Devin C (2021-01-06). EMERGENCY TWITTER/PHONE CALL ALERT! Alabama prison hunger striker beaten. workers.org On the morning of Jan. 4, a prisoner participating in the #Alabama11 hunger strike was beaten and bloodied by a guard, Officer Landrum, at the instructions of Sgt. Williams, for his participation in the hunger strike. The prisoner's name is Ronnie Miller, #244648. He is out of the infirmary, but . . . |

Peoples Dispatch (2021-01-06). Julian Assange's bail plea denied. peoplesdispatch.org A British judge denied Julian Assange's plea for bail on Wednesday, January 6. Judge Vanessa Baraitser rejected the bail request filed by Assange's legal team on the grounds that he still has "incentive" to abscond. Assange will continue to remain in the high security prison in Belmarsh pending the appeal filed by the United States on his extradition. The same judge on Monday had The judge, on Wednesday, stated that…

A Guest Author (2021-01-06). Advocates demand action as largest women's prison experiences COVID-19 outbreak. workers.org The following press release was issued Jan. 5 by the California Coalition for Women Prisoners CHOWCHILLA, Calif. There is a life-threatening massive outbreak of COVID-19 at the Central California Women's Facility, California's largest women's prison. In the past two weeks, there have been 500 new COVID-19 cases, representing 25% . . . |

Pip Hinman (2021-01-06). Assange decision welcome but sullied by legal chicanery. greenleft.org.au The ruling that Julian Assange cannot be extradited to the United States is welcome, but it comes after the charade in which British authorities held an unconvicted person in a top security prison and made his defence as difficult as possible, argues Stuart Rees.

news.un (2021-01-06). UN human rights expert 'cautiously' welcomes UK court's refusal to extradite Julian Assange. news.un.org An independent UN human rights expert has welcomed a British court's refusal to extradite Wikileaks founder Julian Assange to the United States on the basis that he would be exposed to oppressive conditions of imprisonment.

news.un (2021-01-06). 'An unwanted prison sentence' for seafarers stuck at home and stranded at sea. news.un.org Hundreds of thousands of seafarers have been on board for many months longer than planned, stranded at sea due to COVID-19 travel restrictions. Six months after the problem was first revealed, many of them are still struggling to cope with the ongoing uncertainty.

Udi Ofer (2021-01-06). 50 Years Into the War on Drugs, Biden-Harris can Fix the Harm It Created. aclu.org An earlier version of this blog appeared in

Latosha Brown (2021-01-06). "This Is Voter Suppression" zcomm.org 198,000 Georgia Residents Were Illegally Purged from Voter Rolls…

Rafael Figueroa (2021-01-05). Family of Slain Memphis Woman Files Suit Against Law Enforcement Agencies. laprensalatina.com MEMPHIS, TN (WREG) — A year after her death, a family has filed a civil rights lawsuit against the Memphis Police Department and the Shelby County Sheriff's Office. The family of Sabrina Nguyen alleges the agencies didn't do enough to protect her from her ex-boyfriend, and they believe she would still be here today had …

_____ (2021-01-05). Minnesota Is Changing The Way It Teaches Social Studies. popularresistance.org Minnesota's K-12 social studies standards are undergoing extensive revisions in search of a more inclusive approach that teaches about people previously left out of the discussion. | A diverse committee's first draft, now open for public comment, gives greater consideration to the Dakota and Anishinaabe tribes and covers for the first time the civil rights struggles of LGBTQ people. | The draft standards, according to Doug Paulson, the state education department's academic standards director, are "more inclusive" and "culturally affirming." | Still, some committee members think the first draft doesn't go far enou…

Staff (2021-01-05). Proud Boys Leader Arrested for Burning BLM Banner at Black Church. truthout.org As thousands are expected to descend on Washington, D.C., to join far right protests over the election results Wednesday, the leader of the Proud Boys hate group, Enrique Tarrio, was arrested on property destruction charges for burning a Black Lives Matter banner off a historically Black church during similar protests last month. Many churches have requested extra protection, and the Metropolitan AME Church is suing the Proud Boys. "Sadly, our nation has a very dark and sordid history of targeting historic…

Devin C (2021-01-05). Alabama prisons: ON STRIKE! workers.org Occupied Muscogee Creek / Cherokee / Yuchi / Choctaw / Shawnee / Chickasaw land As of Jan. 1, 2021, incarcerated workers in Alabama's odious prison system are on strike! Led by the Free Alabama Movement, incarcerated workers throughout the state of Alabama have put down their work tools and refused . . . |

Staff (2021-01-05). "This Is Voter Suppression": 198,000 Georgia Residents Were Illegally Purged from Voter Rolls. democracynow.org As voters in Georgia cast their ballots in two key runoff races that will determine control of the U.S. Senate, voting rights activists fear many eligible voters will be turned away at the polls. Georgia has been called "ground zero" for Republican voter suppression efforts in the U.S., and in September the ACLU of Georgia revealed 198,000 voters had been wrongly purged from the voting rolls. We air a report into voting in Georgia by investigative journalist Greg Palast, narrated by the actress Debra Messing, and speak with voting rights activist LaTosha Brown, co-founder of the Black Voters Matter Fund. "I think…

Nadda Osman (2021-01-05). Qatar blockade: Saudi deal raises questions about prisoners, flight paths and bots. middleeasteye.net Qatar blockade: Saudi deal raises questions about prisoners, flight paths and bots | As Saudi Arabia declares the lifting of the three-year land and air blockade on its Gulf neighbour, many issues remain to be resolved | Tue, 01/05/2021 – 14: 05 | Many people have raised questions on what the end of the Saudi blockade will mean for prisoners, flight paths and the Saudi bot network (Screengrab/social medi…

_____ (2021-01-05). Assange Wins. The Cost: Press Freedom Is Crushed. popularresistance.org The unexpected decision by Judge Vanessa Baraitser to deny a US demand to extradite Julian Assange, foiling efforts to send him to a US super-max jail for the rest of his life, is a welcome legal victory, but one swamped by larger lessons that should disturb us deeply. | Those who campaigned so vigorously to keep Assange's case in the spotlight, even as the US and UK corporate media worked so strenuously to keep it in darkness, are the heroes of the day. They made the price too steep for Baraitser or the British establishment to agree to lock Assange away indefinitely in the US for exposing its war crimes and its…

Charles Glass (2021-01-05). Ruling Assange Can't Be Extradited Is an Indictment of US Prisons. thenation.com Ruling Assange Can't Be Extradited Is an Indictment of US Prisons…

WSWS (2021-01-05). Sri Lanka prison massacre autopsy confirms victims were shot. wsws.org After the bloodbath, the Rajapakse government is taking further measures to tighten the repressive conditions in prisons.

Paige Fernandez (2021-01-05). Black Life Deserves More Than Meaningless Commissions. aclu.org This weekend the Trump administration released

Mehr News Agency (2021-01-05). US moves 60 ISIL forces to base on Syrian-Jordanian border. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jan. 05 (MNA) — The US occupation forces moved scores of ISIL terrorists from several prisons in Hasaka governorate to their illegal base in al-Tanf on the Syrian-Jordanian border.

Michael J. Moore (2021-01-05). What an Ex-Cop Learned in Prison About Police Culture. zcomm.org "If your anger is getting out of control, your work life is perfect, but marriage is a mess, or you think of harming yourself, deal with it now, so you don't end up as the next cop making headlines."

commondreams (2021-01-05). Lawsuit Launched to Protect 11 Species Kept on Waiting List by Trump Administration. commondreams.org ______________________________…

WSWS (2021-01-05). Protest over appalling conditions in New Zealand prison. wsws.org Twenty-one prisoners were involved in a six-day standoff to oppose rundown and unsanitary conditions at Waikeria Prison, exposing the false promises by the Labour Party-led government to make prisons more humane.

Brett Wilkins, staff writer (2021-01-04). Proud Boys Sued by Historic Black Church After Leader Admits to Burning Black Lives Matter Sign During DC Rally. commondreams.org Washington, D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine said the December 12 "hate crime" was meant to "terrorize Black people." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-12909295181_0.jpg …

Wyatt Skinner (2021-01-04). Texas prisons negligent in COVID-19 spread. liberationnews.org In Texas prisons, the class nature of COVID-19 spread is being exposed as infection rates surge.

Wyatt Skinner (2021-01-04). Texas prisons: Scene of negligence toward COVID-19. liberationnews.org In Texas prisons, the class nature of COVID-19 spread is being exposed as infection rates surge.

Betsey Piette (2021-01-04). Exonerate Mumia Abu-Jamal! workers.org Donald Outlaw became the 17th exoneree in three years in Philadelphia, when his 2000 murder conviction was overturned Dec. 28. A teenager when arrested, Outlaw served over 15 years in prison until his release in 2019. In Philadelphia, the call to free Mumia Abu-Jamal and all political prisoners is loud . . . |

Staff (2021-01-04). "Victory for Julian": U.K. Blocks WikiLeaks Founder Assange Extradition to U.S. on Espionage Charges. democracynow.org In a stunning decision, a British judge has blocked the extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to the United States, saying he would not be safe in a U.S. prison due to his deteriorated mental state. In 2019, Assange was indicted in the United States on 17 counts of violating the Espionage Act related to the publication of classified documents exposing U.S. war crimes in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere. The United States has already announced plans to appeal the ruling. Press freedom advocates have campaigned against Assange's prosecution for years, arguing it would set a dangerous precedent for prosecut…

Areeb Ullah (2021-01-04). Julian Assange should not be extradited to US, UK court rules. middleeasteye.net Julian Assange should not be extradited to US, UK court rules | Judge rules that Wikileaks founder was suicide risk if convicted in the US, where he faces up to 175 years in prison on espionage charges | Mon, 01/04/2021 – 08: 56 | Witnesses told the UK court that Assange could commit suicide if imprisoned in the United States (AFP) | A UK court has ruled that Wikileaks founder Julian Assange should not b…

Jonathan Cook (2021-01-04). Assange Wins. The Cost: The Crushing of Press Freedom. counterpunch.org The unexpected decision by Judge Vanessa Baraitser to deny a US demand to extradite Julian Assange, foiling efforts to send him to a US super-max jail for the rest of his life, is a welcome legal victory, but one swamped by larger lessons that should disturb us deeply.

Peoples Dispatch (2021-01-04). Judge turns down plea to extradite Julian Assange to US; bail hearing on Wednesday. peoplesdispatch.org Judge Vanessa Baraitser refused the plea to extradite WikiLeaks founder to the US on the grounds that there was a high chance of his committing suicide due to the brutal prison conditions there. She accepted most of the other contentions of the prosecution…

_____ (2021-01-04). Stella Moris: If British Court Sends Julian Assange To The United States. popularresistance.org London – A month ago, I would wake up in the middle of the night seized by a recurring nightmare: my little boys, Max, 22 months, and Gabriel, who is three, had been orphaned. I was still here but their father was not. | Their father is Julian Assange, the publisher of WikiLeaks. Today, that terrible nightmare is all too close to becoming a reality. | Julian has been on remand in Belmarsh prison in South-East London for almost two years. | He is fighting a political extradition to the United States, where he risks being buried in the deepest, darkest corner of the US prison system for the rest of his life. Julian…

_____ (2021-01-04). Assange: Judge Denies United States' Extradition Request. popularresistance.org Citing harsh federal prison conditions in the United States, a British district court judge rejected the United States government's extradition request against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. | Judge Vanessa Baraitser accepted that Assange was diagnosed with a "recurrent depressive disorder." Although he functions at a high level, she accepted he was diagnosed with autism as well. | She accepted that he would likely be imprisoned at a supermax prison in the U.S. under special administrative measures (SAMs) and would find a way to commit suicide. | "I am satisfied that, in these harsh conditions, Mr. Assange's m…

_____ (2021-01-04). Father Takes Assange's Fight To New York. popularresistance.org The father of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has turned his focus from the UK to the US where he hopes a change of president could advantage his son. | Assange is being held at London's Belmarsh Prison, pending a court decision on a warrant for his extradition to the US to face charges. | A judgment is due to be handed down at Woolwich Crown Court on Monday, but Assange's father John Shipton won't be there. | Mr Shipton says there's too much uncertainty about his ability to travel amid a series of border closures in the UK due to a mutant strand of coronavirus. | "It's all up in the air like it is for everybody…

_____ (2021-01-04). Protesters Gather In DC In Solidarity With Assange. popularresistance.org Press freedom activists and independent journalists endured the cold and rain outside the British Embassy in Washington D.C. on Sunday Jan. 3. With less than 24 hours until a potential blow to the future of press freedom, the crowd of free speech advocates was there to make as much noise as possible. | On Monday, Jan. 4, U.K. judge Vanessa Baraitser will announce if the U.K. government will extradite Australian journalist and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to the United States. Assange faces up to 175 years in prison for charges under the Espionage Act. Leading press freedom and human rights groups have acknowl…

teleSUR (2021-01-04). UK Judge Rules Against Extradition of Assange To US. telesurenglish.net British Judge Vanessa Baraitser on Monday ruled that Julian Assange should not be extradited to the United States to face charges of espionage and hacking government computers, as reported by The Guardian. | RELATED: | In making her decision, the British judge argued that the U.S. prison system has terrible and repressive characteristics, which puts Assange at risk of suicide. | "The rejection by the U.K. court of the US Govt's request…

Staff (2021-01-04). Decision Is Good News for Assange But Sets Grave Precedent for Other Journalists. truthout.org In a stunning decision, a British judge has blocked the extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to the United States, saying he would not be safe in a U.S. prison due to his deteriorated mental state. In 2019, Assange was indicted in the United States on 17 counts of violating the Espionage Act related to the publication of classified documents exposing U.S. war crimes in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere. The United States has already announced plans to appeal the ruling. Press freedo…

Jonathan Cook (2021-01-04). Assange wins. The cost: Press freedom is crushed, and dissent labelled mental illness. dissidentvoice.org The unexpected decision by Judge Vanessa Baraitser to deny a US demand to extradite Julian Assange, foiling efforts to send him to a US super-max jail for the rest of his life, is a welcome legal victory, but one swamped by larger lessons that should disturb us deeply. Those who campaigned so vigorously to keep …

Jonathan Cook (2021-01-04). Assange Wins. The Cost: The Crushing of Press Freedom, The Labelling of Dissent as Mental Illness. globalresearch.ca The unexpected decision by Judge Vanessa Baraitser to deny a US demand to extradite Julian Assange, foiling efforts to send him to a US super-max jail for the rest of his life, is a welcome legal victory, but one swamped …

Brian Dolinar (2021-01-04). COVID-19: Coming to a Jail Near You. progressive.org Illinois jails have become hotspots for the coronavirus, and county officials haven't done much to stop the spread.

Peoples Dispatch (2021-01-04). Algerian court acquits three former Bouteflika regime officials, including his brother. peoplesdispatch.org In a setback to the popular Hirak resistance movement in Algeria, a court acquitted three officials of the erstwhile regime of ex-president Abdelaziz Bouteflika, including his brother Said Bouteflika, multiple news outlets reported on January 2, Saturday. Bouteflika's regime was toppled by a popular revolution in 2019. Apart from the ex-president's brother, two powerful former spy chiefs, Mohamed Mediene and Bachir Tartag, were acquitted by the military appeals court on Saturday after a retrial cleared them of conspiracy charges. | The three had been sentenced to 15 years in prison in September 2019 after being c…

Fight Back (2021-01-04). Political prisoner Facundo Molares wins freedom! fightbacknews.org Political prisoner Facundo Molares, an Argentinian photojournalist who was incarcerated by the Bolivian Añez regime, is now safely home in his native Argentina. | Molares was arrested during a violent incident between armed forces backing the coup d'etat and protests for democracy in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia on November 19, 2019, two days after the unelected Añez government took over. Molares was documenting the confrontation for the magazine Centenario, but during this incident he had a health crisis and was rushed to the hospital. | The Añez coup regime arrested Facundo in his hospital bed. It is widely…

WSWS (2021-01-04). Opening of schools in Germany based on deliberate lies and deception. wsws.org The criminality with which the campaign to open schools has been conducted was recently demonstrated by the deliberate suppression of a study from Hamburg showing massive outbreaks were taking place within schools in Germany.

commondreams (2021-01-04). NAACP President and CEO, Derrick Johnson, Released the Following Statement After President Trump Pressured Georgia Secretary of State to Recalculate Votes in His Favor. commondreams.org ______________________________…

commondreams (2021-01-04). Lawsuit Filed to Hold Proud Boys Accountable for Racist Attack on Historic Black Church in D.C. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Joan Walsh (2021-01-04). The Georgia Senate Runoff Races Are Too Wild to Call. thenation.com The Georgia Senate Runoff Races Are Too Wild to Call…