(2021-12-22). Chris Hedges on the Persecution of Julian Assange (Video). scheerpost.com 
In July 2010, Wikileaks published Cablegate, one of the biggest leaks in the history of the US military, including evidence for war crimes and torture. Julian Assange, the founder and spokesman of Wikileaks, immediately found himself a target, accused of hacking, and later sexual assault. He spent the next seven years in asylum in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, fearful that he would be extradited to Sweden to face the accusations of assault and then sent to US. In 2019, Assange was handed over to the British police. On the same day, the US demanded his extradition. He faces up to 175 years in prison for…
(2021-12-22). Egyptian court sentences activist Alaa Abdel Fattah to five years in prison for 'spreading fake news'. peoplesdispatch.org A prominent activist in the 2011 uprising against Hosni Mubarak's dictatorship, Alaa has been in jail for most of the decade since for opposing the crackdown on dissent carried out by the regime of Abdel Fattah al-Sisi…
(2021-12-22). Nicaragua's evidence-based democracy threatens U.S. oppression domestically and abroad. mronline.org 
Despite Washington's best effort to derail Nicaragua's electoral process through hybrid warfare, strong voter turnout resulted in a decisive victory by the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN), and the reelection of President Daniel Ortega with 75.92% of the votes cast. Nicaragua's non-partisan, independent Supreme Electoral Council (CSE) reported on Monday, November 8th that 65.23% of …
(2021-12-22). NYC Anarchist Black Cross Statement on the Passing of Russell "Maroon" Shoatz. itsgoingdown.org Statement from the NYC Anarchist Black Cross on the passing of former Black liberation political prisoner, Russell "Maroon" Shoatz. NYC Anarchist Black Cross mourns the loss of Russell "Maroon" Shoatz. Russell was a founding member of the Black Unity Council, as well as a veteran of both the Black Panther Party and the Black Liberation…
(2021-12-22). 'We have to become emancipators'. workers.org 
These slightly edited remarks were made by recently freed political prisoner, Jalil Muntaqim, during a Dec. 9 webinar to mark the 40th anniversary arrest of Mumia Abu-Jamal and to demand his freedom. By Jalil Muntaqim On October 25, international jurists at the Spirit of Mandela Tribunal found the United . . . |
(2021-12-21). New Program Is Secretly Privatizing Medicare. popularresistance.org A new program is placing Medicare recipients into private health insurance plans without their knowledge or consent in a final effort to fully privatize our national Medicare system. Known as "Direct Contract Entities (DCEs)," this program is putting more of our healthcare system into the hands of private equity to generate enormous profits at the expense of our health. Clearing the FOG speaks about this with Kay Tillow, a long time health care, civil rights and union activist. Tillow explains what these entities are, why they threaten the future of our entire healthcare system and how they block our ability to a…
(2021-12-21). Timeline: How Law Enforcement Fueled Violence in Kenosha. aclu.org On August 23, 2020, a white officer in the Kenosha Police Department shot Jacob Blake, a Black man, in the back, leaving him paralyzed. Protests erupted in the Milwaukee, Wisconsin suburb, and two nights later, Kyle Rittenhouse shot and killed two people and injured another amidst the unrest. More than 40 different local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies descended on the suburb of Milwaukee that summer night. While Rittenhouse's high-profile trial was monitored by people across the country, the underlying role of law enforcement and their interactions with right-wing militia groups has drawn less at…
(2021-12-21). Trump sues NY attorney general. rt.com 
Former US President Donald Trump is suing New York Attorney General Letitia James, saying her "partisan" two-year investigation into his business dealings violates his civil rights. The Democrat AG has vowed to continue the probe. | Attorneys for the 45th president and Trump Organization filed the complaint before a federal judge in the Northern District of New York, multiple outlets reported on Monday. | "Letitia James targets President Trump with a callous disregard for the ethical and moral obligations she swore to abide by when she became attorney general," attorney Alina Habba said in a statement. "She ha…
(2021-12-21). "Shut Down Those Tanks": Anger Grows in Hawaii After U.S. Navy Fuel Site Contaminates Water. democracynow.org 
The United States Navy is facing growing calls to permanently shut down one of their fuel storage facilities in Hawaii after a petroleum leak contaminated the water supply that serves over 90,000 families around the naval base of Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu. The storage site, called the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility, has long been protested by environmental activists in part because of its location just 100 feet above the primary groundwater aquifer for Honolulu and the rest of Oahu. We speak with two Native Hawaiian guests: civil rights lawyer Camille Kalama and Kamanamaikalani Beamer, a former comm…
(2021-12-21). In a Pennsylvania prison, a COVID-19 related death. workers.org 
A 52-year-old man, Melvin James Anderson IV, died while incarcerated in the Chester County Correctional Complex and Youth Center in Pocopson, Pennsylvania, Dec. 7. He was jailed while waiting to be tried for a charge of burglary, which he may or may not have committed. How did he die? He . . . |
(2021-12-21). Russia could tighten laws after prison torture scandal. rt.com 
Lawmakers in Russia's parliament have proposed a bill that would send penitentiary officials convicted of torture to jail, following revelations of horrific abuse being inflicted on inmates in the Saratov region. | Andrey Klishas and Pavel Krasheninnikov, members of the governing United Russia party, submitted a draft of the legislation to the Duma, the lower house of parliament, on Monday. "The facts that have come to light about the cruel torture used on inmates in the Federal Penitentiary Service have raised widespread public concern, and cannot go without attention from lawmakers," Krasheninnikov commented…
(2021-12-21). Russian stunner confirms split from bad-boy footballer she stuck by during jail time. rt.com 
The partner of Russian footballer Aleksandr Kokorin has confirmed the pair have split up, after the blonde model and former singer had stuck by the star when he was jailed in 2019 for assault on a government official. | "Have Aleksandr and I divorced? We were never officially married. So it's difficult to call it a divorce," blonde model Valitova wrote in response to a question on Instagram Stories. | "But in terms of personal relationships, our paths diverged, and this happened quite a long time ago." | The pair had been in a relationship since 2014 and Valitova gave birth to their son, Michael, in 2017.
(2021-12-21). Mexican Cartels Blamed for Increased Violence in Ecuador's Prisons. america.cgtn.com 
Ecuador was left reeling when at least 120 inmates were killed in a Guayaquil jail. Local gangs linked with Mexican drug cartels were behind the slaughter in what is believed to be a fight over territory. The riot was the worst prison massacre in Ecuador's …
(2021-12-21). Prisoners Sue Prison System Following Targeted Raid Against Black People. popularresistance.org California prisoner, Talib Williams, is bringing a class action lawsuit on his behalf as well as other Black incarcerated people who were targeted by a July 20, 2020 raid at Soledad, California's Correctional Training Facility (CTF). The suit seeks a reprieve from the state-sponsored terror that is their norm. Injunctive and declaratory relief, among other remedies, are necessary to stop the violence, change CDCR policy, and compensate the prisoners for the degradation they have suffered. | The raid took place against the backdrop of nationwide Black-led uprisings that occurred after the murder of George Floyd on…
(2021-12-21). The Transition from Matriarchy to Patriarchy 101: (My best attempt!). anchor.fm In this episode I do my best to explain just that, through historical and dialectical materialist analysis and an understanding of political-economic development in human history I try to show how the transition from traditional Matriarchal societies developed into Patriarchal ones. If I missed anything or spoke too little about something, please tell me! Also check out "The Origin of the Family, Private Property, and the State" by Engels, plus a recent episode of Probably Cancelled Podcast with an interview by Michael Parenti titled, "Male Terrorism and the Political Economy of Sex Oppression". Hope you enjoy th…
(2021-12-21). Pegasus report: new evidence of Saudi interference in Yemen war probe and other stories. peoplesdispatch.org Today we look at the targeting of a UN investigator with the Pegasus spyware, the sentencing of 3 Egyptian activists to prison, and more…
(2021-12-21). 5 Years for a Retweet: Egyptian Rights Activist Alaa Abd El-Fattah Sentenced by Emergency Court. democracynow.org 
An emergency court in Egypt has sentenced leading human rights activist Alaa Abd El-Fattah to an additional five years in prison on the charge of "spreading false news undermining national security" for sharing a post on Twitter. El-Fattah has been imprisoned since his arrest in September 2019, just six months after he was released following a five-year prison term for his role in the peaceful demonstrations of 2011 that led to the fall of Egypt's longtime dictator Hosni Mubarak. "Alaa wasn't even in the courtroom," says El-Fattah's aunt, the acclaimed Egyptian novelist Ahdaf Soueif, who was in the courtroom at t…
(2021-12-21). 2021 Year in Review: U.S. Capitol Riot. america.cgtn.com 
It's nearly been a year since the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, an attempt to overturn the election results that made Joe Biden President. Hundreds of rioters and demonstrators have been arrested while some are already in prison. CGTN's Nathan King takes a look back …