(2021-01-26). Masking Up Under Biden: the Perils of Tribalism, Bureaucracy and Lawsuits. counterpunch.org 
One crackling theme streaking through the US elections of 2020 was the issue of mask wearing. Critics initially felt that facemasks were of the too important category in combating the novel coronavirus: purchasing and using them was tantamount to prizing valuable protective equipment from doctors and frontline workers. But COVID-19 continued to rage, and various
(2021-01-26). Fred Hampton: The Fight for Truth. truthout.org 
The event will take place at 7 pm ET, January 26, 2021. | Long-time civil rights attorneys Flint Taylor and Jeffrey Haas will join Defending Rights & Dissent (DRAD) and Truthout as DRAD Policy Director and Still Spying Podcast host Chip Gibbons discusses the latest revelations about the FBI's role in Fred Hampton's death and why it matters. | Fifty-one years ago, the Chicago Police raided the office of the Illinois Black Panther Party, killing Fred Hampton and Mark Clark. The police initially claimed they acted in self-defense, but this w…
(2021-01-26). Iraq: Kurdish presidency files defamation lawsuit against poet. middleeasteye.net 
Iraq: Kurdish presidency files defamation lawsuit against poet | Activists warn of risk to freedom of speech after KRG launch legal action over critical rap video | Tue, 01/26/2021 – 13: 23 | A still from Helgord Qehar's video 'Confusion', in which he berates the KRG parliament on a digital stage (screenshot) | The presidency of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region has filed a legal case against…
(2021-01-26). President Biden: The Time To Restore Net Neutrality Is Now. aclu.org Just over four years ago, Donald Trump's Federal Communications Commission eliminated
(2021-01-26). Civil Commitment: The New Double Jeopardy. projectcensored.org After completion of a prison sentence, individuals considered a danger to society can continue to be held indefinitely under what is called "civil commitment." Civil commitment, which has been instituted…
(2021-01-26). Paying Symbolic Tribute to César Chávez Isn't Enough. progressive.org If Biden really wants to honor the civil rights activist, he'd ensure farmworkers have the same protections as other workers.
(2021-01-26). Former LA City Councilman sentenced to prison for obstructing corruption probe. nationofchange.org U.S. District Judge John F. Walter sentenced Englander to 14 months in federal prison. The former city councilman was also ordered to pay a $15,000 fine.
(2021-01-25). Hotel Workers Turn To Courts To Fight Pandemic Firings. popularresistance.org A former worker is proposing a class action lawsuit against a major Vancouver hotel over alleged wrongful terminations during the COVID-19 pandemic. | Romuel Escobar, who worked at the Pan Pacific hotel for 24 years before being fired in August, filed a notice of civil claim in B.C. Supreme Court Wednesday. | His lawsuit accuses the hotel of terminating workers without cause or notice. It also seeks to represent some 250 current and former regular hourly employees directly impacted by the pandemic in a class action suit. | Unite Here Local 40, which represents B.C. hotel workers, supports the legal action. Worker…
(2021-01-25). Why Anti-Racism Must Be Anti-Capitalist. popularresistance.org Last summer we saw one of the largest anti-racist mobilisations in decades. In over sixty countries, protesters took to the streets in their thousands to demand transformative, lasting change. | The Black Lives Matter movement calls for a fundamental shift in how our societies are organised: defunding police forces, ending the prison-industrial complex, opposing imperialist projects abroad, and destroying neo-colonial power relations between the Global North and the Global South. Racism and its brutal history are being discussed in a way that is unparalleled in my lifetime. | As happens with every radical movemen…
(2021-01-25). Amnesty International condemns 'deplorable' conditions in Egypt's prisons. middleeasteye.net 
Amnesty International condemns 'deplorable' conditions in Egypt's prisons | On anniversary of Arab Spring uprising, rights group says detainees held for years in overcrowded prisons suffered torture and sexual abuse | Mon, 01/25/2021 – 20: 45 | "> | Amnesty International denounced inhumane conditions in Egypt's prisons on Monday, 10 years after the start of the Arab Spring in the c…
(2021-01-25). The Weekly Round-Up: Human Rights vs Unfettered Trade: a Party divided? ukhumanrightsblog.com 
In the news: Last week's round-up detailed China's ongoing oppression of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang province. This week, the government narrowly defeated a backbench rebellion in the form of an all-party amendment, strongly endorsed in the Lords, which would have given victims of genocide the ability to obtain a determination in the High Court confirming …
(2021-01-25). Amnesty Calls on Biden to Close Guant√°namo and End Military Commissions 'Once and For All'. commondreams.org The group says the prison symbolizes U.S. "use of torture, rendition, and indefinite detention without charge or trial—in complete violation of internationally agreed-upon standards of justice and human rights." | www.flickr.com/photos/susanmelkisethian/31897209800/…
(2021-01-25). Stand Up America Calls On Congress To Pass Protecting Our Democracy Act After SCOTUS Dismisses Emoluments Lawsuits. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2021-01-25). Biden and Congress Must Close Guant√°namo Bay Detention Center, Not Bring New Charges in Unlawful Military Commissions. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2021-01-25). Dominion Sues Giuliani Over "Big Lie" Involving Venezuela. telesurenglish.net The U.S. technology company Dominion Voting System issued a lawsuit for defamation on Monday against Donald Trump's former lawyer. | RELATED: | The company demands over $1.3 billion in damages after Guiliani spread the so-called Big Lie that Dominion was owned by Venezuelan authorities and claimed that the company had "stolen the votes" from Trump. The conspiracy theory went viral on social media. | Today legal representativ…
(2021-01-25). Virginia police officers suspended without pay for joining Capitol riots. nationofchange.org The penalty for the misdemeanor is up to a year in jail. The penalty for the petty offense is up to six months in jail.
(2021-01-25). Trump's legal problems are only just beginning. nationofchange.org Multiple investigations at the state and federal level—plus private lawsuits—await Trump in private life.
(2021-01-25). Interview with Mark Burton, attorney for Colombian revolutionary Simon Trinidad. fightbacknews.org Fight Back! interviews Mark Burton, attorney for Colombian revolutionary Simon Trinidad who is a political prisoner held by the U.S. government. Simon Trinidad, also known as Ricardo Palmera, is a good man who has done nothing wrong. His only crime is to fight for the freedom and independence of his own country, taking the side of Colombian workers and peasants. Due to U.S. government repression, we are unable to interview Simon Trinidad directly. Check out the campaign to Free Simon Trinidad at Fight Back!: Who Is Simon Trinidad? | Mark B…
(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). 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). Wednesday 1/27: First 100 Days: Racial Divides, COVID & the Black Community Town Hall w/ NAACP. indybay.org Online/virtual town hall…
(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). 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). 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…