Brett Wilkins

Human rights advocates were stunned but not surprised Thursday after a Turkish prosecutor asked a court to move the trial of 26 Saudi men accused of murdering journalist Jamal Khashoggi to Saudi Arabia – whose Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is widely believed to have ordered the assassination. The Washington Post – where Khashoggi worked … Continue reading “‘Travesty of Justice’: Turkey Seeks Transfer of Khashoggi Murder Trial to Saudi Arabia”

A prisoner at a Central Intelligence Agency “black site” in Afghanistan was used as a training prop to teach U.S. operatives how to torture other prisoners, leaving him with serious brain damage and other ailments, newly declassified documents published this week affirmed. Ammar al-Baluchi, a 44-year-old Kuwaiti national, is currently imprisoned at the US prison … Continue reading “Declassified Docs Show CIA Used Prisoner as a Torture Training Prop”

As President Joe Biden ratchets up tensions with Moscow by assuring Ukraine that “the United States and its allies and partners will respond decisively” to a Russian invasion, experts warned Monday that there is no military solution to the seven-year war between neighbors with so much shared history and culture. “The hawkish outcry for more … Continue reading “‘No Military Solution’ to Russia-Ukraine Conflict, Say Expert Voices”

Human rights advocates and attorneys representing Guantánamo Bay detainees on Thursday decried a secret new courtroom reportedly being built by the Pentagon at the notorious offshore US prison. The New York Times reports Gitmo’s new second courtroom – which will cost $4 million – will not allow members of the public to witness proceedings against … Continue reading “‘Anti-Democratic and Cowardly’: US Building New Secret Courtroom at Guantánamo”

As the US military continues construction of a controversial new base at Henoko Bay, Okinawa, the recent discovery of extreme levels of highly toxic “forever chemicals” in local waterways and groundwater has renewed long-standing opposition to the American occupation of large portions of the Japanese archipelago. “Imagine the uproar if China were responsible for this … Continue reading “‘Alarming’ Levels of ‘Forever Chemicals’ Found in Water Near US Bases in Okinawa”

Activists from Palestinian groups recently designated “terrorist organizations” by Israel’s government expressed outrage and resolve Monday following revelations that their phones were hacked with Pegasus spyware, and amid the exposure of a sweeping facial recognition surveillance campaign in the West Bank by Israeli occupation forces. “It’s difficult to describe the feeling of invasion and intrusion … Continue reading “‘Organized State Terrorism’: Palestinians Condemn New Israeli Surveillance Revelations”

Antiwar activists on Thursday accused the Biden administration of throwing fuel on the flames of the Saudi-led war in Yemen after the US State Department notified Congress it approved a new $650 million missile sale to the repressive Middle Eastern monarchy. Defense News reports the Pentagon said the Saudi government requested to purchase 280 AIM-120C-7/C-8 … Continue reading “Warnings of ‘More Death and Suffering’ in Yemen as US Moves to Sell Saudis Missiles”

Twenty-one Israel-based civil society groups on Sunday joined Palestine defenders around the world in condemning the Israeli government’s labeling of six Palestinian advocacy groups as terrorist organizations, calling the move “an act of cowardice.” Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz’s “designation of prominent Palestinian civil society organizations, among them our colleagues in the Palestinian human rights … Continue reading “‘An Act of Cowardice’: 21 Israel-Based Groups Condemn Terror Label for Palestine NGOs”

Anti-war advocates on Monday warned that U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin would be making a dangerous strategic blunder if he suggests that Ukraine and Georgia have a welcome mat toward full integration into the NATO military alliance – a move critics say would dramatically increase the risk of war between Washington, D.C. and Moscow. … Continue reading “‘Needlessly Provocative’: Austin Rebuked for Again Opening NATO Door to Ukraine and Georgia”

Peace and human rights advocates on Friday accused President Joe Biden of breaking his promise to end American support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen after the US State Department approved a potential agreement to provide half a billion dollars worth of support services to the Middle East monarchy known for its pervasive human rights … Continue reading “Antiwar Voices Blast Biden Over ‘Absurd’ $500 Million Saudi Military Contract”