rferl--2020-06-30--Poroshenko Fails To Show For Questioning At Ukraine's State Bureau Of Investigations

KYIV -- Former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has failed to show at the State Bureau of Investigations ( DBR ) for questioning .
The DBR planned to question Poroshenko on June 30 in a case about his alleged illegal appointment of Serhiy Semochko to the post of the deputy chief of the Foreign Intelligence Service .
Poroshenko 's lawyer , Ihor Holovan , told journalists that his client did not show up at the DBR because the summons for questioning had been made via the DBR 's website , which is illegal since Poroshenko should have been served the subpoena @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1 , the Pechera district court in Kyiv will resume hearings into Poroshenko 's possible pretrial restrictions in the case .
Poroshenko has been questioned several times in recent months in cases looking into a number of investigations launched after he failed to win a second term as president last year .
The authorities have said that the DBR is looking in some 20 possible cases in which Poroshenko or his associates were implicated .
A billionaire confectioner , Poroshenko currently serves as a member of parliament .
His party ran on a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ elections , winning 25 seats .
On June 18 , when Pechera district court started the hearing into Poroshenko 's possible pretrial restriction measures , the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv expressed concerns about Ukraine 's justice system .

KYIV -- Former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has failed to show at the State Bureau of Investigations (DBR) for questioning.
The DBR planned to question Poroshenko on June 30 in a case about his alleged illegal appointment of Serhiy Semochko to the post of the deputy chief of the Foreign Intelligence Service.
Poroshenko's lawyer, Ihor Holovan, told journalists that his client did not show up at the DBR because the summons for questioning had been made via the DBR's website, which is illegal since Poroshenko should have been served the subpoena personally.
Holovan noted that on July 1, the Pechera district court in Kyiv will resume hearings into Poroshenko's possible pretrial restrictions in the case.
Poroshenko has been questioned several times in recent months in cases looking into a number of investigations launched after he failed to win a second term as president last year.
The authorities have said that the DBR is looking in some 20 possible cases in which Poroshenko or his associates were implicated.
A billionaire confectioner, Poroshenko currently serves as a member of parliament.
His party ran on a pro-European, anti-Russian ticket in July parliamentary elections, winning 25 seats.
On June 18, when Pechera district court started the hearing into Poroshenko's possible pretrial restriction measures, the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv expressed concerns about Ukraine's justice system.


rferl--2020-06-30--Potential Belarusian Presidential Challenger Remanded In Custody

MINSK -- A court in Minsk has remanded in custody a potential opponent of Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka as election officials announced what candidates would be allowed to run against the strongman in an August 9 presidential election .
Lawyer Dzmitry Layeuski said on June 30 that the Minsk Central district court upheld the pretrial detention of his client Viktar Babaryka , who is charged with financial crimes .
Babaryka and his son Eduard were arrested on June 18 after police questioned them on allegations of tax evasion and money laundering in connection with an investigation at Russian-owned Belgazprombank , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years .
Belarusian authorities on June 15 took control of the bank and arrested more than a dozen top executives on charges of tax evasion and money laundering .
Babaryka , 56 , has said the actions taken against Belgazprombank were part of an intimidation campaign conducted on “ political orders . ''
Earlier in June , opposition rallies and gatherings in support of would-be candidates attracted thousands of people across Belarus as the authoritarian Lukashenka seeks a sixth term .
Babaryka has risen in popularity as the vote nears , and his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 435,000 signatures -- more than four times the required 100,000 minimum needed to get on the ballot .
But the Central Election Commission ( CEC ) claimed on June 30 that Babaryka received only 165,744 signatures , a day after election authorities rejected tens of thousands of signatures he and other opposition candidates had collected .
Six other candidates , including Lukashenka , collected more than 100,000 signatures to run in the race , it said .
The CEC said Valer Tsapkala , a former ambassador to the United States and the ex-head @ @ @ @ @ @ @ failed to overcome the hurdle after his campaign said election officials rejected at least 38,000 signatures .
Tsapkala submitted 160,000 signatures for registration and is expected to appeal .
Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya , the wife of popular blogger Syarhey Tsikhanouski , barely made it over the 100,000-signature threshold .
Election officials said Lukashenka collected 1,939,572 signatures , nearly three times more than all other five candidates allowed to run against him combined .
The lead-up to the election has been marked by a widening crackdown and intimidation tactics on the opposition .
Several opposition @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sentenced to up to 15 days in jail then for taking part in what authorities called `` unsanctioned rallies . ''
On June 29 , Amnesty International said it recognized Babaryka and his son , who heads his father 's presidential-election campaign , as prisoners of conscience .
`` The timing and the manner of the arrests , the involvement of the KDB , and the secrecy surrounding the case indicate that the prosecution of Viktar and Eduard Babaryka is politically motivated .
Amnesty International believes that Viktar and Eduard Babaryka are prisoners @ @ @ @ @ @ @ peaceful expression of their political opinions .
The authorities must immediately and unconditionally release them , '' an Amnesty statement said .
The London-based rights group also said that it recognizes Tsikhanouski and his eight supporters arrested on charges of obstructing elections , as prisoners of conscience .
The statement also condemned the ill treatment of other activists and journalists arrested over their openly expressing opinions criticizing the Belarusian government and Lukashenka .
Lukashenka , who has ruled the country of 9.5 million people since 1994 , is currently serving his fifth presidential @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for office again .
Belarus abolished presidential term limits in 2004 .
The country has been the target of U.S. and EU sanctions over its poor rights record and lack of fair elections , but Belarus and the West have recently sought to mend ties to reduce Russia ’ s influence in the country .

MINSK -- A court in Minsk has remanded in custody a potential opponent of Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka as election officials announced what candidates would be allowed to run against the strongman in an August 9 presidential election.
Lawyer Dzmitry Layeuski said on June 30 that the Minsk Central district court upheld the pretrial detention of his client Viktar Babaryka, who is charged with financial crimes.
Babaryka and his son Eduard were arrested on June 18 after police questioned them on allegations of tax evasion and money laundering in connection with an investigation at Russian-owned Belgazprombank, where the elder Babaryka worked for 20 years.
Belarusian authorities on June 15 took control of the bank and arrested more than a dozen top executives on charges of tax evasion and money laundering.
Babaryka, 56, has said the actions taken against Belgazprombank were part of an intimidation campaign conducted on “political orders."
Earlier in June, opposition rallies and gatherings in support of would-be candidates attracted thousands of people across Belarus as the authoritarian Lukashenka seeks a sixth term.
Babaryka has risen in popularity as the vote nears, and his election campaign has said it collected nearly 435,000 signatures -- more than four times the required 100,000 minimum needed to get on the ballot.
But the Central Election Commission (CEC) claimed on June 30 that Babaryka received only 165,744 signatures, a day after election authorities rejected tens of thousands of signatures he and other opposition candidates had collected.
Six other candidates, including Lukashenka, collected more than 100,000 signatures to run in the race, it said.
The CEC said Valer Tsapkala, a former ambassador to the United States and the ex-head of a high-tech incubator in Minsk, failed to overcome the hurdle after his campaign said election officials rejected at least 38,000 signatures.
Tsapkala submitted 160,000 signatures for registration and is expected to appeal.
Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the wife of popular blogger Syarhey Tsikhanouski, barely made it over the 100,000-signature threshold.
Election officials said Lukashenka collected 1,939,572 signatures, nearly three times more than all other five candidates allowed to run against him combined.
The lead-up to the election has been marked by a widening crackdown and intimidation tactics on the opposition.
Several opposition activists, politicians, and bloggers were sentenced to up to 15 days in jail then for taking part in what authorities called "unsanctioned rallies."
On June 29, Amnesty International said it recognized Babaryka and his son, who heads his father's presidential-election campaign, as prisoners of conscience.
"The timing and the manner of the arrests, the involvement of the KDB, and the secrecy surrounding the case indicate that the prosecution of Viktar and Eduard Babaryka is politically motivated. Amnesty International believes that Viktar and Eduard Babaryka are prisoners of conscience, prosecuted solely for the peaceful expression of their political opinions. The authorities must immediately and unconditionally release them," an Amnesty statement said.
The London-based rights group also said that it recognizes Tsikhanouski and his eight supporters arrested on charges of obstructing elections, as prisoners of conscience.
The statement also condemned the ill treatment of other activists and journalists arrested over their openly expressing opinions criticizing the Belarusian government and Lukashenka.
Lukashenka, who has ruled the country of 9.5 million people since 1994, is currently serving his fifth presidential term and announced that he will run for office again. Belarus abolished presidential term limits in 2004.
The country has been the target of U.S. and EU sanctions over its poor rights record and lack of fair elections, but Belarus and the West have recently sought to mend ties to reduce Russia’s influence in the country.
With reporting by BelaPAN


rferl--2020-06-30--Pakistan National Airline’s Operations Suspended In EU Over 'Dubious' Pilots

The European Union Air Safety Agency ( EASA ) has suspended the authorization for Pakistan ’ s national flag carrier to operate in Europe for six months .
The EASA said in a statement on June 30 it had suspended state-run Pakistan International Airlines ( PIA ) and a smaller private Pakistan airline `` in view of the recent investigation reported on in the Pakistani Parliament which revealed that a large share of pilot licenses issued in Pakistan are invalid . ''
The announcement follows last week ’ s grounding of 262 Pakistani airline pilots , including a third of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's aviation minister termed `` dubious . ''
PIA said in a statement that EASA suspended PIA 's authorization to operate in the EU member states “ effective July 1 , 2020 with the right to appeal against this decision . ''
The carrier `` sincerely hopes that with reparative and swift actions taken by the Government of Pakistan and PIA management , earliest possible lifting of this suspension can be expected , '' a statement said .
A PIA spokesman quoted the EASA as telling the company `` it is still not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are properly qualified , and `` they have lost their confidence '' in the airline .
Flights to Britain , which is no longer in the EU , will not be affected by EASA ’ s decision , Khan said .
PIA had not been flying to Europe because of the coronavirus pandemic , but the airline recently resumed bookings for five European capitals , including Oslo , Copenhagen , Paris , Barcelona , and Milan .
It said that passengers booked on PIA flights to Europe will have the option to extend @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get a full refund .
Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan said during a June 24 parliamentary session that an inquiry had found 262 pilots -- out of a total of 860 active pilots in Pakistan -- had obtained their licenses through cheating and having others take exams for them .
The pilots in question included 141 at PIA , while the remaining pilots were working for private airlines and charter services .
However , PIA said the government list showed discrepancies , claiming that 36 of the 141 had either retired or moved @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( PALPA ) also raised doubts about the list , saying it included names of qualified pilots .
The scandal emerged after a PIA Airbus A320 crashed in Karachi on May 22 , killing 97 people , following a resumption of domestic operations .
Investigators blamed the plane ’ s two pilots and air-traffic controllers .
With reporting by Reuters , AP , and AFP

The European Union Air Safety Agency (EASA) has suspended the authorization for Pakistan’s national flag carrier to operate in Europe for six months.
The EASA said in a statement on June 30 it had suspended state-run Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and a smaller private Pakistan airline "in view of the recent investigation reported on in the Pakistani Parliament which revealed that a large share of pilot licenses issued in Pakistan are invalid."
The announcement follows last week’s grounding of 262 Pakistani airline pilots, including a third of PIA pilots, whose licences the country's aviation minister termed "dubious."
PIA said in a statement that EASA suspended PIA's authorization to operate in the EU member states “effective July 1, 2020 with the right to appeal against this decision."
The carrier "sincerely hopes that with reparative and swift actions taken by the Government of Pakistan and PIA management, earliest possible lifting of this suspension can be expected," a statement said.
A PIA spokesman quoted the EASA as telling the company "it is still not sure" if all the remaining pilots are properly qualified, and "they have lost their confidence" in the airline.
Flights to Britain, which is no longer in the EU, will not be affected by EASA’s decision, Khan said.
PIA had not been flying to Europe because of the coronavirus pandemic, but the airline recently resumed bookings for five European capitals, including Oslo, Copenhagen, Paris, Barcelona, and Milan.
It said that passengers booked on PIA flights to Europe will have the option to extend their bookings to a later date or get a full refund.
Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan said during a June 24 parliamentary session that an inquiry had found 262 pilots -- out of a total of 860 active pilots in Pakistan -- had obtained their licenses through cheating and having others take exams for them.
The pilots in question included 141 at PIA, while the remaining pilots were working for private airlines and charter services.
However, PIA said the government list showed discrepancies, claiming that 36 of the 141 had either retired or moved out.
The Pakistan Airlines Pilots Association (PALPA) also raised doubts about the list, saying it included names of qualified pilots.
The scandal emerged after a PIA Airbus A320 crashed in Karachi on May 22, killing 97 people, following a resumption of domestic operations.
Investigators blamed the plane’s two pilots and air-traffic controllers.
With reporting by Reuters, AP, and AFP


rferl--2020-06-30--COVID-19: Spike In Central Asia Prompts Renewed Restrictions

The global death toll from the coronavirus is over 500,000 , with more than 10.4 million infections confirmed , causing mass disruptions as governments continue to try to slow the spread of the respiratory illness .
Faced with a spike in coronavirus cases in Central Asia 's most populous country , Uzbek officials say they have reimposed measures in some areas , reversing course after slowly rescinding a mid-March lockdown .
A government commission on efforts to slow the outbreak said on June 30 that as of July 1 , public transportation will be limited and no more than three @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 7 a.m. and 11 p.m. on weekends in the regions with registered coronavirus cases .
Additionally , a curfew from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. will be imposed on weekends .
Only people who need urgent medical assistance will be allowed to leave their homes during the curfew , the commission said .
Uzbek health authorities said on June 30 that the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the country was 8,298 , of whom 5,495 people recovered , while 24 patients have died .
In neighboring Kazakhstan , newly appointed Health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ introduce a four-week , nationwide lockdown to hold the number of newly registered coronavirus cases that need hospitalization to around 2,500 by the end of August .
Tsoi added that without a lockdown , the number of newly registered coronavirus cases that need hospitalization may reach 27,000 by late August .
Tsoi 's recommendations came a day after President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev ordered the government to outline a new package of coronavirus restrictions amid the surge of the infections .
Kazakh health authorities said on June 30 that the number of coronavirus cases in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 13,008 people recovered , and 188 died .
In Kyrgyzstan , the government said on June 30 that Deputy Prime Minister Erkin Asrandiev had been diagnosed with the coronavirus and was currently working while in isolation .
The State Committee for National Security ( UKMK ) said that ex-President Almazbek Atambaev , who was sentenced to more than 11 years in prison a week earlier for releasing a crime boss in 2013 , was hospitalized with acute pneumonia .
According to the UKMK , Atambaev 's coronavirus test came back negative .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it had recorded 5,296 coronavirus patients in the country , of which 2,370 people recovered , and 57 died .
In Tajikistan , officials said the number of registered coronavirus patients in the country was 5,900 , of whom 4,506 recovered , and 52 died as of June 29 .
The fifth na in the region , Turkmenistan , remains the only country in Central Asia that has not officially admitted a single coronavirus case , though experts are skeptical of the claim given the lack of transparency and the absence of an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ With reporting by RFE/RL 's Kazakh , Kyrgyz , Tajik , and Uzbek services

The global death toll from the coronavirus is over 500,000, with more than 10.4 million infections confirmed, causing mass disruptions as governments continue to try to slow the spread of the respiratory illness.
Here's a roundup of COVID-19 developments in RFE/RL's broadcast regions.
Central Asia
Faced with a spike in coronavirus cases in Central Asia's most populous country, Uzbek officials say they have reimposed measures in some areas, reversing course after slowly rescinding a mid-March lockdown.
A government commission on efforts to slow the outbreak said on June 30 that as of July 1, public transportation will be limited and no more than three people will be allowed to gather between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m. on weekends in the regions with registered coronavirus cases.
Additionally, a curfew from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. will be imposed on weekends. Only people who need urgent medical assistance will be allowed to leave their homes during the curfew, the commission said.
Uzbek health authorities said on June 30 that the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the country was 8,298, of whom 5,495 people recovered, while 24 patients have died.
In neighboring Kazakhstan, newly appointed Health Minister Aleksei Tsoi recommended that the authorities introduce a four-week, nationwide lockdown to hold the number of newly registered coronavirus cases that need hospitalization to around 2,500 by the end of August.
Tsoi added that without a lockdown, the number of newly registered coronavirus cases that need hospitalization may reach 27,000 by late August.
Tsoi's recommendations came a day after President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev ordered the government to outline a new package of coronavirus restrictions amid the surge of the infections.
RFE/RL's Coronavirus Crisis Archive Features and analysis, videos, and infographics explore how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting the countries in our region.
Kazakh health authorities said on June 30 that the number of coronavirus cases in the country reached 21,819, of which 13,008 people recovered, and 188 died.
In Kyrgyzstan, the government said on June 30 that Deputy Prime Minister Erkin Asrandiev had been diagnosed with the coronavirus and was currently working while in isolation.
The State Committee for National Security (UKMK) said that ex-President Almazbek Atambaev, who was sentenced to more than 11 years in prison a week earlier for releasing a crime boss in 2013, was hospitalized with acute pneumonia.
According to the UKMK, Atambaev's coronavirus test came back negative.
The Health Ministry said on June 30 that it had recorded 5,296 coronavirus patients in the country, of which 2,370 people recovered, and 57 died.
In Tajikistan, officials said the number of registered coronavirus patients in the country was 5,900, of whom 4,506 recovered, and 52 died as of June 29.
The fifth na in the region, Turkmenistan, remains the only country in Central Asia that has not officially admitted a single coronavirus case, though experts are skeptical of the claim given the lack of transparency and the absence of an independent media in the tightly-controlled country.
With reporting by RFE/RL's Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik, and Uzbek services


rferl--2020-06-30--Pompeo Warns Taliban Against Attacking U.S. Troops

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has held a video conference call with the Taliban during which the top U.S. diplomat warned the insurgents against attacking American troops in Afghanistan , the Department of State says .
A statement said Pompeo and the Taliban ’ s Qatar-based chief negotiator , Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar , on June 29 discussed implementation of a February agreement between Washington and the militants .
“ The Secretary made clear the expectation for the Taliban to live up to their commitments , which include not attacking Americans , ” department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ during the call the group ’ s commitment to the peace process in Afghanistan and reiterated a pledge not to strike U.S. forces .
The call comes as U.S. President Donald Trump faces mounting pressure to explain his actions after being reportedly told that Russian spies last year had offered and paid cash to Taliban-linked militants for killing American soldiers .
The White House has said Trump was n't briefed on the intelligence assessments because they have n't been fully verified and were not deemed credible actionable intelligence .
Meanwhile , the U.S.-Taliban @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a time violence in Afghanistan has continued since a three-day cease-fire at the end of May .
The Afghan National Security Council said June 30 that , since February , the Taliban had on average staged 44 attacks per day on Afghan security forces .
Under the accord , the United States agreed to reduce its forces in Afghanistan from 12,000 troops to 8,600 by mid-July .
If the rest of the deal goes through , all U.S. and other foreign troops will exit Afghanistan by mid-2021 .
The New York Times reported @ @ @ @ @ @ @ months ago that Russian military intelligence offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants to kill U.S. troops .
Subsequent reports by The New York Times and Washington Post reported several American soldiers may have died last year as a result of the bounties .
In particular , U.S. officials are investigating an April 2019 attack on an American convoy near Bagram Airfield , the largest U.S. military installation in Afghanistan .
At the time of the attack , the Defense Department identified those killed as Marine Staff Sergeant Christopher Slutman , Sergeant Benjamin Hines , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the Department of State did not specifically say whether Pompeo and Baradar spoke about the report .
Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen said in a series of tweets that the two sides discussed “ foreign troop withdrawal , prisoner release , start of intra-Afghan dialogue , and reduction in [ military ] operations.
” '' We are committed to starting inter-Afghan talks , as we have said before , but delays in the release of prisoners have delayed inter-Afghan talks , '' Shaheen tweeted , referring to a pledge by Afghan authorities to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to start the negotiations .
Baradar `` noted that according to the agreement , we will not allow anyone to use Afghan soil against the security of the United States and other countries , '' he also wrote .
With reporting by AP , Reuters , and AFP

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--2020-06-30--Iranian Journalist Sentenced To Death For Role In Protests

Ruhollah Zam , an Iranian opposition journalist and activist whose online work helped inspire nationwide economic protests in 2017 , has been sentenced to death for his actions following what Reporters Without Borders ( RSF ) called a “ grossly unfair ” trial .
A Revolutionary Court “ considered that the 13 charges [ against Zam ] were the equivalent of the charge of spreading ‘ corruption on earth ’ and therefore passed the death sentence , ” judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili said on June 30 , according to the judiciary-affiliated Mizan Online news agency .
The charge is often @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to overthrow Iran 's government .
It was not clear when the sentence was handed down .
Zam 's website , AmadNews , and a channel he created on the popular messaging app Telegram had informed people on the timing of the protests and published embarrassing information about Iranian officials .
The 2017 protests represented the biggest challenge to Iran since postelection mass unrest in 2009 and set the stage for similar revolts in November 2019 .
Thousands were detained by police in the protests , and 25 people were killed .
Zam @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Paris before being lured into returning to Iran , where he was arrested in October 2019 under still unclear circumstances .
French authorities have `` strongly condemned '' the move .
In a statement condemning Zam ’ s sentencing , RSF said he was “ kidnapped in Iraq ” by members of Iran ’ s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps ( IRGC ) and forcibly returned to Iran .
“ After being illegally kidnapped and arrested , Rouhollah Zam has been tried in a grossly unfair manner and then given an inhuman and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the head of RSF ’ s Iran-Afghanistan desk .
Zam , whom the Paris-based media freedom watchdog described as a “ very controversial figure both in Iran and in the Iranian diaspora , '' appeared in televised confessions in recent months admitting his wrongdoings and offering an apology for his past activities .
He had previously denied allegations he incited violence but openly admited that AmadNews ’ s mission was to take down the government .
Esmaili also announced on June 30 that a five-year sentence handed to Iranian-French academic Fariba Adelkhah @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anthropologist who often traveled to Iran for research , was detained in June 2019 and sentenced in the last month on charges relating to security .
Iran has rejected Paris ’ s repeated calls to release her .
With reporting by AP , AFP , and IRNA

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--2020-06-30--HRW Urges Kyrgyz President To Veto Controversial Bills

Human Rights Watch ( HRW ) has urged Kyrgyz President Sooronbai Jeenbekov `` to uphold fundamental rights '' and veto laws recently approved by parliament that `` violate the country 's human rights obligations . ''
HRW said in a statement on June 30 that Kyrgyz lawmakers adopted `` a vague and overbroad '' bill last week that would allow the authorities , without judicial oversight , to order the removal of information from the Internet that officials consider `` false '' or `` inaccurate . ''
Under the bill , which will come into force after Jeenbekov signs it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be required to get court backing to shut down social-media accounts deemed misleading .
Parliament also removed a provision from the Criminal Procedural Code that obligates Kyrgyz courts to reconsider criminal cases in which an international human rights body has found a violation .
`` Given the vague wording and the lack of judicial oversight , the information law 's threat to freedom of speech and the media can not be overstated , '' said Mihra Rittmann , senior Central Asia researcher at HRW .
`` Allowing this bill -- or the amendments @ @ @ @ @ @ @ impact of international remedies -- to enter into force would be a significant and regrettable step backward for Kyrgyzstan . ''
The HRW statement comes a day after some 500 demonstrators rallied in the capital , Bishkek , protesting the legislation .
As early as last week , several domestic and international organizations were urging Jeenbekov to reject the bill .
HRW also said that Kyrgyz lawmakers were considering `` two other problematic draft laws that would violate international human rights norms and mar Kyrgyzstan 's rights record . ''
A bill on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ burdensome financial reporting requirements on these groups that are incompatible with rights to freedom of association and expression , '' HRW said .
One more bill parliament is going to focus on is a labor-union law , currently in draft form , that `` would impose serious restrictions on workers ’ rights to freedom of association and the right to organize , '' HRW said .
According to the rights group , that bill `` would create a trade union monopoly , undermining the principle of trade union pluralism , and would greatly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to freely determine their own structures and statutes . ''
`` It is a cause of deep concern that the Kyrgyz parliament is advancing not one , but four , rights-violating draft laws at the same time , '' Rittmann said .
`` President Jeenbekov should decisively reject these bills , and show that despite the parliament 's efforts , Kyrgyzstan has not turned away from human rights and the rule of law . ''

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has urged Kyrgyz President Sooronbai Jeenbekov "to uphold fundamental rights" and veto laws recently approved by parliament that "violate the country's human rights obligations."
HRW said in a statement on June 30 that Kyrgyz lawmakers adopted "a vague and overbroad" bill last week that would allow the authorities, without judicial oversight, to order the removal of information from the Internet that officials consider "false" or "inaccurate."
Under the bill, which will come into force after Jeenbekov signs it into law, authorities will also not be required to get court backing to shut down social-media accounts deemed misleading.
Parliament also removed a provision from the Criminal Procedural Code that obligates Kyrgyz courts to reconsider criminal cases in which an international human rights body has found a violation.
"Given the vague wording and the lack of judicial oversight, the information law's threat to freedom of speech and the media cannot be overstated," said Mihra Rittmann, senior Central Asia researcher at HRW. "Allowing this bill -- or the amendments to the Criminal Procedural Code blunting the impact of international remedies -- to enter into force would be a significant and regrettable step backward for Kyrgyzstan."
The HRW statement comes a day after some 500 demonstrators rallied in the capital, Bishkek, protesting the legislation. As early as last week, several domestic and international organizations were urging Jeenbekov to reject the bill.
HRW also said that Kyrgyz lawmakers were considering "two other problematic draft laws that would violate international human rights norms and mar Kyrgyzstan's rights record."
A bill on nongovernmental organizations "would impose unnecessary, burdensome financial reporting requirements on these groups that are incompatible with rights to freedom of association and expression," HRW said.
One more bill parliament is going to focus on is a labor-union law, currently in draft form, that "would impose serious restrictions on workers’ rights to freedom of association and the right to organize," HRW said.
According to the rights group, that bill "would create a trade union monopoly, undermining the principle of trade union pluralism, and would greatly interfere with the right of trade unions to freely determine their own structures and statutes."
"It is a cause of deep concern that the Kyrgyz parliament is advancing not one, but four, rights-violating draft laws at the same time," Rittmann said.
"President Jeenbekov should decisively reject these bills, and show that despite the parliament's efforts, Kyrgyzstan has not turned away from human rights and the rule of law."


rferl--2020-07-01--U.S. Seizes Shipment Of Human Hair Products Believed Made In Chinese Detention Camps

U.S. customs officials have seized a shipment of products made from human hair believed to have been produced by Muslims held in labor camps in the China ’ s western Xinjiang province .
The production of the goods “ constitutes a very serious human rights violation , '' said Brenda Smith , executive assistant commissioner for trade at U.S. Customs and Border Patrol ( CBP ) .
The products were part of an $ 800,000 , 13-ton shipment from Lop County Meixin Hair Product Company , the CBP said in a statement .
CBP has ordered that the company 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prison and forced labor , including children .
Smith said the detention order , dated June 17 , is intended to send a message to all entities seeking to do business with the United States “ that illicit and inhumane practices will not be tolerated in U.S. supply chains . ''
Lop County Meixin was the third Xinjiang exporter of human hair to be blacklisted in recent months for using forced labor .
The products are typically used in weaves and extensions .
Beijing has faced condemnation for placing more than 1 million @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ethnic groups in Xinjiang in concentration camps since early 2017 .
China says the camps are reeducation and training centers needed to combat separatist terrorism and extremism .
Uyghurs are the largest Turkic-speaking indigenous community in Xinjiang followed by Kazakhs .
The region is also home to ethnic Kyrgyz , Tajiks , and Hui , also known as Dungans .
The CBP said it is the responsibility of all U.S. importers to confirm their supply chains are free of forced labor to ensure that the origin and quality of goods imported align with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the U.S. State , Commerce , Treasury , and Homeland Security departments warned U.S. businesses to beware importing goods through supply chains that involve forced or prison labor in Xinjiang and elsewhere in China .
The departments also warned companies against supplying surveillance tools to authorities in Xinjiang or aiding in the construction of facilities used in the mass detention of Uyghurs and other minorities in the province .
The Chinese government `` continues to carry out a campaign of repression in Xinjiang , targeting Uyghurs , ethnic Kazakhs , ethnic Kyrgyz , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' the State Department said .
Businesses that expose themselves to this `` should be aware of the reputational , economic , and legal risks , '' they said .
A report published earlier this week by China expert Adrian Zenz said China is forcing women to be sterilized or use contraceptive devices in an attempt to limit the population of Uyghurs and other mostly Muslim minority groups in Xinjiang .
The report , which said China ’ s policies may amount to slow-motion demographic “ genocide , ” led to calls @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which called the allegations “ baseless .
”

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--2020-07-01--Ukrainian Central Bank Chief Resigns, Cites ‘Political Pressure’

KYIV – The governor of Ukraine 's central bank , Yakiv Smoliy , says he is resigning because of “ systematic political pressure that denied fulfillment ” of his duties .
Smoliy announced on Twitter on July 1 he had submitted his resignation to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy .
`` Let it be a warning for attempts to undermine institutional independence of the central bank , '' he wrote .
Zelenskiy 's office said in a statement that ensuring the National Bank of Ukraine 's ( NBU ) independence remained its priority , and that the bank and the government should @ @ @ @ @ @ @ policies .
The NBU has previously complained of being subjected to pressure , including over its decision in 2016 to nationalize Ukraine 's largest lender , PrivatBank .
Smoliy has been the head of the NBU since March 2018 .
Under his leadership , the bank has kept its reputation among investors as a respected institution that managed to bring down inflation .
His announcement comes as the country 's economy is expected to contract by around 5 percent this year due to the coronavirus pandemic .
If Zelenskiy accepts the resignation , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , $ 5 billion loan program approved by the International Monetary Fund ( IMF ) last month to help Ukraine cope with the economic fallout of the pandemic .
“ The NBU is the most trusted institution amongst foreign institutional investors .
Terrible news for Ukraine .
The future of the IMF programme must be in doubt .
Who succeeds Smoliy will be critical , ” Timothy Ash at Blue Bay Asset Management tweeted .

KYIV -- The governor of Ukraine's central bank, Yakiv Smoliy, says he is resigning because of “systematic political pressure that denied fulfillment” of his duties.
Smoliy announced on Twitter on July 1 he had submitted his resignation to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
"Let it be a warning for attempts to undermine institutional independence of the central bank," he wrote.
Zelenskiy's office said in a statement that ensuring the National Bank of Ukraine's (NBU) independence remained its priority, and that the bank and the government should continue to implement prudent monetary and fiscal policies.
The NBU has previously complained of being subjected to pressure, including over its decision in 2016 to nationalize Ukraine's largest lender, PrivatBank.
Smoliy has been the head of the NBU since March 2018. Under his leadership, the bank has kept its reputation among investors as a respected institution that managed to bring down inflation.
His announcement comes as the country's economy is expected to contract by around 5 percent this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
If Zelenskiy accepts the resignation, experts said it could derail an 18-month, $5 billion loan program approved by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) last month to help Ukraine cope with the economic fallout of the pandemic.
“The NBU is the most trusted institution amongst foreign institutional investors. Terrible news for Ukraine. The future of the IMF programme must be in doubt. Who succeeds Smoliy will be critical,” Timothy Ash at Blue Bay Asset Management tweeted.
With reporting by Reuters


rferl--2020-07-01--Russian Prosecutors Object To Parole For Danish Jehovah’s Witness

Prosecutors in Russia have appealed the parole granted by a court last week to a Danish member of the Jehovah 's Witnesses who has been imprisoned since 2017 , his lawyer says .
A judge in southwestern Russia paroled Dennis Christensen on June 23 after he served half of a six-year sentence on extremism charges that have been condemned by rights groups in Russia and abroad .
Christensen was also ordered to pay a fine of 400,000 rubles ( $ 5,800 ) in place of serving the rest of his sentence .
But his lawyer , Anton Bogdanov , told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ July 1 that the prosecutor ’ s office has appealed the grant of parole , arguing Christensen allegedly violated prison rules .
Christensen is to remain in custody until a court hearing on the appeal .
“ This is , of course , completely outrageous .
But no less outrageous than the original charges against Christensen , ” the New York-based Human Rights Watch ( HRW ) said in a statement .
Russia banned the Jehovah ’ s Witnesses in 2017 and declared the religious group an extremist organization .
According to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cases in Russia , 34 are imprisoned , and 24 are under house arrest .
In June , a court in northwestern Russia sentenced Gennady Shpakovsky to 6 1/2 years in prison -- the longest sentence handed to a Jehovah ’ s Witness so far .
Russia “ has absolutely nothing to gain from the pointless , cruel , and abusive persecution of Jehovah ’ s Witnesses , ” HRW said , urging the authorities to “ immediately free Christensen and stop wasting time and resources on these prosecutions.
” In September , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officers from Russia 's Investigative Committee from entering the United States over the alleged torture of seven detainees who are Jehovah 's Witnesses .

Prosecutors in Russia have appealed the parole granted by a court last week to a Danish member of the Jehovah's Witnesses who has been imprisoned since 2017, his lawyer says.
A judge in southwestern Russia paroled Dennis Christensen on June 23 after he served half of a six-year sentence on extremism charges that have been condemned by rights groups in Russia and abroad.
Christensen was also ordered to pay a fine of 400,000 rubles ($5,800) in place of serving the rest of his sentence.
But his lawyer, Anton Bogdanov, told Human Rights Watch (HRW) on July 1 that the prosecutor’s office has appealed the grant of parole, arguing Christensen allegedly violated prison rules.
Christensen is to remain in custody until a court hearing on the appeal.
“This is, of course, completely outrageous. But no less outrageous than the original charges against Christensen,” the New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a statement.
Russia banned the Jehovah’s Witnesses in 2017 and declared the religious group an extremist organization.
According to the denomination, 353 adherents are facing criminal cases in Russia, 34 are imprisoned, and 24 are under house arrest.
In June, a court in northwestern Russia sentenced Gennady Shpakovsky to 6 1/2 years in prison -- the longest sentence handed to a Jehovah’s Witness so far.
Russia “has absolutely nothing to gain from the pointless, cruel, and abusive persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses,” HRW said, urging the authorities to “immediately free Christensen and stop wasting time and resources on these prosecutions.”
In September 2019, the United States banned two high-ranking regional officers from Russia's Investigative Committee from entering the United States over the alleged torture of seven detainees who are Jehovah's Witnesses.


rferl--2020-07-01--Montenegro Legalizes Same-Sex Partnerships In 'Historic' Move Toward Tolerance

PODGORICA -- Montenegro has passed a law allowing same-sex civil partnerships , in a move hailed by President Milo Djukanovic as `` a step toward the family of most-developed democracies . ''
Forty-two lawmakers in the 81-seat parliament backed the Law On Same-Sex Partnership , which is to come into force in a year 's time .
The law grants same-sex couples the same rights as heterosexuals , but without the possibility of adopting children .
It was previously rejected by parliament a year ago .
The vote in the Balkan country , which seeks to join the European Union @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and LGBT campaigners as affirming values such as tolerance .
The adoption of the law is “ a confirmation that our society is maturing , accepting and living the differences , ” Djukanovic posted on Twitter , while Prime Minister Dusko Markovic called it “ a great step in the right direction for Montenegrin society , its democratic maturity , and integration processes.
” “ There can be no room for discrimination based on sexual orientation in European Montenegro , ” Markovic said .
The nongovernmental organization LGBT Forum Progres described the passage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ step forward for Montenegrin society.
” U.S .
Ambassador to Podgorica Judy Rising Reinke also welcomed the “ historic ” move , calling it `` an important step forward for equality and tolerance for all . ''
The law was backed in parliament by members of the ruling Democratic Party of Socialists and Social Democrats , as well as the opposition Social Democratic Party and an independent deputy .

PODGORICA -- Montenegro has passed a law allowing same-sex civil partnerships, in a move hailed by President Milo Djukanovic as "a step toward the family of most-developed democracies."
Forty-two lawmakers in the 81-seat parliament backed the Law On Same-Sex Partnership, which is to come into force in a year's time.
The law grants same-sex couples the same rights as heterosexuals, but without the possibility of adopting children.
It was previously rejected by parliament a year ago.
The vote in the Balkan country, which seeks to join the European Union, was welcomed by its political leaders and LGBT campaigners as affirming values such as tolerance.
The adoption of the law is “a confirmation that our society is maturing, accepting and living the differences,” Djukanovic posted on Twitter, while Prime Minister Dusko Markovic called it “a great step in the right direction for Montenegrin society, its democratic maturity, and integration processes.”
“There can be no room for discrimination based on sexual orientation in European Montenegro,” Markovic said.
The nongovernmental organization LGBT Forum Progres described the passage of the law as "an immense step forward for Montenegrin society.”
U.S. Ambassador to Podgorica Judy Rising Reinke also welcomed the “historic” move, calling it "an important step forward for equality and tolerance for all."
The law was backed in parliament by members of the ruling Democratic Party of Socialists and Social Democrats, as well as the opposition Social Democratic Party and an independent deputy.


rferl--2020-07-01--Pentagon: Taliban Keeps 'Close Ties' With Al-Qaeda Affiliate

Al-Qaeda 's regional affiliate in Afghanistan maintains “ close ties ” to the Taliban and has an `` enduring interest '' in attacking U.S. troops , the Pentagon says in a new report .
Under a February deal between the Taliban and the United States , the insurgents agreed to stop terrorist groups such as Al-Qaeda from using Afghanistan as a safe haven to plot attacks .
But in a report published on July 1 , the Department of Defense said Taliban militants have continued to work with Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent ( AQIS ) .
AQIS “ routinely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in its efforts to undermine the Afghan government , and maintains an enduring interest in attacking US forces and Western targets in the region , '' the department said in a semiannual security assessment compiled for Congress .
Citing Al-Qaeda statements , the report said the group ’ s regional affiliate also “ assists local Taliban in some attacks.
” The Pentagon report , titled Enhancing Security And Stability In Afghanistan , said that despite “ recent progress ” in the peace process in Afghanistan , AQIS “ maintains close ties to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and training . ''
It said that any `` core '' Al-Qaeda members still in Afghanistan are focused mainly on survival , and have delegated regional leadership to AQIS .
`` AQIS 's interest in attacking US forces and other Western targets in Afghanistan and the region persists , but continuing coalition [ counterterrorism ] pressure has reduced AQIS 's ability to conduct operations in Afghanistan without the support of the Taliban , '' according to the report , which covers events during the period between December 1 , 2019 , to May @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a United Nations report released a month ago said that Al-Qaeda and the Taliban `` remain close , based on friendship , a history of shared struggle , ideological sympathy , and intermarriage . ''
The UN report added that the Taliban `` regularly consulted '' with Al-Qaeda during negotiations with the United States and `` offered guarantees that it would honor their historical ties . ''
However , U.S. special envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad downplayed the findings , saying the report largely covered a period before the U.S.-Taliban agreement .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a time violence in Afghanistan has continued since a three-day cease-fire at the end of May .
The Afghan National Security Council said June 30 that , since February , the Taliban had on average staged 44 attacks per day on Afghan security forces .
Under the accord , the United States agreed to reduce its forces in Afghanistan from 12,000 troops to 8,600 by mid July .
If the rest of the deal goes through , all U.S. and other foreign troops will exit Afghanistan by mid-2021 .


rferl--2020-07-01--UN Urges End To 'Crackdown' On Civil Society In Belarus Ahead Of Presidential Vote

United Nations experts are urging the Belarusian government to abandon its “ policy of arbitrary arrests , violence , and intimidation ” against political activists , rights defenders , journalists , and bloggers ahead of a presidential election on August 9 .
In a statement on July 1 , the independent experts said that at least 200 representatives of civil society have been arrested during demonstrations across Belarus since June 18 .
The peaceful rallies aimed at showing solidarity with “ nearly 500 other activists detained since May while exercising their right to give and gather signatures ” for nominating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ statement said .
The same day , the media-freedom group Committee to Protect Journalists ( CPJ ) issued a statement urging Minsk to release all the journalists currently being held and to “ allow the press to cover the country ’ s upcoming elections without fear of prosecution.
” At least six bloggers have been detained since June 15 , the group said .
In their statement , the UN experts said they “ strongly condemn the government ’ s continuous policy of mass arrests of members of the civil society who are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ including the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and freedom of opinion and expression .
In particular , they urged the Belarusian authorities to “ immediately stop cracking down ” on peaceful protesters , as well as journalists covering the rallies .
“ We are concerned that the approach of the government towards peaceful protesters and journalists trying to perform their work is becoming more and more violent and abusive , ” the statement said .
The latest protests followed the arrest on June 18 of Viktar Babaryka , a potential opponent of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who is under investigation for alleged financial crimes .
It was reported to the UN experts that “ unidentified men in plainclothes began to arbitrarily arrest journalists and passersby in several towns of Belarus , while anti-riot police used excessive force against peaceful protesters.
” Many of those detained were “ beaten , intimidated , ill-treated and either received fines or sentences of up to 15 days of administrative detention on charges of violating the procedure for holding mass events , ” the statement read .
The UN experts include Anais Marin , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rights in Belarus ; Clement Nyaletsossi Voule , special rapporteur on the right to peaceful assembly and association ; Mary Lawlor , special rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders ; David Kaye , special rapporteur on the freedom of opinion and expression ; and Diego Garcia-Sayan , special rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers .

United Nations experts are urging the Belarusian government to abandon its “policy of arbitrary arrests, violence, and intimidation” against political activists, rights defenders, journalists, and bloggers ahead of a presidential election on August 9.
In a statement on July 1, the independent experts said that at least 200 representatives of civil society have been arrested during demonstrations across Belarus since June 18.
The peaceful rallies aimed at showing solidarity with “nearly 500 other activists detained since May while exercising their right to give and gather signatures” for nominating candidates for the upcoming vote, the statement said.
The same day, the media-freedom group Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) issued a statement urging Minsk to release all the journalists currently being held and to “allow the press to cover the country’s upcoming elections without fear of prosecution.” At least six bloggers have been detained since June 15, the group said.
In their statement, the UN experts said they “strongly condemn the government’s continuous policy of mass arrests of members of the civil society who are peacefully exercising their fundamental rights,” including the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and freedom of opinion and expression.
In particular, they urged the Belarusian authorities to “immediately stop cracking down” on peaceful protesters, as well as journalists covering the rallies.
“We are concerned that the approach of the government towards peaceful protesters and journalists trying to perform their work is becoming more and more violent and abusive,” the statement said.
The latest protests followed the arrest on June 18 of Viktar Babaryka, a potential opponent of President Alyaksandr Lukashenka in the presidential election who is under investigation for alleged financial crimes.
It was reported to the UN experts that “unidentified men in plainclothes began to arbitrarily arrest journalists and passersby in several towns of Belarus, while anti-riot police used excessive force against peaceful protesters.”
Many of those detained were “beaten, intimidated, ill-treated and either received fines or sentences of up to 15 days of administrative detention on charges of violating the procedure for holding mass events,” the statement read.
The UN experts include Anais Marin, special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus; Clement Nyaletsossi Voule, special rapporteur on the right to peaceful assembly and association; Mary Lawlor, special rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders; David Kaye, special rapporteur on the freedom of opinion and expression; and Diego Garcia-Sayan, special rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers.


rferl--2020-07-01--Rights Groups Urge Tajik Leader To Reject Amendments On 'Fake' News

DUSANBE -- Rights activists and media watchdogs have urged Tajik President Emomali Rahmon to reject proposed legal amendments that they say threaten freedom of speech in the Central Asian nation .
Both houses of Tajikistan ’ s parliament last month approved amendments to the Code of Administrative Offenses , which now need the president 's signature to take effect .
The proposed legislation makes it illegal to disseminate false information about the coronavirus pandemic in the media , the Internet , and on social media .
Those convicted could face fines and up to 15 days in administrative detention .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and abroad warned the law could be used to prosecute activists and independent journalists .
The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists ( CPJ ) said in a statement on June 30 that the draft amendments do not specify how the government would determine whether a report is false , giving authorities “ a clear license '' to `` expand censorship efforts in the name of fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.
” CPJ Europe and Central Asia Program Coordinator Gulnoza Said added that Rahmon “ should not approve the proposed legislative amendments and should @ @ @ @ @ @ @ social media.
” The head of the National Association of Independent Media in Tajikistan called the amendments “ a repressive step that will limit freedom of receiving and spreading information.
” Nuriddin Qarshiboev said the vague phrasing could empower the Tajik authorities to crack down on the press in the run-up to a presidential election scheduled for later this year .
Paris-based Reporters Without Borders ( RSF ) has warned that the “ vaguely defined ” legislation could lead to censorship and other violations of press freedom .
Individuals found guilty under the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1,160 somoni ( $ 56-112 ) , and legal entities such as news outlets could be fined 8,700-11,600 somoni ( $ 844-1,124 ) .
Tajikistan ’ s authoritarian government initially claimed there were no coronavirus cases in the country and Rahmon flouted warnings by international experts to order social-distancing restrictions or other measures to try to curtail the spread of the disease .
According to official numbers , 5,900 people have contracted the virus in Tajikistan and over 50 have died .

DUSANBE -- Rights activists and media watchdogs have urged Tajik President Emomali Rahmon to reject proposed legal amendments that they say threaten freedom of speech in the Central Asian nation.
Both houses of Tajikistan’s parliament last month approved amendments to the Code of Administrative Offenses, which now need the president's signature to take effect.
The proposed legislation makes it illegal to disseminate false information about the coronavirus pandemic in the media, the Internet, and on social media.
Those convicted could face fines and up to 15 days in administrative detention.
Civil society and media organizations in Tajikistan and abroad warned the law could be used to prosecute activists and independent journalists.
The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said in a statement on June 30 that the draft amendments do not specify how the government would determine whether a report is false, giving authorities “a clear license" to "expand censorship efforts in the name of fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.”
CPJ Europe and Central Asia Program Coordinator Gulnoza Said added that Rahmon “should not approve the proposed legislative amendments and should stop this crackdown on the press and social media.”
The head of the National Association of Independent Media in Tajikistan called the amendments “a repressive step that will limit freedom of receiving and spreading information.”
Nuriddin Qarshiboev said the vague phrasing could empower the Tajik authorities to crack down on the press in the run-up to a presidential election scheduled for later this year.
Paris-based Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has warned that the “vaguely defined” legislation could lead to censorship and other violations of press freedom.
Individuals found guilty under the proposed measures could be fined 580 to 1,160 somoni ($56-112), and legal entities such as news outlets could be fined 8,700-11,600 somoni ($844-1,124).
Tajikistan’s authoritarian government initially claimed there were no coronavirus cases in the country and Rahmon flouted warnings by international experts to order social-distancing restrictions or other measures to try to curtail the spread of the disease.
According to official numbers, 5,900 people have contracted the virus in Tajikistan and over 50 have died.


rferl--2020-07-01--Preliminary Results In Russian Constitutional Plebiscite Pave The Way For Putin’s Continued Rule

MOSCOW -- Preliminary results indicate that a national , nonbinding plebiscite has approved a sprawling package of constitutional amendments that , among other things , would open the way for President Vladimir Putin to seek two more terms and remain in power until 2036 .
According to preliminary results released by Russia ’ s Central Election Commission ( CEC ) late on July 1 , with more than 41 percent of the ballots counted , nearly 76 percent of voters endorsed the Kremlin-backed package of more than 200 constitutional amendments .
Some 23.1 percent voted against , according to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about 65 percent , the commission said .
Critics and opposition figures were quick to denounce the announced results .
“ The just-announced ‘ results ’ are a fake and a huge lie , ” opposition politician Aleksei Navalny wrote in a blogpost .
“ They have nothing in common with the opinions of the citizens of Russia .
We have witnessed a show , the ending of which was scripted in advance.
” The anti-amendments campaign Nyet !
released its own exit polling estimating that in Moscow , 55 percent voted against @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , 63 percent opposed the amendments .
As voting continued , several hundred people spontaneously gathered on Moscow ’ s Pushkin Square to protest the amendments and the prospect of two more presidential terms for Putin .
Moscow City Council Deputy Sergei Mitrokhin of the liberal Yabloko party was among those who gathered on the square .
He told RFE/RL that the plebiscite vote marks “ the end of…the rule of law in Russia.
” The demonstration proceeded peacefully with one-person pickets taking turns holding up signs at the base of a statue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ There was a strong police presence around the square but no action was taken against the protesters .
One demonstrator who held a sign reading “ Down with the Tsar , ” told RFE/RL : “ We don ’ t want to live in a dictatorship , particularly not in a legalized dictatorship.
” Live feed of the protest from RFE/RL 's Russian Service About 100 people participated in a demonstration against the amendments in St. Petersburg , carrying copies of the old version of the constitution .
Police and National Guard troops @ @ @ @ @ @ @ several people were reportedly detained .
There were numerous reports of alleged ballot-box stuffing and other irregularities in the voting on July 1 .
The previous day , police in St. Petersburg broke the arm of journalist David Frenkel of the MediaZona outlet as he was covering the voting .
Russian authorities said they were investigating the incident .
The Committee to Protect Journalists ( CPJ ) , a New York-based media rights group , issued a statement on July 1 criticizing the Russian authorities for having “ attacked , arrested , or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lead-up ” to the plebiscite .
July 1 was the final day of voting on the package , although polls have been open since June 25 -- an unprecedented weeklong vote authorities said was aimed to reduce crowds amid the coronavirus pandemic .
In an unusual development , the CEC began publishing preliminary results hours before polls closed in the western parts of the country .
Normally , the publication of voting results or exit polling before voting closes is illegal in Russia .
However , the nonbinding plebiscite on the constitutional amendments @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Russian laws on referendums .
Russians were encouraged to vote with prize draws offering flats and advertisements putting the spotlight on popular amendments such as one that guarantees inflation-linked pensions .
Even as voters headed to the polls , Putin ordered one-off payments of 10,000 rubles ( $ 141 ) to those with children .
Opposition to the amendments has been divided , with some groups -- including the Communist Party -- calling for a “ No ” vote and others -- including prominent opposition leader Navalny and the Yabloko party -- calling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ According the CEC , the package of amendments received at least 50 percent support in almost every region of the country .
It said the Republic of Tyva polled the highest support – almost 97 percent .
Support was lowest in the Nenets Autonomous Region , where just 51 percent voted in favor , according to the preliminary officials results .
The Kremlin has said the amendments are necessary for the country 's stability and security , while Putin 's critics charge they are a bid for the 67-year-old to secure power for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of accepting or rejecting the entire package of amendments .
The most-controversial among more then 200 amendments in the package is one that resets Putin ’ s term-limit clock to zero , opening the way for him to run for reelection when his current six-year term expires in 2024 , and again in 2030 .
That prospect sparked a minor protest in Moscow 's Red Square .
Police moved in and quickly ended the protest , briefly detaining eight activists who used their bodies to form the number `` 2036 . ''
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Viktor Kotov and members of the protest performance group Pussy Riot , Aleksandr Sofeyev and Nika Nikulshina , and activists Maria Bezverkhaya , Gosha Kozhevnikov , Liza Samoilova , and Maria Timofeyeva .
All eight men and women were later released without charges .
Putin , who voted at a voting station at Russia 's Academy of Sciences , has said that he may take part in 2024 presidential poll .
If he ran for another term after that , he would be 84 by the time his final term expired .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ opposition politicians , and civil rights activists have described the amendments as a “ constitutional coup.
” Putin first proposed the sweeping amendments during a national address in January .
The document was presented to the legislature just five days later after cursory discussion by a hastily formed “ working group.
” On March 10 , the wording that would allow Putin to seek reelection in 2024 and 2030 was abruptly added .
The package of more than 200 amendments was adopted the next day by both the lower house of parliament , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chamber , the Federation Council .
Putin initially scheduled the vote for April 22 , but it was postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic .
In addition to enabling Putin to seek additional terms , the amendments would broaden the powers of the parliament in the formation of the government and redistribute some authority among various government structures .
They also explicitly state the priority of Russian law over international law , ban same-sex marriages , describe a `` belief in God '' as a core national value , define the Russian language @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ethnicity , '' and make it `` impossible to alienate parts of the Russian Federation . ''
The vote comes amid growing discontent in Russia over the economic consequences of the coronavirus pandemic , and as polls have shown a decline in Putin 's popularity in recent years .
His approval rating sank to a low of 59 percent during the spring , according to the independent Levada Center polling agency .
Putin , a longtime KGB officer during the Soviet era , has been president or prime minister since 1999 .
His @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and its economy after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the crises of the 1990s .
Critics say he has weakened democratic institutions , marginalized political opponents , stifled criticism , and allowed corruption to flourish .
With reporting by Reuters , AP , AFP , and TASS

MOSCOW -- Preliminary results indicate that a national, nonbinding plebiscite has approved a sprawling package of constitutional amendments that, among other things, would open the possibility for President Vladimir Putin to remain in power until 2036.
According to results released by Russia’s Central Election Commission (CEC) early on July 2, with all ballots counted, 77.9 percent of voters endorsed the Kremlin-backed package of more than 200 constitutional amendments. Some 21.3 percent voted against.
The official turnout was about 65 percent, the commission said. Voting was spread out over a week in an effort to maintain precautions to limit the spread of the coronavirus. Putin had declared July 1, the final day of the voting, to be a public holiday in a bid to encourage voter turnout.
Ella Pamfilova, head of the commission, said the vote had been transparent and that officials had done everything to ensure its integrity, but critics and opposition figures denounced the outcome.
“The just-announced ‘results’ are a fake and a huge lie,” opposition politician Aleksei Navalny wrote in a blog post. “They have nothing in common with the opinions of the citizens of Russia. We have witnessed a show, the ending of which was scripted in advance.”
He told supporters in a video he would "never recognize this result."
Navalny said the opposition would not protest now because of the coronavirus pandemic but will later this year if its candidates are blocked from taking part in regional elections or if the election results are falsified.
"What Putin fears most is the street," said Navalny. Putin "will not leave until we start to take to the streets in the hundreds of thousands and in the millions."
The anti-amendments campaign Nyet! released its own exit polling estimating that in Moscow, 55 percent voted against the package, while in St. Petersburg, 63 percent opposed the amendments.
During the voting, several hundred people spontaneously gathered on Moscow’s Pushkin Square to protest the amendments and the prospect of two more presidential terms for Putin, who has said he has yet to decide on his future.
Moscow City Council Deputy Sergei Mitrokhin, of the liberal Yabloko party, was among those who gathered on the square. He told RFE/RL that the plebiscite vote marks “the end of…the rule of law in Russia.”
The demonstration proceeded peacefully with one-person pickets taking turns holding up signs at the base of a statue to Russian national poet Aleksandr Pushkin. There was a strong police presence around the square but no action was taken against the protesters.
One demonstrator who held a sign reading “Down with the Tsar,” told RFE/RL: “We don’t want to live in a dictatorship, particularly not in a legalized dictatorship.”
About 100 people participated in a demonstration against the amendments in St. Petersburg, carrying copies of the old version of the constitution. Police and National Guard troops forced them off the Palace Square and several people were reportedly detained.
There were numerous reports of alleged ballot-box stuffing and other irregularities in the voting on July 1. The previous day, police in St. Petersburg broke the arm of journalist David Frenkel of the MediaZona outlet as he was covering the voting. Russian authorities said they were investigating the incident.
WATCH: Russian Police Break Arm Of Journalist Covering Constitutional Vote
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a New York-based media-rights group, issued a statement on July 1 criticizing the Russian authorities for having “attacked, arrested, or harassed at least five journalists in the lead-up” to the plebiscite.
In an unusual development, the CEC began publishing preliminary results hours before polls closed in the western parts of the country. Normally, the publication of voting results or exit polling before voting closes is illegal in Russia. However, the nonbinding plebiscite on the constitutional amendments has not been conducted in accordance with Russian laws on referendums.
Russians were encouraged to vote with prize draws offering flats and advertisements putting the spotlight on popular amendments such as one that guarantees inflation-linked pensions.
Even as voters headed to the polls, Putin ordered one-off payments of 10,000 rubles ($141) to those with children.
Opposition to the amendments has been divided, with some groups – including the Communist Party -- calling for a “no” vote and others -- including prominent opposition leader Navalny and the Yabloko party -- calling for a boycott of the plebiscite.
According the CEC, the package of amendments received at least 50 percent support in almost every region of the country. It said the Republic of Tyva polled the highest support -- almost 97 percent. The Nenets Autonomous Region was the only one to reject the amendments, results showed, with about 53 percent voting no.
Some officials said the rejection by Nenets is likely the result of residents not wanting to unify with the Arkhangelsk region, which was one of the amendments in the package.
The Kremlin has said the amendments are necessary for the country’s stability and security, while Putin’s critics charge they are a bid for the 67-year-old to secure power for life.
Voters were given the option of accepting or rejecting the entire package of amendments.
The most-controversial among more than 200 amendments in the package is one that resets Putin’s term-limit clock to zero, opening the way for him to run for reelection when his current six-year term expires in 2024, and again in 2030.
That prospect sparked a minor protest in Moscow's famous Red Square. Police moved in and quickly ended the protest, briefly detaining eight activists who used their bodies to form the number "2036."
The activists included Moscow municipal lawmakers, Lyusya Shtein and Viktor Kotov, and members of the protest performance group Pussy Riot, Aleksandr Sofeyev, Nika Nikulshina, and activists Maria Bezverkhaya, Gosha Kozhevnikov, Liza Samoilova, and Maria Timofeyeva.
All eight men and women were later released without charges.
Putin, who voted at a polling station at Russia's Academy of Sciences, has said that he may take part in 2024 presidential poll. If he ran for another term after that, he would be 84 by the time his final term expired.
Putin's critics, law experts, opposition politicians, and civil rights activists have described the amendments as a “constitutional coup.”
Putin first proposed the sweeping amendments during a national address in January. The document was presented to the legislature just five days later after cursory discussion by a hastily formed “working group.”
On March 10, the wording that would allow Putin to seek reelection in 2024 and 2030 was abruptly added.
The package of more than 200 amendments was adopted the next day by both the lower house of parliament, the State Duma, and the upper chamber, the Federation Council.
Putin initially scheduled the vote for April 22, but it was postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
In addition to enabling Putin to seek additional terms, the amendments would broaden the powers of the parliament in the formation of the government and redistribute some authority among various government structures.
They also explicitly state the priority of Russian law over international law, ban same-sex marriages, describe a “belief in God” as a core national value, define the Russian language as “the language of the state-forming ethnicity,” and make it “impossible to alienate parts of the Russian Federation.”
The vote comes amid growing discontent in Russia over the economic consequences of the coronavirus pandemic, and as polls have shown a decline in Putin’s popularity in recent years. His approval rating sank to a low of 59 percent during the spring, according to the independent Levada Center polling agency.
Putin, a longtime KGB officer during the Soviet era, has been president or prime minister since 1999.
His supporters credit him with strengthening the country and its economy after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the crises of the 1990s.
Critics say he has weakened democratic institutions, marginalized political opponents, stifled criticism, and allowed corruption to flourish.
With reporting by Current Time, Reuters, AP, AFP, dpa, and TASS