rferl--2020-08-06--Lukashenka Calls For Ukraine, Russia To Help Investigate Vagner Mercenaries

Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka has ordered his government to invite Ukrainian and Russian prosecutors to Belarus to investigate a group of 33 mercenaries from the private Russian security firm Vagner Group who 've been detained in Minsk .
Lukashenka announced the move during a government meeting in Minsk on August 6 .
`` The three [ Belarusian , Ukrainian , and Russian prosecutor-generals ] should sit together and decide the way they find proper , '' Lukashenka said .
The Belarusian president said a decision on how to treat the case `` must be based '' on Belarusian and international @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Russian and Ukrainian prosecutors do not travel to Minsk for the meetings , `` we will make the decision ourselves . ''
On August 5 , Russia 's Security Council Deputy Chief Dmitry Medvedev warned Minsk that the arrest of the private security firm contractors could have grave consequences for Russian-Belarusian relations .
Lukashenka replied to Medvedev 's remarks at the August 6 government meeting in Minsk , saying : `` There is no need to scare us with repercussions .
We are aware of all repercussions . ''
Lukashenka also said Russia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ government with threats .
`` At the end of the day , it was not Americans or NATO who have sent [ the Vagner contractors ] here , '' Lukashenka said .
On July 29 , Belarusian authorities announced they had detained 32 contractors from the Vagner Group near Minsk and apprehended another private security contractor from the firm in southern Belarus .
They were arrested on charges of trying to destabilize Belarus ahead of the country 's August 9 presidential election .
Speaking about `` safety measures '' ahead of the vote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ meeting that many others who want to `` destabilize Belarus '' also have been detained in the country in recent days -- including individuals who have U.S. passports .
`` We are talking not just about the arrest of the Vagner Group 's members here , '' Lukashenka said .
`` Some of the people detained [ recently in Minsk ] have American passports ; those who are married to American women working in the State Department . ''
`` But the Russian leadership is defending them with bayonets atilt , '' Lukashenka @ @ @ @ @ @ @ described a bayonet fixed to a rifle and lowered into an attacking position .
`` A hybrid war against Belarus is under way , and we should wait for dirty tricks from any side . ''
The Ukrainian Prosecutor-General 's Office said on July 31 that Kyiv would seek the extradition of 28 of the Vagner Group detainees on charges they had fought alongside Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine .
It said nine Ukrainian citizens are among the 28 .
Moscow insists that all of the detainees are Russian citizens .
It has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and let them return to Russia .
According to Russian authorities , the 33 men were traveling through Belarus on their way to Istanbul before flying to `` a third country . ''
However , Lukashenka says Russia 's claim about the mercenaries being en route to Turkey was `` a lie . ''
Lukashenka suggested the detained men were plotting a `` color revolution '' in Belarus -- a reference to popular upheavals that have toppled governments in Georgia , Ukraine , and Kyrgyzstan during the past two decades .
Lukashenka also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not allow any `` Maidan '' -style anti-government protests in Minsk during the election or the day after the vote .
The head of the Belarusian Security Council , Andrey Raukou , said on July 30 that authorities were continuing to search for `` upwards of up to 200 militants '' said to be part of the alleged destabilization plot .
Belarus 's presidential election is shaping up to be a tough race for incumbent Lukashenka , an authoritarian leader who has been in power since 1994 .
Lukashenka has cracked down on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , with the country 's law enforcement agencies arresting hundreds of people -- including journalists , bloggers , and political activists .
Charges also have been pressed against two potential candidates from the opposition , effectively preventing them from competing against Lukashenka in the election .
Independent election monitoring groups said on August 5 that many of their observers have been detained while trying to monitor polling stations during early voting that started on August 4 .

Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka has ordered his government to invite Ukrainian and Russian prosecutors to Belarus to investigate a group of 33 mercenaries from the private Russian security firm Vagner Group who've been detained in Minsk.
Lukashenka announced the move during a government meeting in Minsk on August 6.
"The three [Belarusian, Ukrainian, and Russian prosecutor-generals] should sit together and decide the way they find proper," Lukashenka said.
The Belarusian president said a decision on how to treat the case "must be based" on Belarusian and international laws.
Lukashenka said that if the Russian and Ukrainian prosecutors do not travel to Minsk for the meetings, "we will make the decision ourselves."
On August 5, Russia's Security Council Deputy Chief Dmitry Medvedev warned Minsk that the arrest of the private security firm contractors could have grave consequences for Russian-Belarusian relations.
Lukashenka replied to Medvedev's remarks at the August 6 government meeting in Minsk, saying: "There is no need to scare us with repercussions. We are aware of all repercussions."
Lukashenka also said Russia shouldn't try to intimidate the Belarusian government with threats.
Belarus Votes For President Read our coverage as Belarusian strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka continues his brutal crackdown on NGOs, activists, and independent media following the August 2020 presidential election.
"At the end of the day, it was not Americans or NATO who have sent [the Vagner contractors] here," Lukashenka said.
On July 29, Belarusian authorities announced they had detained 32 contractors from the Vagner Group near Minsk and apprehended another private security contractor from the firm in southern Belarus.
They were arrested on charges of trying to destabilize Belarus ahead of the country's August 9 presidential election.
Speaking about "safety measures" ahead of the vote, Lukashenka told the August 6 government meeting that many others who want to "destabilize Belarus" also have been detained in the country in recent days -- including individuals who have U.S. passports.
"We are talking not just about the arrest of the Vagner Group's members here," Lukashenka said. "Some of the people detained [recently in Minsk] have American passports; those who are married to American women working in the State Department."
"But the Russian leadership is defending them with bayonets atilt," Lukashenka continued, using a military term to described a bayonet fixed to a rifle and lowered into an attacking position. "A hybrid war against Belarus is under way, and we should wait for dirty tricks from any side."
The Ukrainian Prosecutor-General's Office said on July 31 that Kyiv would seek the extradition of 28 of the Vagner Group detainees on charges they had fought alongside Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine. It said nine Ukrainian citizens are among the 28.
Moscow insists that all of the detainees are Russian citizens. It has called on Minsk to release the men and let them return to Russia.
According to Russian authorities, the 33 men were traveling through Belarus on their way to Istanbul before flying to "a third country."
However, Lukashenka says Russia's claim about the mercenaries being en route to Turkey was "a lie."
Lukashenka suggested the detained men were plotting a "color revolution" in Belarus -- a reference to popular upheavals that have toppled governments in Georgia, Ukraine, and Kyrgyzstan during the past two decades.
Lukashenka also reiterated his earlier warnings that he will not allow any "Maidan"-style anti-government protests in Minsk during the election or the day after the vote.
The head of the Belarusian Security Council, Andrey Raukou, said on July 30 that authorities were continuing to search for "upwards of up to 200 militants" said to be part of the alleged destabilization plot.
Belarus's presidential election is shaping up to be a tough race for incumbent Lukashenka, an authoritarian leader who has been in power since 1994.
Lukashenka has cracked down on his political opponents during the election campaign, with the country's law enforcement agencies arresting hundreds of people -- including journalists, bloggers, and political activists.
Charges also have been pressed against two potential candidates from the opposition, effectively preventing them from competing against Lukashenka in the election.
Independent election monitoring groups said on August 5 that many of their observers have been detained while trying to monitor polling stations during early voting that started on August 4.


rferl--2020-08-06--Tajikistan's Parliament Sets October 11 As Date For Presidential Election

DUSHANBE -- Tajikistan 's parliament has set October 11 as the date for the country 's next presidential election .
@ @ @ @ @ Samadzoda told RFE/RL that the resolution on the election date was approved on August 6 @ @ @ @ @ both parliamentary chambers .
Incumbent President Emomali Rahmon , who has tightly ruled the former @ @ @ @ @ enjoys special powers under a May 2016 referendum – including the right to seek as @ @ @ @ @ he wants .
Rahmon has been criticized for what international human rights group say is @ @ @ @ @ freedoms , civil society , and political pluralism .

DUSHANBE -- Tajikistan's parliament has set October 11 as the date for the country's next presidential election.
Central Election Commission Chairman Navruz Samadzoda told RFE/RL that the resolution on the election date was approved on August 6 during a joint session of both parliamentary chambers.
Incumbent President Emomali Rahmon, who has tightly ruled the former Soviet republic since 1992, enjoys special powers under a May 2016 referendum – including the right to seek as many terms in office as he wants.
Rahmon has been criticized for what international human rights group say is an increasing disregard for religious freedoms, civil society, and political pluralism.


rferl--2020-08-06--HRW Urges Pakistan To Stop Abuses By Anti-Corruption Agency

An international human rights watchdog has urged Pakistani authorities to observe a recent ruling from the country 's Supreme Court and stop using the country 's anti-corruption agency as a tool to detain government critics .
Human Rights Watch ( HRW ) said in an August 6 report that Pakistani authorities should investigate and prosecute officials from the National Accountability Bureau ( NAB ) who are responsible for unlawful arrests and other abuses .
The NAB was established in 1999 as an ostensibly independent anti-corruption body during the military rule of General Pervez Musharraf .
Musharraf gave the NAB unchecked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prosecution -- allowing it to detain people for up to 90 days without charge .
Pakistan 's Supreme Court ruled on July 20 that the NAB had infringed upon the right to fair trial and due process in cases against two opposition politicians : Khawaja Saad Rafique and Khawaja Salman Rafique .
The two had been arrested by the NAB and held in detention for 15 months without reasonable grounds , the Supreme Court ruled .
The court granted the men bail and criticized the NAB for showing “ utter disregard for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and propriety , ” ruling that the “ case was a classic example of trampling on fundamental rights [ and ] unlawful deprivation of freedom , ” the New York-based rights watchdog said .
“ The Pakistani Supreme Court judgment is just the latest indictment of the NAB ’ s unlawful behavior , ” HRW Asia Director Brad Adams said .
“ Pakistani authorities should stop using a dictatorship-era body , possessing draconian and arbitrary powers , to intimidate and harass opponents.
” HRW also urged Pakistani lawmakers to carry out urgent reforms @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has real independence .
The Supreme Court ruling also had raised concerns about the use of the NAB as a tool against government opponents .
It cited a report issued in February by the European Commission that criticized the NAB for bias , saying “ very few cases of the ruling party ministers and politicians have been pursued since the 2018 elections , which is considered to be a reflection of the NAB 's partiality.
” The HRW report also criticized the NAB 's `` arbitrary use of powers of arrest . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , editor in chief of Pakistan 's largest media organization , Jang Group .
Shakil-ur-Rehman was arrested in Lahore by the NAB on March 12 on charges related to a 34-year-old property transaction .
HRW says he has remained in the agency ’ s custody ever since .
An arrest “ has to be justified.… The power of arrest should not be deployed as a tool of oppression and harassment , ” HRW said , quoting the Supreme Court ruling .
In another example of harassment , HRW said the NAB had summoned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Asif Ali Zardari , to appear in person to record a statement -- denying his request to record his statement through a video link because of his ill health and the COVID-19 pandemic .
Zardari previously spent 11 years in prison -- more than half of that time in NAB custody -- without being convicted of a crime , HRW said .
“ Pakistani authorities should uphold the government ’ s human rights obligations , ” Adams said .
“ Pakistan ’ s parliament should amend or repeal the NAB ordinance to ensure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ due process , and transparency are not compromised on the pretext of accountability .
”

An international human rights watchdog has urged Pakistani authorities to observe a recent ruling from the country's Supreme Court and stop using the country's anti-corruption agency as a tool to detain government critics.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in an August 6 report that Pakistani authorities should investigate and prosecute officials from the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) who are responsible for unlawful arrests and other abuses.
The NAB was established in 1999 as an ostensibly independent anti-corruption body during the military rule of General Pervez Musharraf.
Musharraf gave the NAB unchecked powers of arrest, investigation, and prosecution -- allowing it to detain people for up to 90 days without charge.
Pakistan's Supreme Court ruled on July 20 that the NAB had infringed upon the right to fair trial and due process in cases against two opposition politicians: Khawaja Saad Rafique and Khawaja Salman Rafique.
The two had been arrested by the NAB and held in detention for 15 months without reasonable grounds, the Supreme Court ruled.
The court granted the men bail and criticized the NAB for showing “utter disregard for the law, fair play, equity, and propriety,” ruling that the “case was a classic example of trampling on fundamental rights [and] unlawful deprivation of freedom,” the New York-based rights watchdog said.
“The Pakistani Supreme Court judgment is just the latest indictment of the NAB’s unlawful behavior,” HRW Asia Director Brad Adams said. “Pakistani authorities should stop using a dictatorship-era body, possessing draconian and arbitrary powers, to intimidate and harass opponents.”
HRW also urged Pakistani lawmakers to carry out urgent reforms in order to ensure the anti-corruption agency has real independence.
The Supreme Court ruling also had raised concerns about the use of the NAB as a tool against government opponents.
It cited a report issued in February by the European Commission that criticized the NAB for bias, saying “very few cases of the ruling party ministers and politicians have been pursued since the 2018 elections, which is considered to be a reflection of the NAB's partiality.”
The HRW report also criticized the NAB's "arbitrary use of powers of arrest."
It mentioned the case of Mir Shakil-ur-Rehman, editor in chief of Pakistan's largest media organization, Jang Group.
Shakil-ur-Rehman was arrested in Lahore by the NAB on March 12 on charges related to a 34-year-old property transaction.
HRW says he has remained in the agency’s custody ever since.
An arrest “has to be justified.… The power of arrest should not be deployed as a tool of oppression and harassment,” HRW said, quoting the Supreme Court ruling.
In another example of harassment, HRW said the NAB had summoned the former president and opposition leader, Asif Ali Zardari, to appear in person to record a statement -- denying his request to record his statement through a video link because of his ill health and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Zardari previously spent 11 years in prison -- more than half of that time in NAB custody -- without being convicted of a crime, HRW said.
“Pakistani authorities should uphold the government’s human rights obligations,” Adams said. “Pakistan’s parliament should amend or repeal the NAB ordinance to ensure that the principles of fair trial, due process, and transparency are not compromised on the pretext of accountability.”


rferl--2020-08-06--Tajik Villager Killed By Kyrgyz-Tajik Cross-Border Shooting

DUSHANBE -- A villager in Tajikistan has been killed in a shooting incident across the Tajik-Kyrgyz border .
Both Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan report that an officer from Kyrgyzstan 's Border Guard Service also was wounded by the cross-border gunfire early on August 6 .
The main directorate of Tajikistan 's border guards said 65-year-old Tajik villager Vohid Vahhobov was killed early on August 6 by gunfire that came from the Kyrgyz side of the border .
The Tajik directorate also said a Kyrgyz border guard officer , Lieutenant Sher Kabirov , was wounded by gunfire from Tajikistan ’ s side @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Guard Service confirmed that one of its officers was wounded early on August 6 by gunfire from `` unknown individuals '' on the Tajik side of the border .
Officials from both countries said later that a tense situation in the area had been brought under control .
There have been border tensions between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan for years , with each nation accusing the other of escalating the situation .
In late May , cross-border clashes left several people on both sides wounded .
Many sections of the borders between former Soviet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 .
Clashes involving border guards and local villagers frequently take place in such border areas .

DUSHANBE -- A villager in Tajikistan has been killed in a shooting incident across the Tajik-Kyrgyz border.
Both Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan report that an officer from Kyrgyzstan's Border Guard Service also was wounded by the cross-border gunfire early on August 6.
The main directorate of Tajikistan's border guards said 65-year-old Tajik villager Vohid Vahhobov was killed early on August 6 by gunfire that came from the Kyrgyz side of the border.
The Tajik directorate also said a Kyrgyz border guard officer, Lieutenant Sher Kabirov, was wounded by gunfire from Tajikistan’s side of the border.
The Kyrgyz Border Guard Service confirmed that one of its officers was wounded early on August 6 by gunfire from "unknown individuals" on the Tajik side of the border.
Officials from both countries said later that a tense situation in the area had been brought under control.
There have been border tensions between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan for years, with each nation accusing the other of escalating the situation.
In late May, cross-border clashes left several people on both sides wounded.
Many sections of the borders between former Soviet republics in Central Asia have been disputed since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Clashes involving border guards and local villagers frequently take place in such border areas.


rferl--2020-08-06--U.S. Accuses Russia Of Complex Online Disinformation, Propaganda Operation

The United States has accused Russia of developing a sophisticated “ ecosystem ” to spread disinformation and propaganda about the coronavirus and other issues .
In a new report published on August 5 , the State Department said Russia ’ s online operations use “ five main pillars ” to amplify false narratives and conspiracy theories in a bid to sow confusion and fear .
“ Russia is playing a significant role in creating and spreading misinformation and propaganda around many topics , ” said Lea Gabrielle , head of the State Department ’ s Global Engagement Center .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ around the 2016 U.S. presidential election or if it is waging another online influence campaign ahead of November ’ s election .
The Global Engagement Center ’ s mandate is to examine propaganda outside the United States .
Instead , the report mainly focused on the Kremlin ’ s recent efforts to spread disinformation about the coronavirus pandemic using a mutually reinforcing web of disinformation .
“ The ecosystem consists of five main pillars : official government communications , state-funded global messaging , cultivation of proxy sources , weaponization of social media , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
“ The Kremlin bears direct responsibility for cultivating these tactics and platforms as part of its approach to using information as a weapon , ” it said .
Most of the report examined websites acting as proxies used to proliferate Russian disinformation and propaganda .
The State Department described these news sites or research institutions as “ critical connective tissue within the broader ecosystem.
” “ We found that they promote disinformation in support of the Kremlin ’ s goals , they ’ re often promoted directly by the Russian government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that are picked up by other parts of the ecosystem , ” Gabrielle said .
“ Russia tries to hide its affiliation with these different proxy sites .
That ’ s what makes them effective , is that it ’ s difficult for just an average person who is online to look at these sites and know that it ’ s actually Russian disinformation , ” she said .
Chinese , Iran , and Russian disinformation operations often echo each other and use similar tactics .
The report profiled seven such proxy sites @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many more of varying size and influence .
The websites have peddled conspiracy theories and fringe thoughts on a range of topics , including the coronavirus .
One such proxy is the Strategic Culture Foundation , an online journal directed by Russia ’ s external SVR intelligence agency .
The report said the journal gives a voice to Western fringe thinkers and conspiracy theorists to spread anti-U.S. and anti-Western views while obscuring ties to the Russian government .
Another website is New Eastern Outlook , which the report describes as a “ pseudo-academic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Science ’ s Institute of Oriental Studies that promotes disinformation and propaganda about the Middle East , Asia , and Africa .
The State Department identified the Canadian-based Global Research as the largest proxy website , describing it as “ deeply enmeshed in Russia ’ s broader disinformation and propaganda ecosystem.
” It said the website has sought to frame the coronavirus pandemic as a Western conspiracy , publishing articles claiming the virus originated in the United States and was developed for the global elite to control the world .
One coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more than 70 websites and publications .
In a statement on its Facebook page , the Russian Embassy in Washington said the report was intended to derail cooperation with the United States and discredit alternative sources of information .
`` The U.S. State Department is not very fond of the existence of alternative sources of information .
Serious resources are employed to discredit them .
Any voice that contradicts Washington is dubbed ‘ disinformation ’ in the service of the ‘ Kremlin ’ and Russian intelligence , ” it said .

The United States has accused Russia of developing a sophisticated “ecosystem” to spread disinformation and propaganda about the coronavirus and other issues.
In a new report published on August 5, the State Department said Russia’s online operations use “five main pillars” to amplify false narratives and conspiracy theories in a bid to sow confusion and fear.
“Russia is playing a significant role in creating and spreading misinformation and propaganda around many topics,” said Lea Gabrielle, head of the State Department’s Global Engagement Center.
The report does not mention Russian disinformation operations around the 2016 U.S. presidential election or if it is waging another online influence campaign ahead of November’s election. The Global Engagement Center’s mandate is to examine propaganda outside the United States.
Instead, the report mainly focused on the Kremlin’s recent efforts to spread disinformation about the coronavirus pandemic using a mutually reinforcing web of disinformation.
“The ecosystem consists of five main pillars: official government communications, state-funded global messaging, cultivation of proxy sources, weaponization of social media, and cyberenabled disinformation,” the report said.
“The Kremlin bears direct responsibility for cultivating these tactics and platforms as part of its approach to using information as a weapon,” it said.
Most of the report examined websites acting as proxies used to proliferate Russian disinformation and propaganda. The State Department described these news sites or research institutions as “critical connective tissue within the broader ecosystem.”
“We found that they promote disinformation in support of the Kremlin’s goals, they’re often promoted directly by the Russian government, and they push specific disinformation narratives that are picked up by other parts of the ecosystem,” Gabrielle said.
“Russia tries to hide its affiliation with these different proxy sites. That’s what makes them effective, is that it’s difficult for just an average person who is online to look at these sites and know that it’s actually Russian disinformation,” she said.
Chinese, Iran, and Russian disinformation operations often echo each other and use similar tactics.
The report profiled seven such proxy sites, although it said that there are many more of varying size and influence. The websites have peddled conspiracy theories and fringe thoughts on a range of topics, including the coronavirus.
One such proxy is the Strategic Culture Foundation, an online journal directed by Russia’s external SVR intelligence agency. The report said the journal gives a voice to Western fringe thinkers and conspiracy theorists to spread anti-U.S. and anti-Western views while obscuring ties to the Russian government.
Another website is New Eastern Outlook, which the report describes as a “pseudo-academic” publication tied to the Russian Academy of Science’s Institute of Oriental Studies that promotes disinformation and propaganda about the Middle East, Asia, and Africa.
The State Department identified the Canadian-based Global Research as the largest proxy website, describing it as “deeply enmeshed in Russia’s broader disinformation and propaganda ecosystem.”
It said the website has sought to frame the coronavirus pandemic as a Western conspiracy, publishing articles claiming the virus originated in the United States and was developed for the global elite to control the world. One coronavirus article was republished or linked to by more than 70 websites and publications.
In a statement on its Facebook page, the Russian Embassy in Washington said the report was intended to derail cooperation with the United States and discredit alternative sources of information.
"The U.S. State Department is not very fond of the existence of alternative sources of information. Serious resources are employed to discredit them. Any voice that contradicts Washington is dubbed ‘disinformation’ in the service of the ‘Kremlin’ and Russian intelligence,” it said.


rferl--2020-08-05--At Least 11 Killed In Roadside Bombing In Northern Afghanistan

An Afghan official says at least 11 people have been killed in a roadside bombing in the country 's north .
Ahmad Javid Besharat , the spokesman for the police of Baghlan Province , said the bomb struck a vehicle carrying the bodyguards and family members of a former provincial official .
Mahbubullah Ghafari , a former member of the provincial council , was unhurt in the blast .
Besharat said Ghafari was on his way from the provincial capital , Pul-e Khumri , to the northern city of Mazar-e Sharif when the bomb struck one of his vehicles .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ attack , although similar incidents in the past have been blamed on the Taliban .
The Taliban has intensified attacks across the country , particularly in the north , where Afghan forces are more exposed .
Last month , Taliban fighters stormed the offices of Afghanistan ’ s main intelligence agency in the northern province of Samangan , killing 11 security personnel and wounding dozens of others , mostly civilians .
The Taliban continues to stage regular attacks across Afghanistan despite signing an initial peace deal with the United States in February .

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--2020-08-07--Iran Is No. 1 Sponsor of Terrorism, U.S. Ambassador To UN Says Ahead Of Arms Embargo Extension

The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations on August 6 called Iran “ the world ’ s number 1 sponsor of terrorism ” a day after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the United States plans to hold a UN Security Council vote next week to extend an arms embargo against Iran .
Ambassador Kelly Craft also warned Russia and China that they will become “ co-sponsors of the number 1 state that sponsors terrorism ” if they use their veto to block the resolution to extend the embargo .
The United States hopes Russia and China “ will see @ @ @ @ @ @ @ East , ” Craft said .
But she added that the partnership between Russia and China is clear : “ They ’ re just going to be promoting chaos , conflict and mayhem outside their borders , so we have to just corner them.
” Craft and Brian Hook , the top U.S. envoy for Iran , briefed a group of reporters following Pompeo ’ s announcement on August 5 that the United States will call for a Security Council vote next week on a U.S.-drafted resolution to extend the arms embargo that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hook announced hours after the briefing that he is stepping down .
The foreign ministers of Russia and China have indicated they intend to veto the resolution if it gets the minimum nine votes in the 15-member council .
In letters last month to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the Security Council the two countries were sharply critical of the U.S. effort .
Pompeo told reporters on August 5 that there are nations “ lining up ” to sell weapons to Iran and warned that this would further destabilize the Middle East , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and endanger U.S. lives .
If the Security Council doesn ’ t prevent Iran from buying and selling weapons when the embargo ends , Washington has said it will trigger a “ snapback ” of all UN sanctions on Iran .
The snapback mechanism was included in the 2015 nuclear in the event Iran was proved to be in violation of the accord , which provided sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program .
Russia and China , as well as European allies that signed the pact have questioned the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ able to trigger the snapback mechanism .
The United States quit the deal in 2018 and reimposed sanctions on Iran .
In response , Iran gradually started breaching its nuclear commitments .
Pompeo and other Iran hard-liners in Washington claim the United States remains a participant in the accord because it was listed as such in the 2015 resolution that enshrined the deal and can therefore bring back sanctions since Iran has not fully complied with its nuclear commitments .
Britain , France , and Germany are concerned about the arms embargo being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to reach a compromise out of concern Iran will completely exit the nuclear deal and act on threats to pull out of a key nonproliferation treaty .

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--2020-08-07--U.S. Justice Department Seeks Seizure Of Ukrainian Tycoon's Property

The United States is seeking to seize real estate belonging to a powerful Ukrainian tycoon with links to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy .
The Department of Justice on August 6 filed a civil forfeiture complaint to seize commercial properties in Texas and Kentucky belonging to a company controlled by Ihor Kolomoyskiy , whose media company informally backed Zelenskiy ’ s successful 2019 presidential bid .
The civil complaint accuses Kolomoyskiy and his Ukrainian partner Hennadiy Boholyubov of stealing “ billions of dollars ” from their PrivatBank through bogus loans and laundering it into the United States with the help of two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the two American partners , Uriel Laber and Morechai Korf , then used the money to acquire U.S. commercial properties as well as American steel and alloy plants .
The men “ rarely paid it back , ” the FBI said in its complaint .
“ When the loans came due , other loans were used to pay off the old loans , or , in some cases , they were repaid with income from the investment of the misappropriated funds , ” the FBI said .
Michael J. Sullivan , a lawyer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in an e-mail that “ Mr .
Kolomoyskiy emphatically denies the allegations in the complaints filed by the Department of Justice.
” The Ukrainian government nationalized PrivatBank in December 2016 after regulators discovered a $ 5.5 billion hole they said was caused by the tycoons directing their bank to issue loans to companies they controlled .
The FBI on August 4 raided the headquarters of their U.S. business partners in Miami as well as an office of theirs in Cleveland , where they own three commercial properties .
A spokesperson for the two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Kolomoyskiy , Boholyubov , and their Miami partners jointly owned their U.S. assets via various Delaware-registered companies under the Optima umbrella name , including Optima Ventures , their real estate holding company .
The FBI is seeking to seize the former CompuCom headquarters in Dallas , claiming the men “ misappropriated ” $ 15 million from PrivatBank to help purchase the property .
Optima Ventures agreed to buy the building in 2010 for $ 47.4 million , taking out a $ 32.2 million mortgage in the process .
Optima Ventures paid down @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pay the property ’ s taxes that were due by July , a possible sign the company suspected the FBI would attempt to seize it .
Kolomoyskiy , a billionaire who owns metals and energy assets , is considered to be one of the most influential tycoons in Ukraine .
He fled Ukraine in 2017 amid concerns over prosecution and a falling out with then-President Petro Poroshenko .
However , he returned to the country from self-imposed exile in Israel a month after Zelenskiy defeated Poroshenko in April 2019 in a landslide .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ over Kolomoyskiy ’ s proximity to the president and his attempts to recover his PrivatBank .

The United States has moved to seize U.S. real estate belonging to a powerful Ukrainian tycoon with links to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
The Justice Department's August 6 civil forfeiture complaint targeted commercial properties in Texas and Kentucky belonging to a company controlled by Ihor Kolomoyskiy. It came two days after FBI agents raided offices of Kolomoisky's and his partners in Miami and Cleveland.
The civil complaint accuses Kolomoyskiy and his Ukrainian partner, Hennadiy Boholyubov, of stealing "billions of dollars" from their PrivatBank through bogus loans and laundering it into the United States with the help of two American partners.
The Ukrainian tycoons and the two American partners, Uriel Laber and Morechai Korf, then used the money to acquire U.S. commercial properties as well as U.S. steel and alloy plants.
The men "rarely paid it back," the FBI said in its complaint.
"When the loans came due, other loans were used to pay off the old loans, or, in some cases, they were repaid with income from the investment of the misappropriated funds," the FBI said.
In a written comment to RFE/RL, Kolomoyskiy, whose media company informally backed Zelenskiy's successful 2019 presidential bid, denied the allegations.
"All investments in the United States were made from own funds received in 2007-2008 from the deal with Evraz and from the income from other businesses, held at PrivatBank. All other [allegations] are categorically rejected," he said.
The Ukrainian government nationalized PrivatBank in December 2016 after regulators discovered a $5.5 billion hole they said was caused by the tycoons directing their bank to issue loans to companies they controlled.
The FBI on August 4 raided the headquarters of their U.S. business partners in Miami as well as an office of theirs in Cleveland, where they own three commercial properties. A spokesperson for the two men declined to comment on the raids.
Kolomoyskiy, Boholyubov, and their Miami partners jointly owned their U.S. assets via various Delaware-registered companies under the Optima umbrella name, including Optima Ventures, their real estate holding company.
The FBI is seeking to seize the former CompuCom headquarters in Dallas, claiming the men "misappropriated" $15 million from PrivatBank to help purchase the property.
Optima Ventures agreed to buy the building in 2010 for $47.4 million, taking out a $32.2 million mortgage in the process.
Optima Ventures paid down the mortgage last year but did not pay the property's taxes that were due by July, a possible sign the company suspected the FBI would attempt to seize it.
Kolomoyskiy, a billionaire who owns metals and energy assets, is considered to be one of the most influential tycoons in Ukraine.
He fled Ukraine in 2017 amid concerns over prosecution and a falling out with then-President Petro Poroshenko.
However, he returned to the country from self-imposed exile in Israel a month after Zelenskiy defeated Poroshenko in April 2019 in a landslide.
Western officials and institutions have expressed concerns over Kolomoyskiy's proximity to the president and his attempts to recover PrivatBank.


rferl--2020-08-06--Pakistan To Lift Coronavirus Restrictions On August 10

Pakistan said it will lift most of the country 's remaining coronavirus restrictions after seeing a gradual drop in new cases during the past month .
Asad Umar , minister of planning , development , and special initiatives , said all restaurants , parks , theaters , cinemas , and public transport will be allowed to reopen beginning August 10 .
The government will also allow the reopening of indoor gyms and permit tournaments and matches involving noncontact sports .
`` Pakistan 's situation has improved significantly compared to other countries in the region , '' Umar , who heads @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus , told reporters in the capital Islamabad on August 6 .
According to the government , Pakistan 's daily deaths from COVID-19 peaked at about 150 in June , but the figure has steadily decreased and on August 6 only 21 new fatalities were reported .
Pakistan has confirmed more than 280,000 positive cases , and more than 6,000 deaths , though observers say that with only limited testing , the real number is likely much higher .
Umar said schools and universities will reopen on September 15 .
He also warned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ distancing and other measures are not followed , and cases rise .

Pakistan said it will lift most of the country's remaining coronavirus restrictions after seeing a gradual drop in new cases during the past month.
Asad Umar, minister of planning, development, and special initiatives, said all restaurants, parks, theaters, cinemas, and public transport will be allowed to reopen beginning August 10. The government will also allow the reopening of indoor gyms and permit tournaments and matches involving noncontact sports.
"Pakistan's situation has improved significantly compared to other countries in the region," Umar, who heads the national task force to fight the coronavirus, told reporters in the capital Islamabad on August 6.
According to the government, Pakistan's daily deaths from COVID-19 peaked at about 150 in June, but the figure has steadily decreased and on August 6 only 21 new fatalities were reported.
Pakistan has confirmed more than 280,000 positive cases, and more than 6,000 deaths, though observers say that with only limited testing, the real number is likely much higher.
Umar said schools and universities will reopen on September 15.
He also warned the government could reimpose restrictions if social distancing and other measures are not followed, and cases rise.
With reporting by AFP


rferl--2020-08-06--U.S. Iran Envoy Resigns, Replaced By Top Diplomat In Charge Of Venezuela Policy

The U.S. State Department has said Brian Hook , the U.S. government 's pointman on Iran policy under President Donald Trump , has resigned .
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement August 6 that Elliott Abrams , another diplomat who has led the Trump administration 's push to topple Venezuela 's leadership , would take his place temporarily .
Hook did not give a reason for leaving .
His departure comes as the United Nations Security Council prepares for a vote on a U.S. push to extend an international arms embargo on Iran .
Hook became the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ August 2018 , not long after the Trump administration announced it would withdraw from the 2015 international nuclear accord that lifted crippling sanctions on Iran in exchange for Tehran agreeing to curb its nuclear ambitions .
Since then , the Trump administration has steadily ramped up its pressure and rhetoric against Tehran .
Despite severe economic problems , Iran 's leadership has so far refused to budge or give in to U.S. pressure .
Abrams , who will be taking over from Hook , was a key figure in the 2003 Iraq war @ @ @ @ @ @ @ portfolio as he continues his work seeking to topple Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro , Pompeo said .


rferl--2020-08-06--Twitter Moves To Label Accounts From 'State-Affiliated Media'

Twitter said it would start labeling accounts from `` state-affiliated media '' and take other steps to try to limit the spread of government-led influence campaigns .
The San Francisco-based social-media giant unveiled the new steps in a statement released August 6 .
The company said it would add new labels to accounts and that it would also `` no longer amplify '' tweets from such accounts through its recommendation systems .
`` Unlike independent media , state-affiliated media frequently use their news coverage as a means to advance a political agenda .
We believe that people have the right @ @ @ @ @ @ @ affiliated directly or indirectly with a state actor , '' Twitter said .
Twitter 's announcement comes months after a similar move by Facebook , which began labeling content from media that are editorially controlled by governments .
Shortly after the announcement , Twitter accounts belonging to several Russian media organizations displayed the new labels .
A label was affixed to the English-language Twitter account for RT , the Russian government-funded TV network formerly known as Russia Today , and a Russian-language label was affixed to the state-run news agency TASS .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ social-media companies in the world come amid concerns about campaigns by governments aimed at influencing elections and public sentiment in other countries through media outlets that allow them to disguise their origins or true ownership .

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated that there can be no advancement in the relationship between the United States and Afghanistan's Taliban rulers unless there is an improvement in the treatment of women in the country.
Speaking to reporters on August 15, the two-year anniversary of the Taliban’s seizure of power in Kabul, Blinken said the United States continues to work to hold the Taliban accountable for the commitments that it's made, particularly when it comes to the rights of women and girls.
"We've been very clear with the Taliban -- and dozens of countries around the world have been very clear -- that the path to any more normal relationship between the Taliban and other countries will be blocked unless and until the rights of women and girls among other things are actually supported," Blinken said.
No country has recognized the Taliban-led government, and the United States has avoided direct economic engagement in part over the treatment of women and girls, who have seen their rights drastically curbed by the hard-line Islamists. This includes a ban on women working in local and international nongovernmental organizations and a ban on education beyond the sixth grade.
The Taliban stormed back to power in August 2021 after President Joe Biden withdrew U.S. troops under the terms of an agreement reached in February 2020 between the Taliban and the administration of then-U.S. President Donald Trump.
Blinken defended the pullout and said the United States was not focused on other priorities.
"The decision to withdraw from Afghanistan was an incredibly difficult one, but also the right one," Blinken said. "We ended America's longest war. For the first time in 20 years, we don't have another generation of young Americans going to fight and die."
A number of international human rights organizations earlier on August 15 called the Taliban's two years of rule shameful and worrying.
Amnesty International and several other international human rights organizations demanded in a statement an effective response to the situation, noting the Taliban's strict decrees against human rights in Afghanistan, especially against women and girls.
The organizations said in a statement that in the past two years, the Taliban has increasingly imposed harmful policies against women and girls and religious and ethnic minorities that clearly violate Afghanistan's obligations under international human rights law.
The Taliban has previously rejected reports on the treatment of women as propaganda of international organizations. The militant group's leaders have said they have strengthened all the rights of women in Afghanistan in light of Islamic principles.
Zabihullah Mujahid, the chief spokesman for the Taliban, said in an interview with the AP marking the second anniversary of the Taliban takeover of the country that the Taliban views its rule of Afghanistan as open-ended and as drawing legitimacy from Islamic law. He also suggested a ban on female education will remain in place.
Female activist Soheila Yousefi calls the situation alarming and wants the world to pay attention.
"The international community should take serious action in this regard because the world chose to be silent in these two years and did not take any practical steps. Our request is that they should look at the current situation in Afghanistan, then take a serious and comprehensive review."
The Taliban did not respond to Radio Azadi's questions before the release of the report, but the rulers have spoken of strengthening human rights in Afghanistan, especially the rights of women and girls, according to Islamic principles.
With reporting by AP and AFP


rferl--2020-08-06--Pakistani Army Claims Cross-Border Firing From Afghanistan Killed Soldier

The Pakistani military said one of its soldiers was killed and two others wounded by cross-border shelling from Afghanistan .
In a statement on August 6 , the Pakistani military said members of its Frontier Corps came under heavy mortar shelling and firing from Afghanistan a day earlier .
The military said the incident occurred in the Lower Dir district of the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa .
Afghan officials have yet to comment on Pakistan ’ s claim .
It comes after cross-border shelling by Pakistan killed at least 15 civilians in Afghanistan on July 31 , prompting Kabul @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on alert .
The shelling came after clashes between Pakistani and Afghan security forces at the closed Chaman-Spin Boldak border crossing .
The two countries share a 2,500-kilometer border known as the Durand Line , which Pakistan considers to be an international border .
Afghanistan rejects the colonial-era border that was created in 1893 .
In 2017 , Pakistan started building a fence along the border to improve security , a move that sparked condemnations in Kabul .
Pakistani forces have continued to build border fortifications , sparking numerous clashes along the border @

The Pakistani military said one of its soldiers was killed and two others wounded by cross-border shelling from Afghanistan.
In a statement on August 6, the Pakistani military said members of its Frontier Corps came under heavy mortar shelling and firing from Afghanistan a day earlier.
The military said the incident occurred in the Lower Dir district of the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Afghan officials have yet to comment on Pakistan’s claim.
It comes after cross-border shelling by Pakistan killed at least 15 civilians in Afghanistan on July 31, prompting Kabul to put its ground and air forces on alert.
The shelling came after clashes between Pakistani and Afghan security forces at the closed Chaman-Spin Boldak border crossing.
The two countries share a 2,500-kilometer border known as the Durand Line, which Pakistan considers to be an international border. Afghanistan rejects the colonial-era border that was created in 1893.
In 2017, Pakistan started building a fence along the border to improve security, a move that sparked condemnations in Kabul.
Pakistani forces have continued to build border fortifications, sparking numerous clashes along the border.


rferl--2020-08-06--Afghan Civilians, Taliban Militants Killed In Attacks Across Afghanistan

Taliban militants and Afghan civilians have been killed in attacks and clashes across Afghanistan amid peace efforts aimed at ending the nearly 19-year war .
Defense Ministry spokesman Fawad Aman said at least 16 Taliban militants were killed in two separate clashes with government forces in the eastern province of Ghazni on August 6 It was the first direct fighting between the Taliban and government security forces since a recent cease-fire was announced .
Aman did not comment on casualties suffered by government forces .
In one attack near the provincial capital , Ghazni city , Afghan forces called in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stormed a military facility where about 300 government troops were based Aman said Taliban fighters also attacked a military convoy in the Gilan district of Ghazni Province late on August 5 .
Officials said seven civilians were killed when their vehicle struck a land mine in the Khash Rod district of the western province of Nimroz late on August 5 .
There was no immediate claim of responsibly for the land mine , although similar cases in the past have been blamed on the Taliban .
Meanwhile , officials said clashes erupted between @ @ @ @ @ @ @ highway in the northern province of Baghlan , leaving four militants dead .
Officials said the militants torched two oil tankers that were traveling along the highway .
The Taliban and government forces agreed a three-day truce to mark the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha which started on July 31 .
The truce came ahead of proposed peace talks between the Taliban and authorites in Kabul aimed at ending their long-running war .


rferl--2020-08-06--Moscow Court Hands Out Prison Terms, Suspended Sentences To 'New Greatness' Youth Activists

MOSCOW -- Seven members of the so-called New Greatness movement have been handed sentences ranging from 7 years in prison to 4-year suspended sentences .
The Lyublino district court in Moscow on August 6 convicted all seven defendants on charges of `` organizing an extremist group intending to carry out crimes of extremist character . ''
Judge Aleksandr Maslov sentenced 27-year-old Vyacheslav Kostylenkov to 7 years in prison , 34-year-old Pyotr Karamzin to 6 1/2 years in jail , and 22-year-old Vyacheslav Kryukov to 6 years in prison .
The other defendants -- Maksim Roshchin , Dmitry Poletayev , Maria @ @ @ @ @ @ @ handed suspended prison terms between 4 and 6 1/2 years .
All the defendants pleaded not guilty .
Earlier on August 6 , dozens of people gathered in front of the court building to show support for the accused .
Police detained three activists who had worn police uniforms while staging a protest performance in front of the court building , In their protest , the activists cut the throat of a mannequin with a knife -- sending out a spray of fake blood while one of the protesters chanted : `` It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ here ! ''
On July 14 , the prosecutor asked the court to sentence Kostylenkov , 27 , to 7 1/2 years in prison ; Karamzin , 34 , to 6 1/2 years ; and Kryukov , 22 , to six years .
The prosecutor also requested that the four other defendants be handed suspended sentences ranging from four to 6 1/2 years .
All of the defendants were arrested in 2018 and charged with creating an extremist group with the intention of overthrowing Russian President Vladimir Putin 's government .
Critics say @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Russia ’ s security services .
The rights group Memorial describes the seven as political prisoners .
Pavlikova was 17 at the time of her arrest .
She spent several months under house arrest , which sparked protests in Moscow and other cities .
The defendants say they had turned their online chat group , which was critical of Russia 's government , into a political movement called New Greatness at the suggestion of one group member .
Later , it was revealed that the man who proposed the idea , wrote the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for gatherings was a special agent of Russia 's Federal Security Service ( FSB ) .
In April 2019 , another member of the group , Pavel Rebrovsky , was sentenced to 29 months in prison .
Both pleaded guilty and cut deals with investigators .
Another group member , Sergei Gavrilov , fled to Ukraine in October 2019 .
He has asked for political asylum in Ukraine .

MOSCOW -- Seven members of the so-called New Greatness movement have been handed sentences ranging from 7 years in prison to 4-year suspended sentences.
The Lyublino district court in Moscow on August 6 convicted all seven defendants on charges of "organizing an extremist group intending to carry out crimes of extremist character."
Judge Aleksandr Maslov sentenced 27-year-old Vyacheslav Kostylenkov to 7 years in prison, 34-year-old Pyotr Karamzin to 6 1/2 years in jail, and 22-year-old Vyacheslav Kryukov to 6 years in prison.
The other defendants -- Maksim Roshchin, Dmitry Poletayev, Maria Dubovik, and Anna Pavlikova -- were handed suspended prison terms between 4 and 6 1/2 years.
All the defendants pleaded not guilty.
Earlier on August 6, dozens of people gathered in front of the court building to show support for the accused.
Police detained three activists who had worn police uniforms while staging a protest performance in front of the court building,
In their protest, the activists cut the throat of a mannequin with a knife -- sending out a spray of fake blood while one of the protesters chanted: "It is an act of sacrifice taking place here!"
On July 14, the prosecutor asked the court to sentence Kostylenkov, 27, to 7 1/2 years in prison; Karamzin, 34, to 6 1/2 years; and Kryukov, 22, to six years.
The prosecutor also requested that the four other defendants be handed suspended sentences ranging from four to 6 1/2 years.
All of the defendants were arrested in 2018 and charged with creating an extremist group with the intention of overthrowing Russian President Vladimir Putin's government.
Critics say the case against them was fabricated by Russia’s security services.
The rights group Memorial describes the seven as political prisoners.
Pavlikova was 17 at the time of her arrest. She spent several months under house arrest, which sparked protests in Moscow and other cities.
The defendants say they had turned their online chat group, which was critical of Russia's government, into a political movement called New Greatness at the suggestion of one group member.
Later, it was revealed that the man who proposed the idea, wrote the movement's charter, and rented premises for gatherings was a special agent of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB).
In April 2019, another member of the group, Pavel Rebrovsky, was sentenced to 29 months in prison.
Earlier, group member Rustam Rustamov received a suspended 18-month prison sentence.
Both pleaded guilty and cut deals with investigators.
Another group member, Sergei Gavrilov, fled to Ukraine in October 2019. He has asked for political asylum in Ukraine.


rferl--2020-08-06--In Belarus, Tsikhanouskaya Rally Canceled After Campaign Chief Detained, 'Warned'

MINSK -- A Minsk rally for Belarusian opposition presidential candidate Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya has been canceled , just hours after the candidate 's campaign chief was detained and `` warned '' by authorities not to stage what they called `` unsanctioned '' gatherings .
The rally had been scheduled for the evening of August 6 at the People 's Friendship Park in Minsk .
But the candidate 's press secretary , Hanna Krasulina , announced shortly before the rally was due to begin that the campaign was informed by e-mail that an event celebrating Belarusian railroad workers had been scheduled at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not allowing us to hold a rally at a single venue in Minsk , same as in Slutsk and Soligorsk , '' Krasulina said .
`` These actions by the authorities are completely unlawful , '' Krasulina said .
`` We have appealed this decision with the Prosecutor-General 's Office , the Central Election Commission , and the Minsk City Executive Committee .
But we wo n't provoke people . ''
Earlier on August 6 , Tsikhanouskaya 's campaign chief Maryya Maroz was briefly detained by authorities in Minsk and `` warned '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' rallies .
Krasulina told RFE/RL that Maroz was stopped and detained by several men near the entrance of the Lithuanian Embassy in Minsk .
Maroz said the men were officers from the Interior Ministry 's Directorate on the Fight Against Organized Crime and Extremism .
She said the men transported her to the Interior Ministry 's directorate where they `` warned '' her about `` responsibility '' for organizing `` unsanctioned public events '' before they released her .
Meanwhile , Belarusian authorities on August 6 continued to detain other members of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in towns and cities across Belarus .
They include campaign event coordinator Andrey Khilchyk , who was arrested by police in the southeastern city of Homel , and Dzmitry Tsit , a campaign representative in the western city of Hrodna.Khilchyk was coordinating Tsikhanouskaya rallies scheduled for August 7 and August 8 .
Tsikhanouskaya has managed to gather tens of thousands of supporters at rallies in Minsk and in other towns and cities across Belarus in recent weeks .
Incumbent President Alyaksandr Lukashenka 's 26 years of authoritarian rule in Belarus look increasingly vulnerable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But many analysts say he is likely win through a combination of fraud and the repression of an energized opposition .
Early voting started on August 4 .
Opposition politicians , rights activists , and critics of Lukashenka have called on citizens to refrain from early voting , charging that it gives Lukashenka loyalists more opportunities to rig the election results .
The Belarusian Central Election Commission said on August 5 that turnout during the first two days of early voting was 12.75 percent of the country 's 6.8 million eligible voters .

MINSK -- A Minsk rally for Belarusian opposition presidential candidate Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya has been canceled, just hours after the candidate's campaign chief was detained and "warned" by authorities not to stage what they called "unsanctioned" gatherings.
The rally had been scheduled for the evening of August 6 at the People's Friendship Park in Minsk.
But the candidate's press secretary, Hanna Krasulina, announced shortly before the rally was due to begin that the campaign was informed by e-mail that an event celebrating Belarusian railroad workers had been scheduled at the same location.
"They're not allowing us to hold a rally at a single venue in Minsk, same as in Slutsk and Soligorsk," Krasulina said.
"These actions by the authorities are completely unlawful," Krasulina said. "We have appealed this decision with the Prosecutor-General's Office, the Central Election Commission, and the Minsk City Executive Committee. But we won't provoke people."
Earlier on August 6, Tsikhanouskaya's campaign chief Maryya Maroz was briefly detained by authorities in Minsk and "warned" of possible repercussions for staging "unsanctioned" rallies.
Krasulina told RFE/RL that Maroz was stopped and detained by several men near the entrance of the Lithuanian Embassy in Minsk.
Maroz said the men were officers from the Interior Ministry's Directorate on the Fight Against Organized Crime and Extremism.
She said the men transported her to the Interior Ministry's directorate where they "warned" her about "responsibility" for organizing "unsanctioned public events" before they released her.
Meanwhile, Belarusian authorities on August 6 continued to detain other members of Tsikhanouskaya's campaign team and her supporters in towns and cities across Belarus.
They include campaign event coordinator Andrey Khilchyk, who was arrested by police in the southeastern city of Homel, and Dzmitry Tsit, a campaign representative in the western city of Hrodna.Khilchyk was coordinating Tsikhanouskaya rallies scheduled for August 7 and August 8.
Tsikhanouskaya has managed to gather tens of thousands of supporters at rallies in Minsk and in other towns and cities across Belarus in recent weeks.
Belarus Votes For President Read our coverage as Belarusian strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka continues his brutal crackdown on NGOs, activists, and independent media following the August 2020 presidential election.
Incumbent President Alyaksandr Lukashenka's 26 years of authoritarian rule in Belarus look increasingly vulnerable ahead of the August 9 election.
But many analysts say he is likely win through a combination of fraud and the repression of an energized opposition.
Early voting started on August 4.
Opposition politicians, rights activists, and critics of Lukashenka have called on citizens to refrain from early voting, charging that it gives Lukashenka loyalists more opportunities to rig the election results.
The Belarusian Central Election Commission said on August 5 that turnout during the first two days of early voting was 12.75 percent of the country's 6.8 million eligible voters.
With reporting by tut.by


rferl--2020-08-07--Fuel Loading Starts At Belarus's New Astravets Nuclear Plant

Belarus has begun loading fuel into the first of two reactors at its new Russian-built Astravets nuclear power plant , @ @ @ @ @ to become operational later this year .
Built by Russian state firm Rosatom and financed @ @ @ @ @ 10 billion loan , the project is opposed by neighboring EU member Lithuania , whose @ @ @ @ @ just 50 kilometers away .
Lithuania , Latvia , and Estonia are moving to fully @ @ @ @ @ power system by 2025 .
Lithuania has already banned all electricity imports from the Astravets @ @ @ @ @ safety and national security .
Belarus has rejected suggestions that the plant poses a risk @ @ @ @ @ all safety standards .
Then Energy Ministry in Minsk said it plans to add the @ @ @ @ @ reactor ( VVER ) reactor to the country 's power system in the fourth quarter @ @ @ @ @ the second reactor is scheduled for completion in 2022 and will double the plant 's @ @ @ @ @

Belarus has begun loading fuel into the first of two reactors at its new Russian-built Astravets nuclear power plant, which it says it expects to become operational later this year.
Built by Russian state firm Rosatom and financed by Moscow with a $10 billion loan, the project is opposed by neighboring EU member Lithuania, whose capital, Vilnius, is just 50 kilometers away.
Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia are moving to fully decoupling from their Soviet-era common power system by 2025.
Lithuania has already banned all electricity imports from the Astravets plant, citing concerns about safety and national security.
Belarus has rejected suggestions that the plant poses a risk and has insisted it meets all safety standards.
Then Energy Ministry in Minsk said it plans to add the first 1.2 gigawatt water-water energetic reactor (VVER) reactor to the country's power system in the fourth quarter of 2020.
Construction of the second reactor is scheduled for completion in 2022 and will double the plant's capacity to 2.4 gigawatts.
With reporting by Reuters


rferl--2020-08-07--Popular Tajik Singer Bahrom Ghafuri Killed In Traffic Accident

DUSHANBE -- Hundreds of fans have come to bid farewell to one of Tajikistan 's most popular singers , Bahrom @ @ @ @ @ in a traffic accident early on August 7 .
In accordance with Islamic traditions , @ @ @ @ @ on the same day in a Dushanbe cemetery .
Interior Ministry said that Ghafuri and @ @ @ @ @ a Land Cruiser car that collided with a truck in Dushanbe at around 4 am @ @ @ @ @ and another passenger survived the collision and are currently being treated in hospital .
Ghafuri @ @ @ @ @ singing career 20 years ago and had issued 10 albums that became very popular in @ @ @ @ @ In 2011 and 2014 he won the prestigious Big Apple Music Award , an annual @ @ @ @ @ City that honors international music from Central Asia , the Caucasus , and the Middle @ @

DUSHANBE -- Hundreds of fans have come to bid farewell to one of Tajikistan's most popular singers, Bahrom Ghafuri, who was killed in a traffic accident early on August 7.
In accordance with Islamic traditions, Ghafuri was buried before dawn on the same day in a Dushanbe cemetery.
Interior Ministry said that Ghafuri and another person were passengers in a Land Cruiser car that collided with a truck in Dushanbe at around 4 am.
The car's driver and another passenger survived the collision and are currently being treated in hospital.
Ghafuri, 44, started his singing career 20 years ago and had issued 10 albums that became very popular in Tajikistan and neighboring countries.
In 2011 and 2014 he won the prestigious Big Apple Music Award, an annual event held in New York City that honors international music from Central Asia, the Caucasus, and the Middle East.


rferl--2020-08-07--Bulgarian Police Clear Anti-Government Camp Blockades

SOFIA -- Bulgarian police have cleared traffic blockades set up by protesters in the capital and other cities for the past week to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Boyko Borisov 's conservative government over corruption , the Interior Ministry says .
The protesters had occupied three major crossroads in downtown Sofia since July 29 and August 1 as part of the biggest wave of protests in years in the EU 's poorest country .
Blockades had also been set up in Plovdiv and the Black Sea port of Varna .
The Interior Ministry issued a statement saying that `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had been blocked . ''
No force was used and 12 protesters were detained briefly but later released , the police said .
One of the protest organizers , Nikolay Hadjigenov , vowed to `` set up the blockades again but this time in the whole country . ''
Thousands have rallied every day in the capital and other cities for a month now calling for the resignation of Borisov 's cabinet .
They accuse both the government and the chief prosecutor of protectionism and dependence on behind-the-scenes oligarchs .
Borisov on August @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seat as prime minister to keep his government in power until its mandate expires in March 2021 , but the government coalition decided the next day that Borisov should keep his post .
Polls this week showed severely dented support for Borisov and his conservative GERB party .
WATCH : Two RFE/RL journalists were assaulted at a rally for the ruling GERB party in Sofia , where Prime Minister Borisov was speaking .
RFE/RL has called for an investigation and for Bulgarian authorities to condemn the incident .
Bulgaria , which joined the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and most corrupt member , according to Transparency International 's Corruption Perception Index .
With reporting by AFP and dpa

SOFIA -- Bulgarian police have cleared traffic blockades set up by protesters in the capital and other cities for the past week to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Boyko Borisov's conservative government over corruption, the Interior Ministry says.
The protesters had occupied three major crossroads in downtown Sofia since July 29 and August 1 as part of the biggest wave of protests in years in the EU's poorest country.
Blockades had also been set up in Plovdiv and the Black Sea port of Varna.
The Interior Ministry issued a statement saying that "traffic was resumed at all crossroads that had been blocked."
No force was used and 12 protesters were detained briefly but later released, the police said.
One of the protest organizers, Nikolay Hadjigenov, vowed to "set up the blockades again but this time in the whole country."
Thousands have rallied every day in the capital and other cities for a month now calling for the resignation of Borisov's cabinet.
They accuse both the government and the chief prosecutor of protectionism and dependence on behind-the-scenes oligarchs.
Borisov on August 5 suggested he might take a back seat as prime minister to keep his government in power until its mandate expires in March 2021, but the government coalition decided the next day that Borisov should keep his post.
Polls this week showed severely dented support for Borisov and his conservative GERB party.
WATCH: Two RFE/RL journalists were assaulted at a rally for the ruling GERB party in Sofia, where Prime Minister Borisov was speaking. RFE/RL has called for an investigation and for Bulgarian authorities to condemn the incident.
Bulgaria, which joined the EU in 2007, remains its poorest and most corrupt member, according to Transparency International's Corruption Perception Index.
With reporting by AFP and dpa


rferl--2020-08-07--Tashkent Residents Protest Plan To Merge Territory With Surrounding Region

TASHKENT -- A group of residents of the Uzbek capital have protested the government 's plan to merge parts of the city with the surrounding region .
Some 300 residents of three neighborhoods located in the Uchtepa district of Tashkent rallied on August 6 in a rare protest , demanding that the government decision be canceled .
The protesters said that they do not want to lose the status of residents of the capital , as that may lead to problems with placing their children in better schools in Tashkent and finding better jobs that require employees to be city @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the move will lead to changes in the cadastral documents of their properties , which most likely will cause a loss in the properties ' values .
The demonstration took place a day after a television report said that the plan to merge parts of the Uchtepa district with the Tashkent region had been outlined in accordance with an order of President Shavkat Mirziyoev .
Officials explained the move was necessary `` to eliminate disparities in administrative boundaries of the capital ... and improve infrastructure to make it more convenient for the population @ @ @ @ @ @ @ met with the protesters and promised to inform Tashkent Mayor Jahongir Ortiqhojaev about their demands , after which the protest ended .
Protests questioning government 's decisions are very rare in the tightly controlled Central Asian state .
After Mirziyoev came to power following the death of authoritarian President Islam Karimov in 2016 , he promised reforms and more freedom , including involving ordinary people in social , economic , and political developments in the country .

TASHKENT -- A group of residents of the Uzbek capital have protested the government's plan to merge parts of the city with the surrounding region.
Some 300 residents of three neighborhoods located in the Uchtepa district of Tashkent rallied on August 6 in a rare protest, demanding that the government decision be canceled.
The protesters said that they do not want to lose the status of residents of the capital, as that may lead to problems with placing their children in better schools in Tashkent and finding better jobs that require employees to be city residents.
According to the protesters, the move will lead to changes in the cadastral documents of their properties, which most likely will cause a loss in the properties' values.
The demonstration took place a day after a television report said that the plan to merge parts of the Uchtepa district with the Tashkent region had been outlined in accordance with an order of President Shavkat Mirziyoev.
Officials explained the move was necessary "to eliminate disparities in administrative boundaries of the capital...and improve infrastructure to make it more convenient for the population."
Uchtepa district Mayor Farhod Abdullaev met with the protesters and promised to inform Tashkent Mayor Jahongir Ortiqhojaev about their demands, after which the protest ended.
Protests questioning government's decisions are very rare in the tightly controlled Central Asian state.
After Mirziyoev came to power following the death of authoritarian President Islam Karimov in 2016, he promised reforms and more freedom, including involving ordinary people in social, economic, and political developments in the country.