rferl--2020-02-12--More Than 3 Million Russians Can’t Travel Abroad Due To Unpaid Debt

More than 3 million Russians face foreign travel bans as of the end of 2019 due to unpaid financial debt @ @ @ @ @ data from the Federal Service of Court Bailiffs .
Throughout last year , nearly 8 @ @ @ @ @ the temporary travel ban list , with about two-thirds of them extinguishing their debt by @ @ @ @ @ , leaving 3.2 million penalized debtors .
Their combined debt is the equivalent of $ @ @ @ @ @ restrictions are enforced when debt to a financial or judicial institution equals 30,000 rubles ( @ @ @ @ @ .
At the same time , Russians owe $ 2.4 billion in alimony back payments @ @ @ @ @ a historic high for the nation .
Currently , there are 806,000 active court cases @ @ @ @ @ an average debt equaling $ 2,993 .
Courts can also order travel restrictions for unpaid @ @ @ @ @ .

More than 3 million Russians face foreign travel bans as of the end of 2019 due to unpaid financial debt, Interfax reported, citing data from the Federal Service of Court Bailiffs.
Throughout last year, nearly 8 million Russians were placed on the temporary travel ban list, with about two-thirds of them extinguishing their debt by the end of the year, leaving 3.2 million penalized debtors.
Their combined debt is the equivalent of $24 million.
Temporary travel restrictions are enforced when debt to a financial or judicial institution equals 30,000 rubles ($475) or more.
At the same time, Russians owe $2.4 billion in alimony back payments as of January 1 -- a historic high for the nation.
Currently, there are 806,000 active court cases related to unpaid alimony with an average debt equaling $2,993.
Courts can also order travel restrictions for unpaid alimony on a case-by-case basis.


rferl--2020-02-12--Turkey, Russia Trade Accusations Amid Rise In Syria Tensions

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused Russia of committing `` massacres '' in its support of the Syrian government and threatened to strike Syrian regime forces `` everywhere '' if its soldiers come under renewed attack .
Erdogan 's statement came on February 12 as more Turkish reinforcements arrived on the ground .
Russia hit back and accused the Turks of failing to `` neutralize terrorists '' in Syria 's northwestern province of Idlib -- the rebels ' last stronghold in the war-wracked country .
Turkey has reinforced its positions in recent days in Idlib with hundreds of vehicles @ @ @ @ @ @ @ military has lost 14 soldiers in the past nine days and claims to have killed more than 100 Syrian troops loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad as they try to push them back .
Erdogan 's direct criticism of Moscow is a rare move since 2015 when Turkey shot down a Russian fighter jet that had strayed into its airspace .
`` The regime , backed by Russian forces and Iran-backed militants , are continuously attacking civilians , committing massacres and shedding blood , '' Erdogan told a parliamentary meeting of his ruling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` whatever necessary '' to push Syrian forces back .
`` I hereby declare that we will strike regime forces everywhere from now on regardless of the Sochi deal if any tiny bit of harm comes to our soldiers at observation posts or elsewhere , '' Erdogan added .
In return , Russia accused Turkey of failing to honor a 2018 deal , with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov saying Ankara `` had taken upon itself an obligation to neutralize terrorist groups '' in Idlib .
And Russia 's Defense Ministry said the presence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was making the situation there much worse .
Based on reporting by Reuters and AFP

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused Russia of committing "massacres" in its support of the Syrian government and threatened to strike Syrian regime forces "everywhere" if its soldiers come under renewed attack.
Erdogan's statement came on February 12 as more Turkish reinforcements arrived on the ground.
Russia hit back and accused the Turks of failing to "neutralize terrorists" in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib -- the rebels' last stronghold in the war-wracked country.
Turkey has reinforced its positions in recent days in Idlib with hundreds of vehicles carrying artillery and soldiers.
The Turkish military has lost 14 soldiers in the past nine days and claims to have killed more than 100 Syrian troops loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad as they try to push them back.
Erdogan's direct criticism of Moscow is a rare move since 2015 when Turkey shot down a Russian fighter jet that had strayed into its airspace.
"The regime, backed by Russian forces and Iran-backed militants, are continuously attacking civilians, committing massacres and shedding blood," Erdogan told a parliamentary meeting of his ruling party.
He said Turkey would do "whatever necessary" to push Syrian forces back.
"I hereby declare that we will strike regime forces everywhere from now on regardless of the Sochi deal if any tiny bit of harm comes to our soldiers at observation posts or elsewhere," Erdogan added.
In return, Russia accused Turkey of failing to honor a 2018 deal, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov saying Ankara "had taken upon itself an obligation to neutralize terrorist groups" in Idlib.
And Russia's Defense Ministry said the presence of Turkish troops and armor in Idlib was making the situation there much worse.
Based on reporting by Reuters and AFP


rferl--2020-02-12--Regional Prosecutor, Security Chief In Kazakh South Replaced After Deadly Ethnic Clashes

A regional prosecutor and a security chief in southern Kazakhstan have been removed from their posts days after deadly ethnic clashes in the region .
The Prosecutor-General ’ s Office said on February 12 that the prosecutor of the Zhambyl region , Zharqyn Qusainov , was relieved from his duties and replaced by Nurghalym Abdirov .
Also on February 12 , Kazakhstan 's Committee for National Security announced that chief of the committee 's regional department , Shapai Samaqov , was replaced by Marat Imrenov .
The announcements came two days after Kazakh President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev sacked the governor of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Deputy Prime Minister Berdibek Saparbaev in his place .
On February 7-8 , 10 people were killed in the violence that erupted between local Kazakhs and ethnic Dungans , a Muslim group of Chinese origin , in the villages of Masanchi , Sortobe , Auqatty , and Bulan-Batyr .
Dozens were also wounded , including 19 police officers , while more than 30 houses , 17 commercial buildings , and 47 vehicles were destroyed or damaged in the clashes .
The police chief of the Zhambyl region , the deputy governor for social @ @ @ @ @ @ @ region 's Qordai district were also sacked earlier this week .
Kazakh officials said the violence was sparked by a conflict on a highway during which the occupants of two vehicles started a brawl following a road-rage incident .
The deadly clashes followed the posting on the Internet of video footage taken from the brawl .
Thousands of people fled villages where the violence erupted , ending up in the neighboring Kyrgyz Chui region , where the majority of ethnic Dungans in Central Asia traditionally reside .
Saparbaev said on February 11 that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ area to Kyrgyzstan had returned to Kazakhstan following a call from the Kazakh government .
WATCH : Who Are The Dungans Of Central Asia ?
It is not clear how many Dungans from Kazakhstan remain in Kyrgyzstan .
The Prosecutor-General 's Office said on February 12 that it had identified three individuals suspected in inciting the ethnic clashes on social networks .
It is not clear if the suspects , whose identities were not disclosed , have been detained .
The office also said that more than 25 preliminary investigations into murders , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and hooliganism were launched .
The Zhambyl region 's authorities said on February 12 that the state of emergency has not been lifted in the area where the clashes took place .
The Kazakh government has been positioning the country as an example of inter-ethnic civility for years , though local ethnic conflicts have been reported in the country since it gained independence following the Soviet Union 's collapse in 1991 .
However , it is the first ethnic clash of such scale in Kazakhstan that involves ethnic Dungans .
Dungans , also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who speak a dialect of Mandarin with many words and phrases borrowed from Arabic , Persian , and Turkic .
Their ancestors came to Central Asia , which then was part of the Russian empire , in the late-19th century after the Chinese government ’ s violent crackdown of the Dungan Revolt of 1862-1877 .
The number of Dungans living in the former Soviet Union is about 120,000 , most of whom reside in Kyrgyzstan 's northern region of Chui and the neighboring Kazakh region of Zhambyl .
With reporting by Tengrinews , @ @ @ @ @ @ @

A regional prosecutor and a security chief in southern Kazakhstan have been removed from their posts days after deadly ethnic clashes in the region.
The Prosecutor-General’s Office said on February 12 that the prosecutor of the Zhambyl region, Zharqyn Qusainov, was relieved from his duties and replaced by Nurghalym Abdirov.
Also on February 12, Kazakhstan's Committee for National Security announced that chief of the committee's regional department, Shapai Samaqov, was replaced by Marat Imrenov.
The announcements came two days after Kazakh President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev sacked the governor of the Zhambyl region Asqar Myrzakhmetov and appointed Deputy Prime Minister Berdibek Saparbaev in his place.
On February 7-8, 10 people were killed in the violence that erupted between local Kazakhs and ethnic Dungans, a Muslim group of Chinese origin, in the villages of Masanchi, Sortobe, Auqatty, and Bulan-Batyr.
Dozens were also wounded, including 19 police officers, while more than 30 houses, 17 commercial buildings, and 47 vehicles were destroyed or damaged in the clashes.
The police chief of the Zhambyl region, the deputy governor for social issues, and the governor of the region's Qordai district were also sacked earlier this week.
Kazakh officials said the violence was sparked by a conflict on a highway during which the occupants of two vehicles started a brawl following a road-rage incident. The deadly clashes followed the posting on the Internet of video footage taken from the brawl.
Thousands of people fled villages where the violence erupted, ending up in the neighboring Kyrgyz Chui region, where the majority of ethnic Dungans in Central Asia traditionally reside.
Saparbaev said on February 11 that some 8,000 Kazakh citizens who fled the area to Kyrgyzstan had returned to Kazakhstan following a call from the Kazakh government.
WATCH: Who Are The Dungans Of Central Asia?
It is not clear how many Dungans from Kazakhstan remain in Kyrgyzstan.
The Prosecutor-General's Office said on February 12 that it had identified three individuals suspected in inciting the ethnic clashes on social networks. It is not clear if the suspects, whose identities were not disclosed, have been detained.
The office also said that more than 25 preliminary investigations into murders, assaulting police, organizing mass disorders, and hooliganism were launched.
The Zhambyl region's authorities said on February 12 that the state of emergency has not been lifted in the area where the clashes took place.
The Kazakh government has been positioning the country as an example of inter-ethnic civility for years, though local ethnic conflicts have been reported in the country since it gained independence following the Soviet Union's collapse in 1991.
However, it is the first ethnic clash of such scale in Kazakhstan that involves ethnic Dungans.
Dungans, also known as Hui, are Sunni Muslims who speak a dialect of Mandarin with many words and phrases borrowed from Arabic, Persian, and Turkic. Their ancestors came to Central Asia, which then was part of the Russian empire, in the late-19th century after the Chinese government’s violent crackdown of the Dungan Revolt of 1862-1877.
The number of Dungans living in the former Soviet Union is about 120,000, most of whom reside in Kyrgyzstan's northern region of Chui and the neighboring Kazakh region of Zhambyl.
With reporting by Tengrinews, KazTAG, and RFE/RL's Kazakh Service


rferl--2020-02-12--Former Top Russian Penitentiary Official Kills Himself In Courtroom

The former chief of a directorate of Russia 's Federal Penitentiary Service ( FSIN ) has killed himself in a @ @ @ @ @ to three years in prison for extortion .
Viktor Sviridov , who was found guilty @ @ @ @ @ charge of extorting 10 million rubles ( $ 157,000 ) from the FSIN 's former @ @ @ @ @ , shot himself at the Chertanovo district court right after the judge pronounced his sentence @ @ @ @ @ how Sviridov managed to bring a pistol into the courtroom .
Sviridov 's lawyer , @ @ @ @ @ client had hoped to avoid prison because he was suffering from cancer that had advanced @ @ @ @ @ The Investigative Committee said it has launched a probe into the court ’ s system @ @ @ @ @ them into the courtroom .
Based on reporting by Baza , RBC , Kommersant , @ @ @ @ @

The former chief of a directorate of Russia's Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN) has killed himself in a Moscow courtroom after being sentenced to three years in prison for extortion.
Viktor Sviridov, who was found guilty on February 12 of a charge of extorting 10 million rubles ($157,000) from the FSIN's former deputy chief, Aleksandr Sapozhnikov, shot himself at the Chertanovo district court right after the judge pronounced his sentence.
It was not clear how Sviridov managed to bring a pistol into the courtroom.
Sviridov's lawyer, Grigory Ivanishchev, said his client had hoped to avoid prison because he was suffering from cancer that had advanced to an incurable stage.
The Investigative Committee said it has launched a probe into the court’s system of checking defendants before admitting them into the courtroom.
Based on reporting by Baza, RBC, Kommersant, Interfax, and RIA Novosti


rferl--2020-02-12--Facebook Removes Accounts In Russia, Iran With Alleged Intelligence Links

Social-media giant Facebook on February 12 removed two unconnected networks of accounts , pages , and groups “ engaging in foreign or government interference , ” one originating in Russia and the other one in Iran , both of which have alleged ties to intelligence services .
Calling the behavior “ coordinated ” and “ inauthentic , ” Facebook ’ s head of security policy , Nathaniel Gleicher , said both operations were acting on “ behalf of a government or foreign actor.
” The Russian network primarily targeted Ukraine and its neighboring countries , while the Iranian operation focused @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people behind the groups and accounts “ coordinated with one another and used fake accounts to misrepresent themselves , and that was the basis for our action , ” the social-media company said .
In total , 78 accounts , 11 pages , 29 groups , and four Instagram accounts originating in Russia were removed .
Facebook ’ s investigation “ found links to Russian and military intelligence services ” within the Russian network .
The people behind the network would pose as citizen journalists and tried to contact policymakers , journalists , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
They would post content in Russian , English , and Ukrainian “ about local and political news including public figures in Ukraine , Russian military engagement in Syria , alleged SBU ( Ukrainian Security Service ) leaks related to ethnic tensions in Crimea and the downing of the Malaysian airliner in Ukraine in 2014.
” Similarly , six Facebook and five Instagram accounts were removed originating in Iran that engaged in “ coordinated inauthentic behavior.
” Some tried contacting public figures and they shared posts on such topics as the U.S. elections @ @ @ @ @ @ @ immigration policy , and criticism of U.S. policies in the Middle East .
About 60 people had followed one or more of the Iran-based Instagram accounts , the media company said .

A former top FBI counterintelligence agent pleaded guilty to charges related to his work for notorious Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, changing his plea after federal prosecutors filed new, reduced charges of conspiring to violate U.S. sanctions on Russia by working for the billionaire industrialist.
The move by Charles McGonigal, made on August 15 before a federal judge in New York City, ends a prosecution that had stunned the FBI, where McGonigal had investigated Russian influence operations for years while climbing the bureau’s ranks.
The 55-year-old also still faces a separate set of foreign agent charges in Washington, D.C., related to work he did for Albanian officials.
McGonigal, who retired as head counterintelligence in the FBI's New York bureau in 2018, was originally indicted in January by a grand jury on more serious charges of money laundering and violating U.S. sanctions.
Prosecutors alleged that McGonigal and a former Russian diplomat with whom he was associated, were paid more than $200,000 to do work for Deripaska, a wealthy Russian metals tycoon who has long been seen as a Kremlin insider. Deripaska was hit with sanctions by the U.S. Treasury Department in 2018.
U.S. authorities said McGonigal was hired to dig up negative information on Vladimir Potanin, a rival oligarch to Deripaska. McGonigal and the former diplomat, Sergei Shestakov, also worked to try and get Deripaska removed from U.S. sanctions lists.
Shestakov has pleaded not guilty to the more serious charges than had been originally filed against McGonigal.
They "attempted to conceal Deripaska's involvement by, among other means, not directly naming Deripaska in electronic communications, using shell companies as counterparties in the contract that outlined the services to be performed, using a forged signature on that contract, and using the same shell companies to send and receive payment from Deripaska," the Justice Department said in a press release after McGonigal entered his plea.
McGonigal could receive up to five years in prison when he is sentenced in December.
The separate case filed in Washington, D.C., by federal prosecutors centers on work McGonigal allegedly did on behalf of a former Albanian intelligence officer, for which he was paid $225,000.
McGonigal also allegedly lied to the FBI about his contacts with foreign nationals and foreign travel while he was still employed by the bureau.
Deripaska also faces charges of violating U.S. sanctions through real estate deals and a complicated scheme under which he allegedly arranged for his girlfriend to travel to the United States to give birth to two of their children.


rferl--2020-02-12--Tashkent's Ilhom Theater Receives Late Reprieve After President's Daughter Weighs In

TASHKENT -- Tashkent 's Ilhom Theater , one of the first independent theaters in the former Soviet Union , has won a reprieve in the battle over its premises after a last-minute interdiction by Saida Mirziyoeva , the Uzbek president ’ s oldest daughter .
`` I myself am a fan of the theater and want to assure everyone that we wo n't forsake it !
[ Ilhom ] is the pride of our cultural life ! ''
Mirziyoeva wrote in a message on Twitter on February 11 .
The theater said last week that it had received a notice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the premises in downtown Tashkent where the theater has performed for more than four decades , saying it must leave the building by April due to repair work .
`` Losing the space provided by the government to the founder of the theater , Mark Weil , in 1976 is , in essence -- a death sentence for Ilhom , '' the theater company said on its website .
The announcement sparked an online battle for the theater ( # saveilkhom ) with several luminaries in Uzbekistan , Russia , and elsewhere @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tim Torlot , urging Uzbek authorities to preserve it .
But once the president 's daughter weighed in , it took only a few hours for Uzbek Culture Minister Ozodbek Nazarbekov to meet with the artistic director of the theater , Boris Ghafurov , and a founder of Ofelos Plaza , Olga Shavrina , where a deal was worked out to preserve the theater 's historic premises .
The Ilhom ( Inspiration ) theater was established in 1976 as the Experimental Studio of Theatrical Youth and was one of the first Soviet independent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Ilhom .
After its founding director Mark Weil was stabbed to death in 2007 , the theater was renamed as Mark Weil 's Ilhom Theater .

TASHKENT -- Tashkent's Ilhom Theater, one of the first independent theaters in the former Soviet Union, has won a reprieve in the battle over its premises after a last-minute interdiction by Saida Mirziyoeva, the Uzbek president’s oldest daughter.
"I myself am a fan of the theater and want to assure everyone that we won't forsake it! [Ilhom] is the pride of our cultural life!" Mirziyoeva wrote in a message on Twitter on February 11.
The theater said last week that it had received a notice from Ofelos Plaza company, the owner of the premises in downtown Tashkent where the theater has performed for more than four decades, saying it must leave the building by April due to repair work.
"Losing the space provided by the government to the founder of the theater, Mark Weil, in 1976 is, in essence -- a death sentence for Ilhom," the theater company said on its website.
The announcement sparked an online battle for the theater (#saveilkhom) with several luminaries in Uzbekistan, Russia, and elsewhere, including the British Ambassador to Uzbekistan Tim Torlot, urging Uzbek authorities to preserve it.
But once the president's daughter weighed in, it took only a few hours for Uzbek Culture Minister Ozodbek Nazarbekov to meet with the artistic director of the theater, Boris Ghafurov, and a founder of Ofelos Plaza, Olga Shavrina, where a deal was worked out to preserve the theater's historic premises.
The Ilhom (Inspiration) theater was established in 1976 as the Experimental Studio of Theatrical Youth and was one of the first Soviet independent theaters. Its name was later changed to Ilhom.
After its founding director Mark Weil was stabbed to death in 2007, the theater was renamed as Mark Weil's Ilhom Theater.


rferl--2020-02-12--Azerbaijan's Ruling Party Claims It Won At Least 72 Seats In Parliamentary Elections

Azerbaijan 's ruling Yeni Azerbaijan ( New Azerbaijan ) party says it has won at least 72 seats in parliament @ @ @ @ @ .
The party 's executive secretary , Ali Ahmedov , wrote in a post on @ @ @ @ @ the seat count remains preliminary as the Central Election Commission continues to count the votes @ @ @ @ @ day earlier that the ruling party won 70 out of 125 seats in the single-chamber @ @ @ @ @ of the remaining mandates went to small parties and independents loyal to President Ilham Aliyev @ @ @ @ @ widespread procedural violations in the vote count , raising doubts about the fairness of the @ @ @ @ @ vote nine months early to consolidate his authority .
The opposition have alleged widespread violations @ @ @ @ @ , in the elections .
On February 11 , police in Baku detained more than @ @ @ @ @ who protested the results of the votes in front of the Central Election Commission building @

Azerbaijan's ruling Yeni Azerbaijan (New Azerbaijan) party says it has won at least 72 seats in parliament in the February 9 elections.
The party's executive secretary, Ali Ahmedov, wrote in a post on Facebook on February 12 that the seat count remains preliminary as the Central Election Commission continues to count the votes.
The commission said a day earlier that the ruling party won 70 out of 125 seats in the single-chamber legislature, while nearly all of the remaining mandates went to small parties and independents loyal to President Ilham Aliyev.
International monitors have identified widespread procedural violations in the vote count, raising doubts about the fairness of the elections. Aliyev called the vote nine months early to consolidate his authority.
The opposition have alleged widespread violations, including ballot box stuffing, in the elections.
On February 11, police in Baku detained more than 20 opposition and independent candidates who protested the results of the votes in front of the Central Election Commission building.


rferl--2020-02-12--EU Envoys Agree One-Year Extension Of Belarus Sanctions

BRUSSELS -- Meeting in Brussels on February 12 , European Union ambassadors approved a one-year extension of the bloc 's @ @ @ @ @ as well as asset freezes and visa bans on four Belarusian citizens .
The embargo @ @ @ @ @ annually since its introduction in 2011 , does not provide for any exemptions .
During @ @ @ @ @ and 2018 , Hungary managed to exempt both biathlon rifles and other arms used in @ @ @ @ @ introduced the embargo , along with the visa bans and asset freezes on four Belarusian @ @ @ @ @ including President Alyaksandr Lukashenka , after a violent crackdown on demonstrators that followed the December @ @ @ @ @ February 2016 , the bloc removed the companies and 170 individuals , including Lukashenka , @ @ @ @ @ what it said were improvements in the human rights situation in the ex-Soviet republic .
@ @ @ @ @ are on the visa-ban and asset-freeze list are considered to have played key roles in @ @ @ @ @ Belarusians in 1999-2000 .

BRUSSELS -- Meeting in Brussels on February 12, European Union ambassadors approved a one-year extension of the bloc's arms embargo on Belarus, as well as asset freezes and visa bans on four Belarusian citizens.
The embargo, which has been extended annually since its introduction in 2011, does not provide for any exemptions.
During the roll-over process in 2017 and 2018, Hungary managed to exempt both biathlon rifles and other arms used in sports.
The EU first introduced the embargo, along with the visa bans and asset freezes on four Belarusian companies and 174 individuals, including President Alyaksandr Lukashenka, after a violent crackdown on demonstrators that followed the December 2010 presidential election.
In February 2016, the bloc removed the companies and 170 individuals, including Lukashenka, from the sanctions, citing what it said were improvements in the human rights situation in the ex-Soviet republic.
The four people who still are on the visa-ban and asset-freeze list are considered to have played key roles in the unresolved disappearances of four Belarusians in 1999-2000.


rferl--2020-02-12--Poll Finds Russians' Trust In Putin Falls Sharply Since 2017

Russians ’ trust in President Vladimir Putin has fallen over the past two years , according to a new poll , dropping to its lowest level since 2013 , the year after he returned to the presidency .
The survey released February 12 by the independent Levada Center echoes other opinion polls showing decreasing approval of Putin , who has effectively been the country ’ s preeminent political leader since 2000 .
Some 35 percent of respondents said they trusted Putin most among several of the country ’ s top political figures , according to the poll , down from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two other political figures garnering the highest trust ratings were Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov , both of whose ratings inched slightly higher .
“ The drop of 24 percentage points [ since November 2017 ) is really significant , ” Lev Gudkov , the director of the Levada Center , told RFE/RL .
“ It reflects an overall trend , showing a loss of trust.
” The slip in approval ratings comes at a problematic time for the Kremlin , amid discussions about what role Putin expects to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ second , six-year term as president , in 2024 .
Last month , Putin unveiled proposals for substantial changes to Russia ’ s political structure , with some presidential powers shifting to parliament , and an enhanced role for a quasi-advisory body called the State Council .
The proposals are part of a series of constitutional amendments that parliament is set to debate and vote on in the coming weeks .
Notably , the Levada poll was conducted from January 23-29 , after Putin unveiled the proposed political changes , in his annual @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The survey of 1,603 Russian voters was conducted via in-person interviews nationwide and has a margin of error of 2.9 percentage points .
As in past surveys , respondents were asked to name five or six political figures and rate their trustworthiness .
Putin returned to the presidency in 2012 after a four-year hiatus where he served as prime minister and his longtime protégé , Dmitry Medvedev , was president .
Putin ’ s return was met with massive street protests , particularly in Moscow , which helped send his trust rating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the lowest level to date .
Putin ’ s slip in trust ratings contrasts sharply with his approval ratings , which jumped markedly after 2014 , with the annexation of Ukraine ’ s Crimea Peninsula and outbreak of fighting in eastern Ukraine .
He remains Russia ’ s most popular political figure , with Levada ’ s most recent poll on the subject showing 68 percent of Russians approved of his performance , though that figure has also dropped .
Levada ’ s findings match up with those of the state-funded pollster known @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Putin ’ s trust rating falling to the lowest level of his 20 years in power .
The findings prompted criticism by the Kremlin , resulting in VTsIOM changing the wording of its poll .
That in turn drew criticism from sociologists and other experts , who accused VTsIOM of succumbing to political pressure .
Levada is independent and has been forced to register as a foreign agent under a controversial law aimed at restricting foreign funding for nongovernmental organizations , media organizations , and others .
One of Putin ’ s first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his second , six-year term in 2018 was changing the country ’ s Soviet-legacy pension system , which officials had warned for years was causing fiscal problems .
But the reforms were met with street protests , particularly among older voters .
That has helped push down his trust ratings .
The government also pushed through an increase in the national value-added tax .
That , along with stagnating wages and mounting concerns about the health of the economy , has also undermined trust in Putin .
“ The economic situation is murky @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the pension reforms , incomes are dropping , there ’ s the sense of absence for optimism , hope for an improvement in the future , ” Gudkov said .
`` From the other side , there ’ s the decrease in trust over social-welfare issues : problems with prescription medicines , corruption , environmental problems , fears about political repression , '' he said , adding that `` taken altogether , it contributes to the lost in trust in Putin , and explains the drop . ''

Russians’ trust in President Vladimir Putin has fallen over the past two years, according to a new poll, dropping to its lowest level since 2013, the year after he returned to the presidency.
The survey released February 12 by the independent Levada Center echoes other opinion polls showing decreasing approval of Putin, who has effectively been the country’s preeminent political leader since 2000.
Some 35 percent of respondents said they trusted Putin most among several of the country’s top political figures, according to the poll, down from 59 percent in November 2017.
The two other political figures garnering the highest trust ratings were Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, both of whose ratings inched slightly higher.
“The drop of 24 percentage points [since November 2017) is really significant,” Lev Gudkov, the director of the Levada Center, told RFE/RL. “It reflects an overall trend, showing a loss of trust.”
The slip in approval ratings comes at a problematic time for the Kremlin, amid discussions about what role Putin expects to move into following the conclusion of his second, six-year term as president, in 2024.
Last month, Putin unveiled proposals for substantial changes to Russia’s political structure, with some presidential powers shifting to parliament, and an enhanced role for a quasi-advisory body called the State Council. The proposals are part of a series of constitutional amendments that parliament is set to debate and vote on in the coming weeks.
Notably, the Levada poll was conducted from January 23-29, after Putin unveiled the proposed political changes, in his annual state-of-the-nation address, held on January 15.
The survey of 1,603 Russian voters was conducted via in-person interviews nationwide and has a margin of error of 2.9 percentage points. As in past surveys, respondents were asked to name five or six political figures and rate their trustworthiness.
Street Protests
Putin returned to the presidency in 2012 after a four-year hiatus where he served as prime minister and his longtime protégé, Dmitry Medvedev, was president.
Putin’s return was met with massive street protests, particularly in Moscow, which helped send his trust rating in August 2013 to 30 percent -- the lowest level to date.
Putin’s slip in trust ratings contrasts sharply with his approval ratings, which jumped markedly after 2014, with the annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea Peninsula and outbreak of fighting in eastern Ukraine.
He remains Russia’s most popular political figure, with Levada’s most recent poll on the subject showing 68 percent of Russians approved of his performance, though that figure has also dropped.
Levada’s findings match up with those of the state-funded pollster known as VTsIOM, which last year reported Putin’s trust rating falling to the lowest level of his 20 years in power.
The findings prompted criticism by the Kremlin, resulting in VTsIOM changing the wording of its poll. That in turn drew criticism from sociologists and other experts, who accused VTsIOM of succumbing to political pressure.
Levada is independent and has been forced to register as a foreign agent under a controversial law aimed at restricting foreign funding for nongovernmental organizations, media organizations, and others.
One of Putin’s first major policy pushes after being reelected to his second, six-year term in 2018 was changing the country’s Soviet-legacy pension system, which officials had warned for years was causing fiscal problems.
But the reforms were met with street protests, particularly among older voters. That has helped push down his trust ratings.
The government also pushed through an increase in the national value-added tax. That, along with stagnating wages and mounting concerns about the health of the economy, has also undermined trust in Putin.
“The economic situation is murky. People feel the situation is worsening, the pension reforms, incomes are dropping, there’s the sense of absence for optimism, hope for an improvement in the future,” Gudkov said.
"From the other side, there’s the decrease in trust over social-welfare issues: problems with prescription medicines, corruption, environmental problems, fears about political repression," he said, adding that "taken altogether, it contributes to the lost in trust in Putin, and explains the drop."


rferl--2020-02-12--Pakistan Militant Accused Of Mumbai Attacks Jailed For Terror-Financing

ISLAMABAD -- A Pakistani court has jailed the alleged mastermind of deadly 2008 attacks in the Indian city of Mumbai to a total of 11 years in two terrorism-financing cases .
The anti-terrorism court in the eastern city of Lahore also fined Hafiz Saeed 30,000 rupees ( $ 194 ) on February 12 .
Co-defendant Malik Zafar Iqbal , one of Saeed ’ s close aides , was given a similar punishment .
Saeed was arrested in July last year and charged with collecting funds for a banned organization .
He pleaded not guilty .
Saeed is the founder of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ group blamed by the United States and India for the Mumbai siege in which 160 people , including Americans , were killed .
The cleric has denied involvement .
His jailing comes as Pakistan faces potential blacklisting by a world financial watchdog -- the Financial Action Task Force ( FATF ) -- for failing to curb terror financing .
Pakistani officials say they are working to meet the Paris-based FATF 's demands ahead of the organization 's plenary meeting on February 16 .
Washington has long pressured Pakistan to try Saeed , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ United States and the United Nations .
The United States has offered a reward of $ 10 million for information leading to the conviction of Saeed , who has been repeatedly detained and released over the past 10 years .

ISLAMABAD -- A Pakistani court has jailed the alleged mastermind of deadly 2008 attacks in the Indian city of Mumbai to a total of 11 years in two terrorism-financing cases.
The anti-terrorism court in the eastern city of Lahore also fined Hafiz Saeed 30,000 rupees ($194) on February 12.
Co-defendant Malik Zafar Iqbal, one of Saeed’s close aides, was given a similar punishment.
Saeed was arrested in July last year and charged with collecting funds for a banned organization. He pleaded not guilty.
Saeed is the founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), a militant group blamed by the United States and India for the Mumbai siege in which 160 people, including Americans, were killed. The cleric has denied involvement.
His jailing comes as Pakistan faces potential blacklisting by a world financial watchdog -- the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) -- for failing to curb terror financing.
Pakistani officials say they are working to meet the Paris-based FATF's demands ahead of the organization's plenary meeting on February 16.
Washington has long pressured Pakistan to try Saeed, who has been designated a terrorist by the United States and the United Nations.
The United States has offered a reward of $10 million for information leading to the conviction of Saeed, who has been repeatedly detained and released over the past 10 years.


rferl--2020-02-12--Russian Court Accepts Case To Try Scientologists In St. Petersburg

A court in the Russian city of St. Petersburg has accepted a case to try a group of people who follow the Church of Scientology on charges of illegal entrepreneurship , extremism , money laundering , and incitement of hatred .
The Neva district court said on February 12 that it had received the case involving five scientologists : Ivan Matsitsky , Sakhib Aliyev , Galina Shurinova , Anastasia Terentyeva , and Konstantsia Yesaulkova .
The case against the five was launched in July 2017 after the Federal Security Service ( FSB ) raided the Church of Scientology 's branch @ @ @ @ @ @ @ then that it had obtained evidence `` proving '' that the scientologists illegally received more than 276 million rubles ( more than $ 4.3 million ) in 2013-2016 for their services .
In 2016 , Russia 's Supreme Court ordered the closure of the Moscow branch of the Church of Scientology .
The Justice Ministry has ruled that a number of the church 's publications are extremist and calls the organization a sect .
The Church of Scientology was founded in the United States in 1954 by science-fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ officially in Russia in 1994 .
Prominent scientologists include Hollywood film stars Tom Cruise and John Travolta .
Based on reporting by Rapsinews and RIA Novosti

A court in the Russian city of St. Petersburg has accepted a case to try a group of people who follow the Church of Scientology on charges of illegal entrepreneurship, extremism, money laundering, and incitement of hatred.
The Neva district court said on February 12 that it had received the case involving five scientologists: Ivan Matsitsky, Sakhib Aliyev, Galina Shurinova, Anastasia Terentyeva, and Konstantsia Yesaulkova.
The case against the five was launched in July 2017 after the Federal Security Service (FSB) raided the Church of Scientology's branch in St. Petersburg.
The FSB said then that it had obtained evidence "proving" that the scientologists illegally received more than 276 million rubles (more than $4.3 million) in 2013-2016 for their services.
In 2016, Russia's Supreme Court ordered the closure of the Moscow branch of the Church of Scientology.
The Justice Ministry has ruled that a number of the church's publications are extremist and calls the organization a sect.
The Church of Scientology was founded in the United States in 1954 by science-fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard.
The Church of Scientology was first registered officially in Russia in 1994.
Prominent scientologists include Hollywood film stars Tom Cruise and John Travolta.
Based on reporting by Rapsinews and RIA Novosti


rferl--2020-02-12--Ukrainian President's New Chief Of Staff Says Room For Compromise With Russia

KYIV -- The new head of Ukraine 's presidential administration has signaled there is room for compromise in talks on ending the war with Russia-backed separatists in the eastern part of the country , a day after Moscow replaced a hard-line point man on the issue with a Ukrainian-born official in the Kremlin .
Andriy Yermak told reporters in Kyiv on February 12 , a day after his appointment , that President Volodymyr Zelenskiy 's team will continue to work on stopping the war in eastern Ukraine , where some areas in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions , known as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ separatists ' control since April 2014 .
`` There can certainly be compromises during the negotiations , '' Yermak said .
`` But we have talked about this many times , and I also want to add that I am ready and will continue to do this : speak with all patriotic , competent , reasonable forces in this country . ''
However , a second face-to-face meeting between Zelenskiy and Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the seven-year-old war might be pushed back given the respective government personnel changes in Moscow and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who asked not to be named , told reporters on February 12 .
Putin recently appointed close ally Dmitry Kozak as his point man on Ukraine , sidelining hard-liner Vladislav Surkov .
`` These changes are going to stretch out the calendar a bit , '' the French presidential official said .
Putin and Zelenskiy last met on December 9 in Paris with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel in attendance as mediators .
The much-anticipated meeting failed to bring an end to the conflict .
After the meeting , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had agreed to meet again in four months .
Yermak 's appointment raised some eyebrows in Ukraine from those who fear he may soften Kyiv 's position toward Russia , especially amid the current thaw in relations that included major prisoner swaps late last year that Yermak was involved with in his role as an aide to Zelenskiy .
Looking to allay those concerns , the 48-year-old former film producer and lawyer stressed at the news conference that Crimea , which was forcefully seized and annexed by Russia in March 2014 , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and that elections in the areas controlled by the separatists scheduled for October `` must be held under Ukrainian legislation . ''
He also did n't rule out the possibility that Zelenskiy might meet with his Russian counterpart , Vladimir Putin , but added that a decision on that would be made by the president himself .
`` If [ Zelenskiy ] considers such a meeting [ with Putin ] necessary , that it may be a step to achieve real results in the Normandy peace-format summit , then we do not rule @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' Yermak said .
Even before his appointment on February 11 , Yermak 's name was sprinkled throughout the media after he was linked to U.S. President Donald Trump 's personal lawyer , Rudolph Giuliani .
Evidence and testimony gathered during Trump 's recent impeachment hearing shows Giuliani met with Yermak to `` strongly '' urge an investigation Trump wanted of Democratic rival Joe Biden and his son 's ties to Ukrainian energy firm Burisma .
The Democratic-led House of Representatives impeached Trump in December for allegedly withholding security assistance for Ukraine to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ such hearing against a president in the country 's history .
Yermak took only five questions at the news conference , and none of them were related to the impeachment case or Giuliani .
He did comment , however , on the appointment of Dmitry Kozak , the deputy head of the Russian presidential administration , to handle relations with Kyiv , sidelining hard-liner Vladislav Surkov .
`` I have not spoken to Mr. Kozak since his appointment and my appointment , '' Yermak said .
`` But regardless of who represents the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or in the Normandy format , the principles declared by President Zelenskiy are unchanged , '' he added .

KYIV -- The new head of Ukraine's presidential administration has signaled there is room for compromise in talks on ending the war with Russia-backed separatists in the eastern part of the country, a day after Moscow replaced a hard-line point man on the issue with a Ukrainian-born official in the Kremlin.
Andriy Yermak told reporters in Kyiv on February 12, a day after his appointment, that President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's team will continue to work on stopping the war in eastern Ukraine, where some areas in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, known as the Donbas, have been under the separatists' control since April 2014.
"There can certainly be compromises during the negotiations," Yermak said. "But we have talked about this many times, and I also want to add that I am ready and will continue to do this: speak with all patriotic, competent, reasonable forces in this country."
However, a second face-to-face meeting between Zelenskiy and Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the seven-year-old war might be pushed back given the respective government personnel changes in Moscow and Kyiv, a French presidential official, who asked not to be named, told reporters on February 12.
Putin recently appointed close ally Dmitry Kozak as his point man on Ukraine, sidelining hard-liner Vladislav Surkov.
"These changes are going to stretch out the calendar a bit," the French presidential official said.
Putin and Zelenskiy last met on December 9 in Paris with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel in attendance as mediators.
The much-anticipated meeting failed to bring an end to the conflict.
After the meeting, though, Zelenskiy and Putin announced they had agreed to meet again in four months.
Yermak's appointment raised some eyebrows in Ukraine from those who fear he may soften Kyiv's position toward Russia, especially amid the current thaw in relations that included major prisoner swaps late last year that Yermak was involved with in his role as an aide to Zelenskiy.
Looking to allay those concerns, the 48-year-old former film producer and lawyer stressed at the news conference that Crimea, which was forcefully seized and annexed by Russia in March 2014, and the Donbas were "Ukrainian territories" and that elections in the areas controlled by the separatists scheduled for October "must be held under Ukrainian legislation."
He also didn't rule out the possibility that Zelenskiy might meet with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, but added that a decision on that would be made by the president himself.
"If [Zelenskiy] considers such a meeting [with Putin] necessary, that it may be a step to achieve real results in the Normandy peace-format summit, then we do not rule out a [Zelenskiy-Putin] meeting," Yermak said.
Even before his appointment on February 11, Yermak's name was sprinkled throughout the media after he was linked to U.S. President Donald Trump's personal lawyer, Rudolph Giuliani.
Evidence and testimony gathered during Trump's recent impeachment hearing shows Giuliani met with Yermak to "strongly" urge an investigation Trump wanted of Democratic rival Joe Biden and his son's ties to Ukrainian energy firm Burisma.
The Democratic-led House of Representatives impeached Trump in December for allegedly withholding security assistance for Ukraine to force an investigation, only the third such hearing against a president in the country's history.
Yermak took only five questions at the news conference, and none of them were related to the impeachment case or Giuliani.
He did comment, however, on the appointment of Dmitry Kozak, the deputy head of the Russian presidential administration, to handle relations with Kyiv, sidelining hard-liner Vladislav Surkov.
"I have not spoken to Mr. Kozak since his appointment and my appointment," Yermak said.
"But regardless of who represents the Russian Federation in the negotiations in Minsk or in the Normandy format, the principles declared by President Zelenskiy are unchanged," he added.


rferl--2020-02-12--Uzbekistan Sending Medical Supplies To Virus-Hit China

Uzbekistan is sending protective cloths , disposable gloves , masks , and other supplies to China to support Beijing 's efforts to control the spread of the new coronavirus .
President Shavkat Mirziyoev signed the relevant decree on February 11 , the government said , as a fully loaded military cargo plane departed the Uzbek capital , Tashkent .
The February 12 cabinet statement said the government was preparing a second shipment .
Chinese authorities reported shortages of protective medical equipment after the COVID-19 virus emerged in the country late last year .
The disease has killed more than 1,100 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ number of infections now stands at more than 44,000 .
The epidemic has spread to more than 20 countries around the world , but there have been no confirmed cases in Uzbekistan or the other four Central Asian republics -- Kazakhstan , Kyrgyzstan , Tajikistan , and Turkmenistan .
Uzbekistan has stopped all regular flights to China , its major trade partner , as a protective measure .
The country ’ s Health Ministry said 771 Uzbek citizens who had recently returned from China remained in quarantine .
The incubation period for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Chinese mail service said it was disinfecting postal offices , processing centers , and vehicles in a bid to protect staff and prevent the virus from spreading via the mail .
The crisis was impacting mail that transits China to other destinations including the five Central Asian republics , according to China Post .
With reporting by Reuters and AP

Uzbekistan is sending protective cloths, disposable gloves, masks, and other supplies to China to support Beijing's efforts to control the spread of the new coronavirus.
President Shavkat Mirziyoev signed the relevant decree on February 11, the government said, as a fully loaded military cargo plane departed the Uzbek capital, Tashkent.
The February 12 cabinet statement said the government was preparing a second shipment.
Chinese authorities reported shortages of protective medical equipment after the COVID-19 virus emerged in the country late last year.
The disease has killed more than 1,100 people in China, where the overall number of infections now stands at more than 44,000.
The epidemic has spread to more than 20 countries around the world, but there have been no confirmed cases in Uzbekistan or the other four Central Asian republics -- Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan.
Uzbekistan has stopped all regular flights to China, its major trade partner, as a protective measure.
The country’s Health Ministry said 771 Uzbek citizens who had recently returned from China remained in quarantine.
The incubation period for the virus is up to 14 days.
The Chinese mail service said it was disinfecting postal offices, processing centers, and vehicles in a bid to protect staff and prevent the virus from spreading via the mail.
The crisis was impacting mail that transits China to other destinations including the five Central Asian republics, according to China Post.
With reporting by Reuters and AP


rferl--2020-02-13--Azerbaijan Ordered To Compensate Activists For ‘Arbitrary’ Drugs Arrests

The European Court of Human Rights ( ECHR ) has ordered Azerbaijan to pay compensation to two opposition activists jailed on drugs charges after painting political graffiti on a statue of former President Heydar Aliyev .
In its February 13 ruling , the Strasbourg-based court held that Azerbaijan is to pay Bayram Mammadov and Giyas Ibrahimov 30,000 euros ( $ 32,600 ) each in respect of nonpecuniary damage , plus 6,000 euros ( $ 6,500 ) each as compensation for costs and expenses .
The ECHR found that the arrest and pretrial detention of Mammadov and Ibrahimov of the NIDA @ @ @ @ @ @ @ police had subjected them to “ ill treatment in order to force them to confess ” to the charges against them .
The case was “ part of a pattern it had found in previous cases of the arbitrary arrest and detention of government critics , civil society activists , and human-rights defenders through retaliatory prosecutions and misuse of the criminal law , ” the court said .
Mammadov and Ibrahimov were arrested in May 2016 , a day after they sprayed graffiti on a statue of the president who ruled Azerbaijan from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , took up the reins 17 years ago .
The two activists posted images of the graffiti on social media .
The graffiti included the words “ F*** the system ” and “ Happy slave day ” in Azeri -- a play on the phrase “ Happy flower day , ” which is linked to commemorations of Heydar Aliyev ’ s birthday .
Mammadov and Ibrahimov were convicted of drugs offences and sentenced to 10 years in jail before being released by presidential pardon last year .
The ECHR said their prosecution for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was an “ unlawful , ” “ grossly arbitrary ” interference with their freedom of expression .
In 2018 , the ECHR found that four other NIDA members had been arrested and charged with supplying firebombs in retaliation for their involvement in the youth movement .

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has ordered Azerbaijan to pay compensation to two opposition activists jailed on drug charges after painting political graffiti on a statue of former President Heydar Aliyev.
In its February 13 ruling, the Strasbourg-based court held that Azerbaijan is to pay Bayram Mammadov and Giyas Ibrahimov 30,000 euros ($32,600) each in respect of nonpecuniary damage, plus 6,000 euros ($6,500) each as compensation for costs and expenses.
The ECHR found that the arrest and pretrial detention of Mammadov and Ibrahimov of the NIDA youth movement had been arbitrary and that police had subjected them to "ill-treatment in order to force them to confess" to the charges against them.
The case was "part of a pattern it had found in previous cases of the arbitrary arrest and detention of government critics, civil society activists, and human-rights defenders through retaliatory prosecutions and misuse of the criminal law," the court said.
Mammadov and Ibrahimov were arrested in May 2016, a day after they sprayed graffiti on a statue of the president who ruled Azerbaijan from 1993 until his son, Ilham Aliyev, took up the reins 17 years ago. The two activists posted images of the graffiti on social media.
The graffiti included the words "F*** the system" and "Happy slave day" in Azeri -- a play on the phrase “Happy flower day,” which is linked to commemorations of Heydar Aliyev’s birthday.
Mammadov and Ibrahimov were convicted of drug offenses and sentenced to 10 years in jail before being released by presidential pardon last year.
The ECHR said their prosecution for drug-related crimes in retaliation for their actions was an "unlawful," "grossly arbitrary" interference with their freedom of expression.
In 2018, the ECHR found that four other NIDA members had been arrested and charged with supplying firebombs in retaliation for their involvement in the youth movement.


rferl--2020-02-13--Iran Election Campaign Starts With Thousands Barred From Standing

The weeklong campaigning for Iran ’ s parliamentary elections kicked off with more than 7,000 candidates vying for the 290 seats in the legislature , state TV reported on February 13 .
The February 21 elections are widely seen as a contest between hard-liners and conservatives after most pro-reform and moderate candidates were disqualified .
The vote will also be a test of the popularity of President Hassan Rohani , a relative moderate who has struggled to deliver on promises to improve people 's lives under crippling U.S. economic sanctions .
But experts say rising public dissatisfaction over Iran 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ transparent and fair election process are likely to dampen voter turnout .
Rohani has criticized the Guardians Council , a hard-line body which vets all candidates , after it disqualified thousands of people who had registered to run , including 90 current lawmakers .
But the president used a speech marking the 41th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution earlier this week to urge Iranians “ not to be passive ” in the polls despite `` possible complaints and criticism.
” Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has also called for a high turnout @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of patriotism at a time of heightened tensions with the United States .
“ Someone may not like me personally , but if they love Iran , they must go to the ballot box , '' Khamenei said in a speech on February 5 .
When officials announced gasoline rationing and price hikes in November , anti-government protests erupted in more than 100 Iranian cities and turned violent before security forces put them down .
Last month , the shooting down of a Ukrainian passenger plane by Iran ’ s air defenses led @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , with demonstrators chanting slogans against Iran ’ s clerical leadership .
The plane disaster followed the killing of Iranian Major General Qasem Soleimani , the leader of Iran 's elite Quds Force , in a U.S. air strike in Baghdad in early January .
In response , Tehran launched missile strikes on two bases hosting U.S. troops in Iraq .
Tensions have soared between Iran and the United States since Washington in 2018 pulled out of a nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers and reimposed economic sanctions on Iran .
Tehran @ @ @ @ @ @ @ commitments under the 2015 deal and has said it no longer considers itself bound by the pact .
Experts predict Iran ’ s hard-liners will dominate the next legislature following elections in which reformists say 90 percent of their candidates have been barred from running .
In the 2016 vote , a bloc of reformists and moderate conservatives won 41 percent of the 290 parliamentary seats .
Hard-liners won 29 percent and independents took 28 percent .
Among the high-profile candidates in the upcoming polls that are running are Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Masud Pezeshkian , among the few reformist lawmakers permitted to run for reelection .
Conservative Ali Larijani , Iran ’ s powerful parliamentary speaker , and moderate Mohammad Reza Aref , who headed the reformist faction in parliament , have decided not to run .
Those barred from contesting the polls include Ali Motahari , an outspoken lawmaker and a political moderate , and Mahmud Sadeghi , the reformist politician who has represented Tehran since winning his seat in 2016 .

A polytechnic school in Russia’s Tatarstan, a region some 900 kilometers east of Moscow, is using manufacturing facilities that are part of a nearby special economic zone to assemble Iranian attack drones and are increasingly turning to underage students as laborers, many of whom often work in exploitative conditions.
The revelations at Alabuga Polytechnic University raise troubling implications about the lengths that Russian authorities are going to in order to boost the war effort and how the advanced Iranian weaponry -- which is increasingly used to bombard Ukrainian cities and has only recently begun to be manufactured inside Russia -- could contribute to escalating tensions and rising civilian casualties.
The use of underage students as drone factory workers and the details of the manufacturing facilities were first reported by Russian independent media outlets Protokol and Razvorot, which published a series of investigations in July.
Since then, RFE/RL’s Idel.Realities has spoken with students who describe grueling working conditions and interviewed dozens of parents whose children have been enrolled at Alabuga Polytechnic University -- some as young at 15 -- who say that their children were forced to work exceedingly long hours, often without proper breaks or meals, and under hostile conditions that have deeply affected their mental health.
“My son enrolled and 2 1/2 months later he called for me to take him away,” Zhanna, who asked to be identified only by her first name to protect against reprisals for speaking about the operation, told RFE/RL. “He said to me on the phone, ‘Come and get me or I’ll die,’ so I picked him up immediately.”
Zhanna, who asked that her underage son’s name also not be used, says that she sent him from Nizhny Novgorod to study at Alabuga Polytechnic University in 2022 because of its reputation as a leading technical institution inside Russia.
The school offered students -- often between the ages of 15-18 -- an opportunity to get vocational training as part of a dual program that combines a classroom education with practical work experience. Students were also promised an opportunity to work and earn a locally competitive salary of up to 70,000 rubles ($700) a month as part of the work experience program that could further their career growth.
Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the latest developments on Russia's full-scale invasion, Kyiv's counteroffensive, Western military aid, global reaction, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war in Ukraine, click here.
But, instead, those enrolled were encouraged and in some cases pressured into working at the drone facility, where the salaries of the mostly underage laborers are contingent on meeting tough production quotas.
“This is a textbook definition of what constitutes exploitation,” Sergei Podsytnik, an investigative journalist at Protokol who worked on the series of reports, told RFE/RL. “[Students] assemble drones, with the work taking priority over their studies.”
The pressure to fulfill these quotas has allegedly led to strenuous back-to-back days -- with some shifts lasting up to 15 hours -- with little time for sleep or adequate sustenance. Overtime work is often unpaid, further highlighting potential labor violations. Exhausted students also reported not always meeting their quotas, which led to them not earning the salary initially promised by the school. Many students came from disadvantaged backgrounds and relied on their earnings to cover costs for tuition, room, and board and would send the remainder home.
Other parents, such as Marina, said she decided to take her daughter out of the program when she discovered that she was working in apparent unsafe conditions and that staff from the school had instructed students not to tell their parents about the drone assembly work.
“This was the last straw for me,” Marina, who also asked for her identity to be concealed, told RFE/RL. “This is a dangerous production process that involves dangerous chemicals. They also forbid the kids from telling everything to their parents.”
RFE/RL sent multiple requests for comment to various staff and administrators at Alabuga Polytechnic University but received no replies.
Making Iranian Drones In Russia
The complicated and concerning dynamic at Alabuga Polytechnic University stems from growing military cooperation between Iran and Russia that has accelerated since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Iran has said it provided drones to Russia before the start of the war, but not since. However, U.S. intelligence officials have warned for months of continued deliveries and deepening cooperation between Moscow and Tehran, saying the two sides were exploring how to set up a manufacturing plant for Iranian drones inside Russia.
According to The Wall Street Journal, an Iranian delegation visited Yelabuga in Tatarstan on January 5, touring a potential site for such a factory at the Alabuga special economic zone close to Alabuga Polytechnic University. U.S. officials released satellite images in April of the plant being built.
Russia already possesses an array of unarmed aerial vehicles, or UAVs, which are used mainly for surveillance and artillery spotting, but has turned increasingly to Tehran for attack drones.
After being forced to abandon Ukrainian territory that its troops captured in the early stretches of the war, Moscow shifted to a strategy of relentless air assaults on Ukrainian cities. These attacks often rely on a combination of cruise missiles and self-detonating drones packed with explosives to knock out electricity and running water for the civilian population in Ukraine.
So far, Iran has provided Russia mostly with so-called "suicide" drones, known as the Shahed-136, that contain a modest amount of explosives that can detonate when the drones crash into targets, military experts say.
In acquiring its own domestic assembly line, Russia could dramatically increase its stockpile of the relatively inexpensive but highly destructive weapons systems.
WATCH: Russia has resorted to using Shahed-136 drones from Iran in its war on Ukraine. Ukraine says it's already downed many of the drones, which work by slamming into their intended target, laden with explosives. Ordinary Ukrainians say they can already recognize the sound of the drones, which use two-stroke engines like lawnmowers or motorbikes. Iran has denied supplying the drones to Russia.
The arrangement also offers substantial economic and political benefits for Iran, which has sought to portray itself as neutral in the Ukraine war. The appearance of Iranian-made drones over Ukrainian cities, however, has triggered threats of new economic sanctions from the West. The United States, the European Union, and the United Kingdom have also all issued rules in recent months designed to cut off the flow of drone components to Russia and Iran.
The Washington Post reported in November 2022, citing unnamed U.S. intelligence officials, that the agreement to deliver Iranian drone schematics and materials for manufacture in Russia resulted from Iranian leaders believing that the arrangement would allow Tehran to avert new sanctions.
Foreign Recruitment And Patriotic Education
Alabuga Polytechnic University is formally not a college. All of its students are officially enrolled at nearby Yelabuga Polytechnic College, with the Alabuga institution existing on paper as a specialized program for students looking to break into high-tech industries.
Currently, about 1,000 students are studying at Alabuga Polytechnic University, with several hundred of them -- most of whom are between the ages of 15 and 17 -- involved in assembling the Iranian drones.
In addition to the work on the drones, there are other signs that point to blurred lines in Russia between the education system and the country’s military amid the war in Ukraine.
According to current and former Alabuga Polytechnic University students, team-building and organized extracurricular activities through the school often take on a “patriotic” character that may be designed to expose students to official government narratives of international events or echo talking points from state television.
Organized paintball games have become a mainstay for students, especially first-year arrivals, in which they are encouraged to compete against one another and then play together against more experienced outside players. Teachers and administration officials regularly refer to paintball as being part of a “patriotic” education needed to complement the technical aspect of their studies.
In one instance, a group of new students competed in paintball as Soviet soldiers against outside players who were dressed as troops from Nazi Germany in a capture-the-flag competition meant to simulate the World War II battle of Stalingrad. According to one student, the Nazi flag contained the compass symbol used by the NATO military alliance instead of the swastika used by Nazi Germany.
Other instances of political teachings from staff are more direct. In a recording obtained by RFE/RL from June 16, a senior administrator can be heard telling the teenagers that NATO launched a hybrid war against Russia back in 2011 and that it has slowly become more overt. The man then goes on to tell students that their hard work and exceeding long days at the drone factory are part of a nationwide struggle against the West and that their patriotism will be rewarded.
Several students and parents identified the man in the recording as Timur Shagivaleev, the director-general of the special economic zone where Alabuga Polytechnic University and the drone factory operate.
Shagivaleev did not respond to RFE/RL’s request for comment.
The man in the recording then goes on to tell students not to take holidays and to continue working “even if it's mom's birthday,” before ending his speech with, “Long live our great country.”
WATCH: Amid a new wave of Russian drone attacks on Ukraine, analysts in Kyiv are gaining useful intelligence from a collection of downed Russian aerial weapons. They have been studying the remains of Iranian Shahed drones and Russian Kinzhal missiles, among others.
Multiple current and former students told RFE/RL that students who work in the drone factory are often praised by staff, while those who have refused or asked to be reassigned due to the high workload are often publicly shamed. In some instances -- according to recordings heard by RFE/RL -- staff even encourage students to bully others who are not deemed “patriotic” enough.
According to Protokol and Razvorot’s investigations, Alabuga Polytechnic University has also turned toward recruiting foreign students to enroll. The majority of them come from African countries, but also from Central Asia and Azerbaijan, where they are promised “world class” salaries as part of the dual-track world experience program.
However, these foreign students are then given low-skill and menial tasks around the campus and the special economic zone, such as janitorial work, and are also paid lower salaries than initially promised.
Written by Reid Standish based on reporting by RFE/RL’s Idel.Realities


rferl--2020-02-13--Afghanistan Urged To Prosecute ‘Powerful’ Perpetrators Of Sexual Assaults

Human Rights Watch ( HRW ) is urging the Afghan government to take immediate steps to provide “ justice , support victims , and protect witnesses ” in sexual-assault cases implicating “ powerful people.
” In a statement on February 12 , the New York-based watchdog said that two recent cases highlight the Afghan authorities ’ failure to prosecute such cases .
Senior officials of the Afghan Football Federation ( AFF ) charged for sexually assaulting female players and for participating in a cover-up of the abuse have not been arrested , while officials in Logar Province are “ seeking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ alleged pedophile ring operating in state schools , according to HRW .
“ Prosecuting sexual violence has long been difficult in Afghanistan , but the problems are magnified when the suspects are powerful people , ” said Patricia Gossman , associate Asia director at HRW .
“ These two horrific cases are a litmus test of the Afghan government ’ s commitment to ending impunity for sexual violence , ” Gossman added .
Gossman called on Afghanistan ’ s donors to press the government to prosecute those responsible for the alleged sexual abuse @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Two activists who reported the abuse last year have received threats on social media , some from local officials , and were detained by Afghanistan ’ s intelligence agency , the National Directorate of Security ( NDS ) .
The activists were later released and subsequently left Afghanistan .
The Attorney General ’ s Office initiated an investigation into the allegations and 18 people have been detained , but no police or senior officials alleged to have been responsible for abuse were included in the detentions , HRW said .
The group quoted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to terminate the probe , regardless of whether it has made progress , while the authorities “ have not put into place any measures to protect survivors and witnesses from retaliation.
” HRW said the Afghan authorities have also failed to make progress in the investigation of multiple cases of alleged sexual assault of female football players by former AFF head Keramuddin Karim .
Football ’ s global governing body , FIFA , last year banned Karim for life and fined him about $ 1 million , and the Afghan attorney general issued @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Karim has yet to be detained , while most of his accusers have left Afghanistan after receiving threats , according to HRW .
Gossman said the authorities now have to arrest Karim and investigate football federation officials who “ facilitated the abuse or helped cover it up .
”

The education of girls and women is universally accepted in more than 200 countries and territories, including nearly 50 Muslim-majority nations.
But Afghanistan’s hard-line Islamist Taliban rulers have banned teenage girls from attending school after the sixth grade since they returned to power two years ago. The ban was extended in December to women in universities.
Countless protests by Afghans inside the country, pressure from the international community, and lobbying by Muslim scholars and clerics have failed to convince the fundamentalist Taliban leaders to reopen schools.
Experts are divided over whether the ban is rooted in how the Taliban’s interpretation of Islam is shaped by conservative Pashtun tribal customs and cultural practices or if it is prompted by how senior Taliban ideologues interpret Islamic teachings.
Most Taliban leaders are ethnic Pashtun, Sunni Muslim clerics. Many were educated in Deobandi madrasahs in neighboring Pakistan. Deobandism emerged as a puritanical Islamic revivalist movement in 19-century British Colonial India. Based on the Sunni Hanafi school of jurisprudence, it is a prominent strain among Islamists in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Tribal Influences
Sami Yousafzai, a veteran Afghan journalist and commentator, argues that the Taliban restrictions against women are linked to social customs and cultural practices in eastern and southern Afghanistan.
Most Taliban leaders come from various Pashtun rural tribal communities in these regions bordering Pakistan.
"They believe that a woman's place is either inside a house or in a grave," Yousafzai said of the basic Taliban belief influenced by the status of women in the families of clerics and religious leaders in these Pashtun regions.
“Women living in the households of the current Taliban policymakers were never educated and never left their homes,” said Yousafzai, who has tracked the Islamist group since it emerged as a ragtag militia in the southern Afghan province of Kandahar in late 1994. “These women never performed any government or nongovernmental jobs.”
Yousafzai says the Taliban backs policies shaped by this worldview by leaning on Islamic teachings supporting such ideas. He says Taliban leaders rely on sayings attributed to the Prophet Muhammad that discourage women from leaving their homes.
“Their primary belief is that pubescent girls should not leave home under any circumstance,” he said. “This is why they view women leaving home for education or work as engaging in moral corruption.”
In Afghanistan, a Muslim nation of some 40 million people, activists and rights advocates accuse the Taliban of implementing "gender apartheid" by denying women education, work, freedom of movement, and deciding how they can appear in public.
Most Muslims agree that Islam allows women to get an education. Yet the Taliban publicly says that it will allow girls access to education only after ensuring complete gender segregation and other unspecified conditions.
Almost all Afghan secondary schools were gender segregated and universities imposed a strict separation between men and women after the Taliban takeover.
Yousafzai says in conservative and traditional Muslim societies around the world, some clerics also favor restrictions on women's education, work, and their role in public life. But the governments in those countries usually oppose or limit such ideas.
In recent years, Saudi Arabia -- one of the most conservative Sunni Muslim nations -- has allowed women to drive and granted them freedom of movement without a male guardian. These steps are part of a reform and modernity drive by Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman.
The Taliban ban on education has invited universal condemnation from Muslims globally.
“The Taliban's ban on women's education is not rooted in [the Islamic] Shari’a law but rather reflects cultural biases that contradict the teachings of Islam,” said Salam al-Marayati, president of the Muslim Public Affairs Council in the United States.
He said that contrary to Taliban practices, “Islam emphasizes the importance of seeking knowledge and encourages all individuals, regardless of gender, to acquire an education.”
Historical Conflict
But Islamic scholars and those who have attempted to convince the Taliban about reopening girls schools offer a different explanation.
John Mohammad Butt, an Islamic scholar and former BBC broadcaster who is the only Westerner to graduate from India’s Darul Uloom Deoband, argues that the Taliban's policy on girls' education is not tribal but shaped by the century-old conflict over modern education.
“The problem is that girls' education in Afghanistan -- indeed, contemporary education in general -- has generally been introduced in Afghanistan in line with a secular agenda,” he said.
In the 1920s, a coalition of conservative clerics and tribal and community leaders deposed reformist King Amanullah Khan. He wanted to modernize Afghanistan along Turkish leader Kamal Ataturk's secular lines and championed modern education and rights for women.
This opposition to modernity and secularism continued, and conservative clerics opposed women's education and work. It became a key part of the Islamist opposition to the pro-Soviet Afghan communist governments after the April 1978 military coup that ended the Afghan monarchy. The mujahedin accused the communists of spreading immorality by promoting women’s education and empowerment.
“This has led to particular wariness on the part of conservative circles in Afghanistan with regard to girls' education,” Butt said.
'Deep Ideological Conviction'
Obaidullah Baheer, a political science lecturer at the American University of Afghanistan, became part of an effort to rescind the ban by talking to the Taliban last year.
But he says the effort failed because “the ban is a matter of deep ideological conviction” for the current supreme leader of the Taliban, Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada.
Baheer says that the most prominent Taliban leaders have studied in Pakistani madrasahs and were thus disconnected from village and tribal life.
“They have been indoctrinated by the Deobandi school of thought so that they now enforce the strictest version of Islam on the Afghan population,” he said.
He argues that the ban on girls’ schools is a deliberate policy championed by Akhundzada, who he says has endorsed Taliban Chief Justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani's Arabic language book The Islamic Emirate And Its System. In this book, Haqqani supports a fringe Islamic opinion of preferring the choice of one of the Prophet Muhammad's wives, Sawdah Bint Zam'ah, who chose to stay at home until her death.
Baheer says Haqqani ignores his other wives and other female companions that played an active role in many sectors of society and how they served as students and teachers for men.
“This fringe opinion is not held by all Taliban leaders but is one that the current absolute sovereign, the Taliban emir, seems to be convinced of,” he said.
Butt says that even Haqqani has acknowledged the principle that if there is something that women need to act upon, then that is also something that women need to learn about.
“I hope the Taliban authorities will come to realize in the not-too-distant future that education for women will make Afghan women into better Muslims,” he says. “It will enable them to make a stronger contribution to the well-being of their country.”
Two years after grappling with the issue, Western diplomats appear to be encouraging Afghan conservative and clerical circles to find ways to end the ban.
Tom West, the U.S. special representative for Afghanistan, recently tweeted that Afghan women must be educated and contribute to the economy to help their country stand on its own two feet.
“If change to policies is made, it will be because Afghans have asked for it, not a result of foreign requests,” he wrote.


rferl--2020-02-13--Death Toll In Ethnic Clashes In Kazakhstan's South Rises To 11

ZHAMBYL , Kazakhstan -- The death toll in violent ethnic clashes last week between Kazakhs and ethnic Dungans in Kazakhstan 's south , which shocked the Central Asian nation , has risen to 11 .
Qanat Qulshymanov , an adviser to the governor of the Zhambyl region where the clashes took place , said on February 13 that the badly burned body of an unidentified person had been found two days earlier amid the debris of a commercial building destroyed during clashes in the village of Masanchi .
`` Special forensic works are under way to identify the person , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on February 7 between local Kazakhs and ethnic Dungans , a Muslim group of Chinese origin , in the villages of Masanchi , Sortobe , Auqatty , and Bulan-Batyr .
Dozens were wounded , including 19 police officers , while more than 30 houses , 17 commercial buildings , and 47 vehicles were destroyed or damaged in the clashes .
Kazakh officials have said that the violence was sparked by a conflict on a highway , during which the occupants of two vehicles started a brawl following a road-rage incident .
The deadly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of video footage taken from the brawl .
Thousands of people fled villages where the violence erupted , ending up in the neighboring Kyrgyz Chui region , where the majority of ethnic Dungans in Central Asia traditionally reside .
WATCH : Who Are The Dungans Of Central Asia ?
Berdibek Saparbaev , who replaced the region 's governor after the clashes , said on February 11 that some 8,000 Kazakh citizens who fled the area to Kyrgyzstan had returned to Kazakhstan following a call from the Kazakh government .
It is not clear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kyrgyzstan .
Many top officials in the region were replaced following the clashes .
Dungans , also known as Hui , are Sunni Muslims who speak a dialect of Mandarin with many words and phrases borrowed from Arabic , Persian , and Turkic .
Their ancestors came to Central Asia , which then was part of the Russian Empire , in the late-19th century after the Chinese government ’ s violent crackdown of the Dungan Revolt of 1862-1877 .
The number of Dungans living in the former Soviet Union is about 120,000 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ northern region of Chui and the neighboring Kazakh region of Zhambyl .

ZHAMBYL, Kazakhstan -- The death toll in violent ethnic clashes last week between Kazakhs and ethnic Dungans in Kazakhstan's south, which shocked the Central Asian nation, has risen to 11.
Qanat Qulshymanov, an adviser to the governor of the Zhambyl region where the clashes took place, said on February 13 that the badly burned body of an unidentified person had been found two days earlier amid the debris of a commercial building destroyed during clashes in the village of Masanchi.
"Special forensic works are under way to identify the person," Qulshymanov said.
The violence erupted on February 7 between local Kazakhs and ethnic Dungans, a Muslim group of Chinese origin, in the villages of Masanchi, Sortobe, Auqatty, and Bulan-Batyr.
Dozens were wounded, including 19 police officers, while more than 30 houses, 17 commercial buildings, and 47 vehicles were destroyed or damaged in the clashes.
Kazakh officials have said that the violence was sparked by a conflict on a highway, during which the occupants of two vehicles started a brawl following a road-rage incident. The deadly clashes followed the posting on the Internet of video footage taken from the brawl.
Thousands of people fled villages where the violence erupted, ending up in the neighboring Kyrgyz Chui region, where the majority of ethnic Dungans in Central Asia traditionally reside.
WATCH: Who Are The Dungans Of Central Asia?
Berdibek Saparbaev, who replaced the region's governor after the clashes, said on February 11 that some 8,000 Kazakh citizens who fled the area to Kyrgyzstan had returned to Kazakhstan following a call from the Kazakh government.
It is not clear how many Dungans from Kazakhstan remain in Kyrgyzstan.
Many top officials in the region were replaced following the clashes.
Dungans, also known as Hui, are Sunni Muslims who speak a dialect of Mandarin with many words and phrases borrowed from Arabic, Persian, and Turkic. Their ancestors came to Central Asia, which then was part of the Russian Empire, in the late-19th century after the Chinese government’s violent crackdown of the Dungan Revolt of 1862-1877.
The number of Dungans living in the former Soviet Union is about 120,000, most of whom reside in Kyrgyzstan's northern region of Chui and the neighboring Kazakh region of Zhambyl.


rferl--2020-02-13--Turkmen President Sacks National Security Minister Weeks After Rebuke

ASHGABAT -- Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov has sacked National Security Minister Yaylym Berdiev less than a month after he publicly rebuked him for perceived shortcomings in his performance .
State-run media outlets in the energy-rich Central Asian nation reported on February 13 that Colonel Gurbanmyrat Annaev was appointed as the new national security minister .
On January 22 , Berdymukhammedov handed down `` a severe rebuke with a final warning '' to Berdiev for , according to media reports , `` improperly carrying out his service duties , '' and demoted Berdiev to the rank of major general from colonel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the post of secretary of the State Security Council at the time .
Berdiev was also publicly reprimanded by Berdymukhammedov for `` mistakes '' in November 2019 in the wake of an international outcry around a gay Turkmen doctor , who along with his family members , faced pressure following an interview to RFE/RL in which he detailed his tormented life as a homosexual in a conservative society .
Berdymukhammedov has ruled the former Soviet republic with an iron fist since the death of his autocratic predecessor , Saparmurat Niyazov , in December @ @

ASHGABAT -- Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov has dismissed National Security Minister Yaylym Berdiev less than a month after he publicly rebuked him for perceived shortcomings in his performance.
State-run media outlets in the energy-rich Central Asian country reported on February 13 that Colonel Gurbanmyrat Annaev was appointed as the new national security minister.
On January 22, Berdymukhammedov handed down "a severe rebuke with a final warning" to Berdiev for, according to media reports, "improperly carrying out his service duties," and demoted Berdiev to the rank of major general from colonel general.
Berdymukhammedov also removed Berdiev from the post of secretary of the State Security Council at the time.
Berdiev was also publicly reprimanded by Berdymukhammedov for "mistakes" in November 2019 in the wake of an international outcry around a gay Turkmen doctor, who along with his family members, faced pressure following an interview with RFE/RL in which he detailed his tormented life as a homosexual in a conservative society.
Berdymukhammedov has ruled the former Soviet republic with an iron fist since the death of his autocratic predecessor, Saparmurat Niyazov, in December 2006.


rferl--2020-02-13--U.S. Senate Advances Resolution Limiting Trump’s Actions Against Iran

The Republican-controlled U.S. Senate has advanced a bipartisan measure intended to limit President Donald Trump 's ability to take military action against Iran .
Eight Republicans sided with Democrats on a motion to proceed to a final vote on the matter as soon as February 13 .
The February 12 vote on the procedural motion was 51-45 .
The nonbinding resolution would direct Trump to remove U.S. troops engaged in hostilities against Iran unless Congress declares war or passes a specific authorization for the use of military force .
Trump and his supporters say the measure would send a wrong @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ It is very important for our Country ’ s SECURITY that the United States Senate not vote for the Iran War Powers Resolution .
We are doing very well with Iran and this is not the time to show weakness , ” the president tweeted .
However , Democratic Senator Tim Kaine , a lead sponsor of the resolution , told journalists : `` We do n't send a message of weakness when we stand up for the rule of law . ''
The Democratic-led House of Representatives passed a similar @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some Republicans fumed over Trump 's failure to fully inform them about his Iran strategy .
The move came after Trump ordered a drone strike that killed Major General Qasem Soleimani , the leader of Iran 's elite Quds Force , in Baghdad .
He did not inform Congress until after the strike .
In response to Soleimani 's killing , Tehran launched missile strikes on two bases hosting U.S. troops in Iraq .
The Pentagon says 109 U.S. service members have been diagnosed with mild traumatic brain injury following the attack on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Iraq , though no one was killed .
Under the U.S. Constitution , Congress has the power to declare war -- not the president .
With reporting by Reuters , AP , and RFE/RL 's Radio Farda


rferl--2020-02-13--NATO Ministers To Discuss Defenses Against Russia, Future Of Afghanistan

NATO 's training and support mission in Afghanistan and the challenge posed by Russia ’ s missile systems are expected to top the agenda of the second day of a summit of the alliance ’ s defense ministers .
Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has said the allies would discuss in Brussels on February 13 their “ response to the whole range of Russian missile systems -- conventional and nuclear -- currently deployed or under development.
” The meeting follows the demise of the Cold War-era Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces ( INF ) Treaty last year that banned Russia and the United States @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nuclear weapons .
Washington withdrew from the INF Treaty following years of accusations that Moscow had developed and deployed a ground-launched cruise missile -- the 9M729 missile , also known as the SSC-8 -- in violation of the pact ’ s restrictions .
The move , reciprocated by Moscow , sparked concerns of a new arms race between the world 's leading nuclear-armed powers .
The Brussels meeting is set to end with a gathering of all nations contributing to the NATO-led Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan , amid apparent progress toward a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Taliban to end the more than 18-year conflict in the country .
On February 12 , Stoltenberg reiterated that NATO `` fully supports the U.S.-led peace efforts , which can pave the way for intra-Afghan talks . ''
But the Taliban `` need to demonstrate that they are both willing and capable to deliver a reduction of violence and contribute to peace in good faith , '' the secretary-general insisted .
He said the militant fighters have to “ understand that they will never win on the battlefield .
They have to make @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Earlier , Afghan President Ashraf Ghani tweeted he had been informed by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo of “ notable progress ” in talks between U.S. and Taliban negotiators , which have now lasted for more than a year .
The prospective deal would see the U.S. pull thousands of troops from Afghanistan , while the Taliban would provide security guarantees and launch eventual talks with the Western-backed government in Kabul .
There are some 12,500 U.S. troops in Afghanistan , as well as thousands of European forces participating in the NATO-led @ @ @ @ @ @ @ NATO allies are ready to continue to “ support , train , assist , and advise the Afghan security forces as long as that is wanted and needed to create the conditions for a lasting peace.
” With reporting by dpa and AFP


rferl--2020-02-13--UN Adopts Cease-Fire Resolution For Libya As Russia Abstains

The UN Security Council has adopted a resolution calling for a “ lasting cease-fire ” in war-torn Libya , as Russia abstained from the vote following its objections to the language of the text .
The text -- which was drafted by Britain -- was approved on February 12 by the other 14 members of the Security Council following weeks of debate and wrangling .
The resolution restated `` the need for a lasting cease-fire in Libya at the earliest opportunity , without preconditions '' and expressed `` concern over the growing involvement of mercenaries in Libya . ''
Russia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mercenaries '' with `` foreign terrorist fighters . ''
Moscow , which backs eastern Libyan strongman General Khalifa Haftar , has been accused by UN experts and diplomats of aiding Russian military contractors fighting alongside Haftar 's Libyan National Army ( LNA ) , which has also received air support from the United Arab Emirates and backing from Jordan and Egypt .
Russia officially denies involvement in the civil war in Libya , which has been torn by violence since longtime ruler Muammar Qaddafi was deposed and killed in 2011 .
Russia ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the UN-backed Government of National Accord ( GNA ) based in the capital Tripoli .
The GNA also has the support of Turkey , which has said it is deploying its own soldiers to the country .
Haftar ’ s LNA , based in the east of the country , has conducted a months-long drive to capture the capital from the GNA .
An interim truce brokered by the UN came into force on January 12 and has led to a lull in heavy fighting and air strikes , although the situation remains @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and AFP

The UN Security Council has adopted a resolution calling for a “lasting cease-fire” in war-torn Libya, as Russia abstained from the vote following its objections to the language of the text.
The text -- which was drafted by Britain -- was approved on February 12 by the other 14 members of the Security Council following weeks of debate and wrangling.
The resolution restated "the need for a lasting cease-fire in Libya at the earliest opportunity, without preconditions" and expressed "concern over the growing involvement of mercenaries in Libya."
Russia had pushed to replace the word "mercenaries" with "foreign terrorist fighters."
Moscow, which backs eastern Libyan strongman General Khalifa Haftar, has been accused by UN experts and diplomats of aiding Russian military contractors fighting alongside Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA), which has also received air support from the United Arab Emirates and backing from Jordan and Egypt.
Russia officially denies involvement in the civil war in Libya, which has been torn by violence since longtime ruler Muammar Qaddafi was deposed and killed in 2011.
Russia’s support for Haftar pits it against the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) based in the capital Tripoli. The GNA also has the support of Turkey, which has said it is deploying its own soldiers to the country.
Haftar’s LNA, based in the east of the country, has conducted a months-long drive to capture the capital from the GNA.
An interim truce brokered by the UN came into force on January 12 and has led to a lull in heavy fighting and air strikes, although the situation remains tense.
Based on reporting by Reuters and AFP