rferl--2020-04-22--Armenia Scales Back Genocide Commemorations Due To Coronavirus

Armenia will alter genocide ceremonies to mark the anniversary of the World War I-era massacre of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire due the coronavirus pandemic .
A torch-lit procession traditionally held on April 23 each year in Yerevan has been canceled `` in the interests of citizens ' safety and health , '' government spokesman Eduard Agajanian said on April 21 .
Instead , street lights will be switched off and church bells will peal across the country on April 23 , the eve of the date marking the 105th anniversary of the tragedy , Agajanian said .
The next @ @ @ @ @ @ @ head of the Armenian Church , Catholicos Garegin II , will lay flowers at a hilltop genocide memorial in Yerevan .
The Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex will be closed from April 21 due to organizational and security issues , Agajanian said , according to Armenpress .
Last month , Armenia declared a state of emergency and imposed a nationwide lockdown to slow the spread of infections .
The government has reported 1,401 coronavirus cases and 24 deaths .
Among the Armenian diaspora in the United States , organizers of an annual series of events @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said alternatives , such as speeches and panel discussions , will replace a religious service and other events .
The alternatives will be aired on local Armenian television channels , according to Massispost.com .
During and immediately after World War I , as many as 1.5 million Armenians were killed or deported from Anatolia .
Many historians , Armenia , and more than 30 countries consider the killings genocide .
As the successor state to the Ottoman Empire , Turkey objects to the use of the word genocide and describes the killings as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recognizes about 500,000 Armenians died as a result of civil strife , disease , and starvation rather than a planned Ottoman government effort to annihilate Armenians .
Turkey also points out that hundreds of thousands of Muslims died in Anatolia at the time due to combat , starvation , cold , and disease .

Armenia will alter commemoration ceremonies to mark the anniversary of the World War I-era massacre of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire due to the coronavirus pandemic.
A torch-lit procession traditionally held on April 23 each year in Yerevan has been canceled "in the interests of citizens' safety and health," government spokesman Eduard Agajanian said on April 21.
Instead, street lights will be switched off and church bells will peal across the country on April 23, the eve of the date marking the 105th anniversary of the tragedy, Agajanian said.
The next day Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and the head of the Armenian Church, Catholicos Garegin II, will lay flowers at a hilltop memorial in Yerevan.
The Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex will be closed from April 21 due to organizational and security issues, Agajanian said, according to Armenpress.
Last month, Armenia declared a state of emergency and imposed a nationwide lockdown to slow the spread of infections. The government has reported 1,401 coronavirus cases and 24 deaths.
Among the Armenian diaspora in the United States, organizers of an annual series of events held in California to mark the anniversary said alternatives, such as speeches and panel discussions, will replace a religious service and other events. The alternatives will be aired on local Armenian television channels, according to Massispost.com.
During and immediately after World War I, as many as 1.5 million Armenians were killed or deported from Anatolia. Many historians, Armenia, and more than 30 countries consider the killings genocide.
As the successor state to the Ottoman Empire, Turkey objects to the use of the word genocide and describes the killings as "the events of 1915."
Ankara recognizes about 500,000 Armenians died as a result of civil strife, disease, and starvation rather than a planned Ottoman government effort to annihilate Armenians. Turkey also points out that hundreds of thousands of Muslims died in Anatolia at the time due to combat, starvation, cold, and disease.
With reporting by AFP


rferl--2020-04-21--Senate Committee: 'No Reason To Dispute' 2017 U.S. Intelligence Conclusion On Russian Meddling

In a bipartisan report , the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee has reaffirmed its support for the intelligence community 's assessment that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election with the goal of helping Donald Trump get elected .
Among the key findings of the report released on April 21 is that the intelligence-community assessment , which came out in January 2017 , `` presents a coherent and well-constructed intelligence basis for the case that Russia engaged in an attempt to interfere '' with the U.S. election .
It says that the assessment `` reflects proper analytic tradecraft '' and `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ work we expect and require from the Intelligence Community . ''
The intelligence community 's 2017 assessment found that Russia 's goals were to undermine public faith in the U.S. democratic process ; denigrate the nominee of the Democratic Party , Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ; and harm her electability and potential presidency .
The Senate Intelligence Committee 's chairman , Richard Burr ( Republican- North Carolina ) , said the panel had found no reason to dispute the intelligence community 's conclusions and warned that Russia 's interference efforts continue .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's ] most important conclusions was that Russia 's aggressive interference efforts should be considered 'the new normal . '
That warning has been borne out by the events of the last three years , as Russia and its imitators increasingly use information warfare to sow societal chaos and discord , '' Burr said in a press release .
`` With the 2020 presidential election approaching , it 's more important than ever that we remain vigilant against the threat of interference from hostile foreign actors , '' he added .
Senator Mark @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democrat on the committee , praised the intelligence agencies ' `` unbiased and professional work , '' and warned that there was `` no reason to doubt that the Russians ' success in 2016 is leading them to try again in 2020 . ''
The committee said in its report it had found `` specific intelligence '' to support the conclusion that Russian President Vladimir Putin `` approved and directed aspects '' of the Kremlin 's interference efforts .
The report expressed `` high confidence '' in its judgment that Putin and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump .
Russia 's efforts `` reflected years of investment '' in Moscow ’ s capabilities `` honed in the former Soviet states , '' it also said .
A section titled On Putin 's Role in the 158-page report is among dozens of pages blackened out entirely .
Burr said the redactions were necessary because the committee sought to protect the methods and means by which the U.S. intelligence community secured its information .
The latest report is a bipartisan endorsement of a conclusion that had been called into question by Republicans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said in their own 2018 report that the intelligence agencies failed to employ proper `` tradecraft '' when officials concluded Russia supported Trump 's candidacy .
The conclusions released on April 21 are the fourth of five reports the Senate Intelligence Committee is releasing on Moscow 's interference in the 2016 campaign .
The committee previously endorsed the intelligence-community assessment in its earlier reports , which are part of its more-than-three-year investigation into Russian interference .
The final report will focus on the counterintelligence aspects of the investigation , including allegations that Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Former Special Counsel Robert Mueller last year cited a lack of evidence of such coordination .
With reporting by AP and Politico

In a bipartisan report, the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee has reaffirmed its support for the intelligence community's assessment that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election with the goal of helping Donald Trump get elected.
Among the key findings of the report released on April 21 is that the intelligence-community assessment, which came out in January 2017, "presents a coherent and well-constructed intelligence basis for the case that Russia engaged in an attempt to interfere" with the U.S. election.
It says that the assessment "reflects proper analytic tradecraft" and "represented the kind of unbiased and professional work we expect and require from the Intelligence Community."
The intelligence community's 2017 assessment found that Russia's goals were to undermine public faith in the U.S. democratic process; denigrate the nominee of the Democratic Party, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton; and harm her electability and potential presidency.
The Senate Intelligence Committee's chairman, Richard Burr (Republican- North Carolina), said the panel had found no reason to dispute the intelligence community's conclusions and warned that Russia's interference efforts continue.
"One of the [intelligence community's] most important conclusions was that Russia's aggressive interference efforts should be considered 'the new normal.' That warning has been borne out by the events of the last three years, as Russia and its imitators increasingly use information warfare to sow societal chaos and discord," Burr said in a press release.
"With the 2020 presidential election approaching, it's more important than ever that we remain vigilant against the threat of interference from hostile foreign actors," he added.
Senator Mark Warner (Virginia), the top Democrat on the committee, praised the intelligence agencies' "unbiased and professional work," and warned that there was "no reason to doubt that the Russians' success in 2016 is leading them to try again in 2020."
The committee said in its report it had found "specific intelligence" to support the conclusion that Russian President Vladimir Putin "approved and directed aspects" of the Kremlin's interference efforts.
The report expressed "high confidence" in its judgment that Putin and the Russian government developed a clear preference for Trump.
Russia's efforts "reflected years of investment" in Moscow’s capabilities "honed in the former Soviet states," it also said.
A section titled On Putin's Role in the 158-page report is among dozens of pages blackened out entirely. Burr said the redactions were necessary because the committee sought to protect the methods and means by which the U.S. intelligence community secured its information.
The latest report is a bipartisan endorsement of a conclusion that had been called into question by Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee. They said in their own 2018 report that the intelligence agencies failed to employ proper "tradecraft" when officials concluded Russia supported Trump's candidacy.
The conclusions released on April 21 are the fourth of five reports the Senate Intelligence Committee is releasing on Moscow's interference in the 2016 campaign. The committee previously endorsed the intelligence-community assessment in its earlier reports, which are part of its more-than-three-year investigation into Russian interference.
The final report will focus on the counterintelligence aspects of the investigation, including allegations that Trump campaign officials coordinated with Russian operatives.
Former Special Counsel Robert Mueller last year cited a lack of evidence of such coordination.
With reporting by AP and Politico


rferl--2020-04-21--RFE/RL Says Kadyrov's Threat To Its North Caucasus Journalist Part Of A 'Dangerous Trend'

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty ( RFE/RL ) has called on Russian authorities to secure the safety of journalists and their relatives in the North Caucasus region of Chechnya after the Kremlin-installed leader of the area openly threatened the broadcaster 's North Caucasus Service chief , Aslan Doukaev .
Ramzan Kadyrov threatened Doukaev while discussing an RFE/RL article challenging the Chechen authorities ' policies toward farmers during the coronavirus pandemic .
In a video posted on YouTube on April 1 , Kadyrov uses vulgar words during a discussion with several members of his government , cursing the author of the article @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the full extent . ''
Kadyrov also addresses Doukaev in the video , saying he will make him `` crawl on your knees begging our people for forgiveness ! ''
`` Direct threats by regional leaders against journalists , most recently RFE/RL 's Aslan Doukaev , are a dangerous trend at a moment when our audiences need access to objective news and information more than ever , `` RFE/RL President Jamie Fly said in a statement on April 21 .
`` For decades , RFE/RL has provided Chechens and others across the North @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for journalists in the region ... .
Russian authorities must uphold their obligations to ensure the safety and security of journalists and their families , including those like Aslan providing this important service for the Chechen people , '' he added .
Rights groups say Kadyrov , who has ruled the volatile region since 2007 , uses repressive measures and has created a climate of impunity for security forces in the region .
They allege Kadyrov is ultimately responsible for the violence and intimidation of political opponents by Chechen authorities , including kidnappings @ @ @ @ @ @ @ extrajudicial killings .
Kremlin critics say President Vladimir Putin has turned a blind eye to the alleged abuses and violations of the Russian Constitution by Kadyrov because he relies on the former rebel commander to control separatist sentiment and violence in Chechnya , the site of two devastating post-Soviet wars and an Islamist insurgency that spread to other mostly Muslim regions in the North Caucasus .
Last week , Russian independent newspaper Novaya gazeta took down an article about measures introduced to tackle the coronavirus in Chechnya following a request by Russia 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ came after Kadyrov had slammed the article as `` absurd '' and threatened to harm the author , Yelena Milashina , who is widely known for her investigative reports about the dire human rights situation in Chechnya .
Human Rights Watch said on April 21 that Russian authorities should take the threat `` seriously '' and `` ensure '' Milashina 's safety .
`` The Kremlin 's dismissive reaction to this serious threat against Novaya gazeta is simply unacceptable and dangerous , '' said Tanya Lokshina , associate Europe and Central Asia director @ @ @ @ @ @ @ asked for a signal and this is like a stark green light to Chechen officials to act on their threats , '' she added .
Milashina has been a target of threats by Chechen authorities since exposing their anti-gay `` purge '' in spring 2017 .
In February 2020 , a group of attackers beat Milashina and human rights lawyer Marina Dubrovina in Grozny , the regional capital .
RFE/RL 's North Caucasus Service is one of the few independent media outlets reporting in Russia ’ s predominantly Muslim Chechnya and other regions @ @ @ @ @

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) has called on Russian authorities to secure the safety of journalists and their relatives in the North Caucasus region of Chechnya after the Kremlin-installed leader of the area openly threatened the broadcaster's North Caucasus Service chief, Aslan Doukaev.
Ramzan Kadyrov threatened Doukaev while discussing an RFE/RL article challenging the Chechen authorities' policies toward farmers during the coronavirus pandemic.
In a video posted on YouTube on April 1, Kadyrov uses vulgar words during a discussion with several members of his government, cursing the author of the article and threatening to punish him "to the full extent."
Kadyrov also addresses Doukaev in the video, saying he will make him "crawl on your knees begging our people for forgiveness!"
"Direct threats by regional leaders against journalists, most recently RFE/RL's Aslan Doukaev, are a dangerous trend at a moment when our audiences need access to objective news and information more than ever, " RFE/RL President Jamie Fly said in a statement on April 21.
"For decades, RFE/RL has provided Chechens and others across the North Caucasus with reliable reporting despite the risks for journalists in the region.... Russian authorities must uphold their obligations to ensure the safety and security of journalists and their families, including those like Aslan providing this important service for the Chechen people," he added.
Rights groups say Kadyrov, who has ruled the volatile region since 2007, uses repressive measures and has created a climate of impunity for security forces in the region. They allege Kadyrov is ultimately responsible for the violence and intimidation of political opponents by Chechen authorities, including kidnappings, forced disappearances, torture, and extrajudicial killings.
Kremlin critics say President Vladimir Putin has turned a blind eye to the alleged abuses and violations of the Russian Constitution by Kadyrov because he relies on the former rebel commander to control separatist sentiment and violence in Chechnya, the site of two devastating post-Soviet wars and an Islamist insurgency that spread to other mostly Muslim regions in the North Caucasus.
Last week, Russian independent newspaper Novaya gazeta took down an article about measures introduced to tackle the coronavirus in Chechnya following a request by Russia's media regulator, Roskomnadzor.
The move came after Kadyrov had slammed the article as "absurd" and threatened to harm the author, Yelena Milashina, who is widely known for her investigative reports about the dire human rights situation in Chechnya.
Human Rights Watch said on April 21 that Russian authorities should take the threat "seriously" and "ensure" Milashina's safety.
"The Kremlin's dismissive reaction to this serious threat against Novaya gazeta is simply unacceptable and dangerous," said Tanya Lokshina, associate Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch.
"Kadyrov asked for a signal and this is like a stark green light to Chechen officials to act on their threats," she added.
Milashina has been a target of threats by Chechen authorities since exposing their anti-gay "purge" in spring 2017.
In February 2020, a group of attackers beat Milashina and human rights lawyer Marina Dubrovina in Grozny, the regional capital.
RFE/RL's North Caucasus Service is one of the few independent media outlets reporting in Russia’s predominantly Muslim Chechnya and other regions of the North Caucasus.


rferl--2020-04-21--Iran Says 1,000 Foreign Prisoners Released Temporarily Due To Virus Outbreak

Iran says it has released temporarily more than 1,000 foreign prisoners due to the coronavirus outbreak , following criticism by UN human rights experts .
`` What Iran has done in guaranteeing prisoners ' health and granting furlough to them is a significant move '' compared with what other countries have done , said Gholamhossein Esmaili , a spokesman for the country 's judiciary .
British-Iranian woman Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe , who was among 100,000 prisoners temporarily released last month , had her leave extended until May 20 , her lawyer , Tulip Siddiq , said on April 21 .
Zaghari-Ratcliffe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sedition after being arrested in 2016 during a holiday on the accusation that she was plotting to overthrow the government .
Her family says she was in Iran to visit relatives and denied that she was plotting against Iran .
Zaghari-Ratcliffe worked for the Thomson Reuters Foundation , the charitable arm of the news agency .
Tehran 's announcement on April 21 came after a panel of UN human rights experts last week urged the expansion of the list of prisoners temporarily released over the COVID-19 outbreak to include `` prisoners of conscience @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The 100,000 -- mainly Iranian -- prisoners released temporarily last month were freed initially until April 19 .
Authorities then extended their furlough until May 20 .
Foreign prisoners including French-Iranian Fariba Adelkhah and Iranian-American businessman Siamak Namazi and his father , Mohammad Bagher Namazi , are believed to still be in detention .
Iran has been struggling to contain one of the world 's worst outbreaks of the coronavirus since reporting its first cases on February 19 .
On April 21 , Health Ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur announced 88 more deaths over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ total to almost 5,300 out of a total of more than 83,500 people confirmed as infected .
Many analysts , however , say the true number may be higher due to poor reporting methods , the government 's lack of transparency , and a lack of testing .
With reporting by AFP and Reuters

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


rferl--2020-04-21--EU Members Cool On Eastern Partnership Aspirations, Concerned About Visa Liberalization

BRUSSELS -- EU states have yet to reach a full agreement on the membership aspirations of their eastern neighbors and are concerned about the consequences of the already implemented visa liberalization , according to a leaked document seen by RFE/RL .
The seven-page document is being debated by diplomats from the 27 EU states representing the European Council .
It represents the response to the European Commission ’ s communique on the Eastern Partnership that was presented last month , and is expected to be approved in the coming days .
The Eastern Partnership program was launched in 2009 and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Belarus , Georgia , Moldova , and Ukraine closer to the bloc without a clear offer of future membership .
Georgia , Moldova , and Ukraine have since inked association agreements with the EU , including free-trade deals , but some member states have been reluctant to openly discuss the issue of these countries ' eventual EU membership .
Moscow has expressed strong misgivings about the program , arguing that closer economic ties between the EU and its main trading partners could harm Russian interests .
The document being discussed still lists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unanimity has not yet been reached on the language .
Officials told RFE/RL on condition of anonymity that France , backed by some southern EU member states , has insisted on putting in brackets the phrase that states that `` the Council acknowledges the European aspirations and European choice of the Eastern Partners concerned , as stated in the association agreements . ''
However , the officials said they expect that France will eventually back down since the phrase has for several years been the EU standard for acknowledging that Eastern Partnership countries @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ukraine can join the bloc in the future .
In a paragraph describing the need to enhance the capacity of the eastern partners to counter hybrid threats and malicious cyberactivities , some countries have also pushed to add `` while recalling the non-confrontational approach of the Eastern Partnership , '' which currently is in brackets .
However , the Council members appear to be in full agreement when it comes to the possibility of suspending visa liberalization .
While no suspension is thought to be imminent , the document says member countries `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ asylum applications by some Eastern partner countries nationals in the EU member states raises concern.
” Both Germany and Sweden have , in the past , complained that Georgian criminal gangs have used visa liberalization to carry out burglaries in their countries .
The document is being discussed while the European Parliament is debating a draft report on the future of the Eastern Partnership .
The nonbinding draft states more ambitious goals than the Council text .
It suggests a common economic space between the EU and the Eastern Partnership as well as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the EU 's energy union , transport community , and digital single market .

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


rferl--2020-04-21--Trial Of Two Defendants In High-Profile Russian 'Network' Case Postponed Over Coronavirus

ST. PETERSBURG , Russia -- The high-profile trial of two activists from a group known as `` Set ' '' ( Network ) charged with terrorism in Russia 's second-largest city , St. Petersburg , has been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic .
A spokeswoman for St. Petersburg 's courts , Daria Lebedeva , told RFE/RL on April 21 that the trial had been postponed indefinitely until restrictions implemented to slow the spread of the coronavirus are lifted , Viktor Filinkov and Yuly Boyarshinov went on trial in late February .
Opposition figures and rights defenders have called the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' Earlier in February , a court in another Russian city , Penza , sentenced seven other activists of the group to prison terms of between six years and 18 years after convicting them of terrorism .
The group members were arrested in October 2017 for allegedly creating a terrorist group with cells in Moscow , St. Petersburg , Penza , and Omsk , as well as in neighboring Belarus .
Belarusian authorities told RFE/RL in February that they weren ’ t aware of a `` Network '' cell existing in Belarus .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ for fighting organized crime and corruption at the Belarusian Interior Ministry , said that such `` information is fake . ''
Russian investigators said the group planned to organize a series of bomb attacks in Russia during the presidential election and the World Cup soccer tournament in 2018 `` to destabilize the situation '' in the country and to organize an armed mutiny .
Rights activists have said the charges are false , while some of those arrested have claimed they were tortured while in custody .
The Investigative Committee has rejected the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ charges `` a figment of the Russian security services ' imagination ... fabricated in an attempt to silence these activists . ''
The London-based human rights watchdog has called the case “ the latest politically-motivated abuse of the [ Russian ] justice system to target young people.
” Two other activists initially arrested in the case , Igor Shishkin and Yegor Zorin , made deals with the investigators and testified against the others .
Shishkin received 3 1/2 years in prison in January 2019 , while the case against Zorin was closed in @ @ @

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia -- The high-profile trial of two activists from a group known as "Set'" (Network) charged with terrorism in Russia's second-largest city, St. Petersburg, has been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
A spokeswoman for St. Petersburg's courts, Daria Lebedeva, told RFE/RL on April 21 that the trial had been postponed indefinitely until restrictions implemented to slow the spread of the coronavirus are lifted,
Viktor Filinkov and Yuly Boyarshinov went on trial in late February. Opposition figures and rights defenders have called the case against the group "fabricated."
Earlier in February, a court in another Russian city, Penza, sentenced seven other activists of the group to prison terms of between six years and 18 years after convicting them of terrorism.
The group members were arrested in October 2017 for allegedly creating a terrorist group with cells in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Penza, and Omsk, as well as in neighboring Belarus.
Belarusian authorities told RFE/RL in February that they weren’t aware of a "Network" cell existing in Belarus.
Mikalay Karpenkau, head of the department for fighting organized crime and corruption at the Belarusian Interior Ministry, said that such "information is fake."
Russian investigators said the group planned to organize a series of bomb attacks in Russia during the presidential election and the World Cup soccer tournament in 2018 "to destabilize the situation" in the country and to organize an armed mutiny.
Rights activists have said the charges are false, while some of those arrested have claimed they were tortured while in custody. The Investigative Committee has rejected the claims.
Amnesty International called the terror charges "a figment of the Russian security services' imagination...fabricated in an attempt to silence these activists."
The London-based human rights watchdog has called the case “the latest politically-motivated abuse of the [Russian] justice system to target young people.”
Two other activists initially arrested in the case, Igor Shishkin and Yegor Zorin, made deals with the investigators and testified against the others.
Shishkin received 3 1/2 years in prison in January 2019, while the case against Zorin was closed in September 2018.


rferl--2020-04-21--COVID-19: WHO Urges Belarus To Implement Distancing Measures; Georgia To Extend State Of Emergency

The global death toll from the coronavirus is more than 171,000 with some 2.5 million infections confirmed , causing mass disruptions as governments continue to try to slow the spread of the new respiratory illness .
The World Health Organization ( WHO ) is urging the Belarusian government to introduce measures to ensure physical distancing in order to slow down the spread of the coronavirus in the country .
The recommendations were made on April 21 by a team of WHO experts who visited Belarus earlier this month to assess the country 's response to the pandemic .
The number @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` growing rapidly , '' the statement said , with 6,723 cases and 55 deaths reported by the authorities as of April 21 .
Despite the growing outbreak , authoritarian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka has derided global concerns over COVID-19 , the disease caused by the coronavirus , as `` mass psychosis '' and said that there was no need for strict measures to slow the spread of the virus .
In stark contrast to other European countries that have adopted strict lockdown measures to contain the epidemic , Belarus 's borders remained open @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conduct business as usual in the country , and spectators are permitted to attend sports events , including matches in the national soccer league .
Churches remained open for Orthodox Easter on April 19 , and schools were allowed to reopen this week after an extended spring break .
However , the Health Ministry has encouraged citizens to reduce their social contacts .
In their statement , the WHO experts said Minsk needed to postpone `` large gatherings , '' including sporting , religious , and cultural events , and place in quarantine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ potentially exposed to the virus , '' they said in a statement .
They said the authorities should also introduce options `` for teleworking , and distance learning for schools , universities and other educational institutions , '' suspend `` nonessential business , '' and reduce `` nonessential movements , especially for high-risk groups . ''
As the coronavirus pandemic has already infected more than 2.5 million people across the world and killed over 171,000 , civil rights activists in Tajikistan are raising concerns about a possible unreported outbreak of the virus in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ declared any cases of COVID-19 , the respiratory illness caused by the virus , but experts are skeptical of the claim , given the lack of transparency within the government and a lack of independent media .
Underscoring the level of distrust toward Tajikistan 's authorities , 18 local civil-rights nongovernmental organizations ( NGOs ) and individual activists on April 20 asked the Health Ministry to answer a series of questions to help clarify the epidemiological situation in the country .
In an open letter , the NGOs asked the ministry to publish @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and other respiratory illnesses for the first quarter of 2019 and 2020 in order to make a comparative analysis .
In recent weeks , a number of deaths in Tajikistan that were officially attributed to pneumonia , tuberculosis , and influenza have sparked concerns about a possible coronavirus outbreak in the Central Asian country .
The 18 NGOs also raised concerns about the reliability of Chinese and Russian testing kits used in Tajikistan for coronavirus .
`` Do the [ testing kits ] have an international certificate of quality and are they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by [ the World Health Organization ] ? ''
their letter asks .
Elsewhere in Central Asia , authoritarian Turkmenistan also has not officially declared any coronavirus cases .
In neighboring Uzbekistan , officials have reported 1,657 confirmed cases and six deaths .
The official number of people infected in Kazakhstan stands at 1,967 , with 19 deaths .
In Kyrgyzstan , 590 people have officially been infected , seven of whom died .
Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili has signed a decree to extend until May 22 a state of emergency that had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the spread of the novel coronavirus .
The presidential decree , which was signed on April 21 , is to come into force after parliament approves it .
Zurabishvili explained her decision by saying that the virus was expected to continue spreading in the South Caucasus country for `` the next two-three weeks . ''
She also said that Georgia had been able to `` control '' the extent of the epidemic since a one-month state of emergency was declared on March 21 .
Georgian health authorities have reported 408 confirmed coronavirus cases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 4,700 people are currently in quarantine .
Parliament speaker Mamuka Mdinaradze has said that the ruling majority in parliament would support the extension of the state of emergency , which includes a night curfew and the closure of nonessential shops , restaurants , and cafes .
A nationwide ban on driving cars and other private vehicles has also been imposed .
The Serbian government will loosen strict lockdown measures implemented last month to slow the spread of the coronavirus .
Some small businesses and markets including car mechanics , shoemakers , dry cleaners @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be allowed to reopen on April 21 .
The government said businesses must enforce strict prevention measures such as wearing a face covering , gloves , and disinfecting .
Shopping malls , cafes , restaurants , schools , and kindergartens will remain closed .
A night curfew will be shortened by one hour and an around-the-clock lockdown for people aged 65 and above will also be eased , allowing them to leave their homes for 30-minute walks on three evenings a week .
`` The government also calls on employers in the construction @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to protection measures and rules of social distancing , '' the government said in a statement .
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic announced last month some of the strictest measures in Europe as part of a state of emergency to slow the spread of the virus .
Over the weekend , the government imposed an 84-hour curfew to prevent socializing during Orthodox Christian Easter on April 19 .
Serbia has reported 6,630 coronavirus infections and 125 fatalities .
Authorities have sealed off a small town and an adjacent village in Armenia ’ s northwestern @ @ @ @ @ @ @ local hospital tested positive for the coronavirus .
All roads leading to the town of Maralik were blocked by police checkpoints on April 20 .
“ We only let through people with special permission , ” a policeman manning one of the checkpoints told RFE/RL .
Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinian , who is overseeing the enforcement of the coronavirus-related state of emergency in Armenia , announced the decision to lock down Maralik and the adjacent village of Dzorakap on April 18 after 18 coronavirus cases were confirmed among the 61-member staff of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the regional administration ’ s health-care department , Leyli Aslanian , told RFE/RL on April 20 that two local residents have died from COVID-19 , the illness caused by the virus , one of whom was the father of an infected nurse working at the Maralik hospital .
Health authorities in Armenia said on April 21 that the number of registered coronavirus cases in the country totaled 1,401 , including 24 deaths .
With reporting by RFE/RL 's Armenian , Belarus , Georgian , and Tajik services , AP , AFP , Interfax @ @ @

The global death toll from the coronavirus is more than 171,000 with some 2.5 million infections confirmed, causing mass disruptions as governments continue to try to slow the spread of the new respiratory illness.
Here's a roundup of COVID-19 developments in RFE/RL's broadcast regions.
Belarus
The World Health Organization (WHO) is urging the Belarusian government to introduce measures to ensure physical distancing in order to slow down the spread of the coronavirus in the country.
The recommendations were made on April 21 by a team of WHO experts who visited Belarus earlier this month to assess the country's response to the pandemic.
The number of reported coronavirus cases in Belarus is "growing rapidly," the statement said, with 6,723 cases and 55 deaths reported by the authorities as of April 21.
Despite the growing outbreak, authoritarian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka has derided global concerns over COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, as "mass psychosis" and said that there was no need for strict measures to slow the spread of the virus.
In stark contrast to other European countries that have adopted strict lockdown measures to contain the epidemic, Belarus's borders remained open, factories, shops, and restaurants conduct business as usual in the country, and spectators are permitted to attend sports events, including matches in the national soccer league.
Churches remained open for Orthodox Easter on April 19, and schools were allowed to reopen this week after an extended spring break.
However, the Health Ministry has encouraged citizens to reduce their social contacts.
In their statement, the WHO experts said Minsk needed to postpone "large gatherings," including sporting, religious, and cultural events, and place in quarantine "contacts of confirmed patients and people potentially exposed to the virus," they said in a statement.
They said the authorities should also introduce options "for teleworking, and distance learning for schools, universities and other educational institutions," suspend "nonessential business," and reduce "nonessential movements, especially for high-risk groups."
Tajikistan
As the coronavirus pandemic has already infected more than 2.5 million people across the world and killed over 171,000, civil rights activists in Tajikistan are raising concerns about a possible unreported outbreak of the virus in the country.
Tajikistan has not officially declared any cases of COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the virus, but experts are skeptical of the claim, given the lack of transparency within the government and a lack of independent media.
Underscoring the level of distrust toward Tajikistan's authorities, 18 local civil-rights nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and individual activists on April 20 asked the Health Ministry to answer a series of questions to help clarify the epidemiological situation in the country.
In an open letter, the NGOs asked the ministry to publish statistics on cases of pneumonia, tuberculosis, and other respiratory illnesses for the first quarter of 2019 and 2020 in order to make a comparative analysis.
In recent weeks, a number of deaths in Tajikistan that were officially attributed to pneumonia, tuberculosis, and influenza have sparked concerns about a possible coronavirus outbreak in the Central Asian country.
The 18 NGOs also raised concerns about the reliability of Chinese and Russian testing kits used in Tajikistan for coronavirus.
"Do the [testing kits] have an international certificate of quality and are they certified in Tajikistan? Were they approved by [the World Health Organization]?" their letter asks.
Elsewhere in Central Asia, authoritarian Turkmenistan also has not officially declared any coronavirus cases.
In neighboring Uzbekistan, officials have reported 1,657 confirmed cases and six deaths.
The official number of people infected in Kazakhstan stands at 1,967, with 19 deaths.
In Kyrgyzstan, 590 people have officially been infected, seven of whom died.
Georgia
Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili has signed a decree to extend until May 22 a state of emergency that had been declared in a bid to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus.
The presidential decree, which was signed on April 21, is to come into force after parliament approves it.
Zurabishvili explained her decision by saying that the virus was expected to continue spreading in the South Caucasus country for "the next two-three weeks."
She also said that Georgia had been able to "control" the extent of the epidemic since a one-month state of emergency was declared on March 21.
Georgian health authorities have reported 408 confirmed coronavirus cases, including four deaths. More than 4,700 people are currently in quarantine.
Parliament speaker Mamuka Mdinaradze has said that the ruling majority in parliament would support the extension of the state of emergency, which includes a night curfew and the closure of nonessential shops, restaurants, and cafes.
A nationwide ban on driving cars and other private vehicles has also been imposed.
Serbia
The Serbian government will loosen strict lockdown measures implemented last month to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
Some small businesses and markets including car mechanics, shoemakers, dry cleaners, bookshops, and other services will be allowed to reopen on April 21.
The government said businesses must enforce strict prevention measures such as wearing a face covering, gloves, and disinfecting. Shopping malls, cafes, restaurants, schools, and kindergartens will remain closed.
A night curfew will be shortened by one hour and an around-the-clock lockdown for people aged 65 and above will also be eased, allowing them to leave their homes for 30-minute walks on three evenings a week.
"The government also calls on employers in the construction industry to resume work... while adhering to protection measures and rules of social distancing," the government said in a statement.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic announced last month some of the strictest measures in Europe as part of a state of emergency to slow the spread of the virus.
Over the weekend, the government imposed an 84-hour curfew to prevent socializing during Orthodox Christian Easter on April 19.
Serbia has reported 6,630 coronavirus infections and 125 fatalities.
Armenia
Authorities have sealed off a small town and an adjacent village in Armenia’s northwestern Shirak province after 18 employees of a local hospital tested positive for the coronavirus.
All roads leading to the town of Maralik were blocked by police checkpoints on April 20.
“We only let through people with special permission,” a policeman manning one of the checkpoints told RFE/RL.
Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinian, who is overseeing the enforcement of the coronavirus-related state of emergency in Armenia, announced the decision to lock down Maralik and the adjacent village of Dzorakap on April 18 after 18 coronavirus cases were confirmed among the 61-member staff of a local hospital.
The head of the regional administration’s health-care department, Leyli Aslanian, told RFE/RL on April 20 that two local residents have died from COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus, one of whom was the father of an infected nurse working at the Maralik hospital.
Health authorities in Armenia said on April 21 that the number of registered coronavirus cases in the country totaled 1,401, including 24 deaths.
With reporting by RFE/RL's Armenian, Belarus, Georgian, and Tajik services, AP, AFP, Interfax, and Reuters


rferl--2020-04-20--Pro-Iranian Fighters Reported Killed In Israeli Attack In Syria

Nine pro-Iranian militiamen were killed when Israeli planes fired several missiles in central Syria , according to a group monitoring the Syrian conflict .
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the strikes late on April 21 targeted `` military posts for Iranian militias '' in the Palmyra desert in Homs Province .
The slain militiamen included three Syrian nationals and six foreigners of unknown nationalities , the observatory said , adding that the dead included some fighters loyal to the Lebanese militant group Hizballah .
Syrian state news agency SANA reported that the country 's air defenses `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` shot down a number of the hostile missiles before reaching their targets . ''
Syrian state media regularly overstates the success of the country 's defenses against Israeli air strikes .
Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes in Syria in recent years targeting Iranian forces , Syrian government positions , and allied militias .
Western and Israeli intelligence say Iranian forces and allied militias use the eastern Syrian desert bordering Iraq to transfer fighters and advanced weapons systems to support the Syrian government and the Hizballah group .
Last week , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a vehicle carrying Hizballah members in Syria close to the border with Lebanon .
The Shi'ite militant group said its members escaped .
The strikes on April 20 came as Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif met in Damascus with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad .
Along with Russia , Tehran has provided crucial military support to Assad during the country 's civil war , which entered its 10th year last month .
More than 400,000 people have been killed and millions displaced since the conflict began with a crackdown on anti-government protesters in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , AP , SANA , Reuters , and dpa

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


rferl--2020-04-22--Kabul Frees Dozens More Taliban Prisoners In Step Toward Peace Talks

KABUL -- Afghanistan says it has released another 71 Taliban prisoners in a further step toward bringing the two sides @ @ @ @ @ settlement .
Javed Faisal , a spokesman for the National Security Council , said in @ @ @ @ @ been released from seven prisons in the Nangarhar , Laghman , Kunar , Nuristan , @ @ @ @ @ Baghlan provinces .
The Kabul government has released a total of 432 Taliban inmates since @ @ @ @ @ signed by the United States and the Taliban on February 29 calls for the Afghan @ @ @ @ @ fighters as a confidence-building measure ahead of formal peace talks aimed at ending the 18-year @ @ @ @ @ Taliban has vowed to release some 1,000 Afghan government troops and civilian workers it is @ @ @ @ @ , the militants have released 60 Afghan security and defense personnel .
The prisoner swap @ @ @ @ @ by March 10 , before the start of intra-Afghan peace talks , but it has @ @ @ @ @ the sides .

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--2020-04-22--Moldova Reaches Loan Agreements With Russia, IMF To Counter Outbreak Fallout

Moldova 's government has approved $ 470 million worth of loans from Russia and the International Monetary Fund ( IMF ) to reduce a growing budget deficit caused by the coronavirus outbreak .
The agreements were approved on April 21 in a government meeting held online .
Prime Minister Ion Chicu said the two loans will help plug a rapidly growing budget deficit that is expected to double because of the outbreak , reaching an estimated 7 percent of gross domestic product .
Moldova has reported more than 2,600 coronavirus infections and 73 deaths so far .
The opposition has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ loan from Russia at a 2 percent annual interest rate , saying that it would pose a long-term `` danger '' because of obscure provisions that would channel the money toward unnecessary projects that favor Russian companies .
Pro-Europe opposition leader Maia Sandu also warned that an article of the agreement signed in Moscow on April 17 guarantees the repayment of loans taken by private Moldovan firms from Russian banks .
Chicu rejected the accusations , saying that Moldova `` has not made any of the pledges that Russophobes are vehemently accusing us @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was `` a classic financing agreement without any hidden clauses that would be detrimental to Moldova.
” Moldova has also signed a $ 254 million short-term loan agreement with the IMF .
Both agreements need parliamentary approval .
Chicu said he sent a letter to the European Union on April 17 requesting the disbursal of a 30 million-euro ( $ 32.5 million ) tranche from the 100 million-euro ( $ 108.5 million ) macro-financial assistance facility earmarked for Moldova by the bloc .
Moldova , one of Europe 's poorest countries , received @ @ @ @ @ @ @ money in two installments in October and November .

Moldova's government has approved $470 million worth of loans from Russia and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to reduce a growing budget deficit caused by the coronavirus outbreak.
The agreements were approved on April 21 in a government meeting held online.
Prime Minister Ion Chicu said the two loans will help plug a rapidly growing budget deficit that is expected to double because of the outbreak, reaching an estimated 7 percent of gross domestic product. Moldova has reported more than 2,600 coronavirus infections and 73 deaths so far.
The opposition has criticized the 10-year, $217 million loan from Russia at a 2 percent annual interest rate, saying that it would pose a long-term "danger" because of obscure provisions that would channel the money toward unnecessary projects that favor Russian companies.
Pro-Europe opposition leader Maia Sandu also warned that an article of the agreement signed in Moscow on April 17 guarantees the repayment of loans taken by private Moldovan firms from Russian banks.
Chicu rejected the accusations, saying that Moldova "has not made any of the pledges that Russophobes are vehemently accusing us of." He said the loan was "a classic financing agreement without any hidden clauses that would be detrimental to Moldova.”
Moldova has also signed a $254 million short-term loan agreement with the IMF. Both agreements need parliamentary approval.
Chicu said he sent a letter to the European Union on April 17 requesting the disbursal of a 30 million-euro ($32.5 million) tranche from the 100 million-euro ($108.5 million) macro-financial assistance facility earmarked for Moldova by the bloc.
Moldova, one of Europe's poorest countries, received an initial 30 million-euro tranche from the money in two installments in October and November.


rferl--2020-04-22--Chechen Officials Follow Suit After Kadyrov Shaves Head With Barbers Closed

Officials in Russia 's North Caucasus region of Chechnya have shaved their heads after the region 's authoritarian leader Ramzan Kadyrov did so , touting it as a way to deal with the closure of services such as hairdressers and barber shops because of the coronavirus pandemic .
The Kremlin-backed Kadyrov , 43 , has ruled the volatile region with an iron fist since 2007 , cracking down on public freedoms and civil rights while hounding opponents of his regime both at home and abroad .
The officials made the move after Kadyrov , who for years has fostered a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , placed a video on Instagram on April 21 showing his head completely shaven .
`` I recommend that all shave their heads as beauty salons are closed and households do not have barbers ... Our ancestors did so and , most importantly , that is what the Prophet [ Muhammad ] did in the night from Tuesday to Wednesday , '' Kadyrov said in the video .
A day earlier , at a session of coronavirus prevention group , a local resident asked Kadyrov to open hairdressers and the Chechen leader responded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ heads .
After Kadyrov 's video appeared on Instagram , many government officials , law enforcement officers , and other representatives of local authorities followed suit , placing their photos with shaved heads on the Internet .
Mimicking Kadyrov , who is often called `` patsha '' ( king ) in Chechen , is not new in Chechnya .
Many officials in the region have taken to wearing similar clothing to Kadyrov and followed suit several years ago when he began growing his now trademark lengthy beard .
Kremlin critics say Russian President @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the alleged abuses and violations of the country 's constitution by Kadyrov because he relies on the former rebel commander to control separatist sentiment and violence in Chechnya , the site of two devastating post-Soviet wars and an Islamist insurgency that spread to other mostly Muslim regions in the North Caucasus .
Rights groups say Kadyrov uses repressive measures and has created a climate of impunity for security forces in the region .
They allege he is ultimately responsible for the violence and intimidation of political opponents by Chechen authorities , including @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and extrajudicial killings .

Officials in Russia's North Caucasus region of Chechnya have shaved their heads after the region's authoritarian leader Ramzan Kadyrov did so, touting it as a way to deal with the closure of services such as hairdressers and barber shops because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Kremlin-backed Kadyrov, 43, has ruled the volatile region with an iron fist since 2007, cracking down on public freedoms and civil rights while hounding opponents of his regime both at home and abroad.
The officials made the move after Kadyrov, who for years has fostered a cult of personality to solidify his power, placed a video on Instagram on April 21 showing his head completely shaven.
"I recommend that all shave their heads as beauty salons are closed and households do not have barbers... Our ancestors did so and, most importantly, that is what the Prophet [Muhammad] did in the night from Tuesday to Wednesday," Kadyrov said in the video.
A day earlier, at a session of coronavirus prevention group, a local resident asked Kadyrov to open hairdressers and the Chechen leader responded that the best solution was to shave heads.
After Kadyrov's video appeared on Instagram, many government officials, law enforcement officers, and other representatives of local authorities followed suit, placing their photos with shaved heads on the Internet.
Mimicking Kadyrov, who is often called "patsha" (king) in Chechen, is not new in Chechnya.
Many officials in the region have taken to wearing similar clothing to Kadyrov and followed suit several years ago when he began growing his now trademark lengthy beard.
Kremlin critics say Russian President Vladimir Putin has turned a blind eye to the alleged abuses and violations of the country's constitution by Kadyrov because he relies on the former rebel commander to control separatist sentiment and violence in Chechnya, the site of two devastating post-Soviet wars and an Islamist insurgency that spread to other mostly Muslim regions in the North Caucasus.
Rights groups say Kadyrov uses repressive measures and has created a climate of impunity for security forces in the region.
They allege he is ultimately responsible for the violence and intimidation of political opponents by Chechen authorities, including kidnappings, forced disappearances, torture, and extrajudicial killings.


rferl--2020-04-22--Iran Claims It 'Successfully' Launched Military Satellite

Iran 's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps ( IRGC ) said on April 22 that it launched a military satellite into orbit , after months of failed attempts .
State television and the Tasnim news agency , which is affiliated with the IRGC , reported the launch on April 22 , calling it `` successful . ''
There was no immediate independent confirmation of the launch of the satellite but analysts said it raised concerns about whether the technology used could help Iran develop intercontinental ballistic missiles .
`` Iran 's first military satellite , Noor ( light ) , was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two stages .
The launch was successful and the satellite reached orbit , '' state TV said .
The IRGC on its official website said the satellite reached an orbit of 425 kilometers above the Earth 's surface .
The multistage satellite launch used a Ghased , or `` messenger , '' satellite carrier to put the device into space -- a previously unheard-of system , according to the paramilitary group .
Tasnim added that the operation was carried from a launchpad in Dasht-e Kavir , a large desert in central Iran .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ in recent months .
The U.S. State Department and the Pentagon have said that such launches advance Iran 's ballistic missile program .
The launch comes amid increased tensions between Iran and the United States over the latter 's withdrawal from a landmark nuclear deal and after a U.S. drone strike killed top IRGC commander Qasem Soleimani in January .
It also may signal that Iran is more willing to take chances during the current global coronavirus crisis , which has slashed oil prices to historic lows and forced many countries into an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' said Fabian Hinz , a researcher at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey , California .
`` Big question now is what tech the first stage used .
Solid propellant ?
Liquid using old Shahab 3 tech ?
Liquid using more sophisticated motors/fuels ?
This is key to establishing how worrisome the launch is from a security perspective , '' he added .
Based on reporting by AP , Reuters , and AFP


rferl--2020-04-22--Russia, Turkey, and Iran To Meet On Syria

The foreign ministers of Russia , Turkey , and Iran will hold a video conference on April 22 to discuss Syria and a de-escalation deal in the last rebel-held enclave in Idlib .
Turkey and Russia , which back opposing sides in the conflict , brokered a March 5 cease-fire in rebel-controlled Idlib Province following a monthslong Russia-backed offensive by Syrian forces that displaced nearly one million people and threatened to send a flood of refugees into Turkey .
The escalation earlier this year brought the Turkish military and Syrian government into direct confrontation .
Ankara retaliated for the death @ @ @ @ @ @ @ support for opposition groups and unleashing a devastating drone campaign on Syrian government forces .
As part of the cease-fire deal , Turkish and Russian troops conduct joint patrols in a buffer zone between rebel fighters and Syrian government forces along a section of the strategic M4 highway , which connects Aleppo to Latakia on the Mediterranean coast .
On April 20 , Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused the Syrian government of taking advantage of the world ’ s distraction with the coronavirus pandemic to increase attacks in Idlib .
`` Should @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cease-fire and other conditions of the agreement , continue in this way , it will pay a price with heavy losses , '' he added .
The threat comes amid reports of minor clashes between Syrian forces and Turkey-backed opposition forces and extremist rebel factions , although the buffer zone appears to be limiting fighting .
Ahead of the foreign ministers video conference , Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone with Erdogan and Iranian President Hassan Rohani on April 21 .
The three countries are part of the so-called Astana process designed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s 10-year civil war .
On April 20 , Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif met in Damascus with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad .
Along with Russia , Tehran has provided crucial military support to Assad during the country 's internal conflict .
With reporting by AP , Interfax , Reuters , and Haber Turk


rferl--2020-04-22--UN Rights Experts 'Shocked' Over Execution Of Juvenile Offender In Iran

United Nations rights experts say they are “ shocked ” Iran has executed another juvenile offender in violation of international law .
Shayan Saeedpour , who was 17 years old at the time of his conviction for a fatal knife stabbing , was hanged on April 21 , United Nations special rapporteurs Javaid Rehman and Agnes Callamard said in a statement .
They expressed concern that Iran may soon carry out more executions , including of another juvenile offender , in response to recent prison riots .
`` We have repeatedly reminded the Iranian government and judiciary that international human @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the death penalty to child offenders is strictly prohibited and its practice is an egregious violation of the right to life , ” the UN experts said .
Saeedpour was convicted of murder and sentenced to death in October 2018 .
Iran ’ s Supreme Court upheld the death sentence in 2019 .
The experts said they were concerned about reports prosecutors encouraged the family of the victim to request the death penalty .
Under Iranian law , a victim ’ s family can request blood money and pardon an offender .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ hit by the coronavirus , with nearly 5,300 deaths .
In response to the pandemic , around 100,000 prisoners were temporarily released in March .
Saeedpour was one of dozens of prisoners who escaped from a prison in Saqez in late March during riots over the spread of the coronavirus .
He was rearrested around April 3 .
The UN experts said Iranian authorities may be expediting executions of death row inmates , torturing prisoners , and carrying out extrajudicial killings against those involved in the riots .
`` We are highly disturbed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protests in prisons over COVID-19 by using torture and ill-treatment that results in extra-judicial killings , or through executions , '' the UN experts said .
Amnesty International said Iranian authorities appear to be retaliating “ to deter other prisoners from attempting similar escape plans.
” According to the London-based rights watchdog , , Iran executed at least four juvenile offenders in 2019 .
There are believed to be at least 90 juvenile offenders on death row in Iran .
Rehman is the special rapporteur on human rights in Iran .
Callamard is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , or arbitrary executions .
The pair do not speak for the United Nations but report their findings to the world body .


rferl--2020-04-22--Pirates Take Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian Hostages Off West Africa Coast

Pirates have attacked a Portugal-flagged container ship off the coast of Benin and kidnapped eight crew members , including three @ @ @ @ @ and the Bulgarian captain .
Shipping firm Transeste said pirates boarded the Tommi Ritscher vessel @ @ @ @ @ coast of the West African country .
Eleven crew members were able to hide in @ @ @ @ @ and were later freed in a joint Benin Navy and Nigerian Special Forces operation .
@ @ @ @ @ members remain missing and are now believed to have been kidnapped by the pirates , @ @ @ @ @ on April 21 .
The Russian Embassy in Benin and Togo confirmed that three Russian @ @ @ @ @ .
Bulgaria 's Foreign Ministry said the pirates also captured the Bulgarian captain of the @ @ @ @ @ of its citizens was kidnapped .
The Gulf of Guinea is a center of global @ @ @ @ @ and kidnapping for ransom .
Based on reporting by AFP , TASS , and Reuters

Pirates have attacked a Portugal-flagged container ship off the coast of Benin and kidnapped eight crew members, including three Russians, one Ukrainian, and the Bulgarian captain.
Shipping firm Transeste said pirates boarded the Tommi Ritscher vessel on April 19 off the coast of the West African country.
Eleven crew members were able to hide in the ship’s citadel and were later freed in a joint Benin Navy and Nigerian Special Forces operation.
"Regrettably, eight crew members remain missing and are now believed to have been kidnapped by the pirates," the Hamburg-based firm said on April 21.
The Russian Embassy in Benin and Togo confirmed that three Russian citizens were among the hostages.
Bulgaria's Foreign Ministry said the pirates also captured the Bulgarian captain of the ship. Ukraine said one of its citizens was kidnapped.
The Gulf of Guinea is a center of global pirate attacks, looting, and kidnapping for ransom.
Based on reporting by AFP, TASS, and Reuters


rferl--2020-04-22--Armenia Scales Back Commemorations Of Ottoman-Era Killings Due To COVID-19

Armenia will alter commemoration ceremonies to mark the anniversary of the World War I-era massacre of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire due to the coronavirus pandemic .
A torch-lit procession traditionally held on April 23 each year in Yerevan has been canceled `` in the interests of citizens ' safety and health , '' government spokesman Eduard Agajanian said on April 21 .
Instead , street lights will be switched off and church bells will peal across the country on April 23 , the eve of the date marking the 105th anniversary of the tragedy , Agajanian said .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the head of the Armenian Church , Catholicos Garegin II , will lay flowers at a hilltop memorial in Yerevan .
The Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex will be closed from April 21 due to organizational and security issues , Agajanian said , according to Armenpress .
Last month , Armenia declared a state of emergency and imposed a nationwide lockdown to slow the spread of infections .
The government has reported 1,401 coronavirus cases and 24 deaths .
Among the Armenian diaspora in the United States , organizers of an annual series of events @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said alternatives , such as speeches and panel discussions , will replace a religious service and other events .
The alternatives will be aired on local Armenian television channels , according to Massispost.com .
During and immediately after World War I , as many as 1.5 million Armenians were killed or deported from Anatolia .
Many historians , Armenia , and more than 30 countries consider the killings genocide .
As the successor state to the Ottoman Empire , Turkey objects to the use of the word genocide and describes the killings as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ankara recognizes about 500,000 Armenians died as a result of civil strife , disease , and starvation rather than a planned Ottoman government effort to annihilate Armenians .
Turkey also points out that hundreds of thousands of Muslims died in Anatolia at the time due to combat , starvation , cold , and disease .


rferl--2020-04-23--Doctors Urge Pakistani Government To Impose Mosque Restrictions To Avoid Surge In Coronavirus Cases

Pakistani doctors have called on the government and powerful clerics to reverse a decision to allow prayers at mosques during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan out of concern large gatherings will lead to an explosion of coronavirus cases .
Under pressure from clerics , the Pakistani government over the weekend loosened restrictions on communal prayer at mosques ahead of the beginning of Ramadan , which falls on April 24 in Pakistan .
Doctors with the Pakistan Medical Association wrote in a letter to Prime Minister Imran Khan and clerics on April 22 that lockdowns are needed to prevent the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ They said the health care system is already being overrun by cases .
`` We demand [ a ] strict lockdown to contain rapid spread of Covid-19 , '' the letter said .
`` Unfortunately , our rulers have made a wrong decision ; our clerics have shown a non-serious attitude , '' Qaiser Sajjad , secretary-general of the Pakistan Medical Association , told a news conference .
Pakistan has a population of over 220 million people , and has recorded more than 10,000 COVID-19 cases and 212 deaths .
The real numbers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the country has less than 3,000 ventilators and health care workers lack enough protective gear .
With reporting by AP , dpa , and Reuters

Pakistani doctors have called on the government and powerful clerics to reverse a decision to allow prayers at mosques during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan out of concern that large gatherings will lead to an explosion of coronavirus cases.
Under pressure from clerics, the Pakistani government over the weekend loosened restrictions on communal prayer at mosques ahead of the beginning of Ramadan, which falls on April 24 in Pakistan.
Doctors with the Pakistani Medical Association wrote in a letter to Prime Minister Imran Khan and clerics on April 22 that lockdowns are needed to prevent the rapid spread of the coronavirus. They said the health-care system is already being overrun by cases.
"We demand [a] strict lockdown to contain rapid spread of COVID-19," the letter said.
"Unfortunately, our rulers have made a wrong decision; our clerics have shown a nonserious attitude," Qaiser Sajjad, secretary-general of the Pakistani Medical Association, told a news conference.
Pakistan has a population of over 220 million people, and has recorded more than 10,000 COVID-19 cases and 212 deaths. The real numbers are likely much higher.
Doctors warn the country has fewer than 3,000 ventilators and health workers lack enough protective gear.
With reporting by AP, dpa, and Reuters


rferl--2020-04-22--Germany Says Ukraine Talks To Be Held Next Week

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said April 22 he would hold talks next week with his Russian , Ukrainian , and French counterparts to revive efforts to end the conflict in eastern Ukraine .
The leaders of the four countries met at a summit in Paris in December to revive a peace process and for Kyiv and Russia-backed separatists in the east of the country to exchange prisoners .
But lingering issues over a timeline for local elections and control over borders in the separatist-controlled regions remain .
Maas said he had held talks with his counterparts in recent days @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conclusion , and no one has disputed this , that key parts of the agreements from the summit in Paris have not yet been implemented , '' Maas said .
“ That ’ s why it is important to give a new impetus to the decisions and the implementation of the decisions , ” he said .
The so-called Normandy format meeting will be held via video link .
The Ukrainian government and Russia-backed separatists have conducted two prisoner exchanges since the Paris summit .
Last week the two sides exchanged 34 prisoners @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 19 .
Separately on April 22 , Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke by phone about the conflict in Ukraine and welcomed the latest prisoner exchange , the Kremlin said in a statement .
Germany and France have mediated between Ukraine and Russia since a peace agreement was signed in Minsk in 2015 , but efforts at implementation have faltered .
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy was elected last year on promises to end the conflict in the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk .
Ukraine 's relationship with Russia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kyiv led to the overthrow of 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 eastern region known as the Donbas that has resulted in some 13,200 deaths .
With reporting by AFP , dpa , AP , and TASS

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said April 22 he would hold talks next week with his Russian, Ukrainian, and French counterparts to revive efforts to end the conflict in eastern Ukraine.
The leaders of the four countries met at a summit in Paris in December 2019 to revive a peace process and for Kyiv and Russia-backed separatists in the east of the country to exchange prisoners. But lingering issues over a timeline for local elections and control over borders in the separatist-controlled regions remain.
Maas said he had held talks with his counterparts in recent days.
"We have come to the conclusion, and no one has disputed this, that key parts of the agreements from the summit in Paris have not yet been implemented," Maas said.
“That’s why it is important to give a new impetus to the decisions and the implementation of the decisions,” he said.
The so-called Normandy format meeting will be held via video link.
The Ukrainian government and Russia-backed separatists have conducted two prisoner exchanges since the Paris summit. Last week the two sides exchanged 34 prisoners ahead of Orthodox Easter celebrations on April 19.
Separately on April 22, Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke by phone about the conflict in Ukraine and welcomed the latest prisoner exchange, the Kremlin said in a statement.
Germany and France have mediated between Ukraine and Russia since a peace agreement was signed in Minsk in 2015, but efforts at implementation have faltered.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy was elected last year on promises to end the conflict in the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.
Ukraine's relationship with Russia has been tense ever since protests in Kyiv led to the overthrow of 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 region known as the Donbas that has resulted in some 13,200 deaths.
With reporting by AFP, dpa, AP, and TASS