rferl--2020-01-09--Court Acquits Kazakh Journalist Sentenced On Libel Charges

TURKISTAN , Kazakhstan -- A court in Kazakhstan ’ s southern city of Turkistan has acquitted journalist Amangeldy Batyrbekov , who was sentenced to two years and three months in prison on libel charges in September .
Judge Taubai Qadyrbaev of the Turkistan Regional Court on January 9 accepted Batyrbekov 's appeal and ruled that he be immediately released from custody and offered apologies to the journalist `` on behalf of the state and the court . ''
Batyrbekov left the courtroom a free man as dozens of supporters chanted `` Long Live Justice ! ''
A lower court in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 23 had found Batyrbekov guilty of insulting the dignity and honor of a local education official , Bakhtiyar Abdiev , in a Facebook post entitled `` Idiocy in Keles '' and sentenced him the same day .
Batrybekov has denied any wrongdoing .
In November , the Turkistan Regional Court ruled that the conclusion of a linguistic commission on Batyrbekov 's online posts , which were written in Kazakh , `` do not correspond to regulations and therefore , additional linguistic studies must be performed on the posts . ''
In 2017 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ freedom limitation -- a suspended sentence with parole-like restrictions , for insulting a deputy prosecutor in the Saryaghash district in a newspaper article .
The Almaty-based Adil Soz ( A Just Word ) human rights group has called Batyrbekov a prisoner of conscience , while the Committee to Protect Journalists and Reporters Without Borders have called for all charges to be dropped .
International human rights organizations have called on Kazakhstan to revoke an article in the Criminal Code that sets out criminal prosecution for libel instead of making it a civil case @

TURKISTAN, Kazakhstan -- A court in Kazakhstan’s southern city of Turkistan has acquitted journalist Amangeldy Batyrbekov, who was sentenced to two years and three months in prison on libel charges in September.
Judge Taubai Qadyrbaev of the Turkistan Regional Court on January 9 accepted Batyrbekov's appeal and ruled that he be immediately released from custody and offered apologies to the journalist "on behalf of the state and the court."
Batyrbekov left the courtroom a free man as dozens of supporters chanted "Long Live Justice!"
A lower court in the town of Saryaghash, on September 23 had found Batyrbekov guilty of insulting the dignity and honor of a local education official, Bakhtiyar Abdiev, in a Facebook post entitled "Idiocy in Keles" and sentenced him the same day. Batrybekov has denied any wrongdoing.
In November, the Turkistan Regional Court ruled that the conclusion of a linguistic commission on Batyrbekov's online posts, which were written in Kazakh, "do not correspond to regulations and therefore, additional linguistic studies must be performed on the posts."
In 2017, Batyrbekov was sentenced to 18 months of freedom limitation -- a suspended sentence with parole-like restrictions, for insulting a deputy prosecutor in the Saryaghash district in a newspaper article.
The Almaty-based Adil Soz (A Just Word) human rights group has called Batyrbekov a prisoner of conscience, while the Committee to Protect Journalists and Reporters Without Borders have called for all charges to be dropped.
International human rights organizations have called on Kazakhstan to revoke an article in the Criminal Code that sets out criminal prosecution for libel instead of making it a civil case.


rferl--2020-01-09--U.S. House Set To Vote On Resolution To Limit Trump War Powers

The Democratic-controlled U.S. House of Representatives has scheduled a vote on limiting President Donald Trump ’ s ability to take military action against Iran after many lawmakers said they were not satisfied by a White House explanation for the targeted killing of a top Iranian general .
Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the vote on a war powers resolution would take place on January 9 , saying that `` members of Congress have serious , urgent concerns about the administration 's decision to engage in hostilities against Iran and about its lack of strategy moving forward . ''
The resolution directs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. military in or against Iran , unless Congress declares war or approves an authorization for the use of force against Tehran .
The effectiveness of such a resolution -- which is likely to pass in the Democratic-controlled House -- was under debate .
Democrats are saying the resolution would fall under the 1973 War Powers Act and would be legally binding if also passed in the Senate .
Republicans say the proposal , which would not require a presidential signature , does not have the force of law .
Federal courts have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ control the Senate and a similar resolution would have little chance of passing .
Nevertheless , a handful of Republican lawmakers also expressed dissatisfaction with the January 8 briefing by the White House on the justification for the strike on Major General Qasem Soleimani , who was commander of Iran ’ s elite Quds Force in the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps ( IRGC ) , which have been designated as terror organizations by the United States .
Soleimani was killed on January 3 while traveling near Baghdad , angering Tehran and leading to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ housing U.S. troops in Iraq .
There were no reports of injuries in the missile strike .
Democrats have said the killing of Soleimani was reckless and could lead the country into a war with Iran .
Following the White House briefing on January 8 , Pelosi called the strike `` provocative and disproportionate . ''
Freshman Democratic Representative Elissa Slotkin , D-Mich. , the measure 's sponsor , said that `` I think it 's extremely important that we as a country , if we are going to -- either intentionally or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we have a debate about it . ''
Slotkin is a former CIA analyst and Pentagon official who served in Iraq .
Meanwhile , Republican Senator Mike Lee – in an unusual rebuke of the president -- said the White House briefing was the worst he had heard in his nine years in the Senate , at least on a military issue , and that he would support the war powers resolution in that chamber .
`` What I found so distressing about that briefing was that one of the messages we received @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , do not discuss the issue of the appropriateness of further military intervention against Iran and that if you do , you will be emboldening Iran , '' Lee said .
However , another Republican senator , Roy Blunt , a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee , said Soleimani was the `` No .
1 terrorist mastermind '' and that Trump had sent an important signal to U.S. adversaries and friends `` that the president is going to make the hard decisions . ''
Trump broke precedent by not informing congressional leaders @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Trump and other members of the administration have defended the assassination of Soleimani , saying the Iranian had orchestrated attacks on U.S. troops and allies and was in the process of planning further terror actions .
The United States also defended its actions in a letter to the United Nations late on January 8 , calling the attack on Soleimani `` self-defense '' under Article 51 of the UN Charter , adding that it was prepared to take additional action in the Middle East `` as necessary '' to protect its interests @ @ @ @ @ @ @ told the UN that it was `` ready to engage without preconditions in serious negations with Iran '' to prevent escalation by Tehran , according to the letter seen by Reuters .
With reporting by AP and Reuters

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--2020-01-09--World Bank Trims Global Growth Forecast Amid U.S.-China Trade War

WASHINGTON -- The World Bank is forecasting modest economic growth in 2020 as it trimmed back its outlook in the face of a possibly heightened trade war between the United States and China .
In its Global Economic Prospects report published on January 8 , the 189-country lending institution projected that the global economy will grow 2.5 percent this year , just slightly better than the 2.4 percent estimated for 2019 but slower than the 2020 forecast previously released .
In June , it forecast growth of 2.6 percent for 2019 and 2.7 for 2020 .
The Washington-based World Bank @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the global financial crisis a decade ago .
Even with the slight improvement seen for this year , it said 2020 remained vulnerable to uncertainties over trade and geopolitical tensions .
`` This modest increase in global growth marks the end of the slowdown that started in 2018 and took a heavy toll on global activity , trade , and investment , especially last year , '' said Ayhan Kose , the World Bank 's lead economic forecaster .
`` We do expect an improvement , but overall , we also see a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The lender estimated that growth among advanced economies as a group will decline to 1.4 percent in 2020 , partly because of a slowdown in manufacturing .
Growth in emerging-market and developing economies is forecast to rise to 4.1 percent this year , although the gains are not broad-based and will be dominated by a small group of large economies , it said .
`` With growth in emerging and developing economies likely to remain slow , policymakers should seize the opportunity to undertake structural reforms that boost broad-based growth , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said Ceyla Pazarbasioglu , World Bank vice president .
`` Steps to improve the business climate , the rule of law , debt management , and productivity can help achieve sustained growth , '' she said .
It said that in Russia softer-than-expected investment and trade , along with a continuation of international economic sanctions , resulted in a growth slowdown to an estimated 1.2 percent in 2019 .
Growth is forecast at 1.6 percent in 2020 .
In the South Caucasus -- Armenia , Azerbaijan , and Georgia -- growth was estimated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seen falling to 3.1 percent this year .
Armenia 's growth is forecast at 5.1 percent , Azerbaijan ’ s at 2.3 percent , and Georgia ’ s at 4.3 percent for 2020 .
Growth is forecast at 3.6 percent in the Western Balkans , up from 3.2 percent last year .
Central Asia 's growth was seen at 4.5 percent last year and is forecast to be 4.4 percent this year .
Growth in the United States , the euro area , and Japan is forecast to slip to 1.4 percent in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to continued softness in manufacturing and the negative effects of U.S. tariffs and retaliatory measures .
China 's growth is projected to ease to 5.9 percent in 2020 , from 6.1 percent in 2019 , as the world 's second-largest economy deals with fallout from U.S. tariffs .
With reporting by Reuters and AFP

WASHINGTON -- The World Bank is forecasting modest economic growth in 2020 as it trimmed back its outlook in the face of a possibly heightened trade war between the United States and China.
In its Global Economic Prospects report published on January 8, the 189-country lending institution projected that the global economy will grow 2.5 percent this year, just slightly better than the 2.4 percent estimated for 2019 but slower than the 2020 forecast previously released.
In June, it forecast growth of 2.6 percent for 2019 and 2.7 for 2020.
The Washington-based World Bank said 2019 represented the weakest growth since the global financial crisis a decade ago.
Even with the slight improvement seen for this year, it said 2020 remained vulnerable to uncertainties over trade and geopolitical tensions.
"This modest increase in global growth marks the end of the slowdown that started in 2018 and took a heavy toll on global activity, trade, and investment, especially last year," said Ayhan Kose, the World Bank's lead economic forecaster.
"We do expect an improvement, but overall, we also see a weaker growth outlook," he said.
Manufacturing Slowdown
The lender estimated that growth among advanced economies as a group will decline to 1.4 percent in 2020, partly because of a slowdown in manufacturing.
Growth in emerging-market and developing economies is forecast to rise to 4.1 percent this year, although the gains are not broad-based and will be dominated by a small group of large economies, it said.
"With growth in emerging and developing economies likely to remain slow, policymakers should seize the opportunity to undertake structural reforms that boost broad-based growth, which is essential to poverty reduction," said Ceyla Pazarbasioglu, World Bank vice president.
"Steps to improve the business climate, the rule of law, debt management, and productivity can help achieve sustained growth," she said.
It said that in Russia softer-than-expected investment and trade, along with a continuation of international economic sanctions, resulted in a growth slowdown to an estimated 1.2 percent in 2019. Growth is forecast at 1.6 percent in 2020.
In the South Caucasus -- Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia -- growth was estimated at 3.7 percent in 2019 but is seen falling to 3.1 percent this year. Armenia's growth is forecast at 5.1 percent, Azerbaijan’s at 2.3 percent, and Georgia’s at 4.3 percent for 2020.
Growth is forecast at 3.6 percent in the Western Balkans, up from 3.2 percent last year.
Central Asia's growth was seen at 4.5 percent last year and is forecast to be 4.4 percent this year.
Growth in the United States, the euro area, and Japan is forecast to slip to 1.4 percent in 2020 from 1.6 percent in 2019 due to continued softness in manufacturing and the negative effects of U.S. tariffs and retaliatory measures.
China's growth is projected to ease to 5.9 percent in 2020, from 6.1 percent in 2019, as the world's second-largest economy deals with fallout from U.S. tariffs.
With reporting by Reuters and AFP


rferl--2020-01-09--Hard-Hit Canada Seeks Key Role In Iran Crash Probe

Canada says it intends to play a key role in investigating the crash of an Ukrainian airliner that killed dozens of its citizens despite not having direct diplomatic relations with Tehran .
The cause of the crash of the Ukraine International Airlines ( UIA ) Boeing 737-800NG , which killed all 176 aboard after taking off from Iran ’ s capital on January 8 , remains unknown .
Ukraine 's embassy in Tehran initially blamed engine failure but later removed the statement .
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told a news conference in Ottawa that 138 of the 176 people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kyiv had onward connections to Canada .
Many were members of Canada ’ s large Iranian community , mainly from the Edmonton area .
Ukrainian officials said 63 Canadians , 82 Iranians , 10 Swedes , four Afghans , three Germans , and three Britons were on the plane , along with 11 Ukrainians , including nine crew .
Trudeau said that `` Canada is one of a handful of countries with a high degree of expertise when it comes to these sorts of accidents and , therefore , we have much to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that in our engagement both through our allies and directly , we are going to make sure that we are a substantive contributor to this investigation , '' he told reporters .
The Canadian leader said Foreign Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne would call his Iranian counterpart , Mohammad Javad Zarif , to stress the need for a full investigation into the tragedy .
Canada broke diplomatic relations with Iran in 2012 , and Italy normally acts as a proxy for communication between Ottawa and Tehran .
Trudeau would not comment on possible causes for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ very , very early days on the investigation .
It 's dangerous to speculate on possible causes , '' he said .
Meanwhile , Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he had instructed the prosecutor general to open criminal proceedings over the crash .
He said on Facebook that Ukraine will send a team of experts to Iran to investigate the circumstances of the crash .
`` Our priority is to establish the truth and those responsible for this terrible catastrophe , '' Zelenskiy wrote .
Iran and Ukraine agreed `` to coordinate further @ @ @ @ @ @ @ determine the cause of the terrible plane crash , '' according to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystayko .
Zelenskiy ’ s office later issued a decree declaring January 9 a `` day of national mourning '' to honor victims of the crash .
A statement also said Zelenskiy would speak by phone with his Iranian counterpart , Hassan Rohani , to set up cooperation to `` establish the truth '' about the tragedy .
Iranian TV said the crash was due to unspecified technical problems , and Iranian media quoted a local aviation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ declare an emergency .
State media reported that the plane caught fire after crashing , but a video aired by the state broadcaster appeared to show the plane already on fire as it fell from the night sky .
The crash came just hours after Iran launched a ballistic-missile attack targeting two bases in Iraq housing U.S. forces in retaliation for the killing of Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps commander Qasem Soleimani .
The timing of the plane crash led some aviation experts to wonder whether it was brought down by a missile , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` The rumors about the plane are completely false and no military or political expert has confirmed it , '' General Abolfazl Shekarchi , spokesman for the Iranian armed forces , was quoted by the semiofficial Fars news agency as saying .
He called the speculation `` psychological warfare '' by opponents of the government .
With reporting by AP , AFP , Reuters , Fars , dpa , IRNA , and RFE/RL ’ s Radio Farda

Canada says it intends to play a key role in investigating the crash of an Ukrainian airliner that killed dozens of its citizens despite not having direct diplomatic relations with Tehran.
The cause of the crash of the Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) Boeing 737-800NG, which killed all 176 aboard after taking off from Iran’s capital on January 8, remains unknown.
Ukraine's embassy in Tehran initially blamed engine failure but later removed the statement.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told a news conference in Ottawa that 138 of the 176 people on board the flight from Tehran to Kyiv had onward connections to Canada. Many were members of Canada’s large Iranian community, mainly from the Edmonton area.
Ukrainian officials said 63 Canadians, 82 Iranians, 10 Swedes, four Afghans, three Germans, and three Britons were on the plane, along with 11 Ukrainians, including nine crew.
Trudeau said that "Canada is one of a handful of countries with a high degree of expertise when it comes to these sorts of accidents and, therefore, we have much to contribute."
"I am confident that in our engagement both through our allies and directly, we are going to make sure that we are a substantive contributor to this investigation," he told reporters.
The Canadian leader said Foreign Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne would call his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif, to stress the need for a full investigation into the tragedy.
Canada broke diplomatic relations with Iran in 2012, and Italy normally acts as a proxy for communication between Ottawa and Tehran.
Trudeau would not comment on possible causes for the accident.
"Obviously we are very, very early days on the investigation. It's dangerous to speculate on possible causes," he said.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he had instructed the prosecutor general to open criminal proceedings over the crash.
He said on Facebook that Ukraine will send a team of experts to Iran to investigate the circumstances of the crash.
"Our priority is to establish the truth and those responsible for this terrible catastrophe," Zelenskiy wrote.
Iran and Ukraine agreed "to coordinate further actions of our investigation groups closely to determine the cause of the terrible plane crash," according to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystayko.
Zelenskiy’s office later issued a decree declaring January 9 a "day of national mourning" to honor victims of the crash.
A statement also said Zelenskiy would speak by phone with his Iranian counterpart, Hassan Rohani, to set up cooperation to "establish the truth" about the tragedy.
Iranian TV said the crash was due to unspecified technical problems, and Iranian media quoted a local aviation official as saying the pilot did not declare an emergency.
State media reported that the plane caught fire after crashing, but a video aired by the state broadcaster appeared to show the plane already on fire as it fell from the night sky.
The crash came just hours after Iran launched a ballistic-missile attack targeting two bases in Iraq housing U.S. forces in retaliation for the killing of Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps commander Qasem Soleimani.
The timing of the plane crash led some aviation experts to wonder whether it was brought down by a missile, but Iranian officials rejected any such suggestion.
"The rumors about the plane are completely false and no military or political expert has confirmed it," General Abolfazl Shekarchi, spokesman for the Iranian armed forces, was quoted by the semiofficial Fars news agency as saying.
He called the speculation "psychological warfare" by opponents of the government.
With reporting by AP, AFP, Reuters, Fars, dpa, IRNA, and RFE/RL’s Radio Farda


rferl--2020-01-09--Kosovo Serbs Rally Against Montenegro's New Religion Law

Hundreds of ethnic Serbs have rallied in the outskirts of Kosovo 's capital Pristina to protest against the alleged suppression of religious and other rights of Serbian minorities in neighboring Montenegro .
The protesters on January 9 marched through Gracanica , a small Serbian-populated municipality , holding religious banners and a cross .
`` [ Kosovo ] against ghosts , brothers protect the sanctities , '' a banner read .
The march was organized by youth organizations and was supported by the Serbian Orthodox Church .
Three similar protest rallies have been held in Serbia ’ s capital , Belgrade @ @ @ @ @ @ @ religion that was adopted by Montenegro 's parliament last month .
Under the law , religious communities must prove property ownership from before 1918 .
That 's the year when predominantly Orthodox Christian Montenegro joined the Kingdom of Serbs , Croats , and Slovenes -- and the Montenegrin Orthodox Church was subsumed by the Serbian Orthodox Church , losing all of its property in the process .
The Serbian Orthodox Church , its supporters , and pro-Serbian opposition parties fear the law will enable the Montenegrin government to impound church property , though @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Montenegro were part of a federation until 2006 , when Montenegro declared its independence .
Montenegro is the newest member of NATO and aspires to join the European Union .

Hundreds of ethnic Serbs have rallied in the outskirts of Kosovo's capital Pristina to protest against the alleged suppression of religious and other rights of Serbian minorities in neighboring Montenegro.
The protesters on January 9 marched through Gracanica, a small Serbian-populated municipality, holding religious banners and a cross.
"[Kosovo] against ghosts, brothers protect the sanctities," a banner read.
The march was organized by youth organizations and was supported by the Serbian Orthodox Church.
Three similar protest rallies have been held in Serbia’s capital, Belgrade, against a controversial new law on religion that was adopted by Montenegro's parliament last month.
Under the law, religious communities must prove property ownership from before 1918.
That's the year when predominantly Orthodox Christian Montenegro joined the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes -- and the Montenegrin Orthodox Church was subsumed by the Serbian Orthodox Church, losing all of its property in the process.
The Serbian Orthodox Church, its supporters, and pro-Serbian opposition parties fear the law will enable the Montenegrin government to impound church property, though officials deny they intend to.
Serbia and Montenegro were part of a federation until 2006, when Montenegro declared its independence.
Montenegro is the newest member of NATO and aspires to join the European Union.


rferl--2020-01-09--Canadian PM Says Evidence Indicates Iran Shot Down Ukrainian Airliner

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says evidence suggests that an Iranian missile downed the Ukrainian passenger plane that crashed near Tehran .
`` We have intelligence from multiple sources , including our allies and our own intelligence .
The evidence indicates that the plane was shot down by an Iranian surface-to-air missile , '' Trudeau said on January 9 .
`` This may well have been unintentional , '' he told a press conference , calling for a `` complete and credible investigation '' into the cause of the crash .
Earlier , unidentified U.S. officials said they were confident @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 737-800 , based on satellite , radar , and electronic data .
Iran ruled out a missile strike as the cause of the crash , saying such a scenario makes “ no sense.
” Ukrainian International Airlines flight PS 752 en route to Kyiv crashed the previous day soon after taking off from the Iranian capital , killing all 176 people on board .
The victims included 63 Canadians , 82 Iranians , 10 Swedes , four Afghans , three Germans , and three Britons .
There were also 11 Ukrainians on board @ @ @ @ @ @ @ came hours after Iran fired missiles at bases housing U.S. forces in Iraq , prompting speculation that the plane may have been attacked .
Echoing Trudeau ’ s words , British Prime Minister Boris Johnson later said in a statement : “ There is now a body of information that the flight was shot down by an Iranian surface-to-air missile.
” “ This may well have been unintentional , '' Johnson added .
Earlier , U.S. President Donald Trump said he had `` suspicions '' about the crash , saying the plane “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and somebody could have made a mistake . ''
`` Some people say it was mechanical .
I personally do n't think that 's even a question , '' Trump said , adding that `` something very terrible happened . ''
Ukraine 's top security official , Oleksiy Danilov , earlier said the country was examining whether a missile strike brought down the aircraft .
Newsweek magazine quoted a Pentagon and a senior U.S. intelligence official , as well as an Iraqi intelligence official , as saying they believed the Ukrainian plane was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ CBS News , citing U.S. intelligence , said a satellite detected infrared `` blips '' of two missile launches , followed by another blip of an explosion .
The Pentagon declined to comment .
Iran 's Transport Ministry said in a statement that `` this story of a missile striking a plane can not be correct at all . ''
`` Several internal and international flights were flying at the same time in Iranian airspace at the same altitude of 8,000 feet ( 2,440 meters ) , '' the ministry said .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ali Abedzadeh , head of Iran 's Civil Aviation Organization and deputy transport minister , said in the statement .
The Boeing crashed shortly after taking off from Tehran ’ s Imam Khomeini airport with 63 Canadians , 82 Iranians , 10 Swedes , four Afghans , three Germans , and three Britons on board , along with 11 Ukrainians , including nine crew .
The Iranian Civil Aviation Organization said on January 9 that initial evidence gleaned from eyewitnesses on the ground and in a passing aircraft showed that the Ukrainian plane @ @ @ @ @ @ @ toward the airport before it crashed .
The crew flying the three-year-old plane , which had its last scheduled maintenance on January 6 , initially headed west to leave the airport zone , sent no distress signals , nor did they contact ground control , it said .
A video aired by Iran ’ s state broadcaster appeared to show the plane already on fire as it fell from the night sky .
Ukrainian investigators , 45 of whom arrived in Tehran on January 9 , said that they are seeking to search @ @ @ @ @ @ @ determine the cause .
Iran and Ukraine have agreed “ to coordinate further actions of our investigation groups closely ” to determine the cause of the crash , according to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystayko .
In a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy , his Iranian counterpart , Hassan Rohani , `` stressed that Iran would provide the Ukrainian expert group with prompt access to all the necessary data , '' according to Zelenskiy ’ s office .
Johnson also spoke to Zelenskiy and called for “ a full , credible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Downing Street said .
And Canadian Foreign Minister François-Philippe Champagne held a telephone conversation with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif to stress Canada 's desire to be a part of the investigation into the crash .
Canada broke diplomatic relations with Iran in 2012 , and Italy normally acts as a proxy for communication between Ottawa and Tehran .
Amid tensions heightened by the killing of top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani in a U.S. air strike in Baghdad last week , Iran has said it will not give the plane @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contains flight data and cockpit voice recorders , to either U.S. authorities , nor to representatives of American plane maker Boeing .
Tehran is not obliged to do so and under international aviation rules is expected to be the lead investigator , while Ukraine , as the country where the plane was registered , would participate .
As aviation authorities searched for answers after the crash , Ukraine observed a day of national mourning on January 9 , with Zelenskiy saying the state was prepared to provide families who lost relatives in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ need.
” He also cautioned that the disaster “ is not a topic for social-media hype , sensationalism , or conspiracy theories.
” With reporting by AP , Reuters , Newsweek , CNN , AFP , and CBS , Fars , dpa , IRNA , and RFE/RL ’ s Radio Farda


rferl--2020-01-09--HRW Accuses Kazakh Authorities Of 'Improperly' Prosecuting Asylum Seekers From China

Human Rights Watch ( HRW ) has accused Kazakhstan of `` improperly '' prosecuting two ethnic Kazakhs for crossing the border from China as they seek asylum in the former Soviet republic .
In a January 9 statement , HRW also called on the Kazakh authorities not to forcibly return Qaster Musakhanuly and Murager Alimuly , who were fleeing ill-treatment in the northwestern Chinese region of Xinjiang .
`` The government should immediately drop charges of illegal border crossing , halt these proceedings , and guarantee that these men will not be sent back to China as long as their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Laura Mills , Europe and Central Asia researcher at HRW .
`` Kazakhstan can take this opportunity to demonstrate that , unlike in the past , it is a country that upholds its international legal obligations , respects refugee rights , and wo n't return people to risk of torture , '' she added .
Musakhanuly , 30 , and Alimuly , 25 , crossed the Chinese-Kazakh border in October .
They went on trial on January 6 in the remote eastern town of Zaisan , near the Chinese border .
The defendants @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to China , they would be sent to so-called `` reeducation camps , '' where they will most likely face torture .
The judge abruptly adjourned the hearing until January 21 just two hours after its start , although dozens of witnesses and supporters had traveled there to testify on behalf of the two defendants .
In August 2018 , the United Nations said an estimated 1 million Uyghurs and members of other mostly Muslim indigenous ethnic groups in Xinjiang were being held in `` counterextremism centers . ''
The UN said millions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
China denies that the facilities are internment camps .
In August 2018 , a court in the Almaty region refused to extradite Sairagul Sauytbay , an ethnic Kazakh Chinese citizen who was wanted in China on the same charges of illegal border crossing .
Sauytbay fled China in April and testified in a court in Kazakhstan that thousands of ethnic Kazakhs , Uyghurs , and other Muslims in Xinjiang were undergoing `` political indoctrination '' at a network of camps .
She testified that Chinese authorities had forced her to train `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , giving her access to secret documents about what she called a state program to `` reeducate '' Muslims from indigenous ethnic communities .
Although she was not extradited to China , Kazakh authorities did not allow Sauytbay to stay in Kazakhstan .
She later was granted asylum in Sweden .
Kazakhs are the second-largest Turkic-speaking indigenous community in Xinjiang after Uyghurs .
The region is also home to ethnic Kyrgyz , Tajiks , and Hui , also known as Dungans .
Han , China 's largest ethnicity , are the second-largest community @ @ @

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has accused Kazakhstan of "improperly" prosecuting two ethnic Kazakhs for crossing the border from China as they seek asylum in the former Soviet republic.
In a January 9 statement, HRW also called on the Kazakh authorities not to forcibly return Qaster Musakhanuly and Murager Alimuly, who were fleeing ill-treatment in the northwestern Chinese region of Xinjiang.
"The government should immediately drop charges of illegal border crossing, halt these proceedings, and guarantee that these men will not be sent back to China as long as their refugee claims are pending," said Laura Mills, Europe and Central Asia researcher at HRW.
"Kazakhstan can take this opportunity to demonstrate that, unlike in the past, it is a country that upholds its international legal obligations, respects refugee rights, and won't return people to risk of torture," she added.
Musakhanuly, 30, and Alimuly, 25, crossed the Chinese-Kazakh border in October. They went on trial on January 6 in the remote eastern town of Zaisan, near the Chinese border.
The defendants have told the court that if returned to China, they would be sent to so-called "reeducation camps," where they will most likely face torture.
The judge abruptly adjourned the hearing until January 21 just two hours after its start, although dozens of witnesses and supporters had traveled there to testify on behalf of the two defendants.
In August 2018, the United Nations said an estimated 1 million Uyghurs and members of other mostly Muslim indigenous ethnic groups in Xinjiang were being held in "counterextremism centers."
The UN said millions more had been forced into reeducation camps. China denies that the facilities are internment camps.
In August 2018, a court in the Almaty region refused to extradite Sairagul Sauytbay, an ethnic Kazakh Chinese citizen who was wanted in China on the same charges of illegal border crossing.
Sauytbay fled China in April and testified in a court in Kazakhstan that thousands of ethnic Kazakhs, Uyghurs, and other Muslims in Xinjiang were undergoing "political indoctrination" at a network of camps.
She testified that Chinese authorities had forced her to train "political ideology" instructors for reeducation camps, giving her access to secret documents about what she called a state program to "reeducate" Muslims from indigenous ethnic communities.
Although she was not extradited to China, Kazakh authorities did not allow Sauytbay to stay in Kazakhstan. She later was granted asylum in Sweden.
Kazakhs are the second-largest Turkic-speaking indigenous community in Xinjiang after Uyghurs. The region is also home to ethnic Kyrgyz, Tajiks, and Hui, also known as Dungans. Han, China's largest ethnicity, are the second-largest community in Xinjiang.


rferl--2020-01-09--Kosovar Woman Remanded In Custody Over Slain Iranian Commander Comments

PRISTINA -- A court in Kosovo has ordered a woman accused of inciting terrorism on social media be remanded in custody for one month after she praised a top Iranian general killed in a U.S. air strike .
The Basic Court in Pristina issued the order on January 9 following a prosecution request , saying there was reasonable suspicion against Ikballe Huduti-Berisha , a leader of a small Shi'ite community in Kosovo 's southwest .
The court also considered that the suspect may try to escape prosecution if she is released from detention .
Huduti-Berisha was detained on January 7 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on her Facebook account in which she criticized the United States over the killing of Major General Qasem Soleimani , whom she described as a `` great man . ''
According to local media reports , she wrote , `` By killing the master of the house you have killed all members of the family , then revenge is obligatory but it has no border . ''
She later deleted her messages and said her words were taken out of context by the media .
The Islamic Community of Kosovo , an independent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ country through an appointed mufti , said Huduti-Berisha 's comments had `` nothing in common '' with their stance .
The January 3 assassination of Soleimani , the commander of Iran 's elite Quds Force , has raised fears of a conflict between the United States and Iran .
Kosovar leaders expressed immediate support for the U.S. move .
With reporting by Reuters and AP

PRISTINA -- A court in Kosovo has ordered a woman accused of inciting terrorism on social media be remanded in custody for one month after she praised a top Iranian general killed in a U.S. air strike.
The Basic Court in Pristina issued the order on January 9 following a prosecution request, saying there was reasonable suspicion against Ikballe Huduti-Berisha, a leader of a small Shi'ite community in Kosovo's southwest.
The court also considered that the suspect may try to escape prosecution if she is released from detention.
Huduti-Berisha was detained on January 7 after she posted a series of posts on her Facebook account in which she criticized the United States over the killing of Major General Qasem Soleimani, whom she described as a "great man."
According to local media reports, she wrote, "By killing the master of the house you have killed all members of the family, then revenge is obligatory but it has no border."
She later deleted her messages and said her words were taken out of context by the media.
The Islamic Community of Kosovo, an independent institution that oversees Islamic affairs in the country through an appointed mufti, said Huduti-Berisha's comments had "nothing in common" with their stance.
The January 3 assassination of Soleimani, the commander of Iran's elite Quds Force, has raised fears of a conflict between the United States and Iran.
Kosovar leaders expressed immediate support for the U.S. move.
With reporting by Reuters and AP


rferl--2020-01-09--Moscow House Arrest Of American Investor Calvey Extended Into Mid-February

A Russian court has extended the house arrest of U.S. investor Michael Calvey and his partner , French national Philippe Delpal , until February 13 .
Moscow 's Basmanny district court announced the ruling on January 9 , four days before the previous extension of the two men 's house arrest was set to expire .
The court also prolonged the house arrest of two Russian citizens -- former Vostochny Bank CEO Aleksei Kordichev and former Vostochny Bank investment director Aleksandr Tsakunov -- until February 13 as well .
Calvey and several other executives and employees of the Russian-based private-equity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in February last year and charged with financial fraud .
They all deny any wrongdoing and say the case is being used against them in a corporate dispute over the control of a Russian bank .
Calvey was released to house arrest in April .
The arrests stunned many Western investors and drew complaints from high-level Russian business leaders and government officials , who questioned the motivation of the courts and prosecutors .
Baring Vostok is one of the largest and oldest private-equity firms operating in Russia .
It was founded in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 3.7 billion in assets .
The company was an early major investor in Yandex , Russia 's dominant search engine .
Calvey is one of two Americans currently facing potential trial in Russia on charges supporters say are groundless .
Paul Whelan , a former U.S. Marine , has been behind bars since December 28 , 2018 , when he was arrested on an espionage charge he denies .
Based on reporting by TASS and Interfax

A Russian court has extended the house arrest of U.S. investor Michael Calvey and his partner, French national Philippe Delpal, until February 13.
Moscow's Basmanny district court announced the ruling on January 9, four days before the previous extension of the two men's house arrest was set to expire.
The court also prolonged the house arrest of two Russian citizens -- former Vostochny Bank CEO Aleksei Kordichev and former Vostochny Bank investment director Aleksandr Tsakunov -- until February 13 as well.
Calvey and several other executives and employees of the Russian-based private-equity group Baring Vostok were detained in Moscow in February last year and charged with financial fraud.
They all deny any wrongdoing and say the case is being used against them in a corporate dispute over the control of a Russian bank. Calvey was released to house arrest in April.
The arrests stunned many Western investors and drew complaints from high-level Russian business leaders and government officials, who questioned the motivation of the courts and prosecutors.
Baring Vostok is one of the largest and oldest private-equity firms operating in Russia. It was founded in the early 1990s and manages more than $3.7 billion in assets. The company was an early major investor in Yandex, Russia's dominant search engine.
Calvey is one of two Americans currently facing potential trial in Russia on charges supporters say are groundless. Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine, has been behind bars since December 28, 2018, when he was arrested on an espionage charge he denies.
Based on reporting by TASS and Interfax


rferl--2020-01-09--Herder Survives 16 Days With No Food In Russia's Far East

A 27-year-old reindeer herder who went missing last month in Russia 's far eastern Chukotka Peninsula has been found alive despite not eating for 16 days .
Officials in the town of Egvekinot said on January 8 that the man , whose identity was not disclosed , was traveling to a nearby village on a snowmobile on December 21 when he lost his way in a heavy blizzard .
Rescue groups had been searching for him since then , ultimately finding him some 200 kilometers away from his destination .
“ He was found , he was alive and well @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not eaten for 16 days , ” Ria Novosti quoted an Egvekinot official as saying .
They said the man managed to survive the freezing conditions by burning materials he found in an abandoned wooden cabin .
Recent average temperatures in the region , which lies along the Northern Sea Route and is the easternmost peninsula of Asia , have ranged around minus 30 degrees Celsius .
The man is now on his way to his wife and two children and will be examined by medical personnel in his village , the officials @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Interfax

A 27-year-old reindeer herder who went missing last month in Russia's far eastern Chukotka Peninsula has been found alive despite not eating for 16 days.
Officials in the town of Egvekinot said on January 8 that the man, whose identity was not disclosed, was traveling to a nearby village on a snowmobile on December 21 when he lost his way in a heavy blizzard.
Rescue groups had been searching for him since then, ultimately finding him some 200 kilometers away from his destination.
“He was found, he was alive and well, but lost weight because he had not eaten for 16 days,” Ria Novosti quoted an Egvekinot official as saying.
They said the man managed to survive the freezing conditions by burning materials he found in an abandoned wooden cabin.
Recent average temperatures in the region, which lies along the Northern Sea Route and is the easternmost peninsula of Asia, have ranged around minus 30 degrees Celsius.
The man is now on his way to his wife and two children and will be examined by medical personnel in his village, the officials said.
Based on reporting by RIA and Interfax


rferl--2020-01-09--Watchdog Denounces Russia's 'Escalating Persecution' Of Jehovah’s Witnesses

Human Rights Watch ( HRW ) says Russian law enforcement authorities have “ dramatically escalated the nationwide persecution ” of Jehovah ’ s Witnesses over the past year .
“ The numbers of house raids and people under criminal investigation have more than doubled , and 32 Jehovah ’ s Witnesses worshipers are behind bars for peacefully practicing their faith , ” the New York-based watchdog said in a statement on January 9 .
The statement said that “ at least 313 people are facing charges , are on trial , or have been convicted of criminal ‘ extremism ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ activities , or are suspects in such cases.
” About two-thirds of them found out about their status as suspect or accused in 2019 , it said .
HRW said authorities have carried out at least 780 house raids since 2017 in dozens of Russian cities -- more than half of them last year .
Eighteen people were convicted in 2019 , nine of whom received prison sentences ranging from 2 to 6 years , for such activities as participating in prayer meetings .
Russia banned the religious group in April 2017 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''
HRW said the authorities should reverse the ban and remove the “ extremist ” designation , which it said “ blatantly violates ” Russia ’ s obligations to respect and protect religious freedom and freedom of association .
They should allow Jehovah ’ s Witnesses to freely practice their faith , release those detained immediately , drop any outstanding charges , expunge all related criminal records , the watchdog said .

Human Rights Watch (HRW) says Russian law enforcement authorities have “dramatically escalated the nationwide persecution” of Jehovah’s Witnesses over the past year.
“The numbers of house raids and people under criminal investigation have more than doubled, and 32 Jehovah’s Witnesses worshipers are behind bars for peacefully practicing their faith,” the New York-based watchdog said in a statement on January 9.
The statement said that “at least 313 people are facing charges, are on trial, or have been convicted of criminal ‘extremism’ for engaging in Jehovah’s Witnesses’ activities, or are suspects in such cases.”
About two-thirds of them found out about their status as suspect or accused in 2019, it said.
HRW said authorities have carried out at least 780 house raids since 2017 in dozens of Russian cities -- more than half of them last year.
Eighteen people were convicted in 2019, nine of whom received prison sentences ranging from 2 to 6 years, for such activities as participating in prayer meetings.
Russia banned the religious group in April 2017 and deemed it an "extremist organization."
HRW said the authorities should reverse the ban and remove the “extremist” designation, which it said “blatantly violates” Russia’s obligations to respect and protect religious freedom and freedom of association.
They should allow Jehovah’s Witnesses to freely practice their faith, release those detained immediately, drop any outstanding charges, expunge all related criminal records, the watchdog said.


rferl--2020-01-09--Parliament In Georgia's Breakaway Abkhazia Calls On Separatist Leader To Resign

The de facto parliament in Georgia 's breakaway region of Abkhazia has called on the separatist region 's leader , Raul Khadzhimba , to step down .
In a resolution adopted on January 9 , the self-styled lawmakers said the move aimed at avoiding “ further destabilization in society , ” which they said could have “ irreparable consequences.
” After the vote , Russia ’ s Interfax news agency quoted Khadzhimba as saying : `` I am staying in office and performing my constitutional duties . ''
Earlier in the day , demonstrators stormed the building housing the de @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leader ’ s resignation .
An RFE/RL correspondent in the regional capital , Sukhumi , said dozens of protesters broke into the building , breaking almost all of the windows on the first floor while hundreds more outside chanted `` Khadzhimba , Go Away ! ''
Khadzhimba was not thought to be in the building during the incident .
The protesters had first gathered in front of the building of the breakaway region 's de facto Supreme Court , which was scheduled to hear opposition presidential candidate Alkhas Kvitsinia 's appeal against a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the results of a September `` presidential election '' won by Khadzhimba .
Minor clashes between pro-Khadzhimba activists and their opponents took place during the rally but no injuries were reported .
Moscow has recognized Abkhazia and Georgia ’ s other separatist region , South Ossetia , as independent states after a five-day Georgia-Russia war in August 2008 .
Russian troops are now stationed in the two regions and Georgia and most of the international community consider both regions as occupied territories .

The de facto parliament in Georgia's breakaway region of Abkhazia has called on the separatist region's leader, Raul Khajimba, to step down.
In a resolution adopted on January 9, the self-styled lawmakers said the move aimed at avoiding “further destabilization in society,” which they said could have “irreparable consequences.”
After the vote, Russia’s Interfax news agency quoted Khajimba as saying: "I am staying in office and performing my constitutional duties."
Earlier in the day, demonstrators stormed the building housing the de facto presidential administration and demanded the separatist leader’s resignation.
An RFE/RL correspondent in the regional capital, Sukhumi, said dozens of protesters broke into the building, breaking almost all of the windows on the first floor while hundreds more outside chanted "Khajimba, Go Away!"
Khajimba was not thought to be in the building during the incident.
The protesters had first gathered in front of the building of the breakaway region's de facto Supreme Court, which was scheduled to hear opposition presidential candidate Alkhas Kvitsinia's appeal against a lower court’s decision to recognize the results of a September "presidential election" won by Khajimba.
Minor clashes between pro-Khajimba activists and their opponents took place during the rally but no injuries were reported.
Moscow has recognized Abkhazia and Georgia’s other separatist region, South Ossetia, as independent states after a five-day Georgia-Russia war in August 2008.
Russian troops are now stationed in the two regions and Georgia and most of the international community consider both regions as occupied territories.


rferl--2020-01-09--Former Kyrgyz President Again Refuses To Attend Trial

BISHKEK -- The trial of former Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambaev for illegally releasing a jailed organized crime boss in 2013 will be held in absentia as the former leader continues to refuse to take part in the process .
Atambaev 's lawyer Sergei Slesarev told reporters that the judge made the ruling on January 9 after his client again left the room when the proceedings began inside the State Committee for National Security ( UKMK ) .
The decision to have the trial at the UKMK headquarters , where Atambaev is being held , was made on December 19 after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the trial at the Birinchi Mai district court in Bishkek .
Atambaev 's lawyers have filed a motion protesting the decision to hold the trial out of the court 's premises .
The charge against Atambaev is linked to the release of notorious crime boss Aziz Batukaev , who was convicted of several high-profile crimes -- including the murders of a Kyrgyz lawmaker and an Interior Ministry official .
Atambaev faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted .
The former leader was arrested on August 8 after he surrendered to police @ @ @ @ @ @ @ forces and his supporters .
He is also suspected of committing 13 other crimes , including the organization of murder , the organization of mass disturbances , and taking servicemen hostage during clashes at his residence in August .
Kyrgyzstan saw a smooth and peaceful transfer of power from Atambaev to Sooronbai Jeenbekov , which was welcomed by the international community after presidential changes in 2005 and 2010 were preceded by violent rioting .
Once close allies , relations between Atambaev and Jeenbekov soured after the state prosecutor charged the former president on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by a legislature loyal to Jeenbekov .

BISHKEK -- The trial of former Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambaev for illegally releasing a jailed organized crime boss in 2013 will be held in absentia as the former leader continues to refuse to take part in the process.
Atambaev's lawyer Sergei Slesarev told reporters that the judge made the ruling on January 9 after his client again left the room when the proceedings began inside the State Committee for National Security (UKMK).
The decision to have the trial at the UKMK headquarters, where Atambaev is being held, was made on December 19 after the former president had declined to attend the trial at the Birinchi Mai district court in Bishkek.
Atambaev's lawyers have filed a motion protesting the decision to hold the trial out of the court's premises.
The charge against Atambaev is linked to the release of notorious crime boss Aziz Batukaev, who was convicted of several high-profile crimes -- including the murders of a Kyrgyz lawmaker and an Interior Ministry official. Atambaev faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted.
The former leader was arrested on August 8 after he surrendered to police following a deadly two-day standoff between security forces and his supporters.
He is also suspected of committing 13 other crimes, including the organization of murder, the organization of mass disturbances, and taking servicemen hostage during clashes at his residence in August.
Kyrgyzstan saw a smooth and peaceful transfer of power from Atambaev to Sooronbai Jeenbekov, which was welcomed by the international community after presidential changes in 2005 and 2010 were preceded by violent rioting.
Once close allies, relations between Atambaev and Jeenbekov soured after the state prosecutor charged the former president on the basis of accusations leveled against him by a legislature loyal to Jeenbekov.


rferl--2020-01-09--Bosnian Serbs Celebrate Contentious 'Republika Srpska Day'

BANJA LUKA , Bosnia-Herzegovina -- Bosnian Serbs have celebrated Republika Srpska Day , a controversial holiday that has drawn strong opposition from other ethnic groups in Bosnia-Herzegovina , who view it as discriminatory .
The January 9 holiday marks the date in 1992 when Bosnian Serbs declared their own state in Bosnia , triggering a devastating four-year war that killed over 100,000 people and left millions homeless .
Although Bosnia 's Constitutional Court declared the holiday unconstitutional on November 26 , 2015 , celebrations have taken place every year on January 9 .
In Banja Luka , the administrative center @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Republika Srpska , a ceremonial parade attended by more than 2,400 police officers was held in the city 's central Krajina Square .
During the celebrations , both the anthems of Serbia and of Republika Srpska were played .
However , the anthem of Bosnia was not played .
Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic and Defense Minister Aleksandar Vulin also attended the celebrations .
The parade was preceded by an awards ceremony during which Vulin received a medal `` for his work and merit in international cooperation and consolidation of peace .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ an award for Serbia , which does not hesitate to help [ the Republika Srpska ] always and everywhere . ''
Serbia `` respects '' Bosnia and `` guarantees '' the Dayton peace agreement that ended the 1992-95 Bosnian conflict , but Serbia `` above all loves Republika Srpska , '' Vulin said .
In a statement issued in Belgrade , Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said his country would `` always love and support Srpska , respecting the integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina . ''
Bosnia 's Muslims and Croats have insisted that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ethnic groups who live in Republika Srpska .

BANJA LUKA, Bosnia-Herzegovina -- Bosnian Serbs have celebrated Republika Srpska Day, a controversial holiday that has drawn strong opposition from other ethnic groups in Bosnia-Herzegovina, who view it as discriminatory.
The January 9 holiday marks the date in 1992 when Bosnian Serbs declared their own state in Bosnia, triggering a devastating four-year war that killed over 100,000 people and left millions homeless.
Although Bosnia's Constitutional Court declared the holiday unconstitutional on November 26, 2015, celebrations have taken place every year on January 9.
In Banja Luka, the administrative center of the country's predominantly Serbian entity, Republika Srpska, a ceremonial parade attended by more than 2,400 police officers was held in the city's central Krajina Square.
During the celebrations, both the anthems of Serbia and of Republika Srpska were played. However, the anthem of Bosnia was not played.
Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic and Defense Minister Aleksandar Vulin also attended the celebrations.
The parade was preceded by an awards ceremony during which Vulin received a medal "for his work and merit in international cooperation and consolidation of peace."
The minister called the award "an award for Serbia, which does not hesitate to help [the Republika Srpska] always and everywhere."
Serbia "respects" Bosnia and "guarantees" the Dayton peace agreement that ended the 1992-95 Bosnian conflict, but Serbia "above all loves Republika Srpska," Vulin said.
In a statement issued in Belgrade, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said his country would "always love and support Srpska, respecting the integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina."
Bosnia's Muslims and Croats have insisted that the celebration is not representative for all ethnic groups who live in Republika Srpska.


rferl--2020-01-09--Albanian Leaders Dismiss Khamenei's Purported 'Sinister' Smear

Albania 's leaders have responded angrily to an implicit accusation by Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei that their country is `` a small and sinister country , '' which was instrumental in a Western plot to effect violent unrest and `` foment war '' in Iran .
The Iranian allegation reportedly came during a televised address on January 8 eulogizing slain General Qasem Soleimani and condemning the U.S. air strike last week that killed Soleimani and a senior Iran-backed Iraqi militia leader , along with several others at Baghdad 's international airport .
The Iranian leader did not mention Albania @ @ @ @ @ @ @ meeting that included `` an American and a number of Iranians '' in the `` days before '' unrest that swept Iran after gas rationing was imposed in November , according to the remarks , which were quoted by a French-based group with ties to Iranian exiles critical of Tehran 's government .
It was a possible reference to a meeting at a compound in Albania that houses the People 's Mujahedin of Iran ( MEK ) , an Iranian exile group that Tehran regards as terrorists .
Khamenei 's own website makes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ account of the speech posted on January 8 .
But President Ilir Meta issued a statement on January 8 countering that `` Albania is not an evil country , but a democratic country that has suffered from an evil dictatorship ... and therefore considers human rights sacred . ''
Albanians fell under fascist Italian and Nazi German protectorates before spending decades after World War II under oppressive communist rule until the early 1990s .
Their country joined NATO in 2009 .
Meta added that Tirana `` remains firm in its commitments alongside the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ against international terrorism and any act that endangers world stability and peace . ''
Prime Minister Edi Rama said he was `` not surprised '' by Khamenei 's comments and noted in a reference to the MEK relocation that Tirana had taken `` an action that honors Albania and is part of the strategic alliance with the U.S. , and open [ ed ] the doors to a group of people whose lives were in danger . ''
U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the drone strike on Soleimani following more than a year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reports of attacks in Iraq by Iran-backed militias that included an assault on the U.S. Embassy compound in Baghdad .
The Baghdad airport attack has sparked outrage from Iranian and Iraqi officials and pledges by Tehran to retaliate , as well as statements from governments around the world warning of the risks to all sides of escalation .
The MEK is a secretive and socially isolated group that Iran and Iraq call terrorists , but Western governments and the United Nations have sought to protect them with their relocation from Iraqi exile six @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to U.S. and UN requests in 2013 to accept around 3,000 disarmed MEK members who were being relocated from a sequestered compound in Iraq dubbed Camp Ashraf .
Once led by the husband and wife team of Masoud and Maryam Rajavi , the MEK adherents now live with Maryam Rajavi in a compound in northwestern Albania dubbed Ashraf 3 .
Masoud Rajavi 's whereabouts have been unknown since 2003 .
Multiple reports have alleged meddling in the restive Balkans by the Quds Force , a foreign unit of Iran 's Islamic Revolutionary Guards @ @ @ @ @ @ @ arms of Iranian foreign policy , particularly in places such as Albania where there are majority Muslim populations .
Albanian police announced in October that they had thwarted a 2018 plot involving a `` terrorist cell '' of Iran 's elite Quds Force that was targeting Tehran 's perceived enemies at a gathering in Albania that included MEK members .
Tirana said it expelled Iran 's ambassador and another diplomat in December 2018 for `` damaging its national security '' in a move that was applauded in Washington as a further signal `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for terrorism will not be tolerated . ''
Washington and Tehran have been engaged in a high-stakes diplomatic and economic standoff since Trump withdrew the United States in 2018 from a multilateral nuclear deal that traded nuclear limitations for sanctions relief .
But the military confrontations had mostly been limited to drone shootdowns or incidents between presumed proxies until the January 3 assassination of Soleimani , head of the Quds Force and one of Iran 's most-powerful figures .
Waves of reimposed U.S. sanctions have dealt heavy blows to Iran 's economy and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over in November with public protests in over 100 Iranian towns and cities that in some cases included calls for an end to the clerical leadership that has ruled Iran for four decades .
Tehran blamed Western saboteurs and `` thugs '' and officials have acknowledged that its crackdown killed more than 100 protesters ( outsiders ' estimates of the death toll are higher ) .
Albanian President Meta called Iran 's missile attack on two Iraqi bases that housed U.S. and coalition troops on January 8 `` a provocative act with dangerous @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''
The MEK was created in the 1960s by Marxist-Islamist urban guerrillas who later participated in the 1979 Iranian Revolution .
But the group soon turned on Iran 's clerical regime and violently opposed it from Iraqi territory during the Iran-Iraq War of the 1980s .
Its armed resistance from exile included bombings and attacks that killed civilians .
The MEK in Iraq was disarmed and thousands of its members isolated at Camp Ashraf , near the Iranian border in eastern Iraq , as `` protected persons '' under the Geneva Conventions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Saddam Hussein .
It waged what Human Rights Watch ( HRW ) described as `` an extensive campaign aimed at winning support from Western politicians '' before the European Union and United States removed their designations of the MEK as a `` terrorist organization '' in 2009 and 2012 , respectively .
An MEK gathering in June reportedly drew notable current and former U.S. officials , including Trump 's personal lawyer , Rudy Giuliani , who has attended other MEK events and described the MEK as a `` government in exile .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the MEK compound in Albania that foes might `` entrust the transition of Iran to a very responsible group of people '' after the `` overthrow [ of ] that horrible regime . ''


rferl--2020-01-09--Hungary's Orban Wants EU Stance On Iran More Closely Aligned With U.S., Israel

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has said that the European Union 's position on the U.S.-Iran dispute should be more closely aligned with the United States and Israel .
`` I would like for the European stance , which is not clear on this Iranian issue , to be oriented toward the Israeli-United States stance , '' Orban told a news conference on January 9 in Budapest .
U.S. President Donald Trump on January 8 urged world powers to quit a 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran that Washington abandoned in 2018 and work for a new deal .
Iran , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rejected new talks .
European Council President Charles Michel said on January 9 that he had spoken to Iranian President Hassan Rohani and urged Tehran to comply with the 2015 agreement .
EU foreign ministers are due to meet on January 10 in Brussels to discuss the tensions between the United States and Iran .
Orban , who has frequently scoffed at EU policy , met Trump last year , when the U.S. president praised his tough stance on immigration , a policy area in which the two leaders have similar visions .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ leader Benjamin Netanyahu .
Orban also said Budapest will keep its troops stationed in Iraq as long as the government in Baghdad stands by the agreement between the two countries .
However , Orban added that plans were in place should the Hungarian troops need to be evacuated , which would take place `` immediately '' if Iraq pulls out of the agreement .
EU and NATO member Hungary has some 150 military personnel in Iraq 's Kurdish region .
Based on reporting by Reuters and AP

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


rferl--2020-01-10--France Warns Iran Could Have Nuclear Weapon Within One To Two Years

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian has warned that Iran could have nuclear weapons in one or two years if Tehran continues to violate a landmark nuclear accord with world powers .
The country 's top diplomat made the statement ahead of a January 10 emergency meeting of European Union foreign ministers , which comes amid mounting tensions between Iran and the United States following the killing of top Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani in an air strike in Baghdad last week and a subsequent Iranian missile attack on U.S.-led forces in Iraq .
Under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action @ @ @ @ @ @ @ curb its nuclear ambitions in exchange for international sanctions relief .
The agreement between Iran and the United States , Britain , France , Germany , Russia , and China as well as the European Union was signed in October 2015 in Vienna .
However , Tehran has taken what it has described as `` steps toward '' abrogating the JCPOA since President Donald Trump announced in 2018 that the United States was withdrawing from it and reimposing tough sanctions on Iran .
`` If they continue with unraveling the Vienna agreement , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ period of time , between one and two years , they could have access to a nuclear weapon , which is not an option , '' Le Drian said on German radio station RTL on January 10 .
Iran insists its nuclear program is for civilian purposes only , and the JCPOA allows the country to run reactors to generate power .
Trump said the agreement was insufficient and should be renegotiated because it did n't address Iran 's ballistic missile program or its involvement in regional conflicts .
Meanwhile , the reimposition @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Iran 's economy , and sent its currency into a downward spiral .
The EU has said it will `` spare no effort '' to keep the nuclear deal alive , despite the escalating tensions between Washington and Tehran .
Before the 2015 agreement , some experts estimated that Iran was within five to six months of being able to produce a nuclear bomb , while others said that could happen within two to three months .
With the JCPOA safeguards in place , the break-out time was estimated to be more than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ withdrawal from the deal , Iran has breached its main limitations , exceeding the stockpiles of heavy water and uranium allowed , the number and types of centrifuges it can operate to enrich uranium , and the purity of uranium .
The agreement caps uranium enrichment at 3.67 percent , a level that can fuel a commercial nuclear power plant .
Weapons-grade uranium enrichment must reach 90 percent .
However , scientists say that , once the capacity to enrich uranium has reached around 20 percent , the time needed to reach 90 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agreement , Iran enriched uranium to 20 percent .
After the U.S. withdrawal from the agreement , Iran last year boosted its enrichment purity to 4.5 percent .
Following Soleimani 's assassination by the United States , Tehran announced what it said was its fifth and final step in violating the JCPOA and said it no longer will abide by any limitation to its enrichment activities .
With reporting by AP and AFP


rferl--2020-01-10--Opposition Activists In Georgia's Breakaway Abkhazia Continue Protest To Oust Khajimba

SUKHUMI , Georgia -- Hundreds of opposition activists in Georgia 's breakaway region of Abkhazia are continuing their protest demanding that separatist leader Raul Khajimba to resign .
The activists gathered in front of Khajimba 's office in the regional capital , Sukhumi , for a second day on January 10 , vowing to keep up the pressure until he steps aside .
A day earlier , demonstrators stormed the building housing the de facto presidential administration and demanded the separatist leader ’ s resignation .
Later in the day , Abkhazia 's de-facto parliament followed by also calling on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lawmakers said in a resolution that the move was aimed at avoiding `` further destabilization in society , '' which they said could have `` irreparable consequences . ''
Khajimba 's office responded to the resolution with a statement saying such a move may `` complicate the social and political situation , '' adding that `` all differences must be solved solely through negotiations . ''
The activists started their protest in front of the building of the region 's de facto Supreme Court , which was scheduled on January 9 to hear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ against a lower court 's decision to recognize the results of September `` presidential elections '' won by Khajimba .
Moscow has recognized Abkhazia and Georgia ’ s other separatist region , South Ossetia , as independent states after a five-day Georgia-Russia war in August 2008 .
Russian troops are now stationed in the two regions and Georgia and most of the international community consider both regions to be occupied territories .

SUKHUMI, Abkhazia -- The de facto Supreme Court in Georgia's breakaway region of Abkhazia has annulled the results of last year’s “presidential election” and ordered a rerun of the vote.
The self-styled judges on January 10 overturned a lower court’s decision to recognize the results of September "presidential elections" won by Raul Khajimba, following an appeal by opposition presidential candidate Alkhas Kvitsinia.
The de facto Supreme Court ordered the election authorities to set the date for the new vote.
TASS reported that Khajimba and his supporters plan to appeal the ruling, which came as hundreds of opposition activists for a second day gathered in front of the separatist leader's office in the regional capital, Sukhumi, demanding him to resign.
On January 9, Abkhazia's de facto parliament called on Khajimba to step down, after demonstrators stormed the building housing his administration.
The self-styled lawmakers said in a resolution that the move aimed at avoiding “further destabilization in society,” which they said could have “irreparable consequences.”
Khajimba's office responded to the resolution with a statement saying such a move may "complicate the social and political situation," adding that "all differences must be solved solely through negotiations."
Moscow has recognized Abkhazia and Georgia’s other separatist region, South Ossetia, as independent states after a five-day Georgia-Russia war in August 2008.
Russian troops are now stationed in the two regions and Georgia and most of the international community consider both regions as occupied territories.
With reporting by TASS


rferl--2020-01-10--Global Anti-Doping Agency Asks Sport Arbitration Court To Rule On Russia’s Ban

The World Anti-Doping Agency ( WADA ) has formally requested the Court of Arbitration of Sport ( CAS ) in @ @ @ @ @ rule on Russia 's four-year ban for doping .
The January 9 move comes after @ @ @ @ @ RUSADA ) last month lodged a formal protest to WADA ’ s decision to ban @ @ @ @ @ events over doping violations , including alleged faking evidence .
Repeated irregularities and systematic cheating @ @ @ @ @ the 2018 Winter Olympics , and a finding in December that Russia 's anti-doping body @ @ @ @ @ the fresh ban .
The new four-year ban means Russia 's flag and anthem will @ @ @ @ @ such as the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and soccer ’ s 2022 World Cup in Qatar @ @ @ @ @ be allowed to compete as `` neutral . ''
RUSADA head Yury Ganus has said @ @ @ @ @ of winning its appeal against the decision , which President Vladimir Putin described as `` @ @ @ @

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has formally requested the Court of Arbitration of Sport (CAS) in Lausanne, Switzerland, to rule on Russia's four-year ban for doping.
The January 9 move comes after the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) last month lodged a formal protest to WADA’s decision to ban the country from major sporting events over doping violations, including alleged faking evidence.
Repeated irregularities and systematic cheating cost Russia a place in the 2018 Winter Olympics, and a finding in December that Russia's anti-doping body was still noncompliant led to the fresh ban.
The new four-year ban means Russia's flag and anthem will not be allowed at events such as the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and soccer’s 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Clean Russian athletes may be allowed to compete as "neutral."
RUSADA head Yury Ganus has said his country has little chance of winning its appeal against the decision, which President Vladimir Putin described as "politically motivated."


rferl--2020-01-10--Croatian PM Optimistic About EU Talks For North Macedonia, Albania

Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic has expressed confidence that fellow Balkan nations Albania and North Macedonia will be able to soon begin long-delayed membership talks with the European Union .
Plenkovic on January 9 told a joint news conference in Zagreb with European Council President Charles Michel that his country was attempting `` to create a positive climate '' that can lead to the two small countries reaching their goal of joining the EU .
Croatia on January 1 assumed the six-month rotating EU presidency and has expressed strong support for Tirana and Skopje , which have been frustrated by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ France and the Netherlands halted the opening of membership talks with North Macedonia and Albania last year , sparking disappointment and concern in the Western Balkans as Russia and China vie for influence in the volatile region .
Some EU leaders have expressed concerns that the two nations have not brought their governmental standards up to EU levels , and French President Emmanuel Macron has said he would continue to block the entry of new members until the process for admitting countries was reformed .
`` France had certain reservations that were more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ told reporters .
`` Is the methodology for the accession process good or not ? ''
The Croatian prime minister said the EU Commission has been working on a document containing suggestions for ways to improve the `` methodology '' for joining the EU .
He did not elaborate .
To be eligible for membership , applicant nations must negotiate 35 policy areas , including finance , agriculture , transport , energy , social , and justice policy .
Macron said this week that he wanted an EU-Balkans summit scheduled for May to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Europe and `` a success . ''
Senior Croatian officials said they took those remarks to be a sign that a solution can be found , possibly before an EU leaders ' meeting in March .
Michel said the bloc should send `` a strong and clear signal '' to Tirana and Skopje and that he and the Croatian leader would work in the coming weeks on how to give the two `` clarity . ''
With reporting by AP and dpa

Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic has expressed confidence that fellow Balkan nations Albania and North Macedonia will be able to soon begin long-delayed membership talks with the European Union.
Plenkovic on January 9 told a joint news conference in Zagreb with European Council President Charles Michel that his country was attempting "to create a positive climate" that can lead to the two small countries reaching their goal of joining the EU.
Croatia on January 1 assumed the six-month rotating EU presidency and has expressed strong support for Tirana and Skopje, which have been frustrated by the lack of progress toward membership.
France and the Netherlands halted the opening of membership talks with North Macedonia and Albania last year, sparking disappointment and concern in the Western Balkans as Russia and China vie for influence in the volatile region.
Some EU leaders have expressed concerns that the two nations have not brought their governmental standards up to EU levels, and French President Emmanuel Macron has said he would continue to block the entry of new members until the process for admitting countries was reformed.
"France had certain reservations that were more of a conceptual nature," Plenkovic told reporters. "Is the methodology for the accession process good or not?"
The Croatian prime minister said the EU Commission has been working on a document containing suggestions for ways to improve the "methodology" for joining the EU. He did not elaborate.
To be eligible for membership, applicant nations must negotiate 35 policy areas, including finance, agriculture, transport, energy, social, and justice policy.
Macron said this week that he wanted an EU-Balkans summit scheduled for May to be "a moment of unity" for Europe and "a success."
Senior Croatian officials said they took those remarks to be a sign that a solution can be found, possibly before an EU leaders' meeting in March.
Michel said the bloc should send "a strong and clear signal" to Tirana and Skopje and that he and the Croatian leader would work in the coming weeks on how to give the two "clarity."
With reporting by AP and dpa


rferl--2020-01-10--Iran Continues To Deny Western Suggestions That Missile Downed Ukrainian Jet

Iran has strongly denied Western suggestions that a missile brought down a Ukrainian airliner near Tehran earlier this week , killing all 176 people on board , as investigators from the two countries continue to pour over the wreckage .
`` One thing is for certain , this airplane was not hit by a missile , '' Iran 's civil aviation chief Ali Abedzadeh told a news conference on January 10 after leaders from the United States , Britain , and Canada all said intelligence data indicates a catastrophic error by Iranian air defense batteries brought down the plane .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ gave Ukrainian investigators access to the fragments of the airliner and invited plane maker Boeing and the U.S. accident-investigation agency to help in the probe of the crash .
A statement from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy ’ s office said DNA was being collected from relatives of Ukrainians who died in the crash of the Boeing 737-800 jet in order to identify the bodies .
However , the statement said it was `` too early on in the investigation to reveal specific details.
” The Ukrainian-flagged Boeing 737-800 was en route to Kyiv @ @ @ @ @ @ @ taking off from the Iranian capital .
The victims were 63 Canadians , 82 Iranians , 10 Swedes , four Afghans , three Germans , and three Britons .
There were also 11 Ukrainians on board , including nine crew .
Earlier on January 10 , in a reversal from its earlier stance , Iran said it had invited the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board ( NTSB ) and plane maker Boeing to participate in the crash investigation .
The decision came after U.S. , Canadian , and British officials said it was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ International Airlines ( UIA ) flight had been shot down , probably in error , by an Iranian missile .
Iranian officials have called on Western nations to share any intelligence suggesting it did so .
Abedzadeh said that , along with NTSB and Boeing representatives , Tehran will allow experts from Ukraine , France , and Canada to participate in the crash investigation .
Under rules established by the UN aviation organization , the NTSB is entitled to participate in the investigation because the crash involved a Boeing jet that was designed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Amid tensions heightened by the killing of top Iranian Major General Qasem Soleimani in a U.S. air strike in Baghdad last week , Iran earlier had said it would not give the plane ’ s so-called black boxes , which contain flight data and cockpit voice recorders , to either U.S. authorities , nor to Boeing representatives .
Any involvement by the NTSB could be limited because of restrictions related to financial sanctions placed on Tehran by the American government .
The board , an independent U.S. government agency charged with probing civil @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its “ level of participation in the investigation.
” It confirmed it had received notification of the crash from Iran , the formal process that gives the U.S. agency the right to seek participation in the investigation .
The NTSB said it has named an accredited representative to the case , but did not say when or if the person would be allowed to visit the site .
Earlier , Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a news conference in Ottawa that evidence suggested an Iranian missile downed the Ukrainian passenger plane @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` We have intelligence from multiple sources , including our allies and our own intelligence .
The evidence indicates that the plane was shot down by an Iranian surface-to-air missile , '' Trudeau said .
`` This may well have been unintentional , '' he told a press conference , calling for a `` complete and credible investigation '' into the cause of the crash .
The plane crash occurred hours after Iran fired missiles at bases housing U.S. forces in Iraq .
Trudeau 's comments came as video , which The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , emerged that may show the moment the airliner was hit .
The video shows a fast-moving object heading into the sky before a bright flash is seen .
Several seconds later , an explosion is heard .
Echoing Trudeau ’ s words , British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said : “ There is now a body of information that the flight was shot down by an Iranian surface-to-air Missile.
” `` This may well have been unintentional , '' Johnson added .
U.S. President Donald Trump said he had `` suspicions '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ was flying in a pretty rough neighborhood and somebody could have made a mistake . ''
Unidentified U.S. officials said they were confident that Iranian air-defense systems downed the Boeing 737-800 , based on satellite , radar , and electronic data .
Newsweek magazine quoted a Pentagon and a senior U.S. intelligence official , as well as an Iraqi intelligence official , as saying they believed the Ukrainian plane was hit by a Russian-made Tor missile .
Iran 's Transport Ministry has also denied the suggestions of a missile being involved in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not be correct at all . ''
`` Several internal and international flights were flying at the same time in Iranian airspace at the same altitude of 8,000 feet [ 2,440 meters ] , '' the ministry said .
With reporting by AP , Reuters , Newsweek , CNN , AFP , and CBS , Fars , dpa , IRNA , and RFE/RL ’ s Radio Farda