(2020-07-12). From bad to worse Lebanon. thealtworld.com The US has deliberately engineered the country's economic collapse, but Hezbollah won't yield to it demands | UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet sounded the alarm on Saturday that the economic situation in Lebanon was spiralling out of control and that many thousands of its people face destitution and starvation. The warning was stark. But it wasn't surprising given the relentless US pressure the country faces, which has more than crossed every conceivable red line. | Bachelet listed a number of reasons why she feared economic collapse was looming: thousands of businesses bankrupted, the Leba…
(2020-07-12). Petition to UN on Afro-Bolivian Union Leader Elena Flores. telesurenglish.net A recent petition to the United Nations has called for attention to the political imprisonment and human rights abuses against Afro-Bolivian union leader Elena Flores. | RELATED: | Flores is the President of the Departmental Association of Coca Producers (Adepcoca) union of coca growers in her home territory of Yungas, where she's been a labour organizer since her youth. | The leader has been held as a political p…
(2020-07-12). '279 shipments of oil products loaded under sanctions'. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 12 (MNA) — The Managing Director of Hormozgan PMO announced that despite the US sanctions, 279 shipments of oil products and hydrocarbons have been loaded at the Persian Gulf Oil Port as of March 20 to be exported to the world.
(2020-07-12). Thursday 7/16: "Capturing The Flag" Voter Suppression Film & Town Hall w/ Starring Voting Rights . indybay.org Online…
(2020-07-12). COVID-19 sickens Palestinian detainee in Israel. yenisafak.com A Palestinian detainee in Israel has contracted coronavirus, according to the Commission of Palestinian Affairs on Sunday.In a statement, the commission said Kamal Abu Wa'er, 46, was diagnosed with the virus, blaming the Israeli policy of "medical negligence" for his illness.The Israeli "policy of deliberate and systematic medical negligence has made [Palestinian] detainees vulnerable to the coronavirus and other epidemics and diseases which threaten their lives," the commission said.According to the statement, Abu Wa'er, from the town of Qabatiya in the northern West Bank, suffers from a throat cancer and is now…
(2020-07-11). [World Report] US Supreme Court upholds abortion rights, for now. thelancet.com The court's decision means that Louisiana's three abortion clinics will remain open. Susan Jaffe reports.
(2020-07-11). North Korea warns UK will 'pay price' for brazen sanctions, and calls it 'US puppet'. rt.com 
North Korea has warned the UK will pay a price for its "despicable political scheme" to impose sanctions on its government ministries, and recommends London stops "blindly" following Washington's lead. | "The United Kingdom, a puppet of the United States, committed a provocation," by imposing sanctions, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
(2020-07-11). Institutional racism 'led to data breach over migrant workers' in Ireland. thecanary.co 
Levels of "institutional racism and discrimination" in the health service reportedly led to a serious data breach in Ireland. It occurred when employers were told of coronavirus (Covid-19) test results before meat factory workers who were tested.Edel McGinley, director of the Migrant Rights Centre Ireland (MRCI), described the practice as a "gross and serious breach of confidentiality". She told the Special Oireachtas Covid-19 committee that comments made by a senior health official about the scandal were "deeply worrying".(PA Graphics)"Institutional racism and discrimination that led to this very serious dat…
(2020-07-11). Bill Gates and the Depopulation Agenda. Robert F. Kennedy Junior Calls for an Investigation. globalresearch.ca Robert F Kennedy Jr, an avid Defender of Children's Rights and anti-vaccination , has launched a petition sent to the White House, calling for "Investigations into the 'Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation' for Medical Malpractice & Crimes Against Humanity"
(2020-07-11). As Long as Mass Media Propaganda Exists, Democracy Is a Sham. strategic-culture.org Caitlin JOHNSTONE | "A majority of Americans believe that Russia paid the Taliban to kill U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan last year amid negotiations to end the war, and more than half want to respond with new economic sanctions against Moscow, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Wednesday," "Overall, 60% of Americans said they found reports of Russian bounties on American soldiers to be 'very' or 'somewhat' believable, while 21% said they were not credible and the rest were unsure,"
(2020-07-11). Israeli Forces Detain Three Palestinians from West Bank. imemc.org Israeli forces, at dawn Friday, abducted three Palestinian civilians from their homes in Jerusalem and Ramallah, the Palestinian Information Center reported. Asra Media Office said that Israeli soldiers detained both Abdullah Dweik, and Ahmad Ali Ahmad, after invading their homes in Al-Jalazoun refugee camp in Ramallah, central West Bank. Confrontations …
(2020-07-11). Bolivia: Dialogue Table Agrees to End Blockade in K'ara K'ara. telesurenglish.net Cochabamba's Governor Esther Soria, Mayor Jose Maria Leyes, Ombudsman Office representative Nelson Cox, and the"self-convoked" neighbors of K'ara K'ara agreed this Saturday to lift the blockade in the area in conflict. | RELATED: | The local authorities agreed to meet the ers' demands, which include setting up another garbage dump in 30 days, installing a new crematory oven, and defending the three detainees during the p…
(2020-07-11). Debunking Myths on China "Forcing Uyghur Birth Control" dissidentvoice.org So-called overseas reps of China's Uyghur ethnic group filed evidence at the International Criminal Court (ICC) to spark an investigation on alleged human rights violations. But are the reports founded on strong evidence? (story starts at 2: 00)…
(2020-07-11). Colombian social leaders walked 15 days and 600 km to demand the right to life. peoplesdispatch.org A group of social s and human rights defenders have been marching from the southwestern Colombia for the past 15 days to demand respect for the life, territory and human rights of minority groups in the country…
(2020-07-11). European court rules in favor of Belgian Workers' Party legislator on electoral dispute. peoplesdispatch.org Germain Mugemangango of the Workers' Party of Belgium, a legislator in the Walloon parliament, filed a case in the European Court of Human Rights on a 2014 election when his own competitors decided his appeal for a recount…
(2020-07-11). Four former correctional officers sentenced to prison for beating handcuffed inmate. nationofchange.org "The sentences handed down in this case show that law enforcement officers who break the law, violate their oaths, and deprive inmates of their civil rights will be held accountable for their actions."
(2020-07-11). Trump Visits SOUTHCOM, Warns 'Something Will Happen' in Venezuela. venezuelanalysis.com The US president praised the "historic sanctions" imposed against Venezuela.
(2020-07-11). Nicaragua: How Phony Human Rights Groups Slandered A US-Targeted Nation. popularresistance.org During the Nicaraguan coup attempt and ever since it failed, the North American and European human rights industry has falsely accused the Nicaraguan authorities of having brutally repressed ful opposition s with disproportionate lethal violence. In doing so, reports by human rights organizations have systematically ignored numerous very serious crimes and even massacres by Nicaragua's US-supported right-wing opposition and their allies. Between April 18th and July 17th, 2018, 23 police officers were killed by opposition s and 400 officers suffered gunshot wounds inflicted by opposition gunmen…
(2020-07-11). Let's Defund The Pentagon, Too. popularresistance.org Toward the end of his life, Martin Luther King, Jr., after agonizing about the Vietnam War in private, began denouncing it in public. Liberal politicians and media, including The New York Times, castigated him, telling him to stick to civil rights. In a 1967 speech at New York City's Riverside Church, King rejected this criticism and explained how he arrived at his antiwar stance. | He had realized, he said, that the U.S. "would never invest the necessary funds or energies in rehabilitation of its poor so long as adventures like Vietnam continued to draw men and skills and money like some demonic destructive suct…
(2020-07-11). The First NATO: British and French Joint Aggressions in the Mid-19th Century. strategic-culture.org The two most militarily powerful nations in the West, both free to project naval power and maritime domination anywhere in the world, get together to punish and overthrow regimes they find guilty of human rights abuses and political repression in the name of human rights and promoting democracy: What could possibly go wrong? | It is of course NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg's new call for NATO, which has already over the past decade exercised its nation-building and promotion of enlightened regime policies with such brilliant success in Ukraine, Libya, Syria and Afghanistan to spread its mantle of protect…
(2020-07-11). The U.S. Doesn't Need Another Cold War to Improve Itself. strategic-culture.org This is likely to lead to many violations of civil liberties committed in the name of national security. | Daniel LARISON | Hal Brands It is true that there was significant progress on civil rights during…
(2020-07-11). Racism of Policing Resulted in the Torture and 18-Year Incarceration of My Son. truthout.org When I first started sharing the story of my son's unjust 18-year incarceration, I felt confident that many people — particularly white people and people with political power — would not care at all about the situation of a Black woman and her son. | I still fear this will be the case over the long term. | But in this moment, following the horrific police killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade and others, people across the country seem to be listening as never bef…
(2020-07-11). US warns citizens of heightened detention risks in China. yenisafak.com "U.S. citizens may be detained without access to U.S. consular services or information about their alleged crime," the State Department said in a security alert issued to its citizens in China, adding that U.S. citizens may face "prolonged interrogations and extended detention" for reasons related to state security."Security personnel may detain and/or deport U.S. citizens for sending private electronic messages critical of the Chinese government," it added, without citing specific examples. The state department also did not say what prompted the security alert.The security alert comes as bilateral tensions inten…
(2020-07-10). "Most Important Indian Law Case in Half a Century": Supreme Court Upholds Tribal Sovereignty in OK. democracynow.org 
In a landmark decision, the Supreme Court has ruled that much of eastern Oklahoma, constituting nearly half the state, is Native American land, recognizing a 19th century U.S. treaty with the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. Justice Neil Gorsuch, a Trump nominee, joined the court's liberal wing in a narrow 5-4 ruling that found state authorities cannot criminally prosecute Indigenous peoples under state or local laws. The court's bombshell decision — which also impacts the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw and Seminole Nations — is a major victory for Indigenous sovereignty and treaty rights. "It's a landmark case…
(2020-07-10). Ilhan Omar Demands Pentagon Acknowledge, Compensate US Drone Strike Victims 'Illegally Killed' in Somalia. commondreams.org Congresswoman's call, says one rights advocate, "is an important acknowledgment that civilians unlawfully harmed have a right to redress." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-07-10). Seven years too long: Nationwide s on July 19 to end detention and free the refugees. greenleft.org.au 
(2020-07-10). Netherlands to take Russia to European Court of Human Rights over 'role' in MH17 crash. rt.com 
The Dutch government has said it will file a suit against Russia at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). It alleges that Moscow played a part in the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine in 2014. | "Today, the Dutch government decided to bring Russia before the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) for its role in the downing of Flight MH17,"
(2020-07-10). Dutch lawsuit with ECHR alleging Russia played part in MH17 downing will only further 'complicate' search for truth — Moscow. rt.com 
Russia had nothing to do with the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine in 2014, but it'll work with the European Court of Human Rights if the Netherlands files a law suit, Moscow has said. | Earlier on Thursday, the government of the Netherlands announced that it was planning to take Russia to the Strasbourg Court, alleging that Moscow had played "a role" in the plane crash six year ago, in which 298 lives, mostly of Dutch citizens, were lost. | Russia's Ministry of Justice countered in a statement that the ECHR hadn't yet informed it of the Dutch complaint. But if it's filed eventuall…
(2020-07-10). 'Slap in the face': ers rally against Macron-backed new French interior minister accused of rape. rt.com 
Women's-rights s took to the streets in Paris and other cities in France to decry the appointment of Gerald Darmanin as interior minister. Darmanin is subject to an ongoing rape investigation. | Dozens of s bearing signs condemning Darmanin and rape culture in general greeted the new interior minister as he arrived in Dijon early on Friday. He was visiting the capital of Burgundy with Prime Minister Jean Castex to show support to the local police after the city was rocked by massive riots last month. | A still larger crowd ed the controversial cabinet appointment in Paris later on in the…
(2020-07-10). VenezolanosConBiden And MAGAzuela: Two Sides Of The Same Coin. popularresistance.org The Biden campaign held an online event on Wednesday, July 8 pitched as the former Vice President's "vision for Venezuela and Venezuelans in the U.S." Spoiler alert: his vision for Venezuela barely differs from President Trump. This event, which didn't merit an appearance from Biden himself, was aimed at getting Venezuelan-Americans to volunteer for "Uncle Joe", as Representative Darren Soto (D-Fl) called him. It was an hour and a half of shilling for votes and influence, and it demonstrated that when it comes to Venezuela, policies of regime change, sanctions and a refusal to engage in dialogue unite Venezolanos…
(2020-07-10). The Tremendous But 'Secret' Success Of Socialist Vietnam. popularresistance.org Some twenty years ago, when I moved to Hanoi, the city was bleak, grey, covered by smog. The war had ended, but terrible scars remained. | I brought my 4WD from Chile, and insisted on driving it myself. It was one of the first SUVs in the city. Each time I drove it, it was hit by scooters, which flew like projectiles all over the wide avenues of the capital. | Hanoi was beautiful, melancholic, but clearly marked by war. There were stories, terrible stories of the past. In "my days", Vietnam was one of the poorest countries in Asia. | Many great heritage sites, including the My Son Sanctuary in Central Vietnam, we…
(2020-07-10). The Supreme Court's Public-Health Approach to Abortion Rights. thenation.com The Supreme Court's Public-Health Approach to Abortion Rights…
(2020-07-10). Israeli Security Summon Fatah Member for Interrogation in Jerusalem. imemc.org Israeli security services in the internationally-recognized occupied Palestinian East Jerusalem, summoned, on Thursday, a representative of the Fatah party, Shadi Matour, for interrogation. Official Palestinian News Agency (Wafa) said that Matour was summoned to the Muskobiya interrogation and detention center, also known as the Russian compound, shortly after he and …
(2020-07-10). Chile: Court Declares Admissible Lawsuit Against Piñera. telesurenglish.net Chile's judicial system Thursday admitted a lawsuit against President Sebastian Piñera for allegedly not having supervised the measures that his Health Ministry took to deal with the pandemic. | RELATED: | The complaint was filed by this South American nation's Human Rights Commission, the National Association of Fiscal Employees (ANEF), and the Democratic Federation of University Health Professionals (Fedeprus), and it was ruled…
(2020-07-10). Lebanon 'fast spiralling out of control' leaving many destitute and facing starvation, warns Bachelet. news.un.org Sounding the alarm over the crippling impact of "growing economic shocks, coupled with the COVID-19 pandemic" in Lebanon, the UN human rights chief called on Friday for a unified response by politicians and the people to overcome the worsening socio-economic crisis there.
(2020-07-10). PCHR: Weekly Report on Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (02— 08 July 2020). imemc.org Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) Summary Israeli forces continued to commit crimes and multi-faceted violations against Palestinian civilians and their properties, including raids into Palestinian cities that are characterized with excessive use of force, assault, abuse and attacks on civilians. This week, IOF's excessive use of force rendered 21 …
(2020-07-10). Latin America Needs Access to Resources Without Generating Debt: Issuance of Special Drawing Rights. cepr.net Latindadd See article on original site En español Latin America is going through a multiple crisis, the perfect storm is brewing in the region, with severe sanitary limitations to face the Covid-19 and in the face of the deepest recession since the Great Depression (1872-1896), the projection of contraction for the region, according to ECLAC[1] …
(2020-07-10). Rights of Nature: One Big Step for Nature, One Small Step for Humankind. commondreams.org A young girl plays with colorful rose petals during the Inti Raymi celebration in the village of Pesillo, Ecuador. The highland Indians, wearing beautiful costumes, dance, drink and sing with no rest. Colorful processions in honor of the God Inti (Sun) pass through the mountain villages giving thanks for the harvest and expressing their deep relation to the Mother Earth (Pachamama). (Photo by Jan Sochor/Latincontent/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-07-10). Survivors of U.S. Torture and Rendition to be Heard Before International Tribunal. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2020-07-10). Santa Cruz Grand Jury Suggests Transitioning Juvenile Hall into a Homeless Services Center. indybay.org In it's report, "Homelessness: Big Problem, Little Progress: It's Time To Think Outside The Box," the 2019-2020 Santa Cruz County Civil Grand Jury suggests transitioning Juvenile Hall in Felton into a, "treatment and multi-faceted supportive services center for homeless individuals". The Civil Grand Jury report cited low incarceration numbers at Juvenile Hall in Felton compared to the number of staff members required to operate the facility, and noted that decreasing youth incarceration rates across the State of California has led to other counties closing their juvenile detention centers. "The Grand Jury believe…
(2020-07-10). Home Demolitions Spike Ahead Of Annexation. popularresistance.org Israel's formal annexation of occupied land may be put on hold, but the forced displacement of Palestinians in the West Bank marches on. | Israeli demolitions of Palestinian homes in the territory spiked last month, according to the human rights group B'Tselem. | Nearly 45 homes were destroyed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem — which Israel has already annexed in contravention of international law. | Eight of the Jerusalem homes destroyed "were torn down by their owners, after they received a demolition order from the municipality and wished to avoid paying the cost of the demolition and fines to…
(2020-07-10). Dutch government to file suit against Russia over downing of MH17. yenisafak.com The Dutch government on Friday said it would file a suit against Russia at the European Court of Human Rights over the downing of Malaysia Airlines passenger flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine six years ago.The Netherlands, home to roughly two-thirds of the victims, holds Russia responsible for the crash on July 17, 2014. The Kremlin has consistently denied involvement.A letter to parliament said the Netherlands was filing the case at the European court to achieve "truth, justice and accountability" for all 298 victims.
(2020-07-09). Viagra? Yes. Birth Control? No. SCOTUS Sides with Trump & Limits Free Contraception Under Obamacare. democracynow.org 
The Supreme Court dealt a major blow to reproductive rights when it sided with the Trump administration in letting employers deny people access to free birth control based on religious or moral grounds, hollowing out a mandate under the Affordable Care Act that requires most private health insurance plans to provide cost-free birth control. "It's a really deeply disappointing ruling," says Fatima Goss Graves, president and CEO of the National Women's Law Center. "These individuals are effectively on their own to find and pay for their contraception."
(2020-07-09). Biden's vision for Venezuela is virtually indistinguishable from Trump's. thegrayzone.com A campaign event demonstrated that when it comes to Venezuela, policies of regime change, sanctions, and refusal to engage in…
(2020-07-09). Venezuela is on a Path to Make Colonialism Obsolete. counterpunch.org On June 29 the European Union (EU) slapped new sanctions against 11 Venezuelan individuals. Immediately President Nicolas Maduro responded by ordering the expulsion of the EU ambassador to the country. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell warned that Brussels would retaliate against Caracas over its decision and announces that it will summon Maduro's ambassador to
(2020-07-09). Cold War with China and the Thucydides Trap: a Conversation with Richard Falk. counterpunch.org 
Should there be a Second Cold War an alleged US concern for human rights would indeed become another ongoing tool of propaganda. In this interview, International Relations scholar Richard Falk breaks down the grave dangers and prospects for a New Cold with China. Falk worries that tensions and rivalries both regionally and economically could result
(2020-07-09). Peru ranks oil production over pandemic threat and Indigenous rights. peoplesworld.org 
As of July 7, 10,772 people had died of COVID 19 infection in Peru, which is the 8th most severely affected country in the world. The actual toll is assumed to be far greater, especially in Peru's Amazonian region. Indigenous inhabitants there, isolated from medical care, are vulnerable both to environmental abuses at the hands …
(2020-07-09). Facebook: "serious setbacks for civil rights" dissidentvoice.org 
The Verge reports: A team of civil rights auditors has delivered a scathing and unexpected indictment of Facebook's recent moderation choices after a two-year examination of the platform's practices and internal policies. "While the audit process has been meaningful and has led to some significant improvements in the platform," the report reads, "we have also …
(2020-07-09). SCOTUS decides 5-4 win for abortion rights. workers.org 
SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective Executive Director Monica Simpson speaking at reproductive justice rally in Georgia, June 28, 2019. On June 29, the Supreme Court issued a much anticipated decision in June Medical Services v. Russo, the first reproductive justice case since anti-abortion Trump appointees Neil Gorsuch and . . . |
(2020-07-09). Deadly new sanctions on Syria. workers.org 
By Judy Bello This slightly edited guest article was originally published June 12 on the web site of the United National AntiWar Coalition (unac.notowar.net). On May 20, President Trump signed into law the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Embedded in this bill, a housekeeping bill of sorts where yearly . . . |