rferl--2020-09-26--Jailed Iranian Human Rights Defender Ends Hunger Strike As Health Deteriorates

Jailed Iranian human rights advocate Nasrin Sotoudeh has ended her hunger strike due to deteriorating health , her husband Reza Khandan said on social media on September 26 .
Sotoudeh had been on a hunger strike in Tehran ’ s Evin prison since August 11 to protest the risk that political prisoners in Iran face amid the coronavirus pandemic .
On September 19 , she was taken to hospital for a serious heart condition .
But four days later , she was taken back to Evin prison , triggering disbelief from UN independent experts among others .
“ It is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ms. Sotoudeh to prison where she is at heightened risk to COVID-19 , as well as with her serious heart condition , ” the experts said .
“ We urge the authorities to immediately reverse this decision , accept her requests to recuperate at home before undergoing a heart procedure , and allow her to freely choose her own medical treatment , ” they added in a statement .
The experts echoed Sotoudeh ’ s call for the Iranian authorities to grant temporary release to human rights defenders , lawyers , dual and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ political prisoners , and all other individuals detained without sufficient legal basis during the COVID-19 pandemic .
The pandemic in Iran has infected nearly 440,000 and killed some 25,200 , according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University .
Sotoudeh , cowinner of the European Parliament 's 2012 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought , has been surviving on water , tea , sugar , and salt , amid concerns over her health , her husband has said .
Sotoudeh was arrested at her home in Tehran in June 2018 .
She was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years in prison and 148 lashes over her defense of political prisoners , including women protesting the compulsory hijab law .
She must serve 12 years of her sentence to become eligible for parole .
The widely respected lawyer was also jailed from 2010 to 2013 over her defense of sensitive political cases .
In 2015 , she protested for several weeks to be allowed to continue practicing law .
Despite her imprisonment , Sotoudeh has remained outspoken .
She also went on a hunger strike in March to protest prison conditions .

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--2020-09-26--Kazakh Authorities Block Protests Called By Exiled Opposition Leader

NUR-SULTAN -- Authorities in Kazakhstan have attempted to block protest rallies called on September 25 by the exiled opposition leader Mukhtar Ablyazov .
Ablyazov coordinates the activities of the banned Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan movement from exile in France .
Authorities in several cities and towns closed off streets , surrounded public squares , and prevented would-be demonstrators from going to areas where they 'd been called upon to gather together for rallies .
Despite the obstacles , several people in Almaty managed to present their demands publicly .
In Nur-Sultan and Aktobe , RFE/RL correspondents reported that several protesters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In Semey , in the East Kazakhstan region , police also detained RFE/RL 's Kazakh Service correspondent Khadisha Akaeva for about one hour along with journalist Daniyar Adilbekov from informburo.kz website .
Akaeva says she sustained minor injuries after she was taken into custody by police .
Ablyazov , the former head of BTA Bank in Kazakhstan , is wanted by authorities in Kazakhstan , Russia , and Ukraine on suspicion of embezzling some $ 5 billion .
Ablyazov and his supporters reject the charges as politically motivated .
Ablyazov was sentenced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2018 after a court in Kazakhstan found him guilty of masterminding the 2004 murder of another banker .
In a separate trial in absentia in Kazakhstan that ended in 2017 , Ablyazov was convicted of embezzlement , abuse of office , and organizing a criminal group .
He was sentenced to 20 years in prison on those charges .
Several politicians and activists have fled Kazakhstan in recent years , fearing for their safety or anticipating politically motivated prosecution .

NUR-SULTAN -- Authorities in Kazakhstan have attempted to block protest rallies called on September 25 by the exiled opposition leader Mukhtar Ablyazov.
Ablyazov coordinates the activities of the banned Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan movement from exile in France.
Authorities in several cities and towns closed off streets, surrounded public squares, and prevented would-be demonstrators from going to areas where they'd been called upon to gather together for rallies.
Despite the obstacles, several people in Almaty managed to present their demands publicly.
In Nur-Sultan and Aktobe, RFE/RL correspondents reported that several protesters were detained by authorities on September 25.
In Semey, in the East Kazakhstan region, police also detained RFE/RL's Kazakh Service correspondent Khadisha Akaeva for about one hour along with journalist Daniyar Adilbekov from informburo.kz website.
Akaeva says she sustained minor injuries after she was taken into custody by police.
Ablyazov, the former head of BTA Bank in Kazakhstan, is wanted by authorities in Kazakhstan, Russia, and Ukraine on suspicion of embezzling some $5 billion. Ablyazov and his supporters reject the charges as politically motivated.
Ablyazov was sentenced to life in prison in absentia in 2018 after a court in Kazakhstan found him guilty of masterminding the 2004 murder of another banker.
In a separate trial in absentia in Kazakhstan that ended in 2017, Ablyazov was convicted of embezzlement, abuse of office, and organizing a criminal group. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison on those charges.
Several politicians and activists have fled Kazakhstan in recent years, fearing for their safety or anticipating politically motivated prosecution.


rferl--2020-09-26--Armenia Detains Main Opposition Leader In Vote-Buying Case

An Armenian court late on September 25 put the leader of the country ’ s main opposition party in two months of pretrial detention as part of a vote-buying case he calls politically motivated .
Gagik Tsarukian , a wealthy businessman and leader of the Prosperous Armenia Party ( BHK ) , has been accused of electoral bribery during the 2017 parliamentary elections .
Tsarukian , who didn ’ t attend the court hearing and waited for his arrest outside the National Security Service ( NSS ) building , condemned the detention order as politically motivated .
His lawyers said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an “ illegal ” and “ unfounded ” ruling ordered by the government .
The oligarch was taken into custody just over three months after the parliament dominated by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian ’ s allies stripped him of his parliamentary immunity and allowed prosecutors to launch a criminal investigation against him .
Pashinian , a reformist pressing an anti-corruption campaign , came to power in 2018 in the wake of mass popular protests .
The NSS claims Tsarukian “ created and led an organized group ” that bought more than 17,000 votes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2017 .
The electoral fraud probe has led to the indictment of 14 individuals , among them two former BHK parliamentarians , and the questioning of 162 other people .
Tsarukian and his party maintain that Pashinian ordered the criminal proceedings in response to the BHK leader ’ s calls for the government ’ s resignation .
Pashinian denies that the case is politically motivated .
In June , a Yerevan court refused to allow Tsarukian ’ s pretrial arrest .
But that decision was overturned weeks later in July by Armenia ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a lower court to hold another hearing .
Tsarukian ’ s allies have linked the government ’ s continued attempts to arrest him to an anti-government rally , which will be held by the BHK and two other opposition parties in Yerevan on October 8 .
Defense lawyers claimed prosecutors kept pushing for Tsarukian ’ s arrest despite producing no proof that their client has pressured witnesses or obstructed the NSS investigation over the past three months .
Representatives of the BHK , the Armenian Revolutionary Federation ( Dashnaktsutyun ) , and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ planned rally will go ahead even if Tsarukian were taken into custody .
They said they will demand the holding of snap parliamentary elections .
The BHK was part of Pashinian ’ s first cabinet formed following anti-government protests that led to the peaceful fall of longtime President Serzh Sarkisian in April 2018 .
Pashinian fired BHK-affiliated ministers in October 2018 , accusing Tsarukian of secretly collaborating with the country ’ s former leadership .

An Armenian court late on September 25 put the leader of the country’s main opposition party in two months of pretrial detention as part of a vote-buying case he calls politically motivated.
Gagik Tsarukian, a wealthy businessman and leader of the Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK), has been accused of electoral bribery during the 2017 parliamentary elections.
Tsarukian, who didn’t attend the court hearing and waited for his arrest outside the National Security Service (NSS) building, condemned the detention order as politically motivated.
His lawyers said they would appeal what they described as an “illegal” and “unfounded” ruling ordered by the government.
The oligarch was taken into custody just over three months after the parliament dominated by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s allies stripped him of his parliamentary immunity and allowed prosecutors to launch a criminal investigation against him.
Pashinian, a reformist pressing an anti-corruption campaign, came to power in 2018 in the wake of mass popular protests.
The NSS claims Tsarukian “created and led an organized group” that bought more than 17,000 votes for BHK during parliamentary elections held in 2017.
The electoral fraud probe has led to the indictment of 14 individuals, among them two former BHK parliamentarians, and the questioning of 162 other people.
Tsarukian and his party maintain that Pashinian ordered the criminal proceedings in response to the BHK leader’s calls for the government’s resignation. Pashinian denies that the case is politically motivated.
In June, a Yerevan court refused to allow Tsarukian’s pretrial arrest. But that decision was overturned weeks later in July by Armenia’s Court of Appeals, which ordered a lower court to hold another hearing.
Tsarukian’s allies have linked the government’s continued attempts to arrest him to an anti-government rally, which will be held by the BHK and two other opposition parties in Yerevan on October 8.
Defense lawyers claimed prosecutors kept pushing for Tsarukian’s arrest despite producing no proof that their client has pressured witnesses or obstructed the NSS investigation over the past three months.
Representatives of the BHK, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun), and the Hayrenik party said this week that the planned rally will go ahead even if Tsarukian were taken into custody. They said they will demand the holding of snap parliamentary elections.
The BHK was part of Pashinian’s first cabinet formed following anti-government protests that led to the peaceful fall of longtime President Serzh Sarkisian in April 2018.
Pashinian fired BHK-affiliated ministers in October 2018, accusing Tsarukian of secretly collaborating with the country’s former leadership.


rferl--2020-09-25--Military Plane Crash In Ukraine Kills 26

Twenty six people including air force cadets were killed when a military transport plane crashed in eastern Ukraine on the @ @ @ @ @ the military said .
The Antonov An-26 aircraft carrying 27 crew and cadets crashed during @ @ @ @ @ region , the Ukrainian Air Force said .
Officials later said , a pilot of @ @ @ @ @ problem just before landing .
Two men managed to survive the crash , and were @ @ @ @ @ one had died .
The military said most of the dead were cadets at the @ @ @ @ @ .
Video posted by Deputy Interior Minister Anton Gerashchenko on Facebook showed the plane in @ @ @ @ @ .
An investigation has started into what caused the crash .
“ A state commission @ @ @ @ @ out all the circumstances and causes of this catastrophe , ” President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said @ @ @ @ @ is expected to visit the site of the crash later on September 26 .

Twenty six people including air force cadets were killed when a military transport plane crashed in eastern Ukraine on the evening of September 25, the military said.
The Antonov An-26 aircraft carrying 27 crew and cadets crashed during landing in the northeastern Kharkiv region, the Ukrainian Air Force said.
Officials later said, a pilot of the plane reported an engine problem just before landing.
Two men managed to survive the crash, and were hospitalized. Officials later said one had died.
Search and rescue operations are ongoing.
The military said most of the dead were cadets at the Kharkiv National Air Force University.
Video posted by Deputy Interior Minister Anton Gerashchenko on Facebook showed the plane in flames lying near a road.
An investigation has started into what caused the crash.
“A state commission is set up to find out all the circumstances and causes of this catastrophe,” President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a statement. He is expected to visit the site of the crash later on September 26.


rferl--2020-09-25--Stabbing Near Former Charlie Hebdo Office In Paris, Suspect Believed To Be Pakistani

A stabbing that left two people injured in Paris near the former offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo -- the scene of a 2015 massacre that killed 12 people -- is being treated as a terror attack , the French interior minister said .
French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said on September 25 the knifing was `` clearly an act of Islamist terrorism.
” “ Obviously , there is little doubt .
It 's a new bloody attack against our country , against journalists , against this society , ” he said in an interview with the France 2 television @ @ @ @ @ @ @ main suspect was an 18-year-old believed to have arrived in France three years ago as an unaccompanied minor from Pakistan .
His identity is still being verified .
The main suspect was arrested on the steps of the Bastille Opera not far from the attack site with blood on his clothing .
A blade , described as a machete or a meat cleaver , was recovered at the scene of the attack .
An Algerian man was also arrested shortly after the attack for possible links to the main suspect .
Hours later @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Pakistani origin were taken into custody for questioning during a raid on the main suspect ’ s home in Paris .
The interior minister said the 18-year-old had been previously arrested for carrying a screwdriver but was not known to be radicalized .
France 's counterterrorism prosecutor 's office said that an investigation had been opened into “ attempted murder in relation to a terrorist enterprise '' and `` conspiracy with terrorists . ''
Premieres Lignes news-production agency said the wounded were its employees -- a man and a woman taking a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ injuries were serious but not life threatening .
The attack comes as a high-profile trial is under way in Paris of 14 people including three fugitives , accused of helping two militants carry out the January 2015 attack on Charlie Hebdo .
The magazine has since moved to a secret location guarded by police .
French Prime Minister Jean Castex noted the “ symbolic site ” of the knife attack , “ at the very moment where the trial into the atrocious acts against Charlie Hebdo is under way.
” The court has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ avenge the Prophet Muhammad , nearly a decade after Charlie Hebdo published cartoons mocking him .
Ahead of the start of the trial three weeks ago , Charlie Hebdo reprinted some of the caricatures .
With reporting by AP , AFP , Reuters , dpa , and the BBC

A stabbing that left two people injured in Paris near the former offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo -- the scene of a 2015 massacre that killed 12 people -- is being treated as a terror attack, the French interior minister said.
French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said on September 25 the knifing was "clearly an act of Islamist terrorism.”
“Obviously, there is little doubt. It's a new bloody attack against our country, against journalists, against this society,” he said in an interview with the France 2 television station.
The interior minister said the main suspect was an 18-year-old believed to have arrived in France three years ago as an unaccompanied minor from Pakistan. His identity is still being verified.
The main suspect was arrested on the steps of the Bastille Opera not far from the attack site with blood on his clothing. A blade, described as a machete or a meat cleaver, was recovered at the scene of the attack.
An Algerian man was also arrested shortly after the attack for possible links to the main suspect. Hours later, five other people said to be of Pakistani origin were taken into custody for questioning during a raid on the main suspect’s home in Paris.
The interior minister said the 18-year-old had been previously arrested for carrying a screwdriver but was not known to be radicalized.
France's counterterrorism prosecutor's office said that an investigation had been opened into “attempted murder in relation to a terrorist enterprise" and "conspiracy with terrorists."
Premieres Lignes news-production agency said the wounded were its employees -- a man and a woman taking a cigarette break outside. Authorities said their injuries were serious but not life threatening.
The attack comes as a high-profile trial is under way in Paris of 14 people including three fugitives, accused of helping two militants carry out the January 2015 attack on Charlie Hebdo.
The magazine has since moved to a secret location guarded by police.
French Prime Minister Jean Castex noted the “symbolic site” of the knife attack, “at the very moment where the trial into the atrocious acts against Charlie Hebdo is under way.”
The court has heard that the suspects had sought to avenge the Prophet Muhammad, nearly a decade after Charlie Hebdo published cartoons mocking him.
Ahead of the start of the trial three weeks ago, Charlie Hebdo reprinted some of the caricatures.
With reporting by AP, AFP, Reuters, dpa, and the BBC


rferl--2020-09-27--Kazakh Court Arrests Pro-Moscow Blogger For Inciting Ethnic Hatred On Russian State Media

A court in Kazakhstan has arrested a pro-Russian blogger for two months pending trial on suspicion of inciting ethnic hatred .
Ermek Taichibekov was previously sentenced to four years in prison in 2015 on charges of inciting ethnic hatred by placing `` inflammatory '' materials on Facebook and supporting the idea of Kazakhstan uniting with Russia .
He served less than two years of that sentence and was released in October 2017 .
Taichibekov ’ s lawyer told RFE/RL ’ s Kazakh Service on September 26 that an investigative court held a secret trail in which his client did not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Defense lawyer Galym Nurpeisov said Taichibekov refused to be represented by a state lawyer but that the trial went ahead anyway .
He said he has filed an appeal against the investigative court ruling detaining his client for two months .
Taichibekov , an ethnic Kazakh , was apparently detained on September 23 for comments he recently made to Russian state media Rossiya Segodnya .
Taichibekov told his brother that he was detained for an interview with Ukraina.ru , a website tied to Rossiya Segodnya that covers Ukraine from a pro-Russia perspective @ @ @ @ @ @ @ YouTube channel of Ukraina.ru in May , Taichibekov talks to the presenter against the background of the black-yellow-white flag of the Russian Empire and claims that the Kazakh authorities are pursuing a Russophobic policy .
Several Kazakh citizens have been sentenced to prison since 2014 for inciting separatism and/or ethnic hatred through the Internet amid heightened Kazakh government concern sparked by Russia ’ s support for separatists in parts of eastern Ukraine and Moscow ’ s illegal annexation of Crimea .

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


rferl--2020-09-26--Pakistani Suspect Links Paris Stabbings To Charlie Hebdo Magazine

The Pakistan-born teenager arrested on suspicion of stabbing two people with a meat cleaver has admitted to deliberately targeting the former Paris office of Charlie Hebdo magazine .
The 18-year-old , named by investigators as Hassan A. , reportedly tied the attack to the satirical magazine ’ s recent republication of cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed , investigators said on September 26 .
The stabbings came roughly three weeks after the start of the trial in Paris of 14 suspected accomplices in the January 2015 attacks on Charlie Hebdo , in which 12 were killed .
The court has heard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Prophet Muhammad , nearly a decade after Charlie Hebdo published cartoons mocking him .
Ahead of the start of the trial , Charlie Hebdo reprinted some of the caricatures .
The two wounded victims of the September 25 stabbing -- a man and a woman -- were taking a cigarette break outside Premieres Lignes news-production agency when the incident occurred .
Premieres Lignes 's offices are on the same block in central Paris that formerly housed Charlie Hebdo .
A source close to the inquiry told AFP that the Pakistani teenager mistakenly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in that building and wanted to attack journalists from the magazine .
Charlie Hebdo moved offices after the 2015 attack and its current address is kept secret .
The suspect , who was arrested with blood on his clothing not far from the crime scene , `` takes responsibility for his action ” and places the attack `` in the context of the republication of cartoons '' of the Prophet Mohammed in Charlie Hebdo on the eve of the trial opening , sources told AFP news agency .
French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` clearly an act of Islamist terrorism.
” “ Obviously , there is little doubt .
It 's a new bloody attack against our country , against journalists , against this society , ” he said in an interview with the France 2 television station .
Anti-terror prosecutors have opened an investigation .
The interior minister said the main suspect was believed to have arrived in France three years ago as an unaccompanied minor from Pakistan .
He had not been flagged for radicalization .
Investigators he acted alone but police have detained @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the suspect 's younger brother .
An Algerian man who was also arrested shortly after the stabbings for possible links to main suspect has been released .
His lawyer told AFP that the man had tried to stop the attacker .
Based on reporting by AFP , AP , and Reuters .

The Pakistani-born teenager arrested on suspicion of stabbing two people with a meat cleaver has admitted to deliberately targeting the former Paris office of Charlie Hebdo magazine.
The 18-year-old, named by investigators as Hassan A., reportedly tied the attack to the satirical magazine’s recent republication of cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed, investigators said on September 26.
The stabbings came roughly three weeks after the start of the trial in Paris of 14 suspected accomplices in the January 2015 attacks on Charlie Hebdo, in which 12 were killed.
The court has heard that the suspects had sought to avenge the Prophet Muhammad, nearly a decade after Charlie Hebdo published cartoons mocking him. Ahead of the start of the trial, Charlie Hebdo reprinted some of the caricatures.
The two wounded victims of the September 25 stabbing -- a man and a woman -- were taking a cigarette break outside the Premieres Lignes news-production agency when the incident occurred.
Premieres Lignes's offices are on the same block in central Paris that formerly housed Charlie Hebdo.
A source close to the inquiry told AFP that the Pakistani teenager mistakenly believed Charlie Hebdo's offices were still in that building and wanted to attack journalists from the magazine.
Charlie Hebdo moved offices after the 2015 attack and its current address is kept secret.
The suspect, who was arrested with blood on his clothing not far from the crime scene, "takes responsibility for his action” and places the attack "in the context of the republication of cartoons" of the Prophet Mohammed in Charlie Hebdo on the eve of the trial opening, sources told AFP news agency.
French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said on September 25 the knifing was "clearly an act of Islamist terrorism.”
“Obviously, there is little doubt. It's a new bloody attack against our country, against journalists, against this society,” he said in an interview with the France 2 television station.
Anti-terror prosecutors have opened an investigation.
The interior minister said the main suspect was believed to have arrived in France three years ago as an unaccompanied minor from Pakistan. He had not been flagged for radicalization.
Investigators said he acted alone but police have detained eight other people for questioning, including the suspect's younger brother.
An Algerian man who was also arrested shortly after the stabbings for possible links to main suspect has been released. His lawyer told AFP that the man had tried to stop the attacker.
With reporting by AFP, AP, and Reuters.


rferl--2020-09-26--Kosovo Veterans Group Deputy Sent To The Hague After Arrest

PRISTINA -- The deputy head of the Kosovo War Veterans Association , Nasim Haradinaj , has been transferred to a war crimes tribunal in the Netherlands , the Kosovo Specialist Chambers said on September 26 .
According to the arrest warrant , Haradinaj is suspected of intimidating witnesses , retaliation , and violating the secrecy of proceedings by releasing confidential information , including the names of witnesses .
The Kosovo Specialist Chambers said Haradinaj ’ s initial appearance before a judge in The Hague would be announced “ in due course.
” Haradinaj was arrested on September 25 in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the arrest , Haradinaj said to the media that he does not recognize the Specialist Chambers and the Specialist Prosecutor 's Office ( SPO ) , according to RFE/RL 's Balkan Service .
The SPO said that the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo ( EULEX ) and the Kosovo police provided “ operational and logistical support ” in Haradinaj 's arrest .
Haradinaj ’ s arrest followed that of Kosovo War Veterans Association head Hysni Gucati , who was transferred to The Hague on September 25 .
The Kosovo Specialist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ investigate and prosecute suspects in war crimes committed during Kosovo 's 1998-99 uprising against rule from Belgrade .
Gucati was taken into custody on an arrest warrant and transfer order issued by a pretrial judge of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers .
Witnesses said Gucati was handcuffed by masked police officers at the association 's Pristina office on September 25 and taken away in a EULEX police car .
Gucati was arrested on suspicion of criminal offenses `` against the administration of justice , namely for intimidation of witnesses , revenge , and violation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' the SPO said .
The War Veterans Association represents former fighters from the Kosovo Liberation Army ( UCK ) , the ethnic-Albanian separatist militia group that fought against Belgrade 's forces in Kosovo 's 1998-1999 war for independence .
Gucati and his aides have published dozens of court documents in recent weeks with the names of suspects , witnesses , and civilians allegedly murdered during the war , which eventually led to Kosovo 's independence from Belgrade in 2008 .
The War Veterans Association has claimed that they received the documents from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a lawyer for the War Veterans Association , said Gucati was `` never interviewed on war-crimes charges and , based on the documents we saw , he may have been arrested on obstruction of justice charges . ''
Christopher Bennett , spokesman of the prosecutor at The Hague-based tribunal , said earlier this week that releasing the documents would undermine `` the proper administration of justice '' and would be a criminal act .
The Kosovo Specialist Chambers also said on September 26 that Salih Mustafa , who was arrested by the SPO @ @ @ @ @ @ @ initial court appearance on September 28 .

PRISTINA -- The deputy head of the Kosovo War Veterans Association, Nasim Haradinaj, has been transferred to a war crimes tribunal in the Netherlands, the Kosovo Specialist Chambers said on September 26.
According to the arrest warrant, Haradinaj is suspected of intimidating witnesses, retaliation, and violating the secrecy of proceedings by releasing confidential information, including the names of witnesses.
The Kosovo Specialist Chambers said Haradinaj’s initial appearance before a judge in The Hague would be announced “in due course.”
Haradinaj was arrested on September 25 in the Pristina suburb of Pejton. Moments before the arrest, Haradinaj said to the media that he does not recognize the Specialist Chambers and the Specialist Prosecutor's Office (SPO), according to RFE/RL's Balkan Service.
The SPO said that the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX) and the Kosovo police provided “operational and logistical support” in Haradinaj's arrest.
Haradinaj’s arrest followed that of Kosovo War Veterans Association head Hysni Gucati, who was transferred to The Hague on September 25.
The Kosovo Specialist Chambers at The Hague is mandated to investigate and prosecute suspects in war crimes committed during Kosovo's 1998-99 uprising against rule from Belgrade.
Gucati was taken into custody on an arrest warrant and transfer order issued by a pretrial judge of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers.
Witnesses said Gucati was handcuffed by masked police officers at the association's Pristina office on September 25 and taken away in a EULEX police car.
Gucati was arrested on suspicion of criminal offenses "against the administration of justice, namely for intimidation of witnesses, revenge, and violation of the secrecy of the procedure," the SPO said.
The War Veterans Association represents former fighters from the Kosovo Liberation Army (UCK), the ethnic-Albanian separatist militia group that fought against Belgrade's forces in Kosovo's 1998-1999 war for independence.
Gucati and his aides have published dozens of court documents in recent weeks with the names of suspects, witnesses, and civilians allegedly murdered during the war, which eventually led to Kosovo's independence from Belgrade in 2008.
The War Veterans Association has claimed that they received the documents from an anonymous source.
Tome Gashi, a lawyer for the War Veterans Association, said Gucati was "never interviewed on war-crimes charges and, based on the documents we saw, he may have been arrested on obstruction of justice charges."
Christopher Bennett, spokesman of the prosecutor at The Hague-based tribunal, said earlier this week that releasing the documents would undermine "the proper administration of justice" and would be a criminal act.
The Kosovo Specialist Chambers also said on September 26 that Salih Mustafa, who was arrested by the SPO on September 24, will make an initial court appearance on September 28.


rferl--2020-09-26--Iranian President Accuses U.S. Of 'Savagery' After Latest Sanctions

Iranian President Hassan Rohani told Iranians in a televised speech on September 26 to direct their anger over the impact of sanctions at Washington .
Rohani accused the United States of “ savagery ” for imposing the sanctions , including new ones announced this week .
“ With their illegal and inhuman sanctions , and terrorist actions , the Americans have inflicted $ 150 billion of damage on the people of Iran , ” Rohani said .
Rohani said the sanctions had prevented the purchase of medicines and food .
Such humanitarian supplies are theoretically exempt from U.S. sanctions , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and avoid transactions with Tehran .
“ We haven ’ t seen such an extent of savagery , ” Rohani said .
`` The correct address for all crimes and pressure against the dear Iranian people is Washington , D.C. , the White House.
” A new round of sanctions announced on September 21 applies to people and entities involved in Iran 's atomic activities or its missile and conventional weapons programs .
They are part of an offensive by the Trump administration that rests in part on a `` snapback '' clause @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and world powers that the United States abandoned two years ago .
Washington added more sanctions on September 24 when it blacklisted judges and entities over violations of human rights , including a judge it said was involved in the case of an Iranian wrestler sentenced to death .
Tensions between Washington and Tehran have soared since President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the nuclear deal .
Iran has breached the central limits of the 2015 nuclear deal , according to the International Atomic Energy Agency ( IAEA ) , which has accused @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about past nuclear activities .
Iran has insisted it is not pursuing nuclear weapons .
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on September 21 that Washington is determined to keep up its `` maximum pressure '' effort “ until Iran is willing to conclude a comprehensive negotiation that addresses the regime ’ s malign behavior . ''
He added that the United States is “ always open to diplomacy with Iran , but Iran must respond with diplomacy , not with more violence , bloodshed , and nuclear extortion .
Until then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In his televised speech , Rohani reserved his harshest criticism for Pompeo , saying that while he presents himself as the minister of foreign affairs , he is in reality “ the minister of crimes . ''
With reporting by AFP and Reuters


rferl--2020-09-26--Ukrainian President Zelenskiy Declares Day Of Mourning After Military Plane Crash

Searchers combing the area where a Ukrainian military aircraft crashed found two more bodies on September 26 , bringing the death toll to 26 .
One person survived .
The plane , a twin-turboprop Antonov-26 belonging to the Ukrainian Air Force , was carrying a crew of seven and 20 cadets of a military aviation school when it crashed and burst into flames in the evening on September 25 while coming in for landing at the airport in Chuhuyiv , about 400 kilometers east of the capital Kyiv .
Two people initially survived the crash , but one later died @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the crash has been determined .
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy declared September 26 to be a day of mourning for the crash victims and ordered that flights of An-26 planes be halted pending investigation into the cause of the crash .
Zelenskiy , who visited the crash area on September 26 , called for a full assessment of the condition of the country ’ s military equipment .
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal called for an official report on the crash by October 25 .
“ Yesterday we lost young cadets and experienced military @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and , I am sure , more than one military feat ahead of them , '' Zelenskiy said in a statement released by his office .
“ The whole country will mourn today with their families.
” The An-26 is a transport plane used by both military and civilian operators .
Nearly 1,400 of the planes were manufactured from 1969 to 1986 , according to the company 's website .
Defense Minister Andriy Taran said the plane that crashed was built in 1977 .
With reporting by AP , Interfax , and TASS

Searchers combing the area where a Ukrainian military aircraft crashed found two more bodies on September 26, bringing the death toll to 26. One person survived.
The plane, a twin-turboprop Antonov-26 belonging to the Ukrainian Air Force, was carrying a crew of seven and 20 cadets of a military aviation school when it crashed and burst into flames in the evening on September 25 while coming in for landing at the airport in Chuhuyiv, about 400 kilometers east of the capital Kyiv.
Two people initially survived the crash, but one later died in a hospital. No cause for the crash has been determined.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy declared September 26 to be a day of mourning for the crash victims and ordered that flights of An-26 planes be halted pending investigation into the cause of the crash.
Zelenskiy, who visited the crash area on September 26, called for a full assessment of the condition of the country’s military equipment. Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal called for an official report on the crash by October 25.
“Yesterday we lost young cadets and experienced military men, who had their whole lives and, I am sure, more than one military feat ahead of them," Zelenskiy said in a statement released by his office. “The whole country will mourn today with their families.”
The An-26 is a transport plane used by both military and civilian operators. Nearly 1,400 of the planes were manufactured from 1969 to 1986, according to the company's website. Defense Minister Andriy Taran said the plane that crashed was built in 1977.
With reporting by AP, Interfax, and TASS


rferl--2020-09-26--U.S. Envoy For Afghanistan Says Taliban Won't Accept Permanent Cease-Fire Until Political Agreement

Zalmay Khalilzad , the U.S. envoy for Afghanistan , has predicted the Taliban will not accept a permanent truce until a political deal is reached with the Afghan government .
`` I think you 're right that the Talibs will not accept a cease-fire , comprehensive and permanent , until there 's a political settlement , '' Khalilzad said on September 25 .
His comments to the U.S. public broadcaster PBS came as Taliban militants continue to carry out attacks across the country despite taking part in peace talks with the Afghan government in Qatar .
Khalilzad said despite the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ still at lower levels than the same time last year .
`` Compared to the first six months of last year to this year , despite a recent increase in violence , the number of casualties , both military and civilians , are down this year , '' Khalilzad , a veteran diplomat , said .
`` So , yes , the violence is high at this point .
And both sides need to bring down the level of violence .
And we 're committed , when I return to work with both @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reduction of violence , '' he added .
When asked why the militants have not yet publicly cut ties with the terror network of Al-Qaeda as set out in their deal with the United States , Khalilzad said that Washington will assess the situation in the next couple of months after the number of its troops in Afghanistan drop to 4,000-5,000 from the current level of 8,500 .
The comments came as dozens of members of the Afghan security forces were killed or wounded across the country in a series of Taliban attacks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to have killed an unspecified number of troops in central Bamyan Province and northeastern Badakhshan Province .
On September 23 , the Taliban launched a wave of attacks on security checkpoints in southern Afghanistan overnight , killing a total of 28 Afghan policemen , officials said .
The violence comes even as Taliban leaders and Afghan government-appointed negotiators are holding historic peace talks in Qatar , a Mideast country where the Taliban set up a political office after they were toppled from power in the 2001 U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan .
The negotiations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are meant to end the fighting and establish a roadmap for a postwar society .
In the negotiations in Qatar , the two sides have so far have spent more than a week deciding agendas and the manner in which the two sides will be conducting the negotiations .
With reporting by AP and AFP

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--2020-09-26--More Than 100 Detained In Minsk Women's March Against Lukashenka

Security forces in Minsk detained more than 100 protesters on September 26 during a women ’ s march against Alyaksandr Lukashenka , who claimed victory in the country 's presidential election more than a month ago amid reports of widespread fraud .
Riot police in balaclavas rounded up demonstrators and packed them into minibuses and police vans , according to RFE/RL 's Belarus Service .
A number of journalists were among them .
The detentions began soon after the women , many dressed in white and carrying red and white flowers and waving red-and-white opposition flags , gathered to march @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which Minsk residents called the `` people 's inauguration '' of Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya , lasted about 2 and 1/2 hours .
The march took place three days after Lukashenka held a secretive inauguration in Minsk amid a police lockdown in the city and Internet blackout .
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 on August 9 was rigged .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ including Hrodna .
People were detained in Brest , Homel , and Zaslavl , the Vyasna rights group said .
Vyasna published a list of 106 people it said had been detained in Minsk during the march .
Late in the day , a group of street musicians was detained after drawing a crowd while playing Soviet-era rock star Viktor Tsoi 's `` We Want Changes '' in an underground passage , Vyasna said .
Among the women taken into custody was 73-year-old Nina Bahinskaya , a frail but resolute figure who has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protests .
A security officer in a balaclava grabbed the red-and-white flag from Bahinskaya ’ s hands before dragging her into a minibus .
She was later released , but the flag was not returned .
A group of women chanted `` Our president is Sveta ! ''
-- referring to opposition politician Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya , who they say won the vote -- before riot police dragged many of them into vans .
Tsikhanouskaya , who appeared as a guest on the BBC radio program Global Questions on September 26 , spoke about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ demonstrations .
“ I ’ m really proud of all the Belarusian people who are in the demonstrations now but am extremely proud of the women , ” she said .
They have no other choice than to participate in the demonstrations because they know that they are fighting for the future of their children , she said .
“ They don ’ t want our children to be the slaves of this system , to be the slaves of this regime.
” Tsikhanouskaya , now in Lithuania , also commented on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's weakness .
`` He behaves as if he is afraid of his people , but if he is sure that he has won this election he wouldn ’ t be afraid of his nation , '' she said , adding that the inauguration doesn ’ t mean anything .
Lukashenka was `` illegitimate in the eyes of the Belarusian people and he didn ’ t become legitimate because of his inauguration -- absolutely not , '' she said on the BBC radio program .
Tsikhanouskaya called for Belarusians to demonstrate on September @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , honest elections and , as a result , an official , lawful inauguration.
” Tsikhanouskaya , who joined the presidential race at the last moment after her husband ’ s own bid was ended after he was jailed , said she won the August 9 poll with 60 to 70 percent of the vote .
The EU and United States have increased contacts with Tsikhanouskaya , a former English teacher and translator .
Asked about the support the opposition has received from Western countries thus far , Tsikhanouskaya said she was not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doing what they can , but she added : `` Maybe they can be more brave in their decisions .
They can be more pushy . ''

Security forces in Minsk detained more than 100 protesters on September 26 during a women’s march against Alyaksandr Lukashenka, who claimed victory in the country's presidential election more than a month ago amid reports of widespread fraud.
Riot police in balaclavas rounded up demonstrators and packed them into minibuses and police vans, according to RFE/RL's Belarus Service. A number of journalists were among them.
The detentions began soon after the women, many dressed in white and carrying red and white flowers and waving red-and-white opposition flags, gathered to march through the capital.
The march, which Minsk residents called the "people's inauguration" of Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, lasted about 2 and 1/2 hours.
The march took place three days after Lukashenka held a secretive inauguration in Minsk amid a police lockdown in the city and Internet blackout.
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 on August 9 was rigged.
Rallies were reported elsewhere in Belarus, including Hrodna. People were detained in Brest, Homel, and Zaslavl, the Vyasna rights group said.
Vyasna published a list of 106 people it said had been detained in Minsk during the march. Late in the day, a group of street musicians was detained after drawing a crowd while playing Soviet-era rock star Viktor Tsoi's "We Want Changes" in an underground passage, Vyasna said.
Among the women taken into custody was 73-year-old Nina Bahinskaya, a frail but resolute figure who has been a regular participant of the anti-Lukashenka protests.
A security officer in a balaclava grabbed the red-and-white flag from Bahinskaya’s hands before dragging her into a minibus. She was later released, but the flag was not returned.
WATCH: Dozens Arrested In Minsk
A group of women chanted "Our president is Sveta!" -- referring to opposition politician Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who they say won the vote -- before riot police dragged many of them into vans.
Tsikhanouskaya, who appeared as a guest on the BBC radio program Global Questions on September 26, spoke about the role women have played in the demonstrations.
“I’m really proud of all the Belarusian people who are in the demonstrations now but am extremely proud of the women,” she said.
They have no other choice than to participate in the demonstrations because they know that they are fighting for the future of their children, she said.
“They don’t want our children to be the slaves of this system, to be the slaves of this regime.”
Tsikhanouskaya, now in Lithuania, also commented on the secret inauguration, saying it revealed Lukashenka's weakness.
"He behaves as if he is afraid of his people, but if he is sure that he has won this election he wouldn’t be afraid of his nation," she said, adding that the inauguration doesn’t mean anything.
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 was "illegitimate in the eyes of the Belarusian people and he didn’t become legitimate because of his inauguration -- absolutely not," she said on the BBC radio program.
Tsikhanouskaya called for Belarusians to demonstrate on September 27 for the “goal of new, honest elections and, as a result, an official, lawful inauguration.”
Tsikhanouskaya, who joined the presidential race at the last moment after her husband’s own bid was ended after he was jailed, said she won the August 9 poll with 60 to 70 percent of the vote.
The EU and United States have increased contacts with Tsikhanouskaya, a former English teacher and translator. Asked about the support the opposition has received from Western countries thus far, Tsikhanouskaya said she was not disappointed because she believes other countries are doing what they can, but she added: "Maybe they can be more brave in their decisions. They can be more pushy."


rferl--2020-09-27--Romanians Vote In Local Elections Seen As Test For Minority-Led Government

Polls have opened in Romania 's local elections that are seen as a key test for the country ’ s minority-led government .
Around 19 million eligible voters on September 27 were choosing local officials , council presidents , and mayors to fill more than 43,000 positions across the European Union nation .
Originally planned for June , the elections were postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic .
There are fears that the pandemic could see traditionally low turnout dropping even further in Romania , which has reported more than 121,000 coronavirus cases and some 4,700 deaths .
The polls @ @ @ @ @ @ @ popularity of the center-right National Liberal Party ( PNL ) , which has controlled the minority government since it replaced the leftist Social Democratic Party ( PSD ) .
The PSD won the 2016 general elections but its government , led by Viorica Dancila , was pushed out in October 2019 in a no-confidence vote after losing support following mass protests over corruption and the imprisonment of its leader , Liviu Dragnea , on abuse of office charges .
The most closely watched race will be for the mayor of the capital , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ incumbent and a challenger from the NLP .
With reporting by AP and AFP

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--Kyrgyz Protest Party Leader's Independence Remark

Hundreds of people have staged a protest in Kyrgyzstan ’ s capital Bishkek after a leaked video appeared to show a prominent politician suggesting that the former Soviet republic should reconsider its independence .
The demonstration on September 27 came as the Central Asian nation prepares for parliamentary elections on October 4 .
In the leaked video , Marat Amankulov , leader of the pro-government Birimdik party , appears to say that the past “ 30 years of independence shows that Kyrgyzstan must go back home . ''
He added that the Moscow-led Eurasian Economic Union ( EES ) , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Kazakhstan , and Kyrgyzstan , should become a single country .
Protesters on September 27 called on election authorities to bar Amankulov and his party from running in the elections .
Waving national flags , the protesters chanted : `` Do n't be a slave ! ''
The remarks were purportedly made by Amankulov during a meeting with Russian politicians earlier this year .
In a statement issued after the video was widely circulated on social media , Amankulov described the leak as a “ provocation ” and said his remarks had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Independence is the greatest achievement of our people .
Preserving and strengthening the statehood of Kyrgyzstan is the sacred duty of every citizen , ” he said .
Amankulov ’ s Birimdik party is among 16 registered for the parliamentary elections .

Hundreds of people have staged a protest in Kyrgyzstan’s capital Bishkek after a leaked video appeared to show a prominent politician suggesting that the former Soviet republic should reconsider its independence.
The demonstration on September 27 came as the Central Asian nation prepares for parliamentary elections on October 4.
In the leaked video, Marat Amankulov, leader of the pro-government Birimdik party, appears to say that the past “30 years of independence shows that Kyrgyzstan must go back home."
He added that the Moscow-led Eurasian Economic Union (EES), which includes post-Soviet states Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan, should become a single country.
Protesters on September 27 called on election authorities to bar Amankulov and his party from running in the elections.
Waving national flags, the protesters chanted: "Don't be a slave!"
The remarks were purportedly made by Amankulov during a meeting with Russian politicians earlier this year.
In a statement issued after the video was widely circulated on social media, Amankulov described the leak as a “provocation” and said his remarks had been taken out of context.
“Independence is the greatest achievement of our people. Preserving and strengthening the statehood of Kyrgyzstan is the sacred duty of every citizen,” he said.
Amankulov’s Birimdik party is among 16 registered for the parliamentary elections.
With reporting by Eurasianet


rferl--2020-09-27--Fifteen Killed In Pakistan After Van Catches Fire

Pakistani police say 15 people were killed , including children , after a passenger van overturned and caught fire on @ @ @ @ @ occurred outside the port city of Karachi late on September 26 .
Police said the @ @ @ @ @ , fell in a ditch after it was struck by an object from another vehicle @ @ @ @ @ its fuel tank leaked .
Rescuers recovered 15 charred bodies , including at least three @ @ @ @ @ were pulled out alive , including a 1-year-old .
Such accidents are common in Pakistan @ @ @ @ @ north , due to careless driving , poorly maintained vehicles , and a lack of @ @ @ @ @ road accidents are reported in the country every year , killing around 4,000 people , @ @ @ @ @ Based on reporting by dpa and Geo TV

Pakistani police say 15 people were killed, including children, after a passenger van overturned and caught fire on a highway.
The accident occurred outside the port city of Karachi late on September 26.
Police said the van, carrying 25 passengers, fell in a ditch after it was struck by an object from another vehicle and burst into flames after its fuel tank leaked.
Rescuers recovered 15 charred bodies, including at least three children, while 10 people were pulled out alive, including a 1-year-old.
Such accidents are common in Pakistan, particularly in the mountainous north, due to careless driving, poorly maintained vehicles, and a lack of adequate infrastructure.
Some 9,000 road accidents are reported in the country every year, killing around 4,000 people, according to official statistics.
Based on reporting by dpa and Geo TV


rferl--2020-09-27--Armenia Declares Martial Law, Azerbaijan Vows 'Victory' Amid Clashes In Disputed Nagorno-Karabakh

Armenia has declared martial law and a military mobilization following heavy fighting with Azerbaijani forces in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh .
Yerevan ’ s decision came as Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev vowed `` victory '' over Armenian forces in Nagorno-Karabakh , Azerbaijan 's breakaway region populated mostly by ethnic Armenians .
Armenia accused Azerbaijani forces of shelling settlements in Nagorno-Karabakh and Baku said Armenian forces attacked Azerbaijani military and civilian positions .
Both sides have reported casualties .
`` The government has decided to declare martial law and a total mobilization , '' Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian wrote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Azerbaijan had launched an air and artillery attack on civilian settlements in Nagorno-Karabakh , including in the regional capital of Stepanakert .
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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 .
Hikmat Hajiyev , a spokesman for Azerbaijan 's president , said there were “ reports of dead and wounded among civilians and military servicemen . ''
Turkey @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said Armenia must immediately cease hostility towards Azerbaijan that will `` throw the region into fire.
” Russia called on both sides to `` immediately halt fire and begin talks to stabilize the situation . ''
France said it was `` extremely concerned by the confrontation . ''
Clashes between the South Caucasus countries have intensified in recent months .
A days-long flare-up that included drone attacks and heavy artillery fire in mid-July killed at least 17 people , mostly soldiers on both sides but including at least one civilian , in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has challenged Moscow over what Baku alleged was an increased flow of weapons to Armenia since the July fighting .
Russia , which has a military base in Armenia , regards Yerevan as a strategic partner in the region .
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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ supplied by Armenia .
The region 's claim to independence has not been recognized by any country .
Since then , periodic skirmishes have taken place in the region .
Negotiations on a peaceful settlement of the conflict conducted by the OSCE Minsk Group , which is chaired by the United States , France , and Russia , have brought no progress in the solution of the ongoing conflict .
With reporting by Reuters 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--2020-09-27--At UN, Belarus Accuses West Of Sowing 'Chaos And Anarchy'

Belarusian Foreign Minister Uladzimer Makey has accused Western states of interfering in the country ’ s internal affairs to foment “ chaos and anarchy ” amid weeks of protests following last month 's disputed presidential election .
`` We are seeing attempts to destabilize the situation in the country , '' he told the United Nations General Assembly in a video statement on September 26 .
`` Interference in our internal affairs , sanctions , and other restrictions on Belarus will have the opposite effect , and are harmful for absolutely everyone . ''
The United States , European Union @ @ @ @ @ @ @ soon to impose sanctions on Belarus for a violent crackdown on protesters following the August 9 presidential election that was widely viewed as rigged to hand Alyaksandr Lukashenka a sixth term in power .
Under increasing pressure from the street and West , Lukashenka has leaned on neighboring Russia for political and economic support .
Lukashenka , in power since 1994 , was inaugurated on September 23 in a secretive ceremony that prompted EU members and the United States to issue statements that they did not recognize his legitimacy .
`` Statements brimming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ series of our Western colleagues about their alleged concern for Belarusian sovereignty and well-being , '' Makey told the United Nations .
`` In actual fact they are nothing other than attempts to bring chaos and anarchy to our country . ''
The EU and United States have increased contacts with Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya , the self-exiled opposition candidate , who is now in Lithuania and says she won the election .
Tsikhanouskaya has called for Belarusians to demonstrate yet again on September 27 for the “ goal of new , honest elections and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , lawful inauguration.
” 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 .
Police have arrested an estimated 12,000 people amid widespread evidence of beatings and torture .
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 .

Belarusian Foreign Minister Uladzimer Makey has accused Western states of interfering in the country’s internal affairs to foment “chaos and anarchy” amid weeks of protests following last month's disputed presidential election.
"We are seeing attempts to destabilize the situation in the country," he told the United Nations General Assembly in a video statement on September 26. "Interference in our internal affairs, sanctions, and other restrictions on Belarus will have the opposite effect, and are harmful for absolutely everyone."
The United States, European Union, Britain, and Canada are expected soon to impose sanctions on Belarus for a violent crackdown on protesters following the August 9 presidential election that was widely viewed as rigged to hand Alyaksandr Lukashenka a sixth term in power.
WATCH: Dozens Arrested As Police Disperse Women Protesting Against Lukashenka
Under increasing pressure from the street and West, Lukashenka has leaned on neighboring Russia for political and economic support.
Lukashenka, in power since 1994, was inaugurated on September 23 in a secretive ceremony that prompted EU members and the United States to issue statements that they did not recognize his legitimacy.
"Statements brimming with cynicism have been made by a series of our Western colleagues about their alleged concern for Belarusian sovereignty and well-being," Makey told the United Nations. "In actual fact they are nothing other than attempts to bring chaos and anarchy to our country."
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.
The EU and United States have increased contacts with Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the self-exiled opposition candidate, who is now in Lithuania and says she won the election.
Tsikhanouskaya has called for Belarusians to demonstrate yet again on September 27 for the “goal of new, honest elections and, as a result, an official, lawful inauguration.”
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. Police have arrested an estimated 12,000 people amid widespread evidence of beatings and torture.
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.