(2019-01-21). Prominent Saudi scholar Ahmed al-Amari dies in prison: Activists. aljazeera.com Saudi activists allege the 69-year-old scholar died as a result of poor prison conditions and possible torture.
(2019-01-21). All Hail the Revolutionary King: Martin Luther King and the Black Revolutionary Tradition. counterpunch.org The annual King Day celebrations provide a great opportunity to defend Dr. King's revolutionary legacy against The System's efforts to white wash and degrade his frontal challenge to its crimes. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the great revolutionaries in U.S. and world history. He was a leader of the Civil Rights and More
(2019-01-21). 'Racist' Israeli Hospitals' Unethical Search of Palestinians. telesurenglish.net An Israeli hospital in the city of Ashkelon, in southern Israel showed clear bias, and some may argue, unethical behaviour after forcing Palestinians off a bus headed to their premises, before being searched. | RELATED: | Gaza: Children at Risk as Hospitals Struggle with Fuel Crisis | The controversy stems from the fact that Israeli passengers can continue their ride uninterrupted, while Palestinians are forced to undergo a security check. | Haaretz news outlet reported that the As…
(2019-01-21). Distinguished Iranian/American Journalist Marzieh Hashemi arrested by FBI. globalresearch.ca Distinguished Press TV journalist/anchor's unlawful arrest, detention and mistreatment by the FBI, on the pretext of being a material witness regarding a case her family knows nothing about, gave the US another international black eye. | What happened captured world headlines, …
(2019-01-21). The forgotten: Living with HIV in war-ravaged Yemen. aljazeera.com Most Yemenis living with HIV/AIDS in face stigma and discrimination, even from their families.
(2019-01-21). MLK Day Special: Rediscovered 1964 King Speech on Civil Rights, Segregation & Apartheid South Africa. democracynow.org 
As the nation marks 90 years since the birth of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., we air a rediscovered speech he delivered on December 7, 1964, days before he received the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo. In a major address in London, King spoke about segregation, the fight for civil rights and his support for Nelson Mandela and the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa. The speech was recorded by Saul Bernstein, who was working as the European correspondent for Pacifica Radio. Bernstein's recording was rediscovered by Brian DeShazor, director of the Pacifica Radio Archives.
(2019-01-21). The Quest for Peace and Justice. MLK's Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech. globalresearch.ca It is impossible to begin this lecture without again expressing my deep appreciation to the Nobel Committee of the Norwegian Parliament for bestowing upon me and the civil rights movement in the United States such a great honor. Occasionally in …
(2019-01-21). Statement on Women's March from Radical Women and Freedom Socialist Party. indybay.org Pro-police and racist forces have denounced the Women's March for sending greetings to exiled Black revolutionary Assata Shakur. Undoubtedly, a mix of forces from the FBI to so-called men's rights advocates are busy trying to prevent a multi-racial, grassroots feminist movement from consolidating and truly taking off.
(2019-01-21). Missing in action: Supporters blast Trump for silence on Covington Catholic kids. rt.com 
False accusations of racism and abuse against boys from a Kentucky Catholic high school — only because they wore MAGA hats — have spurred many supporters of President Donald Trump to action, but the POTUS himself has been missing.
(2019-01-21). Libya: Nightmarish Detention for Migrants, Asylum Seekers. hrw.org 
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(2019-01-21). Shocking Admission by FBI Veteran Shows Why the FBI Shouldn't Exist. theantimedia.com 
(CJ Opinion) — On the 18th of November, 1964, the FBI's appallingly corrupt boss J. Edgar Hoover denounced Martin Luther King Jr. as "the most notorious liar in the country." A few days later, a Hoover deputy named William Sullivan wrote King a letter posing as a disillusioned follower and using powerful, manipulative language to urge the civil rights leader to commit suicide …
(2019-01-21). Ecuador: Authorities must seriously address situations of violence, without encouraging xenophobia. amnesty.org In response to recent statements by the government of President Lenin Moreno on the imposition of entry restrictions for Venezuelan people, Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas Director of Amnesty International, said: | "President Lenín's government has the responsibility to protect people's rights to seek asylum and international protection, as well as to prevent, investigate and punish acts of violence committed against people within its territory, without discrimination based on their nationality or other factors." | "In the face of serious cases of gender violence and recent femicides, the Ecuadorian authorities hav…
(2019-01-21). Russia: First criminal case under "undesirable organizations" law marks a new level of repression. amnesty.org The Russian authorities have for the first time used the repressive "undesirable organizations" law to open a criminal case against human rights defender Anastasia Shevchenko, exposing her to the risk of a six-year prison term, Amnesty International said today. | This morning Anastasia Shevchenko, a Coordinator with the Otkrytaya Rossiya (Open Russia) movement, was charged with "repeated participation in the activities of an undesirable organization." Until now, violations of this law were punished under administrative law. | "In recent years, the Russian authorities have progressively suffocated and criminalized…
(2019-01-21). Israel/OPT: Prominent Bedouin Leader Imprisoned by Israel: Sheikh Sayyah Abu Mdeighim al-Turi. amnesty.org On 25 December 2018, 69-year-old human rights defender Sheikh Sayyah Abu Mdeighim al-Turi, started serving a 10-month prison sentence for exercising his rights to freedom of expression and of peaceful assembly. Sheikh Sayyah is the head of al-'Araqib, a Bedouin village in the Negev/Naqab that is unrecognized by the Israeli authorities. He is currently held at Maasiyahu Prison, in the city of Ramle in central Israel. He is a prisoner of conscience and must be released immediately and unconditionally.
(2019-01-21). US federal judge allows lawsuit over illegal experimentation on Guatemalan subjects. wsws.org More than 70 years ago, US researchers infected Guatemalans with syphilis and gonorrhea, then left without treating them.
(2019-01-21). Trump's Border Wall Would Destroy Historic Gravesites in South Texas. theintercept.com 
Ramiro R. Ramírez remembers his grandmother, when he was a young child, planting a red rose bush to mark the gravesite of Nathaniel Jackson, his great-great grandfather. With time, the rose bush vanished, like the wooden cross marking Jackson's death in 1865. But Jackson's legacy was not forgotten, nor that of his wife Matilda Hicks, an emancipated slave who forged a life with Nathaniel, a white man and son of a plantation owner. | The interracial couple, along with their eldest son Eli Jackson and six other children, fled a racist South and persecution under the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, searching for acceptan…
(2019-01-21). Critics to Mike Pence, US Marine Corps, and the CIA: Sorry, Martin Luther King Jr. Does Not Belong to You. commondreams.org The family of Martin Luther King Jr. was among those who pushed back Monday amid the annual sanitization of the civil rights leader's message, as the nation marked what would have been King's 90th birthday—with Vice President Mike Pence drawing particular rebuke for attempting to co-opt his legacy. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-33639381_0.jpg…
(2019-01-21). 'Literally What Jesus Told People to Do': In Arizona, Possible Prison Time for Leaving Food and Water for Migrants. commondreams.org Four women were found guilty of misdemeanors and are facing possible prison time for leaving jugs of water and canned food in the Arizona desert for migrants braving the scorching triple-digit temperatures during the summer of 2017. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/no_more_deaths_volunteers.jpg…
(2019-01-21). To Fulfill MLK's 'Revolutionary' Vision, Sanders Says Corrupt, Divisive, and 'Racist' Trump Must Be Defeated. commondreams.org "What he reminded us is courage of conscience, that we stand up, no matter what the odds, and take on the power, to fight for economic justice, to fight for social justice, to fight for racial justice, and to fight for environmental justice." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-10858876681.png…
(2019-01-20). Remembering Martin Luther King Jr., the Organizer. aclu.org What a new generation of activists can learn from America's most celebrated civil rights leader. | Martin Luther King Jr. is rightly celebrated as a transformative political and moral leader who championed racial equality, but he is less often credited as a brilliant strategic and tactical organizer who led cutting edge campaigns to deliver the rights for which he is known. As an organizer, I am struck by the mastery of the organizing craft that infuses King's writing, so on this holiday remembering his legacy, I'll share several of King's lessons that all activists can benefit from today. | King chose campai…
(2019-01-20). How to Spend MLK Day. naacp.org 
Tomorrow, our nation will honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a man whose dream of an America that was truly equal for all its people has inspired generations of people to fight to bend the arc of the moral universe toward justice. From the Montgomery Bus Boycott to marching across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, […]
(2019-01-20). Palestinians Release Dual US National Convicted Over Land Sales. telesurenglish.net The Palestinian Authority has handed over to U.S. authorities an American-Palestinian it had sentenced to life imprisonment for violating a ban on selling land to Israelis, two senior Palestinian officials said on Sunday. | RELATED: | Israel to Shut UNRWA-Run Schools in Occupied East Jerusalem | "Issam Akel holds an American passport and he was handed over to the U.S. authorities upon their request," one senior security official, who asked not to be named, told Reuters. A second off…
(2019-01-20). Saudi Arabia to Deport 250 Rohingya to Bangladesh: Activists. telesurenglish.net Two-hundred fifty rohingya refugee men are expected to be deported from Saudi Arabia to Bangladesh, an activist group tol Al Jazeera in an exclusive interview Sunday. | RELATED: | India to Deport More Rohingya Refugees to Myanmar | The country is home to 300,000 Rohingya, the majority of whom are legal residents with permit, the Free Rohingya Coalition told the Arabic news corporation. | "These detainees, who are being kept in the Shumaisi detention centre [in Jeddah], have not been treated…
(2019-01-20). West Michigan Women's March builds resistance to Trump. fightbacknews.org Grand Rapids, MI – About 500 people rallied and marched thru Grand Rapids, January 19, to build resistance to Trump during the 2019 Women's March. The women's movement in West Michigan hosted leaders from the immigrant rights, African American freedom, student and labor movements. | Many of the speeches were personal and heartfelt, detailing women's struggles against sexual assault, workplace discrimination, and mistreatment at the hands of ICE, law enforcement and the courts. | "This month we celebrate the birthday of Martin Luther King, a man who unselfishly shared his dream of equality with us," said Cindy R…
(2019-01-20). A Problem for Kamala Harris: Can a Prosecutor Become President in the Age of Black Lives Matter? theintercept.com 
The regressive reality of what prosecutors do is proving difficult for the senator and likely presidential candidate to rationalize.
(2019-01-19). For the People Act. naacp.org The first legislation to be introduced in the 116th Congress is H.R. 1, the For the People Act. H.R. 1 is a comprehensive bill with provisions to protect and support eligible American citizens to cast a free and unfettered vote and for the American people to be sure their vote was counted. The For the […]
(2019-01-19). We have had enough of Trump and the war on women. fightbacknews.org Enough is enough. Trump, his administration, and his backers are waging war on women, and millions of women are making it clear that we are not going to be pushed backwards. From the massive Women's Marches, to the midterm elections, to the constant, everyday resistance, women are standing up against Trump's reactionary agenda. | Trump and his supporters in the Senate want to pack the Supreme Court and roll back reproductive rights, and they have gotten a start by appointing the drunken misogynist Brett Kavanaugh. Accompanying the administrations outrageous policy of placing immigrants in detention, Trump's Justi…
(2019-01-19). Activists face jail time & $500 fine for dropping supplies to migrants in wildlife refuge. rt.com 
A US federal judge has found four volunteers with a local aid group guilty of petty offenses after they entered a wildlife refuge without a permit to leave food and water for illegal migrants seeking to cross the US-Mexico border.
(2019-01-19). Since Decriminalization, 96% of People Arrested for Weed in Baltimore Are Black. therealnews.com 
Journalist Brandon Soderberg and 34-year police veteran Neill Franklin discuss "Structural Racism and Cannabis: Black Baltimoreans still disproportionately arrested for weed after decriminalization."
(2019-01-18). Alaska Governor's Mass-Firing of State Workers Violated the First Amendment. aclu.org Gov. Dunleavy's actions are a throwback to a corrupt spoils system that our system strived to eradicate for generations. | Days after being elected governor of Alaska, Michael Dunleavy requested resignations from more than 1,200 at-will state employees. Those who didn't resign were later fired. This kind of political retaliation against non-political state workers is an attack on the very foundations of free speech and good government. | It is not unusual for newly elected chief executives at the federal, state, and local levels to replace political appointees. But such political tests can only reach so far down…
(2019-01-18). The Justice Department Shouldn't Be Snooping on Journalists. aclu.org Rolling back Justice Department rules that protect journalists' privacy would undermine freedom of the press. | At a time when President Trump regularly attacks the news media, the Department of Justice may be preparing to make it easier for the government to obtain journalists' private communications data. | The public relies on both journalists and whistleblowers for vital information about our government's most controversial activities. Weakening the current rules that protect reporters — as wel…
(2019-01-18). Oppose William Barr Nomination. naacp.org The United States Senate is considering the nomination of William P. Barr to be the next Attorney General of our United States in extraordinary times. The next Attorney General of our United States has the opportunity to reverse course and place the Justice Department back on track to fulfill its historic role in safeguarding our civil […]
(2019-01-18). Spectre Unmasked: Racist 'Alt-Right' Podcaster Used To Be Local Reporter. splcenter.org A notorious white nationalist podcaster with a history of instigating harassment campaigns and threats of violence against reporters is in fact a journalist himself, Hatewatch has learned.
(2019-01-18). NAACP to Participate in Women's March to Empower and Uplift Black Women Voices. naacp.org FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE BALTIMORE (January 18, 2019) —NAACP is proud to support the Women's March and uplift the voices of all black women, and as such, Spelman NAACP Chapter President, Amari Fennoy, will speak at the Women's March in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, January 19. Fennoy will be speaking to ensure that the voice of […]
(2019-01-18). The Case Against Galveston County's Pretrial Detention System Survives the Government's Challenge. aclu.org A win could set a precedent for prosecutor accountability and right to counsel in bail hearings that could help reform pretrial detention nationally. | If you are accused of a crime and arrested in Galveston County, Texas, you better hope you can afford to pay the preset bail amount to get out of jail. If not, then you will join hundreds of other people who are incarcerated simply because they cannot afford to buy their freedom. In Galveston and communities across the country, there is one pretrial detention system for the poor and an entirely different one for everyone else. | Thirty-six-year-old Aaron Booth fou…
(2019-01-18). Will "Tough on Crime" Policies Fuel Mass Incarceration? therealnews.com 
As three of the most powerful men in Maryland vow to crack down on repeat violent offenders, community advocates question their plans to address the root causes of inequality and violence
(2019-01-18). Madagascar: Next president must tackle historic rights violations. amnesty.org The next president of Madagascar, Andry Rajoelina, must tackle historic human rights violations, including excessive use of pretrial detention and arbitrary detentions of human rights defenders, Amnesty International said ahead of his inauguration tomorrow. |
(2019-01-18). Morocco: Conviction of Hirak El-Rif protest leader Nawal Benaissa upheld. amnesty.org Responding to the news that the appeals court in Al Hoceima has upheld the conviction of Nawal Benaissa, confirming her 10-month suspended prison sentence with a fine, Heba Morayef Amnesty International's Director for the Middle East and North Africa said: | "This verdict is an appalling miscarriage of justice. Nawal Benaissa's only 'crime' was to join peaceful protests to demand the rights of people in the Rif region. The Moroccan authorities are blatantly targeting Nawal Benaissa for her role in the Hirak El-Rif movement and are making an example of her to intimidate others who may wish to speak out. Instead of…
(2019-01-18). Release of Syrian man wrongly convicted of terrorism in Hungary an "overwhelming relief" amnesty.org Ahead of tomorrow's early release of Ahmed H, a Syrian man who was unfairly jailed for "complicity in an act of terror" during clashes with police at the Serbia-Hungary border in September 2015, Eda Seyhan, Amnesty International's Europe Counter Terrorism Campaigner, said: | | "After spending three-and-a-half years behind bars, Ahmed will finally be reunited with his wife and two young daughters. His…
(2019-01-17). Rochester Could Break Through the Thin Blue Line Protecting Abusive Police. aclu.org How the city could create New York's first independent review board with the power to discipline officers. | We know what happens when we allow police to police themselves. Too often, they escape punishment when they abuse the people they are supposed to protect. A lack of meaningful police accountability not only skirts justice, but people's lives are in danger when officers who repeatedly harm civilians keep their jobs. | The Rochester City Council in New York introduced a draft bill this week that addresses this fundamental problem. The bill would create a civilian-controlled Police Accountability Board with t…
(2019-01-17). UAE: Injustice, Intolerance, Repression. hrw.org 
| | A convoy of UAE military vehicles and personnel travels from Al Hamra Military Base to Zayed Military City, marking the return of the first batch of UAE Armed Forces military personnel from Yemen, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. | © 2015 AP Images | (Beirut) — The United Arab Emirates in 2018 handed down draconian prison sentences to an Emirati activist and a British academic following deeply flawed trials, Human Rig…
(2019-01-17). Mauritania: Repressive Laws Restrict Peaceful Speech. hrw.org 
| | People wait to cast their vote on September 1, 2018 outside a polling station in Nouakchott for the country's legislative, regional and local elections. | © 2018 Ahmed Ould Mohamed Ould Elhadj/AFP/Getty Images | (Geneva) — Mauritanian authorities used a litany of harsh and overbroad laws on terrorism, cybercrime, apostasy, and criminal defamation to prosecute and jail human rights defenders, activists, bloggers, and politica…
(2019-01-17). Egypt: Lawyer Detained in Undisclosed Location: Hoda Abdelmoniem. amnesty.org On 15 January 2019, Hoda Abdelmoniem appeared before the prosecution for investigation, and her pre-trial detention was renewed for 15 days. Hoda told her daughter that she is being detained in an undisclosed location. | Hoda's last appearance before the public prosecution was on 21 November 2018, after her 20 days of enforced disappearance. From 2 December 2018 until 14 January 2019, Hoda's lawyer and family could not find her in any prison and did not know about her fate and whereabouts.
(2019-01-17). Putin has given Chechnya free rein to persecute LGBTI people. amnesty.org By Natalia Prilutskaya, Russia Researcher at Amnesty International | For the second time in less than two years, a violent homophobic crackdown has left LGBTI people in Chechnya fearing for their lives. Earlier this week the Russian LGBT Network confirmed reports that the Chechen authorities have resumed large-scale arrests of individuals believed to be gay or lesbian, imprisoning and torturing them. | According to the organization's protected sources, around 40 people have been arrested since De…
(2019-01-17). Campaign to free Aboriginal women jailed for unpaid fines. greenleft.org.au 
An online crowdfunding campaign set up to help Aboriginal women in Western Australia avoid jail for unpaid fines has raised $230,000 in its first four days and already settled the debts of 30 imprisoned women, with another 50 expected to be free in coming weeks. | The campaign is being organised by the Queensland-based Sisters Inside advocacy group. | In a statement calling for donations, Sisters Inside explained: "Western Australia refuses to change the laws where people who have no criminal convictions are imprisoned if they do not have the capacity to pay a fine. | "Single Aboriginal mothers make up the majori…
(2019-01-16). Imprisoned Neo-Nazi Leader Says His Hate Group Is a Religion, Court Says No. splcenter.org A federal appeals court has ruled that Matthew Hale's hate philosophy, Creativity, isn't a religion because it focuses almost exclusively on preserving the white race and lacks a coherent set of "ultimate ideas."
(2019-01-16). Judge Blocks Trump Plan to Add Citizenship Question to Census, Citing "Smorgasbord" of Broken Rules. democracynow.org 
A federal judge in New York City has ruled against the Trump administration's decision to put a citizenship question on the census. In a lengthy opinion, U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman wrote that in deciding to add a citizenship question to the census, U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross violated a "veritable smorgasbord" of federal rules and "alternately ignored, cherry-picked, or badly misconstrued the evidence in the record before him." Ross announced the citizenship question in March, touting it as a way to enforce the Voting Rights Act and protect minorities against voter discrimination. Voting rights acti…
(2019-01-16). Chili's Denied Meagan Hunter a Promotion Because She Needed to 'Dress More Gender Appropriate'. aclu.org 
The ACLU is taking action against Chili's, which discriminated against a server for not fitting her boss' idea of what a woman should look like. | Meagan Hunter loved her job as a server at Chili's Grill & Bar in Phoenix, Arizona — and she excelled at it. She was thrilled when her supervisors suggested that she apply for a new training program to become a manager. | In order to learn more about the opportunity, she attended a seminar on Chili's Certified Shift Leader program. She wore a men's button-up shirt, fitted slacks, and boat shoes — an outfit similar to what male managers at Chili's wear. So s…
(2019-01-16). I'm Out of a Job Because My Boss Didn't Think I Look Like a Woman. aclu.org 
A former Chili's employee speaks out after being forced to quit for not dressing more "gender appropriate." | I didn't look the part, so I was forced to quit. | Chili's, where I worked for nearly two years, was starting a new management training program and my superiors encouraged me to apply. It was a great opportunity, and I was excited about the prospect of a promotion. | I was planning to buy a home for the first time, and the pay increase would have helped a lot. I'm a single mother, so what I earn matters. I'm also a lesbian, a part of my identity that influences how I dress. | I'd started working at a Phoe…
(2019-01-16). #SaveHakeem: Stop the deportation of a Bahraini refugee. greenleft.org.au 
Bahraini refugee Hakeem Al-Araibi has been held in detention in Thailand since last November 27. He faces the terrifying prospect of being deported to the country where he was tortured. | Al-Araibi, a semi-professional footballer and former member of the Bahraini national football team, was on his honeymoon and had just landed in Thailand. Australian authorities alerted Thai authorities, whereupon he was arrested. Bahrain is demanding his extradition. | Yahya Alhadid, a spokesperson for the Gulf Institute for Democracy and Human Rights, said if Al-Araibi is extradited back to Bahrain he will face "continuous elec…