rferl--2020-02-05--U.S. Warns Bosnia Aid Could Be Cut Over Human Trafficking

SARAJEVO – Bonnie Glick , deputy administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development ( USAID ) , warns that the United States would cut its assistance to Bosnia-Herzegovina if the country fails to tackle human trafficking .
`` If the government of Bosnia-Herzegovina is not capable of addressing the issues of human trafficking , the United States -- in less than one year -- will have to cut all of our foreign assistance ” to the Balkan country , Glick said in a February 5 interview with RFE/RL during a visit to Belgrade .
“ That will have a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ terms of its reputation as a place in which foreigners should come and consider investing as well as placing it in a category with some of the lowest levels of government , ” she added .
Since 1995 , Washington has provided more than $ 1.8 billion in assistance -- primarily through USAID -- to “ support democratic , social , and economic progress ” in Bosnia and to “ advance the country toward its goal of EU membership.
” Bosnia ’ s government “ used to take strong action to combat trafficking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But the country has now “ dropped in the international esteem and it is in danger of becoming one of the lowest levels of non-support to counter human trafficking.
” In its 2019 Trafficking in Persons Report , the U.S. State Department said the Bosnian government “ does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking , but is making significant efforts to do so .
”

SARAJEVO – Bonnie Glick, deputy administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), warns that the United States would cut its assistance to Bosnia-Herzegovina if the country fails to tackle human trafficking.
"If the government of Bosnia-Herzegovina is not capable of addressing the issues of human trafficking, the United States -- in less than one year -- will have to cut all of our foreign assistance” to the Balkan country, Glick said in a February 5 interview with RFE/RL during a visit to Belgrade.
“That will have a tremendous impact on this country both in terms of its reputation as a place in which foreigners should come and consider investing as well as placing it in a category with some of the lowest levels of government,” she added.
Since 1995, Washington has provided more than $1.8 billion in assistance -- primarily through USAID -- to “support democratic, social, and economic progress” in Bosnia and to “advance the country toward its goal of EU membership.”
Bosnia’s government “used to take strong action to combat trafficking in persons,” Glick said.
But the country has now “dropped in the international esteem and it is in danger of becoming one of the lowest levels of non-support to counter human trafficking.”
In its 2019 Trafficking in Persons Report, the U.S. State Department said the Bosnian government “does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking, but is making significant efforts to do so.”


rferl--2020-02-05--Tehran Homes Of Four Journalists Raided, Equipment Confiscated

The Committee to Protect Journalists ( CPJ ) says Iranian security forces have raided journalists ’ homes in recent days in an attempt to intimidate critics ahead of next month ’ s parliament elections .
Members of the elite Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps ( IRGC ) raided the Tehran homes of journalists Maziar Khosravi , Yasaman Khaleghian , Moloud Hajizadeh , and Yaghma Fakhshami , CPJ said in a statement on February 5 , citing news reports and a person familiar with the cases .
According to those sources , documents were confiscated and equipment was seized in the January @ @ @ @ @ @ @ IRGC agents did not make any arrests or declare a reason for the raids .
The raids come weeks before Iran is scheduled to hold general elections on February 21 .
“ Raiding journalists ’ homes in the run-up to an election shows that Iranian authorities are intent on stifling discussion and intimidating critics , ” said CPJ Middle East and North Africa Program Coordinator Sherif Mansour .
“ If authorities want to show that the country ’ s elections are open and fair , they must allow journalists to work without fear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Iranian authorities to cease raiding reporter ’ s homes and return laptop , phones , notebooks , and all other material confiscated in recent raids .
The person who spoke to CPJ on the condition of anonymity said that IRGC agents told all four the four journalists they would be contacted for questioning in the coming days .

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--2020-02-05--North Macedonia, Albania Welcome Proposed Changes To EU Accession Process

SKOPJE -- North Macedonia and Albania have both reacted positively to a new proposed methodology for admitting new member states , expressing hope that it will clear the way for Skopje and Tirana to begin formal membership talks this year .
`` The purpose of today 's proposal is to re-establish a credible EU perspective for the Western Balkans , ” Oliver Varhelyi , commissioner for neighborhood and enlargement , said on February 5 as he presented the proposals in Brussels .
The plan would give member states a stronger role in accession talks and calls for more incentives for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or delays on required reforms could lead to a pause or reversal of the accession process , or even force EU hopefuls to restart entry talks in some policy areas .
Reforms were demanded by France blocking the start of negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania last year and demanding changes to the bloc 's enlargement process .
North Macedonia ’ s Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov said the proposed methodology would contribute to a `` stronger political dimension of the process , as well as its dynamics , predictability and credibility . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ sanctions for backsliders , based on a credible , objective assessment of progress is a step forward , `` Dimitrov said .
The minister also expressed confidence that the proposed plan would result in the opening of accession talks between Brussels and Skopje in the coming weeks .
Albania ’ s acting Foreign Minister Gent Cakaj said his country `` stands ready to pursue substantive reforms and radical transformation in line with the principles of the new methodology.
” Tirana “ looks forward to opening accession talks within 2020 , '' Cakaj wrote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Emmanuel Macron 's office welcomed the proposed new rules as `` an important first step '' toward further enlargement .
The proposed plan is to be discussed by EU member states to have it ready for approval at a Brussels summit in March .
If approved , the new methodology would automatically apply to Albania , Bosnia-Herzegovina , Kosovo , and North Macedonia -- but not to Serbia or Montenegro , which have already started accession talks with Brussels .
With reporting by Gjeraqina Tuhina and Rikard Jozwiak in Brussels

SKOPJE -- North Macedonia and Albania have both reacted positively to a new proposed methodology for admitting new member states, expressing hope that it will clear the way for Skopje and Tirana to begin formal membership talks this year.
"The purpose of today's proposal is to re-establish a credible EU perspective for the Western Balkans," Oliver Varhelyi, commissioner for neighborhood and enlargement, said on February 5 as he presented the proposals in Brussels.
The plan would give member states a stronger role in accession talks and calls for more incentives for well-performing aspirant states.
Meanwhile, backsliding or delays on required reforms could lead to a pause or reversal of the accession process, or even force EU hopefuls to restart entry talks in some policy areas.
Reforms were demanded by France blocking the start of negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania last year and demanding changes to the bloc's enlargement process.
North Macedonia's foreign minister, Nikola Dimitrov, said the proposed methodology would contribute to a "stronger political dimension of the process, as well as its dynamics, predictability, and credibility."
"More benefits for reformers and more sanctions for backsliders, based on a credible, objective assessment of progress is a step forward, " Dimitrov said.
The minister also expressed confidence that the proposed plan would result in the opening of accession talks between Brussels and Skopje in the coming weeks.
Albania's acting foreign minister, Gent Cakaj, said his country "stands ready to pursue substantive reforms and radical transformation in line with the principles of the new methodology."
Tirana "looks forward to opening accession talks within 2020," Cakaj wrote in a Facebook post.
French President Emmanuel Macron's office welcomed the proposed new rules as "an important first step" toward further enlargement.
The proposed plan is to be discussed by EU member states to have it ready for approval at a Brussels summit in March.
If approved, the new methodology would automatically apply to Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, and North Macedonia -- but not to Serbia or Montenegro, which have already started accession talks with Brussels.
With reporting by Gjeraqina Tuhina and Rikard Jozwiak in Brussels


rferl--2020-02-05--People Onboard Quarantined Cruise Ship Test Positive For Coronavirus

At least 10 people on board a cruise ship docked in the Japanese port of Yokohama have tested positive for China 's coronavirus , Japan ’ s authorities say .
Health Minister Katsunobu Kato said on February 5 that all of the 3,700 people onboard the Diamond Princess will be quarantined on the vessel for up to 14 days .
Japan ’ s Foreign Ministry has informed Russia ’ s Embassy in Tokyo that 24 Russian nationals were onboard , Russian news agencies reported .
A man on the ship told RFE/RL that there were also at least 20 Ukrainian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Diamond Princess could rise as checks are ongoing .
Some 3,600 people on a second cruise ship docked in Hong Kong are also being tested for the coronavirus , as Chinese health authorities are stepping up efforts to control the outbreak .
The virus has killed nearly 500 people in mainland China , with more than 24,300 confirmed cases .
Millions of Chinese have been ordered to not leave their homes and much of Hubei Province , home to more than 50 million people , is subject to quarantine measures .
Some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 175 confirmed cases of the pathogen and there are cases of human transmission between people who have not visited China recently .
The outbreak has prompted several governments , including Russia and the United States , to institute travel restrictions and airlines to suspend flights to and from China .
On February 5 , Russian Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said the government was banning transit flights from China to keep foreigners from landing in Russia .
Moscow had already restricted direct flights to China and has said it may deport foreigners who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Embassy in Bejing on February 5 reported that 128 Russian nationals have been evacuated from Hubei .
Uzbekistan 's Health Ministry said that it has repatriated 84 Uzbek nationals from Wuhan .
The Uzbek Health Ministry said in a statement on February 5 that the majority of those repatriated were students studying in China , and that `` none of them is suspected of having the new coronavirus . ''
The epidemic , which has been designated a global health emergency by the World Health Organization ( WHO ) , is believed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ market in the Hubei provincial capital of Wuhan .
`` While 99 percent of cases are in China , in the rest of the world we only have 176 cases , '' WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on February 4 .
`` That does n't mean that it wo n't get worse .
But for sure we have a window of opportunity to act . ''
China ’ s leadership on February 3 admitted “ shortcomings ” in the country ’ s response to the virus outbreak .
The elite Politburo Standing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ strengthened and said a “ crack down ” on illegal wildlife markets was necessary .
With reporting by AFP , dpa , TASS , Reuters , Interfax , and RFE/RL ’ s Ukrainian Service

An additional 10 people on board a cruise ship docked in the Japanese port of Yokohama have tested positive for China's coronavirus, doubling the number previously reported, with test results on more than 170 still pending.
Health Minister Katsunobu Kato said on February 5 that all of the 3,700 people onboard the Diamond Princess will be quarantined on the vessel for up to 14 days. Those infected with the virus were moved to medical facilities.
Japan's Foreign Ministry has informed Russia's Embassy in Tokyo that 24 Russian nationals were on board.
The embassy said no Russian passengers had been detected with the virus, adding on its Facebook page that it "continues its work to help the Russian citizens who are on board the cruise ship."
A man on the Diamond Princess cruise ship told RFE/RL that there were also at least 20 Ukrainian passengers.
The number of infected on the ship could rise as checks are ongoing.
Some 3,600 people on a second cruise ship docked in Hong Kong are also being tested for the coronavirus, as Chinese health authorities are stepping up efforts to control the outbreak.
The virus has killed 563 people in mainland China, with more than 28,000 confirmed cases.
On February 6, Chinese authorities in the epicenter city of Wuhan warned they face a severe shortage of hospital beds and equipment needed to treat the growing number of patients, despite the emergency construction of a new hospital and the converting of public buildings to handle thousands of extra patients.
Hu Lishan, an official in the quarantined city, said there was also a shortage of "equipment and materials" and that the authorities are looking to convert other hotels and schools into treatment facilities.
Millions of Chinese have been ordered to not leave their homes and much of Hubei Province, home to more than 50 million people, is subject to quarantine measures.
More than two dozen large trade fairs and industry conferences in Asia have been postponed because of the spread of the coronavirus, canceling events where billions of dollars worth of deals have been signed in the past.
The venue of China's oldest and biggest trade fair, the Canton Fair, has suspended exhibitions until further notice. The Canton Fair was due to hold its spring exhibition in April. Last year, almost $30 billion worth of deals were signed at the event.
Kazpost, the postal operator of neighboring Kazakhstan, has stopped moving mail to and from China amid the outbreak there, Kazpost said on February 6. Kazakhstan has also banned the export of protective masks to China.
Some two dozen countries have reported more than 175 confirmed cases of the pathogen and there are cases of human transmission between people who have not visited China recently.
The outbreak has prompted several governments, including Russia and the United States, to institute travel restrictions and airlines to suspend flights to and from China.
On February 5, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said the government was banning transit flights from China to keep foreigners from landing in Russia.
Moscow had already restricted direct flights to China and has said it may deport foreigners who test positive for coronavirus.
The Russian Embassy in Beijing on February 5 reported that 128 Russian nationals had been evacuated from Hubei.
Uzbekistan's Health Ministry said that it had repatriated 84 Uzbek nationals from Wuhan.
The Uzbek Health Ministry said in a statement on February 5 that the majority of those repatriated were students studying in China, and that "none of them is suspected of having the new coronavirus."
The epidemic, which has been designated a global health emergency by the World Health Organization (WHO), is believed to have emerged in December at a wildlife market in Wuhan, the Hubei provincial capital.
"While 99 percent of cases are in China, in the rest of the world we only have 176 cases," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on February 4. "That doesn't mean that it won't get worse. But for sure we have a window of opportunity to act."
China’s leadership on February 3 admitted "shortcomings" in the country’s response to the virus outbreak.
The elite Politburo Standing Committee called for market supervision to be strengthened and said a "crackdown" on illegal wildlife markets was necessary.
With reporting by AFP, dpa, TASS, Reuters, Interfax, and RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service


rferl--2020-02-05--Tajikistan Says Killers of Foreign Cyclists In 2018 Were Financed Via Russian Payment System

The Tajik National Bank says terrorists who killed four foreign cyclists in the former Soviet republic in 2018 were financed via the Russian payment system Zolotaya Korona ( Golden Crown ) .
Jamoliddin Nuraliev , the first deputy chairman of the central bank , said on February 5 that after the bank became aware of the issue , a new payment system , the National Processing Center , took over the transmission of money transfers from abroad in early December .
Two Americans , one Dutch national , and a Swiss citizen were killed in July 2018 by at least @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after being plowed down by a vehicle in the Danghara district of the Khatlon region , about 150 kilometers south of the Tajik capital , Dushanbe .
Three other foreigners -- including one French citizen -- were also injured in the attack .
Tajik security forces killed four people involved in the attack , which they later said was organized by the banned Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan ( IRPT ) .
The party 's exiled leaders have rejected any blame and the Islamic State terror group has claimed responsibility for the killing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was found guilty of murder in November 2018 and sentenced to life in prison .
The Zolotaya Korona payment system has been very popular in Tajikistan with more than 80 percent of remittances by Tajik labor migrants in Russia sent to their families through it .
The National Bank said on February 5 that Zolotaya Korona could be included in the National Processing Center 's operations if it finds a correspondent bank in Tajikistan that would agree to assume the risks linked to its operations .

The Tajik National Bank says terrorists who killed four foreign cyclists in the former Soviet republic in 2018 were financed via the Russian payment system Zolotaya Korona (Golden Crown).
Jamoliddin Nuraliev, the first deputy chairman of the central bank, said on February 5 that after the bank became aware of the issue, a new payment system, the National Processing Center, took over the transmission of money transfers from abroad in early December.
Two Americans, one Dutch national, and a Swiss citizen were killed in July 2018 by at least one assailant with a gun and knife after being plowed down by a vehicle in the Danghara district of the Khatlon region, about 150 kilometers south of the Tajik capital, Dushanbe. Three other foreigners -- including one French citizen -- were also injured in the attack.
Tajik security forces killed four people involved in the attack, which they later said was organized by the banned Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan (IRPT).
The party's exiled leaders have rejected any blame and the Islamic State terror group has claimed responsibility for the killing.
A fifth suspect in the attack was found guilty of murder in November 2018 and sentenced to life in prison.
The Zolotaya Korona payment system has been very popular in Tajikistan with more than 80 percent of remittances by Tajik labor migrants in Russia sent to their families through it.
The National Bank said on February 5 that Zolotaya Korona could be included in the National Processing Center's operations if it finds a correspondent bank in Tajikistan that would agree to assume the risks linked to its operations.


rferl--2020-02-05--U.S. Senate Acquits Trump Largely Along Party Lines

The Republican-dominated U.S. Senate has acquitted President Donald Trump of both charges in his impeachment trial , with one lone Republican voting to convict the president .
The senators on February 5 voted 52-48 to clear the Republican president of the first article of impeachment -- abuse of power .
The 53-47 vote on the second article -- obstruction of Congress -- brought the proceedings to an end and left Trump in office .
It would have required a two-thirds majority to convict , a highly unlikely event given that Republicans have 53 seats in the 100-seat chamber .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and it 's now time to get back to the business of the American people , '' Trump 's campaign manager , Brad Parscale , said in a statement .
Chuck Schumer , the top Senate Democrat , called the acquittal meaningless and the result of an unfair trial .
`` No doubt , the president will boast he received total exoneration .
But we know better .
We know this was n't a trial by any stretch of the definition , '' Schumer said .
The votes in Washington follow a highly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the president a day earlier , which further exposed the deep political divisions on Capitol Hill .
The Democratic-led House of Representatives impeached Trump in December for his alleged corruption in only the third such hearing against a president in the country 's history .
That vote set the stage for a Senate trial , where the two sides have clashed almost non-stop over the investigation and whether to allow new witnesses and evidence to be entered into the proceedings , a move the Republicans eventually defeated .
Mitt Romney of Utah , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the only Republican senator to vote for conviction on the abuse of power charge In 1974 , when many Republicans abandoned President Richard Nixon during an impeachment probe , prompting him to resign before the procedure went any further .
Democrat President Bill Clinton was impeached by the House in 1999 for lying under oath and obstruction of justice over a sexual relationship with an intern at the White House , but he was acquitted by the Senate , which was controlled by his party .
Trump has denied any wrongdoing in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ country 's 45th president withheld hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to Ukraine to force the eastern European country to announce an investigation into his political rival , Democrat Joe Biden , one of the frontrunners in the nomination race to face Trump in an election in November .
Democrats also accused him of withholding a desired White House visit by Ukraine 's newly elected leader , Volodymyr Zelenskiy , until the Ukraine government made a public announcement of a probe .
Trump has called the impeachment process a `` sham '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @

The White House has claimed "full vindication and exoneration" in the "sham" impeachment process against President Donald Trump following his expected acquittal in the Senate trial, and the president has said he will speak on the matter on February 6.
"Today, the sham impeachment attempt concocted by Democrats ended in the full vindication and exoneration of President Donald J. Trump," a White House statement said on February 5 after senators voted nearly along party lines on two articles of impeachment.
"As we have said all along, he is not guilty. The Senate voted to reject the baseless articles of impeachment, and only the President’s political opponents -- all Democrats, and one failed Republican presidential candidate -- voted for the manufactured impeachment articles," the statement said.
Senators voted 52-48 to clear the Republican president of the first article of impeachment -- abuse of power, with only Utah Senator Mitt Romney defying Trump to vote guilty.
The 53-47 vote on the second article -- obstruction of Congress -- brought the proceedings to an end and left Trump in office.
Acquittal was all along expected, given that a two-thirds majority was needed to convict. The Republicans hold 53 of the 100 seats in the chamber.
In his first remarks following the votes, Trump wrote on Twitter that he will be making a public statement on February 6 at noon "to discuss our Country's VICTORY on the Impeachment Hoax!"
Trump's campaign manager for the 2020 election, Brad Parscale, also declared that "President Trump has been totally vindicated, and it's now time to get back to the business of the American people."
However, Chuck Schumer, the top Senate Democrat, called the acquittal meaningless and the result of an unfair trial in which Republicans voted against allowing Democrats to call witnesses or subpoena documents.
"No doubt, the president will boast he received total exoneration. But we know better. We know this wasn't a trial by any stretch of the definition," Schumer said.
The Democratic-led House of Representatives impeached Trump in December for his alleged corruption in only the third such hearing against a president in the country's history.
The charges focused on whether the country's 45th president withheld hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to Ukraine to force the Eastern European country to announce an investigation into his political rival, Democrat Joe Biden, one of the front-runners in the nomination race to face Trump in an election in November.
Democrats also accused him of withholding a desired White House visit by Ukraine's newly elected leader, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, until the Ukrainian government made a public announcement of a probe.
Trump has denied any wronging in his dealings with Ukraine.
That set the stage for a Senate trial, where the two sides clashed almost nonstop over the investigation and whether to allow new witnesses and evidence to be entered into the proceedings.
Romney, the 2012 Republican presidential candidate, was the only Republican senator to vote for conviction on the abuse of power charge. He voted to acquit on the second article.
Following the vote, Trump accused Romney of being a "secret asset" of the Democratic Party and of only "posing" to be a Republican.
With reporting by AP and Reuters


rferl--2020-02-05--Jailed Tajik Lawyer Yorov Awarded Homo Homini Human Rights Prize

The Prague-based NGO People in Need has awarded its annual Homo Homini prize to Tajikistan ’ s jailed lawyer Buzurgmehr Yorov for his “ commitment to defending basic human rights and to assure a fair trial to all citizens ” of his country .
“ Yorov has been promoting human rights in Tajikistan for many years despite facing severe persecution as a result of his work .
He did not hesitate to defend clients who were targeted by politically motivated charges , whose cases other lawyers were not willing to take , ” a statement said on February 5 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ job , this prominent lawyer lost both his property and his freedom , ” it added .
Yorov was sentenced in October 2016 on charges of issuing public calls for the overthrow of the government and inciting social unrest .
His 23-year prison term was later extended by five years after he was found guilty of contempt of court and insulting a government official .
Last year , his prison term was cut by six years as part of a mass amnesty .
The lawyer has denied any wrongdoing , saying his trial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan , a group that was banned in 2015 as a terrorist organization .
Western governments and human rights organizations have urged the Tajik government to release Yorov , who was awarded last year the Faiziniso Vohidova Human Rights Prize by the Association of Central Asian Migrants in Europe .
The Homo Homini Award will be presented on March 5 to his brother , Jamshed Yorov , at the opening of the One World Film Festival , a human rights film festival held annually in the Czech @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people and groups in recognition of their contribution to “ the defense of human rights , democracy , and the nonviolent resolution of political conflicts.
” Past laureates include Azerbaijani lawyer Intiqam Aliyev , Belarusian human rights defender Ales Byalyatski , and Iranian activists Abdollah Momeni and Majid Tavakoli .

The Prague-based NGO People in Need has awarded its annual Homo Homini prize to Tajikistan’s jailed lawyer Buzurgmehr Yorov for his “commitment to defending basic human rights and to assure a fair trial to all citizens” of his country.
“Yorov has been promoting human rights in Tajikistan for many years despite facing severe persecution as a result of his work. He did not hesitate to defend clients who were targeted by politically motivated charges, whose cases other lawyers were not willing to take,” a statement said on February 5.
“As a result of doing his job, this prominent lawyer lost both his property and his freedom,” it added.
Yorov was sentenced in October 2016 on charges of issuing public calls for the overthrow of the government and inciting social unrest. His 23-year prison term was later extended by five years after he was found guilty of contempt of court and insulting a government official.
Last year, his prison term was cut by six years as part of a mass amnesty.
The lawyer has denied any wrongdoing, saying his trial was politically motivated because he defended members of the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan, a group that was banned in 2015 as a terrorist organization.
Western governments and human rights organizations have urged the Tajik government to release Yorov, who was awarded last year the Faiziniso Vohidova Human Rights Prize by the Association of Central Asian Migrants in Europe.
The Homo Homini Award will be presented on March 5 to his brother, Jamshed Yorov, at the opening of the One World Film Festival, a human rights film festival held annually in the Czech Republic.
The prize is awarded to people and groups in recognition of their contribution to “the defense of human rights, democracy, and the nonviolent resolution of political conflicts.”
Past laureates include Azerbaijani lawyer Intiqam Aliyev, Belarusian human rights defender Ales Byalyatski, and Iranian activists Abdollah Momeni and Majid Tavakoli.


rferl--2020-02-05--U.S. Blacklists Bulgarian Judge Over Involvement In 'Significant' Corruption

The United States has imposed sanctions on Andon Mitalov , a Bulgarian judge that the State Department says is involved in `` significant '' corruption in the Balkan country .
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement on February 5 that he was blacklisting Bulgarian Specialized Criminal Court Judge Andon Mitalov due to his involvement in `` corrupt acts that undermined the rule of law and severely compromised the independence of democratic institutions in Bulgaria . ''
The statement added that Mitalov 's wife , Kornelia Stoykova-Mitalova , and his daughter , Gergana Mitalova , were also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which bars them from entering the United States .
Mitalov raised the ire of many within and outside Bulgaria when he allowed Nikolai Malinov , a former Bulgarian lawmaker who is charged with spying for Russia , to visit Moscow where he received an award personally from President Vladimir Putin .
`` This is the first such designation in Bulgaria and reaffirms the U.S. commitment to combating corruption in Bulgaria and globally , ” Pompeo said in the statement .
“ The United States continues to stand with the people of Bulgaria in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Department will use these authorities to promote accountability for corrupt actors in this region and globally , '' he added .
`` This is the first such designation in Bulgaria and reaffirms the U.S. commitment to combatting corruption in Bulgaria and globally .
The United States continues to stand with the people of Bulgaria in their fight against corruption .
The State Department will use these authorities to promote accountability for corrupt actors in this region and globally , '' Pompeo said in the statement .
The U.S. move comes a day after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` withdrawing my confidence '' in the government of Prime Minister Boyko Borisov , accusing it on failing to tackle endemic corruption .
The country has experienced steady economic growth under Borisov , but his government has also been criticized for slow progress in the fight against corruption and a perceived failure to hold corrupt officials and businessmen accountable .
`` This government and administration are leading to the collapse of the state and depriving us of our future as a nation , '' Radev , a former air force commander , said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Today we are witnessing an acute crisis in governance at all levels , a lack of will to reform and fight corruption.
” The European Commission has also slammed Bulgaria over its record in the areas of rule of law and white-collar crime. Malinov has claimed he was being targeted by prosecutors in Bulgaria because he openly promotes stronger ties with Russia .

The United States has imposed sanctions on Andon Mitalov, a Bulgarian judge that the State Department says is involved in "significant" corruption in the Balkan country.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement on February 5 that he was blacklisting Specialized Criminal Court Judge Mitalov due to his involvement in "corrupt acts that undermined the rule of law and severely compromised the independence of democratic institutions in Bulgaria."
The statement added that Mitalov's wife, Kornelia Stoykova-Mitalova, and his daughter, Gergana Mitalova, were also given "special designation" status, which bars them from entering the United States.
Mitalov raised the ire of many within and outside Bulgaria when he allowed Nikolai Malinov, a former Bulgarian lawmaker who is charged with spying for Russia, to visit Moscow, where he received an award personally from President Vladimir Putin in November.
"This is the first such designation in Bulgaria and reaffirms the U.S. commitment to combating corruption in Bulgaria and globally," Pompeo said in the statement.
"The United States continues to stand with the people of Bulgaria in their fight against corruption. The State Department will use these authorities to promote accountability for corrupt actors in this region and globally," he added.
"This is the first such designation in Bulgaria and reaffirms the U.S. commitment to combating corruption in Bulgaria and globally. The United States continues to stand with the people of Bulgaria in their fight against corruption. The State Department will use these authorities to promote accountability for corrupt actors in this region and globally," Pompeo concluded.
The U.S. move comes a day after Bulgarian President Rumen Radev said he was "withdrawing my confidence" in the government of Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, accusing it of failing to tackle endemic corruption.
The country has experienced steady economic growth under Borisov, but his government has also been criticized for slow progress in the fight against corruption and a perceived failure to hold corrupt officials and businessmen accountable.
"This government and administration are leading to the collapse of the state and depriving us of our future as a nation," Radev, a former air-force commander, said in a live televised address.
"Today we are witnessing an acute crisis in governance at all levels, a lack of will to reform and fight corruption.”
The European Commission has also slammed Bulgaria over its record in the areas of rule of law and white-collar crime.
Malinov has claimed he was being targeted by prosecutors in Bulgaria because he openly promotes stronger ties with Russia.


rferl--2020-02-05--Ankara Urges Brussels Not To Separate Turkey From Western Balkans In Accession Talks

Turkey has urged the European Union to remove “ the artificial division ” between the Western Balkans and Turkey in the bloc ’ s enlargement policy and slammed Brussels ’ treatment of Ankara in a letter seen by RFE/RL .
The letter , addressed by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu to new EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell , is dated 22 January and outlines the Turkish view of the bloc 's enlargement policy ahead of the publication by the European Commission on February 5 of a new methodology for EU accession negotiations .
The commission 's proposals concern EU @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Albania , Bosnia-Herzegovina , Kosovo , and North Macedonia .
Cavusoglu says in his letter said that the accession of the Western Balkan countries should n't be treated differently from that of Turkey .
“ All countries should be treated on equal footing .
We hope to see some positive steps taken in this direction to end the artificial division in the enlargement policy between 'Western Balkans ' and Turkey during your tenure ” , Cavusoglu wrote , adding , “ aside from the fact that Turkey is a Balkan country by virtue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , every candidate country should be judged on their own merits and under equal circumstances.
” Turkey applied to join the European Economic Community , the predecessor of the European Union , in 1987 and started EU accession talks in 2005 .
In recent years , those negotiations have come to a standstill with the bloc critical of Turkey ’ s human rights and rule-of-law record .
The bloc has criticized President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ’ s extended crackdown on civil society at home and increasingly assertive policies abroad .
Currently , 14 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ must close in order to become a member are frozen .
In contrast , both Serbia and Montenegro have proceeded further than Turkey in their EU accession talks despite only opening negotiations with Brussels in the past decade .
Cavusoglu said that “ despite populist-riven debates on whether Turkey should be granted EU membership , my country is a candidate destined to join the EU as indicated in the accession partnership document.
” He suggested that EU member states should have a say on Turkish membership after negotiations with the bloc have ended @ @ @ @ @ @ @ whether a candidate country is fit for membership should be taken at the very end of the process , not when some member states deem it necessary in line with their national agenda.
” Cavusoglu added that “ today , the Turkish people still overwhelmingly believe in the EU project , but a vast majority do not trust the EU due to double standards and discrimination against Turkey .
”

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--2020-02-05--Afghan Media Watchdog Demands More Access To Information

An Afghan media watchdog has urged the government to take note of a demand for more media freedoms after numerous local media outlets issued a joint statement denouncing the `` deterioration '' of access to government-related information in the country .
Sayed Ikram Afzali , the head of Integrity Watch Afghanistan , said on February 5 that adequate legislation guaranteeing the media 's ability to work and access information exists , but that the government has refused to provide enough funding and support to implement the law .
In a joint statement unveiled at a protest rally in Kabul on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ privately owned national TV channels , local broadcasters , and newspapers blamed the `` carelessness '' of the government for endangering media freedom in recent years .
The protest was supported by media-freedom and human rights watchdogs , the UN mission in Afghanistan , and Western embassies in Kabul , which said access to information for citizens will make Afghan democracy stronger .
Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah has responded by calling on `` all the government organizations to cooperate and share information with the citizens . ''
Abdullah said that `` freedom of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the most important national achievements of the people of Afghanistan , '' adding that `` honoring and respecting this achievement is the responsibility of government officials . ''
In their statement , the media outlets said that all government institutions had `` shortcomings '' when it comes to providing access to information , but cited the Supreme Court , the Attorney General 's Office , the National Directorate of Security , the president 's office , the Finance Ministry , the central bank , and the Defense Ministry as being `` the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ against the backdrop of relentless violence across the country .
Afghan forces , backed by U.S. allies , continue to battle Taliban militants who currently control or hold sway over nearly half of Afghanistan .
The Taliban launches frequent attacks targeting government forces and officials , as well as those seen loyal to the government .
The United States is engaged in on-again-off-again talks with the Taliban , led by U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad , to find a negotiated end to Afghanistan 's 18-year war that would allow the U.S. to bring home @ @ @ @ @ @ @ my tenure as the chief information commissioner , I have witnessed the media ’ s access to information being restricted by key government institutions , ” said Afzali .
“ Unfortunately , the trend continues . ''
Abdul Mujeeb Khalvatgar , head of the Nai Supporting Open Media group , said the situation is critical .
“ If there is no access to information , then the nature of the media as a tool of freedom of expression will vanish , '' Khalvatgar said .
Afghanistan ranks among the most dangerous countries in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the Afghan Journalists Safety Committee reported that five journalists were killed in 2019 in the country .
In a statement , Amnesty International asid the Afghan government `` has a responsibility to not just protect journalists but provide access to information in line with Afghan laws and the country ’ s international obligations on the right to freedom of expression.
” Paris-based Reporters Without Borders criticized the Afghan authorities ' `` failure '' to fully implement the law on access to state-held information .
The European Union office in Afghanistan also called @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in full , '' saying the `` free flow of information is crucial for any democracy & progressive society . ''
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said that `` open and healthy societies promote access to information for citizens , '' which it said was `` vital '' for accountability and fighting corruption , improving government performance and efficiency , encouraging investment , and empowering citizens in public life .

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--2020-02-05--Uzbekistan Repatriates Dozens More As Central Asia Frets Over Coronavirus

Uzbekistan Airways has returned 84 Uzbek nationals from the Chinese city of Wuhan , amid rising fears among Central Asian nations over the possible spread of the deadly coronavirus from its giant neighbor .
The Uzbek Health Ministry said in a statement on February 5 that the majority of those repatriated were students studying in China , and that `` none of them is suspected of having the new coronavirus . ''
A day earlier , 250 Uzbek students were brought to Tashkent by chartered plane .
All of them were checked for coronavirus and health authorities said the same @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the virus were negative .
China 's National Health Commission said on February 5 that nearly 500 people in mainland China have died from the virus , with a total of 24,324 confirmed cases .
The outbreak has prompted Uzbekistan to suspend commercial air travel with China on February 1 .
Authorities have also issued a travel alert for China , and the State Tourism Committee has recommend that local travel agencies and tour operators suspend sales of travel packages to China .
Lying in China 's shadow , countries throughout Central Asia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at bay .
In Kyrgyzstan , a representative of the World Health Organization , Nazira Artykova , said on February 5 that , if need be , Bishkek will ask a London-based virology lab for help .
Earlier , on February 3 , Kyrgyz authorities said that neighboring Kazakhstan had assisted in evacuating 18 Kyrgyz citizens from Wuhan , a city of almost 11 million people that is considered the epicenter of the outbreak , and placed them in a two-week quarantine for testing .
On February 2 , the Kazakh government said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ citizens from Wuhan , along with an unspecified number of Armenian , Belarusian , and Kyrgyz nationals , and placed them to a two-week quarantine for checkups .
In Tajikistan , the Ministry of Health and Social Protection said that , in all , 285 Tajik nationals who arrived from China in recent weeks had been placed in medical facilities for checkups .
As of February 5 , no Wuhan coronavirus cases had been confirmed in any of the Central Asian nations .
With reporting by RFE/RL 's Kazakh , Kyrgyz , Tajik @ @ @ @

Uzbekistan Airways has returned 84 Uzbek nationals from the Chinese city of Wuhan, amid rising fears among Central Asian nations over the possible spread of the deadly coronavirus from its giant neighbor.
The Uzbek Health Ministry said in a statement on February 5 that the majority of those repatriated were students studying in China, and that "none of them is suspected of having the new coronavirus."
A day earlier, 250 Uzbek students were brought to Tashkent by chartered plane. All of them were checked for coronavirus and health authorities said the same day that all of the tests for the virus were negative.
China's National Health Commission said on February 5 that nearly 500 people in mainland China have died from the virus, with a total of 24,324 confirmed cases.
The outbreak has prompted Uzbekistan to suspend commercial air travel with China on February 1. Authorities have also issued a travel alert for China, and the State Tourism Committee has recommend that local travel agencies and tour operators suspend sales of travel packages to China.
Lying in China's shadow, countries throughout Central Asia have been scrambling to keep the virus at bay.
In Kyrgyzstan, a representative of the World Health Organization, Nazira Artykova, said on February 5 that, if need be, Bishkek will ask a London-based virology lab for help.
Earlier, on February 3, Kyrgyz authorities said that neighboring Kazakhstan had assisted in evacuating 18 Kyrgyz citizens from Wuhan, a city of almost 11 million people that is considered the epicenter of the outbreak, and placed them in a two-week quarantine for testing.
On February 2, the Kazakh government said that it had evacuated 88 of its citizens from Wuhan, along with an unspecified number of Armenian, Belarusian, and Kyrgyz nationals, and placed them to a two-week quarantine for checkups.
In Tajikistan, the Ministry of Health and Social Protection said that, in all, 285 Tajik nationals who arrived from China in recent weeks had been placed in medical facilities for checkups.
As of February 5, no Wuhan coronavirus cases had been confirmed in any of the Central Asian nations.
With reporting by RFE/RL's Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik, and Uzbek services


rferl--2020-02-05--Official: Russia To Begin S-400 Missile Delivery To India By End Of 2021

Russia will begin delivering surface-to-air missile systems to India by the end of 2021 , state news agency RIA Novosti quoted a Russian official as saying on February 5 .
India signed a $ 5-billion deal for S-400 missiles in 2018 , prompting warnings from Washington that such an acquisition would trigger sanctions .
`` The contract is being implemented on schedule .
The first shipment is due by the end of 2021 , '' deputy director of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation ( FSMTC ) , Vladimir Drozhzhov , said at Defense Expo 2020 in Lucknow , India @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Indian specialists is to begin before this delivery , '' Drozhzhov was quoted as saying .
In November , the same agency cited the general director of Russian state arms exporter Rosoboronexport , Aleksander Mikheev , as saying deliveries would start in September 2021 .
The United States was furious last year at NATO ally Turkey purchasing the Russian system , which Washington says is not compatible with NATO equipment .
Russia says the S-400 is capable of engaging airborne targets within a range of about 400 kilometers .
A next-generation S-500 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about 500 kilometers , is reportedly being developed .
Based on reporting by Reuters and dpa

Russia will begin delivering surface-to-air missile systems to India by the end of 2021, state news agency RIA Novosti quoted a Russian official as saying on February 5.
India signed a $5-billion deal for S-400 missiles in 2018, prompting warnings from Washington that such an acquisition would trigger sanctions.
"The contract is being implemented on schedule. The first shipment is due by the end of 2021," deputy director of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSMTC), Vladimir Drozhzhov, said at Defense Expo 2020 in Lucknow, India, RIA reported.
"The training of Indian specialists is to begin before this delivery," Drozhzhov was quoted as saying.
In November, the same agency cited the general director of Russian state arms exporter Rosoboronexport, Aleksander Mikheev, as saying deliveries would start in September 2021.
The United States was furious last year at NATO ally Turkey purchasing the Russian system, which Washington says is not compatible with NATO equipment.
Russia says the S-400 is capable of engaging airborne targets within a range of about 400 kilometers. A next-generation S-500 system, to extend that range to about 500 kilometers, is reportedly being developed.
Based on reporting by Reuters and dpa


rferl--2020-02-05--Romanian Government Toppled In No-Confidence Vote

Romanian Prime Minister Ludovic Orban 's center-right minority government has been dismissed after losing a no-confidence vote brought by the leftist opposition .
The no-confidence motion was put forward on February 5 by the opposition Social Democrats ( PSD ) , who were themselves ousted by parliament in October , and the ethnic Hungarian party UDMR .
The PSD and UDMR had criticized Orban for pushing to alter electoral laws without public debate ahead of a mayoral ballot scheduled in late spring .
Lawmakers voted 261-139 to dismiss the government , comfortably above the 233-vote threshold needed .
It was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Orban 's minority cabinet since taking power on an anti-corruption ticket in November .
The PSD and the UDMR hold 228 seats in parliament , which indicates that a number of lawmakers from the center-right USR and center-left Pro Romania parties voted against a government that they initially supported in November .
Early elections are likely to be called by June at the latest .
If the vote had failed , Orban 's cabinet would have had a green light to reintroduce electing local officials in two rounds of voting instead of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Both PSD and the UDMR would have stood to lose a high number of local positions if local officials will again be elected in two rounds .
However , Orban 's Liberals , who have upped their popularity ratings from 30 percent to some 47 percent since November , have a better chance to form a coalition government after snap polls rather than wait until regular parliamentary elections due later this year .
Orban said after the vote , `` The government has fallen , but it has fallen on its feet .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ over the same period of time to about 20 percent .
With reporting by RFE/RL 's Romanian Service , g4media.ro , digi.24.ro , and Reuters

Romanian Prime Minister Ludovic Orban's center-right minority government has been dismissed after losing a no-confidence vote brought by the leftist opposition.
The no-confidence motion was put forward on February 5 by the opposition Social Democrats (PSD), who were themselves ousted by parliament in October, and the ethnic Hungarian party UDMR.
The PSD and UDMR had criticized Orban for pushing to alter electoral laws without public debate ahead of a mayoral ballot scheduled in late spring.
Lawmakers voted 261-139 to dismiss the government, comfortably above the 233-vote threshold needed.
It was the first test of parliamentary support for Orban's minority cabinet since taking power on an anti-corruption ticket in November.
The PSD and the UDMR hold 228 seats in parliament, which indicates that a number of lawmakers from the center-right USR and center-left Pro Romania parties voted against a government that they initially supported in November.
Early elections are likely to be called by June at the latest.
If the vote had failed, Orban's cabinet would have had a green light to reintroduce electing local officials in two rounds of voting instead of the current first-past-the-post system introduced in 2012. Both PSD and the UDMR would have stood to lose a high number of local positions if local officials will again be elected in two rounds.
However, Orban's Liberals, who have upped their popularity ratings from 30 percent to some 47 percent since November, have a better chance to form a coalition government after snap polls rather than wait until regular parliamentary elections due later this year.
Orban said after the vote, "The government has fallen, but it has fallen on its feet."
PSD has seen its popularity halved over the same period of time to about 20 percent.
With reporting by RFE/RL's Romanian Service, g4media.ro, digi.24.ro, and Reuters


rferl--2020-02-06--Kremlin Says It Has No Part In Russian Citizen Becoming 'Prime Minister' In Ukraine's Separatist Reg

Kremlin Says It Has No Part In Russian Citizen Becoming 'Prime Minister' In Ukraine's Separatist Region

The Kremlin has distanced itself from the naming of a Russian citizen as the separatist prime minister in Ukraine 's eastern Donetsk region .
Commenting on media reports saying that Vladimir Pashkov , former deputy governor of Russia 's Irkutsk region , had become `` the acting prime minister of the Donetsk people 's republic , '' Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on February 6 that `` there is nothing controversial '' with the move .
`` Russia has absolutely nothing to do with that conflict .
It is not an official person delegated officially [ there ] .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ activities of a private person who acts as an ordinary citizen of the Russian Federation , '' Peskov said .
Some areas of Ukraine 's eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk , generally known as the Donbas , have been controlled since April 2014 by Russia-backed separatists .
Russia incited an insurgency in the region following its illegal annexation of Ukraine 's Crimea in March 2014 , but has denied any involvement in the ongoing conflict , in which more than 13,000 people have been killed .
Based on reporting by UNIAN and @

The Kremlin has distanced itself from the naming of a Russian citizen as the separatist prime minister in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region.
Commenting on media reports saying that Vladimir Pashkov, former deputy governor of Russia's Irkutsk region, had become "the acting prime minister of the Donetsk people's republic," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on February 6 that "there is nothing controversial" with the move.
"Russia has absolutely nothing to do with that conflict. It is not an official person delegated officially [there]. In this case it is likely about the activities of a private person who acts as an ordinary citizen of the Russian Federation," Peskov said.
Some areas of Ukraine's eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, generally known as the Donbas, have been controlled since April 2014 by Russia-backed separatists.
Russia incited an insurgency in the region following its illegal annexation of Ukraine's Crimea in March 2014, but has denied any involvement in the ongoing conflict, in which more than 13,000 people have been killed.
Based on reporting by UNIAN and TASS


rferl--2020-02-06--Bulgaria Changes Legislation To Join Euro 'Waiting Room'

Bulgaria 's parliament has adopted amendments to the country 's central-bank law in order to ease its accession to the `` waiting room '' of the eurozone .
Bulgaria has operated an International Monetary Fund ( IMF ) -led currency-board arrangement since 1999 that pegs its national currency , the lev , to the euro at a fixed rate of 1.95583 .
An EU member since 2007 , Bulgaria would seek to join the ERM2 Exchange Rate Mechanism -- known as the `` waiting room '' to the eurozone -- at this rate as soon as April , Finance Minister @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that after admission , Bulgaria 's central bank allow currency fluctuations of up to 15 percent above or below the central rate .
Parliament voted to allow the central bank to now operate on that basis .
Under the amendments , for the duration of Bulgaria 's membership in ERM2 , the central bank would negotiate the lev-euro rate with the European Central Bank , the eurozone member states , and Denmark .
Bulgaria would need to spend at least two years in the mechanism before it is allowed to join the eurozone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the IMF , Bulgaria 's Kristalina Georgieva , said the country 's accession to the euro `` by 2023 is entirely possible '' .
During Bulgaria 's worst banking and financial crisis , in 1996-97 , 14 banks went bankrupt and inflation soared to 300 percent .
The IMF-led currency board and the fixed rate helped the country control that hyperinflation .
Bulgaria is the European Union 's poorest country .

Bulgaria's parliament has adopted amendments to the country's central-bank law in order to ease its accession to the "waiting room" of the eurozone.
Bulgaria has operated an International Monetary Fund (IMF)-led currency-board arrangement since 1999 that pegs its national currency, the lev, to the euro at a fixed rate of 1.95583.
An EU member since 2007, Bulgaria would seek to join the ERM2 Exchange Rate Mechanism -- known as the "waiting room" to the eurozone -- at this rate as soon as April, Finance Minister Vladislav Goranov announced.
ERM2 rules require that after admission, Bulgaria's central bank allow currency fluctuations of up to 15 percent above or below the central rate.
Parliament voted to allow the central bank to now operate on that basis.
Under the amendments, for the duration of Bulgaria's membership in ERM2, the central bank would negotiate the lev-euro rate with the European Central Bank, the eurozone member states, and Denmark.
Bulgaria would need to spend at least two years in the mechanism before it is allowed to join the eurozone.
Last month, the head of the IMF, Bulgaria's Kristalina Georgieva, said the country's accession to the euro "by 2023 is entirely possible".
During Bulgaria's worst banking and financial crisis, in 1996-97, 14 banks went bankrupt and inflation soared to 300 percent.
The IMF-led currency board and the fixed rate helped the country control that hyperinflation. Bulgaria is the European Union's poorest country.
With reporting by Reuters


rferl--2020-02-06--Kazakhstan Bans Exports Of Protective Masks To China Amid Coronavirus Fears

Kazakhstan has banned the exports of protective masks after their sales to neighboring China surged amid the coronavirus outbreak .
@ @ @ @ @ 1,800-kilometer-long border with China , has not reported any confirmed domestic cases of the virus @ @ @ @ @ of people for tests .
`` We would like to note that some producers and @ @ @ @ @ They sold their stock to China , '' a Health ministry spokesman told the media @ @ @ @ @ government is also working on securing imports of masks to meet surging demand , he @ @ @ @ @ killed 563 people in mainland China , with more than 28,000 confirmed cases .
Two @ @ @ @ @ mainland China , one in Hong Kong and one in the Philippines .

Kazakhstan has banned the exports of protective masks after their sales to neighboring China surged amid the coronavirus outbreak.
Kazakhstan, which has a 1,800-kilometer-long border with China, has not reported any confirmed domestic cases of the virus, but has quarantined dozens of people for tests.
"We would like to note that some producers and distributors have behaved unethically. They sold their stock to China," a Health ministry spokesman told the media on February 6.
The government is also working on securing imports of masks to meet surging demand, he said.
The virus has killed 563 people in mainland China, with more than 28,000 confirmed cases. Two people have also died outside mainland China, one in Hong Kong and one in the Philippines.
Based on reporting by Reuters


rferl--2020-02-06--Jailed Azerbaijani Banker's Wife Loses Battle Over U.K.'s First Unexplained Wealth Order

A jailed Azerbaijani banker 's wife who spent 16 million pounds ( $ 21 million ) over a decade in London 's Harrods department store and was the target of Britain 's first unexplained wealth order ( UWO ) has lost her appeal against a court order to reveal the source of her money .
Zamira Haciyeva 's husband , Cahangir Haciyev , is an ex-chairman of the state-controlled International Bank of Azerbaijan who is serving a lengthy prison term in his homeland on fraud and embezzlement charges .
UWOs were first brought into force in January 2018 under a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and Haciyeva was the first person to be made subject to one of these orders .
The Court of Appeal in London on February 5 dismissed 56-year-old Haciyeva 's move to overturn the UWO against a property in London 's Knightsbridge district that was purchased for 11.6 million pounds ( almost $ 15 million ) in 2009 and the Mill Ride Golf Course in Berkshire that was bought for 10.5 million pounds ( more than $ 13.5 million ) in 2013 .
Haciyeva had tried to persuade the court that her husband @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the decision to make her a target of the UWO .
But the court rejected that argument .
According to the law , now Haciyeva must explain to the National Crime Agency ( NCA ) within seven days how she could afford the properties and her extravagant spending .
Failure to explain the origins of her money will give the right to the NCA to seize her assets , the law says .
Based on reporting by Financial Times , BBC , and Sky News

A jailed Azerbaijani banker's wife who spent 16 million pounds ($21 million) over a decade in London's Harrods department store and was the target of Britain's first unexplained wealth order (UWO) has lost her appeal against a court order to reveal the source of her money.
Zamira Haciyeva's husband, Cahangir Haciyev, is an ex-chairman of the state-controlled International Bank of Azerbaijan who is serving a lengthy prison term in his homeland on fraud and embezzlement charges.
UWOs were first brought into force in January 2018 under a range of so-called "McMafia laws", and Haciyeva was the first person to be made subject to one of these orders.
The Court of Appeal in London on February 5 dismissed 56-year-old Haciyeva's move to overturn the UWO against a property in London's Knightsbridge district that was purchased for 11.6 million pounds (almost $15 million) in 2009 and the Mill Ride Golf Course in Berkshire that was bought for 10.5 million pounds (more than $13.5 million) in 2013.
Haciyeva had tried to persuade the court that her husband's conviction in Azerbaijan had contributed to the decision to make her a target of the UWO. But the court rejected that argument.
According to the law, now Haciyeva must explain to the National Crime Agency (NCA) within seven days how she could afford the properties and her extravagant spending.
Failure to explain the origins of her money will give the right to the NCA to seize her assets, the law says.
Based on reporting by Financial Times, BBC, and Sky News


rferl--2020-02-06--Turkey Expects Russia To Immediately Stop Syrian Regime Attacks In Idlib

Turkey expects Moscow to put an end to Syrian government forces ' attacks in the northwestern region of Idlib immediately , Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has said .
Cavusoglu , speaking to reporters on February 6 in Azerbaijan 's capital , Baku , said Turkey needed to work with Russia to resolve problems in Idlib , the last rebel stronghold in Syria .
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has threatened to push back Syrian government forces in Idlib unless they withdraw from the region by the end of month , after an attack by Syrian forces killed eight Turkish military @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cavusoglu also said that a Russian delegation would come to Turkey to discuss Idlib and that Erdogan might meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin , if necessary .
Meanwhile , Russia 's Foreign Ministry said on February 6 that Russian and Turkish `` military specialists '' were killed by militants who staged more than 1,000 attacks in the last two weeks of January in the de-escalation zone in Idlib .
`` There has recently been a dangerous increase in tension and a surge of violence in Idlib , '' the ministry said in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ continues to closely coordinate with Turkey and Iran on the ground in Syria , the statement said .
Turkey and Russia , which support opposing sides in Syria 's conflict , have agreed to work toward de-escalating the fighting in Idlib and creating a demilitarized zone .
A war monitor said on February 6 that Syrian government forces battling rebels in Idlib were hit by Turkish artillery fire as they tried to seize the town of Saraqeb .
Government forces backed by air strikes had encircled and entered Saraqeb , 15 kilometers east @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , according to the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights .
Based on reporting by Reuters and Interfax

Turkey says it expects Moscow to put an end to the Syrian government forces' attacks in the northwestern province of Idlib immediately.
Speaking on February 6 in Azerbaijan's capital, Baku, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Turkey needs to work with Russia to resolve problems in Idlib, the last rebel stronghold in Syria.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has threatened to push back Syrian government forces in Idlib unless they withdraw from the region by the end of the month, after an attack by Syrian forces killed eight Turkish military personnel there on February 3.
Russia, along with Iran, has provided crucial support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government in a civil war that has killed more than 400,000 people and displaced millions since it began with a crackdown on anti-government protesters in March 2011.
Russia and Ankara, which supports rebel groups in Syria, have agreed to work toward de-escalating the fighting in Idlib and creating a demilitarized zone.
Cavusoglu said that a Russian delegation would travel to Turkey to discuss Idlib and that Erdogan may meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin if necessary.
Meanwhile, a war monitor said that Syrian government forces battling rebels in Idlib were hit by Turkish artillery fire as they tried to seize the town of Saraqeb.
The previous day, government forces backed by air strikes had encircled and entered Saraqeb, 15 kilometers east of Idlib city, according to the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Russia's Foreign Ministry on February 6 said that Russian and Turkish "military specialists" were killed by militants who staged more than 1,000 attacks in the last two weeks of January in the de-escalation zone in Idlib.
"There has recently been a dangerous increase in tension and a surge of violence in Idlib," according to the ministry, which said Russia continues to closely coordinate with Turkey and Iran on the ground in Syria.
On February 5 in Washington, James Jeffrey, the U.S. special envoy for Syria, said the United States was "very, very worried" about the Russia-backed assault on Idlib.
"This is a dangerous conflict. It needs to be brought to an end. Russia needs to change its policies," Jeffrey said.
Also, Syrian state media reported on February 6 that Israeli warplanes had fired missiles at targets near Syria's capital, Damascus.
However, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Syrian Army positions and those of Iran-backed militias were hit near Damascus and in the southern province of Daraa, killing 23 fighters.
Israel, which has acknowledged carrying out hundreds of strikes in Syria in recent years to stop Iranian "military entrenchment," did not comment on the missile attack in Damascus.
With reporting by Reuters, Interfax, the BBC, and AFP


rferl--2020-02-06--Ukraine Detains Moldovan Suspected Of Torching RFE/RL Correspondent's Car In Lviv

KYIV -- Ukrainian police have detained a Moldovan national on suspicion of setting the car of RFE/RL correspondent Halyna Tereshchuk on fire in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv last month .
Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said on February 6 that a Moldovan student from an unidentified school in Lviv had been detained as a suspect in the arson attack .
`` We are working on finding out who prompted him do that .
The safety of a journalist is a priority , '' Avakov wrote on Twitter .
Tereshchuk 's car was set on fire and completely destroyed on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , who has worked for RFE/RL since 2000 , said at the time that she suspected the attack was linked to her professional activities .
Deputy Interior Minister Anton Herashchenko told RFE/RL at the time of the attack that it might have been ordered by a third party .
The Ukrainian unit of rights group Freedom House condemned the torching of Tereshchuk 's car , as well as that of Andriy Lukin , an activist in Zaporizhzhya , whose car was also set ablaze on January 29 .
The group stated that `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vehicles and property are becoming increasingly used as a means to pressure active people in Ukraine . ''
It noted there were 11 cases last year of property belonging to activists being destroyed and `` in almost all cases , the perpetrators were not found and punished . ''

KYIV -- Ukrainian police have detained a man on suspicion of setting the car of RFE/RL correspondent Halyna Tereshchuk on fire in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv last month.
According to Schemes, a television program produced by RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service and Ukrainian Public Television, the detainee is a citizen of Ukraine registered in the western Ukrainian city of Kamianets-Podilskyi. Earlier, Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said on Twitter that the detainee is a Moldovan citizen.
"We are working on finding out who prompted him do that. The safety of a journalist is a priority," Avakov wrote on Twitter.
Tereshchuk's car was set on fire and completely destroyed on the night of January 29.
The journalist, who has worked for RFE/RL since 2000, said at the time that she suspected the attack was linked to her professional activities.
Deputy Interior Minister Anton Herashchenko told RFE/RL at the time of the attack that it might have been ordered by a third party.
The Ukrainian unit of rights group Freedom House condemned the torching of Tereshchuk's car, as well as that of Andriy Lukin, an activist in Zaporizhzhya, whose car was also set ablaze on January 29.
The group stated that "arson or other methods of destruction of vehicles and property are becoming increasingly used as a means to pressure active people in Ukraine."
It noted there were 11 cases last year of property belonging to activists being destroyed and "in almost all cases, the perpetrators were not found and punished."


rferl--2020-02-06--Former Kyrgyz President Akaev's Son, Nephew Die Of Heart Attacks

BISHKEK -- Former Kyrgyz President Askar Akaev 's eldest son , Aidar , has died in Moscow at the age @ @ @ @ @ the former leader told RFE/RL on February 6 that Aidar Akaev died the day before @ @ @ @ @ most likely will be buried in the Russian capital .
The Akaevs fled to Moscow @ @ @ @ @ 's first president was toppled by anti-government demonstrations in March 2005 , and have been @ @ @ @ @ Aidar Akaev was married to the youngest daughter of Kazakhstan ’ s first president , @ @ @ @ @ .
Also , on February 5 , Kuban Akaev , a son of Askar Akaev @ @ @ @ @ Akaev , was buried in Kyrgyzstan .
According to relatives , the ex-president 's nephew @ @ @ @ @ attack .

BISHKEK -- Former Kyrgyz President Askar Akaev's eldest son, Aidar, has died in Moscow at the age of 43.
Relatives of the former leader told RFE/RL on February 6 that Aidar Akaev died the day before of a heart attack and most likely will be buried in the Russian capital.
The Akaevs fled to Moscow after the Central Asian country's first president was toppled by anti-government demonstrations in March 2005, and have been living there since then.
Aidar Akaev was married to the youngest daughter of Kazakhstan’s first president, Nursultan Nazarbaev, in 1998-2001.
Also, on February 5, Kuban Akaev, a son of Askar Akaev's eldest brother, Chilten Akaev, was buried in Kyrgyzstan. According to relatives, the ex-president's nephew also died of a heart attack.


rferl--2020-02-06--Court In Russian-Occupied Crimea Extends Pretrial Arrest For Pro-Ukrainian Activist

SIMFEROPOL , Ukraine -- A court in Crimea has extended the pretrial detention of pro-Ukrainian activist Oleh Prykhodko .
Prykhodko 's lawyer , Nazim Sheykhmambetov , told RFE/RL that the Kyiv district court in Crimea 's capital , Simferopol , on February 5 , rejected a motion to transfer his client to house arrest and prolonged his client 's pretrial detention to April 10 .
Sheykhmambetov said that he and his client learned during the hearing that Prykhodko is now additionally charged with plotting a terrorist attack at the Russian Consulate in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv .
Sheykhmambetov @ @ @ @ @ @ @ court 's decision .
Prykhodko was detained in October 2019 and charged with illegally fabricating handmade explosives with the intention to conduct a terrorist act .
In January , Prykhodko was informed that he was also charged with possession of an illegal explosive .
Prykhodko denies all the charges , calling them politically motivated .
Russia seized Ukraine 's Crimean Peninsula in March 2014 , sending in troops and staging a referendum denounced as illegitimate by at least 100 countries , after Moscow-friendly Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych was ousted amid a wave of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ since then , Russia has moved aggressively to prosecute Ukrainian activists and anyone who questions the annexation .

SIMFEROPOL, Ukraine -- A court in Crimea has extended the pretrial detention of pro-Ukrainian activist Oleh Prykhodko.
Prykhodko's lawyer, Nazim Sheykhmambetov, told RFE/RL that the Kyiv district court in Crimea's capital, Simferopol, on February 5, rejected a motion to transfer his client to house arrest and prolonged his client's pretrial detention to April 10.
Sheykhmambetov said that he and his client learned during the hearing that Prykhodko is now additionally charged with plotting a terrorist attack at the Russian Consulate in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv.
Sheykhmambetov added that he planned to appeal the court's decision.
Prykhodko was detained in October 2019 and charged with illegally fabricating handmade explosives with the intention to conduct a terrorist act.
In January, Prykhodko was informed that he was also charged with possession of an illegal explosive.
Prykhodko denies all the charges, calling them politically motivated.
Russia seized Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in March 2014, sending in troops and staging a referendum denounced as illegitimate by at least 100 countries, after Moscow-friendly Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych was ousted amid a wave of public protests.
Rights groups say that since then, Russia has moved aggressively to prosecute Ukrainian activists and anyone who questions the annexation.