2018-12-29: Social Media Postees

2018: A year of media suppression and rights abuses in Pakistan
aljazeera | aljazeera.com | 2018-12-29
Over the past year, there was a noticeable increase in attacks on freedom of expression and human rights in Pakistan.
aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2018-year-media-suppression-rights-abuses-pakistan-181229143544306.html

'You're racist as f**k': Woman brandishes knife during slur laden attack (GRAPHIC VIDEO)
RT | rt.com | 2018-12-29
A knife-wielding woman unleashed a racist diatribe on a young black couple as a dispute over a parking space spiraled out of control in Oregon on Christmas Eve. | …
rt.com/usa/447677-racist-insults-oregon-video/

'No to $5 Billion, No to $2.1 Billion, No to $1.6 Billion': Progressive Groups Pressure Democrats to Reject Any Funding for Trump's Anti-Immigrant Agenda
Jake Johnson, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2018-12-29
The ACLU and dozens of other advocacy groups urged Democrats to "reject any additional funding for detention beds, ICE and Border Patrol agents, or other harmful enforcement." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/trumps-very-expensive-border-wall-2_0.jpg
commondreams.org/news/2018/12/29/no-5-billion-no-21-billion-no-16-billion-progressive-groups-pressure-democrats?cd-origin=rss

Court Order Could Signal Change for Trans Women in Men's Prisons
Shared by williampitt | truthout.org | 2018-12-29
Strawberry Hampton has spent the last three-and-a-half years living in men's prisons in Illinois. She has spent the past two years in solitary confinement after reporting sexual harassment and abuse at the hands of prison staff. She has filed two lawsuits about repeated physical and sexual abuse. She settled one in 2017; in 2018, she filed another suit for the continuing physical and sexual assaults she endured at the hands of prison staff and the men around her. That lawsuit demands that Hampton, who has…
truthout.org/articles/court-order-could-signal-change-for-trans-women-in-mens-prisons/

Argentina: Milagro Sala to Run for Governor of Jujuy in 2019
teleSUR | telesurenglish.net | 2018-12-28
Activist and Indigenous leader Milagro Sala, now in detention, has announced she will run in the 2019 regional elections for governor of Jujuy province, northern Argentina. | RELATED: | 'Glimpse of Hope': Milagro Sala Acquitted on Homicide Charges | "I have the intention of competing against Gerardo Morales in the elections," said Sala during a radio interview on Thursday. | Sala said she wants to improve the living conditions of the people of Jujuy, where she says there's "no democr…
telesurenglish.net/news/Argentina-Milagro-Sala-to-Run-for-Governor-of-Jujuy-in-2019-20181228-0019.html

The First Step Act Is a Small Step for Incarcerated Women
Anjana Samant | commondreams.org | 2018-12-28
To achieve meaningful gender justice, we need to apply a gender lens in analyzing both problems and solutions. (Photo: Flickr/cc) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/prison.jpeg
commondreams.org/views/2018/12/28/first-step-act-small-step-incarcerated-women?cd-origin=rss

Left-wing, Anti-Occupation Israeli Author Amos Oz Dies at 79
teleSUR | telesurenglish.net | 2018-12-28
Amos Oz, Israel's best-known author and an outspoken supporter of the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, died of cancer at the age of 79 on Friday, his daughter said. | RELATED: | Natalie Portman Calls Israel's Nation-State Law Racist | Born in Jerusalem to Eastern European immigrants, Oz moved to a kibbutz at 15 after his mother's suicide. He fought in the 1967 and 1973 Middle East wars, experiences that tinged his advocacy for territorial compromise with the Palesti…
telesurenglish.net/news/Left-wing-Anti-Occupation-Israeli-Author-Amos-Oz-Dies-at-79-20181228-0010.html

The Courts Consistently Brushed Back Trump's Assaults on Immigrants in 2018
ACLU | aclu.org | 2018-12-28
From family separation to the asylum ban, our independent judiciary stepped in to ensure that the president is not above the law. | This article was originally published in The Los Angeles Times. | For immigrants, there's no way to sugarcoat 2018. The Trump administration enacted a series of draconian policies targeting noncitizens, and the one that will most define the year — and this administration — is the separation of thousands of children, some less than a year old, from their mother…
aclu.org/blog/immigrants-rights/immigrants-rights-and-detention/courts-consistently-brushed-back-trumps

#LogOutFacebook: Because of You, We Did. Thank You!
Vanessa Mbonu@naacpnet | naacp.org | 2018-12-27
Thank you. During the week-long #LogOutFacebook protest, you were joined by thousands of advocates, celebrities, elected officials and partners to take a stand, to let Facebook know that they need to do better. You made it known that you will no longer tolerate privacy breaches, hate speech, bias, and misinformation. This logout cycle is done, but our […] | The post #LogOutFacebook: Because of You, We Did. Thank You! appeared first on NAACP.
naacp.org/latest/logoutfacebook-because-of-you-we-did-thank-you/

The First Step Act Is a Small Step for Incarcerated Women
ACLU | aclu.org | 2018-12-27
While the law ends two gender-specific indignities of federal incarceration, it only begins to scratch the surface for incarcerated women. | The enactment of the First Step Act earlier this month will bring some much-needed change to our criminal justice system. But the First Step Act remains just that, a first step — particularly with respect to the impact that mass incarceration has had on cisgender women and trans people. | The legislation ends two gender-specific indignities…
aclu.org/blog/prisoners-rights/women-prison/first-step-act-small-step-incarcerated-women

Amber Heard: I Spoke Up Against Sexual Violence and Faced Our Culture's Wrath
ACLU | aclu.org | 2018-12-27
It's time to reform institutions that protect men accused of abuse. | This piece was originally published in the Washington Post. | I was exposed to abuse at a very young age. I knew certain things early on, without ever having to be told. I knew that men have the power — physically, socially and financially — and that a lot of institutions support that arrangement. I knew this long befor…
aclu.org/blog/womens-rights/violence-against-women/amber-heard-i-spoke-against-sexual-violence-and-faced-our

Rally on 3rd anniversary of David Dungay's death at Long Bay Jail
peter_b | greenleft.org.au | 2018-12-27
The Dungay Family supported by the Indigenous Social Justice Association (ISJA) has invited all to attend a rally on December 29, the third anniversary of David Dungay's death in Sydney's Long Bay Jail. | David Dungay was a 26-year-old Aboriginal man who was killed when under the control of Correctional Services Officers (CSO) and Justice Health (JH) nurses, just four weeks before he was due to be released. Dungay died simply because he ate a biscuit he wasn't supposed to. | Dungay's death has been shrouded in mystery; his family have spent the last three years fighting for information and some kind of justi…
greenleft.org.au/content/rally-3rd-anniversary-david-dungays-death-long-bay-jail

Japanese Prosecutors Demand 5 Years in Prison for Executives Facing Trial for Fukushima Nuclear Disaster
Jessica Corbett, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2018-12-27
More than seven years after the Fukushima nuclear disaster, prosecutors in Japan on Wednesday demanded that three former executives from Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) each face five years behind bars for failing to ensure the safety of the power plant. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/fukushima_4.jpg
commondreams.org/news/2018/12/27/japanese-prosecutors-demand-5-years-prison-executives-facing-trial-fukushima-nuclear?cd-origin=rss

A motel beside I-75 in Adel, GA
The I-75 in Adel, GA.
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Lee Grimes' home in McRae, GA.
A police car races down a country road in Adel, GA.
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Dinah Ray in the reflection of a painting at her home in Sacramento, CA.
Dinah Ray at her home in Sacramento, CA.
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Liliana Segura | theintercept.com | 2018-12-27
Hercules Brown has been in prison for murder for more than 16 years, but he has not confessed to the September 1998 murder of Donna Brown at the Taco Bell in Adel, Georgia — even though there is strong evidence pointing to his guilt, and Devonia Inman, a man unconnected to the crime, is serving a life sentence in prison for it. | Jessica Cino, a dean and law professor at Georgia State University, has spent countless hours over more than three years trying to find a way to help Inman prove his innocence, a monumental feat that means battling a court system rigged to keep him behind bars. He's exhausted his n…
theintercept.com/2018/12/27/murderville-georgia-adel-murders/

Muslim Ban: Meet the Yemeni Americans Suing Trump in an Attempt to Reunite with Loved Ones
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-12-26
A group of Yemeni Americans have filed a new federal lawsuit over President Trump's Muslim ban. The suit alleges the State Department has revoked previously approved visas, preventing many Yemenis from reuniting with their families living in the United States. We speak to two of the plaintiffs and the Center for Constitutional Rights, which brought the lawsuit.
www.democracynow.org/2018/12/26/muslim_ban_meet_the_yemeni_americans

The Battle to Stop Family Separation
ACLU | aclu.org | 2018-12-26
How a Congolese mother and child set in motion an extraordinary battle that exposed government conduct unprecedented in its cruelty and carelessness. | In March 2017, John Kelly, then Secretary of Homeland Security, said in an interview with CNN that the Trump administration was considering a national policy to separate parents from their children to deter immigrants from crossing the border into the United States. The proposal triggered a backlash because it was so unpalatable, and the…
aclu.org/blog/immigrants-rights/immigrants-rights-and-detention/battle-stop-family-separation

When Portland Tried to Dictate Favorable News Coverage of Its Protest Crackdowns
ACLU | aclu.org | 2018-12-26
Journalists rightfully turned down an offer by Portland police to observe the command center during a protest. They had at least three good reasons. | After months of facing criticism for how Portland has been policing protests, the city's mayor and police bureau recently invited select reporters to the bureau's command center to watch their policing in action. The only catch? Well, there were at least three. | But first, some background: The Portland Police Bur…
aclu.org/blog/free-speech/freedom-press/when-portland-tried-dictate-favorable-news-coverage-its-protest

The Man Who Fell From The Sky: Is Revenge Justified Against Racist Murder?
Shared by Hezvo Mpunga | therealnews.com | 2018-12-26
A page-turning murder mystery set in a Cape Verdean community during the Vietnam War and the war against The Black Panthers, by writer, scholar, and author Bill Fletcher, Jr. | The post The Man Who Fell From The Sky: Is Revenge Justified Against Racist Murder? appeared first on The Real News Network.
therealnews.com/stories/the-man-who-fell-from-the-sky-is-revenge-justified-against-racist-murder

China: Trial of lawyer Wang Quanzhang a "cruel charade"
amnesty | amnesty.org | 2018-12-26
The trial of Chinese human rights lawyer Wang Quanzhang is a cruel charade and he should be immediately and unconditionally released, Amnesty International said. | Wang is one of the few lawyers still held in detention after the Chinese government's mass crackdown in 2015, which targeted nearly 250 lawyers and activists. He is on trial at the Tianjin Municipal No.2 Intermediate People's Court accused of "subverting state power," which carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. | "This is a sham trial in which Wang Quanzhang is being persecuted only for peacefully defending human rights," said Doriane Lau, C…
amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2018/12/china-lawyer-wang-quanzhang-trial-cruel-charade/

A Tribute to Blacklisted Lyricist Yip Harburg: The Man Who Put the Rainbow in The Wizard of Oz
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-12-25
His name might not be familiar to many, but his songs are sung by millions around the world. Today, we take a journey through the life and work of Yip Harburg, the Broadway lyricist who wrote such hits as "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" and who put the music into The Wizard of Oz. Born into poverty on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, Harburg always included a strong social and political component to his work, fighting racism and poverty. A lifelong socialist, Harburg was blacklisted and hounded throughout much of his life. We speak with Harburg's son, Ernie Harburg, about the music and politics of his father. T…
www.democracynow.org/2018/12/25/a_tribute_to_blacklisted_lyricist_yip

Angela Davis: We Owe It to People Who Came Before Us to Fight to Abolish Prisons
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-12-24
Angela Davis is a leading advocate for prison abolition, a position informed by her own experience as a prisoner and a fugitive on the FBI's top 10 wanted list more than 40 years ago. Once caught, she faced the death penalty in California. After being acquitted on all charges, she spent her life fighting to change the criminal justice system. Amy Goodman sat down with Angela Davis at Busboys and Poets in Washington, D.C., in October to talk about the prison abolition movement.
www.democracynow.org/2018/12/24/angela_davis_we_owe_it_to

Angela Davis on Running from the FBI, Lessons from Prison and How Aretha Franklin Got Her Free
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-12-24
For more than four decades, Davis has been one of most influential activists and intellectuals in the United States. An icon of the black liberation movement, Davis's work around issues of gender, race, class and prisons has influenced critical thought and social movements across several generations. She is a leading advocate for prison abolition, a position informed by her own experience as a prisoner and fugitive on the FBI's top 10 most wanted list more than 40 years ago. Once caught, she faced the death penalty in California. After being acquitted, she has spent her life fighting to change the criminal justic…
www.democracynow.org/2018/12/24/angela_davis_on_running_from_the

From 1968 to 2018: Angela Davis on Freedom Struggles Then and Now, and the Movements of the Future
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-12-24
Legendary scholar and activist Angela Davis's work around issues of gender, race, class and prisons has influenced critical thought and social movements across several generations. Amy Goodman sat down with her in Washington, D.C., in October to discuss freedom struggles over the past 50 years, and where people's movements are going next.
www.democracynow.org/2018/12/24/from_1968_to_2018_angela_davis

They Rescued Pigs and Turkeys From Factory Farms — and Now Face Decades in Prison
Leighton Akio Woodhouse | theintercept.com | 2018-12-23
In the fall of 2017, Glenn Greenwald reported on a nationwide FBI manhunt for two pigs named Lily and Lizzie. The pigs had been removed from a factory farm in Utah by animal rights activists from a group called Direct Action Everywhere. From the perspective of the activists, the pigs were rescued. From the perspective of Smithfield Farms, the Chinese-owned multinational corporation that owns the factory farm, they were stolen. | Direct Action Everywhere, also known as DxE, engages in a practice calle…
theintercept.com/2018/12/23/dxe-animal-rights-factory-farms/

Iraq/Kurdistan Region: Risk of Double Trials for ISIS Ties
Human Rights Watch | hrw.org | 2018-12-23
Cigarette burns cover the hands and arms of 18-year-old "Karim." Kurdish authorities held him for 13 months. He then returned home and was rearrested by authorities under Baghdad's control, who tortured and held him for months. | © 2018 San Saravan | (Beirut) — Sunni Arab boys who serve prison time in Iraq's Kurdistan region for Islamic State (also known as ISIS) connections risk rearrest after their release if they try to reunite with their families…
hrw.org/news/2018/12/23/iraq/kurdistan-region-risk-double-trials-isis-ties

Extremists' collectibles used to fund today's hate movement
Bill Morlin | splcenter.org | 2018-12-21
Attempts to sell neo-Nazi memorabilia online are nothing new, but a recent marketing ploy attempts to use the sale of racist antiquities to fund modern-day racist activities.
splcenter.org/hatewatch/2018/12/21/extremists-collectibles-used-fund-todays-hate-movement

Single Moms Get Sucked Into the Cruelest Debtors' Prison We've Ever Seen
ACLU | aclu.org | 2018-12-21
In Lexington County, SC, moms struggling to make ends meet get jailed for weeks or months at a time when they can't afford to pay court fines and fees | Twanda Marshinda Brown is a single mom in South Carolina who was supporting her children by working at Burger King. In 2016, a court in Lexington County fined her around $2,300 for two traffic offenses. The judge ordered her to make monthly payments of $100, even though she explained she could only afford to pay $50 a month whil…
aclu.org/blog/racial-justice/race-and-criminal-justice/single-moms-get-sucked-cruelest-debtors-prison-weve

The Death Penalty in 2018: A Punishment on the Decline
ACLU | aclu.org | 2018-12-21
We have much to celebrate in 2018, and much work towards abolition in the years ahead. | An annual survey conducted by the Death Penalty Information Center shows a significant decline in 2018 in the use of the death penalty nationwide. This is as it should be — the nation is turning away from the barbaric practice of killing its people as punishment. | In 2018, 25 people were executed, marking the fourth year in a row the United States has had fewer than 30 executions. That's down dramatically from the peak of 98 executions we saw in 1999. Death sentenc…
aclu.org/blog/capital-punishment/innocence-and-death-penalty/death-penalty-2018-punishment-decline

Congress Touts First Step Act as Criminal Justice Victory–But Critics Fear Bill Makes False Promises
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-12-21
A major criminal justice reform bill is poised to become law after the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly voted in its favor Thursday. The First Step Act, passed in the Senate earlier this week with an 87-12 vote, would roll back sentences for federal prisoners, including mandatory life terms for third-time offenders and mandatory sentences for nonviolent drug users. The bill is now heading to the desk of President Trump, who has pledged to sign it into law. The bill only affects federal prisoners, who make up less than 10 percent of the more than 2 million U.S. prisoners. It has been endorsed by a wide…
www.democracynow.org/2018/12/21/congress_touts_first_step_act_as

#SaveHakeem — Stop deportation of Bahraini refugee
kathy_f | greenleft.org.au | 2018-12-21
Bahraini refugee Hakeem Al-Araibi has been held in detention in Thailand since November 27, facing the terrifying prospect of deportation to the country where he was tortured. | Al-Araibi fled to Australia in 2014 and was accepted as a refugee. In November, he travelled on UN travel documents to Thailand for a short holiday with his wife. When he arrived at Bangkok airport, Al-Araibi was arrested under an Interpoll "Red Notice" (an international arrest warrant) issued by the Bahrain government. | Interpol is not meant to issue red notices for refugees, so this red notice should never have been issued for Al-Araib…
greenleft.org.au/content/savehakeem-%E2%80%93-stop-deportation-bahraini-refugee

Taiwan: Open Letter on legal recognition of same-sex unions
amnesty | amnesty.org | 2018-12-21
Dear Premier Lai, | We write concerning the results of the recent referendums in Taiwan in which same-sex marriage rights and LGBT-inclusive education in schools were rejected by voters on 24 November. We urge the Taiwanese authorities not to implement the outcomes of the referendums as this would violate human rights law, bolster discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, and undermine comprehensive and inclusive education on gender and sexuality. | We would like to recall that despite the referendum results, the Taiwanese government still is under court order to enact legislation for recognizing same-se…
amnesty.org/en/latest/campaigns/2018/12/open-letter-lai-ching-tei-legal-recognition-taiwan-same-sex-unions/

Émirats arabes unis: Jugement attendu pour un défenseur des droits humains
amnesty | amnesty.org | 2018-12-21
Le 24 décembre 2018, la Cour suprême fédérale des Émirats arabes unis doit examiner l'appel interjeté par l'éminent défenseur des droits humains et prisonnier d'opinion Ahmed Mansoor. La cour devrait rendre un verdict définitif. Le 29 mai, Ahmed Mansoor a été déclaré coupable entre autres d' ´ outrage aux Émirats arabes unis et à leurs symboles ª et condamné à 10 ans de prison.
amnesty.org/en/documents/mde25/9624/2018/fr/

United Arab Emirates: Further Information: Possible Verdict For Human Rights Defender: Ahmed Mansoor
amnesty | amnesty.org | 2018-12-21
On 24 December 2018 the Federal Supreme Court in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is set to hear the appeal of prominent human rights defender and prisoner of conscience, Ahmed Mansoor. The court may issue a final verdict. On 29 May 2018, Ahmed Mansoor was convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison on charges including "insulting the UAE and its symbols".
amnesty.org/en/documents/mde25/9624/2018/en/

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Ruth Conniff | progressive.org | 2018-12-20
"It was Paul Ryan and Reince Priebus who transformed the politics of Wisconsin with racist dog-whistle messaging, and that laid the foundation for Donald Trump."
progressive.org/dispatches/paul-ryans-hypocrisy-181220/

'Domestic Workers Don't Have Protections Against Discrimination and Harassment' – CounterSpin interview with Mariana Viturro on Domestic Workers Bill of Rights
Janine Jackson | fair.org | 2018-12-20
Janine Jackson interviewed Mariana Viturro about the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights for the December 14, 2018, episode of CounterSpin. This is a lightly edited transcript. | Media…
fair.org/home/domestic-workers-dont-have-protections-against-discrimination-and-harassment/

Anti-Lynching Bill Passes the U.S. Senate
Adam Lee | naacp.org | 2018-12-20
Late in the afternoon of 12/19, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed S. 3178, the Justice for Victims of Lynching Act, which was originally introduced by Senators Kamala Harris (CA), Cory Booker (NJ) and Tim Scott (SC). This crucial legislation would make lynching a hate crime, therefore eligible for the additional federal tools and resources used […] | The post Anti-Lynching Bill Passes the U.S. Senate appeared first on NAACP.
naacp.org/latest/anti-lynching-bill-passes-u-s-senate/

PRISON AND SENTENCING REFORM PASSES THE US SENATE
Adam Lee | naacp.org | 2018-12-20
On December 18, 2018, the U.S. Senate passed, by a vote of 87 yeas to 12 nays, its version of the First Step Act, legislation which begins to reform our nation's sentencing laws and prison terms. This bipartisan legislation, which has been strongly supported and promoted by the White House, offers some important improvements to the current federal criminal […] | The post PRISON AND SENTENCING REFORM PASSES THE US SENATE appeared first on NAACP.
naacp.org/latest/prison-sentencing-reform-passes-us-senate/

NAACP Launches Boycott of Facebook: Platform Is Unhealthy for African Americans & U.S. Democracy
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-12-20
Facebook is under fire again, this time for new revelations that Russian trolls targeted African Americans on social media in an effort to influence the vote ahead of the 2016 election. A pair of bipartisan reports published by the Senate Intelligence Committee Monday claim the Russian government focused on African Americans in its effort to suppress the turnout of voters likely to cast ballots for Hillary Clinton, spreading fake news and sowing discord in the run-up to the election. The NAACP has launched a Facebook boycott in response, demanding the social media giant be held responsible. We speak with Derrick…
www.democracynow.org/2018/12/20/naacp_launches_boycott_of_facebook_platform

Congress Just Took a Big Step Toward Ending the Shackling of Pregnant Prisoners
ACLU | aclu.org | 2018-12-20
Passing the First Step Act will be a step toward upholding the rights and protecting the health of pregnant prisoners. | Congress on Thursday passed the Senate version of the First Step Act, which is now headed for signature to President Trump. He is expected to sign it on Friday. | The First Step Act would, in addition to enacting other important criminal justice reforms, prohibit the shackling of p…
aclu.org/blog/prisoners-rights/women-prison/congress-just-took-big-step-toward-ending-shackling-pregnant

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/

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/

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. Sub-Saharan migrants shared their stories with Amnesty International. Their experiences illustrate the injustice w…
amnesty.org/en/documents/mde28/9512/2018/en/

Emirats arabes unis: Un universitaire en grève de la faim est dans un état critique
amnesty | amnesty.org | 2018-12-20
La santé de Nasser bin Ghaith s'est gravement détériorée. Cet éminent économiste et universitaire émirien observe une grève de la faim depuis plus de 70 jours dans la prison d'Al Razeen, aux Émirats arabes unis, pour dénoncer les conditions de détention et la privation de soins médicaux dans cet établissement. Cet homme est un prisonnier d'opinion.
amnesty.org/en/documents/mde25/9621/2018/fr/

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

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

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

CYNTOIA BROWN DESERVES CLEMENCY — THIS IS NOT A DEBATE
Rachel Johnson | naacp.org | 2018-12-19
This story is one that meets at the intersection of sex-trafficking and mass incarceration. Cyntoia Brown has been imprisoned since she was 16 years old in 2004, during which time she was charged with first-degree premeditated murder and first-degree felony murder and tried as an adult. Although she was a teenager, she was tried as an […] | The post CYNTOIA BROWN DESERVES CLEMENCY — THIS IS NOT A DEBATE appeared first on NAACP.
naacp.org/latest/cyntoia-brown-deserves-clemency-not-debate/

NAACP to Host National Townhall on Thursday Dec. 20
Rachel Johnson | naacp.org | 2018-12-19
Leaders, activists, and organizers join in a candid conversation about #livingwhileblack, justice reform, protecting our vote, Facebook and more issues impacting black America FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MEDIA CONTACT: Malik Russell/ mrussell@naacpnet.org and Vanessa Mbonu/ vmbonu@naacpnet.org BALTIMORE (December 19, 2018) — NAACP will host its final national tele townhall of the year on Thursday, December 20that 8 pm EST. The townhall is an opportunity to […] | The post NAACP to Host National Townhall on Thursday Dec. 20…
naacp.org/latest/naacp-host-national-townhall-thursday-dec-20/

ALP National Conference a sham
kathy_f | greenleft.org.au | 2018-12-19
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…
greenleft.org.au/content/alp-national-conference-sham

Court docs: Suspects in 'Martyr's Day' beating of black man were wearing Crew 38 attire
Nick R. Martin | splcenter.org | 2018-12-18
Several people arrested in the "Martyr's Day" beating of a black man at a Lynnwood, Washington, bar were sporting T-shirts and patches of the racist skinhead group Crew 38, according to recently released court records.
splcenter.org/hatewatch/2018/12/18/court-docs-suspects-martyrs-day-beating-black-man-were-wearing-crew-38-attire