rferl--2020-03-30--Ukraine Lawmakers Approve Key Legislation With Eye On IMF Funds

KYIV -- Ukraine 's parliament , the Verkhovna Rada , has approved in its first reading a banking bill that will help open up billions of dollars worth of aid to Kyiv from the International Monetary Fund ( IMF ) .
The bill , approved at an extraordinary session of parliament on March 30 , prevents the former owners of banks that were nationalized or liquidated in recent years during a widespread financial-sector clean-up from regaining ownership rights or receiving monetary compensation .
Though the legislation also has other implications for Ukraine 's banks , analysts say its main purpose @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most-powerful tycoons , Ihor Kolomoyskiy , the former co-owner of PrivatBank , from regaining ownership rights to the bank .
Later in the session , lawmakers also approved legislation lifting a ban on the sale of farmland , which is expected to unlock enormous investment potential in what is already one of the world 's top grain exporters .
The land market should be opened by July 1 , 2021 , based on the bill 's provisions .
The IMF is said to have insisted upon approval of the banking law -- and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be lifted -- amid signs the government was considering returning PrivatBank , which is in the midst of a major legal and political fight involving Kolomoyskiy .
The bank was nationalized in 2016 when international auditors found a $ 5.5 billion hole in its balance sheet ; Kolomoyskiy , who has close ties to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy , has insisted that the bank was improperly nationalized by Ukrainian regulators .
Kolomoyskiy has denied any wrongdoing and maintains he is the rightful owner of PrivatBank .
Ukraine has been in talks with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 5.5 billion loan tied to reforms to help the country meet a spike in debt repayments this year .
In addition to the banking bill , lawmakers at the March 30 session approved Serhiy Marchenko , who was previously a deputy finance minister and deputy head of the presidential office of former leader Petro Poroshenko , as finance minister , replacing Ihor Umanskiy , who had been in office for less than a month before he was fired earlier in the day .
Parliament also voted to approve former Odesa Governor Maksym @ @ @ @ @ @ @ replace Illya Yemets , who like Umanskiy was only weeks into his job before being fired on March 30 .
Umanskiy and Yemets became ministers on March 4 when parliament approved Zelenskiy 's cabinet shuffle .
No reason was given for their dismissal .
The Verkhovna Rada also failed to approve the first reading of a revised 2020 state budget that takes into account the impact of the coronavirus outbreak .
The government said in a statement on March 30 that the virus would have a devastating impact on the economy in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ year to a contraction of 3.9 percent from a previous forecast of 3.7 percent growth .
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said at the session when introducing the revised budget that a special fund to tackle the pandemic had been established .
`` The fund will total more than 97 billion hryvnyas ( $ 4 billion ) and will be a transparent tool that will be used to support the purchase of equipment for medical personnel , pharmaceuticals , and personal-protection items , '' Shmyhal said .
The draft budget will now return to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of 10 p.m. local time on March 30 , the number of confirmed infections in Ukraine was officially reported at 548 , with 13 deaths .

KYIV -- Ukraine's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, has approved in its first reading a banking bill that will help open up billions of dollars worth of aid to Kyiv from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The bill, approved at an extraordinary session of parliament on March 30, prevents the former owners of banks that were nationalized or liquidated in recent years during a widespread financial-sector clean-up from regaining ownership rights or receiving monetary compensation.
Though the legislation also has other implications for Ukraine's banks, analysts say its main purpose is to prevent one of Ukraine's most-powerful tycoons, Ihor Kolomoyskiy, the former co-owner of PrivatBank, from regaining ownership rights to the bank.
Later in the session, lawmakers also approved legislation lifting a ban on the sale of farmland, which is expected to unlock enormous investment potential in what is already one of the world's top grain exporters.
The land market should be opened by July 1, 2021, based on the bill's provisions.
The IMF is said to have insisted upon approval of the banking law -- and also pushed for the farmland sale ban to be lifted -- amid signs the government was considering returning PrivatBank, which is in the midst of a major legal and political fight involving Kolomoyskiy.
The bank was nationalized in 2016 when international auditors found a $5.5 billion hole in its balance sheet; Kolomoyskiy, who has close ties to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has insisted that the bank was improperly nationalized by Ukrainian regulators.
Kolomoyskiy has denied any wrongdoing and maintains he is the rightful owner of PrivatBank.
Ukraine has been in talks with the IMF for months about a three-year, $5.5 billion loan tied to reforms to help the country meet a spike in debt repayments this year.
In addition to the banking bill, lawmakers at the March 30 session approved Serhiy Marchenko, who was previously a deputy finance minister and deputy head of the presidential office of former leader Petro Poroshenko, as finance minister, replacing Ihor Umanskiy, who had been in office for less than a month before he was fired earlier in the day.
Parliament also voted to approve former Odesa Governor Maksym Stepanov as the new health minister to replace Illya Yemets, who like Umanskiy was only weeks into his job before being fired on March 30.
Umanskiy and Yemets became ministers on March 4 when parliament approved Zelenskiy's cabinet shuffle.
No reason was given for their dismissal.
The Verkhovna Rada also failed to approve the first reading of a revised 2020 state budget that takes into account the impact of the coronavirus outbreak.
The government said in a statement on March 30 that the virus would have a devastating impact on the economy in a revision of gross domestic product for this year to a contraction of 3.9 percent from a previous forecast of 3.7 percent growth.
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said at the session when introducing the revised budget that a special fund to tackle the pandemic had been established.
"The fund will total more than 97 billion hryvnyas ($4 billion) and will be a transparent tool that will be used to support the purchase of equipment for medical personnel, pharmaceuticals, and personal-protection items," Shmyhal said.
The draft budget will now return to a parliamentary committee for revision.
As of 10 p.m. local time on March 30, the number of confirmed infections in Ukraine was officially reported at 548, with 13 deaths.


rferl--2020-03-30--Members Of U.S. Congress Criticize Additional Powers For Orban In Coronavirus Emergency

Two members of the U.S. Congress have condemned new legislation in Hungary giving right-wing Prime Minister Viktor Orban sweeping powers under the country 's state of emergency to fight the COVID-19 pandemic .
Representative Eliot Engel ( Democrat-New York ) , chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs , and Senator Jim Risch ( Republican-Idaho ) , chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee , said it was particularly disturbing that a NATO ally and EU member would implement what Engel called a `` blatant power grab '' that allows Orban `` to rule by decree like a dictator @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Hungarian prime minister received amid an indefinite state of emergency , Engel added in a statement on March 30 that it was `` particularly egregious that ... Orban attempts to capitalize on the suffering of his own citizens for personal gain . ''
`` Such a serious affront to democracy anywhere is outrageous , and particularly within a NATO ally and EU member , '' he said .
`` I call on Prime Minister Orban to abandon this effort and focus on counter-COVID measures that actually prioritize keeping the Hungarian people safe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the legislation has no so-called `` sunset clause '' specifying a date when Orban ’ s additional powers would expire .
Risch said emergencies “ should never be used as an excuse to weaken democratic institutions ” and added that the Central European country ” should carefully consider its actions in this crisis and maintain the democratic core we all share.
” Engel and Risch join a chorus of criticism of the legislation warning that the bill 's open-ended powers to rule by decree could be a major setback to democratic gains @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expert on international law called it a `` constitutional lockdown '' on Hungary and its 10 million citizens and suggested that the avenues to help from the European Union were limited .
Orban 's nationalist-populist Fidesz party has dominated Hungarian politics for a decade and holds a two-thirds majority in the current legislature .
The bill , passed on March 30 with 137 votes in favor and 53 votes against , allows the government to extend indefinitely the state of emergency declared on March 11 and its associated powers of rule by decree @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for lawmakers to approve any extension .
`` My biggest problem is that this is a potential constitutional lockdown , that we are going to be stuck because of this structure in which the government may end the state of emergency but the legal effects adopted during the state of emergency are going to stay in effect as long as the parliament does not end them -- and the parliament is under no legal obligation to end them anyway , '' Tamas Lattmann , an international lawyer specializing in extraordinary legal regimes who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Prague , told RFE/RL after the March 30 vote .
He said Hungarian law already gave the government broad powers under the state of emergency that do n't conflict with the constitution , including allowing it to set aside existing legislation .
On March 29 , four Hungarian civil society organizations , including the Helsinki Committee rights group , called on the government to introduce a sunset clause .
Otherwise , Orban will `` have a completely unrestricted mandate for the government ... the current draft ... basically gives an open-ended carte-blanche @ @ @ @ @ @ @ co-chair of the Hungarian Helsinki Committee .
If the Fidesz-dominated parliament never decided to curb Orban 's powers , Lattmann warned , `` even the Constitutional Court can not do anything , because the Constitutional Court can not analyze something which is not being done by the parliament . ''
`` So this is a constitutional stalemate in the end , and it 's extremely dangerous , '' said Lattmann , who was an associate professor at the National University of Public Service in Budapest for nearly two decades .
Since 2010 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by diminishing the independence of Hungary ’ s courts and media .
He has also restricted the activities of nongovernmental organizations , among other actions for which the country has been criticized at home and in Brussels .
Defenders of the bill have said the powers are necessary to keep the country safe from the mounting toll of the COVID-19 epidemic , which has infected more than 780,000 people worldwide and 447 people in Hungary .
Fifteen people in Hungary had been killed by the coronavirus as of March 30 , according to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` The extraordinary measures are related to the pandemic , to its prevention , its elimination , and the damaging economic consequences , '' AP quoted Csaba Domotor , a deputy minister in Orban 's cabinet office , as saying .
`` A time limit can not be declared in this situation because there is no one ... who can say how many months of struggle we have to prepare for . ''
Among the law ’ s other provisions is allowing a criminal punishment of up to five years for anyone spreading @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic .
Justice Minister Judit Varga has sought to quell fears about the unprecedented powers the legislation extends to Orban , telling journalists on March 27 that critics opposing the bill were `` fighting imaginary demons and not dealing with reality . ''
Members of the European Parliament in Brussels have called for an inquiry by the European Commission .
“ Viktor Orban must not be given a carte blanche to further empower himself and strip away Hungarian citizens ’ democratic rights under the auspices of tackling the coronavirus , ” Gwendoline Delbos-Corfield @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Parliament told The Guardian daily before the vote .
But Lattmann warned that any EU route to try to thwart what some have described as a `` power grab '' by Orban under the current situation could prove a dead end .
`` The question is really problematic because the European Commission may practice and exercise its inquiry and control functions in questions which are related to EU competencies or the application of EU law , '' Lattmann said .
`` And the Hungarian government is going to surely argue that the coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ something that the European Union would have competence [ in ] . ''
With reporting by AFP , dpa , and The Guardian

Two members of the U.S. Congress have condemned new legislation in Hungary giving right-wing Prime Minister Viktor Orban sweeping powers under the country's state of emergency to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
Representative Eliot Engel (Democrat-New York), chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, and Senator Jim Risch (Republican-Idaho), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said it was particularly disturbing that a NATO ally and EU member would implement what Engel called a "blatant power grab" that allows Orban "to rule by decree like a dictator."
Referring to new powers, the Hungarian prime minister received amid an indefinite state of emergency, Engel added in a statement on March 30 that it was "particularly egregious that...Orban attempts to capitalize on the suffering of his own citizens for personal gain."
"Such a serious affront to democracy anywhere is outrageous, and particularly within a NATO ally and EU member," he said. "I call on Prime Minister Orban to abandon this effort and focus on counter-COVID measures that actually prioritize keeping the Hungarian people safe."
Both Engel and Risch noted that the legislation has no so-called "sunset clause" specifying a date when Orban’s additional powers would expire.
Risch said emergencies “should never be used as an excuse to weaken democratic institutions” and added that the Central European country ”should carefully consider its actions in this crisis and maintain the democratic core we all share.”
Engel and Risch join a chorus of criticism of the legislation warning that the bill's open-ended powers to rule by decree could be a major setback to democratic gains in the former communist country.
One expert on international law called it a "constitutional lockdown" on Hungary and its 10 million citizens and suggested that the avenues to help from the European Union were limited.
Orban's nationalist-populist Fidesz party has dominated Hungarian politics for a decade and holds a two-thirds majority in the current legislature.
'Constitutional Lockdown'
The bill, passed on March 30 with 137 votes in favor and 53 votes against, allows the government to extend indefinitely the state of emergency declared on March 11 and its associated powers of rule by decree, doing away with the current requirement for lawmakers to approve any extension.
"My biggest problem is that this is a potential constitutional lockdown, that we are going to be stuck because of this structure in which the government may end the state of emergency but the legal effects adopted during the state of emergency are going to stay in effect as long as the parliament does not end them -- and the parliament is under no legal obligation to end them anyway," Tamas Lattmann, an international lawyer specializing in extraordinary legal regimes who teaches at the University of New York in Prague, told RFE/RL after the March 30 vote.
He said Hungarian law already gave the government broad powers under the state of emergency that don't conflict with the constitution, including allowing it to set aside existing legislation.
On March 29, four Hungarian civil society organizations, including the Helsinki Committee rights group, called on the government to introduce a sunset clause.
Otherwise, Orban will "have a completely unrestricted mandate for the government...the current draft...basically gives an open-ended carte-blanche mandate,” said Marta Pardavi, co-chair of the Hungarian Helsinki Committee.
If the Fidesz-dominated parliament never decided to curb Orban's powers, Lattmann warned, "even the Constitutional Court cannot do anything, because the Constitutional Court cannot analyze something which is not being done by the parliament."
"So this is a constitutional stalemate in the end, and it's extremely dangerous," said Lattmann, who was an associate professor at the National University of Public Service in Budapest for nearly two decades.
Since 2010, the 56-year-old Orban has consolidated his power by diminishing the independence of Hungary’s courts and media.
He has also restricted the activities of nongovernmental organizations, among other actions for which the country has been criticized at home and in Brussels.
Defenders of the bill have said the powers are necessary to keep the country safe from the mounting toll of the COVID-19 epidemic, which has infected more than 780,000 people worldwide and 447 people in Hungary. Fifteen people in Hungary had been killed by the coronavirus as of March 30, according to data published by Johns Hopkins University.
"The extraordinary measures are related to the pandemic, to its prevention, its elimination, and the damaging economic consequences," AP quoted Csaba Domotor, a deputy minister in Orban's cabinet office, as saying.
"A time limit cannot be declared in this situation because there is no one...who can say how many months of struggle we have to prepare for."
'Fake News' Provision
Among the law’s other provisions is allowing a criminal punishment of up to five years for anyone spreading "fake news" about the coronavirus pandemic.
Justice Minister Judit Varga has sought to quell fears about the unprecedented powers the legislation extends to Orban, telling journalists on March 27 that critics opposing the bill were "fighting imaginary demons and not dealing with reality."
Members of the European Parliament in Brussels have called for an inquiry by the European Commission.
“Viktor Orban must not be given a carte blanche to further empower himself and strip away Hungarian citizens’ democratic rights under the auspices of tackling the coronavirus,” Gwendoline Delbos-Corfield, a French member of the European Parliament told The Guardian daily before the vote.
But Lattmann warned that any EU route to try to thwart what some have described as a "power grab" by Orban under the current situation could prove a dead end.
"The question is really problematic because the European Commission may practice and exercise its inquiry and control functions in questions which are related to EU competencies or the application of EU law," Lattmann said. "And the Hungarian government is going to surely argue that the coronavirus situation, pandemic situation, is not something that the European Union would have competence [in]."
With reporting by AFP, dpa, and The Guardian


rferl--2020-03-31--Taliban Team Arrives In Kabul To Monitor Release Of Prisoners

Three members of Afghanistan 's Taliban have arrived in Kabul to “ monitor ” the government 's release of imprisoned Taliban militants as part of a peace deal signed by the Taliban and the United States in late February , the militant group says .
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the “ technical ” team arrived in Kabul on March 31 to `` help the process of prisoners ' release by identification of the prisoners [ and ] their transportation . ''
The Taliban team 's arrival marked the first time an official Taliban delegation has been in the Afghan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ power by U.S.-led forces in November 2001 .
`` They are here now and we will begin our discussion , ” a senior Afghan government official told Reuters .
“ The prisoner release might go ahead in a few days if everything goes as planned . ''
The planned release of prisoners is part of a deal signed by the United States and the Taliban in Doha on February 29 .
It calls for the Afghan government to release 5,000 detained Taliban fighters as a confidence-building measure ahead of formal peace talks .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Afghan government troops and civilian workers it is holding .
Under the U.S.-Taliban deal , Taliban representatives also agreed to commit to direct talks with the Afghan government aimed at ending the country ’ s 18-year conflict .
In return for the start of talks and a series of security commitments from the Taliban , all U.S. troops and other foreign coalition forces are meant to withdraw from Afghanistan within 14 months .
A power struggle between President Ashraf Ghani and his main rival in Afghanistan 's 2019 presidential election , former Chief @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to derail the peace process .
But Abdullah on March 31 vowed that he would ensure their political dispute “ does not overshadow peace efforts . ''
Last week , the Afghan government unveiled a 21-member team that would be tasked with negotiating with the Taliban .
Abdullah said the team `` represents the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and our national interests.
” “ We still have time to discuss the team ’ s reporting mechanism and the source of its authorities , '' Abdullah said .
In Washington , U.S. Secretary of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ negotiating team as “ pretty inclusive , pretty broad '' -- saying he was `` happy about that . ''
`` We 've begun to see some work done on prisoner releases as well : all elements that have to come together so we can get to the intra-Afghan negotiations , which ultimately will prove to be the only mechanism that has any hope of delivering peace and reconciliation to the people of Afghanistan , '' Pompeo told reporters .
Meanwhile , the European Union said it has offered “ full support '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it said constitutes “ an important step towards starting intra-Afghan negotiations and solving the domestic political crisis.
” The EU also called on the Taliban to “ show genuine commitment to peace negotiations and to reduce violence and engage in meaningful discussions ” on a cease-fire .
With reporting by AP , AIP , and RFE/RL ’ s Radio Free Afghanistan

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--2020-03-31--In Turkmenistan, Whatever You Do, Don't Mention The Coronavirus

ASHGABAT -- Authorities in Turkmenistan have yet to admit there are any cases of the coronavirus in the country .
Now , officials are making sure the word does n't appear in print or casual conversations either .
RFE/RL correspondents in the capital , Ashgabat , report that people talking in public about the pandemic were being quickly whisked away by plainclothes agents .
The word `` coronavirus '' also has disappeared from newly published state brochures on disease prevention in the tightly controlled Central Asian nation .
In place of old brochures instructing citizens about ways to prevent the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ replace the word `` coronavirus '' with words like `` illness '' and `` acute respiratory diseases . ''
“ The Turkmen authorities have lived up to their reputation by adopting this extreme method for eradicating all information about the coronavirus , ” said Jeanne Cavelier , head of the Eastern Europe and Central Asia desk of the media rights group Reporters Without Borders ( RSF ) .
The lack of any report confirming even one coronavirus infection in Turkmenistan has raised suspicions and criticism about the country 's official data on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ including Kazakhstan , Uzbekistan , and Afghanistan -- have registered dozens of infections .
To the south , nearby Iran had reported more than 44,700 infections by March 31 , including nearly 3,000 deaths .
Turkmenistan 's government sealed off Ashgabat on March 20 without any public announcement by authorities or state media about the reasons for the closure .
Traffic between the country ’ s provinces has been restricted as well , with checkpoints set up on highways .
Concern over the outbreak among locals , along with the restrictions , has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ This denial of information not only endangers the Turkmen citizens most at risk but also reinforces the authoritarianism imposed by President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov , '' Cavelier said on March 31 .
`` We urge the international community to react and to take him to task for his systematic human rights violations . ''

ASHGABAT -- Authorities in Turkmenistan have yet to admit there are any cases of the coronavirus in the country. Now, officials are making sure the word doesn't appear in print or casual conversations either.
RFE/RL correspondents in the capital, Ashgabat, report that people talking in public about the pandemic were being quickly whisked away by plainclothes agents.
The word "coronavirus" also has disappeared from newly published state brochures on disease prevention in the tightly controlled Central Asian nation.
In place of old brochures instructing citizens about ways to prevent the spread of the virus, new publications replace the word "coronavirus" with words like "illness" and "acute respiratory diseases."
“The Turkmen authorities have lived up to their reputation by adopting this extreme method for eradicating all information about the coronavirus,” said Jeanne Cavelier, head of the Eastern Europe and Central Asia desk of the media rights group Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
The lack of any report confirming even one coronavirus infection in Turkmenistan has raised suspicions and criticism about the country's official data on the pandemic.
Countries that border Turkmenistan -- including Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Afghanistan -- have registered dozens of infections.
To the south, nearby Iran had reported more than 44,700 infections by March 31, including nearly 3,000 deaths.
Turkmenistan's government sealed off Ashgabat on March 20 without any public announcement by authorities or state media about the reasons for the closure.
Traffic between the country’s provinces has been restricted as well, with checkpoints set up on highways.
Concern over the outbreak among locals, along with the restrictions, has pushed food prices to record highs.
“This denial of information not only endangers the Turkmen citizens most at risk but also reinforces the authoritarianism imposed by President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov," Cavelier said on March 31. "We urge the international community to react and to take him to task for his systematic human rights violations."


rferl--2020-03-31--EU Warns Against Using Pandemic To Undermine Democracy

In a thinly veiled warning to right-wing Hungarian Prime Minister VIktor Orban , the European Union 's executive said on March 31 that emergency measures adopted by member states to fight the coronavirus crisis can not undercut democracy .
`` It is of utmost importance that emergency measures are not at the expense of our fundamental principles and values ... Democracy can not work without free and independent media , '' European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement .
The statement came a day after Hungary 's parliament approved legislation giving Orban sweeping new powers under @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's state of emergency to fight the COVID-19 pandemic .
Von der Leyen did not name Hungary but her statement will nevertheless be seen as a rebuke to Orban 's adoption of rule by decree .
`` Any emergency measures must be limited to what is necessary and strictly proportionate .
They must not last indefinitely , '' von der Leyen said .
In Hungary 's southern neighbor , Serbia , which is not an EU member but aspires to join the 27-member bloc , President Aleksandar Vucic announced an open-ended state of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been sidelined .
Vucic has assumed full power , prompting an outcry from opponents who say he has seized control of the state in an unconstitutional manner .
Based on reporting by AFP and AP

In a thinly veiled warning to right-wing Hungarian Prime Minister VIktor Orban, the European Union's executive said on March 31 that emergency measures adopted by member states to fight the coronavirus crisis cannot undercut democracy.
"It is of utmost importance that emergency measures are not at the expense of our fundamental principles and values...Democracy cannot work without free and independent media," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement.
The statement came a day after Hungary's parliament approved legislation giving Orban sweeping new powers under -- and possibly beyond -- the country's state of emergency to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
Von der Leyen did not name Hungary but her statement will nevertheless be seen as a rebuke to Orban's adoption of rule by decree.
"Any emergency measures must be limited to what is necessary and strictly proportionate. They must not last indefinitely," von der Leyen said.
In Hungary's southern neighbor, Serbia, which is not an EU member but aspires to join the 27-member bloc , President Aleksandar Vucic announced an open-ended state of emergency on March 15 and parliament has been sidelined.
Vucic has assumed full power, prompting an outcry from opponents who say he has seized control of the state in an unconstitutional manner.
Based on reporting by AFP and AP


rferl--2020-03-31--COVID-19: Russian Duma OKs State-Of-Emergency Bill; Armenia Extends Lockdown

The global death toll has surpassed 40,000 with over 825,000 infections confirmed , causing mass disruptions as governments continue to try to slow the spread of the new respiratory illness .
Russian lawmakers have given their initial approval for legislation that allows Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin to declare a state of emergency as the country recorded a 27 percent jump in confirmed coronavirus cases , its biggest single-day increase so far .
The bill , approved by parliament 's lower chamber , the State Duma , on March 31 , allows the government to declare an emergency situation across the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conduct during a state of emergency .
It also approved a penalty of up to five years in prison for those who `` knowingly '' disseminate false information during `` natural and man-made emergencies '' and up to seven years in prison for breaking hygienic and sanitation regulations such as quarantine .
The legislation comes as health officials released figures showing the number of coronavirus cases had jumped by 500 from the previous day to 2,337 .
It was the seventh consecutive day that the number has increased .
Russia 's federal coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the death toll had risen overnight by eight to stand at 17 .
Critics and even ordinary Russians have voiced skepticism about the accuracy of official figures and have raised questions about the state 's testing for the virus .
It emerged on March 31 that the chief physician of a Moscow hospital that has been dealing with coronavirus patients has tested positive .
`` I have isolated myself in my office , where I have everything for online work , management , and televised medical consultations , '' Denis Protsenko wrote on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a tour of the Kommunarka hospital last week , but Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there was no need to worry as the president tested regularly and all the tests came back negative .
Moscow all but confined its 12 million residents to their homes on March 30 , and Mishustin asked regional governors during an emergency meeting to mirror that move .
St. Petersburg , Russia 's second-largest city , and more than 20 other regions from the westernmost exclave of Kaliningrad to the Arctic region of Murmansk and Tatarstan on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and followed Moscow 's example by introducing compulsory self-isolation regimes .
President Vladimir Putin has called Moscow 's lockdown `` necessary and justified . ''
He had previously called for the week between March 28 and April 5 to be a nonworking week -- essentially a weeklong break from work to `` prevent the threat of the quick spread of the illness . ''
The government also closed all of the country 's borders as of March 30 , allowing only Russian diplomats , freight , and other necessary vehicles and people to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's Republic of Tatarstan plan to introduce an electronic code system to control the movements of residents during the region 's coronavirus lockdown .
Presidential spokeswoman Lilia Galimova said on March 31 that the system will require residents of Tatarstan to register at a website , which will become functional in a couple of days .
Once registered , people will receive SMS messages with electronic codes that they will show police to prove that they left their houses or work for legitimate reasons .
For example , before leaving their homes , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 'Exit ' to the website to receive a code giving them permission to be outside for a maximum of one hour .
Each person will be eligible to receive two of such permission codes per day .
Authorities of the Russian capital , Moscow , said earlier that they plan to introduce a similar electronic code system to control residents ' movements during the lockdown , but they have not given any further details .
There were 19 confirmed cases of the coronavirus as of March 31 in Tatarstan .
Britain , France @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mechanism for the first time to send medical supplies to Iran in a way that does not violate U.S. sanctions against Tehran .
The German Foreign Ministry said on March 31 that the three countries sent supplies via Instex , the mechanism set up more than a year ago to allow legitimate humanitarian trade with Iran to offset some effects of the U.S. sanctions .
`` France , Germany , and the United Kingdom confirm that Instex has successfully concluded its first transaction , facilitating the export of medical goods from Europe to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Iran , '' the German government said .
`` Now that the first transaction is complete , Instex and its Iranian counterpart STFI will work on more transactions and enhancing the mechanism , '' it added .
Iranian authorities say Washington ’ s policies and sanctions have hampered its ability to cope with the coronavirus pandemic .
Health Ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said on March 31 that 3,111 new infections had been confirmed during the previous day , bringing the total to 44,606 cases in Iran .
Jahanpour said the death toll in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to a total of 2,898 .
Iran is among the countries worst hit by the virus .
Experts have been skeptical about the accuracy of official figures released by the Iranian government , which keeps tight controls on local and foreign media .
The government banned intercity travel as it looked to slow the outbreak during the Persian New Year holiday that began on March 20 .
But Iran has not implemented a complete lockdown in cities -- a measure taken in many other countries worldwide .
Officials also have forbidden Iranians from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bedar , '' an annual nature festival on the last day of Persian New Year celebrations , during which many Iranians spend time picnicking outdoors .
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has extended emergency measures until April 10 as the coronavirus continues to spread in the South Caucasus nation .
Pashinian made the announcement during a live session on Facebook on March 31 , saying he was “ worried ” about rising numbers of infections in the country of 3 million people .
The Health Ministry confirmed 50 more coronavirus cases on March @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 532 , the highest number in the South Caucasus region .
Three fatalities have been attributed to the respiratory illness .
The initial month-long state of emergency was declared on March 16 .
Restrictions on the free movement of people followed on March 24 .
Most businesses were ordered shut , with only grocery stores , pharmacies , and banks allowed to stay open .
People are allowed to exercise outdoors once a day near their places of residence , while personnel deemed critical are allowed to continue going to work , such @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some Armenians remain complacent about the pandemic and ignore stay-at-home orders issued by the authorities .
“ The situation is very risky and I want to call on all of us to take it very seriously , ” the prime minister said , adding : “ Dear compatriots , stay at home and protect your and your loved ones ’ health.
” Meanwhile , lawmakers passed a government-drafted bill on its second and last reading to allow the authorities to access personal data from people ’ s mobile phones to track their movements @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The measures aim at making it easier for the authorities to track who has been exposed to infected individuals and improve isolation methods to stem the spread of the coronavirus , officials said .
Belarus 's president , Alyaksandr Lukashenka , has confirmed that the death of a theater actor in the eastern Belarusian city of Vitsebsk is the country 's first coronavirus-related fatality .
Relatives told RFE/RL on March 31 that 75-year-old Viktar Dashkevich , an actor at the National Drama Theater in Vitsebsk , had tested positive for the virus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before passing away .
`` [ Dashkevich 's ] wife -- who was living together with her husband -- is well , and his daughter is also well .
Because their immunity is strong .
But the poor man has not survived .
He had a severe case of pneumonia , was connected to a lung-ventilation system , and [ doctors ] were trying to save him , '' Lukashenko said at a meeting with Natallya Kachanava , the chairwoman of parliament 's upper chamber , the Republic Council .
As of March @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cases in Belarus was 152 and Lukashenka said the country was at the peak of the pandemic .
`` Looking at the figures of the illness , I feel we are now at the peak .
I pray to God that the peak will have passed by [ Orthodox ] Easter [ April 19 ] , '' Lukashenka said .
Lukashenka said there was no need so far to postpone a presidential election planned for later in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic .
On March 30 , the Belarusian central bank said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for some $ 900 million of emergency funding to tackle the economic effects of the outbreak .
Meanwhile , Reporters Without Borders ( RSF ) called for the immediate release of a Belarusian news website editor who was arrested on March 25 on a charge of “ receiving a bribe , ” which carries a possible 10-year prison sentence .
The arrest of Syarhey Satsuk , director and editor in chief of the online newspaper ej.by , came three days after he published an editorial criticizing Lukashenka ’ s approach to the coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ figures .
The number of coronavirus infections and deaths in Romania has reached a new high as authorities locked down a northeastern city where more than a quarter of all cases were registered .
The government 's crisis group dealing with the outbreak announced 26 more deaths on March 31 -- a more than 50 percent day-to-day increase -- bringing the total to 72 fatalities .
The total number of confirmed cases increased by 293 since the previous day , a new daily record that put the total infections at 2,245 .
Late @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Vela announced that Suceava , a city of more than 100,000 people , and eight surrounding villages have been placed under lockdown .
With a population of just over 100,000 , Suceava had almost 600 cases and one-third of all fatalities .
More than half of the country 's 285 infected doctors , nurses , and other medical staff were in Suceava , officials said .
All roads and highways into Suceava have been blocked by police and the army , with access allowed only for trucks carrying supplies .
Health Minister Nelu @ @ @ @ @ @ @ poor management at the local hospital , where infected medical personnel were allowed to mingle with healthy colleagues , and people not respecting self-isolation rules .
The quarantine will last until mid-April , when a 30-day nationwide state of emergency is set to end .
Movements in the rest of the country have been restricted for almost a week .
In a live address on March 31 , President Klaus Iohannis reassured the inhabitants of Suceava and the surrounding villages that authorities will make sure they will receive food and medical supplies .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ their efforts and promised they will be provided with everything they need to fight the outbreak .
Iohannis 's message came after a growing number of medical personnel -- doctors , paramedics , nurses , and auxiliary personnel -- resigned from their jobs , either in frustration at the lack of medical supplies or because of fatigue or sheer panic .
Bulgaria will have to raise 4.2 billion levs ( $ 2.36 billion ) in additional debt this year to bridge a fiscal gap caused by additional aid to be given to businesses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Finance Minister Vladislav Goranov said on March 31 .
Goranov also slashed the 2020 outlook to a 3 percent contraction of the Bulgarian economy compared to previous estimates of 3.3 percent growth .
Prime Minister Boyko Borisov 's center-right government revised its fiscal plans late on March 30 to run a deficit of 2.9 percent of economic output this year and raised the ceiling on new debt it can raise to 10 billion levs ( $ 5.65 billion ) due to the pandemic .
`` All these measures have one and only @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has enough liquidity and enough possibility to maintain its main functions , '' Goranov told reporters .
The changes are pending parliamentary approval .
Bulgaria is the poorest but also least indebted European Union member state .
Bulgaria has closed schools , restaurants and bars , restricted intercity travel and access to parks , and banned all domestic and foreign holidays and trips until April 13 to contain the spread of the outbreak that has infected 379 people and killed eight so far .
Kazakhstan has officially registered its second coronavirus-related death after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Saule Qisyqova , the head of the Health Department in the capital , Nur-Sultan , told reporters that a 50-year-old man , who had been diagnosed with coronavirus and hospitalized 10 days earlier , died on March 31 .
That follows the March 26 death of a 65-year-old woman in the central Aqmola region that surrounds Nur-Sultan .
According to Kazakhstan 's health officials , as of March 31 the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the country is 325 .
In neighboring Kyrgyzstan , visits to relatives and friends and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one place , excluding family members , have been banned in Bishkek , which was already under a state of emergency due to the pandemic .
In addition , drivers of private vehicles must prove that they are heading to work or returning home from work with papers issued by their employees as all `` unnecessary '' use of vehicles in the capital has been banned .
The two southern cities of Osh and Jalal-Abad and several adjacent districts have also been under a state of emergency since last week .
The deputy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bishkek , Kasymbek Mambetov , said on March 31 that 13 more coronavirus cases were registered in the country , bringing the total number of cases to 107 .
In another Central Asian nation , Uzbekistan , the number of officially confirmed coronavirus cases reached 158 , including two deaths , as of March 31 .
In two other Central Asian countries , Tajikistan and Turkmenistan , no coronavirus cases have been reported so far .
Both are tightly controlled .
Hundreds of Tajik migrant workers stranded at Moscow ’ s Domodedovo Airport @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been forced to leave the airport premises .
Galia Ibragimova , a Moscow-based journalist who has been following the migrants ' ordeal for days , said in a Facebook post on March 31 that about 300 migrant workers had been forced out of the airport overnight .
The migrants were stranded at the airport for about two weeks after all flights to and from Tajikistan were canceled due to coronavirus restrictions imposed in Tajikistan and in Russia .
Ibragimova quoted one migrant named Farukh who said Russian law enforcement officials asked all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at one location .
After they did so , Farukh said , all of them were `` kicked out '' of the premises without any place to go .
Farukh posted a video showing the situation on YouTube .
Kosovo 's Constitutional Court has ruled that curfews ordered by Prime Minister Albin Kurti to curb the spread of the coronavirus in the country violated the constitution .
The court said on March 31 that imposing blanket nightly curfews affecting all citizens of Kosovo violates free movement guaranteed by the constitution , and ordered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two weeks .
The court acted on a motion filed by President Hashim Thaci as part of political wrangling that drove Kosovo into a political crisis as it struggles to battle the coronavirus pandemic .
The Balkan country has confirmed 112 coronavirus cases and one virus-related death .
Acting Deputy Prime Minister Haki Abazi told RFE/RL that the Constitutional Court has not fully explained why the government ’ s March 23 decision is unconstitutional .
Abazi said the government will respect the ruling , but in the meantime will do its best to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to “ protect people 's lives.
” Last week , Thaci told citizens not to respect coronavirus-related curfews announced by Kurti ’ s government , saying such measures can only be declared under a state of emergency .
With reporting by RFE/RL 's Romanian , Belarus , Balkan , Kazakh , Kyrgyz , Uzbek , and Bulgarian services , RFE/RL 's Radio Farda , Reuters , dii24.ro , hotnews.ro , and BelTA

The global death toll has surpassed 40,000 with over 825,000 infections confirmed, causing mass disruptions as governments continue to try to slow the spread of the new respiratory illness.
Here's a roundup of developments in RFE/RL's broadcast countries.
Russia
Russian lawmakers have given their initial approval for legislation that allows Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin to declare a state of emergency as the country recorded a 27 percent jump in confirmed coronavirus cases, its biggest single-day increase so far.
The bill, approved by parliament's lower chamber, the State Duma, on March 31, allows the government to declare an emergency situation across the country and to establish mandatory rules of conduct during a state of emergency.
It also approved a penalty of up to five years in prison for those who "knowingly" disseminate false information during "natural and man-made emergencies" and up to seven years in prison for breaking hygienic and sanitation regulations such as quarantine.
The legislation comes as health officials released figures showing the number of coronavirus cases had jumped by 500 from the previous day to 2,337. It was the seventh consecutive day that the number has increased.
Russia's federal coronavirus task force said on March 31 that the death toll had risen overnight by eight to stand at 17. Critics and even ordinary Russians have voiced skepticism about the accuracy of official figures and have raised questions about the state's testing for the virus.
It emerged on March 31 that the chief physician of a Moscow hospital that has been dealing with coronavirus patients has tested positive.
"I have isolated myself in my office, where I have everything for online work, management, and televised medical consultations," Denis Protsenko wrote on Facebook.
Protsenko gave President Vladimir Putin a tour of the Kommunarka hospital last week, but Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there was no need to worry as the president tested regularly and all the tests came back negative.
Moscow all but confined its 12 million residents to their homes on March 30, and Mishustin asked regional governors during an emergency meeting to mirror that move.
St. Petersburg, Russia's second-largest city, and more than 20 other regions from the westernmost exclave of Kaliningrad to the Arctic region of Murmansk and Tatarstan on the Volga River, have heeded the call and followed Moscow's example by introducing compulsory self-isolation regimes.
President Vladimir Putin has called Moscow's lockdown "necessary and justified." He had previously called for the week between March 28 and April 5 to be a nonworking week -- essentially a weeklong break from work to "prevent the threat of the quick spread of the illness."
The government also closed all of the country's borders as of March 30, allowing only Russian diplomats, freight, and other necessary vehicles and people to enter.
Meanwhile, authorities in Russia's Republic of Tatarstan plan to introduce an electronic code system to control the movements of residents during the region's coronavirus lockdown.
Presidential spokeswoman Lilia Galimova said on March 31 that the system will require residents of Tatarstan to register at a website, which will become functional in a couple of days.
Once registered, people will receive SMS messages with electronic codes that they will show police to prove that they left their houses or work for legitimate reasons.
For example, before leaving their homes, residents will have to text the word 'Exit' to the website to receive a code giving them permission to be outside for a maximum of one hour.
Each person will be eligible to receive two of such permission codes per day.
Authorities of the Russian capital, Moscow, said earlier that they plan to introduce a similar electronic code system to control residents' movements during the lockdown, but they have not given any further details.
There were 19 confirmed cases of the coronavirus as of March 31 in Tatarstan.
Iran
Britain, France and Germany have used a special trading mechanism for the first time to send medical supplies to Iran in a way that does not violate U.S. sanctions against Tehran.
The German Foreign Ministry said on March 31 that the three countries sent supplies via Instex, the mechanism set up more than a year ago to allow legitimate humanitarian trade with Iran to offset some effects of the U.S. sanctions.
"France, Germany, and the United Kingdom confirm that Instex has successfully concluded its first transaction, facilitating the export of medical goods from Europe to Iran. These goods are now in Iran," the German government said.
"Now that the first transaction is complete, Instex and its Iranian counterpart STFI will work on more transactions and enhancing the mechanism," it added.
Iranian authorities say Washington’s policies and sanctions have hampered its ability to cope with the coronavirus pandemic.
Health Ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said on March 31 that 3,111 new infections had been confirmed during the previous day, bringing the total to 44,606 cases in Iran.
Jahanpour said the death toll in Iran rose by 141 on March 31 to a total of 2,898.
Iran is among the countries worst hit by the virus. Experts have been skeptical about the accuracy of official figures released by the Iranian government, which keeps tight controls on local and foreign media.
The government banned intercity travel as it looked to slow the outbreak during the Persian New Year holiday that began on March 20. But Iran has not implemented a complete lockdown in cities -- a measure taken in many other countries worldwide.
Officials also have forbidden Iranians from gathering on April 1 for "Sizdah Bedar," an annual nature festival on the last day of Persian New Year celebrations, during which many Iranians spend time picnicking outdoors.
Armenia
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has extended emergency measures until April 10 as the coronavirus continues to spread in the South Caucasus nation.
Pashinian made the announcement during a live session on Facebook on March 31, saying he was “worried” about rising numbers of infections in the country of 3 million people.
The Health Ministry confirmed 50 more coronavirus cases on March 31, raising the total number to 532, the highest number in the South Caucasus region. Three fatalities have been attributed to the respiratory illness.
The initial month-long state of emergency was declared on March 16.
Restrictions on the free movement of people followed on March 24. Most businesses were ordered shut, with only grocery stores, pharmacies, and banks allowed to stay open.
People are allowed to exercise outdoors once a day near their places of residence, while personnel deemed critical are allowed to continue going to work, such as at hospitals.
Pashinian said that some Armenians remain complacent about the pandemic and ignore stay-at-home orders issued by the authorities.
“The situation is very risky and I want to call on all of us to take it very seriously,” the prime minister said, adding: “Dear compatriots, stay at home and protect your and your loved ones’ health.”
Meanwhile, lawmakers passed a government-drafted bill on its second and last reading to allow the authorities to access personal data from people’s mobile phones to track their movements, phone calls, and text messages.
The measures aim to make it easier for the authorities to track who has been exposed to infected individuals and improve isolation methods to stem the spread of the coronavirus, officials said.
Belarus
Belarus's president, Alyaksandr Lukashenka, has confirmed that the death of a theater actor in the eastern Belarusian city of Vitsebsk is the country's first coronavirus-related fatality.
Relatives told RFE/RL on March 31 that 75-year-old Viktar Dashkevich, an actor at the National Drama Theater in Vitsebsk, had tested positive for the virus and was in hospital for several days before passing away.
"[Dashkevich's] wife -- who was living together with her husband -- is well, and his daughter is also well. Because their immunity is strong. But the poor man has not survived. He had a severe case of pneumonia, was connected to a lung-ventilation system, and [doctors] were trying to save him," Lukashenko said at a meeting with Natallya Kachanava, the chairwoman of parliament's upper chamber, the Republic Council.
As of March 30, the total number of coronavirus cases in Belarus was 152 and Lukashenka said the country was at the peak of the pandemic.
"Looking at the figures of the illness, I feel we are now at the peak. I pray to God that the peak will have passed by [Orthodox] Easter [April 19]," Lukashenka said.
Lukashenka said there was no need so far to postpone a presidential election planned for later in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic.
On March 30, the Belarusian central bank said it would ask the International Monetary Fund for some $900 million of emergency funding to tackle the economic effects of the outbreak.
Meanwhile, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) called for the immediate release of a Belarusian news website editor who was arrested on March 25 on a charge of “receiving a bribe,” which carries a possible 10-year prison sentence.
The arrest of Syarhey Satsuk, director and editor in chief of the online newspaper ej.by, came three days after he published an editorial criticizing Lukashenka’s approach to the coronavirus epidemic and casting doubt on official infection figures.
Romania
The number of coronavirus infections and deaths in Romania has reached a new high as authorities locked down a northeastern city where more than a quarter of all cases were registered.
The government's crisis group dealing with the outbreak announced 26 more deaths on March 31 -- a more than 50 percent day-to-day increase -- bringing the total to 72 fatalities.
The total number of confirmed cases increased by 293 since the previous day, a new daily record that put the total infections at 2,245.
Late on March 30, Interior Minister Marcel Vela announced that Suceava, a city of more than 100,000 people, and eight surrounding villages have been placed under lockdown.
With a population of just over 100,000, Suceava had almost 600 cases and one-third of all fatalities. More than half of the country's 285 infected doctors, nurses, and other medical staff were in Suceava, officials said.
All roads and highways into Suceava have been blocked by police and the army, with access allowed only for trucks carrying supplies.
Health Minister Nelu Tataru said the spread was caused by poor management at the local hospital, where infected medical personnel were allowed to mingle with healthy colleagues, and people not respecting self-isolation rules.
The quarantine will last until mid-April, when a 30-day nationwide state of emergency is set to end.
Movements in the rest of the country have been restricted for almost a week.
In a live address on March 31, President Klaus Iohannis reassured the inhabitants of Suceava and the surrounding villages that authorities will make sure they will receive food and medical supplies.
Iohannis also thanked all medical personnel for their efforts and promised they will be provided with everything they need to fight the outbreak.
Iohannis's message came after a growing number of medical personnel -- doctors, paramedics, nurses, and auxiliary personnel -- resigned from their jobs, either in frustration at the lack of medical supplies or because of fatigue or sheer panic.
Bulgaria
Bulgaria will have to raise 4.2 billion levs ($2.36 billion) in additional debt this year to bridge a fiscal gap caused by additional aid to be given to businesses and workers hit by the coronavirus pandemic, Finance Minister Vladislav Goranov said on March 31.
Goranov also slashed the 2020 outlook to a 3 percent contraction of the Bulgarian economy compared to previous estimates of 3.3 percent growth.
Prime Minister Boyko Borisov's center-right government revised its fiscal plans late on March 30 to run a deficit of 2.9 percent of economic output this year and raised the ceiling on new debt it can raise to 10 billion levs ($5.65 billion) due to the pandemic.
"All these measures have one and only goal: to guarantee that the state has enough liquidity and enough possibility to maintain its main functions," Goranov told reporters.
The changes are pending parliamentary approval.
Bulgaria is the poorest but also least indebted European Union member state.
Bulgaria has closed schools, restaurants and bars, restricted intercity travel and access to parks, and banned all domestic and foreign holidays and trips until April 13 to contain the spread of the outbreak that has infected 379 people and killed eight so far.
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan
Kazakhstan has officially registered its second coronavirus-related death after a 50-year-old man died while in hospital.
Saule Qisyqova, the head of the Health Department in the capital, Nur-Sultan, told reporters that a 50-year-old man, who had been diagnosed with coronavirus and hospitalized 10 days earlier, died on March 31.
That follows the March 26 death of a 65-year-old woman in the central Aqmola region that surrounds Nur-Sultan.
According to Kazakhstan's health officials, as of March 31 the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the country is 325.
Why Numbers Don’t Tell The Full Story A daily compilation of global coronavirus cases by Johns Hopkins University is currently the most comprehensive in the world, but it relies on information provided by governments. In many countries, there are restrictions on releasing such information or reasons why the full story might not want to be told. The methodology, immediacy, transparency, and quality of this data can vary dramatically country by country.
In neighboring Kyrgyzstan, visits to relatives and friends and gatherings of more than three people in one place, excluding family members, have been banned in Bishkek, which was already under a state of emergency due to the pandemic.
In addition, drivers of private vehicles must prove that they are heading to work or returning home from work with papers issued by their employees as all "unnecessary" use of vehicles in the capital has been banned.
The two southern cities of Osh and Jalal-Abad and several adjacent districts have also been under a state of emergency since last week.
The deputy chief of the coronavirus crisis center in Bishkek, Kasymbek Mambetov, said on March 31 that 13 more coronavirus cases were registered in the country, bringing the total number of cases to 107.
In another Central Asian nation, Uzbekistan, the number of officially confirmed coronavirus cases reached 158, including two deaths, as of March 31.
In two other Central Asian countries, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, no coronavirus cases have been reported so far. Both are tightly controlled.
Tajikistan
Hundreds of Tajik migrant workers stranded at Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport because of emergency public health travel restrictions have been forced to leave the airport premises.
Galia Ibragimova, a Moscow-based journalist who has been following the migrants' ordeal for days, said in a Facebook post on March 31 that about 300 migrant workers had been forced out of the airport overnight.
The migrants were stranded at the airport for about two weeks after all flights to and from Tajikistan were canceled due to coronavirus restrictions imposed in Tajikistan and in Russia.
Ibragimova quoted one migrant named Farukh who said Russian law enforcement officials asked all migrants stuck at the airport to gather at one location.
After they did so, Farukh said, all of them were "kicked out" of the premises without any place to go. Farukh posted a video showing the situation on YouTube.
Kosovo
Kosovo's Constitutional Court has ruled that curfews ordered by Prime Minister Albin Kurti to curb the spread of the coronavirus in the country violated the constitution.
The court said on March 31 that imposing blanket nightly curfews affecting all citizens of Kosovo violates free movement guaranteed by the constitution, and ordered the government to repeal the measures within two weeks.
The court acted on a motion filed by President Hashim Thaci as part of political wrangling that drove Kosovo into a political crisis as it struggles to battle the coronavirus pandemic.
The Balkan country has confirmed 112 coronavirus cases and one virus-related death.
Acting Deputy Prime Minister Haki Abazi told RFE/RL that the Constitutional Court has not fully explained why the government’s March 23 decision is unconstitutional.
Abazi said the government will respect the ruling, but in the meantime will do its best to ensure that all measures will be taken to “protect people's lives.”
Last week, Thaci told citizens not to respect coronavirus-related curfews announced by Kurti’s government, saying such measures can only be declared under a state of emergency.
With reporting by Suren Musayelyan, RFE/RL's Romanian, Belarus, Balkan, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Uzbek, and Bulgarian services, RFE/RL's Radio Farda, Reuters, dii24.ro, hotnews.ro, and BelTA


rferl--2020-04-01--Uzbek Parodists Sue Celebrity Singer For Calling Them 'Gays'

TASHKENT -- Two Uzbek comedians who perform on stage as women have filed a libel lawsuit against prominent singer Yulduz @ @ @ @ @ 'gays ' in a video statement on YouTube .
A manager for the comedians confirmed @ @ @ @ @ that the lawsuits had been filed against Usmonova with the Tashkent City Prosecutor 's Office @ @ @ @ @ well-known parodists , Rustamkhoja Usmonov ( no relation ) and his colleague , known on @ @ @ @ @ said in a video on YouTube that their sons had filed the lawsuits .
On @ @ @ @ @ Usmonov and Bobur `` gays '' and `` womanlike '' performers , who `` have @ @ @ @ @ be `` liquidated from our society , '' adding that she was ready to have @ @ @ @ @ The statement came after one of Rustamkhoja Usmonov 's recent performances in neighboring Tajikistan , @ @ @ @ @ be her .
The performance was officially presented as a concert by the real Yulduz @ @ @ @ @ as two other prominent female singers , Mavluda Asalkhojaeva and Feruza Jumaniyozova .

TASHKENT -- Two Uzbek comedians who perform on stage as women have filed a libel lawsuit against prominent singer Yulduz Usmonova after she called them "gays" in a video statement on YouTube.
A manager for the comedians confirmed to RFE/RL on March 31 that the lawsuits had been filed against Usmonova with the Tashkent City Prosecutor's Office.
The mothers of the well-known parodists, Rustamkhoja Usmonov (no relation) and his colleague, known on stage as Bobur, also said in a video on YouTube that their sons had filed the lawsuits.
On March 20, Usmonova called Usmonov and Bobur "gays" and "womanlike" performers, who "have no voice" and should be "liquidated from our society," adding that she was ready to have a fistfight with them.
The statement came after one of Rustamkhoja Usmonov's recent performances in neighboring Tajikistan, during which he pretends to be her.
The performance was officially presented as a concert by the real Yulduz Usmonova.
Bobur usually performs as two other prominent female singers, Mavluda Asalkhojaeva and Feruza Jumaniyozova.


rferl--2020-04-01--At Least Eight Afghan Civilians Killed By Roadside Bomb In Helmand

At least eight civilians , mostly children , were killed when their vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan ’ s southern province of Helmand .
Omar Zwak , a spokesman for the provincial governor , said the civilians were traveling in a minivan in Helmand 's Gereshk district on April 1 when the blast occurred .
Two other civilians were wounded in the attack .
Zwak said the casualty figures could rise .
The victims were all from a single family , according to Helmand police spokesman Zaman Hamdard , who said six of the dead were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also confirmed the death toll .
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack , but both the Taliban and Islamic State militants are active in the province .
Government forces only control the capital , Lashkar Gah and five other districts out of a total of 14 districts in the province .
The Taliban controls the remaining territory , including the Gereshk district .
More than 100,000 civilians have lost their lives in the war-torn country since 2009 , according to the United Nations ' Assistance Mission in Afghanistan .
U.S.-led international @ @ @ @ @ @ @ since the Taliban regime collapsed in 2001 .
Washington signed a deal with the Taliban last month that sees the gradual withdrawal of international troops from Afghanistan with the expectation that intra-Afghan peace talks will follow .
With reporting by by AP , dpa , and tolonews.com


rferl--2020-04-01--Russia Says Military Plane En Route To U.S. With Coronavirus Aid

Russia says it has sent a military plane with medical equipment to the United States to help in its battle to deal with the coronavirus outbreak .
Russia ’ s Rossia 24 state television channel showed the transport aircraft taking off on April 1 from a military base near Moscow .
The shipment appears to be the result of a March 30 phone call between U.S. President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin , where the response to the virus pandemic was reportedly discussed .
“ Trump gratefully accepted this humanitarian aid , '' Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as saying late on March 31 .
Washington has not confirmed the flight , but Trump spoke about receiving aid from Russia during a March 30 briefing .
Many critics of Moscow have warned that Russia is using aid -- it recently sent planeloads of supplies and dozens of experts to Italy -- as part of a campaign of disinformation and propaganda to sow fear abroad while bolstering Putin at home .
Meanwhile , Trump , who has touted his close relationship with Putin , has faced similar warnings at home from those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to gain influence .
U.S deaths in the coronavirus pandemic pushed past 4,000 as of early April 1 , a day after Americans were told to brace for `` very painful '' weeks ahead and a potential U.S. death toll well over 100,000 .
The government is racing to build temporary hospitals near major cities to ease the strain on health-care facilities as officials predict things will get much worse in the coming weeks .
In Russia , where the accuracy of official data has been questioned , the number of confirmed cases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ still appears low compared with other European nations .
The country ’ s official tally puts the total number of cases at 2,777 as of midday on April 1 , with 24 deaths .
With reporting by Rossiya 24 , Interfax , Reuters , and TASS .

Russia says it has sent a military plane with medical equipment to the United States to help in its battle with the coronavirus outbreak.
Many critics of Moscow have warned that Russia is using aid -- it recently sent planeloads of supplies and dozens of experts to Italy -- as part of a campaign of disinformation and propaganda to sow fear abroad while bolstering Russian President Vladimir Putin at home.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump, who has touted his close relationship with Putin, has faced similar warnings at home from those concerned that Moscow is using such actions to gain influence and push Russia's efforts for relief from sanctions imposed for meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
Russia’s Rossia-24 state television channel showed the transport aircraft taking off on April 1 from a military base near Moscow.
Other footage from the plane showed stacks of boxes in the cargo hold. It was not clear what the boxes contained.
The shipment appears to be the result of a March 30 phone call between Trump and Putin, where the response to the virus pandemic was reportedly discussed.
“Trump gratefully accepted this humanitarian aid," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying late on March 31.
Washington has not confirmed the flight, but Trump spoke about receiving aid from Russia during a March 30 briefing.
News of the flight came on the same day that the Strategic Communications and Information Analysis Division of the European External Action Service (EEAS), the EU's foreign-policy arm, published a report warning of a disinformation campaign around the coronavirus outbreak by Russia and China.
The document is a follow-up to a report published last month by the EEAS that said pro-Kremlin media outlets "have been prominent in spreading disinformation about the coronavirus, with the aim to aggravate the public health crisis in Western countries, specifically by undermining public trust in national health-care systems."
“Hopefully someone will tell Trump that he’s playing right into a propaganda ploy,” Andrew Weiss, vice-president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace's Russia and Eurasia Program, said in a tweet.
U.S deaths in the coronavirus pandemic pushed past 4,000 as of early April 1, a day after Americans were told to brace for "very painful" weeks ahead and a potential U.S. death toll well over 100,000.
The government is racing to build temporary hospitals near major cities to ease the strain on health-care facilities as officials predict things will get much worse in the coming weeks.
In Russia, where the accuracy of official data has been questioned, the number of confirmed cases has jumped in recent days, but still appears low compared with other European nations.
With masks and other medical equipment reportedly in short supply in Russia, some critics are also asking how Moscow can be sending supplies abroad.
The country’s official tally puts the total number of cases at 2,777 as of midday on April 1, with 24 deaths.
With reporting by Rossia 24, Interfax, Reuters, and TASS.


rferl--2020-04-01--UN Official Urges Afghan Rivals To 'Rally Together' To Help Bring Peace Deal

The UN Security Council has called on political rivals in Afghanistan to “ rally together ” and finalize talks with the Taliban to help end the country ’ s long , costly war .
Ingrid Hayden , the UN secretary-general 's deputy special representative for Afghanistan , said on March 31 that Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and political rival Abdullah Abdullah should take advantage of this key moment in the country ’ s history .
`` Afghanistan appears to be reaching a defining moment .
Almost two decades after the start of the [ U.S.-led ] coalition intervention , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : Can its leaders rally together to engage in meaningful talks with the Taliban to achieve a sustainable peace ?
” “ The choice is made stark by the all-encompassing threat of COVID-19 , which poses grave dangers to the health of Afghanistan ’ s population and , potentially , to the stability of its institutions , ” she added .
U.S. envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad signed a deal with the Taliban in Doha on February 29 that Washington hopes will end the country ’ s nearly 19-year war and allow the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But a power struggle between Ghani and his main rival in Afghanistan 's 2019 presidential election , former Chief Executive Officer Abdullah , has threatened to derail the peace process .
Both politicians have claimed to be the winners in the election , although official results gave victory to Ghani .
In addition , a variety of disputes between the government in Kabul and Taliban representatives have slowed progress .
The Taliban has until now refused to negotiate directly with the Afghan government in Kabul .
Disagreements over prisoner releases and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ any further progress .
On March 27 , Taliban forces took control of a district headquarters in Afghanistan 's northeastern province of Badakhshan , then the next day announced that it would not negotiate with the 21-member team recently unveiled by the Afghan government .
The UN 's Hayden indicated support for the Afghan negotiating team , saying she was heartened that , despite deep-seated differences , Afghanistan 's leaders had agreed on a diverse selection of citizens .
She said that representatives come from all major ethnic groups and include five women @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an important recognition that women must be involved in efforts to bring about a lasting peace .
The UN mission “ has encouraged the Taliban to reciprocate by including women in their delegation who have an empowered decisive voice at the table .
Doing so would send a tangible signal that the movement has fundamentally reformed , ” she said .
Under the agreement with the United States , the Taliban promised to reduce attacks targeting international forces .
However , assaults against Afghan national defense and security forces have continued to plague @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the victims , the UN said .
Hayden said the trend can be reversed and cited the “ significant reduction ” in violence ahead of the signing of the U.S.-Taliban agreement .
Despite the internal political standoff , Abdullah vowed on March 31 that he would ensure the dispute “ does not overshadow peace efforts . ''
Abdullah said the team `` represents the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and our national interests .
”


rferl--2020-04-01--RFE/RL Criticizes Tajikistan’s Attempts To Interfere With Coronavirus Reporting

WASHINGTON -- RFE/RL President Jamie Fly has criticized the government of Tajikistan for obstructing the efforts of the broadcasters ' journalists to cover the coronavirus pandemic in the Central Asian nation .
Fly expressed frustration at the government ’ s attempts to interfere with the operations of the service , known locally as Radio Ozodi , at a time when information `` is needed more than ever.
” Fly spelled out his objections to Tajik Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Muhriddin in a letter dated March 31 .
Fly 's letter comes as Muhriddin 's ministry is set to decide on long-standing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ April 1 .
The ministry has been reluctant since late October to fully grant one-year accreditations to 18 RFE/RL journalists and staff members of RFE/RL ’ s Tajik Service whose credentials have been withheld by the ministry or which expired on November 1 .
The Tajik Foreign Ministry on January 21 said it had issued six-month accreditations to four employees of the bureau , including a driver .
Accreditations for seven other journalists , including two former bureau chiefs , whom RFE/RL 's Tajik Service had to replace due to the lack of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The RFE/RL president said authorities have refused to meet with Radio Ozodi ’ s reporters and have excluded them from public health briefings .
“ We suspect , bizarrely , that it was precisely our active reporting about the virus that led the government last week to ban Ozodi ’ s website and censor this coverage , '' Fly said .
Radio Ozodi plays an outsized role in Tajikistan , a poor Central Asian state bordering China and Afghanistan .
Critics have assailed the government there for not acknowledging that there have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that they are being registered as other diseases .
Fly deplored the actions , describing them as `` an effort to control who works for Ozodi and what they report , '' and as a betrayal of an explicit pledge made by Tajik President Emomali Rahmon to RFE/RL last year .
He decried other efforts to harass and intimidate Ozodi staff members , including comments posted by some government officials applauding the denial of accreditation , accusing Ozodi journalists of “ incitement ” and “ disloyalty to the state , ” and labeling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a nest for espionage .
”

WASHINGTON -- RFE/RL President Jamie Fly has criticized the government of Tajikistan for obstructing the efforts of the broadcasters' journalists to cover the coronavirus pandemic in the Central Asian nation.
Fly expressed frustration at the government’s attempts to interfere with the operations of the service, known locally as Radio Ozodi, at a time when information "is needed more than ever.”
Fly spelled out his objections to Tajik Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Muhriddin in a letter dated March 31.
Fly's letter comes as Muhriddin's ministry is set to decide on long-standing accreditation requests from Radio Ozodi journalists on April 1.
The ministry has been reluctant since late October to fully grant one-year accreditations to 18 RFE/RL journalists and staff members of RFE/RL’s Tajik Service whose credentials have been withheld by the ministry or which expired on November 1.
The Tajik Foreign Ministry on January 21 said it had issued six-month accreditations to four employees of the bureau, including a driver. Accreditations for seven other journalists, including two former bureau chiefs, whom RFE/RL's Tajik Service had to replace due to the lack of accreditation, are pending, it added.
The RFE/RL president said authorities have refused to meet with Radio Ozodi’s reporters and have excluded them from public health briefings.
“We suspect, bizarrely, that it was precisely our active reporting about the virus that led the government last week to ban Ozodi’s website and censor this coverage," Fly said.
Radio Ozodi plays an outsized role in Tajikistan, a poor Central Asian state bordering China and Afghanistan. Critics have assailed the government there for not acknowledging that there have been coronavirus cases in the country and that they are being registered as other diseases.
Fly deplored the actions, describing them as "an effort to control who works for Ozodi and what they report," and as a betrayal of an explicit pledge made by Tajik President Emomali Rahmon to RFE/RL last year.
He decried other efforts to harass and intimidate Ozodi staff members, including comments posted by some government officials applauding the denial of accreditation, accusing Ozodi journalists of “incitement” and “disloyalty to the state,” and labeling the service’s Dushanbe bureau “a nest for espionage.”
With reporting by RFE/RL's Tajik Service


rferl--2020-04-01--Ukraine Says It Uncovered Spy Channel Between Naval Officer, Russia's FSB

Ukraine ’ s Security Service ( SBU ) says it has breached an espionage communication channel between a high-ranking Ukrainian naval officer and staff from Russia 's main spy agency , the FSB , in the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula .
Procedures have begun to remove the officer ’ s access to confidential information and strip him of his rank , the SBU said in a statement on March 31 .
It did not give the officer ’ s name , former rank , or current status .
According to the statement , the officer maintained his loyalty to Kyiv while @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Russia took over the peninsula in 2014 .
It said the officer refused to assist Russian security forces in occupying a naval academy in the port city of Sevastopol .
However , upon transferring to mainland Ukraine after the Russian invasion , the officer continued to “ maintain constant contacts with existing personnel of the FSB , ” the SBU said .
Among them were “ former SBU servicemen Andrey Gaponenko , Petro Zima , Dmitry Pylypchenko , who moved to the enemy ’ s side during the annexation of the Autonomous Republic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ moving to mainland Ukraine , the officer visited his native Crimea and allegedly had personal meetings with the former SBU officers , according to the statement .
It said the navy officer had “ access to confidential information that is of a particularly important nature related to defense.
” The SBU published a video on social media allegedly showing the man making confessions .

Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) says it has breached an espionage communication channel between a high-ranking Ukrainian naval officer and staff from Russia's main spy agency, the FSB, in the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula.
Procedures have begun to remove the officer’s access to confidential information and strip him of his rank, the SBU said in a statement on March 31.
It did not give the officer’s name, former rank, or current status.
According to the statement, the officer maintained his loyalty to Kyiv while he was in service in Crimea when Russia took over the peninsula in 2014.
It said the officer refused to assist Russian security forces in occupying a naval academy in the port city of Sevastopol.
However, upon transferring to mainland Ukraine after the Russian invasion, the officer continued to “maintain constant contacts with existing personnel of the FSB,” the SBU said.
Among them were “former SBU servicemen Andrey Gaponenko, Petro Zima, Dmitry Pylypchenko, who moved to the enemy’s side during the annexation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea in 2014."
After moving to mainland Ukraine, the officer visited his native Crimea and allegedly had personal meetings with the former SBU officers, according to the statement.
It said the navy officer had “access to confidential information that is of a particularly important nature related to defense.”
The SBU published a video on social media allegedly showing the man making confessions.


rferl--2020-04-01--Trump Says He May Join Possible Saudi-Russia Talks On Oil's Slump

U.S. President Donald Trump said Russia and Saudi Arabia are discussing holding talks about the sharp fall in oil prices and that he would consider joining them .
`` The two countries are discussing it , and I am joining at the appropriate time , if need be , '' Trump said on March 31 during a coronavirus pandemic briefing at the White House .
A dispute between Saudi Arabia and Russia over output cuts has led to a sharp decline in the global price of oil .
The United States last week pressed Riyadh to back off its decision @ @ @ @ @ @ @ price cuts in two decades .
The move followed Moscow 's refusal to agree to production cuts .
Oil prices had been hit by declining demand even before the coronavirus pandemic sank consumer spending , taking a toll on industries sensitive to oil prices .
Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed during a phone call on March 30 that the current situation on world oil markets suited neither , a Kremlin spokesman said , according to Reuters .
They also agreed to have their top energy officials discuss slumping global oil markets @ @ @ @ @ @ @ standard , closed down at $ 22.74 a barrel on March 31 .
`` Undoubtedly , there is an understanding that the current oil market situation is not in the interests of our countries , '' said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov .
Peskov declined to comment when asked if the two leaders had discussed Saudi Arabia during their call .
Based on reporting by Reuters and AP

U.S. President Donald Trump said Russia and Saudi Arabia are discussing holding talks about the sharp fall in oil prices and that he would consider joining them.
"The two countries are discussing it, and I am joining at the appropriate time, if need be," Trump said on March 31 during a coronavirus pandemic briefing at the White House.
A dispute between Saudi Arabia and Russia over output cuts has led to a sharp decline in the global price of oil.
The United States last week pressed Riyadh to back off its decision to raise production and offer the biggest price cuts in two decades. The move followed Moscow's refusal to agree to production cuts.
Oil prices had been hit by declining demand even before the coronavirus pandemic sank consumer spending, taking a toll on industries sensitive to oil prices.
Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed during a phone call on March 30 that the current situation on world oil markets suited neither, a Kremlin spokesman said, according to Reuters.
They also agreed to have their top energy officials discuss slumping global oil markets. Brent crude oil, the international standard, closed down at $22.74 a barrel on March 31.
"Undoubtedly, there is an understanding that the current oil market situation is not in the interests of our countries," said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
Peskov declined to comment when asked if the two leaders had discussed Saudi Arabia during their call.
Based on reporting by Reuters and AP