rferl--2020-01-28--Criminal Record Of Crimean Journalist Semena Officially Cleared

SIMFEROPOL , Ukraine -- An RFE/RL contributor in Ukraine 's Russia-controlled Crimea region has received court papers officially confirming the termination of his probation and the expunging of his criminal record .
A court in Crimea 's capital , Simferopol , on January 14 ruled to prematurely terminate the probation period and expunge the criminal record of Mykola Semena , who had been convicted of separatism on the peninsula .
Semena , who has contributed to RFE/RL ’ s Krym.Realii ( Crimea Realities ) reporting project , was arrested by Crimea ’ s Russia-imposed authorities in April 2016 and charged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the Russian Federation . ''
He received a copy of the ruling on January 28 and is now considered totally free .
He told Krym.Realii , `` This whole process essentially crossed about four years out of my life , during which all my creative activities were suspended at the risk of ending up in jail . ''
Reacting to Semena 's release , RFE/RL President Jamie Fly said , `` We are thrilled at the news that Mykola is a free man -- free to be with his family , to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and , of course , to write . ''
Fly added , `` Journalism is not a crime .
Mykola 's arrest for publishing criticism of the annexation was politically motivated and a profound violation of his basic rights .
We are very happy that his important journalistic voice will be heard again . ''
Semena says the accusation was politically motivated and violated fundamental freedoms of expression and that Russian authorities based their case on an inaccurate translation of one of his stories from Ukrainian into Russian .
In September 2017 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a 2 1/2-year suspended sentence and banned him from “ public activity ” for three years .
Three months later , a court that Russia calls the Supreme Court of Crimea upheld his conviction .
The United States , the European Union , the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe , and international media watchdogs all condemned the trial and verdict .
In December , the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine asked President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to include the native Crimean journalist and five other colleagues on the list of people held @ @ @ @ @ @ @ exchange and be released to mainland Ukraine .
The United Nations has documented numerous human rights abuses in Crimea , accusing the Russian-imposed authorities of conducting a persistent campaign of oppression that targets opponents of the peninsula ’ s annexation , including many among the regions ’ indigenous Crimean Tartars , independent media outlets , and journalists .
Russian President Vladimir Putin gave the order to seize Crimea in 2014 after Moscow-friendly Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych abandoned office and fled to Russia amid a popular pro-democracy uprising .


rferl--2020-01-29--Taliban Attack In Northern Afghanistan Kills At Least 13

At least 13 members of Afghanistan ’ s security forces have been killed when Taliban fighters attacked checkpoints in the northern province of Kunduz , officials say .
The militants launched the attack in Dasht-e Archi district overnight , Safiullah Amiri , a member of the provincial council , said on January 29 .
Eight soldiers and at least four policemen were injured in the fighting while at least three others were taken captive by the Taliban , according to Amiri and an unidentified security source .
District Governor Saduddin Sayyed said the clashes continued through the morning .
Sayyed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the checkpoints were now back under the control of government forces .
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack , which came a day after at least 10 police officers were killed in a Taliban assault on a police station in the northern province of Baghlan .
Meanwhile , Afghan special forces freed 62 security forces from a Taliban prison in the northwestern province of Badghis , the Defense Ministry said on January 29 .
It said five militants were detained during the overnight operation , while several others were killed or wounded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Badghis ’ s governor , told RFE/RL that those freed had been held by the militant group for more than a year .
The Taliban has not immediately commented .
U.S. and Taliban negotiators earlier this month kicked off another round of talks aimed at putting an end to the 18-year war in Afghanistan .
Based on reporting by dpa , TOLOnews , AFP , and RFE/RL ’ s Radio Free Afghanistan

The education of girls and women is universally accepted in more than 200 countries and territories, including nearly 50 Muslim-majority nations.
But Afghanistan’s hard-line Islamist Taliban rulers have banned teenage girls from attending school after the sixth grade since they returned to power two years ago. The ban was extended in December to women in universities.
Countless protests by Afghans inside the country, pressure from the international community, and lobbying by Muslim scholars and clerics have failed to convince the fundamentalist Taliban leaders to reopen schools.
Experts are divided over whether the ban is rooted in how the Taliban’s interpretation of Islam is shaped by conservative Pashtun tribal customs and cultural practices or if it is prompted by how senior Taliban ideologues interpret Islamic teachings.
Most Taliban leaders are ethnic Pashtun, Sunni Muslim clerics. Many were educated in Deobandi madrasahs in neighboring Pakistan. Deobandism emerged as a puritanical Islamic revivalist movement in 19-century British Colonial India. Based on the Sunni Hanafi school of jurisprudence, it is a prominent strain among Islamists in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Tribal Influences
Sami Yousafzai, a veteran Afghan journalist and commentator, argues that the Taliban restrictions against women are linked to social customs and cultural practices in eastern and southern Afghanistan.
Most Taliban leaders come from various Pashtun rural tribal communities in these regions bordering Pakistan.
"They believe that a woman's place is either inside a house or in a grave," Yousafzai said of the basic Taliban belief influenced by the status of women in the families of clerics and religious leaders in these Pashtun regions.
“Women living in the households of the current Taliban policymakers were never educated and never left their homes,” said Yousafzai, who has tracked the Islamist group since it emerged as a ragtag militia in the southern Afghan province of Kandahar in late 1994. “These women never performed any government or nongovernmental jobs.”
Yousafzai says the Taliban backs policies shaped by this worldview by leaning on Islamic teachings supporting such ideas. He says Taliban leaders rely on sayings attributed to the Prophet Muhammad that discourage women from leaving their homes.
“Their primary belief is that pubescent girls should not leave home under any circumstance,” he said. “This is why they view women leaving home for education or work as engaging in moral corruption.”
In Afghanistan, a Muslim nation of some 40 million people, activists and rights advocates accuse the Taliban of implementing "gender apartheid" by denying women education, work, freedom of movement, and deciding how they can appear in public.
Most Muslims agree that Islam allows women to get an education. Yet the Taliban publicly says that it will allow girls access to education only after ensuring complete gender segregation and other unspecified conditions.
Almost all Afghan secondary schools were gender segregated and universities imposed a strict separation between men and women after the Taliban takeover.
Yousafzai says in conservative and traditional Muslim societies around the world, some clerics also favor restrictions on women's education, work, and their role in public life. But the governments in those countries usually oppose or limit such ideas.
In recent years, Saudi Arabia -- one of the most conservative Sunni Muslim nations -- has allowed women to drive and granted them freedom of movement without a male guardian. These steps are part of a reform and modernity drive by Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman.
The Taliban ban on education has invited universal condemnation from Muslims globally.
“The Taliban's ban on women's education is not rooted in [the Islamic] Shari’a law but rather reflects cultural biases that contradict the teachings of Islam,” said Salam al-Marayati, president of the Muslim Public Affairs Council in the United States.
He said that contrary to Taliban practices, “Islam emphasizes the importance of seeking knowledge and encourages all individuals, regardless of gender, to acquire an education.”
Historical Conflict
But Islamic scholars and those who have attempted to convince the Taliban about reopening girls schools offer a different explanation.
John Mohammad Butt, an Islamic scholar and former BBC broadcaster who is the only Westerner to graduate from India’s Darul Uloom Deoband, argues that the Taliban's policy on girls' education is not tribal but shaped by the century-old conflict over modern education.
“The problem is that girls' education in Afghanistan -- indeed, contemporary education in general -- has generally been introduced in Afghanistan in line with a secular agenda,” he said.
In the 1920s, a coalition of conservative clerics and tribal and community leaders deposed reformist King Amanullah Khan. He wanted to modernize Afghanistan along Turkish leader Kamal Ataturk's secular lines and championed modern education and rights for women.
This opposition to modernity and secularism continued, and conservative clerics opposed women's education and work. It became a key part of the Islamist opposition to the pro-Soviet Afghan communist governments after the April 1978 military coup that ended the Afghan monarchy. The mujahedin accused the communists of spreading immorality by promoting women’s education and empowerment.
“This has led to particular wariness on the part of conservative circles in Afghanistan with regard to girls' education,” Butt said.
'Deep Ideological Conviction'
Obaidullah Baheer, a political science lecturer at the American University of Afghanistan, became part of an effort to rescind the ban by talking to the Taliban last year.
But he says the effort failed because “the ban is a matter of deep ideological conviction” for the current supreme leader of the Taliban, Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada.
Baheer says that the most prominent Taliban leaders have studied in Pakistani madrasahs and were thus disconnected from village and tribal life.
“They have been indoctrinated by the Deobandi school of thought so that they now enforce the strictest version of Islam on the Afghan population,” he said.
He argues that the ban on girls’ schools is a deliberate policy championed by Akhundzada, who he says has endorsed Taliban Chief Justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani's Arabic language book The Islamic Emirate And Its System. In this book, Haqqani supports a fringe Islamic opinion of preferring the choice of one of the Prophet Muhammad's wives, Sawdah Bint Zam'ah, who chose to stay at home until her death.
Baheer says Haqqani ignores his other wives and other female companions that played an active role in many sectors of society and how they served as students and teachers for men.
“This fringe opinion is not held by all Taliban leaders but is one that the current absolute sovereign, the Taliban emir, seems to be convinced of,” he said.
Butt says that even Haqqani has acknowledged the principle that if there is something that women need to act upon, then that is also something that women need to learn about.
“I hope the Taliban authorities will come to realize in the not-too-distant future that education for women will make Afghan women into better Muslims,” he says. “It will enable them to make a stronger contribution to the well-being of their country.”
Two years after grappling with the issue, Western diplomats appear to be encouraging Afghan conservative and clerical circles to find ways to end the ban.
Tom West, the U.S. special representative for Afghanistan, recently tweeted that Afghan women must be educated and contribute to the economy to help their country stand on its own two feet.
“If change to policies is made, it will be because Afghans have asked for it, not a result of foreign requests,” he wrote.


rferl--2020-01-29--Kyrgyz Ombudsman Calls On Lawmakers To Postpone NGO Debate

BISHKEK -- Kyrgyz Ombudsman Tokon Mamytov has called on lawmakers to postpone debate on a controversial bill on nongovernmental organizations @ @ @ @ @ rights activists in the Central Asian nation .
Mamytov urged parliament on January 29 to @ @ @ @ @ agenda to allow for a broader discussion of the issue between lawmakers , representatives of @ @ @ @ @ public .
`` All sides must gather and discuss the bill publicly in a very @ @ @ @ @ listen to each other and come to a common conclusion .
The bill must be @ @ @ @ @ and for that period of time we need to withdraw the bill 's discussion in @ @ @ @ @ .
The bill proposes that all nongovernmental organizations in Kyrgyzstan report their activities and the @ @ @ @ @ to government officials .
Human rights organizations in the former Soviet republic have criticized the @ @ @ @ @ move to stifle civil society and muzzle dissent .
They compare it with similar legislation @ @ @ @ @ `` foreign agent '' law .

BISHKEK -- Kyrgyz Ombudsman Tokon Mamytov has called on lawmakers to postpone debate on a controversial bill on nongovernmental organizations that has been criticized by rights activists in the Central Asian nation.
Mamytov urged parliament on January 29 to withdraw the bill from the agenda to allow for a broader discussion of the issue between lawmakers, representatives of NGOs, and the general public.
"All sides must gather and discuss the bill publicly in a very wide format in order to listen to each other and come to a common conclusion. The bill must be also discussed by the public and for that period of time we need to withdraw the bill's discussion in parliament," Mamytov said.
The bill proposes that all nongovernmental organizations in Kyrgyzstan report their activities and the sources of their financial support to government officials.
Human rights organizations in the former Soviet republic have criticized the bill, calling it a move to stifle civil society and muzzle dissent. They compare it with similar legislation in Russia known as the "foreign agent" law.


rferl--2020-01-29--Bulgarian Government Survives No-Confidence Vote Sparked By Water Shortages

Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov 's center-right government has survived a vote of no-confidence called by the opposition over water @ @ @ @ @ Environment Minister Neno Dimov his job .
Only 102 lawmakers in the 240-seat parliament voted @ @ @ @ @ government on January 29 , while 124 deputies were against .
It was the fourth @ @ @ @ @ in a confidence vote since it took power in 2017 .
Dimov resigned from his @ @ @ @ @ minister on January 10 and has been charged with deliberate mismanagement of water supplies in @ @ @ @ @ country .
Prosecutors accuse him of providing water supplies to industrial users even when he @ @ @ @ @ water in a dam -- the only source of drinking water to Pernik and surrounding @ @ @ @ @ .
Dimov , who faces up to eight years in prison , has denied any @ @ @ @ @ crisis on dry weather and poor management of the local water facility .

Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov's center-right government has survived a vote of no-confidence called by the opposition over water shortages that have already cost Environment Minister Neno Dimov his job.
Only 102 lawmakers in the 240-seat parliament voted in favor of toppling the government on January 29, while 124 deputies were against. It was the fourth attempt to defeat the government in a confidence vote since it took power in 2017.
Dimov resigned from his post as environment and water minister on January 10 and has been charged with deliberate mismanagement of water supplies in a western region of the country.
Prosecutors accuse him of providing water supplies to industrial users even when he had been informed that the water in a dam -- the only source of drinking water to Pernik and surrounding area -- had seriously decreased.
Dimov, who faces up to eight years in prison, has denied any wrongdoing and blamed the water crisis on dry weather and poor management of the local water facility.


rferl--2020-01-29--Pakistan Temporarily Closes Afghan Border Crossing After Mortar Attack

ISLAMABAD -- Pakistan closed a key border crossing with Afghanistan for about 10 hours after mortar shells landed on Pakistani territory from across the border .
Vehicles lined up on both sides of the border began moving across the Torkham crossing on the afternoon of January 29 after the gates were reopened , Pakistani and Afghan officials say .
Earlier in the day , Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Aisha Farooqui said the border gates had been closed for security reasons after two mortar shells fell near the crossing overnight .
Officials say no casualties were reported but that a number @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one of the major border crossings between Pakistan and Afghanistan .
Every day , thousands of people and scores of vehicles carrying goods use the gateway connecting Pakistan 's Khyber tribal district with Afghanistan ’ s Nangarhar Province .
Prime Minister Imran Khan had last year decided to keep the border crossing open for 24 hours a day to boost trade .
The two neighbors have had uneasy relations , with Kabul accusing Islamabad of supporting Taliban militants .
Pakistan denies that .
Exchanges of fire across the border are common .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protests in both countries sparked by the detention of the leader of an ethnic Pashtun rights activist in Pakistan .
This week ’ s detention of Manzoor Pashteen , the leader of a civil rights group that has criticized the Pakistani military 's operations in the northwestern tribal regions , also led to a diplomatic spat between Islamabad and Kabul .
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani expressed concerns over Pashteen ’ s detention and said governments in the region `` must support and encourage peaceful civilian movements for justice . ''
Pashtuns live on @ @ @ @ @ @

ISLAMABAD -- Pakistan closed a key border crossing with Afghanistan for about 10 hours after mortar shells landed on Pakistani territory from across the border.
Vehicles lined up on both sides of the border began moving across the Torkham crossing on the afternoon of January 29 after the gates were reopened, Pakistani and Afghan officials say.
Earlier in the day, Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Aisha Farooqui said the border gates had been closed for security reasons after two mortar shells fell near the crossing overnight.
Officials say no casualties were reported but that a number of vehicles were damaged.
Torkham is one of the major border crossings between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Every day, thousands of people and scores of vehicles carrying goods use the gateway connecting Pakistan's Khyber tribal district with Afghanistan’s Nangarhar Province.
Prime Minister Imran Khan had last year decided to keep the border crossing open for 24 hours a day to boost trade.
The two neighbors have had uneasy relations, with Kabul accusing Islamabad of supporting Taliban militants. Pakistan denies that.
Exchanges of fire across the border are common.
The border closure comes in the wake of protests in both countries sparked by the detention of the leader of an ethnic Pashtun rights activist in Pakistan.
This week’s detention of Manzoor Pashteen, the leader of a civil rights group that has criticized the Pakistani military's operations in the northwestern tribal regions, also led to a diplomatic spat between Islamabad and Kabul.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani expressed concerns over Pashteen’s detention and said governments in the region "must support and encourage peaceful civilian movements for justice."
The Pakistani Foreign Ministry denounced Ghani’s "clear interference” in Pakistan’s internal affairs.
Pashtuns live on both sides of the border.


rferl--2020-01-29--Former Moscow Police Officers Detained In Journalist Golunov's Fabricated Case

Five former Moscow police officers have been detained in the high-profile drug-trafficking case against Russian investigative journalist Ivan Golunov , who was arrested and then released amid a public outcry and allegations of police corruption in June last year .
The Investigative Committee said on January 29 that the detained officers are being questioned .
The 37-year-old Golunov , who works for Latvia-based Meduza , was arrested in June in Moscow for allegedly attempting to sell illegal drugs .
He was released several days later after the charges were dropped following a public outcry .
The case sparked an investigation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also how Golunov suffered bruises , cuts , a concussion , and a broken rib during the ordeal .
In mid-July , three police officers and their supervisor were fired for violating Golunov 's rights while detaining him .
After Golunov ’ s release , Russian President Vladimir Putin fired Major General Yury Devyatkin , the head of the Moscow police department 's drug control directorate , and Major General Andrei Puchkov , the police chief in the Moscow West administrative region over the case .
In November , it was announced that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which Golunov 's lawyers criticized , calling the move an attempt to cover up what they termed the `` wrongful arrest '' of their client .

Five former Moscow police officers have been detained in the high-profile drug-trafficking case against Russian investigative journalist Ivan Golunov, who was arrested and then released amid a public outcry and allegations of police corruption in June 2019.
The Investigative Committee said on January 29 that the detained officers from the Moscow antidrug unit are currently being questioned.
In its second statement the same day, the Investigative Committee said former officers Denis Konovalov, Akbar Sergaliyev, Roman Feofanov, Maksim Umetbayev, and their former supervisor, Igor Lyakhovets, were suspected of planting drugs in Golunov's backpack and apartment.
"The investigation has established that the officers intended to illegally file criminal charges against Golunov and...falsified the results of evidence-gathering operations which then served as proof of Golunov's guilt," the statement says.
It says that "the drugs planted [in Golunov's apartment and backpack] had been illegally obtained and also illegally carried by the police officers."
The Investigative Committee's statement is a very rare admission of wrongdoing by Russian law enforcement agencies.
The 37-year-old Golunov, who works for Latvia-based Meduza, was arrested in June in Moscow for allegedly attempting to sell illegal drugs.
He was released several days later after the charges were dropped following a public outcry. The case sparked an investigation into his detainment over the charges and also into why Golunov suffered bruises, cuts, a concussion, and a broken rib during the ordeal.
In mid-July, three police officers and their supervisor were fired for violating Golunov's rights while detaining him.
After Golunov's release, Russian President Vladimir Putin fired Major General Yury Devyatkin, the head of the Moscow police department's drug-control directorate, and Major General Andrei Puchkov, the police chief in Moscow's western administrative district, over the case.
Authorities announced in November that the case had been classified, a decision harshly criticized by Golunov's lawyers, who called the move an attempt to cover up the "wrongful arrest" of their client.


rferl--2020-01-29--Top EU Diplomat Borrell Wants To Visit War Zone In Ukraine

Josep Borrell , the European Union ’ s foreign policy chief , has said he wants to visit the front line in the war zone of eastern Ukraine .
The trip would take place during his first visit as the EU ’ s top diplomat to the Eastern European country , Borrell said at a news conference in Brussels during a break in the EU-Ukraine Association Council meeting on January 28 .
“ I would like to visit a more significant part of the country from the point of view of foreign relations , ” he said .
“ I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the border where , as I know , hostilities are taking place in order to get a feel for the situation on the ground .
We must make the most important efforts to stop killing people . ''
The EU ’ s top diplomat mentioned the outcome of the meeting in December between the leaders of France , Germany , Russia , and Ukraine in Paris aimed at finding a peaceful solution to the Donbas conflict .
A cease-fire , the 21st since the war started in April 2014 , was agreed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ status law for the territories in eastern Ukraine it doesn ’ t control .
Borrell emphasized that “ the outcome of the last meeting in Paris should be implemented on the ground.
” More than 13,000 people have died in the conflict and 11 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed in January so far .
He said the EU could provide Ukraine with humanitarian assistance , help with removing mines , and assess the state of infrastructure in order to help with reconstruction .
The Spanish diplomat also mentioned the importance of ensuring the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sea .
“ We will continue to support the independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine , '' Borrell said .
With reporting by Interfax and Korrespondent

Josep Borrell, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, has said he wants to visit the front line in the war zone of eastern Ukraine.
The trip would take place during his first visit as the EU’s top diplomat to the Eastern European country, Borrell said at a news conference in Brussels during a break in the EU-Ukraine Association Council meeting on January 28.
“I would like to visit a more significant part of the country from the point of view of foreign relations,” he said. “I would like to visit the Donbas, the border where, as I know, hostilities are taking place in order to get a feel for the situation on the ground. We must make the most important efforts to stop killing people."
The EU’s top diplomat mentioned the outcome of the meeting in December between the leaders of France, Germany, Russia, and Ukraine in Paris aimed at finding a peaceful solution to the Donbas conflict.
A cease-fire, the 21st since the war started in April 2014, was agreed to and Kyiv promised to prolong a special status law for the territories in eastern Ukraine it doesn’t control.
Borrell emphasized that “the outcome of the last meeting in Paris should be implemented on the ground.”
More than 13,000 people have died in the conflict and 11 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed in January so far.
He said the EU could provide Ukraine with humanitarian assistance, help with removing mines, and assess the state of infrastructure in order to help with reconstruction.
The Spanish diplomat also mentioned the importance of ensuring the free movement of vessels in the Azov Sea.
“We will continue to support the independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine," Borrell said.
With reporting by Interfax and Korrespondent


rferl--2020-01-29--Ukrainian Ex-Deputy Minister Jailed For Allegedly Embezzling $40 Million

A former deputy energy and coal minister in the administration of former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych was placed in pretrial detention for 45 days on suspicion of causing 2 billion hryvnyas ( $ 40 million ) in damages to the state .
Bail was alternately set at $ 240,000 , the High Anti-Corruption Court ruled on January 28 in Kyiv .
Should the former government official post bail , he is ordered to obey summons by law-enforcement agencies and the courts , not to change his residence , refrain from speaking with other suspects in the case , surrender his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bracelet .
The court said the former deputy minister was allegedly involved in a scheme to sell liquefied gas at the expense of two state-owned oil and gas companies to private firms causing losses worth $ 40 million .
The suspect wasn ’ t named in the court decision , but Ukrainian media have identified him as Ihor Kiryushyn , who served as deputy energy and coal minister in 2009-2011 .
In March 2017 , Yuriy Lutsenko , the prosecutor-general at the time , announced the former official was arrested in Georgia .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ on January 27 .
The embezzlement scheme lasted the duration of Yanukovych ’ s truncated presidency , from 2010 to 2014 , the anti-corruption court alleges .
Prosecutors allege Yanukovych , his family members , and cronies absconded with billions of dollars before fleeing the country amid a pro-democracy popular uprising in 2014 against his increasingly authoritarian and corrupt presidency .
From self-imposed exile in Russia , Yanukovych has denied the allegations and maintains he is the legitimate president of Ukraine .

A former deputy energy and coal minister in the administration of former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych was placed in pretrial detention for 45 days on suspicion of causing 2 billion hryvnyas ($40 million) in damages to the state.
Bail was alternately set at $240,000, the High Anti-Corruption Court ruled on January 28 in Kyiv.
Should the former government official post bail, he is ordered to obey summons by law-enforcement agencies and the courts, not to change his residence, refrain from speaking with other suspects in the case, surrender his travel passport, and wear a monitoring bracelet.
The court said the former deputy minister was allegedly involved in a scheme to sell liquefied gas at the expense of two state-owned oil and gas companies to private firms causing losses worth $40 million.
The suspect wasn’t named in the court decision, but Ukrainian media have identified him as Ihor Kiryushyn, who served as deputy energy and coal minister in 2009-2011.
In March 2017, Yuriy Lutsenko, the prosecutor-general at the time, announced the former official was arrested in Georgia.
Kiryushyn was extradited from Georgia to Ukraine on January 27.
The embezzlement scheme lasted the duration of Yanukovych’s truncated presidency, from 2010 to 2014, the anti-corruption court alleges.
Prosecutors allege Yanukovych, his family members, and cronies absconded with billions of dollars before fleeing the country amid a pro-democracy popular uprising in 2014 against his increasingly authoritarian and corrupt presidency.
From self-imposed exile in Russia, Yanukovych has denied the allegations and maintains he is the legitimate president of Ukraine.


rferl--2020-01-29--Russia’s Gazprom Says It Will Complete Nord Stream 2 Alone

Russia ’ s state-owned Gazprom says it will complete the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project under the Baltic Sea on its own without the help of foreign companies .
`` The Nord Stream 2 project , which is already 94 percent complete , will be finished by the Russian side , '' Gazprom deputy head Yelena Burmistrova reportedly told the European Gas Conference in Vienna on January 28 .
Last month , the United States imposed sanctions in the form of a cease-and-desist order for the foreign firms working on the Russia-to-Germany natural-gas pipeline project .
That pushed back @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Russian officials having given various estimates of when it would go online -- from the end of 2020 to early 2021 .
It remains unclear how Gazprom would finish the project without international assistance .
Options on the table , according to the Financial Times , include using vessels owned by Gazprom and other Russian pipe-laying contractors .
The foreign companies building the pipeline -- all not part of Gazprom 's project consortium -- were Finnish , Swedish , and Danish .
The two most crucial companies facing sanctions were Swiss pipelayer and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as Italian pipeline contractor Saipem .
Upon completion and in addition to Gazprom ’ s sister Nord Stream 1 pipeline , Russia technically won ’ t be reliant on Ukraine ’ s pipeline network for transiting gas to Europe .
Infographic : Pipeline From Hell ?
Nord Stream 2 And Why It 's So Contentious Both sides , however , in late December signed a five-year , $ 7 billion gas transmission agreement .
Under the new contract , Kyiv this year is expecting to ship a minimum of 65 billion cubic meters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bcm less than it did in 2018 .
Minimum volumes will decrease further to 40 bcm in 2021-24 .
With reporting by the Financial Times , Forbes , Ukraine Business News , Interfax , and Seeking Alpha

Russia’s state-owned Gazprom says it will complete the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project under the Baltic Sea on its own without the help of foreign companies.
"The Nord Stream 2 project, which is already 94 percent complete, will be finished by the Russian side," Gazprom deputy head Yelena Burmistrova reportedly told the European Gas Conference in Vienna on January 28.
Last month, the United States imposed sanctions in the form of a cease-and-desist order for the foreign firms working on the Russia-to-Germany natural-gas pipeline project.
That pushed back the timetable of its completion, with Russian officials having given various estimates of when it would go online -- from the end of 2020 to early 2021.
It remains unclear how Gazprom would finish the project without international assistance. Options on the table, according to the Financial Times, include using vessels owned by Gazprom and other Russian pipe-laying contractors.
The foreign companies building the pipeline -- all not part of Gazprom's project consortium -- were Finnish, Swedish, and Danish.
The two most crucial companies facing sanctions were Swiss pipelayer and undersea construction firm Allseas, as well as Italian pipeline contractor Saipem.
Upon completion and in addition to Gazprom’s sister Nord Stream 1 pipeline, Russia technically won’t be reliant on Ukraine’s pipeline network for transiting gas to Europe.
Infographic: Pipeline From Hell? Nord Stream 2 And Why It's So Contentious
Both sides, however, in late December signed a five-year, $7 billion gas transmission agreement.
Under the new contract, Kyiv this year is expecting to ship a minimum of 65 billion cubic meters (bcm), or about 22 bcm less than it did in 2018. Minimum volumes will decrease further to 40 bcm in 2021-24.
With reporting by the Financial Times, Forbes, Ukraine Business News, Interfax, and Seeking Alpha


rferl--2020-01-29--Pentagon Says 50 U.S. Troops Diagnosed With Brain Injuries After Iran Strike

The U.S. military has for the third time raised the number of U.S. service members who suffered traumatic brain injuries in Iran ’ s missile strike on an Iraqi air base earlier this month , AP reported citing a Pentagon spokesman .
Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Campbell said on January 28 that 16 more service members were now diagnosed with brain injuries , bringing the total to 50 .
Thirty-one of the 50 were treated and had returned to duty , Campbell added .
In its previous update last week , the Pentagon said that 34 U.S. service members had suffered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ claimed that no Americans were harmed in Iran ’ s January 8 attack on the Ain Al-Asad air base in western Iraq .
Concussions can cause headaches , dizziness , sensitivity to light , and nausea .
Trump has downplayed the injuries saying he “ heard that they had headaches and a couple of other things.
” The remarks angered a U.S. war veterans group .
William Schmitz , national commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars , said on January 24 the group `` expects an apology from the president to our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ remarks . ''
Iran ’ s attack was in retaliation for the U.S. killing of its top military commander , Major General Qasem Soleimani , in a drone strike at Baghdad airport on January 3 .
There were some 1,500 U.S. soldiers at the Ain al-Asad base at the time of the attack .
Most had been huddling in bunkers after being alerted about the incoming missiles .
Based on reporting by AP 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--2020-01-29--Deaths Rise To 132 In China Virus Outbreak As Foreigners Airlifted

There are 5,974 confirmed cases nationwide in China of a dangerous new virus from which 132 people have died as of January 28 , the country ’ s National Health Commission said .
Another 9,239 suspected cases of the respiratory illness are being monitored , the government health authority said in a statement on January 29 .
Dozens of cases have been confirmed outside mainland China as well , including in Europe , North America , and elsewhere in Asia .
The total number of confirmed cases now surpasses that of SARS , another respiratory illness that killed more than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the new kind of coronavirus include fever , cough , and shortness of breath .
Authorities have sealed off access to 17 cities in China 's Hubei Province , where the pathogen is believed to have originated and was first reported in December .
Wuhan lies at the epicenter of the outbreak , a city populated by 11 million people in central China .
Foreigners have begun to leave the virus-stricken province where more than 50 million people are trapped .
A plane carrying U.S. citizens in Wuhan on January 29 departed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be screened again for the virus .
A Japanese plane airlifted 206 people from Wuhan , landing at Tokyo ’ s Haneda Airport early on January 29 .
The EU plans to fly its citizens out aboard two French planes this week , and South Korea was expected to do the same .
The World Health Organization has recognized the outbreak as a national emergency but stopped short of declaring it an international one .
Based on reporting by The South China Morning Post , AP , AFP , Reuters , and TASS


rferl--2020-01-29--U.S. Senators To Ask Questions In Trump Trial As Vote On Witnesses Looms

WASHINGTON -- Day nine of the trial on whether to remove U.S. President Donald Trump from office is set to resume in the Senate at 1 p.m. local time on January 29 .
As the jurors , senators will have a total of 16 hours over two days to submit written questions to the seven trial managers from the House of Representatives as well as to Trump ’ s defense counsel .
The senators will not ask questions themselves but submit them for Chief Justice John Roberts , the presiding judge in the trial , to read .
After the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to vote on whether to summon or block witnesses to testify .
As of late January 28 , Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ( Republican-Kentucky ) indicated he doesn ’ t yet have the votes to stop Democrats from calling witnesses , U.S. media reported , citing the outcome of a closed-door meeting he had with colleagues .
Democrats are keen to hear in-person testimony from former national-security adviser John Bolton and perhaps others who have firsthand knowledge of Trump ’ s dealings with Ukraine -- the focal point of the impeachment case @ @ @ @ @ @ @ quoted Trump as telling him in August that he wanted to withhold $ 391 million in military aid to Ukraine until Kyiv helped by launching investigations into Democrats , including his potential election opponent , former Vice President Joe Biden , and son Hunter Biden , according to The New York Times .
Trump has repeatedly denied he attempted to pressure Kyiv by withholding the aid until it announced an investigation into the Bidens .
The president ’ s defense team wrapped up their opening arguments on January 28 , with White House @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ should end now , as quickly as possible.
” He said the two articles of impeachment , or formal charges , passed last month by the House -- abuse of power and obstruction of Congress -- “ fall short of any constitutional standard and they are dangerous.
” Trump has rejected the charges as politically motivated and denied wrongdoing .
Republicans control the 100-seat chamber with 53 seats , meaning it is almost certain Trump will be acquitted .
Conviction and removal from office requires a two-thirds vote in the Senate .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ AP , AFP , and Reuters

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--2020-01-28--Iranian Rapper Tataloo Reportedly Arrested In Turkey

Iranian rapper Amir Tataloo , an underground musician unauthorized by the Islamic republic 's Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance , has been arrested in Istanbul following a request by Iran , Tehran authorities said on January 28 .
Police spokesman Ahmad Nourian was quoted by Iranian news agencies as saying that Tataloo , whose real name is Amir Hossein Maghsoodloo , was arrested by the Turkish police after the Interpol issued a `` red alert '' for him .
Nourian said Iran 's judicial authorities had made the request for Tataloo 's arrest `` for encouraging citizens , especially @ @ @ @ @ @ @ especially psychotropic drugs , and for spreading corruption . ''
There was no immediate comment from Turkish authorities .
Interpol did not immediately respond to an RFE/RL request for confirmation .
Hadi Shirzad , head of the international department of Iran 's police also told the semiofficial ISNA news agency that an `` Interpol red alert '' was issued for Tataloo following a request by Iran .
In response to an RFE/RL request for confirmation , the Interpol neither confirmed nor denied the arrest .
`` Any arrest in a member country is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with national legislation .
In relation to your query , we would therefore advise you [ to ] contact the national authorities in the country where you believe such an arrest occurred , '' Interpol said in an emailed statement .
Police officials made the comments after the administrator of Tataloo 's social networks , Ronak , broke the news about his arrest on Instagram while warning that the singer could be `` handed over '' to Iran .
Ronak , who appears to be a woman whose actual identity is not known @ @ @ @ @ @ @ purported to show the singer in handcuffs .
Tataloo , who has millions of followers on social media , campaigned for hard-line cleric Ebrahim Raisi during Iran ’ s last presidential elections .
Raisi later became the head of Iran 's judiciary .
The heavily tattooed singer was arrested at least twice in Iran in the past , including in 2013 for alleged cooperation with satellite channels .
Tataloo had been reportedly living in Turkey for the past several months .
His social media manager said the singer was planning to move to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to perform live in the coming days .
With reporting by ISNA and ILNA

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


rferl--2020-01-29--Pompeo Arrives In London At Start Of Five-Nation Tour

U.S. Secretary Of State Mike Pompeo has arrived in London at the start of a five-country tour .
Pompeo , whose visit comes as Britain prepares to leave the European Union at the end of the month , is set to meet his British counterpart , Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab , and Prime Minister Boris Johnson following their decision on January 28 to allow Chinese tech giant Huawei to take a limited role in Britain 's 5G networks .
U.S. President Donald Trump has long backed Brexit and Prime Minister Boris Johnson in the hope he will set Britain on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Johnson has sided with Europe on everything from the need to save the Iran nuclear deal that Trump abandoned to the importance of Huawei to speedy 5G mobile .
Pompeo said Britain 's decision to give Huawei a limited but still leading role despite U.S. warnings was `` something we 'll have a conversation about . ''
`` We will make sure that when American information passes across a network we are confident that that network is a trusted one , '' Pompeo told reporters on his way to London .
`` It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 're going to permit and not permit so we need to take a little bit of time to evaluate that . ''
Johnson told Parliament his government will `` do absolutely nothing to imperil our relationship with the United States . ''
But a senior British official who spoke on condition of anonymity conceded that Pompeo 's private dinner on January 29 with Raab and meeting with Johnson on January 30 in Downing Street might be tense .
Johnson also sounded a positive note about a Middle East peace plan that the Palestinians @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on January 28 .
Besides Ukraine , Pompeo will also visit Belarus , Kazakhstan , and Uzbekistan .
With reporting by AFP , Reuters , and AP


rferl--2020-01-29--U.S. Joins EU, Canada In Imposing Fresh Crimea-Related Sanctions

The U.S. Treasury Department has joined the European Union and Canada in imposing new sanctions on Russia in response to Moscow 's `` continued aggression toward Ukraine and attempted occupation of Crimea , '' a news release says .
A total of eight individuals and a privately owned railroad company face restrictive measures in the form of asset freezes in the United States , according to the department 's Office of Foreign Assets Control ( OFAC ) .
Seven of these individuals , whom the Treasury Department called “ illegitimate Russian-backed Crimean officials , ” were also designated by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ six of the individuals .
The imposition of sanctions was made `` as part of a coordinated action in a strong demonstration of the international community 's continued condemnation of Russia 's interference in Crimean politics . ''
There are now 692 individuals and entities , as well as their subsidiaries , blacklisted by the U.S. government .
Grand Service Express and its CEO , Aleksandr Ganov , were put under sanctions for supporting `` Russia 's efforts to deepen the economic integration of Russia and Crimea . ''
It was in reference @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in late December between Russia and the Ukrainian peninsula over a bridge that was built for which sanctions were also imposed .
`` The GSE transport company operates in Russia , therefore , sanctions will not affect the company 's activities , '' the press service of Grand Service Express told Interfax .
The Russian Embassy in Washington said the U.S. sanctions will not affect Moscow ’ s policies but will undermine the “ basis for mutually beneficial cooperation with our country . ''
The embassy statement added that the U.S. administration was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ local government and transparent political processes '' in Crimea .
The EU ’ s Russian sanctions list now consists of 177 individuals and 44 entities .
Canada 's analogous list contains more than 430 individuals and entities .
Canada , the EU , and the United States began issuing the restrictive measures after Russia seized Ukraine 's Crimea region in March 2014 and their respective sanctions lists have grown over the subsequent years as Moscow has continued to back separatists in eastern Ukraine .
The seven individuals include Sergei Danilenko , Lidia Basova @ @ @ @ @ @ @ municipal election committee , as well as Yuriy Gotsanyuk , the head of the de facto Crimean government .
The three other targeted individuals are Mikhail Razvozhayev , Vladimir Nemtsev , and Yekaterina Altabayeva .

The U.S. Treasury Department has joined the European Union and Canada in imposing new sanctions on Russia in response to Moscow's "continued aggression toward Ukraine and attempted occupation of Crimea," a news release says.
A total of eight individuals and a privately owned railroad company face restrictive measures in the form of asset freezes in the United States, according to the department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).
Seven of these individuals, whom the Treasury Department called “illegitimate Russian-backed Crimean officials,” were also designated by the EU on January 28. Canada blacklisted six of the individuals.
The imposition of sanctions was made "as part of a coordinated action in a strong demonstration of the international community's continued condemnation of Russia's interference in Crimean politics."
There are now 692 individuals and entities, as well as their subsidiaries, blacklisted by the U.S. government.
Grand Service Express and its CEO, Aleksandr Ganov, were put under sanctions for supporting "Russia's efforts to deepen the economic integration of Russia and Crimea."
It was in reference to a rail link that was opened in late December between Russia and the Ukrainian peninsula over a bridge that was built for which sanctions were also imposed.
"The GSE transport company operates in Russia, therefore, sanctions will not affect the company's activities," the press service of Grand Service Express told Interfax.
The Russian Embassy in Washington said the U.S. sanctions will not affect Moscow’s policies but will undermine the “basis for mutually beneficial cooperation with our country."
The embassy statement added that the U.S. administration was attempting "to misrepresent the strengthening of local government and transparent political processes" in Crimea.
The EU’s Russian sanctions list now consists of 177 individuals and 44 entities. Canada's analogous list contains more than 430 individuals and entities.
Canada, the EU, and the United States began issuing the restrictive measures after Russia seized Ukraine's Crimea region in March 2014 and their respective sanctions lists have grown over the subsequent years as Moscow has continued to back separatists in eastern Ukraine.
The seven individuals include Sergei Danilenko, Lidia Basova, and Yekaterina Pyrkova of Sevastopol's municipal election committee, as well as Yuriy Gotsanyuk, the head of the de facto Crimean government. The three other targeted individuals are Mikhail Razvozhayev, Vladimir Nemtsev, and Yekaterina Altabayeva.
With reporting by Interfax


rferl--2020-01-29--Bulgaria Charges Gambling Czar Bozhkov In Absentia

SOFIA -- Bulgarian gaming czar Vasil Bozhkov has been charged in absentia of extortion and attempted bribery among other crimes , and placed on an international wanted list , Prosecutor-General Ivan Geshev said on January 29 .
One of Bulgaria 's richest men , the 63-year-old Bozhkov has dominated the country 's gaming business since the early 1990s after the fall of communism .
He is believed to be worth about $ 1.35 billion and owns the country 's biggest lottery .
Bozhkov owns Levski Sofia , one of the two most popular soccer teams in the Balkan country , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's national lottery , and a collection of antiques and paintings .
`` Vasil Bozhkov has been charged in absentia on seven charges , including organizing a crime group , extortion , attempted bribery of an official and incitement to commit criminal offenses , '' Geshev told reporters .
Speaking later to Bulgarian media , Bozhkov denied wrongdoing , saying he was not in Bulgaria and was speaking from a non-European Union country .
`` Nobody was looking for me , I do not know about any charges , '' Bozhkov said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a criminal ...
I am ready to show up immediately if they want me .
I have something to say , in my opinion there is a gross violation of the laws . ''
The charges stem from an investigation into allegations of serious financial violations in the gambling industry , which reported a deficit of at least 210 million lev ( $ 118 million ) in lottery taxes and fees dating back to 2014 .
Bozhkov told RFE/RL that he believed `` everything is paid for in adherence with the law .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ underpaid in taxes or fees , the state could charge him retroactively .
`` We will make every effort to take Bozhkov to court , '' chief prosecutor Geshev said .
`` This is another oligarch who has fled Bulgaria .
I do not know where Bozhkov is but I know he is not in the country . ''
So far , 16 people have been detained in the tax-shortfall case , including the head of the state gambling commission , and some companies owned by Bozhkov have been searched .
U.S. diplomats @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a series of crimes , including money laundering , privatization fraud , extortion , intimidation , and racketeering , and also has close ties to organized crime groups .
The co-founder with whom Bozhkov established a gambling and casino company in 1993 , Ilya Pavlov , was shot dead a decade later , one day after he testified in the murder trial of former Bulgarian Prime Minister Andrey Lukanov , according to the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project .
Bulgaria is one of the EU 's poorest and most corrupt countries @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Commission for not doing enough to prosecute and sentence allegedly corrupt officials and for not revamping its judiciary .
With reporting by OCCRP and Reuters

SOFIA -- Bulgarian gaming czar Vasil Bozhkov has been charged in absentia of extortion and attempted bribery among other crimes, and placed on an international wanted list, Prosecutor-General Ivan Geshev said on January 29.
One of Bulgaria's richest men, the 63-year-old Bozhkov has dominated the country's gaming business since the early 1990s after the fall of communism.
He is believed to be worth about $1.35 billion and owns the country's biggest lottery.
Bozhkov owns Levski Sofia, one of the two most popular soccer teams in the Balkan country, as well as a stake in Georgia's national lottery, and a collection of antiques and paintings.
"Vasil Bozhkov has been charged in absentia on seven charges, including organizing a crime group, extortion, attempted bribery of an official and incitement to commit criminal offenses," Geshev told reporters.
Speaking later to Bulgarian media, Bozhkov denied wrongdoing, saying he was not in Bulgaria and was speaking from a non-European Union country.
"Nobody was looking for me, I do not know about any charges," Bozhkov said.
He continued: "I am not a criminal...I am ready to show up immediately if they want me. I have something to say, in my opinion there is a gross violation of the laws."
The charges stem from an investigation into allegations of serious financial violations in the gambling industry, which reported a deficit of at least 210 million lev ($118 million) in lottery taxes and fees dating back to 2014.
Bozhkov told RFE/RL that he believed "everything is paid for in adherence with the law."
He added that if anything was underpaid in taxes or fees, the state could charge him retroactively.
"We will make every effort to take Bozhkov to court," chief prosecutor Geshev said. "This is another oligarch who has fled Bulgaria. I do not know where Bozhkov is but I know he is not in the country."
So far, 16 people have been detained in the tax-shortfall case, including the head of the state gambling commission, and some companies owned by Bozhkov have been searched.
U.S. diplomats in 2005 alleged Bozhkov has been involved in a series of crimes, including money laundering, privatization fraud, extortion, intimidation, and racketeering, and also has close ties to organized crime groups.
The co-founder with whom Bozhkov established a gambling and casino company in 1993, Ilya Pavlov, was shot dead a decade later, one day after he testified in the murder trial of former Bulgarian Prime Minister Andrey Lukanov, according to the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project.
Bulgaria is one of the EU's poorest and most corrupt countries and has been criticized by the European Commission for not doing enough to prosecute and sentence allegedly corrupt officials and for not revamping its judiciary.
With reporting by OCCRP and Reuters


rferl--2020-01-29--Putin Pardons U.S.-Israeli Woman Jailed In Russia On Drug Charges

Russian President Vladimir has pardoned Naama Issachar , a 27-year-old woman holding dual Israeli and U.S. citizenship who was serving a 7 1/2-year prison sentence for smuggling drugs .
`` Guided by the principles of humanity , I decree to pardon Naama Issachar , born in 1993 ... releasing her from the remainder of her sentence , '' a presidential decree on January 29 said .
It goes into effect the same day .
Issacher , 26 , was arrested at a Moscow airport in April while transiting from India to Israel .
Police at the time found 9 grams @ @ @ @ @ @ @ charged her with drug smuggling .
In October , a Moscow region court sentenced her to prison .
Putin met with Issachar 's mother on January 23 during an official visit to Israel , where he promised that her daughter `` will be okay . ''
After the meeting , which was also attended by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu , Putin said , `` I have just met with Naama 's mother ; it is clear to me that Naama comes from a good and very decent family . ''
Netanyahu , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Moscow on January 30 , welcomed the pardon .
`` I thank my friend President Putin for granting a pardon to Naama Issachar and I am looking forward to our meeting tomorrow , '' he said .

Russian President Vladimir Putin has pardoned Naama Issachar, a woman holding dual Israeli and U.S. citizenship who was serving a 7 1/2-year prison sentence for smuggling drugs.
"Guided by the principles of humanity, I decree to pardon Naama Issachar, born in 1993...releasing her from the remainder of her sentence," a presidential decree on January 29 said.
It goes into effect the same day.
Issacher was arrested at a Moscow airport in April while transiting from India to Israel.
Police at the time found 9 grams of marijuana among her belongings and eventually charged her with drug smuggling.
In October, a Moscow region court sentenced her to prison.
Putin met with Issachar's mother on January 23 during an official visit to Israel, where he promised that her daughter "will be okay."
After the meeting, which was also attended by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Putin said, "I have just met with Naama's mother; it is clear to me that Naama comes from a good and very decent family."
Netanyahu, who is due to meet Putin in Moscow on January 30, welcomed the pardon.
"I thank my friend President Putin for granting a pardon to Naama Issachar and I am looking forward to our meeting tomorrow," he said.


rferl--2020-01-29--Athletics Doping Watchdog Recommends Expulsion Of Russia From Global Federation

The Athletics Integrity Unit ( AIU ) has advised World Athletics , global track and field 's governing body , @ @ @ @ @ federation ( RUSAF ) from the global federation over widespread doping and cover-up offenses .
@ @ @ @ @ of the sport 's governing body said Russia furthermore had displayed a `` total lack @ @ @ @ @ of pervasive doping violations .
In a statement , the AIU made recommendations `` to @ @ @ @ @ consequences , '' including `` expulsion of RUSAF from the membership of World Athletics .
@ @ @ @ @ after the AIU reviewed RUSAF 's response to violations of anti-doping rules in November .
@ @ @ @ @ athletics competitions since 2015 for the offenses .
The watchdog noted that previous sanctions had @ @ @ @ @ committing more offenses and called for the World Athletics council to keep in place the @ @ @ @ @ athletes from Russia .
Based on reporting by Reuters and AFP

The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) has advised World Athletics, global track and field's governing body, to expel Russia's athletics federation (RUSAF) from the global federation over widespread doping and cover-up offenses.
The independent doping watchdog unit of the sport's governing body said Russia furthermore had displayed a "total lack of contrition" for years of pervasive doping violations.
In a statement, the AIU made recommendations "to consider imposing the severest possible consequences," including "expulsion of RUSAF from the membership of World Athletics."
The recommendations were made after the AIU reviewed RUSAF's response to violations of anti-doping rules in November. Russia has been banned from athletics competitions since 2015 for the offenses.
The watchdog noted that previous sanctions had failed to deter RUSAF from committing more offenses and called for the World Athletics council to keep in place the suspension of the authorized neutral athletes from Russia.
Based on reporting by Reuters and AFP


rferl--2020-01-29--Ukrainian Officials Deny Ordering Deportation Of Azerbaijani Opposition Blogger

KYIV -- Ukraine 's State Migration Service ( DMS ) says it never ordered the deportation of Azerbaijani opposition blogger Elvin Isayev to Baku .
Azerbaijan 's State Migration Service said on December 14 that Isayev was wanted by the Prosecutor-General 's Office of Grave Crimes and had been deported two days earlier for `` violating Ukrainian migration laws . ''
The DMS told RFE/RL on January 29 that it had made `` no decision to forcibly return or forcibly expel Elvin Isayev . ''
Upon arrival in Azerbaijan , Isayev was placed in pretrial detention based on a Baku @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has not said on what grounds he was arrested and what charges he is facing .
His deportation came ahead of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy 's December 16-18 visit to Baku , where he met with President Ilham Aliyev .
On December 23 , the Ukrainian Prosecutor-General 's Office informed RFE/RL that it had not approved Isayev 's deportation .
Isayev in 1998 moved to Russia , where he called Aliyev a `` dictator '' on his blog , while also writing about corruption in Azerbaijan .
A court in St. Petersburg on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ strip him of the Russian citizenship that he had acquired in 2001 .
Isayev was subsequently placed in a temporary jail for foreign citizens .
His deportation to Azerbaijan in September was suspended based on an interim measure of the European Court of Human rights called `` rule 39 . ''
That month he moved to Ukraine .
On December 12 , Ukrainian media started reporting about Isayev 's disappearance from Kyiv , including a dead signal with the mobile phone he was using .

KYIV -- Ukraine's State Migration Service (DMS) says it never ordered the deportation of Azerbaijani opposition blogger Elvin Isayev to Baku.
Azerbaijan's State Migration Service said on December 14 that Isayev was wanted by the Prosecutor-General's Office of Grave Crimes and had been deported two days earlier for "violating Ukrainian migration laws."
The DMS told RFE/RL on January 29 that it had made "no decision to forcibly return or forcibly expel Elvin Isayev."
Upon arrival in Azerbaijan, Isayev was placed in pretrial detention based on a Baku court ruling from August 22.
Azerbaijan has not said on what grounds he was arrested and what charges he is facing.
His deportation came ahead of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's December 16-18 visit to Baku, where he met with President Ilham Aliyev.
On December 23, the Ukrainian Prosecutor-General's Office informed RFE/RL that it had not approved Isayev's deportation.
Isayev in 1998 moved to Russia, where he called Aliyev a "dictator" on his blog, while also writing about corruption in Azerbaijan.
A court in St. Petersburg on August 26 ruled to expel Isayev and strip him of the Russian citizenship that he had acquired in 2001. Isayev was subsequently placed in a temporary jail for foreign citizens.
His deportation to Azerbaijan in September was suspended based on an interim measure of the European Court of Human rights called "rule 39."
That month he moved to Ukraine.
On December 12, Ukrainian media started reporting about Isayev's disappearance from Kyiv, including a dead signal with the mobile phone he was using.


rferl--2020-01-29--Russia To Devote Extra $67 Billion To Tackle Demographic Crisis

Russia plans to allocate an additional 4.13 trillion rubles ( $ 66.7 billion ) as part of a nationwide effort to address its dwindling population amid bleak long-term demographic trends .
Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said on January 29 that the bulk of the new spending -- 91 percent -- would come from the federal budget , with the remainder sourced from regional budgets .
`` An unprecedented volume of funds will be allocated to the implementation of the pledge to provide citizens with social support , '' Siluanov said .
`` These decisions will not affect budget and macroeconomic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ministry would send the requisite budget-amendment proposals to the government by February 11 , to release the funds as soon as possible .
The new spending adds to the 25.7 trillion rubles ( $ 417 billion ) that President Vladimir Putin ordered in 2018 for the government 's National Projects , which seek to improve lives in such policy areas as demography and infrastructure .
Putin made ensuring population growth a top priority when he started his current term in 2018 and at his yearly news conference on December 19 , the president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the demographic losses of the 1990s .
Rosstat , the government 's statistics agency , last month predicted Russia 's population would shrink in 2019 for the third consecutive year .
The decline was foreseen at more than 300,000 , a loss three times greater than the previous year .
Government policies include offering payments for low-income families with small children and allowances for first-time mothers .
Families with three children also qualify for $ 7,350 in mortgage credit .
`` I know this is n't enough , '' Putin said .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a whole , to achieve growth in wages and people 's real incomes . ''
Other main problems contributing to the demographic crisis , according to economist Aleksei Ulyanov , are abortion and the consumption of alcohol and tobacco .
Current UN projections say that , under a `` pessimistic '' scenario , Russia 's population could drop to 124.6 million by mid-century .

Russia plans to allocate an additional 4.13 trillion rubles ($66.7 billion) as part of a nationwide effort to address its dwindling population amid bleak long-term demographic trends.
Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said on January 29 that the bulk of the new spending -- 91 percent -- would come from the federal budget, with the remainder sourced from regional budgets.
"An unprecedented volume of funds will be allocated to the implementation of the pledge to provide citizens with social support," Siluanov said. "These decisions will not affect budget and macroeconomic stability."
Siluanov added that his ministry would send the requisite budget-amendment proposals to the government by February 11, to release the funds as soon as possible.
The new spending adds to the 25.7 trillion rubles ($417 billion) that President Vladimir Putin ordered in 2018 for the government's National Projects, which seek to improve lives in such policy areas as demography and infrastructure.
Putin made ensuring population growth a top priority when he started his current term in 2018 and at his yearly news conference on December 19, the president acknowledged Russia was "haunted" by the demographic losses of the 1990s.
Rosstat, the government's statistics agency, last month predicted Russia's population would shrink in 2019 for the third consecutive year. The decline was foreseen at more than 300,000, a loss three times greater than the previous year.
Government policies include offering payments for low-income families with small children and allowances for first-time mothers.
Families with three children also qualify for $7,350 in mortgage credit.
"I know this isn't enough," Putin said. "We need to broadly increase living standards as a whole, to achieve growth in wages and people's real incomes."
Other main problems contributing to the demographic crisis, according to economist Aleksei Ulyanov, are abortion and the consumption of alcohol and tobacco.
Current UN projections say that, under a "pessimistic" scenario, Russia's population could drop to 124.6 million by mid-century.
With reporting by Reuters


rferl--2020-01-29--Putin Fires Chuvashia Governor Who Called For Journalists To Be 'Wiped Out'

President Vladimir Putin has dismissed the governor of the Russian region of Chuvashia , Mikhail Ignatyev , who has faced @ @ @ @ @ public behavior .
The Kremlin said on January 29 that Putin relieved Ignatyev of his @ @ @ @ @ loss of trust . ''
Lawmaker Oleg Nikolayev was immediately appointed Chuvashia 's acting governor @ @ @ @ @ signed by Putin .
On January 28 , the ruling United Russia party expelled Ignatyev @ @ @ @ @ sparked public criticism earlier in January by saying at a public event devoted to Press @ @ @ @ @ necessary to wipe out those journalists '' who criticize the authorities .
Last week , @ @ @ @ @ criticism across Russia after a video was broadcast on Russian TV channels showing him making @ @ @ @ @ the keys to a new fire engine at a public event in Chuvashia 's capital @ @ @

President Vladimir Putin has dismissed the governor of the Russian region of Chuvashia, Mikhail Ignatyev, who has faced harsh criticism recently for his public behavior.
The Kremlin said on January 29 that Putin relieved Ignatyev of his duties due to a "loss of trust."
Lawmaker Oleg Nikolayev was immediately appointed Chuvashia's acting governor, according to a decree signed by Putin.
On January 28, the ruling United Russia party expelled Ignatyev from its ranks.
Ignatyev sparked public criticism earlier in January by saying at a public event devoted to Press Day that "it is necessary to wipe out those journalists" who criticize the authorities.
Last week, Ignatyev faced another wave of criticism across Russia after a video was broadcast on Russian TV channels showing him making a firefighter jump to get the keys to a new fire engine at a public event in Chuvashia's capital, Cheboksary.


rferl--2020-01-29--Hearing Resumes In Lawsuit Against RFE/RL, Other Media, Over Kyrgyz Corruption Scandal

BISHKEK -- A hearing has resumed into a libel lawsuit filed against RFE/RL 's Kyrgyz Service , locally known as Azattyk , its correspondent Ali Toktakunov , and the news site Kloop , by the former deputy chief of the customs service Raimbek Matraimov and his relatives following an alleged corruption scandal exposed by the media outlets .
The plaintiffs ’ lawyer , Kanatbek Aziz , said at the hearing in the Sverdlov District Court on January 29 that his clients had decided to withdraw their suit against another independent news website , 24.kg , which published a summary of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Aziz , the decision was made after 24.kg agreed to add sentences to its materials explaining that the reports were not their own , but instead came from other media outlets .
RFE/RL 's lawyer , Akmat Alagushev , asked the Judge Jyldyz Ibraimova to move the hearing to Bishkek 's Lenin District since 24.kg was the only defendant located in the Sverdlov region .
The judge rejected the request .
The hearing started on January 20 but was quickly adjourned until January 29 after the plaintiffs ' lawyers asked for more time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ namely the publication of an official rebuttal refuting the findings of the joint investigation .
Lawyers for RFE/RL 's Kyrgyz Service and Kloop have rejected such a move , but they have offered the plaintiffs an opportunity to discuss the investigation on programs of the media outlets .
A lawyer for 24.kg said that his client is ready to discuss settlement conditions with the plaintiffs .
The lawsuit was filed by Matraimov , his brother , lawmaker Iskender Matraimov , Minovar Jumaeva , Uulkan Turgunova , and the Ismail Matraimov Public Foundation against @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , according to the plaintiffs , damaged their `` honor , dignity , and business reputations . ''
The court has said the plaintiffs are demanding 10 million soms ( $ 143,150 ) from Toktakunov , 22.5 million soms ( $ 323,100 ) from RFE/RL 's Kyrgyz Service , 12.5 million soms ( $ 179,000 ) from Kloop , and 15 million soms ( $ 215,000 ) from 24.kg as compensation for the alleged damages .
In November 2019 , the Kyrgyz Prosecutor-General 's Office launched a probe to verify information revealed in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ showed that a 37-year-old Uyghur businessman from China 's northwestern region of Xinjiang , Aierken Saimaiti , secretly provided reporters with documents demonstrating how hundreds of millions of dollars were moved out of Kyrgyzstan , much of it via a business network led by Khabibula Abdukadyr , a secretive Chinese-born Uyghur with a Kazakh passport .
The chief of Kyrgyzstan 's financial police has said since then that the amount of cash illegally funneled out of the country is closer to $ 1 billion .
The joint investigation also uncovered video footage showing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jeenbekov 's inauguration in November 2017 .
The video shows Abdukadyr sitting next to the president 's brother , Kyrgyz Ambassador to Ukraine Jusupbek Sharipov .
Saimaiti , who was shot dead in Istanbul on November 10 , alleged that former senior official Raimbek Matraimov , while serving as Kyrgyz customs ' deputy chief , was instrumental in providing cover for the Abdukadyr network ’ s cargo empire in the region .
The investigation also found that Matraimov ’ s wife , Uulkan Turgunova , is a joint investor in a Dubai property @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Matraimov and his brother , Iskender Matraimov , have denied all accusations of wrongdoing by the former customs official .
Saimaiti told reporters prior to his death that , in order to protect himself , he had applied for Turkish citizenship and expected to receive it on November 14 .
He said he planned to turn over more financial documents to reporters after that .
However , he was shot dead at a cafe in Istanbul before that happened .
Turkish police have made several arrests in the case , though details @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contacts remain murky .
Turkish police have made no official statements on the case .
The Kyrgyz Prosecutor-General ’ s Office said on November 22 that it had launched a probe to verify information revealed in the joint investigation , specifically that “ unknown persons repeatedly threatened [ Saimaiti ] with murder , which forced him to flee to the Republic of Turkey . ''
On January 29 , Paris-based Reporters Without Border watchdog called the lawsuit `` absurd '' and urged `` the Kyrgyz authorities to do whatever is necessary to guarantee @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the story . ''

BISHKEK -- A hearing has resumed into a libel lawsuit filed against RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service, locally known as Azattyk, its correspondent Ali Toktakunov, and the news site Kloop, by the former deputy chief of the customs service Raimbek Matraimov and his relatives following an alleged corruption scandal exposed by the media outlets.
The plaintiffs’ lawyer, Kanatbek Aziz, said at the hearing in the Sverdlov District Court on January 29 that his clients had decided to withdraw their suit against another independent news website, 24.kg, which published a summary of the joint media investigation.
According to Aziz, the decision was made after 24.kg agreed to add sentences to its materials explaining that the reports were not their own, but instead came from other media outlets.
RFE/RL's lawyer, Akmat Alagushev, asked the Judge Jyldyz Ibraimova to move the hearing to Bishkek's Lenin District since 24.kg was the only defendant located in the Sverdlov region.
The judge rejected the request.
The hearing started on January 20 but was quickly adjourned until January 29 after the plaintiffs' lawyers asked for more time for talks on a possible settlement, namely the publication of an official rebuttal refuting the findings of the joint investigation.
Lawyers for RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service and Kloop have rejected such a move, but they have offered the plaintiffs an opportunity to discuss the investigation on programs of the media outlets.
A lawyer for 24.kg said that his client is ready to discuss settlement conditions with the plaintiffs.
The lawsuit was filed by Matraimov, his brother, lawmaker Iskender Matraimov, Minovar Jumaeva, Uulkan Turgunova, and the Ismail Matraimov Public Foundation against Toktakunov and the media outlets, who, according to the plaintiffs, damaged their "honor, dignity, and business reputations."
The court has said the plaintiffs are demanding 10 million soms ($143,150) from Toktakunov, 22.5 million soms ($323,100) from RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service, 12.5 million soms ($179,000) from Kloop, and 15 million soms ($215,000) from 24.kg as compensation for the alleged damages.
In November 2019, the Kyrgyz Prosecutor-General's Office launched a probe to verify information revealed in the joint journalistic investigation.
The report showed that a 37-year-old Uyghur businessman from China's northwestern region of Xinjiang, Aierken Saimaiti, secretly provided reporters with documents demonstrating how hundreds of millions of dollars were moved out of Kyrgyzstan, much of it via a business network led by Khabibula Abdukadyr, a secretive Chinese-born Uyghur with a Kazakh passport.
The chief of Kyrgyzstan's financial police has said since then that the amount of cash illegally funneled out of the country is closer to $1 billion.
The joint investigation also uncovered video footage showing Abdukadyr sitting in the second row at Jeenbekov's inauguration in November 2017. The video shows Abdukadyr sitting next to the president's brother, Kyrgyz Ambassador to Ukraine Jusupbek Sharipov.
Saimaiti, who was shot dead in Istanbul on November 10, alleged that former senior official Raimbek Matraimov, while serving as Kyrgyz customs' deputy chief, was instrumental in providing cover for the Abdukadyr network’s cargo empire in the region.
The investigation also found that Matraimov’s wife, Uulkan Turgunova, is a joint investor in a Dubai property development with a company controlled by Abdukadyr.
Matraimov and his brother, Iskender Matraimov, have denied all accusations of wrongdoing by the former customs official.
Saimaiti told reporters prior to his death that, in order to protect himself, he had applied for Turkish citizenship and expected to receive it on November 14. He said he planned to turn over more financial documents to reporters after that.
However, he was shot dead at a cafe in Istanbul before that happened. Turkish police have made several arrests in the case, though details of the suspects' motives and potential contacts remain murky. Turkish police have made no official statements on the case.
The Kyrgyz Prosecutor-General’s Office said on November 22 that it had launched a probe to verify information revealed in the joint investigation, specifically that “unknown persons repeatedly threatened [Saimaiti] with murder, which forced him to flee to the Republic of Turkey."
On January 29, Paris-based Reporters Without Border watchdog called the lawsuit "absurd" and urged "the Kyrgyz authorities to do whatever is necessary to guarantee the safety of the journalists working on the story."


rferl--2020-01-29--Gunmen Kill Two Pakistani Polio Workers

Gunmen Kill Two Pakistani Polio Workers

PARMOLO , Pakistan -- Unidentified attackers have shot dead two women working in an anti-polio drive in northwestern Pakistan .
@ @ @ @ @ 29 in the village of Parmolo in the Swabi district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province .
@ @ @ @ @ a polio-immunization campaign in the area , local police told RFE/RL .
There was no @ @ @ @ @ Police and locals said the two polio workers were attacked by armed motorcyclists .
Authorities @ @ @ @ @ investigation .
In the past decade , Taliban militants have killed scores of health workers @ @ @ @ @ because they believe polio-vaccination campaigns are intended to sterilize Pakistani children .
Pakistan , one @ @ @ @ @ the world where polio is still endemic , regularly carries out anti-polio drives .

PARMOLO, Pakistan -- Unidentified attackers have shot dead two women working in an anti-polio drive in northwestern Pakistan.
The shooting occurred on January 29 in the village of Parmolo in the Swabi district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province.
The two were participating in a polio-immunization campaign in the area, local police told RFE/RL.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility.
Police and locals said the two polio workers were attacked by armed motorcyclists. Authorities said they had launched an investigation.
In the past decade, Taliban militants have killed scores of health workers and police officers guarding them because they believe polio-vaccination campaigns are intended to sterilize Pakistani children.
Pakistan, one of the three countries in the world where polio is still endemic, regularly carries out anti-polio drives.


rferl--2020-01-29--Turkey's Erdogan Says Russia 'Not Honoring' Syria Deals

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Turkey is losing patience with the military assault in Syria 's Idlib Province , the opposition 's last stronghold , and accuses Russia of `` not honoring '' agreements aimed at stemming the violence there .
In remarks made public on January 29 , Erdogan warned that Ankara `` would do whatever is necessary '' if the bombing in the northwestern province does not stop .
Turkey and Russia , which support opposing sides in Syria , have agreed to work toward de-escalating the fighting in Idlib and creating a demilitarized zone under accords @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Sochi .
However , Russia-backed Syrian government forces have pressed ahead with its offensive in Idlib in recent weeks .
Hundreds of thousands of civilians have fled the fighting and moved toward the Turkish border .
Erdogan ’ s latest remarks were published as Syrian troops entered the strategic town of Maarat Al-Numan in Idlib .
State media reported that the military `` liberated '' the town after inflicting heavy losses on `` terrorists . ''
A monitoring group earlier said the opposition had withdrawn .
Maarat Al-Numan is located on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Damascus , with the northern city of Aleppo .
Based on reporting by AFP , the BBC , and Reuters