John Pilger (2020-12-14). John Pilger: The Most Lethal Virus Is Not COVID. It Is War. mintpressnews.com In the midst of the greatest health emergency in modern times, with more than 4 million surgical procedures delayed by the National Health Service, Britain has announced a record increase of £16.5 billion in so-called defense spending.

WSWS (2020-12-14). UN rapporteur Nils Melzer demands Assange's immediate release after ten years' arbitrary detention. wsws.org Melzer's statement was issued amid a major coronavirus outbreak in Belmarsh Prison, that threatens the WikiLeaks publisher's life, and in the lead-up to a ruling on his extradition to the United States.

Binoy Kampmark (2020-12-14). Julian Assange: COVID Risks and Campaigns for Pardon. counterpunch.org Before the January 4 ruling of District Judge Vanessa Baraitser in the extradition case of Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks publisher will continue to endure the ordeal of cold prison facilities while being menaced by a COVID-19 outbreak. From November 18, Assange, along with inmates in House Block 1 at Belmarsh prison in south-east London, were

Staff (2020-12-14). Vaccine Equity: Why Communities of Color & Incarcerated People Should Get Early Access to Shots. democracynow.org As the first shipments of a federally approved COVID-19 vaccine arrive across the United States, healthcare workers and residents of nursing homes will receive the first shipments, and epidemiologist Camara Phyllis Jones says communities of color with high rates of COVID-19 should also get consideration for early access. "I think that CDC got it right partially in terms of those overexposed because of their work or their living conditions, but they did not include our brothers and sisters in prisons, jails, detention centers, and they did not include those of us who are more exposed and less protected in our work…

Noriana Radwan (2020-12-14). A Middle Finger Cost Me My Livelihood as a Woman Athlete. aclu.org It took a split second for my whole world to come crashing down. , , My teammates on the University of Connecticut's women's soccer team were jumping and screaming and hugging each other. We had just won a championship game. It was one of the happiest moments of my life — my first championship win at the collegiate level. Without thinking, I flashed a middle finger in celebration as I embraced teammates on camera. I couldn't have known that split-second, mindless gesture of celebration would cause UConn to suspend me from the NCAA tournament, revoke my scholarship, and completely upend my life as I…

Defense for Children International, Palestine (2020-12-14). Israel's Isolation of Palestinian Child Prisoners Amounts to Torture. globalresearch.ca Israeli authorities routinely detain Palestinian children in isolation solely for interrogation purposes, a practice that amounts to torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment, Defense for Children International — Palestine said in a report released today. | The 73-page …

_____ (2020-12-14). Proud Boys Vandalize Churches And Clash With Antifascists In DC. popularresistance.org Washington DC-A night of confrontations and violent clashes followed a day-long rally of MAGA, the followers of the defeated Trump Administration. Proud Boy hate groups led roving groups of pro-Trump MAGA followers through downtown DC, looking to vent their frustration over a lost Presidential election. | Proud Boys tore down Black Lives Matter signs on several churches and businesses and attempted to penetrate police lines to attack anti-fascist opposition. Confrontations began early in the day at Black Lives Matter Plaza where an anti-fascist group, Black Lives Matter Civil Rights organizations, and allied grou…

RT (2020-12-13). 10 years in jail for stealing sweets? Thanks to Covid-19, it's a possibility in Slovakia, and people are puzzled. rt.com A man who stole two chocolate bars from a shop in Slovakia may be sent to jail for ten years. He is the latest person facing a surprisingly harsh punishment for petty crime due to the Covid-19 state of emergency. | The disturbing story of the man from northwestern Slovakia was reported this week by local media. His sister said she wrote to President Zuzana Caputova asking her to intervene on her brother's behalf. | "A ten-year sentence for a couple of chocolates is unconceivable. The situation today is so difficult and people have a hard life as it is," she said. Stealing is of course bad, but the punishment t…

sputniknews (2020-12-13). Social Researcher Receives 9-Year Imprisonment in Iran, Report Says. sputniknews.com TEHRAN (Sputnik) РAn Iranian court has sentenced Kameel Ahmady, a social researcher and citizen of both Iran and the United Kingdom, to nine years of imprisonment and a €600,000 ($728,237) fine, Tasnim news agency reported on Sunday.

Prison Radio (2020-12-13). Perfecting Tyranny: Mumia's New Book Hot Off the Press! globalresearch.ca Perfecting Tyranny by Mumia Abu-Jamal & Stephen Vittoria is a window into the soul of a nation from one of its most respected and feared captives. Getting this book to print took enormous resolve. We now turn to you to …

Patrick Stephens (2020-12-13). Let Everybody Vote, Even If They're Incarcerated. commondreams.org What value is a democracy that actively seeks to silence the voices of its most vulnerable citizens? | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/prison_5_0.jpg …

Peoples Dispatch (2020-12-13). Protesters in London march against police atrocity against Black teenager. peoplesdispatch.org On Friday, December 11, anti-racism groups in the UK protested police atrocity against a Black teenager in North London. Video footage which shows a police officer punching the teenager in the head while he was pressed against a police car, was widely circulated on social media on Thursday night and triggered widespread outrage across the UK. Scores of people under the leadership of Black Lives Matter Movement and Stand Up to Racism (SUTR) marched to North London's Tottenham police station and protested the police brutality and demanded punishment for the officers involved in the incident. | According to a Mornin…

Rocco Galati (2020-12-13). Video: Rocco Galati on COVID Lockdown Measures. Crimes against Humanity. Lawsuit against Government of Canada. globalresearch.ca "Politicians have not put forward any persuasive evidence that lockdowns have actually saved lives. At the same time, there is no question that lockdowns have caused grave harm to millions of Canadians suffering unemployment, poverty, cancelled surgeries, suicides, isolation …

Sung Mo Jung (2020-12-12). Queens, NY man jailed on fake confession, community rallies to free Prakash Churaman. liberationnews.org Even though his conviction was reversed this past June, Churaman remains at Rikers awaiting a new trial.

Ralph Nader (2020-12-12). Go Vote Yourself a Raise, Georgia—You've Long Earned It. commondreams.org Candidates should be pushed to say if they stand with the super-rich profiteering, callous Big Business tycoons or with the people who work for pitiful wages, on the rugged frontlines, and keep our society running. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/georgia_primary.jpg …

Annie Levin (2020-12-12). Rebuilding the Solidarity Economy During Covid-19. commondreams.org The pandemic and Black Lives Matter protests have shown New York's mutual aid collectives how to navigate the line between mutual aid, solidarity, and charity.

Nayanah Siva (2020-12-12). [World Report] Experts call to include prisons in COVID-19 vaccine plans. thelancet.com As some countries begin vaccination, experts are questioning the allocation and prioritisation lists. Nayanah Siva reports.

NAACP (2020-12-12). Wednesday 12/16: NAACP Town Hall: Slowing Pandemic Spread, #COVID19 Vaccine, & Health of Black Community. indybay.org Online town hall…

David Masciotra (2020-12-12). With the Trump circus finally ending, can America ever get back to useful politics?>. salon.com Americans are overworked, plagued with debt and imprisoned by inequality. Real politics must be about changing that…

Bryant Arroyo (2020-12-11). PA prisons: Disdain, distrust and deprivation. workers.org Incarcerated workers across Pennsylvania are demanding that Department of Corrections Secretary John Wetzel reverse his disastrous decision to begin mass transfers of prisoners during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The following commentary is part 2 from an interview by Joe Piette with jailhouse organizer and environmentalist Bryant Arroyo, who . . . |