rferl--2020-02-17--Reports: Leaked Database Exposes Beijing's Religious 'Persecution' In Xinjiang

A newly leaked database gives an insight into how Chinese authorities have determined the fate of hundreds of thousands of Muslims held in internment camps , according to media reports .
The document profiles the internment of 311 individuals from the far western region of Xinjiang and exposes in detail their backgrounds and religious habits , the BBC and AP reported on February 17 .
The records , made up of columns and rows , also give information on more than 2,000 of their relatives , neighbors , and friends .
Adrian Zenz , a senior fellow at the Victims @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said `` this remarkable document presents the strongest evidence '' he had seen that Beijing `` is actively persecuting and punishing normal practices of traditional religious beliefs . ''
The United Nations estimated in 2019 that 1 million ethnic Uyghurs and other mostly Muslim Turkic-speaking indigenous people in Xinjiang were being held in what Beijing describes as `` counterextremism centers '' in the province .
The UN also said millions more people have been forced into internment camps in China .
China describes the camps as `` vocational education centers '' aimed at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ allowing them to be reintegrated into society .
The 311 main individuals listed in the leaked database are all from Karakax County , close to the city of Hotan in southern Xinjiang , an area where the vast majority of the population is Uyghur .
One of the columns indicated if those already in internment should remain or be released , and whether those previously released needed to return .
The document contain a series of assessments for a 65-year-old man , Yusup , according to the BBC .
His record shows two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 2014 and 2015 , '' a son with Islamic political leanings , and a family that displays `` obvious anti-Han sentiment '' -- a reference to China 's largest ethnicity and the second-largest community in Xinjiang .
Yusup 's verdict is `` continued training . ''
The BBC said many of the family relationships listed in the database show long prison terms for parents or siblings .
One man has been sentenced to five years for `` having a double-coloured thick beard and organising a religious studies group '' while a neighbour @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years for `` online contact with people overseas , '' it said .
With reporting by the BBC and AP


rferl--2020-02-17--'Goodbye' Bosnia: Serb Leader Dodik Reiterates Call For Secession

BANJA LUKA , Bosnia-Herzegovina – Lawmakers in Bosnia-Herzegovina ’ s Bosnian Serb entity have gathered for an extraordinary session to discuss a response to a ruling by the country ’ s Constitutional Court opposed by the Serbs .
Tensions have flared in the divided Balkan country since the Bosnian Constitutional Court earlier this month rejected a regulation passed in Republika Srpska on farmland that used to belong to the Yugoslav state as unconstitutional .
The law , adopted late last year , declared such land as property of Republika Srpska , but the court ruled that the state of Bosnia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s legislature in Banja Luka on February 17 , Milorad Dodik , the Serb member of Bosnia ’ s multi-ethnic presidency , said : “ Goodbye [ Bosnia ] , welcome [ Republika Srpska ] exit.
” Dodik has repeatedly called for a referendum on the status of the Serb-led entity , saying Bosnian Serbs had a right to decide their own future .
Last week , the United States and the EU office in Sarajevo joined Britain , Germany , France , and Italy in saying that “ unilateral withdrawal from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them , are unacceptable and counter-productive.
” The decisions of the Constitutional Court are “ final and binding , and must be implemented , ” they said in a joint statement .
Bosnia remains deeply divided along ethnic lines .
The country emerged from a 1992-95 war as two autonomous regions -- the Bosniak-Croat Federation and Republika Srpska -- united under a weak central government .

BANJA LUKA, Bosnia-Herzegovina – Lawmakers in Bosnia-Herzegovina’s Bosnian Serb entity have gathered for an extraordinary session to discuss a response to a ruling by the country’s Constitutional Court opposed by the Serbs.
Tensions have flared in the divided Balkan country since the Bosnian Constitutional Court earlier this month rejected a regulation passed in Republika Srpska on farmland that used to belong to the Yugoslav state as unconstitutional.
The law, adopted late last year, declared such land as property of Republika Srpska, but the court ruled that the state of Bosnia was the owner.
Addressing Republika Srpska’s legislature in Banja Luka on February 17, Milorad Dodik, the Serb member of Bosnia’s multi-ethnic presidency, said: “Goodbye [Bosnia], welcome [Republika Srpska] exit.”
Dodik has repeatedly called for a referendum on the status of the Serb-led entity, saying Bosnian Serbs had a right to decide their own future.
Last week, the United States and the EU office in Sarajevo joined Britain, Germany, France, and Italy in saying that “unilateral withdrawal from institutions, or blockages of decision-making within them, are unacceptable and counter-productive.”
The decisions of the Constitutional Court are “final and binding, and must be implemented,” they said in a joint statement.
Bosnia remains deeply divided along ethnic lines. The country emerged from a 1992-95 war as two autonomous regions -- the Bosniak-Croat Federation and Republika Srpska -- united under a weak central government.


rferl--2020-02-17--Kyrgyz City Sports Official Suspended Over Shooting Accusation

OSH , Kyrgyzstan – The sports chief in Kyrgyzstan 's southern city of Osh has “ temporarily resigned ” amid @ @ @ @ @ athlete , the city administration says .
Spokesman Azamat Absattarov told RFE/RL on February 17 @ @ @ @ @ duties will remain suspended while the investigation into the allegation is ongoing .
The move @ @ @ @ @ Uulu on February 14 accused Sarkarbaev of shooting him in the leg .
Sarkarbaev , @ @ @ @ @ in the mayor 's office in Osh , told RFE/RL at the time that the @ @ @ @ @ by `` other people 's interests . ''
He did not elaborate .

OSH, Kyrgyzstan – The sports chief in Kyrgyzstan's southern city of Osh has “temporarily resigned” amid allegations that he shot an athlete, the city administration says.
Spokesman Azamat Absattarov told RFE/RL on February 17 that Kylychbek Sarkarbaev’s duties will remain suspended while the investigation into the allegation is ongoing.
The move comes after local athlete Rakhmanberdi Uulu on February 14 accused Sarkarbaev of shooting him in the leg.
Sarkarbaev, head of the Sport Committee in the mayor's office in Osh, told RFE/RL at the time that the claim might have been motivated by "other people's interests." He did not elaborate.


rferl--2020-02-17--United Arab Emirates Extradites Tajik Civil War Commander To Dushanbe

DUSHANBE -- The United States Emirates ( UAE ) has sent a former Tajik field commander back to Tajikistan where @ @ @ @ @ , robbery , kidnapping , and other crimes .
The Tajik Interior Ministry said on @ @ @ @ @ -- a commander of government troops during Tajikistan 's five-year civil war -- has been @ @ @ @ @ was arrested in the UAE in July 2019 at the request of Tajikistan .
Tajikistan @ @ @ @ @ 1992 until 1997 .
It poised rebel groups consisting of liberal democratic reformers and Islamists @ @ @ @ @ .
According to wide-ranging estimates , somewhere between 20,000 and 100,000 people were killed during @ @ @ @ @ ended after a peace accord was signed in Moscow by the rival sides .
Karimov @ @ @ @ @ , is notorious for reported cruelty during the conflict .
After the war , he @ @ @ @ @ a special brigade at the Defense Ministry and the chairman of Tajikistan ’ s Football @ @ @ @ @ for Malaysia after Tajik authorities launched criminal charges against him in September 2005 .

DUSHANBE -- The United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) has sent a former Tajik field commander back to Tajikistan where he faces charges of murder, robbery, kidnapping, and other crimes.
The Tajik Interior Ministry said on February 17 that Khuja Karimov -- a commander of government troops during Tajikistan's five-year civil war -- has been extradited to Dushanbe.
Karimov was arrested in the U.A.E. in July 2019 at the request of Tajikistan.
Tajikistan's civil war lasted from 1992 until 1997. It poised rebel groups consisting of liberal democratic reformers and Islamists against Russian-backed Tajik government forces.
According to wide-ranging estimates, somewhere between 20,000 and 100,000 people were killed during the conflict.
The war ended after a peace accord was signed in Moscow by the rival sides.
Karimov, known as Commander Khuja, is notorious for reported cruelty during the conflict.
After the war, he was a deputy commander of a special brigade at the Defense Ministry and the chairman of Tajikistan’s Football Federation.
Karimov fled Tajikistan for Malaysia after Tajik authorities launched criminal charges against him in September 2005.


rferl--2020-02-17--Kazakh Activist's Car Destroyed In Suspected Arson Attack

ZHANAOZEN , Kazakhstan – The car of a Kazakh activist has been destroyed in a suspected arson attack in the @ @ @ @ @ The activist , Muratbai Zhumaghaliev , told RFE/RL on February 17 that his car was @ @ @ @ @ house overnight when the vehicle was set on fire by unknown attackers .
`` I @ @ @ @ @ was destroyed because of my political views and activities , '' Zhumaghaliev said .
The @ @ @ @ @ his car was on fire at around 1.00 a.m. Zhumaghaliev and his friends found gloves @ @ @ @ @ 's front wheels , he said , adding that police had opened an investigation into @ @ @ @ @ campaigned for the Democratic Party of Kazakhstan ahead of its founding congress scheduled for February @ @ @ @ @ nation 's largest city , Almaty .
Kazakh authorities are very sensitive to any dissent @ @ @ @ @ where police fatally shot at least 16 people while repressing protests by oil workers in @ @ @

ZHANAOZEN, Kazakhstan – The car of a Kazakh activist has been destroyed in a suspected arson attack in the southwestern town of Zhanaozen.
The activist, Muratbai Zhumaghaliev, told RFE/RL on February 17 that his car was parked in front of his house overnight when the vehicle was set on fire by unknown attackers.
"I am confident that my car was destroyed because of my political views and activities," Zhumaghaliev said.
The activist said he noticed that his car was on fire at around 1.00 a.m.
Zhumaghaliev and his friends found gloves and matches near the car's front wheels, he said, adding that police had opened an investigation into the incident.
Zhumaghaliev has campaigned for the Democratic Party of Kazakhstan ahead of its founding congress scheduled for February 22 in the Central Asian nation's largest city, Almaty.
Kazakh authorities are very sensitive to any dissent or demonstrations in Zhanaozen, where police fatally shot at least 16 people while repressing protests by oil workers in December 2011.


rferl--2020-02-17--Bellingcat Says FSB Behind 2019 Berlin Killing Of Former Chechen Separatist Commander

The investigative journalism group Bellingcat says an investigation into the 2019 killing of a former Chechen separatist commander in Berlin shows the attack was planned and organized by Russia 's Federal Security Service ( FSB ) .
Zelimkhan Khangoshvili was shot dead in broad daylight in a Berlin park on August 23 in a case that has prompted political fallout between Berlin and Moscow -- including tit-for-tat expulsions of diplomats , after Germany said evidence suggests either the Russian government or authorities in the Russian North Caucasus region of Chechnya likely ordered the killing .
Moscow denies the allegations of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 'd traveled to Germany on a Russian passport issued in the name of Vadim Sokolov was detained by police in Berlin shortly after the killing , He is now on trial in a German court on charges of murder and weapons violations .
In December , Bellingcat identified him as Vadim Krasikov -- a man also suspected in the 2013 killing in Moscow of a Russian businessman .
Many commentators have drawn parallels between Khangoshvili ’ s assassination and the 2018 poisoning in Salisbury , England of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Bellingcat said it found that preparation for the killing of Khangoshvili was supervised directly by Eduard Bendersky , chairman of the Vympel Charitable Fund For Former FSB Spetsnaz Officers , and other senior members of the fund .
Bellingcat said phone metadata it obtained shows that a plot to kill Khangoshvili with Krasikov as the assassin “ was in the works no later than March 2019 . ''
The investigative group said billing records show that starting in early 2019 and ending just before his trip to Berlin , Krasikov was in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ members of the Vympel Association of Former FSB Spetsnaz Officers .
It said three of the people Krasikov communicated hold senior positions within the organization .
Bendersky is a former officer of the FSB spetsnaz -- or special military force -- and as the current owner of several private security companies that employ ex-spetsnaz soldiers .
He also appears often on Russian state media as a de facto spokesman for Department V -- the FSB successor to the former KGB Vympel unit which , in his words , has recast itself from overseas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ insurgent groups in the Russian North Caucasus region .
In an exclusive RFE/RL report in December , Bendersky was identified as the father-in-law of a Russian man who has been indicted by U.S. authorities for allegedly overseeing a massive cybertheft ring .
The man , Maksim Yakubets , married Bendersky 's daughter in the summer of 2017 ; Bendersky himself was shown in wedding photographs and videos attending the ceremony .
Yakubets was named by U.S. and British authorities as the alleged mastermind behind a cybercrime group called Evil Corp .
According to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the FSB since 2017 , including on government projects such as `` acquiring confidential documents through cyber-enabled means and conducting cyber-enabled operations on its behalf . ''
Khangoshvili , an ethnic Chechen from Georgia ’ s Pankisi Gorge , was part of the separatist insurgency against Russian forces in Chechnya .
His killing fits a pattern of assassinations targeting former Chechen insurgents that have shown signs of Russian state involvement .
Khangoshvili was shot dead by a gunmen who approached him on a bicycle in Berlin ’ s Kleiner Tiergarten park .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ that Krasikov ’ s records have been purged from Russian state databases .

The investigative journalism group Bellingcat says a probe into the 2019 killing of a former Chechen separatist commander in Berlin shows that the attack was planned and organized by Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB).
Zelimkhan Khangoshvili, a Georgian national, was shot dead in broad daylight in a Berlin park on August 23 in a case that has prompted political fallout between Berlin and Moscow -- including tit-for-tat expulsions of diplomats -- after Germany said evidence suggests either the Russian government or authorities in the Russian North Caucasus region of Chechnya likely ordered the killing.
Moscow denies the allegations of the German government.
A suspect who'd traveled to Germany on a Russian passport issued in the name of Vadim Sokolov was detained by police in Berlin shortly after the killing.
He is now on trial in a German court on charges of murder and weapons violations. In December, Bellingcat identified him as Vadim Krasikov -- a man also suspected in the 2013 killing in Moscow of a Russian businessman.
Many commentators have drawn parallels between Khangoshvili’s assassination and the 2018 poisoning in Salisbury, England, of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal.
In a report following a monthlong probe, Bellingcat said it found that preparations for the killing of Khangoshvili were supervised directly by Eduard Bendersky, chairman of the Vympel Charitable Fund For Former FSB Spetsnaz Officers, and other senior members of the fund.
Bellingcat said phone metadata it obtained shows that a plot to kill Khangoshvili with Krasikov as the assassin “was in the works no later than March 2019."
Sergei Goncharov, the honorary president of an association uniting veterans of FSB's elite special-forces unit Alpha, said allegations that the murder was an operation carried out by Vympel were false.
"The allegations of this [murder] being an operation of Vympel are yet another attempt to bully Russia," Goncharov told state TASS news agency.
The investigative group said billing records show that starting in early 2019 and ending just before his trip to Berlin, Krasikov was in frequent communication with as many as eight members of the Vympel Association of Former FSB Spetsnaz Officers. It said three of the people Krasikov communicated with hold senior positions within the organization.
Bendersky is a former officer of the FSB spetsnaz -- or special military force -- and the current owner of several private security companies that employ ex-spetsnaz soldiers.
He also appears often on Russian state media as a de facto spokesman for Department V -- the FSB successor to the former KGB Vympel unit which, in his words, has recast itself from engaging in overseas subversive operations into domestic anti-terror operations against insurgent groups in the North Caucasus region.
In an exclusive RFE/RL report in December, Bendersky was identified as the father-in-law of a Russian man who has been indicted by U.S. authorities for allegedly overseeing a massive cybertheft ring. The man, Maksim Yakubets, married Bendersky's daughter in the summer of 2017; Bendersky himself was shown in wedding photographs and videos attending the ceremony.
Yakubets was named by U.S. and British authorities as the alleged mastermind behind a cybercrime group called Evil Corp.
According to the U.S. government, Yakubets had worked for the FSB since 2017, including on government projects such as "acquiring confidential documents through cyberenabled means and conducting cyberenabled operations on its behalf."
Khangoshvili, an ethnic Chechen from Georgia’s Pankisi Gorge, was part of the separatist insurgency against Russian forces in Chechnya.
His killing fits a pattern of assassinations targeting former Chechen insurgents that have shown signs of Russian state involvement.
Khangoshvili was shot dead by a gunmen who approached him on a bicycle in Berlin’s Kleiner Tiergarten park.
Bellingcat said in a December 3 report that Krasikov’s records have been purged from Russian state databases.


rferl--2020-02-17--Khan Tells Conference There Are No Militant Safe Havens In Pakistan

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has again rejected accusations that his country is harboring militants , and insisted that his government has done `` everything '' to facilitate the peace process in neighboring Afghanistan .
`` Normally there was an idea that the security forces in Pakistan had their own policy , and the government a different one .
This is not the case in Pakistan anymore , ” Khan on February 17 told an international conference in Islamabad marking 40 years since hundreds of thousands of Afghans found refuge in the country .
Pakistan is seen as key to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Afghanistan .
U.S. and Afghan officials have long accused the country ’ s military spy agency of harboring Taliban militants .
Islamabad has repeatedly rejected the accusation .
“ Whatever the situation might have been in the past , right now I can tell you , all of us , there is one thing we want is peace in Afghanistan , '' Khan said .
With about 2.7 million Afghan refugees living in Pakistan , it was impossible to rule out militants hiding among them , he said , adding that his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prevent attacks in Afghanistan , including by building a border fence .
His comments came after Sarwar Danish , Afghanistan 's second vice president , accused Pakistan of allowing the Taliban to recruit fighters from Afghan refugee camps in Pakistan .
Addressing the Islamabad conference , UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres praised Pakistan for supporting Afghan refugees .
`` For 40 years , the people of Afghanistan have faced successive crises , for 40 years , the people of Pakistan have responded with solidarity , '' he said , while calling on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Guterres also said he was very encouraged by Pakistan 's strong commitment for peace in Afghanistan .
He said it was `` time for Afghans to have peace ” and that “ no Afghan will forgive us if this opportunity is not seized . ''
The U.S. special representative for Afghanistan , Zalmay Khalilzad , told the conference he was `` cautiously optimistic '' about progress toward an eventual peace deal with the Taliban .
Khalilzad has for more than a year led talks between the Taliban and Washington .
On February @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Abdullah Abdullah said the Taliban had agreed to a seven-day reduction of violence ahead of a peace deal with the United States that may be signed by the end of the month .
However , bloodshed continued over the weekend , including a deadly Taliban attack in the northern province of Kunduz .
With reporting by dpa and AFP

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has again rejected accusations that his country is harboring militants, and insisted that his government has done "everything" to facilitate the peace process in neighboring Afghanistan.
"Normally there was an idea that the security forces in Pakistan had their own policy, and the government a different one. This is not the case in Pakistan anymore,” Khan on February 17 told an international conference in Islamabad marking 40 years since hundreds of thousands of Afghans found refuge in the country.
Pakistan is seen as key to helping secure and implement any peace deal in Afghanistan. U.S. and Afghan officials have long accused the country’s military spy agency of harboring Taliban militants. Islamabad has repeatedly rejected the accusation.
“Whatever the situation might have been in the past, right now I can tell you, all of us, there is one thing we want is peace in Afghanistan," Khan said.
With about 2.7 million Afghan refugees living in Pakistan, it was impossible to rule out militants hiding among them, he said, adding that his government has done all it could to prevent attacks in Afghanistan, including by building a border fence.
His comments came after Sarwar Danish, Afghanistan's second vice president, accused Pakistan of allowing the Taliban to recruit fighters from Afghan refugee camps in Pakistan.
Addressing the Islamabad conference, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres praised Pakistan for supporting Afghan refugees.
"For 40 years, the people of Afghanistan have faced successive crises, for 40 years, the people of Pakistan have responded with solidarity," he said, while calling on the international community to do more for refugees.
Guterres also said he was very encouraged by Pakistan's strong commitment for peace in Afghanistan.
He said it was "time for Afghans to have peace” and that “no Afghan will forgive us if this opportunity is not seized."
The U.S. special representative for Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, told the conference he was "cautiously optimistic" about progress toward an eventual peace deal with the Taliban.
Khalilzad has for more than a year led talks between the Taliban and Washington.
On February 17, Afghanistan's Chief Executive Officer Abdullah Abdullah said the Taliban had agreed to a seven-day reduction of violence ahead of a peace deal with the United States that may be signed by the end of the month.
However, bloodshed continued over the weekend, including a deadly Taliban attack in the northern province of Kunduz.
With reporting by dpa and AFP


rferl--2020-02-17--Suicide Bomber Kills Eight, Wounds 16 At Radical Sunni Islamist Rally In Pakistan

Pakistani police say a powerful suicide bombing has killed at least eight people and wounded 16 others at an Islamist rally in Quetta , the capital of Balochistan Province .
Quetta Police Chief Abdul Razzaq Cheema said the February 17 rally was being staged by dozens of Sunni Muslim followers of the radical Ahle Sunnat Wal Jammat ( ASWJ ) party .
The ASWJ is considered the political entity of the Lashkar-e Jhangvi -- an extremist faction that has claimed responsibility for numerous deadly attacks against Pakistan 's Shi ' a minority .
There was no immediate claim of responsibility @ @ @ @ @ @ @ separatists as well as rival Shi ’ ite and Sunni militant groups operate in the province and have staged similar attacks in the past .
Hospital officials in Quetta say some of the injured people were listed in critical condition .
Cheema told RFE/RL victims killed in the blast included three police officers and four civilians .
Quetta Civil Hospital spokesman Waseem Baig put the number of those wounded at 19 .
Cheema said the blast occurred as a protest was under way in front of the Quetta Press Club .
A police @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the suicide bomber was riding a motorcycle and detonated his explosives when he was stopped by authorities as he approached the demonstration .
The blast also damaged several vehicles parked nearby .

Pakistani police say a powerful suicide bombing has killed at least eight people and wounded 16 others at an Islamist rally in Quetta, the capital of Balochistan Province.
Quetta Police Chief Abdul Razzaq Cheema said the February 17 rally was being staged by dozens of Sunni Muslim followers of the radical Ahle Sunnat Wal Jammat (ASWJ) party.
The ASWJ is considered the political entity of the Lashkar-e Jhangvi -- an extremist faction that has claimed responsibility for numerous deadly attacks against Pakistan's Shi'a minority.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the February 17 bombing.
Baluch separatists as well as rival Shi’ite and Sunni militant groups operate in the province and have staged similar attacks in the past.
Hospital officials in Quetta say some of the injured people were listed in critical condition.
Cheema told RFE/RL victims killed in the blast included three police officers and four civilians.
Quetta Civil Hospital spokesman Waseem Baig put the number of those wounded at 19. Cheema said the blast occurred as a protest was under way in front of the Quetta Press Club.
A police official told RFE/RL’s Radio Mashaal that the suicide bomber was riding a motorcycle and detonated his explosives when he was stopped by authorities as he approached the demonstration.
The blast also damaged several vehicles parked nearby.
With additional reporting by AP


rferl--2020-02-17--Authorities Try To Contain Bird Flu Outbreak In Southern Bulgaria

The Bulgarian Food Safety Agency has reported an outbreak of the H5N8 bird flu virus on a duck farm in @ @ @ @ @ southern Bulgaria .
The agency said on February 17 that nearly 6,000 ducks at the @ @ @ @ @ the first cases of the highly pathogenic virus was discovered in Bulgaria in 10 months @ @ @ @ @ had been set around the farm .
Authorities also have banned the movement of birds @ @ @ @ @ well as the sale of eggs and poultry from the area .
In October 2018 @ @ @ @ @ safety agency culled more than 100,000 chickens and more than 16,000 ducks in southern Bulgarian @ @ @ @ @ of the disease after an outbreak there was confirmed by laboratory tests .
Based on @ @ @ @ @

The Bulgarian Food Safety Agency has reported an outbreak of the H5N8 bird flu virus on a duck farm in the town of Rakovski in southern Bulgaria.
The agency said on February 17 that nearly 6,000 ducks at the farm will be culled after the first cases of the highly pathogenic virus was discovered in Bulgaria in 10 months.
A 3-kilometer protection zone had been set around the farm.
Authorities also have banned the movement of birds within the protection zone as well as the sale of eggs and poultry from the area.
In October 2018, authorities from the food safety agency culled more than 100,000 chickens and more than 16,000 ducks in southern Bulgarian villages to prevent the spread of the disease after an outbreak there was confirmed by laboratory tests.
Based on reporting by Reuters and AP


rferl--2020-02-17--Hundreds Join Protests Against Chinese Investment In Kyrgyzstan

AT-BASHI , Kyrgyzstan -- Hundreds of people gathered near the village of At-Bashi in Kyrgyzstan 's central Naryn region on February 17 to protest against a Chinese project in the area .
The protest -- which included demonstrators riding on horseback -- is the latest in a series of public rallies against Beijing 's growing presence in the Central Asian country .
The protesters , some of whom were on horses , demanded that Kyrgyzstan 's central government cancel the planned construction of a $ 275-million logistics center that had been agreed on during Chinese President Xi Jinping 's 2019 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more than 2,000 people took part in the rally .
But the government ’ s envoy to the region , Emilbek Alymkulov , downplayed the size of the crowd -- - saying 700 to 800 people took part .
Alymkulov said Kyrgyzstan 's government will issue a response to the demands of the demonstrators .
Protesters on February 17 held large banners , declaring : `` We Are Against the Logistics Center , '' and `` No Kyrgyz Land To China ! ''
Since January , there have been several protests against the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is expected to house a network of small businesses and production facilities that will be given some trade benefits .
In August 2019 , similar protests led to violent clashes between Kyrgyz villagers and Chinese employees at a Chinese-owned mine in Naryn .
About 20 people were injured in those clashes , mostly Chinese workers .
Anti-Chinese sentiment in Kazakhstan has been rising in recent months amid reports about the plight of indigenous ethnic groups in China 's northwestern region of Xinjiang including ethnic Kazakhs and ethnic Kyrgyz people .
The United Nations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Uyghurs and other mostly Muslim Turkic-speaking indigenous people in Xinjiang were being held in what Beijing describes as `` counterextremism centers '' in the province .
The UN also said millions more people have been forced into internment camps in China .
China describes the camps as `` vocational education centers '' aimed at helping people steer clear of terrorism and allowing them to be reintegrated into society .
In recent months , a series of demonstrations against reeducation camps for indigenous ethnic groups in Xinjiang were staged in Kazakhstan , Kyrgyzstan , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

AT-BASHI, Kyrgyzstan -- Hundreds of people gathered near the village of At-Bashi in Kyrgyzstan's central Naryn region on February 17 to protest against a Chinese project in the area.
The protest -- which included demonstrators riding on horseback -- is the latest in a series of public rallies against Beijing's growing presence in the Central Asian country.
The protesters, some of whom were on horses, demanded that Kyrgyzstan's central government cancel the planned construction of a $275-million logistics center that had been agreed on during Chinese President Xi Jinping's 2019 visit to Kyrgyzstan.
Protest organizers say more than 2,000 people took part in the rally. But the government’s envoy to the region, Emilbek Alymkulov, downplayed the size of the crowd --- saying 700 to 800 people took part.
Alymkulov said Kyrgyzstan's government will issue a response to the demands of the demonstrators.
Protesters on February 17 held large banners, declaring: "We Are Against the Logistics Center," and "No Kyrgyz Land To China!"
Since January, there have been several protests against the Chinese investment project.
The logistics center is expected to house a network of small businesses and production facilities that will be given some trade benefits.
In August 2019, similar protests led to violent clashes between Kyrgyz villagers and Chinese employees at a Chinese-owned mine in Naryn. About 20 people were injured in those clashes, mostly Chinese workers.
Anti-Chinese sentiment in Kazakhstan has been rising in recent months amid reports about the plight of indigenous ethnic groups in China's northwestern region of Xinjiang including ethnic Kazakhs and ethnic Kyrgyz people.
The United Nations estimated in 2019 that 1 million ethnic Uyghurs and other mostly Muslim Turkic-speaking indigenous people in Xinjiang were being held in what Beijing describes as "counterextremism centers" in the province.
The UN also said millions more people have been forced into internment camps in China.
China describes the camps as "vocational education centers" aimed at helping people steer clear of terrorism and allowing them to be reintegrated into society.
In recent months, a series of demonstrations against reeducation camps for indigenous ethnic groups in Xinjiang were staged in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and the Russia's Republic of Tatarstan.


rferl--2020-02-18--Polish Miners Block Railway Hub To Protest Import Of Russian Coal

Miners in Poland launched a blockade of a railway terminal in the country 's main coal mining region on February 18 to protest an increase in Russian coal imports .
The labor action involving several hundred miners at the Slawkow terminal in Silesia follows an increase in imports of Russian coal to Poland in recent years while stockpiles of more expensive coal from Polish mines have been growing .
Boguslaw Zietek , head of Poland ’ s Sierpien 80 trade union , said the Slawkow terminal in Silesia is where Russian coal arrives by train and “ takes away our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” The terminal in Silesia is linked to Poland 's eastern neighbors with a broad-gauge railway that facilitates trade .
Analysts point out that Polish coal mines suffer from high extraction costs because of higher wages for Polish miners , higher electricity prices , and low-lying coal deposits .
Poland ’ s Treasury Ministry says that out of 16.7 million tons of coal imported to Poland in 2019 , 10.8 million tons came from Russia .
Coal inventories at Polish mines more than doubled in 2019 to 5.2 million tons by the end @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and lignite to produce about 80 percent of its electricity .
Polish coal miners are planning a protest in Warsaw later this month to demand pay hikes .
Based on reporting by dpa and Bloomberg

Miners in Poland launched a blockade of a railway terminal in the country's main coal mining region on February 18 to protest an increase in Russian coal imports.
The labor action involving several hundred miners at the Slawkow terminal in Silesia follows an increase in imports of Russian coal to Poland in recent years while stockpiles of more expensive coal from Polish mines have been growing.
Boguslaw Zietek, head of Poland’s Sierpien 80 trade union, said the Slawkow terminal in Silesia is where Russian coal arrives by train and “takes away our jobs and our right to pay hikes.”
The terminal in Silesia is linked to Poland's eastern neighbors with a broad-gauge railway that facilitates trade.
Analysts point out that Polish coal mines suffer from high extraction costs because of higher wages for Polish miners, higher electricity prices, and low-lying coal deposits.
Poland’s Treasury Ministry says that out of 16.7 million tons of coal imported to Poland in 2019, 10.8 million tons came from Russia.
Coal inventories at Polish mines more than doubled in 2019 to 5.2 million tons by the end of December.
Poland relies on coal and lignite to produce about 80 percent of its electricity.
Polish coal miners are planning a protest in Warsaw later this month to demand pay hikes.
Based on reporting by dpa and Bloomberg


rferl--2020-02-18--Russian Activist Under Official Investigation Over Sex-Video Scandal In France

French prosecutors have placed a Russian artist and his girlfriend under official investigation over the leak of a sex video that upended the Paris mayoral race , bringing down a close ally of President Emmanuel Macron .
Pyotr Pavlensky , 35 , and Alexandra de Taddeo , 29 , are facing charges of invasion of privacy and publishing images of a sexual nature without consent over the leaking of a video that forced Benjamin Griveaux to end his mayoral campaign .
Pavlensky has claimed responsibility for posting the video online .
He is also being probed over a knife fight @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Paris for which prosecutors on February 18 requested he be placed in detention .
Pavlensky and de Taddeo were taken into custody on February 15 and questioned for two days .
They will be brought before an investigating magistrate later on February 18 to face possible charges .
De Taddeo is believed to have been the recipient of the video and messages , which were uploaded onto a website created by Pavlensky and shared on social media .
Pavlensky fled Russia in 2017 and was granted political asylum in France .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ says are aimed at breaking through public indifference to perceived oppression .
In the past , he has nailed his scrotum to Moscow 's Red Square , sewn his lips together , wrapped himself naked in barbed wire , and chopped off part of his ear .
Griveaux , a married father of three and member of Macron ’ s centrist La Republique En Marche ( LREM ) party , pulled out of the running for Paris mayor after the scandal broke .
Former Health Minister Agnes Buzyn took his place as the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Based on reporting by APF and dpa

Russian artist Pyotr Pavlensky and his girlfriend have been charged for their alleged roles in leaking a sex video that helped upend the Paris mayoral race and bring down a close ally of President Emmanuel Macron, their lawyers say.
Yassine Bouzrou, the lawyer for Pavlensky, said on February 18 that the Russian man was released from custody and placed under judicial supervision.
Pavlensky's girlfriend, Alexandra de Taddeo, was also charged, released, and placed under judicial supervision, her lawyer, Noemie Saidi-Cottier, said.
Pavlensky, 35, and de Taddeo, 29, are charged with invasion of privacy and publishing images of a sexual nature without consent over the leaking of the video that forced Benjamin Griveaux to end his mayoral campaign.
Reports in the French media said the videos are believed to have been sent in May 2018 by Griveaux, then the government spokesman, to de Taddeo before she became Pavlensky's girlfriend.
Pavlensky has claimed responsibility for posting the video online, saying he was "glad to have done this" to denounce “hypocrisy" and "lies” by Griveaux.
Pavlensky and de Taddeo were taken into custody on February 15 and questioned for two days before being brought before the magistrate on February 18.
His lawyer said the artist refused to answer questions posed by investigators during his detention.
De Taddeo admitted she was the recipient of sex videos allegedly sent to her by Griveaux, but she denies being involved in their being uploaded to the Internet, her lawyer said.
Pavlensky is also being probed in a separate case over a knife fight at a New Year's Eve party in Paris.
Pavlensky fled Russia in 2017 and was granted political asylum in France.
The artist is known for attention-grabbing protests aimed at breaking through public indifference to perceived oppression.
In the past, he has nailed his scrotum to Moscow's Red Square, sewn his lips together, wrapped himself naked in barbed wire, and chopped off part of his ear.
Griveaux, a married father of three and member of Macron’s centrist La Republique En Marche (LREM) party, pulled out of the running for Paris mayor after the scandal broke.
Former Health Minister Agnes Buzyn took his place as the Paris mayoral candidate of the LREM.
With reporting by AP, AFP, and dpa


rferl--2020-02-18--Iran Sentences Eight Environmental Activists On Charges Of Spying For U.S.

Iran ’ s judiciary says it has issued prison sentences for eight environmental activists , including an Iranian who also has British and U.S. citizenship , on charges of spying for the United States and acting against Iran 's national security .
Judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili says an Iranian appeals court issued `` final verdicts ” in their cases on February 18 .
Two of the activists , Morad Tahbaz and Niloufar Bayani , received 10-year prison sentences .
They also were ordered to return money that Iranian authorities claim they ’ d received from the U.S. government for their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also holds U.S. and British citizenship .
Iran does not recognize dual or multiple nationalities .
That means Iranians detained by authorities in Tehran can not receive consular assistance from the other countries where they also are citizens .
In most cases , dual nationals have faced secret charges in closed-door hearings before Iran 's Revolutionary Court , which handles cases involving alleged attempts to overthrow the government .
Esmaili , the judiciary spokesman , said two other activists , Houman Jokar and Taher Ghadirian , each received eight-year sentences for allegedly “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''
Another three activists -- Sam Rajabi , Sepideh Kashan Doust , and Amirhossein Khaleghi Hamidi -- were each sentenced to six years in prison .
The eighth activist , Abdolreza Kouhpayeh , was sentenced to four years in an Iranian prison .
All the activists were arrested in Iran in early 2018 .
A ninth activist who was arrested at the time , Iranian-Canadian national Kavous Seyed Emami , died while in custody in February 2018 under disputed circumstances .
His widow was blocked from flying out of Iran but later @ @ @ @ @ @ @ continues to imprison others with ties to the West , including Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe , a British-Iranian woman sentenced to five years on allegations of planning the `` soft toppling '' of Iran 's government while traveling in Iran with her young daughter .
Iranian businessman Siamak Namazi and his 81-year-old father Baquer Namazi are serving 10-year prison sentences on espionage charges .
Baquer Namazi is a former UNICEF representative who served as governor of Iran 's oil-rich Khuzestan Province under the U.S.-backed shah , Mohammad Reza Rahlavi .
Iranian-American Robin Shahini was released @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hunger strike while serving an 18-year prison sentence on charges of “ collaboration with a hostile government.
” Shahini has since returned to the United States and is now suing Iran in U.S. federal court .
Former FBI agent Robert Levinson , who vanished in Iran in 2007 , remains missing .
Earlier in February , Iran ’ s Supreme Court confirmed the death penalty for Iranian citizen Amir Rahimpour , who was convicted of spying for the CIA .
Iranian state media have alleged that he had shared details about Iran ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ With reporting by Reuters and AP

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--2020-02-18--Kyrgyz Authorities Cancel Chinese Investment Project Amid Protests

AT-BASHI , Kyrgyzstan -- Kyrgyz authorities say they have canceled a Chinese investment project in the eastern part of Kyrgyzstan @ @ @ @ @ to construct a $ 275 million logistics center in the area .
Artur Baiterekov , @ @ @ @ @ Free Economic Zone , told RFE/RL late on February 17 that the deal with China @ @ @ @ @ Kyrgyz-Chinese Ata-Bashi Free Economic Zone Joint Venture also said on February 17 that the contract @ @ @ @ @ it is not possible to work on a long-term large project in the circumstances '' @ @ @ @ @ population opposes the construction of the logistics center .
Local residents have protested several times @ @ @ @ @ , which had been agreed on by the Kyrgyz government and Chinese President Xi Jinping @ @ @ @ @ Kyrgyzstan in June 2019 .
The latest demonstration against the project was staged earlier on @ @ @ @ @ of At-Bashi .

AT-BASHI, Kyrgyzstan -- Kyrgyz authorities say they have canceled a Chinese investment project in the eastern part of Kyrgyzstan following mass protests against plans to construct a $275 million logistics center in the area.
Artur Baiterekov, head of Kyrgyzstan's Naryn Free Economic Zone, told RFE/RL late on February 17 that the deal with China has been rescinded.
The Kyrgyz-Chinese Ata-Bashi Free Economic Zone Joint Venture also said on February 17 that the contract has been annulled because "it is not possible to work on a long-term large project in the circumstances" when part of the local population opposes the construction of the logistics center.
Local residents have protested several times since January against the project, which had been agreed on by the Kyrgyz government and Chinese President Xi Jinping when the Chinese leader visited Kyrgyzstan in June 2019.
The latest demonstration against the project was staged earlier on February 17 near the village of At-Bashi.


rferl--2020-02-18--Kazakh Activists Detained, Pressured Ahead Of Opposition Party's Founding Congress

ATYRAU , Kazakhstan -- Three Kazakh opposition activists were detained by police while they were traveling to Almaty to take part in the founding congress of a new opposition group .
Detained opposition activist Talghat Ayan told RFE/RL that police on February 18 stopped him and two other activists , Rustem Kazhimov and Daria Ulzhaghalieva , at a railway station in the western city of Atyrau and took them to a nearly police station .
`` Police told us that we were detained for questioning in an unspecified criminal case , '' Ayan said , adding that he was waiting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Ulzhaghalieva were being questioned .
According to Ayan , 30 activists initially were planning to travel to Almaty to take part in the founding congress of the Democratic Party of Kazakhstan , which has been scheduled for February 22 .
But Ayan said 10 of those activists already have changed their minds about attending the event because of pressure from Kazakh authorities .
Some activists complain that they also are being pressured to stay away from the new party 's founding congress by various forms of intimidation , including violent attacks either @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
An activist in the southwestern town of Zhanaozen , Muratbai Zhumaghaliev , told RFE/RL that unknown persons set his car on fire during the early morning hours of February 17 .
Zhumaghaliev said he believes the apparent arson attack was linked to his political activities .
He said the fire was an attempt to prevent him from travelling to Almaty to take part in the new party 's congress .
The founder of the Democratic Party of Kazakhstan , Zhanbolat Mamai , has said that the new party 's campaigners also have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the country ahead of the congress .
Kazakh law requires the participation of at least 1,000 people in the founding congress of a political party for the party to be officially registered .

ATYRAU, Kazakhstan -- Three Kazakh opposition activists were detained by police while they were traveling to Almaty to take part in the founding congress of a new opposition group.
Detained opposition activist Talghat Ayan told RFE/RL that police on February 18 stopped him and two other activists, Rustem Kazhimov and Daria Ulzhaghalieva, at a railway station in the western city of Atyrau and took them to a nearly police station.
"Police told us that we were detained for questioning in an unspecified criminal case," Ayan said, adding that he was waiting for his lawyer to arrive while Kazhimov and Ulzhaghalieva were being questioned.
According to Ayan, 30 activists initially were planning to travel to Almaty to take part in the founding congress of the Democratic Party of Kazakhstan, which has been scheduled for February 22.
But Ayan said 10 of those activists already have changed their minds about attending the event because of pressure from Kazakh authorities.
Some activists complain that they also are being pressured to stay away from the new party's founding congress by various forms of intimidation, including violent attacks either threatened or carried out by unknown persons.
An activist in the southwestern town of Zhanaozen, Muratbai Zhumaghaliev, told RFE/RL that unknown persons set his car on fire during the early morning hours of February 17.
Zhumaghaliev said he believes the apparent arson attack was linked to his political activities. He said the fire was an attempt to prevent him from travelling to Almaty to take part in the new party's congress.
The founder of the Democratic Party of Kazakhstan, Zhanbolat Mamai, has said that the new party's campaigners also have been facing different types of pressure across the country ahead of the congress.
Kazakh law requires the participation of at least 1,000 people in the founding congress of a political party for the party to be officially registered.


rferl--2020-02-18--Kazakh Police Arrest Ethnic Dungan Brothers Blamed For Sparking Deadly Clashes

Police in Kazakhstan 's southern region of Zhambyl have arrested three ethnic Dungan brothers who allegedly were involved in a road-rage brawl thought to have triggered ethnic clashes that left 11 people dead .
The Prosecutor-General 's Office said on February 18 that the three brothers from the Voingui family had been charged with assaulting police .
Their case has been sent to the Qordai District Court .
Prosecutors say police stopped a car driven by one of the brothers in the village of Sortobe on February 7 .
They said the man was told to follow them to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to produce a valid driving license and registration documents for the car .
But authorities say the man refused to do so and , instead , ran inside a private house where two of his brothers were .
The Prosecutor-General 's Office says all three brothers then ran out of the house and attacked the police .
Video of the clash shows the three brothers , apparently unarmed , trying to punch police officers while authorities attempt to restrain them .
The video was posted on social media by witnesses who presented the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 7 road-rage brawl between two groups of men in separate vehicles .
Kazakh authorities said earlier that the road-rage brawl sparked wider violence between local Kazakhs and Kazakh citizens from the ethnic Dungan minority , a Muslim group of Chinese origin .
The deadly violence in the villages of Sortobe , Masanchi , Auqatty , and Bulan-Batyr left 11 people dead and dozens injured , including 19 police officers .
More than 30 houses , 17 commercial buildings , and 47 vehicles were destroyed or damaged in the ethnic clashes .
More than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ villages where the violence erupted .
Many of them ended up in the neighboring Kyrgyz region of Chui , where the majority of ethnic Dungans in Central Asia reside .
Kazakh officials say the majority of the displaced Dungans returned to Kazakhstan several days later .
It is not clear how many Dungans from Kazakhstan remain in Kyrgyzstan .
Many senior regional officials , including the local police chief , were sacked by Kazakhstan 's central government in the aftermath of the clashes .
Dungans , also known as Hui , are Sunni @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that also uses words and phrases borrowed from Arabic , Persian , and Turkic .
Their ancestors fled from China to Central Asia , which then was part of the Russian Empire , in the late 19th century after the Chinese government ’ s violent crackdown of the Dungan Revolt of 1862-77 .
The total number of Dungans now living in former Soviet republics is about 120,000 .
Most reside in Kyrgyzstan 's northern region of Chui and Kazakhstan 's neighboring region of Zhambyl .
With reporting by Tengrinews and Kazinform

Police in Kazakhstan's southern region of Zhambyl have arrested three ethnic Dungan brothers who allegedly were involved in a road-rage brawl thought to have triggered ethnic clashes that left 11 people dead.
The Prosecutor-General's Office said on February 18 that the three brothers from the Voingui family had been charged with assaulting police. Their case has been sent to the Qordai District Court.
Prosecutors say police stopped a car driven by one of the brothers in the village of Sortobe on February 7. They said the man was told to follow them to a nearby police station because he had failed to produce a valid driving license and registration documents for the car.
But authorities say the man refused to do so and, instead, ran inside a private house where two of his brothers were.
The Prosecutor-General's Office says all three brothers then ran out of the house and attacked the police.
Video of the clash shows the three brothers, apparently unarmed, trying to punch police officers while authorities attempt to restrain them.
The video was posted on social media by witnesses who presented the incident as being linked to a February 7 road-rage brawl between two groups of men in separate vehicles.
Kazakh authorities said earlier that the road-rage brawl sparked wider violence between local Kazakhs and Kazakh citizens from the ethnic Dungan minority, a Muslim group of Chinese origin.
The deadly violence in the villages of Sortobe, Masanchi, Auqatty, and Bulan-Batyr left 11 people dead and dozens injured, including 19 police officers.
More than 30 houses, 17 commercial buildings, and 47 vehicles were destroyed or damaged in the ethnic clashes.
More than 20,000 people, mostly Dungans, fled villages where the violence erupted.
Many of them ended up in the neighboring Kyrgyz region of Chui, where the majority of ethnic Dungans in Central Asia reside.
Kazakh officials say the majority of the displaced Dungans returned to Kazakhstan several days later.
It is not clear how many Dungans from Kazakhstan remain in Kyrgyzstan.
Many senior regional officials, including the local police chief, were sacked by Kazakhstan's central government in the aftermath of the clashes.
Dungans, also known as Hui, are Sunni Muslims who speak a dialect of Mandarin that also uses words and phrases borrowed from Arabic, Persian, and Turkic.
Their ancestors fled from China to Central Asia, which then was part of the Russian Empire, in the late 19th century after the Chinese government’s violent crackdown of the Dungan Revolt of 1862-77.
The total number of Dungans now living in former Soviet republics is about 120,000.
Most reside in Kyrgyzstan's northern region of Chui and Kazakhstan's neighboring region of Zhambyl.
With reporting by Tengrinews and Kazinform


rferl--2020-02-18--One Ukrainian Soldier Killed, Four Wounded In Latest Clashes With Separatists

KYIV -- The Ukrainian Defense Ministry says one of its soldiers was killed and four were wounded in the latest @ @ @ @ @ the country 's east .
The ministry said in a statement that the clashes occurred @ @ @ @ @ the town of Zolote in the Luhansk region .
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called the @ @ @ @ @ to disrupt the peace process '' and said he will gather a Security Council meeting @ @ @ @ @ Some areas of Ukraine ’ s eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk , generally known @ @ @ @ @ been controlled since April 2014 by Russia-backed separatists .
Russia incited a rebellion in the @ @ @ @ @ annexation of Ukraine ’ s Crimea in March 2014 but has denied any involvement in @ @ @ @ @ which more than 13,000 people have been killed .

KYIV -- Ukraine and Russia-backed separatists have exchanged accusations over the latest deadly clashes in the country's east.
The Ukrainian Defense Ministry said one of its soldiers was killed and four were wounded in clashes that occurred early on February 18 near the town of Zolote in the Luhansk region.
The ministry accused the separatists of violating cease-fire agreements by shelling Ukrainian positions on the line of contact.
Meanwhile, the leader of the separatist militia in the Luhansk region, Yakov Osadchy, said four separatist fighters were killed and four were wounded in the clashes, for which he accused Ukrainian forces.
According to Osadchy, the fighting started when a group of Ukrainian soldiers tried to enter separatist-controlled territory but entered a minefield.
The clashes were the latest in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine’s eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, generally known as the Donbas, some parts of which have been controlled since April 2014 by the Moscow-backed separatists.
Russia incited a rebellion in the region following Moscow's illegal annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea in March 2014, but has denied any involvement in the ongoing conflict, in which more than 13,000 people have been killed.
The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv reacted to the events, calling on Moscow to fulfill its obligations outlined in earlier peace agreements.
The 2015 Minsk agreement is a peace plan that was brokered by France and Germany in the Belarussian capital and set a series of cease-fires in eastern Ukraine that have generally failed to hold.
Known as the Normandy Format, the latest four-way talks between Ukraine, Russia, France, and Germany were held in Paris in December.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called the latest clashes "an attempt to disrupt the peace process" and held a session of the Security Council to discuss the new developments.
After the session, Zelenskiy said the "situation is fully controlled by our army."
"We are sure that this provocation will not change the course which we have been confidently on, getting closer to the end of the war, towards peace," Zelenskiy said.
With reporting by UNIAN, RT, and Interfax


rferl--2020-02-18--60 Days And Counting? Republika Srpska Threatens Secession From Bosnia

BANJA LUKA , Bosnia-Herzegovina -- Lawmakers in Republika Srpska ( RS ) , Bosnia 's Serb entity , have given a 60-day deadline for the reform of Bosnia 's Constitutional Court , threatening secession following the court 's rejection of a move by Bosnian Serbs to claim federal agricultural land .
During an extraordinary session on February 17 , Bosnian Serb lawmakers voted 72-2 to suspend the work of all RS representatives in Bosnia 's institutions until the federal parliament terminates the mandates of the three international members of the Constitutional Court .
Addressing Republika Srpska ’ s legislature in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dodik , the Serb member of Bosnia ’ s multiethnic presidency , said : “ Goodbye [ Bosnia ] , welcome [ Republika Srpska 's ] exit .
We will see each other in 60 days . ''
Following the 1995 Dayton peace accords that ended the Bosnian war , three foreign judges serve on the court along with two Croats , two Muslims , and two Serbs .
Tensions have flared in Bosnia since the Constitutional Court earlier this month ruled that unclaimed agricultural land automatically became the property of the central @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contradicting Bosnian Serb law .
Dodik has repeatedly called for a referendum on the status of the Serb-led entity , saying Bosnian Serbs had a right to decide their own future .
In reaction to the move , Valentin Inzko , the European Union 's high representative for Bosnia-Herzegovina , warned on February 17 that `` secession would cross the red line . ''
Bosnia remains deeply divided along ethnic lines .
The country emerged from a 1992-95 war as two autonomous regions -- the Bosnian-Croat Federation and Republika Srpska -- united under @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the United States and the EU office in Sarajevo joined Britain , Germany , France , and Italy in saying that “ unilateral withdrawal from institutions , or blockages of decision-making within them , are unacceptable and counterproductive.
” The decisions of the Constitutional Court are “ final and binding and must be implemented , ” they said in a joint statement .

BANJA LUKA, Bosnia-Herzegovina -- Lawmakers in Republika Srpska (RS), Bosnia's Serb entity, have given a 60-day deadline for the reform of Bosnia's Constitutional Court, threatening secession following the court's rejection of a move by Bosnian Serbs to claim federal agricultural land.
During an extraordinary session on February 17, Bosnian Serb lawmakers voted 72-2 to suspend the work of all RS representatives in Bosnia's institutions until the federal parliament terminates the mandates of the three international members of the Constitutional Court.
Addressing Republika Srpska’s legislature in Banja Luka on February 17, Milorad Dodik, the Serb member of Bosnia’s multiethnic presidency, said: “Goodbye [Bosnia], welcome [Republika Srpska's] exit. We will see each other in 60 days."
Following the 1995 Dayton peace accords that ended the Bosnian war, three foreign judges serve on the court along with two Croats, two Muslims, and two Serbs.
Tensions have flared in Bosnia since the Constitutional Court earlier this month ruled that unclaimed agricultural land automatically became the property of the central Bosnian state rather than Republika Srpska -- contradicting Bosnian Serb law.
Dodik has repeatedly called for a referendum on the status of the Serb-led entity, saying Bosnian Serbs had a right to decide their own future.
In reaction to the move, Valentin Inzko, the European Union's high representative for Bosnia-Herzegovina, warned on February 17 that "secession would cross the red line."
Bosnia remains deeply divided along ethnic lines.
The country emerged from a 1992-95 war as two autonomous regions -- the Bosnian-Croat Federation and Republika Srpska -- united under a weak central government.
Last week, the United States and the EU office in Sarajevo joined Britain, Germany, France, and Italy in saying that “unilateral withdrawal from institutions, or blockages of decision-making within them, are unacceptable and counterproductive.”
The decisions of the Constitutional Court are “final and binding and must be implemented,” they said in a joint statement.


rferl--2020-02-18--Dutch Court Reinstates Order For Russia To Pay $50 Billion In Yukos Case

A Dutch appeals court has reinstated an international arbitration panel ’ s ruling that Russia must pay $ 50 billion in compensation to shareholders in the former Russian oil giant Yukos -- a ruling which Moscow said it will appeal .
The February 18 decision overturned a 2016 ruling by a Hague district court that canceled the compensation order on the grounds that the Permanent Court of Arbitration ( PCA ) did not have jurisdiction because the case was based on an energy treaty that Russia had signed but not ratified .
Russia 's Justice Ministry said immediately after the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Dutch court 's decision .
The Hague Court of Appeal ruled that the 2016 decision quashing the arbitration decision “ was not correct .
That means that the arbitration order is in force again.
” The PCA had ruled that Moscow seized control of Yukos in 2003 by saddling the company with massive tax claims .
The state launched “ a full assault on Yukos and its beneficial owners in order to bankrupt Yukos and appropriate its assets while , at the same time , removing Mr. Khodorkovsky from the political arena @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time .
The Russian government 's move was seen at the time as an attempt to silence Yukos founder and CEO Mikhail Khodorkovsky , a vocal opponent of President Vladimir Putin .
The Yukos shareholders called The Hague court ’ s decision “ fundamentally flawed ” and filed an appeal .
Khodorkovsky was arrested at gunpoint in 2003 as he boarded a plane in Siberia and convicted of financial crimes .
He spent a decade in prison before being pardoned by Putin and flown out of Russia .
Khodorkovsky and his supporters said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Kremlin to punish him for challenging Putin .
His majority-owned company subsequently was dismantled and absorbed by state-owned Rosneft in 2004 -- then a tiny company .
The arbitration court based its ruling on the Energy Charter Treaty , but the Dutch court that overturned the 2014 ruling stated that as a signatory Russia had never ratified the charter , thus the PCA ’ s decisions were “ contrary to Russian law.
” The European Court of Human Rights ( ECHR ) has ruled that Khodorkovsky and his business partner , Platon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years in prison , were denied their right to a fair trial in the case of their conviction for embezzlement and money laundering .
The Strasbourg-based court said on January 14 that it did not find any political motives in the criminal prosecution of Lebedev or Khodorkovsky , still one of Putin 's main opponents , and that no compensation would be awarded .
With reporting by Reuters , AP , and AFP

A Dutch appeals court has reinstated an international arbitration panel’s ruling that Russia must pay $50 billion in compensation to shareholders in the former Russian oil giant Yukos -- a ruling which Moscow said it will appeal.
The February 18 decision overturned a 2016 ruling by a Hague district court that canceled the compensation order on the grounds that the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) did not have jurisdiction because the case was based on an energy treaty that Russia had signed but not ratified.
Russia's Justice Ministry said immediately after the February 18 ruling that it will appeal the Dutch court's decision.
The Hague Court of Appeal ruled that the 2016 decision quashing the arbitration decision “was not correct. That means that the arbitration order is in force again.”
The PCA had ruled that Moscow seized control of Yukos in 2003 by saddling the company with massive tax claims.
The state launched “a full assault on Yukos and its beneficial owners in order to bankrupt Yukos and appropriate its assets while, at the same time, removing Mr. Khodorkovsky from the political arena,” the arbitrators said at the time.
The Russian government's move was seen at the time as an attempt to silence Yukos founder and CEO Mikhail Khodorkovsky, a vocal opponent of President Vladimir Putin.
The Yukos shareholders called The Hague court’s decision “fundamentally flawed” and filed an appeal.
Khodorkovsky was arrested at gunpoint in 2003 as he boarded a plane in Siberia and convicted of financial crimes. He spent a decade in prison before being pardoned by Putin and flown out of Russia.
Khodorkovsky and his supporters said the charges against him were engineered by the Kremlin to punish him for challenging Putin.
His majority-owned company subsequently was dismantled and absorbed by state-owned Rosneft in 2004 -- then a tiny company.
The arbitration court based its ruling on the Energy Charter Treaty, but the Dutch court that overturned the 2014 ruling stated that as a signatory Russia had never ratified the charter, thus the PCA’s decisions were “contrary to Russian law.”
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has ruled that Khodorkovsky and his business partner, Platon Lebedev, who spent more than 10 years in prison, were denied their right to a fair trial in the case of their conviction for embezzlement and money laundering.
The Strasbourg-based court said on January 14 that it did not find any political motives in the criminal prosecution of Lebedev or Khodorkovsky, still one of Putin's main opponents, and that no compensation would be awarded.
With reporting by Reuters, AP, and AFP


rferl--2020-02-18--Kazakh Authorities Say Terrorist Plots Uncovered, Two Suspects Arrested

Kazakh authorities say they thwarted several acts of terrorism and arrested two adherents of a “ destructive religious cult ” @ @ @ @ @ .
The arrests were made in Almaty , Kazakhstan ’ s biggest city , and @ @ @ @ @ on February 14 , the National Security Committee ’ s ( KNB ) press service @ @ @ @ @ While conducting searches of the suspects ’ residences , officers found “ an improvised explosive @ @ @ @ @ , components to manufacture it , sharp weapons , and smartphones with pictures and video @ @ @ @ @ ” according to the KNB statement .
The suspects have been charged with preparing a @ @ @ @ @ terrorism .
The acts allegedly were to be carried out in Kazakhstan at large public @ @ @ @ @ is still ongoing , the statement said .

Kazakh authorities say they thwarted several acts of terrorism and arrested two adherents of a “destructive religious cult” who had allegedly plotted them.
The arrests were made in Almaty, Kazakhstan’s biggest city, and a court authorized their arrest on February 14, the National Security Committee’s (KNB) press service said on February 18.
While conducting searches of the suspects’ residences, officers found “an improvised explosive device filled with fragmentation-generating objects, components to manufacture it, sharp weapons, and smartphones with pictures and video footage of presumed targets,” according to the KNB statement.
The suspects have been charged with preparing a terrorist act and propaganda of terrorism.
The acts allegedly were to be carried out in Kazakhstan at large public gathering places.
The investigation is still ongoing, the statement said.


rferl--2020-02-18--Ukraine Says It Disrupted Bot Network Supported By Russian Online Services

Ukraine ’ s Security Service ( SBU ) on February 17 said it had disrupted a network of “ bot farms ” and seized computer and telecommunications equipment that were supported by Russian online services in five Ukrainian cities .
Telecommunication platforms were used to create and promote 8,000 fake social-media accounts and groups that were used to spread “ fake information about the situation in Ukraine , incite protests , scare the public , send notices of bomb threats at critical infrastructure sites , ” and troll the accounts of high-ranking officials , the SBU reported on its website @ @ @ @ @ @ @ place in the capital , Kyiv , and in Kharkiv , Dnipro , Dubno , and Irpin .
Firearms , explosive devices , and narcotics were also distributed using the social-media accounts .
These accounts were registered on the Internet through Russian online services that provided virtual mobile-number services .
Some of the equipment was used to illegally reroute mobile-phone traffic from two “ illegally created ” mobile carriers that operate in territories that Russia-backed forces control in the eastern part of the country , the SBU said .
While conducting searches in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ computer equipment , GSM modems , computer network gateways , and more than 22,000 SIM cards from Ukrainian mobile carriers .
The involvement of Russian special services and intelligence bodies in the bot farms is being checked , the SBU said .

Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) on February 17 said it had disrupted a network of “bot farms” and seized computer and telecommunications equipment that were supported by Russian online services in five Ukrainian cities.
Telecommunication platforms were used to create and promote 8,000 fake social-media accounts and groups that were used to spread “fake information about the situation in Ukraine, incite protests, scare the public, send notices of bomb threats at critical infrastructure sites,” and troll the accounts of high-ranking officials, the SBU reported on its website on February 17.
The operation took place in the capital, Kyiv, and in Kharkiv, Dnipro, Dubno, and Irpin.
Firearms, explosive devices, and narcotics were also distributed using the social-media accounts.
These accounts were registered on the Internet through Russian online services that provided virtual mobile-number services.
Some of the equipment was used to illegally reroute mobile-phone traffic from two “illegally created” mobile carriers that operate in territories that Russia-backed forces control in the eastern part of the country, the SBU said.
While conducting searches in the five cities, the SBU found computer equipment, GSM modems, computer network gateways, and more than 22,000 SIM cards from Ukrainian mobile carriers.
The involvement of Russian special services and intelligence bodies in the bot farms is being checked, the SBU said.


rferl--2020-02-18--Roadside Bomb Kills Pakistani Police Officer Assigned To Escort Anti-Polio Team

A roadside bombing targeted a police vehicle in northwestern Pakistan on February 18 , killing a police officer and wounding @ @ @ @ @ .
The police officers were assigned to escort health workers during an anti-polio vaccination campaign @ @ @ @ @ bombing in Kolachi , a town in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province that borders Afghanistan , was @ @ @ @ @ , but the Taliban mounts regular attacks against polio workers , claiming that vaccination campaigns @ @ @ @ @ sterilize children .
Security forces were searching the area for the attackers , police official @ @ @ @ @ , adding that no polio workers were traveling with the police at the time .
@ @ @ @ @ on February 17 launched a three-day nationwide vaccination campaign against the crippling disease .
Pakistan @ @ @ @ @ are the only three countries in the world where polio is still endemic .
Based @ @ @ @ @ dawn.com

A roadside bombing targeted a police vehicle in northwestern Pakistan on February 18, killing a police officer and wounding three others, officials said.
The police officers were assigned to escort health workers during an anti-polio vaccination campaign in the region.
The bombing in Kolachi, a town in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province that borders Afghanistan, was not claimed by any group, but the Taliban mounts regular attacks against polio workers, claiming that vaccination campaigns are a Western conspiracy to sterilize children.
Security forces were searching the area for the attackers, police official Wahid Khan told the media, adding that no polio workers were traveling with the police at the time.
The attack came after Pakistan on February 17 launched a three-day nationwide vaccination campaign against the crippling disease.
Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Nigeria are the only three countries in the world where polio is still endemic.
Based on reporting by AP and dawn.com


rferl--2020-02-18--Ukraine Calls On Russia To Release Detained Fishermen

The head of Ukraine ’ s border guard service , Serhiy Deyneko , says Russia should release four Ukrainian fishermen it detained for allegedly fishing illegally once their 10-day civil arrest term expires in occupied Crimea .
“ We know all the citizens who were detained .
The fishermen are being held in a detention facility in Kerch , ” Deyneko told Interfax news agency on February 17 .
He added there is no evidence so far that the Ukrainians were illegally fishing in the Sea of Azov .
`` At the moment , we do not have information that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Russian side were fishing illegally , so we can only evaluate the information we have available and to which we have access , ” Deyneko said .
He said the Foreign Ministry and law enforcement agencies are cooperating and doing their “ utmost to bring our citizens back to Ukraine as soon as possible.
” Ukraine 's Foreign Ministry on February 17 summoned the Russian charge d'affaires and protested the fishermens ' detention .
`` We demand that the Russian side steadily adhere to the international and legal obligations and treaties which it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ information about the circumstances of the detention of the Ukrainian fishing vessel and its four crew members , '' the Foreign Ministry said on its website .
During the meeting , the Russian side was `` presented with the demand to immediately release the Ukrainian fishermen and fishing vessel and return all fishing equipment . ''
On February 16 , a Russian-administered court in Kerch on the Ukrainian peninsula ruled to arrest the four Ukrainian fishermen , who were detained along with their boat the previous day near the Crimean coast .
Deyneko @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the coast of Crimea .
Pavlo Melnyk , a Ukrainian lawmaker from the ruling Servant of the People party , named the fishermen as Serhiy Hoha , Oleksiy Ivanov , Vasyl Tyurkedzhi , and Maksym Tyeryekhov .
They all hail from the southeastern region of Zaporizhzhya .
The border guard force of Russia ’ s Federal Security Service ( FSB ) said it apprehended the fishermen on February 15 and accused them of “ violating rules of catching aquatic biological resources.
” The FSB also said the boat ’ s captain had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ didn ’ t have documents on their person and the catch on board the vessel was illegal , said Larisa Opanasyuk , the human rights ombudswoman on the Russian-occupied peninsula .
A 2003 Russia-Ukraine treaty stipulates unimpeded access to the Kerch Strait and Sea of Azov , including the sharing of its aquatic resources .
On November 25 , 2018 , Russian border guards attacked , intercepted , and seized three Ukrainian Navy boats off Crimea , taking 24 crew members prisoner .
The sailors were freed as part of a prisoner exchange @ @ @ @ @ @ @ early 2014 and has controlled the peninsula ever since , triggering Western sanctions that are still in place .

The head of Ukraine’s border guard service, Serhiy Deyneko, says Russia should release four Ukrainian fishermen it detained for allegedly fishing illegally once their 10-day civil arrest term expires in occupied Crimea.
“We know all the citizens who were detained. The fishermen are being held in a detention facility in Kerch,” Deyneko told Interfax news agency on February 17.
He added there is no evidence so far that the Ukrainians were illegally fishing in the Sea of Azov.
"At the moment, we do not have information that clearly indicates that citizens detained by the Russian side were fishing illegally, so we can only evaluate the information we have available and to which we have access,” Deyneko said.
He said the Foreign Ministry and law enforcement agencies are cooperating and doing their “utmost to bring our citizens back to Ukraine as soon as possible.”
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry on February 17 summoned the Russian charge d'affaires and protested the fishermens' detention.
"We demand that the Russian side steadily adhere to the international and legal obligations and treaties which it is party to and immediately provide exhaustive information about the circumstances of the detention of the Ukrainian fishing vessel and its four crew members," the Foreign Ministry said on its website.
During the meeting, the Russian side was "presented with the demand to immediately release the Ukrainian fishermen and fishing vessel and return all fishing equipment."
On February 16, a Russian-administered court in Kerch on the Ukrainian peninsula ruled to arrest the four Ukrainian fishermen, who were detained along with their boat the previous day near the Crimean coast.
Deyneko said their boat was about 50 kilometers from the coast of Crimea.
Pavlo Melnyk, a Ukrainian lawmaker from the ruling Servant of the People party, named the fishermen as Serhiy Hoha, Oleksiy Ivanov, Vasyl Tyurkedzhi, and Maksym Tyeryekhov.
They all hail from the southeastern region of Zaporizhzhya.
The border guard force of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said it apprehended the fishermen on February 15 and accused them of “violating rules of catching aquatic biological resources.”
The FSB also said the boat’s captain had admitted guilt during questioning.
The fishermen didn’t have documents on their person and the catch on board the vessel was illegal, said Larisa Opanasyuk, the human rights ombudswoman on the Russian-occupied peninsula.
A 2003 Russia-Ukraine treaty stipulates unimpeded access to the Kerch Strait and Sea of Azov, including the sharing of its aquatic resources.
On November 25, 2018, Russian border guards attacked, intercepted, and seized three Ukrainian Navy boats off Crimea, taking 24 crew members prisoner.
The sailors were freed as part of a prisoner exchange in September.
Russia invaded Crimea in early 2014 and has controlled the peninsula ever since, triggering Western sanctions that are still in place.
With reporting by Interfax


rferl--2020-02-18--Ukraine Sending Plane To Evacuate Citizens From China As Virus Deaths Exceed 1,800

KYIV -- Ukraine on February 18 said it plans to send a plane to China and evacuate 49 of its citizens and 25 foreign nationals amid the coronavirus outbreak , as Beijing reported 1,886 new cases and 98 more deaths .
The update raised the number of deaths in mainland China to almost 1,900 and the total confirmed cases to almost 72,500 .
In Kyiv , Ukrainian Health Minister Viktor Lyashko said the passengers will be airlifted from Wuhan city in Hubei Province , the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak .
Only people without symptoms of the COVID-2019 virus will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Lyashko said they will be quarantined for 14 days upon their arrival in Kyiv on February 19 .
“ There ’ s no need to panic .
We ’ ll bring only healthy people to Ukraine , ” the health minister said .
Ukraine ’ s embassy in China first announced an evacuation would take place on February 11 ; it was postponed a second time over the past seven days .
No plans are in place to evacuate the 25 Ukrainian passengers aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship , which is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
“ Right now , we ’ re focused on issues of evacuating citizens in the quarantined zone [ in China ] .
This is a top priority .
Further on , we will revisit the question of possibly evacuating those citizens [ aboard the cruise ship ] , ” he said .
A 25-year-old man and a 37-year-old woman who worked in the kitchen of the cruise ship have tested positive for the infection , along with 452 other passengers .
A total of 72,436 infection cases have been reported in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the National Health Commission said in its daily update the following day .
There have been a total of 1,868 fatalities in the country .
Chinese officials on February 17 published the first details on nearly 45,000 cases of the coronavirus , saying more than 80 percent have been mild and that the number of new infections seemed to be falling since early this month .
The sick and elderly are most at risk .
The virus causes severe symptoms such as pneumonia in 14 percent of them and critical illness in 5 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ confirmed cases is 2.3 percent .
Chinese authorities said that despite strict rules on the use of masks and safety suits , medical workers have been among the victims .
On February 18 , the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission said the 51-year-old director of Wuhan 's Wuchang Hospital , Liu Zhiming , had died of COVID-19 .
Outside of China , there have been about 900 infections reported and four deaths in nearly 30 locations .
The World Health Organization ( WHO ) warned against a global overreaction to the epidemic following panic-buying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cruise ship travel .
`` Measures should be taken proportional to the situation .
Blanket measures may not help , '' WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters in Geneva .
With reporting by Deutsche Welle , AP , and Hromadske

KYIV -- Ukraine on February 18 said it plans to send a plane to China and evacuate 49 of its citizens and 25 foreign nationals amid the coronavirus outbreak, as Beijing reported 1,886 new cases and 98 more deaths.
The update raised the number of deaths in mainland China to almost 1,900 and the total confirmed cases to almost 72,500.
In Kyiv, Ukrainian Deputy Health Minister Viktor Lyashko said the passengers will be airlifted from Wuhan city in Hubei Province, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak.
Only people without symptoms of the COVID-2019 virus will be allowed to board, Lyashko said.
Lyashko said they will be quarantined for 14 days upon their arrival in Kyiv on February 19.
“There’s no need to panic. We’ll bring only healthy people to Ukraine,” the health minister said.
Ukraine’s embassy in China first announced an evacuation would take place on February 11; it was postponed a second time over the past seven days.
No plans are in place to evacuate the 25 Ukrainian passengers aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship, which is quarantined at a Japanese port, Lyashko said.
“Right now, we’re focused on issues of evacuating citizens in the quarantined zone [in China]. This is a top priority. Further on, we will revisit the question of possibly evacuating those citizens [aboard the cruise ship],” he said.
A 25-year-old man and a 37-year-old woman who worked in the kitchen of the cruise ship have tested positive for the infection, along with 452 other passengers.
A total of 72,436 infection cases have been reported in mainland China as of February 17, the National Health Commission said in its daily update the following day. There have been a total of 1,868 fatalities in the country.
Chinese officials on February 17 published the first details on nearly 45,000 cases of the coronavirus, saying more than 80 percent have been mild and that the number of new infections seemed to be falling since early this month. The sick and elderly are most at risk.
The virus causes severe symptoms such as pneumonia in 14 percent of them and critical illness in 5 percent. The mortality rate for these confirmed cases is 2.3 percent.
Chinese authorities said that despite strict rules on the use of masks and safety suits, medical workers have been among the victims.
On February 18, the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission said the 51-year-old director of Wuhan's Wuchang Hospital, Liu Zhiming, had died of COVID-19.
Outside of China, there have been about 900 infections reported and four deaths in nearly 30 locations.
The World Health Organization (WHO) warned against a global overreaction to the epidemic following panic-buying, event cancellations, and concerns about cruise ship travel.
"Measures should be taken proportional to the situation. Blanket measures may not help," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters in Geneva.
With reporting by Deutsche Welle, AP, and Hromadske