Andrea Woods (2023-08-03). The Deadly and Tragic Costs of Pretrial Detention. aclu.org 
Content warning: This piece includes disturbing details about the deaths of incarcerated people. |
Ann Brown (2023-08-04). Anti-Affirmative Action Group Sues Venture Capitalist Keshia Knight Pulliam Over Investing in Black Women. moguldom.com Conservative activist Edward Blum, known for opposing affirmative action, has filed a lawsuit against Fearless Fund, an Atlanta-based venture capital firm that supports Black women entrepreneurs. Blum's nonprofit organization, the American Alliance for Equal Rights, claims that Fearless Fund's grant competition, which exclusively targets Black women business owners, violates Section 1981 of the Civil Rights …
ecns.cn (2023-08-04). Detention limits flood havoc. ecns.cn Hebei province has made use of seven detention areas to effectively reduce floodwater pressure in the basin, a senior official from the provincial water authority said.
Jessica Buxbaum (2023-08-03). Palestinian Journalist's Agonizing Detention Spotlights Israel's Crackdown on Free Press. mintpressnews.com The work of Palestinian journalists is frequently stifled by detentions, violence, and movement constraints, all stemming from the pervasive Israeli occupation. As Palestinian self-determination remains elusive, the prospect of an unfettered and equitable press becomes increasingly remote.
Ann Brown (2023-08-04). Lawsuit Alleges Lizzo Sexually Harassed And Body-Shamed Obese Workers. moguldom.com Singer Lizzo is known for advocating body positivity and as a champion of plus-size and Black women. So many were shocked when on Aug. 1, Lizzo, whose real name is Melissa Viviane Jefferson, became the center of a controversial lawsuit filed by three of her former dancers. The allegations include sexual harassment, body shaming, and …
Staff (2023-08-03). FBI & Colorado Springs Police Sued for Targeting & Spying on Racial Justice Protesters. democracynow.org 
The American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado has sued the FBI, the Colorado Springs Police Department and local officers for illegally spying on local activist Jacqueline "Jax" Armendariz Unzueta and the Chinook Center, a community organizing hub in Colorado Springs. "This was one of the worst moments of my life," says Unzueta, who describes the investigation by law enforcement as "incredibly invasive." The lawsuit accuses the agencies of "unconstitutional and invasive search and seizure of the phones, computers, devices, and private chats of people and groups whose mes…
Staff (2023-08-03). Center for Countering Digital Hate Vows to Keep Monitoring Hate Speech on X Despite Elon Musk Lawsuit. democracynow.org 
After the Center for Countering Digital Hate reported that hate speech has soared on the website formerly known as Twitter, now rebranded as "X," Elon Musk responded by filing a lawsuit against the center over the research, calling the group "evil" and its CEO Imran Ahmed a "rat." X accuses the watchdog group of unlawfully accessing data to "falsely claim it had statistical support showing the platform is overwhelmed with harmful content." This comes as Musk has laid off about 80% of the workforce at X, including a large number of content moderators, and shut down i…
Joe Lauria (2023-08-04). Blinken Slams Door on Australian Bid for Assange. orinocotribune.com 
By Joe Lauria — Jul 30, 2023 | The U.S. secretary of state confirmed Australia has lobbied the U.S. to end the WikiLeaks publisher's prosecution, but said unequivocally that it would continue, reports Joe Lauria. | U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has publicly rebuffed efforts by the Australian government to free WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange. | Speaking at a press conference with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong in Brisbane on Saturday, Blinken said he understood Australians' concerns about their imprisoned citizen, but took a hard line against any move to end his persecution. Blinken said:…
Orinoco Tribune 2 (2023-08-04). Palestinian Factions Meeting in Cairo Failed Before It Began. orinocotribune.com By Resistance News Network — Jul 31, 2023 | Yesterday, the Cairo meeting concluded after five hours of discussions between major Palestinian political factions, except those boycotting (PIJ). The emergency meeting was called in the wake of the Fury of Jenin battle, and a major point of contention was the release of the PA's 50+ political prisoners, many of whom are PIJ leaders. | 'In summary, nothing was gained from the meeting, and no closing statement was agreed upon. In terms of the Palestinian political scene, this is a net positive, as the PA was not able to get its way to enshrine itself as the "repres…
Stephen Langford (2023-08-04). PM Albanese must do more for Julian Assange, protesters say. greenleft.org.au A giant letter demanding Anthony Albanese push harder to have Julian Assange released from Belmarsh Prison was read out, outside the Prime Minister's electorate office. Stephen Langford reports.
Alina Ramos Martin (2023-08-04). Long sentences for those accused of femicide in Kosovo. plenglish.com Pristina, Aug 4 (Prensa Latina) A man was sentenced to life imprisonment and another one to 15 years in prison for the murder of an 18-year-old woman in 2021 in Kosovo, a self-proclaimed independent Serbian territory.
Otis Grotewohl (2023-08-04). FBI frame-up overturnedThree of Newburgh 4 freed. workers.org 
In a partial victory, three members of the "Newburgh 4," Black Muslims from Newburgh, New York, who were wrongfully framed by the FBI in a 2009 "bombing plot," were finally released from prison. This came after a recent ruling by a federal judge. Three of the Newburgh 4 are African American, and . . . |
scorinoco (2023-08-04). Venezuela's Attorney General Dismisses 'Union Leader' Claims of URP Members Convicted of Conspiracy. orinocotribune.com Venezuela's Attorney General, Tarek William Saab, clarified that the six Venezuelans who were sentenced for conspiracy were not actually union leaders, despite being labeled as such by certain private media sources. These individuals, who are part of the subversive organization known as the Unidad de Resistencia Popular (Popular Resistance Unit, URP) have received a 16-year prison sentence for their involvement in plotting acts of terrorism during a 2022 parade. | In a press conference held at the headquarters of the Attorney General's Office in Caracas on Thursday, August 3, Saab reported that the six people who…
Victoria Law (2023-08-04). Solitary Confinement Survivors Rally Support for Proposed Federal Ban. truthout.org Even nine years after leaving prison, Evie Litwok is still haunted by the seven weeks she spent in solitary confinement. She suffers continual headaches, migraines, vertigo and claustrophobia. She cannot be in places that are too loud, too crowded or too small. The first time she walked into a crowded elevator after her release from prison, she suffered a panic attack and fainted. |
Editor (2023-08-03). Post-Conviction Review Could Correct Three-Strike Law Injustices. scheerpost.com 
Julia Conley (2023-08-03). Calls Grow for Gov. John Bel Edwards to Commute Sentences of Death Row Prisoners. truthout.org Anti-death penalty advocates in Louisiana are calling on Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards to act within the next two weeks to commute the sentences of the vast majority of prisoners on death row, who first appealed to the governor in June following his public statement decrying capital punishment. Fifty-six out of 60 prisoners on Louisiana's death row filed clemency petitions with the state Board… |
Peoples Dispatch (2023-08-03). Director of Ecuador's penitentiary system resigns amid increasing prison crisis. peoplesdispatch.org The resignation of Guillermo Rodríguez from the SNAI comes a week after the last prison massacre, which claimed the lives of 31 inmates in the Litoral Penitentiary in Guayaquil city…
Peoples Dispatch (2023-08-03). Hundreds of human rights organizations urge Biden to release Alex Saab. peoplesdispatch.org On August 2, hundreds of social and human rights organizations around the world sent an open letter to US President Joe Biden, calling for the release of imprisoned Venezuelan diplomat
scorinoco (2023-08-04). Venezuela's Attorney General Dismisses 'Union Leader' Claims of URP Members Convicted of Conspiracy. orinocotribune.com Venezuela's Attorney General, Tarek William Saab, clarified that the six Venezuelans who were sentenced for conspiracy were not actually union leaders, despite being labeled as such by certain private media sources. These individuals, who are part of the subversive organization known as the Unidad de Resistencia Popular (Popular Resistance Unit, URP) have received a 16-year prison sentence for their involvement in plotting acts of terrorism during a 2022 parade. | In a press conference held at the headquarters of the Attorney General's Office in Caracas on Thursday, August 3, Saab reported that the six people who…
Victoria Law (2023-08-04). Solitary Confinement Survivors Rally Support for Proposed Federal Ban. truthout.org Even nine years after leaving prison, Evie Litwok is still haunted by the seven weeks she spent in solitary confinement. She suffers continual headaches, migraines, vertigo and claustrophobia. She cannot be in places that are too loud, too crowded or too small. The first time she walked into a crowded elevator after her release from prison, she suffered a panic attack and fainted. |
Editor (2023-08-03). Post-Conviction Review Could Correct Three-Strike Law Injustices. scheerpost.com
Julia Conley (2023-08-03). Calls Grow for Gov. John Bel Edwards to Commute Sentences of Death Row Prisoners. truthout.org Anti-death penalty advocates in Louisiana are calling on Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards to act within the next two weeks to commute the sentences of the vast majority of prisoners on death row, who first appealed to the governor in June following his public statement decrying capital punishment. Fifty-six out of 60 prisoners on Louisiana's death row filed clemency petitions with the state Board… |
Peoples Dispatch (2023-08-03). Director of Ecuador's penitentiary system resigns amid increasing prison crisis. peoplesdispatch.org The resignation of Guillermo Rodríguez from the SNAI comes a week after the last prison massacre, which claimed the lives of 31 inmates in the Litoral Penitentiary in Guayaquil city…
Peoples Dispatch (2023-08-03). Hundreds of human rights organizations urge Biden to release Alex Saab. peoplesdispatch.org On August 2, hundreds of social and human rights organizations around the world sent an open letter to US President Joe Biden, calling for the release of imprisoned Venezuelan diplomat
Peoples Dispatch (2023-08-03). Moroccan man sentenced to five years in prison for criticizing normalization of ties with Israel. peoplesdispatch.org Despite widespread protests, the Moroccan government normalized its relations with Israel in December 2020 under the so-called Abraham Accords sponsored by the US…
Joe Lauria, Consortium News. (2023-08-03). Australian Members Of Parliament Blast Blinken Over Assange. popularresistance.org Three Australian members of Parliament have dismissed U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken's strong statement in support of prosecuting imprisoned WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange as "nonsense." | Independent MP Andrew Wilkie told The Guardian's Australian edition that Assange was "not the villain … and if the US wasn't obsessed with revenge it would drop the extradition charge as soon as possible." | "Antony Blinken's allegation that Julian Assange risked very serious harm to US national security is patent nonsense," Wilkie said. | "Mr Blinken would be well aware of the inquiries in both the US and Austral…
Staff (2023-08-04). Trump & the KKK Act: Carol Anderson on Reconstruction-Era Voting Rights Law Cited in Trump Indictment. democracynow.org 
On Thursday, former President Donald Trump pleaded not guilty to trying to overturn the results of his 2020 election loss. Trump appeared before a magistrate judge in Washington's federal courthouse two days after he was indicted. A key part of the election interference charges Trump faces relates to a Civil War-era rights law that protects the right of citizens to have their vote counted. We speak with Carol Anderson, author of One Person, No Vote: How Voter Suppression Is Destroying Our Democracy and White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide, about Trump's attempt to wipe out the votes of…
By Matt Keeley / AlterNet The Texas drag ban is the subject of a new lawsuit filed by the ACLU of Texas on Wednesday. The ban is due to take effect next month. Senate Bill 12 was passed by the state Senate and House on May 29, and signed into law by Republican Governor Greg Abbott …
Imran Khan, file image. | On August 5, Pakistani police arrested the country's former prime minister Imran Khan in the eastern city of Lahore after a trial court sentenced him to three years in prison for illegally selling state gifts. | Khan was accused of misusing his position from 2018 to 2022 to buy and sell gifts in state possession that were received during visits abroad and worth more than 140 million Pakistani rupees [$497,500]."His dishonesty has been established beyond doubt," judge Humayun Dilawar wrot…
In a season of good news for the First Amendment following some important Supreme Court decisions, here's more to be happy about: a federal judge in Louisiana issued an injunction stopping Biden administration officials from contacting social media companies to block content in what could be a landmark order targeting government censorship and suppression of online postings.