(2020-07-30). COVID-19: UN chief outlines path to sustainable, inclusive recovery in Southeast Asia. news.un.org Tackling inequality, bridging the digital divide, greening the economy, and upholding human rights and good governance will be critical for Southeast Asia to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, the UN Secretary-General said on Thursday.
(2020-07-30). Rights groups demand release of activist Mohammad Amin in Pakistan. peoplesdispatch.org The 26-year-old activist was forcibly picked up from his residence in Karachi on July 14 and remains missing. Rights groups have blamed security forces for harassing his family and demanded his immediate release…
(2020-07-30). Saturday 8/1: Amazonian caravan for worker safety, workers' rights & worker solidarity. indybay.org 1933 Davis St, San Leandro, CA 94577-1261, United States…
(2020-07-29). Civil Rights Icon Bernard Lafayette on His Friend John Lewis, Freedom Rides & Practicing Nonviolence. democracynow.org 
We revisit civil rights leader and Congressmember John Lewis's early years of activism with Bernard Lafayette, one of Lewis's closest friends and collaborators. Lafayette participated with Lewis in the first Freedom Rides of 1961 as they attempted to integrate buses and faced brutal beatings by white mobs, and was a fellow leader in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. Lewis "knew how to relate to people who were different from him and who had different orientations, different values, different philosophies, and that's why he was such a great leader," Lafayette says. "He found a way to make a way."
(2020-07-29). Rev. Warnock of Ebenezer Baptist Church on Legacy of John Lewis & Ongoing Fight for Voting Rights. democracynow.org 
We look at the life and legacy of late civil rights icon and Georgia Congressmember John Lewis, who is being mourned across the U.S. and who became the first Black politician to lie in state in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda. "The irony of this moment is that even as we celebrate and honor John Lewis, the patron saint of voting rights, he hailed from the state which in many instances is ground zero for voter suppression," says Rev. Dr. Raphael Warnock, who serves as senior pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, was with Lewis in the final days of his life and will preside over his memorial service. "In recen…
(2020-07-29). Seattle protest in solidarity with Portland. workers.org 
On July 25, 2,000 youthful anti-racists marched here in solidarity with Portland resistance. As in Portland, Ore., federal repressive forces have been sent to Seattle. The march was called by the Youth Liberation Front. Chanting "Black Lives Matter," the demonstrators headed to the site of a new youth jail. Located . . . |
(2020-07-29). Lukashenko 'demands answers' as KGB chief briefs him on 'Russian mercenaries' detained in Belarus. rt.com 
Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko has ordered a thorough probe into what he called an "emergency situation" as security chief confirmed arrests of 32 suspected 'Wagner' private military recruits in a televised briefing. | Lukashenko on Wednesday told the head of the Belarusian National Security Service, the KGB, to launch a transparent and unbiased probe into the incident, which the media has been quick to tie to the upcoming presidential election. | "If these are indeed Russian citizens… we must immediately contact the Russian officials and demand that they explain what is going on," Lukashenko said…
(2020-07-29). Zuckerberg admits Facebook suppresses 'hate speech' BEFORE it's seen by anyone. rt.com 
Facebook censors almost 90 percent of 'hate speech' before it's allowed to circulate, CEO Mark Zuckerberg told Congress at Wednesday's Big Tech hearing, responding to pressure from Democrats to submit to the advertiser boycott. | "We're able to proactively identify 89 percent of the hate speech that we take down before, I think, it's even seen by other people," Zuckerberg told the Antitrust Subcommittee of the US House of Representatives on Wednesday. | The statement was in response to Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Maryland) pressuring Facebook to "join the civil rights movement" by submitting to the demands of the Sto…
(2020-07-29). How do you define lawful peaceful protest? The UN Human Rights Committee has a clear answer. news.un.org People have the right to demonstrate peacefully and Governments should respect international law and let them do so, senior UN-appointed independent rights experts said on Wednesday.
(2020-07-29). Attorney General Barr aggressively defends violent attacks on protesters in Portland. wsws.org The White House remains the cockpit of a conspiracy to destroy democratic rights and establish authoritarian rule in the United States.
(2020-07-29). 2019 was the bloodiest year for environmental and land rights activists, says report. peoplesdispatch.org Over 212 "land defenders" were killed in the year 2019, says a report by Global Witness, with Colombia and the Philippines accounting for half of those…
(2020-07-29). French state sues mayor for linking police repression to pro-Nazi Vichy regime. wsws.org The lawsuit against Colombes Mayor Patrick Chaimovitch tramples on historical truth and basic democratic rights.
(2020-07-29). Thousands suffer extreme rights abuses journeying to Africa's Mediterranean coast, say humanitarians. news.un.org Thousands of refugees and migrants in eastern and western Africa, are dying while others face harrowing abuse in their attempts to reach the continent's Mediterranean coast in search of a better life, a joint UN/Danish Refugee Council report said on Wednesday.
(2020-07-29). Six arrested at banned Australian protest against police violence. wsws.org COVID-19 public health orders were used to suppress the demonstration in a blatant attack on democratic rights.
(2020-07-29). Calls For Video Related To John Neville's Death Persist. popularresistance.org Protesters made new demands of Forsyth County elected officials Tuesday, calling for a general increase in transparency from county leaders, and specifically, the release of video pertaining to the death of an inmate at the Forsyth County Detention Center. | "We're fighting for truth, justice, dignity, humanity, economic justice, social justice," said Tony Ndege, co-founder of Black Lives Matter Winston-Salem. "We stand against state violence, but we also stand for social and economic justice." | Demonstrations began in Winston-Salem weeks ago and groups like Black Lives Matter Winston-Salem say they plan to cont…
(2020-07-29). Bolivia: Stop State Repression And Violence, For Free And Fair Elections. popularresistance.org Four days after the Interim Bolivian Government suspended elections again, Harvard Law School's International Human Rights Clinic and the University Network for Human Rights (UNHR) released a report on the gross human rights abuses carried out under Bolivia's interim President, Jeanine àÅñez. | The report documents one of the deadliest and most repressive periods in the past several decades in Bolivia as well as the growing fear of indigenous peoples and government critics that their lives and safety are in danger. | "We have identified very troubling patterns of human rights violations since the Interim Go…
(2020-07-29). Thirty-three Russians arrested in Belarus. yenisafak.com Thirty-three Russian nationals allegedly linked to the private military company Wagner were arrested in Belarus last night, the country's state news agency Belta said on Wednesday.According to Belta, the law enforcement bodies followed the suspects from the moment of their arrival in Belarus.It said a total of 200 Wagner mercenaries came to the country "to destabilize the situation during the presidential election campaign". The Investigative Committee is probing the detained individuals.Belarus will hold its presidential election on Aug. 9, and earlier, acting President Alexander Lukashenko voiced concern over p…
(2020-07-29). Baeidinjad reacts to British MP anti-Iranian remarks. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 29 (MNA) — Iran's Ambassador to UK Hamid Baeidinjad reacted to a request by a senior British lawmaker to impose sanctions on Iranian officials.
(2020-07-29). In Portland, Getting Out of Jail Requires Relinquishing Constitutional Rights. truthout.org Federal authorities are using a new tactic in their battle against protesters in Portland, Oregon: arrest them on offenses as minor as "failing to obey" an order to get off a sidewalk on federal property — and then tell them they can't protest anymore as a condition for release from jail. | "Defendant may not attend any other protests, rallies, assemblies or public gathering in the state of Oregon," states one "Order Setting Conditions of Release" for an accused protester, alongside oth…
(2020-07-28). Headlines for July 28, 2020. democracynow.org Senate Republicans Unveil Plan to Slash Unemployment Benefits as Pandemic Rages, Moderna Late Stage Vaccine Trial Starts, as Trump's NSA Tests Positive for Coronavirus, WHO: COVID-19 "Most Severe Global Health Emergency" as Global Death Toll Tops 654,000, AG Barr and National Guardsman to Testify Before Congress with Battling Narratives, John Lewis Lies in State in Capitol Rotunda as He Is Honored by Fellow Lawmakers, 100s of DNC Delegates to Oppose a Party Platform Without Medicare for All, DNC Members Vote to Support Israel's Illegal Annexation of West Bank, "Free Them All!": Immigrant Rights Activists Chain Th…
(2020-07-28). Who's behind the Canadian Think Tank Pushing for Sanctions against China and Iran? dissidentvoice.org 
The "independent" think tank, the Macdonald-Laurier Institute recently called for China and Iran to be severely punished for allegedly covering up the original outbreak and failing to respond to COVID-19 in time. This was done in ignorance of both Canada's PM Justin Trudeau and US President Donald Trump's failure to listen to military intelligence warning …
(2020-07-28). Syria — challenging Caesar. thealtworld.com 
Conference of small businesses to combat sanctions and Caesar Law. | Two weeks ago, I attended a two day conference in Damascus, Syria. The initiative is the brainchild of Syrian businessman and entrepreneur, Dr. Hani Barakat who gathered together a selection of young and enterprising business people to discuss the obstacles facing the youth of Syria when they try to establish any kind of business initiative. | Their path to success has been harshly affected by the illegal US Coalition sanctions (and precedeing sanctions on Syria since 1979) and further impacted by the newly introduced and punitive Caesar Law [md…
(2020-07-28). Growing demands that Sri Lankan defence secretary end the military harassment of SEP candidates. wsws.org Workers, educators and professionals speak out against the attacks on the democratic rights of Socialist Equality Party candidates in Jaffna.
(2020-07-28). In Light of Supreme Court Ruling, ACLU Says Trump's Latest Move to Undermine DACA 'Patently Illegal'. commondreams.org "There is absolutely no reason for this," said immigration rights activist Erika Andiola. "Nothing. Not a legal reason. Not a political reason. Just hate." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-07-28). Human rights report details 'heartbreaking' accounts of women detained in DPRK. news.un.org Women forcibly returned to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) are subjected to torture, ill treatment, sexual abuse, and other violations, according to a report published on Tuesday by the UN Human Rights office.
(2020-07-28). Human Rights Fraud from Ukraine to Nicaragua. globalresearch.ca Current Western human rights industry practice has nothing to do with establishing the truth. Increasingly in recent years, US and allied elites have sought to legitimize illegal aggression by exploiting human rights motifs in their attempts to recolonize the majority …
(2020-07-28). Midwest Dispatch: A Much-Needed Civil Rights Road Trip. progressive.org From John Lewis to the current Black Lives Matter protesters, history is alive and a constant reminder of the price of freedom.
(2020-07-28). Minneapolis protest demands justice for Vanessa Guillen, Breonna Taylor, women lost to state violence. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN – On July 18, hundreds of protesters took to the streets of Minneapolis to demand justice for women lost to state violence. Organized by the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC), the protest focused on Vanessa Guillen and Breonna Taylor. The dual focus on Vanessa Guillen, who was Latina, and Breonna Taylor, who was Black, aimed to build unity between Black and Latino communities as well as other communities in the struggle for justice. | The protest took place in the Uptown neighborhood of Minneapolis. After a lakeside rally at Bde Mka Ska, protesters marched to the intersection of…
(2020-07-28). 155 Civil Rights Organizations Urge Immediate Congressional Action on Voting Rights. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2020-07-28). US Threatens European backers of Nord Stream 2 Pipeline, NATO in DC's Crosshairs. mintpressnews.com The Nord Stream 2 pipeline is nearing completion despite all the best efforts by the U.S. to stop its construction, causing a rift between Washington and its largest European ally and the potential end of NATO.
(2020-07-28). Barr's Denial of Police Violence, 'Systemic Racism' Highlights Presence of US Authoritarianism. sputniknews.com The United States' top cop denied US police have a problem with either racism or violence during congressional testimony on Tuesday. One civil rights lawyer told Sputnik the data shows a different story, driving more and more demonstrators into the streets.
(2020-07-28). Government accused of 'dragging its feet' on tackling racism. thecanary.co The government has been accused of "dragging its feet" on tackling racism. | David Isaac, who is set to step down as chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission next week, made the claim as he called for a coherent race strategy to be implemented. | In an interview with the BBC, Isaac said he does not believe the issue has been made a top priority. | "There are lots of people, particularly of colour, who need to be supported, and for that reason a coherent race strategy is a top priority and I call upon the government to act urgently," he said. | "I do believe that they are dragging their feet. They seek to…
(2020-07-28). Human Rights and Washington's Global Britain. strategic-culture.org U.S. Secretary of State Pompeo went to London on July 21 because the British government had bowed the knee to Washington and
(2020-07-27). "Don't Simply Yoke Him to Dr. King": Eddie Glaude on How Radical Student Activism Shaped John Lewis. democracynow.org 
Memorials for John Lewis, the civil rights icon and 17-term congressmember, are highlighting the bravery he and others showed in the face of police violence as they fought for the right to vote. We highlight the radical early years of Lewis, when he was chairperson of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. His political upbringing as a youth and student organizer and "the movement that he came out of" can't be ignored, says Princeton professor Eddie Glaude. It's important that people "don't simply yoke him to Dr. King, [and] understand him as a product of this student activism." Glaude is chair of Princet…
(2020-07-27). State Dept Abandons Families Of Mercenaries Detained In Venezuela. popularresistance.org The Grayzone has confirmed that former US ambassador to the UN Bill Richardson traveled to Venezuela on Monday, July 13, following conversations with the families of former Green Beret soldiers Luke Denman and Airan Berry. Venezuelan authorities detained Berry and Denman on May 4, after they participated in a failed mercenary invasion of Venezuela with the stated goal of kidnapping the country's elected president, Nicolas Maduro. | Mark Denman, the younger brother of the detained mercenary Luke Denman, told The Grayzone that Richardson had agreed to help his family after the US Department of State failed to offer…
(2020-07-27). Tension easing in East Mediterranean dispute with Turkey — Greece. rt.com 
Turkey has reduced the number of navy vessels in an area of the East Mediterranean where it disputes Greek jurisdiction over oil-and-gas drilling rights, Athens said on Monday. | Tensions flared last week between the two NATO allies when Ankara announced it planned to send a research vessel south of the Greek islands of Rhodes, Karpathos, and Kastellorizo. | The initiative was criticized by the US, France, and other European countries, and the Turkish research vessel, the Oruc Reis, has remained anchored off the southeast Turkish port of Antalya, AP said. | Spain's Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya said t…
(2020-07-27). Civil Rights Groups Ask Appellate Court to Reject Renewed Palestine Censorship Efforts by Fordham University. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2020-07-27). Pressure for Sanctions Against Turkey Increases as Tensions with Greece Grow. globalresearch.ca Divided on how to deal with Turkey, some European leaders are calling for sanctions and others are calling for a reset in Euro-Turkish relations. French President Emmanuel Macron and the German Chairman of the Parliamentary Group of the European People's …
(2020-07-27). Two Female Detainees Remain In Solitary Confinement, Face Harsh Conditions. imemc.org The Palestinian Commission for Detainees' Affairs has reported, Sunday, that the Israeli authorities are still forcing two female detainees in solidarity confinement under inhumane and harsh conditions. In a press statement, the Committee said that the two detainees, Fadwa Hamada and Jihan Hasheema, are in solitary confinement in the al-Jalama …
(2020-07-27). Jordanian govt. shuts down largest teachers' union, detains its leaders. peoplesdispatch.org The Jordanian Teachers Syndicate, the largest union in the country with over 100,000 members, is being persecuted days after it staged a rally demanding that the government implement an agreement signed in October over hiking educators' wages…
(2020-07-27). NYC rallies for People's State of the Nation Address. fightbacknews.org New York, NY – Over 60 people gathered on July 26, in Woodside, Queens for the People's State of the Nation Address. This action is organized every year in response to the U.S.-backed Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte's State of the Nation Address. The event is a protest of his government, which has committed human rights abuses and wages war the people. It was organized by the Malaya Movement, Sige, Kabataan Alliance, and BAYAN USA Northeast. | The action started at Woodside Plaza, where speakers addressed various topics about the Philippines, from migrant workers to women's rights to the recent Anti-Terror…
(2020-07-27). D.C. Statehood is a Racial Justice Issue. aclu.org As the movement for D.C. statehood gains undeniable momentum, anxious cries from its detractors are reaching a fever pitch. Following the House of Representatives' recent approval of the Washington, D.C. Admission Act, H.R. 51, which would finally grant statehood and full voting representation in Congress to over 700,000 people living in our nation's capital, critics emerged in the Wall Street Journal, the National Review, and elsewhere to wring their hands over the alleged "
(2020-07-27). Corporate Constitutional Rights are Cancerous to Democracy. commondreams.org "Monsanto has known for several decades that Roundup (glyphosate) causes cancer. Rather than informing consumers about the glyphosate cancer risk, Monsanto buried the risks as sales of Roundup continued to skyrocket." (Photo: Georges Gobet/AFP/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-07-27). Baltasar Garzon to Defend Venezuelan Businessman in Extradition Case. globalresearch.ca The law firm of former Spanish judge Baltasar Garzon confirmed this week that it will represent a Venezuelan businessman sanctioned by the Trump administration and facing extradition from Cape Verde. | Alex Saab, 48, was
(2020-07-27). The Militarized Assault On Our Right To Protest. popularresistance.org The Trump Administration sent federal law enforcement, including the paramilitary squad of Customs and Border Patrol, BORTAC, which has been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, to the streets of Portland, OR to stop the ongoing demonstrations against racist police violence. Federal law enforcement, working with local police, is also being sent to other cities where anti-racist protests are going on. We speak with constitutional lawyer Mara Verheyden-Hilliard about the legality of this and how activists can fight back to protect the rights of everyone and end police violence and lawless impunity.
(2020-07-27). More Federal Officers Deploying To Portland. popularresistance.org Several dozen additional out-of-town federal law enforcement officers are deploying to Portland as they look to make additional arrests in the coming days, while also shifting tactics from the use of tear gas, according to multiple federal law enforcement sources. | The federal response has so far sparked four civil rights lawsuits, a Department of Justice inspector general investigation, proposed legislation in Congress limiting the role of federal law enforcement in American cities, and has injured a number of protesters. Rather than quell the protests as was the intent, it's served to reenergize and strengthen…
(2020-07-27). Huawei's Meng Wanzhou Seeks Access to Documents That Could Prove She is Victim of Abuse of Process. sputniknews.com The 48-year-old chief financial officer of Chinese telecom giant Huawei has been entangled in a standoff between the United States and China. Her arrest by Canadian police officers drastically soured relations between Ottawa and Beijing. Meng denies wrongdoing, while China has described her detention as political victimization.
(2020-07-27). Trump's Federal Police Surge Could Provoke an Election Day Constitutional Crisis. truthout.org Courts must end Trump's paramilitary urban war against Democratic mayors and cities ahead of the November election, voting rights and legal experts tell Truthout, otherwise they leave open the possibility of an unprecedented constitutional crisis buttressed by the president's personal secret police. | As President Trump prepares an additional "surge" of federal agents into Democratic-led U.S. cities, including Chicago and Albuquerque, after days of dystopian images of unidentified feds bru…