(2020-02-01). Indian court AGAIN postpones hanging for 4 men convicted in 2012 gang rape & murder case that inspired Netflix series. rt.com 
The execution of four Indians convicted in the heinous 2012 'Nirbhaya' gang-rape case has been delayed yet again at the last minute — this time indefinitely — after a court agreed to entertain another mercy plea. | Though the date of the men's hanging had been set for February 1 after a previous appeal, the day was pushed back once again following a fresh plea, filed on Friday by convict Vinay Sharma — just one day after the hangman arrived at the Tihar prison in Delhi in preparation for the execution. | While Sharma's appeal was rejected early on Saturday by Indian President Ram Nath Kovind,…
(2020-02-01). Assange would be held in "darkest corner of the prison system" if extradited to the US. wsws.org If dispatched to the US, the WikiLeaks founder will be held in extreme isolation—conditions usually inflicted on individuals convicted of terrorism offences.
(2020-02-01). Documents on Homeless Encampments & Civil Rights. indybay.org Cops and rangers in the City of Santa Cruz continue to harass, cite, and arrest those outside without shelter in spite of the 2018 Martin v. Boise decision and its further validation by higher courts. | To assist those making the case to leave homeless folks alone unless real alternate shelter is available (which it is not in Santa Cruz), here are the texts of those decisions.
(2020-02-01). US Pilots and Flight Attendants Demand Flights to China Stop. telesurenglish.net U.S.-based pilots and flight attendants are demanding their airlines stop flights to China, which have already been substantially reduced over the last week. | RELATED: | The Allied Pilots Association (APA), which represents American Airlines (AA) pilots, cited "serious, and in many ways still unknown, health threats posed by the coronavirus" in a lawsuit filed in Texas. | This legal action was supported by AA flig…
(2020-02-01). In Rural Areas, a "Quiet Jail-Building Boom" Is Taking Place. truthout.org I live in Champaign County, the heart of the Illinois cornfields. Our somewhat liberal-minded county of 200,000 is home to the flagship campus of the University of Illinois, the "Fighting Illini." But our county has another distinction: While Black people only comprise 13 percent of our population, they consistently make up 50-71 percent of those in the local jail, resulting in one of the highest racial discrepancies in the country. | For the past decade, rather than attempt to correct this gross inequity, loca…
(2020-01-31). ACLU Comment on Trump Expansion of Muslim Ban. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2020-01-31). Minnesotans tell Klobuchar to drop White House run. Reports say she sent innocent Black teen to prison for life. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN – "A young African American man by the name of Myon Burrell has spent more than half of his life incarcerated in Minnesota prisons under the leadership of Amy Klobuchar. She was the Hennepin County Attorney and she played a role in Myon Burrell being prosecuted for a crime that he did not commit," said Nekima Levy Pounds of Racial Justice Network, as she opened a press conference on January 29. "We want to lift up family of Tyesha Edwards, who was the victim in this case, an 11-year-old innocent child who was shot and killed. The incident that happened to Tyesha is extremely devastating. It sent s…
(2020-01-30). Soaring levels of self-harm in prisons, new figures show. thecanary.co 
Levels of self-harm behind bars have hit a new record high, with the number of incidents soaring more than 60,000 in a year, official figures show.According to data released by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), there were 61,461 incidents in the 12 months to September, up 16% from the previous period when there were 53,076.This is the highest number of incidents since records began in 2009 (24,471).The number of inmates self-harming also hit a record high after a 2% rise to 12,740 from 12,507 in the previous period. When records began in 2009, the number was 6,385.A prison officer patrols the wings of HMP Manchester…
(2020-01-30). Hillary Clinton dodges attempt to serve her with Tulsi Gabbard's defamation lawsuit…twice. rt.com 
Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has twice rebuffed efforts to serve her with Democratic presidential hopeful Tulsi Gabbard's "Russian asset" defamation lawsuit, even using the Secret Service to fend off the paperwork. | Secret Service agents first barred the process server from Clinton's Chappaqua, New York home on Tuesday, directing them to her lawyer, David Kendall, in Washington, DC, Gabbard's own attorney Brian Dunne told the New York Post on Wednesday. When they attempted to serve the lawsuit the following day at Kendall's firm, Williams & Connolly, however, the lawyer insisted he was unable…
(2020-01-30). The Government Is Trying to Strip Student Workers of the Ability to Unionize. aclu.org The federal government recently
(2020-01-29). We're Back in Court this Week Defending Access to Safe Abortion in Kentucky. aclu.org The ACLU is back | in court today once again to stop Kentucky's attempt to block access to | abortion. We've been here before. Over the past three years, the Kentucky | General Assembly has passed bill after bill that limits — and even bans — a | person's ability to get an abortion. And time after time, we've gone to court to | protect people's rights to get the care they need. | At issue this | week is a law that makes it a crime for doctors at Kentucky's last remaining | abortion clinic to perform an abortion procedure that is the standard of care. | In reality, the law is nothing more than a…
(2020-01-29). Coalition to March on DNC threatens lawsuit as Milwaukee government denies democratic rights. fightbacknews.org Milwaukee, WI – On the evening of January 27, organizers for the Coalition to March on the DNC held a press conference outside City Hall to announce their intention to sue the city if their permit to rally and march is not delivered. Despite having reserved the rotunda inside the building, the press conference was forced to be held outside. | This was the result of a city council representative not booking the room for that evening, even after all proper procedures were followed by the Coalition. This is further proof that the City of Milwaukee is trying to silence the freedoms of speech and assembly of the peopl…
(2020-01-29). Headlines for January 29, 2020. democracynow.org McConnell Tries to Secure Votes to Block Impeachment Witnesses, "Our Rights Are Not for Sale": Palestinians Reject Trump's Middle East Plan, Trump Praises Pompeo for Shouting and Cursing at NPR Reporter, WaPo Reinstates Reporter Suspended for Tweeting About Kobe Rape Case, Death Toll from Coronavirus Virus Hits 132, with 6,000 Infected, Over 100,000 Syrian Civilians Flee Regime Offensive in Idlib, Floods Kill 30, Displace 16,000 in Madagascar, Mississippi to Shut Down Unit of Parchman Prison After Deaths of 9 Prisoners, Maryland Cop Charged with Murder for Killing Handcuffed Man in Police Car…
(2020-01-28). Asylum-Seekers Are Being Abandoned in Guatemala in a New Policy Officials Call a "Total Disaster" aclu.org In late November, U.S. immigration authorities began | deporting some Central American asylum-seekers to Guatemala under a new | policy that makes it nearly impossible for them to seek asylum in the U.S. | But Guatemalan human rights workers say that their country's | asylum system isn't capable of handling even the relatively small numbers that | have been sent there so far, and that asylum seekers' precarious status in the | country has already pushed many to leave. | "They're preferring to move on…
(2020-01-28). What You Need to Know About the Coronavirus Outbreak: A Civil Liberties Perspective. aclu.org The world is watching anxiously to see what happens with the | coronavirus that originated in Wuhan, China. As scientists and public health | officials in the United States learn more about the virus, and as we all see | how bad the outbreak turns out to be, it is important that public policymaking | remain firmly centered around science. | Unfortunately, our history of reactions to infectious | disease outbreaks suggests that if this outbreak becomes severe, we're likely | to see strong pressure to the contrary. In particular, we can expect three | things: | We can expect some to | panic.: | Unfortu…
(2020-01-23). Amendment 4 is Still on the Line. Here's What's New. aclu.org The right to vote cannot depend on how much money you have. That's what
(2020-01-23). In Latest Encryption Battle with Apple, Justice Department Still Wrong. aclu.org The | federal government is once again trying to force Apple to weaken the security | of millions of iPhones. On Wednesday, President Trump Switzerland for Apple to assist law enforcement in unlocking iPhones. Last week, | Trump made the same demand of Apple, company should unlock cell phones as a quid pro quo for any benefits it enjoys | as a result of favo…
(2020-01-22). The National Archives Doctored A Women's March Photo Critical of Trump. We're Demanding Answers. aclu.org "God hates Trump." | "If my vagina could shoot bullets, it'd be less REGULATED." | "Trump & GOP — Hands Off." | "This pussy grabs back." | Last week, the Washington Post
(2020-01-22). 47 Years Later, We're Fighting to Make Roe a Reality Everywhere. aclu.org Today we commemorate the 47th | anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the | landmark Supreme Court case that recognized a constitutional right to abortion. | In the nearly five decades since, the decision has weathered numerous storms | and faced plenty of erosion, leaving too many without meaningful access to | abortion care. But 2020 could be its most consequential year yet. | This spring, the Supreme Court will hear | arguments in June Medical | Services v. Gee and could uphold state abortion re…
(2020-01-10). Weekend Read: SPLC sues Trump administration over family separation policy. splcenter.org The SPLC and its allies have filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration policy that has separated and traumatized thousands of migrant families.
(2020-01-09). Despite horrific prison stay, a mother comes to understand her addiction. splcenter.org When Shanna Rainey was a mother to two young children, she began using methamphetamine.
(2019-12-28). Prison gave me a greater will to fight. zcomm.org Interview on the reality that Brazil is experiencing and the social protests that have occurred in several Latin American countries…
(2019-12-02). Civil Rights Are on the Chopping Block in New Supreme Court Term. zcomm.org Hello, A very small proportion of ZNet content is available only to Sustainers. You can become a sustainer for a small repeating donation – monthly or yearly via the links for Sustaining, or Donating, available on the top page of ZNet.