(2021-04-14). Female union leaders note that labor law reform is a civil rights issue. peoplesworld.org 
WASHINGTON—From better pay to paid sick leave, from due process on the job to wider opportunities, working women, union or not, stand to reap huge benefits if Congress passes the Protect The Right To Organize (Pro) Act, a panel of woman union leaders says. And that prompted AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler, an Electrical Worker and …
(2021-04-14). Breaking the prison chains. workers.org 
Rebellion at St. Louis City Jail A continuous assault on imprisoned inhabitants at the "Justice Center" in downtown St. Louis, Missouri, precipitated the fourth prison rebellion in recent months April 4. (tinyurl.com/yk44uu4g) Onlookers watch as incarcerated workers chant from broken windows at the city jail in St. Louis, April 4. . . . |
(2021-04-14). Jordan: Woman given prison sentence for saying 'my father is better than the king'. middleeasteye.net 
Jordan: Woman given prison sentence for saying 'my father is better than the king' | Jordanian social media has erupted in support of 34-year-old Athar al-Dabbas, who has been accused of 'prolonging her tongue' by insulting King Abdullah II | Wed, 04/14/2021 – 13: 15 | Dabbas' sentence comes at a rocky time for Jordan, as economic difficulties, the Covid-19 pandemic and internal rifts within the royal famil…
(2021-04-14). Italy's senate votes to give citizenship to jailed Egyptian activist Patrick Zaki. middleeasteye.net 
Italy's senate votes to give citizenship to jailed Egyptian activist Patrick Zaki | Zaki is a human rights advocate who has campaigned for the truth about the 2016 Cairo murder of Italian student Giulio Regeni | Wed, 04/14/2021 – 15: 41 | Egyptian authorities arrested Zaki on 7 February 2020 upon his return from Italy, where he had been living and studying (Twitter) | The Italian senate on Wednesday voted to a…
(2021-04-14). Egypt releases two journalists after international outcry. middleeasteye.net 
Egypt releases two journalists after international outcry | Solafa Magdy and her husband Hossam el-Sayyad had been held in pre-trial detention for 16 months over their journalism work | Wed, 04/14/2021 – 10: 59 | Solafa Magdy (L) and Hossam el-Sayyad (R) were released on Wednesday (Facebook) | Egyptian authorities released journalists Solafa Magdy and her husband Hossam el-Sayyad on Wed…
(2021-04-14). India: Controversial Mosque Can Open For Ramadan. eurasiareview.com By Bijay Kumar Minj | Delhi High Court has ruled that the controversial Nizamuddin Markaz mosque in India's capital can open for Ramadan prayers by following standard Covid-19 guidelines. | On April 2, the court rejected a plea from the federal government and Delhi police that only 20 people be allowed to enter the premises at a time out of a police-verified list of 200. | The mosque was closed 13 months ago after a conference at Nizamuddin Markaz was blamed for spreading Covid-19. | Mohammad Salim Engineer, secretary general of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, told UCA News that it would be discrimination to close the m…
(2021-04-14). Why disability rights advocates are pressing the Senate to allow an internet voting option. nationofchange.org The push for voters with disabilities, and for overseas and military voters, pits civil rights activists against cybersecurity advocates.
(2021-04-13). Ahead of Palestinian elections, Israel arrests political leaders in raids across West Bank. peoplesdispatch.org Ahead of the upcoming legislative and presidential elections in Palestine, Israeli security forces conducted a series of raids in the occupied West Bank on Monday, April 12. 28 Palestinians were arrested, most of them members of Palestinian political factions, including West Bank-based Fatah and the predominantly Gaza-based Hamas. Several well-known civil society figures were also arrested, reported Wafa News. The Palestinian prisoner society stated that the overnight raids took place in and around the West Bank cities of Hebron, Bethlehem, Jenin, Ramallah, Al-Bireh, Nablus, and occupied East Jerusalem. | Among t…
(2021-04-13). Derek Chauvin Trial Breaks Down "Blue Wall of Silence" as Police Officials Testify Against Ex-Cop. democracynow.org 
We get the latest on the murder trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer who killed George Floyd, with Minneapolis-based civil rights attorney Nekima Levy Armstrong. She says prosecutors in the case have successfully chipped away at the "blue wall of silence" by getting current police officials to testify against Chauvin. However, she says it's likely that "the only reason that these officers have testified is because the world is watching."
(2021-04-13). Derek Chauvin Trial Breaks Down "Blue Wall of Silence" as Police Officials Testify Against Ex-Cop. democracynow.org We get the latest on the murder trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer who killed George Floyd, with Minneapolis-based civil rights attorney Nekima Levy Armstrong. She says prosecutors in the case have successfully chipped away at the "blue wall of silence" by getting current police officials to testify against Chauvin. However, she says it's likely that "the only reason that these officers have testified is because the world is watching."
(2021-04-13). GOP Smears DOJ Civil Rights Pick Kristen Clarke in Latest Attack on Voting Rights & Racial Justice. democracynow.org 
We look at President Biden's nomination of Kristen Clarke to become the first Black woman to lead the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division and the conservative smear campaign against the veteran civil rights lawyer. The far-right Fox News host Tucker Carlson has devoted at least five segments to attacking Clarke's nomination, including baseless accusations of anti-Semitism. Ben Jealous, president of People for the American Way and former president of the NAACP, says "the right-wing attack machine" springs into action whenever Black nominees are up for confirmation. "They make sport, quite frankly, of trying…
(2021-04-13). GOP Smears DOJ Civil Rights Pick Kristen Clarke in Latest Attack on Voting Rights & Racial Justice. democracynow.org We look at President Biden's nomination of Kristen Clarke to become the first Black woman to lead the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division and the conservative smear campaign against the veteran civil rights lawyer. The far-right Fox News host Tucker Carlson has devoted at least five segments to attacking Clarke's nomination, including baseless accusations of anti-Semitism. Ben Jealous, president of People for the American Way and former president of the NAACP, says "the right-wing attack machine" springs into action whenever Black nominees are up for confirmation. "They make sport, quite frankly, of trying…
(2021-04-13). This isn't a Border Crisis, It's a Poverty, Violence and Climate Crisis. counterpunch.org 
Thousands of desperate migrants, mostly from Central America, are stuck at the U.S.-Mexico border. Most are families and unaccompanied children. Despite their legal rights to apply for asylum, U.S. officials are turning away huge numbers, claiming pandemic restrictions. But thousands of children remain, held in crowded border detention facilities while awaiting transfer to Department of
(2021-04-13). The parole system is broken. therealnews.com 
In the state of Maryland, prison inmates serving life sentences can only be granted parole by final decree from the governor. Even for elderly inmates at high risk of COVID-19 infection, as well as inmates who were sentenced to life in prison before they were legal adults (i.e., when they were still children), Maryland Governor Larry Hogan has refused to use this power to grant parole to many who desperately need it. However, at the tail end of the latest legislative session, Maryland's General Assembly passed the SB0202 bill, which repeals this rule, putting decision-making power in the hands of a parole c…
(2021-04-13). Victory for Jalil Muntaqim over Monroe County DA. workers.org 
After 49 years, on Oct. 7, 2020, political prisoner Jalil Muntaqim was finally released, becoming the last remaining Black Panther Party member to survive the New York State prison system. However, Monroe County District Attorney Sandra Doorley charged Muntaqim with felony voter fraud immediately after his release, claiming that he . . . |
(2021-04-13). Arabic press review: Egypt builds 35 new prisons since 2011 revolution. middleeasteye.net 
Arabic press review: Egypt builds 35 new prisons since 2011 revolution | Meanwhile, former Qatari PM says US is behind Jordan's crisis, foreign investment in Dubai declines by 53 percent, and 43 percent of Lebanese families struggle to secure food in Ramadan | Tue, 04/13/2021 – 13: 41 | Policewomen standing outside the entrance to al-Qanatir women's prison, about 30km north of the Egyptian capit…
(2021-04-13). Egypt: Prominent journalist Khaled Dawoud released from prison. middleeasteye.net 
Egypt: Prominent journalist Khaled Dawoud released from prison | While in detention, the activist and journalist was held in very poor conditions for 18 months | Tue, 04/13/2021 – 13: 24 | Khaled Dawoud was an outspoken critic of the government and was known for his journalism (AFP) | Egyptian journalist and activist Khaled Dawoud was released from prison on Monday, pending investigation o…
(2021-04-13). Mexico arrests 30 marines over alleged forced disappearances in city hit by drug cartel violence. rt.com 
Dozens of marines have been arrested by Mexican police for allegedly playing a part in forced disappearances in 2014 in the northern city of Nuevo Laredo, the navy has said. The border area has been plagued by cartel drug wars. | The attorney general's office ordered the detention of the naval personnel who were carrying out "surveillance and deterrence" work in the city, which borders the US state of Texas, the navy said in a short statement on Monday night. | Mexico's navy has been a key arm of the government's military-led cartel crackdown in the last 15 years, but it has drawn complaints over alleged human…
(2021-04-13). Lawsuit reveals deadly conditions for Washington D.C. jail inmates during the pandemic. wsws.org A lawsuit against the Washington D.C. jail accuses the city of endangering inmates and the public at large.
(2021-04-13). Long COVID sufferer describes her experience: "I do not recognize my body. I feel like a prisoner in it" wsws.org More than one year into the coronavirus pandemic, many are still suffering with chronic symptoms of COVID-19 known as Long COVID.
(2021-04-13). Two years of Assange's imprisonment. peoplesdispatch.org Assange is being indicted in the US under the infamous Espionage Act and the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. He faces a total 18 federal criminal charges, including espionage and cybercrimes, which together carry a maximum sentence of 175 years.
(2021-04-13). The Computer Got it Wrong: Why We're Taking the Detroit Police to Court Over a Faulty Face Recognition 'Match'. aclu.org Last year, Detroit police
(2021-04-13). Caring About Black Lives Can Get You Busted. progressive.org The Florida city sees new anti-protest bill as a threat to anti-racist protests.
(2021-04-13). Reclaiming Asylum, Rethinking the Border. progressive.org A much different mindset is needed about border issues—one that doesn't treat asylum seekers as criminals and instead keeps them out of detention and in communities.
(2021-04-13). How Antidiscrimination Law Fails Black Mothers. thenation.com How Antidiscrimination Law Fails Black Mothers…
(2021-04-13). Police & Prison Abolition — YDSA Reading Group. dsausa.org RSVP Here Join YDSA members from across the country for a series of discussions about police & prison abolition and how it relates to our vision and strategy for winning socialism.
(2021-04-13). Free Mumia! protests: April 20 in SF at KQED, April 24 in Oakland. indybay.org April 20th: Protest at KQED Headquarters,50 Beale St., San Francisco; Protest against Philadelphia DA Larry Krasner, who is trying to keep Mumia imprisoned for life. Krasner is the star of a new PBS documentary, "Philly D.A." Then, on April 24 in Oakland, (Mumia's Birthday) — March and Car Caravan, Oscar Grant Plaza (14th and Broadway) to Alameda County Courthouse, 1221 Fallon Street, Rally on the steps of the Alameda County Courthouse, where the Panthers demonstrated for Huey Newton, on Mumia's Birthday!