(2021-04-07). Activists protest phosphate mining and treatment of jail inmates near Piney Point disaster in Manatee. liberationnews.org 
On Tuesday, activists in Manatee County gathered at the intersection of Moccasin Wallow Road and US 41 to demand the evacuation of Manatee County Jail during the Piney Point environmental disaster.
(2021-04-07). Take action: Support the #HungerStrike4Yemen — stop U.S. support for the Saudi blockade of Yemen #YemenCantWait. samidoun.net 
Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network is honored to join and endorse the hunger strikers and the Yemeni Liberation Movement on the 10th day of their strike to demand the US end ALL support to the Saudi-led blockade on Yemen. The blockade, now in its fourth month, has prevented all fuel and food from entering the country, leading to mass starvation, electricity shortages, and death. All this while the Yemeni people have endured six years of onslaught from the Saudi-led coalition: The people of Yemen are being starved due to a war tactics blockade that has been imposed by Saudi-led, US-supported forces.
(2021-04-07). Baseball's All-Star Game removed from Atlanta due to repressive voting law. workers.org 
Major League Baseball announced April 2 that its annual All-Star Game, scheduled for July 13, would be moved from Atlanta to an out-of-state site to protest a blatant new attack on the right to vote in Georgia. Related events would also be moved. Georgia protest in 2020. A similar stance . . . |
(2021-04-07). April 11: Global Day Of Action For Julian Assange. popularresistance.org Assange supporters Candles4Assange have put together an incredibly helpful list of actions planned for Julian Assange on April 11th around the world, to mark 2 years of his unjust imprisonment. The full Twitter thread is here but we've also listed each event by city below.
(2021-04-07). The Promise of Systemic Equality Starts at Home. aclu.org For more than a century, the ACLU has been on the frontlines advancing civil liberties and civil rights. This has meant not only defending rights for all but taking bold positions in order to help America live up to her own ideals — a reality that is better than where we are, and one that is never finished. For over 100 years, this aspiration of a more perfect union has been our story. | Today, we are focused on a new chapter of that story: one where we've turned our attention inward to our own culture and systems to evolve as an organization that is reflecting internally the ambitions we have set extern…
(2021-04-07). The aged care prison. greenleft.org.au Jack Williams argues that more staff in aged care homes would immediately make a difference to the lonely lives of their elderly residents.
(2021-04-07). More Than 1,800 Inmates Break Out Of Prison After Militant Attack In Nigeria. southfront.org 
On April 5th, upwards of 1,800 inmates were broken out of prison in southeast Nigeria. | This happened when heavily armed gunmen attacked their prison using explosives and rocket-propelled grenades, the authorities said. | Nigerian police said it believed a banned separatist group, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), was behind the attack in the city of Owerri, but a spokesman for the group denied involvement. | An IPOB spokesman told Reuters the group did not carry out the prison raid."IPOB and ESN were not involved in the attack in Owerri, Imo state. It is not our mandate to attack security personnel or pri…
(2021-04-07). Iraq: Arrests among LGBTQ+ community in Kurdish city sparks fierce debate. middleeasteye.net 
Iraq: Arrests among LGBTQ+ community in Kurdish city sparks fierce debate | The recent detentions have been met with differing reactions from Kurdish social media users as well as from politicians | Wed, 04/07/2021 – 13: 53 | While some applauded the security forces for making the arrests, saying such operations would protect the Kurdish community from a 'moral collapse,' others reacted angri…
(2021-04-07). Israeli President Mandates Netanyahu, Amidst Criminal Trial, To Form Government — OpEd. eurasiareview.com 
Israel has once again passed another milestone in corruption. For the first time, the president has tasked a party leader to form a government who is currently on trial facing criminal charges. Conviction would not only end his political career, but land him in prison. Yesterday, Pres. Rivlin faced the choice of awarding either Bibi Netanyahu or Yair Lapid with the task for forming a government. In prior consultation, the various parties offered 52 votes for Bibi to form the government and 45 for Lapid. A president usually offers the candidate with the most votes the mandate. But there is no rule saying he mus…
(2021-04-07). 50 yrs ago: Confessed bomber names Raleigh House as provocateur at Ed Poindexter's trial. indybay.org Reprinted below with permission from the author is the second in a series of articles marking the 50th anniversary of Black Panther political prisoner Ed Poindexter's trial. Ed is currently in very poor health. We will continue to feature Michael Richardson's important series of articles this month. The Jamal Journal's April 1 interview with author Michael Richardson marked the first article in Richardson's critical series. The second article in the series is reprinted here in full.
(2021-04-07). Republican Apoplexy — Play Ball and Pass the Popcorn. juancole.com Oakland, Ca. (Special to Informed Comment) — This Republican apoplexy over Major League Baseball (MLB) taking the All-Star game out of Atlanta is hilarious on one level; but scary on another. And they're punishing themselves to amplify their position that Georgia has a right to engage in brazen voter suppression, in service to the Donald …
(2021-04-07). Do Prisons Keep Us Safe? Author Victoria Law Busts Myths About Mass Incarceration in New Book. democracynow.org 
As the first anniversary of the police killing of George Floyd approaches, we speak with author and journalist Victoria Law, who says despite the mass movement to fight systemic racism sparked by Floyd's death, persistent myths about policing, incarceration and the criminal justice system still hinder reform. "Why do we think prisons keep us safe? Obviously, Derek Chauvin wasn't afraid of being arrested or imprisoned when he killed George Floyd," says Law, who examines these issues in her new book, "'Prisons Make Us Safer': And 20 Other Myths About Mass Incarceration."
(2021-04-07). Conflicts Compounded By COVID-19 Devastating Socio-Economic Development In Sub-Saharan Africa. eurasiareview.com 
The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the terrible legacy of deliberately divisive and destructive policies that have perpetuated inequality, discrimination, and oppression across Sub-Saharan Africa, Amnesty International said in its annual report published early April 2021. | Across the Sub-Saharan region, the devastating impact of armed conflict in countries such as Ethiopia, Mozambique, Cameroon, and Nigeria, was compounded by the pandemic as a number of states weaponized it to crack down on human rights. The crackdowns included killings of civilians and arrests of opposition politicians and supporters and huma…
(2021-04-06). Is Traditional Ira Glasser-Style Liberalism Vanishing? scheerpost.com By Matt Taibbi / TK News There's a scene at the beginning of Mighty Ira, an elegant and thought-provoking documentary about longtime ACLU director Ira Glasser, where the movie's eponymous hero walks along the grounds of Ebbets Field Apartments, home of the old Brooklyn Dodgers. Glasser was obsessed with the Dodgers as a kid, becoming a fan at the age of 9, in 1947, when Jackie Robinson joined the… |
(2021-04-06). A virtual birthday celebration for Paul Robeson on April 9. peoplesworld.org 
LOS ANGELES — Paul Robeson (1898-1976), actor, singer, athlete, civil rights activist, and humanitarian, is the inspiration for The Robey Theatre Company and the man from whom The Robey gets its name. On Friday, April 9 at 6: 00 p.m. PDT, The Robey will hold a virtual birthday celebration for Paul Robeson. This is the first …
(2021-04-06). Colombian Paramilitary an "Illegitimate Son of the Colombian State" (Salvatore Mancuso). orinocotribune.com 
By Mision Verdad — Apr 5, 2021 | In recent In his virtual testimony from a jail in the United States, Mancuso not only stressed that "the para…
(2021-04-06). A voice from the inside: District Attorney's office past and present. workers.org 
Jerome Coffey has been wrongly incarcerated for 28 years. He is an exceptional Pro-Se litigator, that is, representing himself in legal actions. He filed and won a lawsuit against the Department of Corrections and a civil suit. In both these cases, he successfully defended himself. His next Post-Conviction Relief Act . . . |
(2021-04-06). The real lives of America's Chinese masseuses. mronline.org 
The recent mass shooting in Atlanta has highlighted the vulnerability of Asian women who work in American massage parlors. But they face systematic oppression as well as individual hate. | April 6, 2021 | Newswire…
(2021-04-06). US Military Closes Camp 7, Guantánamo's 'High-Value Detainee' Prison Block, Moves Men To Camp 5 — OpEd. eurasiareview.com 
In news from Guantánamo, the US military announced that it had shut Camp 7, the secretive prison block where Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and other so-called "high-value detainees" have been held since their arrival at Guantánamo from CIA "black sites" in September 2006, and had moved the prisoners to Camp 5. | Modeled on a maximum security prison in Terre Haute, Indiana, Camp 5, which cost $17.5 million, opened in 2004, and its solid-walled, isolated cells were used to hold prisoners regarded as non-compliant. As the prison's population shrank, however, it was closed — in September 2016 — and its remain…
(2021-04-06). Saudi aid worker sentenced to 20 years in prison. peoplesdispatch.org 
It is believed that Abdulrahman al-Sadhan has been convicted in connection with operating an anonymous Twitter account that was critical of human rights abuses in Saudi Arabia and the policies of crown prince Mohammed bin Salman…
(2021-04-06). Silencing Black voters, again. mronline.org 
Since the Civil War, voter suppression in America has had a unique cast. | April 6, 2021 | Newswire…
(2021-04-06). Palestinian prisoner Rushdi Abu Mokh is released after 35 years in Israeli custody. peoplesdispatch.org Rushdi Abu Mokh was arrested in 1986 and charged along with three others with the murder of an Israeli soldier and membership of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine…
(2021-04-06). The UK race commission report and its racialist opponents: Apologists for capitalist oppression. wsws.org The furious debate over the race report is a fight in the privileged middle class over the spoils of capitalist exploitation and not a socialist critique of capitalism.
(2021-04-06). I Refused to Become an FBI Informant, and the Government Put Me on the No Fly List. aclu.org My first interaction with the FBI was based on a lie. | In August 2018, I got a call asking me to go to City Hall to clear up a city permit violation, and gladly complied to resolve any issues. It turned out to be a ruse. | When I arrived, I was led into a conference room, where two FBI agents were waiting. I was immediately caught off guard, not having any idea why the FBI would want to talk to me. I'm a husband and father of two young kids, and I have always focused on building a good life with my family, both as a business owner and as an engineer in Michigan's automotive industry. | Although the FBI agent…
(2021-04-06). Chile Rules Out Compensation for 22 Ocular Trauma Victims. telesurenglish.net Chile's State Defense Council (CDE) rejected a lawsuit filed by a group of victims who suffered ocular trauma caused by the Military Police (the "Carabineros") during the October 2019 social outburst. | RELATED: | The lawsuit was filed by 22 people aged between 18 and 34 years old. They hold that the Carabineros conducted an "abusive and negligent" use of force, which violated human rights norms. | The plaintiffs reque…
(2021-04-06). The Significance of the NUMSA Appeal to the World for Mumia Abu-Jamal. counterpunch.org On March 10th 2021, Jack Heyman, a retired member of the International Longshoremen and Warehousing Union and longstanding member of theWest Coast Labor Action Committee to Free Mumia Abu-Jamal shared with the Mumia and prison human rights' groups nationally and internationally a press release from the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA). The South
(2021-04-06). MLB pulls All-Star game from Georgia over new voter suppression law. peoplesworld.org  …
(2021-04-06). Georgia's New Voter Suppression Law and Corporate Support. globalresearch.ca Something's rotten in Georgia, and it's not the peaches: Gov. Brian …
(2021-04-06). Biden administration asks US court to throw out case against ex-Egyptian PM. middleeasteye.net 
Biden administration asks US court to throw out case against ex-Egyptian PM | Justice Department says lawsuit against Hazem el-Beblawi, over his alleged involvement in torture, should be dismissed due to his diplomatic status | Tue, 04/06/2021 – 15: 48 | Mohamed Soltan filed a lawsuit against Hazem el-Beblawi (pictured) last June, accusing him of direct responsibility for his treatment, which inclu…
(2021-04-06). 'We Need Police-Free Schools': Survey Finds 2/3 of US Students Want Cops Removed From Campus. commondreams.org "Students deserve more than an education system that is hell-bent on criminalizing them instead of providing them with the resources they need to succeed." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/school-to-prison_pipeline.jpg …
(2021-04-06). Russian opposition figure Navalny sent to prison medical ward after inspections find symptoms of respiratory infection. rt.com 
Jailed Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny has been transferred to a prison medical unit after showing symptoms of an acute respiratory infection, including a high temperature, according to the Federal Penitentiary Service. | In a statement reported by Moscow daily Izvestia, the prison authorities revealed that Navalny is now under the supervision of medical staff and has undergone all necessary tests, including one for Covid-19. The activist is currently in Corrective Colony No. 2 (IK-2) in Pokrov, a town in the Vladimir Region, not far from Moscow. | In an Instagram post on Navalny's official account, i…
(2021-04-06). Group of models from scandalous NAKED high-rise photoshoot in Dubai will avoid prison & be deported from UAE, authorities say. rt.com 
A group of models who were photographed naked on a balcony in Dubai will be deported from the UAE after authorities opted not to send them to prison. They were facing six months behind bars under the country's lewd behavior laws.
(2021-04-06). Models from scandalous NAKED high-rise photoshoot in Dubai to be deported, authorities say. rt.com More than a dozen models and the organizer of the naked photoshoot that angered the Dubai authorities won't get six-month prison terms after all, as the Muslim emirate has decided to deport them instead. | The investigation into "the recently publicized photo shoot, which contravened UAE law" has been completed, the Dubai Media Office announced in a tweet on Tuesday. | "The individuals involved will be deported from the United Arab Emirates. No further comment shall be made on the matter," it said. | The individuals involved will be deported from the United Arab Emirates. No further comment shall be made on th…
(2021-04-06). US denounces Saudi court sentencing of aid worker to 20 years in prison. middleeasteye.net 
US denounces Saudi court sentencing of aid worker to 20 years in prison | State Department warns 'freedom of expression should never be a punishable offense' after Red Crescent aid worker jailed for allegedly running anonymous social media account | Tue, 04/06/2021 – 15: 36 | Detained aid worker Abdulrahman al-Sadhan has been sentenced to 20 years in prison in addition to a subsequent two-decade travel ban (Co…
(2021-04-06). Women's Rights Are Human Rights. commondreams.org This fight against women's oppression is not just a struggle for women, but for all of humanity. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/thefutureisfemale.jpg …
(2021-04-06). Wednesday 4/7: Democracy on the Ropes: Fighting Voter Suppression Against BIPOC Communities. indybay.org Online event…
(2021-04-06). On Palestine Children's Day, 140 Minors Held in Israeli Prisons. orinocotribune.com Marking Palestine Children's Day, the Palestine Prisoners' Club revealed that there are 140 Palestinian children in Israeli prisons, including two under administrative detention. | According to the Defence for Children International-Palestine, every year between 500 and 700 Palestinian children are prosecuted by Israel in military courts. | Until the end of March 2021, human rights groups have counted 230 Palestinian children detained by the Israeli occupation, mostly from Jerusalem. | Dylan Williams, former US Senate staffer and senior vice president of the advocacy group J Street, tweeted last month: | "H…
(2021-04-06). Sanders Says GOP Corporate Boycott Is Distraction From Voter Suppression Efforts. truthout.org 
As Republicans criticize large corporations like Coca-Cola and Delta Air Lines for their opposition to the recent Georgia voter suppression law, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) has called out the Republicans' criticisms as "extraordinary" and says that they're attempting to distract the public from their war on voting. | Sanders, speaking to MSNBC's Chris Hayes on Monday,
(2021-04-06). Republicans Trip Over Themselves to Defend Georgia Voter Suppression Law. truthout.org 
After Major League Baseball (MLB) announced it would be moving its All-Star Game away from Georgia because of the state's recently passed voter suppression law, Republicans began downplaying the law that many critics have called a rehash of " When MLB announced that the game would now be in Denver, Colorado, Republicans scrambled to compare the two locati…
(2021-04-06). New York's "Excluded Workers" Demand First U.S. Fund to Secure Pandemic Aid for Undocumented People. democracynow.org 
More than a year into the pandemic and the economic crisis it generated, many workers continue to be excluded from receiving any government relief. These excluded workers include undocumented people — many of them in essential services — and people recently released from prison. Hundreds of essential workers across New York are leading marches and hunger strikes to demand lawmakers support a $3.5 billion fund that would be the first of its kind in the United States to provide pandemic relief funding to those excluded from the current system. Governor Andrew Cuomo is now in final negotiations with legi…