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This remains a five-alarm fire. We have just days left in our Fall Campaign and the numbers we’re seeing are not good. This is terrifying for us, especially when everything we cherish is on the ballot just one week from now.
Ryan Karerat, 212-284-7388, rkarerat@aclu.org
Imprisoned whistleblower Chelsea Manning ended her hunger strike today, having secured assurances from the Army that she will receive the medically prescribed treatment for her gender dysphoria. The treatment will begin with the surgery that was recommended by her psychologist in April.
Since she was first taken into custody in 2010, Manning, a transgender woman being forced to serve out her sentence in an all-male prison, was subjected to long stretches of solitary confinement during her court martial and has been denied medical treatment related to her gender dysphoria. On September 9, she began a hunger strike to demand, among other things, that she be treated with the medically necessary and recommended care for her gender dysphoria.
"I am unendingly relieved that the military is finally doing the right thing. I applaud them for that. This is all that I wanted -- for them to let me be me," said Manning in a statement. "But it is hard not to wonder why it has taken so long. Also, why were such drastic measures needed? The surgery was recommended in April 2016. The recommendations for my hair length were back in 2014. In any case, I hope this sets a precedent for the thousands of trans people behind me hoping they will be given the treatment they need."
Chase Strangio, staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, had the following reaction:
"This is a monumental day for Chelsea, who can now enjoy some peace knowing that critically needed medical care is forthcoming. This medical care is absolutely vital for Chelsea as it is for so many transgender people -- in and out of prison -- who are systemically denied treatment solely because they are transgender. Thankfully the government has recognized its constitutional obligation to provide Chelsea with the medical care that she needs and we hope that they will act without delay to ensure that her suffering does not needlessly continue.
"It is nonetheless troubling that the government continues to insist that they will enforce the male hair length standards against her and subject her to a disciplinary board over administrative charges related to her suicide attempt in July, which was precipitated by the government's refusal to adequately treat her for gender dysphoria. Given the recognition of Chelsea's health care needs, we hope that she is immediately permitted to grow her hair consistent with the standard for female military prisoners and that all charges related to her suicide attempt and the investigation that followed are dropped."
The ACLU represents Manning in a lawsuit against the Department of Defense that was first filed in 2014 over the department's refusal to treat Manning's well-documented gender dysphoria.
To date, no transgender individual has received gender affirming surgical treatment in prison despite medical recommendations for such care in prisons across the country.
More about the case can be found at: https://www.aclu.org/cases/manning-v-hagel-et-al
This release can be found here: https://www.aclu.org/news/chelsea-manning-ends-hunger-strike-government-agrees-move-forward-recommended-gender-affirming
The American Civil Liberties Union was founded in 1920 and is our nation's guardian of liberty. The ACLU works in the courts, legislatures and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to all people in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States.
(212) 549-2666
"Many of you have differences of opinion with Kamala Harris on Gaza—so do I," said Sen. Bernie Sanders. "But we cannot sit this election out. Trump has got to be defeated."
With the high-stakes 2024 election just days away, progressive Sen. Bernie Sanders released a video late Monday addressing voters who are wary of supporting Democratic nominee Kamala Harris given her role in an administration that is supporting Israel's catastrophic war on the Gaza Strip.
Sanders (I-Vt.), who has rallied for Harris in key battleground states during the final stretch of the race, said he has been asked the same question repeatedly on the campaign trail: "I disagree with Kamala's position on the war in Gaza. How can I vote for her?"
The senator begins his response by counting himself among the critics of Israel's U.S.-backed war on Gaza, which he noted has killed more than 42,000 people—roughly two-thirds of them women, children, and elderly—and decimated the enclave's civilian infrastructure, including its healthcare system.
"I am doing everything I can to block U.S. military aid and offensive weapons sales to the right-wing extremist Netanyahu government in Israel," said Sanders, referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "And I know that many of you share those feelings and some of you are saying, 'How can I vote for Kamala Harris if she is supporting this terrible war?'"
"That is a very fair question," the senator continued. The answer, from Sanders' perspective, is that "Donald Trump and his right-wing friends are worse" on Gaza.
Sanders said congressional Republicans "have worked overtime" to obstruct humanitarian aid efforts in Gaza while the Biden administration has tried to increase the flow of lifesaving assistance—though rights groups and the United Nations have criticized the administration for not doing nearly enough.
Trump, the Republican nominee, "has said Netanyahu is doing a good job and has said Biden is holding him back," Sanders observed. "He has suggested that the Gaza Strip would make excellent beachfront property for development."
"And it is no wonder Netanyahu prefers to have Donald Trump in office," the senator added. "But even more importantly—and this I promise you—after Kamala wins, we will together do everything that we can to change U.S. policy toward Netanyahu: an immediate cease-fire, the return of all hostages, a surge of massive humanitarian aid, the stopping of settler attacks in the West Bank, and the rebuilding of Gaza for the Palestinian people."
"Let me be clear: We will have, in my view, a much better chance of changing U.S. policy with Kamala than with Trump, who is extremely close to Netanyahu and sees him as a like-minded, right-wing extremist ally," said Sanders.
Watch the full video:
I’ve been all over the country in the last month.
And I get asked the same question, over and over again:
“I disagree with Kamala’s position on the war in Gaza. How can I vote for her?”
Here is my answer: pic.twitter.com/r4fzWz8yXF
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) October 28, 2024
Sanders went on to note that "as important as Gaza is, and as strongly as many of us feel about this issue, it is not the only issue at stake in this election."
"If Trump wins, women in this country will suffer an enormous setback and lose the ability to control their own bodies," said Sanders. "That is not acceptable. If Trump wins, to be honest with you, the struggle against climate change is over. While virtually every scientist who has studied the issue understands that climate change is real and an existential threat to our country and the world, Trump believes it is a hoax."
"And if the United States, the largest economy in the world stops transforming our energy system away from fossil fuel, every other country—China, Europe, all over the world, they will do exactly the same thing, and God only knows the kind of planet we will leave to our kids and future generations," the senator added.
Sanders also pointed to Trump's plan to give another round of tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans "at a time of massive income and wealth inequality."
"This is the most consequential election in our lifetimes," the senator concluded. "Many of you have differences of opinion with Kamala Harris on Gaza—so do I. But we cannot sit this election out. Trump has got to be defeated. Let's do everything we can in the next week to make sure that Kamala Harris is our next president."
Sanders' case echoes arguments that other progressives have put forth in recent days amid
concerns about voter apathy and discontent in critical swing states.
Last week, as Common Dreamsreported, a coalition of community leaders in Arizona—including Palestinian, Muslim, and Arab organizers—wrote in an open letter that "voting for Kamala Harris is the best option for the Palestinian cause and all of our communities" and warned that a Trump victory "would be the worst possible outcome for the Palestinian people."
Georgia state Rep. Ruwa Romman (D-97), a Palestinian American lawmaker who was denied a speaking slot at the Democratic National Convention earlier this year, wrote for Rolling Stone on Monday that she will be voting for Harris in the November 5 election—though the Georgia representative emphasized that "this vote isn't for her."
"It's for the people in my district and state who cannot survive another Trump presidency. And yes, it's for my community and our allies who refuse to sit by while our resources are used to commit a genocide in our names," Romman wrote. "Unlike President Joe Biden, Vice President Harris has a mixed record on the issue. She voted no on more weapons to Israel in 2019 and she consistently advocated to get aid into Gaza. I personally shared with her during a rally in Atlanta in July that our community is willing to give her a chance, but we need the bombs to stop and need her to enforce our laws. She agreed that the violence must end so that aid can get in, and we can de-escalate a rapidly expanding regional war."
"Is that enough? Of course not," Romman added. "The urgency of this moment requires moral clarity and real leadership. And that is what we must continue demanding."
"This legislation not only contravenes the basic principles of human rights that led to the U.N. General Assembly's founding of UNRWA, but also violates a range of Israel's international legal obligations."
Over a year into Israel's obliteration of the Gaza Strip, Israeli lawmakers faced sharp criticism on Monday after voting for a pair of bills targeting the United Nations agency responsible for humanitarian aid in the illegally occupied Palestinian territories.
The first bill, which says that the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) "will not operate any missions, won't provide any service, and won't hold any activity—directly or indirectly—in the sovereign territory of the state of Israel," passed the Israeli parliament 92-10.
The second legislative proposal—under which the Israeli agency that handles humanitarian issues, the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), will have to cut off contact with UNRWA—passed the 120-member Knesset 87-9. Critics called the votes "grotesque" and "outrageous."
The Israel-based organization Adalah said in a statement that "despite widespread international pressure and condemnation, the Knesset has nearly unanimously passed two bills aimed at dismantling UNRWA, all while Israel continues its genocidal assault on Gaza and intensifies violence across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem."
"This legislation threatens a vital lifeline for over 2.5 million Palestinian refugees throughout the occupied Palestinian territory," the group warned. "It represents a deliberate attempt to fundamentally undermine UNRWA and its essential mission of supporting the relief, education, and human development of Palestinian refugees. Specifically, the laws aim to strip Palestinians—who were forcibly displaced from their homes during the 1948 Nakba and the 1967 war—of their status as refugees and their right of return."
The United Nations General Assembly created UNRWA in 1949, in the wake of the Nakba, or "catastrophe," when more than 750,000 Palestinians fled or were forced from their homeland to establish the modern state of Israel—whose officials have claimed without providing evidence that a dozen of the agency's 13,000 staffers in Gaza were involved with the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.
"This legislation not only contravenes the basic principles of human rights that led to the U.N. General Assembly's founding of UNRWA, but also violates a range of Israel's international legal obligations, including those under the Genocide Convention and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court," said Adalah. "The international community must hold Israel accountable."
Although Israel faces a South Africa-led genocide case at the International Court of Justice over its war on Hamas-controlled Gaza—which has killed at least 43,020 people and injured another 101,110 since last October—governments around the world have not acted to stop the bloodshed. The U.S. Congress and President Joe Biden's administration have even provided Israel with billions of dollars in military aid and blocked cease-fire resolutions at the United Nations.
Earlier this month, the Biden administration finally threatened to cut off weapons if the Israeli government does not take "urgent and sustained actions" to improve humanitarian conditions in Gaza within 30 days. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin's letter specifically raised concerns about the legislation that passed the Knesset Monday.
Asked about the Israeli bills on Monday, Matthew Miller, a U.S. State Department spokesperson frequently slammed for his statements about Israel, pointed to the secretaries' criticism of the legislation in the recent letter and acknowledged that UNRWA serves the West Bank and plays "an irreplaceable role" in Gaza, where Palestinians are starving to death.
Sally Abi Khalil, Oxfam's regional director in the Middle East and North Africa, said Monday that "Israel has bombed Palestinians to death, maimed them, starved them, and is now ridding them of their biggest lifeline of aid. Piece by piece, Israel is systemically dismantling Gaza as a land that is autonomous and liveable for Palestinians."
"Its banning of UNRWA today is condemnable and another step in this crime," she argued. "The decision will further undermine the ability of the international community to provide sufficient humanitarian aid and to save lives in any safe, independent, and impartial way. UNRWA was not only the biggest and most established agency that has been delivering aid and sustenance to the people of Gaza for years, it was also a thread that connected them in some hope of solidarity and security to the United Nations."
"We are in no doubt that Israel and its allies are fully aware of the terrible consequences that this decision will have on Palestinians living in Gaza, many of whom are already starving," she added. "We join others in warning again that this will result in more death, more suffering, and more forced displacement of people from their besieged homeland. It is impossible not to believe that this is their aim."
Leading up to the votes, human rights advocates have been sounding the alarm. On Saturday, over 50 groups including Oxfam, Human Rights Watch, and ActionAid released a joint statement demanding action and warning that "dismantling UNRWA would be catastrophic for Palestinians especially in Gaza and the West Bank as they are deprived of essentials such as food, water, medical aid, education, and protection. It will also have catastrophic consequences for millions of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria, where essential humanitarian aid is crucial for both the refugees and the host communities."
Philippe Lazzarini, the UNRWA commissioner-general, delivered a similar warning on social media Monday, declaring that the Knesset action not only "is unprecedented and sets a dangerous precedent" but "it opposes the U.N. Charter and violates the state of Israel's obligations under international law."
"This is the latest in the ongoing campaign to discredit UNRWA and delegitimize its role towards providing human-development assistance and services to Palestine Refugees," he continued. "These bills will only deepen the suffering of Palestinians, especially in Gaza where people have been going through more than a year of sheer hell."
"It will deprive over 650,000 girls and boys there from education, putting at risk an entire generation of children," Lazzarini added. "These bills increase the suffering of the Palestinians and are nothing less than collective punishment."
One American eyewitness cited in the case says Israeli occupation forces "directly targeted with intent to kill" Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi.
Turkey's Terror Crimes Investigation Bureau has reportedly filed charges of "premeditated murder" against the Israeli soldiers who, according to eyewitnesses, deliberately targeted a Turkish-American activist who was fatally shot in the head while peacefully protesting the expansion of Israel's illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Anadolureported Sunday that the Turkish agency is classifying the September 6 killing of 26-year-old International Solidarity Movement (ISM) volunteer Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi as a "crime against humanity."
The agency submitted evidence including eyewitness statements, photos, video footage, and an autopsy report to the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office as part of an effort to identify the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers responsible for Eygi's killing.
Last month, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said the country intends to seek international arrest warrants for those who killed Eygi.
Eygi, a recent University of Washington graduate, was shot during a march in Beita against Israel's apartheid settlements. American activist Alex Chabbott said Israeli soldiers fired tear gas immediately after the march began. Chabbott and other witnesses said they heard gunshots coming from a nearby rooftop and then saw Eygi lying on the ground and bleeding profusely from her head.
Chabbott said Eygi was "directly targeted with intent to kill." British activist Dominic Robin Sedol accused IDF soldiers of shooting with "the intent to kill Ayşe directly." Jonathan Pasternak, an Israeli activist who attended the march with Eygi, said the troops "had directly targeted Ayşenur."
While admitting that it is "highly likely" that Israeli troops shot Eygi, IDF officials have called the killing "unintentional," claiming the fatal shot "was not aimed at her, but aimed at the key instigator of... a violent riot in which dozens of Palestinian suspects burned tires and hurled rocks" at occupation forces.
Progressive members of U.S. Congress, rights groups, and others including the parents of Rachel Corrie—the U.S. ISM volunteer crushed to death in 2003 by an IDF bulldozer while trying to stop the demolition of Palestinian homes in the West Bank—have joined Eygi's family in calling for an independent investigation of the activist's killing.
However, U.S. President Joe Biden—who has approved billions of dollars in military aid as part of his "unwavering" support for Israel—was widely denounced for repeating the IDF's claim that Eygi was accidentally killed when a bullet "ricocheted off the ground."
Secretary of State Antony Blinken—who called Eygi's killing "unprovoked and unjustified"—nevertheless signaled that there would be no U.S. probe of the incident, prompting Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), the only Palestinian American in Congress, to lament that the Israeli military "can kill Americans and get away with it."
Last week, a group of Department of Justice lawyers sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland calling for an investigation into Israel's killing of Americans including Eygi, Kamel Ahmad Jawad, Jacob Flickinger, Tawfiq Abdel Jabbar, Mohammad Khdour, Omar Assad, and Shireen Abu Akleh.
On Friday, more than 500 people gathered at the University of Washington in Seattle for an "evening of reflection" on Eygi's life and activism.
"We deserve to know what happened," Özden Bennett, Eygi's older sister, said during the event, according toThe Daily. "We deserve to know who killed her, and we deserve to know why. We're asking once again, for President Biden, Vice President [Kamala] Harris, and Secretary of State Blinken, who we still have not heard from, to act."