Jewish Activists Hold Solidarity Shabbat Defending Angela Davis in Birmingham & Across U.S
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2019-02-18
Jewish supporters of Angela Davis across the nation held solidarity Shabbat on Friday evening, the night before the civil rights icon had been expected to receive the Fred L. Shuttlesworth Human Rights Award from the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. The institute rescinded the honor in January due to Davis' support of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement targeting the Israeli government and Israeli institutions. The institute later reversed this decision after international outcry, but Davis has yet to accept the award. Democracy Now! was in Birmingham on Friday and attended a Shabbat in support of An…
www.democracynow.org/2019/2/18/jewish_ac…

Israeli Police Evict Palestinians From Home Without Notice
teleSUR | telesurenglish.net | 2019-02-18
Israeli police evicted a Palestinian family from their home Sunday in the Muslim Quarter of Jerusalem's Old City. The Jewish settlers occupied their home after the Israeli Supreme Court ruled in favor of the settlers. | RELATED: | US Singer John Legend Defends Human Rights of Palestinians | The police clashed with the Palestinians and also guarded the Israeli settlers. | "We live there, it's my house, it's my whole life," said Rania Abu Assab who lived in the house with her family…
telesurenglish.net/news/Israeli-Police-Evict-Palestinians-From-Home-Without-Notice-20190218-0011.html

Angela Davis Returns to Birmingham, Reflecting on Palestinian Rights & Fight for Freedom Everywhere
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2019-02-18
Civil rights icon and scholar Angela Davis returned to her hometown of Birmingham, Alabama, over the weekend. She originally planned the visit to receive the Fred L. Shuttlesworth Human Rights Award from the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, but the institute withdrew the award last month, soon after the Birmingham Holocaust Education Center sent a letter urging the board to reconsider honoring Davis due to her support of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement targeting the Israeli government and Israeli institutions. Facing swift and widespread outcry, the institute then reversed its decision and reinst…
www.democracynow.org/2019/2/18/angela_da…

Amnesty's report on digital tourism companies evokes threats from Israel
Peoples Dispatch | peoplesdispatch.org | 2019-02-18
International human rights organization, Amnesty International, recently published a report called "Destination: Occupation", detailing how international digital tourism companies are churning out profits for themselves by participating in business with the apartheid state of Israel. They do this particularly by offering travel and house rental services in the illegal Israeli settlements in occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. Israeli settlements are considered 'war crimes' and are illegal under international law. The report details how these settlements are being used to encourage and normalize human rights vi…
peoplesdispatch.org/2019/02/18/amnestys-report-on-digital-tourism-companies-evokes-frantic-threatening-israeli-response/

Israelis Injure Palestinians in Overnight Attack in Gaza Strip
teleSUR | telesurenglish.net | 2019-02-18
At least 19 Palestinians were injured in clashes with the Israeli military in the Gaza Strip, local health ministry spokesman Ashraf Al Qidra told Sputnik. | RELATED: | US Singer John Legend Defends Human Rights of Palestinians | According to the Middle East Eye,…
telesurenglish.net/news/Israelis-Injure-Palestinians-in-Overnight-Attack-in-Gaza-Strip-20190218-0003.html

Mexican Journalist Slain in Hail of Bullets in Sonora
teleSUR | telesurenglish.net | 2019-02-18
Announcer Reynaldo Lopez and reporter Carlos Cota, former sports producer of the Televisa network in Sonora were shot at over 14 times, with Lopez eventually sucumbbing to his injuries. Cota is seriously injured in a local hospital, according to Efe. | RELATED: | Mexican Journalist Jesus Ramos Second Killed in 2019 | The National Commission for Human Rights (CNDH) reported in a press release that at least 14 shots were fired at the duo after an ambush in the city of Hermosillo, Sonora.
telesurenglish.net/news/Mexican-Journalist-Slain-in-Hail-of-Bullets-in-Sonora-20190218-0002.html

Birmingham Civil Rights Group Reoffers Award to Angela Davis–But She Says Community Should Decide
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2019-02-18
The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute sparked international outrage in January when it rescinded the Fred L. Shuttlesworth award for civil rights icon Angela Davis, soon after the Birmingham Holocaust Education Center sent a letter urging the board to reconsider honoring her due to her support of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement. Facing swift and widespread outcry, the institute then reversed its decision and reinstated the award, but Davis has yet to accept it. Democracy Now! spoke with the president and CEO of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, Andrea Taylor, on Saturday, before an alternate e…
www.democracynow.org/2019/2/18/birmingha…

Racial Equity Groups Mobilize In Support of Voting Rights Act Hearings
Aba Blankson | naacp.org | 2019-02-18
Atlanta Event 2nd in Series of National Hearings to Restore Voting Rights ATLANTA (February 18, 2019) — On Tuesday, February 19, all eyes will be on Georgia when the Subcommittee on Elections of the Committee on House Administration holds its "Field Hearing on Voting Rights and Election Administration in Georgia." Scheduled for 9: 30 AM EST […] | The post Racial Equity Groups Mobilize In Support of Voting Rights Act Hearings appeared first on NAACP.
naacp.org/latest/racial-equity-groups-mobilize-support-voting-rights-act-hearings/

Angela Davis Returns to Birmingham, Reflecting on Palestinian Rights & Fight for Freedom Everywhere
CP Editor | counterpunch.org | 2019-02-18
counterpunch.org/2019/02/18/angela-davis-returns-to-birmingham-reflecting-on-palestinian-rights-fight-for-freedom-everywhere/

Open letter to Novalpina Capital, CC: NSO Group, Francisco Partners
amnesty | amnesty.org | 2019-02-18
We, the undersigned organizations, release this open letter to Novalpina Capital regarding the recent announcement of the buyout of NSO Group from Francisco Partners. We call on Novalpina to publicly address our serious concerns regarding accountability for NSO Group's involvement in previously documented spyware abuses, Novalpina's current approach to addressing human rights impacts associated with NSO Group's products and services, and the future trajectory of the company.
amnesty.org/en/latest/research/2019/02/open-letter-to-novalpina-capital-nso-group-and-francisco-partners/

Spyware firm buyout reaffirms urgent need for justice for targeted activists
amnesty | amnesty.org | 2019-02-18
Novalpina Capital, the private equity firm that has supported NSO Group management to acquire the company from Francisco Partners, must immediately disclose how it plans to prevent further human rights abuses by NSO Group, which has been linked to several chilling attacks on human rights defenders, Amnesty International said today. | In an open letter released today, the organization and six other NGOs urged Novalpina to publicly commit to accountability for NSO Group's past spyware…
amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2019/02/spyware-firm-buyout-reaffirms-urgent-need-for-justice-for-targeted-activists/

Brazil: Keep Sniper Probe Independent
Human Rights Watch | hrw.org | 2019-02-18
Victim shows patch over his wounded ribs in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, January 2019. | © Defensoria Pública do Estado do Rio de Janeiro | Brazil should conduct an independent and thorough investigation into allegations that one or more police snipers killed at least two people in a poor neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro in late January, 2019, Human Rights Watch said today. | Witnesses said that the shots came from a tower within the main complex of the Rio de Janeiro civil po…
hrw.org/news/2019/02/18/brazil-keep-sniper-probe-independent

NGOs CALL FOR AN INCLUSIVE REVIEW PROCESS ON TREATY BODY STRENGTHENING
amnesty | amnesty.org | 2019-02-18
National, regional and international NGOs play a critical role in the work of the treaty bodies through monitoring the implementation of the treaties at the national level, providing information to the treaty bodies, and encouraging states to give effect to the treaty bodies' recommendations. This document conatain a call from NGOs for an includive review process on treaty body strenghtening.
amnesty.org/en/documents/ior40/9859/2019/en/

10 things you need to know about Venezuela's human rights crisis
amnesty | amnesty.org | 2019-02-18
The human rights crisis that has engulfed Venezuela for the past few years has shattered the lives of millions of people. Here's what you need to know: | 1 – Excessive use of force: | Much of the current unrest in Venezuela can be traced back to 29 March 2017, when the Supreme Court of Justice – backed by President Nicolás Maduro – moved to take over the National Assembly, where the opposition holds a majority. This triggered protests that were repressed by the Maduro administration with the unlawful and disproportionate use of force. Between April and July 2017, more than 120 people were killed, around 1…
amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2019/02/10-things-you-need-to-know-about-venezuelas-human-rights-crisis/

Zimbabwe: President Mnangagwa's threats 'deeply troubling'
amnesty | amnesty.org | 2019-02-18
In response to President Emmerson Mnangagwa's statement that the government will deal with those suspected to be behind the national 'stay-away' protests, including non-governmental organizations, trade union leaders, opposition leaders, doctors and lawyers, Muleya Mwananyanda, Amnesty International's Deputy Regional Director for Southern Africa said: | | "President Emmerson…
amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2019/02/zimbabwe-president-mnangagwa-threats-deeply-troubling/

The Cost of Civil Rights Violations in Vallejo
Geoffrey W. King | indybay.org | 2019-02-18
On February 9, the police in my hometown shot Willie McCoy to death in a Taco Bell drive-through. I hadn't planned to write that when I began this post, which grew out of a dialogue with a neighbor frustrated by the crumbling schools, neglected parks, and casual brutality of this beautiful city.
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/02/17/18821223.php

Saudi Arabia: Clarify Status of 'Corruption' Detainees
Human Rights Watch | hrw.org | 2019-02-18
(Beirut) — Saudi Arabia announced an end to its high-profile anti-corruption campaign on January 31, 2019, but some of those rounded up remain in detention without a clear legal basis, Human Rights Watch said today. Saudi Arabia carried out the mass arrests, including of princes, current and former government officials, and prominent businessmen, on November 4, 2017, holding some for months at Riyadh's five-star Ritz Carlton Hotel and forcing them to turn over assets in exchange for their freedom outside of any legal process. | Those who re…
hrw.org/news/2019/02/18/saudi-arabia-clarify-status-corruption-detainees

Israeli occupation and Palestinian rights/Letter to Dutch parliament
Astrid Essed | indybay.org | 2019-02-18
It's an utter scandal, shame and disgrace, that after 52 years, Israel is still | occupying the Palestinian territories, suppressing and terrorizing the Palestinians, | committing warcrimes and crimes against humanity with impunity without any | serious sanctions of the international community. Therefore I have written | the members of Dutch parliament to take action!!
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/02/17/18821224.php

Haiti: Authorities must protect protesters' right to life and deal with underlying causes of the crisis
amnesty | amnesty.org | 2019-02-18
In response to reports of several deaths during recent days in the context of anti-corruption protests that began earlier this month in Haiti, Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas director at Amnesty International, said: | "The situation in Haiti is a recipe for disaster, with a stream of reported fatalities during the ongoing protests, hospitals running out of supplies, and people unable to access essential services in the poorest country in the Americas." | "The Haitian authorities must not only ensure that people are able to peacefully protest and guarantee the life and physical integrity of those who choose to demon…
amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2019/02/haiti-authorities-must-protect-protesters-right-to-life-and-deal-with-underlying-causes-of-the-crisis/

Border Patrol Detained Me for Speaking Spanish in Montana. Then My Town Turned Against Me
Ana Suda | commondreams.org | 2019-02-17
"After Mimi and I told the officer that we were born in the U.S., he demanded that we show identification. I didn't feel like I could say no since he was in uniform and armed." (Photo: ACLU) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files……
commondreams.org/views/2019/02/17/border-patrol-detained-me-speaking-spanish-montana-then-my-town-turned-against-me?cd-origin=rss

NAACP Restructures to Advance Advocacy Strategy
Austyn Ross | naacp.org | 2019-02-16
New York (February 16, 2019)–The nation's most prominent civil rights organization announced today during its annual national board meeting in New York, a strategic restructuring which better positions the organization to lead the critical policy advocacy and social justice work needed to ensure the rights of all people. The group also signed memoranda of understanding […] | The post NAACP Restructures to Advance Advocacy Strategy appeared first on NAACP.
naacp.org/latest/naacp-restructures-advance-advocacy-strategy/

Egipto: Detención preventiva de defensor de los derechos humanos
amnesty | amnesty.org | 2019-02-16
El 9 de febrero, un juez ordenó la detención preventiva del defensor de los derechos humanos y abogado Ezzat Ghoniem durante 45 días, mientras se lleva a cabo una investigación. Ezzat Ghoniem y Azzoz Mahgoub fueron detenidos el 1 de marzo de 2018. El tribunal ordenó dejarlos en libertad provisional el 4 de septiembre de 2018, con la condición de presentarse en una comisaría de policía dos veces a la semana. Jamás quedaron en libertad, y el 14 de septiembre fueron sometidos por las autoridades a desaparición forzada.
amnesty.org/en/documents/mde12/9847/2019/es/

Locked Inside a Freezing Federal Jail, They United to Protest Their Conditions — Only to Face Reprisals
Emma Whitford | theintercept.com | 2019-02-16
In some units where incarcerated people protested, the toilets were shut off — leaving them sleeping next to their own feces. | The post Locked Inside a Freezing Federal Jail, They United to Protest Their Conditions — Only to Face Reprisals appeared first on The Intercept.
theintercept.com/2019/02/16/metropolitan-detention-center-mdc-brooklyn-jail/

Trump Sends US Military Aircraft to Deliver 'Aid' to Venezuela's Border
Jason Ditz | theantimedia.com | 2019-02-16
(ANTIWAR.COM) — The Trump Administration has announced Friday, along with a new round of sanctions against members of the Venezuelan government, that they are dispatching US military aircraft carrying aid to the Venezuelan border. The aid can't get into Venezuela directly, as it is being sent to opposition leader Juan Guaido and with an eye specifically toward endorsing …

Trump Sends US Military Aircraft to Deliver 'Aid' to Venezuela's Border

Venezuela's Foreign Minister: "The US is in Front of the Coup Attempt, not Behind it"
Shared by Hezvo Mpunga | therealnews.com | 2019-02-15
Interview — in Spanish with English subtitles — with Venezuela's Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza, who speaks about the likelihood of war with the US, the impact of the sanctions, and the way out of the conflict between Venezuela and the US and its allies in the opposition and in the region | The post Venezuela's Foreign Minister: "The US is in Front of the Coup Attempt, not Behind it" appeared first on The Real News Network.
therealnews.com/stories/venezuelas-foreign-minister-the-us-is-in-front-of-the-coup-attempt-not-behind-it

No Trump Wall! No State of Emergency!
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2019-02-15
Fight Back News Service is circulating the following call from the Legalization for All Network and other immigrant rights groups. We urge all progressive organizations to sign on and endorse it. You can do so here: www.facebook.com/notes/legalization-for-… | On the campaign trail, candidate Trump said that Mexico would pay for his wall. President Trump could not get funding for his wall on the U.S./Mexico border even when his Republican Party controlled the House, the Senate and the White House. Then he shut down parts of the Federal Government for…
fightbacknews.org/2019/2/14/no-trump-wall-no-state-emergency

Public Citizen: Trump's National Emergency Declaration Paves Way for Sweeping Authoritarianism
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2019-02-15
With one day left to pass a government spending bill before today's midnight deadline to avert another government shutdown, both the House and Senate passed the measure Thursday that came out of the bipartisan conference committee earlier this week. The bill includes nearly $1.4 billion to build 55 miles of new border barriers out of steel, far less than the $5.7 billion requested by President Trump. Democrats quickly condemned the news, and consumer rights nonprofit Public Citizen vowed legal action against him. We speak with Public Citizen President Robert Weissman.
www.democracynow.org/2019/2/15/public_ci…

Immigrants Are Fighting for Their Rights Even Behind Bars
Michelle Chen | thenation.com | 2019-02-15
Immigrants Are Fighting for Their Rights Even Behind Bars…
thenation.com/article/immigration-ice-el-paso-hunger-strike/

Black Civil Rights Advocate Takes Control of Neo-Nazi Hate Group the National Socialist Movement
splcenter | splcenter.org | 2019-02-15
The antisemitic and neo-Nazi group the National Socialist Movement (NSM) is now under the control of a black civil rights advocate from California who once dissolved a notorious Ku Klux Klan chapter in Mississippi.
splcenter.org/hatewatch/2019/02/15/black-civil-rights-advocate-takes-control-neo-nazi-hate-group-national-socialist-movement

Equatorial Guinea: Rights lawyer faces bogus charges
amnesty | amnesty.org | 2019-02-15
Grave Concern Detainees Have Been Tortured, Killed | Equatorial Guinea named a French anti-corruption lawyer in an arrest warrant against 16 people, in apparent retaliation for his involvement in a money laundering trial against the president's eldest son, nine human rights and anti-corruption groups said today. | The warrant accuses the 16 targets of laundering money and helping to finance "terrorism and the proliferation of arms trafficking in Central Africa." | Named in the warrant are also people already in police custody accused of participating in a December 2017 coup attempt. They have been unable to commu…
amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2019/02/equatorial-guinea-rights-lawyer-faces-bogus-charges/

Mozambique: Jornalista detido impedido de receber visitas da família: Amade Abubacar
amnesty | amnesty.org | 2019-02-15
O jornalista Amade Abubacar foi transferido da prisà£o distrital de Macomia para a prisà£o de Mieze, no distrito de Pemba, capital da província de Cabo Delgado, em 24 de Janeiro. Desde entà£o, as autoridades prisionais têm-lhe negado a visita de familiares. Foi-lhe permitida uma visita supervisionada de membros de uma Comissà£o da Ordem dos Advogados de Moàßambique e do seu advogado em 25 de Janeiro, no decurso da qual Amade alegou que tinha sido vítima de maus-tratos enquanto esteve em detenàßà£o militar.
amnesty.org/en/documents/afr41/9792/2019/pt/

Qatar: Promises yet to be fulfilled: Amnesty International submission for the UN Universal Periodic Review, 33rd session of the UPR Working Group, May 2019
amnesty | amnesty.org | 2019-02-15
While the partial abolition of the exit permit and the establishment of the fast-track labour courts are positive steps towards reforming the current labour system, domestic workers remain excluded from the new reforms and the law passed to protect their rights falls short of international standards. The government's promise to fully reform the kafala sponsorship system is yet to be delivered. Further, women continue to face discrimination and are still unable to pass on their nationality to their children despite a change in the law.
amnesty.org/en/documents/mde22/9783/2019/en/

Sudan uprising: 'This is a people's revolution'
stuart_m | greenleft.org.au | 2019-02-15
In Sudan, a multifaceted civil opposition is posing a serious threat to the continued existence of Bashir's dictatorial regime after weeks of protests, writes Mohammed Elnaiem. | If a hospital is not a sanctuary for an injured person, what is? And what level of hatred, what kind of viciousness can be satisfied by the attempt to ensure that a protester die twice? On January 9, riot police, plain-clothed Bashir loyalists, and security forces fired tear gas and live bullets into the Omdurman Teaching Hospital in Sudan after wounded protesters were taken there during the biggest protest to date demanding the downfall…
greenleft.org.au/content/sudan-uprising-peoples-revolution

Philippines: Journalist harassed to silence dissent: Maria Ressa
amnesty | amnesty.org | 2019-02-15
Maria Ressa, executive editor of online news outlet Rappler and press freedom advocate, was arrested on 13 February 2019 over politically motivated "cyber-libel" charges (online defamation). She was held overnight and then released after posting PhP100,000 (approx. USD2,000) in bail. Rappler has been a consistent critic of President Rodrigo Duterte and his administration, and Maria Ressa's arrest appears to be part of broader campaign to silence critics of the government.
amnesty.org/en/documents/asa35/9871/2019/en/

Pakistan Should Address Pashtun Grievances
Human Rights Watch | hrw.org | 2019-02-15
People walk past shops closed due to a strike to condemn the death of prominent Pashtun rights activist Arman Luni, in Quetta, Pakistan, Monday, Feb. 4, 2019. | © 2019 AP Photo/Arshad Butt | Ethnic Pashtuns in Pakistan have been protesting the death of activist Arman Luni on February 2 as the latest outrage against this beleaguered community. | Luni, a leader of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM), a social movement for Pashtun rights, died during a sit-in in Balochistan province's Lorelai district. The police repor…
hrw.org/news/2019/02/15/pakistan-should-address-pashtun-grievances

Thailand: Suspension of Voice TV highlights why Thailand must lift over-broad powers to curtail press freedom
amnesty | amnesty.org | 2019-02-15
Amnesty International calls on Thailand's military authorities, the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), to guarantee media freedom in the country, including by taking the long overdue step of amending or repealing vaguely worded and overly restrictive decrees promulgated in the name of protecting security following the 2015 military coup. Amnesty International remains concerned that the Thai authorities have consistently targeted individuals and broadcasters expressing political opposition or views deemed critical of authorities with sanctions and criminal proceedings, employing wide latitude to conflate…
amnesty.org/en/documents/asa39/9869/2019/en/

Tunisia: Citizens Testing Right-to-Information Law
Human Rights Watch | hrw.org | 2019-02-15
The standard form for filing a request for information under Tunisia's 2016 "Right to Access Information Law" (Law No. 2016-22). | (Tunis) — Tunisia's first freedom of information law, approaching its third anniversary, significantly advances the rights of citizens to get information from publicly funded institutions, Human Rights Watch said today. The law's real impact, however, depends on the actual authority of a body created to compel responses fro…
hrw.org/news/2019/02/15/tunisia-citizens-testing-right-information-law

Refugee rights activists march on PM's office
Fred_F | greenleft.org.au | 2019-02-15
Refugee rights activists protested outside Prime Minister Scott Morrison's Cronulla office on February 9. | They called on parliament to pass the medical evacuation bill and demanded that all refugees be immediately brought to Australia for resettlement. | Speakers celebrated the fact that the movement had forced the government to bring all the children off Nauru. | [More photos on GLW's Facebook page.] | refugee rights
greenleft.org.au/content/refugee-rights-activists-march-pm-office

Trump's National Emergency? Think Again
Human Rights Watch | hrw.org | 2019-02-15
President Donald Trump walks out to begin speaking at an event in the Rose Garden at the White House to declare a national emergency in order to build a wall along the southern border | © AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais | President Donald Trump announced that he will sign the bill to fund the government, including US$1.375 billion for 55 miles of steel-post fencing on the southern border, but will simultaneously declare a national emergency, the very threat he had wielded if Congress had failed to meet his demand…
hrw.org/news/2019/02/15/trumps-national-emergency-think-again

Indian students demand right to education, jobs
susan_p | greenleft.org.au | 2019-02-15
Up to 20,000 Indian students and their supporters from around the country took to the streets of Delhi on February 7 for the Young India Adhikar [Rights] March. The protest was organised by representatives of 60 student organisations from campuses across the country, to protest the Modi government's attacks on students, and to demand the right to education and employment. | Green Left Weekly spoke to one of the march organisers, Kawalpreet Kaur. Kaur is a student at Delhi University and a representative of the All India Students Association (AISA), one of the organisations that initiated the protest. | GLW: How d…
greenleft.org.au/content/indian-students-demand-right-education-jobs

Equatorial Guinea: Rights Lawyer Faces Bogus Charges
Human Rights Watch | hrw.org | 2019-02-15
William Bourdon | © Private | (Paris)– Equatorial Guinea named a French anti-corruption lawyer in an arrest warrant against 16 people, in apparent retaliation for his involvement in a money laundering trial against the president's eldest son, ten human rights and anti-corruption groups said today. The warrant accuses the 16 targets of laundering money and helping to finance "terrorism and the proliferation of arms trafficking in Central Africa." | Nam…
hrw.org/news/2019/02/15/equatorial-guinea-rights-lawyer-faces-bogus-charges

Egypt: Further Information: Egypt: Pre-Trial Detention For Human Rights Defender: Ezzat Ghoniem and Azzoz Mahgoub
amnesty | amnesty.org | 2019-02-15
On 9 February, a judge ordered the pre-trial detention of human rights defender and lawyer Ezzat Ghoniem for 45 days pending investigation. Ezzat Ghoniem and Azzoz Mahgoub were detained on March 1, 2018. The court ordered their release on probation on 4 September 2018, provided they report to a police station twice a week. They were never released, and on September 14 they were forcibly disappeared by the authorities. On 20 October 2018, an arrest warrant was issued against them for not respecting the probational terms — which they could not apply as being forcibly disappeared. Ezzat Ghoniem remained forcib…
amnesty.org/en/documents/mde12/9847/2019/en/

Egypt: End the cruel denial of family visits to detainees
amnesty | amnesty.org | 2019-02-15
Egyptian authorities are flagrantly violating international law by denying family visits to scores of detainees, Amnesty International said today. The organization has examined an official document which confirms there is an open-ended ban on family visits in a number of sections at two major prison complexes in Cairo and Alexandria. | Amnesty International has also recorded at least 61 cases of people who were prevented from receiving family visits for protracted periods — in some cases for up to two years – at Tora prison in Cairo and Borg al-Arab in Alexandria. The total number of detainees barred from r…
amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2019/02/egypt-end-the-cruel-denial-of-family-visits-to-detainees/

More than 60 human rights groups back Eurovision boycott
stuart_m | greenleft.org.au | 2019-02-15
More than 60 international NGOs have added their voices in protest against the plan to hold the finals of the Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv this year. They are now part of what is quickly becoming an international campaign by civil society groups seeking to move the event, which is scheduled for May, from Israel. | It came after 50 British artists urged the BBC to boycott the Eurovision citing "Israel's systematic violation of Palestinian human rights". They said that the BBC was not exempt from…
greenleft.org.au/content/more-60-human-rights-groups-back-eurovision-boycott

UK's ISIS Schoolgirl Case Shows Justice is Key
Human Rights Watch | hrw.org | 2019-02-15
Renu Begum, eldest sister of Shamima Begum, 15, holds her sister's photo as she is interviewed by the media at New Scotland Yard, London, England, February 22, 2015. | © 2015 Laura Lean/WPA Pool/Getty Images | "All I want to do is come home to Britain." | So says Shamima Begum, a heavily pregnant British teenager, who joined the Islamic State aged 15 but last week fled as IS…
hrw.org/news/2019/02/15/uks-isis-schoolgirl-case-shows-justice-key

قطر: وعود لم يتم الوفاء بها بعد: مذكرة مقدمة من منظمة العفو الدولية بشأن "الاستعراض الدوري الشامل" الدورة الثالثة والثلاثون للفريق العامل المعني بالاستعراض الدوري الشامل، مايو/أيار 2019
amnesty | amnesty.org | 2019-02-15
ÿ£ŸèÿπÿØŸëŸéÿ™ Ÿáÿ∞Ÿá ÿߟџÖÿ∞ŸÉÿ±ÿ© ŸÑŸÑÿßÿ≥ÿ™ÿπÿ±ÿßÿ∂ ÿߟÑÿØŸàÿ±Ÿä ÿߟÑÿ¥ÿßŸÖŸÑ ŸÑŸÇÿ∑ÿ± ŸÅŸä ŸÖÿߟä&Yu…
amnesty.org/en/documents/mde22/9783/2019/ar/

LGBTI groups call for Eurovision boycott
stuart_m | greenleft.org.au | 2019-02-15
Campaigners for gay, lesbian and transgender rights have urged a boycott of this year's Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv in May. | More than 60 LGBTI groups from around the world have joined a new call to demonstrate solidarity with Palestinians. In a statement, the groups accuse Israel of "shamelessly using the Eurovision competition" to distract from war crimes. | The organisation a…
greenleft.org.au/content/lgbti-groups-call-eurovision-boycott

Myanmar: Ko Ni murder verdict leaves questions unanswered
amnesty | amnesty.org | 2019-02-15
Responding to the conviction of four people in connection with the assassination of prominent lawyer Ko Ni in Myanmar, Amnesty International's Director of Crisis Response, Tirana Hassan, said: | | "Despite today's verdict, serious questions remain about whether all those responsible have been brought to justice. Myanmar's authorities have shown time and…
amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2019/02/myanmar-ko-ni-murder-verdict-leaves-questions-unanswered/

Guinea Ecuatorial: Activistas y defensores y defensoras de los derechos humanos pagan un alto precio por alzar su voz
amnesty | amnesty.org | 2019-02-15
Este documento se ha preparado para el examen periódico universal (EPU) al que se someterá Guinea Ecuatorial en mayo de 2019. Amnistía Internacional evalúa en él la implementación de las recomendaciones formuladas a Guinea Ecuatorial en su anterior EPU, en particular las relativas a la situación de los defensores y defensoras de los derechos humanos.
amnesty.org/en/documents/afr24/9793/2019/es/

Russia: New Wave of Anti-LGBT Persecution
Human Rights Watch | hrw.org | 2019-02-15
Igor Kochetkov speaking at the European Parliament about persecution of LGBT people in Chechnya. | © 2018 Tanya Lokshina for Human Rights Watch | Russian authorities should investigate allegations of a new wave of anti-lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) persecution in Chechnya and take steps to protect rights defenders and journalists who expose abuses there, Human Rights Watch said today. | On J…
hrw.org/news/2019/02/15/russia-new-wave-anti-lgbt-persecution