rferl--2020-04-02--NATO Foreign Ministers To Discuss Coronavirus Pandemic Response

NATO foreign ministers are due on April 2 to discuss their countries ' response to the global coronavirus pandemic , while stressing that the alliance remains ready to defend itself against any threat .
The meeting will take place by video conference -- a first in NATO 's 70-year history .
The virtual format was chosen because of restrictions on travel and physical interaction imposed to contain the coronavirus .
Foreign ministers representing the 30-nation alliance are due to assess ways of coordinating pandemic response efforts more closely and reiterate NATO 's resolve and readiness to respond to any acts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is to ensure that this health crisis does not become a security crisis , '' NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on April 1 .
NATO has already helped deliver emergency supplies to its worst-hit members , such as Italy and Spain , while national armed forces are supporting domestic measures to combat the crisis .
At the same time , allies are concerned that NATO 's adversaries could exploit the situation and conduct hostile activities while member countries are focused primarily on combating COVID-19 , the respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the spread of disinformation around the pandemic , with many pointing the finger at Russia and China .
Measures to try to slow the spread of the virus have forced NATO allies to scale down war games , but Stoltenberg insisted that the alliance 's `` operational readiness is maintained . ''
The allies `` continue to patrol the skies and to defend our borders and we continue our missions and operations not least in the fight against terrorism , because these threats continue to exist , '' he said , adding that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to remain on its guard during the coronavirus crisis .
`` We see significant military activities close to NATO borders with a new exercise in the western military districts of Russia ... and we have seen significant Russian presence in the North Sea , '' Stoltenberg said .
Last week , Russia conducted large-scale exercises involving its two military districts geographically closest to NATO 's Eastern European member states .
Russia 's Defense Ministry said the drills , which involved strategic missile forces , were intended to check troop readiness to deal with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ navy said its vessels had been shadowing Russian warships after `` unusually high levels of activity '' in the English Channel and North Sea , and Lithuania reported that NATO had intercepted five Russian military overflights .
The NATO foreign ministers are also set to take decisions relating to NATO 's activities in Iraq and focus on developments in Afghanistan , while welcoming their 30th member , North Macedonia , which joined the Western alliance last week .
With reporting by dpa and AFP

NATO foreign ministers have tasked the alliance’s top military officer to help boost the 30 allies’ response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg made the announcement on April 2, after the ministers held talks by video conference -- a first in NATO's 70-year history -- because of restrictions on travel and physical interaction imposed to contain the virus.
Stoltenberg said the ministers had asked U.S. Air Force General Tod Wolters, who currently serves as NATO's supreme allied commander Europe (SACEUR), “to coordinate the necessary military support to combat the crisis, to speed up and step up assistance.”
"For instance, by identifying the airlift capacity to ensure that medical supplies are delivered, coordinating on any surplus capacity or stocks, and better matching requests for support with offers from allies and partners," Stoltenberg added.
Flights carrying equipment to help in the fight against the pandemic will be given priority in European airspace.
The ministers are to hold another video conference in mid-April to review the situation.
NATO has already helped deliver emergency supplies to its worst-hit members, such as Italy and Spain, while national armed forces are supporting domestic measures to combat the crisis.
At the same time, allies are concerned that NATO's adversaries such as Russia and terrorist groups could conduct hostile activities while member countries are focused primarily on combating COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus.
In a joint statement issued after their conference, the NATO ministers stressed that the allies remain ready to defend themselves against any threat.
"Our ability to conduct our operations and assure deterrence and defense against all the threats we face is unimpaired," they said.
The allies also urged the Taliban and all political actors in Afghanistan to play their part in brokering a deal that would put an end to the country’s 18-year conflict.
The ministers welcomed their 30th ally, North Macedonia, which joined the Western alliance last week.
With reporting by AFP, AP, and dpa


rferl--2020-04-02--Trump To Meet Oil Industry Leaders To Discuss Coronavirus Impact On Industry

U.S. President Donald Trump has confirmed that he will meet US oil company executives at the White House on April @ @ @ @ @ of the coronavirus pandemic on their industry .
The industry has been badly affected as @ @ @ @ @ parallel with government-imposed restrictions on business aimed at controlling the outbreak .
A dispute between @ @ @ @ @ production cuts has also been a factor in the collapse of oil prices .
Trump @ @ @ @ @ House briefing on April 1 , did not specify which companies would be represented at @ @ @ @ @ , however , comment on the dispute between Saudi Arabia and Russia , saying the @ @ @ @ @ and he believes they will work out their differences .
Trump 's national-security adviser , @ @ @ @ @ at the briefing , saying the United States `` will work with the world 's @ @ @ @ @ volatility in global oil markets . ''
Based on reporting by AFP and Reuters

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--2020-04-02--British-Iranian Returns To U.K. Nine Years After Arrest In Iran

Kamal Foroughi , an 80-year-old British-Iranian businessman who was arrested in Iran nine years ago , has returned to Britain , the U.K. Foreign Office said .
Foroughi was working as a business consultant when he was arrested in 2011 and convicted of espionage and possessing alcohol .
`` I am pleased and very relieved that Kamal Foroughi has been able to return to the U.K. and be reunited with his family , '' Dominic Raab , Britain 's foreign secretary , said in a statement quoted by Reuters .
`` I pay tribute to Kamal and his family , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and now have the opportunity to rebuild their life together , '' Raab said .
Foroughi was released from detention in Tehran in late 2018 , but he was unable to return to his family in Britain while waiting for his Iranian passport to be renewed .
Britain 's Foreign Office said in March 2018 that it had raised Foroughi ’ s case with the Iranian authorities .
His family denied the charges against him .
Iran announced two weeks ago that it would pardon prisoners , including political prisoners , due @ @ @ @ @

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--2020-04-02--U.S. Confirms Arrival Of Russian Plane With Purchased Virus Supplies

The United States has confirmed the arrival of a plane carrying medical supplies that it says were purchased from Russia to help fight the coronavirus outbreak , raising questions over the motives behind the move .
The supplies , including ventilators and personal protection equipment needed in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic , were handed over on April 1 in New York to the U.S. emergency management agency , the U.S. State Department said in a statement .
State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus described the purchase as a “ follow-up ” to a March 30 phone call between U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Vladimir Putin .
The statement did not say how much the United States paid Russia for the equipment , which Moscow has described as “ aid ” in a thinly veiled attempt to hand Putin a public relations coup .
“ Both countries have provided humanitarian assistance to each other in times of crisis in the past and will no doubt do so again in the future , ” Ortagus said .
“ This is a time to work together to overcome a common enemy that threatens the lives of all of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ warned that Russia is using aid as part of a campaign of disinformation and propaganda to sow fear abroad while bolstering Putin at home .
Meanwhile , Trump , who has touted his close relationship with Putin , has faced similar warnings at home from those concerned that Moscow is using such actions to gain influence and push Russia 's efforts for relief from sanctions imposed for meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election .
Ortagus did note that the Group of 20 ( G20 ) counties agreed last week to work together @ @ @ @ @ @ @ States and Russia are in the G20 , and Ortagus said Washington was working closely with all G20 states and other countries “ to ensure that critically needed supplies get to those in need.
” A U.S. official said quoted by Reuters as saying the shipment carried 60 tons of ventilators , masks , respirators , and other items .
The official said the equipment would be carefully examined to make sure it complies with quality requirements of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration .
Russia 's deputy UN ambassador , Dmitry Polyansky @ @ @ @ @ @ @ good gesture of solidarity with New Yorkers who are in a very difficult situation at the moment , '' according to the Russian UN Mission on Twitter .
Interfax quoted Polyansky as saying that , while nothing has been agreed , it “ is not ruled out ” that further shipments may follow .
Kremlin critics questioned why Moscow would send equipment abroad at a time when there are questions as to whether there are enough supplies to meet the country ’ s needs .
`` I thought this was a stupid April @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's true .
Russia really did SELL the U.S. masks and medical equipment at a time when doctors and nurses all over the country are working without masks and infecting one another .
It 's monstrous .
Putin 's mad , '' said opposition leader and vocal Putin critic Alexei Navalny .
U.S deaths in the coronavirus pandemic pushed past 5,100 as of early April 2 , two days after Americans were told to brace for `` very painful '' weeks ahead .
New York is by far the hardest-hit U.S. state , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nearly 2,000 deaths .
Local officials have sounded the alarm over a shortage of protective gear and life-saving equipment .
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has said millions more face masks and thousands more ventilators are needed by next week .
Meanwhile , Trump , who has touted his close relationship with Putin , has faced similar warnings at home from those concerned that Moscow is using such actions to gain influence and push Russia 's efforts for relief from sanctions imposed for meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ past 4,000 as of early April 1 , a day after Americans were told to brace for `` very painful '' weeks ahead .
In Russia , where the accuracy of official data has been questioned , the number of confirmed cases has jumped in recent days , but still appears low compared with other European nations .
The country ’ s official tally puts the total number of cases at 3,548 as of April 2 , with 30 deaths .
With reporting by Rossia-24 , Interfax , Reuters , AFP and TASS @

The United States has confirmed the arrival of a plane carrying medical supplies that it says were purchased from Russia to help fight the coronavirus outbreak, raising questions over the motives behind the move.
The supplies, including ventilators and personal protection equipment needed in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, were handed over on April 1 in New York to the U.S. emergency management agency, the U.S. State Department said in a statement.
State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus described the purchase as a “follow-up” to a March 30 phone call between U.S. President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.
The statement did not say how much the United States paid Russia for the equipment, which Moscow has described as “aid” in a thinly veiled attempt to hand Putin a public relations coup.
“Both countries have provided humanitarian assistance to each other in times of crisis in the past and will no doubt do so again in the future,” Ortagus said. “This is a time to work together to overcome a common enemy that threatens the lives of all of us.”
Many critics of Moscow have warned that Russia is using aid as part of a campaign of disinformation and propaganda to sow fear abroad while bolstering Putin at home.
Meanwhile, Trump, who has touted his close relationship with Putin, has faced similar warnings at home from those concerned that Moscow is using such actions to gain influence and push Russia's efforts for relief from sanctions imposed for meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
Ortagus did note that the Group of 20 (G20) counties agreed last week to work together to defeat the coronavirus. The United States and Russia are in the G20, and Ortagus said Washington was working closely with all G20 states and other countries “to ensure that critically needed supplies get to those in need.”
'Difficult Situation'
A U.S. official said quoted by Reuters as saying the shipment carried 60 tons of ventilators, masks, respirators, and other items.
The official said the equipment would be carefully examined to make sure it complies with quality requirements of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
RFE/RL's Coronavirus Crisis Archive Features and analysis, videos, and infographics explore how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting the countries in our region.
Russia's deputy UN ambassador, Dmitry Polyansky, said the shipment was a "good gesture of solidarity with New Yorkers who are in a very difficult situation at the moment," according to the Russian UN Mission on Twitter.
Interfax quoted Polyansky as saying that, while nothing has been agreed, it “is not ruled out” that further shipments may follow.
Kremlin critics questioned why Moscow would send equipment abroad at a time when there are questions as to whether there are enough supplies to meet the country’s needs.
"I thought this was a stupid April Fool's joke but turns out it's true. Russia really did SELL the U.S. masks and medical equipment at a time when doctors and nurses all over the country are working without masks and infecting one another. It's monstrous. Putin's mad," said opposition leader and vocal Putin critic Alexei Navalny.
U.S deaths in the coronavirus pandemic pushed past 5,100 as of early April 2, two days after Americans were told to brace for "very painful" weeks ahead.
New York is by far the hardest-hit U.S. state, with more than 83,700 coronavirus cases and nearly 2,000 deaths.
Local officials have sounded the alarm over a shortage of protective gear and life-saving equipment. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has said millions more face masks and thousands more ventilators are needed by next week.
Meanwhile, Trump, who has touted his close relationship with Putin, has faced similar warnings at home from those concerned that Moscow is using such actions to gain influence and push Russia's efforts for relief from sanctions imposed for meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
U.S deaths in the coronavirus pandemic pushed past 4,000 as of early April 1, a day after Americans were told to brace for "very painful" weeks ahead.
In Russia, where the accuracy of official data has been questioned, the number of confirmed cases has jumped in recent days, but still appears low compared with other European nations.
The country’s official tally puts the total number of cases at 3,548 as of April 2, with 30 deaths.
With reporting by Rossia-24, Interfax, Reuters, AFP and TASS.


rferl--2020-04-02--Two More Bulgarian Parliamentarians Test Positive For Coronavirus Disease

Two more Bulgarian parliamentarians , including the leader of the ruling party , have tested positive for COVID-19 , the illness caused by the coronavirus .
The chairwoman of the ruling center-right GERB party , Daniela Daritkova , and another party member , Daniela Maleshkova , were identified on April 2 as having COVID-19 .
The positive tests were reported a day after all Bulgarian lawmakers were told to undergo testing when one parliamentarian came down with COVID-19 .
Hasan Ademov , a member of the center-right Movement for Rights and Freedoms ( MRF ) , tested positive for COVID-19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an emergency briefing on March 31 .
General Ventsislav Mutafchiiski , the chief of Bulgaria 's National Operations Headquarters , said on April 1 that Ademov was in hospital , but did not provide other details .
Despite the three cases , the 240-member National Assembly is scheduled to meet on April 3 to discuss a draft update of the state budget act proposed by the government .
Earlier on April 2 the Ministry of Health reported eight new case of COVID-19 , the respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus , in Bulgaria @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , with two deaths .
Bulgaria has been in a state of emergency since March 13 .
Schools and most shops are closed and there are restrictions on intercity travel and access to parks .
All domestic and foreign holidays trips are banned .
The measures are to last until at least April 13 , however , the government has proposed extending the state of emergency through May 13 .
“ The world is facing a huge challenge , a war that is killing many innocent victims , ” Prime Minister Boyko Borissov @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to do everything we can to protect the life and health of the Bulgarian people .
”

Two more Bulgarian parliamentarians have tested positive for COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus.
The chairwoman of the parliamentary group of the ruling center-right GERB party, Daniela Daritkova, and another party member, Daniela Maleshkova, were identified on April 2 as having COVID-19.
The positive tests were reported a day after all Bulgarian lawmakers were told to undergo testing after one parliamentarian came down with COVID-19.
Hasan Ademov, a member of the center-right Movement For Rights And Freedoms (MRF), tested positive for COVID-19, National Assembly speaker Tsveta Karayancheva told an emergency briefing on March 31.
General Ventsislav Mutafchiiski, the chief of Bulgaria's National Operations Headquarters, said on April 1 that Ademov was in the hospital, but did not provide other details.
Despite the three cases, the 240-member National Assembly is scheduled to meet on April 3 to discuss a draft update of the state budget act proposed by the government.
Earlier on April 2, the Health Ministry reported eight new case of COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus, in Bulgaria. That brings the total to 457, with 10 deaths.
Bulgaria has been in a state of emergency since March 13. Schools and most shops are closed and there are restrictions on intercity travel and access to parks. All domestic and foreign holidays trips are banned.
The measures are to last until at least April 13. However, the government has proposed extending the state of emergency through May 13.
“The world is facing a huge challenge, a war that is killing many innocent victims,” Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said on Facebook. “We have to do everything we can to protect the life and health of the Bulgarian people.”


rferl--2020-04-02--Twitter Removes Thousands Of Accounts 'Promoting' Serbian Ruling Party

Twitter says it has removed more than 8,000 fake accounts allegedly linked to Serbia ’ s ruling Serbian Progressive Party ( SNS ) and its leader , President Aleksandar Vucic .
“ Toward the end of last year , we identified clusters of accounts engaged in inauthentic coordinated activity which led to the removal of 8,558 accounts working to promote Serbia ’ s ruling party and its leader , ” the California-based social media company said on April 2 .
The alleged government-backed bot campaign violated Twitter ’ s policy and was a “ targeted attempt to undermine the public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ According to an analysis conducted by the Stanford University Internet Observatory , the 8,558 accounts served as “ a coordinated pro-Vucic brigade ” on Twitter that sent out more than 43 million tweets .
Most of the inauthentic activity occurred in 2018 and 2019 , Stanford researchers said .
“ These accounts engaged in inauthentic coordinated activity to promote SNS and Vucic , to attack their political opponents , and to amplify content from news outlets favorable to them , ” they said .
“ While a precise connection between this network and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can be no doubt , given the content these accounts shared and the time period in which they were active , that this network was aligned with Vucic ’ s efforts to entrench himself and his party in power , ” the Internet Observatory said .
Vucic , who has vowed to lead Serbia toward European Union membership while also developing ties with China and traditional ally Russia , has been accused of curbing media freedoms and democracy .
The Serbian president has denied the accusations .
Twitter also announced on April 2 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the governments of Egypt , Saudi Arabia , Honduras , and Indonesia were similarly removed from the social media platform for spreading inauthentic pro-government content .

Twitter says it has removed more than 8,000 fake accounts allegedly linked to Serbia’s ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) and its leader, President Aleksandar Vucic.
“Toward the end of last year, we identified clusters of accounts engaged in inauthentic coordinated activity which led to the removal of 8,558 accounts working to promote Serbia’s ruling party and its leader,” the California-based social-media company said on April 2.
The alleged government-backed bot campaign violated Twitter’s policy and was a “targeted attempt to undermine the public conversation,” the company said.
According to an analysis conducted by the Stanford University Internet Observatory, the 8,558 accounts served as “a coordinated pro-Vucic brigade” on Twitter that sent out more than 43 million tweets.
Most of the inauthentic activity occurred in 2018 and 2019, Stanford researchers said.
“These accounts engaged in inauthentic coordinated activity to promote SNS and Vucic, to attack their political opponents, and to amplify content from news outlets favorable to them,” they said.
“While a precise connection between this network and SNS has not been established, there can be no doubt, given the content these accounts shared and the time period in which they were active, that this network was aligned with Vucic’s efforts to entrench himself and his party in power,” the Internet Observatory said.
Vucic, who has vowed to lead Serbia toward European Union membership while also developing ties with China and traditional ally Russia, has been accused of curbing media freedoms and democracy.
The Serbian president has denied the accusations.
Twitter also announced on April 2 that more than 10,000 accounts linked to the governments of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Honduras, and Indonesia were similarly removed from the social-media platform for spreading inauthentic pro-government content.


rferl--2020-04-02--Rejecting Criticism, Commissioner Says EU Was 'Very Quick' In Helping Neighbors Fight Coronavirus

PRAGUE -- The EU commissioner for neighborhood and enlargement , Oliver Varhelyi , has rejected accusations that the bloc has been too slow in providing assistance to its Balkan neighbors and countries of its Eastern Partnership program in their fight against the coronavirus pandemic .
In an interview with RFE/RL on April 2 , Varhelyi also said he wasn ’ t worried that China and Russia could capitalize politically on the EU response to the crisis .
“ I think that we have been very quick in reacting once we have been able to start to fight the crisis within @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with help for the entire region .
This is not a race that we are running ; this is about helping , ” he said .
In the Balkans , the EU on March 30 announced up to 38 million euros ( $ 41.1 million ) in immediate support for EU hopefuls Albania , Bosnia-Herzegovina , Kosovo , Montenegro , North Macedonia , and Serbia to tackle the health emergency caused by coronavirus .
A first batch of ventilators arrived in Bosnia this week .
The EU is also sending equipment to Serbia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The EU also pledged 140 million euro ( $ 154 million ) for the most immediate needs in its eastern partners Armenia , Azerbaijan , Belarus , Georgia , Moldova , and Ukraine , and Varhelyi expressed confidence that medical equipment will arrive there “ very soon.
” Recently , Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic slammed the EU for `` abandoning his country ” and praised China for its assistance during the crisis , but Varhelyi said that the Serbian leader “ immediately made it clear that we are the ones who are helping @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 7.5 million euros [ $ 8.1 million ] for Serbia , whereas China has been providing 5 million euros [ $ 5.4 million ] of help , ” the commissioner said , insisting that the EU “ continues to be the most important partner in the region .
”

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


rferl--2020-04-02--Russian Historian Jailed On Disputed Pedophilia Charges Dies In Custody

MOSCOW -- A Russian historian who was jailed on disputed pedophilia charges last year has died in a prison hospital after an appeal from prosecutors delayed his release on health grounds .
Sergei Koltyrin , 67 , passed away overnight into April 2 after a long battle with cancer that predated his arrest in October 2018 and continued throughout his confinement at a prison in Medvezhegorsk , a town in Russia ’ s northern Karelia region where Koltyrin had worked as the local museum director .
Vladimir Koltyrin , his brother , told RFE/RL that a funeral was planned for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be taken directly for burial since the region -- like others across Russia -- is in lockdown in connection with the coronavirus outbreak .
“ They don ’ t allow us to assemble in the street , ” he said in a telephone interview .
“ We ’ re thinking about what we can do.
” On March 6 , a court in Medvezhegorsk ordered Koltyrin ’ s release on humanitarian grounds , noting a deterioration in his health and arguing that he should be allowed to see relatives before he dies .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ judge ’ s decision and Koltyrin died before that appeal could be overturned .
Vladimir Koltyrin would visit him once every two months , and saw him most recently just over a month before his death .
He told RFE/RL that Koltyrin appeared upbeat and was looking forward to leaving prison , and asked Vladimir to pick him up on his release day .
But conditions in custody may have accelerated his physical decline .
“ When a person is used to living in freedom , it ’ s hard to get accustomed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Sergei Koltyrin was arrested in October 2018 and sentenced the following May to 9 years in prison on charges of sexually abusing an underage boy , which he pled guilty to after initially denying .
Another man , Evgeny Nosov , was given 11 years for allegedly acting as Koltyrin ’ s accomplice .
The case drew national attention because Koltyrin had been a vocal critic of plans by authorities to exhume Sandarmokh , a Stalin-era execution site in Karelia that is believed to holds the bodies of several thousand inmates of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the 1930s .
Koltyrin ’ s supporters alleged that he had been pressured to confess .
Tamara Polyakova , a Karelia-based historian who regularly exchanged letters with Koltyrin during his time in custody , told RFE/RL that he did not complain of bad treatment by prison guards .
“ My impression was that he was mostly depressed for other reasons , and was okay with the prison conditions , ” she said .
“ Of course he might have not mentioned bad treatment even if it did occur.
” “ But he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” she added .
Anatoly Razumov , a friend of Koltyrin ’ s , said the prisoner had undergone an operation in January and may have suffered complications from it .
In a letter he received in mid-March , Razumov said Koltyrin struck a depressing tone .
“ I think he was essentially saying goodbye , ” Razumov wrote in a text message .
Yury Dmitriyev , another local gulag researcher who helped discover Sandarmokh in 1997 , was arrested in 2016 on pedophilia charges similar to those for which Koltyrin was convicted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2016 , and Dmitriyev has continued to publicize Sandarmokh from custody by contributing to publications about its history .
On March 23 , after Dmitriyev had spent 3 years behind bars , a court in the regional capital , Petrozavodsk , extended his pretrial detention for another three months , despite reports earlier this year that judges were preparing to issue a verdict in his case by late February .
Several thousand people have signed a petition calling for the 64-year-old Dmitriyev to be placed under house arrest for the duration of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , his smoking habit , and an immune system weakened by years in custody leave him particularly vulnerable if he contracts the pathogen .
“ The very peak of the growing coronavirus pandemic will find him in a prison cell , ” the petition reads .
“ [ Dmitriyev ] does not represent any threat to society , and in current conditions his health is in serious danger . ''

MOSCOW -- A Russian historian who was jailed on disputed pedophilia charges last year has died in a prison hospital after an appeal from prosecutors delayed his release on health grounds.
Sergei Koltyrin, 67, passed away overnight into April 2 after a long battle with cancer that predated his arrest in October 2018 and continued throughout his confinement at a prison in Medvezhegorsk, a town in Russia’s northern Karelia region where Koltyrin had worked as the local museum director.
Vladimir Koltyrin, his brother, told RFE/RL that a funeral was planned for April 6, but the body may be taken directly for burial since the region -- like others across Russia -- is in lockdown in connection with the coronavirus outbreak.
“They don’t allow us to assemble in the street,” he said in a telephone interview. “We’re thinking about what we can do.”
On March 6, a court in Medvezhegorsk ordered Koltyrin’s release on humanitarian grounds, noting a deterioration in his health and arguing that he should be allowed to see relatives before he dies. But prosecutors filed an appeal against the judge’s decision and Koltyrin died before that appeal could be overturned.
Vladimir Koltyrin would visit him once every two months, and saw him most recently just over a month before his death. He told RFE/RL that Koltyrin appeared upbeat and was looking forward to leaving prison, and asked Vladimir to pick him up on his release day. But conditions in custody may have accelerated his physical decline.
“When a person is used to living in freedom, it’s hard to get accustomed to such conditions,” he said.
Sergei Koltyrin was arrested in October 2018 and sentenced the following May to 9 years in prison on charges of sexually abusing an underage boy, which he pled guilty to after initially denying. Another man, Evgeny Nosov, was given 11 years for allegedly acting as Koltyrin’s accomplice.
The case drew national attention because Koltyrin had been a vocal critic of plans by authorities to exhume Sandarmokh, a Stalin-era execution site in Karelia that is believed to holds the bodies of several thousand inmates of forced labor camps who were murdered there in the 1930s. Koltyrin’s supporters alleged that he had been pressured to confess.
Tamara Polyakova, a Karelia-based historian who regularly exchanged letters with Koltyrin during his time in custody, told RFE/RL that he did not complain of bad treatment by prison guards.
“My impression was that he was mostly depressed for other reasons, and was okay with the prison conditions,” she said. “Of course he might have not mentioned bad treatment even if it did occur.”
“But he was expecting to get out alive,” she added.
Anatoly Razumov, a friend of Koltyrin’s, said the prisoner had undergone an operation in January and may have suffered complications from it. In a letter he received in mid-March, Razumov said Koltyrin struck a depressing tone.
“I think he was essentially saying goodbye,” Razumov wrote in a text message.
Yury Dmitriyev, another local gulag researcher who helped discover Sandarmokh in 1997, was arrested in 2016 on pedophilia charges similar to those for which Koltyrin was convicted. His trial has been continuing since 2016, and Dmitriyev has continued to publicize Sandarmokh from custody by contributing to publications about its history.
On March 23, after Dmitriyev had spent 3 years behind bars, a court in the regional capital, Petrozavodsk, extended his pretrial detention for another three months, despite reports earlier this year that judges were preparing to issue a verdict in his case by late February.
Several thousand people have signed a petition calling for the 64-year-old Dmitriyev to be placed under house arrest for the duration of the coronavirus pandemic, arguing that his age, his smoking habit, and an immune system weakened by years in custody leave him particularly vulnerable if he contracts the pathogen.
“The very peak of the growing coronavirus pandemic will find him in a prison cell,” the petition reads. “[Dmitriyev] does not represent any threat to society, and in current conditions his health is in serious danger."


rferl--2020-04-02--Zarif Says Iran 'Only Acts In Self-Defense' After Trump's Warning

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said his country `` only acts in self-defense '' after U.S. President Donald Trump warned Tehran of a `` heavy price '' if it or its allies attack U.S. troops or assets in Iraq .
The war of words comes amid renewed tensions between the two arch-foes despite the coronavirus pandemic .
`` Upon information and belief , Iran or its proxies are planning a sneak attack on U.S. troops and/or assets in Iraq , '' Trump tweeted on April 1 .
`` If this happens , Iran will pay a very heavy price @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In response , Zarif wrote in a tweet on April 2 that `` Iran has FRIENDS : No one can have MILLIONS of 'proxies . '
'' `` Unlike the U.S. -- which surreptitiously lies , cheats & assassinates -- Iran only acts in self-defense , '' he added .
Iran and the United States are in a tense battle for influence in Iraq , where Tehran has powerful allies and Washington has close ties to the government .
Over the past year , Washington has accused Iranian-backed militias of attacks on Iraqi @ @ @ @ @ @ @ foreign embassies , particularly the U.S. mission .
Tensions between Tehran and Washington have risen sharply since Trump in 2018 withdrew the United States from a landmark 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers and reimposed sweeping sanctions on the Islamic Republic .
Tehran has repeatedly called on Washington to lift the sanctions , particularly since the start of the coronavirus epidemic .
Medicines and medical equipment are technically exempt from the U.S. sanctions but purchases are frequently blocked by the unwillingness of banks to process transactions for fear of incurring large @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is one of the countries worst hit by the coronavirus , which has infected 50,468 people in the country , according to the Health Ministry .
Ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur on April 2 announced 124 more fatalities , raising the death toll to 3,136 .
Meanwhile , parliamentary speaker Ali Larijani tested positive for coronavirus and is receiving treatment in quarantine .
Larijani is the latest high-ranking Iranian official to test positive for the COVID-19 illness caused by the virus .
Experts have been skeptical about the veracity of official figures released by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tight lid on local and foreign media .
The pandemic has also hit the United States hard , with almost 217,000 infections and more than 5,100 deaths .
With reporting by Reuters , AP , and AFP


rferl--2020-04-02--Serbian Journalist Detained, Questioned Over Critical Coronavirus Article

BELGRADE -- Serbian police detained a journalist who wrote a critical text on the handling of the coronavirus epidemic and released her on April 2 after interrogating her overnight .
The Nova.rs news site journalist Ana Lalic was detained at her home late on April 1 , hours after she published an article that said medical staff at a hospital in the northern city of Novi Sad was lacking adequate protective gear .
The article , which quoted unnamed medical staff , also said that several nurses may have become infected and that the clinic lacked medication .
The hospital @ @ @ @ @ @ @ police .
Lalic said `` there are witnesses for everything I wrote '' and that neither the hospital , nor the regional health authority responded to her questions before the publication of the article .
Her lawyer , Srdjan Kovacevic , said she was accused of disseminating false information and causing panic .
Her laptop and mobile phones were seized and were not returned upon her release , Kovacevic told RFE/RL .
It was not immediately clear whether she will be charged .
The OSCE representative on freedom of the media , Harlem @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” that Lalic was detained over her reporting .
“ Despite being released today , it is very problematic that police seized her laptop and mobile phones .
Journalists need to be able to do their job freely , ” Desir tweeted .
Serbia has 1,060 confirmed coronavirus cases , with 28 fatalities , according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University in the United States .
On April 2 , Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said the government would repeal a March 28 decree which allowed information related to the coronavirus outbreak to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the national crisis-management task force .
The task force announces developments and plans during daily news conferences , while Brnabic and President Aleksandar Vucic make the important announcements such as extending lockdown measures .
Brnabic said the decree intended to `` protect citizens from unverified information , '' but acknowledged that it may `` cast doubts on what we are trying to accomplish . ''
Upon hearing the news , Lalic said , `` If the decree was indeed repealed , it was worth the night in custody . ''
Vucic announced an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and parliament has been sidelined .
Vucic has assumed full power , prompting an outcry from opponents who say he has seized control of the state in an unconstitutional manner .
With reporting by nova.rs and dpa

BELGRADE -- Serbian police detained a journalist who wrote a critical text on the handling of the coronavirus epidemic and released her on April 2 after interrogating her overnight.
The Nova.rs news site journalist Ana Lalic was detained at her home late on April 1, hours after she published an article that said medical staff at a hospital in the northern city of Novi Sad was lacking adequate protective gear.
The article, which quoted unnamed medical staff, also said that several nurses may have become infected and that the clinic lacked medication.
The hospital issued a denial and reported Lalic to police.
Lalic said "there are witnesses for everything I wrote" and that neither the hospital, nor the regional health authority responded to her questions before the publication of the article.
Her lawyer, Srdjan Kovacevic, said she was accused of disseminating false information and causing panic.
Her laptop and mobile phones were seized and were not returned upon her release, Kovacevic told RFE/RL.
It was not immediately clear whether she will be charged.
The OSCE representative on freedom of the media, Harlem Desir, said he was “alarmed” that Lalic was detained over her reporting.
“Despite being released today, it is very problematic that police seized her laptop and mobile phones. Journalists need to be able to do their job freely,” Desir tweeted.
Serbia has 1,060 confirmed coronavirus cases, with 28 fatalities, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University in the United States.
On April 2, Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said the government would repeal a March 28 decree which allowed information related to the coronavirus outbreak to be published only if it comes from the national crisis-management task force.
The task force announces developments and plans during daily news conferences, while Brnabic and President Aleksandar Vucic make the important announcements such as extending lockdown measures.
Brnabic said the decree intended to "protect citizens from unverified information," but acknowledged that it may "cast doubts on what we are trying to accomplish."
Upon hearing the news, Lalic said, "If the decree was indeed repealed, it was worth the night in custody."
Vucic announced an open-ended state of emergency on March 15 and parliament has been sidelined.
Vucic has assumed full power, prompting an outcry from opponents who say he has seized control of the state in an unconstitutional manner.
With reporting by nova.rs and dpa


rferl--2020-04-02--Turkmenistan Bans Foreign Currency Cash Withdrawals In Sign Of Cash Crunch

ASHGABAT -- Turkmenistan has banned the withdrawal of cash in foreign currencies in banks as of April 1 , a sign the Central Asian energy-rich nation may be cash-strapped .
Several bank officials , speaking on condition of anonymity , told RFE/RL that all banks in the country received a verbal order from the Central Bank of Turkmenistan that holders of bank accounts in foreign currencies can withdraw money only in Turkmen manats , and at the official exchange rate .
Turkmen.news , an independent online news source , quoted employees of international energy companies operating in Turkmenistan -- Petronas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as saying that starting April 1 , employees of foreign organizations and companies who receive their salary in foreign currencies such as U.S. dollars and euros will be able to withdraw money from their bank accounts in manats only .
Turkmenistan 's Central Bank established an official rate of 3.5 manats per dollar in 2015 , and has not changed it since .
Meanwhile , the rate on the black market is more than five times higher .
Since January 2016 , all currency exchange in cash has been banned .
Last month @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the country after China , the main buyer of its natural gas , slashed imports and global energy prices plunged .
The central bank reduced the amount of foreign currency that citizens are allowed to purchase and have deposited onto their bank cards to $ 300 per month from $ 500 , while the limit on outgoing wire transfers was cut to $ 200 per month from $ 300 .
Turkmenistan 's tightly controlled economy has been struggling for months , with government revenues depleted in part to unsuccessful energy deals and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Central Asian country 's main export .
Government critics and human rights groups say Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov has suppressed dissent and made few changes in the restrictive country since he came to power after the death of autocrat Saparmurat Niyazov in 2006 .
Like Niyazov , Berdymukhammedov long relied on energy revenues to subsidize prices for basic goods and utilities to help maintain his grip on power .
With reporting by Turkmen.news and Reuters

ASHGABAT -- Turkmenistan has banned the withdrawal of cash in foreign currencies in banks as of April 1, a sign the Central Asian energy-rich nation may be cash-strapped.
Several bank officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, told RFE/RL that all banks in the country received a verbal order from the Central Bank of Turkmenistan that holders of bank accounts in foreign currencies can withdraw money only in Turkmen manats, and at the official exchange rate.
Turkmen.news, an independent online news source, quoted employees of international energy companies operating in Turkmenistan -- Petronas, Dragon Oil, and Bouygues -- as saying that starting April 1, employees of foreign organizations and companies who receive their salary in foreign currencies such as U.S. dollars and euros will be able to withdraw money from their bank accounts in manats only.
Turkmenistan's Central Bank established an official rate of 3.5 manats per dollar in 2015, and has not changed it since. Meanwhile, the rate on the black market is more than five times higher. Since January 2016, all currency exchange in cash has been banned.
Last month, Turkmenistan tightened controls over foreign currency in the country after China, the main buyer of its natural gas, slashed imports and global energy prices plunged.
The central bank reduced the amount of foreign currency that citizens are allowed to purchase and have deposited onto their bank cards to $300 per month from $500, while the limit on outgoing wire transfers was cut to $200 per month from $300.
Turkmenistan's tightly controlled economy has been struggling for months, with government revenues depleted in part to unsuccessful energy deals and low global prices for natural gas, the Central Asian country's main export.
Government critics and human rights groups say Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov has suppressed dissent and made few changes in the restrictive country since he came to power after the death of autocrat Saparmurat Niyazov in 2006.
Like Niyazov, Berdymukhammedov long relied on energy revenues to subsidize prices for basic goods and utilities to help maintain his grip on power.
With reporting by Turkmen.news and Reuters


rferl--2020-04-02--COVID-19: Putin Extends Non-Working Period Amid Spike In Cases; Pakistan Urged To Give Workers Bette

COVID-19: Putin Extends Non-Working Period Amid Spike In Cases; Pakistan Urged To Give Workers Better Protection

The global death toll has surpassed 51,000 with over 1 million infections confirmed , causing mass disruptions as governments continue to try to slow the spread of the new respiratory illness .
Russian President Vladimir Putin has extended the non-working period in the country to April 30 amid a spike in the official number of coronavirus cases .
In a televised address to the nation on April 2 , his second in eight days , Putin said people will continue to receive their monthly wages during the break , but he did not explain how they will be paid or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ should continue to stay away from their workplace because “ the peak of the epidemic has not been passed in the world , including in our country . ''
Russia , which has officially reported 3,548 cases and 30 deaths -- critics have questioned the authenticity of the government 's data -- has already imposed a partial lockdown on many regions , including Moscow , its capital of more than 12.5 million people .
Putin said exceptions for essential industries will keep operating , and grocery stores and pharmacies will remain open .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to regional authorities to decide which sectors in their region should keep working , `` depending on the situation , what kind of regime is enforced , and what organizations could continue working.
” “ An efficient and stable economy is key to solving our tasks , including in the health-care system , ” he added .
Minutes after Putin 's speech , the Kremlin announced Putin had signed a decree to prolong the non-working period .
On March 25 , Putin announced a non-working week between March 28 to April 5 -- @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The official death toll now stands at 30 , though the accuracy of official data has been questioned by critics .
On April 1 , Putin signed legislation that allows the government to declare an emergency situation across the country and to establish mandatory rules of conduct during a state of emergency .
Officials have been tightening restrictions on the movement of people in recent days as the number of reported coronavirus cases jumped , especially in the capital , Moscow , which has all but confined its 12 million residents to their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Chechnya , Kremlin-backed Ramzan Kadyrov , who has ruled the volatile region since 2007 , said administrative boundaries with other parts of the Russian Federation will be closed off to slow the spread of the virus .
Kadyrov called on residents of Chechnya , who are currently travelling abroad or across Russia and plan to return home , to do so before April 5 as all forms of transport , including trains and planes , will be suspended from that day .
Only vehicles and planes transporting food , medicine , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Kadyrov said .
A human rights group has called on Pakistan 's government to take rapid measures to offset the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on its most vulnerable workers .
`` Social distancing , quarantines , and the closure of businesses will have enormous economic consequences for garment and textile workers , domestic workers , home-based workers , and other workers in low-income households , '' Human Rights Watch ( HRW ) said on April 2 .
Pakistan has almost 2,300 confirmed coronavirus cases of COVID-19 , with at least 31 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Johns Hopkins University in the United States .
However , HRW says the real number of infections may be much higher since little testing is available .
`` Pakistani authorities should take urgent steps to mitigate the economic impact of COVID-19 on its most vulnerable workers , '' the New York-based rights group said .
Central and regional authorities have imposed partial or complete lockdowns , and all businesses not producing essential supplies have been shut down .
Between 12.3 million and 18.5 million people in various sectors may lose their jobs , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ alone , at least half a million textile and garment-industry workers had lost their jobs as of March 28 , according to the Pakistan Workers ’ Federation .
HRW said the government should find ways to protect those affected `` from suffering loss of income that would push them further into poverty and deter them from self-isolating to contain the spread of the virus . ''
“ The Pakistan government should take measures so that the loss of livelihood and income doesn ’ t compound the threats workers face to their health , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at Human Rights Watch .
“ The economically marginalized are among the most vulnerable groups affected by COVID-19 , and the government should urgently find ways to protect them , ” Adams said .
Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka vowed transparency in the reporting of the coronavirus outbreak in the country , as the health authorities reported a total of four fatalities due to the respiratory illness .
The Health Ministry on April 2 reported a total of 304 coronavirus cases , adding that four elderly patients suffering from “ numerous chronic illnesses ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the outbreak has been criticized by some for lacking transparency , especially with regard to the reporting of cases .
But Lukashenka on April 2 insisted that the authorities “ do not hide anything '' On April 7 , the government “ will discuss a number of issues , '' the Belarusian leader said , adding : `` I will prepare the information , all the statistics ” on the epidemic .
Lukashenka 's comments come a day after Belarusian authorities said they did not attribute the death of a well-known actor on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ actor , Viktar Dashkevich , had tested positive to the virus , but the death certificate only mentions pneumonia .
Unlike its neighbors , Belarus has kept its borders open and has not imposed any restrictions of movement inside the country .
Meanwhile , a Belarusian news website editor was arrested on March 25 and charged with “ receiving a bribe ” after he published an editorial criticizing Lukashenka ’ s approach to the coronavirus epidemic and casting doubt on official infection figures .
Reporters Without Borders called the case against Syarhey Satsuk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Belarusian government ’ s health-care policies.
” The charge against Satsuk , director and editor in chief of the online newspaper ej.by , carries a possible 10-year prison sentence .
Romania 's death toll from the coronavirus reached 94 on April 2 with nine more fatalities during the previous 24 hours , the government 's crisis group said .
During the same period , 278 people tested positive for the virus , bringing Romania 's total number of infections to 2,738 .
Meanwhile , President Klaus Iohannis said he had asked the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ funding to give doctors , nurses , and other personnel dealing with the epidemic a monthly bonus of about 500 euros ( $ 543.10 ) a month .
The growing number of infected medical personnel has prompted many doctors , paramedics , nurses , and auxiliary personnel to resign -- either in frustration at the lack of medical supplies or because of fatigue .
A total of 357 Romanian doctors , nurses , and other medical staff are among those who have tested positive , according to Romania 's crisis group .
Bucharest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which has been under a lockdown since March 31 , have the highest number of confirmed cases -- more than 500 and , 700 , respectively , the crisis group said .
Officials said 217 people with the virus have recovered .
Romania has been under a state of emergency since March 16 .
In other countries , there are 217 Romanians known to have tested positive for the respiratory illness -- including 25 people who have died while abroad .
The head of the World Health Organization 's office in Tajikistan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cases have been registered in the Central Asian nation .
In a televised statement on April 1 , Perfilyeva said coronavirus tests had been carried out on more than 700 people in Tajikistan : all came back negative .
While the country ’ s strong-armed leadership insists there are no cases of coronavirus , critics beg to differ given Tajikistan ’ s border with China , where the virus was first detected , and the growing number of positive tests and COVID-19-related deaths in the region .
They point out that not having @ @ @ @ @ @ @ virus isn ’ t there -- especially since authorities have not imposed a quarantine or restricted public events and the fact that thousands of migrant workers have returned from abroad -- but it could just be issues with testing .
The government ’ s transparency on the issue has also been questioned given it has not disclosed any information discussed at daily meetings of a crisis group that is led by Prime Minister Kokhir Rasulzoda .
In a letter on March 31 , RFE/RL President Jamie Fly criticized the government for obstructing the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cover the coronavirus pandemic in the Central Asian nation .
Fly expressed frustration at the government ’ s attempts to interfere with the operations of the service , known locally as Radio Ozodi , at a time when information `` is needed more than ever.
” The Tajik Foreign Ministry is set to decide on long-standing accreditation requests from Radio Ozodi journalists in the coming days .
It has been reluctant since late October to fully grant one-year accreditations to 18 RFE/RL journalists and staff members of RFE/RL ’ s Tajik Service whose @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or which expired on November 1 .
Armenian health authorities have reported two more coronavirus-related deaths , raising the national death toll from the epidemic to six .
The total number of coronavirus cases declared by the Health Ministry on April 2 was 663 , an increase of 92 infections during the previous 24 hours .
That is Armenia 's highest single-day increase .
Three of those infected were said to be in a critical condition .
Armenia on March 16 declared a state of emergency through April 14 .
The movement of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ since March 25 .
Self-isolation rules and travel restrictions were tightened and extended on March 31 for `` at least 10 days . ''
Armenia ’ s legislature also has granted authorities the power to track citizens ’ mobile phone data in a bid to slow the spread of the virus .
Justice Minister Rustam Badasian has said the extraordinary measure would not infringe on privacy and civil rights or be used for eavesdropping on opposition figures .
With reporting by RFE/RL 's Russian Service , Zvyazda , BelTA , and MIR

The global death toll has surpassed 51,000 with over 1 million infections confirmed, causing mass disruptions as governments continue to try to slow the spread of the new respiratory illness.
Here's a roundup of developments in RFE/RL's broadcast countries.
Russia
Russian President Vladimir Putin has extended the non-working period in the country to April 30 amid a spike in the official number of coronavirus cases.
In a televised address to the nation on April 2, his second in eight days, Putin said people will continue to receive their monthly wages during the break, but he did not explain how they will be paid or by whom.
Putin said most Russians should continue to stay away from their workplace because “the peak of the epidemic has not been passed in the world, including in our country."
Russia, which has officially reported 3,548 cases and 30 deaths -- critics have questioned the authenticity of the government's data -- has already imposed a partial lockdown on many regions, including Moscow, its capital of more than 12.5 million people.
RFE/RL's Coverage Of COVID-19 Features and analysis, videos, and infographics explore how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting the countries in our region.
Putin said exceptions for essential industries will keep operating, and grocery stores and pharmacies will remain open. He said that it would be up to regional authorities to decide which sectors in their region should keep working, "depending on the situation, what kind of regime is enforced, and what organizations could continue working.”
“An efficient and stable economy is key to solving our tasks, including in the health-care system,” he added.
Minutes after Putin's speech, the Kremlin announced Putin had signed a decree to prolong the non-working period.
On March 25, Putin announced a non-working week between March 28 to April 5 -- essentially a weeklong holiday in Russia.
The official death toll now stands at 30, though the accuracy of official data has been questioned by critics.
On April 1, Putin signed legislation that allows the government to declare an emergency situation across the country and to establish mandatory rules of conduct during a state of emergency.
Officials have been tightening restrictions on the movement of people in recent days as the number of reported coronavirus cases jumped, especially in the capital, Moscow, which has all but confined its 12 million residents to their homes.
In the North Caucasus region of Chechnya, Kremlin-backed Ramzan Kadyrov, who has ruled the volatile region since 2007, said administrative boundaries with other parts of the Russian Federation will be closed off to slow the spread of the virus.
Kadyrov called on residents of Chechnya, who are currently travelling abroad or across Russia and plan to return home, to do so before April 5 as all forms of transport, including trains and planes, will be suspended from that day.
Only vehicles and planes transporting food, medicine, and essential items will be allowed to operate, Kadyrov said.
Pakistan
A human rights group has called on Pakistan's government to take rapid measures to offset the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on its most vulnerable workers.
"Social distancing, quarantines, and the closure of businesses will have enormous economic consequences for garment and textile workers, domestic workers, home-based workers, and other workers in low-income households," Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on April 2.
Pakistan has almost 2,300 confirmed coronavirus cases of COVID-19, with at least 31 fatalities, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University in the United States.
However, HRW says the real number of infections may be much higher since little testing is available.
"Pakistani authorities should take urgent steps to mitigate the economic impact of COVID-19 on its most vulnerable workers," the New York-based rights group said.
Central and regional authorities have imposed partial or complete lockdowns, and all businesses not producing essential supplies have been shut down.
Between 12.3 million and 18.5 million people in various sectors may lose their jobs, according to estimates.
In Punjab Province alone, at least half a million textile and garment-industry workers had lost their jobs as of March 28, according to the Pakistan Workers’ Federation.
HRW said the government should find ways to protect those affected "from suffering loss of income that would push them further into poverty and deter them from self-isolating to contain the spread of the virus."
“The Pakistan government should take measures so that the loss of livelihood and income doesn’t compound the threats workers face to their health,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch.
“The economically marginalized are among the most vulnerable groups affected by COVID-19, and the government should urgently find ways to protect them,” Adams said.
Belarus
Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka vowed transparency in the reporting of the coronavirus outbreak in the country, as the health authorities reported a total of four fatalities due to the respiratory illness.
The Health Ministry on April 2 reported a total of 304 coronavirus cases, adding that four elderly patients suffering from “numerous chronic illnesses” have died.
Belarus's approach to the outbreak has been criticized by some for lacking transparency, especially with regard to the reporting of cases.
But Lukashenka on April 2 insisted that the authorities “do not hide anything"
On April 7, the government “will discuss a number of issues," the Belarusian leader said, adding: "I will prepare the information, all the statistics” on the epidemic.
Lukashenka's comments come a day after Belarusian authorities said they did not attribute the death of a well-known actor on March 30 to the coronavirus.
The actor, Viktar Dashkevich, had tested positive to the virus, but the death certificate only mentions pneumonia.
Unlike its neighbors, Belarus has kept its borders open and has not imposed any restrictions of movement inside the country.
Meanwhile, a Belarusian news website editor was arrested on March 25 and charged with “receiving a bribe” after he published an editorial criticizing Lukashenka’s approach to the coronavirus epidemic and casting doubt on official infection figures.
Reporters Without Borders called the case against Syarhey Satsuk “a warning to media that question the Belarusian government’s health-care policies.”
The charge against Satsuk, director and editor in chief of the online newspaper ej.by, carries a possible 10-year prison sentence.
Romania
Romania's death toll from the coronavirus reached 94 on April 2 with nine more fatalities during the previous 24 hours, the government's crisis group said.
During the same period, 278 people tested positive for the virus, bringing Romania's total number of infections to 2,738.
Meanwhile, President Klaus Iohannis said he had asked the government to “reroute” European Union funding to give doctors, nurses, and other personnel dealing with the epidemic a monthly bonus of about 500 euros ($543.10) a month.
The growing number of infected medical personnel has prompted many doctors, paramedics, nurses, and auxiliary personnel to resign -- either in frustration at the lack of medical supplies or because of fatigue.
A total of 357 Romanian doctors, nurses, and other medical staff are among those who have tested positive, according to Romania's crisis group.
Bucharest and Romania's northeastern city of Suceava, which has been under a lockdown since March 31, have the highest number of confirmed cases -- more than 500 and, 700, respectively, the crisis group said. Officials said 217 people with the virus have recovered.
Romania has been under a state of emergency since March 16.
In other countries, there are 217 Romanians known to have tested positive for the respiratory illness -- including 25 people who have died while abroad.
Tajikistan
The head of the World Health Organization's office in Tajikistan, Galina Perfilyeva, says no coronavirus cases have been registered in the Central Asian nation.
In a televised statement on April 1, Perfilyeva said coronavirus tests had been carried out on more than 700 people in Tajikistan: all came back negative.
While the country’s strong-armed leadership insists there are no cases of coronavirus, critics beg to differ given Tajikistan’s border with China, where the virus was first detected, and the growing number of positive tests and COVID-19-related deaths in the region.
They point out that not having any registered cases does not mean the virus isn’t there -- especially since authorities have not imposed a quarantine or restricted public events and the fact that thousands of migrant workers have returned from abroad -- but it could just be issues with testing.
The government’s transparency on the issue has also been questioned given it has not disclosed any information discussed at daily meetings of a crisis group that is led by Prime Minister Kokhir Rasulzoda.
In a letter on March 31, RFE/RL President Jamie Fly criticized the government for obstructing the efforts of the broadcaster's journalists to cover the coronavirus pandemic in the Central Asian nation.
Fly expressed frustration at the government’s attempts to interfere with the operations of the service, known locally as Radio Ozodi, at a time when information "is needed more than ever.”
The Tajik Foreign Ministry is set to decide on long-standing accreditation requests from Radio Ozodi journalists in the coming days.
It has been reluctant since late October to fully grant one-year accreditations to 18 RFE/RL journalists and staff members of RFE/RL’s Tajik Service whose credentials have been withheld by the ministry or which expired on November 1.
Armenia
Armenian health authorities have reported two more coronavirus-related deaths, raising the national death toll from the epidemic to six.
The total number of coronavirus cases declared by the Health Ministry on April 2 was 663, an increase of 92 infections during the previous 24 hours. That is Armenia's highest single-day increase.
Three of those infected were said to be in a critical condition.
Armenia on March 16 declared a state of emergency through April 14. The movement of citizens has been restricted in the country since March 25.
Self-isolation rules and travel restrictions were tightened and extended on March 31 for "at least 10 days."
Armenia’s legislature also has granted authorities the power to track citizens’ mobile phone data in a bid to slow the spread of the virus.
Justice Minister Rustam Badasian has said the extraordinary measure would not infringe on privacy and civil rights or be used for eavesdropping on opposition figures.
With reporting by RFE/RL's Russian Service, Zvyazda, BelTA, and MIR


rferl--2020-04-02--NATO Top Commander To Work On Coronavirus Response

NATO foreign ministers have tasked the alliance ’ s top military officer to help boost the 30 allies ’ response to the coronavirus pandemic .
Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg made the announcement on April 2 , after the ministers held talks by video conference -- a first in NATO 's 70-year history -- because of restrictions on travel and physical interaction imposed to contain the virus .
Stoltenberg said the ministers had asked U.S. Air Force General Tod Wolters , who currently heads NATO ’ s Allied Air Command , “ to coordinate the necessary military support to combat the crisis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ assistance.
” '' For instance , by identifying the airlift capacity to ensure that medical supplies are delivered , coordinating on any surplus capacity or stocks , and better matching requests for support with offers from allies and partners , '' Stoltenberg added .
Flights carrying equipment to help in the fight against the pandemic will be given priority in European airspace .
The ministers are to hold another video conference in mid-April to review the situation .
NATO has already helped deliver emergency supplies to its worst-hit members , such as Italy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are supporting domestic measures to combat the crisis .
At the same time , allies are concerned that NATO 's adversaries such as Russia and terrorist groups could conduct hostile activities while member countries are focused primarily on combating COVID-19 , the respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus .
In a joint statement issued after their conference , the NATO ministers stressed that the allies remain ready to defend themselves against any threat .
`` Our ability to conduct our operations and assure deterrence and defense against all the threats we face is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ allies also urged the Taliban and all political actors in Afghanistan to play their part in brokering a deal that would put an end to the country ’ s 18-year conflict .
The ministers welcomed their 30th ally , North Macedonia , which joined the Western alliance last week .
With reporting by AFP , AP , and dpa


rferl--2020-04-03--St. Petersburg Quietly Unveils Plaque For Victims Of 2017 Subway Attack

ST. PETERSBURG , Russia -- Russia 's second-largest city , St. Petersburg , has unveiled a plaque commemorating the 15 victims of a subway explosion in 2017 after plans for an official ceremony to mark the third anniversary of the tragedy was canceled due to the coronavirus outbreak .
The plaque was unveiled at the Technological Institute subway station late on April 2 , a day before the third anniversary of the deadly blast .
City police and security officials have said that on April 3 , 2017 , 22-year-old suicide bomber Akbarjon Jalilov , an ethnic Uzbek Russian citizen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a subway carriage while it was between the Technological Institute and Sennaya Square stations , killing himself and 15 others .
Sixty-seven others were injured in the attack .
A second explosive was left at a station platform , but it was found and safely defused .
A military court in St. Petersburg in December sentenced Abror Azimov to life in prison for financing the attack , while 10 other defendants in the case received prison terms of between 19 and 28 years .
All of those sentenced pleaded not guilty to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ members of a terrorist group , supporting terrorist activity , and the illegal production and sale of explosive devices .
The authorities said they were arrested in different Russian cities and held in Moscow before being transferred to St. Petersburg for the trial .
Russian news agencies broadcast footage provided by authorities showing what they described as the arrest of one of the defendants , Akram Azimov , in Moscow in April 2017 .
Azimov ’ s mother told RFE/RL two days after the broadcast that her son had been taken away by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kyrgyzstan 's southern city of Osh , where he was being treated after surgery .
A staff member at the Osh hospital confirmed to RFE/RL that Azimov had undergone sinus surgery at the facility and that several men wearing civilian clothing had taken him away after handcuffing him .
Azimov ’ s lawyers alleged that once he was flown to Moscow , Azimov was taken directly from Domodedovo Airport to a purported `` secret '' facility and tortured for several days prior to the official announcement of his arrest .
Human Rights Watch @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for what it called a failure to investigate the alleged fabrication of evidence and torture against the 11 Central Asians who were accused in the case .

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia -- Russia's second-largest city, St. Petersburg, has unveiled a plaque commemorating the 15 victims of a subway explosion in 2017 after plans for an official ceremony to mark the third anniversary of the tragedy was canceled due to the coronavirus outbreak.
The plaque was unveiled at the Technological Institute subway station late on April 2, a day before the third anniversary of the deadly blast.
City police and security officials have said that on April 3, 2017, 22-year-old suicide bomber Akbarjon Jalilov, an ethnic Uzbek Russian citizen born in Kyrgyzstan, detonated a bomb in a subway carriage while it was between the Technological Institute and Sennaya Square stations, killing himself and 15 others.
Sixty-seven others were injured in the attack.
A second explosive was left at a station platform, but it was found and safely defused.
A military court in St. Petersburg in December sentenced Abror Azimov to life in prison for financing the attack, while 10 other defendants in the case received prison terms of between 19 and 28 years.
All of those sentenced pleaded not guilty to charges of financing the attack, being members of a terrorist group, supporting terrorist activity, and the illegal production and sale of explosive devices.
The authorities said they were arrested in different Russian cities and held in Moscow before being transferred to St. Petersburg for the trial.
Russian news agencies broadcast footage provided by authorities showing what they described as the arrest of one of the defendants, Akram Azimov, in Moscow in April 2017.
Azimov’s mother told RFE/RL two days after the broadcast that her son had been taken away by Kyrgyz security officers from a hospital in Kyrgyzstan's southern city of Osh, where he was being treated after surgery.
A staff member at the Osh hospital confirmed to RFE/RL that Azimov had undergone sinus surgery at the facility and that several men wearing civilian clothing had taken him away after handcuffing him.
Azimov’s lawyers alleged that once he was flown to Moscow, Azimov was taken directly from Domodedovo Airport to a purported "secret" facility and tortured for several days prior to the official announcement of his arrest.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) has criticized Russian authorities for what it called a failure to investigate the alleged fabrication of evidence and torture against the 11 Central Asians who were accused in the case.
With reporting by Fontanka


rferl--2020-04-03--Tajik Court Sentences Jehovah's Witness To Prison For Refusing Military Service

DUSHANBE -- A military court in Tajikistan has sentenced a Jehovah 's Witness to two years in prison after finding him guilty of refusing compulsory military service .
The court in the capital , Dushanbe , made the ruling against 20-year-old Jovidon Bobojonov on April 2 , the Jehovah 's Witnesses told RFE/RL .
The trial was held behind closed doors .
Tajik authorities have not provided information about his sentencing .
Bobojonov has appealed against his conviction , according to the Norway-based Forum18 human rights organization .
The Jehovah 's Witnesses said Bobojonov was arrested in January after he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ take the military oath of allegiance .
Bobojonov refused , the group said , because it contradicted his religious beliefs .
Tajik authorities banned Jehovah ’ s Witnesses in the Central Asian nation in 2008 .
In September , a court in the northeastern city of Khujand sentenced a Jehovah 's Witness to 7 1/2 years in prison after finding him guilty of inciting religious hatred .
The court also ruled that after serving his term , Shamil Hakimov will be barred from working in religious organizations for three years .
In autumn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tajik region of Khatlon sentenced an 18-year-old army conscript , Daniil Islomov , to six months in prison for refusing to wear a military uniform because of his beliefs as a Jehovah 's Witness .
Tajik law obliges all men between the ages of 18 to 27 to serve in the armed forces for two years .
Refusing military service is punishable by up to five years in prison .
Tajikistan gives exemptions from military duty to full-time university students , men who are the only son in the family , married men @ @ @ @ @ @ @ individuals unfit for service due to medical reasons .

DUSHANBE -- A military court in Tajikistan has sentenced a Jehovah's Witness to two years in prison after finding him guilty of refusing compulsory military service.
The court in the capital, Dushanbe, made the ruling against 20-year-old Jovidon Bobojonov on April 2, the Jehovah's Witnesses told RFE/RL.
The trial was held behind closed doors.
Tajik authorities have not provided information about his sentencing.
Bobojonov has appealed against his conviction, according to the Norway-based Forum18 human rights organization.
The Jehovah's Witnesses said Bobojonov was arrested in January after he refused to wear a military uniform and take the military oath of allegiance.
Bobojonov refused, the group said, because it contradicted his religious beliefs.
Tajik authorities banned Jehovah’s Witnesses in the Central Asian nation in 2008.
In September, a court in the northeastern city of Khujand sentenced a Jehovah's Witness to 7 1/2 years in prison after finding him guilty of inciting religious hatred.
The court also ruled that after serving his term, Shamil Hakimov will be barred from working in religious organizations for three years.
In autumn 2017, a court in the southern Tajik region of Khatlon sentenced an 18-year-old army conscript, Daniil Islomov, to six months in prison for refusing to wear a military uniform because of his beliefs as a Jehovah's Witness.
Tajik law obliges all men between the ages of 18 to 27 to serve in the armed forces for two years.
Refusing military service is punishable by up to five years in prison.
Tajikistan gives exemptions from military duty to full-time university students, men who are the only son in the family, married men with more than one child, and individuals unfit for service due to medical reasons.


rferl--2020-04-03--Men Acquitted In Daniel Pearl Murder Case To Remain In Pakistani Custody

A Pakistani provincial government has ordered a British-born militant whose conviction in the kidnapping and killing of a U.S. journalist was overturned to remain in custody for at least three months .
Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh and three others connected to American journalist Daniel Pearl 's killing will remain in custody for at least 90 days on the grounds of “ public safety , ” according to an April 3 ruling issued by the Home Department of Sindh Province .
The government ordered the men detained as it appeals to the Pakistan Supreme Court to have the sentences reinstated .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ High Court of Sindh Province overturned a death sentence and murder conviction imposed on Sheikh over Pearl 's 2002 killing .
Defense lawyer Khawja Naveed said that , in handing down the decision , the court reduced Sheikh 's sentence to seven years in prison for kidnapping , in what international media-freedom watchdogs called a `` denial of justice . ''
The United States said the decision was an `` affront to victims of terrorism . ''
Since Sheikh has been in prison since 2002 , he was expected to be released .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Street Journal 's South Asia bureau chief when he was abducted and beheaded in Karachi in 2002 , while researching a story about Islamist militants .
A video showing Pearl 's decapitation was delivered to the U.S. Consulate in Karachi nearly a month later Based on reporting by Reuters and AP

A Pakistani provincial government has ordered a British-born militant whose conviction in the kidnapping and killing of a U.S. journalist was overturned to remain in custody for at least three months.
Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh and three others connected to American journalist Daniel Pearl's killing will remain in custody for at least 90 days on the grounds of “public safety,” according to an April 3 ruling issued by the Home Department of Sindh Province.
The government ordered the men detained as it appeals to the Pakistan Supreme Court to have the sentences reinstated.
The ruling came a day after the High Court of Sindh Province overturned a death sentence and murder conviction imposed on Sheikh over Pearl's 2002 killing.
Defense lawyer Khawja Naveed said that, in handing down the decision, the court reduced Sheikh's sentence to seven years in prison for kidnapping, in what international media-freedom watchdogs called a "denial of justice."
The United States said the decision was an "affront to victims of terrorism."
Since Sheikh has been in prison since 2002, he was expected to be released quickly.
Pearl, 38, was The Wall Street Journal's South Asia bureau chief when he was abducted and beheaded in Karachi in 2002, while researching a story about Islamist militants.
A video showing Pearl's decapitation was delivered to the U.S. Consulate in Karachi nearly a month later
Sheikh, a former student at the London School of Economics, was arrested in 2002 and sentenced to death by an anti-terrorism court, while three other defendants were sentenced to life imprisonment.
Naveed said those three had been acquitted by the court in its April 2 ruling.
Faiz Shah, the provincial prosecutor-general, said he intended to appeal the ruling.
With reporting by Reuters and AP