(2019-05-09). Colombia: FARC Party Demands Release of Jesus Santrich. plenglish.com Bogota, May 9 (Prensa Latina) Thirteen months after the incarceration on Thursday of the FARC leader Jesus Santrich, congress people from that political party demanded his release as a gesture of hope for peace in Colombia.
(2019-05-09). Wisconsin: The Perfect Place to Address America's Apartheid. progressive.org Behind the stats about incarceration rates, lies a basic structure of law that accommodates white people. What better place to host the 2020 Dem convention?
(2019-05-09). Saudi Arabia, Kenya Release 100s of Ethiopian Prisoners. telesurenglish.net According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Ethiopia, 1,400 Ethiopians who were serving prison sentences in Saudi Arabia had been released by the Arab nation's government Wednesday. | RELATED: | Guess, Calvin Klein Ethiopian Workers Worst Paid in the World | Along with the release of the prisoners, which comes at the beginning of Ramadan, the Saudi government has announced a 75 percent decrease in jail time for Ethiopians. The announcement followed discussions between authori…
(2019-05-09). Brazilian Court Orders ex-President Michel Temer Back to Prison. telesurenglish.net A Brazilian court on Wednesday ordered that former President Michel Temer be jailed again over an ongoing investigation into allegations of corruption. | RELATED: | Brazil's Temer Closed 130 Community Radios Before Leaving | Temer has been charged six times in connection with various corruption investigations. The court decision on Wednesday relates to an alleged corruption scheme involving a nuclear power plant operated by Eletronuclear, a subsidiary of state-run Centrais Eletricas…
(2019-05-09). Chile: Ex-Pinochet Agent Gets 10 Years For MIR Leader's Murder. telesurenglish.net The Court of Appeals of Santiago, in Chile, has tacked on a decade to currently imprisoned former Direccion de Inteligencia Nacional (DINA) agent Miguel Krassnoff for his involvement in the murder of Movimiento de Izquierda Revolucionaria (MIR) leader Miguel Enriquez. | RELATED: | Former Pinochet Agents Sentenced for Disappearance of Students | "When Miguel Enriquez was in the house that was used as a safe house… DINA agents, without supporting justification, came to the plac…
(2019-05-09). Trump issues full pardon to former lieutenant who executed prisoner in Iraq. wsws.org The act of clemency for a war criminal was a calculated gesture to ultra-right and fascistic elements inside and outside the US military.
(2019-05-09). Statement on the Indictment of Alleged Drone Strike Whistleblower. theintercept.com The Intercept does not comment on matters relating to the identity of anonymous sources. | In an indictment unsealed on May 9, the government alleges that documents on the U.S. drone program were leaked to a news organization. These documents detailed a secret, unaccountable process for targeting and killing people around the world, including U.S. citizens, through drone strikes. They are of vital public importance, and activity related to their disclosure is protected by the First Amendment. The alleged whistleblower faces up to 50 years in prison. No one has ever been held accountable for killing civilians in d…
(2019-05-09). Singapore Passes a Law against Broadcasting Fake News. plenglish.com Singapore, May 9 (Prensa Latina) After two days of debates, the Singapore Parliament passed a law to penalize the broadcast of fake news on the Internet with up to 10 years in prison, local media reported on Wednesday.
(2019-05-09). Trump ratchets up anti-immigrant campaign. greenleft.org.au 
While much of the media continues to focus on the Mueller report and the squabbles between the White House and the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives, US President Donald Trump's real crimes are scarcely addressed or are ignored altogether. | This column will take up one of these crimes, Trump's intensification of his racist war on immigrants. He is not alone on this — the ultra-right throughout Europe and elsewhere have similar anti-immigrant policies. | In recent weeks Trump has appointed new officials at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
(2019-05-09). 'Unhinged, Insensitive, and Lying': Trump Uses Bar Graph to Spread Falsehood About Puerto Rico Hurricane Aid. commondreams.org "His racism knows no boundaries," said San Juan Mayor Carmen Yul√≠n Cruz | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/trump_florida_puerto_rico.jpg…
(2019-05-09). Anti-Racist Canada promotes Video by Anti-Palestinian, FOX News Filmmaker. dissidentvoice.org Why would Anti-Racist Canada (ARC) promote a video by a FOX News filmmaker who compares the Left to the KKK and claimed Swedish police refuse to go into immigrant neighbourhoods? Is it because the ARC collective is an example of people who fight racism except if it is anti-Palestinian? Recently, ARC retweeted long-time anti-Palestinian activist …
(2019-05-09). 'Free Clarrie O'Shea': When unions broke the rules to change them. greenleft.org.au 
Fifty years ago, an industrial penal powers dispute provoked the biggest strike wave in Australia's post-war history. | On May 15, 1969, Clarrie O'Shea, Victorian secretary Australian Tramway & Motor Omnibus Employees' Association (ATMOEA), was jailed for refusing to pay fines imposed under the anti-union penal powers of the Conciliation and Arbitration Act. | Over the next week, more than 1 million workers went on strike to demand freedom for O'Shea and the repeal of the penal powers. | Tribune, the newspaper of the Communist Party of Australia at the time, reported on May 21, 1969: "The long struggle…
(2019-05-09). The Revelations of WikiLeaks: No. 2 —The Leak That 'Exposed the True Afghan War'. consortiumnews.com The Afghan Diaries set off a firestorm when it revealed the suppression of civilian casualty figures, the existence of an elite U.S.-led death squad, and the covert role of Pakistan in the conflict, as Elizabeth Vos reports. This is the second article in… Read more →
(2019-05-09). Judge reinstates sex abuse lawsuit against R. Kelly after lawyers claim he can't read summons. rt.com 
A judge has agreed to throw out a default judgement in the sex abuse case of disgraced R&B star R. Kelly after his lawyers argued that the singer snubbed a court appearance because he could not read the summons.
(2019-05-08). Remembering the Woman Who Renovated the House that RBG Built. aclu.org Lenora Lapidus led the ACLU's Women's Right Project for nearly two decades. She died on Sunday, May 5. | On the 50th anniversary of Selma's Bloody Sunday, one of the darkest stains in our nation's civil rights history, President Obama spoke with hope and confidence about Americans who were "unencumbered by what is, because you're ready to seize what ought to be." Lenora Lapidus lived her life by this principle. | Public servants come in many forms. They're elected officials, politicians, activists, lawyers, organizers, students, ordinary citizens, and steadfast patriots. Our beloved Lenora represen…
(2019-05-08). WW editorial: Palestine will be free! workers.org 
Another horrific attack on the Palestinian population occurred over the May 4-5 weekend. Once again, the deaths include some of the most vulnerable — of a people who have already been made entirely vulnerable by decades of apartheid conditions, including routine starvation, imprisonment, unemployment. Once again, big business media played . . . | Continue reading WW editorial: Palestine will be free! at Workers.org
(2019-05-08). Pamela Anderson and WikiLeaks editor-in-chief visit Julian Assange in prison. wsws.org Anderson condemned the state persecution of her friend as a "misrule of law in operation."
(2019-05-08). Cecile Richards: Georgia's New "Fetal Heartbeat" Bill Criminalizes Women Who Seek Abortions. democracynow.org 
Georgia's Republican Governor Brian Kemp signed into law Tuesday a six-week abortion ban, or so-called "fetal heartbeat law" that bans abortions once a fetal heartbeat can be detected—something that typically happens just six weeks into a pregnancy and before many women realize they're pregnant. It is now one of the country's most restrictive abortion laws. "It doesn't just make abortion illegal," says | Cecile Richards, former head of Planned Parenthood. "It basically would allow women to be convicted and either sentenced to death or to life imprisonment in Georgia." She notes the real medical crisis for w…
(2019-05-08). Turkey is Holding Thousands of Prisoners in Solitary Confinement Under Erdogan. theantimedia.com (TM) — Thousands of prisoners are being held in solitary confinement in Turkey under conditions so harsh that some prisoners consider dying by suicide, Deutsche Welle Turkish service reported Tuesday. There are no official figures on the number of prisoners in solitary confinement or how many people die by suicide in prisons in Turkey, but observers told …
(2019-05-08). Lawsuit challenges massive overuse of solitary in Florida prisons. splcenter.org Admire Harvard has spent nearly 10 years locked up in solitary confinement in the Florida prison system.
(2019-05-08). NAACP Statement on House Hearings Regarding Domestic Terrorism. naacp.org The NAACP, the nation's foremost civil rights organization, released the following statement in response to the House Committee on Homeland Security hearing on domestic terrorism today: "We welcome this vital and necessary hearing. The hatred and venom that has already harmed our nation needs to be addressed at the highest levels of government. Nothing is …
(2019-05-08). Supermajority: Cecile Richards Teams With Alicia Garza & Ai-jen Poo to Mobilize Women Voters in 2020. democracynow.org 
As the 2020 primary and general election season heats up, we speak with former Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards about Supermajority, the new political action group she helped launch that aims to train a new generation of women activists to take on grassroots campaigns and electoral politics. "Women are the majority of voters … the volunteers, we're increasingly the donors, increasingly the candidates, and it's time for political equity," says Richards. "We want to build a multi-racial, intergenerational movement to increase women's power." Supermajority was co-founded by Black Lives Matter co-founde…
(2019-05-08). National Civil Rights Group Condemns Governor DeSantis's Endorsement of Anti-Voting Rights Bill. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2019-05-08). Chelsea Manning Says She'll Never Testify Against WikiLeaks, Seeks Release From Jail. theantimedia.com (ANTIWAR.COM) — Whistleblower Chelsea Manning has been held in detention in Alexandria, VA for the last two months on "contempt" charges for refusing to testify against WikiLeaks. On Monday, her legal team issued a new legal argument seeking release. The argument is seen in an 8-page legal filing, which at its core is that she is never going …
(2019-05-08). Chelsea Manning: Despite Heartbreak And Hardship, Cooperation With WikiLeaks Grand Jury Not An Option. shadowproof.com Editor's Note: The following declaration from Chelsea Manning was filed in a federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, on May 6. It is part of her defense attorneys' ongoing efforts to free her from the William G. Truesdale Adult Detention Center. Shadowproof is republishing the statement to help bring further attention to what Manning has endured. | Throughout her declaration, Manning makes it abundantly clear she will never testify before the grand jury investigating WikiLeaks. "I can either go to jail or betray my…
(2019-05-08). Saying 'No' to Immigrant Detention. progressive.org Private companies want to build new immigrant detention facilities, but communities around Chicago are stopping them in their tracks.
(2019-05-08). Arizona students demand release of classmate detained by immigration agents. wsws.org Over 200 high school students in Tucson, Arizona walked out of school Monday to protest the detention and deportation of their classmate, Thomas Torres.
(2019-05-08). Wednesday's Daily Brief: updates from the Near East and Libya, Ebola in DR Congo, World War remembrance. un.org On Wednesday, we cover: chronic hunger in the Middle East; the toll of war on Gazans; the one-year-long detention of an academic in Iran; Syrian health facilities under attack; Ebola casualties in the Democratic Republic of the Congo hitting the 1,000 mark; and a two-day remembrance effort for those who died during the Second World War.
(2019-05-08). Support needed for prison reform activist Jock Palfreeman on hunger strike. greenleft.org.au 
Jock Palfreeman, an Australian serving a 20-year jail sentence in Bulgaria on trumped-up murder charges, has been on a hunger strike since April 21. | There has been little news about Palfreeman because the Bulgarian prison authorities have gone to great lengths to cut off any communication he had with the outside world. | While Palfreeman is no newcomer to protest, including in prison, the lack of information about his condition is worrying. His family have been able to get updates through his lawyer Kalin Angelov, who has received sporadic phone calls from Palfreeman. Angelov says the hunger strike is serious a…
(2019-05-07). Mistakenly Jailed Pretrial, an Ohio Mother Lost Her Job and Kids. aclu.org When you're incarcerated pretrial in America, it doesn't take long for life to fall apart. And that's without a conviction. | On April 11, Hamilton County police in Cincinnati, Ohio arrested Ashley Foster in a Target parking lot on charges of trafficking heroin. Foster was with her two young sons, one of whom…
(2019-05-07). Headlines for May 7, 2019. democracynow.org Reuters Reporters Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo Released from Burmese Prison, 500+ Ex-Prosecutors: Trump Would Be Charged with Obstruction If He Weren't President, House Dems to Vote on Holding AG Barr in Contempt Over Mueller Report, Treasury Misses Deadline To Hand Over Trump's Tax Returns, Russia Warns Against Military Intervention in Venezuela, Pompeo: Reduction of Arctic Sea Ice Opens Up "Opportunities for Trade", Turkey Scraps Istanbul Election Results After Ruling AKP Candidate Loses, Syria: Air Raids Destroy Hospitals, Kill at Least 17 Civilians, Panama Elects Centrist Laurentino Cortizo in Close Presidential R…
(2019-05-07). As Countries Seek Trade With China, Imprisoned Uyghur Muslim Community Has Become "Collateral Damage" democracynow.org 
China's top trade negotiator is traveling to Washington this week as tension over trade intensifies between the two nations. President Trump is threatening to impose a 25 percent tariff on nearly all Chinese imports after the U.S. accused China of backtracking on trade commitments. Talks are expected to resume on Thursday, but the Trump administration is facing criticism for refusing to address China's human rights record as part of the negotiations. The United Nations and a number of human rights groups have accused the Chinese government of setting up massive camps in the far-west Xinjiang province to hold an u…
(2019-05-07). Joe Biden's Son Hunter Is Invested in China's Mass Surveillance Program Used to Monitor Uyghur Muslims. democracynow.org 
As the United Nations accuses the Chinese government of setting up massive camps in the far-west Xinjiang province to imprison an unknown number of ethnic Uyghurs and other Muslims, Human Rights Watch reports that China is carrying out mass surveillance there using a mobile app that lets authorities monitor the Muslim population. We speak with investigative reporter Lee Fang about an unexpected investor in Chinese surveillance: Hunter Biden, Joe Biden's son. And we speak with Human Rights Watch China director Sophie Richardson.
(2019-05-07). Beyond Prisons: Abolition Is A Horizon feat. Sarah K. Tyson. shadowproof.com CONTENT WARNING: SEXUAL VIOLENCE, CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE | Sarah K. Tyson joins Beyond Prisons for a conversation about her work as a philosopher, anti-violence advocate, and prison educator. | We explore the contradiction between anti-violence work and its reliance on the criminal punishment system, what it's like to do philosophy in prison, the importance of building relationships with people inside, and so much more. | Sarah Tyson is an Associate Professor of Philosophy and Affiliated Faculty of Women and Gender Studies at the University of Colorado, Denver. | Her research focuses on questions of authority, histor…
(2019-05-07). 'War criminal': Outrage as Trump pardons former US soldier who killed Iraqi prisoner. rt.com 
US President Donald Trump is facing heavy criticism for pardoning a former US soldier, once sentenced to 25 years in prison for murdering an Iraqi prisoner in 2009.
(2019-05-07). Air Pollution Crisis Exposes More Environmental Racism in Illinois. theintercept.com 
Wendy Abrams has used her wealth to help protect the environment and public health. She's the founder of a public art exhibit meant to raise awareness on climate change, serves on the board of the Waterkeeper Alliance, and has been on the boards of the NRDC Action Fund and the Environmental Defense Fund's National Council. She helped found the Abrams Environmental Law Clinic at the University of Chica…
(2019-05-07). After Florida Re-enfranchises 1.4 Million, Republicans Push New "Poll Tax" For Formerly Incarcerated. democracynow.org 
Civil rights groups are decrying what they say is a new poll tax after the Florida Senate passed a bill Friday that would require formerly incarcerated people with felony convictions to repay all fines and fees to courts before their voting rights are restored. This comes six months after voters in Florida approved a measure to restore voting rights to 1.4 million people with nonviolent felonies who have fully completed their sentences, overturning a Jim Crow-era law aimed at keeping African Americans from voting. Nearly 65 percent of voters approved the constitutional amendment to re-enfranchise people with form…
(2019-05-07). Ecuador's Crackdown on Abortion Is Putting Women in Jail. thenation.com Ecuador's Crackdown on Abortion Is Putting Women in Jail…
(2019-05-07). Release of prize-winning Reuters journalists in Myanmar welcomed by UN. un.org The release of two prize-winning Reuters journalists jailed in Myanmar after reporting on the massacre of Rohingya Muslims has been welcomed by the UN human rights office, OHCHR, which warns however that press freedom there remains "dire".
(2019-05-06). The Use of Solitary Confinement in Virginia Is Inhumane and Unlawful. aclu.org Instead of keeping its word to courts and reforming its use of solitary, the VA Dept. of Corrections built two massive super maximum-security prisons. | William Thorpe has spent nearly 24 straight years in solitary confinement in Virginia prisons stuck in a cell about half of the size of a parking space for more than 22 hours a day, every day, with no outside light and almost no human contact. | In his nearly two and a half decades in solitary, Thorpe has seen changes in leadership at the Virginia Department of Corrections (VDOC) and attempts to reform how solitary confinement is used in our state prisons. | The…
(2019-05-06). Asylum Officers Are Being Replaced By CBP Agents. aclu.org Having a CBP officer conduct a credible fear interview is like having an arresting police officer also sit as the judge. | Last week, President Trump issued a memorandum outlining his latest wishlist of ways to undermine the integrity of our nation's asylum system. Among them was a direction to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to change how it conducts credible fear interviews, the threshold screening interview given to thousands of asylum…
(2019-05-06). Federal judge orders reforms to prevent suicides in Alabama prisons. splcenter.org Nearly two years after a federal judge deemed mental health care for Alabama's prisoners "horrendously inadequate," the Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) is again the subject of a scathing court order in the SPLC's long-running Eighth Amendment case against the department.
(2019-05-06). NAACP Opposes Michael Park's Nomination to Second Circuit, Says Failure to Support Brown V. Board is Disqualifying. naacp.org Today, the NAACP announced its opposition to the nomination of Michael Park to the U.S Circuit Court for the Second Circuit. The Senate will vote on Mr. Park's nomination later this week. Derrick Johnson, president and CEO, made the following statement: "Next week, we celebrate the 65th anniversary of the Supreme Court's seminal decision in …
(2019-05-06). Nationalism blinds Québecers to Oppression at Home and Abroad. dissidentvoice.org To protect its culture Québec has decided veiled women shouldn't be allowed to teach. But the crucifix adorning the National Assembly can stay, as well as a large cross atop the highest point in Montréal, not to mention the streets named after Catholic saints. The government has decided laàØcité (secularism) should be pursued on the …
(2019-05-06). Headlines for May 6, 2019. democracynow.org Gaza: Ceasefire Reached After Intense Fighting Kills 25 Palestinians and 4 Israelis, U.N. Report: 1 Million Species at Risk of Extinction, Trump Nominates Obama-Era Border Patrol Chief Mark Morgan to Head ICE, Ex-WH Chief of Staff John Kelly Joins Board of U.S.'s Largest Jailer of Migrant Children, John Bolton: U.S. Deploying Warships to Send "Message" to Iran, North Korea Tests Missiles As Trump Admin Affirms Nuclear Deal Still on Track, U.N. Warns 40% of North Koreans in Need of Food Assistance, Colombia: Renowned Activist Francia Márquez Escapes Attack by Gunmen, Afghanistan: Taliban Raid Security HQ, Killing…
(2019-05-04). Students march against University of Georgia's historical and present-day racism. liberationnews.org 
In November 2015, the expansion and reconstruction of Baldwin Hall came to a temporary halt when the University of Georgia uncovered the remains of former slaves.
(2019-05-04). Guilt by Association? Arrest of Assange Friend Has No Basis. therealnews.com 
Cyber-security and privacy expert Ola Bini was arrested in Ecuador the same day that Ecuador revoked Julian Assange's asylum. A court now affirmed his pre-trial detention, while his parents and his lawyers say it has no basis…
(2019-05-03). What Officer Noor's Conviction Says About Racism in America. aclu.org For the first time, Minnesota convicted a police officer for killing someone. That he was Black and the woman he shot was white must not be ignored. | On Tuesday, April 30, a Minnesota jury convicted police officer Mohamed Noor of third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter for shooting and killing Justine Damond, a white Australian woman. Damond had called 9-1-1 to report a possible sexual assault near her apartment and then approached Noor's squad car when he and his partner responded to the call. Noor killed Damond, and he deserved to be found guilty. His decision to shoot and kill an unarmed person wit…
(2019-05-03). 'A Massive Chill On Investigative Journalism': First Hearing In Julian Assange's Extradition Case. shadowproof.com The first procedural hearing in WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's extradition case was held in the United Kingdom. It was very brief, and Assange appeared via video link from Belmarsh prison. "I do not wish to surrender myself for extradition for doing journalism that has won many, many awards and protected…
(2019-05-03). NAACP Files Suit Challenging Restrictive Tennessee Voter Registration Law. naacp.org NASHVILLE, TN — The NAACP, the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, pro bono firm Hogan Lovells US LLP, Memphis-based firm Burch, Porter, & Johnson PLLC, Bromberg Law LLC, and community practitioner Daniel Ayoade Yoon filed suit today challenging Tennessee's new third-party registration law. The complaint alleges that the law, which imposes burdensome requirements …