As I write this, footage from the protests at the G20 summit today shows bloodied demonstrators and broken bank windows -- the sexy stuff the news media likes to talk about when it's not dissecting Michelle Obama's fashion aesthetic and comparing it to French First Lady Carla Bruni's. Meanwhile the source of the anger that has brought protesters in droves to London's financial district goes undiscussed, as though the global economic crisis were something that only exists in the stately closed-door conversations between the world leaders assembled there.

Meanwhile, glimpses of what is happening in the rest of the world are disconcerting to say the least. FBI Director Robert Mueller pushing to renew key surveillance powers of the USA PATRIOT Act, horrible anti-woman legislation in Afghanistan, and, in Sri Lanka, a violent and nearly invisible killing campaign that Arundhati Roy likens to "genocide." (In news that is tragic in a different way, be sure to catch Miss Universe's musings on her recent trip to Guantanamo Bay, available here.) Read about all of this and more in AlterNet's Rights & Liberties Special Coverage. And be sure to read my colleague Joshua Holland's revealing first-person account of his run-in with this country's immigration system. You won't be sorry.

Thanks for reading,

Liliana Segura,

Editor, Rights & Liberties Special Coverage

Seymour Hersh: Secret U.S. Forces Carried Out Assassinations in 'a Lot of' Countries, Including in Latin America
By Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!
The investigative journalist for The New Yorker explains his recent bombshell revelation about Dick Cheney's "executive assassination" squads. Read more »

The Woman Who Could Nail Bush: Are the Worst of the Torture Memos Still to Come?
By Scott Horton, The Daily Beast
The GOP is threatening an ugly fight over an Obama Justice Department appointee who wants to disclose more Bush-era torture memos. Read more »

Afghan President Signs Law "Legalizing Rape"
By Jerome Starkey, Independent UK
Karzai rushed the new Shia Family Law through parliament in a shameless bid to win votes in advance of national elections. Read more »

I Married an Illegal Immigrant: A First-Hand Account of How Screwed Up This Country's Rules for Foreigners Are
By Joshua Holland, AlterNet
The one argument in the immigration debate with absolutely no merit is that the system is fine. Read more »

FBI Director Pushes to Renew PATRIOT Act Surveillance Powers
By Liliana Segura, AlterNet
Robert Mueller told the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday that key provisions set to expire this year are 'exceptionally helpful.' Read more »

Will the Persecution of Political Prisoner Sami Al-Arian Finally Come to an End?
By Chris Hedges, Truthdig
The trial and imprisonment of the university professor has been capricious, inept and overtly racist every step of the way. Read more »

Ted Stevens' Charges Dropped: A Tale of Two Justice Systems
By Joshua Holland
For the wealthy and the powerful, exculpatory evidence is important. Read more »

Gen. Petraeus Denies U.S. Torture; Meanwhile Pinochet Judge Launches Criminal Probe of Bush Attorneys
By Liliana Segura, AlterNet
The six targets named include former Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez, who could face "immediate arrest" upon entering Spain. Read more »

OMG Gitmo! Miss Universe Visits Guantanamo Bay, Finds it 'Relaxing' 'Calm and Beautiful'
By Liliana Segura, AlterNet
Dayana Mendoza on the U.S. prison camp: "I didn't want to leave." Read more »