rferl--2020-09-10--Belarus Opposition Figure Says She Was Threatened With Death On Expulsion Attempt

Belarusian opposition leader Maryya Kalesnikava has said in a court filing that security officers placed a bag over her head and said they would kill her as they tried to force her out of the country .
Kalesnikava 's lawyer , Lyudmila Kazak , said on September 10 that the opposition figure filed a complaint over the incident and was seeking legal action against the authorities , including the Belarusian KGB , over her treatment .
The 38-year-old has become a prominent leader of protests demanding the resignation of Alyaksandr Lukashenka following the August 9 presidential election that the opposition @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the vote .
She was snatched from the streets of Minsk on September 7 by masked men along with two staffers .
The three were driven early on September 8 to the border , where they were told to cross into Ukraine .
Security officers reportedly failed to deport Kalesnikava because she ripped her passport into small pieces after they arrived in a no-man 's land between Belarus and Ukraine .
The other two people with her , the opposition Coordinating Council press secretary , Anton Randyonkau , and executive secretary , Ivan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ believed to be in Ukraine .
The Minsk-based Vyasna ( Spring ) human rights center on September 10 published a joint statement by 12 human rights watchdogs based in Belarus recognizing Kalesnikava and two associates also being detained as political prisoners and demanding their immediate release from custody .
`` We are confident that criminal prosecution of M. Kalesnikava , M. Znak , and I. Saley is of a politically motivated character and has been organized with the aim of stopping their legal activities or to change their goals , '' the statement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we recognize Maryya Kalesnikava , Maksim Znak , and Illya Saley as political prisoners and demand [ their ] immediate release and closure of the criminal investigations launched against them . ''
The Belarusian Investigative Committee has said Kalesnikava , Saley , and Znak were all arrested on suspicion of calling for a seizure of power .
Lukashenka , who has led the country for 26 years and claimed victory in the disputed presidential election , has refused to meet with the opposition or agree to a new election .
A month of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , including demonstrations from some of the workers and other prominent groups the strongman president has kept in tight lockstep in the past .
Lukashenka has directed a brutal postelection clampdown that has included thousands of arrests , beatings and other mistreatment of peaceful protesters , and expulsions of foreign journalists .
Kazak met with Kalesnikava on September 9 for the first time since her disappearance , saying she was put in a cell with six other people at a pretrial detention center .
Kazak on September 10 reiterated a previous statement saying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a forensic medical examination , as Kalesnikava has bruises on her body and plans to sue the officers who tried to forcibly deport her .

Belarusian opposition leader Maryya Kalesnikava has said in a court filing that security officers placed a bag over her head and said they would kill her as they tried to force her out of the country.
Kalesnikava's lawyer, Lyudmila Kazak, said on September 10 that the opposition figure filed a complaint over the incident and was seeking legal action against the authorities, including the Belarusian KGB, over her treatment.
The 38-year-old has become a prominent leader of protests demanding the resignation of Alyaksandr Lukashenka following the August 9 presidential election that the opposition says was rigged. Lukashenka denies rigging the vote.
She was snatched from the streets of Minsk on September 7 by masked men along with two staffers. The three were driven early on September 8 to the border, where they were told to cross into Ukraine.
Security officers reportedly failed to deport Kalesnikava because she ripped her passport into small pieces after they arrived in a no-man's land between Belarus and Ukraine. The other two people with her -- the opposition Coordinating Council's press secretary, Anton Randyonkau, and executive secretary, Ivan Kravtsov -- continued on and are now believed to be in Ukraine.
The Minsk-based Vyasna (Spring) human rights center on September 10 published a joint statement by 12 human rights watchdogs based in Belarus recognizing that Kalesnikava and two of her associates also being detained are political prisoners and demanding their immediate release from custody.
"We are confident that criminal prosecution of M. Kalesnikava, M. Znak, and I. Saley is of a politically motivated character and has been organized with the aim of stopping their legal activities or to change their goals," the statement says.
"We are stating that we recognize Maryya Kalesnikava, Maksim Znak, and Illya Saley as political prisoners and demand [their] immediate release and closure of the criminal investigations launched against them."
The Belarusian Investigative Committee has said Kalesnikava, Saley, and Znak were all arrested on suspicion of calling for a seizure of power.
Lukashenka, who has led the country for 26 years and claimed victory in the disputed presidential election, has refused to meet with the opposition or agree to a new election.
A month of regular protests has ensued since the vote, including demonstrations from some of the workers and other prominent groups the strongman president has kept in tight lockstep in the past.
Lukashenka has directed a brutal postelection clampdown that has included thousands of arrests, beatings and other mistreatment of peaceful protesters, and expulsions of foreign journalists.
Inaugurating a new prosecutor-general on September 10, Lukashenka repeated his uncompromising line.
"There is an attempt to seize power," the 66-year-old Belarusian leader said, urging prosecutors to "adopt a more powerful, sharper prosecutorial response to such actions," according to the official BelTa news agency.
Kazak met with Kalesnikava on September 9 for the first time since her disappearance, saying she was put in a cell with six other people at a pretrial detention center.
Kazak on September 10 reiterated a previous statement saying that she and her client will request a forensic medical examination, as Kalesnikava has bruises on her body and plans to sue the officers who tried to forcibly deport her.
'Brave Women Of Belarus'
Meanwhile, in the European Parliament, Kalesnikava and fellow opposition figures Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya and Veranika Tsapkala have been nominated for this year’s Sakharov Prize.
The trio was nominated by the second-largest group in the chamber, the Socialists and Democrats (S&D).
In a press release announcing the decision, Kati Piri, S&D vice president, said that "we are firmly convinced that this year’s Sakharov Prize should honor the brave women of Belarus fighting for freedom and democracy in their country. We are particularly inspired by the three women who spearheaded the grassroots opposition campaign for last month's presidential elections in an attempt to unseat autocratic dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka."
Other groups in the European Parliament are expected to announce their own nominations later this week or early next week. However, sources in Brussels have told RFE/RL that all of the main political groups are leaning toward backing the S&D proposal.
The deadline for nominations is September 17, with three candidates due to be shortlisted on October 12 before the final decision on the 2020 laureate is announced on October 22.
The annual human rights prize is named after the Soviet physicist and dissident Andrei Sakharov and was established in 1988 by the European Parliament to honor individuals and organizations defending human rights and fundamental freedoms.
The Belarusian Association of Journalists and the former Belarusian presidential candidate Alyaksandr Milinkievich were awarded the prize in 2004 and 2006, respectively.
With reporting by Tut.by and Rikard Jozwiak


rferl--2020-09-10--Navalny's Condition Said Improved, But Kremlin Critic's Spokeswoman Has Doubts

The German magazine Der Spiegel has reported that hospitalized Russian opposition politician Aleksei Navalny has made further progress in his recovery from poisoning with a nerve agent and is said to be able to speak , although a Navalny spokeswoman appeared to downplay the report .
The Kremlin critic is being treated in Berlin 's Charite hospital after becoming seriously ill on a Russian domestic flight last month .
Germany has demanded Russia explain the affair , though Russia denies any involvement .
`` Der Spiegel and Bellingcat understand that Navalny can speak again and can likely remember details about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , crediting its investigative website partner .
`` His statements could be dangerous for people behind the attack . ''
The German magazine said Navalny 's police protection had been stepped up in the expectation that he would be receiving more visitors as his condition improved .
The Insider , a Russian investigative website also involved in the report , said Navalny remembered events up to the illness .
However , Navalny spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh appeared to downplay the report .
`` In connection with the latest material about Aleksei : that he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him , we reported that already on Monday , but , in general , the article is very exaggerated and contained many factual errors , '' Yarmysh wrote on Twitter , without explicitly citing the Der Spiegel article .
There was no immediate comment by the hospital treating Navalny .
The affair has added fresh tensions between Russia and the West .
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on September 9 that there was a `` substantial chance '' his poisoning was ordered by senior Russian officials .
Pompeo said people around @ @ @ @ @ @ @ activity for what it is .
And when they see the effort to poison a dissident , and they recognize that there is a substantial chance that this actually came from senior Russian officials , I think this is not good for the Russian people . ''
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on September 10 that Moscow viewed that statement as `` unacceptable . ''
Berlin is facing calls for a sharper response to the poisoning .
Some opposition politicians have called for the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia to Germany @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nears completion .
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte was quoted on September 10 as saying Russian President Vladimir Putin had told him he would set up a committee to investigate Navalny 's case and `` was ready to collaborate with the German authorities . ''
Peskov later on September 10 appeared to deny that report , saying the Italian minister 's remarks could have been based on a `` misunderstanding . ''
Peskov told reporters that Moscow still saw no grounds to open a criminal case into the illness of Navalny .
Peskov @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of his alleged poisoning and that it had not received any medical data from Germany .
With reporting by Reuters , Spiegel , Die Zeit , The Insider , and Meduza

The German magazine Der Spiegel has reported that the hospitalized Russian opposition politician Aleksei Navalny has made further progress and is said to be able to speak, although a Navalny spokesperson appeared to downplay the report.
Russian authorities have pressed Germany to share the evidence that led them to conclude "without doubt" that Navalny was poisoned with a military nerve agent from the Novichok group, the same class of Soviet-era nerve agents that British authorities said was used on former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in England in 2018. Russian doctors said they had found no trace of poison in Navalny's system.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused critics in the West on September 10 of expecting Russia to accept blame for something it had nothing to do with.
The Kremlin critic is being treated in Berlin's Charite hospital after becoming seriously ill on a Russian domestic flight last month. Germany has demanded Russia explain the affair, though Russia denies any involvement.
"Der Spiegel and Bellingcat understand that Navalny can speak again and can likely remember details about his collapse," the magazine wrote, crediting its investigative website partner. "His statements could be dangerous for people behind the attack."
The German magazine said Navalny's police protection had been stepped up in the expectation that he would be receiving more visitors as his condition improved.
The Insider, a Russian investigative website also involved in the report, said Navalny remembered events up to the illness.
However, Navalny spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh appeared to downplay the report.
"In connection with the latest material about Aleksei: that he is conscious and reacting to those around him, we reported that already on Monday, but, in general, the article is very exaggerated and contained many factual errors," Yarmysh wrote on Twitter, without explicitly citing the Der Spiegel article.
There was no immediate comment by the hospital treating Navalny.
The affair has added fresh tensions between Russia and the West.
Lavrov charged that Germany, the United States and other Western allies who have urged Russia to conduct a probe into Navalny's poisoning expect Moscow to accept blame for something it hasn't done.
"We’re accustomed to unfounded accusations," Lavrov said. "When the official representative of the German government says that the request from the Russian Prosecutor-General's Office has been directed to independent judiciary agencies and so the German government can do nothing about it while demanding that we conduct an investigation, it resembles the precedent created by our Western colleagues following the Salisbury poisoning incident."
"If such logic prevails, that would only mean that they put themselves above the law, above everyone else," he added.
Germany’s Defense Ministry has said the data about Navalny had been provided to the Hague-based Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.
Lavrov’s comments come a day after U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on September 9 that there was a "substantial chance" his poisoning was ordered by senior Russian officials.
Pompeo said people around the world "see this kind of activity for what it is. And when they see the effort to poison a dissident, and they recognize that there is a substantial chance that this actually came from senior Russian officials, I think this is not good for the Russian people."
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on September 10 that Moscow viewed that statement as "unacceptable."
Berlin is facing calls for a sharper response to the poisoning. Some opposition politicians have called for the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia to Germany to be cancelled, even as it nears completion.
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte was quoted on September 10 as saying Russian President Vladimir Putin had told him he would set up a committee to investigate Navalny's case and "was ready to collaborate with the German authorities."
Peskov later on September 10 appeared to deny that report, saying the Italian minister's remarks could have been based on a "misunderstanding."
Peskov told reporters that Moscow still saw no grounds to open a criminal case into the illness of Navalny.
Peskov said Russia had not seen solid evidence of his alleged poisoning and that it had not received any medical data from Germany.
With reporting by Reuters, Spiegel, Die Zeit, The Insider, and Meduza


rferl--2020-09-10--Iran Starts Military Drills Near Strategic Strait Of Hormuz

Iranian armed forced have begun an annual , three-day naval exercise near the strategic Strait of Hormuz , state TV @ @ @ @ @ units from the navy , air force and ground forces were taking part in the @ @ @ @ @ submarines and drones to be used .
Admiral Habibollah Sayyari , the commander of the @ @ @ @ @ said on September 9 that the war game was aimed at `` improving readiness in @ @ @ @ @ possible invasion . ''
The Iranian Navy handles all operations in the Gulf of Oman @ @ @ @ @ the Strait of Hormuz , through which 20 percent of all oil traded passes .
@ @ @ @ @ Navy boarded and briefly detained a Liberian-flagged oil tanker near the Strait of Hormuz .

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


rferl--2020-09-10--Report: Russian Hackers Targeted Political Consultancy Working For Biden

A campaign-advisory company working for Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden was targeted by suspected Russian state-backed hackers , a Reuters report has found , which the Kremlin dismissed as `` nonsense . ''
Microsoft recently alerted the company about the hacking attempt .
The U.S. software company identified hackers tied to the Russian government as the likely culprits , three sources briefed on the matter told Reuters .
The hackers failed to gain access to the company 's networks , according to a source familiar with its response , Reuters said .
`` They are well-defended , so there has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
The company said to have been targeted was Washington-based SKDKnickerbocker , a campaign strategy and communications firm .
The attacks included phishing , a method to trick users into disclosing passwords , the sources said .
SKDK Vice Chairwoman Hilary Rosen declined to comment .
A Biden spokesman did not respond to a request for comment , and Microsoft spokesman declined to comment , according to Reuters .
`` It looks like more nonsense that , unfortunately , respected news agencies publish sometimes , '' Peskov told reporters in Moscow .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ possible efforts by foreign governments to interfere in the November 3 presidential election .

A campaign-advisory company working for Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden was targeted by suspected Russian state-backed hackers, a Reuters report has found, which the Kremlin dismissed as "nonsense."
Microsoft recently alerted the company about the hacking attempt. The U.S. software company identified hackers tied to the Russian government as the likely culprits, three sources briefed on the matter told Reuters.
The hackers failed to gain access to the company's networks, according to a source familiar with its response, Reuters said.
"They are well-defended, so there has been no breach," the person said.
The company said to have been targeted was Washington-based SKDKnickerbocker, a campaign strategy and communications firm.
The attacks included phishing, a method to trick users into disclosing passwords, the sources said.
SKDK Vice Chairwoman Hilary Rosen declined to comment. A Biden spokesman did not respond to a request for comment, and Microsoft spokesman declined to comment, according to Reuters.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on September 10 rejected the report.
"It looks like more nonsense that, unfortunately, respected news agencies publish sometimes," Peskov told reporters in Moscow.
U.S. intelligence agencies have raised alarms about possible efforts by foreign governments to interfere in the November 3 presidential election.
Based on reporting by Reuters


rferl--2020-09-10--Whistle-Blower Says He Was Told To Downplay Russian 2020 Election Interference

A Department of Homeland Security ( DHS ) intelligence analyst says in a whistle-blower complaint that the head of the department told him to stop reporting on Russian election interference and focus instead on interference by China and Iran .
The official , Brian Murphy , said the acting secretary of DHS , Chad Wolf , told him twice within the last four months to withhold reporting on potential Russian threats to the U.S. election because it `` made President [ Donald ] Trump look bad . ''
He was told to emphasize potential threats from China and Iran instead @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it was improper to hold a vetted intelligence product for reasons for political embarrassment . ''
Wolf then took steps to exclude Murphy from meetings on the subject , according to the complaint .
Murphy filed his whistle-blower complaint on September 8 with the inspector-general of DHS and it was made public by the House Intelligence Committee on September 9 .
Murphy ran the Office of Intelligence and Analysis at DHS until the end of July , when he was demoted .
In his complaint he said Wolf told him the order to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ House national-security adviser Robert O'Brien .
The White House denied the allegations , saying O'Brien `` has never sought to dictate the intelligence community 's focus on threats to the integrity of our elections or on any other topic . ''
DHS spokesman Alexei Woltornist said in response , `` We flatly deny that there is any truth to the merits of Mr. Murphy 's claim . ''
Democrats say the accusations are the latest sign that the Trump administration is attempting to downplay Russian attempts to interfere in the November 3 election @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said the House Intelligence Committee had requested Murphy testify before it on September 21 .
Schiff said Murphy 's complaint `` outlines grave and disturbing allegations '' that senior White House and DHS officials improperly sought to politicize , manipulate , and censor intelligence in order to benefit Trump politically .
There have been growing concerns in the United States about foreign attempts to interfere in the November 3 election .
In a statement on election interference on August 7 , the director of the National Counterintelligence Security Center said many `` foreign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. election , but it was focusing its attention on the potential activity of Russia , China , and Iran .
The statement said China views Trump as `` unpredictable '' and does not want to see him win reelection .
Russia is also interfering against Trump 's opponent , Joe Biden , and an anti-Russia `` establishment , '' while Tehran is looking to undermine democratic institutions , the statement said .
Following the 2016 election , U.S. intelligence and law enforcement officials determined that Russia interfered by mounting a computer-hacking and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ boosting Trump over Democrat Hillary Clinton .
U.S. officials have also said there were multiple foreign hacker efforts to penetrate voting systems in the 2018 congressional elections in what appeared to be a test run for 2020 .
With reporting by AFP and Reuters

A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) intelligence analyst says in a whistle-blower complaint that the head of the department told him to stop reporting on Russian election interference and focus instead on interference by China and Iran.
The official, Brian Murphy, said the acting secretary of DHS, Chad Wolf, told him twice within the last four months to withhold reporting on potential Russian threats to the U.S. election because it "made President [Donald] Trump look bad." He was told to emphasize potential threats from China and Iran instead.
Murphy said he objected because "it was improper to hold a vetted intelligence product for reasons for political embarrassment." Wolf then took steps to exclude Murphy from meetings on the subject, according to the complaint.
Murphy filed his whistle-blower complaint on September 8 with the inspector-general of DHS and it was made public by the House Intelligence Committee on September 9.
Murphy ran the Office of Intelligence and Analysis at DHS until the end of July, when he was demoted. In his complaint he said Wolf told him the order to stifle reports on Russia originated from White House national-security adviser Robert O'Brien.
The White House denied the allegations, saying O'Brien "has never sought to dictate the intelligence community's focus on threats to the integrity of our elections or on any other topic."
DHS spokesman Alexei Woltornist said in response, "We flatly deny that there is any truth to the merits of Mr. Murphy's claim."
Democrats say the accusations are the latest sign that the Trump administration is attempting to downplay Russian attempts to interfere in the November 3 election.
Representative Adam Schiff (Democrat-California) said the House Intelligence Committee had requested Murphy testify before it on September 21.
Schiff said Murphy's complaint "outlines grave and disturbing allegations" that senior White House and DHS officials improperly sought to politicize, manipulate, and censor intelligence in order to benefit Trump politically.
There have been growing concerns in the United States about foreign attempts to interfere in the November 3 election.
In a statement on election interference on August 7, the director of the National Counterintelligence Security Center said many "foreign actors" had a preference in the U.S. election, but it was focusing its attention on the potential activity of Russia, China, and Iran.
The statement said China views Trump as "unpredictable" and does not want to see him win reelection. Russia is also interfering against Trump's opponent, Joe Biden, and an anti-Russia "establishment," while Tehran is looking to undermine democratic institutions, the statement said.
Following the 2016 election, U.S. intelligence and law enforcement officials determined that Russia interfered by mounting a computer-hacking and social-media manipulation campaign with the goal of boosting Trump over Democrat Hillary Clinton.
U.S. officials have also said there were multiple foreign hacker efforts to penetrate voting systems in the 2018 congressional elections in what appeared to be a test run for 2020.
With reporting by AFP and Reuters


rferl--2020-09-09--Russia Protests Germany's 'Unfounded Accusations' In Navalny Poisoning Case

Russia says it has protested strongly to Berlin 's envoy to Moscow over `` unfounded accusations and ultimatums '' purportedly made by Germany over the illness of poisoned Kremlin critic Aleksei Navalny .
During a meeting at the Russian Foreign Ministry on September 9 , the German ambassador was warned that a refusal by Berlin to provide Moscow information in the case would be seen as a `` hostile provocation '' that would be `` fraught with consequences , '' a ministry statement said .
The ministry also protested what it called Berlin 's `` obvious use of the situation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the international stage . ''
In Berlin , the government said the test results showing that Navalny was the victim of a nerve-agent attack had been handed over to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons ( OPCW ) .
The government sees no reason to hand the evidence directly to Russia , deputy spokeswoman Martina Fietz told reporters , adding , `` We continue to appeal to the Russian side to deliver information . ''
Navalny suddenly fell ill on a Russian domestic flight on August 20 and was medically @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his wife several days later .
German experts say the 44-year-old anti-corruption campaigner and Russian opposition leader was poisoned with a Soviet-style military nerve agent from the Novichok group , prompting international calls on Russia to swiftly investigate the case .
Russian authorities have refused to open a criminal investigation , saying that no hard evidence of poisoning has been found .
The Kremlin has also vehemently denied allegations by Navalny ’ s team , his relatives , and others who believe that Russian authorities are behind the poisoning .
Before the German @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov criticized Germany 's `` completely inappropriate attitude toward official requests we send to Berlin . ''
Earlier in the day , the Russian Foreign Ministry accused the Group of Seven ( G7 ) countries of an `` unfolding massive disinformation campaign '' to whip up support for sanctions over the Navalny case .
`` The whipping up of hysteria around this case is only growing '' and `` the main task is not in caring for A. Navalny 's health or discovering the true reasons for his hospitalization but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ministry said in a statement .
The statement came after G7 foreign ministers late on September 8 condemned Navalny 's `` confirmed poisoning '' and demanded that Russia quickly find and prosecute those behind the `` abhorrent '' attack .
The G7 statement came on the same day as the United Nations high commissioner for human rights called on the Russian government to `` fully investigate '' the poisoning , calling the incident an `` assassination attempt . ''
The top diplomats from the major industrial democracies also called on Russia `` to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is responsible for this abhorrent poisoning attack and ... to bring the perpetrators to justice . ''
The Berlin hospital where Navalny is being treated said on September 7 he had awaken from a medically induced coma and was responding to verbal stimuli .
However , it said it was unclear what long-term effects he will suffer .
The chief toxicologist of the Omsk region , where Navalny was treated after his flight to Moscow made an emergency landing in the city of Omsk , said on September 8 that `` there was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the Navalny case .
The Kremlin has also vehemently denied allegations by Navalny ’ s team , his relatives , and others who believe that Russian authorities are behind the poisoning .
Navalny has led nationwide protests against Russian President Vladimir Putin , and has been attacked with a dangerous chemical and fallen ill in Russian custody in the past .
`` We , the G7 foreign ministers of Canada , France , Germany , Italy , Japan , the United Kingdom and the United States of America and the High Representative @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in condemning , in the strongest possible terms , the confirmed poisoning '' of Navalny , they said in a joint statement released by the U.S. State Department on September 8 .
The G7 ministers said that they will “ continue to monitor closely how Russia responds to international calls for an explanation of the hideous poisoning . ''
`` Any use of chemical weapons , anywhere , anytime , by anybody , under any circumstances whatsoever , is unacceptable and contravenes the international norms prohibiting the use of such weapons , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ White House last week described Navalny ’ s poisoning as “ completely reprehensible ” and said Washington was working with the international community to `` hold those in Russia accountable . ''
Among the Kremlin opponents who have been killed or targeted in recent years are investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya , former Russian security officer Aleksandr Litvinenko , former Russian Deputy Prime Minister and opposition leader Boris Nemtsov , and former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal , among others .
Skripal and his daughter , Yulia , were poisoned by Novichok in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and British investigators have implicated Russian security agencies .

Russia says it has protested strongly to Berlin's envoy to Moscow over "unfounded accusations and ultimatums" purportedly made by Germany over the illness of poisoned Kremlin critic Aleksei Navalny.
During a meeting at the Russian Foreign Ministry on September 9, the German ambassador was warned that a refusal by Berlin to provide Moscow information in the case would be seen as a "hostile provocation" that would be "fraught with consequences," a ministry statement said.
The ministry also protested what it called Berlin's "obvious use of the situation as a means to discredit our country on the international stage."
In Berlin, the government said the test results showing that Navalny was the victim of a nerve-agent attack had been handed over to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).
The government sees no reason to hand the evidence directly to Russia, deputy spokeswoman Martina Fietz told reporters, adding, "We continue to appeal to the Russian side to deliver information."
Navalny suddenly fell ill on a Russian domestic flight on August 20 and was medically evacuated to Germany on a request by his wife several days later.
German experts say the 44-year-old anti-corruption campaigner and Russian opposition leader was poisoned with a Soviet-style military nerve agent from the Novichok group, prompting international calls on Russia to swiftly investigate the case.
Russian authorities have refused to open a criminal investigation, saying that no hard evidence of poisoning has been found.
The Kremlin has also vehemently denied allegations by Navalny’s team, his relatives, and others who believe that Russian authorities are behind the poisoning.
Before the German ambassador was summoned by Russian officials, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov criticized Germany's "completely inappropriate attitude toward official requests we send to Berlin."
He called Germany's tone "absolutely unacceptable."
Earlier in the day, the Russian Foreign Ministry accused the Group of Seven (G7) countries of an "unfolding massive disinformation campaign" to whip up support for sanctions over the Navalny case.
"The whipping up of hysteria around this case is only growing" and "the main task is not in caring for A. Navalny's health or discovering the true reasons for his hospitalization but in mobilizing sanctions sentiments," the ministry said in a statement.
The statement came after G7 foreign ministers late on September 8 condemned Navalny's "confirmed poisoning" and demanded that Russia quickly find and prosecute those behind the "abhorrent" attack.
The G7 statement came on the same day as the United Nations high commissioner for human rights called on the Russian government to "fully investigate" the poisoning, calling the incident an "assassination attempt."
The top diplomats from the major industrial democracies also called on Russia "to urgently and fully establish transparency on who is responsible for this abhorrent poisoning attack and...to bring the perpetrators to justice."
The Berlin hospital where Navalny is being treated said on September 7 he had awaken from a medically induced coma and was responding to verbal stimuli. However, it said it was unclear what long-term effects he will suffer.
The chief toxicologist of the Omsk region, where Navalny was treated after his flight to Moscow made an emergency landing in the city of Omsk, said on September 8 that "there wasn't a single indication of poisoning" in the Navalny case.
The Kremlin has also vehemently denied allegations by Navalny’s team, his relatives, and others who believe that Russian authorities are behind the poisoning.
Navalny has led nationwide protests against Russian President Vladimir Putin, and has been attacked with a dangerous chemical and fallen ill in Russian custody in the past.
G7 Protest
"We, the G7 foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States of America and the High Representative of the European Union, are united in condemning, in the strongest possible terms, the confirmed poisoning" of Navalny, they said in a joint statement released by the U.S. State Department on September 8.
The G7 ministers said that they will “continue to monitor closely how Russia responds to international calls for an explanation of the hideous poisoning."
"Any use of chemical weapons, anywhere, anytime, by anybody, under any circumstances whatsoever, is unacceptable and contravenes the international norms prohibiting the use of such weapons," the group's statement added.
The White House last week described Navalny’s poisoning as “completely reprehensible” and said Washington was working with the international community to "hold those in Russia accountable."
Among the Kremlin opponents who have been killed or targeted in recent years are investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya, former Russian security officer Aleksandr Litvinenko, former Russian Deputy Prime Minister and opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, and former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal, among others.
Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, were poisoned by Novichok in the British city of Salisbury in 2018, and British investigators have implicated Russian security agencies.


rferl--2020-09-11--Bulgarians Gather For 64th Day Of Anti-Government Protests, Demand Resignations

SOFIA -- Anti-government protesters returned to the streets of the Bulgarian capital , Sofia , pressing demands for the resignation of the government and the prosecutor-general .
The rally on September 10 marked the 64th consecutive day of protests against the ruling conservative GERB party and its government in the Southeastern European nation ’ s deepening political crisis .
Protesters , monitored closely by police , gathered outside the National Assembly building in Sofia , shouting “ mafia out ” and demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Boyko Borisov ’ s government and Prosecutor-General Ivan Geshev .
The September 10 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ incident .
On September 2-3 , several thousand of people joined the so-called Grand National Uprising in response to what protesters say is oligarchic control over Bulgaria ’ s government and judicial system .
Violence on that day led to scores of injuries and the arrest of 126 people , including what police described as more than 60 football hooligans .
Opinion polls show that more than 60 percent of Bulgarians support demands for Borisov and Geshev to resign and for immediate parliamentary elections to be called .
Borisov has said he is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ currently set for March 2021 .
On July 21 , Borisov ’ s government survived a no-confidence vote in parliament , the fifth such vote since it took power in 2017 .
The demonstrators have protested against Borisov 's government over perceived ties to the country ’ s powerful oligarchs .
They also claim that Geshev has targeted government critics , including Socialist-backed President Rumen Radev , who has supported the protests .
The protests were sparked by a raid on July 9 by the Prosecutor-General 's Office on the presidential headquarters .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ secretary and his security and defense adviser were detained for questioning and their offices searched as part of two separate probes into alleged influence-peddling and disclosure of state secrets .
The demonstrators have condemned the raids as an attack by the government and the prosecutor-general against Radev .
Radev has often criticized Borisov 's government for doing too little to uproot endemic corruption and has blasted prosecutors for cherry-picking their probes and colluding with the government .
Bulgaria is the European Union ’ s poorest country and remains corruption-ridden , according to Transparency @ @ @ @ @ @

SOFIA -- Anti-government protesters returned to the streets of the Bulgarian capital, Sofia, pressing demands for the resignation of the government and the prosecutor-general.
The rally on September 10 marked the 64th consecutive day of protests against the ruling conservative GERB party and its government in the Southeastern European nation’s deepening political crisis.
Protesters, monitored closely by police, gathered outside the National Assembly building in Sofia, shouting, “Mafia out!” and demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Boyko Borisov’s government and Prosecutor-General Ivan Geshev.
The September 10 rally appeared to take place without major incident. On September 2-3, several thousand people joined the so-called Grand National Uprising in response to what protesters say is oligarchic control over Bulgaria’s government and judicial system.
Violence on that day led to scores of injuries and the arrest of 126 people, including what police described as more than 60 football hooligans.
Opinion polls show that more than 60 percent of Bulgarians support demands for Borisov and Geshev to resign and for immediate parliamentary elections to be called.
Borisov has said he is prepared to step down following parliamentary elections currently set for March 2021.
On July 21, Borisov’s government survived a no-confidence vote in parliament, the fifth such vote since it took power in 2017.
The demonstrators have protested against Borisov's government over perceived ties to the country’s powerful oligarchs.
They also claim that Geshev has targeted government critics, including Socialist-backed President Rumen Radev, who has supported the protests.
The protests were sparked by a raid on July 9 by the Prosecutor-General's Office on the presidential headquarters.
Radev’s legal affairs and anti-corruption secretary and his security and defense adviser were detained for questioning and their offices searched as part of two separate probes into alleged influence-peddling and disclosure of state secrets.
The demonstrators have condemned the raids as an attack by the government and the prosecutor-general against Radev.
Radev has often criticized Borisov's government for doing too little to uproot endemic corruption and has blasted prosecutors for cherry-picking their probes and colluding with the government.
Bulgaria is the European Union’s poorest country and remains corruption-ridden, according to Transparency International's corruption perception index.
With reporting by AFP


rferl--2020-09-11--Microsoft Says Russian, Iranian, Chinese Hackers Target Biden, Trump Campaigns

U.S. tech giant Microsoft says hackers linked to Russia , Iran , and China have targeted people and organizations tied to both U.S. President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden .
The announcement on September 10 came at the same time that Biden 's main campaign advisory firm said it had been told by Microsoft it was being targeted by the same Russian hackers who intervened in the 2016 U.S. presidential election .
The tech company said the newly reported actions appear to be part of a wider effort to target U.S. political campaigns and related groups ahead of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ What we ’ ve seen is consistent with previous attack patterns that not only target candidates and campaign staffers but also those who they consult on key issues , ” Tom Burt , a Microsoft vice president , said in a blog post .
U.S. intelligence officials in August said Russians favor Republican President Trump and that the Chinese prefer Biden , the former U.S. vice president , However , Microsoft said in its latest statement that Chinese state-backed hackers have targeted “ high-profile individuals associated with the election , ” including people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ say hackers from China generally seek intelligence to gain economic and political advantage , while Moscow looks to weaponized stolen data to destabilize other governments .
John Hultquist , director of intelligence analysis at cybersecurity firm FireEye , told AP that Microsoft 's information shows that Russian military intelligence has continued to pursue election-related targets despite legal indictments by U.S. authorities , sanctions , and other measures .
“ This is the actor from 2016 , potentially conducting business as usual.
” “ We believe that Russian military intelligence continues to pose the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Hultquist added .
U.S. intelligence agencies and congressional investigators determined that Russia 's military intelligence interfered in the 2016 campaign to benefit the Trump campaign by hacking Democratic targets and releasing embarrassing material online , allegations Moscow denied .
The suspected hacking group is a unit within Russia ’ s GRU military intelligence agency -- the 85th Main Special Service Center ( GTsSS ) , military unit 2616 .
That group , known as APT28 or “ Fancy Bear , ” and other Russian hacking groups been blamed in recent years by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and corporations for carrying out numerous cyberattacks .
Microsoft 's Burt said most of the latest infiltration attempts , also conducted by Iranian and Chinese agents , were blocked by Microsoft ’ s security software , but he would not provide further information .
The company said Washington-based SKDKnickerbocker , a campaign strategy and communications firm , had been targeted by Russian agents .
A person familiar with SKDK 's actions told Reuters the hackers failed to gain access to the firm 's data .
The Biden campaign said it was aware that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to access `` noncampaign e-mail accounts of individuals affiliated with the campaign . ''
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on September 10 rejected earlier media reports about the hacking prior to Microsoft ’ s statement .
“ It looks like more nonsense that , unfortunately , respected news agencies publish sometimes , ” Peskov told reporters in Moscow .
With reporting by Reuters , AP , dpa , and AFP

U.S. tech giant Microsoft says hackers linked to Russia, Iran, and China have targeted people and organizations tied to both U.S. President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden.
The announcement on September 10 came at the same time that Biden's main campaign advisory firm said it had been told by Microsoft it was being targeted by the same Russian hackers who intervened in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
The tech company said the newly reported actions appear to be part of a wider effort to target U.S. political campaigns and related groups ahead of the November 3 presidential election.
“What we’ve seen is consistent with previous attack patterns that not only target candidates and campaign staffers but also those who they consult on key issues,” Tom Burt, a Microsoft vice president, said in a blog post.
U.S. intelligence officials in August said Russians favor Republican President Trump and that the Chinese prefer Biden, the former U.S. vice president.
However, Microsoft said in its latest statement that Chinese state-backed hackers have targeted “high-profile individuals associated with the election,” including people tied to the Biden campaign.
Experts say hackers from China generally seek intelligence to gain economic and political advantage, while Moscow looks to weaponized stolen data to destabilize other governments.
John Hultquist, director of intelligence analysis at cybersecurity firm FireEye, told AP that Microsoft's information shows that Russian military intelligence has continued to pursue election-related targets despite legal indictments by U.S. authorities, sanctions, and other measures.
“This is the actor from 2016, potentially conducting business as usual,” he said. "We believe that Russian military intelligence continues to pose the greatest threat to the democratic process.”
U.S. intelligence agencies and congressional investigators determined that Russia's military intelligence interfered in the 2016 campaign to benefit the Trump campaign by hacking Democratic targets and releasing embarrassing material online, allegations Moscow denied.
The suspected hacking group is a unit within Russia’s GRU military intelligence agency: the 85th Main Special Service Center (GTsSS), military Unit 2616.
That group, known as APT28 or “Fancy Bear,” and other Russian hacking groups have been blamed in recent years by multiple Western governments, think tanks, and corporations for carrying out numerous cyberattacks.
Microsoft's Burt said most of the latest infiltration attempts, also conducted by Iranian and Chinese agents, were blocked by Microsoft’s security software, but he would not provide further information.
The company said Washington-based SKDKnickerbocker, a campaign strategy and communications firm, had been targeted by Russian agents.
A person familiar with SKDK's actions told Reuters the hackers failed to gain access to the firm's data.
The Biden campaign said it was aware that a foreign actor had tried and failed to access "non-campaign e-mail accounts of individuals affiliated with the campaign."
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on September 10 rejected earlier media reports about the hacking prior to Microsoft’s statement.
“It looks like more nonsense that, unfortunately, respected news agencies publish sometimes,” Peskov told reporters in Moscow.
With reporting by Reuters, AP, dpa, and AFP


rferl--2020-09-11--Belarus Opposition Leader Calls On Europe To Act, Says Russian Policy Short-Sighted

A leading Belarusian opposition official called on the European Union to live up to its commitment to support democracy and announce that it will stop recognizing the rule of strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka at the end of a three-month transition period .
“ It is a very important and necessary signal to Belarusian society .
The time for the declaration has already passed .
Actions are needed , ” Paval Latushka , a former insider-turned-opposition activist , told RFE/RL 's Belarus Service in an interview in Prague on September 10 .
Latushka , who said he slipped through Belarusian border guards @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Prague earlier in the day with the Czech Republic ’ s foreign minister to discuss аn EU declaration .
The former Belarusian ambassador is a member of the seven-person presidium of the Coordination Council , which was set up last month with the goal to facilitate a peaceful resolution to the political crisis gripping Minsk following the August 9 presidential election .
The Coordination Council wants the European Union to end its recognition of Lukashenka after November 5 .
Lukashenka , who has ruled Belarus for 26 years , claimed to win the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vote .
The opposition said it was rigged in his favor .
Latushka said Poland and Lithuania have already backed such a declaration , and he said he thinks that the Czech Republic is ready to support it as well .
However , he hinted the EU is not yet unified on the positon because of the “ geopolitical concerns of third countries , '' a possible reference to Russia , which backs Lukashenka .
“ The European Union taught us !
Taught us democracy !
Now it is time to help , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He questioned “ how many acts of violence are still required ” against Belarusian civil society before the EU will act .
Hundreds of thousands of Belarusians have taken to the streets since August 9 to protest the outcome of the election , which handed Lukashenka another five-year term .
The protesters are demanding he step down , release all political prisoners , and hold free and fair elections .
Lukashenka has unsuccessfully sought to smother the daily protests with arrests and vicious beatings .
Police have detained thousands of protesters over the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those arrested include members of the Coordination Council ’ s presidium .
Most recently , Maryya Kalesnikava was snatched off the street in Minsk by masked men on September 7 and later arrested on charges of `` public calls for seizing power in the country . ''
Most of the presidium 's seven members have either been arrested or forced to leave the country .
Latushka had been questioned by Belarus 's Investigative Committee .
The 47-year-old Lataushka , who also served as a spokesman at Belarus 's Foreign Ministry and as the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he decided to join the opposition after seeing images of the tortured protesters .
The civil servant 's move angered Lukashenka , who indirectly called him out for “ crossing a red line.
” Latushka expressed little hope that Lukashenka would leave office peacefully .
He said the recently published photographs of Lukashenka brandishing weapons during the protests was meant “ to show he will fight for power , including by using violence.
” However , he said Lukashenka 's recent comments about implementing constitutional changes -- even if he has no intention @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the protests were having an impact on the authoritarian leader .
Latushka also claimed that Lukashenka 's recent visit to the prosecutors office is a sign that the president is concerned about the strength of his support inside the government .
`` He clearly understands that the government apparatus today is against him , '' Latushka said .
The opposition leader said he was surprised that many government officials were not afraid to send him text messages of support or call him .
Lukashenka , however , continues to receive critical support @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Latushka said he was disappointed that Russia did not express outrage over the beatings of protesters nor respond to outreach from the Coordination Council .
He hinted the Kremlin ’ s policy of backing Lukashenka would fail in the long run .
`` Russia needs to understand that if it has strategic interests , medium-term interests in Belarus , it needs to speak with those who will be in power tomorrow .
They know well that Lukashenka 's time has passed , '' he said .

PRAGUE -- A leading Belarusian opposition official has called on the European Union to live up to its commitment to support democracy and announce that it will stop recognizing the rule of strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka at the end of a three-month transition period.
“It is a very important and necessary signal to Belarusian society. The time for the declaration has already passed. Actions are needed,” Paval Latushka, a former insider turned opposition activist, told RFE/RL's Belarus Service in an interview in Prague on September 10.
Latushka, who said he slipped through Belarusian border guards in a diplomatic car, met in Prague earlier in the day with the Czech Republic’s foreign minister to discuss аn EU declaration.
The former Belarusian ambassador is a member of the seven-person presidium of the Coordination Council, which was set up last month with the goal to facilitate a peaceful resolution to the political crisis gripping Minsk following the August 9 presidential election.
The Coordination Council wants the European Union to end its recognition of Lukashenka after November 5. Lukashenka, who has ruled Belarus for 26 years, claimed to win the presidential election with 80 percent of the vote. The opposition said it was rigged in his favor.
Latushka said Poland and Lithuania have already backed such a declaration, and he said he thinks that the Czech Republic is ready to support it as well.
However, he hinted the EU is not yet unified on the position because of the “geopolitical concerns of third countries," a possible reference to Russia, which backs Lukashenka.
“The European Union taught us! Taught us democracy! Now it is time to help,” he said with apparent frustration.
He questioned “how many acts of violence are still required” against Belarusian civil society before the EU will act.
Hundreds of thousands of Belarusians have taken to the streets since August 9 to protest the outcome of the election, which handed Lukashenka another five-year term.
The protesters are demanding he step down, release all political prisoners, and hold free and fair elections.
Lukashenka has unsuccessfully sought to smother the daily protests with arrests and vicious beatings. Police have detained thousands of protesters over the past month and tortured hundreds.
Among those arrested are members of the Coordination Council’s presidium.
Most recently, Maryya Kalesnikava was snatched off the street in Minsk by masked men on September 7 and later arrested on charges of "public calls for seizing power in the country."
Most of the presidium's seven members have either been arrested or forced to leave the country. Latushka had been questioned by Belarus's Investigative Committee.
The 47-year-old Latushka, who also served as a spokesman at Belarus's Foreign Ministry and as the country's culture minister, told RFE/RL he decided to join the opposition after seeing images of the tortured protesters.
The civil servant's move angered Lukashenka, who indirectly called him out for “crossing a red line.”
Latushka expressed little hope that Lukashenka would leave office peacefully.
He said the recently published photographs of Lukashenka brandishing weapons during the protests was meant “to show he will fight for power, including by using violence.”
However, he said Lukashenka's recent comments about implementing constitutional changes -- even if he has no intention of carrying through on them -- showed that the protests were having an impact on the authoritarian leader.
Latushka also claimed that Lukashenka's recent visit to the prosecutor's office is a sign that the president is concerned about the strength of his support inside the government.
"He clearly understands that the government apparatus today is against him," Latushka said.
The opposition leader said he was surprised that many government officials were not afraid to send him text messages of support or call him.
Lukashenka, however, continues to receive critical support from Russia, the nation's ally.
Latushka said he was disappointed that Russia did not express outrage over the beatings of protesters nor respond to outreach from the Coordination Council.
He hinted the Kremlin’s policy of backing Lukashenka would fail in the long run.
"Russia needs to understand that if it has strategic interests, medium-term interests in Belarus, it needs to speak with those who will be in power tomorrow. They know well that Lukashenka's time has passed," he said.


rferl--2020-09-10--'Russia-Linked' Individuals, Including Ukrainian Lawmaker, Blacklisted Over U.S. Election Interferen

'Russia-Linked' Individuals, Including Ukrainian Lawmaker, Blacklisted Over U.S. Election Interference

The United States says it has imposed sanctions on a Ukrainian lawmaker behind leaked telephone records of Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Biden , as well as three other `` Russia-linked '' individuals accused of attempting to influence the U.S. electoral process .
The U.S. Treasury Department said in a statement on September 10 that it had blacklisted Andriy Derkach along with three Russian nationals said to be employees of the Internet Research Agency ( IRA ) , the so-called troll factory based in St. Petersburg that was involved in what the U.S. intelligence community said was an attempt by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ election .
Separately , the Justice Department said it had filed criminal charges of election interference against one of the Russians for stealing American identities , opening fraudulent banking accounts , and promoting messaging aimed at undermining confidence in the political system .
Derkach has been helping U.S. President Donald Trump ’ s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani find compromising information in Ukraine on Biden , who served as the Obama administration ’ s point man to Kyiv following the 2014 revolution that pushed a pro-Russian president from office .
The Treasury Department said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Russian intelligence for over a decade .
`` Russia uses a variety of proxies to attempt to sow discord between political parties and drive internal divisions to influence voters as part of Moscow 's broader efforts to undermine democratic countries and institutions , '' it said .
In the United States , it said Russia had `` used a wide range of influence methods and actors to target our electoral process , '' including targeting candidates in the November presidential election .
Between May and July , Derkach released edited audio tapes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with then-Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko .
On the tapes , Biden appears to tell Poroshenko that the U.S. will provide a $ 1 billion loan guarantee to Ukraine once the government replaces its top prosecutor .
U.S. and Western officials complained the prosecutor was failing to fight corruption and welcomed his eventual removal .
However , Giuliani with the help of Derkach has tried to push a widely dismissed theory that Biden sought to get the Ukrainian prosecutor dismissed to protect his son , Hunter Biden , who sat on the board of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Treasury Department said the tapes published by Derkach were intended `` to discredit U.S. officials '' and the he `` levied unsubstantiated allegations '' against American and foreign political figures .
`` Derkach almost certainly targeted the U.S. voting populace , prominent U.S. persons , and members of the U.S. government , based on his reliance on U.S. platforms , English-language documents and videos , and pro-Russian lobbyists in the United States used to propagate his claims , '' it said in its statement .
Derkach 's designation `` is a clear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this activity will not be tolerated , '' the Treasury Department said .
Three `` employees of the IRA '' -- Russian nationals Artem Lifshits , Anton Andreyev , and Darya Aslanova ” – were also sanctioned because they had `` supported the IRA ’ s cryptocurrency accounts . ''
Lifshits is the Russian facing criminal charges in the United States .
The IRA , which was previously designated by the TreasuryDepartment for its interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election , `` uses cryptocurrency to fund activities in furtherance of their ongoing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' the Treasury Department said .
The United States had previously said that the IRA is funded by Yevgeny Prigozhin , a Kremlin insider known as “ Putin ’ s Chef.
” The Treasury Department 's move freezes any U.S. assets of those blacklisted and bars Americans from dealing with them .
Derkach `` and other Russian agents employ manipulation and deceit to attempt to influence elections in the United States and elsewhere around the world , '' Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin said .
`` The United States will continue to use all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ these Russian disinformation campaigns and uphold the integrity of our election system , '' he added .

The United States says it has imposed sanctions on a Ukrainian lawmaker behind leaked telephone records of Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Biden, as well as three other "Russia-linked" individuals accused of attempting to influence the U.S. electoral process.
The U.S. Treasury Department said in a statement on September 10 that it had blacklisted Andriy Derkach, who has been helping President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani find compromising information on Biden.
The Treasury Department said Derkach, a member of the Ukrainian parliament who studied at the KGB school in Moscow, has been “an active Russian agent” for over a decade.
“Derkach has directly or indirectly engaged in, sponsored, concealed, or otherwise been complicit in foreign interference in an attempt to undermine the upcoming 2020 U.S. presidential election. Today’s designation of Derkach is focused on exposing Russian malign influence campaigns and protecting our upcoming elections from foreign interference,” the statement said.
The move comes amid growing concern in Washington about attempts by Russia and other foreign nations to interfere in the November elections through social media, fake news, and other means.
In the same statement, the Treasury Department announced it had also sanctioned three Russian nationals working on behalf of the Internet Research Agency (IRA), the so-called troll factory based in St. Petersburg that was involved in the Kremlin’s attempt to interfere in the 2016 presidential election.
"Russia uses a variety of proxies to attempt to sow discord between political parties and drive internal divisions to influence voters as part of Moscow's broader efforts to undermine democratic countries and institutions," the Treasury Department said.
The three Russian nationals -- Artem Lifshits, Anton Andreyev, and Darya Aslanova -- were sanctioned because they had “supported the IRA’s cryptocurrency accounts.”
The IRA "uses cryptocurrency to fund activities in furtherance of their ongoing malign influence operations around the world," the Treasury Department said.
Separately, the Justice Department announced on September 10 that Lifshits is facing criminal charges in the United States for stealing American identities.
The United States had previously sanctioned the IRA and owner Yevgeny Prigozhin, a Kremlin insider known as “Putin’s chef,” for its interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
Biden Tapes
Between May and July, Derkach released edited audio tapes from 2016 of Biden’s conversations with then-Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.
Biden served as the Obama administration’s point man to Kyiv following the 2014 revolution that ousted corrupt, pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych and regularly spoke with Poroshenko.
On the tapes, Biden appears to tell Poroshenko that the United States will provide a $1 billion loan guarantee to Ukraine once Kyiv replaces its top prosecutor.
The West tied loans and other forms of financial aid to Ukraine to concrete reforms, including steps to combat corruption. U.S. and European officials had complained that Ukrainian Prosecutor-General Viktor Shokin was failing to prosecute cases and sought his removal.
However, Giuliani with the help of Derkach has tried to push a widely dismissed theory that Biden sought to sack the Ukrainian prosecutor to protect his son, Hunter Biden, who sat on the board of a Kyiv-based natural gas company owned by a former official accused of corruption.
The Treasury Department said the tapes published by Derkach were intended “to discredit U.S. officials” and that he “levied unsubstantiated allegations” against American and foreign political figures.
“Derkach almost certainly targeted the U.S. voting populace, prominent U.S. persons, and members of the U.S. government, based on his reliance on U.S. platforms, English-language documents and videos, and pro-Russian lobbyists in the United States used to propagate his claims,” it said in its statement.
Derkach's designation "is a clear signal to Moscow and its proxies that this activity will not be tolerated," the Treasury Department said.
The sanctions freeze any assets within U.S. jurisdiction and prevent U.S. individuals or entities from doing business with them.
The Ukrainian lawmaker fired back later in the day, accusing Biden and George Kent, deputy assistant secretary of state overseeing Ukraine, of “revenge.”
Derkach claimed the sanctions were announced now to preempt another publication of supposed material on Biden scheduled for early next week.
His previous material dump failed to show any misconduct by Biden.


rferl--2020-09-10--Detentions Made In Pakistan Over Motorway Gang Rape

Pakistani authorities say they have detained 12 people for questioning after two armed men gang raped a woman in front of her children after her car stalled on a highway .
In the overnight incident near the eastern city of Lahore , the assailants also stole cash and jewelry from the mother before fleeing the scene , police said on September 10 .
Neither of the attackers is thought to be among those detained .
News of the assault drew widespread condemnation on social media , including from officials and politicians .
Musarrat Cheema , a spokesperson in the eastern @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agencies were `` working in close coordination to capture those involved in [ the ] painful motorway incident . ''
`` So far 12 suspects have been arrested and search is going on , '' she tweeted .
A statement released by the Punjab Police confirmed the arrests and said that `` no stone will be left unturned to provide immediate justice to the victim and her family.
” Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar also vowed that `` justice will be done in the motorway case no matter what and those who tortured @ @ @ @ @ @ @ punishment ! ''
Opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif wrote in a Twitter post that the `` horrible incident calls for collective & multi-pronged action…NOT a knee-jerk response . ''
`` We as a society are failing our women & children , '' he said .
`` For starters , at least stand with the victim and acknowledge the real problem.
” Gang rape is relatively rare in Pakistan , although sexual harassment and violence against women is not uncommon .
Hundreds of women are killed every year in Pakistan in so-called honor killings for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ marriage , and public behavior .
With reporting by AP and Dawn

Pakistani authorities say they have detained 12 people for questioning after two armed men gang-raped a woman in front of her children after her car stalled on a highway.
In the overnight incident near the eastern city of Lahore, the assailants also stole cash and jewelry from the mother before fleeing the scene, police said on September 10.
Neither of the attackers is thought to be among those detained.
News of the assault drew widespread condemnation on social media, including from officials and politicians.
Musarrat Cheema, a spokeswoman in the eastern Punjab Province, said that law enforcement agencies were "working in close coordination to capture those involved in [the] painful motorway incident."
"So far 12 suspects have been arrested and search is going on," she tweeted.
A statement released by the Punjab police confirmed the arrests and said that "no stone will be left unturned to provide immediate justice to the victim and her family."
Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar also vowed that "justice will be done in the motorway case no matter what and those who tortured the victim will have to suffer strict punishment!"
Opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif wrote in a Twitter post that the "horrible incident calls for collective & multi-pronged action…NOT a knee-jerk response."
"We as a society are failing our women & children," he said. "For starters, at least stand with the victim and acknowledge the real problem."
Gang rape is relatively rare in Pakistan, although sexual harassment and violence against women is not uncommon.
Hundreds of women are killed every year in Pakistan in so-called honor killings for violating conservative Pakistani traditions on love, marriage, and public behavior.
With reporting by AP and Dawn


rferl--2020-09-10--Afghan Team, Taliban To Start Peace Talks On September 12

KABUL -- Long-delayed peace talks between Taliban and Afghan government negotiators are set to kick off in Qatar on September 12 , officials and the militant group say .
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo welcomed the September 10 announcement and urged the sides not to squander the `` historic opportunity for Afghanistan to bring an end to four decades of war and bloodshed . ''
`` This opportunity must not be squandered , '' he said in a statement .
U.S. President Donald Trump later said that Pompeo would travel to the Qatari capital , Doha , to attend @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the day , Fawzia Koofi , a member of the Afghan government ’ s negotiating team , told RFE/RL that they will travel to Doha on September 11 and that the opening ceremony for the negotiations was planned for the next day .
The Taliban said in a statement it was ready to take part in the inauguration ceremony .
The Qatari Foreign Ministry confirmed that it will host the peace negotiations starting on September 12 , calling the talks “ a serious and important step towards establishing sustainable peace ” in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a landmark deal signed between the United States and the Taliban in February .
Talks were initially supposed to start the following month but were delayed as the Taliban and the Afghan government completed a prisoner exchange .
Under the U.S.-Taliban agreement signed in Doha in February , international forces should withdraw from Afghanistan by May 2021 in exchange for counterterrorism guarantees from the militant group , which pledged to negotiate a permanent cease-fire and power-sharing deal with the Afghan government .
The deal promised 5,000 Taliban prisoners would be set free by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , in return for 1,000 members of the security forces held by the militants .
The last Taliban prisoners were released last week , except the six who left Kabul on a flight to Doha on September 10 , Afghan officials said , paving the way for the Doha talks to begin .
The six prisoners , whose release was objected to by France and Australia because of their links to the murders of French and Australian civilians and troops in Afghanistan , are to be kept under supervision in Doha .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the end of November and could be transferred back to Kabul , '' a government source told Reuters .
In a statement , France 's Foreign Ministry reiterated its `` firmest opposition to the release of individuals convicted of having committed crimes against French nationals , in particular soldiers and humanitarian workers . ''
The Taliban has blamed Kabul for delaying the negotiations , but presidential spokesman Sediq Sediqqi on September 10 accused the Taliban of stalling for time .
`` Reshuffling their peace negotiating team at the last minute indicates that they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' Sediqqi said .
In his statement , Pompeo urged the negotiators to “ demonstrate the pragmatism , restraint , and flexibility this process will require to succeed.
” “ The United States recalls the commitment by the Afghan government and the Taliban that terrorists can never again use Afghan soil to threaten the United States or its allies , ” he also said .
“ Now is the time for peace for Afghanistan.
” With reporting by Reuters , AFP , and Tolonews

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


rferl--2020-09-10--Afghanistan Says It Has Arrested IS Militant Behind Clerics' Killings

KABUL -- Afghanistan 's main intelligence agency says it has arrested a key member of the Islamic State ( IS ) extremist group ’ s affiliate in the country who is said to be a mastermind behind the assassination of two prominent religious scholars in Kabul .
The National Directorate of Security ( NDS ) announced on September 10 the capture of Obaidullah , also known as Akrama Madani , during a special operation .
He was described as the head of IS operations in northern and northeastern Afghanistan .
The militant group has not yet commented on the arrest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the arrest took place in the Afghan capital .
Video footage provided by the agency shows the alleged suspect confessing to being a former Taliban member who later joined the IS group .
In a statement , the NDS said Obaidullah in 2012 joined the militant Haqqani network , which has ties with the Taliban , before turning to IS .
It said he was planning a bombing attack on the Imam Sadiq Mosque in the northern city of Kunduz .
The man was also one of the main masterminds behind the killing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Niazi and Maulvi Azizullah Mufleh in two separate attacks in Kabul in June , according to the statement .
Niazi , a prominent pro-government cleric , was killed in early June in a bomb blast at Kabul ’ s Wazir Akbar Mosque , where he was leading Friday Prayers .
Mufleh , another prominent cleric , was killed a week later in a similar attack at the Sher Shah Soori Mosque in Kabul .
The Afghan affiliate of the IS claimed responsibility for both bombings .
The militants have been active in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Taliban as well as Afghan and U.S. forces .
They have also carried out deadly attacks against pro-government religious leaders , members of religious minorities , government officials , and media workers in Afghanistan .


rferl--2020-09-10--Russian Court Upholds Decision To Fine Journalist Whose Collarbone Was Broken By Police

ST. PETERSBURG , Russia -- A court in Russia 's second-largest city , St. Petersburg , has upheld a lower court decision to fine a journalist whose collarbone was broken by a police officer while being taken into custody in July .
David Frenkel said on Twitter that the St. Petersburg City Court announced its decision on September 10 .
In late July , the Dzerzhinskiy district court in St. Petersburg fined Frenkel , a Mediazona news-website correspondent , 2,500 rubles ( $ 33 ) after finding him guilty of refusing to follow a police officer 's instruction , meddling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and the violation of coronavirus restrictions on June 30 .
Police said that , during his detainment , in which an officer broke Frenkel 's collarbone , the journalist `` provoked a conflict situation '' by resisting law enforcement officers , pushing them , using his feet and leaning against walls even though video presented at the hearing failed to show such a scene .
Frenkel had gone to the polling station to check on possible violations during a national vote on controversial amendments that among other things allowed President Vladimir Putin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ office after his current one expires in 2024 .
Video of the incident posted on social media shows two police officers tackling Frenkel to the ground .
A cracking noise can be heard , followed by Frenkel screaming out in pain .
He underwent surgery due to his injury on June 30 .
Denis Dmitriyev , the police officer who detained Frenkel , said at the hearing that he detained the journalist at the request of the election commission 's chairman because Frenkel `` was interfering with the voting process , '' an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a lawsuit against the police officer , accusing him of abuse of power , but the city 's Investigative Committee refused to launch a probe .
A former city official , Dmitry Abramov , who said he was an observer at the polling station , testified at the hearing that Frenkel `` most likely '' broke his collarbone when he fell down on the floor and the injury was not inflicted by police .
During the incident , Abramov stepped on Frenkel 's leg and pulled the arm affected by the broken collarbone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the journalist was faking an injury .
However , the St. Petersburg Public Chamber said Abramov was not an accredited observer , Mediazona has reported , raising questions about why he was there .
On August 28 , unknown individuals vandalized Frenkel 's automobile , breaking its windows and cutting its tires .

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia -- A court in Russia's second-largest city, St. Petersburg, has upheld a lower court decision to fine a journalist whose collarbone was broken by a police officer while being taken into custody in July.
David Frenkel said on Twitter that the St. Petersburg City Court announced its decision on September 10.
In late July, the Dzerzhinskiy district court in St. Petersburg fined Frenkel, a Mediazona news-website correspondent, 2,500 rubles ($33) after finding him guilty of refusing to follow a police officer's instruction, meddling in the work of a polling station, and the violation of coronavirus restrictions on June 30.
Police said that, during his detainment, in which an officer broke Frenkel's collarbone, the journalist "provoked a conflict situation" by resisting law enforcement officers, pushing them, using his feet and leaning against walls even though video presented at the hearing failed to show such a scene.
Frenkel had gone to the polling station to check on possible violations during a national vote on controversial amendments that among other things allowed President Vladimir Putin the possibility of seeking new terms in office after his current one expires in 2024.
Video of the incident posted on social media shows two police officers tackling Frenkel to the ground. A cracking noise can be heard, followed by Frenkel screaming out in pain.
He underwent surgery due to his injury on June 30.
Denis Dmitriyev, the police officer who detained Frenkel, said at the hearing that he detained the journalist at the request of the election commission's chairman because Frenkel "was interfering with the voting process," an accusation Frenkel denies.
Frenkel has filed a lawsuit against the police officer, accusing him of abuse of power, but the city's Investigative Committee refused to launch a probe.
A former city official, Dmitry Abramov, who said he was an observer at the polling station, testified at the hearing that Frenkel "most likely" broke his collarbone when he fell down on the floor and the injury was not inflicted by police.
During the incident, Abramov stepped on Frenkel's leg and pulled the arm affected by the broken collarbone, trying "to prove" that the journalist was faking an injury.
However, the St. Petersburg Public Chamber said Abramov was not an accredited observer, Mediazona has reported, raising questions about why he was there.
On August 28, unknown individuals vandalized Frenkel's automobile, breaking its windows and cutting its tires.