2019-02-15: Social Media Postees

Please be social by posting these 'POSTEES' on social media!

Google, Apple Under Fire to Block Saudi 'Woman Tracker' App
teleSUR | telesurenglish.net | 2019-02-15
Apple and Google are facing major backlash, from human rights activists and lawmakers, after being accused of supporting patriarchy with a Saudi Arabian "woman tracker app" which is used to monitor and manage the whereabouts of women in the Arab nation. | RELATED: | Another MBS PR Stunt? Saudi Arabia To 'Review' Male Guardianship System | "I haven't heard about it," Apple CEO Tim Cook told NPR, adding that he would investigate the situation. "But obviously we'll take a lo…
telesurenglish.net/news/Google-Apple-Under-Fire-to-Block-Saudi-Woman-Tracker-App-20190215-0006.html

National Civil Rights Group Responds to Supreme Court's Decision to Hear Census Case
commondreams | commondreams.org | 2019-02-15
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commondreams.org/newswire/2019/02/15/national-civil-rights-group-responds-supreme-courts-decision-hear-census-case?cd-origin=rss

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…

Israel Detained 500 Palestinians, Including 89 Children in 2019
teleSUR | telesurenglish.net | 2019-02-15
This January alone, Israel detained 509 Palestinians, including 89 children and eight women, from occupied Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, according to Palestinian prisoners rights groups. | RELATED: | Palestinian Photojournalists Win Prestigious Photo Awards | Israeli authorities detained 102 Palestinians from East Jerusalem, 88 from Ramallah, 80 from Hebron, 55 from Jenin, 62 from Bethlehem, 30 from Nablus, 30 from Tulkarm, 25 from Qalqilya, 8 from Toubas, 6 from Salf…
telesurenglish.net/news/Israel-Detained-500-Palestinians-Including-89-Children-So-Far-in-2019-20190215-0009.html

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…
www.fightbacknews.org/2019/2/14/no-trump…

What Happened at the Brooklyn Jail Is Part of a Deeper Human Rights Crisis
Shared by Cherise | truthout.org | 2019-02-15
Recent headlines over the plight of people imprisoned in the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Brooklyn begs for a deeper look into the conditions of confinement in the U.S. prisons, jails, and juvenile and immigrant detention facilities. Although the electricity and heat are back on at the Brooklyn federal facility, the continuing and staggering neglect that led to this humanitarian crises continues — and will continue. Not only did the federal officials lie about conditions at the facility, they refuse to acknowledge the situation as part of a deeper human rights crisis. | For the staff and volunt…
truthout.org/articles/what-happened-at-the-brooklyn-jail-is-part-of-a-deeper-human-rights-crisis/

Border Wall "Emergency" Fake, Center for Constitutional Rights Says
commondreams | commondreams.org | 2019-02-15
______________________________…
commondreams.org/newswire/2019/02/15/border-wall-emergency-fake-center-constitutional-rights-says?cd-origin=rss

Brazil: 420 Violent Deaths Against LGBTQ in 2018
teleSUR | telesurenglish.net | 2019-02-15
At least 420 people of LGBT community in Brazil died by homicide or suicide in 2018, fueled by homophobia and hate crimes, the Gay Group of Bahia (GGB) said in a report released Friday. | RELATED: | Bolsonaro To Erase Paulo Freire And Feminism From Textbooks | GGB, one of the oldest functioning associations defending human rights and the right to free sexual orientation and gender identity in the country, released the report "Violent deaths of the LGBT population in Brazil," which…
telesurenglish.net/news/Brazil-420-Violent-Deaths-Against-LGBTQ-in-2018-20190215-0008.html

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

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/

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

The FBI Is Dismantling Its War Crimes Unit
STAFF | truthdig.com | 2019-02-15
The FBI is dismantling a special unit that investigates international war crimes and hunts down war criminals — including suspected torturers and perpetrators of genocide, Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting has learned. | The unit, which was created a decade ago and has its roots in federal efforts to hunt Nazis living in the United States after World War II, has had a hand in many high-profile prosecutions. | Most recently, its investigators helped take down the Liberian warlord Thomas Woewiju, whom a…
truthdig.com/articles/the-fbi-is-dismantling-its-war-crimes-unit/

Migrant rights groups sue as US starts sending families back to Mexico
RT | rt.com | 2019-02-15
Civil rights groups have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration as authorities have begun shipping asylum-seeking families across the border to wait for their claims to be processed, insisting the policy endangers lives. | …
rt.com/usa/451509-migrants-lawsuit-mexico-asylum/

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
This submission was prepared for the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Qatar in May 2019. In it, Amnesty International evaluates the implementation of recommendations made to Qatar in its previous UPR, including in relation to freedom of expression, migrant workers' rights, international human rights framework. Regrettably, some of the accepted recommendations remain non-implemented, particularly those related to freedom of expression and migrants' rights. | Amnesty International welcomes Qatar's ratification of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the International Covenant on Ec…
amnesty.org/en/documents/mde22/9783/2019/en/

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/

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

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, since taking power in a military coup in 2014, consistently targeted individuals and broadcasters expressing political opposition or views deemed critical of authorities with sanctions and crimina…
amnesty.org/en/documents/asa39/9869/2019/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/

The BBC is Failing Women on Abortion
Human Rights Watch | hrw.org | 2019-02-15
A promo shot from Season 7 of Call the Midwife | © PBS | People heading to BBC Action Line for information about accessing safe abortion following the death of a character in Call the Midwife — a television drama set in the 1950s which also airs in the US — couldn't find anything. | This failure to provide information about abortion on its resource website appears to derive from some mistaken…
hrw.org/news/2019/02/15/bbc-failing-women-abortion

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/

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

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

Human rights advocate Professor Stuart Rees supports rallies for the freedom of Julian Assange
WSWS | wsws.org | 2019-02-15
"Julian Assange follows in the footsteps of a long tradition of journalists and whistleblowers who have made significant contributions to civil societies."
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/02/15/rees…

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/

Equatorial Guinea: Rights Lawyer Faces Bogus Charges
Human Rights Watch | hrw.org | 2019-02-15
William Bourdon | (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." | Named in the warrant…
hrw.org/news/2019/02/15/equatorial-guinea-rights-lawyer-faces-bogus-charges

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

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

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

Indian students demand right to education, jobs
susan_p | greenleft.org.au | 2019-02-15
Up to twenty thousand 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 different 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 initiating the protes…
greenleft.org.au/content/indian-students-demand-right-education-jobs

Sri Lankan president denounces opponents of the death penalty
WSWS | wsws.org | 2019-02-15
Sirisena not only wants reinstatement of executions but the endorsement of all human rights organisations.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/02/15/pres…

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/

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

Roberto Lovato: Elliott Abrams Is Bringing Violence of 1980s U.S. Latin America Policy to Venezuela
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2019-02-14
President Trump met with Colombian President Iván Duque at the White House Wednesday to discuss ongoing efforts to topple the Venezuelan government, the same day that U.S. special envoy to Venezuela Elliott Abrams faced questioning from Congress about his role in atrocities carried out in Latin America in the 1980s. This includes defending Guatemalan dictator General Efraín Ríos Montt's campaign of mass murder and torture of indigenous people. We speak with Roberto Lovato, independent journalist working out of the San Francisco Writers' Grotto, about the violent history of Elliott Abrams and the U.S.-backed oppos…
www.democracynow.org/2019/2/14/roberto_l…

Trump Administration Is Illegally Forcing Asylum Seekers Out of the United States
ACLU | aclu.org | 2019-02-14
The administration is once again breaking the law in order to shut the door on immigrants. | Last September, Bianca* was forced to flee Honduras because her partner's father threatened to kill her for being a lesbian. Bianca could not go to the police in Honduras because they do not protect LGBTQ people from harm. So she left home to save her life. | After traveling through Guatemala and Mexico, Bianca reached Tijuana, where she got in line to enter the United States through the border station and ask for asylum.
aclu.org/blog/immigrants-rights/trump-administration-illegally-forcing-asylum-seekers-out-united-states

U.S. Border Patrol Detained U.S. Citizens for Speaking Spanish in Montana
ACLU | aclu.org | 2019-02-14
Illegal arrests and seizures reflect an out-of-control agency emboldened by Trump's anti-immigrant agenda. | For Ana Suda and Martha "Mimi" Hernandez, May 16, 2018, began like any other in Havre, Montana: work, school, and a trip to the gym once their kids were in bed. They stopped by Town Pump — a local convenience store — to pick up groceries. While in line, the friends were chatting in Spanish, just two people having an ordinary conversation. But the Customs and Border Protection agent standing in line behind them did not see it that way. | He demanded to know where Ana and Mimi were born. After t…
aclu.org/blog/immigrants-rights/ice-and-border-patrol-abuses/us-border-patrol-detained-us-citizens-speaking

Border Patrol Detained Me for Speaking Spanish in Montana. Then My Town Turned Against Me
ACLU | aclu.org | 2019-02-14
Customs and Border Protection violated our rights as U.S. citizens just for speaking Spanish in a grocery store. | I moved to Havre, Montana — near the U.S.-Canada border — in 2014 with my husband and our two young children. Home to around 10,000 people, I've always found Havre to be a friendly town, one where I felt good about raising my kids. But that all changed last May when my friend and I were illegally targeted and detained by a Customs and Border Protection agent, just for speaking Spanish to each other in a convenience store. | I didn't think it was possible for one incident to change our liv…
aclu.org/blog/immigrants-rights/ice-and-border-patrol-abuses/border-patrol-detained-me-speaking-spanish

Bolivia Asks Chile to Negotiate a Temporary Pacific Port
teleSUR | telesurenglish.net | 2019-02-14
Remembering the loss of Bolivia's maritime rights exactly 140 years ago following the end of the Pacific War, the nation is requesting that Chile reconsider negotiating temporary access to a Pacific port. | RELATED: | Bolivia's Maritime Claim: Battle to Undo 139-Year-Old Conquest | "It will be at this time, in the short or medium term, but the dialogu…
telesurenglish.net/news/Bolivia-Asks-Chile-to-Negotiate-a-Temporary-Pacific-Port-20190214-0018.html

Rep. Ilhan Omar Grills Elliott Abrams on Support for Central American Genocide
Shared by Hezvo Mpunga | therealnews.com | 2019-02-14
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D) of Minnesota presented Elliott Abrams with uncomfortable facts about his past illegal activities and asked him whether he would pursue similar human rights violating policies against Venezuela as he did against Latin America in the 1980's | The post Rep. Ilhan Omar Grills Elliott Abrams on Support for Central American Genocide appeared first on The Real News Network.
therealnews.com/stories/rep-ilhan-omar-grills-elliott-abrams-on-support-for-central-american-genocide

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Announces Group to Protect UN Charter's Principles
teleSUR | telesurenglish.net | 2019-02-14
Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza announced Thursday that a group of countries have decided to form a diplomatic team at the United Nations (U.N.) to defend human rights and the fundamental charter of the international organization. | RELATED | Cuba: US Planes Fly to Strategic Areas to Pressure Venezuela | "We are beginning a collective work in all instances and agencies of the United Nations. We are going to organize a strategy not only for the defense of Venezuela, but a…
telesurenglish.net/news/Venezuelan-Foreign-Minister-Announces-Group-to-Protect-UN-Charters-Principles-20190214-0015.html

New Hampshire Is Trying to Stop College Students From Registering to Vote
ACLU | aclu.org | 2019-02-14
Voting is my right. I shouldn't have to jump through hoops to exercise it. | Growing up, my parents taught me that voting is not only a right, but a privilege. They voted in every local, midterm, and presidential election, and every time they did so they were sure to show me their "I voted" sticker. | As I grew older, they discussed propositions or candidates with me, asking me what I thought and even providing me with sample ballots. My dad and I would talk about why our opinions were the same or different, and what information we were basing those votes on. When 2016 rolled around, I still wasn't old enough to…
aclu.org/blog/voting-rights/fighting-voter-suppression/new-hampshire-trying-stop-college-students-registering

Rapper, 21 Savage, released after being held by ICE
Michelle Zacarias | peoplesworld.org | 2019-02-14
After spending more than a week in immigration customs detention, rapper 21 Savage was released on bail Wednesday. The 26-year-old rapper was arrested Feb. 3 by immigration officials after allegedly overstaying his visa. The musician, whose real name is Sha Yaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, was brought to the United States at the age of seven and …
peoplesworld.org/article/rapper-21-savage-released-after-being-held-by-ice/

Ilhan Omar Grills Trump's Venezuela Envoy Elliott Abrams on His Role in US-Backed Genocide in 1980s
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2019-02-14
The new U.S. special envoy to Venezuela, Elliott Abrams, testified on Capitol Hill Wednesday on U.S. efforts to oust Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Abrams spoke three weeks after the U.S. recognized opposition leader Juan Guaidó as Venezuela's new president. Since then, the U.S. has placed sweeping sanctions on Venezuela's state-run oil company and rejected calls for an international dialogue to resolve the crisis. Elliott Abrams is a right-wing hawk who was convicted in 1991 for lying to Congress during the Iran-Contra scandal, but he was later pardoned by President George H.W. Bush. Abrams defended Guatem…
www.democracynow.org/2019/2/14/ilhan_oma…

No EU cost for Israeli 'apartheid' in West Bank
patrick | bdsmovement.net | 2019-02-14
No EU cost for Israeli 'apartheid' in West Bank: In the NewsBy Andrew Rettman Sanctions and governmentsFebruary 14, 2019 | By: | | euobserver …
bdsmovement.net/news/no-eu-cost-israeli-apartheid-west-bank

An Emirati Woman's Ordeal to Seek Protection from Abuse
Human Rights Watch | hrw.org | 2019-02-14
© Hind Albolooki/Twitter | Hind Albolooki fled the United Arab Emirates (UAE) after receiving threats from family members for wanting to divorce an abusive husband. | "I am a mother of four children," she said. "No mother would leave her children just like this. But I had to leave my kids. I had no other choice." Her decision to flee says much about the lack of protection available to women in the UAE. | Hind sought asylum in North Macedoni…
hrw.org/news/2019/02/14/emirati-womans-ordeal-seek-protection-abuse

UAE arms fair showcases Belgian weapon in use by Yemeni militias
amnesty | amnesty.org | 2019-02-14
A type of Belgian machine gun known to be wielded by a Yemeni militia in the Hodeidah offensive is among the weaponry set to be showcased this weekend at one of the Middle East's largest arms fairs in Abu Dhabi, Amnesty International said today. | According to promotional materials for the UAE's IDEX2019 arms fair, the Minimi will be among the thousands of types of weapons available for sale. Manufactured in Belgium's Wallonia region by FN Herstal, it is among an array of arms transferred by the Belgian Walloon authorities to the Saudi Arabia/UAE-led coalition in recent years for use in the armed conflict in Yeme…
amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2019/02/uae-arms-fair-showcases-belgian-weapon-in-use-by-yemeni-militias/

Global Sports Groups New Human Rights Ally in Bahrain?
Human Rights Watch | hrw.org | 2019-02-14
Hakeem al-Araibi | © 2019 | Today marks the eighth anniversary of the mass protests in Bahrain during the 2011 Arab Uprisings, when thousands demonstrated against the ruling al-Khalifa family's tight grip on power. The government's ensuing crackdown left about 30 people dead and hundreds injured. | For the last eight years, the Bahraini authorities…
hrw.org/news/2019/02/14/global-sports-groups-new-human-rights-ally-bahrain

Egypt: Set Independent Torture Inquiry
Human Rights Watch | hrw.org | 2019-02-14
Egyptian policemen secure Egypt's national police academy. | © 2015 AP Photo/Amr Nabil | (Beirut) — The Egyptian authorities' failure to end or impartially investigate torture and mistreatment in detention facilities reinforces an urgent need for an independent international inquiry, Human Rights Watch said today. As a party to the United Nations Convention Against Torture, Egypt should also allow the United Nations special rapporteur on torture an…
hrw.org/news/2019/02/14/egypt-set-independent-torture-inquiry

Deadly US Applications of Artificial Intelligence
Human Rights Watch | hrw.org | 2019-02-14
In the United States and around the world, public concern is rising at the prospect of weapons systems that would select and attack targets without human intervention. | © 2018 Campaign to Stop Killer Robots | As the United States Department of Defense releases a strategy on artificial intelligence (AI), questions loom about whether the US government intends to accelerate its investments in weapo…
hrw.org/news/2019/02/14/deadly-us-applications-artificial-intelligence

DR Congo: Post-Election Killings Test New President
Human Rights Watch | hrw.org | 2019-02-14
Police charge supporters of opposition presidential candidate Martin Fayulu who had gathered outside the constitutional court in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, January 12, 2019. | © 2019 Tony Karumba/AFP/Getty Images) | (Kinshasa) — The Democratic Republic of Congo's new administration should demonstrate its human rights commitment by impartially investigating and prosecuting the killing of at least 10 people by security forces during…
hrw.org/news/2019/02/14/dr-congo-post-election-killings-test-new-president

Last Process: 50 Postees: 2019-02-15 22:24 GMT (17:24 EST)

2019-02-14: News Headlines

patrick (2019-02-14). No EU cost for Israeli 'apartheid' in West Bank. bdsmovement.net No EU cost for Israeli 'apartheid' in West Bank: In the NewsBy Sanctions and governmentsFebruary 14, 2019 | By: | | euobserver

David William Pear (2019-02-14). Hands Off Venezuela: US, Canada Go Home! globalresearch.ca What is happening to Venezuela is a coup d'état and it has nothing to do with democracy, human rights, free and fair elections or international law. The US and Canada represent the antithesis of those values; defying the United Nations …

Prof. Muhammad Sahimi (2019-02-14). Pompeo, Bolton, and Iran's "Fake Opposition" globalresearch.ca As Iranian people struggle for democracy and respect for human rights and the rule of law, as well as preserving the national security and territorial integrity of their country, two main groups have emerged among the opposition to Iran's hardliners, …

Shared by Hezvo Mpunga (2019-02-14). Rep. Ilhan Omar Grills Elliott Abrams on Support for Central American Genocide. therealnews.com Rep. Ilhan Omar (D) of Minnesota presented Elliott Abrams with uncomfortable facts about his past illegal activities and asked him whether he would pursue similar human rights violating policies against Venezuela as he did against Latin America in the 1980's

WSWS (2019-02-14). Mexican President López Obrador cracks down on Central American migrants. wsws.org Central American immigrants detained in Piedras Negras, Coahuila on the Texas border are rebelling against detention at the hands of López Obrador.

WSWS (2019-02-14). Australian government loses vote on refugee medical evacuation legislation. wsws.org The bill entrenches the power of the minister to prevent detained refugees from travelling to Australia and receiving desperately needed medical care.

Human Rights Watch (2019-02-14). Egypt: Set Independent Torture Inquiry. hrw.org | | Egyptian policemen secure Egypt's national police academy. | © 2015 AP Photo/Amr Nabil | (Beirut) — The Egyptian authorities' failure to end or impartially investigate torture and mistreatment in detention facilities reinforces an urgent need for an independent international inquiry, Human Rights Watch said today. As a party to the United Nations Convention Against Torture, Egypt should also allow the United Nations special rapporteur on torture an…

Fred_F (2019-02-14). Is the refugee rights movement at a turning point? greenleft.org.au Children are off Nauru, Hakeem is back in Australia and parliament has passed the medical evacuation bill. For what feels like the first time in forever, the refugee rights movement is making gains. | True, these gains are small and limited — but they are gains, nonetheless. | The passing of the Home Affairs Legislation Amendment (Miscellaneous Measures) Bill 2018, better known as the medivac bill, was met with celebrations on Manus Island and Nauru as well as within the refugee rights movement. | People have died because of the federal government's refusal to evacuate refugees from offshore detention centr…

amnesty (2019-02-14). The world has not forgotten the women detained and tortured in Saudi Arabia. amnesty.org We all have that one person we immediately connect with. Someone who you know will always be part of your life. The person you can easily talk to, even though it has been months if not years since you last saw one another. For me, Eman Al Nafjan is such a person. Someone I am proud of, who inspires and makes me laugh. | We met in 2010 while I was living in Saudi Arabia. Eman introduced me to Saudi culture and cuisine, and taught me useful Arabic phrases. She took me around the magical souks in Riyadh. |

amnesty (2019-02-14). UAE arms fair showcases Belgian weapon in use by Yemeni militias. amnesty.org A type of Belgian machine gun known to be wielded by a Yemeni militia in the Hodeidah offensive is among the weaponry set to be showcased this weekend at one of the Middle East's largest arms fairs in Abu Dhabi, Amnesty International said today. | According to promotional materials for the UAE's IDEX2019 arms fair, the Minimi will be among the thousands of types of weapons available for sale. Manufactured in Belgium's Wallonia region by FN Herstal, it is among an array of arms transferred by the Belgian Walloon authorities to the Saudi Arabia/UAE-led coalition in recent years for use in the armed conflict in Yeme…

WSWS (2019-02-14). Sri Lanka: SEP and Abbotsleigh workers' committee organise picket to oppose witch hunt in plantations. wsws.org The fight against the witch hunt in the plantations is bound up with the defence of the democratic rights of the working class from the onslaught of the capitalist class.

Human Rights Watch (2019-02-14). Global Sports Groups New Human Rights Ally in Bahrain? hrw.org | | Hakeem al-Araibi | © 2019 | Today marks the eighth anniversary of the mass protests in Bahrain during the 2011 Arab Uprisings, when thousands demonstrated against the ruling al-Khalifa family's tight grip on power. The government's ensuing crackdown left about 30 people dead and hundreds injured. | For the last eight years, the Bahraini authorities…

WSWS (2019-02-14). Australian students endorse rallies to free Julian Assange. wsws.org "I'm going, because I believe Assange should be set free and he should be defended. All people should go to the rallies if they believe in democratic rights."

Human Rights Watch (2019-02-14). An Emirati Woman's Ordeal to Seek Protection from Abuse. hrw.org | | © Hind Albolooki/Twitter | Hind Albolooki fled the United Arab Emirates (UAE) after receiving threats from family members for wanting to divorce an abusive husband. | "I am a mother of four children," she said. "No mother would leave her children just like this. But I had to leave my kids. I had no other choice." Her decision to flee says much about the lack of protection available to women in the UAE. | Hind sought asylum in North Macedoni…

Laura Flanders (2019-02-13). In Prison, the Power's On, But There's No Accountability. counterpunch.org The power is back on at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn and the street outside is relatively silent, but it shouldn't take a week without heat during a polar vortex and hour after hour of hands hammering on windows, to sound an alarm about conditions in federal lock up. The Metropolitan Detention Center Brooklyn More

ACLU (2019-02-13). Betsy DeVos Is Pushing a Terrible Double Standard on College Campuses. aclu.org The education secretary's proposed rules on treatment of sexual harassment and assault claims in school settings discriminate on the basis of sex. | This piece originally ran at The Washington Post. | In her proposed rules governing the treatment of sexual harassment and assault claims on college campuses and K-12 schools, Edu…

ACLU (2019-02-13). New Hampshire Law Illegally Targets Young Voters Ahead of 2020 Primary. aclu.org The state wants students to face criminal penalties if they don't pay to change their out-of-state licenses after voting. | The New Hampshire 2020 primary is still almost a year away, but state legislators are already working to disenfranchise voters. HB 1264, a law set to go into effect in July 2019, will change the definition of what it means to be a "resident" of New Hampshire, forcing people with out-of-state driver's licenses or car registrations to switch to the state versions if they register to vote. | While it may sound like an archaic DMV issue, it's actually a burden on the right to vote. In New Hamps…

Naomi LaChance (2019-02-13). Ilhan Omar Makes Convicted War Criminal Elliott Abrams Squirm. truthdig.com As forensic experts in El Salvador continue the 26-year effort to exhume the bodies of the victims of the December 1981 El Mozote massacre, Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar grilled the Trump administration's Venezuela envoy, Elliott Abrams, on his role in human rights violations. | "I fail to understand why members of this committee or the American people should find any testimony that you give today to be truthful," Omar said during a House foreign affairs hearing on Venezuela on Wednesday. She was referencing the Iran-Contra scandal,…

commondreams (2019-02-13). Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law to Deliver Closing Arguments in SFFA v. Harvard. commondreams.org ______________________________…

teleSUR (2019-02-13). 70 More Bodies Found, 2 Clandestine Graves Uncovered in Mexico. telesurenglish.net Mexican authorities say they have found 49 clandestine graves with 69 bodies inside on a rural property in Colima state. | RELATED: | 2 Migrant Caravans Detained at US-Mexico Border After Crossing | The State Prosecutor's Office says they are working to have all 69 cadavers identified through DNA and forensic examinations. The office also stated that around 70 federal employees have been put on the job to investigate the discovery located in a community just outside of Tecoman…

Aída Chávez (2019-02-13). Immigrant Rights Groups Trash Border Deal: "Immigrant Families Will Pay the Price" theintercept.com Immigrant rights groups are reacting angrily to the border deal to keep the government open, which President Donald Trump has said that he will sign into law, averting a shutdown. The bill, which has not yet officially been drafted, gives Trump more than $1 billion in funding for new barriers on the southern border, and funds a potential increase in immigrant detention capacity. | The barriers that the bill would fund are a rhetorical downgrade from Trump's signature policy of erecting a border wall, which House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has repeatedly rejected to fund. Funding for immigration detention, wh…

teleSUR (2019-02-13). EU Adds Saudi Arabia to Dirty-money Blacklist, Upsets UK. telesurenglish.net The European Commission added Saudi Arabia, Panama, Nigeria and other jurisdictions to a blacklist of nations seen as posing a threat because of lax controls on terrorism financing and money laundering, the EU executive said on Wednesday. | RELATED: | Trump Skips Deadline For Report on Khashoggi Murder, Will Not Impose Sanctions on Saudis | The move is part of a crackdown on money laundering after several scandals at EU banks but has been criticized by…

amnesty (2019-02-13). China: Prisoner of conscience ill-treated in prison: Lee Ming-che. amnesty.org Taiwanese activist Lee Ming-che has been given rotten food and insufficient clothing in his freezing prison cell. As a result of exposing these prison conditions, his wife is not allowed to visit him again until 22 April 2019. Sentenced in 2017 to five years' imprisonment for "subverting state power", Lee Ming-che is a prisoner of conscience and should be immediately and unconditionally released.

amnesty (2019-02-13). Nigeria: Authorities must uphold human rights during and after elections. amnesty.org The Nigerian authorities must protect people from violence and ensure full respect for freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association before, during and after the country's upcoming general election, Amnesty International said ahead of the votes scheduled for 16 February and 2 March 2019. | There have been several instances of violence at election campaign rallies in some states in recent months, including the deaths of four people in Kano state in clashes between rival political supporters in December 2018. | "The election-related violence in states such as Kano, Kwara, Kogi, Rivers, Taraba and Bayelsa…

amnesty (2019-02-13). Mexico: Indigenous rights defenders disappeared: Obtilia Eugenio Manuel and Hilario Cornelio Castro. amnesty.org On 12 February, Mexican Indigenous human rights defenders, Obtilia Eugenio Manuel and Hilario Cornelio Castro disappeared while traveling through Guerrero state, southwest Mexico. They were both members of the Organization of Indigenous Mepha'a People (OPIM, Organización del Pueblo Indígena Mepha'a). Since 2009, due to their human rights work, Obtilia Eugenio and other OPIM members have received several attacks and threats, including death threats. Obtilia Eugenio was recently elected member of the Indigenous Municipal Council of the Ayutla de los Libres town (Guerrero state). Their fate or whereabouts are unknow…

Human Rights Watch (2019-02-13). Thailand: Lift Ban on Outspoken TV Station. hrw.org | | Thai authorities suspend broadcasting of the outspoken Voice TV for criticizing the ruling military junta. | © 2019 Voice TV | (New York) — Thailand's media commission should immediately reverse its decision to suspend broadcasting by Voice TV, Human Rights Watch said today. Taking a television station off the air, even temporarily, is unjustified censorship that will raise doubts about the fairness of the media environment ahead of nationa…

RT (2019-02-13). US senators re-introduce Russian sanctions 'bill from hell'. rt.com A group of senators have introduced a bill suggesting a wide range of sanctions against Russia.

amnesty (2019-02-13). Chine: Un prisonnier d'opinion soumis à des mauvais traitements en prison. amnesty.org Les autorités pénitentiaires ont servi de la nourriture avariée au militant taiwanais Lee Ming-che, et ne lui ont pas fourni suffisamment de vêtements, alors qu'il fait très froid dans sa cellule. Son épouse, qui avait révélé ses conditions de détention au grand public, s'est vu interdire de lui rendre visite jusqu'au 22 avril 2019. Lee Ming-che, condamné en 2017 à cinq ans d'emprisonnement pour ´ subversion de l'État ª, est un prisonnier d'opinion. En tant que tel, il doit être libéré immédiatement et sans condition.

Shared by Merula Furtado (2019-02-13). Incarcerated Immigrants Are Being Tortured. truthout.org In El Paso, Texas, not far from where President Trump delivered a speech riddled with falsehoods and jingoism at a pro-wall rally on Tuesday, at least nine Sikh men reportedly fleeing persecution in India have been on hunger strike in an immigration jail known for weeks. | The asylum seekers are protesting their detention and the conditions of the jail, and Immigration and Customs Enfo…

amnesty (2019-02-13). Egypt steps up executions as six people put to death within two weeks. amnesty.org Egyptian authorities today hanged three prisoners convicted of killing a police officer during clashes that erupted in the weeks following the deadly Rabaa massacre. The executions brought the total number of executions in Egypt to six within a span of two weeks. | Responding to the news, Amnesty International's North Africa Campaigns Director Najia Bounaim said: | "These executions, which come just days after three other people were put to death in separate cases, mark an alarming escalation in executions so far this year. | "The death pe…

amnesty (2019-02-13). Why we must support 14 women determined to fight hate in Poland. amnesty.org …

amnesty (2019-02-13). Poland: Office of Human Rights Commissioner must be able to operate without undue interference. amnesty.org This statement is in response to reports that TVP, state television in Poland, has demanded that Adam Bodnar, Human Rights Commissioner, publicly apologize and pay a specified amount of money to a charity for comments he made in a television interview in January 2019.

Democracy Now! (2019-02-12). Wright State Faculty Ends One of the Longest Strikes at a Public University in U.S. History. democracynow.org In Dayton, Ohio, faculty members at Wright State University have just concluded one of the longest public university strikes in U.S. history. On Sunday, the university's administration reached a tentative contract agreement with the faculty union's executive committee, which union members will vote to ratify in coming days. The strike began late last month, when the university imposed a contract on faculty members that worsened working conditions and decreased benefits. When the administration refused to negotiate, 85 percent of Wright State University's union members voted to authorize a strike. We speak with Ru…

NationAction (2019-02-12). Take Action Now: Help Pass Crucial Voting Rights Reforms. thenation.com Take Action Now: Help Pass Crucial Voting Rights Reforms…

Human Rights Watch (2019-02-12). (Another) Mockery of Justice in Russia. hrw.org Oyub Titiev, a Chechen human rights activist, has been behind bars for more than 13 months on bogus drug charges and his trial is now drawing to a close. Today, the defense filed its last motion, and the judge declined it — just as she has declined all other defense motions. | | | Oyub Titiev at the Shali court in Chechnya, February 12, 2019. | © 2019 Tanya Lokshina/Human Rights Watch | When Oyub's trial began last summer, we had little, if any, expectations for a fair hearing. A man jailed by Chechen authorities in…

Human Rights Watch (2019-02-12). Remembering Alison Des Forges, 10 Years Later. hrw.org | | Alison Des Forges | Ten years ago today, our beloved colleague Alison Des Forges died in the crash of Flight 3407 traveling from Newark to her home in Buffalo. Alison had recently been in Uganda to meet with her research team that, to my great fortune, included me. A colleague and I had just finished documenting a series of massacres by the Lord's Resistance Army, headed by Ugandan rebel leader Joseph Kony. While in Kampal…

Human Rights Watch (2019-02-12). Where do Apparel Companies Stand on Women Workers? hrw.org | | A worker inside a garment factory in Tamil Nadu, India. India passed a law governing sexual harassment at the workplace in 2013. The Indian government can play a leadership role in advocating for a binding ILO Convention on violence and harassment at work, while simultaneously revamping efforts to implement the law in country. | © 2013 Dhiraj Singh/Bloomberg via Getty | Will the fashion industry throw its weight behind the global #MeToo movement? The next few months will tell us how committed apparel companies are…

Human Rights Watch (2019-02-12). Tunisia: Scant Help to Bring Home ISIS Members' Children. hrw.org …

Human Rights Watch (2019-02-12). Egypt: A Move to Enhance Authoritarian Rule. hrw.org | | Egyptian policemen standing guard outside a polling station with an electoral banner depicting incumbent President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi seen with a caption reading in Arabic 'for the sake of Egypt we will continue the story of a nation', in the capital Cairo's central neighborhood of Zamalek, March 26, 2018. | © 2018 Khaled Desouki/AFP/Getty Images | (Beirut) — Proposed amendments to Egypt's constitution, including granting the armed…

Fight Back (2019-02-11). Anti-War protesters say 'No' to Klobuchar presidential bid. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN – A contingent of demonstrators braved the cold and dense snowfall, February 10, establishing an anti-war presence at Boom Island Park, where Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar announced her 2020 presidential bid. | Klobuchar has a long history of voting with Republicans on the issues of foreign intervention and militarism, to include voting "Yea" on bills that imposed economic sanctions on Syria and Iran, added $61 billion to the defense budget, extended the expiration date of the PATRIOT Act, and authorized President Trump to transfer precision guided munitions to the Israeli apartheid regime. She…

Democracy Now! (2019-02-11). Glenn Greenwald Defends Rep. Ilhan Omar: Criticizing Israeli Lobby & AIPAC Is Not Anti-Semitic. democracynow.org Democratic Congressmember Ilhan Omar of Minnesota is facing criticism today after commenting on a tweet by Glenn Greenwald. On Sunday, Greenwald tweeted, "GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy threatens punishment for @IlhanMN and @RashidaTlaib over their criticisms of Israel. It's stunning how much time US political leaders spend defending a foreign nation even if it means attacking free speech rights of Americans." Rep. Omar retweeted his post and added the line: "It's all about the Benjamins baby." She later named AIPAC as the organization paying American politicians to be pro-Israel.

Human Rights Watch (2019-02-11). Gutting Payday Loan Rules Will Harm Vulnerable Families. hrw.org | | Gutting payday loan rules will harm vulnerable families | © Seth Anderson/Flickr | Proposed plans to get rid of rules designed to protect largely low-income consumers from abusive high-interest loans risk the well-being of some of America's most vulnerable households. | The United States Consumer Financial Protection Bureau recently announced the proposal to rescind rules that would have meant payday and auto-title lenders had to make sure that customers could repay loans under the terms of the contract. Loans not…

Consortiumnews (2019-02-11). ICE Detainees on Hunger Strike Being Force-Fed Like Those at Guantánamo. consortiumnews.com Organizations ranging from the ACLU to Human Rights Watch condemn the practice as "inherently cruel, inhuman, and degrading," writes A. Naomi Paik. Protesters depicting detainees of the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis) By A. Naomi… Read more →

Human Rights Watch (2019-02-11). Lebanon: No Justification for LGBT Crackdown. hrw.org | | Activists take part in a protest outside the Hbeish police station in Beirut on May 15, 2016, demanding the release of four transgender women and calling for the abolishment of article 534 of the Lebanese Penal code, which prohibits having sexual relations that 'contradict the laws of nature'. | © 2016 ANWAR AMRO/AFP/Getty Images | (Beirut) — Lebanese security forces have repeatedly interfered with human rights events related to gender a…

Human Rights Watch (2019-02-11). Thailand: Bahraini Footballer Goes Home to Australia. hrw.org | (New York) — Thailand has freed a Bahraini refugee football player threatened with extradition since November 2018 following global pressure from athletes, sports federations, and rights groups, Human Rights Watch said today. | On February 11, 2019, Thai prosecutors dropped their extradition case against Hakeem Al-Araibi, sought by…

Jeremy Scahill (2019-02-10). Pox Americana: Vijay Prashad on Venezuela, India, Mexico, Congo, and U.S. Hegemony. theintercept.com There is a brazen, bipartisan push by the U.S. government for regime change in Venezuela with the Trump administration officially declaring opposition leader Juan Guaidó as the "legitimate" president. The economic sanctions imposed on Venezuela by the U.S. are aimed at starving the population into submission with notorious neoconservatives John Bolton and Elliott Abrams coordinating the campaign to overthrow the government of Nicolás Maduro. What we are witnessing right now in Latin America is a modern iteration of the same dirty tactics that the U.S. has historically used against the nations south of the U.S. bo…

Human Rights Watch (2019-02-10). Australia Court Rules it is the 'Wrong Time' for Coal. hrw.org | | A coal mine near Gunnedah, Australia, September 11, 2012. | © AP Photo/Rob Griffith | An Australia court has rejected an appeal to grant permission to develop a new coal mine because it will contribute to global warming, the latest in a series of court rulings grounded in concerns over climate change. | It is the "wrong time" for coal, the Environmental and Land Court of New South Wales concluded, "because the GHG [Greenhouse Gas] emissi…

Human Rights Watch (2019-02-10). Sudan: Video Footage Shows Extreme Violence, Abuse. hrw.org …

stuart_m (2019-02-09). What does the media not get about sanctions on Venezuela? greenleft.org.au Last week, the US formally adopted sanctions on Venezuelan national oil company PDVSA, as well as on CITGO, its US-based distribution arm, as part of its press for regime change in Caracas. National Security Advisor John Bolton estimated the actions would affect some $7 billion in assets and would block $11 billion in revenue to the Venezuelan government over the next year. The State Department was quick to add, "These new sanctions do not target t…

Democracy Now! (2019-02-08). Dems Accuse Trump Admin of "State-Sponsored Child Abuse" as Separated Migrant Children Scandal Grows. democracynow.org Trump administration officials are acknowledging that there may be thousands more missing immigrant children who were separated from their parents than originally reported. This was the focus of a hearing on Thursday of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations. We speak to Lee Gelernt, deputy director of the ACLU Immigrants' Rights Project. He is the lead lawyer on the ACLU's national challenge to the Trump administration's family separation practice. He testified at the hearing yesterday.

Last Process: 50 Citations: 2019-02-14 15:07 GMT (10:07 EST)