October 14, 2026

Activists’ Server Seized in Amsterdam at U.S. Request

Amsterdam police seized a server yesterday from Italian internet service provider Autistici/Inventati (A/I), acting on a request from the United States. A/I, which had supplied free web hosting and email services to thousands of left-wing organizations around the world since
October 9, 2026

U.S. Sanctions ICC, Undermining International Law & Obstructing Justice

The Treasury Dept. announced today that the United States is imposing sweeping new sanctions on the International Criminal Court, in an escalated attack on the court’s authority to investigate grave international crimes. The sanctions prevent the court from using U.S.
October 5, 2026

Defending Rights & Dissent Announces New Executive Director Shannon Al-Wakeel

Civil liberties advocacy group Defending Rights & Dissent today announced the appointment of veteran human rights attorney and former board co-president Shannon Al-Wakeel as its new Executive Director.  Al-Wakeel brings more than a decade of experience defending civil liberties and
September 25, 2026

On NSPM-7 Anniversary, Defending Rights & Dissent Alerts Congress to FBI Monitoring of Political Speech

Can the FBI Spy on First Amendment Protected Activity? According to a new analysis of the FBI’s rules from Defending Rights & Dissent, the answer is yes.  This morning, Defending Rights & Dissent delivered Can the FBI Spy on the
September 22, 2026

Chip Gibbons Discusses Trump’s McCarthyism on Left Reckoning Podcast

Defending Rights & Dissent Policy Director Chip Gibbons joined the Left Reckoning podcast Tuesday to discuss the Trump administration crackdown on dissent and its echoes of past McCarthyite repression. In conversation with hosts Matt Lech and David Griscom, Gibbons expounded
September 15, 2026

Rep. Massie Moves to Impeach Sec. Hegseth Over Iran War

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) introduced articles of impeachment for Secretary of War Pete Hegseth today over his illegal waging of the U.S. war in Iran and other “high crimes and misdemeanors.” Massie announced the move in a speech on the
September 11, 2026

25 Years After 9/11: End the War on Terror at Home

Twenty-five years ago, 3,000 people were brutally and senselessly murdered by criminal members of Al-Qaeda.  As the nation grieved, national security hawks within the Bush administration quickly set about exploiting the tragedy. Many of them, like Vice President Dick Cheney,
September 2, 2026

After One Year of Carnage, 42 Organizations Urge Congress to End Trump Administration’s Unlawful Boat Strikes

WASHINGTON —  To mark one year of the Trump administration’s illegal and immoral campaign of extrajudicial killings in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific, Defending Rights & Dissent joined over 40 organizations in sending a letter that urged Congress to halt the strikes,
August 26, 2026

Defending Rights & Dissent Appears in DHS’s ‘Minnesota 15’ Surveillance

Recently released discovery documents show that the Department of Homeland Security used Clearview AI facial recognition technology to search for ‘Minnesota 15’ defendant Isaac Sant, and that the search results included photos of a 2018 Defending Rights & Dissent protest
August 26, 2026

U.S. Treasury Sanctions Nonviolent Protest Group Palestine Action

Today the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control announced it has imposed sanctions on groups including UK-based direct action group Palestine Action, which organizes nonviolent protests in opposition to Israel’s genocide in Gaza. Defending Rights &
August 24, 2026

Independent Media & the New McCarthyism

The Trump administration has unleashed a McCarthyite crackdown on political dissent across the United States, and journalists who don’t toe the official line are in the government’s crosshairs. As is often the case in authoritarian repression of the press, independent
August 17, 2026

DHS Investigated Labor Unions and Activist Groups Over Minnesota ICE Protests in Disturbing Attack on Dissent

Newly released documents reveal that four days after Customs & Border Patrol agents in Minnesota shot and killed Alex Pretti in January of 2026, the Department of Homeland Security opened an investigation – but not into the agents who shot
August 6, 2026

Newsletter: August 2026

Breaking Down Trump’s Blueprint Against Dissent Defending Rights & Dissent is leading the charge against Trump’s crackdown on dissent, political advocacy, and free expression. Ever since Trump issued National Security Presidential Memo 7, his plan to further weaponize the FBI
August 3, 2026

Gaza First Amendment Alert (8/3/26)

Sign up here to receive future Gaza First Amendment Alerts directly in your inbox. Escalating Attacks on Independent Media  Upon his return to the United States on July 10, journalist Max Blumenthal was stopped at Dulles International Airport by Custom
July 23, 2026

House Committee Subpoenas Activist & Media Groups

Today the House Ways and Means Committee has subpoenaed NYC activist space the People’s Forum, nonprofit media outlet BreakThrough News, and Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research. Defending Rights & Dissent Policy Director Chip Gibbons has issued the following statement in