(2020-12-09). Venezuelan court convicts the CITGO Six. workers.org 
Venezuela's Supreme Court sentenced six top CITGO oil executives to prison for corruption, embezzlement, money laundering and conspiracy on Nov. 26. The former executives went behind the back of the Venezuelan state and signed an agreement with two U.S. based-international financial companies — for which they were detained in Nov. . . . |
(2020-12-08). Stuck in a Lift with John Pilger: News and How to Use It by Alan Rusbridger. dissidentvoice.org 
Noticing the way journalists seemed unable to resist commenting on our work, even if it was just to slag us off, Glenn Greenwald tweeted us in 2012: 'You are really deeper in the heads of the British establishment-serving commentariat than anyone else — congrats.' ((Greenwald, Twitter, 12 September 2012.)) If that was true then, our relationship …
(2020-12-08). Assange Is Exposed To a High COVID-19 Risk in Belmarsh Prison. telesurenglish.net The UN rapporteur against torture Nils Melzer on Tuesday called on the British authorities for the immediate release of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, following a serious COVID-19 outbreak in the prison where he is located. | RELATED: | The rapporteur noted that 65 of the 160 inmates at London's Belmarsh Prison, where Assange has been held since May 2019, have tested positive for COVID-19. | "Assange is not convicted or threatens anyone. Therefore, his pro…
(2020-12-08). Independent UN expert calls for Julian Assange's release, cites prison's COVID outbreak. news.un.org Amid a COVID-19 outbreak at London's Belmarsh prison, an independent UN expert appealed to British authorities on Tuesday to release Julian Assange or to place him under guarded house arrest during extradition proceedings to the United States.
(2020-12-08). Action for Change Starts in Congress. counterpunch.org 
We know their names! We've given immense power to Five Hundred and Thirty-Five People to do good or bad. One Hundred Senators and Four Hundred and Thirty-Five Representatives. Unfortunately, some 1500 corporations control most Members of Congress. Think about all the dreams for a better world that could come to be realized if our elected officials
(2020-12-08). Saudi Arabia's MBS files motion to dismiss 'Tiger Squad' hit-job lawsuit in US court. middleeasteye.net 
Saudi Arabia's MBS files motion to dismiss 'Tiger Squad' hit-job lawsuit in US court | Ex-Saudi intelligence official Saad al-Jabri filed the suit earlier this year, alleging that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attempted to have him killed in 2018 | Tue, 12/08/2020 – 17: 12 | Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman arrives at the Future Investment Initiative FII conference in the Saudi capital Riyadh on 24 Oc…
(2020-12-08). Venezuela Votes to End Neocolonialism, Create Its Own Path. dissidentvoice.org 
On December 2, the Embassy Protection Collective (EPC) members, who were arrested in May 2019 when the United States illegally invaded the Venezuelan embassy in Washington, DC, completed their probation, ending the risk of the 30 days in prison that was being held over their heads. I am one of the four who were arrested. …
(2020-12-08). 'Refusing to Serve in the Army is My Small Act of Making Change'. zcomm.org Hallel Rabin spent 56 days in an Israeli military prison for refusing to serve in the Israel Defense Force. Rabin, 19, talks about her time behind bars, conversations with her fellow inmates, and talking to young Israelis about the occupation…
(2020-12-08). Chileans demand release of political prisoners arrested during October 2019 uprising. peoplesdispatch.org For the past two weeks, Chileans have been mobilizing in the capital to demand the release of young political prisoners and the national police force has been repressing them, on occasions with water mixed with chemicals…
(2020-12-07). Stuck In A Lift With John Pilger — 'News And How To Use It' by Alan Rusbridger. zcomm.org Pilger tells the unfiltered, uncompromised truth about the foundations of power. His focus is on speaking up for the victims of power, not on serving power…
(2020-12-07). Civil Rights Lawyer Bryan Stevenson Wins "Alternative Nobel" for Work Against Mass Incarceration. democracynow.org 
Civil rights attorney Bryan Stevenson, who founded the Equal Justice Initiative, was one of four human rights defenders to win this year's Right Livelihood Award on December 3. "I work in a country that has the highest rate of incarceration in the world. I work against a system that treats you better if you're rich and guilty than if you're poor and innocent," he said in accepting the honor. "We work to overturn this horrific era of mass incarceration in America that has been brought about by the politics of fear and anger." We feature his full acceptance speech of the Right Livelihood Award, widely known as the…
(2020-12-07). COVID-19 spikes four times higher in prisons and jails: 'This lack of concern for human lives is calculated'. therealnews.com 
As COVID-19 cases explode exponentially in the U.S., a glaring component of this public health crisis is being ignored: Prisoners are contracting the virus at four times the national rate, and these spikes will spread to the larger community.
(2020-12-07). Black Voters Matter: Group Sues Georgia for Purging 200,000 Voters Ahead of 2020 Election. democracynow.org 
On the voter registration deadline for Georgians who want to vote in two Senate runoff elections on January 5, we speak with Cliff Albright, co-founder and executive director of Black Voters Matter, about why the state is "ground zero" for Republican voter suppression efforts. Black Voters Matter has filed a federal lawsuit alleging Georgia's current secretary of state improperly removed nearly 200,000 voters from the rolls. Those voters "were purged illegally" ahead of the 2020 election and almost certainly affected the results, says Albright. "At the end of the day, this election … should not have even been c…
(2020-12-07). As Sisi meets Macron, Egypt renews detention of human rights activist. middleeasteye.net 
As Sisi meets Macron, Egypt renews detention of human rights activist | A number of detained members of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights were released last week, but Zaki remains in custody pending similar charges | Mon, 12/07/2020 – 10: 39 | Patrick George Zaki has been in custody since 7 February upon his return from Italy, where he had been living and studying (Twitter) | A l…
(2020-12-07). Arabic press review: Family of Egypt's Mubarak to sue EU over 'illegal sanctions'. middleeasteye.net 
Arabic press review: Family of Egypt's Mubarak to sue EU over 'illegal sanctions' | Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia prepares for reconciliation with Qatar, Bashir's health deteriorates in jail, and video of Egyptian man throwing cash from balcony goes viral | Mon, 12/07/2020 – 16: 38 | Gamal Mubarak (seen to right of his late father Hosni) said he will sue the Council of the European Union after winning…
(2020-12-07). Russian man wanted by Moscow, Paris & Washington handed five year sentence by French court for laundering bitcoin on behalf of mob. rt.com 
A Russian cryptocurrency entrepreneur has been sentenced by a French court to five years in prison and handed a hefty fine after it found him guilty of money laundering. Alexander Vinnik is also wanted by Washington and Moscow. | The Russian citizen was arrested in Greece in 2017 on a request from the US, which sought his extradition over money laundering and fraud charges. While in custody, Russia and France filed their own requests to have him handed over on different charges, but Paris' bid to try him carried more weight with its fellow EU member. | On Monday, a French court sentenced Vinnik to a five-year…
(2020-12-07). Group Sues Georgia for Purging 200,000 Voters Ahead of 2020 Election. truthout.org On the voter registration deadline for Georgians who want to vote in two Senate runoff elections on January 5, we speak with Cliff Albright, co-founder and executive director of Black Voters Matter, about why the state is "ground zero" for Republican voter suppression efforts. Black Voters Matter has filed a federal lawsuit alleging Georgia's current secretary of state improperly removed nearly 200,000 voters from the rolls. Those voters "were purged illegally" ahead of the 2020 election and almost ce…
(2020-12-07). The First Amendment Fight Against the WeChat Ban. aclu.org Imagine waking up one day, unlocking your phone, and realizing that you could no longer send or receive messages through your favorite app. Or make or receive calls. Or scroll through your social media feed. Imagine that all of these functions were rolled into one essential app that you and your friends, family, and co-workers depended on, and that the U.S. government had decided to ban it., , That's exactly what the Trump administration is attempting to do with WeChat, a communications app that millions of people in the United States depend on to connect with friends, family, and business contacts across the…
(2020-12-07). We'll Pull Laughter From the Skies. sputniknews.com On today's episode of The Backstory, host Lee Stranahan discussed current events, including Sidney Powell's lawsuit rejection.
(2020-12-07). Trump Plan to Revive the Gallows, Electric Chair, Gas Chamber and Firing Squad Recalls a Troubled History. globalresearch.ca The way the federal government can kill death row prisoners will soon be expanded to ghoulish methods that include hanging, the electric chair, gas chamber and the firing squad. | Set to take effect on Christmas Eve, the new regulations
(2020-12-07). Labor needs to change policy on refugees. greenleft.org.au Polls show a majority of Australians are fed up with the waste of money and needless cruelty of immigration detention, argues Niko Leka.
(2020-12-07). We've Had Enough Death in 2020. Why Add More? aclu.org I was in the middle of reciting Ya Seen, the 36th chapter of the Quran, when the executioner signaled to me that was enough. It was time to kill Orlando Hall. Across a strip of tape dividing us, Orlando received a shot of lethal injection before I could finish the verse's final, essential line. "So glory be to Him in whose hand is the dominion of everything, and to Him you will be returned.", , Orlando lost consciousness while reciting the Shahada, as I, his spiritual advisor, had instructed him., , The execution of Orlando Hall on Nov. 19 was the first I had ever witnessed. As a business professor at Indiana…
(2020-12-07). One-quarter of Macomb County Jail inmates test positive for coronavirus. wsws.org The county as a whole has had more than 39,000 cases throughout the year, equal to nearly 4.5 percent of the entire population.
(2020-12-07). Voters Complained About Threats, Aggressive Electioneering and Racism at Polls. truthout.org While the 2020 election went more smoothly than most had dared to hope, the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, a nonpartisan election protection group, nonetheless received a steady drumbeat of complaints to its hotline about voter intimidation and harassment during early voting and on Election Day. | Since Nov. 3, ProPublica has followed up on these reports, attempting to verify details with complainants and other witnesses and to review available documentation, including videos…