Human Rights

Syrian Revolution's Second Anniversary is Commemorated in OC This Weekend

A weekend of events will be held in Orange County to commemorate the second anniversary of the Syrian Revolution.To kick things off, the Council on American-Islamic Relations Greater Los Angeles Area office in Anaheim (CAIR-LA) is joining the Syrian American Council LA chapter in presenting an edu ... More >>

[UPDATED with ASUCI Supporting Divestment:] UCI Student Panel Calls for Divesting from Firms Aiding Israeli "Apartheid"

See Update No. 3 at the end of page 3 of this post on leaders of UCI's Associated Students signing the resolution urging the university to divest from named companies for human rights abuses in Palestine. See Update Nos. 1-2 on ASUCI's legislative council unanimously passing the resolution urging di ... More >>

To Barack Obama Administration, Government Forced Abortions & Sterilization Isn't Persecution

President Barack Obama felt compelled today to whine about tough words Susan Rice, his United Nation's ambassador, has taken from two Republican senators over the Sept. 11 Benghazi tragedy.At one point during his White House press conference, Obama looked as if he wanted to fist fight John McCain an ... More >>

Federal Judge Kinda Likes ICE, Kinda Doesn't In Ruling Over Fullerton Factory Raid

In an October 25 ruling, a federal judge decided that Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducted a reasonable records search in response to a complaint filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). The case follows a June 2010 ICE raid on Terra Universal factory in Fullerton where 43 undo ... More >>

Two Human Rights Champions Arrive in Santa Ana Today for Panel Discussion

International Human Rights Day may be a few months away, but Santaneros and other good people of Orange County will have a chance to meet two extraordinary defenders of life with dignity today. Vidulfo Rosales Sierra of Tlachinollan Centro de Derechos Humanos de la Montaña (Tlachinollan) and Jenny ... More >>

UCI Law School Professor and Students Fight for Nigerian Activists in U.S. Supreme Court

When the U.S. Supreme Court opened what's billed to be a contentious new term Monday, UC Irvine School of Law students were there.But the future legal eagles were not in Washington, D.C., to observe the proceedings as bystanders but to help one of their professors argue a case before the Supremes.

Pussy Riot Members Sentenced to Two Years for Anti-Putin Punk Prayer!

See Also:*Mare Is a Rapper Hell-Bent on Equality for Women in Mexico *OC Rock 'n' Roll Camp for Girls Postponed Until Next Summer*Five Feminist Anthems for International Women's Day!Sitting inside a glass enclosure, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Maria Alyokhina and Yekaterina Samutsevich smiled today as a ... More >>

Friends Can Also Betray You

Mexicans pay in blood for America's War on Drugs

Arizona Senate Bill 1070's Days of Rage

[Crossing the Line] The U.S. Supreme Court and President Barack Obama leave the undocumented and their allies no choice but to escalate civil disobedience

Pedro Pimentel Rios, Santa Ana Deportee, Sentenced to 6060 Years in Guatemalan Massacre

​Pedro Pimentel Rios, a former factory worker who lived in Santa Ana until he was deported last July, has been sentenced to more than 6000 years for his role in one of the worst atrocities carried out by the U.S.-backed military during Guatemala's decades-long civil war. According to news reports, ... More >>

[UPDATED with Vote Delayed Again:] Students Call for UCI Board Member Hazem H. Chehabi's Ouster over Syria Ties

​UPDATE, MARCH 8, 3:21 P.M.: A proposal to call for Dr. Hazem H. Chehabi's removal from the UC Irvine Board of Trustees over his ties to the brutal Syrian regime will not be presented tonight to the Legislative Council of the Associated Students (ASUCI) as originally planned.The matter is now s ... More >>

Transgender Rights in Pakistan Chewed Over at Chapman Law School Lunch

​Talk about a timely lunchtime topic: "Transgender Rights in Unlikely Places: The Case of Pakistan" will be discussed at Chapman University hot on the high heels of the Pakistani Supreme Court ordering the government to register transgender citizens as voters.The country's 80,000-strong transgende ... More >>

Aasif Mandvi, Daily Show Correspondent, Coming to Anaheim to Scoop up CAIR Award

​The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) of Greater Los Angeles, which is based in Anaheim, will bestow its 2011 Courage in Media Award to Indian-British actor and comedian Aasif Hakim Mandviwal.He's better known as Aasif Mandvi, the hilarious correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stew ... More >>

Irvine 11 Trial: Defense Compares Protest to Comedy Club Heckling--'Rude, Not Illegal'

Christopher Victorio/OC Weekly​"Of course it was planned," said defense attorney Jacqueline Goodman in her opening arguments today, addressing the charge that the so-called Irvine 11 (now 10) conspired to disrupt a public speech.     "They conspired to obey the law, which is the opp ... More >>

Coalition of Immokalee Workers Asks Trader Joe's to Help Exploited Tomato Pickers in Florida, Will Protest Outside Irvine Location TOMORROW

​We at the Weekly have long loved the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, the chingones who have waged a successful decade-long-plus battle to make major food corporations (Taco Bell, Burger King, Subway, Whole Foods) pay a bit more for their tomatoes so that some of that added revenue trickles down t ... More >>

[UPDATED with UCI Nixing Meeting:] Dr. Hazem Chehabi Urged to Cut Ties With Syria's Brutal Regime or Step Down From UC Irvine Foundation Board

​UPDATE, JULY 8, 5:25 P.M.: Syrian freedom activists say that when they protested at UC Irvine the morning of June 9, a campus official promised a future meeting with an associate chancellor to discuss what they consider a troubling relationship between Syria's brutal regime and Dr. Hazem Chehabi, ... More >>

[UPDATED with UCI Promising Meeting:] Dr. Hazem Chehabi Urged to Cut Ties With Syria's Brutal Regime or Step Down From UC Irvine Foundation Board

​UPDATE, JUNE 9, 4:31 P.M.: This morning's rally at UC Irvine targeting Dr. Hazem H. Chehabi--the UCI Foundation's president-elect, Syria's honorary consul general in Newport Beach and a prominent Orange County philanthropist and nuclear medicine specialist--went "smooth," according to an organize ... More >>

Pedro Pimental Rios, Accused in Guatemalan Massacre, To Be Deported

​A maintenance worker from Santa Ana must leave the country, according to a ruling issued yesterday by Judge Lorraine J. Munoz at the Ronald Reagan Federal Courthouse. Pedro Pimental, 54, will likely be flown to Guatemala to stand trial in one of the most brutal mass slayings in Guatemala's long c ... More >>

[UPDATED with Kobe's Appeal of Fine:] Bryant Scolded for Yelling "Fucking Faggot" at Ref

​UPDATE, APRIL 14, 8:01 P.M: After last night's likely forever finale for the Sacramento Kings/preview for the Anaheim Royals, Kobe Bryant was contrite. Black Mamba told KCAL/Channel 9's John Ireland that the NBA's $100,000 fine for calling a referee "Fucking faggot" the night before was ... More >>

8 Murders a Day, Opening Friday, Explores "Greatest Human-Rights Disaster in the World Today"

​A documentary opening Friday in Fullerton explores the drug-related violence in Mexico since President Felipe Calderon took office in December, 2006.8 Murders a Day focuses mostly on Juarez, Mexico, the murder capital of the world or, as producer-director Charlie Minn's puts it, "the greatest hum ... More >>

Saul Hernandez Talks Caifanes, Coachella and Crossovers

Going solo and getting the band back together--at the same time!​Saul Hernandez, founding vocalist-guitarist of seminal rock en español band Caifanes, had a lot to say in his recent interview with the Weekly--more than we could fit into this week's cover piece about the band reuniting to play Coa ... More >>

Macy Gray Ignores Calls to Boycott Israel

Marc Pagani​For soul singer Macy Gray, it started out as a simple Facebook status update inviting discussion concerning upcoming concerts. "I'm booked for 2 shows in Tel Aviv. I'm getting alot of letters from activists urging/begging me to boycott by NOT performing in protest of Apartheid agai ... More >>

Loretta Sanchez Goes to the Net for the Vietnamese

​Here in the goldarn US of A, we argue about Net neutrality, but over in Vietnam, there are citizens struggling just to get access to the Internet. It's like a mass of people who would looooooove dial-up AOL.Help for them is coming from this side of the world--in Washington, D.C., to be precise--w ... More >>

The Feds Bury Border Patrol Abuses of Immigrants

But what's been unearthed reveals a culture of cruelty

Rep. Loretta Sanchez Blasts North Korea and Backs Vietnam Human Rights Sanctions Act

​Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Garden Grove) has issued a statement condemning North Korea for firing dozens of artillery shells at South Korea's Yeonpyeong Island, killing two South Korean soldiers and wounding 15.The freshly reelected congresswoman, who is the ranking female member on the House Armed ... More >>

Ed Royce Slams Hillary Clinton For Coddling Vietnam

Royce doesn't like Ho Chi Minh's legacy​Republican Congressman Ed Royce must be getting tired of U.S. officials ignoring what he sees as Vietnam's "ugly human rights record."The latest offender to Royce's sensibilities on the subject is Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.According to the veteran F ... More >>

Nobel Peace Prize Laureates Lecture

Soka University

Asylum Denied

Only a fraction of Mexicans get U.S. asylum.

Hit the Target

[Trendzilla] Forget the awesome merch, the politics stink

Surprise, Surprise: Prop 8 Backers Will Appeal

Photo by Mary Bell/OC Weekly​It was only a matter of time--fewer than 24 hours transpired--before Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker's controversial ruling declaring Proposition 8 unconstitutional was appealed by Prop 8 backers."We will certainly appeal this disappointing decision.  Its ... More >>

Jose Antonio Franco, Freed Mentally Retarded Immigrant, Part of ACLU Lawsuit Against Feds

​As we told you here, five days after the American Civil Liberties Union filed a petition in March against the federal government for locking up Jose Antonio Franco in a Santa Ana detention facility, officials released the mentally retarded immigrant who had been living in Costa Mesa ... More >>

ACLU Seeks FBI Records on "Muslim Mapping"

​As part of a massive request for data under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California today asked the FBI to turn over records related to the agency's collection and use of race and ethnicity data in Southern California communities.Th ... More >>

Ed Royce: Hillary Clinton Failed in Vietnam

Clinton​News services are reporting that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pressured Vietnam's leaders to improve its human rights practices during her trip to the Southeast Asian nation, but two Orange County members of Congress view her actions with opposing conclusions.Loretta Sanchez (D-Anahe ... More >>

Ed Royce Worries Hillary Clinton is Soft on Vietnam Human Rights Abuses

Royce to Clinton: Don't be a wimp in Hanoi​Demonstrating his concern over ongoing human rights abuses by Vietnam's rulers, Congressman Ed Royce has sent a letter to Hillary Clinton asking the secretary of state to pressure the communist nation on the topic during an upcoming trip to Hanoi. "W ... More >>

Has Loretta Sanchez Created a "Big Bugaboo" in Vietnam?

Protected worker?​A highly successful American businessman who lives in Hanoi says that Orange County Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez and Iowa Senator Tom Harkin have "overblown" the need for worker rights in Communist-run Vietnam, according to a July 13 Voice of American (VOA) article."From my ... More >>

ACLU Issues Arizona Travel Advisory

​The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California, whose coverage area includes Orange County, and the ACLUs of Northern California, San Diego and Imperial Counties and 26 other affiliates, issued an Arizona travel alert today.Arizona's response?"Meh."

Zack de la Rocha's Arizona Boycott Grows

​On July 29, the government of Arizona will enact Senate Bill 1070, also known as Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act. The law addresses immigration control and regulation, which was traditionally a federal responsibility. This law makes Arizona the first state to require all aliens ... More >>

Human Rights: Law, Religion and Gender

Irvine Barclay Theatre

The Crucifixion of Juarez

On the front line of the U.S. war on drugs, a Mexican city bleeds to death

Sheriff Joe Arpaio's Reign of Terror Becomes Arizona State Policy, Thanks to State Senator Russell Pearce and Governor Jan Brewer

An Opportunity to Stand Up

Forget Arresting the Pope--What About John Urell?

Urell: Wanted for crimes against humanity--one can only wish...​Sloppy drunkard Christopher Hitchens and wacky atheist Richard Dawkins made news recently because they want Pope Benedict XVI arrested when His Eminence visits Great Britain in September on account of the pontiff's pedo-protecting way ... More >>

Loretta Sanchez to Obama: Slap Vietnam Now!

Sanchez is playing hardball with Vietnam​OC Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez has a personal message today for President Barack Obama: Confront the Vietnamese prime minister over human rights violations in Vietnam.

Rep. Loretta Sanchez Condemns Vietnam Cyberattacks, Assorted Douchebaggery

​Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez (D-Garden Grove) is "outraged" that Vietnam used malware to illicitly monitor the Internet activity of human rights and democracy activists.

Ramona Ripston Retires as ACLU/SC Executive Director

Ramona Ripston​Ramona Ripston, who has been executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California for 38 years, announced her retirement today."This organization has not only been my work but also my life for a long time, so a decision like this one certainly comes with m ... More >>

Major Donor Pulls Funding, Leaves ACLU and Locals Scrambling

​An item the New York Times posted online Tuesday night that outed David Gelbaum as a major anonymous donor to the American Civil Liberties Union and reported the Newport Beach philanthropist was cutting off $19 million in yearly donations because of economic setbacks has left the ACLU scrambling, ... More >>

'Slave Hunter' Co-Author Christine Buckley Wears Her Journalism on Her Sleeve

WEB EXCLUSIVE!

Manzanar Pilgrimage Exhibit

Soka University

Making Change

Suffrage Day Luncheon

The Velvet Voz

Anterciopelados articulate, amorous activism