Threat of ICE Detention Centers Turning Into Death Camps, Groups Rallying to Free Families
Eoin Higgins | indybay.org | 2020-04-02
ICE is making the pandemic more dangerous for everyone.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/04/01/18832002.php

Serbian govt to revoke coronavirus information control decree
rt.com | 2020-04-02
Serbia's government will revoke a decree giving it control over information on the coronavirus outbreak. The decision follows protests and the detention of a journalist for reporting that a major hospital lacked protective gear and properly trained staff, Reuters reports. | Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said the decree, which came into force on Saturday, would be revoked on Thursday "so not a shadow could be cast on our work." | The emergency measure, which said information about the coronavirus outbreak could only come from Brnabic or those authorized by her, had drawn criticism from the Organization for Securit…
rt.com/newsline/484760-serbia-information-control-protests/

Dominican Hospital's (mis)treatment of (disabled) homeless people
John Colby | indybay.org | 2020-04-02
As an advocate for (disabled) homeless people who blogs about this advocacy (thus I'm an independent journalist), I've come across numerous incidents of discrimination by Dignity Health's Dominican Hospital against (disabled) homeless people. I obtained a media statement about how Dignity Health's Dominican Hospital will (equally) serve homeless COVID-19 victims. Please report non-compliance to me.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/04/01/18832005.php

Prisons are a COVID-19 Petri Dish
Eve Ottenberg | counterpunch.org | 2020-04-02
Now is the time to empty the prisons. With over two million people incarcerated, the vast majority for nonviolent crimes, prisoners are packed like sardines, their overcrowding perfect for mass infection and spread of the Covid-19 pestilence. Nonviolent drug offenders, people who couldn't make bail, people within six months of release, the elderly and infirm

Man Jailed For 6 Months After Coughing on a Police Officer and Claiming He Had COVID-19
sputniknews.com | 2020-04-02
Police say this is the first known case of a custodial sentence being given for a "COVID-19 related incident involving a police officer". Chief Superintendent Helen Harper said she hoped the prison sentence sends the message that such unacceptable behaviour "will not be tolerated".
sputniknews.com/uk/202004021078803265-man-jailed-for-6-months-after-coughing-on-a-police-officer-and-claiming-he-had-covid-19/

Was British-Born 'Mastermind' of US Journalist Daniel Pearl's Abduction an MI6 Agent?
sputniknews.com | 2020-04-02
In 2002 Daniel Pearl, a US journalist for the Wall Street Journal, was abducted in Pakistan and later beheaded by a jihadist group. British-born Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, who was originally sentenced to death for the kidnapping and killing, has now been told he is free to leave prison.
sputniknews.com/world/202004021078802330-was-british-born-mastermind-of-us-journalist-daniel-pearls-abduction-an-mi6-agent/

Afghanistan prepares to swap 100 Taliban prisoners for 20 security forces
yenisafak.com | 2020-04-02
Afghanistan began on Thursday the process of releasing from jail 100 Taliban militants in a prisoner swap for 20 of its security forces, a senior security official and a Taliban representative said."It was decided in the morning that 100 Taliban should be released in exchange for 20 members of Afghan security forces today," said a senior official in the office of President Ashraf Ghani.It is the first step towards freeing 6,000 prisoners held by the Afghan government and the insurgent group.The names of those to be released had been sent to prison authorities, added the official, who sought anonymity because he h…
yenisafak.com/en/world/afghanistan-prepares-to-swap-100-taliban-prisoners-for-20-security-forces-3515766

COVID-19: International community must step up to prevent pandemic from devastating vulnerable on the run
news.un.org | 2020-04-01
Given how quickly the COVID-19 pandemic is spreading, an outbreak is "looking imminent" in the world's refugee camps, crowded reception centres or detention facilities where migrant families are sheltering, the Executive Director of the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) said on Wednesday.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/04/1060872

The Added Importance of the Census, in Light of COVID-19
Steven K. Choi | aclu.org | 2020-04-01
Last year around this time, my biggest worry was how the inclusion of the Trump administration's proposed citizenship question would depress participation in the decennial census. Thankfully, our Supreme Court victory means there is no citizenship question on the census. Now, I have a new worry: a global pandemic and the health of my loved ones. As it turns out, the 2020 Census plays a role here too, as it will have enormous implications on our health care for decades to come. | Specifically, the census will determine the allocation of $300 billion dollars of federal aid for the states' health care

New York Mobilizes Rikers Island Prisoners To Dig Mass Graves for Coronavirus Victims
Alan Macleod | mintpressnews.com | 2020-04-01
Rikers Island itself is on the verge of near collapse, over 300 inmates and staff have tested positive and human rights campaigners warn conditions in the notorious prison are dire.
mintpressnews.com/new-york-mobilizes-rikers-island-prisoners-to-dig-mass-graves-for-coronavirus-victims/266284/

Palestinian Prisoner Contracts Coronavirus in Israeli Jail
Rami Almeghari | imemc.org | 2020-04-01
The Ramallah-based Palestinian Committee for Prisoners and Ex-Prisoners confirmed on Wednesday, that a newly released Palestinian prisoner tested positive for the coronavirus. The announcement came after prisoner, Noureldin Sarsour, a resident of Betunia town, west of Ramallah city, who was incarcerated for 2 weeks at Ofer Israeli prison, upon his …
imemc.org/article/palestinian-prisoner-in-israeli-jail-contracts-coronavirus/

'Unorthodox': The vagaries of victimization
Michael Berkowitz | peoplesworld.org | 2020-04-01
Esty Shapiro is being persecuted for being a Jew. Her rights are taken away. She's denied education, subject to sexual abuse, cut off from the larger society, routinely humiliated and turned into a breeding machine. Everything in her environment reinforces discrimination and a second-class role. Esther Shapiro, granddaughter of Holocaust victims, is clearly being persecuted …
peoplesworld.org/article/unorthodox-the-vagaries-of-victimization/

Former WHO Director: 8-Week Suppression Strategy Could Stop US COVID Crisis in Its Tracks
Nafeez Ahmed | counterpunch.org | 2020-04-01
"We know we can get this under control," says Dr Anthony Costello, a former Director at the World Health Organization (WHO) where he headed up maternal, child and adolescent health. "The problem is that Europe has been too slow to act compared with Asia; and America is now facing a huge crisis." Costello, who is…
counterpunch.org/2020/04/01/former-who-director-8-week-suppression-strategy-could-stop-us-covid-crisis-in-its-tracks/

Home of Palestinian Prisoner and Slain Brother to be Demolished by Israeli Forces
Ali Salam | imemc.org | 2020-04-01
Israeli forces on Monday, handed a home demolition order to the family of slain Palestinian Saleh Barghouthi and his brother, Qassam Barghouthi Barghouthi's family were given until April 8 to evacuate their two-floor home in Kobar village, in the central West bank city of Ramallah, the Palestinian Information Center reported. …
imemc.org/article/home-of-palestinian-prisoner-and-slain-brother-to-be-demolished-by-israeli-forces/

Brazil's ex-President Lula on Venezuela: Maduro is democratic, Guaidó should be in prison, US blockade kills civilians
Ben Norton | thegrayzone.com | 2020-03-31
In comments ignored by English-language media, Lula da Silva slammed the US coup attempt against Venezuela, calling Nicolás Maduro a…
thegrayzone.com/2020/03/30/brazil-lula-maduro-guaido-us-blockade/

Change Is In The Air
Michael K. Smith | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-03-31
Quite literally. In a single week air pollution cleared up, housing was found for the homeless, evictions were banned, the stock market ceased being the gauge of social well being, water shut-offs ended, jails were emptied, debt peonage was suspended, universal basic income was proposed by "free market" die-hards, people started caring about the elderly …
dissidentvoice.org/2020/03/change-is-in-the-air/

On the Need for Dissent and Debate in These Urgent Times
John Nichols | thenation.com | 2020-03-31
On the Need for Dissent and Debate in These Urgent Times…
thenation.com/article/politics/dissent-debate-massie-aoc/

Government inaction puts staff and inmates in immigration detention at risk
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2020-03-31
Refugees & migrants Niko LekaIssue 1259 Australia COVID-19 detention NewcastleMarch 31, 2020The federal government is not taking the nece…
greenleft.org.au/content/government-inaction-puts-staff-and-inmates-immigration-detention-risk

Is Location Tracking Technology the Magic Pill to Stemming the Coronavirus?
Jay Stanley | aclu.org | 2020-03-30
This piece first appeared on Just Security. , , If asked to give up their privacy in the interests of stemming the coronavirus, many Americans might be inclined to say yes. But the answer requires more nuance, both because there are serious tradeoffs to be made, and because sacrificing privacy may actually backfire., , Consider, for example, serious discussions reportedly und…
aclu.org/news/privacy-technology/is-location-tracking-technology-the-magic-pill-to-stemming-the-coronavirus

Headlines for March 30, 2020
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-03-30
Trump Extends Social Distancing, Says U.S. Coronavirus Death Toll Could Reach 100,000 | , States Mandate Quarantines, Set Up Checkpoints to Limit Cross-State COVID-19 Infections , ER Doctor Who Blasted Lack of Worker & Patient Protections at WA Hospital Removed from Post, Coronavirus Cases Mount in Prisons and Among Law Enforcement Workers | , 9-Month-Old Is First Known Infant to Die from the Coronavirus in U.S. | , Cigna and Humana to Waive Copays for Coronavirus Treatment | , CBS News Executive and Cancer Survivor Maria Mercader Dies from Coronavirus | , | New York Scrambles to Build Hospitals, Imposes Fines fo…
www.democracynow.org/2020/3/30/headlines

Prominent organizations and individuals urge Gov. Pritzker to free Gerald Reed
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2020-03-30
Chicago, IL – Two dozen prominent organizations and individuals have urged Gov. J. B. Pritzker in a letter to use "the powers of [his] office to provide long overdue justice to Gerald Reed." Reed's deteriorating health puts him at extreme risk due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He has heart failure, and late last year while awaiting a new trial at Cook County jail he had a heart attack. | Reed was wrongfully convicted 29 years ago based on a confession extracted through torture by subordinates of Chicago Police Commander Jon Burge. His conviction was vacated on December 18, 2019 by Judge Thomas V. Gainer, who ordered…
www.fightbacknews.org/2020/3/30/prominent-organizations-and-individuals-urge-gov-pritzker-free-gerald-reed

The Rev. Dr. Joseph E. Lowery played key role in launching SPLC's legal battle against Ku Klux Klan
splcenter.org | 2020-03-30
The Rev. Dr. Joseph E. Lowery, who died on Friday at 98 years old, was a longtime friend of the Southern Poverty Law Center and played a leading role in the SPLC's first lawsuit against the Ku Klux Klan in 1980.
splcenter.org/news/2020/03/30/rev-dr-joseph-e-lowery-played-key-role-launching-splcs-legal-battle-against-ku-klux-klan

Release inmates in Yemen to avert nationwide coronavirus outbreak, experts urge
news.un.org | 2020-03-30
An international panel of human rights experts called today for the immediate release of political prisoners and detainees in war-ravaged Yemen to help avert a nationwide outbreak of COVID-19.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/03/1060642

Civil rights groups condemn COVID-19 authoritarianism
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2020-03-30
Democracy Jacob AndrewarthaIssue 1259 Australia civil rights COVID-19March 30, 2020Against expert health and civil rights advice, governments are opting for authoritarian measures they claim will protect u…
greenleft.org.au/content/civil-rights-groups-condemn-covid-19-authoritarianism

[Obituary] Aron Goldhirsch
Andrew Green | thelancet.com | 2020-03-28
Medical oncologist specialising in breast cancer. Born on April 25, 1946, in Landsberg am Lech, Germany, he died on Feb 26, 2020, in Lugano, Switzerland, aged 73 years.
thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30642-5/fulltext?rss=yes

Weekend Read: SPLC demands ICE act amid pandemic to save the lives of countless immigrants trapped in its crowded detention centers
splcenter.org | 2020-03-27
splcenter.org/news/2020/03/30/weekend-read-splc-demands-ice-act-amid-pandemic-save-lives-countless-immigrants-trapped-its

Headlines for March 27, 2020
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-03-27
U.S. Leads World in Reported COVID-19 Cases as Hospitalizations Surge, Trump Doubts New York City's Need for 30,000 Life-Saving Ventilators, Politico: President Trump Failed to Follow Pandemic Playbook, Squandering Precious Time, Detroit and Chicago Join New Orleans as U.S. Coronavirus Hot Spots, House to Vote on Record-Shattering $2.2 Trillion Coronavirus Relief Package, Three Unaccompanied Migrant Children Test Positive for COVID-19, Jailed Asylum Seekers Stage Hunger Strike, Demanding Release During Pandemic, Activists Demand Release of Aging Prisoners as Coronavirus Spreads, Hospitals in Spain and Italy on th…
www.democracynow.org/2020/3/27/headlines

Asylum Seekers Stranded in Mexico Face a New Danger: COVID-19
Ashoka Mukpo | aclu.org | 2020-03-26
Since the Trump administration first unrolled its policy of forcing migrants to wait in Mexico for their asylum hearings, advocates have been warning that the practice places them in danger. Now, the global coronavirus outbreak is putting an exclamation point on those warnings and adding a new, frightening layer of risk into the lives of asylum…
aclu.org/news/immigrants-rights/asylum-seekers-stranded-in-mexico-face-a-new-danger-covid-19

Arbitrary & excessive: Marijuana trafficking sentences in Alabama
Kathryn Casteel and Will Tucker | splcenter.org | 2020-03-24
Alabama resident Lee Carroll Brooker garnered national attention in 2016 when the U.S. Supreme Court declined to review the marijuana trafficking case that put Brooker, in his 70s at the time, in prison for life.
splcenter.org/news/2020/03/28/arbitrary-excessive-marijuana-trafficking-sentences-alabama

"Top Priority Is Release": Will Rikers Island Free More Prisoners as 60+ Test Positive for COVID-19?
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-03-24
As COVID-19 begins to spread in the U.S. prison system, calls are growing in the New York City epicenter of the pandemic to release people from Rikers Island, the second-largest jail system in the country. At least 39 prisoners and 21 staff at Rikers Island have tested positive. Mayor Bill de Blasio said Monday the city had released 75 people, but advocates are calling for the release of thousands more. We speak with Dr. Homer Venters, former chief medical officer for New York City's Correctional Health Services and author of "Life and Death in Rikers Island." His piece for The Hill is headlined "Coronavirus behi…
www.democracynow.org/2020/3/24/rikers_coronavirus

This is No Time to Play Politics with our Democracy
Sonia Gill | aclu.org | 2020-03-23
Update 03/27/2020: Congress passed a $2 trillion stimulus package intended to address the broad impacts of the COVID-19 global pandemic. While it included $400 million for states to expand access to the ballot for eligible voters, as outlined in this blog, more can and must be done to safeguard our democracy. , , To ensure elections proceed and eligible Americans can vote, any federal legislative package addressing the impact of COVID-19 on our elections must include an immediate, substantial infusion of federal funding and federal requirements for no-excuse mail-in absentee voting and early in-person voting.
aclu.org/news/voting-rights/this-is-no-time-to-play-politics-with-our-democracy

How the ACLU Organized to end Racial Profiling on Greyhound Buses
Andrea Flores | aclu.org | 2020-03-20
Two years ago, the ACLU set a clear goal: push Greyhound to refuse Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers access to their buses to conduct warrantless searches. As part of the Trump administration's immigration crackdown, CBP officers were targeting bus passengers around the country, boarding their buses to racially profile, harass, and too often, detain people who they suspected of being undocumented. Of course, you can't tell someone's immigration status by how they look or sound

The Fight to Vote: Overcoming voter suppression in the South
splcenter.org | 2020-03-20
Voter suppression is alive and well across the South.
splcenter.org/news/2020/03/24/fight-vote-overcoming-voter-suppression-south

We Know Prisons Need COVID-19 Plans, but our Arizona Prison Tour Suggests it's not Happening
Corene Kendrick | aclu.org | 2020-03-19
Earlier this month, the Prison Law Office and the ACLU National Prison Project filed an emergency motion in federal court in Phoenix. The motion asks the judge to order the Arizona Department of Corrections (ADC) to consult with a correctional health care expert to develop a plan to prevent, manage, and treat any COVID-19 outbreaks in the state's 10 prisons. You might think this is an obvious request, but we've spent the last decade observing the Arizona pri…
aclu.org/news/prisoners-rights/we-know-prisons-need-covid-19-plans-our-arizona-prison-tour-suggests-its-not-happening

The Military Should not be Searching Cars or Checking Documents at the Border
Shaw Drake | aclu.org | 2020-03-18
There's an old saying that goes, "When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail." This adage is especially applicable to the Trump administration's approach toward border policy, which is ever more militarized. On March 6th, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials announced that the Department of Defense would deploy 160 active-duty troops to ports of entry at the border

[Correspondence] COVID-19: consider cytokine storm syndromes and immunosuppression
Puja Mehta, Daniel F McAuley, Michael Brown, Emilie Sanchez, Rachel S Tattersall, Jessica J Manson, HLH Across Speciality Collaboration, UK | thelancet.com | 2020-03-16
As of March 12, 2020, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been confirmed in 125 048 people worldwide, carrying a mortality of approximately 3 ∑7%,1 compared with a mortality rate of less than 1% from influenza. There is an urgent need for effective treatment. Current focus has been on the development of novel therapeutics, including antivirals and vaccines. Accumulating evidence suggests that a subgroup of patients with severe COVID-19 might have a cytokine storm syndrome. We recommend identification and treatment of hyperinflammation using existing, approved therapies with proven safety profiles to addre…
thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30628-0/fulltext?rss=yes

[Research Paper] Gender discrimination and depressive symptoms among child-bearing women: ELSPAC-CZ cohort study
Irena Stepanikova, Sanjeev Acharya, Safa Abdalla, Elizabeth Baker, Jana Klanova, Gary L. Darmstadt | thelancet.com | 2020-03-04
The findings provide the first evidence that perceived gender discrimination is associated with depressive symptoms among child-bearing women. Social intervention programs aimed at reducing gender discrimination can potentially contribute to better mental health of women.
thelancet.com/journals/eclinm/article/PIIS2589-5370(20)30041-9/fulltext?rss=yes

Extradition of Assange Would Set a Dangerous Precedent
Marjorie Cohn | zcomm.org | 2020-03-02
The Trump administration is seeking extradition of WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, to the United States for trial on charges carrying 175 years in prison…
zcomm.org/zmagazine/extradition-of-assange-would-set-a-dangerous-precedent/