rferl--2020-12-07--Russian Suspected In Massive Bitcoin Fraud Sentenced In France For Money Laundering

A Russian man wanted by the United States in connection with a massive bitcoin theft scheme has been sentenced in France to five years in prison for money laundering .
Aleksandr Vinnik was handed the punishment in a French court on December 7 after a trial in which prosecutors laid out a scheme involving e-mails disguised as invoices laced with malware that would cripple the target ’ s computer until a ransom was paid in cybercurrency .
They said a total of 188 people had fallen victim to the scheme between 2016 and 2018 , netting Vinnik some $ 165 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the randomware attack charges , he was found guilty of laundering the money he extorted through another software program -- called Locky -- used in the attacks .
Vinnik has claimed he is innocent of the charges and his lawyer said that they will likely appeal the verdict .
The 41-year-old was arrested on a U.S. warrant in 2017 on a Greek beach where he was vacationing with his family .
Vinnik has been identified by U.S. and other authorities as an administrator or manager of a `` digital-currency exchange '' -- where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as bitcoin and others -- known as BTC-e .
The United States accused Vinnik of operating BTC-e , one of the most popular websites for buying and selling bitcoin .
The U.S. indictment alleged that the website lacked “ basic anti-money laundering controls and policies , '' making it one of the principal means by which cyber criminals worldwide laundered money .
The United States fought in a Greek court to have Vinnik extradited , but Russia filed a competing extradition request , saying he faces smaller , unrelated criminal charges in Russia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , he would face up to 55 years in prison .
Midway through the legal fight , however , France also lodged an extradition request in a Greek court on similar theft charges , and in January he was transferred to Paris .
Vinnik was one of seven Russians detained or indicted worldwide in 2018 on U.S. cybercrime charges .
With reporting by AFP and Interfax

A Russian man wanted by the United States in connection with a massive bitcoin-theft scheme has been sentenced in France to five years in prison for money laundering.
Aleksandr Vinnik was handed the punishment in a French court on December 7 after a trial in which prosecutors laid out a scheme involving e-mails disguised as invoices laced with malware that would cripple the target's computer until a ransom was paid in cybercurrency.
They said a total of 188 people had fallen victim to the scheme between 2016 and 2018, netting Vinnik some $165 million.
While Vinnik was cleared of the ransomware-attack charges, he was found guilty of laundering the money he extorted through another software program -- called Locky -- used in the attacks.
Vinnik has claimed he is innocent of the charges and his lawyer said that they will likely appeal the verdict.
The 41-year-old was arrested on a U.S. warrant in 2017 on a Greek beach where he was vacationing with his family.
Vinnik has been identified by U.S. and other authorities as an administrator or manager of a "digital-currency exchange" -- where people can buy and sell cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin and others -- known as BTC-e.
The United States accused Vinnik of operating BTC-e, one of the most popular websites for buying and selling bitcoin. The U.S. indictment alleged that the website lacked "basic anti-money laundering controls and policies," making it one of the principal means by which cybercriminals worldwide laundered money.
The United States fought in a Greek court to have Vinnik extradited, but Russia filed a competing extradition request, saying he faces smaller, unrelated criminal charges in Russia.
If convicted in the United States, he would face up to 55 years in prison.
Midway through the legal fight, however, France also lodged an extradition request in a Greek court on similar theft charges, and in January he was transferred to Paris.
Vinnik was one of seven Russians detained or indicted worldwide in 2018 on U.S. cybercrime charges.
With reporting by AFP and Interfax


rferl--2020-12-07--EU Adopts 'Magnitsky' Sanctions Regime To Target Rights Abusers

European Union foreign ministers have given the final green light to establishing a system that would allow the 27-nation bloc to impose sanctions on human rights violators worldwide .
The ministers sealed the agreement on a sanctions regime at talks in Brussels on December 7 , saying it underlines that `` the promotion and protection of human rights remain a cornerstone and priority of EU external action and reflects the EU ’ s determination to address serious human rights violations and abuses . ''
The move allows the bloc “ to target individuals , entities and bodies -- including state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ involved in , or associated with serious human rights violations and abuses worldwide , no matter where they occurred , '' the Council of the EU said in a statement .
The new mechanism , which envisages both asset freezes and visa bans , is expected to officially enter into force on Human Rights Day on December 10 .
EU officials familiar with the matter have told RFE/RL that no individuals or entities will be sanctioned immediately , though names could be put on the blacklist as early as the beginning of 2021 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ acts such as genocide , crimes against humanity , serious human rights violations , or abuses such as torture , slavery , extrajudicial killings , and arbitrary arrests .
Other acts could be punished if they are `` widespread , systematic or are otherwise of serious concern . ''
The EU mechanism will not replace existing sanctions programs , some of which already address human rights violations and abuses in Syria , Belarus , and Venezuela .
The mechanism is similar to the Magnitsky Act passed by the United States in 2012 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the death of Sergei Magnitsky , a Russian whistle-blower who helped uncover the theft of nearly $ 230 million from Russia 's government through fraudulent tax refunds .
Magnitsky was later arrested , and died in a Moscow prison in 2009 after suffering from what his supporters say amounted to torture .
The U.S. law , which has infuriated the Kremlin , was later expanded into a similarly named measure that included individuals from other nations .

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


rferl--2020-12-07--More Detentions Made In Belarus In Latest Crackdown On Postelection Protests

MINSK – Belarusian security forces have detained at least 10 people in the center of the capital , Minsk , where hundreds of demonstrators had gathered for a march demanding the resignation of authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka .
The detentions in Minsk on December 7 come a day after more than 300 anti-government protesters were detained across the country , which has been hit by near-daily protests since Lukashenka claimed he won a sixth term in a presidential vote almost four months ago that the opposition and the West say was rigged .
Several hundred people , including many retirees @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s Yakub Kolas Square on December 7 for a so-called March of Wisdom , but police officers blocked them from holding the event and dispersed the crowd .
Protesters were also prevented from moving along Independence Avenue and dispersed .
A small group of demonstrators managed to regroup at a Christmas tree on Independence Square .
A journalist and a cameraman working for the Polish-funded Belsat TV channel were among those detained during the protest actions .
The opposition says its candidate , Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya , won the August 9 presidential election and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the release of all political prisoners , and a new election .
Police have violently cracked down on the postelection protests , with more than 27,000 detentions , according to the UN .
There have also been credible reports of torture and ill-treatment , and several people have died .
Meanwhile , much of the opposition leadership has been detained or forced into exile .
On December 6 , more than 340 people were detained for participating in rallies across the country and placed in pretrial detention , according to Interior Ministry spokesperson @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Minsk , where protesters defied a ban on demonstrations by holding numerous smaller marches in residential areas .
It was the third Sunday on which the demonstrations were held under the banner of March of Neighbors , a strategy adopted by the opposition as a way of decentralizing the protests and making it more difficult for police to round up activists .
Protests were also held in Brest , Hrodna , Homel , and other Belarusian cities and towns .
In a separate development on December 7 , a Minsk court sentenced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ women 's march in September to 2 years and 6 months in prison .
Natalia Hershe pulled off a balaclava from a riot police officer and scratched his face while resisting arrest , the authorities said .
Hershe , who has lived in Switzerland for 12 years and decided to come to Minsk to support the protest movement , was ordered to pay 1,000 Belarusian rubles ( $ 390 ) to the police officer , the plaintiff in the case .
`` I live in a European democracy where freedom of speech and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the constitution , where police officers do not hide their faces under masks and protect their citizens .
I hope it will be in a free , free Belarus as well , '' she said in her last statement to the court .
Swiss Ambassador Claude Altermatt , who attended the trial , said Hershe would continue to receive consular support .
`` We regret such a court decision .
It does n't matter to us that Natalia is a citizen of Belarus , we treat her as our citizen , '' @ @ @

MINSK – Belarusian security forces have detained at least 10 people in the center of the capital, Minsk, where hundreds of demonstrators had gathered for a march demanding the resignation of authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka.
The detentions in Minsk on December 7 come a day after more than 300 anti-government protesters were detained across the country, which has been hit by near-daily protests since Lukashenka claimed he won a sixth term in a presidential vote almost four months ago that the opposition and the West say was rigged.
Several hundred people, including many retirees and medics, came to Minsk’s Yakub Kolas Square on December 7 for a so-called March of Wisdom, but police officers blocked them from holding the event and dispersed the crowd.
Protesters were also prevented from moving along Independence Avenue and dispersed.
A small group of demonstrators managed to regroup at a Christmas tree on Independence Square.
A journalist and a cameraman working for the Polish-funded Belsat TV channel were among those detained during the protest actions.
The opposition says its candidate, Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, won the August 9 presidential election and has been demanding Lukashenka's resignation, the release of all political prisoners, and a new election.
Police have violently cracked down on the postelection protests, with more than 27,000 detentions, according to the UN. There have also been credible reports of torture and ill-treatment, and several people have died.
Meanwhile, much of the opposition leadership has been detained or forced into exile.
On December 6, more than 340 people were detained for participating in rallies across the country and placed in pretrial detention, according to Interior Ministry spokesperson Olga Chemodanova.
Most the detentions occurred in Minsk, where protesters defied a ban on demonstrations by holding numerous smaller marches in residential areas.
It was the third Sunday on which the demonstrations were held under the banner of March of Neighbors, a strategy adopted by the opposition as a way of decentralizing the protests and making it more difficult for police to round up activists.
Protests were also held in Brest, Hrodna, Homel, and other Belarusian cities and towns.
In a separate development on December 7, a Minsk court sentenced a dual Belarusian-Swiss citizen detained during a women's march in September to 2 years and 6 months in prison.
Natalia Hershe pulled off a balaclava from a riot police officer and scratched his face while resisting arrest, the authorities said.
Hershe, who has lived in Switzerland for 12 years and decided to come to Minsk to support the protest movement, was ordered to pay 1,000 Belarusian rubles ($390) to the police officer, the plaintiff in the case.
"I live in a European democracy where freedom of speech and peaceful assembly is unconditionally respected and defined by the constitution, where police officers do not hide their faces under masks and protect their citizens. I hope it will be in a free, free Belarus as well," she said in her last statement to the court.
Swiss Ambassador Claude Altermatt, who attended the trial, said Hershe would continue to receive consular support.
"We regret such a court decision. It doesn't matter to us that Natalia is a citizen of Belarus, we treat her as our citizen," Altermatt said.


rferl--2020-12-07--Tajik Authorities Detain Missing Opposition Leader On 'Hooliganism' Charge

DUSHANBE -- Tajik authorities say they have detained opposition leader Mahmurod Odinaev on a hooliganism charge days after the politician went missing .
The Tajik Prosecutor-General 's Office said that Odinaev , deputy chairman of the opposition Social Democratic party , was located and arrested on December 5 in Dushanbe .
According to the statement , Odinaev allegedly conducted an act of hooliganism in a military draft office in the western city of Hisor in late October , where prosecutors allege he confronted officials over the conscription of his son Habibullo .
Just three days before Odinaev 's arrest , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ police were been looking for the politician who had been missing for several days , citing the lack of a request from his relatives .
Relatives of Odinaev told RFE/RL that he went missing on November 20 after he posted a request on Facebook asking Dushanbe Mayor Rustam Emomali to allow him and his party 's activists to stage a protest over food-price hikes .
According to the relatives , they officially turned to police several times to ask law enforcement officers to begin a search for the missing politician .
The relatives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Odinaev 's mysterious disappearance .
The Interior Ministry said last month that Odinaev 's son , Shaihmuslihiddin Rizoev , was charged with hooliganism over his alleged involvement in a brawl .
Earlier in October , Odinaev said that unknown attackers had severely beaten his son , adding that the assault was a part of a pressure campaign being waged against him for his political activities .
The Social Democratic Party is the only opposition party currently functioning in Tajikistan .
Tajik President Emomali Rahmon , who has tightly ruled the former Soviet republic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cracking down on opposition political groups , rights defenders , and independent journalists .

DUSHANBE -- Tajik authorities say they have detained opposition leader Mahmurod Odinaev on a hooliganism charge days after the politician went missing.
The Tajik Prosecutor-General's Office said that Odinaev, deputy chairman of the opposition Social Democratic party, was located and arrested on December 5 in Dushanbe.
According to the statement, Odinaev allegedly conducted an act of hooliganism in a military draft office in the western city of Hisor in late October, where prosecutors allege he confronted officials over the conscription of his son Habibullo.
Just three days before Odinaev's arrest, Interior Ministry spokesman Nusratullo Mahmudzoda said that police were been looking for the politician who had been missing for several days, citing the lack of a request from his relatives.
Relatives of Odinaev told RFE/RL that he went missing on November 20 after he posted a request on Facebook asking Dushanbe Mayor Rustam Emomali to allow him and his party's activists to stage a protest over food-price hikes.
According to the relatives, they officially turned to police several times to ask law enforcement officers to begin a search for the missing politician. The relatives also said police questioned them regarding the Odinaev's mysterious disappearance.
The Interior Ministry said last month that Odinaev's son, Shaihmuslihiddin Rizoev, was charged with hooliganism over his alleged involvement in a brawl.
Earlier in October, Odinaev said that unknown attackers had severely beaten his son, adding that the assault was a part of a pressure campaign being waged against him for his political activities.
The Social Democratic Party is the only opposition party currently functioning in Tajikistan.
Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, who has tightly ruled the former Soviet republic since 1992, has been criticized for cracking down on opposition political groups, rights defenders, and independent journalists.


rferl--2020-12-07--Romania's Pro-Western PM Resigns After Disappointing Election Results

Romania 's pro-Western Prime Minister Ludovic Orban has resigned after his National Liberal Party ( PNL ) came second in parliamentary elections at the weekend , despite the party appearing well-placed to stay in power .
Orban 's announcement late on December 7 came after a stronger-than-expected showing by the leftist opposition in elections marred by absenteeism prompted in part by the coronavirus pandemic .
With some 95 percent of the vote counted as of December 7 , the populist and corruption-prone Social Democrats ( PSD ) , who have dominated Romanian politics since the collapse of communism , have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the reformist center-right PNL trailing by about 5 percent .
In his live statement on television , Orban , whose government came under criticism from the PSD for its handling of the coronavirus pandemic , said he was leaving knowing that he had fulfilled his duty .
President Klaus Iohannis , who is set to hold consultations with the parties , later appointed Defense Minister Nicolae Ciuca as acting prime minister .
However , the PSD will lack allies in the new parliament and President Klaus Iohannis -- a former PNL leader @ @ @ @ @ @ @ -- said on December 7 that PSD will be kept `` outside of the political decision-making process '' and Romania will have a new center-right government .
Iohannis had previously said he would not want PSD to return to government during his current term , which ends in 2024 .
The center-right USR-PLUS alliance , a relative newcomer on the Romanian political scene which won about 15 percent of the vote , appears the first choice to form an alliance with the PNL , followed by the ethnic Hungarian UDMR party , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has said it wants to cooperate with the liberals .
Turnout , at 31.8 percent out of 18 million eligible voters , was the lowest since the end of communism , prompted both by the pandemic and overall disillusionment with the postcommunist political elite .
The liberals , led by Prime Minister Ludovic Orban , and Iohannis had sought to assuage concerns about the pandemic to urge voters to come out in large numbers .
The PSD 's last spell in government was overshadowed by huge street protests and the imprisoning of its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ corruption charges before ending in a vote of no-confidence in 2019 .
The only other party to have crossed the 5 percent threshold to enter parliament is the the far-right Alliance for the Unification of Romania ( AUR ) , seen as the big surprise of the election .
The party came virtually out of nowhere to win more than 9 percent of the vote .
AUR , which means gold in Romanian , was established just a year ago with a platform that opposes same-sex marriages and was supportive of Orthodox Church @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to hold religious ceremonies .
Its leadership includes an antigay journalist and a leader of a group of nationalist soccer `` ultras '' who was has been banned for five years from entering neighboring Moldova after vocally advocating the ex-Soviet republic 's unification with Romania .
His group of ultras was involved in clashes last year with ethnic Hungarians over a war cemetery in Transylvania and staged anti-mask-wearing protests in Bucharest during the pandemic .
A local leader of AUR is reportedly being tried for robbing ATMs .
However , AUR did surprisingly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expats , having taken the lead in Italy and coming in second in Spain and France -- the EU countries with the largest Romanian communities abroad .
The diaspora has traditionally , and sometimes decisively , voted against the PSD , which it holds responsible for the poverty and underdevelopment that drove millions of Romanians abroad .
The election in the EU member state was considered key to determining whether the liberals would gain enough support to embark on their badly needed reformist agenda .
Orban and Iohannis had promised to launch a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decades since the fall of communism and keep the country on a pro-Western path , but their task appears much more difficult following the inconclusive results of the election .
Furthermore , PSD still has the largest network of party organizations in the country , and dominates most of the local administration in rural areas , where it relies on a group of rich , influential , and arguably corrupt `` local barons , '' whose left-wing credentials remain questionable but whose power is indispensable to the PSD .
With reporting by AFP @ @ @ @ @

Romania's pro-Western Prime Minister Ludovic Orban has resigned after his National Liberal Party (PNL) came second in parliamentary elections at the weekend, despite the party appearing well-placed to stay in power.
Orban's announcement late on December 7 came after a stronger-than-expected showing by the leftist opposition in elections marred by absenteeism prompted in part by the coronavirus pandemic.
With some 95 percent of the vote counted as of December 7, the populist and corruption-prone Social Democrats (PSD), who have dominated Romanian politics since the collapse of communism, have some 30 percent of the vote, with the reformist center-right PNL trailing by about 5 percent.
In his live statement on television, Orban, whose government came under criticism from the PSD for its handling of the coronavirus pandemic, said he was leaving knowing that he had fulfilled his duty.
President Klaus Iohannis, who is set to hold consultations with the parties, later appointed Defense Minister Nicolae Ciuca as acting prime minister.
However, the PSD will lack allies in the new parliament and President Klaus Iohannis -- a former PNL leader and a staunch foe of the PSD -- said on December 7 that PSD will be kept "outside of the political decision-making process" and Romania will have a new center-right government.
Iohannis had previously said he would not want PSD to return to government during his current term, which ends in 2024.
Relative Newcomer
The center-right USR-PLUS alliance, a relative newcomer on the Romanian political scene which won about 15 percent of the vote, appears the first choice to form an alliance with the PNL, followed by the ethnic Hungarian UDMR party, which looks set to win 6 percent and has said it wants to cooperate with the liberals.
Turnout, at 31.8 percent out of 18 million eligible voters, was the lowest since the end of communism, prompted both by the pandemic and overall disillusionment with the postcommunist political elite.
The liberals, led by Prime Minister Ludovic Orban, and Iohannis had sought to assuage concerns about the pandemic to urge voters to come out in large numbers.
The PSD's last spell in government was overshadowed by huge street protests and the imprisoning of its former leader, Liviu Dragnea, on corruption charges before ending in a vote of no-confidence in 2019.
The only other party to have crossed the 5 percent threshold to enter parliament is the the far-right Alliance for the Unification of Romania (AUR), seen as the big surprise of the election. The party came virtually out of nowhere to win more than 9 percent of the vote.
AUR, which means gold in Romanian, was established just a year ago with a platform that opposes same-sex marriages and was supportive of Orthodox Church clerics who defied pandemic restrictions in Romania to hold religious ceremonies.
Its leadership includes an antigay journalist and a leader of a group of nationalist soccer "ultras" who was has been banned for five years from entering neighboring Moldova after vocally advocating the ex-Soviet republic's unification with Romania.
His group of ultras was involved in clashes last year with ethnic Hungarians over a war cemetery in Transylvania and staged anti-mask-wearing protests in Bucharest during the pandemic. A local leader of AUR is reportedly being tried for robbing ATMs.
Expat Votes
However, AUR did surprisingly well among Romania’s 4 million expats, having taken the lead in Italy and coming in second in Spain and France -- the EU countries with the largest Romanian communities abroad. The diaspora has traditionally, and sometimes decisively, voted against the PSD, which it holds responsible for the poverty and underdevelopment that drove millions of Romanians abroad.
The election in the EU member state was considered key to determining whether the liberals would gain enough support to embark on their badly needed reformist agenda.
Orban and Iohannis had promised to launch a modernization campaign long delayed in the three decades since the fall of communism and keep the country on a pro-Western path, but their task appears much more difficult following the inconclusive results of the election.
Furthermore, PSD still has the largest network of party organizations in the country, and dominates most of the local administration in rural areas, where it relies on a group of rich, influential, and arguably corrupt "local barons," whose left-wing credentials remain questionable but whose power is indispensable to the PSD.
With reporting by AFP, AP, and Reuters


rferl--2020-12-08--Iran's Rohani Vows To Continue Supporting ‘Strategic Ally” Syria

Iranian President Hassan Rohani says his country will continue to support the Syrian government as a `` strategic ally '' until its `` final victory '' in the country ’ s civil war .
Rohani 's website said he made the remarks on December 8 during a meeting with visiting Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad in Tehran .
On the first day of his visit on December 7 , Mekdad held talks with Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif .
It is Mekdad 's first official visit abroad as foreign minister since he assumed his post late last month following the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Along with Russia , Iran has provided crucial military support to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during the Syrian conflict , which began with a crackdown on anti-government protesters in March 2011 .
More than 400,000 people have since been killed and millions displaced .
Rohani also told Mekdad that Damascus should continue confronting Israel `` until the liberation of all occupied lands , '' including in the Golan Heights , which Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 Middle East war .
Iran and Syria do not recognize Israel , and Tehran @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Palestinian militant group Hamas and Lebanon 's Hizballah .
Israel accuses Iran of building up its military presence in Syria and has repeatedly struck Iran-linked facilities , positions , as well as weapons convoys destined for Hizballah fighters in the war-torn country .
With reporting by AP and AFP

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--2020-12-08--Man Given Two-Year Prison Term For Commemorating Slain Belarus Protester

MINSK -- A 26-year-old Minsk resident has been sentenced to two years in prison for painting the inscription `` We will not forget '' on a sidewalk near a subway station where a protester was killed by riot police in August .
The Frunze district court in Minsk on December 8 found Maksim Paulyushchyk guilty of hooliganism and sentenced him the same day .
Paulyushchyk 's co-defendant , 25-year-old Maria Babovich , was also found guilty of hooliganism and sentenced to 18 months of a parole-like restriction known as `` limitation of freedom . ''
Both Paulyushchyk and Babovich pleaded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a punishment for them other than incarceration .
They were arrested in October while renewing the inscription on the sidewalk and went on trial on November 27 .
Three other activists , Dzyanis Hrakhanau , Ihar Samusenka , and Uladzislau Hulis are also on trial in the same case .
Alyaksandr Taraykouski , a 34-year-old demonstrator , died on August 10 in protests against the results of a presidential election the day before that claimed incumbent Alyaksandr Lukashenka as the winner in a landslide .
Opposition figures and many Belarusians immediately questioned the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Officials said at the time that Taraykouski was killed by an improvised explosive device he was trying to throw at riot police .
However , graphic footage of his death appeared to contradict the official claims .
The site of Taraykouski 's death near Minsk 's Pushkin subway station has turned into a makeshift memorial where protesters gather regularly , bringing flowers and renewing the `` We will not forget '' inscription on the sidewalk .
Several protesters have been killed and thousands of people arrested during the ongoing protests .
There @ @ @ @ @ @ @ during a widening security crackdown .
Most of the country 's opposition leaders have been arrested or forced to leave the country , including opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya , who says she won the presidential poll .
The United States , the European Union , and several other countries have refused to acknowledge the election results and Lukashenka as the country 's leader .

MINSK -- Two Minsk residents have been sentenced to two-year prison terms each for writing "We Will Not Forget" with paint on a sidewalk near a subway station where a protester was killed by riot police in August.
The Frunze district court in two different hearings found 26-year-old Maksim Paulyushchyk and 25-year-old Uladzislau Hulis guilty of hooliganism and sentenced them the same day.
Paulyushchyk's codefendant, 25-year-old Maria Babovich, was also found guilty of hooliganism and sentenced to 18 months of a parole-like restriction known as "limitation of freedom."
Hulis's codefendants, 42-year-old Dzyanis Hrakhanau and 25-year-old Ihar Samusenka, were convicted on the same charge and received 18 months in open prison each.
Individuals sentenced to terms in open prisons in Belarus live in special dormitories and work at state companies, usually industrial facilities, as free people. Their movements after work are restricted and they must stay in the dormitories after 10 p.m.
Paulyushchyk and Babovich pleaded guilty and asked the court to choose a punishment for them other than incarceration.
Hulis, Hrakhanau, and Samusenka pleaded partially guilty.
The five were arrested in October over taking part in renewing the inscription on the sidewalk on September 9.
The two trials started in late-November.
Human rights organizations in Belarus recognized the five activists as political prisoners and have demanded their immediate release.
Makeshift Memorial
Alyaksandr Taraykouski, a 34-year-old demonstrator, died on August 10 in protests against the results of a presidential election the day before that claimed incumbent Alyaksandr Lukashenka as the winner in a landslide. Opposition figures and many Belarusians immediately questioned the results, saying the vote was rigged.
Officials said at the time that Taraykouski was killed by an improvised explosive device he was trying to throw at riot police. However, graphic footage of his death appeared to contradict the official claims.
The site of Taraykouski's death near Minsk's Pushkin subway station has turned into a makeshift memorial where protesters gather regularly, bringing flowers and renewing the "We will not forget" inscription on the sidewalk.
Several protesters have been killed and thousands of people arrested during the ongoing protests.
There have also been credible reports of torture during a widening security crackdown.
Most of the country's opposition leaders have been arrested or forced to leave the country, including opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who says she won the presidential poll.
The United States, the European Union, and several other countries have refused to acknowledge the election results and Lukashenka as the country's leader.


rferl--2020-12-08--Russian Airline Receives Permit To Fly To Tajik Destinations Amid Pandemic

DUSHANBE -- Russia 's Rosaviatsia aviation agency has issued a permit to the Azur Air company to operate flights to Tajikistan amid restrictions imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic .
Ziyodullo Sharifov of the Tajik Civil Aviation Agency told RFE/RL on December 7 that Russia 's Azur Air had received permission from Rosaviatsia last week to operate flights to various international destinations , including two flights weekly to Tajikistan ’ s second-largest city , Khujand , from the city of Irkutsk in Siberia .
According to Sharifov , Azur Air had not officially asked for permission yet from Tajikistan 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and therefore it was not clear when the flights would commence .
Sharifov said that Azur Air had not previously flown to Tajikistan before .
Regular flights between Tajikistan and Russian cities have been suspended since mid-March due to the coronavirus outbreak .
Currently , Tajikistan 's Somoni Air conducts five charter flights per day to different Russian cities from Dushanbe , the Tajik capital .
Last month , Dushanbe allowed two Russian companies -- UTair and Ural Airlines -- to operate limited charter flights from Tajikistan to Moscow and six other Russian @ @

DUSHANBE -- Russia's Rosaviatsia aviation agency has issued a permit to the Azur Air company to operate flights to Tajikistan amid restrictions imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Ziyodullo Sharifov of the Tajik Civil Aviation Agency told RFE/RL on December 7 that Russia's Azur Air had received permission from Rosaviatsia last week to operate flights to various international destinations, including two flights weekly to Tajikistan’s second-largest city, Khujand, from the city of Irkutsk in Siberia.
According to Sharifov, Azur Air had not officially asked for permission yet from Tajikistan's Coronavirus Task Center to begin flights, and therefore it was not clear when the flights would commence. Sharifov said that Azur Air had not previously flown to Tajikistan before.
Regular flights between Tajikistan and Russian cities have been suspended since mid-March due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Currently, Tajikistan's Somoni Air conducts five charter flights per day to different Russian cities from Dushanbe, the Tajik capital.
Last month, Dushanbe allowed two Russian companies -- UTair and Ural Airlines -- to operate limited charter flights from Tajikistan to Moscow and six other Russian cities.


rferl--2020-12-08--Iran's Supreme Court Upholds Dissident Journalist's Death Sentence

Iran 's Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence handed to opposition journalist and activist Ruhollah Zam , whose online work helped inspire nationwide economic protests in 2017 .
Judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili made the announcement on December 8 .
He did not say when the court issued its ruling .
Zam was sentenced to death by a Revolutionary Court in June following what Reporters Without Borders ( RSF ) called a `` grossly unfair '' trial .
He was convicted of `` corruption on Earth , '' a charge often leveled in cases involving espionage or attempts to overthrow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , AmadNews , and a channel he created on the popular messaging app Telegram had informed people on the timing of the 2017 protests and published embarrassing information about Iranian officials .
The protests represented the biggest challenge to Iran since postelection mass unrest in 2009 and set the stage for similar revolts in November 2019 .
More than 20 people were killed during the unrest and thousands were arrested .
Zam 's AmadNews feed was suspended by Telegram in 2018 but later continued under a different name .
Zam had been living @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being lured into returning to Iran , where he was arrested in October 2019 under still unclear circumstances .
Iran 's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps ( IRGC ) said it had `` trapped '' the activist in a `` complex operation using intelligence deception . ''
It did not say where the operation took place .
French authorities have `` strongly condemned '' the move .
Zam , whom the Paris-based RSF described as a `` very controversial figure both in Iran and in the Iranian diaspora , '' appeared in televised confessions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for his past activities .
He had previously denied allegations he incited violence but openly admitted that AmadNews 's mission was to take down the government .


rferl--2020-12-08--Uzbek President Marks Constitution Day With Pardons, Easing Sentences Of Dozens Of Convicts

TASHKENT -- Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoev has pardoned or eased the sentences of 104 convicts as part of the commemorations of Constitution Day , the national holiday marked on December 8 .
According to a decree from the president , those individuals who were convicted of crimes but since have expressed `` deep remorse '' while serving their terms and shown that they have `` chosen the path of rehabilitation '' have been pardoned .
Six of the pardoned individuals were released immediately , while 50 other inmates had their prison terms replaced by suspended sentences .
In addition , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ changed to sentences with parole-like restrictions , while the prison terms of another 41 convicts were reduced .
The pardoned individuals include , among other convicts , one woman , 13 foreign nationals , nine people older than 60 , and 21 inmates convicted for being members of banned groups and organizations .
Mirziyoev 's decree was timed to coincide with the 28th anniversary of the constitution Uzbekistan adopted on December 8 , 1992 , months after it gained independence in the collapse of the Soviet Union .
Pardons have become a regular @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this year , he pardoned more than 500 people due to various important state and religious holidays .
Since taking over Central Asia 's most populous nation of 32 million following the death of the first Uzbek President Islam Karimov in 2016 , Mirziyoev , unlike his predecessor , has pardoned hundreds of people and released several jailed journalists , politicians , and others seen by rights groups as political prisoners .

TASHKENT -- Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoev has pardoned or eased the sentences of 104 convicts as part of the commemorations of Constitution Day, the national holiday marked on December 8.
According to a decree from the president, those individuals who were convicted of crimes but since have expressed "deep remorse" while serving their terms and shown that they have "chosen the path of rehabilitation" have been pardoned.
Six of the pardoned individuals were released immediately, while 50 other inmates had their prison terms replaced by suspended sentences. In addition, 17 convicts will see their prison terms changed to sentences with parole-like restrictions, while the prison terms of another 41 convicts were reduced.
The pardoned individuals include, among other convicts, one woman, 13 foreign nationals, nine people older than 60, and 21 inmates convicted for being members of banned groups and organizations.
Mirziyoev's decree was timed to coincide with the 28th anniversary of the constitution Uzbekistan adopted on December 8, 1992, months after it gained independence in the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Pardons have become a regular part of marking Uzbek holidays.
Last year, Mirziyoev pardoned 92 convicts on Constitution Day.
Earlier this year, he pardoned more than 500 people due to various important state and religious holidays.
Since taking over Central Asia's most populous nation of 32 million following the death of the first Uzbek President Islam Karimov in 2016, Mirziyoev, unlike his predecessor, has pardoned hundreds of people and released several jailed journalists, politicians, and others seen by rights groups as political prisoners.


rferl--2020-12-08--Belarus's Lukashenka Labels IOC A 'Gang' After Olympics Ban

MINSK -- Belarusian strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka has called the International Olympic Committee ( IOC ) a `` gang '' after being handed a provisional suspension that could exclude him from the Tokyo Olympic Games next year amid a violent crackdown against protesters following a disputed presidential election .
`` We need to go to court .
Let [ IOC President Thomas ] Bach and the gang tell me what my fault is -- that I am defending my country ? ''
state news agency BelTa quoted Lukashenka as saying on December 8 during a visit to a hospital .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ announced it had provisionally suspended Lukashenka , his son Viktar , and another top official from all Olympic activities and cut payments to Belarus 's National Olympic Committee ( NOC ) .
The IOC executive board made the decision because `` the current NOC leadership has not appropriately protected the Belarusian athletes from political discrimination within the NOC , their member sports federations or the sports movement , '' the Lausanne-based organization said .
`` This is contrary to the fundamental principles of the Olympic Charter , and therefore seriously affects the reputation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ added in a statement .
In a statement , Belarus 's NOC described the move as a `` politically motivated '' decision intended to `` exert pressure on the administration of the National Olympic Committee of Belarus . ''
Lukashenka , who has led Belarus 's NOC for 23 years , claimed a sixth presidential term following an August 9 election that the opposition and the West say was rigged .
Belarus has since been hit by near-daily protests demanding Lukashenka resign , the release of all political prisoners , and a new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ down on the protest movement , with more than 27,000 detentions , according to the UN .
There have also been credible reports of torture and ill-treatment , and several people have died .
Meanwhile , much of the opposition leadership has been detained or forced into exile , and many Belarusian athletes have written to the IOC demanding urgent action , citing political discrimination and the imprisonment of sports figures by the authorities .
Lukashenka 's son Viktar , as the NOC 's first vice president , was also provisionally suspended by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ board member Dzmitry Baskau .
The IOC is also suspending `` all financial payments '' to the NOC , but will continue to help fund Belarusian athletes preparing for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games , which were delayed to next year , and the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing by paying scholarship money directly to them .
The moves do not affect Belarusian athletes ' right to compete as a recognized national team with their own flag and anthem , it noted .
However , the country 's status as co-host of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ threat , with the IOC saying it is looking into the issue .
Bach said after the organization 's board meeting that the International Ice Hockey Federation ( IIHF ) would discuss Belarus 's host role in the days ahead .
Last month co-host Latvia blacklisted the head of Belarus ’ s ice hockey federation as the Baltic country seeks to prevent its neighbor from co-hosting the tournament .
The IIHF has also “ initiated a procedure ” against the Belarus official who sits on its ruling committee , Bach said .
Losing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Lukashenka , who has cultivated an image as a sportsman , regularly taking to the ice to play hockey , his favorite sporting pastime .
The continued crackdown on protests has caused international outrage , with the European Union and the United States slapping sanctions on Lukashenka and his son , as well as dozens of other top Belarusian officials .
The bloc is expected to pass a third round of sanctions next week .

MINSK -- Belarusian strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka has called the International Olympic Committee (IOC) a "gang" after being handed a provisional suspension that could exclude him from the Tokyo Olympics next year amid a violent crackdown against protesters following a disputed presidential election.
"We need to go to court. Let [IOC President Thomas] Bach and the gang tell me what my fault is -- that I am defending my country?" state news agency BelTA quoted Lukashenka as saying on December 8 during a visit to a hospital.
The comments come a day after the IOC announced it had provisionally suspended Lukashenka, his son Viktar, and another top official from all Olympic activities and cut payments to Belarus's National Olympic Committee (NOC).
The IOC executive board made the decision because "the current NOC leadership has not appropriately protected the Belarusian athletes from political discrimination within the NOC, their member sports federations, or the sports movement," the Lausanne-based organization said.
"This is contrary to the fundamental principles of the Olympic Charter, and therefore seriously affects the reputation of the Olympic movement," it added in a statement.
In a statement, Belarus's NOC described the move as a "politically motivated" decision intended to "exert pressure on the administration of the National Olympic Committee of Belarus."
Lukashenka, who has led Belarus's NOC for 23 years, claimed a sixth presidential term following an August 9 election that the opposition and the West say was rigged.
Belarus has since been hit by near-daily protests demanding Lukashenka resign, the release of all political prisoners, and a new election.
Security forces have violently cracked down on the protest movement, with more than 27,000 detentions, according to the UN. There have also been credible reports of torture and ill-treatment, and several people have died.
Meanwhile, much of the opposition leadership has been detained or forced into exile, and many Belarusian athletes have written to the IOC demanding urgent action, citing political discrimination and the imprisonment of sports figures by the authorities.
Lukashenka's son Viktar, as the NOC's first vice president, was also provisionally suspended by the IOC, along with NOC executive board member Dzmitry Baskau.
The IOC is also suspending "all financial payments" to the NOC, but will continue to help fund Belarusian athletes preparing for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, which were delayed to next year, and the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing by paying scholarship money directly to them.
The moves do not affect Belarusian athletes' right to compete as a recognized national team with their own flag and anthem, it noted.
However, the country's status as co-host of the 2021 ice hockey World Championships has come under threat, with the IOC saying it is looking into the issue.
Bach said after the organization's board meeting that the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) would discuss Belarus's host role in the days ahead.
Last month, co-host Latvia blacklisted the head of Belarus’s ice hockey federation as the Baltic country seeks to prevent its neighbor from co-hosting the tournament.
The IIHF has also “initiated a procedure” against the Belarus official who sits on its ruling committee, Bach said.
Losing the tournament would be a further blow to Lukashenka, who has cultivated an image as a sportsman, regularly taking to the ice to play hockey, his favorite sporting pastime.
The continued crackdown on protests has caused international outrage, with the European Union and the United States slapping sanctions on Lukashenka and his son, as well as dozens of other top Belarusian officials.
The bloc is expected to pass a third round of sanctions next week.


rferl--2020-12-08--Lavrov To Meet Members Of Germany's Far-Right AfD Party

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is to meet senior members of the far-right Alternative for Germany ( AfD ) in Moscow on December 8 in what the Kremlin terms a `` very important visit . ''
Russia has maintained diverse relations with Germany that were successful in certain areas and less successful in others , Kremlin spokesman Dimitry Peskov said in a briefing on December 7 , according to Interfax .
President Vladimir Putin does not plan to meet with members of the delegation , Peskov said .
`` We believe that this is a very important visit , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ between Russia and Germany `` are very multifaceted and pursue multiple tracks , and our relations develop successfully along some of these tracks and less successfully along others . ''
Lavrov is to meet the deputy head of the AfD 's parliamentary group , Tino Chrupalla , accompanied by Paul Hampel , the party 's spokesman on foreign affairs .
The AfD said that the visit was in response to an invitation issued by the Russian State Duma .
German-Russian relations are currently under strain following the poisoning of Kremlin critic Aleksei Navalny @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Berlin hospital after being evacuated from a Russian hospital in August after he fell ill on a flight from Siberia to Moscow .
Laboratories in Germany , France , and Sweden later determined that Navalny was poisoned with a substance of the Novichok group .
Navalny has insisted that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the poisoning attack against him .
The Kremlin has denied any involvement .
In October , at the request of Germany , the European Union imposed asset freezes and travel bans against six senior Russian officials and one entity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Navalny .
The AfD backs the lifting of sanctions on Russia imposed by the EU and calls for relations to be normalized .
With reporting by Interfax , AP , and AFP

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is to meet senior members of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) in Moscow on December 8 in what the Kremlin terms a "very important visit."
Russia has maintained diverse relations with Germany that were successful in certain areas and less successful in others, Kremlin spokesman Dimitry Peskov said in a briefing on December 7, according to Interfax.
President Vladimir Putin does not plan to meet with members of the delegation, Peskov said.
"We believe that this is a very important visit," Peskov said, adding that bilateral relations between Russia and Germany "are very multifaceted and pursue multiple tracks, and our relations develop successfully along some of these tracks and less successfully along others."
Lavrov is to meet the deputy head of the AfD's parliamentary group, Tino Chrupalla, accompanied by Paul Hampel, the party's spokesman on foreign affairs.
The AfD said that the visit was in response to an invitation issued by the Russian State Duma.
German-Russian relations are currently under strain following the poisoning of Kremlin critic Aleksei Navalny, who was successfully treated in a Berlin hospital after being evacuated from a Russian hospital in August after he fell ill on a flight from Siberia to Moscow.
Laboratories in Germany, France, and Sweden later determined that Navalny was poisoned with a substance of the Novichok group.
Navalny has insisted that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the poisoning attack against him. The Kremlin has denied any involvement.
In October, at the request of Germany, the European Union imposed asset freezes and travel bans against six senior Russian officials and one entity for the "attempted assassination" of Navalny.
The AfD backs the lifting of sanctions on Russia imposed by the EU and calls for relations to be normalized.
With reporting by Interfax, AP, and AFP


rferl--2020-12-08--Western Sanctions Have Had 'Outsized Impact' On Russian Companies, Economist Says

Western sanctions have had an `` outsized impact '' on targeted Russian companies but may have actually strengthened President Vladimir Putin 's grip on the country 's tycoons , an economist and former State Department official says .
Russian corporations have lost almost $ 100 billion since sanctions were imposed in 2014 following the annexation of Crimea , an amount equivalent to about 4.2 percent of the country 's economy at the time , said Daniel Ahn , the chief U.S. economist at BNP Paribas and former deputy chief economist at the State Department .
Putin 's attempts to shield @ @ @ @ @ @ @ through tax breaks , state contracts , and other methods increased the total impact of sanctions on the economy to 8 percent , a number that is larger than other studies , he said .
`` So 8 percent is not anything to sneeze at .
It is a big number , '' said Ahn , speaking during a virtual conference on December 7 organized by the Kennan Institute .
Ahn co-authored a study on sanctions with Rodney Ludema , a professor at Georgetown University in Washington and the former chief economist at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ published last month in the European Economic Review .
Western sanctions against the Kremlin have been hotly debated in recent years , with some arguing that they have had little impact on the Russian economy or on Putin 's behavior , pointing to Moscow 's continued interference in Ukraine as an example .
Others argue the sanctions have constrained Putin from undertaking even more aggressive action internationally and have weakened his domestic support .
There had been some hope that the sanctions would drive a wedge between Putin and the tycoons whose fortunes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the opposite might have happened .
Putin used the state 's resources to deflect the impact on certain companies , especially those in the defense and technology sphere , making the tycoons even more dependent on the president .
`` By controlling the ability of who to shield and who not to shield , the Russian regime has tightened and consolidated its hold over critical sectors of the economy , '' he said .
Ahn told the conference his study of the impact of sanctions differs from those conducted by others , such @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) , because he and Ludema focused on the effect on corporations -- or the microeconomy -- rather than the macroeconomy .
He said Russian companies dependent on Western imports for producing their goods or services had been much more impacted than companies exporting to the West .
`` By denying key Western financial , legal , technological , and other services that may account for a relatively small amount of value added , but are actually critical for the operations of a company , we have had an outsized impact upon the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ However , he said Russia had taken steps to insulate its economy , including from the Western financial system , and thus sanctions will have diminishing returns going forward .
Ahn said he was surprised to discover that U.S. sanctions have had a greater impact than European sanctions even though Russia 's economy is much more dependent on Europe .
He chalked that up to tougher enforcement by U.S. authorities of the sanctions regime , including fining companies for noncompliance .
He also said that European sanctions tended to target political figures rather @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vice president and chief operations officer of the U.S.-Russia Business Council , a trade organization , told the conference that Western sanctions had also hurt U.S. companies , such as credit-card firms .
Congress , she said , needed to take a `` 360-degree view '' of the consequences of sanctions because U.S. companies `` are getting slammed '' in the process .
She said Congress passed the sweeping Russia sanctions bill known as CAATSA in 2017 very quickly without giving U.S. companies the opportunity for input .
Congress is currently considering several @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is incumbent on our policymakers , including those in Congress , to consider making sanctions conduct-based and targeted in such a way that they 're considering the impact on U.S. companies , on U.S. national economic interests , and our U.S. global competitiveness , '' she said .
U.S. companies could lose out on business to Chinese firms in Russia , she said .
Levinas said U.S. sanctions-policy development could shift back to the White House from Congress when President-elect Joe Biden takes office next month .
While some have speculated that Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Levinas said a lot `` will depend on Russia and its actions . ''

Western sanctions have had an "outsized impact" on targeted Russian companies but may have actually strengthened President Vladimir Putin's grip on the country's tycoons, an economist and former State Department official says.
Russian corporations have lost almost $100 billion since sanctions were imposed in 2014 following the annexation of Crimea, an amount equivalent to about 4.2 percent of the country's economy at the time, said Daniel Ahn, the chief U.S. economist at BNP Paribas and former deputy chief economist at the State Department.
Putin's attempts to shield some of those companies from the sanctions through tax breaks, state contracts, and other methods increased the total impact of sanctions on the economy to 8 percent, a number that is larger than other studies, he said.
"So 8 percent is not anything to sneeze at. It is a big number," said Ahn, speaking during a virtual conference on December 7 organized by the Kennan Institute.
Ahn co-authored a study on sanctions with Rodney Ludema, a professor at Georgetown University in Washington and the former chief economist at the State Department. The study was published last month in the European Economic Review.
Western sanctions against the Kremlin have been hotly debated in recent years, with some arguing that they have had little impact on the Russian economy or on Putin's behavior, pointing to Moscow's continued interference in Ukraine as an example. Others argue the sanctions have constrained Putin from undertaking even more aggressive action internationally and have weakened his domestic support.
There had been some hope that the sanctions would drive a wedge between Putin and the tycoons whose fortunes were damaged by them. Ahn said the opposite might have happened.
Putin used the state's resources to deflect the impact on certain companies, especially those in the defense and technology sphere, making the tycoons even more dependent on the president.
"By controlling the ability of who to shield and who not to shield, the Russian regime has tightened and consolidated its hold over critical sectors of the economy," he said.
Ahn told the conference his study of the impact of sanctions differs from those conducted by others, such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF), because he and Ludema focused on the effect on corporations -- or the microeconomy -- rather than the macroeconomy.
He said Russian companies dependent on Western imports for producing their goods or services had been much more impacted than companies exporting to the West.
"By denying key Western financial, legal, technological, and other services that may account for a relatively small amount of value added, but are actually critical for the operations of a company, we have had an outsized impact upon the Russian economy," he said.
However, he said Russia had taken steps to insulate its economy, including from the Western financial system, and thus sanctions will have diminishing returns going forward.
Ahn said he was surprised to discover that U.S. sanctions have had a greater impact than European sanctions even though Russia's economy is much more dependent on Europe.
He chalked that up to tougher enforcement by U.S. authorities of the sanctions regime, including fining companies for noncompliance. He also said that European sanctions tended to target political figures rather than businessmen.
U.S. Collateral Damage
Randi Levinas, executive vice president and chief operations officer of the U.S.-Russia Business Council, a trade organization, told the conference that Western sanctions had also hurt U.S. companies, such as credit-card firms.
Congress, she said, needed to take a "360-degree view" of the consequences of sanctions because U.S. companies "are getting slammed" in the process.
She said Congress passed the sweeping Russia sanctions bill known as CAATSA in 2017 very quickly without giving U.S. companies the opportunity for input. Congress is currently considering several Russian sanctions bills.
"It really is incumbent on our policymakers, including those in Congress, to consider making sanctions conduct-based and targeted in such a way that they're considering the impact on U.S. companies, on U.S. national economic interests, and our U.S. global competitiveness," she said.
U.S. companies could lose out on business to Chinese firms in Russia, she said.
Levinas said U.S. sanctions-policy development could shift back to the White House from Congress when President-elect Joe Biden takes office next month.
While some have speculated that Biden could impose more sanctions on Russia, Levinas said a lot "will depend on Russia and its actions."


rferl--2020-12-08--Iran, Tajikistan Among 10 Countries Designated By U.S. Over Violations Of Religious Freedom

The United States has included Iran , Pakistan , Tajikistan , and Turkmenistan on a list of 10 countries designated for `` particular concern '' over religious freedom .
The designation was issued under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 `` for engaging in or tolerating systematic , ongoing , egregious violations of religious freedom , ” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a news release .
The United States also placed Russia and three other countries on a `` special watch list '' for governments that have engaged in or tolerated `` severe violations of religious freedom @ @ @ @ @ @ @ again took action to defend those who simply want to exercise this essential freedom , '' Pompeo said .
`` The U.S. is unwavering in its commitment to religious freedom , '' Pompeo added on Twitter .
`` No country or entity should be allowed to persecute people with impunity because of their beliefs .
These annual designations show that when religious freedom is attacked , we will act . ''
The countries designated for `` particular concern '' are Burma , China , Eritrea , Iran , Nigeria , North Korea , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Turkmenistan .
The countries placed on the special watch list are the Comoros , Cuba , Nicaragua , and Russia .
Pompeo also said Al-Qaeda , Islamic State , and the Taliban were among several militant extremist groups designated as `` entities of particular concern . ''
The announcement also said Uzbekistan and Sudan have been removed from the special watch list based on `` significant , concrete progress '' by their governments over the past year .
`` Their courageous reforms of their laws and practices stand as models for other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

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


rferl--2020-12-08--Fresh U.S. Sanctions Target Iranian Envoy To Yemen's Huthi Rebels

The outgoing administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has stepped up its pressure on Iran by imposing sanctions on the country 's ambassador to Yemen 's Huthi rebels .
The fresh sanctions , announced on December 8 , target envoy Hassan Irlu as well as the Qom-based Al-Mustafa International University for recruiting members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps ' ( IRGC ) Quds Force as part of an effort to destabilize the situation in Yemen and Syria .
The Huthis have been engaged in a bloody civil war in Yemen for the past five years , and the move @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to force the group to reach a peace agreement .
Under the sanctions , any assets the blacklisted targets may have in the United States will be frozen and U.S. citizens will be barred from doing business with them .
`` Iran 's support for the Huthis fuels the conflict in Yemen and exacerbates the country 's instability , '' Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement .
The U.S. Treasury described Irlu as an official with the Quds Force , the elite foreign paramilitary and espionage arm of the Islamic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mustafa International University was using its foreign branches as a recruitment platform .
The university , which has close links with Iran 's Shi ’ ite clerical leadership , has allegedly been active in recruiting Pakistanis and Afghans to fight in Syria on behalf of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad .
The moves come just over a month before Democratic President-elect Joe Biden is to take office and adds to Trump 's recent efforts to step up pressure on governments his administration opposes .
In his statement , Pompeo said that through ambassador Irlu @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was `` signaling its intent to increase support to the Huthis and further complicate international efforts to reach a negotiated settlement to the conflict . ''
Trump is reportedly also considering designating the Huthi rebels , who share religious ties with Iran and control large areas of Yemen including the capital , as terrorists .
Members of the U.S. Democratic Party have warned against the move , fearing it would jeopardize relief efforts as Yemen suffers a humanitarian catastrophe brought on by a civil war involving the Huthis , the Yemeni government , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ groups .
Before the sanctions were announced , Irlu wrote on Twitter that `` what is happening in the Saudi siege & aggression against the Yemen is merely the implementation of the American Zionist policies . ''
The Quds Force has already been designated as a terrorist organization by the Trump administration .
In January , General Qasem Soleimani , the Quds Force commander , was assassinated in a drone attack near Baghdad as he arrived for a visit to Iraq .
The United States claimed responsibility for the attack .
Based on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ AFP


rferl--2020-12-08--Russian Hacker Group 'Fancy Bear' Accused Of Cyberattack On Norwegian Parliament

An investigation by Norway 's Police Security Service ( PST ) has concluded that a cyberattack and data breach of the country 's parliament was likely carried out by Fancy Bear , a hacker group that has ties to Russian military intelligence .
In a December 8 press release announcing the findings of its investigation into the August attack , the PST said there was not enough evidence to press charges relating to damage to Norway 's national interests .
Norwegian officials had previously announced that a `` vast '' cyberattack on August 24 had gained access to the e-mails @ @ @ @ @ @ @ although the identity of the attackers was not revealed .
Norwegian Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Soreide subsequently accused Russia of being behind the attack against the NATO-member Scandinavian country .
The investigation in the attack bolstered that allegation , with the PST saying the attack was part of a broader campaign domestically and internationally `` that has been going on at least since 2019 '' and `` was carried out by the cyber actor referred to in open sources as APT28 or Fancy Bear . ''
APT28 , also known as Fancy Bear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is believed to be associated with Russia 's GRU military intelligence agency that has been blamed for carrying out numerous cyberattacks on Western governments , think tanks , and corporations in recent years .
Fancy Bear is perhaps best known for interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election , and was recently accused of targeting both the Joe Biden and Donald Trump campaigns ahead of this year 's U.S. election .
In its press statement , the PST said that Fancy Bear was specifically linked to the GRU 's 85th Main Special Services @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in taking part in a 2015 cyberattack against the German Bundestag .
The PST investigation also provided information about the scope of the cyberattack , including that the perpetrators obtained `` valid usernames and passwords '' using brute-force attacks on a `` high number '' of e-mail accounts used by the parliament .
Brute-force attacks involve hackers submitting numerous passwords in an effort to eventually guess the correct combination .
The investigation also found that after passwords were obtained , the attackers were able to log into a smaller number of accounts and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ extracted .
The attackers were not successful in their attempts to further breach parliament 's computer systems , according to the analysis of the breach , but the PST said that it could not go into further detail due to the sensitivity of the matter .
The investigation revealed vulnerabilities in how insecure passwords used `` in both work and private contexts '' exposed both individuals and parliament as a whole , and showed the need for better security mechanisms such as two-factor authentication , according to the PST .
The Russian Embassy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Norwegian Foreign Minister Eriksen Soreide 's allegations `` unacceptable '' and a `` provocation , '' has not commented on the results of the PST 's investigation .
Spy cases involving both Russia and Norway , which share a 200-kilometer border in the Far North , have soured relations between the countries in recent years , and Norway 's intelligence agency regularly identifies Russia as one of its main espionage threats .
Following Eriksen Soreide 's accusation , the Russian Embassy in Norway said that Moscow had notified Oslo about malicious online activities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2019 and four times in 2020 .
In a tit-for-tat row that played out earlier this year , Moscow and Oslo expelled one diplomat each after a Norwegian citizen was jailed in Norway on suspicion of spying for Russia .
In 2019 , a retired Norwegian border inspector was sentenced in Russia to 14 years in prison after being accused of collecting information about Russian nuclear submarines for Norwegian intelligence .
The man was later released as part of a spy swap .
Russia has repeatedly denied any involvement in any cyberattacks , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
With reporting by AFP , AP , and dpa

An investigation by Norway's Police Security Service (PST) has concluded that a cyberattack and data breach of the country's parliament was likely carried out by Fancy Bear, a hacker group that has ties to Russian military intelligence.
In a December 8 press release announcing the findings of its investigation into the August attack, the PST said there was not enough evidence to press charges relating to damage to Norway's national interests.
Norwegian officials had previously announced that a "vast" cyberattack on August 24 had gained access to the e-mails of some parliamentarians and parliamentary employees, although the identity of the attackers was not revealed. Norwegian Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Soreide subsequently accused Russia of being behind the attack against the NATO-member Scandinavian country.
The investigation in the attack bolstered that allegation, with the PST saying the attack was part of a broader campaign domestically and internationally "that has been going on at least since 2019" and "was carried out by the cyber actor referred to in open sources as APT28 or Fancy Bear."
APT28, also known as Fancy Bear, is a Russian hacker group that is believed to be associated with Russia's GRU military intelligence agency that has been blamed for carrying out numerous cyberattacks on Western governments, think tanks, and corporations in recent years.
Fancy Bear is perhaps best known for interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, and was recently accused of targeting both the Joe Biden and Donald Trump campaigns ahead of this year's U.S. election.
In its press statement, the PST said that Fancy Bear was specifically linked to the GRU's 85th Main Special Services Center, whose officers were recently implicated in taking part in a 2015 cyberattack against the German Bundestag.
The PST investigation also provided information about the scope of the cyberattack, including that the perpetrators obtained "valid usernames and passwords" using brute-force attacks on a "high number" of e-mail accounts used by the parliament. Brute-force attacks involve hackers submitting numerous passwords in an effort to eventually guess the correct combination.
The investigation also found that after passwords were obtained, the attackers were able to log into a smaller number of accounts and that "sensitive content" had been extracted.
The attackers were not successful in their attempts to further breach parliament's computer systems, according to the analysis of the breach, but the PST said that it could not go into further detail due to the sensitivity of the matter.
The investigation revealed vulnerabilities in how insecure passwords used "in both work and private contexts" exposed both individuals and parliament as a whole, and showed the need for better security mechanisms such as two-factor authentication, according to the PST.
The Russian Embassy in Norway, which in October called Norwegian Foreign Minister Eriksen Soreide's allegations "unacceptable" and a "provocation," has not commented on the results of the PST's investigation.
Spy cases involving both Russia and Norway, which share a 200-kilometer border in the Far North, have soured relations between the countries in recent years, and Norway's intelligence agency regularly identifies Russia as one of its main espionage threats.
Following Eriksen Soreide's accusation, the Russian Embassy in Norway said that Moscow had notified Oslo about malicious online activities originating in Norway on six occasions in 2019 and four times in 2020.
In a tit-for-tat row that played out earlier this year, Moscow and Oslo expelled one diplomat each after a Norwegian citizen was jailed in Norway on suspicion of spying for Russia. In 2019, a retired Norwegian border inspector was sentenced in Russia to 14 years in prison after being accused of collecting information about Russian nuclear submarines for Norwegian intelligence. The man was later released as part of a spy swap.
Russia has repeatedly denied any involvement in any cyberattacks, including relating to the 2016 U.S. election.
With reporting by AFP, AP, and dpa


rferl--2020-12-08--Seven Bosnian Serbs Arrested For Alleged War Crimes

Seven former Bosnian Serb police officers and army fighters were arrested on December 8 on suspicion of committing atrocities against non-Serbs during the 1992-95 Bosnian War .
The prosecutor 's office of Bosnia-Herzegovina said in a statement that the group is suspected of crimes against humanity over the imprisonment and torture of some 150 Bosnian Muslim and Croat civilians around the central town of Donji Vakuf in the spring and summer of 1992 .
The statement said that many prisoners died as a result of inhuman treatment , beatings , and harassment , or suffered permanent trauma .
Bosnian police @ @ @ @ @ @ @ northern Bosnian Serb city of Banja Luka .
`` The suspects will be handed over to the case prosecutor within the legal deadline , in compliance with the security measures due to the COVID-19 pandemic , who will interview them and then make a decision on further activities in the case , '' the statement said .
More than 100,000 people were killed before in the conflict that ended in a U.S.-brokered peace agreement in 1995 that divided Bosnia into two entities -- the Muslim-Croat Federation and Republika Srpska -- held together by @ @ @ @

Seven former Bosnian Serb police officers and army fighters were arrested on December 8 on suspicion of committing atrocities against non-Serbs during the 1992-95 Bosnian War.
The prosecutor's office of Bosnia-Herzegovina said in a statement that the group is suspected of crimes against humanity over the imprisonment and torture of some 150 Bosnian Muslim and Croat civilians around the central town of Donji Vakuf in the spring and summer of 1992.
The statement said that many prisoners died as a result of inhuman treatment, beatings, and harassment, or suffered permanent trauma.
Bosnian police said the arrests were made in the northern Bosnian Serb city of Banja Luka.
"The suspects will be handed over to the case prosecutor within the legal deadline, in compliance with the security measures due to the COVID-19 pandemic, who will interview them and then make a decision on further activities in the case," the statement said.
More than 100,000 people were killed before in the conflict that ended in a U.S.-brokered peace agreement in 1995 that divided Bosnia into two entities -- the Muslim-Croat Federation and Republika Srpska -- held together by joint central institutions.
With reporting by AP