rferl--2020-09-27--Deadly Clashes In Nagorno-Karabakh Prompt Urgent Calls For Cease-Fire

Armenia and Azerbaijan reported heavy destruction and casualties on September 27 after clashes in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh that touched off a flurry of diplomacy aimed at calming the tensions .
The two countries declared martial law and accused each other of initiating the clashes , which claimed at least 23 lives .
Military officials in Nagorno-Karabakh confirmed that 16 of its servicemen were among the dead and more than 100 were wounded .
Armenian rights activists said earlier that an ethnic Armenian woman and child had also been killed .
Azerbaijan said five members of one family were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
According to the Prosecutor-General 's Office , 19 civilians have been wounded and hospitalized .
The fighting was the worst escalation of violence since 2016 and drew swift responses from European countries , Russia , the United Nations , and the United States .
The U.S. State Department expressed alarm over reports of `` a large scale military action '' that resulted in `` significant casualties , '' including civilians .
`` The United States condemns in the strongest terms this escalation of violence , '' State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Secretary Stephen Biegun called the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia `` to urge both sides to cease hostilities immediately '' and use existing communication links between them to avoid further escalation and `` unhelpful rhetoric and actions that further raise tensions on the ground , '' Ortagus said .
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was `` extremely concerned over the fresh resumption of hostilities , '' adding his voice to condemnations of the violence from Germany , France , and Italy and calls for an immediate cease-fire .
Armenian Prime Minister @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decided to declare martial law and a total mobilization after Azerbaijan launched an air and artillery attack on civilian settlements in Nagorno-Karabakh , including in the regional capital of Stepanakert .
Azerbaijan 's parliament followed with its own introduction of martial law across the country along with curfews , said Hikmet Hajiyev , an aide to the president .
Clashes broke out around 7 a.m. between Azeri and Armenian forces over the breakaway region , which is inside Azerbaijan but run by ethnic Armenians .
Azerbaijan said it had launched a military operation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Line of Contact that separates Armenian and Azerbaijani forces on the front line of Europe 's longest-running conflict .
The Armenian government , as part of its martial law declaration , is requiring local media to cite only official Armenian information about military-related reports and is barring the use of Azeri or outside sources .
Armenian Defense Ministry spokesman Artsrun Hovhannisian said Azeri forces launched missile attacks along the Line of Contact and said civilians and civilian infrastructure in Stepanakert had been targeted .
`` There has been significant damage to buildings in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ capital , ] Stepanakert , '' Hovhannisian said during a news conference .
Azeri Foreign Minister Ceyhun Bayramov spoke by phone with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov , who expressed concern about the situation in the region and `` stressed the urgency of restoring ceasefire regime.
” Bayramov said Armenian armed forces had violated the cease-fire .
Russia , which regards Yerevan as a strategic partner , called on both sides to `` immediately halt fire and begin talks to stabilize the situation . ''
Turkey , a close ally of Baku , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Azerbaijan that will `` throw the region into fire.
” Pashinian also called on the international community to ensure that Turkey does not involve itself in the conflict .
Turkey had earlier sharply criticized Armenia , saying Yerevan was an obstacle to peace and vowing to continue its support for Baku .
`` We believe this conflict can be resolved through peaceful negotiations , but Armenian side has shown no interest so far other than continuing to occupy parts of Azerbaijan , '' Ibrahim Kalin , President Recep Tayyip Erdogan 's spokesman , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Group countries to put pressure on Armenia .
The Minsk Group is a platform established by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe ( OSCE ) .
Ortagus also called on the two sides to work with the Minsk Group .
Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent districts of Azerbaijan were seized by Armenian-backed separatists who declared independence amid a 1988-1994 conflict that killed at least 30,000 people and displaced hundreds of thousands .
Since a fragile , Russian-brokered truce in 1994 , the region has been under the control of ethnic Armenian forces @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Armenia .
The region 's claim to independence has not been recognized by any country .
In July a days-long flareup that included drone attacks and heavy artillery fire killed at least 17 people , mostly soldiers on both sides but including at least one civilian , in the worst fighting in about four years .
Since then , periodic skirmishes have taken place in the region .
With reporting by Reuters , dpa , AFP , and TASS

Armenia and Azerbaijan reported heavy destruction and casualties on September 27 after clashes in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh that touched off a flurry of diplomacy aimed at calming the tensions.
The two countries declared martial law and accused each other of initiating the clashes, which claimed at least 23 lives.
Military officials in Nagorno-Karabakh confirmed that 16 of its servicemen were among the dead and more than 100 were wounded. Armenian rights activists said earlier that an ethnic Armenian woman and child had also been killed.
Azerbaijan said five members of one family were killed in shelling by Armenian armed forces. According to the Prosecutor-General's Office, 19 civilians have been wounded and hospitalized.
The fighting was the worst escalation of violence since 2016 and drew swift responses from European countries, Russia, the United Nations, and the United States.
The U.S. State Department expressed alarm over reports of "a large-scale military action" that resulted in "significant casualties," including civilians.
"The United States condemns in the strongest terms this escalation of violence," State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said in a statement.
Ortagus said Deputy Secretary Stephen Biegun called the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia "to urge both sides to cease hostilities immediately" and use existing communication links between them to avoid further escalation and "unhelpful rhetoric and actions that further raise tensions on the ground," Ortagus said.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was "extremely concerned over the fresh resumption of hostilities," adding his voice to condemnations of the violence from Germany, France, and Italy and calls for an immediate cease-fire.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said earlier that the government decided to declare martial law and a total mobilization after Azerbaijan launched an air and artillery attack on civilian settlements in Nagorno-Karabakh, including in the regional capital of Stepanakert.
Azerbaijan's parliament followed with its own introduction of martial law across the country along with curfews, said Hikmat Haciyev, an aide to the president.
Clashes broke out around 7 a.m. between Azerbaijani and Armenian forces over the breakaway region, which is inside Azerbaijan but run by ethnic Armenians.
Azerbaijan said it had launched a military operation in response to shelling along the so-called Line of Contact that separates Armenian and Azerbaijani forces on the front line of Europe's longest-running conflict.
The Armenian government, as part of its martial-law declaration, is requiring local media to cite only official Armenian information about military-related reports and is barring the use of Azerbaijani or outside sources.
Armenian Defense Ministry spokesman Artsrun Hovhannisian said Azerbaijani forces launched missile attacks along the Line of Contact and said civilians and civilian infrastructure in Stepanakert had been targeted.
"There has been significant damage to buildings in certain parts of Nagorno-Karabakh and Stepanakert," Hovhannisian said during a news conference.
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Ceyhun Bayramov spoke by phone with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who expressed concern about the situation in the region and "stressed the urgency of restoring ceasefire regime." Bayramov said Armenian armed forces had violated the cease-fire.
Russia, which regards Yerevan as a strategic partner, called on both sides to "immediately halt fire and begin talks to stabilize the situation."
Turkey, a close ally of Baku, said Armenia must immediately cease hostility toward Azerbaijan that will "throw the region into fire."
Pashinian also called on the international community to ensure that Turkey does not involve itself in the conflict. Turkey had earlier sharply criticized Armenia, saying Yerevan was an obstacle to peace and vowing to continue its support for Baku.
"We believe this conflict can be resolved through peaceful negotiations, but Armenian side has shown no interest so far other than continuing to occupy parts of Azerbaijan," Ibrahim Kalin, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's spokesman, told Reuters, calling for the Minsk Group countries to put pressure on Armenia.
The Minsk Group is a platform established by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). Ortagus also called on the two sides to work with the Minsk Group.
Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent districts of Azerbaijan were seized by Armenian-backed separatists who declared independence amid a 1988-1994 conflict that killed at least 30,000 people and displaced hundreds of thousands.
Since a fragile, Russian-brokered truce in 1994, the region has been under the control of ethnic Armenian forces that Azerbaijan says include troops supplied by Armenia. The region's claim to independence has not been recognized by any country.
In July a days-long flareup that included drone attacks and heavy artillery fire killed at least 17 people, mostly soldiers on both sides but including at least one civilian, in the worst fighting in about four years. Since then, periodic skirmishes have taken place in the region.
With reporting by Reuters, dpa, AFP, and TASS


rferl--2020-09-27--Hundreds Detained In 50th Day Of Protests In Belarus

MINSK -- Belarusian police made hundreds of arrests and fired tear gas and stun grenades during nationwide protests on September 27 as a groundswell of opposition to Alyaksandr Lukashenka continued for the 50th consecutive day .
In the capital Minsk , an estimated 100,000 people flooded the streets waving red and white opposition flags in the latest show of popular discontent since Lukashenka was declared winner of the August 9 presidential election , which the opposition and Western countries say was rigged .
People shouted `` fascist '' and `` shame '' as they decried Lukashenka and his government 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ demands .
Some Minsk demonstrators began dispersing after 6 p.m. when it started to rain .
But many people remained on Independence Avenue occupying half of the roadway , with some people inside slow-moving vehicles .
Elsewhere , riot police wearing balaclavas attacked people in the eastern city of Homel with tear gas and fired shots in the air as they made arrests and dispersed protests .
A spokesman for the Homel Regional Executive Committee 's Main Department of Internal Affairs said “ technical devices '' were used to cause a loud explosion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gas was used `` because some people behaved inappropriately , '' RFE/RL 's Belarus Service reported .
Demonstrators were also detained in another major city , Hrodna , where security forces also used tear gas against demonstrators .
Rallies were also reported in Mogilev and Lida .
Security forces in Mogilev used a stun grenade after several dozen people tried to march in two columns through the central streets of the city .
Eyewitnesses said security forces beat protesters with truncheons and detained people in a minibus .
The Interior Ministry acknowledged the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ across the country , RFE/RL 's Belarus Service reported .
The human rights group Vyasna published the names of 341 people detained during the day on a list that is constantly updated .
The protests came after Lukashenka , in power since 1994 , was inaugurated on September 23 in a secretive ceremony that prompted European Union members and the United States to issue statements that they did not recognize his legitimacy .
Protesters staged the events as an `` inauguration of the people '' in support of Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya , the exiled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lithuania .
Tsikhanouskaya , who joined the presidential race at the last moment after her husband ’ s own bid was ended after he was jailed , claims she won the election with 60 to 70 percent of the vote .
She called for Belarusians to demonstrate on September 27 for the “ goal of new , honest elections and , as a result , an official , lawful inauguration.
” '' Today is the 50th day of our protests , '' she said in a video address .
`` We 've come @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we are doing this peacefully . ''
The protests came a day after security forces in Minsk detained more than 100 protesters during a women ’ s march .
Hundreds of thousands of Belarusians have taken to the streets for seven weeks , calling for Lukashenka to step down and new elections to be held .
Lukashenka has directed a brutal crackdown in response to protests , including thousands of arrests , beatings , and other mistreatment of peaceful protesters , and the expulsions of foreign journalists .
He has denied accusations that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , most figures in the opposition 's Coordination Council , a body established to facilitate dialogue and a peaceful transfer of power , have been forced into exile or detained .
In Lithuania , leading writers , artists , and scientists on September 27 appealed to French President Emmanuel Macron to support protesters in Belarus .
Macron begins a two-day visit to Lithuania and Latvia on September 28 .
`` Men and women of Belarus are subjected to inhuman torture .
And this is happening in 21st century Europe !
, '' said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Macron and signed by more than 40 leading Lithuanian cultural figures .
`` We trust that you , who represents France , where human rights were born , will also hear the painful cry of the Belarusian people for their freedom , '' the appeal says .
With reporting by AFP and dpa

MINSK -- Belarusian police have made hundreds of arrests and fired tear gas and stun grenades during nationwide protests as a groundswell of opposition to Alyaksandr Lukashenka continued for the 50th consecutive day.
Belarus's Interior Ministry said more than 350 people were detained during the demonstrations, bringing the total number of arrests over the weekend to about 500.
More than 12,000 people have been detained since the protests began last month, according to human rights group Vyasna.
In the capital, Minsk, an estimated 100,000 people flooded the streets on September 27 waving red-and-white opposition flags in the latest show of popular discontent since Lukashenka was declared winner of the August 9 presidential election, which the opposition and Western countries say was rigged.
People shouted "fascist" and "shame" as they decried Lukashenka and his government's uncompromising response to the protests and opposition demands.
Some Minsk demonstrators began dispersing after 6 p.m. when it started to rain. But many people remained on Independence Avenue occupying half of the roadway, with some people inside slow-moving vehicles.
Elsewhere, riot police wearing balaclavas attacked people in the eastern city of Homel with tear gas and fired shots in the air as they made arrests and dispersed protests.
A spokesman for the Homel Regional Executive Committee's Main Department of Internal Affairs said "technical devices" were used to cause a loud explosion and a flash of light and tear gas was used "because some people behaved inappropriately," RFE/RL's Belarus Service reported.
Demonstrators were also detained in another major city, Hrodna, where security forces also used tear gas against demonstrators.
Rallies were also reported in Mahilyou and Lida. Security forces in Mahilyou used a stun grenade after several dozen people tried to march in two columns through the central streets of the city. Eyewitnesses said security forces beat protesters with truncheons and detained people in a minibus.
The human rights group Vyasna said it was aware of 380 people detained around the country during the September 27 rallies. About 150 were arrested during protests the day before.
The protests came after Lukashenka, in power since 1994, was inaugurated on September 23 in a secretive ceremony that prompted European Union members and the United States to issue statements that they did not recognize his legitimacy.
Protesters staged the events as an "inauguration of the people" in support of Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the exiled opposition candidate, who is now in Lithuania.
Tsikhanouskaya, who joined the presidential race at the last moment after her husband’s own bid was ended after he was jailed, claims she won the election with 60 to 70 percent of the vote.
Crisis In Belarus Read our coverage as Belarusian strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka continues his brutal crackdown on NGOs, activists, and independent media following the August 2020 presidential election.
She called for Belarusians to demonstrate on September 27 for the “goal of new, honest elections and, as a result, an official, lawful inauguration.”
"Today is the 50th day of our protests," she said in a video address. "We've come out to stop this regime, and we are doing this peacefully."
The protests came a day after security forces in Minsk detained more than 100 protesters during a women’s march.
Hundreds of thousands of Belarusians have taken to the streets for seven weeks, calling for Lukashenka to step down and new elections to be held.
Lukashenka has directed a brutal crackdown in response to protests, including thousands of arrests, beatings, and other mistreatment of peaceful protesters, and the expulsions of foreign journalists.
He has denied accusations that the presidential election was rigged.
Meanwhile, most figures in the opposition's Coordination Council, a body established to facilitate dialogue and a peaceful transfer of power, have been forced into exile or detained.
In Lithuania, leading writers, artists, and scientists on September 27 appealed to French President Emmanuel Macron to support protesters in Belarus. Macron begins a two-day visit to Lithuania and Latvia on September 28.
"Men and women of Belarus are subjected to inhuman torture. And this is happening in 21st century Europe!," said a poster designed as an open letter to Macron and signed by more than 40 leading Lithuanian cultural figures.
"We trust that you, who represents France, where human rights were born, will also hear the painful cry of the Belarusian people for their freedom," the appeal says.
With reporting by AFP and dpa


rferl--2020-09-27--Romania's Ruling Liberal Party Claims 'Clear Victory' In Local Elections

Romania 's ruling centrist National Liberal Party ( PNL ) was on pace for gains in local elections , exit polls showed on September 27 , in a vote seen as a key test for the country ’ s minority-led government .
Around 19 million eligible voters chose local officials , council presidents , and mayors to fill more than 43,000 positions across the European Union nation .
Originally planned for June , the election was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic .
Although official results won ’ t be known until September 28 , Prime Minister Ludovic Orban , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ minority government since last October , described the election as “ a clear victory ” against the deeply-entrenched Social Democrat Party ( PSD ) .
In what would be a major political shake-up , exit polls showed PSD lost control of the capital Bucharest for the first time since 2008 .
Mathematician and activist Nicusor Dan had a comfortable 47.8 percent lead over incumbent mayor Gabriela Firea 's 38.2 percent .
Dan is backed by his USR-PLUS party , but also by the PNL .
“ Everything we established in the campaign and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ alongside Dan as results rolled in .
“ Today , the government has a serious partner in city hall.
” The PSD won the 2016 general election but lost power last year in a parliamentary no-confidence vote after trying to push through controversial judicial reforms despite warnings from Brussels and street protests .
The party has also been marred by corruption scandals .
The PSD remains the strongest party in Romania ’ s parliament , despite losing its governing majority .
The local elections are viewed as a bellwether for national polls in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about 1,500 mayors across the country , or about 50 percent of all localities .
Until the local elections , the PSD had 55 percent of Romania 's mayors while PNL controlled about 33 percent of localities .
`` It 's the first time we defeat the Social Democrats , and it 's so decisively , '' Orban said .
`` This creates premises for a Liberal-led government for the next four years . ''
With reporting by AFP , AP , Reuters , and RFE/RL 's Romanian Service

Romania's ruling centrist National Liberal Party (PNL) was on pace for gains in local elections, exit polls showed on September 27, in a vote seen as a key test for the country’s minority-led government.
Around 19 million eligible voters chose local officials, council presidents, and mayors to fill more than 43,000 positions across the European Union member. Originally planned for June, the election was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Although official results won't be known until September 28, Prime Minister Ludovic Orban, whose PNL has controlled Romania's minority government since October 2019, described the election as "a clear victory" against the deeply entrenched Social Democrat Party (PSD).
In what would be a major political shake-up, exit polls showed PSD lost control of the capital, Bucharest, for the first time since 2008.
Mathematician and activist Nicusor Dan had a comfortable 47.8 percent lead over incumbent Mayor Gabriela Firea's 38.2 percent.
Dan is backed by his USR-PLUS party, but also by the PNL.
"Everything we established in the campaign and after remains standing," Orban said alongside Dan as results rolled in. "Today, the government has a serious partner in city hall."
The PSD won the 2016 general elections but lost power last year in a parliamentary no-confidence vote after trying to push through controversial judicial reforms despite warnings from Brussels and street protests. The party has also been tarred by corruption scandals.
The PSD remains the strongest party in Romania's parliament, despite losing its governing majority.
The local elections are viewed as a bellwether for national polls in December.
Orban claimed his party won about 1,500 mayoral races across the country, or about 50 percent of all localities.
Until the local elections, the PSD had 55 percent of Romania's mayors, while the PNL controlled about 33 percent of localities.
"It's the first time we defeat the Social Democrats, and it's so decisively," Orban said. "This creates premises for a Liberal-led government for the next four years."
With reporting by AFP, AP, Reuters, and RFE/RL's Romanian Service


rferl--2020-09-27--Armenia, Azerbaijan Declare Martial Law After Clashes In Disputed Nagorno-Karabakh

Armenia and Azerbaijan declared martial law on September 27 after both sides reported heavy destruction and casualties in clashes in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh .
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said the government decided to declare martial law and a total mobilization after Azerbaijan launched an air and artillery attack on civilian settlements in Nagorno-Karabakh , including in the regional capital of Stepanakert .
Azerbaijan 's parliament followed with its own introduction of martial law across the country along with curfews , said Hikmet Hajiyev , an aide to the president .
The moves come after morning clashes between @ @ @ @ @ @ @ region , which is inside Azerbaijan but run by ethnic Armenians .
Both sides have reported casualties , prompting international calls for the two sides to stop fighting and return to negotiations .
Azerbaijan said it had launched a military operation in response to shelling along the so-called Line of Contact that separates Armenian and Azerbaijani forces on the front line of Europe 's longest-running conflict .
Armenia 's Defense Ministry said that its troops shot down two Azerbaijani helicopters and three drones , a claim rejected by Baku .
`` Our response @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leadership of Azerbaijan bears full responsibility for the situation , '' the Armenian Defense Ministry said in a statement .
Azerbaijan 's Defense Ministry said its forces were “ taking retaliatory measures and our troops are in full control of the operational situation.
” The ministry said that “ fierce battles are ongoing all along the front line.
” A spokesman for the Armenian Defense Ministry said an Armenian woman and child were killed in Nagorno-Karabakh .
The Armenian government , as part of its martial law declaration , is requiring local media @ @ @ @ @ @ @ military-related reports and is barring the use of Azerbaijani or outside sources .
Armenian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Anna Naghdalian and Armenian Defense Ministry spokesman Artsrun Hovhannisian said Azerbaijani forces launched missile attacks beginning around 7 a.m. along the Line of Contact and said civilians and civilian infrastructure in Stepanakert had been targeted .
`` There has been significant damage to buildings in certain parts of Nagorno-Karabakh and [ its capital ] Stepanakert , '' Hovhannisian said during a joint news conference with Naghdalian .
Turkey , a close ally of Baku , said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that will `` throw the region into fire.
” Pashinian also called on the international community to ensure that Turkey does not involve itself in the conflict .
Turkey had earlier sharply criticized Armenia , saying Yerevan was an obstacle to peace and vowing to continue its support for Baku .
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan 's spokesman Ibrahim Kalin addressed the flare-up in comments to Reuters .
`` We believe this conflict can be resolved through peaceful negotiations , but the Armenian side has shown no interest so far other than continuing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kalin said .
`` That occupation must end , everybody knows where the solution lies , and the Minsk Group countries must put pressure on Armenia to stop violating international law . ''
He added : `` Turkey remains fully in solidarity with Azerbaijan . ''
The Minsk Group is a platform established by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe ( OSCE ) .
It is chaired by the United States , France , and Russia .
Russia called on both sides to `` immediately halt fire and begin talks to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Minister Sergei Lavrov “ is conducting intensive contacts in order to induce the parties to cease fire and start negotiations to stabilize the situation , ” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said .
Russia , which has a military base in Armenia , regards Yerevan as a strategic partner in the region .
EU Council President Charles Michel said reports of the hostilities were a serious concern .
`` Military action must stop , as a matter of urgency , to prevent a further escalation , '' Michel said on Twitter .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ preconditions , is the only way forward . ''
France and Germany expressed concern over the confrontation , while Iran also called for an end to the fighting and said it was ready to facilitate talks and a cease-fire .
Pope Francis also reacted to the fighting , calling it `` worrying news '' and said he was praying for peace in the Caucasus and asking for `` steps of goodwill and brotherhood . ''
Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent districts of Azerbaijan were seized by Armenian-backed separatists who declared independence amid a 1988-1994 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and displaced hundreds of thousands .
Since a fragile , Russian-brokered truce in 1994 , the region has been under the control of ethnic Armenian forces that Azerbaijan says includes troops supplied by Armenia .
The region 's claim to independence has not been recognized by any country .
In July , a days-long flare-up that included drone attacks and heavy artillery fire killed at least 17 people , mostly soldiers on both sides but including at least one civilian , in the worst fighting in about four years .
Since then , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ region .
With reporting by Reuters , dpa , and TASS

Armenia and Azerbaijan declared martial law on September 27 after both sides reported heavy destruction and casualties in clashes in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said the government decided to declare martial law and a total mobilization after Azerbaijan launched an air and artillery attack on civilian settlements in Nagorno-Karabakh, including in the regional capital of Stepanakert.
Azerbaijan's parliament followed with its own introduction of martial law across the country along with curfews, said Hikmat Haciyev, an aide to the president.
The moves come after morning clashes between Azerbaijani and Armenian forces over the breakaway region, which is inside Azerbaijan but run by ethnic Armenians.
Both sides have reported casualties, prompting international calls for the two sides to stop fighting and return to negotiations.
Azerbaijan said it had launched a military operation in response to shelling along the so-called Line of Contact that separates Armenian and Azerbaijani forces on the front line of Europe's longest-running conflict.
Armenia's Defense Ministry said that its troops shot down two Azerbaijani helicopters and three drones, a claim rejected by Baku.
"Our response will be proportionate, and the military-political leadership of Azerbaijan bears full responsibility for the situation," the Armenian Defense Ministry said in a statement.
Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry said its forces were “taking retaliatory measures and our troops are in full control of the operational situation.”
The ministry said that “fierce battles are ongoing all along the front line.”
A spokesman for the Armenian Defense Ministry said an Armenian woman and child were killed in Nagorno-Karabakh.
The Armenian government, as part of its martial law declaration, is requiring local media to cite only official Armenian information about military-related reports and is barring the use of Azerbaijani or outside sources.
International Response
Armenian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Anna Naghdalian and Armenian Defense Ministry spokesman Artsrun Hovhannisian said Azerbaijani forces launched missile attacks beginning around 7 a.m. along the Line of Contact and said civilians and civilian infrastructure in Stepanakert had been targeted.
"There has been significant damage to buildings in certain parts of Nagorno-Karabakh and [its capital] Stepanakert," Hovhannisian said during a joint news conference with Naghdalian.
Turkey, a close ally of Baku, said Armenia must immediately cease hostility towards Azerbaijan that will "throw the region into fire.”
Pashinian also called on the international community to ensure that Turkey does not involve itself in the conflict. Turkey had earlier sharply criticized Armenia, saying Yerevan was an obstacle to peace and vowing to continue its support for Baku.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's spokesman Ibrahim Kalin addressed the flare-up in comments to Reuters.
"We believe this conflict can be resolved through peaceful negotiations, but the Armenian side has shown no interest so far other than continuing to occupy parts of Azerbaijan," Kalin said. "That occupation must end, everybody knows where the solution lies, and the Minsk Group countries must put pressure on Armenia to stop violating international law."
He added: "Turkey remains fully in solidarity with Azerbaijan."
The Minsk Group is a platform established by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). It is chaired by the United States, France, and Russia.
Russia called on both sides to "immediately halt fire and begin talks to stabilize the situation."
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov “is conducting intensive contacts in order to induce the parties to cease fire and start negotiations to stabilize the situation,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.
Russia, which has a military base in Armenia, regards Yerevan as a strategic partner in the region.
EU Council President Charles Michel said reports of the hostilities were a serious concern.
"Military action must stop, as a matter of urgency, to prevent a further escalation," Michel said on Twitter. "An immediate return to negotiations, without preconditions, is the only way forward."
France and Germany expressed concern over the confrontation, while Iran also called for an end to the fighting and said it was ready to facilitate talks and a cease-fire.
Pope Francis also reacted to the fighting, calling it "worrying news" and said he was praying for peace in the Caucasus and asking for "steps of goodwill and brotherhood."
Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent districts of Azerbaijan were seized by Armenian-backed separatists who declared independence amid a 1988-1994 conflict that killed at least 30,000 people and displaced hundreds of thousands.
Since a fragile, Russian-brokered truce in 1994, the region has been under the control of ethnic Armenian forces that Azerbaijan says includes troops supplied by Armenia. The region's claim to independence has not been recognized by any country.
In July, a days-long flare-up that included drone attacks and heavy artillery fire killed at least 17 people, mostly soldiers on both sides but including at least one civilian, in the worst fighting in about four years. Since then, periodic skirmishes have taken place in the region.
With reporting by Reuters, dpa, and TASS


rferl--2020-09-28--Pakistani Opposition Leader Arrested Ahead Of Planned Protests

Pakistan 's anti-graft body has arrested opposition leader Shahbaz Sharif before planned protests next month by his party , which is seeking to force Prime Minister Imran Khan 's resignation .
Sharif , the president of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz ( PML-N ) , was arrested on September 28 in the eastern city of Lahore after a provincial court rejected bail for him over a money-laundering case .
Sharif has denied any wrongdoing and said the case against him is politically motivated .
Sharif is the younger brother of former ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif , who was disqualified from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over corruption allegations .
Nawaz Sharif is currently residing in Britain after being released from prison earlier this year for medical treatment .
Last week , he broke a nearly yearlong silence from exile in London by vowing to oust Khan from office through the protests .
Nawaz Sharif accused Khan of only winning the 2018 general election with help from the country 's powerful military , which has an oversized role in the domestic and foreign affairs of the South Asian nation .
Sharif has suggested the military and courts colluded to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on reporting by AFP and AP

Pakistan's anti-graft body has arrested opposition leader Shahbaz Sharif before planned protests next month by his party, which is seeking to force Prime Minister Imran Khan's resignation.
Sharif, the president of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), was arrested on September 28 in the eastern city of Lahore after a provincial court rejected bail for him over a money-laundering case.
Sharif has denied any wrongdoing and said the case against him is politically motivated.
Sharif is the younger brother of former ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who was disqualified from office by the Supreme Court in 2017 over corruption allegations.
Nawaz Sharif is currently residing in Britain after being released from prison earlier this year for medical treatment.
Last week, he broke a nearly yearlong silence from exile in London by vowing to oust Khan from office through the protests.
Nawaz Sharif accused Khan of only winning the 2018 general election with help from the country's powerful military, which has an oversized role in the domestic and foreign affairs of the South Asian nation.
Sharif has suggested the military and courts colluded to throw him out of power.
Based on reporting by AFP and AP


rferl--2020-09-28--Germany's Merkel Visited Russian Opposition Leader Navalny In Hospital

German Chancellor Angela Merkel visited Russian opposition politician Aleksei Navalny in a Berlin hospital where he was recovering from what European experts have determined was poisoning with a military-grade nerve agent .
The 44-year-old Navalny wrote on Twitter on September 28 that it was a `` private visit and a conversation with the family . ''
He added that he was `` very grateful '' to Merkel for visiting him in Berlin 's Charite hospital , where he spent 32 days .
Merkel 's spokesman , Steffen Seibert , told a news conference on September 28 that it was a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' declining to disclose details of what was said or how long the meeting lasted .
On September 27 , German magazine Der Spiegel reported that Merkel had made a `` secret '' visit to Navalny when he was in hospital .
Navalny said there was `` a meeting , but one should n't call it secret . ''
Navalny , a longtime critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin , was discharged from the hospital last week .
He remains in Germany .
He collapsed aboard a flight from Siberia to Moscow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weeks in an induced coma .
After 48 hours in a hospital in Omsk , where Russian doctors said they found no trace of any poisoning , Navalny was transferred to the Charite hospital .
Doctors there found traces of a Novichok-like nerve agent in his body .
Their findings were independently confirmed by laboratories in France and Sweden .
Amid allegations from Navalny 's allies that Kremlin agents had poisoned him , the Russian government has resisted international pressure to launch a criminal investigation .
The Kremlin denies poisoning Navalny and says @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It has demanded that Germany , France , and Sweden share their findings .
The Navalny case has further worsened relations between Moscow and the West .
Germany has been one of the biggest proponents of the nearly completed Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline bringing Russian natural gas to Germany .
But Merkel has faced growing calls to halt the project .
With reporting by Der Spiegel and AP

German Chancellor Angela Merkel visited Russian opposition politician Aleksei Navalny in a Berlin hospital where he was recovering from what European experts have determined was poisoning with a military-grade nerve agent.
The 44-year-old Navalny wrote on Twitter on September 28 that it was a "private visit and a conversation with the family."
He added that he was "very grateful" to Merkel for visiting him in Berlin's Charite hospital, where he spent 32 days.
Merkel's spokesman, Steffen Seibert, told a news conference on September 28 that it was a "personal visit to Navalny in hospital," declining to disclose details of what was said or how long the meeting lasted.
On September 27, German magazine Der Spiegel reported that Merkel had made a "secret" visit to Navalny when he was in hospital.
Navalny said there was "a meeting, but one shouldn't call it secret."
Navalny, a longtime critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, was discharged from the hospital last week. He remains in Germany.
He collapsed aboard a flight from Siberia to Moscow on August 20 and spent nearly three weeks in an induced coma.
After 48 hours in a hospital in Omsk, where Russian doctors said they found no trace of any poisoning, Navalny was transferred to the Charite hospital.
Doctors there found traces of a Novichok-like nerve agent in his body. Their findings were independently confirmed by laboratories in France and Sweden.
Amid allegations from Navalny's allies that Kremlin agents had poisoned him, the Russian government has resisted international pressure to launch a criminal investigation.
The Kremlin denies poisoning Navalny and says it has seen no evidence of poisoning. It has demanded that Germany, France, and Sweden share their findings.
The Navalny case has further worsened relations between Moscow and the West.
Germany has been one of the biggest proponents of the nearly completed Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline bringing Russian natural gas to Germany. But Merkel has faced growing calls to halt the project.
With reporting by Der Spiegel and AP


rferl--2020-09-28--Pakistani Supreme Court To Hear Appeal From Daniel Pearl's Family

Pakistan 's Supreme Court is scheduled to hear an appeal by the family of slain American journalist Daniel Pearl challenging the acquittal of a British-born Pakistani man accused of murdering the Wall Street Journal reporter in 2002 .
In April , a lower court overturned the death sentence and murder conviction imposed on Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh over Pearl 's brutal killing .
The High Court of Sindh Province reduced Sheikh 's sentence to seven years in prison for kidnapping , in what Washington said was an `` affront to victims of terrorism . ''
Sheikh and three other men @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and murder have remained in detention as the Pakistani government appeals to the Supreme Court to have the sentences reinstated .
Ahead of the hearing scheduled for September 28 , the Pearl family said that releasing Sheikh would encourage militants around the world .
`` This would be an invitation and encouragement to extreme elements all over the globe to feel free to initiate acts of terrorism , and play games with human life , '' said Judea Pearl , the journalist 's father .
`` It would be a message of impunity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Wall Street Journal 's South Asia bureau chief when he was abducted and beheaded in Karachi in 2002 while researching a story about Islamist militants .
A video showing Pearl 's decapitation was delivered to the U.S. consulate in Karachi nearly a month later .
Sheikh , a former student at the London School of Economics , was arrested in 2002 and sentenced to death by an anti-terrorism court , while three other defendants were sentenced to life imprisonment .
In January 2011 , a report released by the Pearl Project , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Washington , claimed that the wrong men were convicted for Pearl 's murder .
The investigation claimed the reporter was murdered by Khalid Sheikh Muhammad , the alleged mastermind of the September 11 , 2001 , attacks .
Muhammad was arrested in Pakistan in 2003 and is being held in the U.S. facility at Guantanamo Bay , Cuba .
With reporting by The Wall Street Journal and AP

Pakistan's Supreme Court has accepted an appeal by the family of slain American journalist Daniel Pearl challenging the acquittal of a British-born Pakistani man accused of murdering the Wall Street Journal reporter in 2002.
The Supreme Court said on September 28 that it will begin hearing next week the appeal over a lower court's acquittal in April of Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, who had been on death row since his conviction in 2002 over Pearl's killing.
The High Court of Sindh Province reduced Sheikh's sentence to seven years in prison for kidnapping, in what Washington said was an "affront to victims of terrorism."
Sheikh and three other men accused of involvement in Pearl's kidnapping and murder have remained in detention as the Pakistani government appeals to the Supreme Court to have the sentences reinstated.
Ahead of the hearing scheduled for September 28, the Pearl family said that releasing Sheikh would encourage militants around the world.
"This would be an invitation and encouragement to extreme elements all over the globe to feel free to initiate acts of terrorism, and play games with human life," said Judea Pearl, the journalist's father. "It would be a message of impunity."
Pearl, 38, was The Wall Street Journal's South Asia bureau chief when he was abducted and beheaded in Karachi in 2002 while researching a story about Islamist militants.
A video showing Pearl's decapitation was delivered to the U.S. consulate in Karachi nearly a month later.
Sheikh, a former student at the London School of Economics, was arrested in 2002 and sentenced to death by an anti-terrorism court, while three other defendants were sentenced to life imprisonment.
In January 2011, a report released by the Pearl Project, an investigative journalism team at Georgetown University in Washington, claimed that the wrong men were convicted for Pearl's murder.
The investigation claimed the reporter was murdered by Khalid Sheikh Muhammad, the alleged mastermind of the September 11, 2001, attacks.
Muhammad was arrested in Pakistan in 2003 and is being held in the U.S. facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
With reporting by The Wall Street Journal and AP


rferl--2020-09-28--Deadly Fighting Over Disputed Nagorno-Karabakh Enters Second Day

Fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh enters a second day amid international calls for restraint .
Both sides have accused each other of using heavy artillery amid reports of dozens of deaths , including civilians , and hundreds of people being injured .
The long-simmering conflict in the volatile South Caucasus erupted into the deadliest bouts of fighting in four years on September 27 , threatening to draw in regional powers Russia and Turkey .
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev declared a partial military mobilization on September 28 as Baku said a total of six Azerbaijani @ @ @ @ @ @ @ family , had been killed and 19 injured since the fighting began .
Authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh , an ethnic Armenian separatist enclave inside Azerbaijan , said on September 28 that two civilians and a total of 32 of its fighters were killed in clashes with Azerbaijani forces a day earlier .
They said more than 100 people had been wounded since Azerbaijan launched what it described as an air and artillery attack .
Armenia 's Defense Ministry said in a statement that `` intensive fighting continued overnight . ''
Azerbaijan ’ s Defense @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that `` Armenian armed forces have been shelling the town of Tartar , '' which is adjacent to Nagorno-Karabakh .
Both sides fielded helicopters , drones , tanks , and artillery during the first day of fighting .
Nagorno-Karabakh has long experienced periodic border skirmishes along the so-called Line of Contact that separates Armenian and Azerbaijani forces on the front line of Europe 's longest-running conflict .
In July , a days-long flare-up that included drone attacks and heavy artillery fire killed at least 17 people , mostly soldiers on both sides but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ latest violence appeared to be more than a flare-up , with Armenian and Azerbaijani officials describing it as war amid mutual recriminations about which side started the offensive .
`` We are on the brink of a full-scale war in the South Caucasus , '' Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian warned , accusing Azerbaijan of carrying out preplanned aggression .
On September 27 , Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh declared martial law and a total mobilization in response to what they said was Azerbaijani attacks on the enclave , including in the regional capital of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ law and a curfew , said it had launched a military operation in response to shelling along the Line of Contact .
It also said its forces had seized control of up to seven villages .
Nagorno-Karabakh initially denied that but the region ’ s de facto leader , Arayik Harutiunian , later acknowledged losing `` positions '' near Talish and in the south .
He vowed to take back the territory .
The Armenian side claimed it had inflicted heavy casualties on Azerbaijan , including destroying dozens of tanks as well as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the claims .
As in previous rounds of violence , both sides appear to be exaggerating the military casualties inflicted on their opponent and engaging in information warfare .
The escalation of violence drew swift responses from European countries , Russia , the United Nations , the United States , and others calling for both sides to cease hostilities immediately and enter dialogue .
Regional power Turkey , meanwhile , said it would support Azerbaijan , its traditional ally .
`` By adding to its attacks against Azerbaijan , Armenia has shown once @ @ @ @ @ @ @ peace and tranquility in the region , '' Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on September 27 .
Armenia 's Pashinian called on global powers to prevent Turkey from interfering in the conflict amid allegations from Yerevan that the Turkish military was deepening its involvement .
In August , Turkey and Azerbaijan completed two weeks of joint air and land military exercises , including in the Azerbaijani enclave of Naxcivan .
Some observers have questioned whether Turkey left behind military equipment or even a contingent of troops .
Meanwhile , the Syrian Observatory @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , reported on September 27 that Turkish-backed Syrian rebels could be sent to support Azerbaijan .
Nagorno-Karabakh leader Harutiunian accused Turkey on September 27 of deploying mercenaries and warplanes to the fight , claiming , `` the war has already '' gone `` beyond the limits of a Karabakh-Azerbaijan conflict . ''
Hikmat Haciyev , an aide to Aliyev , denied that Turkey had sent fighters from Syria to Azerbaijan , calling it `` complete nonsense . ''
The potential for robust Turkish involvement in the conflict is being watched closely by Russia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the NATO member in conflicts in Libya and Syria .
Russia sells weapons to both Azerbaijan and Armenia , but has a military base in Armenia and favors that strategic partnership .
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict emerged during the breakup of the Soviet Union , when the region and seven adjacent districts of Azerbaijan were seized by Armenian-backed separatists who declared independence amid a 1988-1994 conflict that killed at least 30,000 people and displaced hundreds of thousands .
Since a fragile , Russian-brokered truce in 1994 , the region has been under the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ says include troops supplied by Armenia .
The region 's claim to independence has not been recognized by any country .
With reporting by AFP , Reuters , and Tagesschau

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UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called on the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan to immediately halt hostilities over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh after at least 65 people were killed in the deadliest outbreak of fighting in years.
The UN chief was set to talk with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian on September 28 after having spoken with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev earlier in the day, Guterres's spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.
Guterres is also pushing the two sides to resume talks and accept the redeployment of monitors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe to the region, Dujarric said.
Meanwhile, the UN Security Council is expected to hold emergency talks on September 29 to discuss the fighting following a request from Germany and France. The fighting threatens to draw in regional powers Russia and Turkey.
Yerevan has already accused Ankara of having a "direct presence on the ground" and supplying its ally Baku with weapons, including drones.
The long-simmering conflict in the volatile South Caucasus erupted into the deadliest bouts of fighting in four years on September 27.
At least 58 Armenian servicemen and seven Azerbaijani civilians have been confirmed dead so far in the fighting. Armenian reports of losses among Azerbaijani forces have not been confirmed by Baku.
As in previous rounds of violence, both sides appear to be exaggerating the military casualties inflicted on their opponent and engaging in information warfare.
Nagorno-Karabakh has long experienced periodic border skirmishes along the so-called Line of Contact that separates Armenian and Azerbaijani forces on the front line of Europe's longest-running conflict.
In July, a days-long flare-up that included drone attacks and heavy artillery fire killed at least 17 people, mostly soldiers on both sides but including at least one civilian.
However, the latest violence appeared to be more than a flare-up, with Armenian and Azerbaijani officials describing it as war amid mutual recriminations about which side started the offensive.
"We are on the brink of a full-scale war in the South Caucasus," Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian warned, accusing Azerbaijan of carrying out preplanned aggression.
Nagorno-Karabakh is an ethnic Armenian separatist enclave inside Azerbaijan.
Armenia declared martial law and a total mobilization on September 27 in response to what it said was Azerbaijani attacks on the enclave, including in the regional capital of Stepanakert.
Azerbaijan responded by declaring a partial military mobilization on September 28
Both sides have fielded helicopters, drones, tanks, and artillery during the first two days of fighting.
The escalation of violence drew swift responses from European countries, Russia, the United Nations, the United States, and others calling for both sides to cease hostilities immediately and enter dialogue.
The European Court of Human Rights said on September 28 that the Armenian government had asked it to issue urgent instructions to Azerbaijan to stop attacks on civilians as well as military advances toward civilian settlements in Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh.
Armenia claimed on September 28 that Azerbaijan had begun a large-scale offensive from the north on Nagorno-Karabakh as well as from he south.
Armenia's Pashinian called on global powers to prevent Turkey from interfering in the conflict amid allegations from Yerevan that the Turkish military was deepening its involvement.
In August, Turkey and Azerbaijan completed two weeks of joint air and land military exercises, including in the Azerbaijani enclave of Naxcivan. Some observers have questioned whether Turkey left behind military equipment or even a contingent of troops.
The potential for robust Turkish involvement in the conflict is being watched closely by Russia, which is already on opposing sides with the NATO member in conflicts in Libya and Syria.
Russia sells weapons to both Azerbaijan and Armenia, but has a military base in Armenia and favors that strategic partnership.
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict emerged during the breakup of the Soviet Union, when the region and seven adjacent districts of Azerbaijan were seized by Armenian-backed separatists who declared independence amid a 1988-94 conflict that killed at least 30,000 people and displaced hundreds of thousands.
Since a fragile, Russian-brokered truce in 1994, the region has been under the control of ethnic Armenian forces that Azerbaijan says include troops supplied by Armenia.
The region's claim to independence has not been recognized by any country.
With reporting by AFP and Reuters


rferl--2020-09-28--Top Afghan Negotiator In Pakistan As Talks With Taliban Continue

Afghanistan 's top peace negotiator has arrived in neighboring Pakistan as intra-Afghan peace negotiations are under way in the Persian Gulf state of Qatar .
Negotiators from the Afghan government and the Taliban have been locked in talks since September 12 , but have been unable to agree a framework for the negotiations aimed at ending the 19-year war .
Abdullah Abdullah , the head of Afghanistan 's High Council for National Reconciliation , a body that oversees the peace talks with the Taliban , arrived in Islamabad on September 28 for a three-day visit .
Pakistan is a key @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Taliban .
In a tweet , Abdullah said he would meet Pakistan 's leadership for talks on the Afghan peace process and bilateral relations .
Afghanistan has long had troubled relations with Pakistan , which Kabul and Washington accuse of harboring and aiding the Taliban leadership , which Islamabad denies .
Pakistan claims its influence over the Taliban is overstated , but it says it 's willing to do whatever is possible for peace in Afghanistan .
Under a landmark deal signed between the United States and the Taliban in February , foreign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in exchange for counterterrorism guarantees from the Taliban , which agreed to negotiate a permanent cease-fire and a power-sharing formula with the Afghan government .

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--2020-09-28--Russia Reports More Than 8,000 New COVID-19 Cases For First Time Since June

Russia has reported more than 8,000 new cases of the coronavirus , the highest one-day tally since June , as President Vladimir Putin called on citizens to follow measures to prevent its spread .
The number of Russian citizens testing positive for COVID-19 reached 8,135 on September 28 , the country 's coronavirus center reported .
It represents the highest one-day increase since June 15 .
Russia has registered a nearly 75 percent increase in new cases since late August amid an easing of restrictions and as children return to school .
Russia is among several European countries that has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ month .
Putin told a virtual government meeting that `` the result of our joint efforts to fight the spread of the infection depends on everyone . ''
He said he did n't want to have to impose restrictions that could hurt the economy .
Like many other countries , Russia imposed a lockdown on its economy that has hurt many businesses , including restaurants and hotels .
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin has called on companies in the capital to let more employees work from home to help contain the spread of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also enforcing the use of masks and gloves in the transportation system .
Russia has registered the fifth-highest number of coronavirus cases , with more than 1 million .
Based on reporting by Kommersant and RBK

Russia reported more than 8,000 new cases of the novel coronavirus, the highest one-day tally since June, as President Vladimir Putin called on citizens to follow measures to prevent its spread.
The number of Russian citizens testing positive for COVID-19 reached 8,135 on September 28, the nation’s coronavirus center reported. This represents the highest one-day increase since June 15.
Russia has registered a nearly 75 percent increase in new cases since late August following an easing of restrictions and as children return to school.
RFE/RL's Coronavirus Crisis Archive Features and analysis, videos, and infographics explore how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting the countries in our region.
Russia is among several European countries that have experienced a sharp increase in new cases over the past month.
Putin told a virtual government meeting on September 28 that “the result of our joint efforts to fight the spread of the infection depends on everyone.” He said he doesn’t want to have to reimpose restrictions that could hurt the economy.
Like many other countries, Russia imposed a lockdown on its economy that hurt many businesses, including restaurants and hotels.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin earlier this month called on companies in the nation’s capital to let more employees work from home to help contain the spread of the virus. The Moscow police are also enforcing the use of masks and gloves in the city's transportation system.
Russia has recorded more than 1.1 million cases of coronavirus to date, the fourth-highest globally after the United States, India, and Brazil.
Based on reporting by Kommersant and RBK


rferl--2020-09-28--France's Macron To Meet Belarus Opposition Leader Tsikhanouskaya In Lithuania

French President Emmanuel Macron will meet with Belarusian opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya during a visit to Lithuania on September 29 @ @ @ @ @ the August 9 presidential election in Belarus , defeating long-ruling strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka .
She @ @ @ @ @ crackdown on protesters by Lukashenka , who has refused to admit defeat .
Lukashenka had @ @ @ @ @ September 23 , sparking outrage at home and abroad .
Western countries have refused to @ @ @ @ @ leader of Belarus and have called on him to peacefully transfer power .
Protesters have @ @ @ @ @ Belarus for 51 consecutive days to demand Lukashenka step down .
Opposition leaders , including @ @ @ @ @ Coordination Council to facilitate the transfer of power .
Tsikahnouskaya ran for president in place @ @ @ @ @ had been arrested prior to the election .
She said she would hold a new @ @ @ @ @ .

French President Emmanuel Macron will meet with Belarusian opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya during a visit to Lithuania on September 29.
Tsikhanouskaya claims she won the August 9 presidential election in Belarus, defeating long-ruling strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka.
She fled to Lithuania amid a crackdown on protesters by Lukashenka, who has refused to admit defeat.
Crisis In Belarus Read our coverage as Belarusian strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka continues his brutal crackdown on NGOs, activists, and independent media following the August 2020 presidential election.
Lukashenka had himself secretly sworn in on September 23, sparking outrage at home and abroad.
Western countries have refused to recognize Lukashenka as the legitimate leader of Belarus and have called on him to peacefully transfer power.
Protesters have taken to the streets of Belarus for 51 consecutive days to demand Lukashenka step down.
Opposition leaders, including Tsikhanouskaya, have formed a Coordination Council to facilitate the transfer of power.
Tsikahnouskaya ran for president in place of her husband, who had been arrested prior to the election.
She said she would hold a new presidential election upon taking power.
Based on reporting by AFP


rferl--2020-09-28--U.S. Might Close Embassy Unless Iraq Prevents Iran Militia Attacks

The Trump administration may close its embassy in Iraq if the government does not take steps to protect it from attacks by Iranian-backed militants .
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi of the plans to withdraw during a call on September 26 , news agencies reported .
An official announcement has not been made .
The United States has accused Iranian-backed militias of launching rockets at the embassy and demanded Kadhimi crack down on them .
The embassy in Baghdad , which is located in a heavily fortified zone , has grown to become one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It was unclear whether Washington would reverse its decision should Kadhimi 's government step up its efforts to protect Western diplomatic and military personnel .
The U.S. military leads a coalition that has been battling the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria from a Baghdad headquarters since 2014 .
Iranian-backed protesters stormed the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad on New Year 's Eve following coalition air strikes against militia targets inside Iraq days earlier .
The United States accused Iraqi security forces of allowing the protesters to pass security checkpoints .
Based on reporting @ @ @ @ @ @

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--2020-09-28--Mustafa Appears Before Kosovo War Crimes Court

The former head of the intelligence service of the Kosovo Security Force has made his initial appearance on charges of war crime at a court in The Hague .
Salih Mustafa declined on September 28 to enter a plea before the Kosovo Specialist Chambers ( KSC ) .
`` I will consult my lawyer before I do , '' Mustafa said when asked by pretrial Judge Nicolas Guillou if he would like to enter a plea .
He has 30 days to enter a plea .
Mustafa was arrested on September 24 at his home on the outskirts of Kosovo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the first ethnic Albanian to be arrested on war crimes charges arising from the 1990s conflict .
The Hague-based KSC is mandated to look into allegations that members of the Kosovo Liberation Army ( UCK ) committed war crimes and crimes against humanity during the 1998-99 war to gain independence from Serbia .
It operates under Kosovar law but is based in the Netherlands to shield witnesses from intimidation .
Mustafa 's assigned counsel , Julius Von Boné , said he may challenge the legality and jurisdiction of the court .
`` The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ obviously does not mean that the defense accepts the establishment of the court as such , '' he said .
Boné said he will be representing Mustafa during the entire duration of the proceedings .

The former head of the intelligence service of the Kosovo Security Force has made his initial appearance on charges of war crime at a court in The Hague.
Salih Mustafa declined on September 28 to enter a plea before the Kosovo Specialist Chambers (KSC).
"I will consult my lawyer before I do," Mustafa said when asked by pretrial Judge Nicolas Guillou if he would like to enter a plea.
He has 30 days to enter a plea.
Mustafa was arrested on September 24 at his home on the outskirts of Kosovo's capital, Prishtina.
He is the first ethnic Albanian to be arrested on war crimes charges arising from the 1990s conflict.
The Hague-based KSC is mandated to look into allegations that members of the Kosovo Liberation Army (UCK) committed war crimes and crimes against humanity during the 1998-99 war to gain independence from Serbia.
It operates under Kosovar law but is based in the Netherlands to shield witnesses from intimidation.
Mustafa's assigned counsel, Julius Von Boné, said he may challenge the legality and jurisdiction of the court.
"The fact that we are standing here today obviously does not mean that the defense accepts the establishment of the court as such," he said.
Boné said he will be representing Mustafa during the entire duration of the proceedings.


rferl--2020-09-28--Nobel Laureate Alexievich Leaves Belarus For Medical Treatment In Germany

Belarusian Nobel Prize-winning writer Svetlana Alexievich has left the country for treatment in Germany , according to an aide and a friend .
The departure of Alexievich , a prominent opposition figure , comes amid mass protests against Alyaksandr Lukashenka .
Alexievich is a member of the Belarusian opposition Coordination Council 's presidium that has been targeted by the authorities since protests erupted after Lukashenka was declared winner of the August 9 presidential election , which the opposition and Western countries say was rigged .
Her friend Maria Voiteshonok told AFP that Alexievich had gone to Germany for planned treatment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a month .
She is not dropping her activities as a Coordination Council member , '' Voiteshonok said .
She added that Alexievich also planned to visit Italy , where she has been awarded a literary prize .
An aide to Alexievich told Reuters that her departure was not linked to politics and she planned to return .
The aide said Alexievich had traveled to Germany to receive medical treatment and for work reasons .
The 72-year-old Alexievich was the only member of the council presidium to remain free in Belarus after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ forced to leave the country .
Hundreds of thousands of Belarusians have taken to the streets for seven weeks , calling for Lukashenka to step down and new elections to be held .
Lukashenka has directed a brutal postelection crackdown in response to protests , including thousands of arrests , beatings and other mistreatment of peaceful protesters , and the expulsions of foreign journalists .
He has denied accusations that the presidential election was rigged .
Based on reporting by AFP and Reuters

Belarusian Nobel Prize-winning writer Svetlana Alexievich has left the country for treatment in Germany, according to an aide and a friend.
The departure of Alexievich, a prominent opposition figure, comes amid mass protests against Alyaksandr Lukashenka.
Alexievich is a member of the Belarusian opposition Coordination Council's presidium that has been targeted by the authorities since protests erupted after Lukashenka was declared winner of the August 9 presidential election, which the opposition and Western countries say was rigged.
Her friend Maria Voiteshonok told AFP that Alexievich had gone to Germany for planned treatment.
"She will return to Belarus in a month. She is not dropping her activities as a Coordination Council member," Voiteshonok said.
She added that Alexievich also planned to visit Italy, where she has been awarded a literary prize.
An aide to Alexievich told Reuters that her departure was not linked to politics and she planned to return.
The aide said Alexievich had traveled to Germany to receive medical treatment and for work reasons.
The 72-year-old Alexievich was the only member of the council presidium to remain free in Belarus after the other six were either arrested or forced to leave the country.
Hundreds of thousands of Belarusians have taken to the streets for seven weeks, calling for Lukashenka to step down and new elections to be held.
Lukashenka has directed a brutal postelection crackdown in response to protests, including thousands of arrests, beatings and other mistreatment of peaceful protesters, and the expulsions of foreign journalists.
He has denied accusations that the presidential election was rigged.
Based on reporting by AFP and Reuters


rferl--2020-09-28--Pakistani Supreme Court Accepts Appeal From Daniel Pearl's Family

Pakistan 's Supreme Court has accepted an appeal by the family of slain American journalist Daniel Pearl challenging the acquittal of a British-born Pakistani man accused of murdering the Wall Street Journal reporter in 2002 .
The Supreme Court said on September 28 that it will begin hearing next week the appeal over a lower court 's acquittal in April of Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh , who had been on death row since his conviction in 2002 over Pearl 's killing .
The High Court of Sindh Province reduced Sheikh 's sentence to seven years in prison for kidnapping , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ affront to victims of terrorism . ''
Sheikh and three other men accused of involvement in Pearl 's kidnapping and murder have remained in detention as the Pakistani government appeals to the Supreme Court to have the sentences reinstated .
Ahead of the hearing scheduled for September 28 , the Pearl family said that releasing Sheikh would encourage militants around the world .
`` This would be an invitation and encouragement to extreme elements all over the globe to feel free to initiate acts of terrorism , and play games with human life @ @ @ @ @ @ @ journalist 's father .
`` It would be a message of impunity . ''
Pearl , 38 , was The Wall Street Journal 's South Asia bureau chief when he was abducted and beheaded in Karachi in 2002 while researching a story about Islamist militants .
A video showing Pearl 's decapitation was delivered to the U.S. consulate in Karachi nearly a month later .
Sheikh , a former student at the London School of Economics , was arrested in 2002 and sentenced to death by an anti-terrorism court , while three other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In January 2011 , a report released by the Pearl Project , an investigative journalism team at Georgetown University in Washington , claimed that the wrong men were convicted for Pearl 's murder .
The investigation claimed the reporter was murdered by Khalid Sheikh Muhammad , the alleged mastermind of the September 11 , 2001 , attacks .
Muhammad was arrested in Pakistan in 2003 and is being held in the U.S. facility at Guantanamo Bay , Cuba .
With reporting by The Wall Street Journal and AP


rferl--2020-09-28--UN Chief Calls On Armenia, Azerbaijan To Cease Hostilities As Death Toll Reaches At Least 65

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called on the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan to immediately halt hostilities over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh after at least 65 people were killed in the deadliest outbreak of fighting in years .
The UN chief was set to talk with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian on September 28 after having spoken with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev earlier in the day , Guterres 's spokesman Stephane Dujarric said .
Guterres is also pushing the two sides to resume talks and accept the redeployment of monitors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Meanwhile , the UN Security Council is expected to hold emergency talks on September 29 to discuss the fighting following a request from Germany and France .
The fighting threatens to draw in regional powers Russia and Turkey .
Yerevan has already accused Ankara of having a `` direct presence on the ground '' and supplying its ally Baku with weapons , including drones .
The long-simmering conflict in the volatile South Caucasus erupted into the deadliest bouts of fighting in four years on September 27 .
At least 58 Armenian servicemen and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so far in the fighting .
Armenian reports of losses among Azerbaijani forces have not been confirmed by Baku .
As in previous rounds of violence , both sides appear to be exaggerating the military casualties inflicted on their opponent and engaging in information warfare .
Nagorno-Karabakh has long experienced periodic border skirmishes along the so-called Line of Contact that separates Armenian and Azerbaijani forces on the front line of Europe 's longest-running conflict .
In July , a days-long flare-up that included drone attacks and heavy artillery fire killed at least 17 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but including at least one civilian .
However , the latest violence appeared to be more than a flare-up , with Armenian and Azerbaijani officials describing it as war amid mutual recriminations about which side started the offensive .
`` We are on the brink of a full-scale war in the South Caucasus , '' Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian warned , accusing Azerbaijan of carrying out preplanned aggression .
Armenia declared martial law and a total mobilization on September 27 in response to what it said was Azerbaijani attacks on the enclave @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Stepanakert .
Both sides have fielded helicopters , drones , tanks , and artillery during the first two days of fighting .
The escalation of violence drew swift responses from European countries , Russia , the United Nations , the United States , and others calling for both sides to cease hostilities immediately and enter dialogue .
The European Court of Human Rights said on September 28 that the Armenian government had asked it to issue urgent instructions to Azerbaijan to stop attacks on civilians as well as military advances toward civilian settlements @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on September 28 that Azerbaijan had begun a large-scale offensive from the north on Nagorno-Karabakh as well as from he south .
Armenia 's Pashinian called on global powers to prevent Turkey from interfering in the conflict amid allegations from Yerevan that the Turkish military was deepening its involvement .
In August , Turkey and Azerbaijan completed two weeks of joint air and land military exercises , including in the Azerbaijani enclave of Naxcivan .
Some observers have questioned whether Turkey left behind military equipment or even a contingent of troops .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conflict is being watched closely by Russia , which is already on opposing sides with the NATO member in conflicts in Libya and Syria .
Russia sells weapons to both Azerbaijan and Armenia , but has a military base in Armenia and favors that strategic partnership .
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict emerged during the breakup of the Soviet Union , when the region and seven adjacent districts of Azerbaijan were seized by Armenian-backed separatists who declared independence amid a 1988-94 conflict that killed at least 30,000 people and displaced hundreds of thousands .
Since @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the region has been under the control of ethnic Armenian forces that Azerbaijan says include troops supplied by Armenia .
The region 's claim to independence has not been recognized by any country .
With reporting by AFP and Reuters


rferl--2020-09-29--At Least 14 Civilians Killed By Roadside Bomb In Central Afghanistan

Afghan officials say a roadside bomb has killed at least 14 civilians in the central province of Daikundi , as @ @ @ @ @ despite ongoing peace talks between Taliban militants and the Afghan government in Qatar .
The @ @ @ @ @ Nasrullah Ghori , told RFE/RL that seven women , five children , and two men @ @ @ @ @ hit by the explosion on September 29 .
Three other passengers were wounded in the @ @ @ @ @ No group has claimed responsibility for the blast , but Interior Ministry spokesman Tareq Arian @ @ @ @ @ roadside bomb blast comes as Taliban and Afghan government negotiators are meeting in the Qatari @ @ @ @ @ try to find a way to put an end to 19 years of war in @ @ @ @ @ has refused a nationwide cease-fire despite the ongoing peace talks , which kicked off on @ @ @ @ @ Assistance Mission in Afghanistan has documented more than 1,280 Afghan civilian deaths during the first @ @ @ @ @ as a result of fighting between Afghan government forces and Taliban militants .