rferl--2020-08-04--Lukashenka Accuses Opponents Of Attempting Return To 'Chaos'

Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka has attacked his reformist political opponents ahead of the country 's August 9 presidential election , accusing them of being well-paid `` foreign agents '' who are attempting to return Belarus to the `` chaos '' of the 1990s .
Lukashenka rejected calls from his opponents to revert to the 1994 version of the Belarusian constitution , which limited anyone from serving as the country 's president to a maximum of two terms .
`` Those who demand changes , reforms , and the return of the old constitution just want the return of the chaotic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ both chambers of parliament who were part of an audience gathered at the Palace of the Republic in Minsk on August 4 .
`` Do not believe those who promise a golden hill . ''
`` By returning the constitution of 1994 we would restore anarchy , '' said Lukashenka , who had himself been elected president under that constitution .
`` Returning to the 1994 constitution would be a gift to criminals .
We wo n't return to the wild 1990s , '' he said .
`` Billions are thrown to destabilize @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Belarusians to be against Lukashenka .
All those who are against Lukashenka are foreign agents , '' Lukashenka said , without elaborating .
Western diplomats have dubbed Belarus as Europe 's last dictatorship due to what opponents and activists say has been decades of undemocratic rule .
Lukashenka ’ s 26 years of authoritarian rule look increasingly vulnerable ahead of the August 9 election .
However , most analysts say he will likely win through a combination of fraud and repression against an energized opposition .
Tens of thousands of opposition supporters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in support of presidential candidate Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya , a 37-year-old political novice backed by would-be presidential candidates who 've been disqualified from running .
`` Unfair methods are used to involve our youth into protest actions , '' Lukashenka said .
`` No one is going to steal your votes . ''
Lukashenka called reforms demanded by the opposition `` a gift to crime and criminal business , '' adding that economic reforms and privatization are not necessary and are dangerous .
In recent weeks , Lukashenka has been meeting with Interior Ministry @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an signal that he may order a crackdown by security forces to quell unrest against his increasingly unpopular rule .
`` I call on all parents and teachers to keep our youth from bad deeds ... .
So that they would not follow the puppet masters , '' he told parliament .
Lukashenka also said the youth in Belarus are `` shamelessly used '' for political purposes .
Lukashenka also urged the opposition to stay out of the way and allow his government to bring prosperity to the country .
`` Do not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not know what to do .
Let us take care of the country .
In two-three years we will rectify the situation . ''
Lukashenka 's government has alleged that 33 mercenaries from the private Russian firm Vagner group who were detained last month in Belarus were trying to destabilize Belarus ahead of the election .
The Kremlin has rejected the accusations , saying that the men were detained while in transit to Istanbul before flying to `` a third country . ''
But Lukashenka has lashed out at Moscow , accusing it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Belarus .
He has said that unnamed forces were trying to stir a revolt , but they would fail .
`` They lied about Istanbul , Africa , and Latin America .
They were waiting for the signal .
Why did they decide to travel through Belarus , and not from Crimea or Novorossiisk ?
They told us everything !
Stop lying !
We know everything , '' Lukashenka said .
`` Their destination was not Istanbul or Venezuela , it was Belarus ... .
Do not believe in those lies , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on August 4 .
The lead up to the August 9 vote has been marred by dubious disqualifications and an unprecedented scale of detentions and other persecution against a backdrop of a pandemic and pro-democracy protests .
More than 1,100 people have been arrested since campaigning began , including politicians , organizers , and journalists .
Authorities have barred aspiring candidates like Valer Tsapkala and popular vlogger Syarhey Tsikhanouski , the husband of Tsikhanouskaya .
Lukashenka , in his address , slighted Tsikhanouskaya , Maryya Kalesnikava , a coordinator of the campaign of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wife of Tsapkala , Veranika Tsapkala , by referring to them as `` poor girls , '' unaware of what alleged political operatives had in mind for them .

Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka has attacked his reformist political opponents ahead of the country's August 9 presidential election, accusing them of being well-paid "foreign agents" who are attempting to return Belarus to the "chaos" of the 1990s.
Lukashenka rejected calls from his opponents to revert to the 1994 version of the Belarusian constitution, which limited anyone from serving as the country's president to a maximum of two terms.
"Those who demand changes, reforms, and the return of the old constitution just want the return of the chaotic 1990s," Lukashenka told lawmakers from both chambers of parliament who were part of an audience gathered at the Palace of the Republic in Minsk on August 4. "Do not believe those who promise a golden hill."
"By returning the constitution of 1994 we would restore anarchy," said Lukashenka, who had himself been elected president under that constitution.
"Returning to the 1994 constitution would be a gift to criminals. We won't return to the wild 1990s," he said.
"Billions are thrown to destabilize Belarus. So, it is impossible for Belarusians to be against Lukashenka. All those who are against Lukashenka are foreign agents," Lukashenka said, without elaborating.
Western diplomats have dubbed Belarus as Europe's last dictatorship due to what opponents and activists say has been decades of undemocratic rule.
Lukashenka’s 26 years of authoritarian rule look increasingly vulnerable ahead of the August 9 election.
However, most analysts say he will likely win through a combination of fraud and repression against an energized opposition.
Tens of thousands of opposition supporters have attended daily rallies in recent weeks in support of presidential candidate Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, a 37-year-old political novice backed by would-be presidential candidates who've been disqualified from running.
"Unfair methods are used to involve our youth into protest actions," Lukashenka said. "No one is going to steal your votes."
Lukashenka called reforms demanded by the opposition "a gift to crime and criminal business," adding that economic reforms and privatization are not necessary and are dangerous.
In recent weeks, Lukashenka has been meeting with Interior Ministry officials and inspecting the military, sending an signal that he may order a crackdown by security forces to quell unrest against his increasingly unpopular rule.
"I call on all parents and teachers to keep our youth from bad deeds.... So that they would not follow the puppet masters," he told parliament.
Lukashenka also said the youth in Belarus are "shamelessly used" for political purposes.
Lukashenka also urged the opposition to stay out of the way and allow his government to bring prosperity to the country.
"Do not stay in the way if you do not know what to do. Let us take care of the country. In two-three years we will rectify the situation."
Lukashenka's government has alleged that 33 mercenaries from the private Russian firm Vagner group who were detained last month in Belarus were trying to destabilize Belarus ahead of the election.
The Kremlin has rejected the accusations, saying that the men were detained while in transit to Istanbul before flying to "a third country."
But Lukashenka has lashed out at Moscow, accusing it of lying about the contractors' presence in Belarus. He has said that unnamed forces were trying to stir a revolt, but they would fail.
"They lied about Istanbul, Africa, and Latin America. They were waiting for the signal. Why did they decide to travel through Belarus, and not from Crimea or Novorossiisk? They told us everything! Stop lying! We know everything," Lukashenka said.
"Their destination was not Istanbul or Venezuela, it was Belarus.... Do not believe in those lies," Lukashenka told the gathering in Minsk on August 4.
The lead up to the August 9 vote has been marred by dubious disqualifications and an unprecedented scale of detentions and other persecution against a backdrop of a pandemic and pro-democracy protests.
More than 1,100 people have been arrested since campaigning began, including politicians, organizers, and journalists.
Authorities have barred aspiring candidates like Valer Tsapkala and popular vlogger Syarhey Tsikhanouski, the husband of Tsikhanouskaya.
Lukashenka, in his address, slighted Tsikhanouskaya, Maryya Kalesnikava, a coordinator of the campaign of another excluded presidential aspirant, and the wife of Tsapkala, Veranika Tsapkala, by referring to them as "poor girls," unaware of what alleged political operatives had in mind for them.


rferl--2020-08-04--Trial Postponed For Russians Accused Of Collecting Endangered Species In Sri Lanka

The trial in Sri Lanka of three Russian citizens accused of illegally collecting and killing endangered wildlife has been postponed until August 27 .
The postponement of proceedings comes after defense attorneys filed a motion for the charges to be dropped due to what they claim were “ major violations of the Sri Lankan Code of Criminal Procedure ” during the detention of the accused and during searches by authorities .
Aleksandr Ignatenko , an entomologist from Rostov-on-Don , along with his associates Artyom Ryabov and Nikolai Kilafyan , are accused of illegally collecting 33 species of rare and endangered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Sri Lanka .
If convicted , they could face sentences of up to 40 years in prison .
The three have pleaded not guilty , insisting they had collected only dead insects from the roadside in order to photograph them .
They also say they did not plan to take the samples out of Sri Lanka .
The Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences said on August 4 that there are discrepancies in the charges filed by Sri Lankan authorities .
In a statement , experts at the Russian Zoological @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the three men were not endangered species .
“ Only six species of animals and one plant species out of all 33 listed in the indictment can be classified as rare and endangered species , ” the statement said .
Based on reporting by Interfax and TASS

The trial in Sri Lanka of three Russian citizens accused of illegally collecting and killing endangered wildlife has been postponed until August 27.
The postponement of proceedings comes after defense attorneys filed a motion for the charges to be dropped due to what they claim were “major violations of the Sri Lankan Code of Criminal Procedure” during the detention of the accused and during searches by authorities.
Aleksandr Ignatenko, an entomologist from Rostov-on-Don, along with his associates Artyom Ryabov and Nikolai Kilafyan, are accused of illegally collecting 33 species of rare and endangered plants, insects, and small animals in Sri Lanka.
If convicted, they could face sentences of up to 40 years in prison.
The three have pleaded not guilty, insisting they had collected only dead insects from the roadside in order to photograph them. They also say they did not plan to take the samples out of Sri Lanka.
The Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences said on August 4 that there are discrepancies in the charges filed by Sri Lankan authorities.
In a statement, experts at the Russian Zoological Institute said most of the samples collected by the three men were not endangered species.
“Only six species of animals and one plant species out of all 33 listed in the indictment can be classified as rare and endangered species,” the statement said.
Based on reporting by Interfax and TASS


rferl--2020-08-04--Kazakh Activist Jailed For Solo Protest Outside China's Almaty Consulate

ALMATY , Kazakhstan -- An activist in Kazakhstan has been jailed after staging a one-man protest outside the Chinese consulate in Almaty over recent statements on Chinese-Kazakh military cooperation made by Chinese Ambassador Zhang Xiao .
A court in Almaty late on August 3 found Serik Azhibai guilty on charges of staging an unapproved public event and disobeying police orders .
He was sentenced to 15 days in jail .
Azhibai pleaded not guilty , arguing that Kazakh laws allow an individual to hold a single-person protest without first obtaining permission from authorities .
Azihibai also told the court that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ opinion freely .
Azhibai was detained earlier on August 3 in front of the Chinese consulate .
He was holding a protest sign reading : `` Ambassadors bring reconciliation , enemies bring discord !
Get out of the country ! ''
Before his arrest , Azhibai said he was protesting remarks by Ambassador Zhang in an interview with Chinese media last week .
According to Azhibai , who is fluent in Chinese , the ambassador had said that China and Kazakhstan would send troops to each other 's territory to quash possible riots @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not a Chinese autonomous region , ” Azhibai said .
“ We are a sovereign state , an independent nation.
” “ Neither China nor any other state have a right to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries , '' Azhibai said .
Azhibai was one of many Kazakhs who have picketed outside the Chinese consulate in Almaty for many months .
They have been demanding the release of their relatives and other ethnic Kazakhs being held in internment camps in China 's northwestern Xinjiang region .
In his interview last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Kazakh armed forces `` are decisively cracking down on the three evils '' -- an expression used by Chinese media to refer to terrorism , extremism , and separatism .
Zhang also said in the interview that the two neighboring countries oppose `` color revolutions '' in the region .
Anti-China protests in Kazakh towns and cities have become frequent in recent years as Kazakh citizens challenge China 's growing economic presence in the country .
Activists also have been denouncing the widespread incarceration of members of indigenous Turkic-speaking communities in China @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kazakhs and Uyghurs .
In April , Kazakhstan ’ s government sent a note of protest to Beijing over an article on a Chinese website claiming that Kazakhstan was seeking to become part of China .
In August 2018 , the United Nations said an estimated 1 million Uyghurs and members of other indigenous ethnic groups in Xinjiang were being held in `` counterextremism centers . ''
The UN said millions more had been forced into so-called “ reeducation camps.
” China denies that the facilities are internment camps .
But people who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ethnic Kazakhs , Uyghurs , and other Muslims in Xinjiang are undergoing `` political indoctrination '' at a network of camps .
Kazakhs are the second-largest Turkic-speaking indigenous community in Xinjiang after Uyghurs .
The region is also home to ethnic Kyrgyz , Tajiks , and Hui , also known as Dungans .
Han , China 's largest ethnic group , is the second-largest community in Xinjiang .
The United States has imposed sanctions on Xinjiang 's current and former officials over the ongoing abuse of rights of the region 's indigenous ethnic @ @

ALMATY, Kazakhstan -- An activist in Kazakhstan has been jailed after staging a one-man protest outside the Chinese consulate in Almaty over recent statements on Chinese-Kazakh military cooperation made by Chinese Ambassador Zhang Xiao.
A court in Almaty late on August 3 found Serik Azhibai guilty on charges of staging an unapproved public event and disobeying police orders. He was sentenced to 15 days in jail.
Azhibai pleaded not guilty, arguing that Kazakh laws allow an individual to hold a single-person protest without first obtaining permission from authorities. Azihibai also told the court that he has a right to express his opinion freely.
Azhibai was detained earlier on August 3 in front of the Chinese consulate. He was holding a protest sign reading: "Ambassadors bring reconciliation, enemies bring discord! Get out of the country!"
Before his arrest, Azhibai said he was protesting remarks by Ambassador Zhang in an interview with Chinese media last week.
According to Azhibai, who is fluent in Chinese, the ambassador had said that China and Kazakhstan would send troops to each other's territory to quash possible riots if need be.
"We are not a Chinese autonomous region,” Azhibai said. “We are a sovereign state, an independent nation.”
“Neither China nor any other state have a right to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries," Azhibai said.
Azhibai was one of many Kazakhs who have picketed outside the Chinese consulate in Almaty for many months.
They have been demanding the release of their relatives and other ethnic Kazakhs being held in internment camps in China's northwestern Xinjiang region.
In his interview last week, Ambassador Zhang said the Chinese and Kazakh armed forces "are decisively cracking down on the three evils" -- an expression used by Chinese media to refer to terrorism, extremism, and separatism.
Zhang also said in the interview that the two neighboring countries oppose "color revolutions" in the region.
Anti-China protests in Kazakh towns and cities have become frequent in recent years as Kazakh citizens challenge China's growing economic presence in the country.
Activists also have been denouncing the widespread incarceration of members of indigenous Turkic-speaking communities in China’s Xinjiang region, including ethnic Kazakhs and Uyghurs.
In April, Kazakhstan’s government sent a note of protest to Beijing over an article on a Chinese website claiming that Kazakhstan was seeking to become part of China.
In August 2018, the United Nations said an estimated 1 million Uyghurs and members of other indigenous ethnic groups in Xinjiang were being held in "counterextremism centers."
The UN said millions more had been forced into so-called “reeducation camps.”
China denies that the facilities are internment camps. But people who have fled the region say thousands of ethnic Kazakhs, Uyghurs, and other Muslims in Xinjiang are undergoing "political indoctrination" at a network of camps.
Kazakhs are the second-largest Turkic-speaking indigenous community in Xinjiang after Uyghurs. The region is also home to ethnic Kyrgyz, Tajiks, and Hui, also known as Dungans.
Han, China's largest ethnic group, is the second-largest community in Xinjiang.
The United States has imposed sanctions on Xinjiang's current and former officials over the ongoing abuse of rights of the region's indigenous ethnic groups.


rferl--2020-08-04--Moscow Police Again Fining People En Masse For Not Wearing Masks In Subway

Moscow police have again begun to fine people en masse for not wearing masks or gloves in the city ’ @ @ @ @ @ increase in some countries .
Police increased monitoring of public transport , including all subway @ @ @ @ @ weekend of August 1-2 , TASS reported , citing law enforcement sources .
Moscow made @ @ @ @ @ on public transportation mandatory as of May 12 and immediately began handing out fines .
@ @ @ @ @ in the subway selling masks and gloves .
While the city has relaxed the use @ @ @ @ @ outdoors as the number of daily cases has declined , it has continued to require @ @ @ @ @ .
The increased inspections in Moscow come as some countries reimpose social-distancing measures to halt @ @ @ @ @ .

Moscow police have again begun to fine people en masse for not wearing masks or gloves in the city’s subway as coronavirus cases increase in some countries.
Police increased monitoring of public transport, including all subway stations, starting on the weekend of August 1-2, TASS reported, citing law enforcement sources.
Moscow made wearing a mask and gloves on public transportation mandatory as of May 12 and immediately began handing out fines.
The city soon installed kiosks in the subway selling masks and gloves.
While the city has relaxed the use of masks in public places outdoors as the number of daily cases has declined, it has continued to require their use in public transport.
Passengers caught without a mask face a 5,000 ruble ($68) fine.
The increased inspections in Moscow come as some countries reimpose social-distancing measures to halt an increase in coronavirus cases.
Based on reporting by TASS


rferl--2020-08-04--Exiled Belarusian Presidential Challenger: Lukashenka Will Flee If Faced With Protests

An exiled challenger to Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka says the strongman will not use force if large crowds take to the streets to challenge the results of the upcoming election .
Lukashenka ’ s 26 years of authoritarian rule look increasingly vulnerable ahead of the August 9 presidential election , although most analysts say he will likely win through a combination of fraud and repression against an energized opposition .
But Valer Tsapkala , a prominent businessman and former ambassador who was seen as a serious challenger to Lukashenka , says he believes the president will flee the country if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ during and after the election .
In an interview with Current Time , Tsapkala said he believes Lukashenka “ will simply board a plane and will fly away somewhere ” if faced with mass street mobilization .
Current Time is a Russian-language network led by RFE/RL in cooperation with VOA .
While the president may be able to use the police and security services to suppress several thousand protesters , if 100,000 people were mobilized he will not issue an order for the army to intervene , Tsapkala said .
“ I do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be capable of using arms against its own people , ” Tsapkala said from the Ukrainian capital , Kyiv .
Tens of thousands of opposition supporters have attended daily rallies in recent weeks in support of presidential candidate Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya , a 37-year-old political novice backed by disqualified presidential candidates .
In recent weeks , Lukashenka has been meeting with Interior Ministry officials and inspecting the military , sending an intimidating signal that he may order a bloody crackdown to quell any unrest against his increasingly unpopular rule .
Add to that a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of purported Russian mercenaries who were detained last month in Belarus were trying to destabilize Belarus ahead of the election , and it shapes up as one of the most volatile elections of Lukashenka 's authoritarian tenure .
The lead-up to the vote has been marred by dubious disqualifications and an unprecedented scale of detentions and other persecution against a backdrop of a pandemic and pro-democracy protests .
More than 1,100 people have been arrested since campaigning began , including politicians , organizers , and journalists .
Authorities have barred aspiring candidates like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the husband of Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya .
Tsapkala 's wife , Veranika , along with Maryya Kalesnikava , a coordinator of the campaign of another excluded presidential aspirant , former Belgazprombank head Viktar Babaryka , have joined forces to support Tsikhanouskaya , who unlike Tsapkala and Babaryka was registered as a presidential candidate .
Tsapkala fled Belarus out of concern that he would be arrested like Babaryka and Tsikhanouski .

An exiled challenger to Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka says the strongman will not use force if large crowds take to the streets to challenge the results of the upcoming election.
Lukashenka’s 26 years of authoritarian rule look increasingly vulnerable ahead of the August 9 presidential election, although most analysts say he will likely win through a combination of fraud and repression against an energized opposition.
But Valer Tsapkala, a prominent businessman and former ambassador who was seen as a serious challenger to Lukashenka, says he believes the president will flee the country if faced with hundreds of thousands of protesters during and after the election.
WATCH: Tsapkala speaks to Current Time
In an interview with Current Time, Tsapkala said he believes Lukashenka “will simply board a plane and will fly away somewhere” if faced with mass street mobilization.
Current Time is a Russian-language network led by RFE/RL in cooperation with VOA.
While the president may be able to use the police and security services to suppress several thousand protesters, if 100,000 people were mobilized he will not issue an order for the army to intervene, Tsapkala said.
“I don't believe that the Belarusian Army will be capable of using arms against its own people,” Tsapkala said from the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv.
Tens of thousands of opposition supporters have attended daily rallies in recent weeks in support of presidential candidate Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, a 37-year-old political novice backed by disqualified presidential candidates.
In recent weeks, Lukashenka has been meeting with Interior Ministry officials and inspecting the military, sending an intimidating signal that he may order a bloody crackdown to quell any unrest against his increasingly unpopular rule.
Add to that a fresh allegation by Lukashenka that a group of purported Russian mercenaries who were detained last month in Belarus were trying to destabilize Belarus ahead of the election, and it shapes up as one of the most volatile elections of Lukashenka's authoritarian tenure.
The lead-up to the vote has been marred by dubious disqualifications and an unprecedented scale of detentions and other persecution against a backdrop of a pandemic and pro-democracy protests.
More than 1,100 people have been arrested since campaigning began, including politicians, organizers, and journalists.
Authorities have barred aspiring candidates like Tsapkala and popular vlogger Syarhey Tsikhanouski, the husband of Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya.
Tsapkala's wife, Veranika, along with Maryya Kalesnikava, a coordinator of the campaign of another excluded presidential aspirant, former Belgazprombank head Viktar Babaryka, have joined forces to support Tsikhanouskaya, who unlike Tsapkala and Babaryka was registered as a presidential candidate.
Tsapkala fled Belarus out of concern that he would be arrested like Babaryka and Tsikhanouski.


rferl--2020-08-04--Pakistan Includes Indian-Controlled Kashmir In Newly Unveiled National Map

Pakistan has unveiled a new political map of the country that includes Indian-controlled Kashmir , in a symbolic move that coincides with the one-year anniversary of India stripping the Muslim-majority region of its semi-autonomy .
Prime Minister Imran Khan , addressing the nation on August 4 alongside Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi , said the new national map had been approved by the cabinet and will be the official map of Pakistan .
The new map marks the Himalayan region as “ Indian illegally occupied '' Jammu-Kashmir , clearly stating it is disputed territory awaiting final status to be decided @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Kashmiri people had a right of self-determination , but that this promise has not been honored by the international community .
“ Pakistan has always thought that Kashmir should be a part of the country , ” he said .
Many Kashmiris seek either a united independent Kashmir or union with Pakistan .
The map will be used in educational institutions all over the country .
India responded by calling the map “ an exercise in political absurdity '' that establishes “ untenable claims ” to Indian territory .
“ These ridiculous @ @ @ @ @ @ @ credibility .
In fact , this new effort only confirms the reality of Pakistan ’ s obsession with territorial aggrandizement supported by cross-border terrorism , ” India 's Foreign Ministry said in a statement .
The status of Kashmir has been a key dispute between Pakistan and India since the two split in 1947 after British colonial rule .
The nuclear-armed rivals each control part of Kashmir and have fought two wars over its status .
India accuses Pakistan of sending militants over their de-facto Kashmir border to commit violence and of supporting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Islamabad denies .
The unveiling of the new political map comes a day before anti-India protests are planned across Pakistan , along with a one-minute silence to mark New Delhi 's move to revoke the special status of Indian-controlled Kashmir on August 5 , 2019 .
Earlier , Pakistan named a highway in Islamabad after Srinagar , the major city in Indian-controlled Kashmir .
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi ’ s decision to change the status of Kashmir led to a weeks-long clampdown in the region and well-documented human rights abuses .
Indian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ along the highly militarized line for more than a year , killing dozens of civilians and soldiers on both sides .
With reporting by AFP , AP , Reuters , and Radio Mashaal

Dozens of people were wounded in a grenade attack at a rally in Pakistan as the country marked the first anniversary of neighboring India’s decision to revoke the special status of territory under its administration in the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir.
At least 39 people were injured in the grenade attack on a rally organized by a hard-line Islamic party in the port city of Karachi, the provincial capital of Sindh Province.
The attack, which left at least one person in critical condition, was claimed by Sindhudesh Revolutionary Army, a separatist group that has become active in the recent months.
The attack took place as thousands of people rallied in Pakistan's major cities on August 5 as political leaders, trade unions, councils for lawyers, and rights activists attended the protests to condemn what they called a "repressive Indian decision."
Pakistani President Arif Alvi and Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi led the largest rally in the capital, Islamabad, where protesters chanted anti-India slogans and urged world powers to intervene on behalf of residents in the Muslim-majority Indian administered region.
The Indian government announced on August 5, 2019, that it was revoking the semi-autonomous status of territory under its control in Kashmir -- a Himalayan valley controlled in parts by New Delhi and Islamabad but claimed by both in its entirety.
Islamabad rejects what it sees as an annexation of Kashmir by India, which in turn opposes Islamabad's position that the region's fate should be decided through a plebiscite conducted by the United Nations (UN).
Pakistan downgraded diplomatic relations with India, suspended a cross-border bus service, and halted bilateral trade in response to New Delhi's move.
"The Indian move in Kashmir is the worst rights violation," Alvi said.
Indian authorities deployed troops and curbed public movement on August 5 to stop potential protests in Kashmir.
The UN Security Council was briefed behind closed doors on the situation in Kashmir on August 5 at the request of China, which is India's rival and a close ally to Pakistan.
"China is seriously concerned about the current situation in Kashmir and the relevant military actions. We oppose unilateral actions that will complicate the situation," China's mission to the United Nations in New York said in a statement.
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan urged the world to intervene against the move that he says has made 8 million Muslims prisoners in their own homes.
On August 4, Pakistan's cabinet approved a new map showing the entire Kashmir region as part of Pakistan and renamed a major road in Islamabad Srinagar Highway, after the capital of Indian-administered Kashmir.
Khan, addressing the nation on August 4 alongside Qureshi, said the new national map had been approved by the cabinet and will be the official map of Pakistan. https://twitter.com/pakpmo/status/1290652496499793920?s=21
The new map marks the Himalayan region as “Indian illegally occupied" Jammu-Kashmir, clearly stating it is disputed territory awaiting final status to be decided by UN resolutions.
Khan said the Kashmiri people have a right of self-determination. But he said this promise has not been honored by the international community.
The map will be used in educational institutions across Pakistan.
India responded by calling the map “an exercise in political absurdity" that establishes “untenable claims” to Indian territory.
The status of Kashmir has been a key dispute between Pakistan and India since the two split in 1947 after British colonial rule. The nuclear-armed rivals each control part of Kashmir and have fought three of their four wars over the region -- including major conflicts in 1947 and 1965, and a limited conflict in 1999.
India accuses Pakistan of sending militants across the Line Of Control that the region's de-facto border to commit violence.
New Delhi also accuses Pakistan of supporting militants in Indian-administered Kashmir -- charges that Islamabad denies.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decision to change the status of Kashmir led to a weeks-long clampdown in the region and well-documented human rights abuses.
Indian and Pakistani soldiers have traded gunfire across the highly militarized Line Of Control almost daily for more than a year, killing dozens of civilians and soldiers on both sides.
With reporting by AFP, dpa, Reuters, and Dawn


rferl--2020-08-04--Central Asian Migrants, Trapped In Russia Amid Pandemic, Pushed Back At Border

Dozens of Central Asian migrants trapped in Russia amid the coronavirus pandemic were pushed back by guards when they tried to cross the border into Kazakhstan .
A one-minute video posted on the Mash Telegram channel shows a line of migrants in Samara region , which borders Kazakhstan , walking down a road where they are met by Russians in uniform .
The migrants , cheering and screaming , try to break through , but are pushed back by the guards as more officers in helmets come to help .
A Samara government official told RBK news agency the video @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no one was detained or hurt .
The migrants , from Tajikistan and Uzbekistan , currently live in a makeshift camp near the border and want to return home via Kazakhstan .
The Russian border with Kazakhstan remains closed due to the coronavirus pandemic .
Russia ’ s Interior Ministry on July 25 accused migrants of carrying out unauthorized mass protests during the pandemic .
Dmitry Medvedev , the deputy chairman of Russia ’ s Security Council , on August 3 raised the issue of migrants during a council meeting , saying many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and are turning to crime .
Medvedev said about 40 percent of migrants in Russia have lost the job .
“ This , of course , creates a breeding ground for the growth of crime , potentially , in this area , ” he said .
Most migrants in Russia come from Central Asia with many working in construction or cleaning city streets and buildings .

Dozens of Central Asian migrants trapped in Russia amid the coronavirus pandemic were pushed back by guards when they tried to cross the border into Kazakhstan.
A one-minute video posted on the Mash Telegram channel shows a line of migrants in the Samara region, which borders Kazakhstan, walking down a road where they are met by Russians in uniform.
The migrants, cheering and screaming, try to break through, but are pushed back by the guards as more officers in helmets come to help.
A Samara government official told RBK news agency the video is likely from August 3 and that no one was detained or hurt.
The migrants, from Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, currently live in a makeshift camp near the border and want to return home via Kazakhstan.
The Russian border with Kazakhstan remains closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Russia’s Interior Ministry on July 25 accused migrants of carrying out unauthorized mass protests during the pandemic.
Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, on August 3 raised the issue of migrants during a council meeting, saying many are now unemployed due to the pandemic and are turning to crime.
Medvedev said about 40 percent of migrants in Russia have lost their jobs.
“This, of course, creates a breeding ground for the growth of crime, potentially, in this area,” he said.
Most migrants in Russia come from Central Asia, with many working in construction or cleaning city streets and buildings.


rferl--2020-08-04--FBI Raids Offices Of U.S. Companies Belonging To Ukrainian Tycoons

The FBI has raided the offices of U.S. companies owned by a powerful Ukrainian tycoon linked to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy .
The FBI searched offices in Cleveland and Miami on August 4 belonging to billionaire Ihor Kolomoyskiy , whose media company informally backed Zelenskiy 's successful presidential bid in 2019 .
`` I can confirm that we are at both locations , '' FBI Special Agent Vicki Anderson-Gregg said in an August 4 telephone interview with RFE/RL from Cleveland .
She said she could not discuss the details of the investigation as the case `` is under seal right now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had been detained in the raid .
Kolomoyskiy and his Ukrainian partner , Hennadiy Boholyubov , control several companies run out of Miami that own U.S. real estate as well as steel and alloy plants .
U.S. media reports in April 2019 and May 2020 said that the FBI was investigating Kolomoyskiy for money laundering .
However , the FBI never confirmed those stories .
Kolomoyskiy and Boholyubov -- billionaires who own energy , metals and media assets in Ukraine -- are among the most influential businessmen in the country .
The tycoons @ @ @ @ @ @ @ month after Zelenskiy won the presidential election in a landslide in April 2019 .
Zelenskiy appointed Andriy Bohdan , Kolomoyskiy 's former lawyer , as his first chief of staff before replacing him in February .
The president 's reported close ties to Kolomoyskiy have been a concern for Ukraine 's Western partners , who have tied financial and political support to Kyiv to reforms that reduce the influence of tycoons .
The United States does not have an extradition agreement with Ukraine , meaning the tycoons will likely never face prosecution in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Justice were to bring charges against them .
RFE/RL could not immediately reach the tycoons for comment .
The confirmation of the FBI investigation follows on the heels of a civil lawsuit filed against the tycoons by Ukrainian lender PrivatBank in Delaware in May 2019 .
Kolomoyskiy and Boholyubov owned PrivatBank until December 2016 , when Ukraine nationalized it after the tycoons failed to inject capital to stabilize the lender during a severe economic downturn .
PrivatBank claims the men laundered $ 780 million into the U.S. financial system through a series @ @ @ @ @ @ @ control .
The tycoons then used the money to acquire commercial property , ferroalloy plants , and specialty steel companies in the United States -- along with several Cleveland office buildings -- without ever returning the money , the bank claims .
PrivatBank has dubbed the alleged fraud the Optima Schemes because the U.S. assets were largely controlled by companies with the name Optima .
The bank is seeking hundreds of millions of dollars in restitution .
The Optima businesses are run out of Miami by the tycoons ' U.S. business partners , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spokesperson for Korf and Laber declined an RFE/RL request for comment about the August 4 raids .
Anderson-Gregg confirmed the FBI agents were at the Cleveland office of Optima Management , which oversees the tycoons ' local real-estate investments .
Optima Management is located inside One Cleveland Center , which is one of the local commercial buildings owned by the tycoons .
The Ukrainian billionaires owned five commercial buildings in Cleveland by the early 2010s and were the city 's largest commercial real estate owner at the time .
However , they have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as well as properties in Dallas and Louisville .

The FBI has raided the offices of U.S. companies owned by a powerful Ukrainian tycoon linked to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
The FBI searched offices in Cleveland and Miami on August 4 belonging to billionaire Ihor Kolomoyskiy, whose media company informally backed Zelenskiy's successful presidential bid in 2019.
"I can confirm that we are at both locations," FBI Special Agent Vicki Anderson-Gregg said in an August 4 telephone interview with RFE/RL from Cleveland.
She said she could not discuss the details of the investigation as the case "is under seal right now." Anderson-Gregg said that no one had been detained in the raid.
Kolomoyskiy and his Ukrainian partner, Hennadiy Boholyubov, control several companies run out of Miami that own U.S. real estate as well as steel and alloy plants.
U.S. media reports in April 2019 and May 2020 said that the FBI was investigating Kolomoyskiy for money laundering. However, the FBI never confirmed those stories.
Kolomoyskiy and Boholyubov -- billionaires who own energy, metals, and media assets in Ukraine -- are among the most influential businessmen in the country.
The tycoons returned to Ukraine from self-imposed exile a month after Zelenskiy won the presidential election in a landslide in April 2019.
Kolomoyskiy’s 1+1 channel aired the TV comedy series produced by Zelenskiy’s production company.
Zelenskiy appointed Andriy Bohdan, Kolomoyskiy's former lawyer, as his first chief of staff before replacing him in February.
The president's reported close ties to Kolomoyskiy have been a concern for Ukraine's Western partners, who have tied financial and political support to Kyiv to reforms that reduce the influence of tycoons.
The United States does not have an extradition agreement with Ukraine, meaning the tycoons will likely never face prosecution in a U.S. court even if the Department of Justice were to bring charges against them.
RFE/RL could not immediately reach Kolomoyskiy or Boholyubov for comment.
PrivatBank Lawsuit
The confirmation of the FBI investigation follows on the heels of a civil lawsuit filed against the tycoons by Ukrainian lender PrivatBank in Delaware in May 2019.
Kolomoyskiy and Boholyubov owned PrivatBank until December 2016, when Ukraine nationalized it after the tycoons failed to inject capital to stabilize the lender during a severe economic downturn.
PrivatBank claims the men laundered $780 million into the U.S. financial system through a series of bogus loans issued to companies they control.
The tycoons then used the money to acquire commercial property, ferroalloy plants, and specialty steel companies in the United States -- along with several Cleveland office buildings -- without ever returning the money, the bank claims.
PrivatBank has dubbed the alleged fraud the Optima Schemes because the U.S. assets were largely controlled by companies with the name Optima. The bank is seeking hundreds of millions of dollars in restitution.
The Optima businesses are run out of Miami by the tycoons' U.S. business partners, Mordechai Korf and Uriel Laber. A spokesperson for Korf and Laber declined an RFE/RL request for comment about the August 4 raids.
Anderson-Gregg confirmed the FBI agents were at the Cleveland office of Optima Management, which oversees the tycoons' local real-estate investments.
Optima Management is located inside One Cleveland Center, which is one of the local commercial buildings owned by the tycoons.
The Ukrainian billionaires owned five commercial buildings in Cleveland by the early 2010s and were the city's largest commercial real estate owner at the time.
However, they have since sold off two of the buildings as well as properties in Dallas and Louisville.


rferl--2020-08-04--Whelan Transferred To Russian Region Known For Toughest Prisons

Former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan , sentenced to 16 years on espionage charges that he rejects , has been transferred to a penal colony in the region of Mordovia , historically known for Russia 's toughest prisons , including Soviet-era labor camps for political prisoners .
Whelan 's lawyer , Olga Karlova , told TASS news agency on August 4 that her client had left the Lefortovo detention center in Moscow and was currently being transferred to a Mordovian penal colony .
Karlova said she had received the information from Whelan ’ s brother David , who had been informed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Embassy in Moscow said it was aware of the reports of Whelan 's transfer but had not yet received official notification .
`` We continue to press Russian authorities for fair & humane treatment of # PaulWhelan , & regular contact with US consular officials , '' Rebecca Ross , a spokeswoman for the U.S. Embassy , said in an August 4 tweet .
Valery Krutov , chairman of the Mordovia branch of the Public Monitoring Commission rights group , said on August 4 that Whelan was expected to arrive at Correctional Colony @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coming days .
He will be transferred several days later to Correctional Colony No .
17 to serve his term .
Whelan 's relatives and lawyers said earlier that the ex-U.S. Marine will most likely be held in Lefortovo for a longer time , as it was expected that he may be exchanged for Russian nationals held in the United States in September .
Reports in June said that Russian and U.S. officials were in talks on a possible swap of Whelan for two Russians -- Viktor Bout and Konstantin Yaroshenko -- who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The notorious system of correctional colonies in Mordovia , established as part of the gulag system in the 1930s , is known as one of the toughest in the former Soviet Union .
Also , the process of transferring convicts in Russia can last for weeks .
The process , known as `` etap , '' involves trains specially designed for convicts stopping in transit jails and prisons .
Convicts traveling in such trains stay in crowded caged compartments with almost no access to fresh air , no shower , and limited @ @ @ @ @ @ @ days or weeks .
The Moscow City Court convicted and sentenced Whelan to 16 years on June 15 after a trial that was held behind closed doors because the evidence included classified materials and because of measures to slow the spread of the coronavirus .
The United States has called the proceedings a `` mockery of justice '' and demanded Whelan 's immediate release .
Russia 's Foreign Ministry has rejected claims about the `` unfairness and excessive harshness '' of the sentence .
The 50-year-old Whelan was arrested in Moscow in December @ @ @ @ @ @ @ flash memory stick found in his possession contained classified information .
Whelan says he was framed when he took the memory stick from an acquaintance , thinking it contained holiday photos .
He has also accused his prison guards of mistreatment .
Whelan was head of global security at a U.S. auto-parts supplier at the time of his arrest .
He and his relatives insist he visited Russia to attend a wedding .
Before the verdict , U.S. officials had urged Moscow to release Whelan following their criticism of Russian authorities for their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ With reporting by Interfax and TASS

Former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, sentenced to 16 years on espionage charges that he rejects, has been transferred to a penal colony in the region of Mordovia, historically known for Russia's toughest prisons, including Soviet-era labor camps for political prisoners.
Whelan's lawyer, Olga Karlova, told TASS news agency on August 4 that her client had left the Lefortovo detention center in Moscow and was currently being transferred to a Mordovian penal colony.
Karlova said she had received the information from Whelan’s brother David, who had been informed by the British Embassy.
Whelan holds U.S., Canadian, British, and Irish passports.
Karlova added that Lefortovo officials refused to comment.
The U.S. Embassy in Moscow said it was aware of the reports of Whelan's transfer but had not yet received official notification.
"We continue to press Russian authorities for fair & humane treatment of #PaulWhelan, & regular contact with US consular officials," Rebecca Ross, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Embassy, said in an August 4 tweet.
Valery Krutov, chairman of the Mordovia branch of the Public Monitoring Commission rights group, said on August 4 that Whelan was expected to arrive at Correctional Colony No. 18 in Mordovia in the coming days. He will be transferred several days later to Correctional Colony No. 17 to serve his term.
Whelan's relatives and lawyers said earlier that the ex-U.S. Marine will most likely be held in Lefortovo for a longer time, as it was expected that he may be exchanged for Russian nationals held in the United States in September.
Reports in June said that Russian and U.S. officials were in talks on a possible swap of Whelan for two Russians -- Viktor Bout and Konstantin Yaroshenko -- who are serving lengthy sentences in U.S. prisons.
The notorious system of correctional colonies in Mordovia, established as part of the gulag system in the 1930s, is known as one of the toughest in the former Soviet Union.
Also, the process of transferring convicts in Russia can last for weeks. The process, known as "etap," involves trains specially designed for convicts stopping in transit jails and prisons. Convicts traveling in such trains stay in crowded caged compartments with almost no access to fresh air, no shower, and limited access to the toilet and food for days or weeks.
The Moscow City Court convicted and sentenced Whelan to 16 years on June 15 after a trial that was held behind closed doors because the evidence included classified materials and because of measures to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
The United States has called the proceedings a "mockery of justice" and demanded Whelan's immediate release.
Russia's Foreign Ministry has rejected claims about the "unfairness and excessive harshness" of the sentence.
The 50-year-old Whelan was arrested in Moscow in December 2018.
Russian prosecutors claimed that a flash memory stick found in his possession contained classified information.
Whelan says he was framed when he took the memory stick from an acquaintance, thinking it contained holiday photos. He has also accused his prison guards of mistreatment.
Whelan was head of global security at a U.S. auto-parts supplier at the time of his arrest. He and his relatives insist he visited Russia to attend a wedding.
Before the verdict, U.S. officials had urged Moscow to release Whelan following their criticism of Russian authorities for their "shameful treatment" of him.
With reporting by Interfax and TASS


rferl--2020-08-04--Belarus Begins Early Voting In Contentious Presidential Election

Early voting has begun in Belarus in a contentious presidential election set for August 9 that pits authoritarian leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka against an opposition united around a political novice .
The Central Election Commission said on August 4 that the country 's almost 7 million eligible voters could cast ballots at 5,767 polling stations set up in public spaces including medical facilities and army barracks and at 44 polling stations abroad .
Lukashenka , who has been in power since 1994 , is seeking to extend his rule for another five-year term .
His main challenger is 37-year-old Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in place of her jailed husband .
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe ( OSCE ) , which carries out international election and conflict monitoring , has not recognized any elections in Belarus as free and fair since 1995 .
Tsikhanouskaya said she expected Lukashenka 's supporters to seek to falsify the election results and called on citizens to vote on August 9 -- when more observers are present -- to reduce election fraud .
The election commission has said that no more than three observers can be present at each @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the coronavirus pandemic and only five will be permitted to oversee ballot boxes on August 9 .
The OSCE said it will not send observers to the vote this year after Belarus failed to issue an invitation in time .
Based on reporting by AFP and TASS

Early voting has begun in Belarus in a contentious presidential election set for August 9 that pits authoritarian leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka against an opposition united around a political novice.
The Central Election Commission said on August 4 that the country's almost 7 million eligible voters could cast ballots at 5,767 polling stations set up in public spaces including medical facilities and army barracks and at 44 polling stations abroad.
Lukashenka, who has been in power since 1994, is seeking to extend his rule for another five-year term. His main challenger is 37-year-old Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, an English translator who is running in place of her jailed husband.
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which carries out international election and conflict monitoring, has not recognized any elections in Belarus as free and fair since 1995.
Tsikhanouskaya said she expected Lukashenka's supporters to seek to falsify the election results and called on citizens to vote on August 9 -- when more observers are present -- to reduce election fraud.
The election commission has said that no more than three observers can be present at each polling station during early voting due to the coronavirus pandemic and only five will be permitted to oversee ballot boxes on August 9.
The OSCE said it will not send observers to the vote this year after Belarus failed to issue an invitation in time.
Based on reporting by AFP and TASS


rferl--2020-08-04--Afghanistan To Convene Loya Jirga On Release Of Taliban Prisoners

The Afghan government will convene a grand assembly of elders , known as the Loya Jirga , in Kabul on August 7 to decide the fate of hundreds of Taliban prisoners that Taliban leaders insist should be released before they join peace talks with the government .
Last week , President Ashraf Ghani ordered the release of 500 Taliban prisoners as a goodwill gesture amid a three-day cease-fire proposed by the Taliban and agreed to by the government .
That cease-fire took effect on July 31 .
During a televised speech on July 31 , Ghani said the government had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 5,000 pledged in a landmark agreement signed in February by the United States and Afghanistan 's Taliban .
But Ghani said he had `` no authority '' under the country 's constitution to release the remaining 400 inmates on the Taliban 's list because of their involvement in serious crimes .
Ghani then announced he would summon a consultative Loya Jirga to decide the fate of the remaining 400 prisoners on the Taliban 's list .
`` These 400 are those who have been convicted in killings from two to 40 people , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and involved in major crimes , including kidnapping , '' Sediq Sediqqi , a spokesman for Ghani , said as he announced the date of the Loya Jirga .
The Taliban says it has freed all 1,000 prisoners it had pledged in the agreement with U.S. negotiators .
The Taliban insists on its demand for the release of the remaining 400 prisoners on its list .
Ghani has called on the Taliban to enter into peace talks as soon as possible .
The United States has reportedly proposed the Taliban prisoners be transferred @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they would be under both Taliban and Afghan government surveillance .
Of the 400 Taliban prisoners left , around 200 are accused by the Afghan government of masterminding attacks on embassies , public squares , and government offices , killing thousands of civilians in recent years .
Held under a giant tent , the Loya Jirga is a centuries-old institution used to build consensus among Afghanistan 's rival tribes , factions , and ethnic groups .
They are traditionally convened under extraordinary circumstances to discuss matters of national importance .
Since the U.S.-Taliban @ @ @ @ @ @ @ personnel have been killed in attacks by militants , Ghani said last week .
He said thousands more were wounded .
The same week , the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said in a report that more than 1,280 Afghan civilians had been killed during the first half of 2020 -- mainly as a result of fighting between government forces and Taliban militants .

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--2020-08-04--Russian Teenager Gets Seven Years For Firebomb, Ax Attack On School

A court in the Russian city of Volsk in the Saratov region has sentenced a teenager to seven years in prison for attacking students and teachers at his school with homemade firebombs and an ax .
The court ruling on August 4 is the latest in a series of cases over school attacks by teenagers in Russia .
The teenager 's name was not released on grounds that he is a juvenile .
He will begin his seven-year-sentence at a facility for juvenile offenders .
He was 14 years old in May 2019 when he entered his school in Volsk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The court found that he had lit and thrown one gasoline-filled bottle into a classroom with 18 students and a teacher .
He also threw another firebomb into a school corridor , the court determined .
Then , while fleeing the building , he encountered a 12-year-old girl in the corridor and attacked her with the ax .
The girl survived the attack but lost one of her eyes .
Before his attack , the teenager had written a message in on social media declaring that he admired the two teenagers who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ School massacre in the U.S. state of Colorado .
At his trial , he pleaded guilty and asked the court to hand him a suspended sentence , saying that he `` became absolutely another person '' while in pretrial detention .
The ruling came less than two months after Russia 's Federal Security Service ( FSB ) said its security officers in the southwestern city of Volgograd had detained a teenager suspected of plotting a school attack .
In April , a court in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk arrested a 14-year-old boy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In February , FSB officers detained two teenagers in Saratov on suspicion of plotting a gun-and-bomb attack in a local school .
Also in February , the FSB said that its officers had prevented a school attack in the city of Kerch -- which is on Ukraine 's Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula .
A court in the Far Eastern city of Khabarovsk also sentenced a teenager to eight years in prison in February on charges of planning a school shooting .
Historically , attacks at schools in Russia and other former Soviet republics are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the rise in recent years .
The latest occurred at a college in the Far Eastern city of Blagoveshchensk in November 2019 .
One student was killed before the shooter committed suicide .
In April 2019 , a court in the Urals city of Perm sentenced a 17-year-old to seven years in prison after finding him guilty of a knife attack in January 2018 at his school that left 12 people hospitalized .
A year earlier , a teenager in the Bashkortostan region entered his school and stabbed a female student and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fire .
Another girl sustained serious injuries in that attack when she fled by jumping from a second-story window .
In January 2018 , a ninth-grader attacked fellow students with an ax and other weapons in the Siberian region of Buryatia .
In October 2018 , an 18-year-old student killed 20 people in a gun-and-bomb attack at a college in Kerch before fatally shooting himself .

A court in the Russian city of Volsk in the Saratov region has sentenced a teenager to seven years in prison for attacking students and teachers at his school with homemade firebombs and an ax.
The court ruling on August 4 is the latest in a series of cases over school attacks by teenagers in Russia.
The teenager's name was not released on grounds that he is a juvenile. He will begin his seven-year-sentence at a facility for juvenile offenders.
He was 14 years old in May 2019 when he entered his school in Volsk with two Molotov cocktails and an ax.
The court found that he had lit and thrown one gasoline-filled bottle into a classroom with 18 students and a teacher.
He also threw another firebomb into a school corridor, the court determined.
Then, while fleeing the building, he encountered a 12-year-old girl in the corridor and attacked her with the ax. The girl survived the attack but lost one of her eyes.
Before his attack, the teenager had written a message in on social media declaring that he admired the two teenagers who'd carried out the 1999 Columbine High School massacre in the U.S. state of Colorado.
At his trial, he pleaded guilty and asked the court to hand him a suspended sentence, saying that he "became absolutely another person" while in pretrial detention.
The ruling came less than two months after Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said its security officers in the southwestern city of Volgograd had detained a teenager suspected of plotting a school attack.
In April, a court in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk arrested a 14-year-old boy suspected of plotting a school attack.
In February, FSB officers detained two teenagers in Saratov on suspicion of plotting a gun-and-bomb attack in a local school.
Also in February, the FSB said that its officers had prevented a school attack in the city of Kerch -- which is on Ukraine's Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula.
A court in the Far Eastern city of Khabarovsk also sentenced a teenager to eight years in prison in February on charges of planning a school shooting.
Historically, attacks at schools in Russia and other former Soviet republics are uncommon. However, they have been on the rise in recent years.
The latest occurred at a college in the Far Eastern city of Blagoveshchensk in November 2019. One student was killed before the shooter committed suicide.
In April 2019, a court in the Urals city of Perm sentenced a 17-year-old to seven years in prison after finding him guilty of a knife attack in January 2018 at his school that left 12 people hospitalized.
A year earlier, a teenager in the Bashkortostan region entered his school and stabbed a female student and a teacher before setting a classroom on fire.
Another girl sustained serious injuries in that attack when she fled by jumping from a second-story window.
In January 2018, a ninth-grader attacked fellow students with an ax and other weapons in the Siberian region of Buryatia.
In October 2018, an 18-year-old student killed 20 people in a gun-and-bomb attack at a college in Kerch before fatally shooting himself.


rferl--2020-08-05--Ban On Women’s Cycling Takes Effect In Iranian Holy City Of Mashhad

A ban on women 's cycling in public places in the northeastern Iranian province of Khorasan Razavi has come into effect following a decision by the province 's Islamic morality authority , the Headquarters for Promoting Virtue and Prohibiting Vice .
Mashhad , the provincial capital , is home to the shrine of the eighth imam of the Shi ' a .
The city 's Friday Prayers ayatollah , Ahmad Alamolhoda , is known for his hard-line views , including his opposition to concerts and more freedoms for women .
He has spoken against women 's cycling in the past @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 4 by Mehdi Roozbehaneh , the head of the province 's cycling board , who said the Headquarters for Promoting Virtue and Prohibiting Vice had obtained relevant permits for the ban .
He did not provide details .
However , Roozbehaneh said the cycling board was working to remove the ban for women who observe the compulsory hijab rule that requires them to cover their hair and body in public .
Many women oppose the compulsory hijab rule and an increasing number of them have in recent years flouted the rule by wearing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` We are trying to ensure that women who observe their hijab and adhere to the norms given the religious nature of Mashhad will not face any problem regarding cycling , '' Roozbehaneh was quoted as saying by Iranian media .
Roozbehaneh blamed the ban on women who had not fully respected the hijab rule while cycling .
`` These restrictions were caused by people who , without properly respecting the hijab and while wearing garish clothing , had been cycling and attracting a lot of attention , '' he said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Iranian media that some members of the cycling board of the city of Sabzevar , also located in Khorasan Razavi Province , resigned in protest at a decision by the city 's own Islamic morality authority to ban women from riding bikes .
In 2016 , Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a religious pronouncement -- a fatwa -- that women cycling in public was `` haram , '' or forbidden , but the fatwa was not strictly enforced .
In many cities , including Tehran , an increasing number of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years despite opposition by hard-liners .
In 2019 , a judiciary spokesman said women 's cycling was not banned provided religious rules were respected .
Since the 1979 revolution and the creation of an Islamic republic , Iran 's clerical establishment has enforced Islamic laws that deny women equal rights in areas such as divorce and inheritance while also setting guidelines for their appearance and behavior in public .

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--2020-08-05--Ex-U.S. Marine Whelan Arrives At Penal Colony In Russia's Mordovia Region

Former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan , sentenced by a Russian court to 16 years on espionage charges that he rejects , has arrived at a penal colony in the region of Mordovia -- an area historically known as the location of Russia 's toughest prisons , including Soviet-era labor camps for political prisoners .
Valery Krutov , chairman of the Mordovia branch of the Public Monitoring Commission rights group , said on August 5 that Whelan had arrived at Correctional Colony No .
18 in Mordovia .
Krutov said he is meant to stay at that facility for about two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ No .
17 to serve his sentence .
Whelan 's lawyer , Olga Karlova , said on August 4 that Whelan had been moved from the Lefortovo detention center in Moscow days earlier and was being sent to a Mordovian penal colony .
Karlova said she had received the information from Whelan ’ s brother David , who had been informed of his transfer by the British Embassy .
Whelan 's relatives and lawyers had said earlier that the ex-U.S. Marine would most likely be held in Lefortovo for a longer time as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in September for Russian citizens imprisoned in the United States .
Reports in June said Russian and U.S. officials were in talks about a possible swap of Whelan for two Russians -- Viktor Bout and Konstantin Yaroshenko -- who are serving lengthy sentences in U.S. prisons .
However , Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on August 4 that the issue of Whelan 's exchange for Russian citizens had not yet been discussed with U.S. officials .
The notorious system of correctional colonies in Mordovia , established during the 1930s as part @ @ @ @ @ @ @ system , is still known as one of the toughest prison systems in the former Soviet Union .
The process of transferring convicts in Russia , known as `` etap , '' involves trains specifically designed for prisoners .
The transfers can take days or even weeks .
Prisoners who travel in such trains are crowded into caged compartments with little fresh air , no showers , and only limited access to a toilet or food .
On June 15 , the Moscow City Court convicted and sentenced Whelan to 16 years on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ behind closed doors due to what Russian authorities claimed was `` classified '' evidence and coronavirus restrictions .
The United States has called the proceedings a “ mockery of justice ” and demanded Whelan ’ s immediate release .
Russia 's Foreign Ministry has rejected complaints about the `` unfairness and excessive harshness ” of the sentence .
The 50-year-old Whelan was arrested in Moscow in December 2018 .
Whelan says he was framed when he took the memory stick from an acquaintance thinking it contained holiday photos .
He has also accused @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was head of global security at a U.S. auto-parts supplier when he was arrested .
He and his relatives insist he visited Russia to attend a wedding .
Before the Moscow court announced its verdict , U.S. officials criticized Russian authorities for their `` shameful treatment '' of Whelan .
With reporting by Interfax and TASS

Former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, sentenced by a Russian court to 16 years on espionage charges that he rejects, has arrived at a penal colony in the region of Mordovia -- an area historically known as the location of Russia's toughest prisons, including Soviet-era labor camps for political prisoners.
Valery Krutov, chairman of the Mordovia branch of the Public Monitoring Commission rights group, said on August 5 that Whelan had arrived at Correctional Colony No. 18 in Mordovia.
Krutov said he is meant to stay at that facility for about two weeks before being transferred to Correctional Colony No. 17 to serve his sentence.
Whelan's lawyer, Olga Karlova, said on August 4 that Whelan had been moved from the Lefortovo detention center in Moscow days earlier and was being sent to a Mordovian penal colony.
Karlova said she had received the information from Whelan’s brother David, who had been informed of his transfer by the British Embassy.
Whelan holds U.S., Canadian, British, and Irish passports.
Whelan's relatives and lawyers had said earlier that the ex-U.S. Marine would most likely be held in Lefortovo for a longer time as it was expected he may be exchanged in September for Russian citizens imprisoned in the United States.
Reports in June said Russian and U.S. officials were in talks about a possible swap of Whelan for two Russians -- Viktor Bout and Konstantin Yaroshenko -- who are serving lengthy sentences in U.S. prisons.
However, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on August 4 that the issue of Whelan's exchange for Russian citizens had not yet been discussed with U.S. officials.
The notorious system of correctional colonies in Mordovia, established during the 1930s as part of the Soviet Union's feared gulag system, is still known as one of the toughest prison systems in the former Soviet Union.
The process of transferring convicts in Russia, known as "etap," involves trains specifically designed for prisoners. The transfers can take days or even weeks.
Prisoners who travel in such trains are crowded into caged compartments with little fresh air, no showers, and only limited access to a toilet or food.
On June 15, the Moscow City Court convicted and sentenced Whelan to 16 years on espionage charges.
The trial was held behind closed doors due to what Russian authorities claimed was "classified" evidence and coronavirus restrictions.
The United States has called the proceedings a “mockery of justice” and demanded Whelan’s immediate release.
Russia's Foreign Ministry has rejected complaints about the "unfairness and excessive harshness” of the sentence.
The 50-year-old Whelan was arrested in Moscow in December 2018.
Russian prosecutors claimed that a flash memory stick found in Whelan's possession contained classified information.
Whelan says he was framed when he took the memory stick from an acquaintance thinking it contained holiday photos. He has also accused his prison guards of mistreatment.
Whelan was head of global security at a U.S. auto-parts supplier when he was arrested. He and his relatives insist he visited Russia to attend a wedding.
Before the Moscow court announced its verdict, U.S. officials criticized Russian authorities for their "shameful treatment" of Whelan.
With reporting by Interfax and TASS


rferl--2020-08-05--Kazakhstan Allows Transit Of Uzbek, Kyrgyz Workers Stranded In Russia

NUR-SULTAN -- Kazakhstan has allowed the transit of thousands of Uzbek and Kyrgyz migrant workers who 've been stranded in Russia for months along the border with Kazakhstan due to coronavirus travel restrictions .
The decision by Kazakhstan 's government to allow the migrant workers to cross through the country to return to their homelands was made after clashes near the border between the migrants and Russian police .
Kazakh Foreign Ministry 's spokesman Aibek Smadiyarov said on August 5 that 2,435 Kyrgyz citizens had been allowed to pass through Kazakhstan from Russia 's adjacent Samara region aboard 40 buses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were allowed to cross through Kazakhstan on trains .
Asked by RFE/RL about clashes earlier this week between the stranded migrants and Russian police , Smadiyarov said : `` That is what happened in Russia .
Kazakhstan has nothing to do with that . ''
A video report on the Telegram social media channel of Russia 's Mashu.ru online news outlet included footage of Central Asian migrants clashing with police in the Samara region near the border .
The Moscow-based RBK news agency quoted regional authorities in Samara as saying the video was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ demanding permission to cross the border .
Those authorities said there were no arrests or injuries during `` the brawl . ''
Dmitry Medvedev , the deputy chairman of Russia 's Security Council , said on August 3 that among the hundreds of thousands of migrant workers in Russia , about 40 percent had lost their jobs as a result of coronavirus restrictions .
With reporting by Mash , RBK , Interfax , and Tengrinews

NUR-SULTAN -- Kazakhstan has allowed the transit of thousands of Uzbek and Kyrgyz migrant workers who've been stranded in Russia for months along the border with Kazakhstan due to coronavirus travel restrictions.
The decision by Kazakhstan's government to allow the migrant workers to cross through the country to return to their homelands was made after clashes near the border between the migrants and Russian police.
Kazakh Foreign Ministry's spokesman Aibek Smadiyarov said on August 5 that 2,435 Kyrgyz citizens had been allowed to pass through Kazakhstan from Russia's adjacent Samara region aboard 40 buses. He said 2,200 Uzbek citizens also were allowed to cross through Kazakhstan on trains.
Asked by RFE/RL about clashes earlier this week between the stranded migrants and Russian police, Smadiyarov said: "That is what happened in Russia. Kazakhstan has nothing to do with that."
A video report on the Telegram social media channel of Russia's Mashu.ru online news outlet included footage of Central Asian migrants clashing with police in the Samara region near the border.
The Moscow-based RBK news agency quoted regional authorities in Samara as saying the video was taken on August 3 when migrants were demanding permission to cross the border. Those authorities said there were no arrests or injuries during "the brawl."
Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, said on August 3 that among the hundreds of thousands of migrant workers in Russia, about 40 percent had lost their jobs as a result of coronavirus restrictions.
With reporting by Mash, RBK, Interfax, and Tengrinews