rferl--2020-02-20--Trump Names Ambassador To Germany To Key Intelligence Post

U.S. President Donald Trump has named Richard Grenell , the U.S. ambassador to Germany and special envoy to Serbia and Kosovo , to become the acting director of national intelligence , a move immediately blasted by critics .
`` Rick has represented our Country exceedingly well and I look forward to working with him , '' Trump wrote on Twitter on February 19 about one of his strongest supporters .
The post of director of national intelligence ( DNI ) was created after the September 11 , 2001 , terror attacks on the United States .
It oversees the 17 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ including the Central Intelligence Agency ( CIA ) .
Critics assailed the appointment of Grenell as an acting director -- meaning he will not require Senate approval -- and for his perceived lack of experience in intelligence matters .
Senator Mark Warner , the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee , said the move was apparently `` an effort to sidestep the Senate ’ s constitutional authority to advise and consent on such critical national security positions . ''
Warner also said that `` the president has selected an individual without any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the nation 's intelligence community in an acting capacity . ''
Grenell , a vocal supporter of Trump ’ s policies , replaces Joseph Maguire , who had served as acting DNI since August .
Maguire was named to the post following Dan Coats ' resignation as director .
Trump had a strained relationship with Coats , who had supported the U.S. intelligence community 's conclusion that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election with the goal of promoting Trump over Democratic rival Hillary Clinton .
Grenell , who served as the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the administration of President George W. Bush , has been known as a controversial figure .
In 2018 , Germany asked Washington to clarify remarks Grenell made to a right-wing website saying he wanted to empower “ other conservatives ” in Europe .
He has also vocally criticized Berlin for what he has seen as a lack of support for Washington ’ s tough stand against Iran , made controversial statements about Germany 's domestic policies , and made other critical comments that were seen as unusual for an ambassador to a long-standing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump named Grenell to become Washington 's special envoy for negotiations between Serbia and Kosovo , acting in the role concurrently with his post as ambassador to Berlin .
Trump has hailed his role in helping the two Western Balkan rivals to restore air and rail links in recent months .
During a signing ceremony marking the restored ties on February 14 on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference , Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic praised Trump and Grenell for helping to reach an agreement that he said will `` ensure peace for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Reuters , AFP , AP , dpa , and The New York Times

U.S. President Donald Trump has named Richard Grenell, the U.S. ambassador to Germany and special envoy to Serbia and Kosovo, to become the acting director of national intelligence, a move immediately blasted by critics.
"Rick has represented our Country exceedingly well and I look forward to working with him," Trump wrote on Twitter on February 19 about one of his strongest supporters.
The post of director of national intelligence (DNI) was created after the September 11, 2001, terror attacks on the United States. It oversees the 17 U.S. civilian and military intelligence agencies, including the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
Critics assailed the appointment of Grenell as an acting director -- meaning he will not require Senate approval -- and for his perceived lack of experience in intelligence matters.
Senator Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said the move was apparently "an effort to sidestep the Senate’s constitutional authority to advise and consent on such critical national security positions."
Warner also said that "the president has selected an individual without any intelligence experience to serve as the leader of the nation's intelligence community in an acting capacity."
Grenell, a vocal supporter of Trump’s policies, replaces Joseph Maguire, who had served as acting DNI since August.
Maguire was named to the post following Dan Coats' resignation as director.
Trump had a strained relationship with Coats, who had supported the U.S. intelligence community's conclusion that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election with the goal of promoting Trump over Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.
Grenell, who served as the U.S. spokesman at the United Nations during the administration of President George W. Bush, has been known as a controversial figure.
In 2018, Germany asked Washington to clarify remarks Grenell made to a right-wing website saying he wanted to empower “other conservatives” in Europe.
He has also vocally criticized Berlin for what he has seen as a lack of support for Washington’s tough stand against Iran, made controversial statements about Germany's domestic policies, and made other critical comments that were seen as unusual for an ambassador to a long-standing U.S. ally.
In October 2019, Trump named Grenell to become Washington's special envoy for negotiations between Serbia and Kosovo, acting in the role concurrently with his post as ambassador to Berlin.
Trump has hailed his role in helping the two Western Balkan rivals to restore air and rail links in recent months.
During a signing ceremony marking the restored ties on February 14 on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic praised Trump and Grenell for helping to reach an agreement that he said will "ensure peace for future decades."
With reporting by Reuters, AFP, AP, dpa, and The New York Times


rferl--2020-02-20--Soybean Dust, Not Toxic Gas, Suspected In Deaths Of 14 In Pakistan

KARACHI , Pakistan -- Pakistani health officials say soybean dust from shipping containers , not a toxic gas leak , likely was responsible for the deaths of 14 people in a Karachi neighborhood this week .
Muhammad Umer Faran , a spokesman for Pakistan 's Ministry of Maritime Affairs , on February 19 told RFE/RL that `` it is suspected '' that soybean dust that was spread while a shipment was being offloaded caused the deaths and injuries , although he added that the investigation is still under way and that a final determination is still to come .
Zafar @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sindh Province , said that aeroallergen from soybean dust was found in blood samples collected from people who died after the suspected gas leak in the southern port city 's Kamari area .
Hundreds of other people were stricken in the incident and rushed to hospitals complaining of breathing problems and burning eyes .
Authorities first suspected a toxic gas leak , with some people speculating that damage to a nuclear reactor in the city could have been to blame .
But Mahdi said that “ soybean dust from shipping containers ” that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's port on February 16 was responsible .
Seemin Jamali , a doctor at the city 's Jinnah Hospital -- where most of the ill people were taken – said soybean dust can cause a severe allergic reaction and cause death for people with lung infections The ship that was unloading soybeans reportedly imported from the United States has been removed from the terminal , but officials said the dangers created by the dust could take at least four days to clear .
Several dozen residents of the port area protested to demand @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with many blaming authorities for not doing enough to prevent the deaths .
Pakistan State Oil , the country ’ s largest oil marketer , said it was temporarily closing its storage terminal at the site to protect the health of its staff , adding that it would use backup facilities to help prevent fuel shortages .
Nasir Shah , the provincial information minister , on February 18 had said local officials had sought help from the Pakistani Navy 's chemical and biological department to help determine the source of the leak .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ with numerous oil refineries situated nearby , along with a key naval installation .
With reporting by AP , dpa , Reuters , and Geo News

KARACHI, Pakistan -- Pakistani health officials say soybean dust from shipping containers, not a toxic gas leak, likely was responsible for the deaths of 14 people in a Karachi neighborhood this week.
Muhammad Umer Faran, a spokesman for Pakistan's Ministry of Maritime Affairs, on February 19 told RFE/RL that "it is suspected" that soybean dust that was spread while a shipment was being offloaded caused the deaths and injuries, although he added that the investigation is still under way and that a final determination is still to come.
Zafar Mahdi, a senior health official in Sindh Province, said that aeroallergen from soybean dust was found in blood samples collected from people who died after the suspected gas leak in the southern port city's Kamari area.
Hundreds of other people were stricken in the incident and rushed to hospitals complaining of breathing problems and burning eyes.
Authorities first suspected a toxic gas leak, with some people speculating that damage to a nuclear reactor in the city could have been to blame.
But Mahdi said that “soybean dust from shipping containers” that had recently been unloaded at the city's port on February 16 was responsible.
Seemin Jamali, a doctor at the city's Jinnah Hospital -- where most of the ill people were taken – said soybean dust can cause a severe allergic reaction and cause death for people with lung infections
The ship that was unloading soybeans reportedly imported from the United States has been removed from the terminal, but officials said the dangers created by the dust could take at least four days to clear.
Several dozen residents of the port area protested to demand an independent probe into the incident, with many blaming authorities for not doing enough to prevent the deaths.
Pakistan State Oil, the country’s largest oil marketer, said it was temporarily closing its storage terminal at the site to protect the health of its staff, adding that it would use backup facilities to help prevent fuel shortages.
Nasir Shah, the provincial information minister, on February 18 had said local officials had sought help from the Pakistani Navy's chemical and biological department to help determine the source of the leak.
Karachi is Pakistan's largest city, with numerous oil refineries situated nearby, along with a key naval installation.
With reporting by AP, dpa, Reuters, and Geo News


rferl--2020-02-20--Iraqi Premier-Designate Vows Reforms, Calls For Vote Of Confidence

Mohammad Allawi , the Iraqi prime minister-designate , says he has formed a politically independent government and has called on parliament to hold a vote of confidence to allow his impending administration to take office .
In a national address on February 19 , Allawi said he has put together `` an independent government without any party candidates for the first time in decades . ''
Allawi said he wanted the vote of confidence to occur on February 24 as a March 2 constitutional deadline nears .
Iraq has been battered by massive street protests since October 1 , with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as the “ elite ” class taking control of government .
They have also protested against foreign influence in the country , particularly Iran but also against the U.S. military presence .
Allawi vowed that if his government wins the confidence vote , it would immediately launch a probe into the killing of some 500 protesters during the street demonstrations and hold those responsible for the killings to account .
He said he would hold early elections that would be free from `` the influence of money , weapons , and foreign interference @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his government a chance despite a `` crisis of confidence in everything related to politics '' caused by previous administrations .
“ All of what has been achieved is a result of your sacrifices and steadfastness , so congratulations on this massive honor that the people and history will remember .
Congratulations on this valiant glory and this courage , for you have laid the foundations for a new era in Iraq 's history , '' he said .
Allawi was designated premier by President Barham Salih on February 1 in an effort @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lawmakers from rival parties .
Many protesters rejected Allawi as another member of the political elite holding power .
Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi was forced to resign amid the protests but has stayed on as a caretaker premier .
He said he would step down if political leaders did not back Allawi by March 2 , potentially creating a dangerous vacuum at the top of the government .
Allawi warned on February 19 that if no government is formed by the March 2 constitutional deadline , `` it will be because there are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' in order to maintain `` confessionalism and corruption . ''
Allawi 's government would be expected to rule only until early parliamentary elections are held under a new electoral law , which protesters have demanded .
With reporting by AFP , Reuters , and dpa

Mohammad Allawi, the Iraqi prime minister-designate, says he has formed a politically independent government and has called on parliament to hold a vote of confidence to allow his impending administration to take office.
In a national address on February 19, Allawi said he has put together "an independent government without any party candidates for the first time in decades."
Allawi said he wanted the vote of confidence to occur on February 24 as a March 2 constitutional deadline nears.
Iraq has been battered by massive street protests since October 1, with demonstrators expressing anger over what they see as the “elite” class taking control of government.
They have also protested against foreign influence in the country, particularly Iran but also against the U.S. military presence.
Allawi vowed that if his government wins the confidence vote, it would immediately launch a probe into the killing of some 500 protesters during the street demonstrations and hold those responsible for the killings to account.
He said he would hold early elections that would be free from "the influence of money, weapons, and foreign interference" and called on protesters to give his government a chance despite a "crisis of confidence in everything related to politics" caused by previous administrations.
“All of what has been achieved is a result of your sacrifices and steadfastness, so congratulations on this massive honor that the people and history will remember. Congratulations on this valiant glory and this courage, for you have laid the foundations for a new era in Iraq's history," he said.
Allawi was designated premier by President Barham Salih on February 1 in an effort to end a standoff amid infighting by lawmakers from rival parties. Many protesters rejected Allawi as another member of the political elite holding power.
Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi was forced to resign amid the protests but has stayed on as a caretaker premier. He said he would step down if political leaders did not back Allawi by March 2, potentially creating a dangerous vacuum at the top of the government.
Allawi warned on February 19 that if no government is formed by the March 2 constitutional deadline, "it will be because there are indeed parties that are working for instability" in order to maintain "confessionalism and corruption."
Allawi's government would be expected to rule only until early parliamentary elections are held under a new electoral law, which protesters have demanded.
With reporting by AFP, Reuters, and dpa


rferl--2020-02-19--U.S. Special Envoy, Top EU Diplomat Discuss Taliban Deal With Afghan President

The U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan , Zalmay Khalilzad , and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani met on February 19 to discuss a U.S. deal with Taliban militants on a seven-day reduction in violence .
Ghani the previous day was declared the winner of a hotly contested presidential poll , the outcome of which was rejected by his main rival , Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah .
Ghani ’ s office released a statement saying he and the U.S. diplomat had held “ effective ” meetings with local leaders on how the Afghan government would handle the peace process to eventually end @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Josep Borrell , the European Union ’ s chief diplomat , congratulated Ghani on retaining the presidency while pushing for an “ inclusive peace process ” in a phone call the same day .
Borrell “ stressed the priority will now be to ensure unity in support of an inclusive peace process , ” an EU news release said .
He continued : “ The European Union stands ready to support the peace process , which is an opportunity not to be missed.
” Abdullah on February 17 told a meeting of government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a seven-day reduction of violence ahead of a peace deal with the United States that was “ finalized ” a week earlier and may be signed as soon as February 29 .
The New York Times reported last week that President Donald Trump had given his “ conditional ” approval of a peace deal .
Based on reporting by Reuters and The New York Times

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--2020-02-19--Ukrainian Political Prisoner Stohniy Freed From Russian-Administered Jail

A Ukrainian man considered a political prisoner by local rights groups has resurfaced in Kyiv after completing a 3 1/2-year prison sentence in Russian-controlled prisons on charges of making and transporting weapons and explosive devices .
The news of Oleksiy Stohniy ’ s release was announced on February 19 by human rights ombudswoman Lyudmyla Denisova .
“ All these years , our citizen has been kept in intolerable conditions inside places of incarceration by the invading country , which greatly affected his state of health , ” she said .
“ I will urgently take appropriate measures to conduct a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ necessary medical care to Oleksiy.
” His wife , Oksana Stohniy , said on Facebook that her husband was released at the end of January but the family didn ’ t publicize the fact until he safely crossed from Russia-occupied Crimea into mainland Ukraine .
“ He is finally home !
My beloved husband and best father to our [ two ] daughters !
We waited for the family to be reunited .
We are thrilled !
” she wrote on Facebook .
Oleksiy Stohniy was arrested on the night of November 14-15 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the administrative border of Ukraine ’ s Crimean Peninsula into the mainland portion of the country en route to Kyiv for his daughter ’ s birthday , according to his wife .
Russia forcibly annexed Crimea in March 2014 following the ouster of Ukraine 's pro-Kremlin President Viktor Yanukovych .
He and eight other Ukrainians were initially charged by Russian authorities in Crimea with spying for the Ukrainian Defense Ministry and planning subversive acts .
However , he was sentenced in a closed-door trial on November 17 , 2017 , for making weapons @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of his prison sentence in a Russian penal colony .
Groups such as the Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group , Crimean Human Rights Group , and the Association of Relatives of Kremlin Political Prisoners considered the charges false and designated Stohniy a political prisoner .
Stohniy had served in the Ukrainian military but resigned in 1997 due to medical issues , Oksana Stohniy said at a news conference in Kyiv in May 2017 .
At the time of his arrest , Oleksiy Stohniy was working as a sales clerk in the Crimean port @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last month that Russia still holds 96 political prisoners , most of whom were detained in Crimea , including 69 Crimean Tatars .
The office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a statement in late December that it was working toward a third prisoner swap with Russia and was preparing a new list of political prisoners , including Crimeans .
Ukraine and Russia carried out two prisoner swaps last year .

A Ukrainian man considered a political prisoner by local rights groups has resurfaced in Kyiv after completing a 3 1/2-year prison sentence in Russian-controlled prisons on charges of making and transporting weapons and explosive devices.
The news of Oleksiy Stohniy’s release was announced on February 19 by human rights ombudswoman Lyudmyla Denisova.
“All these years, our citizen has been kept in intolerable conditions inside places of incarceration by the invading country, which greatly affected his state of health,” she said. “I will urgently take appropriate measures to conduct a highly qualified medical examination and provide the necessary medical care to Oleksiy.”
His wife, Oksana Stohniy, said on Facebook that her husband was released at the end of January but the family didn’t publicize the fact until he safely crossed from Russia-occupied Crimea into mainland Ukraine.
“He is finally home! My beloved husband and best father to our [two] daughters! We waited for the family to be reunited. We are thrilled!” she wrote on Facebook.
Oleksiy Stohniy was arrested on the night of November 14-15, 2016, while trying to cross the administrative border of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula into the mainland portion of the country en route to Kyiv for his daughter’s birthday, according to his wife.
Russia forcibly annexed Crimea in March 2014 following the ouster of Ukraine's pro-Kremlin President Viktor Yanukovych.
He and eight other Ukrainians were initially charged by Russian authorities in Crimea with spying for the Ukrainian Defense Ministry and planning subversive acts.
However, he was sentenced in a closed-door trial on November 17, 2017, for making weapons and explosive devices. He spent part of his prison sentence in a Russian penal colony.
Groups such as the Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group, Crimean Human Rights Group, and the Association of Relatives of Kremlin Political Prisoners considered the charges false and designated Stohniy a political prisoner.
Stohniy had served in the Ukrainian military but resigned in 1997 due to medical issues, Oksana Stohniy said at a news conference in Kyiv in May 2017.
At the time of his arrest, Oleksiy Stohniy was working as a sales clerk in the Crimean port city of Sevastopol.
Ukrainian NGOs said last month that Russia still holds 96 political prisoners, most of whom were detained in Crimea, including 69 Crimean Tatars.
The office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a statement in late December that it was working toward a third prisoner swap with Russia and was preparing a new list of political prisoners, including Crimeans.
Ukraine and Russia carried out two prisoner swaps last year.


rferl--2020-02-19--Assange’s Lawyer Claims WikiLeaks Founder Was Offered U.S. Pardon If He Denied Russia's Role

A lawyer for Julian Assange said the WikiLeaks founder will tell a judge during his extradition hearing that he was offered a pardon by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump in exchange for publicly saying that Russia was not involved in the leak of Democratic National Committee e-mails .
Assange , who was arrested last year in London at the request of the United States on charges of spying dating back to 2010 , is seeking to fight his extradition .
A court will hear his case next week .
During the preliminary hearing on February 19 , Assange @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 2017 former U.S. congressman Dana Rohrabacher ( Republican-California ) visited Assange , who was holed up in the Ecuadoran Embassy in London amid fears of arrest .
Fitzgerald told the judge that another Assange lawyer , Jennifer Robinson , recalled that Rohrabacher said he was visiting on instructions from Trump and that the United States would be willing to pardon Assange or offer another means to set him free if he would say that Russia was not involved in the DNC leaks .
In 2016 , as Trump and Hillary Clinton were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dumped thousands of embarrassing e-mails from the DNC .
Responding to the lawyer 's claims , White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said , `` This is absolutely and completely false . ''
Trump “ barely knows Dana Rohrabacher other than he ’ s an ex-congressman .
He ’ s never spoken to him on this subject or almost any subject , '' Grisham said .
`` It is a complete fabrication and a total lie .
This is probably another never-ending hoax and total lie from the DNC.
” Rohrabacher , in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , said he never spoke with Trump about Assange and was not directed by the president or anyone else connected with him to meet with Assange .
U.S. Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller , who investigated Russian meddling in the 2016 election , determined that members of Russia ’ s military intelligence , known as the GRU , hacked into the DNC server as part of a larger Kremlin campaign to sow discord and support Trump .
Russian meddling in the 2016 election cast a cloud over Trump ’ s victory and has dogged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mueller concluded in March 2019 following his two-year investigation that their was insufficient evidence to conclude that Trump colluded with the Kremlin .
Trump , who has praised Russian President Vladimir Putin and said he wants better relations with Moscow , has called the probe “ an attempted coup ” and an “ illegal investigation.
” Assange has been called a tool of the Kremlin as his WikiLeaks has never published damaging information about Putin or his government .
He has denied that Russia was the source of the DNC e-mails .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ American military and diplomatic documents in 2010 after they were given to him by former Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning .
The U.S. charges against Assange claim he tried to help Manning break the pass code to retrieve classified material .
He is not charged with publishing the material .
Assange , who calls the charges politically motivated , faces up to 175 years in prison .
With reporting by Politico , AP , and Al-Jazeera

A lawyer for Julian Assange said the WikiLeaks founder will tell a judge during his extradition hearing that he was offered a pardon by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump in exchange for publicly saying that Russia was not involved in the leak of Democratic National Committee e-mails.
Assange, who was arrested last year in London at the request of the United States on charges of spying dating back to 2010, is seeking to fight his extradition. A court will hear his case next week.
During the preliminary hearing on February 19, Assange’s lawyer Edward Fitzgerald said that in 2017 former U.S. congressman Dana Rohrabacher (Republican-California) visited Assange, who was holed up in the Ecuadoran Embassy in London amid fears of arrest.
Fitzgerald told the judge that another Assange lawyer, Jennifer Robinson, recalled that Rohrabacher said he was visiting on instructions from Trump and that the United States would be willing to pardon Assange or offer another means to set him free if he would say that Russia was not involved in the DNC leaks.
In 2016, as Trump and Hillary Clinton were vying for the U.S. presidency, WikiLeaks dumped thousands of embarrassing e-mails from the DNC.
Responding to the lawyer's claims, White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said, "This is absolutely and completely false."
Trump “barely knows Dana Rohrabacher other than he’s an ex-congressman. He’s never spoken to him on this subject or almost any subject," Grisham said. "It is a complete fabrication and a total lie. This is probably another never-ending hoax and total lie from the DNC.”
Rohrabacher, in a statement linked on his Twitter account, said he never spoke with Trump about Assange and was not directed by the president or anyone else connected with him to meet with Assange.
U.S. Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller, who investigated Russian meddling in the 2016 election, determined that members of Russia’s military intelligence, known as the GRU, hacked into the DNC server as part of a larger Kremlin campaign to sow discord and support Trump.
Russian meddling in the 2016 election cast a cloud over Trump’s victory and has dogged him throughout his term, even after Mueller concluded in March 2019 following his two-year investigation that their was insufficient evidence to conclude that Trump colluded with the Kremlin.
Trump, who has praised Russian President Vladimir Putin and said he wants better relations with Moscow, has called the probe “an attempted coup” and an “illegal investigation.”
Assange has been called a tool of the Kremlin as his WikiLeaks has never published damaging information about Putin or his government. He has denied that Russia was the source of the DNC e-mails.
The 48-year old began publishing archives of secret American military and diplomatic documents in 2010 after they were given to him by former Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning.
The U.S. charges against Assange claim he tried to help Manning break the pass code to retrieve classified material. He is not charged with publishing the material.
Assange, who calls the charges politically motivated, faces up to 175 years in prison.
With reporting by Politico, AP, and Al-Jazeera


rferl--2020-02-19--Bosnian Presidency Members Criticize Dodik In Dispute Over International Judges

The Bosniak and Croat members of the multiethnic presidency of Bosnia-Herzegovina say they will not agree to a Serb demand to remove international judges from the country 's Constitutional Court .
Sefik Dzaferovic , a Bosniak , said on February 19 that a demand by the Serb member of the Bosnian presidency , Milorad Dodik , for the three international judges to be removed from the nine-member court could send Bosnia `` into a downfall . ''
Dodik said the same day that the international judges -- placed on the court by the 1995 Dayton accords that ended the Bosnian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ concept of the breakup ... of Republika Srpska '' and only work `` for the interests of Bosniaks . ''
Dodik said his party would submit a bill in the coming days that would terminate the foreign judges ' mandate and institute the election of only Bosnian judges to the Constitutional Court .
The three international judges -- from Germany , North Macedonia , and Moldova -- serve with two judges each from Bosnia 's Bosniak , Croat , and Serb ethnic groups .
Lawmakers in Republika Srpska ( RS ) , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on February 17 to suspend the work of all RS officials in Bosnian institutions until the foreign judges are removed from the Constitutional Court .
That vote came after Dodik proclaimed in the RS legislature in Banja Luka , `` Goodbye Bosnia , welcome RS Exit , '' threatening secession by making a reference to Brexit .
Dzaferovic said the Serbs ' refusal to work in Bosnian institutions -- which has crippled work in many state bodies -- is a `` blow to the constitutional order of Bosnia-Herzegovina . ''
He added that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ menu from which you can select only what you like from it . ''
Dzaferovic urged the Serb officials not to obstruct the government 's work and added that a solution can not be found through `` blackmail and pressure . ''
The third member of Bosnia 's presidency , Croat Zeljko Komsic , also spoke out against Dodik 's demands .
`` He knows that no one in Sarajevo will be fooled by him , '' he said .
`` There are procedures .
If you think something is unconstitutional , contact @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rule . ''
Tensions have flared in Bosnia since the Constitutional Court earlier this month ruled that unclaimed agricultural land became automatically the property of the central Bosnian state rather than Republika Srpska -- contradicting Bosnian Serb law .
Dodik has repeatedly called for a referendum on the status of the Serb-led entity , saying Bosnian Serbs have a right to decide their own future .
Bosnia remains deeply divided along ethnic lines .
The country emerged from the 1992-95 Bosnian War as two autonomous regions -- the Bosnian-Croat Federation and Republika Srpska @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Last week , the United States and the EU office in Sarajevo joined Britain , Germany , France , and Italy in saying that “ unilateral withdrawal from institutions , or blockages of decision-making within them , are unacceptable and counterproductive . ''

The Bosniak and Croat members of the multiethnic presidency of Bosnia-Herzegovina say they will not agree to a Serb demand to remove international judges from the country's Constitutional Court.
Sefik Dzaferovic, a Bosniak, said on February 19 that a demand by the Serb member of the Bosnian presidency, Milorad Dodik, for the three international judges to be removed from the nine-member court could send Bosnia "into a downfall."
Dodik said the same day that the international judges -- placed on the court by the 1995 Dayton accords that ended the Bosnian War -- are part of the "concept of the breakup...of Republika Srpska" and only work "for the interests of Bosniaks."
Dodik said his party would submit a bill in the coming days that would terminate the foreign judges' mandate and institute the election of only Bosnian judges to the Constitutional Court.
The three international judges -- from Germany, North Macedonia, and Moldova -- serve with two judges each from Bosnia's Bosniak, Croat, and Serb ethnic groups.
Lawmakers in Republika Srpska (RS), the Bosnia Serb entity in Bosnia-Herzegovina, voted on February 17 to suspend the work of all RS officials in Bosnian institutions until the foreign judges are removed from the Constitutional Court.
That vote came after Dodik proclaimed in the RS legislature in Banja Luka, "Goodbye Bosnia, welcome RS Exit," threatening secession by making a reference to Brexit.
Dzaferovic said the Serbs' refusal to work in Bosnian institutions -- which has crippled work in many state bodies -- is a "blow to the constitutional order of Bosnia-Herzegovina."
He added that the Dayton agreement "is not a menu from which you can select only what you like from it."
Dzaferovic urged the Serb officials not to obstruct the government's work and added that a solution cannot be found through "blackmail and pressure."
The third member of Bosnia's presidency, Croat Zeljko Komsic, also spoke out against Dodik's demands.
"He knows that no one in Sarajevo will be fooled by him," he said. "There are procedures. If you think something is unconstitutional, contact the Constitutional Court. That's the rule."
Tensions have flared in Bosnia since the Constitutional Court earlier this month ruled that unclaimed agricultural land became automatically the property of the central Bosnian state rather than Republika Srpska -- contradicting Bosnian Serb law.
Dodik has repeatedly called for a referendum on the status of the Serb-led entity, saying Bosnian Serbs have a right to decide their own future.
Bosnia remains deeply divided along ethnic lines. The country emerged from the 1992-95 Bosnian War as two autonomous regions -- the Bosnian-Croat Federation and Republika Srpska -- united under a weak central government.
Last week, the United States and the EU office in Sarajevo joined Britain, Germany, France, and Italy in saying that “unilateral withdrawal from institutions, or blockages of decision-making within them, are unacceptable and counterproductive."


rferl--2020-02-19--Trial Of Armenia’s Ex-President Sarkisian For Fraud To Start On February 25

YEREVAN -- Armenia ’ s former President Serzh Sarkisian is scheduled to go on trial on February 25 to defend himself against large-scale corruption charges he rejects as politically motivated .
The Special Investigative Service ( SIS ) charged Sarkisian in early December with coordinating an “ embezzlement ” scheme worth 489 million drams ( more than $ 1 million ) in government funds allocated in 2013 for the provision of subsidized diesel fuel to farmers .
The SIS alleged that Sarkisian rigged a government tender for the fuel supplier in favor of a company belonging to his longtime friend @ @ @ @ @ @ @ another fuel importer that offered a lower price .
It also indicted Barseghian , former Agriculture Minister Sergo Karapetian , his former deputy Samvel Galstian , and another former government official .
All five suspects deny wrongdoing .
None of them has been held in pretrial detention .
Galstian ’ s lawyer , Vachagan Kosian , said on February 19 that during the trial he will petition the court to throw out the accusations leveled against his client .
He said his client is being unfairly prosecuted for only relaying a “ verbal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Agriculture Ministry official .
Karapetian headed the ministry during the alleged embezzlement scheme .
The high-profile criminal case is reportedly based on his incriminating testimony against Sarkisian and Beglarian .
According to the businessman ’ s lawyer , Nikolay Hakobian , the ex-minister stood by his testimony when he and Beglarian were brought face to face and questioned by SIS earlier this month .
Speaking to reporters on February 18 , Hakobian described as “ baseless ” investigators ’ claims that his client “ prodded ” Sarkisian to have the fuel supply contract @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s lawyers and the former ruling Republican Party of Armenia ( HHK ) still headed by the 65-year-old ex-president deny the embezzlement charges .
They say that he is being prosecuted in retaliation for his public criticism of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian .
Sarkisian , who ruled Armenia from 2008 to 2018 , accused Pashinian ’ s government of jeopardizing democracy and stifling dissent in a November 20 speech at a congress of the European People ’ s Party held in Croatia .
He had kept a low profile since resigning in April @ @ @ @ @ @ @ against his continued rule .
Pashinian has repeatedly implicated Sarkisian , his family , and political entourage for corruption both before and after coming to power during the country ’ s Velvet Revolution .
Another former Armenian president , Robert Kocharian , who served two five-year terms from 1998 to 2008 , is currently on trial on charges stemming from his alleged role in a 2008 postelection crackdown on the opposition , as well as for taking bribes .
Kocharian , who is also highly critical of Pashinian ’ s government , denies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ motivated .
Unlike Sarkisian , Kocharian is in custody .
Since being arrested in July 2018 , he had twice been released from detention by court decisions , but in both cases he was rearrested after prosecutors won appeals .

YEREVAN -- Armenia’s former President Serzh Sarkisian is scheduled to go on trial on February 25 to defend himself against large-scale corruption charges he rejects as politically motivated.
The Special Investigative Service (SIS) charged Sarkisian in early December with coordinating an “embezzlement” scheme worth 489 million drams (more than $1 million) in government funds allocated in 2013 for the provision of subsidized diesel fuel to farmers.
The SIS alleged that Sarkisian rigged a government tender for the fuel supplier in favor of a company belonging to his longtime friend, businessman Barsegh Beglarian, rather than another fuel importer that offered a lower price.
It also indicted Barseghian, former Agriculture Minister Sergo Karapetian, his former deputy Samvel Galstian, and another former government official.
All five suspects deny wrongdoing. None of them has been held in pretrial detention.
Galstian’s lawyer, Vachagan Kosian, said on February 19 that during the trial he will petition the court to throw out the accusations leveled against his client. He said his client is being unfairly prosecuted for only relaying a “verbal order” issued by Karapetian to another Agriculture Ministry official.
Karapetian headed the ministry during the alleged embezzlement scheme. The high-profile criminal case is reportedly based on his incriminating testimony against Sarkisian and Beglarian.
According to the businessman’s lawyer, Nikolay Hakobian, the ex-minister stood by his testimony when he and Beglarian were brought face to face and questioned by SIS earlier this month.
Speaking to reporters on February 18, Hakobian described as “baseless” investigators’ claims that his client “prodded” Sarkisian to have the fuel supply contract awarded to his firm.
Sarkisian’s lawyers and the former ruling Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) still headed by the 65-year-old ex-president deny the embezzlement charges. They say that he is being prosecuted in retaliation for his public criticism of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian.
Sarkisian, who ruled Armenia from 2008 to 2018, accused Pashinian’s government of jeopardizing democracy and stifling dissent in a November 20 speech at a congress of the European People’s Party held in Croatia. He had kept a low profile since resigning in April 2018 amid mass protests led by Pashinian against his continued rule.
Pashinian has repeatedly implicated Sarkisian, his family, and political entourage for corruption both before and after coming to power during the country’s Velvet Revolution.
Another former Armenian president, Robert Kocharian, who served two five-year terms from 1998 to 2008, is currently on trial on charges stemming from his alleged role in a 2008 postelection crackdown on the opposition, as well as for taking bribes.
Kocharian, who is also highly critical of Pashinian’s government, denies the charges, describing them as politically motivated.
Unlike Sarkisian, Kocharian is in custody. Since being arrested in July 2018, he had twice been released from detention by court decisions, but in both cases he was rearrested after prosecutors won appeals.


rferl--2020-02-20--Iranians Voting For Parliamentary Candidates Vetted By Conservative Clerics

Iranians are going to the polls on February 21 for parliamentary elections in which all candidacies have been pre-screened by hard-line Islamic clerics and thousands of applications from reformists and moderates have been rejected .
A total of 7,148 candidacies have been approved by the conservative clerics in Iran 's hard-line Guardians Council .
The Guardians Council rejected the applications of about 9,000 Iranians who tried to run for one of parliament 's 290 seats .
Ninety members of Iran 's outgoing parliament were among those whose candidacies were rejected by the Guardians Council .
Many were known as moderates @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the poll , the United States imposed sanctions on five election officials , including Ahmad Jannati , a powerful ultra-conservative cleric who is the secretary of the Guardians Council , for barring the candidates from the ballot and “ denying the Iranian people free and fair elections , ” said Brian Hook , the State Department ’ s special representative for Iran .
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement that `` clerics like Jannati have deprived the Iranian people of a real choice at the ballot box for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ added that the Iranian people `` deserve the opportunity to express their opinions without being marginalized or massacred .
The voices of the Iranian people must be heard . ''
Polls open at 8 a.m. and are scheduled to close at 6 p.m. A one-week official campaign season came to an end on February 19 -- with authorities imposing a day of silence before the actual vote .
The Guardians Council has defended the disqualification process , saying it expects at least 50 percent of Iran 's 58 million eligible voters to cast @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is that we will have a good turnout in the upcoming election , '' Guardians Council spokesman Abbasali Kadkhodaee said on February 19 .
`` The average turnout has usually not been under 50 percent , and we will witness a turnout of 50 percent in this election too , '' Kadklodaee said .
Iranian officials say turnout in 2016 for the country 's last parliamentary elections was about 60 percent .
The February 21 elections are seen as a test of the popularity of Iran 's conservative clerical establishment .
Voting comes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Iran 's worsening economy , and Tehran ’ s handling of the downing of a Ukrainian passenger jet by Iranian air defenses that killed all 176 people on board .
A U.S. campaign of “ maximum pressure ” against Iran , including crippling economic sanctions , have hurt the country 's economy and contributed to a crash of the national currency -- the rial .
Angry Iranians have taken to the streets protests in recent months .
The demonstrations have included anti-establishment protests in November , sparked by a sudden gasoline price hike @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , that met with a violent crackdown by security forces .
Iranian leaders , including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei , have called on voters to get out and cast ballots .
Khamenei has described voting as a “ religious duty ” while urging even those who don ’ t like him to cast ballots .
But inside and outside the country , some Iranians have suggested that voting in such an uncompetitive elections does not make sense .
Paris-based political activist Ali Keshtgar told RFE/RL ’ s Radio Farda that only candidates @ @ @ @ @ @ @ run .
“ Critics of the establishment have no chance of entering the elections , ” Keshtgar said .
Jailed human rights activist Narges Mohammadi has called for an election boycott to protest repression imposed by state authorities .
`` We need to rise up in the most civilized way and launch a strong boycott campaign to respond to the repressive policies of the government , '' Mohammadi says .
Observers say election turnout could be affected by an announcement from Iranian health officials that five people have contracted the deadly coronavirus in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who died from the coronavirus in the holy Shi ’ ite city of Qom .
With reporting by RFE/RL ’ s Radio Farda , AFP , and Reuters

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


rferl--2020-02-20--Siberian Mayor Orders Subordinates To Take Public Transport Amid Service Complaints

The mayor of a Siberian city has ordered his subordinates to take public transportation to work amid complaints about the @ @ @ @ @ Vadim Shuvalov , who runs Surgut , one of Russia 's wealthiest cities , asked @ @ @ @ @ his social media page which transportation lines city officials should inspect .
Citizens responded that @ @ @ @ @ , smelly , and uncomfortable .
As a result , Shuvalev decided that his deputies @ @ @ @ @ will take public transport to work in order to keep on eye on problems with @ @ @ @ @ .
Russian media did not say whether Shuvalev will take public transport as well .
@ @ @ @ @ which is located about 1,300 miles east of Moscow , average between -23 and -14 @ @ @ @ @ home to about 400,000 citizens and is also the headquarters for one of Russia ’ @ @ @ @ @ Based on reporting by TASS and SurgutinformTV

The mayor of a Siberian city has ordered his subordinates to take public transportation to work amid complaints about the quality of the service.
Vadim Shuvalov, who runs Surgut, one of Russia's wealthiest cities, asked residents on February 12 via his social media page which transportation lines city officials should inspect.
Citizens responded that buses and vans were dirty, smelly, and uncomfortable.
As a result, Shuvalev decided that his deputies and "simple bureaucrats" will take public transport to work in order to keep on eye on problems with its service, TASS reported.
Russian media did not say whether Shuvalev will take public transport as well.
Winter temperatures in Surgut, which is located about 1,300 miles east of Moscow, average between -23 and -14 degrees Celsius.
Surgut is home to about 400,000 citizens and is also the headquarters for one of Russia’s largest oil companies.
Based on reporting by TASS and SurgutinformTV


rferl--2020-02-20--Iran Reports 3 New Cases Of Coronavirus After 2 Deaths In Same City

Iran said on February 20 that three more people have tested positive for a new coronavirus in the holy Shi'ite city of Qom , where two people the previous day had died of the illness caused by the virus .
The IRNA state news agency reported that all schools and universities , including religious Shi ’ ite seminaries , were closed in the holy Iranian city , located about 140 kilometers south of the capital , Tehran .
Amid fears of the virus spreading , neighboring Iraq banned border crossings by Iranian nationals after already suspending flights to Iran .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the same day that there were five confirmed cases of what the World Health Organization ( WHO ) has named the COVID-19 virus , which first emerged in China 's central Hubei Province in December .
The two elderly Iranians who died on February 19 were included in the number .
Iranian Deputy Health Minister Mohammad Mahdi said those infected with the illness didn ’ t appear to have had any contact with Chinese nationals .
Authorities are currently investigating how the five individuals could have contracted the virus and its possible link @ @ @ @ @ @ @ country .
Sixty Iranian students who had recently been evacuated from China and quarantined were discharged after 14 days without any health problems .
More than 75,000 people worldwide have been infected with the virus , with over 2,000 deaths being reported .
The vast majority of cases have occurred in China .
Based on reporting by IRNA and AP


rferl--2020-02-20--Potential EU Budget Cut Threatens Kaliningrad Transit

BRUSSELS -- A program funded by the European Union allowing citizens from Russia ’ s Kaliningrad exclave to cross Lithuania by rail or road to reach the rest of Russia is in jeopardy as EU leaders meet in Brussels on February 20-21 to negotiate the bloc 's next multiannual budget .
The program , called the Kaliningrad Transit Scheme , allows Russian citizens to smoothly transit to and from Kaliningrad from other parts of Russia via Lithuania .
It started in mid-2003 , a year before the Baltic state and former Soviet republic became an EU member .
The program @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and rail transit documents to Russians , has so far run without any major hitches and allowed an average of 400,000 Russians to annually travel to and from the Russian Baltic Sea exclave .
However , EU officials familiar with the budget talks have told RFE/RL under condition of anonymity that the current budget proposal could cause major disruptions .
The European Commission 's ( EC ) proposal for the 2021-2027 budget earmarks 139 million euros ( $ 150 million ) for the program , down from 157 million euros ( $ 169 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
A recent proposal by European Council President Charles Michel that will act as a blueprint for negotiations between leaders at the Brussels meeting is also suggesting maintaining the same amount as the European Commission .
Officials working with the program , however , estimate that the EU should pay out 215 million euros ( $ 232 million ) because an increasing number of Russians are using it and note that the current proposal would mean that the transit program would remain operational for only nine months a year .
Closing it for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and could lead to legal challenges since the functionality of the transit is enshrined in EU treaties , as well as Lithuania ’ s accession to the 27-nation bloc .
Increased Tensions ?
There are also fears that potential disruption could increase tensions between Russia and the EU , something that former Lithuanian Prime Minister and current member of European Parliament Andrius Kubilius told RFE/RL .
`` The current Multi-Financial Framework proposal by the EC as well as by EC President Charles Michel to decrease funding for the transit to Kaliningrad could contribute @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disrupting '' its continuation , he said .
Kubilius continued : `` We urge both the Council and Commission not to abandon their promise to ordinary Russian people . ''
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius also warned of the security aspect when asked to comment on the matter : '' Since 2005 , more than 6 million Russians have benefited from the EU-Russia special transit scheme , which in practice is fully implemented by Lithuania , using Lithuanian manpower , Lithuanian infrastructural facilities , etc .
It is a security issue and if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , it will contribute to bigger geopolitical tensions and jeopardize EU security . ''
An EC spokesperson told RFE/RL in a written reply that `` the proposal of President Michel is a good basis to start the negotiations .
The focus of the efforts of the Commission remains on reaching an agreement .
This is necessary to ensure that programs are up and running by January 1 , 2021 .
”

BRUSSELS -- A program funded by the European Union allowing citizens from Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave to cross Lithuania by rail or road to reach the rest of Russia is in jeopardy as EU leaders meet in Brussels on February 20-21 to negotiate the bloc's next multiannual budget.
The program, called the Kaliningrad Transit Scheme, allows Russian citizens to smoothly transit to and from Kaliningrad from other parts of Russia via Lithuania.
It started in mid-2003, a year before the Baltic state and former Soviet republic became an EU member.
The program, in which Vilnius issues special road and rail transit documents to Russians, has so far run without any major hitches and allowed an average of 400,000 Russians to annually travel to and from the Russian Baltic Sea exclave.
However, EU officials familiar with the budget talks have told RFE/RL under condition of anonymity that the current budget proposal could cause major disruptions.
The European Commission's (EC) proposal for the 2021-2027 budget earmarks 139 million euros ($150 million) for the program, down from 157 million euros ($169 million) from the previous seven years.
A recent proposal by European Council President Charles Michel that will act as a blueprint for negotiations between leaders at the Brussels meeting is also suggesting maintaining the same amount as the European Commission.
Officials working with the program, however, estimate that the EU should pay out 215 million euros ($232 million) because an increasing number of Russians are using it and note that the current proposal would mean that the transit program would remain operational for only nine months a year.
Closing it for one quarter every year is an option and could lead to legal challenges since the functionality of the transit is enshrined in EU treaties, as well as Lithuania’s accession to the 27-nation bloc.
Increased Tensions?
There are also fears that potential disruption could increase tensions between Russia and the EU, something that former Lithuanian Prime Minister and current member of European Parliament Andrius Kubilius told RFE/RL.
"The current Multi-Financial Framework proposal by the EC as well as by EC President Charles Michel to decrease funding for the transit to Kaliningrad could contribute to additional geopolitical tensions with Russia by disrupting" its continuation, he said.
Kubilius continued: "We urge both the Council and Commission not to abandon their promise to ordinary Russian people."
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius also warned of the security aspect when asked to comment on the matter:
"Since 2005, more than 6 million Russians have benefited from the EU-Russia special transit scheme, which in practice is fully implemented by Lithuania, using Lithuanian manpower, Lithuanian infrastructural facilities, etc. It is a security issue and if it remains underfunded as it is now, it will contribute to bigger geopolitical tensions and jeopardize EU security."
An EC spokesperson told RFE/RL in a written reply that "the proposal of President Michel is a good basis to start the negotiations. The focus of the efforts of the Commission remains on reaching an agreement. This is necessary to ensure that programs are up and running by January 1, 2021.”


rferl--2020-02-20--Flare-Up In Syria Bring Russia, Turkey Closer To Direct Conflict

Fighting between Syrian government forces backed by Russian air power and Turkish forces and Syrian rebels is pulling Moscow and Ankara more into the country ’ s civil war .
A fierce battle for the last region held by rebels opposing President al-Assad ’ s forces left 27 fighters dead on February 20 , the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported .
At least 11 pro-government combatants and 14 on the pro-Turkey side were killed as well as two Turkish soldiers .
The fighting took place near the northwestern region of Idlib in Syria and involved Russian warplanes , Russian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Air Force carried out the strikes with Su-24 bombers , the Russian Center for the Reconciliation of Warring Sides said in a statement the same day .
In turn , Turkey , a NATO member allied with the militants , retaliated .
The Turkish Defense Ministry claimed that as many as 50 Syrian government soldiers were killed in response , and that two armored personnel carriers , and other equipment were destroyed .
Both sides claimed they defeated the other in the February 20 clashes .
The escalation was followed by Turkish Defense @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ no doubt ” Ankara will activate S-400 missile systems bought from Russia .
The clashes in Idlib , the last region held by rebels resisting Syrian-government forces , come a day after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned of an imminent Turkish offensive in the area .
Thirteen Turkish soldiers were killed in Syrian attacks earlier this month , prompting Erdogan to warn of future action should another Turkish soldier be harmed .
Speaking in Geneva , the UN refugee chief called for the fighting to end to allow hundreds of thousands @ @ @ @ @ @ @ areas .
The UN says that since December , 800,000 people have been displaced due to fighting in the area .
The civil war has killed more than 400,000 people and displaced millions since it began with a crackdown on anti-government protesters in March 2011 .
Based on reporting by Reuters , AP , TASS , AFP , and Interfax

Fighting between Syrian government forces backed by Russian air power and Turkish forces and Syrian rebels is pulling Moscow and Ankara more into the country’s civil war.
A fierce battle for the last region held by rebels opposing President al-Assad’s forces left 27 fighters dead on February 20, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.
At least 11 pro-government combatants and 14 on the pro-Turkey side were killed as well as two Turkish soldiers.
The fighting took place near the northwestern region of Idlib in Syria and involved Russian warplanes, Russian and Turkish officials said.
The Russian Air Force carried out the strikes with Su-24 bombers, the Russian Center for the Reconciliation of Warring Sides said in a statement the same day.
In turn, Turkey, a NATO member allied with the militants, retaliated.
The Turkish Defense Ministry claimed that as many as 50 Syrian government soldiers were killed in response, and that two armored personnel carriers, and other equipment were destroyed.
Both sides claimed they defeated the other in the February 20 clashes.
The escalation was followed by Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar saying there should be “no doubt” Ankara will activate S-400 missile systems bought from Russia.
The clashes in Idlib, the last region held by rebels resisting Syrian-government forces, come a day after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned of an imminent Turkish offensive in the area.
Thirteen Turkish soldiers were killed in Syrian attacks earlier this month, prompting Erdogan to warn of future action should another Turkish soldier be harmed.
Speaking in Geneva, the UN refugee chief called for the fighting to end to allow hundreds of thousands of trapped civilians to move to safer areas.
The UN says that since December, 800,000 people have been displaced due to fighting in the area.
The civil war has killed more than 400,000 people and displaced millions since it began with a crackdown on anti-government protesters in March 2011.
Based on reporting by Reuters, AP, TASS, AFP, and Interfax


rferl--2020-02-20--U.S. Sanctions Iranian Election Officials For Barring Candidates, Denying 'Fair' Poll

The United States has imposed restrictive measures on the five unelected members of an Iranian government agency it accuses of fixing national elections that are set for later this week .
The Treasury Department announced the sanctions against the members of Iran ’ s Guardian Council and its Elections Supervision Committee on February 20 , a day before the election .
The United States accuses the agency of disqualifying candidates who don ’ t follow the policies of the country 's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei .
The sanctioned men include Ahmad Jannati , a powerful cleric who is also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jannati had taken part in “ vetting ” candidates , Brian Hook , the State Department ’ s special representative for Iran , said at a February 20 briefing in Washington .
Hook said the election committee “ denied more than 7,000 candidates the right to run for a parliamentary seat '' in the February 21 poll .
An additional 90 sitting members of parliament were disqualified from running for reelection , he added .
Jannati and the four other sanctioned members `` have denied the Iranian people free and fair '' elections @ @ @ @ @ @ @ State Mike Pompeo said in a statement that `` clerics like Jannati have deprived the Iranian people of a real choice at the ballot box for the last 41 years . ''
He added that the “ Iranian people oppose this regime ’ s brutality at home and its violent misadventures abroad .
They deserve the opportunity to express their opinions without being marginalized or massacred .
The voices of the Iranian people must be heard . ''
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a separate statement that `` the Trump Administration will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ favor the regime 's malign agenda , and this [ sanctions ] action exposes those senior regime officials responsible for preventing the Iranian people from freely choosing their leaders . ''
The measures also apply to Mohammad Yazdi , a member of Iran 's Guardians Council who was formerly Iran 's first judiciary chief .
The other three members of the election committee are Abbas Ali Kadkhodaei , Siamak Rahpeyk , and Mohammad Hasan Sadeghi Moghadam .
The sanctions will freeze any property belonging to the individuals in the United States and prohibit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them .


rferl--2020-02-20--Kazakh Prosecutor-General's Office Calls On Citizens Not To Take Part In DVK Rallies

NUR-SULTAN -- The Kazakh Prosecutor-General 's office has called on citizens not to take part in what it called `` illegal '' rallies planned by the banned Kazakhstan ’ s Democratic Choice ( DVK ) movement on February 22 .
Deputy Prosecutor-General Bolat Dembaev 's statement announced via state-run media on February 20 warned citizens that law enforcement officers will `` undertake strict measures to prevent illegal rallies , '' adding that participants in `` illegal protests '' may face administrative and criminal charges .
`` Any actions by any person to organize or take part in an unsanctioned public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's office calls on citizens to strictly follow laws and stay away from provocations and participation in illegal public activities , '' the statement said .
The leader of the DVK movement , Mukhtar Ablyazov , who has been residing in self-imposed exile in Europe for more than a decade , has called on Kazakh citizens to hold anti-government protests in Nur-Sultan , the capital , and Kazakhstan ’ s largest city , Almaty , on February 22 .
Meanwhile , dozens of DVK supporters and other activists across Kazakhstan had been fined @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 5 to 15 days before the planned February 22 rallies on charges of organizing or taking part in earlier unsanctioned rallies .
According to the group , more people may be detained , fined , or jailed before the rallies as authorities look to scare off potential participants in the rallies .
Human rights proponents have said Kazakhstan ’ s law on public gatherings contradicts international standards as it requires preliminary permission from authorities to hold rallies and envisions prosecution for organizing and participating in unsanctioned rallies even though the nation 's constitution @ @ @ @ @ @ @ assembly .
During a working visit to Nur-Sultan earlier this month , U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo lauded what he said was a `` real improvement in Kazashstan '' and `` real changes '' since President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev came to power in March 2019 following the resignation of Nursultan Nazarbaev , who ruled the country for nearly 30 years .

NUR-SULTAN -- The Kazakh Prosecutor-General's office has called on citizens not to take part in what it called "illegal" rallies planned by the banned Kazakhstan’s Democratic Choice (DVK) movement on February 22.
Deputy Prosecutor-General Bolat Dembaev's statement announced via state-run media on February 20 warned citizens that law enforcement officers will "undertake strict measures to prevent illegal rallies," adding that participants in "illegal protests" may face administrative and criminal charges.
"Any actions by any person to organize or take part in an unsanctioned public event will be suppressed...The Prosecutor-General's office calls on citizens to strictly follow laws and stay away from provocations and participation in illegal public activities," the statement said.
The leader of the DVK movement, Mukhtar Ablyazov, who has been residing in self-imposed exile in Europe for more than a decade, has called on Kazakh citizens to hold anti-government protests in Nur-Sultan, the capital, and Kazakhstan’s largest city, Almaty, on February 22.
Meanwhile, dozens of DVK supporters and other activists across Kazakhstan had been fined or sentenced to jail terms ranging from 5 to 15 days before the planned February 22 rallies on charges of organizing or taking part in earlier unsanctioned rallies.
According to the group, more people may be detained, fined, or jailed before the rallies as authorities look to scare off potential participants in the rallies.
Human rights proponents have said Kazakhstan’s law on public gatherings contradicts international standards as it requires preliminary permission from authorities to hold rallies and envisions prosecution for organizing and participating in unsanctioned rallies even though the nation's constitution guarantees its citizens the right of free assembly.
During a working visit to Nur-Sultan earlier this month, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo lauded what he said was a "real improvement in Kazashstan" and "real changes" since President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev came to power in March 2019 following the resignation of Nursultan Nazarbaev, who ruled the country for nearly 30 years.


rferl--2020-02-20--Georgia’s Ex-Prime Minister and Top Cop Goes Free, Declares Return To Politics

Vano Merabishvili , the former Georgian prime minister and interior minister who was credited for reforming the nation 's police force , was released from prison after serving nearly seven years for embezzlement and abuse of power .
Immediately upon his release on February 20 , Merabishvili announced that he will return to politics , vowing to push aside the current government led by billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili 's ruling Georgian Dream party .
Outside the prison where he spent six years and nine months in an isolated cell , Merabishvili thanked everyone who supported him while he was incarcerated , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ my strength , energy , and belief in order to continue fighting and remove the current regime [ from power ] already this year . ''
Merabishvili emerged as a key government figure after Georgia 's 2003 Rose Revolution that brought Mikheil Saakashvilli to the presidency .
Merabishvilli served as Saakashvilli 's interior minister from 2004 to 2012 before becoming prime minister .
He was arrested in May 2013 soon after power switched from Saakashvilli 's United National Movement ( UNM ) party to Georgian Dream , the latter of which was founded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tycoon Ivanishvili .
Leaders of Georgian Dream began referring to Saakashvili 's presidency as a `` bloody regime . ''
Merabishvili was subsequently accused of abusing his office , bribing voters , and ordering the beating of a person , for which he was found guilty .
He was convicted again in 2017 of abuse of power .
He and his supporters have said the charges against him were politically motivated .
In June 2016 , the European Court of Human Rights ruled that the detention of Merabishvili was being used by Georgian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the European Convention of Human Rights .

Vano Merabishvili, the former Georgian prime minister and interior minister who was credited for reforming the nation's police force, was released from prison after serving nearly seven years for embezzlement and abuse of power.
Immediately upon his release on February 20, Merabishvili announced that he will return to politics, vowing to push aside the current government led by billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili's ruling Georgian Dream party.
Outside the prison where he spent six years and nine months in an isolated cell, Merabishvili thanked everyone who supported him while he was incarcerated, saying it "allowed me to preserve my strength, energy, and belief in order to continue fighting and remove the current regime [from power] already this year."
Merabishvili emerged as a key government figure after Georgia's 2003 Rose Revolution that brought Mikheil Saakashvilli to the presidency. Merabishvilli served as Saakashvilli's interior minister from 2004 to 2012 before becoming prime minister.
He was arrested in May 2013 soon after power switched from Saakashvilli's United National Movement (ENM) party to Georgian Dream, the latter of which was founded ahead of the 2012 parliamentary elections by tycoon Ivanishvili. Leaders of Georgian Dream began referring to Saakashvili's presidency as a "bloody regime."
Merabishvili was subsequently accused of abusing his office, bribing voters, and ordering the beating of a person, for which he was found guilty. He was convicted again in 2017 of abuse of power. He and his supporters have said the charges against him were politically motivated.
In June 2016, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that the detention of Merabishvili was being used by Georgian officials for other motives in violation of the European Convention of Human Rights.


rferl--2020-02-20--RFE/RL Protests Kazakhstan's Refusal To Accredit Journalists

WASHINGTON -- Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty ( RFE/RL ) has complained to the Kazakh government that its refusal to accredit two of its journalists is the latest in a series of efforts over the past year to interfere with its operations inside the country .
In a February 19 letter addressed to Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tleuberdi , RFE/RL President Jamie Fly called the decision to deny credentials to Sanat Urnaliev and Maria Melnikova , who work with RFE/RL 's Kazakh Service , known locally as Radio Azattyq , as `` arbitrary '' and said it was `` just the most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ your government toward our journalists . ''
Fly pointed to a decision by the ministry last June to deny credentials to seven reporters with its Current Time network and Kyrgyz and Tajik Services one day before national polls to elect a successor to former President Nursultan Nazarbaev , who resigned in March last year .
At the time , RFE/RL said the refusals directly interfered with media outlet 's mission to inform people in Kazakhstan about an event of `` profound public interest . ''
Fly told Tleuberdi that cases of harassment against @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sufficiently serious and numerous '' to prompt RFE/RL to send a complaint in July to the office of newly elected President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev , the country ’ s prosecutor-general , and several other cabinet members .
The letter documented physical assaults by provocateurs as well as arbitrary detentions and interrogations by authorities .
It also accused Kazakh police of a `` willful and repeated failure '' to act , even when journalists under assault appealed to officers nearby to stop the attackers – many wearing masks or wielding umbrellas .
The letter has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 19 letter by urging the foreign minister to accredit RFE/RL ’ s journalists promptly and uphold Kazakhstan 's international commitments , so that `` our journalists can report for the people of Kazakhstan unimpeded , in safety , and without fear . ''

WASHINGTON -- Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) has complained to the Kazakh government that its refusal to accredit two of its journalists is the latest in a series of efforts over the past year to interfere with its operations inside the country.
In a February 19 letter addressed to Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tleuberdi, RFE/RL President Jamie Fly called the decision to deny credentials to Sanat Urnaliev and Maria Melnikova, who work with RFE/RL's Kazakh Service, known locally as Radio Azattyq, as "arbitrary" and said it was "just the most recent example of lawless behavior directed by your government toward our journalists."
Fly pointed to a decision by the ministry last June to deny credentials to seven reporters with its Current Time network and Kyrgyz and Tajik Services one day before national polls to elect a successor to former President Nursultan Nazarbaev, who resigned in March last year.
At the time, RFE/RL said the refusals directly interfered with media outlet's mission to inform people in Kazakhstan about an event of "profound public interest."
Fly told Tleuberdi that cases of harassment against Kazakh Service journalists in 2019 were "sufficiently serious and numerous" to prompt RFE/RL to send a complaint in July to the office of newly elected President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev, the country’s prosecutor-general, and several other cabinet members.
The letter documented physical assaults by provocateurs as well as arbitrary detentions and interrogations by authorities. It also accused Kazakh police of a "willful and repeated failure" to act, even when journalists under assault appealed to officers nearby to stop the attackers – many wearing masks or wielding umbrellas. The letter has gone unanswered.
Fly concluded the February 19 letter by urging the foreign minister to accredit RFE/RL’s journalists promptly and uphold Kazakhstan's international commitments, so that "our journalists can report for the people of Kazakhstan unimpeded, in safety, and without fear."


rferl--2020-02-21--Kazakh Wildlife Ranger's Killers Receive Life Sentences In High-Profile Case

QARAGHANDY , Kazakhstan -- A court in Kazakhstan 's central city of Qaraghandy has sentenced three men to life in prison in the high-profile case of a ranger who was allegedly beaten to death during a confrontation with suspected poachers .
On February 21 , Judge Qairat Qasymov found Qairat Aqshanov , Berik Akhmetov , and Nurlan Shukildikov guilty of murdering Erlan Nurghaliev , attempting to murder his colleague Pyotr Nitsyk , and illegally hunting the endangered saiga antelope .
Four other defendants , Berden Bazarov , Batyrbek Qaiyrbekov , Zharaskhan Myrzabaev , and Aidos Akimov , were found guilty @ @ @ @ @ @ @ each sentenced to six years in prison .
Nurghaliev 's killing sparked outrage in the Central Asian nation and highlighted the threats to saiga , an endangered species of antelope protected by law in the former Soviet republic .
The deadly incident took place on January 13 , 2019 near Lake Tengiz , about 150 kilometers southwest of the capital , Nur-Sultan , when Nurghaliev and Nitsyk stopped a car they suspected was carrying men who had hunted saiga antelopes .
The suspected poachers attacked the two wildlife rangers , severely beating Nurghaliev @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a rifle butt .
Nurghaliev , 52 , died two days later in hospital without regaining consciousness .
In July 2019 , men poaching saiga shot dead another wildlife ranger , Qanysh Nurtazinov and wounded his partner , Samat Ospanov , in the northwestern region of Aqmola .

QARAGHANDY, Kazakhstan -- A court in Kazakhstan's central city of Qaraghandy has sentenced three men to life in prison in the high-profile case of a ranger who was allegedly beaten to death during a confrontation with suspected poachers.
On February 21, Judge Qairat Qasymov found Qairat Aqshanov, Berik Akhmetov, and Nurlan Shukildikov guilty of murdering Erlan Nurghaliev, attempting to murder his colleague Pyotr Nitsyk, and illegally hunting the endangered saiga antelope.
Four other defendants, Berden Bazarov, Batyrbek Qaiyrbekov, Zharaskhan Myrzabaev, and Aidos Akimov, were found guilty of organizing illegal hunts and they were each sentenced to six years in prison.
Nurghaliev's killing sparked outrage in the Central Asian nation and highlighted the threats to saiga, an endangered species of antelope protected by law in the former Soviet republic.
The deadly incident took place on January 13, 2019 near Lake Tengiz, about 150 kilometers southwest of the capital, Nur-Sultan, when Nurghaliev and Nitsyk stopped a car they suspected was carrying men who had hunted saiga antelopes.
The suspected poachers attacked the two wildlife rangers, severely beating Nurghaliev and hitting Nitsyk in the head with a rifle butt.
Nurghaliev, 52, died two days later in hospital without regaining consciousness.
In July 2019, men poaching saiga shot dead another wildlife ranger, Qanysh Nurtazinov and wounded his partner, Samat Ospanov, in the northwestern region of Aqmola.


rferl--2020-02-21--Tashkent Forcing Internet Firms To Locate Uzbek User Data Within Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan has announced a plan that will force Facebook , Google , and the Russian search engine Yandex to store the personal data of Uzbek users within the territory of Uzbekistan .
The plan mirrors a similar controversial law imposed in 2014 by Russia 's state-controlled telecommunications company , which requires Internet companies to store the personal data of Russian users within Russia 's borders .
Uzbek Deputy Minister for the Development of Information Technologies and Communications Olimjon Umarov said on February 20 that `` the localization of the server equipment and numerous services '' of Internet firms would be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's largest companies . ''
Umarov claimed that locating the servers within Uzbekistan would help to increase the speed of access to the Internet in Uzbekistan `` by 10 times . ''
But critics say such laws are aimed at imposing more control on Internet users and the content they post on social media .
Google in 2015 moved some of its servers to Russian data centers in order to comply with Russia 's version of the law .
But other global Internet firms have balked at the data rules .
On February @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Twitter and Facebook more than $ 60,000 each for refusing to move data on Russian users onto servers located within Russia .

Uzbekistan has announced a plan that will force Facebook, Google, and the Russian search engine Yandex to store the personal data of Uzbek users within the territory of Uzbekistan.
The plan mirrors a similar controversial law imposed in 2014 by Russia's state-controlled telecommunications company, which requires Internet companies to store the personal data of Russian users within Russia's borders.
Uzbek Deputy Minister for the Development of Information Technologies and Communications Olimjon Umarov said on February 20 that "the localization of the server equipment and numerous services" of Internet firms would be implemented "in cooperation with the world's largest companies."
Umarov claimed that locating the servers within Uzbekistan would help to increase the speed of access to the Internet in Uzbekistan "by 10 times."
But critics say such laws are aimed at imposing more control on Internet users and the content they post on social media.
Google in 2015 moved some of its servers to Russian data centers in order to comply with Russia's version of the law.
But other global Internet firms have balked at the data rules.
On February 13, a court in Moscow fined Twitter and Facebook more than $60,000 each for refusing to move data on Russian users onto servers located within Russia.