(2021-01-24). Moving the Bar: My Life as a Radical Lawyer — Michael Ratner. theanalysis.news Michael Ratner (1943—2016) was one of America's leading human rights lawyers. Michael won the seminal case in the Supreme Court guaranteeing the right of habeas corpus to Guantanamo detainees. From the torture of prisoners after 911 to the massive racial profiling by the New York Police Department, Michael's voice and vision continue to resonate. His last case, which he worked on until he died, was representing Julian Assange, the editor of WikiLeaks. In a series of interviews with attorneys who knew Michael's work, Law and Disorder hosts Heidi Boghosian and Michael Smith interviewed some of Michael Ratner'
(2021-01-24). Wednesday 1/27: First 100 Days: Racial Divides, COVID & the Black Community Town Hall w/ NAACP. indybay.org Online/virtual town hall…
(2021-01-24). Soldiers Abduct Three Palestinians, Detonate Their Car, Near Jenin. imemc.org 
Israeli soldiers abducted, on Sunday at dawn, three Palestinians, and detonated their car, near Jenin, in northern West Bank. Montaser Sammour, the head of the Jenin office of the Palestinian Prisoners' Society (PPS) said the soldiers invaded Qabatia town, south of the city, before abducting Ahmad Abu ar-Rob, Jihad Abu ar-Rob, and Majdi Kamil. Sammour …
(2021-01-24). Europe concerned over detention of protesters in Russia. yenisafak.com The EU and European countries on Saturday raised their concern over the detention of people in Russia protesting the arrest of Russian opposition politician Alexey Navalny.Tens of thousands of people on Saturday gathered in Russia to protest Navalny's detention, demanding his immediate release.Many people supporting Navalny were detained in the country while police intervened the protestors harshly."Following unfolding events in #Russia with concern. I deplore widespread detentions, disproportionate use of force, cutting down internet and phone connections," Josep Borrell, the EU foreign policy chief, said on Twi…
(2021-01-23). Coronavirus claims transport minister in Zimbabwe. yenisafak.com Within 24 hours, Zimbabwe has lost a second member of its leadership class to coronavirus.Joel Biggie Matiza, the Southern African country's transport minister, died late Friday from COVID-19 at a private hospital in the capital Harare.Earlier in the day former Education Minister Aeneas Chigwedere also succumbed to COVID-19, and after Matiza's passing came word that Paradzai Zimondi, 73, former head of the country's prisons, was also claimed by the virus.Born in 1960 in Murewa in the Mashonaland East Province, Matiza previously worked as deputy minister of local government, public works and national housing.He wa…
(2021-01-23). German right-wing AfD party goes to court ahead of reported designation as 'suspected' extremist group. rt.com 
Germany's right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has filed two lawsuits against the nation's domestic security service that is reportedly about to designate it a "suspected" extremist group ahead of national elections. | The party has filed two legal complaints and two emergency motions against the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution — a domestic security agency known as BfV — the German dpa news agency reported. The move followed a series of media reports suggesting that BfV could formally declare the whole party a suspected extremist organization. | Such status would allow…
(2021-01-23). Turkish appeals court overturns acquittals in Gezi trial. middleeasteye.net 
Turkish appeals court overturns acquittals in Gezi trial | Court documents say some evidence not included in reasoning for surprise original verdicts over 2013 protests | Sat, 01/23/2021 – 13: 14 | Osman Kavala has remained in jail over charges related to a failed 2016 coup attempt despite the European Court of Human Rights calling for his release (AFP) | A Turkish appeals court has overtu…
(2021-01-23). Israel Shows No Moral Tenet: Justice for Mohammed El-Halabi. dissidentvoice.org 
Israel's continued treatment of Palestinian political prisoners is unconscionable. Mohammed El Halabi, an aid worker from Gaza, has been in prison for four years while he awaits his trial; this is nothing short of cruel absurdity. He has been forced before the court over 150 times, many of those appearances secret, without word of when …
(2021-01-23). Palestinian Journalist Released After Seven Months in Prison Without Charges. imemc.org 
Israeli military authorities, which govern the Palestinians in the West Bank under martial law, released Palestinian journalist Mujahed al-Saadi Friday after he was imprisoned for seven months without charges. Al-Saadi was held in so-called 'administrative detention', a euphemism used by Israeli authorities used when they hold Palestinians for extended periods with no charges against them. He …
(2021-01-23). UF Students Announce Boycott Against Aramark. popularresistance.org Four organizations are taking a stand against UF's official food service provider to protest its use of prison labor. | The Gainesville Chapter of the Dream Defenders, UF NAACP, the UF Black Student Union and the Coalition to Abolish Prison Slavery at UF launched a monetary boycott against Aramark, the food service giant, Tuesday. The goal is to pressure the university to contract a new food supplier that doesn't use prison labor, Dream Defenders member Ava Kaplan wrote in an email. | UF Graduate Assistants United also announced its support for the Reitz Union Boycott Thursday through a Facebook post. | Aramark h…
(2021-01-23). The struggle for religious freedom — from Thomas Jefferson to Black Lives Matter. salon.com Out of America's paradoxical history of religious liberty comes a great push for Black freedom and racial justice…
(2021-01-22). Turkey: Doctor's map labelling Alevi villages outrages minority. middleeasteye.net 
Turkey: Doctor's map labelling Alevi villages outrages minority | An investigation was launched into the map identifying Alevi-majority villages, amid outcry over sectarian discrimination | Fri, 01/22/2021 – 15: 30 | Members of Turkey's Alevi community hold pictures of victims as they march in Ankara on 2 July 2019 to mark the 26th anniversary of an arson attack on Madimak Hotel that killed 37 p…
(2021-01-22). UN expert condemns Egypt's detention of journalists, human rights defenders. middleeasteye.net 
UN expert condemns Egypt's detention of journalists, human rights defenders | Special rapporteur calls on authorities to stop silencing dissent and shrinking civic space in country | Fri, 01/22/2021 – 21: 23 | Egypt has embarked on brutal crackdown on dissent since 2013, jailing more than 60,000 activists (AFP) | A UN rights expert condemned Egypt for targeting journalists, human rights defenders and their fam…
(2021-01-22). Four More Detainees Diagnosed With Coronavirus In Ramon Prison. imemc.org 
The Palestinian Prisoners' Society (PPS) has reported that four additional detainees, held in the Ramon Israeli prison, have been diagnosed with the coronavirus, raising the number of infected political prisoners to seventy-three this month. In a statement released Friday, the PPS said the detainees who have been officially diagnosed with the virus are held in …
(2021-01-22). 2021 is the Year of the Political Prisoner. workers.org 
The U.S. "justice" system, like every institution of a capitalist state, is a weapon designed and wielded by the billionaires to beat workers into submission. Special bodies of armed troops, deputized by the ruling class, round up workers by the millions and contrive laws to justify locking them in dangerously . . . |
(2021-01-22). Israeli Soldiers Abduct Eighteen Palestinians In West Bank. imemc.org 
Israeli soldiers abducted, on Thursday at dawn, eighteen Palestinians from their homes in several parts of the occupied West Bank, during extensive and violent searches of homes, the Palestinian Prisoners' Society (PPS) has confirmed. The PPS office in Hebron, in southern West Bank, said the soldiers abducted Mohammad Bader, a former member of the Palestinian …
(2021-01-22). 48 Years After Landmark Ruling, Advocates Push to #ReimagineRoe and Build Abortion Justice. commondreams.org "Roe is the floor. We want an end to Hyde. We want people to access abortion care, when they need it, without discrimination, stigma, or harm." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-12292968371.jpg …
(2021-01-22). EU chief calls on Putin to 'swiftly release' Navalny. yenisafak.com The European Council president on Friday called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to release opposition figure Alexei Navalny."In my call with president Putin today I reiterated the EU is united in its condemnation of Alexey Navalny's detention and calls for his immediate release," Charles Michel wrote on Twitter following the phone call.According to the EU's readout of the phone conversation, Michel told Putin that the EU is united in its call on Russia to "swiftly release Mr Navalny and proceed with the investigation into the assassination attempt on him, in full transparency and without further delay."He als…
(2021-01-22). Texas lawyer fired after Capitol riot files ambitious suit: Dissolve Congress, don't arrest him. salon.com "This is not a Sidney Powell lawsuit," Paul Davis assures court. True! Powell didn't argue for abolishing Congress…
(2021-01-22). The First Amendment Protects Scabby, the 12-Foot Inflatable Rat, Too. aclu.org Living in New York City, there are some things you just know. You know that if you see a gigantic rat in the subway station you look the other way and pretend it doesn't exist. And you know that if you see a gigantic inflatable rat in front of a business it means that workers are protesting unfair employer practices., , Scabby the Rat, a 12-foot inflatable rat balloon, is a familiar sight not just in New York but around the country. But the government is now trying to deflate him. Luckily for Scabby, the First Amendment is on his side., , Under existing precedent, unions have a legal right to display Scabby. T…
(2021-01-21). The criminal injustice system is a bipartisan effort. workers.org 
Family members and prisoners' rights advocates gather outside the Contra Costa County Jail in Martinez to demand the release of a prisoner suffering from medical neglect during the COVID pandemic. On Jan. 15 at the death row prison in Terre Haute, Ind., with less than a week to go of . . . |
(2021-01-21). Politicians among 48 arrested in huge Italian bust on 'Ndrangheta mafia, hundreds of millions in cash seized. rt.com 
Anti-mafia police carried out sweeping early-morning raids against Italy's most powerful mafia, the 'Ndrangheta, on Thursday, arresting 48 people and placing the leader of a political party under investigation. | Officers from the Direzione Investigativa AntiMafia (DIA) immediately jailed 13 people, while 35 were placed under house arrest, with multiple politicians, low-level mob bosses and businessmen among those detained, according to local media. | The crackdown on the organized crime syndicate, based in Calabria, southern Italy, primarily targeted the economic arm of its operations, which prosecutors said…
(2021-01-21). Refusal to retry Turkish MP triggers second ruling by high court. middleeasteye.net 
Refusal to retry Turkish MP triggers second ruling by high court | Lower courts continue to dismiss the rulings of higher courts in politically sensitive cases, such as the imprisonment of former MP Enis Berberoglu | Thu, 01/21/2021 – 10: 31 | Enis Berberoglu, a former MP from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leaves after taking his oath at the Turkish parliament in Ankara, Turkey, Oct…
(2021-01-21). Israeli Soldiers Abduct Fifteen Palestinians In West Bank. imemc.org 
Israeli soldiers abducted, on Thursday at dawn, fifteen Palestinians from their homes, in several parts of the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Prisoners' Society (PPS) has reported. The PPS office in Jericho, in northeastern West Bank, said the soldiers invaded and searched many homes in Aqabat Jaber refugee camp, southwest of the Jericho city, before …
(2021-01-21). Diet discrimination in prisons, jails, and detention centers. workers.org 
The interlocking systems of prisons, jails and detention centers were built up by descendants of those made rich from colonial conquest of this continent. The prison-industrial complex continues to benefit this very class of people every day by its existence. As the Prisoners Solidarity Committee of Workers World Party stated . . . |
(2021-01-21). Palestinian Prisoner Dies After 14 Years in Israeli Jail. imemc.org 
The Palestinian Prisoners' Society, and the Prisoners and Executives Affairs Authority in a joint statement, on Wednesday, announced the death of a Palestinian political prisoner Maher Thieb Sa'sa, 45, in an Israeli jail. Sa'sa died Wednesday in Rimonim Israeli prison, after spending years incarcerated and suffering from chronic illnesses, however no clear cause of death …
(2021-01-21). WW commentary: Diet discrimination in prisons, jails, and detention centers. workers.org 
Imam Siddiqui Abdullah Hasan, on death row in Ohio, was falsely convicted of the murder of a guard during the 1993 Lucasville prison rebellion. The rebellion started after Muslim prisoners objected to being forced to take a tuberculosis test containing alcohol, in violation of their religious practice. The interlocking systems . . . |
(2021-01-21). Shut Down Dissent. Going After the New "US Domestic Terrorists" globalresearch.ca Post-9/11, war on dissent in the US raged. | In 2010, the ACLU said "freedom is under fire in the US." | "There is a pall over our fire. (There are) attempts to squelch dissent." | "A chilling message has gone out across …
(2021-01-21). 135 Civil Rights Groups Oppose New Domestic Terrorism Statutes, Say Tackle Far-Right Violence With Existing Laws. commondreams.org "Members of Congress should not reinforce counterterrorism policies, programs, and frameworks that are rooted in bias, discrimination, and denial or diminution of fundamental rights like due process." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/capitol_police.png …
(2021-01-21). Medevac refugees released from torture centres, activists vow to continue the campaign. greenleft.org.au The release of refugees from detention has given activists hope that there will be a change in policy. But, as Chloe DS writes, they won't stop organising until all refugees are released from onshore and offshore prisons and given permanent protection.
(2021-01-21). Palestinian inmate dies after receiving Israel vaccine. yenisafak.com Palestinian inmate Maher Saasaa has died after recently receiving the coronavirus vaccine, according to the Palestinian Commission of Detainees' and ex-Detainees' Affairs.The Israel Prisons Service announced late Wednesday the death of Saasaa, 45, from Qalqilah, in northern West Bank, who suffered from several chronic diseases.The cause of death was unclear, according to an official statement.Israeli authorities told his family that an autopsy would be performed Thursday.The family said he was exposed to medical negligence during his detention for more than 15 years.Saasaa was the father of six children."We prepa…
(2021-01-21). Wednesday 2/3: Talk on the Mothers of the Civil Rights Movement w/ Author Anna Malaika Tubbs. indybay.org Online event…
(2021-01-21). 135 Civil Rights Organizations Oppose a New Domestic Terrorism Charge. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2021-01-21). In Pakistan's North Waziristan, residents take to the streets against murder of doctor. peoplesdispatch.org Dr. Waliullah Dawar was killed last week by unknown assailants. On Wednesday, led by Pashtun Tahafuz Movement leader Mohsin Dawar, protesters demanded legal action against the perpetrators and immediate release of all political prisoners…