(2019-05-31). Raising Some Issues at Oral Communications. indybay.org Continued delay and inaction on providing homeless shelter and services (to say nothing of civil rights) for homeless folks was the silent part of yesterday's Santa Cruz City Council agenda. Several of us raised issues at Oral Communications…
(2019-05-31). Lula's Incarceration Violates International Law. plenglish.com Brasilia, May 31 (Prensa Latina) The time of Incarceration that Luis Inácio Lula da Silva is today facing violates any international legal law, said the US trade union leader Stanley Gacek, who visited the former president at the Federal Police in Curitiba.
(2019-05-31). Learn Costs of War & Celebrate Peace Heroes Assange & Manning. indybay.org To counteract the jingoism of all capitalist media in this country in its promotion of the war machine which only exists to maximize the profits of the oil companies and the munitions makers, a few websites are in order to remind us all of the Costs of War and the Peace Heroes Assange & Manning currently jailed by the US war machine.
(2019-05-31). UN Says Assange Tortured: Join Us Live Online at 4pm. consortiumnews.com Julian Assange is in Belmarsh Prison hospital after his Swedish lawyer said he was too ill to carry on a conversation. Join us live for a discussion of the latest. The 32nd webcast vigil for Julian Assange can be seen… Read more →
(2019-05-31). Assange Too Sick to Appear at His Own Extradition Hearing. theantimedia.com (ANTIWAR.COM) — WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was unable to attend a court hearing in London on US attempts to extradite him, with his lawyer saying he is simply too ill to make an appearance, and has been relocated to his prison's medical ward. A statement from WikiLeaks reported Assange's health had "significantly deteriorated" from his seven years …
(2019-05-31). Humanitarian faces 20 years in prison for giving water to migrants in the desert. nationofchange.org This week humanitarian aid volunteer Scott Warren will go to trial for providing water, food, clothes, and beds to two undocumented immigrants crossing the Sonoran Desert in southern Arizona. | Warren, a humanitarian activist with the group No More Deaths, was arrested in January 2018 and has been charged with three felony counts for "harboring" undocumented immigrants. | No More Deaths, along with other humanitarian aid groups have left food and water in the Sonoran Desert, an area that has resulted in the death of thousands of migrants. More than 2,100 bodies of undocumented immigrants have been found in Pim…
(2019-05-31). 'Criminalizing Compassion': Trial Begins for Humanitarian Facing 20 Years in Prison for Giving Water to Migrants in Arizona Desert. globalresearch.ca Human rights advocates accused the U.S. Justice Department of " criminalizing compassion" as a federal trial began in Arizona Wednesday for activist Scott Warren, who faces up to 20 years in prison for providing humanitarian aid to migrants …
(2019-05-31). WikiLeaks: Assange indictments 'the gravest attack on press freedom'. greenleft.org.au 
In response to the news on May 24 that the United States government is seeking to lay multiple espionage charges against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, the organisation accused US President Donald Trump's administration of launching "an unprecedented attack on the global free press". | The unsealed Espionage Act charges carry combined sentences of 175 years in prison and relate to disclosures of war crimes and human rights abuses by the US government, including the groundbreaking Collateral Murder video, Iraq War Logs, Afghan War Diaries, Cablegate, and the Guantanamo Bay Detainee Manuals, published in 2010 an…
(2019-05-31). WikiLeaks ambassador Joseph Farrell: "Going into prison is a big, ominous, oppressive feeling" wsws.org The WSWS spoke to Joseph A. Farrell, a WikiLeaks ambassador and a Centre for Investigative Journalism board member.
(2019-05-31). UN expert criticizes States for 'ganging up' on Wikileaks' Assange; warns against extradition, fearing 'serious' rights violations. un.org After visiting Julian Assange in a London prison, an independent UN human rights expert expressed urgent concern on Friday, for the Wikileaks co-founder's well-being, accusing "a group of democratic States" of "ganging up" on the prisoner to "isolate, demonize and abuse" him and warned against extraditing the controversial publisher to the United States.
(2019-05-31). UN Rights Expert Defends Assange, Says Institutions Abusing Power for 'Ulterior Motives'. telesurenglish.net WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has suffered psychological torture and should not be extradited to the United States where he would face a "politicized show trial," the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture Nils Melzer said Friday. | RELATED: | Wikileaks Confirms Assange Moved to Prison Medical Area | Melzer, who visited Assange in London's Be…
(2019-05-31). Assange Hospitalized, "dagger in journalist hearts" — George Galloway. dissidentvoice.org The attorney of WikiLeaks founder and journalist Julian Assange's has revealed that he was too ill to appear in a video chat for his extradition hearing. Assange has spent the past seven weeks at Belmarsh prison, where his health has continued to deteriorate. The WikiLeaks founder faces extradition to the US over "espionage" charges dating …
(2019-05-31). Victorian budget: Billions for prisons but nothing for housing. greenleft.org.au 
The Andrews' Labor government allocated $1.8 billion in the state budget on May 27, to build 1600 new prison cells in Victoria and less than one sixth of that amount — $209 million — for 1000 social housing units. | But the capital expenditure is just the tip of the iceberg. The annual recurrent cost of imprisoning a person in a Victoria is about $125,000, while housing a family in a public housing dwelling costs about $6400. | Victoria is in an acute housing crisis with more than 24,000 people homeless and 84,000 on waiting lists for social housing. At the same time, prisons are bursting at the seams…
(2019-05-31). Turkey: Leyla Gàºven ends hunger strike. greenleft.org.au 
Peoples Democratic Party MP, Leyla Gàºven ended her 200-day hunger strike on May 26. Gàºven had been consuming only sugar and salt solutions and vitamins. | Gàºven, a member of the Turkish parliament, began her hunger strike in prison. She was arrested for criticising the Turkish invasion of Afrin, a predominantly Kurdish area of northern Syria. | Gàºven's hunger strike was a protest against the isolation of imprisoned PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party) leader Abdullah àñcalan, who has been imprisoned since 1999 and has not been allowed visitors, including family members and lawyers, f…
(2019-05-31). Condemning Trump's "Racist Attacks on Immigrants," Sanders Calls for Bans on Mass Raids and For-Profit Detention Centers. commondreams.org "We have to end the dehumanization of undocumented people," the Vermont senator and presidential candidate said during a rally in Nevada | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/bernie_sanders_immigration.jpg…
(2019-05-31). Trump admin's move to delay placing Harriet Tubman on $20 bill is 'rooted in misogyny & racism'. nationofchange.org Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin made the announcement last week, saying Tubman won't appear on the bill until at least 2026.
(2019-05-31). Call to Refound the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression. fightbacknews.org Fight Back News Service is circulating the following call to refound the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression. | We issue this Call in a sense of outrage in the face of increasing racist violence and political repression towards working class and Black and Brown communities. | We are currently facing a national epidemic of state-sponsored violence perpetrated by police and vigilantes targeting the oppressed Black, Latinx, immigrant, indigenous, LGBTQ, non-binary, gender non-conforming, and gender fluid communities. Black Trans women are also being harassed and killed at record rates. | We are…
(2019-05-31). The fight against the racist Ramsay Centre continues. greenleft.org.au 
Eighty people gathered at Sydney University on May 23 for a forum "Ramsay and the new academic racism", to hear speakers condemn the Ramsay Centre's proposed Western Civilisation degree. | Chaired by Robert Boncardo (lecturer at Sydney University's School of Languages and Cultures), the speakers included Layla Mkhayber (undergraduate student, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences), Dr Nesrine Basheer (Arabic Language and Cultures) and Jeff Sparrow (Guardian Australia columnist and author) | The Ramsay Centre is a right-wing think tank, established by the wealthy philanthropist Paul Ramsay. It is chaired by former…
(2019-05-31). U.N. Special Rapporteur Calls for Julian Assange to Be Freed, Citing "Psychological Torture" democracynow.org 
The United Nations special rapporteur on torture is warning that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is suffering from the effects of "psychological torture" due to his ongoing detention and threats of possible extradition to the United States. The U.N. expert, Nils Melzer, also warned that Assange would likely face a "politicized show trial" if he were to be extradited to the United States. Melzer writes, "In 20 years of work with victims of war, violence and political persecution, I have never seen a group of democratic states ganging up to deliberately isolate, demonize and abuse a single individual for such a lo…
(2019-05-31). 'Beyond Barbaric': Internal Govt Report Reveals Migrants Forced to Stand on Toilets for Breathing Space at Overcrowded US Detention Center. commondreams.org "This is insane. Not only can they not move, they can't breathe, they can't eat, they can't do anything like this. Children have died and will continue to die if this is not stopped now." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/detention_center_cruelty1.jpg…
(2019-05-31). UN Special Rapporteur Calls for Julian Assange to Be Freed. truthout.org The United Nations special rapporteur on torture is warning that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is suffering from the effects of "psychological torture" due to his ongoing detention and threats of possible extradition to the United States. The U.N. expert, Nils Melzer, also warned that Assange would likely face a "politicized show trial" if he were to be extradited to the United States. Melzer writes, "In 20 years of work with victims of war, violence and political persecution, I have never seen a group of democratic states ganging up to deliberately isolate, demonize and abuse a single individual for such a…
(2019-05-31). 149 refugees evacuated from Libya to Italy. cgtn.com 
Migrants are seen in a shelter after they were relocated from government-run detention centers, after getting trapped by clashes between rival groups in Tripoli, Libya August 30, 2018. REUTERS/Hani Amara | The UN Higher Commission of Refugees (UNHCR) said on Thursday that 149 refugees were evacuated from Libya to Italy, in cooperation with Libyan and Italian authorities. | "Amid violent clashes and a deteriorating security situation in Tripoli, 149 vulnerable refugees and asylum-seekers were evacuated to safety in Rome," UNHCR said in a statement. | The evacuated refugees are of different African nationalities, i…
(2019-05-31). Chelsea Manning's Legal Team Challenge Harsh Fines Levied Against Her By Federal Court. shadowproof.com The legal team for Chelsea Manning requested a hearing to challenge the harsh fines levied to force her to testify before the grand jury investigating WikiLeaks. | On May 16, Judge Anthony Trenga held Manning in civil contempt and ordered her to be sent back to the William G. Truesdale Adult Detention Center in Alexandria. The court also imposed a fine of $500 per day after 30 days, and then a fine of $1000 per day after 60 days. | If Manning "persists in her refusal" for the next 16 months, her legal team points out she will face a total amount of fines that is over $440,000. This excessive amount may violate he…
(2019-05-31). Trump Administration Targets Trans Health Care Protections. truthout.org The Department of Health and Human Services has finally dropped a long-awaited but still very worrying proposed rule to strip transgender people of discrimination protections under the Affordable Care Act. | It's all part of the Trump administration's larger war on the trans community — with efforts to bar trans people from public life and restrict access to services. Many of the attacks treat this as a "religious freed…
(2019-05-31). Fresh Israeli elections after Netanyahu fails to form a government. wsws.org The calling of new elections expresses the crisis of bourgeois rule provoked by the twin pressures of the decades-long military suppression of the Palestinian people and deepening social inequality within Israel itself.
(2019-05-30). 3 white women sue 'totalitarian' diversity-obsessed NYC school system for discrimination. rt.com 
Three white New York City school administrators are suing the Department of Education, claiming they were demoted and replaced with less-qualified but racially-diverse colleagues as part of a crusade against "toxic whiteness."
(2019-05-30). SPLC lawsuit: ICE illegally denying parole to asylum seekers in Southeast. splcenter.org The SPLC and the American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana filed suit today against the Trump administration for categorically denying release to hundreds of people who are languishing in immigration prisons after lawfully seeking asylum in the United States.
(2019-05-30). NAACP President: "Mueller's Statement Confirms Integrity of Our Democracy Continues to be at Risk" naacp.org NAACP president and CEO, Derrick Johnson, released the following statement: "Special Counsel Robert Mueller's statement on the Russia investigation confirms that the integrity and security of our democracy continues to be at risk. Mueller reminded us that '[t]here were multiple, systematic efforts to interfere in our election. And that allegation deserves the attention of …
(2019-05-30). As Cleveland jail deaths continue, protesters demand justice. workers.org 
On May 10, Nicholas Colbert became the latest person to die in the Cuyahoga County Jail, the ninth in less than a year. The 36-year-old Army National Guard veteran was arrested for drug possession less than 48 hours prior to his death, which jail authorities have called a suicide. Colbert's . . . | Continue reading As Cleveland jail deaths continue, protesters demand justice at Workers.org
(2019-05-30). Comoros president pardons 17 jailed opposition figures. cgtn.com 
Comoros President Azali Assoumani pardoned 17 jailed opposition figures in a decree issued on Wednesday. | Among those freed was Hassane Ahmed el-Barwane, secretary general of the main Juwa opposition party, who was sentenced to seven years in prison for assaulting a soldier. | All those pardoned were jailed for up to 20 years on charges linked to unrest that followed a controversial constitutional referendum to extend the president's term last year. | Four others sentenced to life on charges of attempting a coup and threatening state security had their terms reduced to 20 years, said presidential adviser Mohamed…
(2019-05-30). WikiLeaks expresses 'grave concerns' as Julian Assange's health deteriorates further. thecanary.co Julian Assange was unable to appear in court via videolink for his US extradition hearing on 30 May amid "grave concerns" for the WikiLeaks founder's health. This news is a predictable result of the UK's wilful neglect of Assange's well-being. | "Grave concerns": | On 28 May, Reuters reported that Assan…
(2019-05-30). Trial Begins for Man Facing 20 Years in Prison for Giving Water to Migrants in Desert. theantimedia.com (CD) — Human rights advocates accused the U.S. Justice Department of "criminalizing compassion" as a federal trial began in Arizona Wednesday for activist Scott Warren, who faces up to 20 years in prison for providing humanitarian aid to migrants in the desert. Warren, a 36-year-old college geography instructor from Ajo, Arizona, is a volunteer for the humanitarian organization No More Deaths/No …
(2019-05-30). US: Aid Volunteer Faces 20 Years in Prison for Helping Migrants. telesurenglish.net A United States federal court is weighing in on the case of volunteer Scott Warren, who is on trial and facing 20 years in prison on "smuggling" charges for aiding a pair of undocumented migrants in Arizona. | RELATED: | Trump Imposes 5% Tariff on All Mexican Goods Until It Solves Border Issue | A member of the humanitarian group, No More Deaths, Warren was taken to trial Tuesday on three felony charges: two for allegedly harboring an immigrant couple and one for cons…
(2019-05-30). Julian Assange and the degraded spectacle of Britain's Guardian. wsws.org Under conditions in which the WikiLeaks journalist is facing life in prison or worse, the Guardian cannot bring itself to defend him.
(2019-05-30). Amid grave concerns for his health, Assange transferred to Belmarsh Prison medical wing. wsws.org The WSWS demands Assange's immediate release from the maximum security prison and his transfer to a hospital with the best medical care available and with doctors of his choice.
(2019-05-30). US Welcomes Turkey's Decision to Free Former NASA Scientist From Prison. theantimedia.com (MEE) — Turkey has freed a dual US-Turkish citizen Serkan Golge from prison, the US State Department confirmed, in the latest conciliatory gesture that may help ease some ongoing tensions between the two countries. The US State Department welcomed the news of Golge's release on Wednesday, almost three years after the former NASA scientist was rounded …
(2019-05-30). Ecuador Judge Admits Lack of Evidence Against Ola Bini. telesurenglish.net Programmer and digital privacy activist Ola Bini was denied bail again Wednesday evening by an Ecuadorean judge, continuing his indefinite imprisonment that is currently at 51 days. | RELATED: | UN: 'Nothing in This Story Connects Ola Bini With Any Crime' | Prosecutors have, so far, failed to formally charge the 37-year-old Swede with violating any Ecuadorean law, prompting one of his lawyers, Jose Davalos, to tweet that "Ecuador's justice system, yesterday and today, is at the se…
(2019-05-30). Colombia: FARC Leader Jesus Santrich Freed at Top Court's Order. telesurenglish.net Colombia's Prosecutor office announced Thursday the release of Jesus Santrich, less than a day after the country's Supreme Court ordered his release, the latest development in a legal saga concerning his detention and possible extradition to the United States. | RELATED: | Supreme Court of Colombia Orders Release of Jesus Santrich | From prison, Santric…
(2019-05-30). Trump Admin's Move to Delay Placing Harriet Tubman on $20 Bill Is "Rooted in Misogyny & Racism" democracynow.org 
The Trump administration is under fire for delaying plans to replace Andrew Jackson's portrait on the $20 bill with abolitionist leader Harriet Tubman. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin made the announcement last week, saying Tubman won't appear on the bill until at least 2026. Under a 2016 Obama initiative, Tubman was originally scheduled to replace Andrew Jackson by 2020—the 100th anniversary of women being granted the right to vote. She will be the first woman in over a century and the first African American to appear on the front of a U.S. banknote. Andrew Jackson was a slaveholder who in 1830 signed th…
(2019-05-30). Rally vows to defend refugees' rights. greenleft.org.au 
Three hundred people rallied on May 24 to show solidarity with refugees, who face increasing attacks following the re-election of the Coalition government. | Lucy Honan, representing the Refugee Action Collective which called the rally, said the election result had been "bruising" for refugees and their supporters. Even though Labor and the Coalition shared bipartisan policies of offshore detention and boat turnbacks, refugees had hoped for some changes from a Labor government. | Labor had promised to accept New Zealand's offer to take 150 refugees a year from Manus and Nauru. This had raised the hopes of th…
(2019-05-29). The Government Needs to Get a Warrant if It Wants Access to Our Private Health Information. aclu.org Choosing between obtaining health care and giving up one's privacy rights is no choice at all. | The Drug Enforcement Administration is once again trying to access private prescription records of patients — this time in New Hampshire — without a warrant, despite a state law to the contrary. Today the ACLU filed a brief in support of the state of New Hampshire's fight to defend the privacy of our sensitive medical information against unwarranted searches by law enforcement. | New Hampshire — like 48 other states, the…
(2019-05-29). Six Children Have Died While in ICE Custody — Why? therealnews.com 
Undocumented immigrants seeking asylum are being separated from their children and detained in prison camps as more restrictive racist policies are being imposed by Trump. We discuss the policy with the Border Rights Center Director of ACLU Texas, Astrid Dominguez…
(2019-05-29). ACLU Lawyer: "Abortion Today Is Still Legal in All 50 States" Despite Draconian Anti-Choice Bills. democracynow.org 
As states around the country ramp up their attacks on reproductive rights, the Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to rule on an Indiana law that would bar abortions based on the sex, race or disability of the fetus. The decision will keep in place a lower court's injunction on the measure. However, the Supreme Court decided to allow Indiana's so-called fetal burial law to go into effect, which stipulates that abortion clinics must dispose of fetal remains either through burial or cremation. The measure was signed into law by then-Governor Mike Pence in 2016. We speak with Alexa Kolbi-Molinas, senior staff attorney…
(2019-05-29). Call both your US Senators! The Violence Against Women Act needs to be updated and strengthened. naacp.org On 4-4-19, the House passed, by a bipartisan margin of 263 yeas to 158 nays, H.R. 1585, a bill to reauthorize, or update, and strengthen the NAACP-supported and very successful Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). Despite its huge successes, the current law establishing VAWA expired on February 15, 2019. We must now let the Senate know …
(2019-05-29). Baltimore Cop Charged with Perjury, Misconduct. therealnews.com 
Baltimore police officer Michael O'Sullivan was indicted Tuesday by a grand jury for falsely accusing a city resident of committing a crime. The charges allege the officer perjured himself when he testified that a Baltimore youth possessed a gun, despite body camera footage that allegedly contradicts his testimony. | O'Sullivan was indicted on one count of perjury and one count of misconduct in office. | The charges stem from testimony against a Baltimore resident, who O'Sullivan accused of possessing a handgun during a district court trial last year. The Baltimore resident spent several months in jail before pro…
(2019-05-29). Scott Warren Provided Food & Water to Migrants in Arizona; He Now Faces Up to 20 Years in Prison. democracynow.org 
An Arizona humanitarian aid volunteer goes to trial today for providing water, food, clean clothes and beds to two undocumented migrants crossing the Sonoran Desert in southern Arizona. If convicted, Scott Warren could spend up to 20 years in prison. Warren, an activist with the Tucson-based No More Deaths, is charged with three felony counts of allegedly "harboring" undocumented immigrants. For years, No More Deaths and other humanitarian aid groups in southern Arizona have left water and food in the harsh Sonoran Desert, where the temperature often reaches three digits during summer, to help refugees and migran…
(2019-05-29). The only certainty of Brexit is rising racism in the UK. thecanary.co This article is one of three Opinion pieces looking at what's next for Brexit in the aftermath of the EU elections. You can also read Josh Funnell argue why Labour must now campaign fully to Remain and Tracy Keeling on why Labour mustn't support a second referen…
(2019-05-29). Corbyn-supporting Labour members like me have tried to make Brexit work, but it's time to dump it completely. thecanary.co This article is one of three Opinion pieces looking at what's next for Brexit in the aftermath of the EU elections. You can also read Tracy Keeling argue why Labour mustn't support a second referendum and Frea Lockley on how racism has been the biggest winner from Brexit. | You don't hear much about people like…
(2019-05-29). Here's how much the democrat-when-it-suits-us Remainers have now fu*ked up Britain. thecanary.co This article is one of three Opinion pieces looking at what's next for Brexit in the aftermath of the EU elections. You can also read Josh Funnell argue why Labour must now campaign fully to Remain and Frea Lockley on how racism has been the biggest winner from Brexit. | Nigel Farage's…
(2019-05-29). Dayton: KKK rally vastly outnumbered by anti-racist protest. liberationnews.org 
Message sent: broadest masses of workers reject all forms of divisiveness and bigotry.