rferl--2020-07-28--YouTube Blocks Accounts Of Pro-Kremlin Analyst, Orthodox TV Channel In Russia

YouTube has blocked accounts of the Tsargrad TV channel in Russia and its former chief editor , pro-Kremlin analyst Aleksandr Dugin .
Representatives of Google , which owns YouTube , said on July 28 that the accounts were blocked due to the violation of laws on sanctions and trade regulations .
The account of the TV channel , which has more than one million subscribers and positions itself as an outlet for conservative Orthodox Christians , was disabled without the right to restore , Google said .
The founder and owner of the Tsargrad TV channel , Konstantin Malofeyev has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years over his participation in the annexation of Ukraine ’ s Crimea by Russia in 2014 and his public support for Russia-backed separatists in Ukraine 's east , where some 13,200 have been killed in an ongoing conflict .
The TV channel 's editor , Daria Tokareva , said YouTube blocked the channel ’ s account without warning , adding that the company will fight in court to restore the account .
Earlier in May , Facebook cited U.S. sanctions when it blocked the Instagram accounts of the head of Russia 's North @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a Russian lawmaker from Chechnya Adam Delimkhanov , the speaker of the Chechen parliament Magomed Daudov , and the deputy prime minister of the Chechen government Abuzaid Vismuradov .

YouTube has blocked accounts of the Tsargrad TV channel in Russia and its former chief editor, pro-Kremlin analyst Aleksandr Dugin.
Representatives of Google, which owns YouTube, said on July 28 that the accounts were blocked due to the violation of laws on sanctions and trade regulations.
The account of the TV channel, which has more than one million subscribers and positions itself as an outlet for conservative Orthodox Christians, was disabled without the right to restore, Google said.
The founder and owner of the Tsargrad TV channel, Konstantin Malofeyev has been under U.S. sanctions for about six years over his participation in the annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea by Russia in 2014 and his public support for Russia-backed separatists in Ukraine's east, where some 13,200 have been killed in an ongoing conflict.
The TV channel's editor, Daria Tokareva, said YouTube blocked the channel’s account without warning, adding that the company will fight in court to restore the account.
Earlier in May, Facebook cited U.S. sanctions when it blocked the Instagram accounts of the head of Russia's North Caucasus region of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, a Russian lawmaker from Chechnya Adam Delimkhanov, the speaker of the Chechen parliament Magomed Daudov, and the deputy prime minister of the Chechen government Abuzaid Vismuradov.
With reporting by Interfax


rferl--2020-07-28--Iran Conducts Military Exercise With Mock U.S. Aircraft Carrier In Persian Gulf

Iran ’ s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps ( IRGC ) has fired a missile from a helicopter targeting a mock U.S. aircraft carrier during military exercises in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz , local media reported .
Footage of the drills broadcast on state television on July 28 showed the missile fired from a helicopter leaving a trail of smoke before appearing to smash into the side of the fake warship .
Other footage from the exercise dubbed Payambar-e Azam 14 ( The Great Prophet ) showed speedboats encircling the replica , commandos rappelling onto the deck @ @ @ @ @ @ @ underwater .
Antiaircraft batteries were seen firing from a location that the report described as being near the port city of Bandar Abbas .
Land-based trucks also launched missiles and troops used shoulder-fired missiles .
The U.S. Navy condemned the `` irresponsible and reckless behavior by Iran , ” calling it an attempt `` to intimidate and coerce . ''
The military exercise comes a day after satellite images provided by U.S.-based space technology firm Maxar Technologies showed Iran placed the replica of a U.S. aircraft carrier in the Strait of Hormuz .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. and Western navies in the Gulf , frequently holds naval war games in the strategic strait , through which 20 percent of all traded oil passes .
Tensions between Tehran and Washington have been on the rise since 2018 , when the United States withdrew from a landmark 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers and reimposed crippling sanctions that have battered the Iranian economy .
In addition , IRGC and U.S. forces have had several incidents with Washington accusing the Iranians of harassing American warships as they pass the waterway @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which is based in the Gulf state of Bahrain , said it was “ aware of the Iranian exercise involving attacking a mock-up of a vessel similar to a motionless aircraft carrier . ''
The U.S. Navy “ conducts defensive exercises with our partners promoting maritime security in support of freedom of navigation ; whereas , Iran conducts offensive exercises , attempting to intimidate and coerce , ” spokeswoman Commander Rebecca Rebarich said in a statement .
`` While we are always watchful of this type of irresponsible and reckless behavior by Iran @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , this exercise has not disrupted coalition operations in the area nor had any impacts to the free flow of commerce in the Strait of Hormuz and surrounding waters , '' the statement said .
The USS Nimitz aircraft carrier entered Middle Eastern waters last week and is expected to replace the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in the Arabian Sea .
It remained unclear whether the Nimitz will pass through the Strait of Hormuz during its time in the region .
With reporting by AFP and AP

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


rferl--2020-07-28--COVID-19: Lukashenka Says He Has Overcome Virus; Kyrgyzstan Announces Day Of Mourning

The global death toll from the coronavirus is more than 650,000 , with more than 16.5 million infections confirmed , causing mass disruptions as governments continue to try to slow the spread of the respiratory illness .
Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka says he tested positive for the coronavirus but did not suffer through any symptoms and has overcome it without being hospitalized .
Talking to officers of Interior Ministry troops in Minsk on July 28 , Lukashenka looked tired and his voice sounded a bit hoarse as the 65-year-old described his ordeal .
`` I apologize for my voice .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ But , most surprisingly , you are now meeting with a person who has managed to come through the coronavirus on their feet .
That is what doctors concluded yesterday .
I was asymptomatic , '' Lukashenka said , recalling that he had said earlier that `` 97 percent of our population come through the infection without any symptoms . ''
Belarus currently has 67,366 registered coronavirus cases , including 543 deaths , but Lukashenka has publicly dismissed concerns about the dangers of the disease many times , calling fears about the pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the midst of a campaign ahead of a presidential election on August 9 .
He has faced mounting public opposition in recent months after 26 years in power , in part from public discontent over the government 's handling of the pandemic .
In addition , hundreds of people , including activists and bloggers have been arrested as the government has cracked down hard on rallies and demonstrations supporting opposition candidates , who were not registered by election officials .
Kyrgyz President Sooronbai Jeenbekov has signed a decree declaring July 30 as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the victims of COVID-19 .
The presidential press service said on July 28 that all national flags across the country and at Kyrgyz embassies and diplomatic missions abroad will fly at half-mast on that day , and all entertainment programs and events will be suspended .
As of July 28 , the number of coronavirus cases in Kyrgyzstan was reported at 33,844 , of which 22,296 people had recovered and 1,329 patients died .
Kyrgyzstan has been adding victims with acute pneumonia to its COVID-19 death toll for several weeks now .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recommended on July 28 that the government start easing coronavirus restrictions from next week .
Tsoi said that the number of new coronavirus cases per day in the last three weeks had decreased and continued to fall , allowing for limited operations at shopping malls , kindergartens , beauty salons , and hairdressers to resume as of August 3 .
He added that public events should remain banned , as well as operations at entertainment venues , cinemas , theaters , food courts , restaurants , bars , nightclubs , religious facilities , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pools .
Also , Tsoi said , a ban on intercity passenger bus and train services must remain in force .
Prime Minister Asqar Mamin said that a cabinet decision on the issue will be made after a government commission looks into Tsoi 's recommendations .
As of July 28 , the number of coronavirus cases in Kazakhstan was reported at 84,648 , of whom 54,404 patients had recovered and 656 died .
In Uzbekistan , President Shavkat Mirziyoev appeared in public wearing a medical mask for the first time since the pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a gathering in Tashkent on July 27 , at which city authorities reported on their efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus .
Mirziyoev promised more support from the government and urged Tashkent officials to improve working conditions for medical personnel involved in treating coronavirus patients .
Uzbek health authorities said on July 28 that the number of coronavirus cases in the country reached 21,506 , including 122 deaths .
The officials added that 11,674 patients had recovered .
In Tajikistan , more than 100 medical personnel in the northern region of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ registered coronavirus cases have been reported , were awarded for their work with COVID-19 patients .
The head of the regional health-care directorate , Farruh Maqsudzoda , said on July 27 that since coronavirus was officially registered in the country in April , three medical workers had died of COVID-19 in the region .
As of July 27 , the number of coronavirus cases in Tajikistan was officially reported as 7,235 , including 60 deaths .
However , an investigative report by RFE/RL 's Tajik Service last month revealed that the real number @ @ @ @ @ @ @ country might be several hundred , including dozens of physicians and nurses who treated COVID-19 patients .
Turkmenistan is the only country in the region that has not officially registered any coronavirus cases , but RFE/RL correspondents have reported that local hospitals have been overwhelmed with patients with pneumonia symptoms , some of whom , including medical personnel , have died .
In some parts of the country , so-called quarantine zones have been established , some industrial facilities are being shut down..
The head of a World Health Organization mission , Catherine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ashgabat on July 15 that the mission had concerns about reports of pneumonia in the tightly controlled energy-rich country .
Smallwood advised the Turkmen government to activate `` critical public-health measures in Turkmenistan , as if COVID-19 was circulating . ''
Religious authorities in Kazakhstan , Kyrgyzstan , Tajikistan , and Uzbekistan said earlier that because of the deadly virus no mass prayers at mosques , other public events will be held during one of the most important Islamic holidays , Eid al-Adha , that is marked on August 1-2 this year .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to stay home during the holiday `` to avoid the dangerous effects of dust . ''
With reporting by By RFE/RL 's Kazakh , Kyrgyz , Tajik , Turkmen , and Uzbek , services , and BelTA

The global death toll from the coronavirus is more than 650,000, with more than 16.5 million infections confirmed, causing mass disruptions as governments continue to try to slow the spread of the respiratory illness.
Here's a roundup of COVID-19 developments in RFE/RL's broadcast regions.
Belarus
Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka says he tested positive for the coronavirus but did not suffer through any symptoms and has overcome it without being hospitalized.
Talking to officers of Interior Ministry troops in Minsk on July 28, Lukashenka looked tired and his voice sounded a bit hoarse as the 65-year-old described his ordeal.
"I apologize for my voice. I must speak a lot lately. But, most surprisingly, you are now meeting with a person who has managed to come through the coronavirus on their feet. That is what doctors concluded yesterday. I was asymptomatic," Lukashenka said, recalling that he had said earlier that "97 percent of our population come through the infection without any symptoms."
Belarus currently has 67,366 registered coronavirus cases, including 543 deaths, but Lukashenka has publicly dismissed concerns about the dangers of the disease many times, calling fears about the pandemic a "psychosis."
Lukashenka is in the midst of a campaign ahead of a presidential election on August 9.
He has faced mounting public opposition in recent months after 26 years in power, in part from public discontent over the government's handling of the pandemic.
In addition, hundreds of people, including activists and bloggers have been arrested as the government has cracked down hard on rallies and demonstrations supporting opposition candidates, who were not registered by election officials.
Central Asia
Kyrgyz President Sooronbai Jeenbekov has signed a decree declaring July 30 as a national day of mourning to commemorate the victims of COVID-19.
The presidential press service said on July 28 that all national flags across the country and at Kyrgyz embassies and diplomatic missions abroad will fly at half-mast on that day, and all entertainment programs and events will be suspended.
As of July 28, the number of coronavirus cases in Kyrgyzstan was reported at 33,844, of which 22,296 people had recovered and 1,329 patients died. Kyrgyzstan has been adding victims with acute pneumonia to its COVID-19 death toll for several weeks now.
In neighboring Kazakhstan, Health Minister Aleksei Tsoi recommended on July 28 that the government start easing coronavirus restrictions from next week.
Tsoi said that the number of new coronavirus cases per day in the last three weeks had decreased and continued to fall, allowing for limited operations at shopping malls, kindergartens, beauty salons, and hairdressers to resume as of August 3.
He added that public events should remain banned, as well as operations at entertainment venues, cinemas, theaters, food courts, restaurants, bars, nightclubs, religious facilities, gyms, fitness clubs, and swimming pools.
Also, Tsoi said, a ban on intercity passenger bus and train services must remain in force.
Prime Minister Asqar Mamin said that a cabinet decision on the issue will be made after a government commission looks into Tsoi's recommendations.
As of July 28, the number of coronavirus cases in Kazakhstan was reported at 84,648, of whom 54,404 patients had recovered and 656 died.
In Uzbekistan, President Shavkat Mirziyoev appeared in public wearing a medical mask for the first time since the pandemic was announced in mid-March.
Mirziyoev attended a gathering in Tashkent on July 27, at which city authorities reported on their efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Mirziyoev promised more support from the government and urged Tashkent officials to improve working conditions for medical personnel involved in treating coronavirus patients.
RFE/RL's Coronavirus Crisis Archive Features and analysis, videos, and infographics explore how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting the countries in our region.
Uzbek health authorities said on July 28 that the number of coronavirus cases in the country reached 21,506, including 122 deaths. The officials added that 11,674 patients had recovered.
In Tajikistan, more than 100 medical personnel in the northern region of Sughd, where the majority of officially registered coronavirus cases have been reported, were awarded for their work with COVID-19 patients.
The head of the regional health-care directorate, Farruh Maqsudzoda, said on July 27 that since coronavirus was officially registered in the country in April, three medical workers had died of COVID-19 in the region.
As of July 27, the number of coronavirus cases in Tajikistan was officially reported as 7,235, including 60 deaths.
However, an investigative report by RFE/RL's Tajik Service last month revealed that the real number of lethal cases of COVID-19 in the country might be several hundred, including dozens of physicians and nurses who treated COVID-19 patients.
Turkmenistan is the only country in the region that has not officially registered any coronavirus cases, but RFE/RL correspondents have reported that local hospitals have been overwhelmed with patients with pneumonia symptoms, some of whom, including medical personnel, have died.
In some parts of the country, so-called quarantine zones have been established, some industrial facilities are being shut down..
The head of a World Health Organization mission, Catherine Smallwood, told a press conference in Ashgabat on July 15 that the mission had concerns about reports of pneumonia in the tightly controlled energy-rich country.
Smallwood advised the Turkmen government to activate "critical public-health measures in Turkmenistan, as if COVID-19 was circulating."
Religious authorities in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan said earlier that because of the deadly virus no mass prayers at mosques, other public events will be held during one of the most important Islamic holidays, Eid al-Adha, that is marked on August 1-2 this year.
In Turkmenistan, authorities have ordered people to stay home during the holiday "to avoid the dangerous effects of dust."
With reporting by By RFE/RL's Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik, Turkmen, and Uzbek, services, and BelTA


rferl--2020-07-29--Azerbaijani Opposition Figure Sent To Pretrial Detention Over Unsanctioned Rallies

BAKU -- Mammad Ibrahim , an opposition politician in Azerbaijan , has been sent to pretrial detention over his participation in an unsanctioned rally .
A court in Baku on July 28 ruled that Ibrahim , who is a member of the general committee of the Azerbaijan Popular Front Party ( AXCP ) , must stay in pretrial detention for four months .
Ibrahim was charged with an attempt to forcibly overthrow the government , damaging private property , resistance to police , and violating public order -- allegations that his party says are politically motivated .
He was detained @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his party for participating in unsanctioned rallies on July 14-15 in support of the country ’ s armed forces amid an escalation of military tensions with neighboring Armenia .
Half of the detained individuals have faced the same charges .
Last week , another executive member of the party , Fuad Qahramanli , was also sent to pretrial detention on the same charges for attending the same rallies .
The AXCP leaders have insisted that neither Ibrahim nor Qahramanli participated in the rallies .
Opposition activists in Azerbaijan say the charges could pave @ @ @ @ @ @ @ members of AXCP -- including party leader Ali Karimli .
Karimli told RFE/RL last week that Azerbaijan 's government is engaging in `` political repression . ''
`` Ever since President Ilham Aliyev announced the AXCP as an enemy , the security forces have taken that as an order , '' Karimli said .
Dozens of AXCP members have been arrested , and some imprisoned , in recent years on what their supporters have called trumped-up charges .
Aliyev 's opponents , Western countries , and international human rights groups say his government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , independent media outlets , and civic activists .
Aliyev denies any rights abuses .
He took power in 2003 shortly before the death of his father , Heydar Aliyev , a former KGB officer and communist-era leader who had ruled Azerbaijan since 1993 .

BAKU -- Mammad Ibrahim, an opposition politician in Azerbaijan, has been sent to pretrial detention over his participation in an unsanctioned rally.
A court in Baku on July 28 ruled that Ibrahim, who is a member of the general committee of the Azerbaijan Popular Front Party (AXCP), must stay in pretrial detention for four months.
Ibrahim was charged with an attempt to forcibly overthrow the government, damaging private property, resistance to police, and violating public order -- allegations that his party says are politically motivated.
He was detained earlier along with about 30 activists from his party for participating in unsanctioned rallies on July 14-15 in support of the country’s armed forces amid an escalation of military tensions with neighboring Armenia.
Half of the detained individuals have faced the same charges.
Last week, another executive member of the party, Fuad Qahramanli, was also sent to pretrial detention on the same charges for attending the same rallies.
The AXCP leaders have insisted that neither Ibrahim nor Qahramanli participated in the rallies.
Opposition activists in Azerbaijan say the charges could pave the way for authorities to target more members of AXCP -- including party leader Ali Karimli.
Karimli told RFE/RL last week that Azerbaijan's government is engaging in "political repression."
"Ever since President Ilham Aliyev announced the AXCP as an enemy, the security forces have taken that as an order," Karimli said.
Dozens of AXCP members have been arrested, and some imprisoned, in recent years on what their supporters have called trumped-up charges.
Aliyev's opponents, Western countries, and international human rights groups say his government has persistently persecuted critics, political foes, independent media outlets, and civic activists.
Aliyev denies any rights abuses. He took power in 2003 shortly before the death of his father, Heydar Aliyev, a former KGB officer and communist-era leader who had ruled Azerbaijan since 1993.


rferl--2020-07-29--Pakistani Man Accused Of Blasphemy Shot Dead In Court

A Pakistani Muslim who was on trial for blasphemy has been shot dead in a courtroom in the northwestern city of Peshawar .
It was not immediately clear how the young assailant , identified as Khalid Khan , managed to get into the court on July 29 amid tight security .
The attacker was subsequently arrested .
The suspect told police the prophet Muhammad had ordered him to kill the man standing trial , Tahir Nasim , because he had belonged to the Ahmadi faith .
Ahmadis , a 4-million-strong minority group in Pakistan , have faced death , threats @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for decades .
Ahmadis insist they follow Islam .
However , Pakistan declared the group non-Muslim in 1974 for regarding their sect 's founder , Ghulam Ahmad , as a prophet .
Orthodox Islam holds there can be no prophets after Muhammad .
Nasim was arrested two years ago on blasphemy charges after claiming he was Islam ’ s prophet .
Pakistan ’ s controversial blasphemy law carries an automatic death penalty for anyone convicted of insulting God , Islam , or other religious figures .
Crowds and individuals in Pakistan often take @ @ @ @ @ @ @ While authorities have yet to carry out a death sentence for blasphemy , even the mere accusation can cause riots .
Domestic and international human rights groups say blasphemy allegations have often been used to intimidate religious minorities and settle personal scores .
A Punjab governor was killed by his own guard in 2011 after he defended a Christian woman , Asia Bibi , who was accused of blasphemy .
Bibi was acquitted after spending eight years on death row in a case that drew international attention .
Faced with death threats from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ flew to Canada to join her daughters last year .
In December , a Muslim professor in Pakistan was also sentenced to death after being convicted of blasphemy .
A court in Multan found Junaid Hafeez , who had been held for six years awaiting trial , guilty of spreading anti-Islamic ideas .
Hafeez 's lawyer said his client was wrongly convicted and he would appeal the verdict .

A Pakistani Muslim who was on trial for blasphemy has been shot dead in a courtroom in the northwestern city of Peshawar.
It was not immediately clear how the young assailant, identified as Khalid Khan, managed to get into the court on July 29 amid tight security. The attacker was subsequently arrested.
The suspect told police the prophet Muhammad had ordered him to kill the man standing trial, Tahir Nasim, because he had belonged to the Ahmadi faith.
Ahmadis, a 4-million-strong minority group in Pakistan, have faced death, threats, intimidation and a sustained hate campaign for decades.
Ahmadis insist they follow Islam. However, Pakistan declared the group non-Muslim in 1974 for regarding their sect's founder, Ghulam Ahmad, as a prophet. Orthodox Islam holds there can be no prophets after Muhammad.
Nasim was arrested two years ago on blasphemy charges after claiming he was Islam’s prophet.
Pakistan’s controversial blasphemy law carries an automatic death penalty for anyone convicted of insulting God, Islam, or other religious figures.
Crowds and individuals in Pakistan often take the law into their own hands.
While authorities have yet to carry out a death sentence for blasphemy, even the mere accusation can cause riots. Domestic and international human rights groups say blasphemy allegations have often been used to intimidate religious minorities and settle personal scores.
A Punjab governor was killed by his own guard in 2011 after he defended a Christian woman, Asia Bibi, who was accused of blasphemy.
Bibi was acquitted after spending eight years on death row in a case that drew international attention. Faced with death threats from Islamic radicals upon her release, she flew to Canada to join her daughters last year.
In December, a Muslim professor in Pakistan was also sentenced to death after being convicted of blasphemy.
A court in Multan found Junaid Hafeez, who had been held for six years awaiting trial, guilty of spreading anti-Islamic ideas.
Hafeez's lawyer said his client was wrongly convicted and he would appeal the verdict.
With reporting by AP


rferl--2020-07-29--Iran's Judiciary Has Blocked Prominent Jailed Lawyer's Bank Account, Husband Says

Iran ’ s judiciary has blocked the bank account of prominent imprisoned human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh in a move aimed at adding pressure on her and her family .
Speaking to the New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran ( CHRI ) on July 27 , Sotoudeh ’ s husband , Reza Khandan , said his wife 's bank account with Pasargad Bank in Tehran has been blocked since May on the orders of the Tehran Prosecutor ’ s Office .
Sotoudeh , the co-winner of the European Parliament 's 2012 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in prison over her defense of political prisoners , including women protesting the compulsory hijab law .
Sotoudeh was also jailed from 2010 to 2013 over her human rights work .
Khandan wrote on Facebook that the prosecutor ’ s move `` is aimed at putting economic pressure and financially hurting the family in a time of crisis and economic collapse due to the incompetence of the government and the ruling establishment . ''
Iran ’ s economy has significantly deteriorated in recent months due to crippling U.S. sanctions , mismanagement , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a drop in non-oil exports .
Khandan said he only recently found out the account had been closed and that efforts by Sotoudeh ’ s lawyer to regain control of the funds have failed .
“ We will not stay silent in the face of such inhuman actions , “ Khandan said on Facebook on July 27 .
He also suggested that by increasing the pressure on Sotoudeh and her family , the powerful judiciary was sending a message to others pushing for more rights and freedom in the Islamic republic .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its effectiveness and dissidents are resuming their activities as soon as they get out of prison , ” Khandan said .
“ They want to send a message to those who are willing to go to prison , ” he added .
The CHRI condemned the judiciary ’ s move as an attempt to impose additional punishments on human rights advocates and their families “ beyond the already unlawful sentences applied in kangaroo courts.
” “ The authorities in Iran have seen that repeatedly imprisoning Nasrin Sotoudeh and other human rights defenders has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ political rights , so they are going after them extrajudicially to inflict additional pain on their families , ” Hadi Ghaemi , executive director at the CHRI , said in a statement e-mailed to RFE/RL .
Iran has in recent years intensified its pressure on human rights lawyers by sentencing them to long prison terms for their rights activism and defense of political prisoners .


rferl--2020-07-29--COVID-19: Kazakhstan Extends Lockdown For Two More Weeks

The global death toll from the coronavirus is more than 660,000 , with more than 16.5 million infections confirmed , causing mass disruptions as governments continue to try to slow the spread of the respiratory illness .
Kazakh President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev has ordered an extension of a nationwide lockdown by another two weeks to stem the outbreak of the coronavirus a day after officials began discussing a possible easing of restrictions .
Toqaev made the announcement on July 29 while meeting with Prime Minister Asqar Mamin and Health Minister Aleksei Tsoi .
A day earlier , Tsoi recommended that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ August 3 .
Kazakhstan imposed a state of emergency over the coronavirus pandemic in mid-March , which ended on May 11 with restrictions remaining across the country .
On July 5 , amid an abrupt increase in cases of the coronavirus and acute pneumonia , Kazakhstan imposed additional restrictions for 14 days .
On July 13 , the lockdown was prolonged until August 2 .
Kazakh health authorities said on July 29 that the number of coronavirus cases in the country was 86,192 , with 54,404 patients recovered and 793 died .
Kyrgyzstan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ flights to four countries -- Russia , Turkey , Kazakhstan , and the United Arab Emirates -- as of August 1 .
Kurmanbek Akyshev , the director of Kyrgyzstan 's civil aviation , told RFE/RL on July 28 that negotiations on the issue with aviation officials of the four nations are currently underway .
All international flights have been suspended in Kyrgyzstan due to the pandemic since mid-March .
According to Kyrgyz health authorities , the number of coronavirus cases in the country has reached 34,592 , including 1,347 deaths .
In Tajikistan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some 488,000 people with social and financial needs will receive one-time financial allowances of 400 somonis each ( $ 38.5 ) from the government to help ease problems caused by the pandemic and lockdowns .
Citizens eligible to receive support include families with low incomes , handicapped individuals , orphans or children with one parent , and children with HIV/AIDS .
Tajik Finance Minister Faiziddin Kahhorzoda told reporters in Dushanbe on July 29 that the government ’ s donation account opened to raise money for measures against the coronavirus had managed to collect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ companies , and other countries .
As of July 28 , the number of registered coronavirus cases in Tajikistan was 7,276 , including 60 deaths .
However , an investigative report by RFE/RL ’ s Tajik Service last month revealed that the real number of lethal cases of COVID-19 in the country might be several hundred , including dozens of physicians and nurses who treated infected patients .
In Uzbekistan , health officials said on July 29 that 22,196 coronavirus cases , including 127 deaths , had been registered in the country .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ region that has not officially registered any coronavirus cases , but RFE/RL correspondents have reported that local hospitals have been overwhelmed with patients with pneumonia symptoms , some of whom , including medical personnel , have died .
In some parts of the country , so-called quarantine zones have been established and some industrial facilities are being shut down , RFE/RL correspondents report .
The leader of a World Health Organization mission , Catherine Smallwood , told a press conference in Ashgabat on July 15 that the mission had concerns about reports of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Smallwood advised the Turkmen government to activate `` critical public-health measures in Turkmenistan , as if COVID-19 was circulating . ''
With reporting by RFE/RL 's Kazakh , Kyrgyz , Tajik , Uzbek , and Turkmen services

The global death toll from the coronavirus is more than 662,000, with more than 16.8 million infections confirmed, causing mass disruptions as governments continue to try to slow the spread of the respiratory illness.
Here's a roundup of COVID-19 developments in RFE/RL's broadcast regions.
Bosnia-Herzegovina
The veterans affairs minister in one of Bosnia-Herzegovina’s federal regions has died from the coronavirus.
Salko Bukvarevic, 53, the cabinet member in Bosnia's Muslim-Croat entity, died on July 29 from COVID-19 at a hospital in Sarajevo, where he had been admitted last week.
Bukvarevic had been put on a respirator on July 27.
He had served in the government of the Bosniak-Croat Federation since 2015.
The region’s prime minister, Fadil Novalic, was also hospitalized with the coronavirus but was released on July 28 following two weeks of treatment.
The Balkan country of 3.5 million people has registered close to 10,700 virus cases, with 297 deaths.
Earlier this week, the World Health Organization warned the country risks being faced with overfilled and understaffed hospitals.
In the Western Balkans, North Macedonia and Serbia also face surging coronavirus cases.
Central Asia
Kazakh President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev has ordered an extension of a nationwide lockdown by another two weeks to stem the outbreak of the coronavirus a day after officials began discussing a possible easing of restrictions.
Toqaev made the announcement on July 29 while meeting with Prime Minister Asqar Mamin and Health Minister Aleksei Tsoi.
A day earlier, Tsoi recommended that the government start easing coronavirus restrictions as of August 3.
Kazakhstan imposed a state of emergency over the coronavirus pandemic in mid-March, which ended on May 11 with restrictions remaining across the country.
On July 5, amid an abrupt increase in cases of the coronavirus and acute pneumonia, Kazakhstan imposed additional restrictions for 14 days. On July 13, the lockdown was prolonged until August 2.
Kazakh health authorities said on July 29 that the number of coronavirus cases in the country was 86,192, with 54,404 patients recovered and 793 died.
Kyrgyzstan says it is aiming to resume air flights to four countries -- Russia, Turkey, Kazakhstan, and the United Arab Emirates -- as of August 1.
Kurmanbek Akyshev, the director of Kyrgyzstan's civil aviation, told RFE/RL on July 28 that negotiations on the issue with aviation officials of the four nations are currently underway.
All international flights have been suspended in Kyrgyzstan due to the pandemic since mid-March.
According to Kyrgyz health authorities, the number of coronavirus cases in the country has reached 34,592, including 1,347 deaths.
In Tajikistan, authorities said on July 29 that some 488,000 people with social and financial needs will receive one-time financial allowances of 400 somonis each ($38.5) from the government to help ease problems caused by the pandemic and lockdowns.
Citizens eligible to receive support include families with low incomes, handicapped individuals, orphans or children with one parent, and children with HIV/AIDS.
Tajik Finance Minister Faiziddin Kahhorzoda told reporters in Dushanbe on July 29 that the government’s donation account opened to raise money for measures against the coronavirus had managed to collect about $2.5 million from individuals, companies, and other countries.
As of July 28, the number of registered coronavirus cases in Tajikistan was 7,276, including 60 deaths.
However, an investigative report by RFE/RL’s Tajik Service last month revealed that the real number of lethal cases of COVID-19 in the country might be several hundred, including dozens of physicians and nurses who treated infected patients.
In Uzbekistan, health officials said on July 29 that 22,196 coronavirus cases, including 127 deaths, had been registered in the country.
Turkmenistan is the only country in the region that has not officially registered any coronavirus cases, but RFE/RL correspondents have reported that local hospitals have been overwhelmed with patients with pneumonia symptoms, some of whom, including medical personnel, have died.
In some parts of the country, so-called quarantine zones have been established and some industrial facilities are being shut down, RFE/RL correspondents report.
The leader of a World Health Organization mission, Catherine Smallwood, told a press conference in Ashgabat on July 15 that the mission had concerns about reports of pneumonia in the tightly controlled energy-rich country.
Smallwood advised the Turkmen government to activate "critical public-health measures in Turkmenistan, as if COVID-19 was circulating."
With reporting by RFE/RL's Balkan, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik, Uzbek, and Turkmen services, AFP, and AP


rferl--2020-07-29--Iran Launches Underground Ballistic Missiles During Exercise

Iran ’ s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps ( IRGC ) has launched underground ballistic missiles as part of a drill involving a fake U.S. aircraft carrier during military exercises in the Strait of Hormuz , a day after the IRGC fired a missile from a helicopter targeting the same carrier .
Drones separately targeted the bridge of the fake carrier , according to state TV on July 29 , which did not immediately broadcast footage of the launches or the drone attack , nor did it identify the missiles used in the drill .
The U.S. military said that ballistic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in U.S. troops being put on alert at Al-Dhafra Air Base in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates and Al-Udeid Air Base , the forward headquarters of the U.S. military ’ s Central Command in Qatar .
Troops sought cover during that time .
`` The incident lasted for a matter of minutes and an all clear was declared after the threat ... had passed , '' said Central Command spokeswoman Beth Riordan .
Both bases are hundreds of kilometers away from where Iran put the replica aircraft carrier .
Tensions between @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rise since 2018 , when the United States withdrew from a landmark 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers and reimposed crippling sanctions that have battered the Iranian economy .
In January , a U.S. drone strike killed a top Iranian commander in Baghdad .
Tehran responded to that strike by firing ballistic missiles that wounded dozens of American forces in Iraq .
Washington is also pressing for the extension of a yearslong UN weapons embargo on Tehran that is due to expire in October .
A recent incident over Syria involving @ @ @ @ @ @ @ passenger plane has also renewed tensions .
Footage of the first day of drills broadcast on state television on July 28 showed a missile fired from a helicopter leaving a trail of smoke before appearing to smash into the side of the fake warship .
Other footage from the exercise dubbed Payambar-e Azam 14 ( The Great Prophet ) showed speedboats encircling the replica , commandos rappelling onto the deck of the vessel , and scuba forces underwater .
Antiaircraft batteries were seen firing from a location that the report described as being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Land-based trucks also launched missiles and troops used shoulder-fired missiles .
The U.S. Navy condemned the `` irresponsible and reckless behavior by Iran , '' calling it an attempt `` to intimidate and coerce . ''


rferl--2020-07-29--U.S. Officials Hail Afghan Cease-Fire Amid Renewed Hopes For Peace

Top U.S. officials have hailed a three-day cease-fire proposed by the Taliban and agreed by the Afghan government , raising hopes that the long-delayed intra-Afghan peace talks could begin next week .
The two foes announced a halt in hostilities for the Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday starting on July 31 , as the United States presses for the start of long-awaited talks .
The announcements come as U.S. special envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad is trying to revive peace talks with visits to Pakistan and the Afghan capital , Kabul , as well as Qatar , where the Taliban maintain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Taliban announcement of an Eid cease-fire and the Afghan government 's reciprocal announcement , '' Khalilzad said on Twitter on July 29 .
`` Our hope is this Eid brings all Afghans together in understanding & mutual respect and one step closer to a sustainable peace . ''
The top U.S. diplomat in Kabul , Ross Wilson , also voiced hope that the two sides would move quickly to the negotiating table , saying Afghans `` deserve to celebrate the holiday in peace . ''
`` I look forward to both sides @ @ @ @ @ @ @ intra-Afghan negotiations , '' tweeted Wilson , who is charge d'affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul .
The United States and the Taliban struck an agreement in February intended to pave the way for intra-Afghan peace talks between the militants and the U.S.-backed government in Kabul to end nearly 18 years of war .
Although the Taliban have refrained from attacking U.S. and NATO forces , militants continue to stage near daily attacks on Afghan security forces .
But in a July 28 statement , the militants announced the conditional three-day cease-fire @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) are instructed not to carry out any operation against the enemy during the three days and nights of Eid , ” the Taliban said in a July 28 statement , adding that if the Taliban are attacked , they should “ respond strongly.
” The Afghan government said it had ordered its security forces to observe the cease-fire .
However , a major hurdle in launching intra-Afghan talks is the completion of prisoner exchanges .
Both the Afghan government and the Taliban have suggested that direct talks may finally occur after Eid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been completed .
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said on July 28 that peace talks with the Taliban could begin `` in a week 's time , '' following a prisoner exchange .
`` To demonstrate the government 's commitment to peace , the Islamic republic will soon complete the release of 5,000 Taliban prisoners , '' Ghani said at the presidential palace .
Under the U.S.-Taliban deal , Kabul was to release around 5,000 Taliban in exchange for the militants freeing 1,000 government and military personnel .
To date , Kabul has freed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 800 government forces .
The Taliban has accused Afghan security forces of rearresting insurgents who had been released .
Ghani urged the Taliban to agree to a `` permanent and comprehensive cease-fire '' during any peace talks .
He said Taliban attacks have killed 3,560 government forces and wounded 6,781 others since the U.S.-Taliban deal was signed in February .
Ghani 's spokesman , Sediq Sediqqi , told the media that Kabul would observe the cease-fire , but cautioned it did not go far enough .
`` The people of Afghanistan demand a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ talks between the Taliban and the government of Afghanistan , '' Sediqqi said .
With reporting by AFP , AP , dpa , and Reuters

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--2020-07-29--Critics Decry Serbian Probe Of Media, Rights Groups Over Terror Financing, Money Laundering

Serbia ’ s Finance Ministry has launched a terrorist financing and money laundering probe into journalists and nongovernmental organizations that critics say is a blatant attempt at intimidation by President Aleksandar Vucic ’ s government .
The ministry has requested bank information since the start of 2019 from 20 individuals and 37 nongovernmental organizations and institutions known for their work on human rights , transparency , and exposing corruption , according to documents published by TV Newsmax Adria Serbia on July 28 .
The ministry ’ s order cites the need “ to determine whether the listed organizations and individuals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or money laundering.
” Zeljko Radovanovic , who heads the ministry ’ s anti-money-laundering unit , said the requests were standard procedure and not directed at government critics .
`` We need to check if there are donors , or if there are any donors that carry a certain amount of risk , '' he said .
But those on the list and others point out that the move is mostly targeted at critics of Vucic ’ s government .
The list includes individuals and organizations that have advocated for Serbia ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s `` a clear effort to intimidate government critics '' as Serbia slides further `` towards authoritarianism , '' Florian Bieber , the director of the Center for Southeast European Studies at the University of Graz , wrote on Twitter .
The list includes the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network ( BIRN ) and Serbia ’ s two main journalist associations , as well as rights group such as the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights and Civic Initiatives .
The investigation was also noticed in Europe , where a member of the European @ @ @ @ @ @ @ investigations appear to be an effort to apply pressure .
`` Most of the civil society organizations , media , and individuals investigated for money laundering by the Serbian Government have been among the primary advocates for pro-EU reforms and supporters of EU values in Serbia , '' said Falon , who chairs a parliament committee on EU relations with Serbia , which is trying to join the bloc .
The director of the Center for Investigative Journalism , Branko Cecen , who is also on the list , said that the request @ @ @ @ @ @ @ institutions for the sake of settling accounts with critics of the government .
He advised the government to investigate itself if it wanted to tackle money laundering .
Under Vucic ’ s conservative ruling Serbian Progressive Party ( SNS ) , human rights organizations have documented a steady erosion of democracy in the Balkan country .
The U.S.-based Freedom House has said that since the SNS came to power in 2012 , it `` has steadily eroded political rights and civil liberties , putting pressure on independent media , the political opposition , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reporting by AP , AFP , NOVA.rs , and TV Newsmax Adria Serbia

Serbia’s Finance Ministry has launched a terrorist financing and money laundering probe into journalists and nongovernmental organizations that critics say is a blatant attempt at intimidation by President Aleksandar Vucic’s government.
The ministry has requested bank information since the start of 2019 from 20 individuals and 37 nongovernmental organizations and institutions known for their work on human rights, transparency, and exposing corruption, according to documents published by TV Newsmax Adria Serbia on July 28.
The ministry’s order cites the need “to determine whether the listed organizations and individuals have anything to do with terrorist financing or money laundering.”
Zeljko Radovanovic, who heads the ministry’s anti-money-laundering unit, said the requests were standard procedure and not directed at government critics.
"We need to check if there are donors, or if there are any donors that carry a certain amount of risk," he said.
But those on the list and others point out that the move is mostly targeted at critics of Vucic’s government. The list includes individuals and organizations that have advocated for Serbia’s EU accession and associated reforms.
Amnesty International’s Europe director, Nils Muiznieks, called the move “a blatant act of intimidation and the latest in an ongoing campaign by Serbian authorities to silence critics.”
“This kind of arbitrary investigation that specifically targets those critical of the government undermines the right to freedom of expression and threatens freedom of the press,” he added.
The list includes the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN) and Serbia’s two main journalist associations, as well as rights group such as the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights and Civic Initiatives.
It’s “a clear effort to intimidate government critics" as Serbia slides further "towards authoritarianism,” Florian Bieber, the director of the Center for Southeast European Studies at the University of Graz, wrote on Twitter.
A member of the European Parliament, Tanja Fajon, said the investigations appear to be an effort to apply pressure.
"Most of the civil society organizations, media, and individuals investigated for money laundering by the Serbian Government have been among the primary advocates for pro-EU reforms and supporters of EU values in Serbia," said Falon, who chairs a parliament committee on EU relations with Serbia, which is trying to join the bloc.
The director of the Center for Investigative Journalism, Branko Cecen, who is also on the list, said that the request for bank information was an abuse of institutions for the sake of settling accounts with critics of the government. He advised the government to investigate itself if it wanted to tackle money laundering.
Under Vucic’s conservative ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), human rights organizations have documented a steady erosion of democracy in the Balkan country.
The U.S.-based Freedom House has said that since the SNS came to power in 2012, it "has steadily eroded political rights and civil liberties, putting pressure on independent media, the political opposition, and civil society organizations."
With reporting by AP, AFP, NOVA.rs, and TV Newsmax Adria Serbia


rferl--2020-07-30--Russian Oligarchs Find Way To Bypass U.S. Sanctions Through Secrecy Of Art sales

Two Russian oligarchs have been able to bypass U.S. sanctions barring them from U.S. financial systems by taking advantage of lax laws governing high-priced art purchases in the United States , according to a congressional report released on July 29 following a two-year investigation .
The report details how investigators traced more than $ 18 million in art purchases at U.S. auction houses and private sales back to three shell companies linked to Russian brothers Arkady and Boris Rotenberg .
The secret nature of high-value art sales in which buyers often remain anonymous has given the Rotenbergs access to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after Russia ’ s 2014 annexation of Crimea , the report found .
The Rotenbergs , who are close to Russian President Vladimir Putin , made a fortune through contracts related to the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi , Russia .
Their U.S. assets were frozen in March 2014 under sanctions designed to punish Putin and his close associates over the annexation of Crimea .
The sanctions also barred U.S. companies from doing business with them .
The report , issued by the U.S. Senate ’ s Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations , said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the sanctions by moving money through shell companies and investing it in the high-value art .
The shell companies moved at least $ 91 million through the U.S. financial system after the sanctions were imposed , the report found .
U.S. auction houses acknowledged that they never ask for the identity of the buyer in purchases made by an intermediary , the report found .
The report called this a loophole that exempts art sales from financial safeguards aimed at stopping money laundering .
`` It is alarming and completely unacceptable that common @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the financing of terrorism do not apply if someone is purchasing a multimillion-dollar piece of art , ” said Senator Tom Carper ( Democrat-Delaware ) , the committee ’ s top Democrat .
The investigation found that the Rotenbergs attempted to conceal the activity by hiding behind Moscow-based art adviser and dealer Gregory Baltser , a naturalized U.S. citizen .
Baltser ’ s attorneys categorically denied the allegations , writing in a statement quoted by Politico that neither Baltser nor his agency “ has ever , at any time , represented or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Arkady Rotenberg.
” The Rotenbergs could not be reached for comment , according to The Associated Press and Politico .
The New York Times quoted a representative of the Rotenbergs as saying they had never circumvented sanctions .
There are now calls for legislative remedies that would end the secretive nature of art purchases , including an amendment to the Bank Secrecy Act to add businesses handling transactions involving high-value art .
The Rotenbergs are the only sanctioned individuals the panel says it could confidently determine were benefiting from U.S. art sales , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tip of the iceberg , ” the report said .
The report also points to new anti-money laundering rules the European Union adopted for expensive art deals requiring the verification of the identity of the buyer and seller in transactions over $ 10,000 .
With reporting by AP , Politico , and The New York Times

Two Russian oligarchs have been able to bypass U.S. sanctions barring them from U.S. financial systems by taking advantage of lax laws governing high-priced art purchases in the United States, according to a congressional report released on July 29 following a two-year investigation.
The report details how investigators traced more than $18 million in art purchases at U.S. auction houses and private sales back to three shell companies linked to Russian brothers Arkady and Boris Rotenberg.
The secret nature of high-value art sales in which buyers often remain anonymous has given the Rotenbergs access to the U.S. economy despite sanctions imposed against them after Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea, the report found.
The Rotenbergs, who are close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, made a fortune through contracts related to the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. Their U.S. assets were frozen in March 2014 under sanctions designed to punish Putin and his close associates over the annexation of Crimea. The sanctions also barred U.S. companies from doing business with them.
The report, issued by the U.S. Senate’s Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, said the Rotenbergs found a way to bypass the sanctions by moving money through shell companies and investing it in the high-value art. The shell companies moved at least $91 million through the U.S. financial system after the sanctions were imposed, the report found.
U.S. auction houses acknowledged that they never ask for the identity of the buyer in purchases made by an intermediary, the report found. The report called this a loophole that exempts art sales from financial safeguards aimed at stopping money laundering.
"It is alarming and completely unacceptable that common sense regulations designed to prevent money laundering and the financing of terrorism do not apply if someone is purchasing a multimillion-dollar piece of art,” said Senator Tom Carper (Democrat-Delaware), the committee’s top Democrat.
The investigation found that the Rotenbergs attempted to conceal the activity by hiding behind Moscow-based art adviser and dealer Gregory Baltser, a naturalized U.S. citizen. Baltser’s attorneys categorically denied the allegations, writing in a statement quoted by Politico that neither Baltser nor his agency “has ever, at any time, represented or transacted in any way with Boris or Arkady Rotenberg.”
The Rotenbergs could not be reached for comment, according to the Associated Press and Politico. The New York Times quoted a representative of the Rotenbergs as saying they had never circumvented sanctions.
There are now calls for legislative remedies that would end the secretive nature of art purchases, including an amendment to the Bank Secrecy Act to add businesses handling transactions involving high-value art.
The Rotenbergs are the only sanctioned individuals the panel says it could confidently determine were benefiting from U.S. art sales, but they are likely “only the tip of the iceberg,” the report said.
The report also points to new anti-money laundering rules the European Union adopted for expensive art deals requiring the verification of the identity of the buyer and seller in transactions over $10,000.
With reporting by AP, Politico, and The New York Times


rferl--2020-07-30--Protesters In Bulgaria Turn Up Volume On Call For Government Leaders To Resign

Thousands of people marched in cities across Bulgaria on July 29 , marking three weeks of protests to demand the resignation of the government and the prosecutor-general .
The protesters blocked several major intersections in the capital , Sofia , during business hours , bringing traffic almost to a standstill .
They blew whistles and vuvuzelas and rang bells , turning the protest into a noisy procession as they called for the resignation of Prime Minister Boyko Borisov .
Protesters accuse the government of maintaining links to the mafia , refusing to fight corruption and reform the judiciary , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Borisov has done nothing to stop corruption and curb the hold of tycoons over the economy .
People chanted “ Borisov , you are shame and disgrace ” and “ Resignation ” as they ignored a ban on large gatherings because of the coronavirus pandemic .
Some wore white masks and clothing .
The protests in Sofia and other cities were bigger than in previous days , according to RFE/RL ’ s Bulgarian Service .
In the evening a huge crowd gathered in front of the government headquarters singing the national anthem and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vowed to remain in the streets until their demands are met .
Those arriving from other parts of Bulgaria were urged to bring tents , blankets , water , and food in preparation for an extended protest , which have been mostly peaceful .
The protests were sparked by a raid three weeks ago by the Prosecutor-General 's Office on the headquarters of President Rumen Radev , a critic of the government .
They have continued despite Borisov replacing four ministers last week in a reshuffle meant to end calls for his resignation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ incidents exposing the government 's protectionist policies against powerful oligarchs that brought public anger to boiling point .
Radev is backing protesters , saying Borisov and Prosecutor-General Ivan Geshev should step down .
In a public address to the nation , Radev spoke about the deep anger of the protesters .
“ It has been piling up for years and can not be suppressed by fear and force , ” he said .
Borisov said in a video posted on Facebook that people have the right to protest , but not to close @ @ @ @ @ @ @ normal life .
Borisov , 61 , has been in power since 2009 and his third four-year term is scheduled to end in March .
He has vowed to carry out the term , dismissing the calls for his resignation .
Thirteen years after joining the European Union as its poorest country , Bulgaria has also remained the bloc 's most graft-prone member state , according to Transparency International 's corruption perception index .
With reporting by AP , dpa , and AFP

SOFIA -- Thousands of people marched in cities across Bulgaria on July 29, marking three weeks of protests to demand the resignation of the government and the prosecutor-general.
The protesters blocked several major intersections in the capital, Sofia, during business hours, bringing traffic almost to a standstill. They blew whistles and vuvuzelas and rang bells, turning the protest into a noisy procession as they called for the resignation of Prime Minister Boyko Borisov.
Protesters accuse the government of maintaining links to the mafia, refusing to fight corruption and reform the judiciary, and suppressing freedom of speech. They say Borisov has done nothing to stop corruption and curb the hold of tycoons over the economy.
People chanted, “Borisov, you are a shame and a disgrace” and “Resignation” as they ignored a ban on large gatherings because of the coronavirus pandemic. Some wore white masks and clothing.
The protests in Sofia and other cities were bigger than in previous days, according to RFE/RL’s Bulgarian Service. In the evening, a huge crowd gathered in front of the government headquarters singing the national anthem and waving national flags.
Participants in Sofia vowed to remain in the streets until their demands are met. Those arriving from other parts of Bulgaria were urged to bring tents, blankets, water, and food in preparation for an extended protest, which have been mostly peaceful.
The protests were sparked by a raid three weeks ago by the Prosecutor-General's Office on the headquarters of President Rumen Radev, a critic of the government. They have continued despite Borisov replacing four ministers last week in a reshuffle meant to end calls for his resignation.
The raid was followed by several incidents exposing the government's protectionist policies against powerful oligarchs that brought public anger to the boiling point.
Radev is backing the protesters, saying Borisov and Prosecutor-General Ivan Geshev should step down. In a public address to the nation, Radev spoke about the deep anger of the protesters.
“It has been piling up for years and cannot be suppressed by fear and force,” he said.
Borisov said in a video posted on Facebook that people have the right to protest but not to close intersections and interfere with people’s normal life.
Borisov, 61, has been in power since 2009 and his third four-year term is scheduled to end in March. He has vowed to carry out the term, dismissing the calls for his resignation.
Thirteen years after joining the European Union as its poorest country, Bulgaria has also remained the bloc's most graft-prone member state, according to Transparency International's corruption perception index.
With reporting by AP, dpa, and AFP


rferl--2020-07-29--Trump Says He Never Questioned Putin About Reports That Russia Paid Taliban To Kill U.S. Troops

President Donald Trump said he never raised with Russian leader Vladimir Putin media reports that Moscow paid the Taliban to kill U.S. troops in Afghanistan .
`` I have never discussed it with him , '' Trump said in an interview with the news website Axios published on July 28 .
Trump has repeatedly said he was not briefed on the intelligence on the alleged Russian bounties before it was reported in the media in June because it was inconclusive .
He has described the reports as `` fake news . ''
Trump spoke on the phone with Putin on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two leaders have had since the intelligence was reportedly included in the president ’ s written daily intelligence briefing in late February .
Asked why he did not bring up the issue in the July 23 phone call , Trump told Axios : “ That was a phone call to discuss other things , and frankly that ’ s an issue that many people said was fake news.
” A readout from the call last week said the two leaders discussed the expiring New START nuclear agreement and combating the coronavirus pandemic .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ not believe the bounty report , but that if it were true , he would respond to Russia .
`` It never reached my desk .
You know why ?
Because they did n't think – intelligence -- they did n't think it was real , '' Trump told Axios .
`` I would n't mind -- if it reached my desk , I would have done something about it . ''
He denied media reports he doesn ’ t read the daily intelligence briefing .
`` I read it a lot , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
They like to say I do n't read .
I read a lot , '' he said .
There is no clear assessment within the U.S. intelligence community whether Russia paid bounties to the Taliban .
The New York Times reported at the end of June that U.S. intelligence officials concluded months ago that Russian military intelligence offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants to kill American soldiers .
The paper went on to claim that Trump was briefed on the matter , but did nothing in response .
The White House has said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had been briefed on the alleged intelligence .
The House of Representatives held several hearings on the topic about how the United States should respond if the allegations are substantiated .
The issue has become a partisan topic ahead of November ’ s presidential election , when Trump will face the presumed Democratic nominee , former Vice President Joe Biden .
Democrats have used the reports to question why Trump was not informed , and if he was , why there has been no response to Russia .
Biden 's campaign responded to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was `` absolutely despicable '' the president did not confront Putin with intelligence on the alleged bounties .
`` The most critical and sacred obligation of a commander-in-chief is to protect those who serve our nation in harm 's way , '' the Biden campaign 's rapid response director , Andrew Bates , said in a statement .
`` But months after the U.S. intelligence community sounded the alarm -- to Donald Trump and to our allies -- that Russia was placing bounties on the heads of American servicemen and women in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ turn his back on those who put their lives on the line for our country , and on his own duty , '' Bates said .

President Donald Trump said he never raised with Russian leader Vladimir Putin media reports that Moscow paid the Taliban to kill U.S. troops in Afghanistan.
"I have never discussed it with him," Trump said in an interview with the news website Axios published on July 28.
Trump has repeatedly said he was not briefed on the intelligence on the alleged Russian bounties before it was reported in the media in June because it was inconclusive. He has described the reports as "fake news."
Russia has denied the reports.
Trump spoke on the phone with Putin on July 23, the eighth conversation the two leaders have had since the intelligence was reportedly included in the president’s written daily intelligence briefing in late February.
Asked why he did not bring up the issue in the July 23 phone call, Trump told Axios: “That was a phone call to discuss other things, and frankly that’s an issue that many people said was fake news.”
A readout from the call last week said the two leaders discussed the expiring New START nuclear agreement and combating the coronavirus pandemic.
Trump has made clear that he did not believe the bounty report, but that if it were true, he would respond to Russia.
"It never reached my desk. You know why? Because they didn't think – intelligence -- they didn't think it was real," Trump told Axios. "I wouldn't mind -- if it reached my desk, I would have done something about it."
He denied media reports he doesn’t read the daily intelligence briefing.
"I read it a lot, you know, I read a lot. They like to say I don't read. I read a lot," he said.
There is no clear assessment within the U.S. intelligence community whether Russia paid bounties to the Taliban.
The New York Times reported at the end of June that U.S. intelligence officials concluded months ago that Russian military intelligence offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants to kill American soldiers. The paper went on to claim that Trump was briefed on the matter, but did nothing in response.
The White House has said neither Trump nor Vice President Mike Pence had been briefed on the alleged intelligence. The House of Representatives held several hearings on the topic about how the United States should respond if the allegations are substantiated.
The issue has become a partisan topic ahead of November’s presidential election, when Trump will face the presumed Democratic nominee, former Vice President Joe Biden.
Democrats have used the reports to question why Trump was not informed, and if he was, why there has been no response to Russia.
Biden's campaign responded to Trump's comments by saying that it was "absolutely despicable" the president did not confront Putin with intelligence on the alleged bounties.
"The most critical and sacred obligation of a commander-in-chief is to protect those who serve our nation in harm's way," the Biden campaign's rapid response director, Andrew Bates, said in a statement.
"But months after the U.S. intelligence community sounded the alarm -- to Donald Trump and to our allies -- that Russia was placing bounties on the heads of American servicemen and women in a war zone, our president continues to turn his back on those who put their lives on the line for our country, and on his own duty," Bates said.
With reporting by Reuters


rferl--2020-07-29--Three Detained In Russia's Far East Amid Anti-Kremlin Protests

KOMSOMOLSK-ON-AMUR , Russia -- Police in Russia 's Far East have detained three people who demonstrated in support of the arrested former governor of the Khabarovsk Krai region .
A coordinator of the opposition Open Russia organization , Sergei Naumov , told RFE/RL that Svetlana Dilman , her son Yevgeny , and an activist known as Dmitry were detained in the city of Komsomolsk-on-Amur on July 29 .
`` Svetlana told me by phone that five police officers severely beat her son while they detained him , '' Naumov said .
Police officials in Komsomolsk-on-Amur were not available for immediate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Khabarovsk , supporters of former Governor Sergei Furgal rallied on July 29 for the 19th straight day , demanding the resignation of President Vladimir Putin .
Demonstrators have been protesting in the city of 600,000 people since July 11 , with their numbers reaching tens of thousands on weekends .
Smaller demonstrators have been held in towns and cities in Khabarovsk Krai and adjacent regions .
Khabarovsk Krai residents overwhelmingly voted for Furgal , a member of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia ( LDPR ) , in the 2018 gubernatorial elections .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the ruling United Russia party .
Furgal , who was arrested in Khabarovsk on July 9 and transferred to Moscow , is charged with attempted murder and ordering two murders in 2004-05 .
He denies the allegations .
Putin has appointed Mikhail Degtyaryov , also an LDPR member , as acting regional governor .
Authorities are said to be unnerved by the rallies in Furgal ’ s support , with Khabarovsk ’ s mayor saying such demonstrations were illegal and could help the spread of the coronavirus .
Russia 's Federal Security Service @ @ @ @ @ @ @ alleged terrorist threat involving explosives , which it claimed to have foiled .
In addition , the regional authorities have said they were considering a return to strict quarantine measures , citing the “ difficult situation with the spread of coronavirus infection .
”

KOMSOMOLSK-ON-AMUR, Russia -- Police in Russia's Far East have detained three people who demonstrated in support of the arrested former governor of the Khabarovsk Krai region.
A coordinator of the opposition Open Russia organization, Sergei Naumov, told RFE/RL that Svetlana Dilman, her son Yevgeny, and an activist known as Dmitry were detained in the city of Komsomolsk-on-Amur on July 29.
"Svetlana told me by phone that five police officers severely beat her son while they detained him," Naumov said.
Police officials in Komsomolsk-on-Amur were not available for immediate comment.
In the regional capital, Khabarovsk, supporters of former Governor Sergei Furgal rallied on July 29 for the 19th straight day, demanding the resignation of President Vladimir Putin.
Demonstrators have been protesting in the city of 600,000 people since July 11, with their numbers reaching tens of thousands on weekends.
Smaller demonstrators have been held in towns and cities in Khabarovsk Krai and adjacent regions.
Khabarovsk Krai residents overwhelmingly voted for Furgal, a member of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR), in the 2018 gubernatorial elections. His surprise victory was a blow to the ruling United Russia party.
Furgal, who was arrested in Khabarovsk on July 9 and transferred to Moscow, is charged with attempted murder and ordering two murders in 2004-05. He denies the allegations.
Putin has appointed Mikhail Degtyaryov, also an LDPR member, as acting regional governor.
Authorities are said to be unnerved by the rallies in Furgal’s support, with Khabarovsk’s mayor saying such demonstrations were illegal and could help the spread of the coronavirus.
Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) has warned of an alleged terrorist threat involving explosives, which it claimed to have foiled.
In addition, the regional authorities have said they were considering a return to strict quarantine measures, citing the “difficult situation with the spread of coronavirus infection.”


rferl--2020-07-29--Watchdog Denounces 'Oppressive' Climate For Reporters Ahead Of Belarus Election

Reporters Without Borders ( RSF ) has warned of the “ oppressive ” climate surrounding media freedom in Belarus ahead of a presidential election in two weeks , condemning the “ systematic ” arrests of journalists covering pro-democracy demonstrations .
More than 40 journalists have been detained over the past 10 weeks in an effort to prevent them from covering the “ unprecedented ” campaigns against President Alyaksandr Lukashenka ’ s reelection , the Paris-based media freedom watchdog said in a statement on July 29 .
The authorities are “ ready to do anything to gag independent media , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ RSF ’ s Eastern Europe and Central Asia desk .
Cavelier called for impartial investigations with the aim of prosecuting those guilty of obstructing the work of journalists , which is penalized by Belarus ’ s Criminal Code .
Lukashenka , who has ruled Belarus since 1994 , is seeking a sixth term in the upcoming election on August 9 .
The Belarusian leader has faced mounting public opposition in recent months , in part from public discontent over the government 's handling of the coronavirus pandemic .
Hundreds of people , including @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as the government has cracked down hard on rallies and demonstrations supporting opposition candidates , who were not registered by the election officials .

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has warned of the “oppressive” climate surrounding media freedom in Belarus ahead of a presidential election in two weeks, condemning the “systematic” arrests of journalists covering pro-democracy demonstrations.
More than 40 journalists have been detained over the past 10 weeks in an effort to prevent them from covering the “unprecedented” campaigns against President Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s reelection, the Paris-based media freedom watchdog said in a statement on July 29.
The authorities are “ready to do anything to gag independent media,” said Jeanne Cavelier, the head of RSF’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia desk.
Cavelier called for impartial investigations with the aim of prosecuting those guilty of obstructing the work of journalists, which is penalized by Belarus’s Criminal Code.
Lukashenka, who has ruled Belarus since 1994, is seeking a sixth term in the upcoming election on August 9.
The Belarusian leader has faced mounting public opposition in recent months, in part from public discontent over the government's handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
Hundreds of people, including activists and bloggers, have been arrested as the government has cracked down hard on rallies and demonstrations supporting opposition candidates, who were not registered by the election officials.


rferl--2020-07-29--Two Top Aides To Pakistani Prime Minister Step Down Over Criticism

ISLAMABAD – Two special assistants to Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan have resigned from their posts amid criticism of the government over its handling of the coronavirus crisis and revelations about the dual citizenship of cabinet members .
Khan 's government has been under increasing fire from opposition parties and the media since it made public on July 18 details of the assets and nationalities of the 20 advisers and special assistants to the prime minister .
Four of them were said to hold dual citizenships , including the special assistant on digital Pakistan , Tania Aidrus , who stepped @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who holds Pakistani and Canadian citizenships , wrote on Twitter that she had submitted her resignation “ in the greater public interest.
” '' Criticism levied towards the state as a consequence of my citizenship status is clouding the purpose of digital Pakistan , ” Aidrus said .
Shortly afterward , the special assistant on health , Zafar Mirza , who was overseeing the government 's response to the coronavirus pandemic , also announced his resignation .
Mirza tweeted that he made the decision due to the `` negative discussion about the role @ @ @ @ @ @ @ minister ] and criticism of the government . ''
Pakistan has reported more than 276,000 coronavirus cases and over 6,900 deaths .

ISLAMABAD – Two special assistants to Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan have resigned from their posts amid criticism of the government over its handling of the coronavirus crisis and revelations about the dual citizenship of cabinet members.
Khan's government has been under increasing fire from opposition parties and the media since it made public on July 18 details of the assets and nationalities of the 20 advisers and special assistants to the prime minister.
Four of them were said to hold dual citizenships, including the special assistant on digital Pakistan, Tania Aidrus, who stepped down on July 29.
Aidrus, who holds Pakistani and Canadian citizenships, wrote on Twitter that she had submitted her resignation “in the greater public interest.”
"Criticism levied towards the state as a consequence of my citizenship status is clouding the purpose of digital Pakistan,” Aidrus said.
Shortly afterward, the special assistant on health, Zafar Mirza, who was overseeing the government's response to the coronavirus pandemic, also announced his resignation.
Mirza tweeted that he made the decision due to the "negative discussion about the role of [special assistants to the prime minister] and criticism of the government."
Pakistan has reported more than 276,000 coronavirus cases and over 6,900 deaths.