2018-12-20: Social Media Postees

Brinkmanship and Blinksmanship
Ashley Smith | counterpunch.org | 2018-12-20
Our daily newsfeeds are filled with stories about the spiraling conflicts between the U.S. and China: They're poised on the precipice of a trade war. They're fighting over intellectual property rights. They're arresting each other's diplomats and business executives. And, most ominous of all, the U.S. is challenging China's rule over the seas off its…
counterpunch.org/2018/12/20/brinkmanship-and-blinksmanship/

"The Rights of Every Man [Woman] are Diminished When the Rights of One Man [Woman] Are Threatened"
Nyla Ali Khan | counterpunch.org | 2018-12-20
The killing of seven civilians in Kashmir this week exposes subcontinental democracy as a brutal faàßade and continues to instigate disgruntlement and antipathy towards democratic procedures and institutions in the state. In accounts of insurgency and counter insurgency operations in the J & K, where are the genuine traumas and tribulations of the people? Do…
counterpunch.org/2018/12/20/the-rights-of-every-man-woman-are-diminished-when-the-rights-of-one-man-woman-are-threatened/

The Constitutional Right to Boycott Israel
Stephen Lendman | globalresearch.ca | 2018-12-20
America's First Amendment affirms fundamental speech and press freedoms. It prohibits congressional legislation prohibiting the exercise of these rights. | A report by the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) and Palestine Legal discussed "The Palestine Exception to Speech: A Movement Under … | The post The Constitutional Right to Boycott Israel appeared first on Global Research.
globalresearch.ca/the-constitutional-right-to-boycott-israel/5663306

America's Mixed Messages: On Board the USS Detention
Karen Greenberg | commondreams.org | 2018-12-20
As the shackling of men on the decks of ships reveals, the Coast Guard's present war-on-drugs detention mission is not one it has exactly been prepared for. (Photo: US Coast Guard) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…
commondreams.org/views/2018/12/20/americas-mixed-messages-board-uss-detention?cd-origin=rss

'Moral disaster' unfolding in child migrant detention centers
Garance Burke, Martha Mendoza | peoplesworld.org | 2018-12-20
Decades after the U.S. stopped institutionalizing kids because large and crowded orphanages were causing lasting trauma, it is happening again. The federal government has placed most of the 14,300 migrant toddlers, children, and teens in its care in detention centers and residential facilities packed with hundreds, or thousands, of children. As the year draws to …
peoplesworld.org/article/moral-disaster-unfolding-in-child-migrant-detention-centers/

The Lives We Changed in 2018
ACLU | aclu.org | 2018-12-20
Because of the generosity of ACLU members, these people are free to live their lives again. | This year hasn't been easy: Thousands of families are still suffering the effects of family separation; the Muslim ban continues to keep loved ones apart; and whole generations of family trees are being decimated by an unfair, out-of-control mass incarceration machine. But beneath the headlines, the news alerts, and the legal battles are a few glimmers of hope that ACLU supporters made possible., , Here are some of our favorite moments from 2018. | Ansly Breathes Free Again : | Ethics teacher Ansly Damus fled…
aclu.org/blog/immigrants-rights/immigrants-rights-and-detention/lives-we-changed-2018

US Makes Top 5 In Record Year Of Killed Journalists
teleSUR | telesurenglish.net | 2018-12-20
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) says that the number of slain and detained journalists increased worldwide in 2018. | RELATED: | Myanmar Court Green Lights Jailed Reporters' Appeal | For the first time in history the United States is among the top five deadliest countries for murdered journalists, with six members of the media unfortunately meeting their end in the U.S. | The U.S. was fourth on the list because of the June 2018 mass shooting at the Capital Gazette in Annapolis, Maryland. Ja…
telesurenglish.net/news/US-Makes-Top-5-In-Record-Year-Of-Killed-Journalists-20181220-0025.html

Letters Implicate WWF in Illegal Land Grab and Human Rights Abuses
commondreams | commondreams.org | 2018-12-20
______________________________…
commondreams.org/newswire/2018/12/20/letters-implicate-wwf-illegal-land-grab-and-human-rights-abuses?cd-origin=rss

Unions, civil rights group pan Trump "school safety" commission's recommendations
Mark Gruenberg | peoplesworld.org | 2018-12-20
WASHINGTON–Teachers unions and a top civil rights group panned "school safety" recommendations from a Trump-named panel of four Cabinet secretaries, saying they do little or nothing to stop the scourge of mass shootings in the nation's schools. And one of their recommendations–restoring discrimination in discipline of "problem" students–is thinly veiled racism against young African Americans, …
peoplesworld.org/article/unions-civil-rights-group-pan-trump-school-safety-commissions-recommendations/

US Deporting Iraqis Without Valid Documents
Human Rights Watch | hrw.org | 2018-12-20
Protesters rally outside the federal court just before a hearing to consider a class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of Iraqi nationals facing deportation, in Detroit, Michigan, US, June 21, 2017. | © 2017 Reuters/Rebecca Cook | (Beirut) — The United States government has deported at least 30 of a planned 1,400 people originally from Iraq back to their country, in some cases threatening long imprisonmen…
hrw.org/news/2018/12/20/us-deporting-iraqis-without-valid-documents

Iran: Imprisoned Dissident Dies
Human Rights Watch | hrw.org | 2018-12-20
Rajai Shahr Prison, Karaj, Iran. | © 2004 Private | (Beirut) — Iranian authorities should immediately carry out an independent and impartial investigation into the death of an imprisoned activist on a hunger strike, Human Rights Watch said today. Anyone found responsible for wrongdoing in the death of Vahid Sayadi Nasiri should be held accountable. Iranian authorities have systematically failed to conduct transparent investigations into at least prio…
hrw.org/news/2018/12/20/iran-imprisoned-dissident-dies

Déjà vu on the Greek-Turkey Border
Human Rights Watch | hrw.org | 2018-12-20
Migrants that crossed the land border between Greece and Turkey are seen at the Pre-Removal Detention Center in the village of Fylakio, Northern Greece, February 24, 2017. | © 2017 Alexandros Avramidis /Reuters | Ten years ago, I documented a systematic pattern of brutal Greek border police pushbacks of migrants and asylum seekers at the Evros River border that divides Greece and Turkey. Last week, as I edited a new Human Rights Watch report, I felt as though I was re-reading my old report. | Here's a paragraph fro…
hrw.org/news/2018/12/20/deja-vu-greek-turkey-border

Ten Good News Stories for Kids in 2018
Human Rights Watch | hrw.org | 2018-12-20
Girls in India during a hygiene training as part of the Great WASH Yatra. Himanshu Khagta, WASH United, 2012 | A couple of years ago, a friend following me on Twitter said he found my feed really depressing. "Doesn't anything good ever happen for children?" he asked. | Spreading doom and gloom sometimes seems an occupational hazard of human rights work. But I've taken my friend's words to heart and now, as we approach the end of the year, here are 10 good news stories for kids: | A number of armed forces and armed grou…
hrw.org/news/2018/12/20/ten-good-news-stories-kids-2018

Senators Try to Sneak Anti-BDS Measure Into Last-Minute Spending Bill
Shared by Cherise | truthout.org | 2018-12-20
Two senators are trying to sneak legislation that would impose criminal penalties on American companies and groups that support a boycott of Israel into a spending package that would avert a government shutdown by Friday. | Sen. Ben Cardin, a Maryland Democrat, and Sen. Rob Portman, an Ohio Republican, are pushing a proposal that would create criminal and civil penalties for American entities that back boycotts supporting Palestinian rights, The New York Times reported. The move se…
truthout.org/articles/senators-try-to-sneak-anti-bds-measure-into-last-minute-spending-bill/

After COP24, Trudeau Government Promises More Goodies For Big Oil
Shared by Hezvo Mpunga | therealnews.com | 2018-12-20
Tina Oh of the Canadian Youth Delegation says COP24 failed to respect the rights of her own and subsequent generations | The post After COP24, Trudeau Government Promises More Goodies For Big Oil appeared first on The Real News Network.
therealnews.com/stories/after-cop24-trudeau-government-promises-more-goodies-for-big-oil

NASA Director Firouz Naderi Calls For Release Of Iran's Political Prisoners

| iranian.com | 2018-12-20
The former director of NASA's Solar System Exploration program, Dr. Firouz Naderi, has joined the international call for Iran to release all political prisoners including Nasrin Sotoudeh, Farhad Meysami and Reza Khandan, who were all imprisoned this year in Iran for peacefully advocating human and women's rights. | The post NASA Director Firouz Naderi Calls For Release Of Iran's Political Prisoners appeared first on The Iranian.
iranian.com/2018/12/20/nasa-director-firouz-naderi-calls-for-release-of-irans-political-prisoners/

US Sanctions Against Iran
Linh Dinh | iranian.com | 2018-12-20
Last month, I was interviewed by Jamejam Daily, an Iranian newspaper. Below is the English version: There are calls inside and outside the country that Iranian officials would do well to get real about the US demands and drink the coup of poison sooner rather than later. They say the US "maximum pressure campaign" has […] | The post US Sanctions Against Iran appeared first on The Iranian.
iranian.com/2018/12/20/us-sanctions-against-iran/

Tell Google to drop Dragonfly
amnesty | amnesty.org | 2018-12-20
Google may have paused their plans to support censorship in China – but it's time they commit not to trade human rights for profit. | In August 2018, it was revealed that despite promising not to support censorship in China, Google was preparing to break their promise and launch a search engine that would comply with the Chinese government's repressive internet regulations. | The project was code-named "Dragonfly" and people around the world including journalists, human rights organizations and Google's own employees protested the business move. In December 2018, it was leaked that Google would be hitting pause…
amnesty.org/en/get-involved/take-action/tell-google-drop-dragonfly/

United Arab Emirates: Further Information: Hunger-Striking Academic In Critical Condition: Dr Nasser bin Ghaith
amnesty | amnesty.org | 2018-12-20
Dr Nasser bin Ghaith's health has severely deteriorated. The prominent Emirati economist and academic has been on hunger strike for over 70 days in al-Razeen prison in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to protest the detention conditions and the denial of access to medical care. He is a prisoner of conscience.
amnesty.org/en/documents/mde25/9621/2018/en/

Egypt: NGO 'foreign funding' case acquittals must lead to end of crackdown on human rights community
amnesty | amnesty.org | 2018-12-20
Responding to the news that the South Cairo Criminal Court this morning acquitted all 43 defendants in the retrial of Egypt's notorious "foreign funding" case — also known as Case 173 – Najia Bounaim, Amnesty International's North Africa Campaigns Director said: | "Today's acquittal of all 43 NGO workers in the first 'foreign funding' case is a step in the right direction for Egyptian justice. This was a bogus case that targeted human rights defenders simply for doing their legitimate work and should never have happened in the first place. | "However, today's ruling only relates to the first phase of the ca…
amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2018/12/egypt-ngo-foreign-funding-case-acquittals-must-lead-to-end-of-crackdown-on-human-rights-community/

Kyrgyzstan: Parliament makes welcome first step towards ratifying Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
amnesty | amnesty.org | 2018-12-20
Amnesty International welcomes the first move by the Parliament of Kyrgyzstan to ratify the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). | "This is an important step towards combating the violations of the rights of persons with disabilities. The unanimity of the vote brings hope that the final ratification is fast approaching. When the Convention is ratified, persons with disabilities must be at the front and centre of any action that the government takes to implement the Convention, including on working groups or committees," said Anna Kirey, Deputy Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia…
amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2018/12/kyrgyzstan-parliament-made-a-breakthrough-to-the-ratification-of-the-convention-on-the-rights-of-persons-with-disabilities/

الجزائر: مُجبرون على الرحيل: قصص الظلم ضد المهاجرين في الجزائر
amnesty | amnesty.org | 2018-12-20
ÿπŸÑŸâ ŸÖÿØŸâ ÿߟÑÿπŸÇÿØŸäŸÜ ÿߟџÖÿßÿ∂ŸäŸäŸÜÿå ÿ®ÿßÿ™ÿ™ ÿߟÑÿ¨ÿ≤ÿßÿ¶ÿ± ÿ®ŸÑÿØ ÿπÿ®Ÿàÿ± ÿ£Ÿà Ÿàÿ¨Ÿáÿ© ŸÜŸá&yu…
amnesty.org/en/documents/mde28/9512/2018/ar/

UAE: Fears grow for health of unjustly imprisoned academic
amnesty | amnesty.org | 2018-12-20
The authorities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) must immediately and unconditionally release Dr Nasser bin Ghaith, a prisoner of conscience whose health has deteriorated sharply in recent days, said Amnesty International today. | Dr Nasser bin Ghaith is serving a 10-year sentence for criticizing the UAE in comments posted on Twitter after a grossly unfair politically motivated trial. | "News that Dr Nasser bin Ghaith's health has deteriorated sharply…
amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2018/12/uae-fears-grow-for-health-of-unjustly-imprisoned-academic/

Algérie: Forcés à partir: Histoires de migrants victimes d'injustices en Algérie
amnesty | amnesty.org | 2018-12-20
L'Algérie est devenue depuis une vingtaine d'années un pays de passage ou de destination finale pour de nombreux ressortissants d'États d'Afrique centrale et occidentale à la recherche d'emplois dans toute une série de secteurs, essentiellement dans le bâtiment et l'agriculture. Malgré le nombre considérable de migrants, de demandeurs d'asile et de réfugiés originaires d'Afrique sub-saharienne présents en Algérie, ce pays ne dispose toujours pas d'un cadre juridique clair définissant le statut des travailleurs migrants et a une loi criminalisant l'immigration irrégulière et en fait une infraction pénale passible…
amnesty.org/en/documents/mde28/9512/2018/fr/

Algeria: Forced to leave: Stories of injustice against migrants in Algeria
amnesty | amnesty.org | 2018-12-20
Over the past two decades Algeria has become a country of transit or final destination of many nationals from West and Central Africa looking for employment opportunities in a variety of sectors, mainly construction and agriculture. Yet despite the large number of Sub-Saharan migrants, asylum seekers and refugees in the country, Algeria still lacks a clear legal framework for migrant workers and has a law criminalizing irregular migration making it an offence punishable by up to five years in prison. | Arbitrary arrests and mass expulsions of migrants from Sub-Saharan Africa have reached an all-time high, in star…
amnesty.org/en/documents/mde28/9512/2018/en/

Migration: to / from / in
amnesty | amnesty.org | 2018-12-20
amnesty.org/en/latest/campaigns/2018/12/migration-to-from-in-middle-east-north-africa/

Trump Publicly Admits His Middle East Policy Puts Israel First — Not America
Whitney Webb | theantimedia.com | 2018-12-20
(MPN) — In a recent interview with the Washington Post, U.S. President Donald Trump publicly stated that his administration's Middle East policy — including the illegal U.S. military occupation of nearly a third of Syria, the administration's adoption of aggressive Iranian sanctions, and Trump's response to murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi — is not driven by his country's interest in oil but instead …

Trump Publicly Admits His Middle East Policy Puts Israel First — Not America

Cambodians Who Fled War, U.S. Bombs and Genocide Now Face ICE Raids and Deportations Under Trump
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-12-19
Cambodians are being deported from the U.S. at record numbers, including many who have been living in the U.S. for decades after fleeing war, U.S. bombings and genocide under the Khmer Rouge. On Monday, an Omni Air flight departed from El Paso, Texas, with 36 Cambodians on board. They were deported to the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh. Attorneys believe it to be one of the largest deportation flights to Cambodia yet under the Trump administration. We speak with Kevin Lo, staff attorney in the Immigrant Rights Program at Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Asian Law Caucus. He has been working with Cambodians livin…
www.democracynow.org/2018/12/19/cambodia…

Brutality Against Prisoners Is Often Unseen. In this Virgin Islands Jail, It Was Caught on Video
ACLU | aclu.org | 2018-12-19
The latest assault follows years of abuse and neglect at the St. Thomas jail. | When Benjamin Hodge, who is serving a nine-month sentence at the Criminal Justice Complex on St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands, told a corrections officer he had found a cockroach in his food, he did not expect that officer would choke him to near unconsciousness. | Though the jail's own chief investigator found that the officer, Jamal Crooke, had used excessive force and lied in his account of the incident, Crooke continues to work at the jail to this day. No criminal investigation was opened into potential assault charges. No kn…
aclu.org/blog/prisoners-rights/brutality-against-prisoners-often-unseen-virgin-islands-jail-it-was-caught

Mental Health Experts & Rights Groups Call for Unceasing Media Coverage of Separated Migrant Children
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-12-19
It's been more than four months since a judge ordered the Trump administration to reunite all families that were separated at the U.S.-Mexico border, but 140 children are still separated from their parents in U.S. custody. It is believed that 30 children will never be reunited. Despite this, family separation is no longer in the daily headlines. We speak with a Harvard psychologist who is trying to change this by calling on U.S. media outlets to highlight the growing number of days that migrant children have been forcibly separated from their parents. Dr. Paula J. Caplan is a clinical and research psychologist an…
www.democracynow.org/2018/12/19/mental_h…

Trump Administration Recommends Slashing Civil Rights Protections for Students of Color
ACLU | aclu.org | 2018-12-19
A federal commission's post-Parkland recommendations include reversing an Obama-era guidance on racial disparities in school discipline. | On Tuesday, the Federal Commission on School Safety issued recommendations that it claims will help makes schools safer following the mass shooting in Parkland, Florida. But at the center of the report is a proposal that will endanger millions of public school students, especially students of color and students with disabilities, by reversing federal guidance intended to address racial disparities in school discipline. Doing away with the guidance will weaken federal civil rig…
aclu.org/blog/juvenile-justice/school-prison-pipeline/trump-administration-recommends-slashing-civil-rights

Justice for Jakelin: Lawmakers Demand Answers in Death of 7-Year-Old Girl in Border Patrol Custody
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-12-19
Outrage is mounting over the death of a 7-year-old indigenous Guatemalan girl in Border Patrol custody, as lawmakers demand answers for the conditions that led Jakelin Caal Maquín to die after being detained at the U.S.-Mexico border. Maquin died on December 8, two days after she and her father presented themselves at the border alongside 161 other Central American asylum seekers. She had been held in detention for more than eight hours when she began to have seizures. Border Patrol agents brought the girl to the hospital after her body temperature spiked to 105.7 degrees. The 7-year-old died of dehydration, shoc…
www.democracynow.org/2018/12/19/justice_…

Transgender Rights Are Under Siege in Trump's America
Michelle Chen | thenation.com | 2018-12-19
Transgender Rights Are Under Siege in Trump's America…
thenation.com/article/transgender-rights-trump-supreme-court/

May Days in Britain
Binoy Kampmark | counterpunch.org | 2018-12-19
It is hard to envisage sympathy for a person who made a name as a home secretary (prisons, detentions, security and such) taking the mast and banner of her country before hopeless odds, but inadequate opponents will do that to you. Vicious, venal and underdone, the enemies from within Theresa May's own Tory ranks resemble…
counterpunch.org/2018/12/19/may-days-in-britain/

Britain Should Stand Up for Saudi Women Activists
Human Rights Watch | hrw.org | 2018-12-19
British Prime Minister Theresa May (L) stands with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on the steps of number 10 Downing Street on March 7, 2018 in London, England. | © 2018 Leon Neal/Getty Images | Last week, the British Foreign Office celebrated the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Human Rights Day by highlighting the courageous work of human rights defenders around the wo…
hrw.org/news/2018/12/19/britain-should-stand-saudi-women-activists

Myanmar: Disband Panel on Crimes Against Rohingya
Human Rights Watch | hrw.org | 2018-12-19
Rohingya refugees walk through rice fields after crossing the border from Myanmar into Palang Khali, Bangladesh, October 19, 2017. | © 2017 Jorge Silva/Reuters | (New York) — Myanmar should disband its commission of inquiry into abuses in Rakhine state because it is clearly unwilling to seriously investigate alleged grave crimes against ethnic Rohingya, Human Rights Watch said today. | At a news conference on December 12, 2018, Rosario Manalo, chair of the Independ…
hrw.org/news/2018/12/19/myanmar-disband-panel-crimes-against-rohingya

Guatemala: New Attack on Anti-Corruption Body
Human Rights Watch | hrw.org | 2018-12-19
(New York) — The decision by the government of President Jimmy Morales to expel investigators with the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala is a major blow to efforts to bring corrupt officials to justice, Human Rights Watch said today. | Guatemala's President Jimmy Morales attends the Latin America and Caribbean International Economic Forum at the Bercy Finance Ministry in Paris | © 2017 Charles Platiau/Reuters | On December 18, 2018, the government announced that it was withdrawing the d…
hrw.org/news/2018/12/19/guatemala-new-attack-anti-corruption-body

Advocates Say Sex Worker Rights Are Human Rights
Shared by Hezvo Mpunga | therealnews.com | 2018-12-19
At the annual remembrance of sex workers who were murdered, supporters say violence against them is violence against everyone | The post Advocates Say Sex Worker Rights Are Human Rights appeared first on The Real News Network.
therealnews.com/stories/advocates-say-sex-worker-rights-are-human-rights

Viet Nam: Police raid major meeting of local NGOs in alarming step-up of repression
amnesty | amnesty.org | 2018-12-19
Police in Viet Nam's capital, Hanoi, shut down a major annual meeting of grassroots groups and non-government organizations (NGOs) this morning in an alarming step-up of the authorities' repression of civil society, said Amnesty International. | | "This is an absurd and shocking crackdown on a well-established, peaceful event. To use an arcane wartime decree about holding events in public spaces to stop a…
amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2018/12/viet-nam-police-raid-major-meeting-local-ngos-alarming-repression/

China: Further information: Chinese veteran activist executed: Xu Youchen
amnesty | amnesty.org | 2018-12-19
Xu Youchen, 58, was executed on 15 November 2018 after the China Supreme People's Court approved his death sentence with immediate execution.
amnesty.org/en/documents/asa17/9611/2018/en/

Mexico: Bill to give armed forces control of security
amnesty | amnesty.org | 2018-12-19
Mexican legislators could pass a bill for a constitutional reform that would broaden the powers of the armed forces providing them wider policing authority and permission to remain on the streets of Mexico permanently. The bill is tabled for voting in the chamber of deputies.
amnesty.org/en/documents/amr41/9618/2018/en/

Chine. Un militant de longue date a été exécuté
amnesty | amnesty.org | 2018-12-19
Xu Youchen, 58 ans, a été exécuté le 15 novembre 2018 après que la Cour populaire suprême de Chine a approuvé sa condamnation à mort le mois précédent.
amnesty.org/en/documents/asa17/9611/2018/fr/

English-speaking Caribbean: time to make the death penalty history
amnesty | amnesty.org | 2018-12-19
Ten years ago, on 19 December 2008, the authorities of Saint Kitts and Nevis carried out what was to become the last execution in the Americas, outside the USA. This anniversary, which follows on from the observance on 2 November of 25 years since a key judicial decision that put a brake on the implementation of death sentences in the region, offers an opportunity for reflection on the present state of the death penalty in the English-speaking Caribbean. | Trends on the use of this punishment point to the inevitability of its abolition. On the occasion of this anniversary, Amnesty International renews its call on…
amnesty.org/en/documents/act50/9585/2018/en/

Venezuela: Indigenous communities attacked and at risk
amnesty | amnesty.org | 2018-12-19
The Pemón Indigenous communities in the Canaima National Park (western Venezuela) were the target of a violent attack during a two-day military operation, for which there was no justification. The communities fear for their safety in the context of these operations and the militarization of their ancestral territory ordered by the national government.
amnesty.org/en/documents/amr53/9584/2018/en/

Mexico: Reforma pondría seguridad en manos de militares
amnesty | amnesty.org | 2018-12-19
Diputados y diputadas del Congreso mexicano podrían aprobar un dictamen de reforma constitucional otorgando a las fuerzas armadas la labor de seguridad pública, originalmente responsabilidad de las policías. Con esta reforma, las fuerzas armadas se mantendrían en las calles de México permanentemente. El dictamen de reforma se somete a votación en la Cámara de Diputados.
amnesty.org/en/documents/amr41/9618/2018/es/

Venezuela: Comunidades indígenas atacadas y en riesgo
amnesty | amnesty.org | 2018-12-19
Un operativo militar atacó violentamente a las comunidades Indígenas Pemón que habitan en el Parque Nacional Canaima (oeste de Venezuela) por dos días y sin justificación. Las comunidades temen por su seguridad frente a las operaciones y el proceso de militarización de su territorio ancestral ordenado por el poder ejecutivo nacional.
amnesty.org/en/documents/amr53/9584/2018/es/

Public apology regarding Amnesty International Netherlands magazine cover
amnesty | amnesty.org | 2018-12-19
Amnesty International has taken the decision to pull the magazine Glamoria and the organisation apologizes unreservedly for its publication. | The magazine, produced by Amnesty International Netherlands, was in extremely poor taste and entirely at odds with our values and objectives as a global human rights movement. | It is clear that the magazine trivialized the suffering and trauma refugees have experienced fleeing their homes, particularly women. We realise the images also compounded sexualized gender stereotypes that harm and objectify women, specifically women of colour. We are conscious that the use of lif…
amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2018/12/public-apology-regarding-amnesty-international-netherlands-magazine-cover/

When Best Practice Isn't Good Enough: Large Campaigns of Phishing Attacks in Middle East and North Africa Target Privacy-Conscious Users
amnesty | amnesty.org | 2018-12-19
We have identified several campaigns of credentials phishing, likely operated by the same attackers, targeting hundreds of individuals spread across the Middle East and North Africa. | In one campaign, the attackers were particularly going after accounts on popular self-described "secure email" services, such as Tutanota and ProtonMail. | In another campaign, the attackers have been targeting hundreds of Google and Yahoo accounts, successfully bypassing common forms of two-factor authentication.
amnesty.org/en/latest/research/2018/12/when-best-practice-is-not-good-enough/

Venezuela: Communautes indigenes attaquees et en danger
amnesty | amnesty.org | 2018-12-19
Les communautés indigènes pemón du parc national de Canaima (dans l'ouest du Venezuela) ont été la cible d'une violente attaque lors d'une opération militaire qui a duré deux jours et pour laquelle il n'existe aucune justification. Ces communautés craignent pour leur sécurité du fait de ces opérations et de la militarisation de leur territoire ancestral ordonnée par le gouvernement national.
amnesty.org/en/documents/amr53/9584/2018/fr/

البحرين: رسالة مفتوحة إلى السلطات البحرينية: أسقطوا جميع التهم وأفرجوا عن نبيل رجب
amnesty | amnesty.org | 2018-12-19
ŸÜÿ≠ŸÜ ÿߟџ֟àŸÇŸëÿπŸàŸÜ ÿ£ÿØŸÜÿßŸá ŸÜŸÜÿßÿ¥ÿØ ÿߟÑÿ≥ŸÑÿ∑ÿßÿ™ ÿߟÑÿ®ÿ≠ÿ±ŸäŸÜŸäÿ© ÿ®ÿߟÑÿ•ŸÅÿ±ÿßÿ¨ ÿπŸÜ ŸÜ&y…
amnesty.org/en/documents/mde11/9588/2018/ar/

2018-12-19: News Headlines

Binoy Kampmark (2018-12-19). May Days in Britain. counterpunch.org It is hard to envisage sympathy for a person who made a name as a home secretary (prisons, detentions, security and such) taking the mast and banner of her country before hopeless odds, but inadequate opponents will do that to you. Vicious, venal and underdone, the enemies from within Theresa May's own Tory ranks resemble More

Glenn Greenwald (2018-12-19). A Federal Crime to Participate in Boycott of Israel? zcomm.org Twenty-six states have laws preventing state agencies from contracting with companies or individuals aligned with the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement…

Human Rights Watch (2018-12-19). Britain Should Stand Up for Saudi Women Activists. hrw.org | | British Prime Minister Theresa May (L) stands with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on the steps of number 10 Downing Street on March 7, 2018 in London, England. | © 2018 Leon Neal/Getty Images | Last week, the British Foreign Office celebrated the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Human Rights Day by highlighting the courageous work of human rights defenders around the wo…

WSWS (2018-12-19). Bangladesh to relocate Rohingya refugees on remote island. wsws.org Nervous about criticism of its plans, the government is attempting to hide information about the new detention facilities and has placed the island under naval control.

Shared by Hezvo Mpunga (2018-12-19). Advocates Say Sex Worker Rights Are Human Rights. therealnews.com At the annual remembrance of sex workers who were murdered, supporters say violence against them is violence against everyone

amnesty (2018-12-19). Viet Nam: Police raid major meeting of local NGOs in alarming step-up of repression. amnesty.org Police in Viet Nam's capital, Hanoi, shut down a major annual meeting of grassroots groups and non-government organizations (NGOs) this morning in an alarming step-up of the authorities' repression of civil society, said Amnesty International. | | "This is an absurd and shocking crackdown on a well-established, peaceful event. To use an arcane wartime decree about holding events in public spaces to stop a…

amnesty (2018-12-19). China: Further information: Chinese veteran activist executed: Xu Youchen. amnesty.org Xu Youchen, 58, was executed on 15 November 2018 after the China Supreme People's Court approved his death sentence with immediate execution.

amnesty (2018-12-19). Migration: to / from / in. amnesty.org

amnesty (2018-12-19). English-speaking Caribbean: time to make the death penalty history. amnesty.org Ten years ago, on 19 December 2008, the authorities of Saint Kitts and Nevis carried out what was to become the last execution in the Americas, outside the USA. This anniversary, which follows on from the observance on 2 November of 25 years since a key judicial decision that put a brake on the implementation of death sentences in the region, offers an opportunity for reflection on the present state of the death penalty in the English-speaking Caribbean. | Trends on the use of this punishment point to the inevitability of its abolition. On the occasion of this anniversary, Amnesty International renews its call on…

kathy_f (2018-12-19). ALP National Conference a sham. greenleft.org.au Bill Shorten surprised no one with his laughingly tiny reforms at the Australian Labor Party National Conference over December 16—18. | If you expected debate, let alone proposals to stop the Adani coalmine or refugee boat turn-backs or the closure of off-shore detention centres, then you would have been disappointed as these things did not happen. | If you were hoping that there might be a commitment to increase the Newstart Allowance or to back progressive industrial relations reforms that will actually change the rules for workers, you would be doubly disappointed as these things were also rejected. | Cl…

Register Peace & Freedom or Green (2018-12-19). 100% of Congress Approves Anti-Nicaragua Sanctions, HR1918. indybay.org All members of Congress in both houses, Democrats and Republicans together, approved the Nicaraguan Investment Conditionality Act of 2017, HR1918 (NICA), placing sanctions on the democratically elected government of Nicaragua which is fighting CIA sponsored gangsters, with the last vote taken in the Senate on November 27, 2018 and in the House on December 11, 2018. See www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/hou…

Direct Action Everywhere (2018-12-19). Animal Rights Meetup: The Power of Nonviolence. indybay.org Berkeley Animal Rights Center | 2425 Channing Way, Berkeley, CA 94704…

Direct Action Everywhere (2018-12-19). Animal Rights Meetup: The Legal Case for Animal Rights. indybay.org Berkeley Animal Rights Center | 2425 Channing Way, Berkeley, CA 94704…

Direct Action Everywhere (2018-12-19). Animal Rights Meetup: New Community Member Celebration. indybay.org Berkeley Animal Rights Center | 2425 Channing Way, Berkeley, CA 94704…

Direct Action Everywhere (2018-12-19). Advanced Leadership Training: DxE's History and Vision. indybay.org Berkeley Animal Rights Center | 2425 Channing Way, Berkeley, CA 94704…

Direct Action Everywhere (2018-12-19). Sustainable Activism Workshop: Berkeley, CA #ChangeMakersTour. indybay.org Berkeley Animal Rights Center | 2425 Channing Way, Berkeley, CA 94704…

Direct Action Everywhere (2018-12-19). January Vegan Pop-Up. indybay.org Berkeley Animal Rights Center | 2425 Channing Way, Berkeley, CA 94704…

Direct Action Everywhere (2018-12-19). Advanced Chicken Care Training. indybay.org Berkeley Animal Rights Center | 2425 Channing Way, Berkeley, CA 94704…

Direct Action Everywhere (2018-12-19). Animal Rights Meetup: Organization & How to Become a Leader. indybay.org Berkeley Animal Rights Center | 2425 Channing Way, Berkeley, CA 94704…

Direct Action Everywhere (2018-12-19). Advanced Leadership Training: Emergent Leadership. indybay.org Berkeley Animal Rights Center | 2425 Channing Way, Berkeley, CA 94704…

FAIR (2018-12-18). When 'Watchdogs' Slept, FAIR Barked. fair.org Dear FAIR friends, FAIR was relentless in calling out corporate media's blatant disregard for the war in Yemen, where a fragile ceasefire is now in effect. More than ten articles on FAIR's website and on CounterSpin over the last year documented big media's utter lack of interest in one of the worst human rights crises …

Democracy Now! (2018-12-18). Headlines for December 18, 2018. democracynow.org Government Shutdown Looms as Trump Demands $5 Billion for Border Wall, Yemen: Fragile Ceasefire Takes Hold After Hodeidah Fighting Dies Down, Yemeni Mother of Dying 2-Year-Old Child Is Denied U.S. Entry, Ex-Associates of Michael Flynn Arrested over Illegal Turkish Lobbying, Senate Committee Claims Russia Targeted African Americans on Social Media, Nicaraguan Government Raids Journalists' Office, Human Rights Group, U.N. Appeals for Palestinian Aid as Trump Withdraws U.S. Support, Australia Recognizes Jerusalem as Israel's Undivided Capital, U.S. and Hungary Dissent as U.N. Votes 181 to 2 for Refugee Pact, Hungary…

aljazeera (2018-12-18). Being a journalist in South Sudan. aljazeera.com Practitioners recount experiences covering political, corruption and human rights stories in world's youngest country.

Andrew Stewart (2018-12-18). Shine a Light for Immigration Rights in Providence. counterpunch.org Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) is a network of nationwide groups that puts its energy and focus into educating and organizing so-called white people to oppose white supremacy and racism. Recently the co-founders were interviewed on The Laura Flanders Show (youtu.be/mq5NbdVcR_U). On December 18 from 4 to 6 PM the Rhode Island SURJ chapter More

Michael T. Klare (2018-12-18). The Coming of Hyperwar: "Alexa, Launch Our Nukes!" commondreams.org A number of human rights and humanitarian organizations have even launched the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots with the goal of adopting an international ban on the development and deployment of fully autonomous weapons systems. (Photo: Sharron Ward/Campaign to Stop Killer Robots/Facebook) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Louise Melling (2018-12-18). Will the Supreme Court Overturn Roe v. Wade After All? commondreams.org Anti-abortion (in front) and abortion-rights (in back) advocates demonstrating in front of the Supreme Court in June. (Photo: J. Scott Applewhite/Associated Press) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Democracy Now! (2018-12-18). Marc Lamont Hill Speaks Out After CNN Fires Him for Pro-Palestine Speech at U.N. democracynow.org Less than a month after CNN fired Temple University professor Marc Lamont Hill for giving a speech at the United Nations supporting Palestinian rights, we speak with him about the international attention his comments have received, academic freedom and why he feels it's more important than ever to speak out about Israeli human rights abuses. Marc Lamont Hill is a professor of media studies and urban education at Temple University. He is the author of several books, including "Nobody: Casualties of America's War on the Vulnerable, from Ferguson to Flint and Beyond." We also speak with Pulitzer Prize-winning journa…

commondreams (2018-12-18). The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law Condemns School Safety Commission Recommendation to Rescind School Discipline Guidance. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Democracy Now! (2018-12-18). Glenn Greenwald: Congress Is Trying to Make It a Federal Crime to Participate in Boycott of Israel. democracynow.org Twenty-six states have laws preventing state agencies from contracting with companies or individuals aligned with the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement. BDS is an international campaign to pressure Israel to comply with international law and respect Palestinian rights. However, its opponents say BDS is a thinly disguised anti-Semitic attempt to debilitate or even destroy Israel. We speak with Glenn Greenwald, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and one of the founding editors of The Intercept. His latest piece is headlined "A Texas Elementary School Speech Pathologist Refused to Sign a Pro-Israel Oath, Now…

Randi Nord (2018-12-18). Texas Educator Files Lawsuit after She was Fired for Refusing to Sign an Oath to Israel. mintpressnews.com Bahia Amawi's federal court suit may constitute the first direct challenge to new legislation aimed at curbing support for the growing Boycott Divest Sanctions (BDS) movement in the United States, which ultimately aims to end apartheid in Palestinian and Israeli territories.

teleSUR (2018-12-18). Colombia: Pivotal Ruling as Court Condemns Trans Woman Femicide. telesurenglish.net For the first time in Colombian history, the Second Criminal Court is prosecuting in defense of a transgender woman, sentencing her murderer to 20 years for the 2017 femicide. | RELATED: | 'Violation of Rights: ' India's Trans Community Rejects Bill | In a historic judicial ruling, a Colombian circuit court sentenced 23-year-old Davinson Stiven Erazo Sanchez to two decades in a psychiatric hospital for the aggravated femicide of Anyela Ramos Claros, in addition to charges of gender-based…

Ben Norton (2018-12-18). Every single member of U.S. Congress approved crushing sanctions on Nicaragua. mronline.org After defeating a violent U.S.-backed coup attempt, Nicaragua's elected government faces the NICA Act. The bill aims to force the Sandinistas from power by ratcheting up economic despair. | Source

Human Rights Watch (2018-12-18). Mali: Militias Kill Over 75 Civilians. hrw.org | | Members of the Dogon militia, Dan Na Ambassagou, which was founded to defend the Dogon community from attacks by Islamist armed groups. Dan Na Ambassagou has been implicated in numerous serious abuses against Peuhl civilians. | © MALIJET | (Bamako) — Ethnic militias in Mali killed at least 75 civilians during a one-week period in early December 2018. Malian authorities began investigations into the incidents and made some arrests, and should appropriately prosecut…

Human Rights Watch (2018-12-18). South Sudan: Spate of Sexual Violence. hrw.org | | Women line up for food rations at a distribution site in Bentiu, South Sudan, on December 8, 2018. | © 2018 Nyagoah Tut Pur/Human Rights Watch | (New York) — South Sudan's government should urgently investigate rape and other sexual violence against women and girls traveling in the former Unity state and provide protection and services to survivors. Investigations should focus not only on the individual crimes, but also on whether the crimes were coordinate…

Human Rights Watch (2018-12-18). US: Fears of Prescribing Hurt Chronic Pain Patients. hrw.org

Human Rights Watch (2018-12-18). Don't Punish US Companies That Help End Abuses in the West Bank. hrw.org | | Barkan, located in the occupied West Bank, is an Israeli residential settlement and industrial zone that houses around 120 factories that export around 80 percent of their goods abroad. In the background is the Palestinian village of Qarawat Bani Hassan. © 2004 David Silverman | Today the US Congress is weighing draft legislation based on problematic logic that conflates a call for businesses to stop operating in West Bank settlements, which are unlawful under the 1949 Geneva Conventions that prohibit transferring…

Human Rights Watch (2018-12-18). Maldives: New Government Should Promote Rights. hrw.org | | Ibrahim Mohamed Solih interacts with supporters during a gathering in Malé, Maldives, September 24, 2018. | © 2018 Eranga Jayawardena/AP Photo | (New York) —The Maldives' new government should make human rights protections a top priority, Human Rights Watch said in a letter to President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih made public today. Solih, who was elected pr…

Human Rights Watch (2018-12-18). Former UN Rights Chief Joins Human Rights Watch Board. hrw.org | | Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, addresses the Human Rights Council at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland February 26, 2018. | © 2018 Reuters | (New York) — The former United Nations human rights chief, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, has joined the board of Human Rights Watch, where he will be one of 34 directors overseeing the work of the organization, Human Rights Watch said today. | "We're thrilled that Zeid is joining the board of Human Rights Watch at this crucial time,…

Tsvetana Paraskova (2018-12-18). Iran's Oil Revenues Surged Despite Sanctions. iranian.com Iran's revenues from crude oil and oil products surged by 55 percent between March and October, the first seven months of the Iranian year, compared to the same period of the previous year, the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported on Monday, quoting data from the Central Bank of Iran. Between March and October, Iran's oil exports […]

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2018-12-18). DeVos' Solution to Mass School Shootings? Scrap the Rules Designed to End Discrimination Against Students of Color. commondreams.org The highly anticipated Final Report from the Federal Commission on School Safety, led by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, was released Tuesday—and includes a long-rumored recommendation that is alarming civil rights advocates: to rescind Obama-era policies crafted to end racial disparities in school disciplinary practices. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Julia Conley, staff writer (2018-12-18). World's Journalists Have Never Faced 'As Much Violence and Abusive Treatment' as This Year. commondreams.org The international press freedom group Reporters Without Borders detailed an "unprecedented" level of violence and hostility toward journalists around the world in 2018, with the number of reporters killed and detained while working—or in retaliation for their work—shooting up from the previous year. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Shared by Hezvo Mpunga (2018-12-18). Take the Money Out of Prison Slavery. therealnews.com Activists and students continue a national divestment movement to stop the corporate funding of private prisons. Sylvester Owino, a Kenyan immigrant, spent 10 years in an immigrant detention center while his case bounced between the lower and higher courts. Owino and other activists talk about the private prison divestment movement and abuses in the transporting…

Shared by Samantha Borek (2018-12-18). Congress Is Trying to Make It a Federal Crime to Participate in BDS. truthout.org Twenty-six states have laws preventing state agencies from contracting with companies or individuals aligned with the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement. BDS is an international campaign to pressure Israel to comply with international law and respect Palestinian rights. However, its opponents say BDS is a thinly disguised anti-Semitic attempt to debilitate or even destroy Israel. We speak with Glenn Greenwald, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and one of the founding editors of The Intercept. His latest piece is headlined "A Texas Elementary School Speech Pathologist Refused to Sign a Pro-Israel Oath,…

Shared by Samantha Borek (2018-12-18). 181 Nations Voted to Help Refugees. Only Hungary and US Voted "No." truthout.org The United States was a near global outlier Monday at the United Nations General Assembly in rejecting a framework to bolster international cooperation on refugees. | Only Hungary — headed by far-right Prime Minister Viktor Orban, whose administration has been accused of carrying out "a full-frontal assault on migrants and refugees" — joined the US in voting "no" on the Global Compact on Refugees (pdf). One hundred eighty-one nations vot…

amnesty (2018-12-18). MENA governments must end discriminatory crackdowns and abuse of migrants. amnesty.org Governments across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) are collectively failing to protect the rights of migrants in their countries, said Amnesty International, marking International Migrants Day. | Across the region, migrants regularly face discrimination, exploitation and other forms of abuse as well as in some cases arbitrary arrest, detention and unlawful expulsion. Whether they are sub-Saharan African migrants passing through North African countries on their way to Europe or domestic or const…

amnesty (2018-12-18). Egypt: Court orders release of woman human rights defender imprisoned for speaking out against sexual harassment. amnesty.org Egyptian authorities must immediately comply with a court decision to release Amal Fathy, a woman human rights defender who was given a two-year sentence in September for posting a video online in which she criticized the Egyptian authorities for failing to tackle sexual harassment. | A Cairo criminal court today ordered Amal Fathy's release on probation after accepting…

amnesty (2018-12-18). Summary Report TB-NET & Amnesty International Event on Treaty Body Elections. amnesty.org This is the summary report of a roundtable working meeting under the Chatham house rule to discuss amongst States and other key stakeholders including the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and NGOs, the current nominations and elections processes for Treaty Body membership, and proposals for improvements which aim to enhance the quality, independence and diversity of Treaty Body membership.

amnesty (2018-12-18). UN: World leaders must seize historic opportunity to protect the rights of migrants. amnesty.org States who have adopted the Global Compact for Migration (GCM) must honour their word and take immediate action to protect the human rights of migrants, Amnesty International said on International Migrants Day. | The GCM, a global agreement to promote safe, orderly and regular migration, will be formally endorsed at the UN General Assembly tomorrow. Amnesty International made a number of recommendations to the draft text. |

amnesty (2018-12-18). Nicaragua: Further information: Human rights organizations at risk. amnesty.org As the National Assembly approved cancelling the legal registration of the Nicaraguan Center for Human Rights (CENIDH), the National Police broke into their offices, and the premises of other three human rights organisations and an independent newspaper. These recent attacks are examples of the continued strategy of repression by the Nicaraguan state against journalists and human rights defenders.

amnesty (2018-12-18). Bermuda: A Human Rights Friendly School approach. amnesty.org Students and teachers of a school in Bermuda talk about their experience after five years participating in the Human Rights Friendly Schools project | Warwick Academy was the first school established in Bermuda, in 1662. 300 years later, it was the first traditionally white school in the country to integrate, almost a decade before the 1971 Bermuda Education Act made it illegal for any school in Bermuda to base admission on race. In 2011, the school achieved another first: the first school in Bermuda to make themselves human rights friendly. A few years on, students and teachers from Warwick Academy tell their st…