rferl--2020-01-13--Russian Doping Corruption Case Reaches Paris Court

Lamine Diack , the disgraced former head of athletics ' world governing body , and five co-defendants are set to go on trial in Paris on January 13 over corruption charges linked to the Russian doping scandal .
Diack -- who presided over the International Association of Athletics Federations ( IAAF ) , now World Athletics , for 16 years until 2015 -- faces corruption and money-laundering charges .
The 86-year-old Senegalese has been under house arrest since November 2015 over claims he took payments of more than $ 3.3 million in a conspiracy to bury positive drug tests by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ If found guilty of the charges , which he denies , Diack could face up to 10 years in prison .
Also expected in court will be Habib Cisse , a lawyer who advised Diack , and the IAAF ’ s former anti-doping boss , Gabriel Dolle , for their roles in the alleged conspiracy .
Both are French .
Diack 's son Papa Massata Diack , former Russian athletics chief and IAAF treasurer Valentin Balakhnichev , and Russia 's ex-middle distance coach Aleksei Melnikov are expected to be tried in absentia .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ that resulted in the Russian team being banned from the 2016 Summer Olympics and the 2018 Winter Olympics .
Russian athletes face the same punishment for next year 's Olympic games in Tokyo .
Based on reporting by AP and AFP

Lamine Diack, the disgraced former head of athletics' world governing body, and five co-defendants are set to go on trial in Paris on January 13 over corruption charges linked to the Russian doping scandal.
Diack -- who presided over the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), now World Athletics, for 16 years until 2015 -- faces corruption and money-laundering charges.
The 86-year-old Senegalese has been under house arrest since November 2015 over claims he took payments of more than $3.3 million in a conspiracy to bury positive drug tests by Russian athletes in return for money.
If found guilty of the charges, which he denies, Diack could face up to 10 years in prison.
Also expected in court will be Habib Cisse, a lawyer who advised Diack, and the IAAF’s former anti-doping boss, Gabriel Dolle, for their roles in the alleged conspiracy. Both are French.
Diack's son Papa Massata Diack, former Russian athletics chief and IAAF treasurer Valentin Balakhnichev, and Russia's ex-middle distance coach Aleksei Melnikov are expected to be tried in absentia.
The trial is linked to a scandal that resulted in the Russian team being banned from the 2016 Summer Olympics and the 2018 Winter Olympics.
Russian athletes face the same punishment for next year's Olympic games in Tokyo.
Based on reporting by AP and AFP


rferl--2020-01-13--Kazakh Women Call For Increased Social Benefits At Nur-Sultan Rally

NUR-SULTAN -- Dozens of women have rallied in the Kazakh capital to call for the government to raise social benefits paid to families with children , the second such rally this month .
At least 50 protesters gathered in front of the Labor and Social Protection Ministry on January 13 demanding an increase in financial support to single mothers , mothers taking care of handicapped children , and those with low incomes .
Other women from families with multiple children were among the protesters , saying a boost in social allowances of about 10,100 tenges ( $ 27 ) per @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the year is insufficient .
A representative of the Nur-Sultan mayor 's office , Elnur Beisenbaev , came to the site and invited the protesters to come inside the building to discuss their demands , but the women refused after journalists were not allowed to accompany them .
The protesters then tried to march to the presidential administration but were intercepted by police , who blocked their way .
Protests about poor living conditions and financial shortcomings have been held across Kazakhstan for almost a year after five children from one family @ @ @ @ @ @ @ burned down in early February 2019 .
The tragedy occurred while both parents were working overnight shifts to make ends meet .
The protests intensified before and after an early presidential election held on June 9 , which was called after 79-year-old President Nursultan Nazarbaev resigned in the wake of protests in March after almost 30 years in power .
In addition to heading the ruling Nur-Otan party , Nazarbaev is still chairman of the country ’ s powerful Security Council and holds the title of elbasy , or leader of the nation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ president after Nazarbaev 's resignation , was declared the winner of the June 9 election .
No vote held in Kazakhstan since 1991 has been deemed free and democratic by international observers .
Opponents , critics , and rights groups say Nazarbaev , who tolerated little dissent , denied many citizens basic rights and prolonged his hold on power in the energy-rich country of 18.7 million by manipulating the democratic process .

NUR-SULTAN -- Dozens of women have rallied in the Kazakh capital to call for the government to raise social benefits paid to families with children, the second such rally this month.
At least 50 protesters gathered in front of the Labor and Social Protection Ministry on January 13 demanding an increase in financial support to single mothers, mothers taking care of handicapped children, and those with low incomes.
Other women from families with multiple children were among the protesters, saying a boost in social allowances of about 10,100 tenges ($27) per child that kicked in at the start of the year is insufficient.
A representative of the Nur-Sultan mayor's office, Elnur Beisenbaev, came to the site and invited the protesters to come inside the building to discuss their demands, but the women refused after journalists were not allowed to accompany them.
The protesters then tried to march to the presidential administration but were intercepted by police, who blocked their way.
Protests about poor living conditions and financial shortcomings have been held across Kazakhstan for almost a year after five children from one family died when their home in the capital burned down in early February 2019.
The tragedy occurred while both parents were working overnight shifts to make ends meet.
The protests intensified before and after an early presidential election held on June 9, which was called after 79-year-old President Nursultan Nazarbaev resigned in the wake of protests in March after almost 30 years in power.
In addition to heading the ruling Nur-Otan party, Nazarbaev is still chairman of the country’s powerful Security Council and holds the title of elbasy, or leader of the nation.
Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev, who became interim president after Nazarbaev's resignation, was declared the winner of the June 9 election.
No vote held in Kazakhstan since 1991 has been deemed free and democratic by international observers.
Opponents, critics, and rights groups say Nazarbaev, who tolerated little dissent, denied many citizens basic rights and prolonged his hold on power in the energy-rich country of 18.7 million by manipulating the democratic process.


rferl--2020-01-13--Ukraine Seeks To Shrink Underground Economy, Takes On Illegal Gambling, Other Sectors

Ukraine is cracking down on illegal gambling and logging and fraudulent gas stations in a bid to reduce the size @ @ @ @ @ shadow economy .
Speaking at a meeting with the heads of the country ’ s @ @ @ @ @ , Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk said the year 2020 “ will be the year of @ @ @ @ @ economy.
” He noted that in the last two weeks , police had shuttered 900 @ @ @ @ @ said about half of the gas stations police inspected -- 707 -- were not paying @ @ @ @ @ record of all cut timber is set to be placed in a centralized digital registry @ @ @ @ @ said .
The Economic Development and Trade Ministry estimates that 33 percent of Ukraine ’ @ @ @ @ @ GDP ) is in the shadows .
Some economists say the figure is higher and @ @ @ @ @ of the economy .
In monetary terms , Ukraine ’ s economic output last year @ @ @ @ @ Kyiv-based investment bank Dragon Capital estimates .

Ukraine is cracking down on illegal gambling and logging and fraudulent gas stations in a bid to reduce the size of the country’s shadow economy.
Speaking at a meeting with the heads of the country’s 24 regions over the weekend, Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk said the year 2020 “will be the year of the uncloaking of the Ukrainian economy.”
He noted that in the last two weeks, police had shuttered 900 illicit gambling dens.
He said about half of the gas stations police inspected -- 707 -- were not paying fuel taxes.
A digital record of all cut timber is set to be placed in a centralized digital registry by February 1, Honcharuk said.
The Economic Development and Trade Ministry estimates that 33 percent of Ukraine’s gross domestic product (GDP) is in the shadows.
Some economists say the figure is higher and makes up about 40 percent of the economy. In monetary terms, Ukraine’s economic output last year equaled $155 billion, Kyiv-based investment bank Dragon Capital estimates.
Based on reporting by Ukraine Business News


rferl--2020-01-13--Schools, Other Buildings In Russia’s Far East Evacuated Amid Bomb Threats

Universities , schools , museums , and theaters in at least six cities in Russia ’ s Far East were @ @ @ @ @ to reports of explosive devices being planted in the buildings , authorities say .
Some @ @ @ @ @ and staff were evacuated from schools and kindergartens amid minus 22-degree Celsius temperatures in Khabarovsk @ @ @ @ @ the Chinese border .
In the port city of Vladivostok , at least a dozen @ @ @ @ @ were evacuated .
Similar bomb reports were made to the northeast in Komsomolsk-on-Amur , Ussuriysk @ @ @ @ @ , a city of more than 200,000 people .
In December , mass evacuations of @ @ @ @ @ , and other institutions in Russia ’ s Far East took place several times due @ @ @ @ @ None of the bomb threats was confirmed .
Based on reporting by TASS and Interfax

Universities, schools, museums, and theaters in at least six cities in Russia’s Far East were evacuated on January 13 due to reports of explosive devices being planted in the buildings, authorities say.
Some 50,000 children and 3,500 teachers and staff were evacuated from schools and kindergartens amid minus 22-degree Celsius temperatures in Khabarovsk, which is situated near the Chinese border.
In the port city of Vladivostok, at least a dozen educational institutions and two theaters were evacuated.
Similar bomb reports were made to the northeast in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Ussuriysk, Birobidzhan, and Blagoveshchensk, a city of more than 200,000 people.
In December, mass evacuations of kindergartens, schools, universities, and other institutions in Russia’s Far East took place several times due to threats of explosions.
None of the bomb threats was confirmed.
Based on reporting by TASS and Interfax


rferl--2020-01-13--Ukraine’s Only English-Language TV Channel Shuts Down

Ukraine ’ s only English-language television channel , UATV , has stopped broadcasting .
“ Ukrainian international state broadcaster UATV will cease the production of news and satellite broadcasting , starting from January 13 , 2020 , ” UATV said in a news release .
“ As a result , several of the English language news presenters bid farewell to their jobs and to their viewers around the world .
Its last broadcast was on January 12 .
In the beginning of the year , the government in Kyiv decided to shut down international broadcasting and to close its Crimean-Tatar @ @ @ @ @ @ @ UATV was created in 2015 amid what media analysts have called a fierce “ information war ” with Russia .
In 2014 , the proliferation of spurious news reports accompanied Russia ’ s seizure of Crimea from Ukraine and its backing of separatists in the two easternmost regions of Donetsk and Luhansk in a conflict that has killed nearly 14,000 people .
The channel was established `` to ensure access of foreign audiences to objective , up-to-date , and complete information about events in Ukraine and to maintain a positive image of Ukraine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ news release from the broadcaster stated .
In the span of four years , UATV was connected to nearly 400 cable networks and broadcast to nearly 30 countries in Europe , North American , Asia , and Africa , including in the Middle East .
The administration of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has stated it intends to launch a Russian-language TV channel at the state broadcaster this year specifically for audiences living in “ temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine , ” local media watchdog Detector Media reported in December .

Ukraine’s only English-language television channel, UATV, has stopped broadcasting.
“Ukrainian international state broadcaster UATV will cease the production of news and satellite broadcasting, starting from January 13, 2020,” UATV said in a news release. “As a result, several of the English language news presenters bid farewell to their jobs and to their viewers around the world.
Its last broadcast was on January 12.
In the beginning of the year, the government in Kyiv decided to shut down international broadcasting and to close its Crimean-Tatar, Arabic, and English-language departments.
UATV was created in 2015 amid what media analysts have called a fierce “information war” with Russia.
In 2014, the proliferation of spurious news reports accompanied Russia’s seizure of Crimea from Ukraine and its backing of separatists in the two easternmost regions of Donetsk and Luhansk in a conflict that has killed nearly 14,000 people.
The channel was established "to ensure access of foreign audiences to objective, up-to-date, and complete information about events in Ukraine and to maintain a positive image of Ukraine in the world,” an earlier news release from the broadcaster stated.
In the span of four years, UATV was connected to nearly 400 cable networks and broadcast to nearly 30 countries in Europe, North American, Asia, and Africa, including in the Middle East.
The administration of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has stated it intends to launch a Russian-language TV channel at the state broadcaster this year specifically for audiences living in “temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine,” local media watchdog Detector Media reported in December.


rferl--2020-01-13--Canada's Trudeau Promises 'Justice' As Iranians Protest Downing Of Ukrainian Plane

Anti-government protests have broken out in Iran for a third consecutive day amid outrage over the way officials have handled the downing of a Ukrainian passenger plane last week .
Rallies were taking place at Tehran ’ s Sharif University of Technology and Amir Kabir University on January 13 , with demonstrators chanting slogans against the Iranian leadership , according to social media posts .
Images of earlier rallies appeared to show police and security forces firing live ammunition and tear gas to disperse demonstrators .
Authorities denied that police had opened fire .
Iran 's military has said its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 737-800 airliner on January 8 , killing all 176 people on board .
The tragedy occurred a few hours after an Iranian ballistic-missile attack against military bases hosting U.S. forces in Iraq .
Tehran had previously rejected suggestions it was to blame for the crash of the Ukrainian airliner .
After Iran ’ s January 11 admission , protests broke out in Tehran and other cities , with demonstrators chanting slogans against the Iranian leadership and reports of clashes with police .
Videos posted online purported to show police and security forces firing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ demonstrators near Tehran ’ s Azadi ( Freedom ) Square on the night of January 12 , AP reported .
Reuters said videos showed blood on the ground and images of people who appeared to be security personnel in the vicinity of protests carrying rifles .
Other posts showed police in riot gear hitting protesters with batons on the street , the agency said .
In a statement carried by Iran ’ s state broadcaster 's website on January 13 , Tehran 's police chief Hossein Rahimi denied that shots had been fired @ @ @ @ @ @ @ police absolutely did not shoot because the capital 's police officers have been given orders to show restraint , '' Rahimi said .
In Berlin , the German Foreign Ministry said Iranians must be allowed to take to the streets to express their `` grief , and also their anger . ''
`` We are convinced this has to happen in a peaceful , free , and unhindered way , '' ministry spokeswoman Maria Adebahr said .
The previous day , U.S. President Donald Trump warned that Iranian authorities should not target anti-government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ killed or imprisoned by you , and the World is watching .
More importantly , the USA is watching , ” Trump wrote in a tweet .
On January 13 , Iranian government spokesman Ali Rabiei accused Trump of shedding `` crocodile tears '' when voicing concern for Iranians .
Rabiei also denied a `` cover-up '' after it took days for Iran ’ s armed forces to admit it had shot down the airliner .
`` In these sorrowful days , many criticisms were directed at relevant officials and authorities ... .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and a cover-up but , in all honesty , that was not the case , '' he said in remarks aired on state television .
Ukrainian International Airlines Flight PS752 was carrying 82 Iranians , 57 Canadians , 11 Ukrainians , 10 Swedes , 10 Afghans , three Germans , and three Britons .
Iran has invited Canada and Ukraine to take part in an investigation into the plane disaster and said those responsible would be held accountable .
During a vigil for the Canadian victims of the disaster on January 12 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vowed to seek `` justice '' for those killed .
`` We will not rest until there are answers , '' Trudeau said in Edmonton , Alberta .
In Kyiv , meanwhile , President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Ukraine hopes to repatriate the bodies of the 11 Ukrainians by the end of this week .
Zelenskiy said he would like for the bodies to return home “ by January 19 ” so that their relatives can “ say goodbye to them , ” according to a statement on the presidential website .
Ukrainian National @ @ @ @ @ @ @ told the BBC that the 11 bodies most likely would return at a later date .
“ Thirty percent of the bodies are identified , ” Danilov said .
“ Around January 20-21 , they ’ ll come back to Ukraine.
” Nine of the Ukrainians on board were crew members and two were passengers .
Amirali Hajizadeh , the head of the aerospace division of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps ( IRGC ) , said on January 11 that his unit accepts “ full responsibility ” for the tragedy .
Iranian Supreme @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deep sympathy ” to the families of the 176 victims and called on the armed forces to `` pursue probable shortcomings and guilt in the painful incident.
” With reporting by the BBC , AP , 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--2020-01-12--U.S. Secretary of State 'Outraged' By Attack On Iraqi Base

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he is `` outraged '' by a rocket attack on an Iraqi air base on January 12 .
`` Outraged by reports of another rocket attack on an Iraqi airbase .
I pray for [ the ] speedy recovery of the injured and call on the government of # Iraq to hold those responsible for this attack on the Iraqi people accountable , '' he said on Twitter .
`` These continued violations of Iraq ’ s sovereignty by groups not loyal to the Iraqi government must end . ''
At least seven @ @ @ @ @ @ @ north of Baghdad , wounding four Iraqi soldiers .
Some of the shells hit the runway of the Balad air base , where some U.S. military personnel are based .
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack , which comes amid heightened tensions between the United States and Iran .
Military bases in Iraq hosting U.S. troops have been targeted by rocket and mortar attacks from Iran-backed militias in recent months .
One U.S. contractor was killed in such an attack in December .
On January 8 , Iran launched @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Iraq in retaliation for an earlier U.S. drone strike that killed top Iranian military commander Major General Qasem Soleimani .
Based on reporting by Reuters , AFP , and dpa

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he is "outraged" by a rocket attack on an Iraqi air base on January 12.
"Outraged by reports of another rocket attack on an Iraqi airbase. I pray for [the] speedy recovery of the injured and call on the government of #Iraq to hold those responsible for this attack on the Iraqi people accountable," he said on Twitter. "These continued violations of Iraq’s sovereignty by groups not loyal to the Iraqi government must end."
At least seven mortar shells struck an Iraqi air base north of Baghdad, wounding four Iraqi soldiers.
Some of the shells hit the runway of the Balad air base, where some U.S. military personnel are based.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, which comes amid heightened tensions between the United States and Iran.
Military bases in Iraq hosting U.S. troops have been targeted by rocket and mortar attacks from Iran-backed militias in recent months. One U.S. contractor was killed in such an attack in December.
On January 8, Iran launched missile attacks against two such bases in Iraq in retaliation for an earlier U.S. drone strike that killed top Iranian military commander Major General Qasem Soleimani.
Based on reporting by Reuters, AFP, and dpa


rferl--2020-01-12--Libya's Rival Leaders To Hold Peace Talks In Moscow

The Russian Foreign Ministry says Libya 's warring rival leaders are set to hold peace talks in Moscow on January 13 .
The discussions will be attended by Fayez al-Sarraj , who heads Libya 's UN-recognized Government of National Accord ( GNA ) in Tripoli , and by Khalifa Haftar , commander of the self-styled Libyan National Army ( LNA ) .
Earlier in the day , the Russian and Turkish foreign and defense ministers kicked off a `` meeting dedicated to the Libyan settlement , ” Russia 's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova wrote on her Facebook page .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ arrived and will join the talks shortly , '' Zakharova added. Speaking on a local news channel , the head of Libya ’ s High Council of State , Khaled al-Mechri , said Sarraj and Haftar are scheduled to sign a cease-fire .
The head of the Russian contact group on Libya , Lev Dengov , told Interfax that the two sides would discuss `` the possibility of signing a truce and the details of such a document . ''
A cease-fire saw a lull in heavy fighting and air strikes a day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ each other of violating the truce as skirmishes continued around the capital .
Many observers say a cease-fire will be hard to maintain given the fractious , unsteady nature of Libya ’ s military alliances .
The North African country has been torn by violence since longtime ruler Muammar Qaddafi was deposed and killed in 2011 .
The country has two rival administrations : the UN-backed GNA in Tripoli and Haftar 's in the city of Tobruk .
The GNA is supported by NATO-member Turkey and its ally Qatar .
Turkish President Recep @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he had dispatched military elements to Libya to ensure stability for the GNA .
UN experts and diplomats say that Russian military contractors in recent months have deployed alongside Haftar 's LNA , which has also received air support from the United Arab Emirates and backing from Jordan and Egypt .
Turkey and Russia have both been criticized by UN and Western officials who say their efforts to arm their allies have led to an intensification of the violence .
Russian President Vladimir Putin has denied any direct military involvement in the Libyan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Moscow on January 11 , Putin was asked whether Russian mercenaries , including private military contractors , are fighting in Libya .
“ If there are Russian citizens there , they don ’ t represent the interests of the Russian state and don ’ t receive money from the Russian government , ” Putin said .
Merkel said she hoped the `` Turkish-Russian [ cease-fire ] efforts will be successful . ''
Berlin and Moscow are acting as mediators in the conflict , which Germany has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''
Putin said , `` I am really counting on the opposing sides in Libya ceasing fire , ceasing armed combat ... within a few hours . ''
`` It 's important to bring an end to the armed confrontation , ” he added .
With reporting by AP , Reuters , AFP , TASS , Interfax , Current Time , dpa , and TASS

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--2020-01-14--Kazakh Woman Demands Release Of Her Husband, Told Protest Illegal

ALMATY , Kazakhstan -- A Kazakh woman demonstrating in front of the Chinese consulate in Almaty has been warned her protest demanding the release of her husband from house arrest in China 's northwestern province of Xinjiang is illegal .
Farida Qabylbek picketed the consulate on January 14 with large posters hanging on her body with her husband 's photo and information about his ordeal .
An official from Almaty 's city administration , Rita Ermanova , was at the site and told Qabylbek that her picket was illegal as it had not been sanctioned by the city authorities .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Raqyzhan Zeinollauly , a native of Xinjiang , obtained Kazakh citizenship in 2004 and traveled to Xinjiang the same year , where Chinese authorities arrested him and sentenced him to 13 years in prison on espionage charges .
Qabylbek says her husband fully served the term but Chinese authorities relocated him to another penitentiary on politically motivated charges , where they held him for 18 more months .
Qabylbek says her husband is currently under house arrest in Xinjiang and insists that Kazakh and Chinese authorities help repatriate her spouse .
Nobody came @ @ @ @ @ @ @ while security officers asked her to submit her demands in written form .
Several similar protests have taken place in Kazakhstan in recent months as demonstrators demand Kazakh authorities officially intervene in the situation faced by ethnic Kazakhs in Xinjiang .
In August 2018 , the United Nations said an estimated 1 million Uyghurs and members of other indigenous ethnic groups in Xinjiang were being held in `` counterextremism centers . ''
The UN said millions more had been forced into reeducation camps .
China denies that the facilities are internment camps .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the Almaty region refused to extradite Sairagul Sauytbay , an ethnic Kazakh Chinese citizen who was wanted in China on charges of illegal border crossing .
Sauytbay fled China in April and testified in a court in Kazakhstan that thousands of ethnic Kazakhs , Uyghurs , and other Muslims in Xinjiang were undergoing `` political indoctrination '' at a network of camps .
She testified that Chinese authorities had forced her to train `` political ideology '' instructors for reeducation camps , giving her access to secret documents about what she called @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Muslims from indigenous ethnic communities .
Although she was not extradited to China , Kazakh authorities did not allow Sauytbay to stay in Kazakhstan .
She later was granted asylum in Sweden .
Two other ethnic Kazakh men from China , Qaster Musakhanuly and Murager Alimuly , who illegally crossed the Chinese-Kazakh border in October to , as they say , flee ill-treatment in Xinjiang , are currently on trial in Kazakhstan and may face extradition to China .

ALMATY, Kazakhstan -- A Kazakh woman demonstrating in front of the Chinese consulate in Almaty has been warned her protest demanding the release of her husband from house arrest in China's northwestern province of Xinjiang is illegal.
Farida Qabylbek picketed the consulate on January 14 with large posters hanging on her body with her husband's photo and information about his ordeal. An official from Almaty's city administration, Rita Ermanova, was at the site and told Qabylbek that her picket was illegal as it had not been sanctioned by the city authorities.
According to Qabylbek, her spouse, Raqyzhan Zeinollauly, a native of Xinjiang, obtained Kazakh citizenship in 2004 and traveled to Xinjiang the same year, where Chinese authorities arrested him and sentenced him to 13 years in prison on espionage charges.
Qabylbek says her husband fully served the term but Chinese authorities relocated him to another penitentiary on politically motivated charges, where they held him for 18 more months.
Qabylbek says her husband is currently under house arrest in Xinjiang and insists that Kazakh and Chinese authorities help repatriate her spouse.
Nobody came from the consulate to meet Qabylbek, while security officers asked her to submit her demands in written form.
Several similar protests have taken place in Kazakhstan in recent months as demonstrators demand Kazakh authorities officially intervene in the situation faced by ethnic Kazakhs in Xinjiang.
In August 2018, the United Nations said an estimated 1 million Uyghurs and members of other indigenous ethnic groups in Xinjiang were being held in "counterextremism centers."
The UN said millions more had been forced into reeducation camps. China denies that the facilities are internment camps.
Also in August 2018, a court in the Almaty region refused to extradite Sairagul Sauytbay, an ethnic Kazakh Chinese citizen who was wanted in China on charges of illegal border crossing.
Sauytbay fled China in April and testified in a court in Kazakhstan that thousands of ethnic Kazakhs, Uyghurs, and other Muslims in Xinjiang were undergoing "political indoctrination" at a network of camps.
She testified that Chinese authorities had forced her to train "political ideology" instructors for reeducation camps, giving her access to secret documents about what she called a state program to "reeducate" Muslims from indigenous ethnic communities.
Although she was not extradited to China, Kazakh authorities did not allow Sauytbay to stay in Kazakhstan. She later was granted asylum in Sweden.
Two other ethnic Kazakh men from China, Qaster Musakhanuly and Murager Alimuly, who illegally crossed the Chinese-Kazakh border in October to, as they say, flee ill-treatment in Xinjiang, are currently on trial in Kazakhstan and may face extradition to China.


rferl--2020-01-14--Russian Opposition Party Head Says Supreme Court Has Suspended Its Activities

The head of the Russian opposition political party Civic Initiative says the country 's Supreme Court has suspended its operations for politically motivated reasons and is looking to wipe the party out altogether .
Dmitry Gudkov said on Facebook that on January 14 the court suspended the party ’ s activities for three months in what he said was the first step towards its full `` liquidation . ''
According to Gudkov , the court 's decision was based on a request by the Justice Ministry that found `` technical irregularities '' in the party 's activities .
Gudkov wrote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the party to remove such `` irregularities , '' including the process for electing party officials .
The party was founded in 2013 and was initially led by the former Economy Minister Andrei Nechayev .
The Civic Initiative nominated its candidate , Ksenia Sobchak , to run in the 2018 presidential election .
Sobchak got less than 2 percent of votes in the balloting .
Gudkov and Sobchak announced in 2018 that they plan to create a new political party , called the Party of Changes , which would stem from Civic Initiative @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2021 parliamentary elections .

The head of the Russian opposition political party Civic Initiative says the country's Supreme Court has suspended its operations for politically motivated reasons and is looking to wipe the party out altogether.
Dmitry Gudkov said on Facebook that on January 14 the court suspended the party’s activities for three months in what he said was the first step towards its full "liquidation."
According to Gudkov, the court's decision was based on a request by the Justice Ministry that found "technical irregularities" in the party's activities.
Gudkov wrote that the ministry itself creates obstacles to the party to remove such "irregularities," including the process for electing party officials.
The party was founded in 2013 and was initially led by the former Economy Minister Andrei Nechayev.
The Civic Initiative nominated its candidate, Ksenia Sobchak, to run in the 2018 presidential election. Sobchak got less than 2 percent of votes in the balloting.
Gudkov and Sobchak announced in 2018 that they plan to create a new political party, called the Party of Changes, which would stem from Civic Initiative, in order to take part in 2021 parliamentary elections.


rferl--2020-01-14--Belarus Scrambles For Oil Amid Supply Standoff With Russia

Belarus says it has asked several European countries to sell it oil in the face of a tariff dispute with Russia , its regular supplier .
`` All commercial departments of our plants , of the Belarusian Oil Company , have been holding talks practically on a daily basis .
I think we will get alternative sources for oil supplies soon .
It is about all possibilities -- Ukraine , Poland , the Baltic states , Kazakhstan , Azerbaijan , wherever .
We are working on it now , '' Deputy Prime Minister Dzmitry Krutoy said on January 14 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ weeks after Moscow abruptly halted oil shipments to Belarus .
Belarus has been at odds with Russia over oil-transit prices for some time against a backdrop of increasing pressure by Moscow on Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka to deepen integration between the two neighbors .
A two-month deal on natural-gas prices hours before a December 31 deadline struck helped the sides avoid a gas shutoff to start the year .
Belarus is heavily reliant on Russia for fuel and funding and is a key transit route for Russian energy supplies to Europe .
Moscow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to form a unified state , but little progress has been made in the ensuing two decades .
Meetings between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Lukashenka last year failed to bring the two sides together as the Belarusian president noted he was merely seeking `` equal '' terms .
Belarusian protests in December targeted the perceived secrecy of the talks and objected to closer ties to Russia .
With reporting by BelTA and Belsat

Belarus says it has asked several European countries to sell it oil in the face of a tariff dispute with Russia, its regular supplier.
"All commercial departments of our plants, of the Belarusian Oil Company, have been holding talks practically on a daily basis. I think we will get alternative sources for oil supplies soon. It is about all possibilities -- Ukraine, Poland, the Baltic states, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, wherever. We are working on it now," Deputy Prime Minister Dzmitry Krutoy said on January 14.
Krutoy's statement comes less than two weeks after Moscow abruptly halted oil shipments to Belarus.
Belarus has been at odds with Russia over oil-transit prices for some time against a backdrop of increasing pressure by Moscow on Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka to deepen integration between the two neighbors.
A two-month deal on natural-gas prices hours before a December 31 deadline struck helped the sides avoid a gas shutoff to start the year.
Belarus is heavily reliant on Russia for fuel and funding and is a key transit route for Russian energy supplies to Europe.
Moscow and Minsk signed an agreement in 1999 to form a unified state, but little progress has been made in the ensuing two decades.
Meetings between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Lukashenka last year failed to bring the two sides together as the Belarusian president noted he was merely seeking "equal" terms.
Belarusian protests in December targeted the perceived secrecy of the talks and objected to closer ties to Russia.
With reporting by BelTA and Belsat


rferl--2020-01-14--Germany, Britain, France Trigger Dispute Mechanism Over Iranian Breaches Of Nuke Deal

Germany , Britain , and France say they have triggered a dispute mechanism in the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and global powers , citing Tehran 's reduced compliance with the accord .
The three European states , who signed the deal along with China , Russia , and the United States , as well as the European Union , said that while they had set off a process that could lead to UN sanctions against Iran , they were not joining Washington in its `` maximum pressure '' campaign .
Iran has taken several steps away from meeting its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Donald Trump announced in May 2018 that he was unilaterally pulling the United States out of the agreement and implementing crippling sanctions on Tehran .
The remaining parties to the accord - the three European powers , plus China and Russia - have pledged to keep it alive .
But European partners have been unable to offer Tehran a way to sell its crude oil abroad despite the U.S. sanctions , which caused the value of Iran 's currency to plummet and sent its inflation rate soaring .
`` Following Iran 's announcement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ meeting some of its commitments under the JCPOA , we have sought to persuade Iran to change course , '' the statement from the three countries ' foreign ministers said , referring to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action .
`` We do not accept the argument that Iran is entitled to reduce compliance with the JCPOA .
Contrary to its statements , Iran has never triggered the JCPOA Dispute Resolution Mechanism and has no legal grounds to cease implementing the provisions of the agreement , '' it added .
The EU 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Tehran to discuss nuclear issues `` in good faith , '' adding that preserving the deal is `` now more important than ever '' in light of the `` ongoing dangerous escalations in the Middle East.
” German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said Iran 's repeated violations of the deal `` could not go unanswered any longer . ''
`` Our goal is clear .
We want to preserve the accord and reach a diplomatic solution within the deal , '' Maas tweeted .
Earlier in the day , British Prime Minister @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a `` Trump deal '' to replace the current pact , telling the BBC that it would provide a `` way forward . ''
Under the JCPOA , Tehran pledged to curb its nuclear ambitions in exchange for international sanctions relief .
The agreement was signed in October 2015 in Vienna .
Since the U.S. withdrawal from the deal , Iran has breached its main limitations , exceeding the stockpiles of heavy water and uranium allowed , the number and types of centrifuges it can operate to enrich uranium , and the purity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deal `` fatally flawed , '' in part because it did not restrict Tehran 's ballistic-missile program or address its support for terrorist groups in the Middle East .
Last week , he urged European countries to also renounce the deal .
Iran insists its nuclear program is for civilian purposes only , and that the JCPOA allows the country to run reactors to generate power .


rferl--2020-01-14--Dozens Killed As Avalanches Hit Pakistan-Controlled Kashmir

At least 55 people have been killed and more are missing following avalanches in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir over the last 24 @ @ @ @ @ Pakistani officials on January 14 said many villagers were still stranded by the avalanches in @ @ @ @ @ heavy rain that also triggered landslides .
Avalanches and landslides are common in the Himalayan @ @ @ @ @ between Pakistan and India and claimed by both in its entirety .
In Indian-administered Kashmir @ @ @ @ @ 10 people , including soldiers , were killed after several avalanches hit the area .
@ @ @ @ @ than 110 people across Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan in recent days .
Based on reporting @ @ @ @ @ AFP , and dpa

At least 55 people have been killed and more are missing following avalanches in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir over the last 24 hours, officials say.
Pakistani officials on January 14 said many villagers were still stranded by the avalanches in the Neelum Valley area following heavy rain that also triggered landslides.
Avalanches and landslides are common in the Himalayan region, which is divided between Pakistan and India and claimed by both in its entirety.
In Indian-administered Kashmir, officials said at least 10 people, including soldiers, were killed after several avalanches hit the area.
Extreme weather has killed more than 110 people across Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan in recent days.
Based on reporting by AP, Reuters, AFP, and dpa


rferl--2020-01-14--European Court Rules Russia's Khodorkovsky Denied Fair Trial

The European Court of Human Rights ( ECHR ) has ruled that former Russian oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky and business partner Platon Lebedev were denied their right to a fair trial in the case of their conviction by a Russian court for embezzlement and money laundering .
The Strasbourg-based court said on January 14 that it did not find any political motives in the criminal prosecution of Lebedev or Khodorkovsky , one of Russian President Vladimir Putin 's main opponents , and that no compensation would be ordered .
`` The court considers that the finding of a violation constitutes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nonpecuniary damage sustained by the applicants , '' the ECHR said in its judgment .
Vadim Klyuvgant , a lawyer for Khodorkovsky , was quoted by Interfax as saying the defense was `` satisfied '' with the outcome , though in light of the ruling Khodorkovsky may appeal to the Russian Supreme Court over his second sentence .
`` The defense was discriminated against and denied the possibility to bring in its witnesses and specialists during the proceedings , Klyuvgant said .
`` I think these conclusions are sufficient for agreeing with us @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he added .
Khodorkovsky , who ran oil giant Yukos , once Russia 's largest company , was convicted of financial crimes at two trials that he and his supporters contend were engineered by the Kremlin to punish him for challenges to President Vladimir Putin and increase the Kremlin 's control over oil exports .
Yukos was dismantled after Khodokovsky 's 2003 arrest and its main production assets were sold at auction and ended up in the hands of state oil company Rosneft .
Once Russia 's richest man , Khodorkovsky spent 10 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and left Russia after being pardoned by Putin in 2013 .
Khodorkovsky lives in exile in London and now runs a project called the Civil Society Support Group in Russia .
The endeavor is part of Khodorkovsky 's effort to unseat Putin from power .

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has ruled that former Russian oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky and business partner Platon Lebedev were denied their right to a fair trial in the case of their conviction by a Russian court for embezzlement and money laundering.
The Strasbourg-based court said on January 14 that it did not find any political motives in the criminal prosecution of Lebedev or Khodorkovsky, one of Russian President Vladimir Putin's main opponents, and that no compensation would be ordered.
Khodorkovsky, who ran oil giant Yukos, once Russia's largest company, was convicted of financial crimes at two trials that he and his supporters contend were engineered by the Kremlin to punish him for challenges to President Vladimir Putin and increase the Kremlin's control over oil export revenues.
"The court considers that the finding of a violation constitutes in itself sufficient just satisfaction for the nonpecuniary damage sustained by the applicants," the ECHR said in its judgment.
Khodorkovsky welcomed the ruling in a statement on Facebook.
"Today, an important conclusion was drawn on the international criminal law assessment of the 'Yukos case,'" Khodorkovsky wrote.
"Following six consecutive decisions by the ECHR on all aspects of the process, it has now been recognized that the Russian authorities’ actions against me and my colleagues were not a 'fair trial.'”
Vadim Klyuvgant, a lawyer for Khodorkovsky, was quoted by Interfax as saying the defense was "satisfied" with the outcome, though in light of the ruling Khodorkovsky may appeal to the Russian Supreme Court over his second sentence.
"The defense was discriminated against and denied the possibility to bring in its witnesses and specialists during the proceedings, Klyuvgant said.
"I think these conclusions are sufficient for agreeing with us that the sentence was fictitious," he added.
Yukos was dismantled after Khodokovsky's 2003 arrest and its main production assets were sold at auction and ended up in the hands of state oil company Rosneft.
Once Russia's richest man, Khodorkovsky spent 10 years in prison before he was released and left Russia after being pardoned by Putin in 2013.
Khodorkovsky lives in exile in London and now runs a project called the Civil Society Support Group in Russia. The endeavor is part of Khodorkovsky's effort to unseat Putin from power.
With reporting by Interfax


rferl--2020-01-14--German Police Raids Target Islamist Suspects 'Of Chechen Origin'

German police are conducting raids on suspected Islamist militants in four states , over allegations they have been plotting a `` serious violent act endangering the state , '' prosecutors say .
`` The searches are ongoing and relate to suspects of Chechen origin from the Islamist scene , '' the attorney general 's office in Berlin tweeted on January 14 .
Police were raiding properties in the capital , Berlin , the surrounding state of Brandenburg , as well as in North Rhine Westphalia and Thuringia .
The alleged militants are aged between 23 and 28 and `` suspected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Islamist attack , '' Berlin police said in a statement .
The statement said that according to current information , `` there was not yet any concrete danger of an attack . ''
A spokesman for Berlin prosecutors later said authorities acted after discovering photographs , including of a synagogue and a shopping mall , on one suspect 's cellphone during a police check , AP reported .
German authorities are on high alert for Islamist threats after the country suffered several attacks in recent years , including a truck rampage through a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ left 12 people dead .
The attacker , a Tunisian asylum seeker , was later shot dead by police in Italy while on the run .
Germany has since thwarted nine attacks believed to have radical Islamist motives , according to the Federal Crime Office .
Based on reporting by dpa and AFP


rferl--2020-01-14--Kyrgyz, Tajik Officials Hold Talks After Latest Border Incident

BATKEN , Kyrgyzstan -- Kyrgyz and Tajik officials have held initial talks on border issues following another round of clashes between Kyrgyz and Tajiks residing close to a disputed segment of the two Central Asian states ' shared border .
The talks were held at a border checkpoint near the Tajik village of Guliston and the Kyrgyz village of Kyzyl-Bel in the southern Batken region on January 14 .
Kyrgyz Deputy Prime Minister Jenish Razakov , who led the Kyrgyz delegation at the talks , told RFE/RL that the sides did not reach agreement during the first round of talks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Deputy Prime Minister Azim Ibrohim .
The talks are being held after gunshots were fired along the border on January 9 .
Kyrgyz officials have said gunshots were fired from the Tajik side , prompting the brief evacuation of 254 Kyrgyz nationals , including 139 children , from a village near the location of the clashes .
No casualties were reported .
The Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry summoned the Tajik ambassador over the incident , while Tajikistan blamed the residents of the Kyrgyz village for provoking the unrest .
The segment of the Kyrgyz-Tajik @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the incident took place has seen similar clashes in the past , including at least 10 skirmishes last year .
In December , six Kyrgyz and three Tajiks were wounded in clashes in the area , while violence in September claimed four lives .
Many border areas in the former Soviet republics in Central Asia have been disputed since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 .


rferl--2020-01-14--Kyrgyz Police Detain Four Men Suspected Of Assaulting Investigative Journalist

BISHKEK -- Police in Bishkek have detained four men suspected of assaulting Bolot Temirov , the editor in chief of @ @ @ @ @ The Interior Ministry said that the suspects , whose identities were not disclosed , were @ @ @ @ @ charged with assault and robbery .
According to the ministry , the suspects were between @ @ @ @ @ 28 .
Temirov was attacked near his website 's office in Bishkek on January 9 @ @ @ @ @ mobile phone away .
The United States and several media-freedom watchdogs have called on Kyrgyz @ @ @ @ @ and thorough investigation into the case .
In December , the FactCheck website was hacked @ @ @ @ @ online news resources that used FactCheck 's material .
Temirov 's site and open-source investigative @ @ @ @ @ Matraimov , the former deputy chief of Kyrgyz customs , and his relatives , who @ @ @ @ @ an alleged corruption scandal involving the funneling of close to a billion dollars out of @ @

BISHKEK -- Police in Bishkek have detained four men suspected of assaulting Bolot Temirov, the editor in chief of Kyrgyz investigative website FactCheck.
The Interior Ministry said that the suspects, whose identities were not disclosed, were detained on January 14 and charged with assault and robbery.
According to the ministry, the suspects were between the ages of 26 and 28.
Temirov was attacked near his website's office in Bishkek on January 9.
The assailants took his mobile phone away.
The United States and several media-freedom watchdogs have called on Kyrgyz authorities to conduct a swift and thorough investigation into the case.
In December, the FactCheck website was hacked along with sites of several online news resources that used FactCheck's material.
FactCheck mainly investigates corruption among state officials.
Temirov's site and open-source investigative organization Bellingcat recently probed Raimbek Matraimov, the former deputy chief of Kyrgyz customs, and his relatives, who are at the center of an alleged corruption scandal involving the funneling of close to a billion dollars out of Kyrgyzstan.


rferl--2020-01-14--Ukraine's Security Service Says Not Aware Of Entry Ban For Sweden's Dr. Alban

Ukraine 's Security Service ( SBU ) has said it was n't privy to information that Swedish recording artist Alban Nwapa was banned from entering Ukraine after he performed in Russian-annexed Crimea .
`` The Security Service of Ukraine does not have information about the ban on entry to Ukraine specified in the inquiry regarding said foreign citizen , '' the SBU told local news site Ukrayinska Pravda regarding Nwapa , whose stage name is Dr. Alban .
In December , Nwapa on his Instagram account thanked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy for allegedly interceding in having the authorities allow him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hip-hop artist had previously given a performance in Crimea and allegedly broke Ukrainian law by not receiving permission through the proper channels .
`` I was forbidden to enter Ukraine because of my previous show on the disputed island of Crimea .
With the intervention of the president , I was able to get to Ukraine , '' Nwapa initially said .
He later altered the post on December 16 acknowledging the entry ban but omitted the reference to Zelenskiy allegedly having helped him .
`` Meeting Ukrainian President ... Zelensky , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ entering Ukraine because of my previous show in the Crimea peninsula ... Ukrainians do n't like it ... .
It 's just not easy or possible for me and many people to know that entering Crimea then you are breaking Ukrainian law .
Many foreigners wo n't know this . ''
Russia seized Crimea in 2014 after which Kyiv started banning people entry into the country if they travel to the peninsula illegally -- namely by not entering through Ukrainian territory or receiving permission to enter from a different port entry .
While @ @ @ @ @ @ @ New Year 's show with the comedy troupe that Zelenskiy led before becoming president .
The head of Ukraine 's Border Service , Serhiy Deyneko , on January 5 said Nwapa entered Ukraine legally and that Zelenskiy did n't intervene in the matter .

Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) has said it wasn't privy to information that Swedish recording artist Alban Nwapa was banned from entering Ukraine after he performed in Russian-annexed Crimea.
"The Security Service of Ukraine does not have information about the ban on entry to Ukraine specified in the inquiry regarding said foreign citizen," the SBU told local news site Ukrayinska Pravda regarding Nwapa, whose stage name is Dr. Alban.
In December, Nwapa on his Instagram account thanked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy for allegedly interceding in having the authorities allow him entry to Ukraine.
The Eurodance and hip-hop artist had previously given a performance in Crimea and allegedly broke Ukrainian law by not receiving permission through the proper channels.
"I was forbidden to enter Ukraine because of my previous show on the disputed island of Crimea. With the intervention of the president, I was able to get to Ukraine," Nwapa initially said.
He later altered the post on December 16 acknowledging the entry ban but omitted the reference to Zelenskiy allegedly having helped him.
"Meeting Ukrainian President...Zelensky," Nwapa said. "I was banned entering Ukraine because of my previous show in the Crimea peninsula...Ukrainians don't like it.... It's just not easy or possible for me and many people to know that entering Crimea then you are breaking Ukrainian law. Many foreigners won't know this."
Russia seized Crimea in 2014 after which Kyiv started banning people entry into the country if they travel to the peninsula illegally -- namely by not entering through Ukrainian territory or receiving permission to enter from a different port entry.
While in Kyiv, Nwapa performed for a New Year's show with the comedy troupe that Zelenskiy led before becoming president.
The head of Ukraine's Border Service, Serhiy Deyneko, on January 5 said Nwapa entered Ukraine legally and that Zelenskiy didn't intervene in the matter.
With reporting by Ukrayinska Pravda


rferl--2020-01-14--Iran's President Wants Special Court To Probe Ukrainian Plane Downing

Iranian President Hassan Rohani , in the face of intense protests , has called for a special court to be set up to investigate the downing of a Ukrainian passenger airliner by the country 's air defenses that killed all 176 people on board .
All those responsible for the `` unforgivable error '' must be `` punished , '' Rohani said in a televised speech on January 14 , amid continued outrage in Iran over the downing of the Ukraine International Airlines ( UIA ) Boeing 737-800 .
Daily protests have been held in Iranian cities since January 11 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ UIA Flight PS752 was shot down `` unintentionally '' by an antiaircraft missile shortly after it took off from Tehran 's Imam Khomeini International Airport three days earlier .
Most of those killed in the disaster were Iranian and Canadian nationals .
The tragedy occurred with Iran 's air-defense forces on high alert following an Iranian ballistic-missile attack a few hours earlier against U.S. forces in Iraq .
`` The judiciary should form a special court with a ranking judge and dozens of experts , '' Rohani said in his speech , adding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the incident was `` a good first step . ''
`` For our people it is very important in this incident that whoever was at fault or negligent at any level '' faces justice , he said .
Judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili said that `` extensive investigations have taken place and some individuals have been arrested '' for their role in the crash .
He did not give further details .
Separately , Esmaili said that around 30 people had been arrested for taking part in `` illegal gatherings '' over three @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the streets in Tehran and several other cities to vent their anger with the clerical establishment over the incident .
The protests continued for a fourth day on January 14 , with videos posted on social media showing demonstrators gathered at two universities in the capital -- the Shahid Beheshti University and University of Tehran .
Similar student rallies were held the previous day in Tehran and Isfahan .
Meanwhile , authorities in Tehran denied using live ammunition on demonstrators , after videos posted online purported to show police and security forces @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disperse protesters near Tehran ’ s Azadi ( Freedom ) Square on the night of January 12 .
Reuters said videos showed blood on the ground and images of people who appeared to be security personnel in the vicinity of protests carrying rifles .
Other posts showed police in riot gear hitting protesters with batons on the street , the agency reported .
The U.S. State Department has warned Iranian authorities that Washington was not going to `` tolerate '' violence against the protesters .
`` We want the regime to know that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the world is watching , and that we are going to shine a very , very big light on any abuse by the regime to their own people , '' spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus told RFE/RL on January 13 .
The Ukrainian airliner was carrying 82 Iranians , 57 Canadians , 11 Ukrainians , 10 Swedes , 10 Afghans , three Germans , and three Britons .
Iran has invited Canada and Ukraine to take part in the investigation into the plane disaster .
Aviation officials from Iran , Ukraine , and Canada held @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over the investigation of the crash , Iranian state TV reported in an online post .
No additional details were provided .
Earlier in the day , British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was glad Tehran had identified the downing of the plane as an `` appalling mistake '' and added that it was important the bodies of the British victims are now repatriated .
Asked whether Iran should face consequences , Johnson told the BBC , `` They 're clearly guilty of an appalling error , I do n't think we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the tensions . ''
Amirali Hajizadeh , the head of the aerospace division of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps ( IRGC ) , said on January 11 that his unit accepted `` full responsibility '' for the tragedy .
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei expressed his `` deep sympathy '' to the families of the 176 victims on January 12 and called on the armed forces to `` pursue probable shortcomings and guilt in the painful incident . ''
With reporting by AP , Reuters , AFP , and BBC


rferl--2020-01-14--Erdogan Says Turkey Ready To 'Teach A Lesson' To Libya's Haftar

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Turkey will `` teach a lesson '' to Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar if his forces continue attacks against the North African country 's internationally recognized government .
Erdogan issued the threat in a televised speech on January 14 , after General Haftar and the head of the UN-recognized Government of National Accord ( GNA ) in Tripoli , Fayez al-Sarraj , left Moscow without reaching a cease-fire deal to end months of fighting .
The two rivals did n't meet directly but their delegations on January 13 held about seven hours of closed-door talks with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Turkey .
Libya has been torn by violence since longtime ruler Muammar Qaddafi was deposed and killed in 2011 .
NATO-member Turkey has been backing the GNA , while Russia supports Haftar 's self-styled Libyan National Army ( LNA ) , which is trying to capture the capital , Tripoli .
A tentative cease-fire that came into force on January 12 saw a lull in heavy fighting and air strikes in Libya , although both sides have accused each other of violating it as skirmishes continued around Tripoli .
After the January @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Turkish counterpart , Mevlut Cavusoglu , said Sarraj had signed a draft truce agreement but that Haftar requested more time to consider it .
The next morning , Russia 's Foreign Ministry announced Haftar had left the Russian capital without signing the document .
Russian news agencies reported that Sarraj had also departed .
Russia 's Defense Ministry later said that Haftar had taken two days to discuss the agreements reached in Moscow with his allies , Russian news agencies reported .
But speaking at a meeting of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the `` putschist Haftar ran away '' from the Russian capital .
`` Despite this , we find the talks in Moscow were positive as they showed the true face of the putschist Haftar to the international community , '' the Turkish president said .
He said the issue would now be discussed at a Berlin summit on Libya planned for January 19 .
Addressing at a press conference during a visit to Sri Lanka earlier in the day , Lavrov said Moscow would continue pushing for a permanent truce agreement between the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Turkey and Russia have both been criticized by UN and Western officials who say their efforts to arm their allies have led to an intensification of the violence .
Erdogan announced earlier this month that he had dispatched military elements to Libya to ensure stability for the GNA .
UN experts and diplomats say that Russian military contractors in recent months have deployed alongside the LNA .
With reporting by AFP , TASS , and Reuters

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Turkey will "teach a lesson" to Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar if his forces continue attacks against the North African country's internationally recognized government.
Erdogan issued the threat in a televised speech on January 14, after General Haftar and the head of the UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli, Fayez al-Sarraj, left Moscow without reaching a cease-fire deal to end months of fighting.
The two rivals didn't meet directly but their delegations on January 13 held about seven hours of closed-door talks with top diplomats and military officials from Russia and Turkey.
Libya has been torn by violence since longtime ruler Muammar Qaddafi was deposed and killed in 2011.
NATO-member Turkey has been backing the GNA, while Russia supports Haftar's self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA), which is trying to capture the capital, Tripoli.
A tentative cease-fire that came into force on January 12 saw a lull in heavy fighting and air strikes in Libya, although both sides have accused each other of violating it as skirmishes continued around Tripoli.
After the January 13 meetings in Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu, said Sarraj had signed a draft truce agreement but that Haftar requested more time to consider it.
The next morning, Russia's Foreign Ministry announced Haftar had left the Russian capital without signing the document. Russian news agencies reported that Sarraj had also departed.
Russia's Defense Ministry later said that Haftar had taken two days to discuss the agreements reached in Moscow with his allies, Russian news agencies reported.
But speaking at a meeting of his party in Ankara, Erdogan said the "putschist Haftar ran away" from the Russian capital.
"Despite this, we find the talks in Moscow were positive as they showed the true face of the putschist Haftar to the international community," the Turkish president said.
He said the issue would now be discussed at a Berlin summit on Libya planned for January 19.
Addressing at a press conference during a visit to Sri Lanka earlier in the day, Lavrov said Moscow would continue pushing for a permanent truce agreement between the warring sides in Libya's conflict.
Turkey and Russia have both been criticized by UN and Western officials who say their efforts to arm their allies have led to an intensification of the violence.
Erdogan announced earlier this month that he had dispatched military elements to Libya to ensure stability for the GNA.
UN experts and diplomats say that Russian military contractors in recent months have deployed alongside the LNA.
With reporting by AFP, TASS, and Reuters


rferl--2020-01-14--Two Children Killed By Bombs In Northern Afghanistan

KABUL -- Two children have been killed and at least nine other people wounded after two bombs went off near-simultaneously @ @ @ @ @ of Mazar-e Sharif , officials say .
Adil Shah Adil , the spokesman for Balkh @ @ @ @ @ said the blasts took place on a road in the provincial capital on January 14 @ @ @ @ @ explosions were aged 14 and 10 , the spokesman said .
The wounded included eight @ @ @ @ @ the Afghan security forces .
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack but the @ @ @ @ @ in Balkh Province and elsewhere in northern Afghanistan in recent weeks .
Earlier this month @ @ @ @ @ attached to a vehicle exploded in Mazar-e Sharif , killing a local resident and wounding @ @ @ @ @ according to police .
With reporting by AP and Tolo News

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


rferl--2020-01-14--Report: Russia Hacked Ukrainian Energy Firm Tied To Impeachment Inquiry

Hackers from Russia ’ s military intelligence unit , the GRU , have allegedly targeted a Ukrainian energy firm tied to the impeachment proceedings against U.S. President Donald Trump .
Cybersecurity experts at California-based Area 1 Security released a report on January 13 that found Burisma Holdings , where the son of presidential front-runner Joe Biden sat on the board , was successfully penetrated in a wide-ranging phishing campaign that stole e-mail credentials of employees .
It is n't clear if anything was stolen from the company or its subsidiaries , which were initially targeted , if any information was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the hackers was .
Hunter Biden , the son of former Vice President Joe Biden , was a board member of Burisma from 2014 until last year .
Trump asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to `` look into '' allegations of wrongdoing by the Bidens and the energy firm in a July 25 phone call .
Their conversation was the subject of an ensuing whistle-blower 's complaint that triggered the impeachment investigation , which began in September .
The U.S. president has since been charged with abuse of office and obstruction of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which is scheduled on January 14 to vote on the timing of when to send the articles of impeachment to the Republican-controlled Senate for a trial on whether to remove him from office .
No evidence of corruption by either of the Bidens has surfaced in light of allegations by Trump 's personal lawyer , Rudy Giuliani , that the former vice president sought to protect his son by pressuring Ukrainian officials .
Evidence has yet to emerge of allegations that Joe Biden pushed for the ouster of Ukraine 's chief prosecutor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was seen as then-President Barack Obama 's point man on Ukraine .
U.S. allies in Europe and Ukraine 's international lenders supported Joe Biden because successive chief prosecutors were believed to have been either obstructing or stalling investigations into high-profile corruption cases , including probes into Burisma .
The alleged hacker group used a similar phishing pattern and is directly connected to Fancy Bear , the same Russian cyber-infiltrators of the Democratic National Committee in the months leading up the 2016 presidential election that Trump , a Republican , won .
The GRU @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Russian interference in the 2016 presidential campaign , which concluded that Russia hacked the Democratic Party and Hillary Clinton 's campaign to help Trump .
Russia has denied meddling in the 2016 presidential campaign and election .
Area 1 's eight-page report said the cyberattacks on Burisma began in November , when Ukraine and impeachment , as well as talk of the Bidens , were dominating news headlines in the United States .
`` Area 1 Security has also further connected this GRU phishing campaign to another phishing campaign targeting a media organization @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
The New York Times , which first wrote about the anti-phishing company 's report , said the attack `` appears to have been aimed at digging up e-mail correspondence '' of Studio Kvartal 95 , which then was headed by Ivan Bakanov , whom Zelenskiy appointed as head of Ukraine 's Security Service in June .
With reporting by Cyberscoop , The New York Times , Bloomberg , Reuters , and AP

Hackers from Russia’s military intelligence unit, the GRU, have allegedly targeted a Ukrainian energy firm tied to the impeachment proceedings against U.S. President Donald Trump.
Cybersecurity experts at California-based Area 1 Security released a report on January 13 that found Burisma Holdings, where the son of presidential front-runner Joe Biden sat on the board, was successfully penetrated in a wide-ranging phishing campaign that stole e-mail credentials of employees.
It isn't clear if anything was stolen from the company or its subsidiaries, which were initially targeted, if any information was gleaned, and what the ultimate goal of the hackers was.
Hunter Biden, the son of former Vice President Joe Biden, was a board member of Burisma from 2014 until last year.
Trump asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to "look into" allegations of wrongdoing by the Bidens and the energy firm in a July 25 phone call. Their conversation was the subject of an ensuing whistle-blower's complaint that triggered the impeachment investigation, which began in September.
The U.S. president has since been charged with abuse of office and obstruction of Congress by the Democratic-led House of Representatives, which is scheduled on January 14 to vote on the timing of when to send the articles of impeachment to the Republican-controlled Senate for a trial on whether to remove him from office.
No evidence of corruption by either of the Bidens has surfaced in light of allegations by Trump's personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, that the former vice president sought to protect his son by pressuring Ukrainian officials.
Evidence has yet to emerge of allegations that Joe Biden pushed for the ouster of Ukraine's chief prosecutor when he served as vice president and was seen as then-President Barack Obama's point man on Ukraine.
U.S. allies in Europe and Ukraine's international lenders supported Joe Biden because successive chief prosecutors were believed to have been either obstructing or stalling investigations into high-profile corruption cases, including probes into Burisma.
The alleged hacker group used a similar phishing pattern and is directly connected to Fancy Bear, the same Russian cyber-infiltrators of the Democratic National Committee in the months leading up the 2016 presidential election that Trump, a Republican, won.
The GRU featured prominently in the Mueller report on Russian interference in the 2016 presidential campaign, which concluded that Russia hacked the Democratic Party and Hillary Clinton's campaign to help Trump.
Russia has denied meddling in the 2016 presidential campaign and election.
Area 1's eight-page report said the cyberattacks on Burisma began in November, when Ukraine and impeachment, as well as talk of the Bidens, were dominating news headlines in the United States.
Zelenskiy Firm Targeted
"Area 1 Security has also further connected this GRU phishing campaign to another phishing campaign targeting a media organization founded" by Zelensky, the report said.
The New York Times, which first wrote about the anti-phishing company's report, said the attack "appears to have been aimed at digging up e-mail correspondence" of Studio Kvartal 95, which then was headed by Ivan Bakanov, whom Zelenskiy appointed as head of Ukraine's Security Service in June.
With reporting by Cyberscoop, The New York Times, Bloomberg, Reuters, and AP


rferl--2020-01-14--Ukraine Knew Iran Had Downed Airliner But Didn't Go Public, Official Says

Ukraine knew on a preliminary basis that Iran shot down Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 on January 8 , the same day as the incident , but decided not to go public with the information because it wanted to get access to the crash site .
Kyiv knew conclusively that Iran 's military was to blame the following day , yet told its embassy in Tehran to rule out a terrorist act in its statement , National Security and Defense Council Secretary Oleksiy Danylov told Current Time , a television and digital network led by RFE/RL in cooperation with Voice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he said on January 13 , was that the situation room in Kyiv wanted Iran to accept Ukraine 's team of investigators .
`` After we received confirmation from Tehran that they were waiting for us , this information was removed , '' Danylov said .
Opposition politicians had criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy for not announcing findings sooner that Iran had likely shot down the airliner on January 8 , killing all 176 people on board , including 11 Ukrainians .
Danylov posited that the prime ministers of Britain and Canada came @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an Iranian rocket for `` political reasons . ''
However , Kyiv took a `` pragmatic '' approach because `` our task was to discover the truth , '' he said .
When asked if such actions were provocative , Danylov justified them as `` goal-oriented . ''
He said Ukraine 's investigators believed the rocket that shot down the airliner was a Russian-made Tor missile .
When Iran acknowledged shooting down the plane after nearly three days of denials , Danylov said it `` relieved some tension . ''
It was confirmation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ path , '' he said .
Danylov said he had faith in his team 's conclusions because it consisted of the same people who investigated the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over Ukraine in July 2014 .
An international team of investigators led by the Netherlands has concluded that Russia was responsible for shooting down the airliner in which all 298 people aboard were killed .
Russia has rejected the conclusions of the investigation .

Ukraine knew on a preliminary basis that Iran shot down Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 on January 8, the same day as the incident, but decided not to go public with the information because it wanted to get access to the crash site.
Kyiv knew conclusively that Iran's military was to blame the following day, yet told its embassy in Tehran to rule out a terrorist act in its statement, National Security and Defense Council Secretary Oleksiy Danylov told Current Time, a television and digital network led by RFE/RL in cooperation with Voice of America.
The reason being, he said on January 13, was that the situation room in Kyiv wanted Iran to accept Ukraine's team of investigators.
"After we received confirmation from Tehran that they were waiting for us, this information was removed," Danylov said.
Opposition politicians had criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy for not announcing findings sooner that Iran had likely shot down the airliner on January 8, killing all 176 people on board, including 11 Ukrainians.
Danylov posited that the prime ministers of Britain and Canada came out with statements laying the blame on an Iranian rocket for "political reasons."
However, Kyiv took a "pragmatic" approach because "our task was to discover the truth," he said.
When asked if such actions were provocative, Danylov justified them as "goal-oriented."
He said Ukraine's investigators believed the rocket that shot down the airliner was a Russian-made Tor missile.
When Iran acknowledged shooting down the plane after nearly three days of denials, Danylov said it "relieved some tension."
It was confirmation that Ukraine "went down the right path," he said.
Danylov said he had faith in his team's conclusions because it consisted of the same people who investigated the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over Ukraine in July 2014.
An international team of investigators led by the Netherlands has concluded that Russia was responsible for shooting down the airliner in which all 298 people aboard were killed.
Russia has rejected the conclusions of the investigation.