rferl--2020-01-21--Memorial Service Held In Kyiv In Honor of Donetsk Airport Defenders

A requiem was held at St. Michael ’ s Golden-Domed Monastery in Kyiv on January 21 to honor the dead defenders of the Donetsk airport and all fallen combatants of hostilities .
Attending the memorial service in the Ukrainian capital were war veterans who defended the Donetsk airport from Russian-backed separatists , other combatants in the Donbas conflict , families of fallen soldiers , and volunteers .
The defense of the Sergei Prokofiev Donetsk International Airport lasted 242 days from May 26 , 2014 to January 22 , 2015 and ended after two of its terminals as well as the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ defense became an emblem of the fighting spirit of Ukrainians and its defenders , both regular soldiers and volunteer fighters , became known as “ cyborgs , ” a moniker given to them by Russian-backed separatists for their resilience .
The airport defenders have been treated by many Ukrainians as heroes .
Ukraine ’ s military says 101 soldiers were killed and 440 wounded while defending the airport .
Nine combatants are still missing .
Volunteers from the Right Sector , Dnipro-1 , Karpatskiy Sich and other such formations also took part in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people have been killed in the eastern Ukrainian conflict since it began in April 2014 .
The Kremlin officially denies that it is a party to the war and describes the events in the Donbas as `` an internal Ukrainian conflict . ''
The Donetsk airport was built ahead of the 2012 European soccer championship that Ukraine co-hosted with Poland .
Its estimated cost was $ 860 million .

A requiem mass was held at St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery in Kyiv on January 21 to honor the dead defenders of the Donetsk airport and all fallen combatants of hostilities.
Attending the memorial service in the Ukrainian capital were war veterans who defended the Donetsk airport from Russia-backed separatists, other combatants in the Donbas conflict, families of fallen soldiers, and volunteers.
The defense of the Sergei Prokofiev Donetsk International Airport lasted 242 days from May 26, 2014 to January 22, 2015 and ended after two of its terminals as well as the dispatcher tower were completely destroyed.
Its defense became an emblem of the fighting spirit of Ukrainians and its defenders, both regular soldiers and volunteer fighters, became known as "cyborgs," a moniker given to them by Russia-backed separatists for their resilience.
The airport defenders have been treated by many Ukrainians as heroes.
Ukraine’s military says 101 soldiers were killed and 440 wounded while defending the airport. Nine combatants are still missing.
Volunteers from the Right Sector, Dnipro-1, Karpatskiy Sich and other such formations also took part in defending the airport.
More than 13,000 people have been killed in the conflict in eastern Ukraine since it began in April 2014.
The Kremlin officially denies that it is a party to the war and describes the events in the Donbas as "an internal Ukrainian conflict."
The Donetsk airport was built ahead of the 2012 European soccer championship that Ukraine co-hosted with Poland. Its estimated cost was $860 million.


rferl--2020-01-21--Reports: U.S. Planning To Add Belarus, Kyrgyzstan To Travel Ban List

The U.S. administration considers adding Belarus and Kyrgyzstan to its travel ban list , along with four African countries , according to media reports .
The Wall Street Journal ( WSJ ) quoted officials as saying on January 21 that the countries wouldn ’ t all face blanket bans on travel to the United States , but could have restrictions placed on specific types of visas .
President Donald Trump said in an interview with the WSJ he was considering adding countries to the travel ban , but declined to say which ones .
The list of countries , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and Tanzania , “ is not yet final and could be changed , ” according to the website Politico , which said an announcement was expected as early as January 27 .
Trump ’ s original order , issued three years ago , targeted citizens of seven majority-Muslim nations , but it was later modified as it went through legal challenges .
The courts eventually allowed restictions on the entry of some citizens from Iran , Libya , Somalia , Syria , and Yemen , along with Venezuela and North Korea .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ give any details about plans to expand the list , but said the original order had been “ profoundly successful in protecting our country and raising the security baseline around the world . ''
`` If a country wants to fully participate in U.S. immigration programs , they should also comply with all security and counter-terrorism measures — because we do not want to import terrorism or any other national security threat into the United States , '' Gidley said in a statement .
Based on reporting by the WSJ and Politico

The U.S. administration is considering adding Belarus and Kyrgyzstan to its travel-ban list, along with four African countries and Burma, according to media reports.
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) quoted officials as saying on January 21 that the countries wouldn’t all face blanket bans on travel to the United States, but could have restrictions placed on specific types of visas.
President Donald Trump said in an interview with the WSJ he was considering adding countries to the travel ban, but declined to say which ones.
The list of countries, which reportedly also includes Burma, Eritrea, Nigeria, Sudan, and Tanzania, "is not yet final and could be changed," according to the website Politico, which said an announcement was expected as early as January 27.
Trump's original order, issued three years ago, targeted citizens of seven majority-Muslim nations, but it was later modified as it went through legal challenges.
The courts eventually allowed restrictions on the entry of some citizens from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen, along with Venezuela and North Korea.
White House spokesman Hogan Gidley declined to give any details about plans to expand the list, but said the original order had been “profoundly successful in protecting our country and raising the security baseline around the world."
"If a country wants to fully participate in U.S. immigration programs, they should also comply with all security and counter-terrorism measures — because we do not want to import terrorism or any other national security threat into the United States," Gidley said in a statement.
Based on reporting by The Wall Street Journal and Politico


rferl--2020-01-21--Jailed U.K.-Australian Academic Says Iran Offered Her To Become A Spy

A British-Australian woman jailed in Tehran on espionage charges said she rejected an offer from Iran to become a spy , according to letters she smuggled out of prison .
Kylie Moore-Gilbert , a lecturer in Islamic Studies at Melbourne University , has been in prison since September 2018 and is serving a 10-year term .
In extracts of the letters smuggled out of Tehran 's Evin prison and published by British media on January 21 , Moore-Gilbert wrote that she is `` imprisoned for a crime I have not committed '' and fears for her mental health .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the letters were written in rudimentary Persian language to Iranian officials between June and December 2019 .
One letter addressed to her `` case manager '' read : `` Please accept this letter as an official and definitive rejection of your offer to me to work with the intelligence branch ” of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps ( IRGC ) .
`` I am not a spy .
I have never been a spy and I have no interest to work for a spying organization in any country , '' Moore-Gilbert wrote .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ health has “ deteriorated significantly , '' having been taken to hospital twice and the jail 's infirmary six times .
The academic complained that she has been denied visits and phone calls and has been held in an `` extremely restrictive detention ward . ''
`` I think I am in the midst of a serious psychological problem , '' she said .
Australia has rejected the charges against Moore-Gilbert as entirely false and called for her to be treated `` fairly , humanely , and in accordance with international norms .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ spokesman Abbas Musavi said Moore-Gilbert must serve out her sentence and that the country `` will not submit to political games and propaganda . ''
In October , Australian travel bloggers Jolie King and her boyfriend Mark Firkin were released after spending months in an Iranian jail , while Australia freed a jailed Iranian academic , Reza Dehbashi Kivi .
With reporting by The Guardian , Times , and the BBC

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


rferl--2020-01-21--Russia Steps Up Checks At Borders, Airports To Block Virus Spread

Russia says it is stepping up checks at borders and airports to prevent the spread of a new virus from China that has killed at least six people and reached areas in Thailand , Japan , South Korea , and now has seen the first case reported in the United States .
Russian authorities have `` taken additional measures to reinforce sanitation and quarantine control in points of passage through the Russian border , '' the State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology ( VECTOR ) said on January 21 .
It said staff members will isolate people suspected of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ clinics have prepared to receive patients .
Russia shares a border of more than 4,200 kilometers with China , and some 1.5 million Chinese tourists visit each year .
Moscow 's Sheremetyevo Airport told AFP that additional sanitation-control measures would be used to screen passengers on flights from China , with heat scanners used to measure passengers ' body temperature while they are still on the arriving plane .
`` In case of elevated temperature , a medical team is immediately called to the plane , '' Sheremetyevo said .
It added that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but if a coronavirus infection is suspected , `` the passenger is immediately isolated in a special room and hospitalized in a specialized medical facility for an evaluation . ''
Russian officials also cautioned citizens against visiting Wuhan in central China where the new virus first emerged .
It urged them to avoid markets with live animals or zoos , to drink only bottled water , and to wear face masks .
Other countries have also taken precautions against the spread of the virus , including Australia , Japan , South Korea @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the northwestern U.S. city of Seattle , health officials on January 21 reported what is believed to be the first case of a person being diagnosed with the virus after returning to the United States from China .
Officials said a 30-year-old man who had traveled to the Wuhan area had no symptoms when he arrived in the United States , but that he contacted doctors on January 19 after he began to feel ill .
They said the man is in good condition at a hospital and is not considered a threat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The discovery came after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on January 18 said it would begin screening at three U.S. airports -- San Francisco , Los Angeles , and New York -- of passengers arriving from central China Meanwhile , Australia ’ s chief medical officer , Brendan Murphy , told reporters on January 21 that three weekly direct flights from Wuhan to Sydney will be met by border security and biosecurity staff for assessment .
However , Murphy acknowledged the measures would only offer “ limited protection ” because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ week.
” The World Health Organization ( WHO ) has called an urgent meeting for January 22 to discuss the crisis and determine whether the outbreak is an international health emergency .
Doctors began seeing the newly identified coronavirus -- which brings on pneumonia symptoms including fever , cough , and breathing problems -- in people who worked at or visited a food market in the suburbs of Wuhan , in central China , late last month .
With reporting by AFP , AP , TASS , Bloomberg , and dpa

Russia says it is stepping up checks at borders and airports to prevent the spread of a new virus from China that has killed at least six people and reached areas in Thailand, Japan, South Korea, and now has seen the first case reported in the United States.
Russian authorities have "taken additional measures to reinforce sanitation and quarantine control in points of passage through the Russian border," the State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology (VECTOR) said on January 21.
It said staff members will isolate people suspected of being infected with the coronavirus and that clinics have prepared to receive patients.
Russia shares a border of more than 4,200 kilometers with China, and some 1.5 million Chinese tourists visit each year.
Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport told AFP that additional sanitation-control measures would be used to screen passengers on flights from China, with heat scanners used to measure passengers' body temperature while they are still on the arriving plane.
"In case of elevated temperature, a medical team is immediately called to the plane," Sheremetyevo said.
It added that no cases have been detected so far, but if a coronavirus infection is suspected, "the passenger is immediately isolated in a special room and hospitalized in a specialized medical facility for an evaluation."
Russian officials also cautioned citizens against visiting Wuhan in central China where the new virus first emerged. It urged them to avoid markets with live animals or zoos, to drink only bottled water, and to wear face masks.
Other countries have also taken precautions against the spread of the virus, including Australia, Japan, South Korea, and the United States.
In the northwestern U.S. city of Seattle, health officials on January 21 reported what is believed to be the first case of a person being diagnosed with the virus after returning to the United States from China.
Officials said a 30-year-old man who had traveled to the Wuhan area had no symptoms when he arrived in the United States, but that he contacted doctors on January 19 after he began to feel ill. They said the man is in good condition at a hospital and is not considered a threat to medical staff or the public.
The discovery came after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on January 18 said it would begin screening at three U.S. airports -- San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York -- of passengers arriving from central China
Meanwhile, Australia’s chief medical officer, Brendan Murphy, told reporters on January 21 that three weekly direct flights from Wuhan to Sydney will be met by border security and biosecurity staff for assessment.
However, Murphy acknowledged the measures would only offer “limited protection” because the incubation period “is probably a week.”
The World Health Organization (WHO) has called an urgent meeting for January 22 to discuss the crisis and determine whether the outbreak is an international health emergency.
Doctors began seeing the newly identified coronavirus -- which brings on pneumonia symptoms including fever, cough, and breathing problems -- in people who worked at or visited a food market in the suburbs of Wuhan, in central China, late last month.
With reporting by AFP, AP, TASS, Bloomberg, and dpa


rferl--2020-01-21--Russian Republic’s Leader Accused Of Inciting Violence Against Critical Journalists

Reporters Without Borders ( RSF ) is calling for the leader of Russia 's Republic of Chuvashia in the Volga region to be tried for inciting violence when he said journalists who constantly criticize the government should be `` wiped out . ''
Speaking on January 18 , which marked Press Day in Russia , Mikhail Ignatyev urged journalists to `` wipe out '' colleagues who `` criticize from morning to night . ''
The word he used for “ wipe out '' was `` mochit '' -- a Russian underworld slang term .
Ignatyev accused critical journalists of causing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ things .
Jeanne Cavelier , the head of RSF ’ s Eastern Europe and Central Asia desk , said in a statement on January 21 that `` nothing can justify such violence from a politician . ''
OSCE Representative for Freedom of the Media Harlem Desir also denounced Ignatyev ’ s “ dangerous statement , ” saying : “ Such a declaration from a public official is unacceptable and may endanger journalists ’ safety.
” Cavelier called for Ignatyev to resign for violating Chuvashia ’ s constitution , which says its president must @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and human rights.
” He should also be put on trial for “ inciting hatred against a social group ” under Russia ’ s penal code , she said .
Following an outcry over his comments , Ignatyev issued a “ partial apology ” that had “ the sole aim of reinforcing his criticism of outspoken journalists , '' according to Cavelier .
Chuvashia ’ s head on January 20 apologized `` as a kind-hearted person '' to those he might have `` upset '' by his use of the term “ wipe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was referring to `` people who claim to be journalists but have just one aim -- to discredit the authorities by all means possible . ''
Russia is ranked 149th out of 180 countries in RSF ’ s 2019 World Press Freedom Index .

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is calling for the leader of Russia's Republic of Chuvashia in the Volga region to be tried for inciting violence when he said journalists who constantly criticize the government should be "wiped out."
Speaking on January 18, which marked Press Day in Russia, Mikhail Ignatyev urged journalists to "wipe out" colleagues who "criticize from morning to night." The word he used for “wipe out" was "mochit" -- a Russian underworld slang term.
Ignatyev accused critical journalists of causing "street protests," among other things.
Jeanne Cavelier, the head of RSF’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia desk, said in a statement on January 21 that "nothing can justify such violence from a politician."
OSCE Representative for Freedom of the Media Harlem Desir also denounced Ignatyev’s “dangerous statement,” saying: “Such a declaration from a public official is unacceptable and may endanger journalists’ safety.”
Cavelier called for Ignatyev to resign for violating Chuvashia’s constitution, which says its president must “protect the citizen’s freedom and human rights.”
He should also be put on trial for “inciting hatred against a social group” under Russia’s penal code, she said.
Following an outcry over his comments, Ignatyev issued a “partial apology” that had “the sole aim of reinforcing his criticism of outspoken journalists," according to Cavelier.
Chuvashia’s head on January 20 apologized "as a kind-hearted person" to those he might have "upset" by his use of the term “wipe out."
He added that he was referring to "people who claim to be journalists but have just one aim -- to discredit the authorities by all means possible."
Russia is ranked 149th out of 180 countries in RSF’s 2019 World Press Freedom Index.


rferl--2020-01-21--Lavrov, Shoigu Among Key Ministers Staying In Russia's New Government

Russian President Vladimir Putin has appointed a new government , keeping key officials in place including the ministers of foreign affairs and defense .
The shakeup comes as Putin has launched sweeping constitutional reforms seen as an attempt to secure the 67-year-old former KGB officer ’ s grip on power beyond the end of his fourth presidential term in 2024 .
Dmitry Medvedev , who remained Russia ’ s prime minister for eight years , quickly resigned after Putin announced the sweeping changes last week .
The little-known head of Russia 's tax service , Mikhail Mishustin , was picked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ The most important task is to increase the welfare of our citizens and strengthen our statehood and the position of our country in the world .
All these are absolutely attainable goals , ” Putin said in a televised meeting with the new government on January 21 .
The president hailed the cabinet as “ very balanced , ” saying : “ We have enough people who worked in the previous government , as well as a major renewal.
” In the new government , Putin appointed his economic adviser Andrei Belousov @ @ @ @ @ @ @ eight deputy prime ministers .
They include Dmitry Grigorenko , who was also chosen as chief of government staff .
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov , Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu , and Finance Minister Anton Siluanov are keeping their posts .
However , Siluanov was stripped of his additional role of first deputy prime minister he had in Medvedev ’ s cabinet .
Energy Minister Aleksandr Novak , Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov , Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev , Emergency Situations Minister Yevgeny Zinichev , and Agriculture Minister Dmitry Patrushev also retained their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the new minister of economic development , replacing Maksim Oreshkin .
Aleksandr Konovalov lost the job of justice minister , and Konstantin Chuikchenko , who was chief of the government staff , was moved to succeed him .
Sports Minister Pavel Kolobkov , Health Minister Veronika Skvortsova , and Culture Minister Vladimir Medinsky also lost their posts .
Putin announced his plans for constitutional reforms during his state-of-the-nation address on January 15 .
His proposed amendments to the constitution were approved on January 21 by a committee from the lower house of parliament @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after they were submitted to the chamber .
The State Duma scheduled the first of three required readings of the bill on January 23 , the legislature said in a statement .
With reporting by AFP , Reuters , dpa , Interfax , and AP

Russian President Vladimir Putin has appointed a new government, keeping key officials in place including the ministers of foreign affairs and defense.
The shakeup comes as Putin has launched sweeping constitutional reforms seen as an attempt to secure the 67-year-old former KGB officer’s grip on power beyond the end of his fourth presidential term in 2024.
Dmitry Medvedev, who remained Russia’s prime minister for eight years, quickly resigned after Putin announced the sweeping changes last week. The little-known head of Russia's tax service, Mikhail Mishustin, was picked the next day to succeed Medvedev.
“The most important task is to increase the welfare of our citizens and strengthen our statehood and the position of our country in the world. All these are absolutely attainable goals,” Putin said in a televised meeting with the new government on January 21.
The president hailed the cabinet as “very balanced,” saying: “We have enough people who worked in the previous government, as well as a major renewal.”
In the new government, Putin appointed his economic adviser Andrei Belousov as first deputy prime minister and named eight deputy prime ministers. They include Dmitry Grigorenko, who was also chosen as chief of government staff.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, and Finance Minister Anton Siluanov are keeping their posts. However, Siluanov was stripped of his additional role of first deputy prime minister he had in Medvedev’s cabinet.
Energy Minister Aleksandr Novak, Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov, Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev, Emergency Situations Minister Yevgeny Zinichev, and Agriculture Minister Dmitry Patrushev also retained their posts.
Perm Governor Maksim Reshetnikov became the new minister of economic development, replacing Maksim Oreshkin.
Aleksandr Konovalov lost the job of justice minister, and Konstantin Chuikchenko, who was chief of the government staff, was moved to succeed him.
Sports Minister Pavel Kolobkov, Health Minister Veronika Skvortsova, and Culture Minister Vladimir Medinsky also lost their posts.
Putin announced his plans for constitutional reforms during his state-of-the-nation address on January 15.
His proposed amendments to the constitution were approved on January 21 by a committee from the lower house of parliament, the State Duma, a day after they were submitted to the chamber.
The State Duma scheduled the first of three required readings of the bill on January 23, the legislature said in a statement.
With reporting by AFP, Reuters, dpa, Interfax, and AP


rferl--2020-01-21--U.S. Rejects Iranian Lawmaker’s 'Ridiculous' Reward To Kill Trump

A senior U.S. diplomat has called an Iranian lawmaker 's offer of a reward to anyone who killed U.S. President Donald Trump `` ridiculous , '' saying it pointed to the `` terrorist underpinnings '' of Iran ’ s establishment .
Robert Wood , the U.S. permanent representative to the Conference on Disarmament , made the comments on January 21 after lawmaker Ahmad Hamzeh announced the $ 3-million reward to avenge the assassination of a top military commander earlier this month .
Major General Qasem Soleimani ’ s killing in a drone strike ordered by Trump on January 3 in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two bases housing U.S. troops in Iraq .
`` On behalf of the people of Kerman Province , we will pay a $ 3-million reward in cash to whoever kills Trump , '' Hamzeh told the 290-seat parliament , according to the semiofficial news agency ISNA .
Hamzeh , a little-known member of the Majlis , represents Kahnouj county near the southeastern city of Kerman -- the hometown and final resting place of Soleimani .
He did not say who would pay the bounty offer or whether the reward had any official backing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to reporters in Geneva , Wood said the reward is `` just ridiculous but it gives you a sense of the terrorist underpinnings of that regime and that regime needs to change its behavior . ''
With reporting by ISNA and Reuters


rferl--2020-01-21--Watchdog: Russia 'Trying To Silence' Information Flow From Occupied Crimea

Human Rights Watch ( HRW ) has accused Russia of “ trying to silence ” the flow of information from Ukraine ’ s Russian-occupied region of Crimea by banning Ukrainian journalists from traveling there .
“ Critical reporting from Crimea is a major irritant to Russian authorities , ” Tanya Lokshina , associate Europe and Central Asia director at the New York-based watchdog , said in a statement on January 21 , days after Russian authorities barred journalist Taras Ibragimov from entering the peninsula and issued him a 34-year-ban .
“ Barring independent journalists from the peninsula helps to choke @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Crimean Tatar activists and other abuses , ” she added .
Rights groups and Western governments have denounced what they describe as a campaign of repression by the Russian-imposed authorities against Crimean Tatars and others who have spoken out against Moscow 's military seizure and occupation of Crimea in 2014 .
On January 18 , Ibragimov told RFE/RL that Russia 's Border Guard Service , a branch of the Federal Security Service ( FSB ) , banned him from entering Russia and Crimea until the middle of 2054 .
Ibragimov , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's Ukrainian Service , said he believed the travel ban was “ connected with my journalism and my work for publications that actively cover the cases of Crimean Tatars in Crimea and in Russia . ''
OSCE Representative for Freedom of the Media Harlem Desir on January 21 said he deplored Russia 's decision and called on “ those responsible to respect the role of media actors and to allow journalists to travel without restrictions to carry out their work.
” Since 2018 , Russian authorities banned a Ukrainian photographer and a Ukrainian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Desk of RFE/RL 's Ukrainian Service from entering Crimea and Russia until 2028 .
Another Ukrainian reporter was issued a four-year-ban in 2016 .
With reporting by the Crimea Desk of RFE/RL 's Ukrainian Service

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has accused Russia of “trying to silence” the flow of information from Ukraine’s Russian-occupied region of Crimea by banning Ukrainian journalists from traveling there.
“Critical reporting from Crimea is a major irritant to Russian authorities,” Tanya Lokshina, associate Europe and Central Asia director at the New York-based watchdog, said in a statement on January 21, days after Russian authorities barred journalist Taras Ibrahimov from entering the peninsula and issued him a 34-year-ban.
“Barring independent journalists from the peninsula helps to choke the flow of information about their crackdown on Crimean Tatar activists and other abuses,” she added.
Rights groups and Western governments have denounced what they describe as a campaign of repression by the Russian-imposed authorities against Crimean Tatars and others who have spoken out against Moscow's military seizure and occupation of Crimea in 2014.
On January 18, Ibrahimov told RFE/RL that Russia's Border Guard Service, a branch of the Federal Security Service (FSB), banned him from entering Russia and Crimea until the middle of 2054.
Ibrahimov, who works with the Crimea Desk of RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, said he believed the travel ban was “connected with my journalism and my work for publications that actively cover the cases of Crimean Tatars in Crimea and in Russia."
OSCE Representative for Freedom of the Media Harlem Desir on January 21 said he deplored Russia's decision and called on “those responsible to respect the role of media actors and to allow journalists to travel without restrictions to carry out their work.”
Since 2018, Russian authorities banned a Ukrainian photographer and a Ukrainian journalist who also worked with the Crimea Desk of RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service from entering Crimea and Russia until 2028. Another Ukrainian reporter was issued a four-year-ban in 2016.
With reporting by the Crimea Desk of RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service


rferl--2020-01-21--Lukashenka Says Russia Blocking Kazakhstan From Delivering Oil To Belarus

MINSK -- Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka says Russia is blocking deliveries of Kazakh oil amid a tariff dispute with Moscow , Minsk 's regular supplier .
Lukashenka said on January 21 at a meeting with oil experts in Minsk that the situation Belarus 's economy is facing `` is getting complex . ''
`` It is strange , our ally does not agree to deliver oil to us from our other ally .
That is an odd situation in the oil-delivery sector and we must take care of it , '' Lukashenka said .
All three countries are founding members @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Russian President Vladimir Putin has tried to use to bolster Moscow 's influence in the former Soviet Union and counter the EU and NATO .
`` Because of the Russian Federation 's introduction of the tax tariff maneuver [ on oil , Belarus 's ] state budget gains are constantly dropping and the efficiency of our refineries ' operations are worsening .
There are no full alternatives to Russian oil and we have to diversify the sector , '' Lukashenka said , adding that the volume of Russian oil in the Belarusian market @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Belarus has been at odds with Russia over oil-transit prices for some time against a backdrop of increasing pressure by Moscow on Lukashenka to deepen integration between the two neighbors .
Belarus is heavily reliant on Russia for fuel and funding and is a key transit route for Russian energy supplies to Europe .
On January 14 , Belarusian Deputy Prime Minister Dzmitry Krutoy said Minsk had asked several European countries , as well as Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan , to sell Belarus oil amid the tariff tug-of-war with Russia .
Moscow and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ form a unified state , but little progress has been made in the ensuing two decades .
Meetings between Putin and Lukashenka last year failed to bring the two sides together as the Belarusian president noted he was merely seeking `` equal '' terms .
Belarusian protests in December targeted the perceived secrecy of the talks and objected to closer ties to Russia .

MINSK -- Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka says Russia is blocking deliveries of Kazakh oil amid a tariff dispute with Moscow, Minsk's regular supplier.
Lukashenka said on January 21 at a meeting with oil experts in Minsk that the situation Belarus's economy is facing "is getting complex."
"It is strange, our ally does not agree to deliver oil to us from our other ally. That is an odd situation in the oil-delivery sector and we must take care of it," Lukashenka said.
All three countries are founding members of the Eurasian Economic Union, which Russian President Vladimir Putin has tried to use to bolster Moscow's influence in the former Soviet Union and counter the EU and NATO.
"Because of the Russian Federation's introduction of the tax tariff maneuver [on oil, Belarus's] state budget gains are constantly dropping and the efficiency of our refineries' operations are worsening. There are no full alternatives to Russian oil and we have to diversify the sector," Lukashenka said, adding that the volume of Russian oil in the Belarusian market must be between 30 and 40 percent.
Belarus has been at odds with Russia over oil-transit prices for some time against a backdrop of increasing pressure by Moscow on Lukashenka to deepen integration between the two neighbors.
Belarus is heavily reliant on Russia for fuel and funding and is a key transit route for Russian energy supplies to Europe.
On January 14, Belarusian Deputy Prime Minister Dzmitry Krutoy said Minsk had asked several European countries, as well as Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan, to sell Belarus oil amid the tariff tug-of-war with Russia.
Moscow and Minsk signed an agreement in 1999 to form a unified state, but little progress has been made in the ensuing two decades.
Meetings between Putin and Lukashenka last year failed to bring the two sides together as the Belarusian president noted he was merely seeking "equal" terms.
Belarusian protests in December targeted the perceived secrecy of the talks and objected to closer ties to Russia.
With reporting by BelTA


rferl--2020-01-21--Islamist Political Party Blocks Pakistani Film On Moral Policing

Authorities in Pakistan have temporarily stopped the release of a movie that tackles moral policing and intolerance in society after receiving complaints by a hard-line Islamist party .
The film , Circus of Life , was approved by Pakistan 's censorship board for release on January 24 but came under heavy criticism from the Tehrik-e Labaik ( TLP ) party .
TLP asked the government for a ban and said it would stage a rally against the film on January 21 .
`` The movie is blasphemous and should not be released at all , '' said TLP spokesman Pir @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be reexamined on February 3 , '' the provincial government of Punjab said in a statement , adding that it made the decision following repeated complaints from different groups .
Filmmaker Sarmad Khoosat said on Twitter that he received `` dozens of threatening phone calls '' because of the film .
Khoosat 's studio has filed a petition in a Lahore civil court against TLP for `` trying to interfere into the smooth running , public screening/releasing '' of the movie .
Thousands of people supported Khoosat who has also written to Prime @ @ @ @ @ @ @ A trailer of the film that showed the misuse of the blasphemy law was taken down from YouTube following strong criticism from Islamist groups .
Blasphemy is a sensitive topic in Pakistan and those accused can become the target of Muslim vigilante groups .
TLP was at the forefront of rioting in 2018 when the Supreme Court overturned the conviction of Christian woman Asia Bibi , who had been on death row for eight years for allegedly insulting Muslim prophet Muhammad .
With reporting by dpa and dawn.com

Authorities in Pakistan have temporarily stopped the release of a movie that tackles moral policing and intolerance in society after receiving complaints by a hard-line Islamist party.
The film, Circus of Life, was approved by Pakistan's censorship board for release on January 24 but came under heavy criticism from the Tehrik-e Labaik (TLP) party. TLP asked the government for a ban and said it would stage a rally against the film on January 21.
"The movie is blasphemous and should not be released at all," said TLP spokesman Pir Zubair Kasuri.
"The movie will be reexamined on February 3," the provincial government of Punjab said in a statement, adding that it made the decision following repeated complaints from different groups.
Filmmaker Sarmad Khoosat said on Twitter that he received "dozens of threatening phone calls" because of the film.
Khoosat's studio has filed a petition in a Lahore civil court against TLP for "trying to interfere into the smooth running, public screening/releasing" of the movie.
Thousands of people supported Khoosat who has also written to Prime Minister Imran Khan over the issue.
A trailer of the film that showed the misuse of the blasphemy law was taken down from YouTube following strong criticism from Islamist groups.
Blasphemy is a sensitive topic in Pakistan and those accused can become the target of Muslim vigilante groups.
TLP was at the forefront of rioting in 2018 when the Supreme Court overturned the conviction of Christian woman Asia Bibi, who had been on death row for eight years for allegedly insulting Muslim prophet Muhammad.
With reporting by dpa and dawn.com


rferl--2020-01-21--Jehovah's Witness In Russia's Far East Gets Suspended Six-Year Prison Sentence

The Jehovah 's Witnesses say a court in Russia 's Far East has handed a suspended six-year prison sentence to one of its members amid what activists call an escalating campaign of persecution of the religious group .
Judge Natalia Derevyagina of Nadezhdinsky District Court in the region of Primorye on January 21 found Grigory Bubnov guilty of `` organizing the activities of a banned group '' and handed down the sentence on the same day .
Prosecutors had asked the judge to sentence Bubnov to seven years in prison .
Russia banned the religious group in April 2017 and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' a designation the U.S. State Department has characterized as `` wrong . ''
Since the faith was outlawed , nine Jehovah 's Witness followers have been imprisoned in Russia , including Danish national Dennis Christensen , who was sentenced to six years in prison in February last year in the western city of Oryol in a case condemned both in Russia and abroad .
In September , the United States banned two high-ranking regional officers of Russia 's Investigative Committee from entering the country for allegedly torturing seven Jehovah 's Witnesses .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ recognized 29 Jehovah ’ s Witnesses charged with or convicted of extremism as political prisoners .
On January 9 , Human Rights Watch ( HRW ) said in a statement that Russian law enforcement authorities have `` dramatically escalated the nationwide persecution '' of Jehovah 's Witnesses over the past year .
The statement said that Russian authorities have carried out at least 780 house raids since 2017 in dozens of Russian cities -- more than half of them last year .
The Jehovah 's Witnesses have been eyed with suspicion in Russia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about military service , voting , and government authority in general .

The Jehovah's Witnesses say a court in Russia's Far East has handed a suspended six-year prison sentence to one of its members amid what activists call an escalating campaign of persecution of the religious group.
Judge Natalia Derevyagina of Nadezhdinsky District Court in the region of Primorye on January 21 found Grigory Bubnov guilty of "organizing the activities of a banned group" and handed down the sentence on the same day.
Prosecutors had asked the judge to sentence Bubnov to seven years in prison.
Russia banned the religious group in April 2017 and deemed it an "extremist organization," a designation the U.S. State Department has characterized as "wrong."
Since the faith was outlawed, nine Jehovah's Witness followers have been imprisoned in Russia, including Danish national Dennis Christensen, who was sentenced to six years in prison in February last year in the western city of Oryol in a case condemned both in Russia and abroad.
In September, the United States banned two high-ranking regional officers of Russia's Investigative Committee from entering the country for allegedly torturing seven Jehovah's Witnesses.
The Moscow-based Memorial Human Rights Center has recognized 29 Jehovah’s Witnesses charged with or convicted of extremism as political prisoners.
On January 9, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a statement that Russian law enforcement authorities have "dramatically escalated the nationwide persecution" of Jehovah's Witnesses over the past year.
The statement said that Russian authorities have carried out at least 780 house raids since 2017 in dozens of Russian cities -- more than half of them last year.
The Jehovah's Witnesses have been eyed with suspicion in Russia for decades for its members' views about military service, voting, and government authority in general.


rferl--2020-01-21--Kazakh Court Rules That Two Ethnic Kazakhs Will Not Be Deported To China

ZAISAN , Kazakhstan -- A court in Kazakhstan has ruled that two ethnic-Kazakh men from China 's northwestern region of Xinjiang who are on trial for illegally crossing the border in October will not be deported to China .
The court in the far eastern town of Zaisan announced its decision in the high-profile case on January 21 .
Judge Shynar Ospanova handed one-year prison sentences to Murager Alimuly and Qaster Musakhanuly for illegally entering the country , but allowed them to stay in Kazakhstan , saying that they may face persecution back in Xinjiang .
The judge added that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pretrial detention since October counts as two prison days , making them eligible for release in less than six months .
The 25-year-old Alimuly testified that he had been detained in Xinjiang for questioning and faced incarceration at a Chinese `` reeducation camp . ''
Musakhanuly , 30 , said he had previously spent five years in such a camp in Xinjiang .
In September , he said , he was told by Chinese authorities that he would be sent back to one of the camps .
The court 's ruling comes five @ @ @ @ @ @ @ southwestern town of Zharkent decided that an ethnic-Kazakh man from Xinjiang , Tilek Tabarikuly , would not be deported to China after being charged with illegal border-crossing .
Tabarikuly asked the court not to send him back to China and testified that he had to flee the country even though it meant illegally crossing the border because he feared he would be treated harshly by Chinese authorities and because his parents were waiting for him in Kazakhstan .
In August 2018 , the United Nations said an estimated 1 million Uyghurs and members @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Xinjiang were being held in `` counterextremism centers . ''
The UN said millions more had been forced into reeducation camps .
China denies that the facilities are internment camps .
Those conditions have prompted many ethnic-Kazakhs from Xinjiang in recent years to cross the border illegally in fear of staying in China .
In one of the most high-profile cases , a Kazakh court in August 2018 refused to extradite Sairagul Sauytbay , an ethnic Kazakh Chinese citizen who was wanted in China for illegal border crossing .
Sauytbay fled China @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ethnic Kazakhs , Uyghurs , and other Muslims in Xinjiang were undergoing `` political indoctrination '' at a network of `` reeducation camps . ''
She added that Chinese authorities had forced her to train `` political ideology '' instructors for such reeducation camps .
This , Sauytbay said , gave her access to secret documents about what she called a state program to `` reeducate '' Muslims from indigenous ethnic communities .
Although she was not extradited to China , Kazakh authorities did not allow Sauytbay to remain in Kazakhstan .
She @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kazakhs are the second-largest Turkic-speaking indigenous community in Xinjiang after Uyghurs .
The region is also home to ethnic Kyrgyz , Tajiks , and Hui , also known as Dungans .
Han , China 's largest ethnicity , are the second-largest community in Xinjiang .

ZAISAN, Kazakhstan -- A court in Kazakhstan has ruled that two ethnic-Kazakh men from China's northwestern region of Xinjiang who are on trial for illegally crossing the border in October will not be deported to China.
The court in the far eastern town of Zaisan announced its decision in the high-profile case on January 21.
Judge Shynar Ospanova handed one-year prison sentences to Murager Alimuly and Qaster Musakhanuly for illegally entering the country, but allowed them to stay in Kazakhstan, saying that they may face persecution back in Xinjiang.
The judge added that each day the two men spent in pretrial detention since October counts as two prison days, making them eligible for release in less than six months.
The 25-year-old Alimuly testified that he had been detained in Xinjiang for questioning and faced incarceration at a Chinese "reeducation camp."
Musakhanuly, 30, said he had previously spent five years in such a camp in Xinjiang. In September, he said, he was told by Chinese authorities that he would be sent back to one of the camps.
The court's ruling comes five days after another Kazakh court in the southwestern town of Zharkent decided that an ethnic-Kazakh man from Xinjiang, Tilek Tabarikuly, would not be deported to China after being charged with illegal border-crossing.
Tabarikuly asked the court not to send him back to China and testified that he had to flee the country even though it meant illegally crossing the border because he feared he would be treated harshly by Chinese authorities and because his parents were waiting for him in Kazakhstan.
In August 2018, the United Nations said an estimated 1 million Uyghurs and members of other mostly Muslim indigenous ethnic groups in Xinjiang were being held in "counterextremism centers."
The UN said millions more had been forced into reeducation camps. China denies that the facilities are internment camps.
Those conditions have prompted many ethnic-Kazakhs from Xinjiang in recent years to cross the border illegally in fear of staying in China.
In one of the most high-profile cases, a Kazakh court in August 2018 refused to extradite Sairagul Sauytbay, an ethnic Kazakh Chinese citizen who was wanted in China for illegal border crossing.
Sauytbay fled China in April and testified that thousands of ethnic Kazakhs, Uyghurs, and other Muslims in Xinjiang were undergoing "political indoctrination" at a network of "reeducation camps."
She added that Chinese authorities had forced her to train "political ideology" instructors for such reeducation camps. This, Sauytbay said, gave her access to secret documents about what she called a state program to "reeducate" Muslims from indigenous ethnic communities.
Although she was not extradited to China, Kazakh authorities did not allow Sauytbay to remain in Kazakhstan. She was eventually granted asylum in Sweden.
Kazakhs are the second-largest Turkic-speaking indigenous community in Xinjiang after Uyghurs. The region is also home to ethnic Kyrgyz, Tajiks, and Hui, also known as Dungans. Han, China's largest ethnicity, are the second-largest community in Xinjiang.


rferl--2020-01-21--Tajik Authorities Hand Only Partial Accreditation To Four RFE/RL Staff Members In Dushanbe

DUSHANBE -- Tajik authorities have again failed to fully grant the accreditation requests of RFE/RL journalists and staff members .
The ministry has been reluctant since late October to fully grant one-year accreditations to 18 RFE/RL journalists and staff members of RFE/RL ’ s Tajik Service , known locally as Radio Ozodi , whose credentials have been withheld by the ministry or expired on November 1 .
The Tajik Foreign Ministry said on January 21 it had issued 6-month accreditations to four employees of the bureau , including a driver .
Accreditations for seven other journalists , including two former @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Service had to replace due to the lack of accreditation , are pending , it added .
The partial fulfillment of the request mirrors a similar move on October 31 , when the ministry granted partial accreditation to seven journalists -- six for six months each and one for three months -- while continuing to withhold it from 11 others .
Alice Wells , principal deputy assistant secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs at the U.S. State Department , reminded Tajik officials earlier in January that the role of independent media is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ any country ... '' and particularly as Tajikistan goes into an election cycle with parliamentary and presidential elections [ in 2020 ] , having an active and open debate is particularly important . ''
`` We strongly believe that Radio Liberty [ RFE/RL ] reporters should receive accreditation ... in a timely manner , '' she said afterward in an interview with RFE/RL .
In a letter to Tajik Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Muhriddin in October , RFE/RL President Jamie Fly said the ministry 's decision to withhold accreditation from some members of its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to others was obstructing the organization 's journalistic mission inside the country .
`` Instead of addressing our concerns , your ministry responded to our repeated requests to accredit our journalists only yesterday , and with only partial approvals that fail to recognize the fundamental right of our journalists to work , '' Fly wrote .
He said RFE/RL `` will not succumb to pressure in our reporting in and about Tajikistan , '' and urged the ministry `` to accredit fully all Ozodi journalists immediately and let them do their jobs .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ working without accreditation .
RFE/RL , which is funded by a grant from the U.S. Congress through the U.S. Agency for Global Media , operates as an international media organization in Tajikistan .
Free-press advocates have criticized Tajikistan for using accreditation as a pressure tactic .
OSCE Representative for Freedom of the Media Harlem Desir said in October that `` accreditation should not be used as a work permit , '' and called on Dushanbe to restore credentials for Ozodi journalists .
In letters to Tajik President Emomali Rahmon , members of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Ozodi ’ s staff to be `` accredited expeditiously '' and expressed concern that denying accreditation for Ozodi journalists could lead to `` repercussions for the strengthening of the U.S.-Tajik relationship . ''
Tajikistan first revoked Ozodi credentials in 2016 , stripping six correspondents of their right to work following an article about Rahmon ’ s daughter receiving a Foreign Ministry post .
The accreditations were restored after a public outcry .
The issue comes as Tajikistan , which ranks 161st of 180 countries on Reporters Without Borders ' World Press Freedom @ @ @ @ @ @ @ elections next year .
International and Tajik media rights groups have urged authorities in Dushanbe to ensure that journalists can work freely ahead of the polls .
In an October 25 open letter to Rahmon , Joel Simon , executive director of the Committee to Protect Journalists , wrote , `` It is imperative that the Tajik authorities respect international standards of press freedom by ensuring that journalists can work freely and safely and citizens can make informed choices about politics . ''

DUSHANBE -- Tajik authorities have again failed to fully grant the accreditation requests of RFE/RL journalists and staff members.
The ministry has been reluctant since late October to fully grant one-year accreditations to 18 RFE/RL journalists and staff members of RFE/RL’s Tajik Service, known locally as Radio Ozodi, whose credentials have been withheld by the ministry or expired on November 1.
The Tajik Foreign Ministry said on January 21 it had issued 6-month accreditations to four employees of the bureau, including a driver. Accreditations for seven other journalists, including two former bureau chiefs, whom RFE/RL's Tajik Service had to replace due to the lack of accreditation, are pending, it added.
The partial fulfillment of the request mirrors a similar move on October 31, when the ministry granted partial accreditation to seven journalists -- six for six months each and one for three months -- while continuing to withhold it from 11 others.
Alice Wells, principal deputy assistant secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs at the U.S. State Department, reminded Tajik officials earlier in January that the role of independent media is "critical" in the development of any country..."and particularly as Tajikistan goes into an election cycle with parliamentary and presidential elections [in 2020], having an active and open debate is particularly important."
"We strongly believe that Radio Liberty [RFE/RL] reporters should receive accreditation...in a timely manner," she said afterward in an interview with RFE/RL.
In a letter to Tajik Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Muhriddin in October, RFE/RL President Jamie Fly said the ministry's decision to withhold accreditation from some members of its Tajik Service and grant only partial accreditation to others was obstructing the organization's journalistic mission inside the country.
"Instead of addressing our concerns, your ministry responded to our repeated requests to accredit our journalists only yesterday, and with only partial approvals that fail to recognize the fundamental right of our journalists to work," Fly wrote.
He said RFE/RL "will not succumb to pressure in our reporting in and about Tajikistan," and urged the ministry "to accredit fully all Ozodi journalists immediately and let them do their jobs."
Tajik law prohibits foreign-media journalists from working without accreditation. RFE/RL, which is funded by a grant from the U.S. Congress through the U.S. Agency for Global Media, operates as an international media organization in Tajikistan.
Free-press advocates have criticized Tajikistan for using accreditation as a pressure tactic. OSCE Representative for Freedom of the Media Harlem Desir said in October that "accreditation should not be used as a work permit," and called on Dushanbe to restore credentials for Ozodi journalists.
Open Letters
In letters to Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, members of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate called for Ozodi’s staff to be "accredited expeditiously" and expressed concern that denying accreditation for Ozodi journalists could lead to "repercussions for the strengthening of the U.S.-Tajik relationship."
Tajikistan first revoked Ozodi credentials in 2016, stripping six correspondents of their right to work following an article about Rahmon’s daughter receiving a Foreign Ministry post. The accreditations were restored after a public outcry.
The issue comes as Tajikistan, which ranks 161st of 180 countries on Reporters Without Borders' World Press Freedom Index, heads into parliamentary and presidential elections next year.
International and Tajik media rights groups have urged authorities in Dushanbe to ensure that journalists can work freely ahead of the polls.
In an October 25 open letter to Rahmon, Joel Simon, executive director of the Committee to Protect Journalists, wrote, "It is imperative that the Tajik authorities respect international standards of press freedom by ensuring that journalists can work freely and safely and citizens can make informed choices about politics."


rferl--2020-01-22--Accused Russian Hacker To Plead Guilty To U.S. Charges; Case Prompted Diplomatic Fight With Israel

A Russian man who was the subject of a three-year diplomatic scuffle between Russia , Israel , and the United States was set to plead guilty to U.S. charges related to the massive cybertheft of credit cards .
Documents filed in a U.S. federal court indicated that Aleksei Burkov , 29 , will change his plea from not guilty when he makes his next court appearance on January 23 .
Burkov ’ s U.S. defense lawyer did not immediately respond to a query from RFE/RL .
Burkov , who was extradited to the United States from Israel in November , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ alleged Russian hackers whom U.S. authorities have targeted for arrest while they were traveling outside of Russia .
The arrests have prompted angry denunciations from Moscow , which accused the United States of `` hunting '' Russian citizens .
He was initially arrested by Israel in 2015 , on a U.S. arrest warrant .
Indictments unsealed later charged him in connection with allegedly operating two Russian-language chat forums where , according to U.S. officials , members traded stolen credit card numbers and other information worth millions of dollars .
After his arrest , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Burkov to Russia and not to the United States .
According to court documents filed last week , Burkov oversaw two forums in the early 2010s : Cardplanet and Direct Connection .
On Cardplanet , Burkov allegedly advertised more than 150,000 hacked credit cards , many of which came from U.S. banks .
Direct Connection , meanwhile , was a Russian-language members-only forum where users could trade stolen credit cards , but also tips , malware , and other cyberscams , according to U.S. officials .
The newest filings omit mention of another @ @ @ @ @ @ @ earlier : a forum where a massive database containing the records of 191 million U.S. voters had been offered for sale in November 2015 .
The fight for custody of Burkov grew into a public diplomatic scandal last year , when an Israeli woman was arrested at a Moscow airport in April as she was flying through , en route to another country .
Police said they found a small amount of marijuana in Naama Issachar ’ s luggage and charged her with drug smuggling .
Issachar , who also holds U.S. citizenship @ @ @ @ @ @ @ October , a Russian court sentenced her to 7 1/2 years in prison .
Many Israelis were outraged by the sentence which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized as being disproportionate .
Issacher ’ s relatives , meanwhile , publicly accused Russian authorities of holding the 27-year-old Issachar as a bargaining chip to persuade Netanyahu to turn Burkov over to Russia .
Netanyahu , who has cultivated good relations with Putin , will meet the Russian leader when Putin travels to Jerusalem on January 23 , to participate in a private forum connected to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Auschwitz death camp .
The forum is being hosted and paid for by Russian-Israeli oligarch Moshe Kantor , who has been identified by the United States as having close Kremlin connections .
On January 20 , Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin and Netanyahu were likely to discuss Issachar 's case .

A Russian man who was the subject of a three-year diplomatic scuffle between Russia, Israel, and the United States was set to plead guilty to U.S. charges related to the massive cybertheft of credit cards.
Documents filed in a U.S. federal court indicated that Aleksei Burkov, 29, will change his plea from not guilty when he makes his next court appearance on January 23.
Burkov’s U.S. defense lawyer did not immediately respond to a query from RFE/RL.
Burkov, who was extradited to the United States from Israel in November, was the latest in a series of alleged Russian hackers whom U.S. authorities have targeted for arrest while they were traveling outside of Russia.
The arrests have prompted angry denunciations from Moscow, which accused the United States of "hunting" Russian citizens.
He was initially arrested by Israel in 2015, on a U.S. arrest warrant. Indictments unsealed later charged him in connection with allegedly operating two Russian-language chat forums where, according to U.S. officials, members traded stolen credit card numbers and other information worth millions of dollars.
Diplomatic Scandal
After his arrest, Moscow pressed the Israeli government to send Burkov to Russia and not to the United States.
According to court documents filed last week, Burkov oversaw two forums in the early 2010s: Cardplanet and Direct Connection.
On Cardplanet, Burkov allegedly advertised more than 150,000 hacked credit cards, many of which came from U.S. banks.
Direct Connection, meanwhile, was a Russian-language members-only forum where users could trade stolen credit cards, but also tips, malware, and other cyberscams, according to U.S. officials.
The newest filings omit mention of another forum that Burkov had been linked to earlier: a forum where a massive database containing the records of 191 million U.S. voters had been offered for sale in November 2015.
The fight for custody of Burkov grew into a public diplomatic scandal last year, when an Israeli woman was arrested at a Moscow airport in April as she was flying through, en route to another country.
Bargaining Chip?
Police said they found a small amount of marijuana in Naama Issachar’s luggage and charged her with drug smuggling. Issachar, who also holds U.S. citizenship, has denied the charges. In October, a Russian court sentenced her to 7 1/2 years in prison.
Many Israelis were outraged by the sentence which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized as being disproportionate.
Issacher’s relatives, meanwhile, publicly accused Russian authorities of holding the 27-year-old Issachar as a bargaining chip to persuade Netanyahu to turn Burkov over to Russia.
Netanyahu, who has cultivated good relations with Putin, will meet the Russian leader when Putin travels to Jerusalem on January 23, to participate in a private forum connected to the anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp.
The forum is being hosted and paid for by Russian-Israeli oligarch Moshe Kantor, who has been identified by the United States as having close Kremlin connections.
On January 20, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin and Netanyahu were likely to discuss Issachar's case.


rferl--2020-01-22--Officials Say U.S. Drone Strike Killed 10 Civilians In Western Afghanistan

A U.S. drone strike earlier this month in the western Afghan province of Herat that apparently targeted a militant group also killed at least 10 civilians , including three women and three children , an Afghan rights official and a council member said on January 22 .
The Afghan official said the strike took place in the district of Shindand on January 8 .
Five other civilians , including two children , were wounded , said the official , who is on Afghanistan 's Human Rights Commission .
He was speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized @ @ @ @ @ @ @ military and U.S.-led forces did not immediately comment .
But provincial council member Wakil Ahmad Karokhi said the strike also killed 16 militants from a Taliban splinter group , including its commander , known as Mullah Nangyalia .
The commander 's funeral the following day was held in the Herat provincial capital ’ s Guzargah neighborhood , and was attended by dozens of militants .
Karokhi said the attack was a `` huge mistake '' because Mullah Nangyalia 's group had been a useful buffer against the Taliban in Shindand , taking up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` when no one else would do it '' and leaving the area 's civilians in peace .
The Taliban controls nearly half of Afghanistan , and continue to launch attacks targeting Afghan and U.S. forces , even as it has given U.S. peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad a document outlining an offer for a temporary cease-fire in Afghanistan .

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


rferl--2020-01-22--Kyiv Marks Ukraine's Day Of Unity With Human Chain Across The Dnipro River

KYIV -- Hundreds of Ukrainians have joined together to form a live chain across the Dnipro River in Kyiv to mark the 1919 Unification Act of the Ukrainian People 's Republic and the short-lived West Ukrainian People 's Republic .
In a statement to mark the Day of Unity on January 22 , Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that in the modern world the feeling of a nation as a whole arises not only through common traditions , culture and religion , but also because of the values that are `` acceptable to every corner of Ukraine . ''
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one .
To become one , one must be strong .
We need to keep that in mind , '' Zelenskiy 's statement said .
Zelenskiy 's statement comes amid efforts to reinvigorate the moribund peace process with Russia , which has created uncertainty and division within Ukraine .
The Kremlin 's relationship with Ukraine has been hostile ever since protests in Kyiv led to the overthrow of the nation ’ s pro-Russian leader Viktor Yanukovych in February 2014 .
Russia annexed Ukraine ’ s Crimean Peninsula shortly thereafter and backed separatist forces @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the Donbas region that has resulted in more than 13,000 deaths .
`` On Ukrainian Unity Day , we call on Russia to respect Ukraine ’ s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders , including Crimea and the Donbas , extending to its territorial waters , '' the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv wrote in a post on Twitter .
Zelenskiy , Deputy Parliamentary Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk , and Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk took part in a ceremony marking the day by laying flowers at the monuments of prominent Ukrainian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and politician Mykhaylo Hrushevskiy .
The Day of Unity has been marked as a national holiday in Ukraine since 1999 , but the first `` life chain of unity '' occurred on January 21 , 1990 , when the country was still part of the former Soviet Union .
The outpouring of nationalism saw hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians stand in a chain that was so long it connected the capital with several other nearby cities .

KYIV -- Hundreds of Ukrainians have joined together to form a live chain across the Dnieper River in Kyiv to mark the 1919 Unification Act of the Ukrainian People's Republic and the short-lived West Ukrainian People's Republic.
In a statement to mark the Day of Unity on January 22, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that in the modern world the feeling of a nation as a whole arises not only through common traditions, culture and religion, but also because of the values that are "acceptable to every corner of Ukraine."
"To be strong, one must become one. To become one, one must be strong. We need to keep that in mind," Zelenskiy's statement said.
Zelenskiy's statement comes amid efforts to reinvigorate the moribund peace process with Russia, which has created uncertainty and division within Ukraine.
The Kremlin's relationship with Ukraine has been hostile ever since protests in Kyiv led to the overthrow of the nation’s pro-Russian leader Viktor Yanukovych in February 2014.
Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula shortly thereafter and backed separatist forces in eastern Ukraine, sparking a war in the Donbas region that has resulted in more than 13,000 deaths.
"On Ukrainian Unity Day, we call on Russia to respect Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders, including Crimea and the Donbas, extending to its territorial waters," the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv wrote in a post on Twitter.
Zelenskiy, Deputy Parliamentary Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk, and Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk took part in a ceremony marking the day by laying flowers at the monuments of prominent Ukrainian writer and thinker Taras Shevchenko and historian and politician Mykhaylo Hrushevskiy.
The Day of Unity has been marked as a national holiday in Ukraine since 1999, but the first "life chain of unity" occurred on January 21, 1990, when the country was still part of the former Soviet Union.
The outpouring of nationalism saw hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians stand in a chain that was so long it connected the capital with several other nearby cities.


rferl--2020-01-22--Ukrainian TV Channel To Take Dispute With Ultraright 'Hate' Group to European Human Rights Court

Ukraine 's only nonprofit and independent television channel intends to seek recourse with the European Court of Human Rights ( ECHR ) regarding a Ukrainian Supreme Court decision on January 21 that ruled a right-wing nationalist group ’ s reputation had been impugned .
The Supreme Court upheld a lower court 's ruling that said Hromadske TV had damaged the reputation of the nationalist group C14 by describing it as `` neo-Nazi . ''
C14 , which a U.S. State Department human rights report says is a `` nationalist hate group , '' had initiated the litigation .
The lawsuit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hromadske in May 2018 regarding news that C14 had apprehended a Brazilian national who had fought with Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine .
`` Neo-Nazi group C14 has seized a former militant of the self-proclaimed 'Donetsk People ’ s Republic , ' Brazilian Rafael Lusvarghi , and were going to hand him over to # Ukraine ’ s Security Service , one of the group members posted on Facebook , '' the social media post said .
A lower court in Kyiv on August 6 ordered Hromadske to refute its original description of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decision and pay $ 144 in court fees to C14 .
The ruling shocked human rights groups both inside and outside of Ukraine .
“ Now , Hromadske intends to challenge the Supreme Court 's decision with the ECHR , ” the TV station said on January 21 .
In previous court appearances , C14 's lawyer Viktor Moroz said his client `` is a nationalist group but in no way is it a neo-Nazi [ group ] . ''
C14 was documented committing 40 acts of confrontation and violence during a one-year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , according to a monitoring report by Institute Respublica , a Ukrainian public advocacy group .
The report , published on January 20 , stated that C14 had committed 25 acts `` of a violent nature , '' including 10 incidents of violence toward people .

Ukraine's only nonprofit and independent television channel intends to seek recourse with the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) regarding a Ukrainian Supreme Court decision on January 21 that ruled a right-wing nationalist group’s reputation had been impugned.
The Supreme Court upheld a lower court's ruling that said Hromadske TV had damaged the reputation of the nationalist group C14 by describing it as "neo-Nazi."
C14, which a U.S. State Department human rights report says is a "nationalist hate group," had initiated the litigation.
The lawsuit was in response to a tweet by Hromadske in May 2018 regarding news that C14 had apprehended a Brazilian national who had fought with Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine.
"Neo-Nazi group C14 has seized a former militant of the self-proclaimed 'Donetsk People’s Republic,' Brazilian Rafael Lusvarghi, and were going to hand him over to #Ukraine’s Security Service, one of the group members posted on Facebook," the social media post said.
A lower court in Kyiv on August 6 ordered Hromadske to refute its original description of the group by publishing the court's decision and pay $144 in court fees to C14.
The ruling shocked human rights groups both inside and outside of Ukraine.
“Now, Hromadske intends to challenge the Supreme Court's decision with the ECHR,” the TV station said on January 21.
In previous court appearances, C14's lawyer Viktor Moroz said his client "is a nationalist group but in no way is it a neo-Nazi [group]."
C14 was documented committing 40 acts of confrontation and violence during a one-year period starting from October 14, 2018, according to a monitoring report by Institute Respublica, a Ukrainian public advocacy group.
The report, published on January 20, stated that C14 had committed 25 acts "of a violent nature," including 10 incidents of violence toward people.


rferl--2020-01-22--Swiss Police Suspect Russian 'Plumbers' Of Being Spies In Davos

Police in Switzerland suspect a pair of Russians they probed five months ago in Davos were Russian intelligence agents , a detailed report by Swiss newspaper Tages-Anzeiger said on January 21 .
The published account , citing Swiss police and federal officials , said both men had diplomatic passports and were in the early stages of a Russian spying operation .
The Russian Embassy in Bern told the BBC that the newspaper was just trying to `` whip out a scandal out of nothing '' on the eve of the annual World Economic Forum , a gathering that started on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ global political and business power .
According to the Swiss newspaper , police were alerted to the two Russians ’ long stay -- three weeks -- at the luxury resort town between August 8 and August 28 .
When approached , one of the Russians claimed he was a plumber and both men produced diplomatic passports .
`` It was a regular police check .
Both men had Russian diplomatic passports but were not formally registered as diplomats in Switzerland , '' Anita Senti , a spokeswoman for the local cantonal police in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` We did not receive any information about this from Swiss authorities .
There is no evidence of spying , '' Russian Embassy spokesman Stanislav Smirnov told AFP .
Asked why one of the men said he was a plumber , Smirnov said it may have been a `` stupid joke '' by him .
However , Tages-Anzeiger reported that the two unidentified Russians were planning to install surveillance equipment at key facilities around Davos .
The newspaper further reported that Russian officials “ threatened diplomatic consequences if the men were arrested.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the incident , the newspaper said .
Switzerland ’ s security services have observed increased Russian intelligence activity in the country in recent years .
Authorities have since 2017 been investigating a large-scale Russian spy ring targeting the World Anti-Doping Agency ( WADA ) and the Lausanne-based Court of Arbitration of Sport .
Russia currently is subject to a four-year ban by WADA on participation in major sporting events , which Moscow is appealing with the sports arbitration court .
A report in 2018 by the Swiss Federal Intelligence Service found that one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a spy .
Two alleged agents from the Russian military intelligence unit , known as the GRU , have been under investigation since 2018 for spying on a laboratory in Bern , which conducts work for the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons ( OPCW ) .
The lab has analyzed evidence of suspected chemical weapons use from the war in Syria and in March earlier that year was investigating the poisoning of Russian double agent Sergei Skripal with a nerve agent .
Two main suspects in the poisoning -- alleged GRU @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said they ran a sports nutrition business and had made six trips to Geneva immediately before the assassination attempt in England to relax .
With reporting by Tages-Anzeiger , AFP , Financial Times , and the BBC

Police in Switzerland suspect a pair of Russians they probed five months ago in Davos were Russian intelligence agents, a detailed report by Swiss newspaper Tages-Anzeiger said on January 21.
The published account, citing Swiss police and federal officials, said both men had diplomatic passports and were in the early stages of a Russian spying operation.
The Russian Embassy in Bern told the BBC that the newspaper was just trying to "whip out a scandal out of nothing" on the eve of the annual World Economic Forum, a gathering that started on January 21 involving a rare clustering of global political and business power.
According to the Swiss newspaper, police were alerted to the two Russians’ long stay -- three weeks -- at the luxury resort town between August 8 and August 28.
When approached, one of the Russians claimed he was a plumber and both men produced diplomatic passports.
"It was a regular police check. Both men had Russian diplomatic passports but were not formally registered as diplomats in Switzerland," Anita Senti, a spokeswoman for the local cantonal police in Graubuenden, told the AFP news agency.
"We did not receive any information about this from Swiss authorities. There is no evidence of spying," Russian Embassy spokesman Stanislav Smirnov told AFP.
Asked why one of the men said he was a plumber, Smirnov said it may have been a "stupid joke" by him.
However, Tages-Anzeiger reported that the two unidentified Russians were planning to install surveillance equipment at key facilities around Davos.
The newspaper further reported that Russian officials “threatened diplomatic consequences if the men were arrested.”
No criminal proceedings were opened into the incident, the newspaper said.
Switzerland’s security services have observed increased Russian intelligence activity in the country in recent years.
Authorities have since 2017 been investigating a large-scale Russian spy ring targeting the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the Lausanne-based Court of Arbitration of Sport.
Russia currently is subject to a four-year ban by WADA on participation in major sporting events, which Moscow is appealing with the sports arbitration court.
A report in 2018 by the Swiss Federal Intelligence Service found that one in four Russian diplomats in Switzerland was a spy.
Two alleged agents from the Russian military intelligence unit, known as the GRU, have been under investigation since 2018 for spying on a laboratory in Bern, which conducts work for the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).
The lab has analyzed evidence of suspected chemical weapons use from the war in Syria and in March earlier that year was investigating the poisoning of Russian double agent Sergei Skripal with a nerve agent.
Two main suspects in the poisoning -- alleged GRU operatives Aleksandr Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov -- said they ran a sports nutrition business and had made six trips to Geneva immediately before the assassination attempt in England to relax.
With reporting by Tages-Anzeiger, AFP, Financial Times, and the BBC


rferl--2020-01-21--Memorial Service Held In Kyiv In Honor Of Donetsk Airport Defenders

A requiem mass was held at St. Michael ’ s Golden-Domed Monastery in Kyiv on January 21 to honor the dead defenders of the Donetsk airport and all fallen combatants of hostilities .
Attending the memorial service in the Ukrainian capital were war veterans who defended the Donetsk airport from Russia-backed separatists , other combatants in the Donbas conflict , families of fallen soldiers , and volunteers .
The defense of the Sergei Prokofiev Donetsk International Airport lasted 242 days from May 26 , 2014 to January 22 , 2015 and ended after two of its terminals as well as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Its defense became an emblem of the fighting spirit of Ukrainians and its defenders , both regular soldiers and volunteer fighters , became known as `` cyborgs , '' a moniker given to them by Russia-backed separatists for their resilience .
The airport defenders have been treated by many Ukrainians as heroes .
Ukraine ’ s military says 101 soldiers were killed and 440 wounded while defending the airport .
Nine combatants are still missing .
Volunteers from the Right Sector , Dnipro-1 , Karpatskiy Sich and other such formations also took part @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 13,000 people have been killed in the conflict in eastern Ukraine since it began in April 2014 .
The Kremlin officially denies that it is a party to the war and describes the events in the Donbas as `` an internal Ukrainian conflict . ''
The Donetsk airport was built ahead of the 2012 European soccer championship that Ukraine co-hosted with Poland .
Its estimated cost was $ 860 million .

A requiem mass was held at St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery in Kyiv on January 21 to honor the dead defenders of the Donetsk airport and all fallen combatants of hostilities.
Attending the memorial service in the Ukrainian capital were war veterans who defended the Donetsk airport from Russia-backed separatists, other combatants in the Donbas conflict, families of fallen soldiers, and volunteers.
The defense of the Sergei Prokofiev Donetsk International Airport lasted 242 days from May 26, 2014 to January 22, 2015 and ended after two of its terminals as well as the dispatcher tower were completely destroyed.
Its defense became an emblem of the fighting spirit of Ukrainians and its defenders, both regular soldiers and volunteer fighters, became known as "cyborgs," a moniker given to them by Russia-backed separatists for their resilience.
The airport defenders have been treated by many Ukrainians as heroes.
Ukraine’s military says 101 soldiers were killed and 440 wounded while defending the airport. Nine combatants are still missing.
Volunteers from the Right Sector, Dnipro-1, Karpatskiy Sich and other such formations also took part in defending the airport.
More than 13,000 people have been killed in the conflict in eastern Ukraine since it began in April 2014.
The Kremlin officially denies that it is a party to the war and describes the events in the Donbas as "an internal Ukrainian conflict."
The Donetsk airport was built ahead of the 2012 European soccer championship that Ukraine co-hosted with Poland. Its estimated cost was $860 million.