(2020-08-22). Greece denying pushbacks despite evidence: Rights group. yenisafak.com In a recent interview with CNN, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis denied the accusations, saying: "They are an insult to the Greek Coast Guard that has saved tens of thousands of migrants and refugees."However, evidence and reports describing the abuses are too many to be ignored, Eva Cosse, a researcher at Human Rights Watch, said in a report.Cosse, after interviewing victims and witnesses, said that Greek authorities have been seen forcibly pushing back migrants and asylum seekers from Rhodes, Samos, and Symi islands in small inflatable boats.A victim from Syria, who used the pseudonym of Marwan, describ…
(2020-08-22). Global campaign frees Mahmoud Nawajaa. workers.org 
Mahmoud Nawajaa is free! An international campaign pressured Israel to release the general coordinator of the Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement from detention. Armed Israeli forces charged into Nawajaa's home near Ramallah in occupied Palestine on July 30 and brutally seized him. He was illegally held without charges until . . . |
(2020-08-22). U.S. Isolated From Double-Think & Arrogance on 'Snapback' Sanctions Against Iran. strategic-culture.org More than two years ago, in May 2018, the Trump administration unilaterally walked away from the international nuclear accord with Iran signed by the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany. President Trump derided the deal as the "worst ever" and proceeded to re-impose crippling U.S. sanctions on Iran. | This week the United States
(2020-08-22). Protesters hold seventh anti-Kremlin march over detained governor. yenisafak.com Around 1,500 people marched through the streets of the Russian far eastern city of Khabarovsk on Saturday, marking the seventh consecutive weekend of protests after the region's governor was detained in early July.Residents of Khabarovsk, 6,110 km (3,800 miles) east of Moscow, have protested since the detention of Sergei Furgal, the region's popular governor, on July 9 in connection with murder charges which he denies.His supporters say the detention is politically motivated.People marched on Saturday with posters reading "Freedom to Furgal" and "Belarus – Khabarovsk is with you" – a sign of support for oppositio…
(2020-08-21). Former US Allies Britain, France, Germany join Russia and China in Forcefully Rejecting Trump Iran Sanctions. commondreams.org The "Trump administration is perfectly capable of maintaining publicly that international UNSC sanctions on Iran have been restored even if no one goes along with Washington," writes Cole. (Photo: Brendan Smialowski / AFP) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-08-21). Federal judge orders second investigation into Virginia immigrant detention center hit by mass outbreak of COVID-19. wsws.org The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found prison staff were refusing to use safety equipment or provide inmates with protection from COVID-19.
(2020-08-21). Murders of women rising in Turkey; government does nothing. peoplesworld.org 
Nearly 250 women have been killed in Turkey so far this year, new statistics suggest, prompting a call for international solidarity from women's organizations in a bid to save lives. Four women were detained in Istanbul Thursday after they unveiled a banner in Taksim Square charging that the "patriarchal state" was responsible for the death …
(2020-08-21). Representation Doesn't Equal Rights. therealnews.com 
Stir Crazy! Episode 80: Today we are joined by journalist, organizer, and founding executive director of Crushing Colonialism Jen Deerinwater, Miwok journalist and community organizer Desiree Kane, and journalist and community builder Johnnie Jae. Hosted by Kim Brown.
(2020-08-21). US ready 'to block Russia & China' if they disregard Iran sanctions, Pompeo warns, as Washington pushes for UN 'snapback'. rt.com 
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Friday that the United States is prepared to block Russia and China if they refuse to reimpose UN sanctions on Iran. | The statement came a day after Britain, France and Germany — who are still party to the Iranian nuclear agreement — joined Beijing and Moscow in Speaking to Fox News, Pompeo said Washington was disappointed its allies did not support the US effort to trigger a "snapback" of U…
(2020-08-21). MPs slam ministers for paying 'scant regard' to data protection during pandemic. thecanary.co 
The UK's information rights body must act to ensure the government stops "playing fast and loose" with people's health, it has been claimed.A cross-party group of MPs has written to information commissioner Elizabeth Denham raising concerns over the government's approach to data protection and privacy.In a letter, the group accused ministers of paying "scant regard" to both privacy concerns and data protection duties during the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.Government "appears unwilling to understand its legal duties": The group accused the government of engaging with private contractors that have "probl…
(2020-08-21). UN rights office 'appalled' at violence against human rights defenders in the Philippines. news.un.org The UN human rights office, OHCHR, has called for effective measures to protect rights defenders in the Philippines, amid a spate of deadly attacks against them.
(2020-08-21). English landowners have stolen our rights. It is time to reclaim them. zcomm.org Landed power, built on theft, slavery and colonial looting, crushes our freedoms. A new campaign seeks to decolonize the countryside…
(2020-08-21). Kumho Tire workers beat company intimidation and win union. fightbacknews.org Macon, GA – Workers at Kumho Tire in Macon won their battle to join the United Steelworkers (USW) despite the corporation's relentless and illegal campaign to thwart their organizing rights. | On August 11 the National Labor Relations Board declared the union drive victorious after processing the final 13 ballots from an election last fall. | Workers sought USW representation to fight low wages, hazardous working conditions and abusive treatment at Kumho, which ruthlessly harassed and bullied union supporters in an attempt to derail the organizing campaign. | "These workers voted to unionize even though Kumho tri…
(2020-08-21). Movement for community control of the police wins big in Jacksonville primary elections. fightbacknews.org Jacksonville, FL – On August 18, Jacksonville held primary elections where movement candidates won big. Angie Nixon, a trade union leader with SEIU and a community organizer, defeated incumbent State Representative Kimberly Daniels in District 14 by a margin of 60% to 40%. Nixon, a longtime supporter of progressive movements here in Jacksonville, spoke at historic massive rallies over the summer organized by the Jacksonville Community Action Committee after the George Floyd rebellion. She pledged her support for repealing the Law Enforcement Bill of Rights, a statewide statute that hinders cities in Florida from…
(2020-08-21). How does China plan to counter US sanctions? peoplesdispatch.org In the second part of the conversation on the US tech war on China, Charles Xu from Qiao Collective talks about the short and medium-term strategy of Huawei and China in general to deal with the US sanctions.
(2020-08-21). US to Tighten Venezuela Sanctions after Gasoline Seizure. globalresearch.ca The Trump administration is reportedly considering ending all Venezuela oil sanctions exemptions in October. | "Whatever oil business is left has to be completed (by the deadline)," an anonymous source told …
(2020-08-21). Iran rejects US bid to reimpose sanctions. peoplesdispatch.org The United States, despite no longer being part of the JCPOA or the Iran nuclear deal, has been seeking the resumption of sanctions against Iran for supposed violations of the provisions of the deal…
(2020-08-21). Thursday 8/27: Supporting Voting Rights in California Jails: A Community Training. indybay.org Online via Zoom…
(2020-08-21). Jailer Who Organized Assault On An Inmate Sentenced To Prison. popularresistance.org A former deputy jailer has been sentenced to four years in federal prison after pleading guilty to violating the civil rights of an inmate at the Shelby County Detention Center. | William Anthony Carey, 31, admitted to asking an inmate to assault another inmate that Carey didn't like, according to his plea agreement. | Corey Lynn Hopper, 30, the inmate Carey asked to carry out the assault, pleaded guilty in January to aiding and abetting the violation of an inmate's civil rights. Hopper admitted to enlisting several other inmates to help him beat and kick the man, leaving him with serious injuries.
(2020-08-21). Useful idiot: Donald Trump and the right's project to destroy the U.S.P.S. nationofchange.org If he wins the presidential election, Joe Biden will almost certainly find a hollowed out postal service when he takes office, the fulfillment of a long running conservative project.
(2020-08-21). Civil Rights Group Condemns Trump Threat to Put Law Enforcement at Polls as a Tactic 'Right From the Jim Crow Playbook'. commondreams.org "This voter suppression scheme is intended to intimidate voters and cause a chilling effect on the electorate." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-08-21). The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law Denounces Trump's Plan to Station Law Enforcement at Polling Locations. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2020-08-20). Biden's Headquarters Rents A Fence To Stop The Poor People's Army. popularresistance.org Cheri Honkala is a founder and coordinator of the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign (PPEHRC) . We spoke after she was arrested outside Biden campaign headquarters on the opening day of the virtual Democratic National Convention. | Ann Garrison: I see you marched from Philadelphia's Liberty Bell to Biden's Philly headquarters and got arrested yesterday. What did you do to once again menace the foundation of our American institutions? | Cheri Honkala: We challenged American institutions by saying they shouldn't be run by corporations.
(2020-08-20). How the US Helped Push Lebanon to the Brink of Collapse, and Now Threatens More Sanctions. globalresearch.ca While the media blames the crisis in Lebanon solely on corruption, the US government unleashed a "maximum pressure" campaign to push regime change and crush Lebanese resistance with sanctions and aggressive hybrid warfare. | *** | As the people of Lebanon suffer …
(2020-08-20). Abolitionist Derecka Purnell on Historic Kamala Harris VP Pick & Why Black Progressives Feel Torn. democracynow.org 
As Kamala Harris makes history as the first woman of color to run on a major party presidential ticket, many Black progressive women remain ambivalent, says Derecka Purnell, a human rights lawyer, abolitionist and columnist for The Guardian newspaper. "It's just unfortunate that you have to protect someone because of their identity … while at the same time if you care about the masses of Black people, the masses of poor people, the masses of immigrants in this country, you know that you have to speak truth and be honest about their record," Purnell says.
(2020-08-20). Headlines for August 20, 2020. democracynow.org Kamala Harris Accepts Democratic Party's Nomination for Vice President, Hundreds of Wildfires Choke California, as Coronavirus Sidelines Prisoner Firefighters, U.S. Records Nearly 1,300 New Coronavirus Deaths as PPE Shortages Persist, NYC Teachers' Union Threatens Strike If Schools Reopen Without Safety Measures, New Zealand Deploys Troops to Enforce Quarantine; Zambian Vice President Positive for Coronavirus, Emails Reveal Swedish Epidemiologist Urged Coronavirus Spread to Attain Herd Immunity, Iran's Official COVID-19 Death Toll Passes 20,000 as Trump Pushes for New Sanctions, European Union Readies Sanctions A…
(2020-08-20). Global South Calls For Sanctions On Apartheid Israel. popularresistance.org Israel's decades-old regime of apartheid and theft of Palestinian land is continuing unabated. Reports that Israel is "suspending" formal annexation are a smokescreen for continued colonisation and piecemeal ethnic cleansing of Indigenous Palestinians. | Around the world, advocates for justice are pushing back.The Global South response, initiated by South African civil society, brings together notable figures, intellectuals, policy makers, civil society leaders and experts from Africa, Latin America and Asia, in a joint effort to promote lawful sanctions on Israel to end its decades-old oppression of the Palestin…
(2020-08-20). Celebrity, War, and Presidential Elections. counterpunch.org On May 30, 1979, a letter appeared in 5 major newspapers in the US assailing the human rights record of Vietnam, a nation where the US killed about 3 million people and where about 58,000 of its own soldiers died. In bordering Cambodia, where the US war has spread besides a vicious air war over Laos, millions
(2020-08-20). Aboriginal Rights and the Discrepancy Between Profit and Heritage. strategic-culture.org Following the destruction of two heritage sites in Juukan Gorge by the Australian mining company Rio Tinto in May, Aboriginal communities are facing another threat to their quest to protect their heritage and culture. Western Australia's Federal government has been asked to take a step back by Australian mining companies when it comes to legislation protecting Aboriginal heritage. | The Native Title Act (NTA) currently allows six months for Aboriginal communities to reach an agreement with mining companies over any projects that can harm indigenous territory, thus placing mining companies at a constant advantage…
(2020-08-20). Detainees during the Pandemic. mronline.org 
It is a common practice all over the world that when those incarcerated face a threat to life, the authorities send them home.
(2020-08-20). Trump's pardon for Susan B. Anthony SNUBBED as museum rejects it on her behalf, gives president pointed to-do list it would prefer. rt.com 
A museum ostensibly dedicated to honoring the memory of women's-rights hero Susan B. Anthony has instead chosen to score partisan political points by rejecting a pardon from President Donald Trump on her behalf. | The National Susan B. Anthony Museum in Rochester, New York, snubbed the pardon on Twitter, taking the liberty of channeling what it supposed would be Anthony's thoughts 114 years after her death. "On news of the presidential pardon for Susan B. Anthony on August 18, 2020: Objection, Mr. President. Susan B. Anthony must decline your offer of a pardon today!" | Anthony wrote in her diary in 1873 that…
(2020-08-20). US imposes sanctions on Syrian military commanders & officials 'for their efforts to prevent a ceasefire'. rt.com 
Washington has announced sanctions on senior Syrian government officials and the leaders of several military units, with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accusing top National Defense Forces members of subverting a ceasefire. | In a statement on Thursday, the US State Department said it was imposing sanctions on the leadership of a number of Syrian military units, including National Defense Forces commander Fadi Saqr. | The US and its allies are "united in continuing to apply pressure" on the Syrian president and his government "until there is a peaceful, political solution to the conflict," Pompeo said in th…
(2020-08-20). US formally requests 'snapback' of UN sanctions against Iran, even though it exited nuclear deal. rt.com 
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has sent a formal request to the UN Security Council to 'snap back' sanctions against Iran, claiming Tehran violated the 2015 nuclear deal that Washington has unilaterally ditched. | The letter accuses Iran of "significant non-compliance" with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the 2015 arrangement negotiated with Tehran by the five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany. | The deal was codified by the UNSC Resolution 2231, which the US is now citing as grounds for invoking the "snapback" provision, even though the Trump administration unilaterally lef…
(2020-08-20). Zambian Socialist Party Secretary General Cosmas Musumali released from detention. peoplesdispatch.org Musumali was arrested along with nearly 30 other party workers while conducting a meeting. With the parliamentary elections only a month away, the ruling Patriotic Front has been cracking down on mobilizations and meetings by the opposition…
(2020-08-20). Trump Regime Unilaterally and Illegally Imposing Snapback Sanctions on Iran. globalresearch.ca Unanimously adopted Security Council Resolution 2231 that affirmed the JCPOA nuclear deal eliminated UN sanctions on Iran. | Its provisions and the P5+1 approved nuclear agreement are binding international and US constitutional law under the Supremacy Clause — Article VI, Clause …
(2020-08-20). Algerian journalist Abdulkrim Zeghileche faces prison term for "undermining national unity" peoplesdispatch.org Abdulkrim Zeghileche, an active supporter of the Hirak protests, has been in pre-trial detention since June 23 and his trial is expected to begin in a few days. He faces a three-year prison term if convicted…
(2020-08-20). Algerian journalist Abdelkrim Zeghileche faces prison term for "undermining national unity" peoplesdispatch.org Abdelkrim Zeghileche, an active supporter of the Hirak protests, has been in pre-trial detention since June 23 and his trial is expected to begin in a few days. He faces a three-year prison term if convicted…
(2020-08-20). Poor People's Campaign launches drive to build power among poor, low-income voters. zcomm.org U.S. residents have fewer voting rights today than they did after the Voting Rights Act passed in 1965…
(2020-08-20). 'We must be ready for post-sanctions era'. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 21 (MNA) — Iranian Minister of Petroleum Bijan Zangeneh believes that Iran needs to be ready for post-sanctions era.
(2020-08-20). No right for US to request snapback of UN sanctions on Iran. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 20 (MNA) — China says the US has no right to request snapback of UN sanctions on Iran after pulling out from the JCPOA.
(2020-08-20). Iranian FM Zarif Calls on UN Security Council to Prevent US From Reimposing Iran Sanctions. sputniknews.com UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif sent a letter to the UN Security Council calling on the members to prevent the United States from attempting to re-impose United Nations sanctions against Iran because it is not anymore a participant in the 2015 nuclear agreement.
(2020-08-20). Iran says it detained a UAE ship, its crew on Monday. yenisafak.com Iran seized a United Arab Emirates-registered ship violating its territorial waters this week, Iran's Foreign Ministry said on Thursday, adding that UAE coast guards killed two Iranian fishermen on the same day."On Monday, an Emirati ship was seized by the border guards of Iran and its crew were detained due to illegal traffic in our country's waters," state TV quoted the statement as saying."On the same day, UAE guards shot dead two Iranian fishermen and seized a boat … the UAE has expressed regret for the incident and in a letter on Wednesday announced its readiness to pay compensation."
(2020-08-20). Palestinian dies after being shot, detained by Israeli army. yenisafak.com A Palestinian youth who was shot and taken away by Israeli soldiers succumbed to his injuries on Thursday.Mohammad Haziz was among three Palestinians shot by Israeli forces near the Deir Abu Meshal village, close to Ramallah in the central West Bank.The Palestinian Red Crescent said earlier on Thursday it had taken two wounded youths to hospitals in Ramallah, while a third injured person was detained by Israeli forces.Emad Zahran, head of Deir Abu Meshal's local council, told Anadolu Agency that Haziz's family was informed of his death by the Israeli army hours after he was detained."Mohammad was detained at dawn…
(2020-08-20). Palestinian rights paramount over Israel: Pakistan. yenisafak.com Pakistan won't accept Israel until Palestinians are granted their rights, the country's president told the parliament Thursday. | "We cannot accept Israel until Palestinians are given their rights as envisaged by Pakistan's founder Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah," said President Arif Alvi, applauding Prime Minister Imran Khan for "taking a clear position on the issue". | Prime Minister Khan in an interview last Tuesday night had said: "Our stand about Israel is very clear. It is the same that the founder of nation, Quaid-i-Azam, had. We cannot recognize Israel until Palestinians get their right, which should b…
(2020-08-20). US-Iran showdown on cards over UNSC 'snapback sanctions'. yenisafak.com After the UN Security Council turned down a resolution seeking an "indefinite extension" of the arms embargo on Iran, the US is all set to trigger snapback sanctions against the country."We'll be doing a snapback," US President Donald Trump told reporters on Saturday "You'll be watching it next week," referring to unilateral reinstatement of all pre-2015 international sanctions on Iran.The US' envoy to the UN, Kelly Craft, said the US will "follow through on that promise" and "stop at nothing" to trigger a snapback of sanctions on Iran.According to reports, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who said the council'
(2020-08-20). NIAC Statement on U.S. Decision to Seek "Snapback" of Iran Sanctions at UN. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2020-08-19). Dems Formally Nominate Joe Biden for President, as DNC Features Republicans & Sidelines Progressives. democracynow.org 
Joe Biden is the 2020 Democratic presidential nominee, after he was formally picked by the party to challenge President Trump in November on the second night of the virtual Democratic National Convention. We feature highlights from the night, which featured speeches from 17 so-called rising stars in the Democratic Party, including voting rights activist Stacey Abrams, who unsuccessfully ran for Georgia governor in 2018, as well as Democratic heavyweights like former Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter. For a second night in a row, the DNC prominently featured the voices of Republicans and former Republicans…
(2020-08-19). UK journalism org unveils 'defense & security' award sponsored by killer drone manufacturer Northrop Grumman. rt.com 
Military contractor Northrop Grumman is sponsoring an award for best "aerospace, defense and security" journalism at PressGazette's British Journalism Awards, a crude act of public relations that doesn't seem to faze the media. | UK journalism organization Press Gazette has announced a pair of new categories for 2020's British Journalism Awards: "anti-corruption journalism," sponsored by human rights NGO Global Witness, and "aerospace, defense and security," sponsored by Northrop — a company one might charitably call the polar opposite of a human rights NGO. | This year's "British Journalism Awards" by
(2020-08-19). Trump demands full restoration of UN sanctions on Iran, as Pompeo warns Russia & China not to meddle. rt.com 
US President Donald Trump said the State Department will soon attempt to trigger a "snapback" of UN sanctions on Iran, as the top American diplomat threatened consequences for Moscow and Beijing if they try to block the effort. | "Today I'm directing the Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to notify the United Nations Security Council that the United States intends to restore virtually all of the United Nations sanctions on Iran — it's a snap back, not uncommon," Trump told reporters during a White House press conference on Wednesday. | When the United States entered into the Iran deal, it was clear the United…
(2020-08-19). Lithuania declares Lukashenko persona non grata ahead of EU sanctions on Belarus. rt.com 
Lithuania has apparently decided not to wait for its European partners, which are still deliberating over their collective response to the protests in Belarus, and has imposed an entry ban against President Alexander Lukashenko. | Seemingly deciding to set an example to the rest of Europe, Vilnius raced to compile a blacklist of Belarusian officials in response to the ongoing protests in the neighboring nation, issuing it before the European Union had come up with a list of its own. | The move was announced by Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius, who said his country welcomed the EU's "determination"