(2021-02-08). Newsom, Stop The Executions! Rally & Caravan to End the COVID Deaths in Prisons. indybay.org Activists in Oakland caravanned across the Bay Bridge to San Francisco on January 31, calling on Gov. Gavin Newsom to grant the mass release of incarcerated individuals. They said that Gov. Newsom and the California Department of Corrections (CDC) are responsible for the deaths of at least 180 people in prisons since the start of the COVID pandemic.
(2021-02-08). Unionizing the ACLU. therealnews.com 
In this episode of Working People, we talk with three union reps about the fight to unionize staff at the American Civil Liberties Union and the wave of union drives at nonprofits around the U.S.
(2021-02-08). Charlie Cobb: 'Protest is necessary… but it is not sufficient.'. therealnews.com 
Forty years ago, longtime civil rights activist and journalist Charlie Cobb spoke to prisoners at the Maryland Penitentiary as part of the "To Say Their Own Words" program. Four decades later, Eddie Conway speaks with Cobb about the news industry, internationalism, and how the world has changed since 1980.
(2021-02-08). Loujain al-Hathloul to be freed on Thursday, sister says. middleeasteye.net 
Loujain al-Hathloul to be freed on Thursday, sister says | Saudi women's rights activist has been in jail, where her family says she endured torture, for more than 1,000 days | Mon, 02/08/2021 – 22: 20 | Saudi activist Loujain al-Hathloul had been sentenced to almost six years in jail (AFP/File photo) | After more than 1,000 days in detention where she endured torture and hunger strikes, Saudi women's rights acti…
(2021-02-08). 'No families are opting out': Utah school REVERSES decision to allow children to skip Black History Month classes after backlash. rt.com 
A charter school in Utah made a U-turn on its decision to allow families to "exercise their civil rights" and opt their children out of lessons relating to Black History Month, after facing a major backlash online. | "We regret that after receiving requests, an opt-out form was sent out concerning activities planned during this month of celebration," Maria Montessori Academy's board of directors The school in North Ogden, which has a majority white student base according…
(2021-02-08). "Send in the Army": Oppression and the Hunger for Authority. dsausa.org The following is an excerpt from Empire's Endgame: Racism and the British State, an upcoming book co-authored by British academics Gargi Bhattacharyya, Adam Elliott-Cooper, Sita Balani, Kerem Nisancioglu, Kojo Koram, Dalia Gebral, Nadine El-Enany, and Luke de Noronha. Published by Pluto Press, Empire's Endgame engages with recent political movements such as Brexit and Black Lives Matter in order to provide a new and much-needed analysis of the confluence of race, government, and the media during these turbulent times. | Although Empire's Endgame is primarily a study of events in the United Kingdom, this chapt…
(2021-02-08). Lawsuit Launched Over Army Corps' Failure to Protect Endangered Wildlife From Nationwide Permit Program. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2021-02-08). The Fight to Save Ballona Wetlands. counterpunch.org Los Angeles, California On January 29, Defend Ballona Wetlands and two individuals, Molly Basler and Robert van de Hoek, filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court challenging the California Department of Fish & Wildlife's (CDFW) approval of an environmental impact report (EIR) that they claim would allow for the "complete destruction" of the fragile Ballona Wetlands Ecological Reserve in Los Angeles
(2021-02-07). St. Louis Inmates Take Over Units After Weeks Of Complaints. popularresistance.org More than 100 inmates at the St. Louis City Justice Center took over two units of the jail early this morning, shattering fourth-floor windows and setting small fires as they called out jubilantly to a crowd of supporters who gathered on the street below. | The uprising began around 2: 30 a.m., and detainees held control of the units for more than six hours before teams of city sheriff's deputies and police regained custody. | For weeks, tensions have been high at the downtown jail. Inmates staged two protests in late December and early January to complain about COVID-19 protocols and other conditions in the facil…
(2021-02-07). Jailed Saudi teen Ali al-Nimr has death sentence commuted to 10 years in prison. middleeasteye.net 
Jailed Saudi teen Ali al-Nimr has death sentence commuted to 10 years in prison | Rights group Reprieve welcomes the news but calls for others imprisoned as minors to receive similar treatment | Sun, 02/07/2021 – 14: 11 | Ali al-Nimr, a Saudi youth facing the death penalty for taking part in pro-reform protests, posing for a photo at an unknown location (AFP) | Saudi Arabia has commuted the deat…
(2021-02-07). Ali al-Nimr and two other Saudis jailed as minors have death sentences commuted. middleeasteye.net Ali al-Nimr and two other Saudis jailed as minors have death sentences commuted | Rights group Reprieve welcomes the news but calls for others imprisoned as minors to receive similar treatment | Sun, 02/07/2021 – 14: 11 | Ali al-Nimr, a Saudi youth facing the death penalty for taking part in pro-reform protests, posing for a photo at an unknown location (AFP) | Saudi Arabia on Sunday commuted th…
(2021-02-07). Russia Expels Diplomats From Germany, Sweden and Poland for Attending Protests in Russia. anti-empire.com 
Moscow has revoked the credentials of three officials from EU nations, over claims they took part in unauthorized rallies in support of jailed opposition figure Alexey Navalny, local media reported on Friday. | In a statement issued on Friday, Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it had made formal protests to the embassies of Germany, Poland and Sweden. Representatives of these countries are said to have participated in mass-demonstrations that saw thousands take to the streets in cities across Russia over the past two weeks. According to officials, they have now been made "personae non grata" and "ordered…
(2021-02-07). School faces backlash after allowing kids to 'opt out' of Black History Month to 'exercise their civil rights'. rt.com 
A Utah charter school is facing a major backlash after it was revealed to be allowing parents to opt their students out of lessons relating to Black History Month. | In a letter sent to families by Maria Montessori Academy Director Micah Hirokawa, the school said complaints from a handful of families had led to them offering the decision for everyone to "exercise their civil rights to not participate in Blac…
(2021-02-07). MyPillow's Mike Lindell says he could be suing Dominion, Smartmatic 'for the American people'. rt.com 
MyPillow founder Mike Lindell continues to push controversial election fraud claims, this time saying he could possibly sue voting software companies like Dominion in an effort to get to "the truth." | Discussing his new film 'Absolute Proof' on Steve Bannon's 'War Room' podcast, Lindell had an "epiphany" when speaking about Dominion and Smartmatic, two companies he continues to say implemented machines that were manipulated in Joe Biden's favor during the presidential election. | Lindell's epiphany was a threat to figure out a way to sue Dominion if they did not agree to meet with him to discuss his election…
(2021-02-07). Flames of protests against Kremlin burn behind bars. laprensalatina.com Zakharova, Russia, Feb 7 (efe-epa).- Bags of cigarettes, sachets of tea and boxes of cookies are piled up in the snow in front of the detention center. They are for demonstrators who were detained in the mass protests in favor of opposition leader Alexei Navalny. The demonstrations have stopped, but the discontent of these young …
(2021-02-07). Suu Kyi's party asks world not to recognize military junta. yenisafak.com Myanmar's former ruling party on Sunday called on the UN and international community not to recognize the State Administrative Council formed following a military coup in the country.Established on Feb. 2 following the detention of scores of government officials, the council, led by commander-in-chief of the armed forces, is the executive body currently governing the country.The National League for Democracy (NLD), led by ousted State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, who was among those detained during the coup, released a statement on Sunday calling on the UN and the international community not to recognize the milit…
(2021-02-07). Solidarity protests mark Tamils Oppression Day. greenleft.org.au Protests were organised in Melbourne and Sydney on February 6 to demand an end to the oppression of Tamils and Muslims in Sri Lanka. Chris Slee reports.
(2021-02-07). Venezuelan Parliamentary Commission Charges Guaidó. popularresistance.org Today, February 5, the Comptroller Commission of Venezuela's National Assembly (AN) presented before the Public Ministry (MP) charges against the 2015 deputy Juan Guaidó for damage to the Republic and usurpation of functions. | In statements transmitted by Venezolana de Televisión, the president of the commission, deputy José Brito, stated that the charges presented by the Commission included criminal association, organized crime, usurpation of functions, assassination, attempted coup, homicide, and others. | "The sum of penalties would add up to more than 200 years in prison," said Brito. In this regard, he ment…
(2021-02-07). Egyptian student Ahmed Samir Santawy remanded to 15 days in prison. peoplesdispatch.org Ahmed Samir Santawy, a student of the Central European University (CEU) in Vienna, was detained by the police in Cairo on February 1, leading to an international outcry…
(2021-02-07). Thursday 2/11: How To Advance Racial Justice Town Hall w/ ACLU. indybay.org Online town hall via livestream…
(2021-02-06). Citizen Scientists Are Filling Research Gaps. popularresistance.org The rapid spread of COVID-19 in 2020 disrupted field research and environmental monitoring efforts worldwide. Travel restrictions and social distancing forced scientists to cancel studies or pause their work for months. These limits measurably reduced the accuracy of weather forecasts and created data gaps on issues ranging from bird migration to civil rights in U.S. public schools. | Our work relies on this kind of information to track seasonal events in nature and understand how climate change is affecting them. We also recruit and train citizens for community science — projects that involve amateur or vo…
(2021-02-06). Republicans Have Already Introduced Over 100 Voter Suppression Bills This Year. truthout.org 
Since former President Donald Trump failed to reverse the outcome of the 2020 presidential election, Republicans in more than two dozen states have introduced over 100 bills to restrict voting access, an alarming development that voting rights advocates have pointed to as yet another reason for Democrats to
(2021-02-06). 'Now fire Hannity, Ingraham, Carlson': Liberals call for BIGGER PURGE at Fox News as canceled Lou Dobbs shares tweets of support. rt.com 
Donald Trump and other fans are expressing support for Lou Dobbs after the sudden cancellation of his "number one news program" on Fox News, but liberals are so giddy they want other conservatives like Sean Hannity pulled. | The axing of 'Lou Dobbs Tonight' follows a $2.7 billion defamation lawsuit from SmartMatic, a company behind voting software used in the presidential election, against Fox News and multiple hosts who aired election fraud conspiracy theories, including Dobbs. | A spokesperson for the network, however, did not name the lawsuit or controversies surrounding Dobbs' election coverage — he a…
(2021-02-06). NYPD launches probe into 'domestic terrorist' cop wearing 'political patch' amid calls for purges & cleansing of 'Trump's Army'. rt.com 
A New York City police officer was caught on video wearing pro-Trump patches, leading to an investigation after liberals claim the entire force is "Trump's Army" and label the cop a "domestic terrorist." | At a Black Lives Matter demonstration in Brooklyn on Friday evening, video was captured of the officer in uniform with two Trump badges attached to her vest. One is of a skull styled after the comic book character The Punisher — which some have called for to be retired — with Trump's hair, while the other has a similar image along with Trump's name and the phrase "make enforcement great again." | "
(2021-02-06). At least 456 Palestinians arrested by Israel in January: NGOs. yenisafak.com Israeli forces rounded up 456 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank in January, according to Palestinian organizations that monitor the conditions of Palestinian prisoners.Ninety-three minors and eight women were among those detained last month, the Palestinian Authority's Prisoners' Affairs Commission, the Palestinian Prisoner Society, the Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association, and the Wadi Hilweh Information Center said in a joint statement.According to the statement, 105 administrative detention orders were carried out by occupation authorities, including 30 new orders along with the extensio…
(2021-02-06). Over 45 Palestinians arrested by Israel in January: NGOs. yenisafak.com Israeli forces rounded up 456 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank in January, according to Palestinian organizations that monitor the conditions of Palestinian prisoners.Ninety-three minors and eight women were among those detained last month, the Palestinian Authority's Prisoners' Affairs Commission, the Palestinian Prisoner Society, the Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association, and the Wadi Hilweh Information Center said in a joint statement.According to the statement, 105 administrative detention orders were carried out by occupation authorities, including 30 new orders along with the extensio…
(2021-02-06). Federal Probe of Hush Money Paid to Conceal Trump's Alleged Extramarital Affairs Is 'Dead' – Report. sputniknews.com The end of Trump's tenure at the White House has sparked rumors that the federal probe, which sent Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen, to jail, could be reopened, since he no longer has presidential immunity.
(2021-02-06). Modi regime steps up repression of farmers opposing its pro-agribusiness laws. wsws.org After witnessing the massive security presence and layers of police barricades at one of the protest camps on the Delhi border, a group of MPs said the farmers were being treated like "prisoners in jail."
(2021-02-05). What It's Like to Face a Deadly Pandemic Behind Bars. aclu.org 
For incarcerated people, it can be impossible to prevent contracting COVID-19. Crowded quarters, limited access to hygiene, and inadequate medical care have made jails and prisons the sites of some of the worst outbreaks in the country. To date, more than 350,000 people have
(2021-02-05). Riyadh temporarily releases two Saudi-US political prisoners. middleeasteye.net 
Riyadh temporarily releases two Saudi-US political prisoners | Salah al-Haidar and Bader al-Ibrahim were detained in April 2019 and charged with terrorism-related crimes | Fri, 02/05/2021 – 10: 19 | Salah al-Haider, right, is the son of a leading women's rights activist (Screengrab) | Saudi Arabia temporarily released two Saudi-Americans on Thursday after nearly two years of detention, cam…
(2021-02-05). The Struggle Inside Senator Mitch McConnell's Brain. counterpunch.org Since 2015, Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell has ruled the Senate with an iron hand, describing himself as "the Guardian of Gridlock." He was Senator "NO," except for confirming over 200 mostly corporatist federal judges. Now comes a new challenge for Mitch McConnell as he leads 49 other Republican Senators, twenty of whom are up
(2021-02-05). The Streets Belong to the People — Always Have, Always Will. aclu.org "Take to the streets." These words have always held a special significance when it comes to exercising our right to protest. Throughout our history, generation after generation of activists, people, and communities have taken to our nation's public streets to make their voices heard and to protest for their rights. | But, too often, the government still tries to shut down public protests and silence our voices through violence and oppression. | Indigenous-led protests have been frequent and special targets of these suppression tactics. In 2016 and 2017, those protesting the construction of the Dakota Access Pipel…
(2021-02-05). COVID lockdown fuels prison suicide. workers.org 
By Miley Selena Fletcher The following letter is from a transgender incarcerated worker at SCI Forest in Pennsylvania. On Jan. 6, an inmate nicknamed Brother Bernie (Bernie Shank), who was in his 60s and doing a life sentence, came out of his cell at State Correctional Institution (SCI) Forest on . . . |
(2021-02-05). UN Security Council urges democratic return in Myanmar. yenisafak.com The UN Security Council voiced "deep concern" Thursday at the situation in Myanmar after the military overthrew the civilian government and jailed political and civil society leaders.The council decided what it said was the "arbitrary" detentions of State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint, as well as the military's unilateral imposition of a state of emergency. It called for the "immediate release" of all those swept up in military raids and urged a return to democratic norms."The members of the Security Council emphasized the need for the continued support of the democratic transition in Myanma…
(2021-02-05). Perpetrator of French apartment fire sentenced to 25 years. yenisafak.com A French court on Thursday sentenced the perpetrator of the 2017 fire in Mulhouse to 25 years in prison.Six people, four of them Turkish, died in the fire in an apartment building. Two Algerian nationals also died.The Colmar High Criminal Court found French defendant Aurelien Roellinger guilty of arson.A lawyer of the Turkish families, Gulcan Yasin, told Anadolu Agency that Roellinger is a dangerous and criminal person."Those who lost their lives will not come back, but justice has been served," she said, adding the families welcomed the decision.Ertun and Aksu families' house in Mulhouse's Bourtzwiller District…
(2021-02-05). 'Downright Scary': In 2021 Alone, GOP Introduces 100+ Voter Suppression Bills in 28 States. commondreams.org "Democrats have a clear choice. They can get rid of the filibuster to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and the For the People Act to stop GOP voter suppression, or they can allow the GOP to undermine democracy for the next decade." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/election_workers.jpg …
(2021-02-05). Emotional Court Hearing Over Proposed Copper Mine At Oak Flat Sacred Site. popularresistance.org Opponents of a copper mine project that would obliterate an Apache sacred site east of Phoenix asked a federal judge Wednesday to stop work on the project. | The group Apache Stronghold filed the first in a series of three lawsuits Jan. 12 to stop Resolution Copper from proceeding with a huge copper mine below Oak Flat, a site deemed sacred to many Apaches and other Southwestern tribes. | The suit was filed three days before the Forest Service issued the final environmental impact statement regarding the mine project on Jan. 15, starting a 60-day clock on a land swap that would turn the land over to Resolution.
(2021-02-05). Lawsuit Challenging Trump's Dirty Swine Slaughter Rules Allowed to Proceed in Federal Court. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2021-02-05). Filmmaker Garrett Bradley on Time in the Criminal Justice System. aclu.org When a person is sent to jail, prison, or detention, their departure triggers a ripple effect. One person's incarceration touches family members, friends, lovers — their absence can have community-wide repercussions. What happens in the space they leave behind is a central line of inquiry in filmmaker Garrett Bradley's latest work, "
(2021-02-04). Brutal Alabama prison attack on incarcerated workers. workers.org 
Occupied Muscogee Creek Land Events in this report happened on the next to last day of a month-long strike and "economic black-out" of Alabama state prisons, led by incarcerated workers and called by the Free Alabama Movement. For more on the strike, see Workers World, Dec. 4, 2020. On the . . . |