(2018-11-26). Court sides with L.A. cop who murdered Jesse Romero. fightbacknews.org Los Angeles, CA – In an outrageous decision, the jury sided with two-time killer and Los Angeles Police Department officer Eden Medina. The civil rights violations trial on 14-year-old Jesse Romero's killing started November 13 and lasted only six days. Early in the preceding, a judge ruled to exclude key evidence from the proceedings. | Killed on August 9, 2016 Jesse Romero was visiting his friends at the apartment complex in Boyle Heights. Someone inside of the apartment complex called 911 saying Romero and another teen were potentially smoking marijuana and graffitiing. LAPD officers Eden Medina and backu…
(2018-11-26). British government inaction ends in life sentence for PhD student in UAE. wsws.org The UAE routinely hands down long jail sentences to critics, dissidents and human rights activists.
(2018-11-26). Army Abducts Eight Palestinians, Including Two Children, In Hebron. imemc.org The Hebron office of the Palestinian Prisoners' Society (PPS) has reported that Israeli soldiers abducted, on Monday at dawn, eight Palestinians, including two children, in several parts of Hebron governorate, in the southern part of the occupied West Bank. The PPS said the soldiers invaded and ransacked many homes in …
(2018-11-26). Including A Woman And A Journalist, Army Abducts Five Palestinians In Ramallah. imemc.org Israeli soldiers abducted, on Monday ay dawn, five Palestinians, including one woman and a journalist, in several parts of Ramallah governorate, in central West Bank, the Palestinian Prisoners' Society (PPS) has confirmed. The PPS said the soldiers invaded and searched many homes in the governorate, and interrogated scores of Palestinians, …
(2018-11-26). Settlers Raid and Vandalize Ramallah Village. imemc.org Israeli settlers, last night, punctured the tires of three Palestinian-owned vehicles and spray-painted racist graffiti on walls after raiding the village of al-Mughayyer, to the north of Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank. Local witnesses told WAFA that settlers from the illegal Israeli settlement of Adei-Ad punctured the tires of three …
(2018-11-26). Hearing to End Workplace Discrimination in City and County of SF. indybay.org San Francisco City Hall | McAllister and Polk St Entrance | San Francisco…
(2018-11-25). Minnesotans to rally in support of migrant caravan. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN – As national attention has focused on the caravan of Central American refugees winding its way through Mexico towards the U.S.-Mexico border, immigrants and their allies in Minnesota will rally in support of the caravan on Friday, November 30. | Organizers are planning for a robust turnout in solidarity with the caravan. The rally will start at 5: 15 p.m. in front of the Minneapolis Federal Building at 4th Street and 4th Avenue. Afterwards, organizers will lead a march towards Wells Fargo to highlight the complicity of the banking industry in supporting for-profit detention centers across the U.S.
(2018-11-25). Government Could Hold Migrant Families Indefinitely Under New Plan. truthout.org This story was originally published by Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting, a nonprofit news organization based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Learn more at revealnews.org and subscribe to the Reveal podcast, produced with PRX, at revealnews.org/podcast. | Migrant families could be held indefinitely in unlicensed detention centers under a new federal plan that also would end critical court protections for immigrant children, according to new court records. | Under the so-called Flores agreement, created in 19…
(2018-11-25). The Counterinsurgency Paradigm: How U.S. Politics Have Become Paramilitarized. theintercept.com Donald Trump ran a campaign promising to refill the notorious Guantanamo Bay prison, to "bring back a hell of a lot worse than waterboarding," to "take out" the families of suspected terrorists, to ban Muslims from entering this country, and to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Yet these policies didn't start with Trump: Torture, indefinite detention, extraordinary renditions, record numbers of deportations, anti-Muslim sentiment, mass foreign and domestic surveillance, and even the killing of innocent family members of suspected terrorists all have a recent historical precedent. | Trump's predecessor, B…
(2018-11-25). Rejecting Claim of Presidential Immunity, Judge Allows Lawsuit Against Trump Foundation to Proceed. globalresearch.ca Rejecting the immunity defense put forth by President Donald Trump's lawyers, a New York state judge on Friday ruled that a lawsuit accusing Trump and members of his family of using their "charitable" foundation as nothing more than a …
(2018-11-25). Ecuador's ex-VP Jorge Glas fights for justice amid right-wing push. greenleft.org.au 
November 12 was the 23rd day of the hunger strike led by Jorge Glas, the former vice-president of Ecuador. His health condition deteriorated significantly after his transfer to the Latacunga maximum security prison. | After enduring deplorable conditions, he was rushed into Carlos Andrade Marín hospital in Quito on November 7, but was transferred back to Latacunga afterwards. He vowed to continue his hunger strike against the continued persecution of him, ex-president Rafael Co…
(2018-11-25). Israeli Soldiers Attack Palestinians Protesting The Abduction Of Jerusalem Governor. imemc.org Israeli soldiers attacked, Sunday, dozens of Palestinians nonviolently protesting the abduction and imprisonment of the governor of occupied Jerusalem, Adnan Gheith, causing many injuries, and abducted one. The soldiers and the police fired dozens of concussion grenades at the protesters, and assaulted many of them with clubs and batons, causing …
(2018-11-24). Reality Winner Battles an Eating Disorder Behind Bars. theintercept.com In August, Reality Winner stood before a federal judge, ready to accept a plea bargain of more than five years in prison for sharing classified information with journalists. Surrounded by dozens of reporters, attorneys, and activists who have followed her case, the whistleblower told the court something deeply personal that she had not even shared with her closest family members before her arrest. | Winner struggles with depression and bulimia."I try to be optimistic, and then they just surprise me and I'm just like, I signed a plea deal to get help." | Weeks later, Winner made a distressed phone call from a crow…
(2018-11-23). Free anti-death penalty activist Atena Daemi. amnesty.org Atena Daemi is an anti-death penalty campaigner and a women's rights activist serving a seven-year prison sentence in Iran for her peaceful activism. Her crime? Handing out anti-death penalty leaflets and criticizing Iran's execution record on social media. | In 2014, aged 26 years, Atena was blindfolded and arrested outside her home. For the first 28 days of her detention, she was held in a cell infested with insects and with no toilet. She said her interrogators offered to grant her easier access to the toilet in exchange for her "co-operation". Unfortunately, this was just the beginning of Atena's mistreatment…
(2018-11-23). Four Days in Occupied Western Sahara—A Rare Look Inside Africa's Last Colony. democracynow.org 
In this special rebroadcast of a Democracy Now! exclusive documentary, we break the media blockade and go to occupied Western Sahara in the northwest of Africa to document the decades-long Sahrawi struggle for freedom and Morocco's violent crackdown. Morocco has occupied the territory since 1975 in defiance of the United Nations and the international community. Thousands have been tortured, imprisoned, killed and disappeared while resisting the Moroccan occupation. A 1,700-mile wall divides Sahrawis who remain under occupation from those who fled into exile. The international media has largely ignored the occupat…
(2018-11-23). How Liberals Got Seduced By Trump's Gifts To Private Prisons. counterpunch.org 
"The theory of Communism may be summed up in one sentence: Abolish all private property." — Karl Marx "Give the man his due: @realDonaldTrump is on his way to becoming the uniter-in-Chief on an issue that has divided America for generations. Congrats to everyone on both sides who fought for this." — Van Jones, of More
(2018-11-23). Free sexual harassment survivor Amal Fathy. amnesty.org Amal Fathy posted a video online, speaking about her experience of sexual harassment and criticizing the Egyptian government for neglecting survivors. Now she's been sentenced to 2 years in prison for 'spreading false news' — and faces further charges. | Shortly after posting the video in May 2018, police raided Amal's home in the middle of the night and detained her, along with her husband and young child. Her family members were released, but Amal remains in prison. She's been sentenced to two years in prison for publishing a video that includes false news that could harm public peace' — and still f…
(2018-11-23). Chasing Down Fascists in Europe. counterpunch.org 
Polish government officials openly marching in a fascist parade along with tens of thousands of their country men and women. Police and city officials in the supposedly liberal city of Portland OR provoking antifascist protesters while protecting fascists and their sympathizers. An openly racist president of the United States declares that he is a nationalist. More
(2018-11-23). Sweden: Homeless Roma and other EU migrants face widespread discrimination and dangerous conditions. amnesty.org Thousands of homeless and destitute EU migrants, mostly of Roma origin, are living in desperate and dangerous situations across Sweden while the country's authorities deliberately deny them access to the most basic services, a new report from Amnesty International has found. | Sweden: A cold welcome: Human rights of Roma and other "vulnerable EU citizens" at risk finds that marginalized EU migrants face insurmountable obstacles to access shelter, sanitation and health services, something that violates their human rights which Sweden has an ob…
(2018-11-23). Join Gulzar's campaign for the rights of persons with disabilities. amnesty.org In Kyrgyzstan where often, women are not meant to speak out and persons with disabilities are labelled as "invalids" and "diseased", Gulzar keeps on fighting for her dignity. | Gulzar Duishenova is a Kyrgyzstani woman with a disability, who lives in a society where persons with disabilities face daily discrimination. One of these forms of discrimination is accessibility; from going to the doctor, to getting on public transport. | But Gulzar is fighting to change this. She has made it her life's mission to ensure that persons with disabilities can live in dignity. The accessibility issues she faces have only stren…
(2018-11-23). Bahrain: Widespread pre-election clampdown on political opposition and activists. amnesty.org Ahead of the Bahraini parliamentary election on 24 November, Amnesty International is gravely concerned over the widespread suppression of the political opposition, activists, and civic leaders. Shi'a public figures have been disproportionately targeted in the pre-election clampdown. | | "Over the past two years, the crackdown in Bahrain has seen the political opposition detain…
(2018-11-23). Bahrain: Suppression of opposition ahead of Bahraini elections. amnesty.org With Bahrain on the cusp of elections for the lower house of its National Assembly this week, Amnesty International notes with serious concern that political opposition has been effectively suppressed over the course of the past two years, with a disproportionate impact on Shi'a political, civic, and religious leaders. Freedom of expression, association, and assembly are all absent in a context in which civic participation is restricted to those who already fully support the existing political order. Amnesty International calls on Bahrain to allow free expression of political dissent, and to fully respect the rig…
(2018-11-22). After Visiting Brazil's Lula in Prison, Noam Chomsky Warns Against "Disaster" Under Jair Bolsonaro. democracynow.org 
As Brazil's President-elect Jair Bolsonaro prepares to take office in January, we return to our conversation with world-renowned political dissident, linguist and author Noam Chomsky shortly after the election. Bolsonaro's impending presidency marks the most radical political shift Brazil since military rule ended more than 30 years ago. Bolsonaro is a former Army officer who has praised Brazil's former military dictatorship, spoken in favor of torture and threatened to destroy, imprison or banish his political opponents. Bolsonaro has also encouraged the police to kill suspected drug dealers, and once told a fem…
(2018-11-21). Hundreds of teachers walk off for refugees. greenleft.org.au 
Teachers, education support staff and even some principals walked off government and private schools across Victoria and assembled at the State Library on November 20, in support of refugees currently being detained on Manus Island and Nauru. A similar protest was held in Brisbane that same day. | More than 30 refugee support organisations, including Teachers for Refugees, which organised the protest, had set November 20, Universal Children's Day, as the deadline for the federal government to evacuate refugee children and their families from offshore detention centres to Australia. | The Walk Off for Refuge…
(2018-11-21). I May Have to Quit Harvard Because the TSA Won't Stop Searching Me. aclu.org The TSA has repeatedly questioned a Muslim-American journalist about her religion and criticism of the government. We're demanding answers from DHS. | This piece was originally published by The Washington Post in August. | I realized my life had entered a new phase while crossing into the United States from Canada in September 2016. | "You both have to come inside," the border officer sa…
(2018-11-21). Libya: Migrants Forced off Ship at Libya Port. hrw.org 
| (Milan) — Libyan security forces forcibly removed 79 migrants and asylum seekers on November 20, 2018 from the Panama-flagged cargo ship Nivin in the port of Misrata in Libya, after they refused to leave the ship for 10 days, Human Rights Watch said today. Security forces reportedly used force and tear gas. An unknown number of people were taken to hospital, and others were taken to the al-Karareem detention center in…
(2018-11-21). Lebanon: Deportation Threat for Sudan Refugees. hrw.org 
| | People wave a Lebanese national flag during a protest in Central Beirut December 11, 2006. | © 2006 Reuters | (Beirut) — The Lebanese government should revoke the deportation orders of three United Nations-recognized Sudanese refugees and release them from detention, Legal Agenda, the Anti-Racism Movement (ARM), Human Rights Watch, Insan, and the Lebanese Center for Human Rights (CLDH) said today. Dur…
(2018-11-21). Federal Judge Blocks Trump's Anti-Immigrant Military Enlistment Policy. aclu.org Last year, the Pentagon implemented a background investigation process that effectively banned green card holders from serving in the military. | Despite attacking family members of fallen war heroes, criticizing Sen. John McCain for being captured in war, and recently deploying troops…
(2018-11-21). Council of Europe: A Threat to Rights of People With Disabilities. hrw.org 
| | The headquarters of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg. | © 2018 Human Rights Watch | (Brussels) — Council of Europe member states should oppose new proposed standards regulating the detention and forced treatment of people with disabilities, Human Rights Watch said today. The body in charge of developing the standards, the Council of Europe's Committee on Bioethics (DH-BIO), consisting of expert…
(2018-11-21). Boston Police Has a Secret Point System That Turns Normal Teenage Behavior Into Gang Membership. aclu.org The department arbitrarily labels immigrant teenagers as gang members and helps the federal government deport them. | In the face of the Trump administration's stepped-up deportation efforts, officials in Boston and other progressive cities have declared their communities safe spaces for immigrants. But behind the scenes, progressive havens like Boston are facilitating the deportations of some of our most vulnerable young people. | As the federal government's rhetoric and action around immigration have sharpened and hardened, young immigrants are being systematically slandered and deprived of their rights here in…
(2018-11-21). SPLC vows to sue Trump administration again over second approval of Kentucky Medicaid waiver scheme. splcenter.org The SPLC said today that it will sue the Trump administration again for approving Kentucky's Medicaid waiver plan a second time. This lawsuit will be brought in collaboration with the National Health Law Program (NHELP) and the Kentucky Equal Justice Center (KEJC). The law firm Jenner & Block is representing NHELP in the lawsuit.
(2018-11-21). Headlines for November 21, 2018. democracynow.org Trump Sides with "Great Ally" Saudi Arabia over Khashoggi Killing, Lawmakers Condemn Trump's Defense of Saudi Arabia, WaPo Publisher Blasts Trump over Murder of Columnist Jamal Khashoggi, Rights Groups: Saudi Arabia Is Torturing Feminist Activists, Yemen: Saudi-Led War Caused 85,000 Young Children to Die from Hunger, Afghanistan: Suicide Bomber Kills 50 at Kabul Religious Gathering, DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen Warns Migrant Caravan over Asylum, Texas ICE Jail to Release 29 Families After Federal Ruling on Asylum, Mississippi GOP Senate Candidate Posed for Photos in Confederate Garb, Federal Judge Strikes Down…
(2018-11-21). DR Congo: Pre-Election Crackdown on Activists. hrw.org 
| | Three members from the Vigilence Citoyenne (VICI) citizens' movement who were arrested in Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, with 14 of their colleagues on November 1, 2018. The activists were charged with incitement to civil disobedience and were provisionally released on November 18. | © Private 2018 | (Kinshasa) — The Democratic Republic of Congo government has made new arrests of pro-democracy activists during November…
(2018-11-21). Shielding Hogan From the Democratic Wave – How the Washington Post, Big Money and a bit of racism re-elected a GOP governor in Deep Blue Maryland. fair.org 
The Washington Post ( 11/6/18) touts a "sane center" that it did much to define and promote. | The votes were hardly in when the Washington Post ( 11/6/18) started explaining why Republican Gov. Larry Hogan won reelection in de…
(2018-11-20). PRESS CALL TODAY: Civil Rights Leaders Blast Farr Nomination and Timing of Vote. naacp.org Washington, D.C. — Leaders of the NAACP, Repairers of the Breach, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, and NAACP Legal Defense Fund will hold a telephone press briefing, Tuesday, November 20 at 3 PM ET, condemning President Trump's nomination of Thomas Farr to the Eastern District of North Carolina and the Senate's expected […]
(2018-11-20). AUDIO:CIVIL RIGHTS LEADERS HOST THOMAS FARR PRESS CALL. naacp.org Listen to the full audio of Civil Rights groups opposing the nomination of Thomas Farr Organization participants include: NAACP, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, and Repairers of The Breach
(2018-11-20). We Are Thankful for Our Friends. naacp.org 
As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, we're acknowledging a special group of people we are especially thankful to have at our side — our partners in the civil rights and social justice movement with whom we have powerful friendships with. 2018 was a pivotal year for NAACP, a year in which we made great strides […]
(2018-11-20). Uzbekistan: Stop Harassing Human Rights Defenders. hrw.org 
| | Akzam Turgunov, a former political prisoner and rights activist, has been increasingly subjected to surveillance by security services in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. | © 2017 Steve Swerdlow for Human Rights Watch | (Tashkent) — The Uzbek authorities should stop harassing human rights activists, including those recently released from prison, and ensure their safety, Amnesty International, Civil Rights Defenders, Front Line Defenders, the International P…
(2018-11-20). #WontBeErased, Won't Be Forgotten, Won't Be Alone. aclu.org We should honor the transgender people who have died this year by taking action for trans justice and survival. | On Trans Day of Remembrance the trans community honors our dead. Too many names are read and remembered at vigils around the world marking the deaths of trans people who have been murdered during the year. This year is again on pace to be the deadliest year for transgender people in the United States. As of October, …
(2018-11-20). Opioid Crisis: Purdue Pharma Billionaire Owners to be Sued. therealnews.com 
Suffolk County in New York is suing the Sackler family, which owns the maker of OxyContin, one of the main drugs behind the opioid drug overdose crisis. Just how responsible is the family and might the lawsuit achieve? We speak to Sam Pizzigati of IPS
(2018-11-20). Following SPLC lawsuit, judge blocks president's asylum ban. splcenter.org A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from denying asylum to migrants who cross the U.S.-Mexico border between ports of entry.
(2018-11-20). NAACP Youth and College Division National Director, Tiffany Dena Loftin Honored at Black Girls Vote Ball. naacp.org 
BALTIMORE, MD — National Director of the NAACP Youth and College Division, Tiffany Dena Loftin was awarded the Rising Star Award on Friday, November 16, 2018 at the 2nd Annual Black Girls Vote Ball. The Black Girls Vote Ball celebrates the accomplishments of black women in politics and activism who are making a difference not […]
(2018-11-20). SPLC sues Trump administration for records detailing rollback of protections for transgender people in prison. splcenter.org The SPLC, along with Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, sued the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) today.
(2018-11-20). Vietnam: End Crackdown on Freedom of Expression. hrw.org 
(New York) — Vietnam should drop all charges against human rights campaigner Huynh Thuc Vy, who faces trial under article 276 of the 1999 penal code for allegedly disrespecting the national flag, Human Rights Watch said today. She faces up to three years imprisonment if convicted by the People's Court of Buon Ho town, Dak Lak province at trial on November 22. | | | Huynh Thuc Vy holds a sign that reads "Praying for Tran Huynh Duy Thuc and for Vietnam. S…
(2018-11-20). Georgia Gubernatorial Candidate Stacey Abrams Vows to Continue to Fight Voter Suppression. therealnews.com 
Republican candidate Brian Kemp will be next Governor of Georgia, but Stacey Abrams vows a legal fight for voter rights while building a new movement
(2018-11-19). The Fatal Flaws in a Congressional Resolution to End US Support for the Saudi-Led Yemen War. aclu.org The resolution's language would have mistakenly resulted in extending Yemeni suffering instead of ending it. | One consequence of the Saudi government's horrific murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi is a renewed congressional focus on ending U.S. support for the Saudi-led war against an anti-government movement in Yemen. This has to be somewhat bittersweet for many Yemenis, who have been pleading for the world to help…
(2018-11-19). Anti-Choice Politicians Are Taking Direct Aim at Roe v. Wade. aclu.org Ohio is trying to ban abortion, and it won't be the last state to do so. | Anti-abortion politicians wasted no time going after Roe v. Wade after the midterm elections. Last week, the Ohio House of Representatives passed a ban on abortion starting at six weeks in pregnancy, which would effectively ban almost all abortions given that most people don't know they are even pregnant at that time. | The bill now moves to the Senate, where it is likely to pass. If it does, the outgoing governor could veto it, but the legislature may have enough votes to override it. And if the legislature doesn't override the veto, the…
(2018-11-19). What a Portrait of General Robert E. Lee Means for One Man's Capital Trial. aclu.org Racial bias can affect a capital punishment case at every legal step. The result of that bias can be deadly. | Anyone walking into the sole courtroom in the town of Louisa, Virginia, is met by an array of portraits covering nearly every square inch of the walls. Overwhelmingly they feature white men. Though on first glance, most of them are not recognizable, one is unmistakable. It's a looming image that dominates the back wall of the courtroom, directly across from the judge. The portrait is of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, in uniform, sword unsheathed at his side. | The presence and prominence of Lee's portra…
(2018-11-19). Meet the Prisoners Being Paid $1 an Hour to Battle the Deadly Climate-Fueled Fires of California. democracynow.org 
As the death toll from the Camp Fire rises to 77, California is combating its deadliest fire in state history using prison labor. Some 1,500 of the 9,400 firefighters currently battling fires in California are incarcerated. They make just a dollar an hour but are rarely eligible to get jobs as firefighters after their release. According to some estimates, California saves up to $100 million a year by using prison labor to fight its biggest environmental problem. In September, the Democracy Now! team traveled to the Delta Conservation Camp in Northern California, a low-security prison where more than 100 men are i…
(2018-11-19). Headlines for November 19, 2018. democracynow.org NorCal Wildfires Death Toll Soars to 77 as Trump Tours Devastation, Trump Claims Finland Prevents Fires by "Raking and Cleaning" Forests, Florida Democrats Concede Senate & Gubernatorial Races After Recounts, Abrams Ends Her Georgia Governor Bid, Vows to Fight Voter Suppression, Orange County Flips to Democrats After Cisneros Wins House Race, CIA Says Crown Prince Ordered Khashoggi Murder, Yemen: Houthi Rebels Call for Ceasefire, Turkey: Government Arrests 14 in Crackdown on Academics and Activists, Trump to Nominate Acting EPA Chief Andrew Wheeler as Permanent Leader, Trump Attacks Admiral McRaven, Who Led Osama…