(2021-02-01). Demand Mass Clemency On 'National Freedom Day'. popularresistance.org As supporters of the #CagingCOVID campaign, the Antistasis Project is calling for decentralized actions on February 1st across the so-called United States, and internationally, in support of mass clemency for people held in jails, prisons and detention centers. | Reports updated as of Jan. 19, show at least 355,957 prisoners have gotten the virus, and more than 2,232 died as a result of it. . The pandemic has resulted in prisons and jails abusing isolation more than ever before. Social distance is necessary but solitary confinement is torture. | Crowded quarters, a lack of PPE, inadequate medical care, an aging p…
(2021-02-01). For the German left, this is a moment of reckoning. peoplesdispatch.org 
An annual socialist demonstration in Berlin was the target of police brutality. The left must unite against this unwarranted suppression and the practice of banning socialist organizations behind it…
(2021-02-01). COVID behind bars: Infected prisoners work for next to nothing. peoplesworld.org 
EL PASO, Texas—The county jail was using incarcerated labor to move the corpses of COVID-19 patients into mobile morgues in El Paso, Texas last fall. Media coverage focused on inmates "helping" and "volunteering," even as they were being paid only $2 per hour. Incarcerated people at Airway Heights Correction Center in Washington state are being …
(2021-02-01). COVID behind bars: Infected prisoners work for next to nothing. peoplesworld.org EL PASO, Texas — The county jail was using incarcerated labor to move the corpses of COVID-19 patients into mobile morgues in El Paso, Texas last fall. Media coverage focused on inmates "helping" and "volunteering," even as they were being paid only $2 per hour. Incarcerated people at Airway Heights Correction Center in Washington state …
(2021-02-01). Rights groups say Biden should reveal vaccine plan for Guantanamo prisoners. middleeasteye.net 
Rights groups say Biden should reveal vaccine plan for Guantanamo prisoners | Pentagon decided to pause plan to offer coronavirus vaccines to Guantanamo detainees following criticism from Republican lawmaker | Mon, 02/01/2021 – 20: 38 | It is not known how many people at Guantanamo have contracted Covid-19 (AFP) | Rights groups are calling on the Biden administration to publicly reveal its Covid-19…
(2021-02-01). 'Bring Sundiata home': The case for freeing elderly political prisoners. therealnews.com 
Sundiata Acoli has been locked up for 48 years. At 84 years old, and after contracting COVID-19 in prison, Acoli's health is suffering—and a coalition of friends, family, and faith leaders are calling for him to be released before it's too late.
(2021-02-01). Germany rejects France's call to halt construction on Nord Stream 2 pipeline over Navalny detention. rt.com 
Germany said it plans to complete the Russian-led Nord Stream 2 offshore gas pipeline project despite opposition from France over Moscow's jailing of opposition figure Alexey Navalny. | The stance of the German government "has not changed" in recent days, deputy government spokeswoman Martina Fietz said on Monday in Berlin, after France's secretary of state for Europe Clément Beaune asked Germany to halt the project. | A spokesman for Germany's Federal Foreign Office in Berlin told Die Welt that although the project is going ahead, the German government was aware of the French position and having a "ver…
(2021-02-01). Ground control to major lawsuit? Dubai launches 'space court' to settle celestial corporate disputes. rt.com 
The UAE has staked its claim to the emerging market of space-based lawsuits, unveiling a global Courts of Space to get ahead of what it hopes will be a raft of new litigation as commercial activity in the celestial realm grows.
(2021-02-01). Kremlin dubs some protesters 'hooligans & provocateurs,' says appeal for US sanctions proves Navalny's team are 'foreign agents'. rt.com 
Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman has defended the police's decision to take tough measures to detain and disperse supporters of jailed opposition figure Alexey Navalny at rallies across the country over the weekend. | Speaking to journalists on Monday, Dmitry Peskov said that the demonstrations attracted "quite a large number of hooligans and provocateurs," which, he argued, explained the violent clashes with authorities. However, he added, the use of force had to be carefully monitored, even if it was necessary in the face of "illegal actions." | The Kremlin press secretary added that there was no…
(2021-02-01). Navalny press secretary Yarmysh is latest associate put under house arrest, gets two months over alleged role in opposition protes. rt.com 
Kira Yarmysh, a close ally of imprisoned opposition figure Alexey Navalny, will be confined to her home until late March, a court ruled on Monday, amid a wave of restrictions aimed at the organizers of nationwide protests. | Moscow's Basmanny Court ordered the activist to remain under house arrest until March 23 while charges are prepared by prosecutors. A spokesman for the judges told RIA Novosti that investigators had requested the "preventative measure" because of allegations that Yarmysh was involved in "creating the threat of mass disease" after crowds gathered to demonstrate for Navalny's release earlier…
(2021-02-01). VIDEO: Myanmar after military coup. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Feb. 01 (MNA) — After the detention of Leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other senior government leaders on Monday, Myanmar's powerful military has taken control of the country in a coup and declared a state of emergency.
(2021-02-01). Moscow doubles down on arrests of peaceful pro-Navalny protesters. laprensalatina.com Moscow, Feb 1 (efe-epa).- The Kremlin on Monday defended the actions of Russian police during peaceful protests a day early in over 140 cities across the country that led to the arrests of over 5,400 people. Moscow says the detentions were justified as none of the protests were legally authorized. "The police act in a …
(2021-02-01). Navalny supporters keep the pressure on Putin in new wave of protests. laprensalatina.com By Celine Aemisegger Moscow, Jan 31 (efe-epa).- Supporters of Alexei Navalny on Sunday kept the pressure on President Vladimir Putin by turning out for large protests all across Russia to demand the release from jail of the opposition leader and to express their indignation with the country's economic and social situation, and they did so …
(2021-02-01). Trump Nominated for Nobel Peace Prize Over War-Free Presidential Tenure. sputniknews.com The Nobel Peace Prize committee is set to convene in October to vote on the laureates for the prestigious award. Among this year's nominees, applications for which had to be submitted by 1 February, is the Black Lives Matter movement which rocked the world with protests throughout 2020.
(2021-02-01). Arrests, military control 'a serious blow' to democratic reforms in Myanmar: UN chief. news.un.org The United Nations Secretary-General has strongly condemned the detention of Myanmar's top political leaders and government officials, including State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint, by the country's military.
(2021-02-01). Wednesday 2/3: Black Lives Matter At School: California Schools Edition. indybay.org Online event…
(2021-02-01). Trump's White Mob. indybay.org Trump may have been unusually heavy-handed in his race-baiting. But his approach fits perfectly with the party's approach, which it has taken at least since Republicans adopted the "Southern Strategy" in the 1968 election in the wake of the Civil Rights Acts.
(2021-01-31). On Contact: Radical As Reality Itself. popularresistance.org On the show this week, Chris Hedges talks to Michael Smith about civil rights attorney Michael Ratner's recently published memoir, "Moving the Bar — My Life as A Radical Lawyer". Smith was a close friend and collaborator of Ratner's for over three decades. | Michael Ratner was one of the most important civil rights attorneys in our era. He spent his life fighting on behalf of those who state and empire sought to crush, from the leaders of the prison uprising at Attica to Muslim prisoners held in Guantanamo, to Julian Assange.
(2021-01-31). Policing And Punishment In Minneapolis' 'SafeZone'. popularresistance.org The criminal "justice" apparatus faces increasing criticism for emphasizing punishment, violent abuse and incarceration of criminals rather than rehabilitation. However, few observers recognize the active role community "justice" programs and businesses play in this displacement. The public/private SafeZone initiative launched in downtown Minneapolis in 2004 serves as an instructive example of how programs lauded as reforms can still impose punitive "law and order" tactics onto targeted populations. | "A month ago I was driving down Nicollet going to pick up my girl, somebody shot at me, twice!" Demetri (whose re…
(2021-01-31). Students Continue To Pressure Northwestern University To Abolish The Police. popularresistance.org After several months of continuous pressure on Northwestern administration to abolish University Police and divest from policing and other militarized entities, NUCNC is continuing their work into the new quarter. | Since their campaign of more than 30 days of consecutive actions, the group has not held any mass protests or demonstrations, but they continue to pressure the University and practice mutual aid — a core tenet of prison-industrial complex abolition. | "Prisons are the biggest social service we have," NUCNC member Eliza Gonring said. "So poor people, homeless people, Black people are just getting…
(2021-01-31). Hundreds detained in Russia ahead of fresh pro-Navalny protests. laprensalatina.com Moscow, Jan 31 (efe-epa).- Russian police detained hundreds of protesters across the country on Sunday ahead of demonstrations in support of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who was detained after he returned to Russia earlier this month from Germany, where he had been recovering from a poisoning. OVD-Info, which specializes in tracking police detentions in Russia, …
(2021-01-31). Hopes of fresh momentum in fight against leprosy, but stigmatization persists. news.un.org Progress is being made in the fight against leprosy, but millions are still affected by the disease, and many sufferers have to contend with social exclusion. On World Leprosy Day, marked annually on 31 January, experts are calling for an end to ongoing discrimination and stigmatization.
(2021-01-30). George Floyd "narrated his death," says attorney at International Inquiry. mronline.org 
George Floyd, who was publicly tortured and lynched by Minneapolis police officers on May 25, 2020, narrated his own death, legendary civil rights lawyer Benjamin Crump told the International Commission of Inquiry on Systemic Racist Police Violence Against People of African Descent in the United States at its January 25 hearing.
(2021-01-30). New Surge of COVID Is Spreading "Like Wildfire" in Illinois Prisons. truthout.org 
With COVID-19 raging throughout the United States, there is a growing sense of desperation among people in prison. Pablo Mendoza, who recently got out of prison, said that those inside "are tired of the lockdown." They spend 23.5 hours a day in their cells. They have not had visits from their loved ones for almost a year. | Those who have caught COVID and are believed to be immune get out for yard time. Others are "weighing options," according to Mendoza: "Stay safe, or get the virus so they can get som…
(2021-01-30). Beauty queen cheerleader sues uni over drunk football fans who 'treated her as a sex object' by 'groping her breasts and buttocks'. rt.com 
A cheerleader and beauty pageant contestant has reportedly filed a lawsuit against a university in the US, claiming that dancers at football games were "presented as sex objects" to "titillate" men who made advances towards them. | 2019 Miss Nebraska entrant Hayden Richardson is said to have launched a 58-page federal suit against Northwestern University, where she said she had been groped by sozzled fans and alumni during university events and alleged that female cheerleaders had been told by the team's head coach to "mingle" with powerful figures. | After sending in videos of her stunts, Richardson was accep…
(2021-01-30). Fears Grow that Efforts to Combat US Domestic Terrorism Can Hurt Minorities. zcomm.org Civil rights advocates worry that moves to fight far-right extremism will be used against communities of color and leftwing activists…
(2021-01-30). Amnesty slams Houthi ban on Yemeni women. yenisafak.com Amnesty International has condemned a Houthi decision banning Yemeni women from working in restaurants, calling it "shameful and discriminatory".In a thread on its Twitter account, the human rights organization said it stands with all Yemeni women "in their fight for their rights"."Institutionalizing discrimination increases oppression on women and impedes the foundation for sustainable and gender-equitable recovery and reconstruction in Yemen," it said.Amnesty stressed that UN efforts to achieve a "peaceful reconciliation" in Yemen are impossible "without safeguarding and protecting women's rights".There was no…
(2021-01-30). ACLU Pressing Biden To Stick To His Promise Of Decarceration. popularresistance.org The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is launching a six-figure ad buy featuring both digital and print spots calling for President Biden to adhere to his campaign promise of decreasing the number of incarcerated persons in the country. | Specifically, the ACLU wants Biden to grant clemency to thousands of people who meet certain criteria, something that he could do through executive powers. | "We use criteria that reflect an evolution in our thinking around criminal justice," Cynthia Roseberry, deputy director of the ACLU's justice division, told The Hill. | "For example, calling for those who are now incarc…
(2021-01-30). Xiaomi sues US government over blacklist inclusion. laprensalatina.com Shanghai, China, Jan 30 (efe-epa).- Chinese technology firm Xiaomi has filed a lawsuit against the United States' defense and treasury departments over its inclusion on a blacklist of companies with alleged links to the Chinese military. In the move confirmed by Chinese state media Saturday, Xiaomi joins other Chinese technology companies such as ByteDance and …
(2021-01-30). Former Atlantic City Mayor sentenced to federal prison. nationofchange.org "The mistake that I made is not something that I am proud of. It is something that I'm very ashamed of…I want to apologize to this court for being in front of you when I knew better."
(2021-01-29). Will Biden End America's Global War on Children? counterpunch.org 
Most people regard Trump's treatment of immigrant children as among his most shocking crimes as president. Images of hundreds of children stolen from their families and imprisoned in chain-link cages are an unforgettable disgrace that President Biden must move quickly to remedy with humane immigration policies and a program to quickly find the children's families
(2021-01-29). Unholy trinity: Courts, governors, legislators refuse to prevent COVID-19 deaths in prisons. workers.org 
By Wesley Massey The writer is an incarcerated worker in Indiana, Pa. COVID-19 has exposed the "cancel culture" in the American prison system in relation to how prisoners are treated like chattel. Prisons and their administrations have been given carte blanche authority to govern themselves on how they treat prisoners . . . |
(2021-01-29). Militarized police attacked him on his own front porch. PAR helped him fight back. therealnews.com 
Nick Pettit was assaulted by Columbus, Ohio, police for filming a botched raid. We investigated on his behalf, and now evidence gathered by PAR is part of an ACLU lawsuit against the police department that violated his constitutional rights.
(2021-01-29). PDF of January 28 issue. workers.org 
Download the 12-page PDF. Biden appoints warmongers 30-year U.S. war on Iraq; Workers on the move; No waiting to confront Biden; Webinar vs. racism; Women's clinic attacked; Anti-imperialist feminism. Editorial: Socialism vs. capitalism. Hank Aaron, civil rights icon; Rubin Kanowitz, °presente! GLOBAL: Vietnam; Tunisia. TEAR DOWN THE WALLS: Crushing ICE; . . . |
(2021-01-29). Will US policy on Palestine and Israel change under Biden? Florida students take on prison slave labor. therealnews.com 
When it comes to U.S. policy on Palestine and Israel, the Biden administration has sent some mixed and not-so-mixed signals. Also, student organizers are forcing the University of Florida to end its use of unpaid prison labor.
(2021-01-29). Will the Biden Administration End America's Global War on Children? juancole.com Most people regard Trump's treatment of immigrant children as among his most shocking crimes as president. Images of hundreds of children stolen from their families and imprisoned in chain-link cages are an unforgettable disgrace that President Biden must move quickly to remedy with humane immigration policies and a program to quickly find the children's families …
(2021-01-29). How to Do 'Regime Change' Correctly: a Blueprint for the Biden Administration. strategic-culture.org By Sasan FAYAZMANESH | In my college years, as a member of the Iranian Students Association, one of my political tasks was to dispatch progressive American attorneys to Iran to investigate human rights abuses by the Shah, including torture and murder of political prisoners. These trips and the subsequent reports submitted by the attorneys were often successful in reducing the pain and suffering of prisoners of conscience, since the Shah was cognizant of his image abroad. Afterall, he was a creature of the West and dependent on it. He owed his throne to the 1953 American-British backed coup and was nurtured by the…
(2021-01-29). 'Pharma bro' Martin Shkreli weighs in on GameStop-Robinhood saga, says he's 'willing to testify' to Congress. rt.com 
Infamous 'pharma bro' Martin Shkreli, who is currently serving a seven-year prison sentence for securities fraud, has said he is "willing to testify" to Congress on the GameStop-Robinhood stocks controversy. | Shkreli weighed in on the raging controversy in an email to his ex-partner, former Bloomberg News reporter Christie Smythe, who made waves last month after giving an interview to Elle magazine about her relationship with the former hedge fund manager and Turing Pharmaceuticals CEO. | "LOL — this thing is so nuts," wrote Shkreli in the email posted by Smythe, adding: "You can let the world know, if y…
(2021-01-29). Scheer Intelligence: The FBI's Crusade Against MLK Was Darker Than You Think. popularresistance.org "You are done. There is only one way out for you. You better take it before your filthy, abnormal fraudulent self is bared to the nation." That's the shocking ending to the infamous letter Civil Rights hero Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. received in 1964 essentially urging him to commit suicide. The letter and accompanying package containing blackmail were sent by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, as King quickly caught on. While the full, unredacted letter was finally published by the New York Times in 2014, the audio recordings of an extensive FBI wiretapping operation targeting King have been sealed until 2027…
(2021-01-29). Joshua Wong pleads guilty to Hong Kong anti-mask protest charges. laprensalatina.com By Shirley Lau Hong Kong, Jan 29 (efe-epa).- Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong, currently in jail, appeared in a court Friday and pleaded guilty to charges related to a street protest held during the height of the city's pro-democracy movement in 2019. The 24-year-old, and renowned activist Koo Sze-yiu, 74, were accused of taking …
(2021-01-29). Lawsuit Challenging FDA Approval of Novel Genetically Engineered Color Additive That Makes Impossible Burger "Bleed" Moves Forward. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2021-01-29). Vilsack's Disturbing Suppression of USDA Science. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2021-01-29). What Does Free Speech Mean Online? aclu.org Nearly three weeks ago, former President Donald Trump was banned from nearly every social media platform because of his role in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. Just before Congress was set to certify Joe Biden as the next president of the United States, Trump instructed his supporters to, "fight much harder" against "bad people" and "show strength" at the Capitol. | The social media bans on Trump and his supporters ignited a debate about whether these social media companies have too much power over the speech of their users. Should they have banned Trump sooner? Are these bans legal? What kind of precedent does…
(2021-01-29). Paraguay: Opposition Leader Efrain Alegre Faces Jail. telesurenglish.net A Paraguayan judge Thursday ordered pre-trial detention for the former presidential candidate Efrain Alegre, who is under investigation for an alleged corruption scandal related to his 2018 election campaign. | RELATED: | According to Guarantees Judge Cynthia Lovera, the Authentic Radical Liberal Party (PLRA) leader failed to comply with the alternative measures to prison imposed on him 20 days ago. | "Alegre syste…