Author: Brett Wilkins

Palestine advocates on Tuesday welcomed a new report in which Amnesty International became the latest on a growing list of human rights organizations to explicitly call Israeli policies and actions against Palestinians “apartheid.”

The report – entitled Israel’s Apartheid Against Palestinians: Cruel System of Domination and Crime Against Humanity – shows how the theft of Palestinian land and homes, forced transfers, unlawful killings, severe restrictions on movement, and other human rights violations “are all components of a system which amounts to apartheid under international law.”

Continue reading “New Amnesty Report Outlines ‘True Extent of Israeli Apartheid Regime’”

Human rights advocates reacted angrily Sunday to a leaked report suggesting that no Israeli soldiers are likely to be charged in connection with the fatal detention of an elderly Palestinian-American man by occupation forces in a West Bank town earlier this month.

“This is a policy: Israel does not prosecute those responsible for harming Palestinians, thus making their lives miserable,” the Israeli human rights group B’Tselem tweeted.

The Washington Post, citing a Hebrew-language report on the Israeli news site Ynet, said Sunday that a leaked summary of an Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) probe into the death of Omar Assad confirmed that the 78-year-old former Milwaukee grocer was dragged from his vehicle, blindfolded, gagged, and handcuffed before falling silent while being detained at a construction site in Jiljilya on January 12.

Continue reading “Leaked Report Suggests Impunity for IDF Troops in Deadly Stop of Palestinian-American Elder”

A group of 50 Democratic U.S. lawmakers on Thursday sent a letter to President Joe Biden focusing on the “inexcusable” number of noncombatants killed by drone strikes in the 20-year so-called War on Terror and urging his administration to “review and overhaul” American counterterrorism policy to “center human rights and the protection of civilians.”

“The continuation of status quo policies that have flouted executive and congressional oversight and resulted in devastatingly high numbers of civilian casualties would run contrary to the Biden administration’s commitments to end our forever wars, and promote human rights and our core democratic values,” the letter – which is led by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) – states.

“Over successive administrations spanning nearly two decades, presidents have claimed virtually unlimited, unilateral power to use lethal force around the world and without congressional authorization, killing not only armed actors but also innocent civilians – even American citizens,” the lawmakers add.

Continue reading “Dems to Biden: Overhaul Drone Program That Has Killed Thousands of Civilians”

Human rights defenders marked the 20th anniversary of the opening of the U.S. military prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba under the administration of former President George W. Bush by noting that three American presidents have come and gone without anyone being held accountable for the horrific crimes that have occurred there, while calling on the fourth – Joe Biden – to finally close what one advocate called an “indelible stain” on the nation.

“Four American presidents have overseen the facility and three have promised to close it,” the ACLU tweeted Tuesday. “Every day Guantánamo remains open is an affront to human rights, justice, and the rule of law.”

“Since 2002, 779 Muslim men and boys have been held at Guantánamo, nearly all without charge or trial,” the ACLU continued.

Continue reading “20 Years and 4 Presidents Later and Gitmo Still Not Closed”

Citing his role in the Iraq War and other devastating conflicts, hundreds of thousands of people in the United Kingdom and beyond are calling for former British Prime Minister Tony Blair to be stripped of his newly bestowed knighthood.

As of Thursday afternoon, over 900,000 people had signed the Change.org petition seeking to have Blair’s “Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter” – one of the highest honors a British monarch can bestow upon a subject – rescinded. Queen Elizabeth II announced Blair’s knighthood on New Year’s Eve.

“Tony Blair caused irreparable damage to both the Constitution of the United Kingdom and to the very fabric of the nation’s society,” the petition states. “He was personally responsible for causing the death of countless innocent civilian lives and servicemen in various conflicts. For this alone he should be held accountable for war crimes.”

Continue reading “In the UK, Calls Grow To Revoke Tony Blair’s Knighthood Over Iraq War”

Press freedom campaigners on Wednesday marked Julian Assange’s 1,000th day of imprisonment in London’s Belmarsh Prison with renewed demands for the WikiLeaks publisher’s freedom ahead of his looming potential extradition to the United States.

“Journalism is not a crime,” the Assange Defense Committee tweeted. “#FreeAssange. #DropTheCharges.”

Assange’s partner Stella Morris said in a statement: “It will be 1,000 days this Wednesday that Julian Assange has spent in the harshest prison in the U.K. His young children, ages two and four, have no memory of their father outside the highest security prison of the UK”

Continue reading “After 1,000 Days in Belmarsh Prison, Campaigners Demand Freedom for Julian Assange”