rferl--2020-11-13--Siberian City Mayor Arrested For Corruption Live On The Internet

The mayor of the city of Tomsk , Ivan Klyain , has been detained on suspicion of abuse of office in an arrest captured live on a video broadcast .
The Investigative Committee said in a statement that Klyain was detained on November 13 following a probe launched by the Federal Security Service ( FSB ) .
According to the statement , Klyain is suspected of using his position as mayor to illegally prevent the construction of a building in 2016-2017 on territory close to the Tomsk Beer company , which he controls .
FSB officers detained Klyain during an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the arrest in real time on the Internet .
Klyain , 61 , has served as the mayor of Tomsk since 2013 .
Before being appointed to the post , he had been the director-general of the Tomsk Beer company , one of the largest breweries in the region , since 1994 .
After becoming mayor , his wife Galina Klyain was elected by Tomsk Beer 's board of directors as the facility 's director-general .
In 2013 , the Kommersant newspaper wrote that Klyain owned 51 percent of Tomsk Beer , while @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the company 's shares .
For several years , Klyain declared one of the highest incomes among Russian mayors , according to Moskovsky Komsomolets .
Klyain is the third mayor of the Siberian city to be detained on suspicion of abuse of office since 2006 .
With reporting by TASS , Interfax , Mediazona , RBK , Taiga.Info , and Tomsk.ru

The mayor of the city of Tomsk, Ivan Klyain, has been detained on suspicion of abuse of office in an arrest captured live on a video broadcast.
The Investigative Committee said in a statement that Klyain was detained on November 13 following a probe launched by the Federal Security Service (FSB).
According to the statement, Klyain is suspected of using his position as mayor to illegally prevent the construction of a building in 2016-2017 on territory close to the Tomsk Beer company, which he controls.
FSB officers detained Klyain during an online conference, shocking participants who witnessed the arrest in real time on the Internet.
Klyain, 61, has served as the mayor of Tomsk since 2013. Before being appointed to the post, he had been the director-general of the Tomsk Beer company, one of the largest breweries in the region, since 1994.
After becoming mayor, his wife Galina Klyain was elected by Tomsk Beer's board of directors as the facility's director-general.
In 2013, the Kommersant newspaper wrote that Klyain owned 51 percent of Tomsk Beer, while his spouse and daughters owned 20 percent of the company's shares.
For several years, Klyain declared one of the highest incomes among Russian mayors, according to Moskovsky Komsomolets.
Klyain is the third mayor of the Siberian city to be detained on suspicion of abuse of office since 2006.
With reporting by TASS, Interfax, Mediazona, RBK, Taiga.Info, and Tomsk.ru


rferl--2020-11-13--Measles Cases Spike In Georgia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan As COVID-19 Impacts Vaccination Worldwide

Measles cases worldwide surged to the highest number in nearly a quarter of a century in 2019 due to a drop in vaccinations that is expected to worsen this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic , according to the World Health Organization ( WHO ) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) .
In a study published on November 12 , WHO and CDC said there were nearly 870,000 measles cases in 2019 , the highest number reported since 1996 .
The number of deaths also increased to about 207,500 , nearly 50 percent more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ every region of the world witnessed increases in recorded infections , with large outbreaks in nine countries including Georgia , Kazakhstan , North Macedonia , and Ukraine accounting for 73 percent of global cases .
Health officials blamed the backsliding on a failure to vaccinate children on time with two doses of the measles vaccine .
`` We know how to prevent measles outbreaks and deaths , '' said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus .
`` These data send a clear message that we are failing to protect children from measles in every @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prevent measles outbreaks , health officials say about 95 percent of a national and local population must be immunized .
Vaccination coverage for one dose of the vaccine has been stagnant globally for more than a decade at 85 percent , while coverage for two doses is only at 71 percent .
For 2020 and 2021 , the secondary impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on measles has health officials worried .
The pandemic has resulted in the disruption of vaccination campaigns effecting 94 million people in 26 countries .
`` Before there was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ grappling with a measles crisis , and it has not gone away , '' said Henrietta Fore , the executive director of the UN Children ’ s Fund ( UNICEF ) .
`` While health systems are strained by the COVID-19 pandemic , we must not allow our fight against one deadly disease to come at the expense of our fight against another . ''
In addition to weak health systems and the inability to reach children , WHO said growing vaccine hesitancy was an additional problem in some countries .
In particular @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( MMR ) vaccine causes autism has led to an anti-vaccination movement in some developed countries .
WHO says that measles vaccinations have saved more than 25.5 million lives globally since 2000 .
Measles is a highly contagious disease that mostly strikes children under five .
With reporting by AFP , AP , dpa , and Reuters

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


rferl--2020-11-13--North Macedonia Beats Georgia To Qualify For First-Ever Major Soccer Tournament

North Macedonia will go to a major soccer tournament for the first time in its history after team captain Goran @ @ @ @ @ Balkan nation a 1-0 win away over Georgia in their Euro 2020 qualifying playoff final @ @ @ @ @ scored in the 56th minute in Tbilisi , allowing the country to secure their place @ @ @ @ @ postponed European Championship , which is now set to go ahead in June and July @ @ @ @ @ which has also never appeared in any major international competition , had more possession and @ @ @ @ @ unable to penetrate their opponents ' defense .
North Macedonia will go into Group C @ @ @ @ @ the Netherlands , Ukraine , and Austria .
Based on reporting by AFP , AP @ @ @ @ @

North Macedonia will go to a major soccer tournament for the first time in its history after team captain Goran Pandev's goal gave the Balkan nation a 1-0 win away over Georgia in their Euro 2020 qualifying playoff final on November 12.
Pandev scored in the 56th minute in Tbilisi, allowing the country to secure their place in the finals of the postponed European Championship, which is now set to go ahead in June and July next year.
Georgia, which has also never appeared in any major international competition, had more possession and shots, but they were unable to penetrate their opponents' defense.
North Macedonia will go into Group C at the finals along with the Netherlands, Ukraine, and Austria.
Based on reporting by AFP, AP, dpa, and Reuters


rferl--2020-11-13--EU Threatens  Sanctions As Belarusian Reportedly Beaten To Death By Security Forces

The European Union has again condemned Belarus 's violent crackdown on protesters since a disputed August election and has threatened to impose more sanctions on the country following the death of a 31-year-old Belarusian citizen who was reportedly badly beaten by masked security forces .
Thousands of demonstrators took to the capital , Minsk , on November 13 to mourn the death of Raman Bandarenka and lay flowers at the site where he was arrested before his death .
Witnesses say plainclothes men abducted Bandarenka on November 11 after a scuffle in a square where they came to remove red-and-white @ @ @ @ @ @ @ against strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka .
The Interior Ministry said “ unknown people ” were fighting and when police arrived they called an ambulance to take the injured Bandarenka to the hospital .
One witness said there was no ambulance , and instead , the masked men took several people away in minivans similar to those used by security forces .
More than an hour later , Bandarenka was reportedly taken to a hospital with severe head trauma and died .
.
`` This is an outrageous and shameful result of the actions by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ directly and violently carried out repression of their own population , but also created an environment whereby such lawless , violent acts can take place , thus ignoring not only the fundamental rights and freedoms of the Belarusian people but also disregarding their lives , '' EU spokesman Peter Stano said in a statement released on November 13 .
`` The European Union has already imposed sanctions on 55 individuals responsible for violent repression and intimidation , and stands ready to impose additional sanctions , '' Stano added , while expressing the EU @ @ @ @ @ @ @ family and friends of Bandarenka .
Lukashenka , who has ruled Belarus for 26 years , has faced almost daily protests calling for his resignation since a presidential election on August 9 that the opposition says was rigged and which the West has refused to accept .
Several protesters have been killed and thousands of people arrested since authorities declared Lukashenka the landslide winner of the vote .
There have also been credible reports of torture during a widening security crackdown .
Most of the country 's opposition leaders have been arrested or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya , who described Bandarenka as a hero .
“ He became a victim of the regime 's inhumanity and terror for just being an active Belarusian [ striving ] for freedom , ” Tsikhanouskaya said .
In response to the crackdown , the United States , Britain , and the European Union have imposed sanctions on dozens of Belarusian officials , including Lukashenka .
The foreign minister of neighboring Lithuania , where Tsikhanouskaya is currently living after leaving Belarus because of fears for her safety and that of her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' at Bandarenka 's death .
`` Astonishing cynicism , cruelty of the regime and blunt ignorance of people 's aspirations for changes , '' Linas Linkevicius said on Twitter .

The European Union has again condemned Belarus's violent crackdown on protesters since a disputed August election and has threatened to impose more sanctions on the country following the death of a 31-year-old Belarusian citizen who was reportedly badly beaten by masked security forces.
Thousands of demonstrators took to the capital, Minsk, on November 13 to mourn the death of Raman Bandarenka and lay flowers at the site where he was arrested before his death.
Witnesses say plainclothes men abducted Bandarenka on November 11 after a scuffle in a square where they came to remove red-and-white ribbons that represent the opposition protest movement against strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka.
The Interior Ministry said “unknown people” were fighting and when police arrived they called an ambulance to take the injured Bandarenka to the hospital.
One witness said there was no ambulance, and instead, the masked men took several people away in minivans similar to those used by security forces.
More than an hour later, Bandarenka was reportedly taken to a hospital with severe head trauma and died. .
"This is an outrageous and shameful result of the actions by the Belarusian authorities who have not only directly and violently carried out repression of their own population, but also created an environment whereby such lawless, violent acts can take place, thus ignoring not only the fundamental rights and freedoms of the Belarusian people but also disregarding their lives," EU spokesman Peter Stano said in a statement released on November 13.
"The European Union has already imposed sanctions on 55 individuals responsible for violent repression and intimidation, and stands ready to impose additional sanctions," Stano added, while expressing the EU's "deepest condolences" for the family and friends of Bandarenka.
Lukashenka, who has ruled Belarus for 26 years, has faced almost daily protests calling for his resignation since a presidential election on August 9 that the opposition says was rigged and which the West has refused to accept.
Several protesters have been killed and thousands of people arrested since authorities declared Lukashenka the landslide winner of the vote.
There have also been credible reports of torture during a widening security crackdown.
Most of the country's opposition leaders have been arrested or forced to leave the country, including opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who described Bandarenka as a hero.
“He became a victim of the regime's inhumanity and terror for just being an active Belarusian [striving] for freedom,” Tsikhanouskaya said.
In response to the crackdown, the United States, Britain, and the European Union have imposed sanctions on dozens of Belarusian officials, including Lukashenka.
The foreign minister of neighboring Lithuania, where Tsikhanouskaya is currently living after leaving Belarus because of fears for her safety and that of her family, said he was "shocked" at Bandarenka's death.
"Astonishing cynicism, cruelty of the regime and blunt ignorance of people's aspirations for changes," Linas Linkevicius said on Twitter.


rferl--2020-11-12--RFE/RL Probe Finds Journalists At Hungarian State Broadcaster Instructed On News Coverage

An investigation by RFE/RL has found journalists at Hungary 's public broadcaster faced pressure leading up to European Parliament elections in 2019 , including orders to push , among other things , an anti-migrant narrative , a key issue of the government of Prime Minister Viktor Orban .
RFE/RL obtained leaked audio recordings and other testimony , including internal e-mail , indicating that editors at Hungarian broadcaster MTVA instructed reporters on how to cover certain issues , including opposition parties and candidates .
In one recording , the voice of Balazs Bende , a senior MTVA editor , can be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sure no one will be surprised to hear that it is not the opposition 's list that enjoys the support of this institution . ''
`` Whoever is in charge must produce content according to the appropriate narrative , method , and direction , mostly about migrants and Brussels , '' Bende can be heard saying .
`` If anyone is not prepared to work under these conditions , he is free to file his resignation immediately , '' he added .
Internal e-mail and employee testimony obtained by RFE/RL indicate MTVA reporters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stance not only on migrant , but LGBT issues as well , along with climate change .
Orban , whose stated aim has been to transform Hungary into an `` illiberal democracy , '' has drawn censure abroad with his anti-immigration rhetoric and sweeping reforms that have earned him accusations of authoritarianism from the European Union .
He has denied these accusations .
He has nonetheless enjoyed enduring popularity at home , winning three straight terms to become Hungary 's longest-serving postcommunist leader , and has repeatedly shown his ability to bring tens @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Over the past 10 years , the Orban government has taken control of most of the country 's press outlets , either directly or indirectly .
Since 2010 , Hungary 's public television and radio stations and the state news agency have gradually come under much tighter political control than under previous governments .
In 2019 , about 500 private media outlets were concentrated into the Central European Press and Media Foundation ( KESMA ) , which has close ties to the Orban government .
Hungary suffered a 16-point plunge , to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ' 2020 World Press Freedom Index .

An investigation by RFE/RL has found journalists at Hungary's public broadcaster faced pressure leading up to European Parliament elections in 2019, including orders to push, among other things, an anti-migrant narrative, a key issue of the government of Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
RFE/RL obtained leaked audio recordings and other testimony, including internal e-mail, indicating that editors at Hungarian broadcaster MTVA instructed reporters on how to cover certain issues, including opposition parties and candidates.
In one recording, the voice of Balazs Bende, a senior MTVA editor, can be heard telling reporters, "I'm sure no one will be surprised to hear that it is not the opposition's list that enjoys the support of this institution."
"Whoever is in charge must produce content according to the appropriate narrative, method, and direction, mostly about migrants and Brussels," Bende can be heard saying.
"If anyone is not prepared to work under these conditions, he is free to file his resignation immediately," he added.
Internal e-mail and employee testimony obtained by RFE/RL indicate MTVA reporters were also told to take a critical stance not only on migrant, but LGBT issues as well, along with climate change.
Orban, whose stated aim has been to transform Hungary into an "illiberal democracy," has drawn censure abroad with his anti-immigration rhetoric and sweeping reforms that have earned him accusations of authoritarianism from the European Union. He has denied these accusations.
He has nonetheless enjoyed enduring popularity at home, winning three straight terms to become Hungary's longest-serving postcommunist leader, and has repeatedly shown his ability to bring tens of thousands of supporters onto the streets.
Over the past 10 years, the Orban government has taken control of most of the country's press outlets, either directly or indirectly.
Since 2010, Hungary's public television and radio stations and the state news agency have gradually come under much tighter political control than under previous governments.
In 2019, about 500 private media outlets were concentrated into the Central European Press and Media Foundation (KESMA), which has close ties to the Orban government.
Hungary suffered a 16-point plunge, to 89th place, in Reporters Without Borders' 2020 World Press Freedom Index.


rferl--2020-11-13--France, Germany Laud Ukraine's Opening Of New Crossing Points To Separatist-Held Territory

France and Germany have welcomed Kyiv 's opening of new crossing points along the contact line with separatist territory in Ukraine 's east , and have called on separatist authorities and their ally Russia to respond in kind by opening crossing points to separatist-controlled areas .
`` Ukraine has thus taken steps to improve the desolate conditions at the crossing points before winter sets in and to ease the suffering of the people in eastern Ukraine , '' the French Foreign Ministry and the German Federal Foreign Office said in a November 13 statement .
The opening of the two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ towns of Zolote and Shchastya in the Luhansk region -- raises the number of available crossing points to seven , putting Ukraine in compliance with obligations agreed to in 2019 by Russia , Ukraine , France , and Germany .
Russia-backed forces hold parts of both the Donetsk and Luhansk regions as the result of a war that has killed more than 13,000 people since 2014 .
`` We call on Russia and the separatists to reopen all existing crossing points on the contact line in the Donetsk region without delay , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ must not be allowed to continue to be waged at the expense of the population . ''

France and Germany have welcomed Kyiv's opening of new crossing points along the contact line with separatist territory in Ukraine's east, and have called on separatist authorities and their ally Russia to respond in kind by opening crossing points to separatist-controlled areas.
"Ukraine has thus taken steps to improve the desolate conditions at the crossing points before winter sets in and to ease the suffering of the people in eastern Ukraine," the French Foreign Ministry and the German Federal Foreign Office said in a November 13 statement.
The opening of the two new crossing points -- in the frontline towns of Zolote and Shchastya in the Luhansk region -- raises the number of available crossing points to seven, putting Ukraine in compliance with obligations agreed to in 2019 by Russia, Ukraine, France, and Germany.
Russia-backed forces hold parts of both the Donetsk and Luhansk regions as the result of a war that has killed more than 13,000 people since 2014.
"We call on Russia and the separatists to reopen all existing crossing points on the contact line in the Donetsk region without delay," the statement continued. "The conflict must not be allowed to continue to be waged at the expense of the population."


rferl--2020-11-13--Committee To Protect Journalists Prepares For 'Virtual' Press Freedom Awards

The Committee To Protect Journalists ( CPJ ) has announced that it will present the winners of its 2020 International Press Freedom Award during an online ceremony on November 19 .
The U.S.-based NGO earlier announced the four winners of the award , presented annually to individuals who have shown extraordinary achievement in the cause of press freedom , but decided to present the awards during a virtual online benefit due to the coronavirus pandemic .
Among the winners is Svetlana Prokopyeva , a prominent journalist in the western Russian city of Pskov who is a freelance contributor to RFE/RL @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are Mohammad Mosaed of Iran , Shahidul Alam of Bangladesh , and Dapo Olorunyomi of Nigeria .
In July , Prokopyeva was convicted of `` justifying terrorism '' over an article she wrote in November 2018 in which she discussed a bombing outside the Federal Security Service offices in the northern city of Arkhangelsk .
Prokopyeva denied the charges , saying she had been put on trial for doing her job , but was ordered to pay a fine of about 500,000 rubles ( about $ 7,000 ) .
In September , Iranian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and nine months in prison after posting a tweet critical of the government 's response to the coronavirus pandemic .
CPJ described the ruling as a further attempt by the Iranian authorities to try to `` suppress the truth . ''

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated that there can be no advancement in the relationship between the United States and Afghanistan's Taliban rulers unless there is an improvement in the treatment of women in the country.
Speaking to reporters on August 15, the two-year anniversary of the Taliban’s seizure of power in Kabul, Blinken said the United States continues to work to hold the Taliban accountable for the commitments that it's made, particularly when it comes to the rights of women and girls.
"We've been very clear with the Taliban -- and dozens of countries around the world have been very clear -- that the path to any more normal relationship between the Taliban and other countries will be blocked unless and until the rights of women and girls among other things are actually supported," Blinken said.
No country has recognized the Taliban-led government, and the United States has avoided direct economic engagement in part over the treatment of women and girls, who have seen their rights drastically curbed by the hard-line Islamists. This includes a ban on women working in local and international nongovernmental organizations and a ban on education beyond the sixth grade.
The Taliban stormed back to power in August 2021 after President Joe Biden withdrew U.S. troops under the terms of an agreement reached in February 2020 between the Taliban and the administration of then-U.S. President Donald Trump.
Blinken defended the pullout and said the United States was not focused on other priorities.
"The decision to withdraw from Afghanistan was an incredibly difficult one, but also the right one," Blinken said. "We ended America's longest war. For the first time in 20 years, we don't have another generation of young Americans going to fight and die."
A number of international human rights organizations earlier on August 15 called the Taliban's two years of rule shameful and worrying.
Amnesty International and several other international human rights organizations demanded in a statement an effective response to the situation, noting the Taliban's strict decrees against human rights in Afghanistan, especially against women and girls.
The organizations said in a statement that in the past two years, the Taliban has increasingly imposed harmful policies against women and girls and religious and ethnic minorities that clearly violate Afghanistan's obligations under international human rights law.
The Taliban has previously rejected reports on the treatment of women as propaganda of international organizations. The militant group's leaders have said they have strengthened all the rights of women in Afghanistan in light of Islamic principles.
Zabihullah Mujahid, the chief spokesman for the Taliban, said in an interview with the AP marking the second anniversary of the Taliban takeover of the country that the Taliban views its rule of Afghanistan as open-ended and as drawing legitimacy from Islamic law. He also suggested a ban on female education will remain in place.
Female activist Soheila Yousefi calls the situation alarming and wants the world to pay attention.
"The international community should take serious action in this regard because the world chose to be silent in these two years and did not take any practical steps. Our request is that they should look at the current situation in Afghanistan, then take a serious and comprehensive review."
The Taliban did not respond to Radio Azadi's questions before the release of the report, but the rulers have spoken of strengthening human rights in Afghanistan, especially the rights of women and girls, according to Islamic principles.
With reporting by AP and AFP


rferl--2020-11-13--Lukashenka Vows Not To Hand Over Power, Slams Protesters

Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka has vowed not to hand over power to anyone amid ongoing mass protests demanding his resignation .
Speaking to journalists on November 13 , Lukashenka also slammed his political opponents and those demonstrating against his reelection as president , and said his country should integrate with Russia and Moscow-led organizations to avoid what he called `` color revolutions '' -- a term often used to describe pro-Western political upheavals .
`` No power transfer !
No successors .
Whoever is elected by the people must stay [ in power ] .
I have sworn , I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ way the Belarusian people choose , '' Lukashenka told the Belarusian , Kazakh , Russian , and Ukrainian journalists .
Lukashenka also said that the demonstrators who have rallied across the country since the August 9 election to protest the official results that named Lukashenka the winner , have planned a color revolution .
`` Any color revolution makes any nation weaker and the people poorer .
Nowhere after such mutinies have people started living better .
The best remedy for this evil is also well-known , and that is the widening and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is today called integration , '' Lukashenka said .
`` In all forms -- bilateral , within the Eurasian Economic Union , the Commonwealth of Independent States , [ and the ] Common Security Treaty Organization . ''
Lukashenka also accused the protesters of planning to usher in the influence of Western countries , which he suggested was intended to cause problems with Russia .
`` Russia understands perfectly well that God forbids the loss of Belarus .
If Belarus is lost [ for Russia ] ... you know whose missiles of small @ @ @ @ @ @ @ [ the Russian city of ] Smolensk [ near the Belarusian border ] , '' Lukashenka said without offering evidence .
If the protesters had managed to gain power , he alleged , `` they would have turned to the West and it brings troops at the request of the so-called legitimate government .
That is their scenario . ''
Lukashenka 's statements came as the European Union again condemned violent crackdowns against Belarusian protesters and threatened to impose more sanctions on Minsk following the death of a 31-year-old Belarusian man who is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ masked security forces .
Lukashenka , who has ruled Belarus for 26 years , has faced almost daily protests calling for his resignation since a presidential election on August 9 that the opposition says was rigged and which the West has refused to accept .
Russia , meanwhile , has supported Lukashenka in the ongoing stand-off .
Several protesters have been killed and thousands of people arrested since authorities declared Lukashenka the landslide winner of the vote .
There have also been credible reports of torture during a widening security crackdown .
Most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been arrested or forced to leave the country , including opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya .
With reporting by BelTA , Interfax , and TASS

Alyaksandr Lukashenka has vowed not to hand over power in Belarus to anyone amid ongoing mass protests demanding his resignation.
Speaking to journalists on November 13, Lukashenka also slammed his political opponents and those demonstrating against his reelection as president, and said his country should integrate with Russia and Moscow-led organizations to avoid what he called "color revolutions" -- a term often used to describe pro-Western political upheavals.
"No power transfer! No successors. Whoever is elected by the people must stay [in power]. I have sworn, I have promised that everything will proceed the way the Belarusian people choose," Lukashenka told the Belarusian, Kazakh, Russian, and Ukrainian journalists.
Lukashenka also said that the demonstrators who have rallied across the country since the August 9 election to protest the official results that named Lukashenka the landslide winner, have planned a color revolution.
"Any color revolution makes any nation weaker and the people poorer. Nowhere after such mutinies have people started living better. The best remedy for this evil is also well-known, and that is the widening and deepening of our ties, of what is today called integration," Lukashenka said. "In all forms -- bilateral, within the Eurasian Economic Union, the Commonwealth of Independent States, [and the] Common Security Treaty Organization."
Lukashenka also accused the protesters of planning to usher in the influence of Western countries, which he suggested was intended to cause problems with Russia.
"Russia understands perfectly well that God forbids the loss of Belarus. If Belarus is lost [for Russia]...you know whose missiles of small and medium range will be placed near [the Russian city of] Smolensk [near the Belarusian border]," Lukashenka said without offering evidence.
If the protesters had managed to gain power, he alleged, "they would have turned to the West and it brings troops at the request of the so-called legitimate government. That is their scenario."
Lukashenka's statements came as the European Union again condemned violent crackdowns against Belarusian protesters and threatened to impose more sanctions on Minsk following the death of a 31-year-old Belarusian man who is believed to have been badly beaten by masked security forces.
Lukashenka, who has ruled Belarus for 26 years, has faced almost daily protests calling for his resignation since a presidential election on August 9 that the opposition says was rigged and which the West has refused to accept.
Russia, meanwhile, has supported Lukashenka in the ongoing stand-off.
Several protesters have been killed and thousands of people arrested since authorities declared Lukashenka the landslide winner of the vote.
There have also been credible reports of torture during a widening security crackdown.
Most of the country's opposition leaders have been arrested or forced to leave the country, including opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya.
With reporting by BelTA, Interfax, and TASS


rferl--2020-11-13--Germany Criticizes Russia's Tit-For-Tat Sanctions As 'Unjustified'

The German government has sharply criticized tit-for-tat sanctions imposed by Moscow in retaliation to EU sanctions related to the poisoning of Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny .
`` From the point of view of the federal government , such a step is of course unjustified and inappropriate , '' government spokesperson Steffen Seibert said at a November 12 press conference .
`` Russia has all the means to solve this crime , instead the Russian foreign minister announces sanctions against officials of other states . ''
The comments came after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced a day earlier that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Germany and France in response to asset freezes and travel bans imposed by the European Union and Britain against six Russian officials believed to be responsible for the `` attempted assassination '' of Navalny in August .
Navalny fell severely ill aboard a plane on his way from the Siberian city of Tomsk to Moscow , prompting the plane 's emergency landing in the city of Omsk .
He was transferred later to the Charite clinic in Berlin , where doctors concluded that he had been poisoned with a military-grade nerve agent @ @ @ @ @

The German government has sharply criticized tit-for-tat sanctions imposed by Moscow in retaliation to EU sanctions related to the poisoning of Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny.
"From the point of view of the federal government, such a step is of course unjustified and inappropriate," government spokesperson Steffen Seibert said at a November 12 press conference. "Russia has all the means to solve this crime, instead the Russian foreign minister announces sanctions against officials of other states."
The comments came after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced a day earlier that Russia was imposing sanctions on leading officials in Germany and France in response to asset freezes and travel bans imposed by the European Union and Britain against six Russian officials believed to be responsible for the "attempted assassination" of Navalny in August.
Navalny fell severely ill aboard a plane on his way from the Siberian city of Tomsk to Moscow, prompting the plane's emergency landing in the city of Omsk.
He was transferred later to the Charite clinic in Berlin, where doctors concluded that he had been poisoned with a military-grade nerve agent commonly known as Novichok.
Based on dpa, Reuters, TASS, and Interfax


rferl--2020-11-13--Georgian Opposition Announces New Election Protests Despite Ongoing Talks

TBILISI -- Leaders of Georgian opposition parties have announced fresh rallies protesting the results of recent parliamentary elections , despite efforts by the United States and European Union to facilitate talks between opposition parties and the ruling Georgian Dream party .
Zaal Udumashvili , a leader of the United National Movement ( ENM ) , said that the rally planned for November 14 will include all opposition parties and will again challenge the results of the October 31 vote that gave the Georgian Dream party its third-consecutive election victory .
Meanwhile , a leader of the European Georgia party , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will hold rallies in downtown Tbilisi during the visit of the U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on November 17-18 .
According to Ugulava , opposition activists and their supporters will make human chains along central streets of the Georgian capital , holding posters rejecting the official results of the elections .
Georgian Dream , founded by billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili , came in first in the poll with 48.15 percent , while ENM 's bloc had 27.14 percent and European Georgia , led by a number of former ENM members , was third @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said they would boycott the recently elected parliament , claiming the vote was rigged .
Runoff elections will be held in 15 districts , all but ensuring the ruling party will secure a majority in parliament , on November 21 .
Udumashvili 's comments came after the United States and European Union facilitated talks between the Georgian Dream party and the eight opposition parties that passed the threshold for entering parliament .
EU Ambassador Carl Hartzell and French Ambassador Diego Colas were present at the talks , held at the residence of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ November 12 talks , parliament Chairman Archil Talakvadze of Georgian Dream said the meeting was `` a positive beginning of political consultations , '' adding that `` there is no way to expect immediate results after the first meeting . ''
Davit Bakradze , a leader of the opposition European Georgia party , said after the talks that the ongoing political crisis could be solved via a dialogue to find compromises , but added that the solution can not be reached `` at the expense of the country 's national interests . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ were neither free nor fair ” and that his party did not accept the official results .
On November 9 , police used water cannons to disperse a rally organized by opposition parties in Tbilisi that demanded the resignation of Georgia ’ s Central Election Commission and the holding of new parliamentary elections .
With reporting by agenda.ge and civil.ge

TBILISI -- Leaders of Georgian opposition parties have announced fresh rallies protesting the results of recent parliamentary elections, despite efforts by the United States and European Union to facilitate talks between opposition parties and the ruling Georgian Dream party.
Zaal Udumashvili, a leader of the United National Movement (ENM), said that the rally planned for November 14 will include all opposition parties and will again challenge the results of the October 31 vote that gave the Georgian Dream party its third-consecutive election victory.
Meanwhile, a leader of the European Georgia party, Gigi Ugulava, announced that opposition activists will hold rallies in downtown Tbilisi during the visit of the U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on November 17-18.
According to Ugulava, opposition activists and their supporters will make human chains along central streets of the Georgian capital, holding posters rejecting the official results of the elections.
Georgian Dream, founded by billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, came in first in the poll with 48.15 percent, while ENM's bloc had 27.14 percent and European Georgia, led by a number of former ENM members, was third with 3.78 percent.
Opposition parties have said they would boycott the recently elected parliament, claiming the vote was rigged. Runoff elections will be held in 15 districts, all but ensuring the ruling party will secure a majority in parliament, on November 21.
Udumashvili's comments came after the United States and European Union facilitated talks between the Georgian Dream party and the eight opposition parties that passed the threshold for entering parliament.
EU Ambassador Carl Hartzell and French Ambassador Diego Colas were present at the talks, held at the residence of the U.S. ambassador to Georgia.
After the November 12 talks, parliament Chairman Archil Talakvadze of Georgian Dream said the meeting was "a positive beginning of political consultations," adding that "there is no way to expect immediate results after the first meeting."
Davit Bakradze, a leader of the opposition European Georgia party, said after the talks that the ongoing political crisis could be solved via a dialogue to find compromises, but added that the solution cannot be reached "at the expense of the country's national interests."
Bakradze said earlier that the legislative elections “were neither free nor fair” and that his party did not accept the official results.
On November 9, police used water cannons to disperse a rally organized by opposition parties in Tbilisi that demanded the resignation of Georgia’s Central Election Commission and the holding of new parliamentary elections.
With reporting by agenda.ge and civil.ge


rferl--2020-11-13--Well-Known Tajik Islamic Cleric Abdurahmonov Reportedly Detained

DUSHANBE -- A well-known Tajik Islamic cleric , Eshoni Sirojiddin , also known as Sirojiddin Abdurahmonov , reportedly has been detained at his home in Dushanbe .
One of the cleric 's relatives told RFE/RL on November 13 that Abdurahmonov was detained after police searched his house and confiscated his computer and books .
It is not clear why the Islamic cleric , known as a leader of the followers of the banned Salafi branch of Islam , was detained .
Dushanbe police department officials told RFE/RL that they do not have information about the case .
Sources close to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Abdurahmonov 's followers were detained as well .
In 2009 , Abdurahmonov was sentenced to seven years in prison after a court in Dushanbe found him guilty of inciting hatred .
He was released in 2013 after the Tajik government announced a mass amnesty .
In April 2019 , Abdurahmonov issued a 18-minute long video on YouTube where he called the Internet `` the century ’ s plague '' while claiming that it leads to `` debauchery and adultery and provokes cheating . ''
However , he has used YouTube on a regular @ @ @ @ @ @ @ regarding Islam .
Sources suggested that Abdurahmonov ’ s detainment might have been spurred by the belief that he continues preaching Salafi ideas .
Tajikistan banned the Salafi branch of Islam in 2009 , labeling it extremist .
Salafists follow a strict form of Sunni Islam and do not recognize other branches of Islam , such as Shi ' a Islam and Sufism .
The majority of Muslims in Central Asia are followers of Hanafi , a more moderate branch of Sunni Islam .

DUSHANBE -- A well-known Tajik Islamic cleric, Eshoni Sirojiddin, also known as Sirojiddin Abdurahmonov, reportedly has been detained at his home in Dushanbe.
One of the cleric's relatives told RFE/RL on November 13 that Abdurahmonov was detained after police searched his house and confiscated his computer and books.
It is not clear why the Islamic cleric, known as a leader of the followers of the banned Salafi branch of Islam, was detained.
Dushanbe police department officials told RFE/RL that they do not have information about the case.
Sources close to law enforcement told RFE/RL that several of Abdurahmonov's followers were detained as well.
In 2009, Abdurahmonov was sentenced to seven years in prison after a court in Dushanbe found him guilty of inciting hatred. He was released in 2013 after the Tajik government announced a mass amnesty.
In April 2019, Abdurahmonov issued a 18-minute long video on YouTube where he called the Internet "the century’s plague" while claiming that it leads to "debauchery and adultery and provokes cheating."
However, he has used YouTube on a regular basis to answer questions from practicing Muslims regarding Islam.
Sources suggested that Abdurahmonov’s detainment might have been spurred by the belief that he continues preaching Salafi ideas.
Tajikistan banned the Salafi branch of Islam in 2009, labeling it extremist.
Salafists follow a strict form of Sunni Islam and do not recognize other branches of Islam, such as Shi'a Islam and Sufism.
The majority of Muslims in Central Asia are followers of Hanafi, a more moderate branch of Sunni Islam.


rferl--2020-11-14--Iran To Further Tighten Coronavirus Restrictions

Iran ’ s President Hassan Rohani says stricter coronavirus restrictions will be imposed in the country starting November 21 .
The announcement on November 14 comes amid a surge in coronavirus infections and fatalities in the Middle East country hardest hit by the virus .
The measures will be imposed in the capital , Tehran , and about 100 other towns and cities .
`` The people have to accept the bitter fact that this problem will remain with us for a long time and that we will have to live with this unwanted guest for the duration , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will be shut and cars will not be allowed to leave or enter cities in a bid to restrict travel , Deputy Health Minister Alireza Raisi said in a media briefing .
`` The goal is not to shut down people 's businesses , but we have to set limits , '' Raisi said .
Iran has been reluctant to impose strict lockdowns due to a fragile economy devastated by crippling U.S. sanctions .
Iran 's official death toll from the pandemic currently stands at more than 41,000 , while the number of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 750,000 .
Real numbers are believed to be significantly higher .
The government on November 10 imposed restrictions for one month in major cities , requiring all nonessential businesses to close at 6 p.m. Based on reporting by IRNA , Reuters and dpa

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--2020-11-14--Al-Qaeda's No. 2 Reportedly Killed In Secret Operation In Iran

Al-Qaeda ’ s second-highest leader , accused of orchestrating the deadly 1998 bombings of two U.S. embassies in Africa , was killed by Israeli agents in Iran in August , The New York Times reported .
Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah , aka Abu Muhammad al-Masri , was gunned down by two men on a motorcycle on the streets of Tehran on August 7 , The New York Times reported on November 13 .
Masri was seen as a likely successor to Al-Qaeda ’ s current leader , Ayman al-Zawahri .
Citing intelligence officials , The New York Times said Israeli operatives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the United States .
Iran ’ s Foreign Ministry “ strongly ” denied the report and said there were no Al-Qaeda `` terrorists '' on Iranian soil .
`` From time to time , Washington and Tel Aviv try to tie Iran to such groups by lying and leaking false information to the media in order to avoid responsibility for the criminal activities of this group and other terrorist groups in the region , '' Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said on November 14 , just a few hours after The New @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Even though America has not shied away from making any false accusation against Iran in the past , this approach has become routine in the current U.S. administration , '' Khatibzadeh added .
A U.S. official , speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity , declined to confirm any details of The Times ' story or say whether there was any U.S. involvement .
The Israeli prime minister 's office said it was not commenting on the report .
The United States had been tracking the movements of Masri and other Al-Qaeda operatives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was unclear what , if any , role Washington played in the operation , The Times reported .
Neither Iran , Al-Qaeda , the United States , nor Israel have ever publicly acknowledged the killing .
Masri was killed with his daughter , the widow of former Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden ’ s son , Hamza bin Laden , The Times reported .
Shi ’ ite Iran and Al-Qaeda , a militant Sunni extremist group , are enemies with opposing ideologies .
U.S. intelligence officials say Masri had been in Iran ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ living freely since at least 2015 .
Some terrorism experts have speculated Iran has kept a few Al-Qaeda figures as an insurance to dissuade the group from carrying out attacks in Iran or for prisoner exchanges .
The group may also be a useful card against the United States , a common enemy .
The Egyptian born Masri , one of Al-Qaeda 's founding leaders , was on the FBI 's list of most-wanted terrorists .
The bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998 left 224 people dead and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by The New York Times , Reuters , and IRNA


rferl--2020-11-14--Pompeo Begins Seven-Nation Tour, Including A Stop In Georgia

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has arrived in Paris at the start of a a seven-nation trip to Europe and the Middle East .
The tour to France , Turkey , Georgia , Israel , Qatar , Saudi Arabia , and the United Arab Emirates comes as Pompeo and much of the Republican party have not accepted President Donald Trump ’ s election defeat to Democrat Joe Biden .
Pompeo touched off a wave of criticism on November 10 with comments during a press conference that `` there will be a smooth transition to a second Trump administration , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ democracy .
While the top U.S. top diplomat hasn ’ t accepted the outcome of the election , most of the world , including the leaders of the seven nations Pompeo will visit , have issued congratulations to President-elect Biden .
In a Fox News interview , Pompeo said that such calls to Biden were not objectionable if it was `` just saying 'hi . '
'' `` But make no mistake about it : We have one president , one secretary of state , one national security team at a time .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ with French President Emmanuel Macron , Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian , and other top officials .
The conversations are expected to be difficult , with France in sharp disagreement with the Trump administration on a range of issues -- from climate change and trade to Iran .
Le Drian said November 13 that he would raise concerns about reports Trump plans to speed up troop withdrawals from Afghanistan , Iraq , and Syria .
Pompeo heads after Paris to Istanbul , where his trip has already caused friction with Turkish officials .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Turkish officials , something the State Department blamed on scheduling issues .
That ’ s despite the two NATO allies having a host of differences to discuss on issues including Syria , Iran , maritime tensions with Greece and Cyprus , tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan , and Turkey ’ s military relationship with Russia .
Instead , Pompeo will meet with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I , the Greek Orthodox Christian leader , to discuss religious freedom .
The Turkish Foreign Ministry in a statement said that the United States should first `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ racism , hate crimes , and Islamophobia at home .
In Israel , Pompeo will see Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu , who has been close to Trump and now finds himself faced with a potentially less amenable Biden administration .
The two are expected to discuss a range of issues , including Iran and Israel ’ s budding diplomatic relations with several Arab states .
But Pompeo ’ s visit is also expected to draw controversy .
The Israeli newspaper Haaretz and news site Axios reported that Pompeo will become the first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Israel 's settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories and also tour the Golan Heights , whose annexation by Israel was recognized by Trump .
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh described the visit to a Jewish settlement as a `` dangerous precedent . ''
Pompeo will then head to Saudi Arabia , the United Arab Emirates , and Qatar , where Iran is expected to be high on the agenda .
Pompeo 's trip will also take him to Georgia , where he is to express U.S. `` support for Georgia ’ s sovereignty @ @ @ @ @ @ @ further progress in democratic reforms , '' according to the State Department .
The visit to Georgia comes as the U.S. partner just went through an election disputed by opposition parties .
With reporting by AFP , AP , and dpa

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has arrived in Paris at the start of a a seven-nation trip to Europe and the Middle East.
The tour to France, Turkey, Georgia, Israel, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates comes as Pompeo and much of the Republican party have not accepted President Donald Trump’s election defeat to Democrat Joe Biden.
Pompeo touched off a wave of criticism on November 10 with comments during a press conference that "there will be a smooth transition to a second Trump administration," seemingly undermining U.S. credibility on promoting democracy.
While the top U.S. top diplomat hasn’t accepted the outcome of the election, most of the world, including the leaders of the seven nations Pompeo will visit, have issued congratulations to President-elect Biden.
In a Fox News interview, Pompeo said that such calls to Biden were not objectionable if it was "just saying 'hi.'"
"But make no mistake about it: We have one president, one secretary of state, one national security team at a time."
In Paris, Pompeo will meet with French President Emmanuel Macron, Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, and other top officials.
The conversations are expected to be difficult, with France in sharp disagreement with the Trump administration on a range of issues -- from climate change and trade to Iran. Le Drian said November 13 that he would raise concerns about reports Trump plans to speed up troop withdrawals from Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria.
Pompeo heads after Paris to Istanbul, where his trip has already caused friction with Turkish officials.
He has no planned meetings with top Turkish officials, something the State Department blamed on scheduling issues.
That’s despite the two NATO allies having a host of differences to discuss on issues including Syria, Iran, maritime tensions with Greece and Cyprus, tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and Turkey’s military relationship with Russia.
Instead, Pompeo will meet with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, the Greek Orthodox Christian leader, to discuss religious freedom.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry in a statement said that the United States should first "look in the mirror" and address racism, hate crimes, and Islamophobia at home.
In Israel, Pompeo will see Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been close to Trump and now finds himself faced with a potentially less amenable Biden administration.
The two are expected to discuss a range of issues, including Iran and Israel’s budding diplomatic relations with several Arab states.
But Pompeo’s visit is also expected to draw controversy. The Israeli newspaper Haaretz and news site Axios reported that Pompeo will become the first secretary of state to visit one of Israel's settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories and also tour the Golan Heights, whose annexation by Israel was recognized by Trump.
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh described the visit to a Jewish settlement as a "dangerous precedent."
Pompeo will then head to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar, where Iran is expected to be high on the agenda.
Pompeo's trip will also take him to Georgia, where he is to express U.S. "support for Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity" and "urge further progress in democratic reforms," according to the State Department.
The visit to Georgia comes as the U.S. partner just went through an election disputed by opposition parties.
With reporting by AFP, AP, and dpa


rferl--2020-11-15--In Moldovan Presidential Runoff, A Rematch Between Pro-Western and Pro-Russian Candidates

Moldovans are set to vote in the second round of a crucial presidential election pitting a pro-Western , former World Bank economist against the pro-Russian incumbent .
The November 15 runoff is the latest chapter in a tug-of-war over the former Soviet republic ’ s political future : whether it moves closer to the European Union or is drawn more tightly into Moscow ’ s orbit .
It ’ s also the latest rematch between President Igor Dodon and Maia Sandu , the economist who won a surprise victory in the first round of the election on November 1 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ less than 5 percentage points in an election that was marred by allegations of fraud .
This time , Sandu came out on top , but failed to cross the 50-percent threshold to avoid a runoff .
Her initial victory raised eyebrows after preelection polls showed Dodon ahead by about 10 percentage points .
Still , Western election observers largely praised the first round of voting .
Moldova , with a population of about 3.5 million , is one of Europe ’ s poorest countries and is sharply divided between those who support @ @ @ @ @ @ @ advocate links with the European Union and , especially , neighboring Romania .
“ If Dodon wins the presidency , everyone will leave Moldova because as you can see Moldovans ’ life under his government is very difficult .
We need a change , we need to elect another president , ” one woman , in Singerei , a city north of the capital Chisinau , told RFE/RL on November 8 .
“ What I liked about Dodon these four years is that he traveled the world .
Dodon traveled throughout the regions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the whole country , ” a man in Singerei told RFE/RL .
“ Dodon has done a lot of things : just consider relations with Russia , which is the main market Moldovan products.
” Most of Moldova was part of Romania until World War II , when it was annexed by the Soviet Union , and a majority of its population is ethnic Romanian .
Hampered by a creaky economy and rampant corruption , the country is also hobbled by the unresolved status of Transdniester , a breakaway region has been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the 1990s .
Transdniester is backed economically and politically by Moscow , which wants to keep Moldova in its sphere of influence , especially with the ongoing wave of political unrest sweeping across other former Soviet republics .
“ What has been done ?
What changes were there ?
What has Dodon done as a president ?
I do not see anything , ” said Vera Florea , a Moldovan teacher who has lived in Moscow for more than 30 years .
“ Only the process of receiving the Russian citizenship for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is on the political side .
On the economic side , I do not see any changes .
I do not notice any Moldovan products in the Russian shops , only at the market I can barely see some Moldovan apples or plums , our wines are also rarely seen on the Russian shelves , ” she told RFE/RL by phone on November 11 .
Dodon has run largely on a platform calling for “ stability ” and has promoted his record of securing loans and other economic favors from Moscow .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the coronavirus pandemic , during which more than 55,000 Moldovans have been infected and more than 1,300 have died .
Hundreds of supporters from Dodon ’ s Socialist Party rallied in Chisinau on November 13 , the last day of campaigning before the runoff , carrying signs that read “ No school closures , no district liquidations , ” and “ President Dodon.
” The 48-year-old Sandu , meanwhile , has campaigned against corruption and called for closer ties with the European Union .
Moldova ’ s internal struggle between the West and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ republics : for example , Ukraine and , more recently , Belarus .
And Moscow has repeatedly asserted that the West was meddling – and tried to argue Russia was not -- in the countries ’ domestic affairs .
President Vladimir Putin recently referenced this in comments to a grouping of ex-Soviet countries and China , known as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization .
“ Efforts to exert foreign pressure '' on Moldova , as well as Kyrgyzstan and Belarus , are `` unacceptable , ” Putin said on November 10 .

CHISINAU -- Maia Sandu, a former World Bank economist who favors closer ties with the European Union, is ahead of pro-Russian incumbent Igor Dodon in the second round of Moldova's presidential election, partial preliminary results show.
Data from the Central Election Commission shows Sandu has 52.03 percent of the votes in the November 15 runoff with Dodon at 47.97 percent, after 94 percent of the ballots had been counted.
Voters turned out in high numbers, with a turnout of more than 52 percent -- nearly 10 percentage points higher than the final turnout recorded during the first round (42.74 percent).
The runoff is the latest chapter in a tug-of-war over the former Soviet republic’s political future: whether it moves closer to the European Union or is drawn more tightly into Moscow’s orbit.
It’s also the latest rematch between Dodon and Sandu, who won a surprise victory in the first round of the election on November 1 but failed to cross the 50 percent threshold to avoid a runoff.
Participation was particularly high among the Moldovan diaspora, with more than 210,000 votes cast by 6 p.m. -- well above the 150,000 recorded during the November 1 vote.
Long lines have been reported outside polling centers in London, Berlin, and across Italy. In Frankfurt, voting was interrupted for an hour after German police received a false bomb alert.
Polls published in the run-up to the election showed Sandu and Dodon in a tight race that could be decided by the diaspora, which voted massively for Sandu in the first round.
In the first round of voting, which Western election observers largely praised, she came out on top, but failed to cross the 50 percent threshold to avoid a runoff.
In 2016, Dodon defeated Sandu by less than 5 percentage points in an election that was marred by allegations of fraud.
"Today, you have the power to punish those who robbed you, who reduced you to misery and forced you to leave your home," Sandu said after voting in the capital, Chisinau, in a reference to her rival, who has been accused of corruption while in office.
Sandu also called for "maximum vigilance" against possible fraud.
Dodon, meanwhile, said he "voted for peace," "social justice," and "Christian values" after casting his vote in the capital.
"We must maintain good relations with the European Union and with Russia," he said.
Moldova, with a population of about 3.5 million, is one of Europe’s poorest countries and is sharply divided between those who support closer ties with Russia and those who advocate links with the European Union and, especially, neighboring Romania.
“If Dodon wins the presidency, everyone will leave Moldova because, as you can see, Moldovans’ life under his government is very difficult. We need a change. We need to elect another president,” one woman in Singerei, a city north of the capital, Chisinau, told RFE/RL on November 8.
“What I liked about Dodon these four years is that he traveled the world. Dodon traveled throughout the regions of Moldova. He visited the people, the whole country,” a man in Singerei told RFE/RL. “Dodon has done a lot of things: just consider relations with Russia, which is the main market Moldovan products.”
Most of Moldova was part of Romania until World War II, when it was annexed by the Soviet Union, and a majority of its population is ethnic Romanian.
Hampered by a creaky economy and rampant corruption, the country is also hobbled by the unresolved status of Transdniester, a breakaway region that has been de facto independent since a separatist war in the 1990s.
Transdniester is backed economically and politically by Moscow , which wants to keep Moldova in its sphere of influence, especially with the ongoing wave of political unrest sweeping across other former Soviet republics.
“What has been done? What changes were there? What has Dodon done as a president? I do not see anything,” said Vera Florea, a Moldovan teacher who has lived in Moscow for more than 30 years.
“Only the process of receiving Russian citizenship for Moldovans has become easier, but this is on the political side. On the economic side, I do not see any changes. I do not notice any Moldovan products in the Russian shops. Only at the market, I can barely see some Moldovan apples or plums. Our wines are also rarely seen on the Russian shelves,” she told RFE/RL by phone on November 11.
Dodon has run largely on a platform calling for “stability” and has promoted his record of securing loans and other economic favors from Moscow.
He has been criticized for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, during which more than 89,000 Moldovans have been infected and more than 2,000 have died.
Hundreds of supporters from Dodon’s Socialist Party rallied in Chisinau on November 13, the last day of campaigning before the runoff, carrying signs that read: “No School Closures, No District Liquidations” and “President Dodon.”
The 48-year-old Sandu, a former prime minister who heads the Party of Action and Solidarity, has campaigned against corruption and called for closer ties with the European Union.
Moldova’s internal struggle between the West and Russia echoes that of other former Soviet republics -- for example Ukraine and, more recently, Belarus. And Moscow has repeatedly asserted that the West was meddling -- and tried to argue Russia was not -- in the countries’ domestic affairs.
President Vladimir Putin recently referenced this in comments to a grouping of ex-Soviet countries and China, known as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
“Efforts to exert foreign pressure" on Moldova, as well as Kyrgyzstan and Belarus, are "unacceptable,” Putin said on November 10.


rferl--2020-11-15--Fire Kills 10 In Romanian Hospital's Intensive Care Unit For COVID-19 Patients

A fire at a hospital in Romania where COVID-19 patients were being treated killed 10 people and injured several others on November 14 , the country 's agency for emergency situations said .
The blaze spread through the intensive care unit in the hospital in Piatra Neamt in northeastern Romania .
The patients who died were on ventilators , RFE/RL ’ s Romanian Service reported .
A doctor suffered severe burns on 40 percent of his body trying to save the patients .
He was to be transferred to a hospital in the capital Bucharest , and a decision on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hospital in Belgium was expected on November 15 .
Health Minister Nelu Tataru told reporters six surviving patients would be transferred to a COVID-19 hospital in the eastern Romanian city of Iasi .
Tataru said the fire was “ most likely triggered by a short circuit.
” Romania ’ s Prosecutor-General ’ s Office said it would investigate the blaze as a possible case of criminal manslaughter .
The fire was the country 's deadliest since 2015 , when a blaze at a nightclub in Bucharest killed 65 people .
The prosecutor who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has been assigned to lead the new investigation , the Prosecutor-General ’ s Office said .
The hospital 's current manager , Lucian Micu , was appointed three weeks ago after his predecessor resigned over the poor treatment of patients .
The death of COVID-19 patients in a hospital fire is likely to add to the challenges for the center-right National Liberal party , or NLP , ahead of the December 6 general election .
The nightclub fire sparked massive protests that forced out the government , which was led at the time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ known as PSD .
The PSD hopes to reclaim power in the upcoming election and is almost certain to use the fire in its attacks against the NLP , which has controlled Romania ’ s minority government since October .
The government has been struggling to contain the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic by curbing social spending .
Romania has reported 353,185 coronavirus cases and 8,813 deaths , according to Johns Hopkins University .
With reporting by Reuters , AP , AFP , and dpa

A fire at a hospital in Romania where COVID-19 patients were being treated killed 10 people and injured several others on November 14, the country's agency for emergency situations said.
The blaze spread through the intensive care unit in the hospital in Piatra Neamt in northeastern Romania. The patients who died were on ventilators, RFE/RL’s Romanian Service reported.
A doctor suffered severe burns on 40 percent of his body trying to save patients. He was to be transferred to a hospital in the capital, Bucharest, and a decision on whether to transfer him to a military hospital in Belgium was expected on November 15.
Health Minister Nelu Tataru told reporters that six surviving patients would be transferred to a COVID-19 hospital in the eastern Romanian city of Iasi.
Tataru said the fire was “most likely triggered by a short circuit.”
Romania’s Prosecutor-General’s Office said it would investigate the blaze as a possible case of criminal manslaughter.
The fire was the country's deadliest since 2015, when a blaze at a nightclub in Bucharest killed 65 people.
The prosecutor who led the probe into the nightclub fire has been assigned to lead the new investigation, the Prosecutor-General’s Office said.
The hospital's current manager, Lucian Micu, was appointed three weeks ago after his predecessor resigned over the poor treatment of patients.
The death of COVID-19 patients in a hospital fire is likely to add to the challenges for the center-right National Liberal party, or NLP, ahead of December 6 general elections.
The nightclub fire sparked massive protests that forced out the government, which was led at the time by the left-leaning Social Democrat Party, known as PSD.
The PSD hopes to reclaim power in the upcoming elections and is almost certain to use the fire in its attacks against the NLP, which has controlled Romania’s minority government since October.
The government has been struggling to contain the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic by curbing social spending.
Romania has reported 353,185 coronavirus cases and 8,813 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.
With reporting by Reuters, AP, AFP, and dpa


rferl--2020-11-14--Ukrainian President Defends Partial Lockdown While Recuperating From Coronavirus Infection

KYIV -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said that a short-term quarantine , introduced amid a record surge in coronavirus cases , could help the country avoid stricter measures .
`` A weekend quarantine is a chance to avoid a full lockdown , '' Zelenskiy wrote on Facebook on November 14 .
`` If we have such a chance , we should use it .
We are talking about six nonworking days . ''
Zelenskiy and the head of his presidential office , Andriy Yermak , tested positive for the coronavirus earlier this week .
`` We need to slow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Zelenskiy wrote .
`` Our doctors are heroically countering the virus , but we should not create a situation where they will choose whom to treat . ''
The president 's comments came as Ukraine registered a new daily infection record , with 12,524 coronavirus cases reported , amid opposition to the new restrictions by demonstrators and city mayors .
Several hundred protesters gathered in the capital earlier this week ahead of the government 's decision to impose a partial lockdown from November 14-30 .
In a protest called I Have A Right @ @ @ @ @ @ @ opposition to work restrictions and demanded compensation for industry losses .
The mayors of a number of Ukrainian cities also expressed their disagreement with the government , saying residents stood to suffer financial losses .
In a televised address , Health Minister Maksym Stepanov explained on November 14 , `` This is a war .
Every day the virus takes the lives of Ukrainians . ''
The short-term lockdown will entail the closure or restricted activity of most businesses except for grocery stores , pharmacies , hospitals , and others considered essential .
@ @ @ @ @ @

KYIV -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said that a short-term quarantine, introduced amid a record surge in coronavirus cases, could help the country avoid stricter measures.
"A weekend quarantine is a chance to avoid a full lockdown," Zelenskiy wrote on Facebook on November 14. "If we have such a chance, we should use it. We are talking about six nonworking days."
Zelenskiy and the head of his presidential office, Andriy Yermak, tested positive for the coronavirus earlier this week.
"We need to slow down the sickness growth rate," Zelenskiy wrote. "Our doctors are heroically countering the virus, but we should not create a situation where they will choose whom to treat."
The president's comments came as Ukraine registered a new daily infection record, with 12,524 coronavirus cases reported, amid opposition to the new restrictions by demonstrators and city mayors.
Several hundred protesters gathered in the capital earlier this week ahead of the government's decision to impose a partial lockdown from November 14-30. In a protest called I Have A Right To Work, the demonstrators voiced their opposition to work restrictions and demanded compensation for industry losses.
The mayors of a number of Ukrainian cities also expressed their disagreement with the government, saying residents stood to suffer financial losses.
In a televised address, Health Minister Maksym Stepanov explained on November 14, "This is a war. Every day the virus takes the lives of Ukrainians."
The short-term lockdown will entail the closure or restricted activity of most businesses except for grocery stores, pharmacies, hospitals, and others considered essential.
With reporting by Reuters and Interfax


rferl--2020-11-14--Kazakh Opposition Granted Rare Permit To Hold Rally In Almaty

A few hundred people attended an opposition protest rally in Almaty , Kazakhstan 's largest city , on November 14 @ @ @ @ @ was granted by the authorities , although its organizers are the frequent target of political @ @ @ @ @ Mamai , a leading figure of the unregistered Democratic Party , and the YouTube channel @ @ @ @ @ opposition activists Aidos and Natalia Sadykov , the rally called for a boycott of the @ @ @ @ @ for January ; freedom for political prisoners ; and a moratorium on land sales for @ @ @ @ @ of income for corrupt government officials .
The protest was only the second opposition rally @ @ @ @ @

A few hundred people attended an opposition protest rally in Almaty, Kazakhstan's largest city, on November 14. Permission for the rally was granted by the authorities, although its organizers are the frequent target of political persecutions. Organized by Zhanbolat Mamai, a leading figure of the unregistered Democratic Party, and the YouTube channel Base, created by exiled opposition activists Aidos and Natalia Sadykov, the rally called for a boycott of the next parliamentary elections, scheduled for January; freedom for political prisoners; and a moratorium on land sales for foreigners -- a suspected source of income for corrupt government officials. The protest was only the second opposition rally permitted by local authorities.


rferl--2020-11-14--Armenian Opposition Leader Detained, Accused Of Plotting To Kill PM Pashinian

The leader of Armenia 's opposition Homeland party , Artur Vanetsian , has been arrested and accused of plotting to overthrow the government and kill the country 's embattled prime minister , as the country 's main security body said it had thwarted an assassination attempt .
Vanetsian , who formerly headed Armenia 's National Security Service ( NSS ) , was detained after his arrival for a meeting with the service 's Investigative Department on November 14 , according to his lawyer .
`` Vanetsian was detained on suspicion of usurping power and preparing the assassination of Prime Minister @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wrote on Facebook .
In addition , Sahakian wrote , “ illegal searches '' were carried out in the apartment of Vanetsian 's parents and an office affiliated with the Homeland party .
Both Sahakian and Vanetsian ’ s Homeland party condemned the moves as politically motivated .
The NSS has not confirmed Vanetsian 's arrest , but in a November 14 statement it said that it had thwarted an assassination attempt against Pashinian .
`` The National Security Service of the Republic of Armenia has revealed cases of illegal acquisition and storage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by a group of people with the aim of seizing power in the Republic of Armenia , '' the statement said .
`` It is clarified that the attackers , who did not agree with the domestic and foreign policy of the state , intended to seize power by killing the head of government . ''
The Homeland party said in a statement that Vanetsian 's arrest is part of the Armenian authorities ’ efforts to quell opposition protests against a Russia-mediated cease-fire agreement that stopped fighting between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ truce with Azerbaijan on November 10 prompted a furious reaction in the Armenian capital , with protesters storming government buildings and parliament .
Homeland is one of 17 Armenian opposition groups that launched the protests and demanded Pashinian ’ s resignation .
They accuse Pashinian of capitulating to Azerbaijan and committing high treason .
On November 11 , 10 prominent opposition figures -- including Vanetsian -- were arrested and accused of `` organizing illegal violent mass disorder.
” The detentions were denounced by the opposition as illegal , and the opposition figures were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 40 , was appointed as head of the NSS immediately after the 2018 revolution that brought Pashinian to power .
He quickly became an influential member of Pashinian ’ s entourage , overseeing high-profile corruption investigations initiated by Armenia ’ s new leadership .
Vanetsian resigned in September 2019 after a falling out with the prime minister .
He has since repeatedly accused Pashinian of incompetence and misrule , prompting angry responses from the premier and his political allies .
While the Moscow-brokered truce ended fighting that has killed more than 2,000 soldiers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has been rejected by Armenians because it allows Azerbaijan to keep large swaths of Nagorno-Karabakh .
Nagorno-Karabakh is recognized as part of Azerbaijan , but its majority Armenian population has governed its own affairs since Azerbaijani troops and Azeri civilians were pushed out of the region in a war that ended in a cease-fire in 1994 .
The most recent fighting broke out in late September .

The leader of Armenia's opposition Homeland party, Artur Vanetsian, has been arrested and accused of plotting to overthrow the government and kill the country's embattled prime minister, as the country's main security body said it had thwarted an assassination attempt.
Vanetsian, who formerly headed Armenia's National Security Service (NSS), was detained after his arrival for a meeting with the service's Investigative Department on November 14, according to his lawyer.
"Vanetsian was detained on suspicion of usurping power and preparing the assassination of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian," attorney Lusine Sahakian wrote on Facebook.
In addition, Sahakian wrote, “illegal searches" were carried out in the apartment of Vanetsian's parents and an office affiliated with the Homeland party.
Both Sahakian and Vanetsian’s Homeland party condemned the moves as politically motivated.
The NSS has not confirmed Vanetsian's arrest, but in a November 14 statement it said that it had thwarted an assassination attempt against Pashinian.
"The National Security Service of the Republic of Armenia has revealed cases of illegal acquisition and storage of weapons, ammunition, and explosives by a group of people with the aim of seizing power in the Republic of Armenia," the statement said. "It is clarified that the attackers, who did not agree with the domestic and foreign policy of the state, intended to seize power by killing the head of government."
The Homeland party said in a statement that Vanetsian's arrest is part of the Armenian authorities’ efforts to quell opposition protests against a Russia-mediated cease-fire agreement that stopped fighting between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Pashinian's agreement to the truce with Azerbaijan on November 10 prompted a furious reaction in the Armenian capital, with protesters storming government buildings and parliament.
Homeland is one of 17 Armenian opposition groups that launched the protests and demanded Pashinian’s resignation. They accuse Pashinian of capitulating to Azerbaijan and committing high treason.
On November 11, 10 prominent opposition figures -- including Vanetsian -- were arrested and accused of "organizing illegal violent mass disorder.” The detentions were denounced by the opposition as illegal, and the opposition figures were released two days later.
Vanetsian, 40, was appointed as head of the NSS immediately after the 2018 revolution that brought Pashinian to power. He quickly became an influential member of Pashinian’s entourage, overseeing high-profile corruption investigations initiated by Armenia’s new leadership.
Vanetsian resigned in September 2019 after a falling out with the prime minister. He has since repeatedly accused Pashinian of incompetence and misrule, prompting angry responses from the premier and his political allies.
While the Moscow-brokered truce ended fighting that has killed more than 2,000 soldiers and civilians on each side, it has been rejected by Armenians because it allows Azerbaijan to keep large swaths of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Nagorno-Karabakh is recognized as part of Azerbaijan, but its majority Armenian population has governed its own affairs since Azerbaijani troops and Azeri civilians were pushed out of the region in a war that ended in a cease-fire in 1994.
The most recent fighting broke out in late September.


rferl--2020-11-14--Thousands Take To The Streets In Tbilisi To Demand Repeat Elections

Thousands of opposition demonstrators took to the streets of the Georgian capital on November 14 to call for recent parliamentary @ @ @ @ @ Opposition supporters gathered in front of the parliament building in Tbilisi to dispute the results @ @ @ @ @ by the ruling party , Georgian Dream .
The opposition , led by the United @ @ @ @ @ and European Georgia , plus six other parties that won parliamentary representation , claim the @ @ @ @ @ said they will boycott the newly elected parliament .

Thousands of opposition demonstrators took to the streets of the Georgian capital on November 14 to call for recent parliamentary elections to be rerun. Opposition supporters gathered in front of the parliament building in Tbilisi to dispute the results of October 31 polls won by the ruling party, Georgian Dream. The opposition, led by the United National Movement (ENM) and European Georgia, plus six other parties that won parliamentary representation, claim the vote was rigged and have said they will boycott the newly elected parliament.


rferl--2020-11-14--Georgian Opposition Demonstrators Return To The Streets To Call For Repeat Elections

TBILISI -- Thousands of opposition demonstrators have taken to the streets of the Georgian capital to demand repeat parliamentary elections .
Opposition supporters gathered in front of the parliament building in Tbilisi on November 14 to dispute the results of the October 31 poll , which was won by the ruling party , Georgian Dream .
The opposition , led by the United National Movement ( ENM ) and European Georgia , and including six other parties that won parliamentary representation , has said the vote was rigged and that they would boycott the recently elected parliament .
Runoff elections @ @ @ @ @ @ @ November 21 , all but ensuring that Georgian Dream will again secure a majority in parliament despite recent reforms intended to make the legislature more politically diverse .
ENM leader Nika Melia told the crowd that the opposition would not give up on its calls for new elections to be held under a new administration .
`` We will continue our protests until our demand is met , '' Melia said , adding that the October election was `` stolen . ''
Georgia Dream has rejected the demand for new elections and has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` We are not considering the opposition 's demands for calling a new election or any other issues , '' Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze , a general-secretary of Georgian Dream , told a press briefing on November 14 .
The demonstration was held without major incidents and was wrapped up before a 10 p.m. curfew introduced to stem the country 's coronavirus outbreak .
On November 9 , police used water cannons to disperse an opposition demonstration calling for new elections and the resignation of the Central Election Commission .
The latest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the European Union are facilitating discussions between Georgian Dream and the eight opposition parties in an effort to resolve the political crisis .
European Georgia has announced that opposition activists will hold rallies in downtown Tbilisi during the visit of U.S. State Secretary Mike Pompeo on November 17-18 .
With reporting by AFP and Interfax

TBILISI -- Thousands of opposition demonstrators have taken to the streets of the Georgian capital to demand repeat parliamentary elections.
Opposition supporters gathered in front of the parliament building in Tbilisi on November 14 to dispute the results of the October 31 poll, which was won by the ruling party, Georgian Dream.
The opposition, led by the United National Movement (ENM) and European Georgia, and including six other parties that won parliamentary representation, has said the vote was rigged and that they would boycott the recently elected parliament.
Runoff elections will be held in 15 districts on November 21, all but ensuring that Georgian Dream will again secure a majority in parliament despite recent reforms intended to make the legislature more politically diverse.
ENM leader Nika Melia told the crowd that the opposition would not give up on its calls for new elections to be held under a new administration.
"We will continue our protests until our demand is met," Melia said, adding that the October election was "stolen."
Georgia Dream has rejected the demand for new elections and has insisted the vote was free and fair.
"We are not considering the opposition's demands for calling a new election or any other issues," Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze, a general-secretary of Georgian Dream, told a press briefing on November 14.
The demonstration was held without major incidents and was wrapped up before a 10 p.m. curfew introduced to stem the country's coronavirus outbreak.
On November 9, police used water cannons to disperse an opposition demonstration calling for new elections and the resignation of the Central Election Commission.
The latest rally comes as the United States and the European Union are facilitating discussions between Georgian Dream and the eight opposition parties in an effort to resolve the political crisis.
European Georgia has announced that opposition activists will hold rallies in downtown Tbilisi during the visit of U.S. State Secretary Mike Pompeo on November 17-18.
With reporting by AFP and Interfax