rferl--2020-07-08--Kosovo's Thaci To Go To Hague For Interview With War Crimes Prosecutor

Kosovar President Hashim Thaci has said that he will travel to The Hague next week to be interviewed by a special prosecutor whose office was set up to pursue allegations of war crimes committed during and after Kosovo 's war of independence in the late '90s .
In a message to his country 's roughly 2 million citizens , the former guerrilla commander said via Facebook that `` many former co-combatants have been interviewed by the Kosovo Specialist Chambers , inside and outside of Kosovo , '' in the past two years .
`` I would like to share with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ] I will also travel to The Hague , invited by the Specialist Prosecutor 's Office , to be interviewed , '' Thaci said .
Prosecutors from the Kosovo Specialist Chambers ( SPO ) established with authority under Kosovar law announced unexpectedly on June 24 that Thaci and other prominent Kosovars were the subject of an indictment on suspicion of serious crimes including roles in `` nearly 100 murders , '' enforced disappearances , and torture .
Many Kosovars still bitterly recall years of armed opposition to policies imposed on them by Belgrade @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in NATO 's 78-day bombing campaign that drove Serbian forces out of Kosovo .
More than 110 countries including the United States now recognize Kosovo , but those who do n't accept its independence include , in addition to Belgrade , neighboring Bosnia-Herzegovina , Russia , China , and several EU member states including Spain , Greece , Slovakia , and Romania .
In his statement , Thaci said that `` even though a victim , '' his country had `` cooperated with international justice in dealing with allegations of war crimes .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ as me will face international justice with dignity and integrity , I call upon you to stand united in dealing with the challenges that our country is facing , '' Thaci said .
The SPO said a `` pretrial judge '' was still reviewing whether there was enough evidence against Thaci and the others , who include former parliament speaker and Democratic Party of Kosovo leader Kadri Veseli , to go to trial .
But the June 24 indictment news shattered plans for Thaci to meet with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hopes of a U.S.-mediated breakthrough to normalize Serbia-Kosovo relations .
The special prosecutors said in the statement that they `` deemed it necessary '' to issue the indictment `` because of repeated efforts '' by Thaci to obstruct and undermine the SPO 's work .
The prosecutors alleged that there were `` hundreds of known victims of Kosovo Albanian , Serb , Roma , and other ethnicities '' that included `` political opponents . ''
Thaci , who had already pledged not to seek a second term when his presidential term runs out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Kosovo 's still relatively young political landscape .
Days after the indictment news , Thaci said he would `` immediately resign '' if a judge in The Hague confirmed the war crimes charges filed against him , including crimes against humanity .
In a prerecorded address to the nation , Thaci rejected the `` false '' accusations against him and said : `` My heart is hurt , but not broken .
My mind weighs heavy , but is not bleary .
My blood is heated , but clean , '' according @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It is unclear what the longer-term consequences of his indictment will be for him and international efforts to establish normal relations between Pristina and Belgrade , a nagging source of instability in the heart of Europe .
Thaci 's trip to The Hague is scheduled to take place the day after Kosovar Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti and Vucic are to hold talks in Brussels in hopes of reviving the European Union-backed negotiations that ground to a halt in 2018 .
The July 12 meeting will be hosted by EU foreign-policy chief Josep @ @ @ @ @ @ @ summit on July 10 hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel aimed at easing tensions between Kosovo and Serbia .

Kosovar President Hashim Thaci has said that he will travel to The Hague next week to be interviewed by a special prosecutor whose office was set up to pursue allegations of war crimes committed during and after Kosovo's war of independence in the late '90s.
In a message to his country's roughly 2 million citizens, the former guerrilla commander said via Facebook that "many former co-combatants have been interviewed by the Kosovo Specialist Chambers, inside and outside of Kosovo," in the past two years.
"I would like to share with you that on Monday [July 13] I will also travel to The Hague, invited by the Specialist Prosecutor's Office, to be interviewed," Thaci said.
Prosecutors from the Kosovo Specialist Chambers (SPO) established with authority under Kosovar law announced unexpectedly on June 24 that Thaci and other prominent Kosovars were the subject of an indictment on suspicion of serious crimes including roles in "nearly 100 murders," enforced disappearances, and torture.
Many Kosovars still bitterly recall years of armed opposition to policies imposed on them by Belgrade ahead of the 1998-99 war that ended in NATO's 78-day bombing campaign that drove Serbian forces out of Kosovo.
Pristina declared independence from Serbia in 2008.
More than 110 countries including the United States now recognize Kosovo, but those who don't accept its independence include, in addition to Belgrade, neighboring Bosnia-Herzegovina, Russia, China, and several EU member states including Spain, Greece, Slovakia, and Romania.
In his statement, Thaci said that "even though a victim," his country had "cooperated with international justice in dealing with allegations of war crimes."
"While my compatriots as well as me will face international justice with dignity and integrity, I call upon you to stand united in dealing with the challenges that our country is facing," Thaci said.
The SPO said a "pretrial judge" was still reviewing whether there was enough evidence against Thaci and the others, who include former parliament speaker and Democratic Party of Kosovo leader Kadri Veseli, to go to trial.
But the June 24 indictment news shattered plans for Thaci to meet with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic at the White House in Washington days later in hopes of a U.S.-mediated breakthrough to normalize Serbia-Kosovo relations.
The special prosecutors said in the statement that they "deemed it necessary" to issue the indictment "because of repeated efforts" by Thaci to obstruct and undermine the SPO's work.
The prosecutors alleged that there were "hundreds of known victims of Kosovo Albanian, Serb, Roma, and other ethnicities" that included "political opponents."
Thaci, who had already pledged not to seek a second term when his presidential term runs out next year, is a towering figure in Kosovo's still relatively young political landscape.
Days after the indictment news, Thaci said he would "immediately resign" if a judge in The Hague confirmed the war crimes charges filed against him, including crimes against humanity.
In a prerecorded address to the nation, Thaci rejected the "false" accusations against him and said: "My heart is hurt, but not broken. My mind weighs heavy, but is not bleary. My blood is heated, but clean," according to a transcript distributed by his office.
It is unclear what the longer-term consequences of his indictment will be for him and international efforts to establish normal relations between Pristina and Belgrade, a nagging source of instability in the heart of Europe.
Thaci's trip to The Hague is scheduled to take place the day after Kosovar Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti and Vucic are to hold talks in Brussels in hopes of reviving the European Union-backed negotiations that ground to a halt in 2018.
The July 12 meeting will be hosted by EU foreign-policy chief Josep Borrell. It will follow a video summit on July 10 hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel aimed at easing tensions between Kosovo and Serbia.


rferl--2020-07-08--Serbia's Coronavirus Crisis Team To Meet After Second Night Of Clashes In Belgrade

BELGRADE – Serbia ’ s coronavirus crisis team is due to meet on July 9 after a second night of clashes in Belgrade fueled by public anger over the government 's coronavirus response .
Police used tear gas to disperse the protest , which lasted well after nightfall on July 8 outside the parliament building in the Serbian capital .
There was also a new flash point 90 kilometers away in Serbia 's second-largest city , Novi Sad , where demonstrators tried to storm a building that houses the regional public broadcaster .
As the crowd marched in Novi Sad @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the city hall building , where a fire broke out .
Protesters also threw stones at the office of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party ( SNS ) .
The demonstrations in Belgrade erupted on July 7 after President Aleksandar Vucic announced new mandatory distancing steps and his intention to impose the curfew .
Vucic of the SNS said on July 8 he and other officials were considering scrapping the weekend curfew , and said a final decision on the lockdown was expected on July 9 .
Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic called @ @ @ @ @ @ @ far '' and vowed there would no violent coup nor anarchy in Serbia .
`` Tomorrow , the Crisis Team ( for measures against coronavirus ) will meet and we will continue to fight against the virus and save health workers , and people 's health , and we will win , '' Brnabic said in a statement published on the SNS website .
Brnabic also said that the democratic order in the country and stability would be preserved .
She spoke after hundreds of protesters gathered in Belgrade to signal frustration at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ resurgent coronavirus outbreak and the perceived politicization of the team leading efforts to stem the danger to public health in the Balkan state .
Deputy Prime Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic called the protest illegal because it had not been registered and said it was only about violence , not state policy .
He said 10 police officers had been injured on July 8 , including one whose legs were broken when he was pushed down a flight of stairs .
Stefanovic told a news conference late on July 8 that “ naked violence ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Belgrade “ without the will of the people and participation in elections . ''
Stefanovic also announced that strong police patrols would be set up in Belgrade and elsewhere , adding `` the state will always be stronger than the perpetrators.
” The protest on July 7 turned violent when a group of protesters broke into the parliament building while others threw stones , bottles , and other projectiles at police , prompting officers to fire tear gas to disperse the crowd .
Police Director Vladimir Rebic said on July 8 that 43 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the first night of unrest , and five police vehicles were set on fire .
Images showed police kicking individuals and beating them with truncheons .
Vucic said that police would be punished if they were found to have acted inappropriately .
Speaking to the country on July 8 , Vucic called on Serbs to avoid protests because they threatened to worsen the COVID-19 epidemic , which has officially infected more than 17,000 people in Serbia , killing 341 of them .
The government has ramped up anti-pandemic measures amid a COVID-19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ elections won by Vucic and his ruling SNS allies .
The global coronavirus pandemic and the pathogen 's arrival in Serbia in March prompted a strict lockdown that interrupted over a year of weekly antigovernment demonstrations .
Those protests targeted Vucic 's tightening grip on media and the levers of power amid a spate of attacks on journalists and other government critics in the Balkan country of around 7 million people .
As the demonstration got under way on July 8 , opposition leader Janko Veselinovic said the crowd was demanding the release @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Belgrade on July 7 and the formation of a new government task force to cope with the public-health crisis , saying the current team had been `` politicized . ''
Demonstrators also want Serbian public broadcaster RTS to report objectively on the situation in the country .

BELGRADE -- Serbia’s coronavirus crisis team is due to meet on July 9 after a second night of clashes in Belgrade fueled by public anger over the government's coronavirus response.
Police used tear gas to disperse the protest, which lasted well after nightfall on July 8 outside the parliament building in the Serbian capital.
There was also a new flash point 90 kilometers away in Serbia's second-largest city, Novi Sad, where demonstrators tried to storm a building that houses the regional public broadcaster.
As the crowd marched in Novi Sad, some people hurled stones and other objects at the city hall building, where a fire broke out. Protesters also threw stones at the office of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS).
The demonstrations in Belgrade erupted on July 7 after President Aleksandar Vucic announced new mandatory distancing steps and his intention to impose a curfew.
Vucic of the SNS said on July 8 that he and other officials were considering scrapping the weekend curfew, and said a final decision on the lockdown was expected on July 9.
Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic called the protests the "most violent so far" and vowed there would be no violent coup nor anarchy in Serbia.
"Tomorrow, the Crisis Team [for measures against coronavirus] will meet and we will continue to fight against the virus and save health workers, and people's health, and we will win," Brnabic said in a statement published on the SNS website.
WATCH: Belgrade Protesters Storm Serbian Parliament, Clash With Police
She spoke after hundreds of protesters gathered in Belgrade to signal frustration at the government's latest response to a resurgent coronavirus outbreak and the perceived politicization of the team leading efforts to stem the danger to public health in the Balkan state.
Deputy Prime Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic called the protest illegal because it had not been registered and said it was only about violence, not state policy. He said 10 police officers had been injured on July 8, including one whose legs were broken when he was pushed down a flight of stairs.
Police Patrols
Stefanovic told a news conference late on July 8 that “naked violence” was taking place in the streets of Belgrade “without the will of the people and participation in elections."
Stefanovic also announced that strong police patrols would be set up in Belgrade and elsewhere, adding "the state will always be stronger than the perpetrators.”
The protest on July 7 turned violent when a group of protesters broke into the parliament building while others threw stones, bottles, and other projectiles at police, prompting officers to fire tear gas to disperse the crowd.
Police Director Vladimir Rebic said on July 8 that 43 police officers and 17 demonstrators were injured in the first night of unrest, and five police vehicles were set on fire.
Images showed police kicking individuals and beating them with batons.
Vucic said that police would be punished if they were found to have acted inappropriately.
Speaking to the country on July 8, Vucic called on Serbs to avoid protests because they threatened to worsen the COVID-19 epidemic, which has officially infected more than 17,000 people in Serbia, killing 341 of them.
The government has ramped up anti-pandemic measures amid a COVID-19 spike since rapidly reopening before June 21 elections won by Vucic and his ruling SNS allies.
The global coronavirus pandemic and the pathogen's arrival in Serbia in March prompted a strict lockdown that interrupted over a year of weekly anti-government demonstrations.
Those protests targeted Vucic's tightening grip on media and the levers of power amid a spate of attacks on journalists and other government critics in the Balkan country of around 7 million people.
As the demonstration got under way on July 8, opposition leader Janko Veselinovic said the crowd was demanding the release of those arrested during the protests in Belgrade on July 7 and the formation of a new government task force to cope with the public-health crisis, saying the current team had been "politicized."
Demonstrators have also said they want Serbian public broadcaster RTS to report objectively on the situation in the country.


rferl--2020-07-08--Russian Publisher, Activist Verzilov Detained Again

Activist Pyotr Verzilov , a founding member of the protest music group Pussy Riot and publisher of independent Mediazona website , has been detained again , two days after finishing a 15-day jail sentence for swearing .
Verzilov wrote on Twitter on July 8 that Investigative Committee officers detained him right after he took part in a program on the Ekho Moskvy radio station and were taking him to a new search of his home .
TASS news agency quoted sources in law enforcement as saying that the search will be held in relation with `` a criminal case about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on June 27 last year . ''
On July 6 , when Verzilov finished a 15-day jail sentence for swearing , the Investigative Committee said that it had launched a probe into Verzilov for failing to inform authorities that he has a Canadian passport , which , according to Russian law , is punishable by a hefty fine or up to 400 hours of community work .
Moscow police on June 21 searched Verzilov 's home in connection with an investigation into an unsanctioned protest in July 2019 that ended in mass arrests @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that day .
He was then taken to a police station and questioned about his ties to popular opposition figure Aleksei Navalny .
Upon his release later , on June 21 , Verzilov said he was followed by a man who tried to provoke him into an altercation and was then immediately arrested on charges of fighting .
However , since there was no proof of a fight , he was then charged with swearing and sentenced on June 22 to 15 days in jail .
In 2018 , Verzilov drew worldwide attention @ @ @ @ @ @ @ activists ran onto a field during the World Cup soccer match in Moscow to protest police brutality .
He and the others served 15 days in jail .

Activist Pyotr Verzilov, a founding member of the protest music group Pussy Riot and publisher of independent Mediazona website, has been detained again, two days after finishing a 15-day jail sentence for swearing.
Verzilov wrote on Twitter on July 8 that Investigative Committee officers detained him right after he took part in a program on the Ekho Moskvy radio station and were taking him to a new search of his home.
TASS news agency quoted sources in law enforcement as saying that the search will be held in relation with "a criminal case about mass disorders launched after unsanctioned rallies held on June 27 last year."
On July 6, when Verzilov finished a 15-day jail sentence for swearing, the Investigative Committee said that it had launched a probe into Verzilov for failing to inform authorities that he has a Canadian passport, which, according to Russian law, is punishable by a hefty fine or up to 400 hours of community work.
Moscow police on June 21 searched Verzilov's home in connection with an investigation into an unsanctioned protest in July 2019 that ended in mass arrests. Verzilov said he was in Estonia that day.
He was then taken to a police station and questioned about his ties to popular opposition figure Aleksei Navalny.
Upon his release later, on June 21, Verzilov said he was followed by a man who tried to provoke him into an altercation and was then immediately arrested on charges of fighting.
However, since there was no proof of a fight, he was then charged with swearing and sentenced on June 22 to 15 days in jail.
In 2018, Verzilov drew worldwide attention when he and three other Pussy Riot activists ran onto a field during the World Cup soccer match in Moscow to protest police brutality. He and the others served 15 days in jail.
With reporting by TASS


rferl--2020-07-08--Lithuania Suspends Broadcasts By Russia's RT Over EU-Sanctioned Head

Lithuania has suspended Russia 's RT television from broadcasting in its territory because of RT 's links with the head of the Russian state TV network , Dmitry Kiselyov , who is under international sanctions .
Mantas Martisius , the chairman of Lithuania ’ s Commission on Radio and Television , said on July 8 that five channels broadcast by RT in the Baltic country will be suspended as of July 9 after the decision is published online .
`` These programs are being suspended not because of any violations but because a person associated with these programs has been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sanctions .
And that is Mr. Kiselyov , who should not get benefits and therefore the transmission of the programs is being suspended , '' Martisius said .
The move follow a similar ban in another Baltic state , Latvia , which on June 30 halted the distribution of RT 's seven channels in the country , citing the same reason .
Kiselyov , a TV commentator known for his anti-Western diatribes , is on the European Union 's sanctions list for his role in promoting Kremlin propaganda in support of Russia 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kiselyov is the head of the state Rossia Segodnya media group , which focuses mainly on Russian news and official propaganda abroad .
The group includes , RT , the channel that used to be known as Russia Today , as well as other channels , radio stations and websites , the Sputnik news service , the Prime news agency , and the Inosmi.ru media project .
Kiselyov 's media group is among the top 10 state-subsidized groups in Russia .
It received 20.4 billion rubles ( more than $ 288 million ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Based on reporting by LRT and Delfi

Lithuania has suspended Russia's RT television from broadcasting in its territory because of RT's links with the head of the Russian state TV network, Dmitry Kiselyov, who is under international sanctions.
Mantas Martisius, the chairman of Lithuania’s Commission on Radio and Television, said on July 8 that five channels broadcast by RT in the Baltic country will be suspended as of July 9 after the decision is published online.
"These programs are being suspended not because of any violations but because a person associated with these programs has been included on the list of individuals under sanctions. And that is Mr. Kiselyov, who should not get benefits and therefore the transmission of the programs is being suspended," Martisius said.
The move follow a similar ban in another Baltic state, Latvia, which on June 30 halted the distribution of RT's seven channels in the country, citing the same reason.
Kiselyov, a TV commentator known for his anti-Western diatribes, is on the European Union's sanctions list for his role in promoting Kremlin propaganda in support of Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.
Kiselyov is the head of the state Rossia Segodnya media group, which focuses mainly on Russian news and official propaganda abroad.
The group includes, RT, the channel that used to be known as Russia Today, as well as other channels, radio stations and websites, the Sputnik news service, the Prime news agency, and the Inosmi.ru media project.
Kiselyov's media group is among the top 10 state-subsidized groups in Russia. It received 20.4 billion rubles (more than $288 million) from the state from 2018 to 2020.
Based on reporting by LRT and Delfi


rferl--2020-07-08--Supporters Rally For Prominent Gulag Historian Who Faces Lengthy Prison Term

PETROZAVODSK , Russia -- More than a dozen people have demonstrated in Russia 's northwestern region of Karelia to protest a prosecutor 's request that a court sentence Russian historian and human rights activist Yury Dmitriyev to 15 years in prison on charges of sexually assaulting his adopted daughter .
One of the 15 protesters , Andrei Razumov , told RFE/RL that the single-person pickets by Dmitriyev 's supporters on July 8 were held `` to defend '' the historian , who is also a renowned gulag researcher , saying the charges were brought against him because of his research @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Kremlin 's glorification of the Soviet past .
One of the picketers , journalist Viktoria Ivleva , was detained by police .
The day before , the prosecution argued its case and asked the Petrozavodsk City Court to sentence the 64-year-old head of the Karelia branch of the Moscow-based human rights group Memorial to 15 years in prison as the high-profile trial entered its final stage .
Dmitriyev 's lawyer , Viktor Anufriyev , said on July 8 that the verdict and sentence of his client were expected to be pronounced on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2016 on child-pornography charges based on photographs of his adopted daughter that the authorities found on his computer .
He has maintained his innocence , contending that the images were not pornographic and were made at the request of social workers concerned about the child 's development .
He says the case is an attempt to thwart his research into extrajudicial executions in Karelia under Soviet dictator Josef Stalin .
A local court acquitted Dmitriyev in April 2018 , but the Karelia Supreme Court subsequently upheld an appeal by prosecutors and ordered a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in June 2018 and is currently on trial on the more severe charge of `` violent acts of a sexual nature committed against a person under 14 years of age . ''
Dmitriyev 's decades-long efforts to expose the extent of Stalin 's crimes have been viewed with hostility by President Vladimir Putin 's administration .
In May , dozens of Russian scholars , historians , writers , poets , opposition politicians , artists , and actors signed an open letter asking the Karelia Supreme Court to release Dmitriyev , expressing concerns over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the coronavirus were reported in the detention center where he is being held .
The European Union has called on the Russian authorities to release Dmitriyev and reconsider the charges against him .

PETROZAVODSK, Russia -- More than a dozen people have demonstrated in Russia's northwestern region of Karelia to protest a prosecutor's request that a court sentence Russian historian and human rights activist Yury Dmitriyev to 15 years in prison on charges of sexually assaulting his adopted daughter.
One of the 15 protesters, Andrei Razumov, told RFE/RL that the single-person pickets by Dmitriyev's supporters on July 8 were held "to defend" the historian, who is also a renowned gulag researcher, saying the charges were brought against him because of his research into a side of history that complicates the Kremlin's glorification of the Soviet past.
One of the picketers, journalist Viktoria Ivleva, was detained by police.
The day before, the prosecution argued its case and asked the Petrozavodsk City Court to sentence the 64-year-old head of the Karelia branch of the Moscow-based human rights group Memorial to 15 years in prison as the high-profile trial entered its final stage.
Dmitriyev's lawyer, Viktor Anufriyev, said on July 8 that the verdict and sentence of his client were expected to be pronounced on July 22.
Dmitriyev was arrested in 2016 on child-pornography charges based on photographs of his adopted daughter that the authorities found on his computer.
He has maintained his innocence, contending that the images were not pornographic and were made at the request of social workers concerned about the child's development. He says the case is an attempt to thwart his research into extrajudicial executions in Karelia under Soviet dictator Josef Stalin.
A local court acquitted Dmitriyev in April 2018, but the Karelia Supreme Court subsequently upheld an appeal by prosecutors and ordered a new trial.
The historian was rearrested in June 2018 and is currently on trial on the more severe charge of "violent acts of a sexual nature committed against a person under 14 years of age."
Dmitriyev's decades-long efforts to expose the extent of Stalin's crimes have been viewed with hostility by President Vladimir Putin's administration.
In May, dozens of Russian scholars, historians, writers, poets, opposition politicians, artists, and actors signed an open letter asking the Karelia Supreme Court to release Dmitriyev, expressing concerns over the researcher's health after positive cases of the coronavirus were reported in the detention center where he is being held.
The European Union has called on the Russian authorities to release Dmitriyev and reconsider the charges against him.


rferl--2020-07-08--Ex-Journalist Appeals Detention As Russian Media Demand Transparency In Treason Case

MOSCOW -- Lawyers for Ivan Safronov , a former reporter and adviser to the chief of Russian space agency Roskosmos , say they have appealed their client 's pretrial arrest on a high-treason charge he rejects .
Yevgeny Smirnov and Ivan Pavlov said on July 8 that they asked the Moscow City Court to replace their client 's pretrial detention with a milder restriction `` not linked with incarceration . ''
Prosecutors accuse Safronov of passing information to the Czech Republic in 2017 about the sale of Russian arms to the Middle East and Africa .
Safronov was working as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ related to the activities of Russia 's military-industrial sector .
Russia claims the United States was the final beneficiary of the information , according to Pavlov .
He faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted .
Pavlov told Ekho Moskvy on July 8 that he had refused to sign papers obliging him not to reveal data related to the investigation against his client , adding though that he had agreed to sign papers to not make classified information in the case public .
`` But we have not seen any state-secret @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is nothing to reveal here , '' Pavlov said , adding that `` there are no classified materials '' in the case .
However , Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said later in the day that Safronov 's case was labeled as top secret and reiterated that the case was not linked to Safronov 's journalistic activities in the past .
`` There is a certain regime of hearings in the court for certain categories of cases , due to sensitivity [ of such cases ] .
Therefore , it would be wrong to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ [ regarding Safronov 's case ] , '' Peskov said , responding to demands from activists for transparency during the probe .
Those demands were reinforced on July 8 when leading news outlets , including Kommersant , Vedomosti , Meduza , RBK , Proyekt , Mediazona , The Bell , Bumaga , and the Russian version of Forbes magazine , issued editorials supporting Safronov , who since May has been working as an adviser to the chief of the state space agency , Roskosmos .
Kommersant wrote that Russia 's Federal Security Service @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's telephone conversations and had access to his electronic correspondence .
Police in Moscow on July 7 searched the apartment of his close associate , journalist Taisia Bekbulatova , and questioned her as witness in the case .
Bekbulatova told the website Mediazona after the questioning that she could not give any details on the case , as she had signed papers agreeing not to reveal information related to it .
Safronov 's arrest -- the latest in a series of law enforcement actions against Russian journalists and researchers -- has sparked outrage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protest outside the FSB headquarters in Moscow .
As a journalist , Safronov mainly covered issues related to the activities of Russia 's military-industrial sector , including an accident last year on a nuclear submarine , and the country 's military exercises .
His father also worked for Kommersant , also focusing mainly on the military-industrial complex , before dying at the age of 51 after he mysteriously fell out of a corridor window in his apartment block in Moscow in 2007 .
Police concluded the death was a suicide , though relatives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The younger Safronov was fired from Kommersant in May 2019 after writing an article about the possible resignation of Valentina Matviyenko , the chairwoman of the Russian parliament 's upper chamber .
Matviyenko continues to serve as its chairwoman .
Safronov 's firing led to a crisis at the paper after all of the journalists in Kommersant 's politics department resigned in protest .
He soon joined Vedomosti , then Russia 's leading business newspaper , before quitting following an ownership change that installed a Kremlin-friendly chief editor .
In June 2019 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ might face administrative lawsuits for making state secrets public .
It was not clear which state secrets had been made public , but one of Safronov 's articles about Russia 's plans to deliver Su-35 military planes to Egypt was removed from the newspaper 's website .
At the time , U.S. State Secretary Mike Pompeo warned of possible sanctions against Egypt if Cairo purchased the planes from Moscow .
Kommersant Director-General Vladimir Zhelonkin told the Open Media group on July 7 that there were no issues with the authorities related to Safronov @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , adding that the article in question did not contain any data that might be classified as a state secret .

MOSCOW -- Lawyers for Ivan Safronov, a former reporter and adviser to the chief of Russian space agency Roskosmos, say they have appealed their client's pretrial arrest on a high-treason charge he rejects.
Yevgeny Smirnov and Ivan Pavlov said on July 8 that they asked the Moscow City Court to replace their client's pretrial detention with a milder restriction "not linked with incarceration."
Prosecutors accuse Safronov of passing information to the Czech Republic in 2017 about the sale of Russian arms to the Middle East and Africa. Safronov was working as a journalist at the time covering issues related to the activities of Russia's military-industrial sector.
Russia claims the United States was the final beneficiary of the information, according to Pavlov.
He faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
Pavlov told Ekho Moskvy on July 8 that he had refused to sign papers obliging him not to reveal data related to the investigation against his client, adding though that he had agreed to sign papers to not make classified information in the case public.
"But we have not seen any state-secret materials in the case, therefore there is nothing to reveal here," Pavlov said, adding that "there are no classified materials" in the case.
However, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said later in the day that Safronov's case was labeled as top secret and reiterated that the case was not linked to Safronov's journalistic activities in the past.
"There is a certain regime of hearings in the court for certain categories of cases, due to sensitivity [of such cases]. Therefore, it would be wrong to change regulations following opinions of some journalists [regarding Safronov's case]," Peskov said, responding to demands from activists for transparency during the probe.
Those demands were reinforced on July 8 when leading news outlets, including Kommersant, Vedomosti, Meduza, RBK, Proyekt, Mediazona, The Bell, Bumaga, and the Russian version of Forbes magazine, issued editorials supporting Safronov, who since May has been working as an adviser to the chief of the state space agency, Roskosmos.
Kommersant wrote that Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) had eavesdropped on Safronov's telephone conversations and had access to his electronic correspondence.
Police in Moscow on July 7 searched the apartment of his close associate, journalist Taisia Bekbulatova, and questioned her as witness in the case.
Bekbulatova told the website Mediazona after the questioning that she could not give any details on the case, as she had signed papers agreeing not to reveal information related to it.
Safronov's arrest -- the latest in a series of law enforcement actions against Russian journalists and researchers -- has sparked outrage among former colleagues and prompted dozens to protest outside the FSB headquarters in Moscow.
As a journalist, Safronov mainly covered issues related to the activities of Russia's military-industrial sector, including an accident last year on a nuclear submarine, and the country's military exercises.
His father also worked for Kommersant, also focusing mainly on the military-industrial complex, before dying at the age of 51 after he mysteriously fell out of a corridor window in his apartment block in Moscow in 2007. Police concluded the death was a suicide, though relatives and friends say they suspect foul play.
The younger Safronov was fired from Kommersant in May 2019 after writing an article about the possible resignation of Valentina Matviyenko, the chairwoman of the Russian parliament's upper chamber. Matviyenko continues to serve as its chairwoman.
Safronov's firing led to a crisis at the paper after all of the journalists in Kommersant's politics department resigned in protest. He soon joined Vedomosti, then Russia's leading business newspaper, before quitting following an ownership change that installed a Kremlin-friendly chief editor.
In June 2019, media reports surfaced saying that Kommersant might face administrative lawsuits for making state secrets public.
It was not clear which state secrets had been made public, but one of Safronov's articles about Russia's plans to deliver Su-35 military planes to Egypt was removed from the newspaper's website.
At the time, U.S. State Secretary Mike Pompeo warned of possible sanctions against Egypt if Cairo purchased the planes from Moscow.
Kommersant Director-General Vladimir Zhelonkin told the Open Media group on July 7 that there were no issues with the authorities related to Safronov's article last year in his newspaper, adding that the article in question did not contain any data that might be classified as a state secret.


rferl--2020-07-08--Belarusian Opposition Politician Gets Fifth Consecutive 15-Day Jail Term

MINSK -- Paval Sevyarynets , a co-chairman of the nonregistered opposition Belarusian Christian Democratic Party , has received his fifth consecutive 15-day jail term for allegedly calling on people to participate in an unsanctioned rally .
The Soviet district court in Minsk on July 8 found Sevyarynets guilty of calling on the public to take part in the rally in the Belarusian capital on June 7 .
Sevyarynets , who took part in the hearing via Skype from a detention center in Minsk , rejected the accusation , noting that he had already been sentenced to 15 days in jail @ @ @ @ @ @ @ question , as well as receiving three other 15-day jail terms for taking part in other rallies .
Sevyarynets also stated that the rally near Minsk 's Kamarouski market on June 7 was organized by initiative groups supporting eight potential presidential candidates , which is allowed by the constitution during an election campaign .
Sevyarynets is one of dozens of activists and politicians who were detained in Minsk and several other cities across Belarus during the June 8 rallies at which hundreds of demonstrators were collecting signatures necessary to register alternative presidential candidates @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 9 .
The sight of thousands of people snaking along streets in towns and cities across Belarus to sign petitions for opposition would-be candidates has apparently spooked authoritarian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka , who has ruled since 1994 and is seeking a sixth term .
Since the opposition rallies and gatherings started , Lukashenka has ordered arrests , including of two key opposition leaders , sacked his government , and vowed there will be no Maidan-style revolution in Belarus -- a reference to the protests that pushed a Russia-friendly president from power in neighboring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recently urged the Belarusian government to abandon its “ policy of arbitrary arrests , violence , and intimidation ” against political activists , rights defenders , journalists , and bloggers ahead of a presidential election .
The media-freedom group Committee to Protect Journalists ( CPJ ) has called on Minsk to release all the journalists currently being held and to “ allow the press to cover the country ’ s upcoming elections without fear of prosecution.
” At least six bloggers have been detained since June 15 , the group says .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on June 18 of Viktar Babaryka , a potential opponent of Lukashenka in the presidential election who is under investigation for alleged financial crimes he denies .
Babaryka had looked to be gaining as a major force in the election and is said to have compiled more than four times the number of signatures needed to be a candidate .
Critics of Lukashenka , who has been in power in Belarus for more than 25 years , say his government has shown little tolerance for dissent and independent media .
The country has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sanctions over its poor rights record and lack of fair elections , but Belarus and the West have recently sought to mend ties to reduce Russia ’ s influence in the country .
Sevyarynets also has 30 more days of jail time to serve for taking part in unsanctioned public protests against deeper integration with Russia .
Those protests took place in Belarus in December .

MINSK -- Paval Sevyarynets, a co-chairman of the nonregistered opposition Belarusian Christian Democratic Party, has received his fifth consecutive 15-day jail term for allegedly calling on people to participate in an unsanctioned rally.
The Soviet district court in Minsk on July 8 found Sevyarynets guilty of calling on the public to take part in the rally in the Belarusian capital on June 7.
Sevyarynets, who took part in the hearing via Skype from a detention center in Minsk, rejected the accusation, noting that he had already been sentenced to 15 days in jail for taking part in the rally in question, as well as receiving three other 15-day jail terms for taking part in other rallies.
Sevyarynets also stated that the rally near Minsk's Kamarouski market on June 7 was organized by initiative groups supporting eight potential presidential candidates, which is allowed by the constitution during an election campaign.
Sevyarynets is one of dozens of activists and politicians who were detained in Minsk and several other cities across Belarus during the June 8 rallies at which hundreds of demonstrators were collecting signatures necessary to register alternative presidential candidates for the election, scheduled for August 9.
The sight of thousands of people snaking along streets in towns and cities across Belarus to sign petitions for opposition would-be candidates has apparently spooked authoritarian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka, who has ruled since 1994 and is seeking a sixth term.
Since the opposition rallies and gatherings started, Lukashenka has ordered arrests, including of two key opposition leaders, sacked his government, and vowed there will be no Maidan-style revolution in Belarus -- a reference to the protests that pushed a Russia-friendly president from power in neighboring Ukraine in 2014.
United Nations experts recently urged the Belarusian government to abandon its “policy of arbitrary arrests, violence, and intimidation” against political activists, rights defenders, journalists, and bloggers ahead of a presidential election.
The media-freedom group Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called on Minsk to release all the journalists currently being held and to “allow the press to cover the country’s upcoming elections without fear of prosecution.” At least six bloggers have been detained since June 15, the group says.
The latest rallies in Belarus followed the arrest on June 18 of Viktar Babaryka, a potential opponent of Lukashenka in the presidential election who is under investigation for alleged financial crimes he denies.
Babaryka had looked to be gaining as a major force in the election and is said to have compiled more than four times the number of signatures needed to be a candidate.
Critics of Lukashenka, who has been in power in Belarus for more than 25 years, say his government has shown little tolerance for dissent and independent media.
The country has been the target of U.S. and EU sanctions over its poor rights record and lack of fair elections, but Belarus and the West have recently sought to mend ties to reduce Russia’s influence in the country.
Sevyarynets also has 30 more days of jail time to serve for taking part in unsanctioned public protests against deeper integration with Russia. Those protests took place in Belarus in December.


rferl--2020-07-08--At Least Six Police Officers Killed In Afghanistan Bomb Blasts

At least six Afghan police officers have been killed in two separate Taliban bombings amid a surge in attacks across the war-torn country .
Three officers were reported killed and 20 other people wounded in a truck bomb explosion in the southern province of Kandahar on July 8 .
The police chief of Shah Wali Kot district and civilians were among those wounded .
The predawn blast damaged the district police headquarters and the nearby administrative office , according to provincial governor spokesman Ahmad Bahir Ahmadi .
Ahmadi said there was prior intelligence information about a plot to attack the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shot by security forces before he could reach his target , but the explosives detonated , the spokesman said .
In southeastern Ghazni Province , officials said a roadside bomb killed three police officers , including the police chief of Dayak district .
The police chief was inspecting checkpoints early in the morning when the attack occurred , according to the provincial governor 's spokesman , Wahidullah Jamazada .
The Taliban has claimed responsibility for both attacks .
Hundreds of members of Afghanistan ’ s security forces and civilians have been killed in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ launch attack across the country .
President Ashraf Ghani on July 6 warned that the spike in violence poses a `` serious '' threat to the peace process with the Taliban .
A peace deal signed by the Taliban and the United States in February calls for direct negotiations between the militant group and the Western-backed government in Kabul aimed at putting an end to the nearly two-decade-old war in Afghanistan .
With reporting by dpa and AP

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


rferl--2020-07-09--Tehran Denies Seizure Of Iranian Weapons Shipment To Yemeni Rebels

Iran has rejected a U.S. claim that a boat carrying Iranian weapons to Huthi rebels in Yemen had been seized , saying the “ baseless ” accusation was aimed at extending a UN arms embargo on Tehran .
`` Lying , accusations , and spreading hatred are key elements of America 's foreign policy , '' Iran 's Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Musavi said on July 9 , according to state television .
Musavi ’ s comments come a day after U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that the United States and unidentified `` partner '' forces intercepted a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 28 that was carrying Iranian weapons to the Huthis .
The cargo included 200 rocket-propelled grenades , more than 1,700 assault rifles , 21 surface-to-air and land-attack missiles , and several anti-tank missiles , Pompeo said .
The top U.S. diplomat also reiterated his call for the UN Security Council to extend an arms embargo on Iran that is set to expire in October , saying : `` No serious person can possibly believe Iran will use any weapon it receives for peaceful ends . ''
Musavi accused Washington of `` trying to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Iran ” and extend the arms embargo on the country .
Iran-aligned Shi ’ ite Huthi rebels have been fighting the internationally recognized government of Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansur Hadi , which is backed by a military coalition led by Saudi Arabia , a U.S. ally .
Tehran denies it is providing financial and military support to the Huthis .
On July 9 , the Saudi-led coalition claimed it had destroyed two explosive-laden remote-controlled boats in the Red Sea that were allegedly launched by Huthi rebels .
The boats were prepared to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ acts '' in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait and the southern Red Sea , according to a statement cited by Saudi state media .
With reporting by 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--2020-07-09--COVID-19: Turkish Embassy Official Dies Of Pneumonia In 'Coronavirus-Free' Turkmenistan

The global death toll from the coronavirus is over 550,000 , with more than 12 million infections confirmed , causing mass disruptions as governments continue to try to slow the spread of the respiratory illness .
An official of the Turkish Embassy in the Turkmen capital , Ashgabat , has died of pneumonia in the only Central Asian nation that has not officially registered a single coronavirus case .
Citing unnamed officials at the Turkish embassy , Turkmen.news and the Turkish TRT Avaz media outlet reported that an adviser on religious issues , Kemal Uckun , died in an Ashgabat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 8 .
According to the reports , Uckun , who worked at the embassy since January 2018 was hospitalized with lung problems , a heavy cough , and a fever on June 27 .
RFE/RL correspondents report from Turkmenistan that hospitals in the country have been overwhelmed with patients with pneumonia symptoms , some of whom , including medical personnel , have died .
In some parts of the country , so-called quarantine zones have been established and some industrial facilities are being shut down , RFE/RL correspondents report .
However , Turkmen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no coronavirus cases in the country .
Earlier this week , a long-delayed mission from the World Health Organization arrived in the country to assess the situation and work with Turkmen officials to prevent any spread of the coronavirus in the country .
In neighboring Kazakhstan , President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev addressed the nation late on July 8 , blaming the former health minister that he replaced two weeks earlier for an abrupt surge of coronavirus cases in recent days .
In the televised address , Toqaev also said that many citizens who ignored @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic had contributed to the current situation with COVID-19 in the country , which he called `` complex , but not worse than in many other countries . ''
Toqaev announced that July 13 would be a day of mourning to commemorate Kazakhs who died of COVID-19 and promised to allocate more finances and efforts to tackle the virus .
He also said that `` some people have organized political games '' during the pandemic to `` try to ignite social discord . ''
He did not give any details , but vowed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accordance with Kazakh law .
Toqaev 's address to the nation came three days after the country reintroduced a partial lockdown amid a spike in the number of coronavirus cases .
On July 9 , Kazakh health officials said that 1,962 new coronavirus cases had been registered in the country in the last 24 hours , a single-day high for the country .
The total number of coronavirus cases in the country , as of July 9 , was 53,021 , including 220 deaths , the highest in Central Asia .
In Kyrgyzstan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( UKMK ) said on July 9 , that jailed former President Almazbek Atambaev , who was hospitalized with pneumonia symptoms on June 30 , had been transferred back to his cell in a Bishkek detention center after he received treatment .
According to the UKMK , Atambaev 's coronavirus test came back negative .
The former president was sentenced to more than 11 years in prison last month for his role in the release of a crime boss in 2013 .
Kyrgyz health officials said on July 9 that 361 new coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been registered in the country in the last 24 hours , putting the total number of cases at 8,847 , including 116 deaths .
In Uzbekistan , a member of the government 's special commission on measures to curb the outbreak , Habibulla Oqilov , said on July 8 that hospitals in Central Asia 's most-populous nation of 32 million people were at full capacity and had no free beds for coronavirus patients .
`` If the number of new coronavirus cases reaches 1,000 per day , the health system will collapse @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has announced it will impose a second lockdown of the country between July 10 and August 1 .
As of July 9 , the number of coronavirus cases in Uzbekistan was reported at 11,259 , including 47 deaths .
In Tajikistan , officials in the northern city of Khujand , have locked down the main regional maternity clinic that was turned into a hospital for COVID-19 patients in April , after its chief physician , 49-year-old Shoira Buzurukova , died with coronavirus symptoms last weekend .
According to the latest official data made @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 8 , the number of coronavirus cases in the country is 6,364 , including 54 deaths .
With reporting by Turmen.news and TRT Avaz

The global death toll from the coronavirus is over 550,000, with more than 12 million infections confirmed, causing mass disruptions as governments continue to try to slow the spread of the respiratory illness.
Here's a roundup of COVID-19 developments in RFE/RL's broadcast regions.
Turkmenistan
An official of the Turkish Embassy in the Turkmen capital, Ashgabat, has died of pneumonia in the only Central Asian nation that has not officially registered a single coronavirus case.
Citing unnamed officials at the Turkish embassy, Turkmen.news and the Turkish TRT Avaz media outlet reported that an adviser on religious issues, Kemal Uckun, died in an Ashgabat hospital overnight between July 7 and July 8.
According to the reports, Uckun, who worked at the embassy since January 2018 was hospitalized with lung problems, a heavy cough, and a fever on June 27.
RFE/RL correspondents report from Turkmenistan that hospitals in the country have been overwhelmed with patients with pneumonia symptoms, some of whom, including medical personnel, have died.
In some parts of the country, so-called quarantine zones have been established and some industrial facilities are being shut down, RFE/RL correspondents report.
However, Turkmen officials continue to say that there is no coronavirus cases in the country.
Earlier this week, a long-delayed mission from the World Health Organization arrived in the country to assess the situation and work with Turkmen officials to prevent any spread of the coronavirus in the country.
Kazakhstan
In neighboring Kazakhstan, President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev addressed the nation late on July 8, blaming the former health minister that he replaced two weeks earlier for an abrupt surge of coronavirus cases in recent days.
In the televised address, Toqaev also said that many citizens who ignored sanitary and epidemiological regulations related to the pandemic had contributed to the current situation with COVID-19 in the country, which he called "complex, but not worse than in many other countries."
Toqaev announced that July 13 would be a day of mourning to commemorate Kazakhs who died of COVID-19 and promised to allocate more finances and efforts to tackle the virus.
He also said that "some people have organized political games" during the pandemic to "try to ignite social discord." He did not give any details, but vowed to take measures against such people in accordance with Kazakh law.
Toqaev's address to the nation came three days after the country reintroduced a partial lockdown amid a spike in the number of coronavirus cases.
On July 9, Kazakh health officials said that 1,962 new coronavirus cases had been registered in the country in the last 24 hours, a single-day high for the country.
The total number of coronavirus cases in the country, as of July 9, was 53,021, including 220 deaths, the highest in Central Asia.
Kyrgyzstan
In Kyrgyzstan, the State Committee for National Security (UKMK) said on July 9, that jailed former President Almazbek Atambaev, who was hospitalized with pneumonia symptoms on June 30, had been transferred back to his cell in a Bishkek detention center after he received treatment.
According to the UKMK, Atambaev's coronavirus test came back negative. The former president was sentenced to more than 11 years in prison last month for his role in the release of a crime boss in 2013.
Kyrgyz health officials said on July 9 that 361 new coronavirus cases, including 83 medical personnel, have been registered in the country in the last 24 hours, putting the total number of cases at 8,847, including 116 deaths.
Uzbekistan
In Uzbekistan, a member of the government's special commission on measures to curb the outbreak, Habibulla Oqilov, said on July 8 that hospitals in Central Asia's most-populous nation of 32 million people were at full capacity and had no free beds for coronavirus patients.
"If the number of new coronavirus cases reaches 1,000 per day, the health system will collapse," Oqilov said. The commission has announced it will impose a second lockdown of the country between July 10 and August 1.
As of July 9, the number of coronavirus cases in Uzbekistan was reported at 11,259, including 47 deaths.
Tajikistan
In Tajikistan, officials in the northern city of Khujand, have locked down the main regional maternity clinic that was turned into a hospital for COVID-19 patients in April, after its chief physician, 49-year-old Shoira Buzurukova, died with coronavirus symptoms last weekend.
According to the latest official data made public by Tajik health officials on July 8, the number of coronavirus cases in the country is 6,364, including 54 deaths.
With reporting by Turmen.news and TRT Avaz


rferl--2020-07-09--Russian Police Raid Homes Of Opposition Group Coordinators, Independent Lawmakers

MOSCOW -- Police in Russia have searched the homes of coordinators of the Open Russia opposition group , the editor in chief of the independent MBKh Media online publication , and independent municipal candidates .
Tatyana Usmanova , an Open Russia coordinator , wrote on Twitter on July 9 that Moscow police were searching her apartment and the apartments of municipal lawmaker Yulia Galyamina and Olga Gorelik , who is the wife of another independent municipal lawmaker , Konstantin Yanauskas .
`` Going to break the door .
They don ’ t want to wait for lawyers , ” Usmanova @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Galyamina wrote on Twitter that she was not home and that her lawyer Mikhail Biryukov was unable to enter the apartment block to reach the residence , where her son who has a medical condition was waiting alone .
MBKh Media reported that police in Moscow also came to the home of its editor in chief , Sergei Prostakov .
It added that his lawyer , Gennady Fyodorov , was not allowed to enter his client 's apartment to be present during the search .
Police in the Siberian city of Tomsk searched @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Russia 's lawyer in the region , his wife Nadezhda told MBKh Media .
Open Russia representatives also told the online news portal Mediazona that they have been unable to contact their colleagues , Andrei Pivovarov and Alina Danilina .
Officials did not comment on why the searches were being conducted .
Open Russia lawyer Sergei Badamshin said the search of Olga Gorelik 's home is linked to the 2003 case of the Yukos oil giant , while the group 's press secretary , Konstantin Fomin , told Mediazona that the Yukos case @ @ @ @ @ @ @ searches .
According to Fomin , the real reason for the searches might be a request by opposition activists to hold a rally in Moscow ’ s Pushkin Square on July 15 to protest against recently introduced constitutional amendments that , among other things , allow for the possibility that President Vladimir Putin could run for two more terms once his current six-year term ends in 2024 .
The controversial amendments took effect on July 4 following a national vote that critics say was marred by unprecedented levels of fraud .
With reporting @ @ @ @ @

MOSCOW -- Police in Russia have searched the homes of coordinators of the Open Russia opposition group, the editor in chief of the independent MBKh Media online publication, and independent municipal candidates.
Tatyana Usmanova, an Open Russia coordinator, wrote on Twitter on July 9 that Moscow police were searching her apartment and the apartments of municipal lawmaker Yulia Galyamina and Olga Gorelik, who is the wife of another independent municipal lawmaker, Konstantin Yanauskas.
"Going to break the door. They don’t want to wait for lawyers,” Usmanova wrote in a post on Telegram.
Galyamina wrote on Twitter that she was not home and that her lawyer Mikhail Biryukov was unable to enter the apartment block to reach the residence, where her son who has a medical condition was waiting alone.
MBKh Media reported that police in Moscow also came to the home of its editor in chief, Sergei Prostakov. It added that his lawyer, Gennady Fyodorov, was not allowed to enter his client's apartment to be present during the search.
Police in the Siberian city of Tomsk searched the residence of Aleksei Pryanishnikov, Open Russia's lawyer in the region, his wife Nadezhda told MBKh Media.
Open Russia representatives also told the online news portal Mediazona that they have been unable to contact their colleagues, Andrei Pivovarov and Alina Danilina.
Officials did not comment on why the searches were being conducted.
Open Russia lawyer Sergei Badamshin said the search of Olga Gorelik's home is linked to the 2003 case of the Yukos oil giant, while the group's press secretary, Konstantin Fomin, told Mediazona that the Yukos case is just a pretext for conducting the searches.
According to Fomin, the real reason for the searches might be a request by opposition activists to hold a rally in Moscow’s Pushkin Square on July 15 to protest against recently introduced constitutional amendments that, among other things, allow for the possibility that President Vladimir Putin could run for two more terms once his current six-year term ends in 2024.
The controversial amendments took effect on July 4 following a national vote that critics say was marred by unprecedented levels of fraud.
With reporting by MBKh Media and Mediazona


rferl--2020-07-09--Russian Governor Who Beat Kremlin Candidate Arrested On Suspicion  Of Ordering Murders

Russian investigators have arrested the governor of a Far Eastern province , who two years ago won a surprise victory over the Kremlin favorite , on suspicion of ordering the murder of businessmen .
Russia ’ s powerful Investigative Committee announced on July 9 in a statement on its website that it had detained Khabarovsk Governor Sergei Furgal .
Russian media reported that Furgal , 50 , was arrested as part of a wider investigation into an organized criminal group operating in the region .
He will be soon arraigned on charges of organizing the murder and the attempted murder @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The charges relate to events in 2004 and 2005 , the news agency reported .
Furgal , a member of the nationalist Liberal Democratic Party of Russia , beat incumbent Vyacheslav Shport in 2018 in a major upset for the ruling United Russia party .
Tatyana Stanovaya , a Russian political analyst , wrote in 2019 that Furgal was “ an undesirable candidate for the Kremlin.
” Furgal was backed by former Khabarovsk governor Viktor Ishayev , who ran the region from 1991 until 2009 .
Ishayev was arrested last year after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in high positions in the regional administration .
Ishayev was accused of embezzling money via fraudulent activities from the state oil company Rosneft .
Furgal served in Russia ’ s lower house of parliament , the Duma , from 2007 until 2018 .

Russian investigators have arrested the governor of a Far Eastern province, who two years ago won a surprise victory over the Kremlin favorite, on suspicion of ordering the murder of businessmen.
Russia’s powerful Investigative Committee announced on July 9 in a statement on its website that it had detained Khabarovsk Governor Sergei Furgal.
Russian media reported that Furgal, 50, was arrested as part of a wider investigation into an organized criminal group operating in the region. He will be soon arraigned on charges of organizing the murder and the attempted murder of the businessmen, RIA Novosti reported.
The charges relate to events in 2004 and 2005, the news agency reported.
Furgal, a member of the nationalist Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, beat incumbent Vyacheslav Shport in 2018 in a major upset for the ruling United Russia party.
Tatyana Stanovaya, a Russian political analyst, wrote in 2019 that Furgal was “an undesirable candidate for the Kremlin.”
Furgal was backed by former Khabarovsk governor Viktor Ishayev, who ran the region from 1991 until 2009.
Ishayev was arrested last year after Furgal began placing some of his people in high positions in the regional administration. Ishayev was accused of embezzling money via fraudulent activities from the state oil company Rosneft.
Furgal served in Russia’s lower house of parliament, the Duma, from 2007 until 2018.


rferl--2020-07-09--UN Security Council Rejects Russia-Backed Bid To Reduce Cross-Border Aid To Syria

The UN Security Council on July 8 voted down a Russian resolution calling for humanitarian aid access to Syria 's mainly rebel-held northwest to be reduced to one crossing point from Turkey .
Russia , Syria ’ s closest ally , circulated the draft resolution after it joined China on July 7 in vetoing an initial draft resolution to maintain aid deliveries through two border crossing points from Turkey for a year .
A new proposal is likely to be circulated calling for two crossings from Turkey in a mandate lasting six months .
Its chances of passing before the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unclear .
The Russian resolution needed a minimum of nine yes votes in the 15-member council and it got support from only four countries -- Russia , China , Vietnam , and South Africa .
Seven countries -- the United States , Britain , France , Germany , Belgium , Estonia , and the Dominican Republic -- voted against it and the remaining four countries abstained .
The resolution that Russia and China nixed on July 7 would have maintained two border crossing points from Turkey into Syria for humanitarian aid deliveries for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lowcock has said the two crossings are “ a lifeline ” for millions of civilians who can not be reached by UN aid by any other means .
Authorization for cross-border humanitarian aid without interference from Damascus has existed since 2014 , with periodic extensions .
The aid currently passes through two crossing points on the Turkish border -- at Bab Al-Salam , which leads to the Aleppo region , and Bab Al-Hawa , which serves the opposition-held Idlib region .
Under its resolution , Moscow had wanted to abolish the Bab Al-Salam @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of six months on the second .
The Bab Al-Salam crossing allows for shipments of humanitarian aid to between 3 million and 4 million people living in the Idlib region .
The proposal also argued that the delivery of the aid could be improved if it were under the control of the Syrian regime .
With reporting by AP and AFP

The UN Security Council on July 8 voted down a Russian resolution calling for humanitarian aid access to Syria's mainly rebel-held northwest to be reduced to one crossing point from Turkey.
Russia, Syria’s closest ally, circulated the draft resolution after it joined China on July 7 in vetoing an initial draft resolution to maintain aid deliveries through two border crossing points from Turkey for a year.
A new proposal is likely to be circulated calling for two crossings from Turkey in a mandate lasting six months. Its chances of passing before the current mandate expires on July 10 are unclear.
The Russian resolution needed a minimum of nine yes votes in the 15-member council and it got support from only four countries -- Russia, China, Vietnam, and South Africa.
Seven countries -- the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Belgium, Estonia, and the Dominican Republic -- voted against it and the remaining four countries abstained.
The resolution that Russia and China nixed on July 7 would have maintained two border crossing points from Turkey into Syria for humanitarian aid deliveries for a year.
UN humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock has said the two crossings are “a lifeline” for millions of civilians who cannot be reached by UN aid by any other means.
Authorization for cross-border humanitarian aid without interference from Damascus has existed since 2014, with periodic extensions.
The aid currently passes through two crossing points on the Turkish border -- at Bab Al-Salam, which leads to the Aleppo region, and Bab Al-Hawa, which serves the opposition-held Idlib region.
Under its resolution, Moscow had wanted to abolish the Bab Al-Salam crossing point and put a time limit of six months on the second. The Bab Al-Salam crossing allows for shipments of humanitarian aid to between 3 million and 4 million people living in the Idlib region.
The proposal also argued that the delivery of the aid could be improved if it were under the control of the Syrian regime.
With reporting by AP and AFP


rferl--2020-07-08--Facebook Takes Down 'Inauthentic' Social-Media Pages Connected To Ukraine Ad Agency

Facebook said it has taken down a network of “ coordinated , inauthentic ” Ukrainian social-media pages tied to a digital advertising agency in the nation ’ s capital as it seeks to combat the spread of disinformation .
The U.S.-based social-media giant said in a July 8 statement that the Ukrainian network aimed its work at a domestic audience and was “ particularly active ” during the nation ’ s 2019 presidential and parliamentary elections .
Facebook tied the inauthentic activity to Postmen DA , whose clients have included the European Union Advisory Mission , Ukraine ’ s Anti-Corruption @ @ @ @ @ @ @ company owned by Rinat Akhmetov , Ukraine ’ s richest man .
However , Facebook did not indicate that the network favored certain candidates or parties , saying its work both criticized and supported presidential candidates Volodmyr Zelenskiy , Petro Poroshenko , and Yulia Tymoshenko .
Zelenskiy won the April 2019 election in a landslide , defeating incumbent Poroshenko .
Tymoshenko did not qualify for the April runoff .
The network ran a Facebook page called “ Stop Yulia ” that featured a post of the politician relaxing on a couch with five @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
A post on the “ Goat ” page showed a picture of Zelenskiy ’ s face being flushed down a toilet .
The Kyiv-based Postmen DA did not immediately respond to a request for comment .
Facebook said it removed 72 Facebook accounts , 35 pages , and 13 Instagram accounts belonging to the network .
It said about 766,000 accounts followed at least one of the pages and about 3,800 people followed at least one of the Instagram accounts .
Postmen DA spent nearly $ 2 million to advertise its posts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ four that Facebook said it had taken down .
The U.S. company has come under intense pressure from governments , political parties , and civil organizations to fight disinformation and hate on its platform , which has more than 2 billion members .

Facebook said it has taken down a network of “coordinated, inauthentic” Ukrainian social-media pages tied to a digital advertising agency in the nation’s capital as it seeks to combat the spread of disinformation.
The U.S.-based social-media giant said in a July 8 statement that the Ukrainian network aimed its work at a domestic audience and was “particularly active” during the nation’s 2019 presidential and parliamentary elections.
Facebook tied the inauthentic activity to Postmen DA, whose clients have included the European Union Advisory Mission, Ukraine’s Anti-Corruption Bureau, and DTEK, an energy company owned by Rinat Akhmetov, Ukraine’s richest man.
However, Facebook did not indicate that the network favored certain candidates or parties, saying its work both criticized and supported presidential candidates Volodmyr Zelenskiy, Petro Poroshenko, and Yulia Tymoshenko.
Zelenskiy won the April 2019 election in a landslide, defeating incumbent Poroshenko. Tymoshenko did not qualify for the April runoff.
The network ran a Facebook page called “Stop Yulia” that featured a post of the politician relaxing on a couch with five dark-skinned men in white underwear behind her.
A post on the “Goat” page showed a picture of Zelenskiy’s face being flushed down a toilet.
The Kyiv-based Postmen DA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Facebook said it removed 72 Facebook accounts, 35 pages, and 13 Instagram accounts belonging to the network. It said about 766,000 accounts followed at least one of the pages and about 3,800 people followed at least one of the Instagram accounts.
Postmen DA spent nearly $2 million to advertise its posts.
The Ukrainian network was one of four that Facebook said it had taken down.
The U.S. company has come under intense pressure from governments, political parties, and civil organizations to fight disinformation and hate on its platform, which has more than 2 billion members.


rferl--2020-07-08--Kosovo's Thaci To Go To The Hague For Interview With War Crimes Prosecutor


rferl--2020-07-09--Prosecutors' Raids On Offices Of Bulgarian Presidential Aides Spark Protests

Thousands gathered in front of Bulgarian President Rumen Radev 's office in Sofia in support of the presidency after prosecutors raided the offices of two of Radev 's staff on July 9 .
Many protesters saw the showy raids as an attack on Radev and accused prosecutors of deliberately delaying probes into the country 's corruption-prone political elites and oligarchs .
Radev last year attempted to block the appointment of the chief prosecutor Ivan Geshev amid popular protests that Geshev would do little to tackle high-level corruption in Bulgaria -- the European Union 's most corrupt country according to Transparency @ @ @ @ @ @ @ political tension between Radev and the center-right government of Prime Minister Boyko Borisov ahead of general elections next year .
Radev has often criticized Borisov 's government for doing too little to uproot endemic corruption and has blasted prosecutors for cherry-picking their probes and colluding with the government .
Protesters , many of whom were supporters of both left-wing and center-right extra-parliamentary opposition , chanted `` Geshev is a disgrace , '' `` Resignation and imprisonment , '' and `` Resign . ''
Radev came out and thanked protesters for their support , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ government of what he called the mafia .
`` Thank you to all of you who are here .
I see people from across the political spectrum and this is no accident .
The Bulgarian mafia has achieved the impossible : uniting all honest people against them .
It rests with all of us to expel the mafia from the executive branch , to expel the mafia from the judiciary , which is used in the most ruthless way for the protection of the very same mafia and for political repression , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 9 searched the offices of Radev 's secretary on legal affairs and anti-corruption and his adviser on security and defense as part of two separate probes into alleged influence peddling and disclosure of state secrets .
Both dignitaries were detained by police for 24 hours .
Prosecutors are yet to announce any charges .
Radev 's legal secretary , Plamen Uzunov , denied any wrongdoing , and his security adviser , Iliya Milushev , could not be reached for comment .
Radev has declined to comment on the raids directly but accused prosecutors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ repeatedly denied any political influence and pledged to go after any official suspected of corruption .
However , Bulgaria has yet to jail a single high-ranking official on corruption charges .
The latest political crisis came as the government reintroduced previously lifted coronavirus restrictions after a daily record of 240 new cases was reported on July 9 .
The number of recorded infections in the country with some 7 million rose to more than 6,300 on July 9 , compared to about 2,700 last month .
So far , Bulgaria has reported 259 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ face masks in closed public spaces on June 22 .
With reporting by Reuters and dpa

Thousands gathered in front of Bulgarian President Rumen Radev's office in Sofia in support of the presidency after prosecutors raided the offices of two of Radev's staff on July 9.
Many protesters saw the showy raids as an attack on Radev and accused prosecutors of deliberately delaying probes into the country's corruption-prone political elites and oligarchs.
Radev last year attempted to block the appointment of the chief prosecutor Ivan Geshev amid popular protests that Geshev would do little to tackle high-level corruption in Bulgaria -- the European Union's most corrupt country according to Transparency International.
The raids came amid rising political tension between Radev and the center-right government of Prime Minister Boyko Borisov ahead of general elections next year.
Radev has often criticized Borisov's government for doing too little to uproot endemic corruption and has blasted prosecutors for cherry-picking their probes and colluding with the government.
Protesters, many of whom were supporters of both left-wing and center-right extra-parliamentary opposition, chanted "Geshev is a disgrace," "Resignation and imprisonment," and "Resign."
Radev came out and thanked protesters for their support, calling for redoubled efforts to rid the government of what he called the mafia.
"Thank you to all of you who are here. I see people from across the political spectrum and this is no accident. The Bulgarian mafia has achieved the impossible: uniting all honest people against them. It rests with all of us to expel the mafia from the executive branch, to expel the mafia from the judiciary, which is used in the most ruthless way for the protection of the very same mafia and for political repression," Radev said.
Prosecutors earlier on July 9 searched the offices of Radev's secretary on legal affairs and anti-corruption and his adviser on security and defense as part of two separate probes into alleged influence peddling and disclosure of state secrets.
Both dignitaries were detained by police for 24 hours. Prosecutors are yet to announce any charges.
Radev's legal secretary, Plamen Uzunov, denied any wrongdoing, and his security adviser, Iliya Milushev, could not be reached for comment.
Radev has declined to comment on the raids directly but accused prosecutors of protecting corrupt individuals.
Geshev has repeatedly denied any political influence and pledged to go after any official suspected of corruption.
However, Bulgaria has yet to jail a single high-ranking official on corruption charges.
The latest political crisis came as the government reintroduced previously lifted coronavirus restrictions after a daily record of 240 new cases was reported on July 9.
The number of recorded infections in the country with some 7 million rose to more than 6,300 on July 9, compared to about 2,700 last month.
So far, Bulgaria has reported 259 deaths.
Bulgaria had already reintroduced compulsory face masks in closed public spaces on June 22.
With reporting by Reuters and dpa