rferl--2020-10-18--Belarusian Protesters Due To Stage March Despite Authorities' Threat To Open Fire

Belarusian protesters are due to stage a march on October 18 against the authoritarian rule of Alyaksandr Lukashenka despite a threat by the authorities to open fire on demonstrators .
Belarus has been rocked by protests since Lukashenka , in power since 1994 , was declared the winner of the country ’ s August 9 election amid allegations of widespread vote-rigging .
His top rival , Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya , was forced to flee to Lithuania after the vote , which supporters and others say she won , amid threats to her and her family .
Tsikhanouskaya and her supporters stepped @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Lukashenka to step down by October 25 or face a nationwide strike .
The EU and United States have refused to recognize Lukashenka as the legitimate ruler of Belarus .
On October 17 , dozens of women marched through the streets of Minsk , with the human rights group Vyasna reporting that more than 30 people were taken away by police .
Thousands of protesters are planning to stage a march in the capital , Minsk , on October 18 , keeping up a series of demonstrations held every Sunday for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of thousands of people .
The march comes just days after authorities threatened to fire on protesters to break up demonstrations against Lukashenka .
Belarus 's First Deputy Interior Minister Gennady Kazakevich on October 12 warned that security forces “ will use special equipment and lethal weapons if need be . ''
Security forces have so far only acknowledged using water cannons , rubber bullets , and stun grenades to disperse the protesters .
Kazakevich claimed that protests had become `` extremely radical . ''
His statement was the first time authorities have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ demonstrators .
The use of lethal weapons and live ammunition would mark a major escalation in the two-month standoff between Lukashenka and protesters , who have staged peaceful rallies against his disputed reelection in August and against the abuse and torture of detainees .

MINSK -- Belarusian police detained more than 90 people during the latest rally to demand that authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka step down as a political standoff enters its 11th week.
At least 77 people were arrested in the capital, Minsk, during the rally on October 18, the Vyasna rights group reported. The rest were detained in regional cities, the group said.
Thousands of citizens peacefully marched through the center of Minsk on a cool, overcast day carrying the banned red-and-white flag of the opposition.
“Look out the window. Stop watching TV,” the protesters chanted, a reference to state-controlled media downplaying the size and peaceful nature of the rallies.
The protesters also called for Lukashenka’s arrest.
“Lukashenka in a paddy wagon!” they shouted.
The authorities deployed armored vehicles and water cannons in Minsk and blocked roads.
The October 18 rally attracted a smaller crowd than in previous weeks.
In the days leading up to the rally, Belarus's First Deputy Interior Minister Gennady Kazakevich threatened to use “lethal weapons if need be” on protesters to break up the demonstrations, which the authorities have called illegal.
Kazakevich claimed that protesters had become "extremely radical."
His statement was the first time Belarusian authorities have explicitly threatened to use firearms against opposition demonstrators. He did not carry out his threat.
Belarus has been rocked by protests since Lukashenka, in power since 1994, was declared the winner of the country’s August 9 election amid allegations of widespread vote-rigging.
The protesters are calling for Lukashenka to step down and for new elections to be held.
Lukashenka sought to immediately squash the protest movement as he had in the past with harassments, arrests, and police brutality.
More than 12,000 Belarusians have been detained and hundreds tortured during protests over the ensuing weeks.
His top rival, Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, was forced to flee to Lithuania amid threats to her and her family. Supporters and others say she was the real winner of the August 9 vote.
However, the authorities have been unable to stamp out the movement and a stalemate has ensued.
The EU and United States have refused to recognize Lukashenka, who held an abrupt inauguration ceremony last month, as the legitimate ruler of Belarus.
Tsikhanouskaya and her supporters have stepped up their pressure this week as she called on Lukashenka to step down by October 25 or face a nationwide strike.
Lukashenka has lost the support of many state workers, long considered his base, as the economy has struggled under his rule in recent years.


rferl--2020-10-18--Car Bombing Kills At Least 12, Wounds Scores In Afghanistan

Afghanistan ’ s Interior Ministry says at least 12 people have been killed and scores wounded after a car bombing outside a local police headquarters in central Afghanistan .
Interior Ministry spokesman Tariq Arian said a car laden with explosives detonated in central Firoz Koh , the capital of Ghor Province , around 11 a.m. on October 18 .
Arian had earlier said that at least 20 people had been killed .
Arian said the car bombing struck near the entrance of the Ghor police headquarters and other nearby government buildings in the area .
Ghor police spokesman Abdul Maaref @ @ @ @ @ @ @ civilian casualties .
Mohammad Nasrat , a doctor at Ghor ’ s central hospital , said many of the wounded were in critical condition .
He expected the death toll to rise .
Aref Abir , a spokesman for the Ghor governor , said the “ explosion was very powerful.
” '' There are fatalities and casualties , and people are taking them to hospitals , '' he said .
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack , although similar incidents in the past have been blamed on the Taliban .
Ghor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Afghanistan ’ s central highlands , is one of the most impoverished and unstable areas of the country .
The provincial government 's power extends little beyond Firoz Koh .
The bomb blast comes as Taliban and Afghan government negotiators are meeting in the Qatari capital , Doha , to negotiate an end to 19 years of war in the country .
The Taliban has refused a nationwide cease-fire despite the ongoing peace talks , which kicked off on September 12 .
On October 16 , the Taliban agreed to suspend attacks in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people in recent days .
It came after Washington vowed to stop all air strikes and night raids in accordance with a bilateral agreement the United States signed with the Taliban in February .
U.S. forces had been conducting air strikes in support of Afghan forces that were attempting to repel a Taliban offensive in Helmand Province , which threatened to derail efforts to end Afghanistan ’ s war .
The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan has documented more than 1,280 Afghan civilian deaths during the first half of 2020 -- mainly as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ forces and Taliban militants .
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--2020-10-18--At Least 10 Killed After Bus Buried By Landslide In Northern Pakistan

At least 10 people have been killed after a landslide buried a minibus under tons of mud and rock in @ @ @ @ @ region .
The minibus , carrying 15 people , was traveling from the city of @ @ @ @ @ tourist destination located around 240 kilometers north of the Pakistani capital , Islamabad .
Police @ @ @ @ @ bus was pushed into a deep ditch along the mountainous road in Skardu and buried @ @ @ @ @ He said rescue workers and local volunteers were digging through the mud in search of @ @ @ @ @ monsoon rain are common in Pakistan and are the cause of widespread damage in mountainous @ @ @ @ @ common in Pakistan due to careless driving , poorly maintained vehicles , and a lack @ @ @ @ @ 9,000 road accidents are reported in the country every year , killing around 4,000 people @ @ @ @ @ .
Based on reporting by AP and Geo TV

At least 10 people have been killed after a landslide buried a minibus under tons of mud and rock in Pakistan’s northern Gilgit-Baltistan region.
The minibus, carrying 15 people, was traveling from the city of Rawalpindi to Skardu, a tourist destination located around 240 kilometers north of the Pakistani capital, Islamabad.
Police official Wakil Khan said the bus was pushed into a deep ditch along the mountainous road in Skardu and buried under mud and rock.
He said rescue workers and local volunteers were digging through the mud in search of survivors.
Landslides after heavy monsoon rain are common in Pakistan and are the cause of widespread damage in mountainous areas.
Road incidents are common in Pakistan 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 AP and Geo TV


rferl--2020-10-18--Iran Says UN Arms Embargo On Conventional Weapons Has Ended

The Iranian Foreign Ministry says a UN embargo on conventional arms sales to Iran was lifted on October 18 under the terms of the 2015 landmark nuclear deal between Iran and world powers .
The ministry announced that the ban had been lifted in a statement , saying “ all restrictions on the transfer of arms , related activities , and financial services to and from the Islamic Republic of Iran ... are all automatically terminated.
” In theory , Iran will once again be able to purchase and sell conventional weapons such as tanks , combat aircraft , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ arms embargo has been strongly opposed by the United States , which has condemned the prospect of Iran buying and selling arms as a threat to global security .
But the ministry said Iran has no need to go on a weapons-buying spree because its defense doctrine “ is premised on strong reliance on its people and indigenous capabilities.
” It added that unconventional arms and weapons of mass destruction “ have no place in Iran 's defense doctrine . ''
However , earlier this week the lifting of the embargo was already @ @ @ @ @ @ @ President Hassan Rohani .
On October 14 , Rohani said : `` Ten years of unjust arms sanctions will end on October 18 . ''
Rohani said that , from that day on , `` we will be able to sell our arms to anyone we choose and we can purchase arms from anyone we choose . ''
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif called the lifting of the embargo a “ momentous day ” for the international community .
`` Today 's normalization of Iran ’ s defense cooperation with the world @ @ @ @ @ @ @ multilateralism and peace and security in our region , '' he said on Twitter .
But the declaration of victory may be premature .
Tehran still faces several constraints , including crushing U.S. economic sanctions that have left the country short of cash .
The embargo was set forth by the UN Security Council in 2007 .
The agreement to lift it was part of the 2015 nuclear deal , which Iran signed with Russia , China , Germany , Britain , France , and the United States .
Tensions between Washington and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump in 2018 unilaterally withdrew from the deal , which sought to prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons in return for economic sanctions relief .
The United States tried earlier this year to extend the conventional arms embargo but failed to overcome opposition in the UN Security Council .
The Trump administration then triggered a process aimed at restoring all UN sanctions on Iran .
With reporting by AFP and Reuters

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


rferl--2020-10-18--Armenia, Azerbaijan Accuse Each Other Of Violating Fresh Cease-Fire

Armenia and Azerbaijan have accused each other of violating a new cease-fire aimed at stopping the fighting over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh .
The truce , which was announced on October 17 and took force at midnight , was the second attempt at establishing a cease-fire since heavy fighting erupted in the region on September 27 .
The fighting has killed at least 600 soldiers and civilians and is considered the worst since the 1994 cease-fire that ended all-out war between the two countries over Nagorno-Karabakh ’ s status .
Internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan , the mountainous @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , backed by Yerevan , since the 1994 halt in fighting .
The latest spasm of violence has stoked fears that the new violence could engulf the region in a wider conflict involving Azerbaijan 's closest ally , Turkey , and Russia , which dominates the Collective Security Treaty Organization , of which Armenia is a member .
Just hours after the cease-fire went into effect on October 18 , both sides traded accusations of violating the new truce .
Armenian Defense Ministry spokeswoman Shushan Stepanian accused Azerbaijani forces of shelling and carrying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ overnight .
“ The enemy launched an attack in the southern direction '' of the conflict zone , and there were “ casualties and wounded on both sides , '' she said .
Azerbaijan 's Defense Ministry maintained that Armenian forces continued shelling in the conflict zone overnight despite the cease-fire and in the morning launched attacks in several directions .
The ministry also accused Armenia of using large-caliber weapons to attack the positions of the Azerbaijani Army in two regions north of Nagorno-Karabakh along the border between the two countries , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh said on October 18 that it had recorded another 40 casualties among its forces , pushing the military death toll to 673 since the fighting erupted .
Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed on the new cease-fire late October 17 , posting identical statements on their respective Foreign Ministry websites .
The statements said the decision was taken following statements earlier this month from the presidents of France , Russia , and the United States , representing the co-chair countries of the Minsk Group of the Organization for Security and Cooperation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Russia , and the United States comprise the OSCE ’ s Minsk Group , a diplomatic initiative aimed at trying to resolve the conflict , which dates to 1988 in the waning days of the Soviet Union .
A cease-fire announced last week was repeatedly violated by both sides not long after it went into effect and had all but collapsed before the new cease-fire was agreed .
Earlier on October 17 , a missile hit a residential area in Azerbaijan ’ s second-largest city , killing 13 people and injuring more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ against civilians to date .
The strike in Ganca , about 100 kilometers north of Nagorno-Karabakh , occurred at around the same time that another missile hit Mingacevir , a city east of Ganca and home to a large hydroelectric dam .
It was also unclear where the missile that hit Ganca was fired from ; Ganca is about 100 kilometers east of the border with Armenia proper .
A missile fired directly from Armenian territory onto an Azerbaijani city would be a major escalation of the conflict .
In a televised address @ @ @ @ @ @ @ President Ilham Aliyev denounced the strike as a war crime and warned the leadership of Armenia .
“ Azerbaijan will give its response and it will do so exclusively on the battlefield , ” Aliyev said .
Earlier in the week , Baku and Yerevan each claimed gains in the fighting in and around the territory , which was populated by around 150,000 ethnic Armenians prior to this round of violence .
There has been no confirmed death toll from the latest fighting , but the de facto leadership in Nagorno-Karabakh has reported @ @ @ @ @ @ @ released any military casualty figures .
Several dozen civilians had been reported killed prior to the October 17 missile strike .
With reporting by AFP and Interfax

BAKU/YEREVAN -- Armenia and Azerbaijan have accused each other of violating a new cease-fire aimed at stopping the fighting over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh.
The truce, which was announced on October 17 and took force at midnight, was the second attempt at establishing a cease-fire since heavy fighting erupted in the region on September 27.
The fighting has killed at least 600 soldiers and civilians and is considered the worst since the 1994 cease-fire that ended all-out war between the two countries over Nagorno-Karabakh’s status.
Josep Borrell, the EU’s top diplomat, called the foreign ministers of both nations on October 18 to condemn the continued fighting and urge them to stick to the cease-fire.
Infographic: Balance Of Power: How Armenian And Azerbaijani Forces Stack Up
The fighting “leads to more civilian suffering. It aggravates the conflict between states and respective societies, rendering the healing of wounds even more difficult,” Borrell said in a statement after his phone calls.
Internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, the mountainous territory has been controlled by ethnic Armenians, backed by Yerevan, since the 1994 halt in fighting.
The latest spasm of violence has stoked fears that the new violence could engulf the region in a wider conflict involving Azerbaijan's closest ally, Turkey, and Russia, which dominates the Collective Security Treaty Organization, of which Armenia is a member.
Just hours after the cease-fire went into effect on October 18, both sides traded accusations of violating the new truce.
Armenian Defense Ministry spokeswoman Shushan Stepanian accused Azerbaijani forces of shelling and carrying out missile strikes in the conflict zone overnight.
“The enemy launched an attack in the southern direction" of the conflict zone, and there were “casualties and wounded on both sides," she said.
Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry maintained that Armenian forces continued shelling in the conflict zone overnight despite the cease-fire and in the morning launched attacks in several directions.
The ministry also accused Armenia of using large-caliber weapons to attack the positions of the Azerbaijani Army in two regions north of Nagorno-Karabakh along the border between the two countries, a claim Armenian military officials denied.
Meanwhile, authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh said on October 18 that it had recorded another 40 casualties among its forces, pushing the military death toll to 673 since the fighting erupted.
Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed on the new cease-fire late October 17, posting identical statements on their respective Foreign Ministry websites.
The statements said the decision was taken following statements earlier this month from the presidents of France, Russia, and the United States, representing the co-chair countries of the Minsk Group of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
France, Russia, and the United States comprise the OSCE’s Minsk Group, a diplomatic initiative aimed at trying to resolve the conflict, which dates to 1988 in the waning days of the Soviet Union.
A cease-fire announced last week was repeatedly violated by both sides not long after it went into effect and had all but collapsed before the new cease-fire was agreed.
Earlier on October 17, a missile hit a residential area in Azerbaijan’s second-largest city, killing 13 people and injuring more than 50, one of the deadliest against civilians to date.
The strike in Ganca, about 100 kilometers north of Nagorno-Karabakh, occurred at around the same time that another missile hit Mingacevir, a city east of Ganca and home to a large hydroelectric dam.
It was also unclear where the missile that hit Ganca was fired from; Ganca is about 100 kilometers east of the border with Armenia proper.
A missile fired directly from Armenian territory onto an Azerbaijani city would be a major escalation of the conflict.
In a televised address after the missile hit Ganca, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev denounced the strike as a war crime and warned the leadership of Armenia.
“Azerbaijan will give its response and it will do so exclusively on the battlefield,” Aliyev said.
Earlier in the week, Baku and Yerevan each claimed gains in the fighting in and around the territory, which was populated by around 150,000 ethnic Armenians prior to this round of violence.
There has been no confirmed death toll from the latest fighting, but the de facto leadership in Nagorno-Karabakh has reported 633 soldiers killed. Azerbaijan has not released any military casualty figures.
Several dozen civilians had been reported killed prior to the October 17 missile strike.
With reporting by AFP and Interfax


rferl--2020-10-19--U.S. Envoy Warns That 'Distressingly High' Level Of Violence In Afghanistan Could Derail Peace Proce

U.S. Envoy Warns That 'Distressingly High' Level Of Violence In Afghanistan Could Derail Peace Process

U.S. envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad warned on October 18 after a car bomb killed 14 people in Ghor in central Afghanistan that continued high levels of violence in the country could threaten the peace process .
Khalilzad said in a series of tweets that violence has “ stalked ” Afghans for far too long and the “ tragedy ” in Ghor , where the car bomb was set off outside a police headquarters , is the most recent example .
“ The belief that says violence must escalate to win concessions at the negotiating table is very risky , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Such an approach can undermine the peace process and repeats past miscalculations by Afghan leaders.
” He urged “ strict adherence to all articles of the U.S.-Taliban Agreement and U.S.-Afghanistan Joint Declaration ” and said the sides should “ not neglect the commitment to gradually reduce violence.
” Khalilzad said violence remains “ distressingly high ” despite the recent reaffirmation of the need for substantial reduction .
“ We must adhere to the letter and spirit of what was negotiated and the recent understanding , ” he tweeted .
“ They provide a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and protecting an historic opportunity for peace which must not be missed.
” U.S. State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus retweeted Khalilzad ’ s tweets and added her own , saying the United States rejects the Taliban ’ s allegations of U.S. violation of the agreement .
“ The Afghan people want peace , ” Ortagus said on Twitter .
“ Full adherence to the U.S.-Taliban Agreement & the U.S.-Afghanistan Joint Declaration is critical to advancing the peace process.
” Khalilzad also mentioned “ unfounded charges of violations and inflammatory rhetoric , ” saying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman Tariq Arian said a car laden with explosives detonated in central Firoz Koh , the capital of Ghor Province , around 11:00 a.m. local time .
Dr. Omar Lalzad , director of Ghor Central Hospital , told RFE/RL that at least 14 people were dead and 119 injured in the blast , the latest act of deadly violence in the war-torn country .
The Ghor police chief told RFE/RL that 35 Afghan security personnel were among the wounded .
He said all the other victims were Afghan civilians .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a statement that the Taliban were behind the blast .
A Taliban spokesman in the region told RFE/RL he could not immediately confirm if the militant organization was behind the attack .
The bomb blast comes as Taliban and Afghan government negotiators are meeting in the Qatari capital , Doha , to negotiate an end to 19 years of war in the country .
The Taliban has refused to observe a nationwide cease-fire despite the ongoing peace talks , which kicked off on September 12 .
The two sides have carried out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ peace talks got under way last month .
On October 16 , the Taliban agreed to suspend attacks in southern Afghanistan that had displaced thousands of people in recent days .
It came after Washington vowed to stop all air strikes and night raids in accordance with the bilateral U.S.-Taliban agreement .
The U.S. military had been conducting air strikes in support of Afghan forces that were attempting to repel a Taliban offensive in Helmand Province , which threatened to derail efforts to end Afghanistan ’ s war .
The UN Assistance Mission @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Afghan civilian deaths during the first half of 2020 -- mainly as a result of fighting between Afghan government forces and Taliban militants .
With reporting by AP and AFP


rferl--2020-10-19--Pakistani Opposition Alliance Holds Rally To Demand Khan's Resignation

Tens of thousands of people gathered in Karachi , Pakistan , on October 18 in support of an opposition alliance that has vowed to topple the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan .
Nine major opposition parties formed the Pakistan Democratic Movement ( PDM ) last month to begin a nationwide movement to oust Khan .
They say Khan won the 2018 general election only with help from the country 's military , which has an oversized role in the domestic and foreign affairs of the South Asian nation .
People streamed into Karachi from villages and towns in order @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the daughter of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif , told reporters the turnout showed the level of public support for the opposition movement .
Sharif ’ s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz ( PML-N ) is a member of the alliance .
It was the second rally organized by the PDM in three days .
The first took place in Gujranwala on October 16 and was the biggest demonstration against Khan since he took office .
Sharif , who is already facing sedition charges for criticizing the military for interference in politics , on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ saying that the incumbent army chief was behind his ouster .
Speaking on a video link from London to the Gujranwala gathering , Sharif accused army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa of rigging the 2018 elections and orchestrating his ouster in 2017 .
The military denies meddling in politics or electoral wrongdoing .
During the rally in Karachi , Maryam Nawaz accused Khan of snatching both jobs and “ two-time-a-day food the people.
” Another opposition leader , Bilawal Bhutto Zardari , said Pakistan ’ s farmers “ have hunger in their homes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is “ disappointed . ''
The protests come as the country 's economy , which had already tanked before the global coronavirus pandemic , struggles with double digit inflation and negative growth .
Khan 's two-year tenure has also seen mounting censorship and a crackdown on dissent , critics , and opposition leaders .
Khan has denied the army helped him win and said Sharif ’ s accusation against the army was part of a conspiracy at the behest of India .
The next general election is scheduled for 2023 .
Based on @ @ @ @ @

Tens of thousands of people gathered in Karachi, Pakistan, on October 18 in support of an opposition alliance that has vowed to topple the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Nine major opposition parties formed the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) last month to begin a nationwide movement to oust Khan. They say Khan won the 2018 general election only with help from the country's military, which has an oversized role in the domestic and foreign affairs of the South Asian nation.
People streamed into Karachi from villages and towns in order to join the protest.
Maryam Nawaz, the daughter of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, told reporters the turnout showed the level of public support for the opposition movement. Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is a member of the alliance.
It was the second rally organized by the PDM in three days. The first took place in Gujranwala on October 16 and was the biggest demonstration against Khan since he took office.
Sharif, who is already facing sedition charges for criticizing the military for interference in politics, on October 16 crossed a new line by saying that the incumbent army chief was behind his ouster.
Speaking on a video link from London to the Gujranwala gathering, Sharif accused army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa of rigging the 2018 elections and orchestrating his ouster in 2017.
The military denies meddling in politics or electoral wrongdoing.
During the rally in Karachi, Maryam Nawaz accused Khan of snatching both jobs and “two-time-a-day food the people.”
Another opposition leader, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, said Pakistan’s farmers “have hunger in their homes” and the country’s youth is “disappointed."
The protests come as the country's economy, which had already tanked before the global coronavirus pandemic, struggles with double digit inflation and negative growth.
Khan's two-year tenure has also seen mounting censorship and a crackdown on dissent, critics, and opposition leaders.
Khan has denied the army helped him win and said Sharif’s accusation against the army was part of a conspiracy at the behest of India.
The next general elections are scheduled for 2023.
With reporting by Reuters and dpa


rferl--2020-10-19--Navalny Determined To Return To Russia Despite Kremlin Efforts To Keep Him Away

Russian opposition politician Aleksei Navalny says the Kremlin is doing everything in its power to prevent him from returning to Russia , but he still plans to go back .
Navalny told U.S. broadcaster CBS in an interview that aired on October 18 that he is determined to go back in a couple of months and take up his work fighting corruption where he left off .
Navalny spoke with the CBS News program `` 60 Minutes '' in Berlin , where he is recovering from a poisoning in August with a toxic chemical belonging to the Novichok group .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ day and still feels “ a little wooden…because the body lost all flexibility.
” Navalny also said that he believes he was exposed to the poison by touching a bottle .
The nerve agent was not inside the bottle , but on it , he said .
Navalny 's team said last month that a water bottle removed from his hotel room in the city of Tomsk after he fell ill had been taken to Germany and found to have traces of the nerve agent .
Last week the European Union and Britain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bans against six senior Russian officials and one entity for `` attempted assassination '' in connection with the poisoning .
The EU Official Journal on October 15 published the names of the targeted individuals believed to be responsible for the poisoning that nearly took Navalny ’ s life , as well as the entity involved in the program that has produced a group of military-grade nerve agents known as Novichok .
The officials include Aleksandr Bortnikov , the head of Russia ’ s Federal Security Service ( FSB ) , two deputy defense @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Andrei Yarin and Sergei Kiriyenko of the presidential office , as well as Sergei Menyailo , President Vladimir Putin ’ s envoy to the Siberian Federal District .
The targeted organization is the State Research Institute of Organic Chemistry and Technology , which was responsible for developing the Novichok nerve agents during the Soviet era .
Navalny acknowledged that France and Germany led the charge to take action against the officials and the organization , adding that he has “ noticed ” that the United States has not taken similar steps and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ think it ’ s extremely important that everyone , of course including and maybe in the first role , ( the ) president of the United States to be very against using chemical weapons ” in the 21st century , he said .
Navalny , a fierce critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin and prominent anti-corruption campaigner , reiterated that he is sure Putin was responsible for the poisoning .
“ I think for Putin why he is using this chemical weapon is to do both – kill me and terrify others , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Peskov has said the accusations that Putin was responsible are baseless and unacceptable .
Peskov also called the EU and British asset freezes and travel bans a “ deliberate unfriendly step toward Russia ” that will harm relations with Moscow and prompt retaliation .
Navalny said since the poisoning he does not feel any fear , but he fears for his family .
Asked about the psychological effect , Navalny said it might be “ very useful ” for politicians to face death once .
“ I became more human after facing death @ @ @ @ @ @ @ released from a Berlin hospital on September 22 after spending 32 days in the clinic .
He is still under the protection of the German government because there is concern that he could be the target of another poisoning , according to CBS .
Russian authorities have firmly denied allegations of involvement , resisted international pressure to launch a criminal investigation , and accused Western leaders of launching a disinformation campaign over Navalny 's illness .

Russian opposition politician Aleksei Navalny says the Kremlin is doing everything in its power to prevent him from returning to Russia, but he still plans to go back.
Navalny told U.S. broadcaster CBS in an interview that aired on October 18 that he is determined to go back in a couple of months and take up his work fighting corruption where he left off.
Navalny spoke with the CBS News program 60 Minutes in Berlin, where he is recovering from a poisoning in August with a toxic chemical belonging to the Novichok group.
He said he goes to rehab every day and still feels “a little wooden…because the body lost all flexibility.”
Navalny also said that he believes he was exposed to the poison by touching a bottle. The nerve agent was not inside the bottle, but on it, he said.
Navalny's team said last month that a water bottle removed from his hotel room in the city of Tomsk after he fell ill had been taken to Germany and found to have traces of the nerve agent.
Asset Freezes, Travel Bans
Last week the European Union and Britain moved to impose asset freezes and travel bans against six senior Russian officials and one entity for "attempted assassination" in connection with the poisoning.
The EU Official Journal on October 15 published the names of the targeted individuals believed to be responsible for the poisoning that nearly took Navalny’s life, as well as the entity involved in the program that has produced a group of military-grade nerve agents known as Novichok.
The officials include Aleksandr Bortnikov, the head of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), two deputy defense ministers, Aleksei Kirivoruchko and Pavel Popov, Andrei Yarin and Sergei Kiriyenko of the presidential office, as well as Sergei Menyailo, President Vladimir Putin’s envoy to the Siberian Federal District.
The targeted organization is the State Research Institute of Organic Chemistry and Technology, which was responsible for developing the Novichok nerve agents during the Soviet era.
Navalny acknowledged that France and Germany led the charge to take action against the officials and the organization, adding that he has “noticed” that the United States has not taken similar steps and indicating that it should.
“I think it’s extremely important that everyone, of course including and maybe in the first role, [the] president of the United States to be very against using chemical weapons” in the 21st century, he said.
Navalny, a fierce critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin and prominent anti-corruption campaigner, reiterated that he is sure Putin was responsible for the poisoning.
“I think for Putin why he is using this chemical weapon is to do both -- kill me and terrify others,” Navalny said.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said the accusations that Putin was responsible are baseless and unacceptable.
Peskov also called the EU and British asset freezes and travel bans a “deliberate unfriendly step toward Russia” that will harm relations with Moscow and prompt retaliation.
Navalny said since the poisoning he does not feel any fear, but he fears for his family. Asked about the psychological effect, Navalny said it might be “very useful” for politicians to face death once.
“I became more human after facing death,” he said.
Navalny was released from a Berlin hospital on September 22 after spending 32 days in the clinic. He is still under the protection of the German government because there is concern that he could be the target of another poisoning, according to CBS.
Russian authorities have firmly denied allegations of involvement, resisted international pressure to launch a criminal investigation, and accused Western leaders of launching a disinformation campaign over Navalny's illness.
Based on reporting by CBS News


rferl--2020-10-18--Belarusian Protesters Brave Live Ammunition Threat

Thousands joined a peaceful anti-government march in the Belarusian capital , Minsk , on October 18 despite a recent threat @ @ @ @ @ weapons against protesters .
Demonstrations have been ongoing in Belarus since authoritarian leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka @ @ @ @ @ the August 9 presidential election , a vote that the EU and the United States @ @ @ @ @

Thousands joined a peaceful anti-government march in the Belarusian capital, Minsk, on October 18 despite a recent threat by authorities to use lethal weapons against protesters. Demonstrations have been ongoing in Belarus since authoritarian leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka claimed a landslide victory in the August 9 presidential election, a vote that the EU and the United States have refused to recognize.


rferl--2020-10-18--Deadly Car Bombing Shakes Afghan Provincial Center

A vehicle laden with explosives detonated outside government buildings in the city of Firoz Koh , the capital of Afghanistan @ @ @ @ @ October 18 .
More than a dozen people were killed and at least 100 wounded @ @ @ @ @ authorities believe the Taliban was behind the blast .

A vehicle laden with explosives detonated outside government buildings in the city of Firoz Koh, the capital of Afghanistan's Ghor Province, on October 18. More than a dozen people were killed and at least 100 wounded in the attack. Afghan authorities believe the Taliban was behind the blast.


rferl--2020-10-18--U.S. Threatens Sanctions On Iranian Arms Sales As Tehran Says Embargo Lifted

The United States has threatened to sanction any individual or entity selling conventional weapons to Iran , hours after Tehran claimed that a UN embargo on such sales had been lifted .
According to a 2015 landmark nuclear deal , world powers had agreed to lift the UN embargo on Iran effective October 18 , 2020 , if Tehran abided by its terms .
However , the United States , which withdrew from the deal in 2018 , claimed last month that Iran had violated its terms , triggering a reimposition of the embargo .
“ The United States is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sanction any individual or entity that materially contributes to the supply , sale , or transfer of conventional arms to or from Iran , as well as those who provide technical training , financial support , and services , and other assistance related to these arms , ” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement on October 18 .
The Iranian Foreign Ministry announced in a statement earlier in the day that the ban had been lifted , saying “ all restrictions on the transfer of arms , related activities , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Islamic Republic of Iran ... are all automatically terminated.
” The embargo prevented Iran from purchasing conventional weapons such as tanks , combat aircraft , and heavy artillery .
Pompeo said that providing conventional arms to Iran would only “ aggravate tensions ” in the Middle East .
U.S. sanctions are a powerful deterrent because they freeze any assets held by an individual or entity in the United States and essentially cut them off from Western banking services .
Iran last week celebrated the lifting of the embargo .
On October 14 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years of unjust arms sanctions will end on October 18 . ''
Rohani said that , from that day on , `` we will be able to sell our arms to anyone we choose and we can purchase arms from anyone we choose . ''
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif called the lifting of the embargo a “ momentous day ” for the international community .
`` Today 's normalization of Iran ’ s defense cooperation with the world is a win for the cause of multilateralism and peace and security in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Twitter .


rferl--2020-10-18--Belarusian Police Detain More Than 90 As Protests Enter 11th Week

MINSK -- Belarusian police detained more than 90 people during the latest rally to demand that authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka step down as a political standoff enters its 11th week .
At least 77 people were arrested in the capital , Minsk , during the rally on October 18 , the Vyasna rights group reported .
The rest were detained in regional cities , the group said .
Thousands of citizens peacefully marched through the center of Minsk on a cool , overcast day carrying the banned red-and-white flag of the opposition .
“ Look out the window .
Stop @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a reference to state-controlled media downplaying the size and peaceful nature of the rallies .
The protesters also called for Lukashenka ’ s arrest .
“ Lukashenka in a paddy wagon !
” they shouted .
The authorities deployed armored vehicles and water cannons in Minsk and blocked roads .
The October 18 rally attracted a smaller crowd than in previous weeks .
In the days leading up to the rally , Belarus 's First Deputy Interior Minister Gennady Kazakevich threatened to use “ lethal weapons if need be ” on protesters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the authorities have called illegal .
Kazakevich claimed that protesters had become `` extremely radical . ''
His statement was the first time Belarusian authorities have explicitly threatened to use firearms against opposition demonstrators .
He did not carry out his threat .
Belarus has been rocked by protests since Lukashenka , in power since 1994 , was declared the winner of the country ’ s August 9 election amid allegations of widespread vote-rigging .
The protesters are calling for Lukashenka to step down and for new elections to be held .
Lukashenka @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as he had in the past with harassments , arrests , and police brutality .
More than 12,000 Belarusians have been detained and hundreds tortured during protests over the ensuing weeks .
His top rival , Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya , was forced to flee to Lithuania amid threats to her and her family .
Supporters and others say she was the real winner of the August 9 vote .
However , the authorities have been unable to stamp out the movement and a stalemate has ensued .
The EU and United States have refused @ @ @ @ @ @ @ abrupt inauguration ceremony last month , as the legitimate ruler of Belarus .
Tsikhanouskaya and her supporters have stepped up their pressure this week as she called on Lukashenka to step down by October 25 or face a nationwide strike .
Lukashenka has lost the support of many state workers , long considered his base , as the economy has struggled under his rule in recent years .


rferl--2020-10-18--Car Bombing Kills At Least 14, Wounds Scores In Afghanistan

More than a dozen people have been killed and more than 100 wounded after a car bomb was set off outside a local police headquarters in Ghor in central Afghanistan .
Omar Lalzad , director of Ghor Central Hospital , told RFE/RL that at least 14 people were dead and 119 injured from the October 18 blast , the latest act of deadly violence in the war-torn country .
The Ghor police chief told RFE/RL that 35 Afghan security personnel were among the wounded .
He said all the other victims were Afghan civilians .
The governor 's office in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Taliban was behind the blast .
A Taliban spokesman in the region told RFE/RL that he could not immediately confirm if the militant organization was responsible .
The bomb blast comes as Taliban and Afghan government negotiators are meeting in the Qatari capital , Doha , to negotiate an end to 19 years of war in the country .
The two sides have carried out several deadly attacks against each other since peace talks got under way last month .
Interior Ministry spokesman Tariq Arian said a car laden with explosives detonated in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ghor Province , around 11 a.m. on October 18 .
Arian said the car detonated near the entrance of the Ghor police headquarters .
Other government buildings are located in the vicinity .
Mohammad Nasrat , a doctor at Ghor ’ s central hospital , said many of the wounded were in critical condition .
He expected the death toll to rise .
Lalzad said a team of doctors from neighboring Herat Province has been sent to Firoz Koh to assist with the injured .
Ghor , a mountainous and remote province in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one of the most impoverished and unstable regions of the country .
The provincial government 's power extends little beyond Firoz Koh .
The Taliban has refused to observe a nationwide cease-fire despite the ongoing peace talks , which kicked off on September 12 .
On October 16 , the Taliban agreed to suspend attacks in southern Afghanistan that had displaced thousands of people in recent days .
It came after Washington vowed to stop all air strikes and night raids in accordance with a bilateral agreement the United States signed with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had been conducting air strikes in support of Afghan forces that were attempting to repel a Taliban offensive in Helmand Province , which threatened to derail efforts to end Afghanistan ’ s war .
The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan has documented more than 1,280 Afghan civilian deaths during the first half of 2020 -- mainly as a result of fighting between Afghan government forces and Taliban militants .
With reporting by AP and AFP


rferl--2020-10-19--Another Top Kazakh Health Official Resigns Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

ALMATY , Kazakhstan -- Another top health official in Kazakhstan has resigned as the country continues to lead Central Asian @ @ @ @ @ .
Authorities in Kazakhstan 's largest city , Almaty , said on October 19 that @ @ @ @ @ chief , Kamalzhan Nadirov , had resigned `` on his own . ''
Nadirov was @ @ @ @ @ June in the wake of the pandemic .
Before that , he had served as @ @ @ @ @ The biggest number of coronavirus cases in Kazakhstan , almost 15,000 , has been registered @ @ @ @ @ to slow the spread of the coronavirus were introduced in Kazakhstan in mid-March , the @ @ @ @ @ once and the sanitary inspector-general has been replaced twice .
Many in Kazakhstan have criticized @ @ @ @ @ health officials instead of implementing efficient measures to tackle the pandemic .
As of October @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus cases in the nation of 18 million was more than 109,500 , including 1,768 @ @ @ @ @ individuals have recovered .

ALMATY, Kazakhstan -- Another top health official in Kazakhstan has resigned as the country continues to lead Central Asian nations with registered coronavirus cases.
Authorities in Kazakhstan's largest city, Almaty, said on October 19 that the city's health department chief, Kamalzhan Nadirov, had resigned "on his own."
Nadirov was appointed to the post in June in the wake of the pandemic. Before that, he had served as a deputy health minister.
The biggest number of coronavirus cases in Kazakhstan, almost 15,000, has been registered in Almaty.
Since measures to slow the spread of the coronavirus were introduced in Kazakhstan in mid-March, the health minister has been replaced once and the sanitary inspector-general has been replaced twice.
Many in Kazakhstan have criticized the government for frequently reshuffling health officials instead of implementing efficient measures to tackle the pandemic.
As of October 19, the number of coronavirus cases in the nation of 18 million was more than 109,500, including 1,768 deaths. More than 105,000 individuals have recovered.


rferl--2020-10-19--Former Russian Arctic City Mayor Sentenced For Negligence Over Fuel Spill

KRASNOYARSK , Russia -- Rinat Akhmetchin , the mayor of the Russian Arctic city of Norilsk , has been sentenced to six months of correctional work and docked 15 percent of his salary after he pleaded guilty to negligence charges over his response to a spill that dumped thousands of tons of diesel fuel into local waterways in late May .
Krasnoyarsk Krai regional court spokeswoman Olga Vesyolova told RFE/RL that Akhmetchin was sentenced on October 19 , three days after his trial began .
Akhmetchin , who had been Norilsk 's mayor since September 2017 , resigned from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Committee opened a probe against the 55-year-old in June after 21,000 tons of diesel leaked from a tank at the power plant near Norilsk on May 29 .
Akhmetchin was accused of failing to coordinate and organize emergency measures to contain and control fallout from the leakage .
The power plant is owned by a subsidiary of Norilsk Nickel , the world 's leading nickel and palladium producer , which said the leak was caused when pillars supporting a storage tank sank due to thawing permafrost soil .
The Prosecutor-General 's Office has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ground helped trigger the disaster .
Four managers at the power station were arrested on suspicion of violating environmental-protection rules .
They are suspected of having continued to use an unsafe fuel-storage tank that had needed repairs since 2018 .
President Vladimir Putin ordered a state of emergency after the extent of the spill became known and Norilsk Nickel has since promised to pay for the costs of the cleanup , estimated at 10 billion rubles ( $ 145 million ) .
Norilsk Nickel is owned by Russia ’ s richest man , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that management hushed up and downplayed the scale of the disaster for at least two days .

KRASNOYARSK, Russia -- Rinat Akhmetchin, the mayor of the Russian Arctic city of Norilsk, has been sentenced to six months of correctional work and docked 15 percent of his salary after he pleaded guilty to negligence charges over his response to a spill that dumped thousands of tons of diesel fuel into local waterways in late May.
Krasnoyarsk Krai regional court spokeswoman Olga Vesyolova told RFE/RL that Akhmetchin was sentenced on October 19, three days after his trial began.
Akhmetchin, who had been Norilsk's mayor since September 2017, resigned from the post in July.
Russia's Investigative Committee opened a probe against the 55-year-old in June after 21,000 tons of diesel leaked from a tank at the power plant near Norilsk on May 29.
Akhmetchin was accused of failing to coordinate and organize emergency measures to contain and control fallout from the leakage.
The power plant is owned by a subsidiary of Norilsk Nickel, the world's leading nickel and palladium producer, which said the leak was caused when pillars supporting a storage tank sank due to thawing permafrost soil.
The Prosecutor-General's Office has also issued preliminary findings revealing that sagging ground helped trigger the disaster.
Four managers at the power station were arrested on suspicion of violating environmental-protection rules.
They are suspected of having continued to use an unsafe fuel-storage tank that had needed repairs since 2018.
President Vladimir Putin ordered a state of emergency after the extent of the spill became known and Norilsk Nickel has since promised to pay for the costs of the cleanup, estimated at 10 billion rubles ($145 million).
Norilsk Nickel is owned by Russia’s richest man, Vladimir Potanin. The company denies allegations that management hushed up and downplayed the scale of the disaster for at least two days.


rferl--2020-10-19--Acting Kyrgyz President Japarov Says Changes To Constitution Could Clear Way For Him To Run

BISHKEK -- Kyrgyzstan 's acting President Sadyr Japarov says he will run for president in an upcoming election if lawmakers approve constitutional amendments to allow it .
`` Currently , parliament is working on changes to be introduced to the law on presidential and parliamentary elections .
If such amendments allow me to take part in the [ presidential ] election I will go for it .
But , it is early to talk about it now , the decision on that issue is pending , '' Japarov , who also became the country 's prime minister last week , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ interview that was aired on October 19 .
The constitution forbids a person serving as an acting or interim president from taking part in a presidential election .
Changing the constitution could require a national referendum .
Japarov , a former nationalist lawmaker and who was convicted of kidnapping a political rival , was elected by lawmakers on October 14 to the post of prime minister after days of uncertainty and political crisis amid a backlash over disputed elections that led to the resignation of President Sooronbai Jeenbekov and other senior officials .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ streets across the country demanding Jeenbekov 's resignation and new elections to rerun the October 4 voting that they insisted was marred by massive vote fraud .
It was the third popular revolt to topple a president in Kyrgyzstan since 2005 .
On October 16 , Kyrgyz lawmakers handed temporary presidential powers to Japarov until an early presidential election , which is most likely to be held in January 2021 .
Once in power , one of Japarov 's first moves was to appoint a former emergency situations minister , Kamchybek Tashiev , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ National Security ( UKMK ) .
Tashiev pledged to launch an investigation of the customs agency and its former deputy chief , Raimbek Matraimov , Matraimov is one of three brothers from what is rumored to be one of the wealthiest and most-powerful families in Kyrgyzstan .
In June , an investigation by RFE/RL , the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project , and the news siite Kloop found that Matraimov for years had enabled and profited massively from a smuggling empire run by a secretive Uyghur family and used some of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's press service told RFE/RL on October 19 that the agency ’ s investigations had identified 40 persons who are suspected in taking part in Matraimov-led corruption schemes .

BISHKEK -- Kyrgyzstan's acting President Sadyr Japarov says he will run for president in an upcoming election if lawmakers approve constitutional amendments to allow it.
"Currently, parliament is working on changes to be introduced to the law on presidential and parliamentary elections. If such amendments allow me to take part in the [presidential] election I will go for it. But, it is early to talk about it now, the decision on that issue is pending," Japarov, who also became the country's prime minister last week, told the Rossia-24 television channel in an interview that was aired on October 19.
The constitution forbids a person serving as an acting or interim president from taking part in a presidential election. Changing the constitution could require a national referendum.
Japarov, a former nationalist lawmaker and who was convicted of kidnapping a political rival, was elected by lawmakers on October 14 to the post of prime minister after days of uncertainty and political crisis amid a backlash over disputed elections that led to the resignation of President Sooronbai Jeenbekov and other senior officials.
Thousands of demonstrators had taken to the streets across the country demanding Jeenbekov's resignation and new elections to rerun the October 4 voting that they insisted was marred by massive vote fraud. It was the third popular revolt to topple a president in Kyrgyzstan since 2005.
On October 16, Kyrgyz lawmakers handed temporary presidential powers to Japarov until an early presidential election, which is most likely to be held in January 2021.
Once in power, one of Japarov's first moves was to appoint a former emergency situations minister, Kamchybek Tashiev, to lead the powerful State Committee of National Security (UKMK).
Tashiev pledged to launch an investigation of the customs agency and its former deputy chief, Raimbek Matraimov,
Matraimov is one of three brothers from what is rumored to be one of the wealthiest and most-powerful families in Kyrgyzstan.
In June, an investigation by RFE/RL, the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, and the news siite Kloop found that Matraimov for years had enabled and profited massively from a smuggling empire run by a secretive Uyghur family and used some of the proceeds to buy influence.
The UKMK's press service told RFE/RL on October 19 that the agency’s investigations had identified 40 persons who are suspected in taking part in Matraimov-led corruption schemes.


rferl--2020-10-19--Belarusian-American Political Strategist Shkliarov Transferred To House Arrest

MINSK -- Jailed Belarusian-American political strategist Vitali Shkliarov has been transferred from a Minsk detention center to house arrest .
Belarusian political analyst Yury Vaskrasenski and Shkliarov 's lawyer Anton Hashynski confirmed the move on October 19 .
Shkliarov ’ s detention by Belarusian security agents in late July has angered U.S. government officials , who have called his jailing `` unjust . ''
Shkliarov , who has worked on political campaigns for former President Barack Obama and Senator Bernie Sanders in the United States , and for the Russian socialite Ksenia Sobchak , was arrested in his native city @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 29 , 10 days before Belarus held its presidential election .
He has said he was visiting his parents on the trip , but law enforcement officials have asserted he was trying to assist blogger Syarhey Tsikhanouski register as a candidate in the election .
Tsikhanouski himself was detained prior to the election ; his wife Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya then stood in his place and has since become a leading Belarusian opposition activist .
The official results of the election that handed victory to incumbent Alyaksandr Lukashenka , who has been in power since @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been contested by Tsikhanouskaya , whose supporters and opposition figures claim she won the vote .
The European Union and the United States have refused to recognize Lukashenka as the legitimate president of Belarus , criticizing the election as fraudulent .
Shkliarov was among several other individuals jailed before the election , with whom Lukashenka met on October 10 .
In recent days , several opposition activists , with whom Lukashenka met , have either been transferred to house arrest or released and ordered not to leave Minsk .

MINSK -- Jailed Belarusian-American political strategist Vitali Shkliarov has been transferred from a Minsk detention center to house arrest.
Belarusian political analyst Yury Vaskrasenski and Shkliarov's lawyer Anton Hashynski confirmed the move on October 19.
Shkliarov’s detention by Belarusian security agents in late July has angered U.S. government officials, who have called his jailing "unjust."
Shkliarov, who has worked on political campaigns for former President Barack Obama and Senator Bernie Sanders in the United States, and for the Russian socialite Ksenia Sobchak, was arrested in his native city of Homel in southeastern Belarus on July 29, less than two weeks before the country's August 9 presidential election.
He has said he was visiting his parents on the trip, but law enforcement officials have asserted he was trying to assist blogger Syarhey Tsikhanouski register as a candidate in the election. Tsikhanouski himself was detained prior to the election; his wife Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya then stood in his place and has since become a leading Belarusian opposition activist.
The official results of the election that handed victory to incumbent Alyaksandr Lukashenka, who has been in power since 1994, have sparked mass protests and have been contested by Tsikhanouskaya, whose supporters and opposition figures claim she won the vote.
The European Union and the United States have refused to recognize Lukashenka as the legitimate president of Belarus, criticizing the election as fraudulent.
Shkliarov was among several other individuals jailed before the election, with whom Lukashenka met on October 10.
In recent days, several opposition activists, with whom Lukashenka met, have either been transferred to house arrest or released and ordered not to leave Minsk.


rferl--2020-10-19--Armenia, Azerbaijan Accuse Each Other Of Shelling Despite Cease-Fire Agreement

BAKU/YEREVAN -- A new cease-fire aimed at stopping the fighting over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh appears to be in jeopardy , with ethnic Armenian forces and Azerbaijan accusing each other of renewed shelling .
The United Nations Security Council is set to hold closed consultations on the situation at a meeting on October 19 after UN chief Antonio Guterres called on both sides to respect the truce and condemned attacks on civilians in the fighting .
The truce , which was announced October 17 was the second attempt to establish a cease-fire since heavy fighting erupted in the region @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by Russia a week earlier had failed to halt the worst fighting in the South Caucasus since the 1990s , which has killed hundreds of soldiers and civilians .
On October 19 , officials in Nagorno-Karabakh said Azerbaijani forces were shelling their positions in northern and southern areas of the Line Of Contact that divides them .
The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said Armenian forces had shelled its positions in the Goranboy , Tartar , and Aghdam regions of Azerbaijan overnight and the Aghjabedi region was being shelled on the morning of October 19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Josep Borrell , the EU 's top diplomat , called the ministers of foreign affairs of both nations on October 18 to condemn the continued fighting and urge them to stick to the cease-fire .
The fighting `` leads to more civilian suffering .
It aggravates the conflict between States and respective societies , rendering the healing of wounds even more difficult , '' Borrell said in a statement published after his calls .
Internationally recognized as part of mainly Muslin Azerbaijan , the mountainous Nagorno-Karabakh territory has been controlled by mainly Christian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ since the 1994 halt in fighting .
The latest violence has stoked fears that the fighting could engulf the region in a wider conflict involving Azerbaijan 's closest ally , Turkey , and Russia , which dominates the Collective Security Treaty Organization , which Armenia is a member of .
There has been no confirmed death toll from the current hostilities , but both sides appear to have suffered casualties .
Authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh said on October 18 that they had recorded another 40 casualties among its forces , pushing the military death @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Azerbaijan has not released any military casualty figures .
Armenia and Azerbaijan posted identical statements on their respective Foreign Ministry websites when they agreed on the new cease-fire .
The statements said the decision was made following statements earlier this month from the presidents of France , Russia , and the United States , representing the co-chair countries of the Minsk Group of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe ( OSCE ) .
The Minsk Group is a diplomatic initiative aimed at trying to resolve the conflict , which dates @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Soviet Union .
Baku and Yerevan last week each claimed gains in the fighting in and around the territory , which was populated by around 150,000 ethnic Armenians prior to this round of violence .
With reporting by Reuters , AFP , AP , dpa , and Interfax

BAKU/YEREVAN -- A new cease-fire aimed at stopping the fighting over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh appears to be in jeopardy, with ethnic Armenian forces and Azerbaijan accusing each other of renewed shelling.
The United Nations Security Council is set to hold closed consultations on the situation at a meeting on October 19 after UN chief Antonio Guterres called on both sides to respect the truce and condemned attacks on civilians in the fighting.
The truce announced on October 17 was the second attempt to establish a cease-fire since heavy fighting erupted in the region on September 27.
A deal brokered by Russia a week earlier had failed to halt the worst fighting in the South Caucasus since the 1990s, which has killed hundreds of soldiers and civilians.
On October 19, officials in Nagorno-Karabakh said Azerbaijani forces were shelling their positions in northern and southern areas of the Line Of Contact that divides them.
The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said Armenian forces had shelled its positions in the Goranboy, Tartar, and Agdam regions of Azerbaijan overnight and the Agcabadi region was being shelled on the morning of October 19.
President Ilham Aliyev said that Azerbaijani forces had taken control over 13 villages in the Cabrayil region near the Iranian border.
The previous day he announced the capture of the 11th-century Khudaferin bridge over the Aras River between Azerbaijan and Iran.
The reports came a day after Josep Borrell, the EU's top diplomat, called the foreign ministers of both countries on October 18 to condemn the continued fighting and urge them to stick to the cease-fire.
The fighting "leads to more civilian suffering. It aggravates the conflict between States and respective societies, rendering the healing of wounds even more difficult," Borrell said in a statement published after his calls.
Internationally recognized as part of mainly Muslim Azerbaijan, the mountainous Nagorno-Karabakh territory has been controlled by mainly Christian ethnic Armenians, backed by Yerevan, since the 1994 halt in fighting.
The latest violence has stoked fears that the fighting could engulf the region in a wider conflict involving Azerbaijan's closest ally, Turkey, and Russia, which dominates the Collective Security Treaty Organization, which Armenia is a member of.
There has been no confirmed death toll from the current hostilities, but both sides appear to have suffered casualties.
Authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh said on October 18 that they had recorded another 40 casualties among its forces, pushing the military death toll to 673 since the fighting erupted.
Azerbaijan has not released any military casualty figures.
Armenia and Azerbaijan posted identical statements on their respective Foreign Ministry websites when they agreed on the new cease-fire.
The statements said the decision was made following statements earlier this month from the presidents of France, Russia, and the United States, representing the co-chair countries of the Minsk Group of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
The Minsk Group is a diplomatic initiative aimed at trying to resolve the conflict, which dates to 1988 in the waning days of the Soviet Union.
Baku and Yerevan last week each claimed gains in the fighting in and around the territory, which was populated by around 150,000 ethnic Armenians prior to this round of violence.
With reporting by Reuters, AFP, AP, dpa, and Interfax


rferl--2020-10-19--Speaking Up For The Belarusian Language Amid Anti-Government Protests

Amid ongoing protests following a presidential election widely seen as rigged , many Belarusians are showing a renewed interest in @ @ @ @ @ .
Belarusian is an official language of the country alongside Russian , but it is @ @ @ @ @ minority of the people .
Activists blame this on intensified Russification under the 26-year-rule of @ @ @

Amid ongoing protests following a presidential election widely seen as rigged, many Belarusians are showing a renewed interest in their native language and culture. Belarusian is an official language of the country alongside Russian, but it is only actively used by a minority of the people. Activists blame this on intensified Russification under the 26-year-rule of Alyaksandr Lukashenka.


rferl--2020-10-19--Two Ethnic Kazakhs From Xinjiang Obtain Rare Temporary Refugee Status In Kazakhstan

ASTANA -- In a rare occurrence , two ethnic-Kazakh men from China 's northwestern region of Xinjiang who were convicted of illegally crossing the border a year ago have obtained temporary refugee status in Kazakhstan .
Abdulla Baqbergen , a lawyer for Murager Alimuly and Qaster Musakhanuly , told RFE/RL over the weekend that the Aqmola region 's migration commission granted his clients refugee status for one year .
Alimuly and Musakhanuly told RFE/RL afterwards that they are satisfied with the commission 's decision but hope that their status will be extended down the road .
In January , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Zaisan near Chinese border handed one-year prison sentences to the two men for illegally entering the country , but allowed them to stay in Kazakhstan saying that they may face persecution back in Xinjiang .
The court also ruled that each day the two men spent in pretrial detention since October 2019 counts as two prison days , making them eligible for release in less than six months .
They were both released in May and since then were trying to obtain refugee status in Kazakhstan .
The 26-year-old Alimuly testified at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Xinjiang for questioning and faced incarceration at a Chinese `` reeducation camp . ''
Musakhanuly , 31 , said he previously had spent five years in such a camp in Xinjiang .
In September last year , he said , he was told by Chinese authorities that he would be sent back to one of the camps .
In January , another Kazakh court in the southwestern town of Zharkent decided that another ethnic-Kazakh man from Xinjiang , Tilek Tabarikuly , would not be deported to China after being charged with illegal border-crossing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ send him back to China and testified that he had to flee even though it meant illegally crossing the border because he feared he would be treated harshly by Chinese authorities and because his parents were waiting for him in Kazakhstan .
The United Nations has estimated that 1 million Uyghurs and members of other mostly Muslim indigenous ethnic groups in Xinjiang were being held in `` counterextremism centers . ''
The UN said millions more had been forced into reeducation camps .
China denies that the facilities are internment camps .
Those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in recent years to cross the border illegally in fear of staying in China .
Kazakhs are the second-largest Turkic-speaking indigenous community in Xinjiang after Uyghurs .
The region is also home to ethnic Kyrgyz , Tajiks , and Hui , also known as Dungans .
Han , China 's largest ethnicity , are the second-largest community in Xinjiang .

ASTANA -- In a rare occurrence, two ethnic-Kazakh men from China's northwestern region of Xinjiang who were convicted of illegally crossing the border a year ago have obtained temporary refugee status in Kazakhstan.
Abdulla Baqbergen, a lawyer for Murager Alimuly and Qaster Musakhanuly, told RFE/RL over the weekend that the Aqmola region's migration commission granted his clients refugee status for one year.
Alimuly and Musakhanuly told RFE/RL afterwards that they are satisfied with the commission's decision but hope that their status will be extended down the road.
In January, a court in the far eastern town of Zaisan near Chinese border handed one-year prison sentences to the two men for illegally entering the country, but allowed them to stay in Kazakhstan saying that they may face persecution back in Xinjiang.
The court also ruled that each day the two men spent in pretrial detention since October 2019 counts as two prison days, making them eligible for release in less than six months. They were both released in May and since then were trying to obtain refugee status in Kazakhstan.
The 26-year-old Alimuly testified at the hearing that he had been detained in Xinjiang for questioning and faced incarceration at a Chinese "reeducation camp."
Musakhanuly, 31, said he previously had spent five years in such a camp in Xinjiang. In September last year, he said, he was told by Chinese authorities that he would be sent back to one of the camps.
In January, another Kazakh court in the southwestern town of Zharkent decided that another ethnic-Kazakh man from Xinjiang, Tilek Tabarikuly, would not be deported to China after being charged with illegal border-crossing.
Tabarikuly asked the court not to send him back to China and testified that he had to flee even though it meant illegally crossing the border because he feared he would be treated harshly by Chinese authorities and because his parents were waiting for him in Kazakhstan.
The United Nations has estimated that 1 million Uyghurs and members of other mostly Muslim indigenous ethnic groups in Xinjiang were being held in "counterextremism centers."
The UN said millions more had been forced into reeducation camps. China denies that the facilities are internment camps.
Those conditions have prompted many ethnic-Kazakhs from Xinjiang in recent years to cross the border illegally in fear of staying in China.
Kazakhs are the second-largest Turkic-speaking indigenous community in Xinjiang after Uyghurs. The region is also home to ethnic Kyrgyz, Tajiks, and Hui, also known as Dungans. Han, China's largest ethnicity, are the second-largest community in Xinjiang.


rferl--2020-10-19--Marchers Keep Up Pressure For Lukashenka's Resignation As Opposition Ultimatum Looms

Tens of thousands of people marched in Minsk and other cities in Belarus despite a threat from the Interior Ministry of the use of deadly force as protesters kept up their demand for the ouster of authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka .
Authorities deployed military trucks and water cannons in Minsk but police largely refrained from using them to quell the October 18 march .
At least 200 people were arrested in Minsk , the Vyasna rights group reported .
About 30 more were detained in regional cities , the group said .
Interior Ministry spokeswoman Volha Chemodanova told AFP that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a warning to protesters who threw stones at police .
In the days leading up to the rally , Belarusian First Deputy Interior Minister Henadz Kazakevich threatened to use “ lethal weapons if need be ” on protesters to break up the demonstrations , which the authorities have called illegal .
Kazakevich claimed that protesters had become `` extremely radical . ''
His statement was the first time Belarusian authorities have explicitly threatened to use firearms against opposition demonstrators .
He did not carry out his threat .
Belarus has been rocked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ since 1994 , was declared the winner of the country ’ s August 9 election amid allegations of widespread vote rigging .
More than 12,000 Belarusians have been detained and hundreds tortured during protests over the ensuing weeks .
However , the authorities have been unable to stamp out the movement and a stalemate has ensued .
The Minsk marchers peacefully made their way down one of Minsk 's main avenues , where plants and factories are located , on the cool , overcast day waving the banned red-and-white flag of the opposition @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stop watching TV , ” the protesters chanted , a reference to state-controlled media downplaying the size and peaceful nature of the rallies .
The protesters also called for Lukashenka ’ s arrest and chanted “ Strike !
” and “ The workers are with the people.
” Opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya and her supporters have stepped up their pressure by setting October 25 as the date for Lukashenka to step down or face a nationwide strike .
Lukashenka has lost the support of many state workers , long considered his base , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rule in recent years .
In an interview with RFE/RL published on October 16 , Tsikhanouskaya , who was forced to flee to Lithuania after the election , which her supporters and others say she won , said that the decision to announce the so-called `` People ’ s Ultimatum '' was not made solely by her , but by opposition groups , including her team , the opposition Coordination Council , opposition political parties , protest groups , representatives of striking workers , and Belarusian citizens who were beaten and tortured by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The ultimatum was pushed forward by people , I just announced it to make it public , ” said Tsikhanouskaya , who could face up to five years in prison in Belarus if detained and found guilty .
Tsikhanouskaya added that even “ many ” officers in law enforcement are seeking help from opposition groups to take their families out of Belarus in order to be able to openly refuse to take part in beatings and violently dispersing protest across the country .
With reporting by AP and AFP

MINSK -- Several thousand retirees marched through the streets of the Belarusian capital as protesters kept up their demand for the ouster of authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka.
The participants in a so-called March of Wisdom in Minsk on October 19 chanted for Lukashenka to "Go away!" following a presidential election in August that the opposition and the West say was rigged.
Pro-Lukashenka pensioners also rallied in the city, many of them men in military and security forces uniforms, with banners with slogans such as "For peace, prosperity, and traditional values."
The previous day, tens of thousands of protesters marched in Minsk and other cities despite a threat from the Interior Ministry to use deadly force.
Interior Ministry spokeswoman Volha Chemodanova said on October 19 that police detained 280 people for violating the law on mass events, including 215 in the capital, Minsk.
Of those, 237 remain in custody pending a court appearance, she wrote on her Telegram channel.
The authorities deployed military trucks and water cannons in Minsk but police largely refrained from using them to quell the October 18 march.
Chemodanova earlier told AFP that members of law enforcement fired rubber bullets as a warning to protesters who threw stones at police.
In the days leading up to the rally, First Deputy Interior Minister Henadz Kazakevich threatened to use "lethal weapons if need be" on protesters to break up the demonstrations, which the authorities have called illegal.
Kazakevich claimed that protesters had become "extremely radical."
His statement was the first time Belarusian authorities have explicitly threatened to use firearms against opposition demonstrators. He did not carry out his threat.
Belarus has been rocked by protests since Lukashenka, in power since 1994, was declared the winner of the August 9 presidential election amid allegations of widespread vote rigging.
More than 12,000 Belarusians have been detained and hundreds tortured during protests over the ensuing weeks.
However, the authorities have been unable to stamp out the movement and a stalemate has ensued.
The Minsk marchers peacefully made their way down one of Minsk's main avenues, where plants and factories are located, on the cool, overcast day waving the banned red-and-white flag of the opposition.
"Look out the window, stop watching TV," the protesters chanted, a reference to state-controlled media downplaying the size and peaceful nature of the rallies.
The protesters also called for Lukashenka's arrest and chanted "Strike!" and "The workers are with the people."
Opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya and her supporters have stepped up their pressure by setting October 25 as the date for Lukashenka to step down or face a nationwide strike.
Lukashenka has lost the support of many state workers, long considered his base, as the economy has struggled under his rule in recent years.
In an interview with RFE/RL published on October 16, Tsikhanouskaya -- who was forced to flee to Lithuania after the election that her supporters and others say she won -- said that the decision to announce the so-called "People's Ultimatum" was not made solely by her, but by opposition groups, including her team, the opposition Coordination Council, opposition political parties, protest groups, representatives of striking workers, and Belarusian citizens who were beaten and tortured by law enforcement in recent months.
"The ultimatum was pushed forward by people, I just announced it to make it public," said Tsikhanouskaya, who could face up to five years in prison in Belarus if detained and found guilty.
Tsikhanouskaya added that even "many" officers in law enforcement were seeking help from opposition groups to take their families out of Belarus in order to be able to openly refuse to take part in beatings and violently dispersing protesters across the country.
With reporting by AP and AFP