(2023-06-03). Correspondence] Not allowed to speak—another let-down for the Caribbean people. thelancet.com It is rather disappointing and somewhat sad that The Lancet can have a Commission on racism, structural discrimination, and global health and not have a single commissioner from the Caribbean. The entire region was born out of colonisation by people who felt entitled to take land that belonged to the indigenous people and almost wiped them off the face of the planet, either violently, or via one of the first massive global health transfers of disease (especially smallpox).1…
(2023-06-02). Jeff Chang & Jeannie Park on Asian Americans and Affirmative Action. fair.org 
CounterSpin230602.mp3 NBC ( This week on CounterSpin: Corporate media have never been the right place to look for thoughtful, inclusive consideration of affirmative action. For them it's an "issue," a political football, rather than a long effort to address the real historical and ongoing discrimination against non-white, non-male people in multiple aspects of US life. | But when it comes to the role that anti-discrimination, pro-equity efforts have had on Asian-A…
(2023-06-03). Drop the charges against the Atlanta Solidarity Fund activists! fightbacknews.org Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the Committee to Stop FBI Repression. | The Committee to Stop FBI Repression condemns the May 31 arrest of three organizers with the Atlanta Solidarity Fund (ASF). The arrest of the three organizers, who are being called the ASF 3, represents an increase in state repression against the Stop Cop City movement. The ASF has played a pivotal role in jail support and the bailing out of arrested Stop Cop City activists. | On the morning of May 31, the Atlanta Police Department and Georgia Bureau of Investigation conducted a militarized SWAT raid and ex…
(2023-06-02). Father of Gonzalo Lira, American jailed in Ukraine, speaks out against "political imprisonment" thegrayzone.com US citizen Gonzalo Lira faces a long prison term in Ukraine for criticizing the country's government. Shunned by the US government, his father is fighting to stop the "slow death of a son." When US media have demonstrated any interest in the arrest of an American citizen, Gonzalo Lira, it has been primarily to celebrate his prosecution on the grounds that he has been "shilling for Putin." The US State Department, meanwhile, refuses to answer questions about the disappearance of …
(2023-06-02). A Sweetheart Deal for the Sacklers: Billionaires Get Immunity from Civil Lawsuits over Opioid Crisis. democracynow.org 
A federal appeals court on Tuesday ruled that members of the Sackler family can receive immunity from all current and future civil litigation related to their role in creating and fueling the opioid epidemic. The billionaire Sacklers own Purdue Pharma, maker of the highly addictive opioid OxyContin. The legal shield could lead to a settlement in the range of $6 billion for thousands of plaintiffs, including states, local governments and tribes. Opioid overdoses have killed over 500,000 people in the U.S. over the past two decades, according to the CDC. For more, we speak with Ed Bisch, founder of the group Relati…
(2023-06-02). Billionaire Sackler Family Gets Immunity From Civil Lawsuits Over Opioid Crisis. truthout.org A federal appeals court on Tuesday ruled that members of the Sackler family can receive immunity from all current and future civil litigation related to their role in creating and fueling the opioid epidemic. The billionaire Sacklers own Purdue Pharma, maker of the highly addictive opioid OxyContin. The legal shield could lead to a settlement in the range of $6 billion for thousands of plaintiffs… |
(2023-06-02). Democracy Under Capitalism – What is it? podcasters.spotify.com Does democracy exist? What is it? What isn't it? What are we told about it? Where do these ideas come from? Can capitalism, a system based on exploitation, profit, and oppression, truly be "liberal", "free" or "Democratic"? For more on this and maybe an answer or to, give this episode a listen!
(2023-06-03). Perspectives] Confronting the past. thelancet.com Violence against women continues to be reported globally and it is partly rooted in gender inequality, patriarchy, and misogyny. Women are over six times more likely to experience sexual assault than men and an estimated one in three women in England and Wales experience intimate partner violence in their lifetimes. Lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated domestic abuse and nearly 1 ∑7 million cases were recorded in England and Wales in the year ending March, 2022. Intimate partner violence can have impacts on mental health, substance use, and experience of prison.
(2023-06-03). FBI appears to be continuing investigation of Julian Assange. wsws.org On Thursday it was reported that FBI agents are trawling around, apparently seeking dirt on Assange despite him being locked up in a maximum-security British prison for the past four years.
(2023-06-03). Psych examiner reported "no suicidal thoughts" days before Epstein death. wsws.org The release of documents from the period of Epstein's imprisonment come as more information is emerging on his high-level connections in the rancorous world of the ultra-rich.
(2023-06-03). In Contempt #29: Pushing Back Against Repression in Atlanta; Upcoming June 11th Events. itsgoingdown.org photo: @deannalorena In this column, we present our monthly roundup of political prisoner, prison rebel, and repression news, happenings, announcements, action and analysis. Packed in as always are updates, fundraisers, and birthdays. There's a lot happening, so let's dive right in! Political Prisoner News Hey, folks! On July 11th from 1 to 3 PM, we…
(2023-06-03). Iran Releases Three European Citizens In Deal Involving Oman, Belgium. southfront.org 
Iranian diplomat Assadollah Assadi who was freed by Belgium. | On June 2, Iran freed two Austrian and one Danish citizens in a follow up to a recent Oman-brokered prisoner swap deal that saw the release of an Iranian diplomat by Belgium. | Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg said he was "very relieved" that Kamran Ghaderi and Massud Mossaheb were being brought home after "years of arduous imprisonment in Iran." | From his side, Denmark's foreign minister, Lars Là∏kke Rasmussen, s…
(2023-06-03). Toulouse action mobilizes for the liberation of Walid Daqqah, all Palestinian prisoners. samidoun.net 
Around the world, initiatives and actions have been growing in support of the freedom of Walid Daqqah, the Palestinian intellectual and freedom fighter imprisoned since 1986 by the Israeli occupation, especially inspired by the call of his family and the international campaign for his release. Daqqah was again refused early release on 31 May, despite …
(2023-06-02). Arkansas bans children's books on LGBTQ topics and racism; librarians and booksellers sue. peoplesworld.org 
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark.—Librarians in Arkansas could be headed to prison if they set up displays showcasing books on LGBTQ topics or the history of racism. According to the Republican-controlled legislature and local conservatives, such themes are "obscene" and not "age appropriate" for children or teenagers. But community libraries and booksellers are fighting back against Act 372, …
(2023-06-02). Nine Senegalese Die While Protesting for the Release of Sonko. telesurenglish.net On Thursday, Senegalese security forces killed nine people who were protesting the two-year prison sentence against opposition leader Ousmane Sonko. | RELATED: | "The violence led to the destruction of property and unfortunately to the death of nine people in Dakar and Ziguinchor," Interior Minister Antoine Felix Diome said. | President Macky Sall decided to suspend the use of certain social networks, arguing tha…
(2023-06-02). In American Prisons, You're Nothing More Than a Number. scheerpost.com 
Formerly incarcerated journalist and writer Keri Blakinger uses her past experiences to detail the inside of prisons and why so few people come out better on the other side.
(2023-06-02). Haiti, hunger and U.S. prison imperialism. workers.org 
By James Patrick Jordan Note: This article, first published by Black Agenda Report, has been edited for the May 25, 2023, print issue of Workers World. Read in full at tinyurl.com/yck3k98y. Three prisoners in the U.S.-built prison in Petit-Goâve, Haiti, starved to death between Aug. 23 and Sept. 27, 2022. . . . |
(2023-06-02). Communist Party of Swaziland to launch campaign for release of its member Mvuselelo Mkhabela and other political prisoners. peoplesdispatch.org 21-year-old Mvuselelo Mkhabela, a Central Committee member of the banned Communist Party of Swaziland, who had continued organizing anti-monarchist resistance underground after escaping police custody with a bullet wound, was arrested in April and tortured again…
(2023-06-03). Toulouse action mobilizes for the liberation of Walid Daqqah, all Palestinian prisoners. samidoun.net Around the world, initiatives and actions have been growing in support of the freedom of Walid Daqqah, the Palestinian intellectual and freedom fighter imprisoned since 1986 by the Israeli occupation, especially inspired by the call of his family and the international campaign for his release. Daqqah was again refused early release on 31 May, despite …
(2023-06-02). Arkansas bans children's books on LGBTQ topics and racism; librarians and booksellers sue. peoplesworld.org FAYETTEVILLE, Ark.—Librarians in Arkansas could be headed to prison if they set up displays showcasing books on LGBTQ topics or the history of racism. According to the Republican-controlled legislature and local conservatives, such themes are "obscene" and not "age appropriate" for children or teenagers. But community libraries and booksellers are fighting back against Act 372, …
(2023-06-02). Nine Senegalese Die While Protesting for the Release of Sonko. telesurenglish.net On Thursday, Senegalese security forces killed nine people who were protesting the two-year prison sentence against opposition leader Ousmane Sonko. | RELATED: | "The violence led to the destruction of property and unfortunately to the death of nine people in Dakar and Ziguinchor," Interior Minister Antoine Felix Diome said. | President Macky Sall decided to suspend the use of certain social networks, arguing tha…
(2023-06-02). In American Prisons, You're Nothing More Than a Number. scheerpost.com Formerly incarcerated journalist and writer Keri Blakinger uses her past experiences to detail the inside of prisons and why so few people come out better on the other side.
(2023-06-02). Haiti, hunger and U.S. prison imperialism. workers.org By James Patrick Jordan Note: This article, first published by Black Agenda Report, has been edited for the May 25, 2023, print issue of Workers World. Read in full at tinyurl.com/yck3k98y. Three prisoners in the U.S.-built prison in Petit-Goâve, Haiti, starved to death between Aug. 23 and Sept. 27, 2022. . . . |
(2023-06-02). Communist Party of Swaziland to launch campaign for release of its member Mvuselelo Mkhabela and other political prisoners. peoplesdispatch.org 21-year-old Mvuselelo Mkhabela, a Central Committee member of the banned Communist Party of Swaziland, who had continued organizing anti-monarchist resistance underground after escaping police custody with a bullet wound, was arrested in April and tortured again…
(2023-06-02). Armed Police Raid on Bail Fund for Cop City Opponents Is Attack on "Infrastructure of the Movement" democracynow.org 
We get an update on the armed police SWAT team raid and arrest of three organizers with the Atlanta Solidarity Fund, which has been raising money to bail out protesters opposed to the construction of a massive police training facility known as Cop City in the Weelaunee Forest, one of the city's largest green spaces and the former site of a prison farm. Marlon Kautz, Adele Maclean and Savannah Patterson were charged with money laundering and fraud. The arrests come as 42 protesters face charges including domestic terrorism for opposing Cop City and just days before the Atlanta City Council is set to vote on…
(2023-06-02). Polish Political Prisoners of the Pro-NATO Regime. globalresearch.ca
(2023-06-02). African Union condemns violent unrests in Senegal. plenglish.com Addis Ababa, Jun 2 (Prensa Latina) The President of the African Union Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat on Friday strongly condemned violent unrests opposing a prison sentence pronounced against the opposition politician Ousmane Sonko in Senegal.