United States has the highest child detention rate in the world
wsws.org | 2019-11-19
A UN report released Monday finds that the United States leads the world in depriving children of liberty, particularly through immigration detention.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/11/19/dete…

Saving Julian Assange is Saving Ourselves
Kim Petersen | dissidentvoice.org | 2019-11-19
The United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner issued a statement based on special-rapporteur-on-torture Nils Melzer's fact-finding mission into the incarceration of WikiLeaks founder and publisher Julian Assange. The facts were a scathing indictment of those nations behind the targeting of Assange. 'The evidence is overwhelming and clear,' the expert said. 'Mr. Assange …
dissidentvoice.org/2019/11/saving-julian-assange-is-saving-ourselves/

Julian Assange appears in court via video link: Legal rights denied by judge
wsws.org | 2019-11-19
The British ruling class has no intention of providing even the appearance of a fair trial of Assange, after which they intend to railroad him to his persecutors in the United States.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/11/19/assa…

UN torture envoy demands 'full accountability & compensation' after Sweden drops rape probe against Assange
rt.com | 2019-11-19
The UN's Special Rapporteur on torture has called for a "full investigation" into the role Sweden played in driving WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange into asylum and eventual custody, after the rape case against him was dropped. | Swedish prosecutors announced on Tuesday that they would drop a dubious rape inquiry against Assange, as oral testimony against the publisher had "weakened," and corroborating evidence was not strong enough to pursue a case. A Swedish arrest warrant was issued against assange in 2010, and a British court upheld a decision to extradite him in 2012. Threatened with what many saw as a po…
rt.com/news/473832-assange-torture-investigation-sweden/

She Can't Vote, but 2020 Democrats Want Her Support
Staff | truthdig.com | 2019-11-19
Astrid Silva, a 31-year-old immigrant rights activist who has become a public face of the "Dreamers," has become a "must meet" for candidates.
truthdig.com/articles/she-cant-vote-but-2020-democrats-want-her-support-anyway/

'Shameful' US withholds food & medicine from Iranians while claiming to support them, FM Zarif says
rt.com | 2019-11-19
Washington's self-professed solidarity with Iranians protesting against rising fuel costs cannot be taken seriously since US sanctions have caused so much suffering in the Islamic Republic, Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said. | "The regime that imposes coercive economic actions and bars delivery of food and drugs to the elderly and patients, can never claim that it's supporting the Iranian nation," Zarif noted on Tuesday, according to Iran's semi-official IRNA news agency. | He added that European nations that fail to challenge Washington's regime change posturing against Tehran will be "responsible for their d…
rt.com/news/473794-iran-zarif-us-protests-sanctions/

Iranian regime shuts down internet following protests over gas price hikes
wsws.org | 2019-11-19
The Islamic Republic has been shaken by mass protests against a steep hike in gasoline prices precipitated by the US sanctions war on Iran.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/11/19/iran…

Intensified US Sanctions Bolster Iran's Hardliners and Fuel Angry Protests
Staff | truthout.org | 2019-11-19
On November 14, 1979, 10 days after Iranian students overran the U.S. embassy in Tehran to demand the return of Iran's deposed Shah, the U.S. first imposed sanctions on Iran. In the four decades since, Iran has been almost continuously under U.S. sanctions. | Almost 40 years to the day after the U.S. first sanctioned Iran, the Iranian government's announcement of a 50 percent spike in gasoline price…
truthout.org/articles/intensified-us-sanctions-bolster-irans-hardliners-and-fuel-angry-protests/

UN decries 'extreme violence' by Hong Kong protesters amid fears of further escalation
rt.com | 2019-11-19
The UN Human Rights Office said it was gravely concerned by increased violence on the part of some 'very angry' protesters in Hong Kong, urging accountability for both the wrongdoers and police using excessive force in response. | "The resort to extreme violence, including against the police force, by some engaged in the protests… cannot be condoned," spokesman Rupert Colville told a journalist in Geneva. | The statement came after the anti-government protesters, holed up in the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, used Molotov cocktails, arrows and bricks to repel the attempts by police to remove them from the…
rt.com/news/473830-hong-kong-protest-violence-un/

Iran protests: Live ammunition reportedly used, says UN human rights office
United Nations | un.org | 2019-11-19
Reports indicating that dozens of people have been killed in continuing protests across Iran — some by live ammunition – are of deep concern, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), said on Tuesday.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/11/1051661

Protest at SF Chinese Consulate for Hong Kong Rights
Xten Tentachion | indybay.org | 2019-11-19
Chinese Consulate San Francisco | 1450 Laguna St, San Francisco, California 94115…
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/11/19/18828254.php

Moscow condemns US plans to end sanctions waiver over Iran's Fordow nuclear site
rt.com | 2019-11-19
The Russian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday resolutely condemned the statement of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo the previous day that the US is terminating the sanctions waiver related to Iran's Fordow nuclear plant. "There is no legitimate reason for Iran to resume enrichment at this previously clandestine site," Pompeo said. | Washington's intentions are a blatant violation of international obligations, the Russian ministry said. Taking into account the US statements, a substantial reaction from the Commission on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) will be required, according to the statement. | Mosc…
rt.com/newsline/473819-russia-us-iran-fordow/

NO WAY TO TREAT A VETERAN "MIKE POMPEO"
anonymous veteran | indybay.org | 2019-11-19
I met with the deputy consul briefly while in detention in Shenzhen in February, 2019. I would like to followup with him regarding my experiences there, which were quite ugly and possibly not even legal.
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/11/19/18828273.php

UN study claims US has the highest rate of children in detention
Marlee Kokotovic | nationofchange.org | 2019-11-19
Children are being detained at a younger and younger age and held for longer periods of time.
nationofchange.org/2019/11/19/un-study-claims-us-has-the-highest-rate-of-children-in-detention/

Chile: Human Rights Violations May Lead to Piñera's Impeachment
telesurenglish.net | 2019-11-19
Eleven opposition lawmakers on Tuesday filed a "constitutional accusation" against Chile's President Sebastian Piñera for his responsibility in hundreds of human rights violations recorded since October 14. | RELATED: | Vast Majority of Chileans Demand a New Constitution | "He is responsible for brutal human rights violations… His decisions…
telesurenglish.net/news/Chile-Human-Rights-Violations-May-Lead-to-Pineras-Impeachment-20191119-0005.html

UK Government Accused of Covering Up War Crimes in Iraq
Johanna Ross | globalresearch.ca | 2019-11-19
The UK is very keen at reminding certain countries — Syria, Russia, China — of their human rights abuses and yet, when it comes to looking closer to home, this current government quite frankly prefers not to, and in some …
globalresearch.ca/uk-government-accused-covering-up-war-crimes-iraq/5695411

Shift on Israeli Settlements Violates Norms Established at Nuremberg, Human Rights Attorneys Say
commondreams.org | 2019-11-19
______________________________…
commondreams.org/newswire/2019/11/19/shift-israeli-settlements-violates-norms-established-nuremberg-human-rights?cd-origin=rss

CAIR, 54 Other Civil Rights Groups Demand Removal of White Supremacist Trump Adviser Stephen Miller
commondreams.org | 2019-11-19
______________________________…
commondreams.org/newswire/2019/11/19/cair-54-other-civil-rights-groups-demand-removal-white-supremacist-trump-adviser?cd-origin=rss

Australian establishment up-in-arms after Beijing bans visit by two MPs
wsws.org | 2019-11-19
The hypocrisy of the latest anti-China outburst is underscored by the Australian government refusal to allow Chelsea Manning, the American whistleblower and defender of democratic rights, to travel to the country.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/11/19/hast…

'We should thank & cherish CIA,' says star of 'Jack Ryan' — just maybe not for torture, coups & mind control
rt.com | 2019-11-19
Americans should be thankful for the services the CIA provides, 'Jack Ryan' actor John Krasinski says. After all, without the agency, who would prop up foreign dictators, stage coups and 'play' with mind-control drugs? | In three decades between the publication of 'The Hunt for Red October' in 1984 and his death in 2013, Tom Clancy pumped out more than 20 books, giving lots of material for spy agency fanboys. | At long last though, there's someone out there who gets even more tumescent at the thought of clandestine criminality than Clancy himself. Actor John Krasinski — star of 'The Office' and now 'Tom C…
rt.com/usa/473829-jack-ryan-cia-thankful-krasinski/

Surviving Indonesia's Antigay Clampdown
Nicole Einbinder, Gabriela Bhaskar | thenation.com | 2019-11-19
Surviving Indonesia's Antigay Clampdown…
thenation.com/article/indonesia-lgbtq-rights-activism/

'Naked Violation' of Human Rights: Global Condemnation Over New US Position on Israeli Occupation
Eoin Higgins, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2019-11-19
"The American government's decision to jettison international law and to legitimise the illegal Israeli settlements is probably the very last nail in the coffin of the two-state solution." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
commondreams.org/news/2019/11/19/naked-violation-human-rights-global-condemnation-over-new-us-position-israeli?cd-origin=rss

Tortured by CIA and Detained at Gitmo Without Trial, Ahmed Rabbani Gives Haunting Review of 'The Report'—a New Film He'll Likely Never See
Jessica Corbett, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2019-11-19
A victim of the CIA's post-9/11 torture program who has spent over 15 years locked up in the U.S. military prison at the Guant√°namo Bay Naval Station in Cuba shared his thoughts on a new film entitled The Report in an op-ed published Tuesday by USA Today. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
commondreams.org/news/2019/11/19/tortured-cia-and-detained-gitmo-without-trial-ahmed-rabbani-gives-haunting-review?cd-origin=rss

Media Silent as Bolivia's New Right-Wing Gov't Massacres Indigenous Protesters
Alan Macleod | mintpressnews.com | 2019-11-18
Both the corporate media and human rights groups have been silent as journalists and indigenous protesters have been targeted as Bolivia's self-declared right-wing government uses violence to secure its tenuous hold on power.
mintpressnews.com/media-silent-bolivia-massacre-indigenous-protesters/262858/

Michael Lynk's UN Report on Israeli Settlements Speaks the Truth, But the World Refuses to Listen
Robert Fisk | counterpunch.org | 2019-11-18
He's a very tall man with bright eyes and a broad smile, and he holds out a great paw when he greets you. But Michael Lynk is no gentle giant. He may teach human rights law at the Western University in London, Ontario, but as the UN's special rapporteur on human rights in the occupied…
counterpunch.org/2019/11/18/michael-lynks-un-report-on-israeli-settlements-speaks-the-truth-but-the-world-refuses-to-listen/

Can 'Climate Sanctions' Save the Planet?
Nicholas Mulder | thenation.com | 2019-11-18
Can 'Climate Sanctions' Save the Planet?
thenation.com/article/climate-green-new-deal/

Monday's Daily Brief: Progress and pitfalls in child rights, millions of Afghans acutely food insecure, Middle East nuclear-free zone, social media and child detention
United Nations | un.org | 2019-11-18
A recap of Monday's stories in brief: Uneven child rights progress; over 10 million Afghans severely food insecure; Middle East nuclear weapons conference gets underway; Social media posts increasing child detention cases; UN and partners commit to universal health.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/11/1051631

UNICEF reports uneven progress in 30 years of child rights treaty
United Nations | un.org | 2019-11-18
Although the world has made historic gains over the past three decades in improving children's lives, urgent action is required if the poorest children are to feel the impact, a new UN report published on Monday warns.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/11/1051541

Family Members of Palestinian Detainee Arrested
IMEMC & Agencies | imemc.org | 2019-11-18
According to the Prisoners Commission, the wife and the brother of a Palestinian prisoner in Israel were arrested, Monday, while attempting to a visit the detainee, The Palestinian News and Info Agency (WAFA) reported. The Commission stated that Israeli forces detained the wife of Ramadan Eid Mashahreh, along with his …
imemc.org/article/family-members-of-palestinian-detainee-arrested/

Two Hunger-strikers in Serious Health Condition
IMEMC News & Agencies | imemc.org | 2019-11-18
The Palestinian Commission of Detainees' and Ex-Detainees' Affairs warned, on Monday, of the deteriorating health conditions of hunger striking Palestinian prisoners Ahmad Zahran and Mosab al-Hindi, who are imprisoned at Israeli Nitzan jail. The commission confirmed that the conditions of the two prisoners are getting worse every day, adding that …
imemc.org/article/two-hunger-strikers-in-serious-health-condition/

Anti-terror measures against youngsters' online posts 'linked to spike in child detention globally'
United Nations | un.org | 2019-11-18
More than 5.4 million children are detained around the world, rights experts said on Monday, highlighting "aggressive" State counterterrorism measures for the spike in youngsters held for alleged links with armed conflict or national security concerns based on their social media posts.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/11/1051581

No playing around: US Army's new card decks feature Russian, Chinese & Iranian weapons 'to learn more about adversaries'
rt.com | 2019-11-17
The Russian-made S-400 air defense system — the one that triggers US threats of sanctions for nations if they decide to buy it — can actually help an American soldier to win a battle… in a card game. | The S-400 [or SA-21 Growler in NATO nomenclature] is a joker in a new line of card decks for the US army, an all-mighty card of many faces capable of incinerating an enemy. | The second joker in the Russia-themed deck is the Iskander tactical missile system [SS-26 Stone in NATO nomenclature] with its 9M729 missile that was used by Washington as a pretext for quitting the INF Treaty, despite Russia'…
rt.com/usa/473664-us-army-playing-cards/

Bloomberg blasted for apology & U-turn on NYC's 'stop & frisk' policy ahead of presidential nomination bid
rt.com | 2019-11-17
What better time than an election campaign start to repent sins? Former NYC mayor Michael Bloomberg probably thought so as he apologized at a black church for the controversial 'stop and frisk' policy, but few were buying it. | A billionaire media mogul and a former New York mayor, Michael Bloomberg has suddenly backtracked on his longstanding support for the controversial 'stop and frisk' police policy he adamantly backed during his time as mayor. | The questionable practice involving police briefly detaining, questioning and sometimes searching random people on the streets for weapons or other illegal posses…
rt.com/usa/473673-bloomberg-stop-and-frisk-apologize/

CTU members vote to accept tentative agreement
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2019-11-17
Chicago, IL – Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) members voted November 15 to accept the tentative agreement they won in the wake of their historic eleven-day strike. | With 80% of schools reporting, members have voted 81% yes to ratify the new contract with Chicago Public Schools. | The union won powerful gains for students and their school communities. | Those gains include mandatory class size caps and enforcement, language forcing CPS to comply with special education laws and regulations, sanctuary school protections for immigrant and refugee students, and supports for thousands of homeless students. While today mo…
www.fightbacknews.org/2019/11/16/ctu-mem…

Repression, use of force risk worsening Bolivia crisis: UN human rights chief
United Nations | un.org | 2019-11-16
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights is urging authorities in Bolivia to ensure security forces comply with international standards on the use of force following the deaths of at least five protestors on Friday.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/11/1051531

Defend Medevac to save lives, say protesters
Fred_F | greenleft.org.au | 2019-11-15
Refugees Chris SleeIssue 1245 Australia medevac MelbourneNovember 15, 2019Refugee rights activists rallied across Australia on November 9 to defend the Urgent Medical Treatment Bill (Medevac), which was passed in…
greenleft.org.au/content/defend-medevac-save-lives-say-protesters

Disruptive protests don't justify police violence
Fred_F | greenleft.org.au | 2019-11-15
civil rights Sue BoltonIssue 1245 Australia police MelbourneNovember 15, 2019It is unusual for the Police Union or Victoria Police chiefs to condemn the actions of any officer. But they have been forced to crit…
greenleft.org.au/content/disruptive-protests-dont-justify-police-violence

Protests lead to police officer being charged with murder of Kumanjayi Walker
Fred_F | greenleft.org.au | 2019-11-15
Indigenous rights Deborah GreenIssue 1245 Australia Black deaths in custody GeraldtonNovember 15, 2019Nineteen-year-old Warlpiri man Kumanjayi Walker died after being shot by police on Nov…
greenleft.org.au/content/protests-lead-police-officer-being-charged-murder-kumanjayi-walker

New Senate Bill Would Curtail ICE's "Unnecessary Overuse of Solitary Confinement"
Spencer Woodman | theintercept.com | 2019-11-14
A group of prominent U.S. senators introduced legislation Thursday that would dramatically curtail the use of solitary confinement inside U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention centers. | The bill, sponsored by Sens. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., Cory Booker, D-N.J., and Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, takes aim at a range of practices identified in Solitary Voices, an International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and Intercept investigation into the heavy use of solitary confinement by ICE. | Press releases from
theintercept.com/2019/11/14/ice-solitary-confinement-dick-durbin-bill/

CodePink Founder Medea Benjamin Threatened with Arrest After Protesting U.S. Foreign Interventions
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-11-14
CodePink co-founder and longtime peace activist Medea Benjamin was threatened with arrest in Washington, D.C., Wednesday and accused of assaulting a sitting congressmember after being forcibly removed from a press conference for opposing the U.S.-backed coup and U.S. sanctions in Venezuela. Benjamin vehemently denies the accusations and says she was in fact the one assaulted when she and other activists demonstrated at a press conference hosted by Florida Democrat Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Florida Republican Mario Díaz-Balart announcing the launch of a Congressional Venezuela Democracy Caucus. We speak with Me…
www.democracynow.org/2019/11/14/activist…

Federal Court Rules That Border Officers Can't Arbitrarily Search Our Electronic Devices
Hugh Handeyside | aclu.org | 2019-11-13
In a major victory for privacy rights, a federal court | has held that the federal government's suspicionless searches of smartphones, laptops, | and other electronic devices at airports or other U.S. ports of entry are | unconstitutional. The ruling in our | case is a recognition that the Constitution protects us even at the border, | and that traveling to or from the United States doesn't mean we give the g…
aclu.org/news/immigrants-rights/federal-court-rules-that-border-patrol-cant-arbitrarily-search-our-electronic-devices

Neo-Nazi Group NSM Faces New Upheaval After James Hart Stern's Death
Hatewatch Staff and Brett Barrouquere | splcenter.org | 2019-11-13
The leadership of the neo-Nazi National Socialist Movement (NSM) has been thrown into chaos again following the death of self-described civil rights activist James Hart Stern.
splcenter.org/hatewatch/2019/11/13/neo-nazi-group-nsm-faces-new-upheaval-after-james-hart-sterns-death

Anglican Church in Southern Africa voted to support non-violent action to end Israel's military occupation of Palestine, especially BDS actions
ziyaad | bdsmovement.net | 2019-11-12
Anglican Church in Southern Africa voted to support non-violent action to end Israel's military occupation of Palestine, especially BDS actions : In the NewsProvincial Synod votes on Israel sanctions, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia | Economic Boycott Cultural BoycottSeptember 26, 2019 | By: | | Anglican Church of Southern Africa …
bdsmovement.net/news/anglican-church-southern-africa-voted-support-non-violent-action-end-israel%E2%80%99s-military

Sanctions Against North Korea Hurt Women
Marie O'Reilly | progressive.org | 2019-11-12
"Maximum pressure" sanctions have failed to change policies in Pyongyang, and have had grave human costs.
progressive.org/op-eds/north-korea-sanctions-hurt-women-oreilly-191112/

Can Google's Soul Be Saved?
Michelle Chen | progressive.org | 2019-11-12
Rank-and-file Silicon Valley tech workers are using their leverage to push companies toward more ethical business models, or at least away from destroying the environment and undermining human rights.
progressive.org/dispatches/can-googles-soul-be-saved-chen-191112/

Bolivia Is the Latest Successful US-Backed Coup in Latin America
Alan Macleod | mintpressnews.com | 2019-11-12
There is a perfect word in the English language for when army generals appear on television demanding the resignation of an elected head of state while their allies detain and torture government officials.
mintpressnews.com/bolivia-latest-successful-us-backed-coup-latin-america/262773/

Black deaths in the custody of the settler colonial state must end
Fred_F | greenleft.org.au | 2019-11-12
Indigenous rights Paul GregoireIssue 1245 AustraliaNovember 12, 2019Key recommendations of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody assert that in dealing with First Nations peoples, the criminal justice system should apply both arrest and imprisonment as sanctions of "last resort". Sparked by suspicious deaths like t…
greenleft.org.au/content/black-deaths-custody-settler-colonial-state-must-end

Healing the Desert Wounds that Trump's Wall Is Opening
Gary Paul Nabhan | progressive.org | 2019-11-11
On the thirtieth anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, here in the U.S. we gather to mourn the construction of a new border wall, and all the human and animal rights it threatens.
progressive.org/dispatches/healing-wounds-trumps-wall-nabhan-191111/

US Authorizes Tax Payments to Maduro Gov't, Sanctions Five More Venezuelan Officials
Ricardo Vaz and Lucas Koerner | venezuelanalysis.com | 2019-11-06
Washington has eased some of the restrictions imposed under its recent Venezuela embargo.
venezuelanalysis.com/news/14719

League of the South Resorts to Video Stunts as Membership Declines
Hatewatch Staff | splcenter.org | 2019-11-05
The League of the South made a 25-second propaganda video over the weekend at the memorial of a civil rights icon in an apparent attempt to attract members to its neo-Confederate ideology.
splcenter.org/hatewatch/2019/11/05/league-south-resorts-video-stunts-membership-declines