerated for 39 years by the U.S. state. Teresa Gutierrez First of all, happy . . . | Continue reading Political Prisoners Teach-In: Mumia, migrant rights and cages at Workers.org…
workers.org/2020/05/48559/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=political-prisoners-teach-in-mumia-migrant-rights-and-cages

Serbian housing rights collective organizes relief work for COVID-19
Peoples Dispatch | peoplesdispatch.org | 2020-05-12
Serbian housing rights collective Zdru≈æena Akcija Krov nad Glavom (Joint Action Roof Over Your Head) has initiated a relief campaign for the distribution of food and other essentials to people in distress…
peoplesdispatch.org/2020/05/12/serbian-housing-rights-collective-organizes-relief-work-for-covid-19/

During COVID-19 Crisis, We Must Prioritize the Release of Pregnant People
Lauren Kuhlik | aclu.org | 2020-05-12
This piece was first published on USA Today., , Andrea Circle Bear was 30 years old and had only recently given birth when she died of COVID-19. Circle Bear was incarcerated for a drug-related charge at the time of her death. She spent the final weeks of her pregnancy in a local jail and then a federal prison, spaces that are known hotbeds for virus transmission…
aclu.org/news/prisoners-rights/during-covid-19-crisis-we-must-prioritize-the-release-of-pregnant-people

We don't need empty praise: Nurses' unions demand better protection, rights
Anish R | peoplesdispatch.org | 2020-05-12
May 12 is globally observed as International Nurses Day. The day marks the birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale, who revolutionized healthcare and introduced modern nursing. This year, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses have come out to tell us that they have been left behind. | A virtual press conference held by Public Services International (PSI), on the eve of the Nurses Day, had unions from different parts of the Asia-Pacific region talk about the monumental challenges during the pandemic. According to the South-East Asian Regional Office (SEARO) of the World Health Organization, at this time, the Asia-P…
peoplesdispatch.org/2020/05/12/we-dont-need-empty-praise-nurses-unions-demand-better-protection-rights/

Minnesota Nurses Association plans to march on the State Capitol to demand safety for nurses
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2020-05-12
St. Paul, MN – As cases of COVID-19 continue to rise across Minnesota, members of the Minnesota Nurses Association have announced that they will march on May 20 from Allina Health United Hospital to the Minnesota State Capitol to demand that management of United Hospital and other hospitals provide proper PPE, training, and safety, as well as transparency to keep nurses and other healthcare workers safe. They will also be delivering a petition with over 10,000 signatures to the Minnesota Department of Health demanding a Pandemic Bill of Rights to keep Minnesotans safe. Social distancing guidelines will be followe…
www.fightbacknews.org/2020/5/12/minnesot…

Political Prisoners Teach-In: Mumia, migrant rights and cages
Teresa Gutierrez | workers.org | 2020-05-12
These slightly edited remarks were made April 24 at the "U.S. Empire vs. Political Prisoners" teach-in webinar sponsored by Mobilization4Mumia and held in honor of the 66th birthday of political prisoner and revolutionary Mumia Abu-Jamal, incarcerated for 38 years by the U.S. state. Teresa Gutierrez First of all, happy . . . | Continue reading Political Prisoners Teach-In: Mumia, migrant rights and cages at Workers.org…
workers.org/2020/05/48559/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=political-prisoners-teach-in-mumia-migrant-rights-and-cages

Sanctions = Health terrorism
Betsey Piette | workers.org | 2020-05-12
A timely international webinar, sponsored by SanctionsKill.org on May 9, featured representatives from Cuba, Iran, Nicaragua, Syria and Venezuela, plus a statement from Zimbabwe addressing the deadly impact of U.S. sanctions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Over 1,000 people from nearly every continent, including multiple U.S. cities, viewed the event. The . . . | Continue reading Sanctions = Health terrorism at Workers.org…
workers.org/2020/05/48562/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=sanctions-health-terrorism

World Council of Churches calls for lifting US sanctions against Iran
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-12
TEHRAN, May 12 (MNA)

Nicaragua Requests OAS Lift Sanctions Due to COVID Crisis
telesurenglish.net | 2020-05-12
Nicaragua's representative to the Organization of American States (OAS) demanded on May 11 that sanctions cease against Cuba, Venezuela, and his nation. | RELATED: | Nicaragua: VP Rosario Murillo Grateful for UNICEF Donation | Nicaraguan diplomat Luis Alvarado participated in the first session of the Weekly Forum on the Challenges Facing Inter-American Law in the Time of the Coronavirus. He referred to COVID-19's social and economic worldwide impact. Alvarado stated solidarity and cooperation are paramount to cope with sequels…
telesurenglish.net/news/nicaragua-requested-oas-to-lift-sanctions-due-to-covid-crisis-20200512-0006.html

Indifference Toward Public Health and Welfare in America. The COVID-19 Healthcare Fiasco
Stephen Lendman | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-11
The US is the only developed nation without some form of universal healthcare coverage. | The world's richest country is indifferent toward the rights, needs, and welfare of its ordinary people in more normal times. | It's much the same at times …
globalresearch.ca/indifference-toward-public-health-welfare-america/5712460

Refugee rights supporters occupy the Mantra Hotel
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2020-05-12
Refugees & migrants Kerry SmithIssue 1265 Australia asylum seekers Mantra Hotel medevacMay 12, 2020At 7.30am on May 12, refugee and…
greenleft.org.au/content/refugee-rights-supporters-occupy-mantra-hotel

Church Vandalised in Pakistan Allegedly by Armed Men Over Land Dispute – Video
sputniknews.com | 2020-05-12
New Delhi (Sputnik): The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) recently released a report citing the sufferings of minorities due to forced conversion to Islam. The report said minorities were unable to enjoy the religious freedom that is supposedly guaranteed them under the constitution.
sputniknews.com/india/202005121079279452-church-vandalised-in-pakistan-allegedly-by-armed-men-over-land-dispute—video/

Russian Federal Security Service Detains Man Planning to Set Gov't Buildings on Fire in Tver Region
sputniknews.com | 2020-05-12
The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) on Tuesday announced the prevention of a terrorist attack in the city of Kimry, in Tver Region.
sputniknews.com/russia/202005121079280180-russian-federal-security-service-detains-man-planning-to-set-govt-buildings-on-fire-in-tver-region/

The Elders Issue Scathing Rebuke of Israel's Trump-Approved West Bank Annexation Plan
Andrea Germanos, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2020-05-11
"The conflict between Israel and the Palestinians can only ever be solved by finding a solution that guarantees peace, security, rights, and dignity to both peoples. Unilaterally seizing territory and ignoring international law achieves precisely the opposite." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
commondreams.org/news/2020/05/11/elders-issue-scathing-rebuke-israels-trump-approved-west-bank-annexation-plan?cd-origin=rss

N. Cyprus slams joint declaration on E. Mediterranean
yenisafak.com | 2020-05-12
The premier of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) slammed on Tuesday a joint declaration dubbing Turkey's activities in the Eastern Mediterranean as "illegal"."Turkish Cypriots have as much rights as the Greeks in the Eastern Mediterranean," said TRNC Prime Minister Ersin Tatar in a statement.Tatar said that some parties heighten hostilities when their interests in the region are being hampered, but this was not a rightful approach.The Turkish Cypriot premier's remarks came after Greece, Egypt, France, the Greek Cypriot administration, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) released the joint declaration…
yenisafak.com/en/news/n-cyprus-slams-joint-declaration-on-e-mediterranean-3519288

The Execution of Julian Assange
Patrick Anderson | mintpressnews.com | 2020-05-11
I do not respect anyone who has not been to prison." Julian Assange once said to Renata Avila, a Guatemalan human rights activist who serves as legal counsel for WikiLeaks. "What he meant," Avila says, "was that being in prison means that you have made so much trouble for the system that the only way for the system to deal with you is to lock you up and try to silence you." | After a decade of being shuttled from house arrest to confinement in an embassy to Belmarsh Prison to, if the United States government ge…
mintpressnews.com/opinion-media-execution-julian-assange/267393/

Rights Groups Work to Stop 'Unnecessary and Potentially Disenfranchising Purges' of Voter Rolls in Pennsylvania
Jessica Corbett, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2020-05-11
American civil rights groups on Monday moved to intervene in a lawsuit filed by the right-wing activist group Judicial Watch that critics warn could result in "the unnecessary and potentially disenfranchising purges" of voter rolls in three Pennsylvania counties ahead of the November elections. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
commondreams.org/news/2020/05/11/rights-groups-work-stop-unnecessary-and-potentially-disenfranchising-purges-voter?cd-origin=rss

PCHR: In the Context of Israel's Policy of Collective Punishment, Occupation Forces Demolish Home of Palestinian Detainee's Family in Ramallah
PCHR | imemc.org | 2020-05-11
Palestinian Center for Human Rights In the context of the collective punishment policy pursued by the Israeli occupation forces against the families of Palestinian citizens accused of carrying out acts of resistance against them and/or against the settlers, those forces demolished a house in the early hours of Monday, 11/5/2020, …
imemc.org/article/pchr-in-the-context-of-israels-policy-of-collective-punishment-occupation-forces-demolish-home-of-palestinian-detainees-family-in-ramallah/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=pchr-in-the-context-of-israels-policy-of-collective-punishment-occupation-forces-demolish-home-of-palestinian-detainees-family-in-ramallah

UN officials call for release of detained Palestinian children amid pandemic
news.un.org | 2020-05-11
Three senior United Nations officials in the Middle East are calling for the release of Palestinian children from Israeli-run prisons and detentions centres, saying they are at particular risk of COVID-19 infection.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/05/1063722

SPLC fights to keep children out of juvenile detention, other confined settings during pandemic
splcenter.org | 2020-05-11
splcenter.org/news/2020/05/11/splc-fights-keep-children-out-juvenile-detention-other-confined-settings-during-pandemic

In Haiti ICE is spreading COVID-19
G. Dunkel | workers.org | 2020-05-11
Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the agency charged with deporting people from the United States, scheduled five deportations to Haiti on May 11 from the Pine Prairie Detention Center in Louisiana. The agency claims the five individuals have either tested positive for COVID-19 or show signs of having the disease. (Miami . . . | Continue reading In Haiti ICE is spreading COVID-19 at Workers.org…
workers.org/2020/05/48501/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=in-haiti-ice-is-spreading-covid-19

Doctors Speak Out About COVID 19 & The Violent Suppression Of Your Rights
Ryan Cristián | thelastamericanvagabond.com | 2020-05-11
The only question, is whether We The People have the courage to stand for what we know to be right, or if we will allow ourselves to be scared into passively accepting the "new normal," a locked down controlled society that was prepped for, planned out, and designed years ago. I for one, will never …
thelastamericanvagabond.com/censorship/doctors-speak-out-about-covid-19-violent-suppression-your-rights/

Our Privacy is on the Clock
Billy Easley | aclu.org | 2020-05-11
This piece originally appeared in The Hill., , Important issues sometimes divide our nation, but one area where most of us share common ground surrounds is the belief that warrantless secret spying on Americans is unjust. , , Soon, the Senate is scheduled to vote on the USA FREEDOM Reauthorization Act of 2020, a bill that would extend provisions of the Patriot Act that expired in March. These provisions are currently not consistent with Americans' fundamental rights. However, if Congress chooses to reauthori…
aclu.org/news/national-security/our-privacy-is-on-the-clock

Voting Rights Advocates Intervene to Stop Illegitimate Purge of Eligible Pennsylvania Voters
commondreams.org | 2020-05-11
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commondreams.org/newswire/2020/05/11/voting-rights-advocates-intervene-stop-illegitimate-purge-eligible-pennsylvania?cd-origin=rss