rferl--2020-06-15--Kyrgyz Prime Minister Resigns Over Corruption Probe

BISHKEK -- Kyrgyz Prime Minister Mukhammedkalyi Abylgaziev has resigned , citing an ongoing criminal investigation into the assignment of national radio frequencies .
Abylgaziev announced his resignation in a statement on June 15 , saying : `` I have nothing to do with this case , and the accusations made against me have no basis . ''
Noting he hadn ’ t been questioned , Abylgaziev said the corruption probe undermined trust in the government and limited its ability to combat the coronavirus pandemic .
`` In today 's difficult conditions , when the country confronts the threat of coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the economy , the government must work in a state of stability and enjoy the full confidence of citizens , '' Abylgaziev said .
Lawmakers had raised suspicions over his involvement in the suspect sale of radio frequencies involving a leading cable television company and a major telecoms company , even though he has not been named as a suspect by the investigators .
Abylgaziev took a two-week leave of absence on May 27 `` in order to avoid accusations of exerting any pressure on the course of the investigation . ''
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sooronbai Jeenbekov in April 2018 .
Jeenbekov 's Social Democratic Party leads a majority coalition in parliament which must now nominate a new prime minister .

BISHKEK -- Kyrgyz Prime Minister Mukhammedkalyi Abylgaziev has resigned, citing an ongoing criminal investigation into the assignment of national radio frequencies.
Abylgaziev announced his resignation in a statement on June 15, saying: "I have nothing to do with this case, and the accusations made against me have no basis."
Noting he hadn’t been questioned, Abylgaziev said the corruption probe undermined trust in the government and limited its ability to combat the coronavirus pandemic.
"In today's difficult conditions, when the country confronts the threat of coronavirus infection and struggles with its impact on the economy, the government must work in a state of stability and enjoy the full confidence of citizens," Abylgaziev said.
Lawmakers had raised suspicions over his involvement in the suspect sale of radio frequencies involving a leading cable television company and a major telecoms company, even though he has not been named as a suspect by the investigators.
Abylgaziev took a two-week leave of absence on May 27 "in order to avoid accusations of exerting any pressure on the course of the investigation."
He was appointed as prime minister by President Sooronbai Jeenbekov in April 2018.
Jeenbekov's Social Democratic Party leads a majority coalition in parliament, which must now nominate a new prime minister.
With reporting by AFP


rferl--2020-06-15--Criminal Case Opened Against Russian Opposition Figure Navalny For Suspected Libel

MOSCOW -- Russian investigators have opened a criminal investigation against opposition politician Aleksei Navalny for suspected libel over comments he made on social media .
The Investigative Committee on June 15 accused Navalny of libeling a World War II veteran who featured in a video clip with other Russians to express support for proposed constitutional reforms .
In a social media post on June 2 , Navalny , one of President Vladimir Putin 's most vocal critics , described those in the video as `` traitors , '' `` people with no conscience , '' and `` corrupt lackeys .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Committee said the comments contained `` deliberately false information denigrating the honor and dignity '' of the WWII veteran .
It said the probe was still under way .
Navalny faces penalties ranging from a fine of 1 million rubles ( $ 14,255 ) to 240 hours of community service if convicted .
In recent months , Russia 's state-run media outlets have shown videos of WWII veterans , celebrities , and ordinary people expressing their support for proposed constitutional amendments to be put to a national vote scheduled for July 1 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ allow Putin to stay in power after his current second consecutive presidential term ends in 2024 .
Navalny , 44 , has endured multiple incarcerations in recent years , a barred attempt to run for president , and a hamstrung bid for the Moscow mayor 's post .
He was barred from running for president in 2018 due to a tax-fraud conviction that he has called trumped-up .
In March , Navalny and his associate Ivan Zhdanov said that their bank accounts had been emptied and all their payment cards and those of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a move to discredit and disgrace them .

MOSCOW -- Russian investigators have opened a criminal investigation against opposition politician Aleksei Navalny for suspected libel over comments he made on social media.
The Investigative Committee on June 15 accused Navalny of libeling a World War II veteran who was featured in a video clip with other Russians expressing support for proposed constitutional reforms.
In a social-media post on June 2, Navalny, one of President Vladimir Putin's most vocal critics, described those in the video as "traitors," "people with no conscience," and "corrupt lackeys."
In its statement, the Investigative Committee said the comments contained "deliberately false information denigrating the honor and dignity" of the WWII veteran.
It said the probe was still under way.
Navalny faces penalties ranging from a fine of 1 million rubles ($14,255) to 240 hours of community service if convicted.
In recent months, Russia's state-run media outlets have shown videos of WWII veterans, celebrities, and ordinary people expressing their support for proposed constitutional amendments to be put to a national vote scheduled for July 1.
Among other changes, the reform would allow Putin to stay in power after his current second consecutive presidential term ends in 2024.
Navalny, 44, has endured multiple incarcerations in recent years, a barred attempt to run for president, and a hamstrung bid for the Moscow mayor's post.
He was barred from running for president in 2018 due to a tax-fraud conviction that he has called trumped-up.
In March, Navalny and his associate Ivan Zhdanov said that their bank accounts had been emptied and all their payment cards and those of relatives were blocked in what they described as a move to discredit and disgrace them.


rferl--2020-06-15--UN Nuclear Watchdog Chief Again Demands Iran Allow Inspectors Into Sites

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency ( IAEA ) has again pressed Iran to provide inspectors with access to sites where the country is thought to have stored or used undeclared nuclear material .
IAEA Director General Mariano Grossi told reporters in Vienna on June 15 that for more than four months Iran has denied the agency access to two locations , and that for almost a year “ it has not engaged in substantive discussions to clarify our questions related to possible undeclared nuclear material and nuclear-related activities.
” He called on Iran to cooperate immediately and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ high-level Iranian officials .
“ We need this cooperation , '' Grossi said .
`` I regret that at this point we have this disagreement.
” Even though the two sites are not thought to be key to Iran 's current activities , the agency says it needs to know if past activities going back almost two decades have been properly declared and all materials accounted for .
Iran maintains that the IAEA has no legal basis to inspect the sites .
Activities at the two sites and a third are thought to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before Iran signed the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers .
Grossi rejected Iran 's view that the request for access was without legal merit , saying there are `` no legal ambiguities . ''
Grossi has previously demanded that Iran stop blocking its investigation into the sites .
He said in March that Iran should “ cooperate immediately and fully with the agency.
” A report released earlier this month provided details about Iran blocking access to the sites .
The report also said Iran has continued enriching uranium far beyond the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ major powers .
The IAEA said in the report that it had determined that one site had undergone “ extensive sanitization and leveling ” in 2003 and 2004 and there would be no verification value in inspecting it .
It said Iran has blocked access to the other two locations , one of which was partially demolished in 2004 and the other at which the agency observed activities “ consistent with efforts to sanitize ” the facility from July 2019 onward .
Iran told the agency that the report was a source of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hinted that the queries were based on `` fabricated information '' from `` intelligence services . ''
Israel has previously claimed its intelligence services unearthed information on an alleged previous nuclear weapons program in Iran .
Western countries have voiced concern over Iran 's denial of access to the sites , with the United States being particularly vocal .
Washington unilaterally withdrew from the nuclear pact two years ago .
With reporting by AP , AFP , and dpa

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


rferl--2020-06-15--Prominent Russian Newspaper's Editors Quit, Accuse Newly Appointed Boss Of Censorship

MOSCOW -- All five deputy chief editors at one of Russia 's most prominent business newspapers , Vedomosti , have quit in protest at the appointment of Andrei Shmarov as the publication 's editor in chief .
Vedomosti said on June 15 that longtime deputy chief editors Dmitry Simakov , Boris Safronov , Filipp Sterkin , Kirill Kharatyan , and Aleksandr Gubsky are leaving the newspaper .
The decision was made after the board of directors of Business News Media , Vedomosti 's publisher , approved Andrei Shmarov for the post of editor in chief of the newspaper .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the newspaper 's journalists .
According to Vedomosti , 10 journalists , including three unit chiefs , have left the newspaper in recent months .
Shmarov has served as acting editor in chief since negotiations on the newspaper 's sale started in March .
He has had several conflicts with the staff , who accuse him of attempts to censor some material to depict state-owned oil giant Rosneft in a favorable light .
Shmarov 's candidacy was supported by Vedmosti 's new owner , Ivan Yeryomin , who was announced as the publication @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In late May , Vedomosti 's editors issued a statement expressing concerns over the newspaper ’ s new owner , saying that Yeryomin 's media activities in the past showed that he may link up with government entities and `` try to apply his business model in a new place , using Vedomosti to serve someone ’ s political and business interests . ''

MOSCOW -- All five deputy chief editors at one of Russia's most prominent business newspapers, Vedomosti, have quit in protest at the appointment of Andrei Shmarov as the publication's editor in chief.
Vedomosti said on June 15 that longtime deputy chief editors Dmitry Simakov, Boris Safronov, Filipp Sterkin, Kirill Kharatyan, and Aleksandr Gubsky are leaving the newspaper.
The decision was made after the board of directors of Business News Media, Vedomosti's publisher, approved Andrei Shmarov for the post of editor in chief of the newspaper. The move was derided by a majority of the newspaper's journalists.
According to Vedomosti, 10 journalists, including three unit chiefs, have left the newspaper in recent months.
Shmarov has served as acting editor in chief since negotiations on the newspaper's sale started in March. He has had several conflicts with the staff, who accuse him of attempts to censor some material to depict state-owned oil giant Rosneft in a favorable light.
Shmarov's candidacy was supported by Vedmosti's new owner, Ivan Yeryomin, who was announced as the publication’s sole proprietor on May 29.
In late May, Vedomosti's editors issued a statement expressing concerns over the newspaper’s new owner, saying that Yeryomin's media activities in the past showed that he may link up with government entities and "try to apply his business model in a new place, using Vedomosti to serve someone’s political and business interests."


rferl--2020-06-15--MSF Withdraws From Kabul Hospital After 'Horrific' Attack On Maternity Ward

KABUL -- Doctors Without Borders ( MSF ) has announced that it has decided to cease activities at the Dasht-e-Barchi hospital in Kabul , following a deadly attack at the facility ’ s maternity wing last month , saying that similar `` horrific '' attacks may occur there in the future .
In a statement on June 15 , the Geneva-based charity said 16 mothers were `` systematically shot dead '' during the May 12 attack , while an MSF midwife , two children aged 7 and 8 , and six other people were also killed .
Afghan authorities have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which has denied involvement , while representatives of foreign governments pointed the finger at Afghanistan ’ s Islamic State ( IS ) affiliate .
`` We were aware that our presence in Dasht-e-Barchi carried risks , but we just could n't believe that someone would take advantage of the absolute vulnerability of women about to give birth to murder them and their babies , '' said Thierry Allafort-Duverger , MSF 's director-general .
`` Today , we have to accept reality : higher walls and thicker security doors wo n't prevent such horrific @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Allafort-Duverger .
`` To remain would mean to factor in such loss of human lives as a parameter of our activity , and this is unthinkable . ''
MSF has been working in Dasht-e-Barchi in collaboration with the Afghan Ministry of Public Health since 2014 , providing free-of-charge maternity and neonatal care .
A large population belonging to the mainly Shi'ite Hazara community lives in the area and has been targeted by IS militants in the past .
More than 70 staff and patients in MSF health-care programs have been killed in Afghanistan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the aid organization .
MSF , which first started working in the country in 1980 , continues to run medical programs in the provinces of Helmand , Herat , Kandahar , Khost , and Kunduz .

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--2020-06-15--Ukrainian Regional Official Fails To Show At Hearing In Handzyuk Killing

The head of the regional council in the southern Ukrainian region of Kherson who is suspected of ordering a deadly attack on local anti-corruption activist Kateryna Handzyuk failed to show at a hearing in Kyiv that would have decided on his possible pretrial arrest .
Representatives of Vladyslav Manher told the Pechera District Court in Kyiv on June 15 that Manher was unable to travel from Kherson to the Ukrainian capital because he is being treated in an emergency unit at a local hospital .
It 's the second time Manher has failed to show up at the court in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the attack .
Last week , he missed a hearing , which his lawyers said was because Manher 's daughter was going to have surgery .
The court subsequently ruled that Manher could be brought to the June 15 hearing by force .
However , when investigators arrived in Kherson on June 14 to deliver the court ruling , they found that Manher himself was in hospital .
Lawyers of Handzyuk 's family accused Manher of `` hiding '' from justice .
Kateryna Handzyuk , a 33-year-old civic activist and adviser to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ city of Kherson , died in November 2018 -- three months after she was severely injured in an acid attack .
Prosecutors arrested Manher in February last year and charged him with ordering the attack .
Manher was later released on bail .
In June 2019 , five men were sentenced to prison terms of between 3 and 6 1/2 years for organizing and executing the attack , after they made plea deals with investigators .
Human rights activists have accused Ukrainian law enforcement agencies of failing to thoroughly investigate the growing number @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of collusion with the perpetrators in some cases .
With reporting by Suspilne and UNIAN

The head of the regional council in the southern Ukrainian region of Kherson who is suspected of ordering a deadly attack on local anti-corruption activist Kateryna Handzyuk failed to show at a hearing in Kyiv that would have decided on his possible pretrial arrest.
Representatives of Vladyslav Manher told the Pechera District Court in Kyiv on June 15 that Manher was unable to travel from Kherson to the Ukrainian capital because he is being treated in an emergency unit at a local hospital.
It's the second time Manher has failed to show up at the court in Kyiv. He has denied any involvement in the attack.
Last week, he missed a hearing, which his lawyers said was because Manher's daughter was going to have surgery.
The court subsequently ruled that Manher could be brought to the June 15 hearing by force. However, when investigators arrived in Kherson on June 14 to deliver the court ruling, they found that Manher himself was in hospital.
Lawyers of Handzyuk's family accused Manher of "hiding" from justice.
Kateryna Handzyuk, a 33-year-old civic activist and adviser to the mayor of the Black Sea port city of Kherson, died in November 2018 -- three months after she was severely injured in an acid attack.
Prosecutors arrested Manher in February last year and charged him with ordering the attack. Manher was later released on bail.
In June 2019, five men were sentenced to prison terms of between 3 and 6 1/2 years for organizing and executing the attack, after they made plea deals with investigators.
Human rights activists have accused Ukrainian law enforcement agencies of failing to thoroughly investigate the growing number of attacks on activists, and even of collusion with the perpetrators in some cases.
With reporting by Suspilne and UNIAN


rferl--2020-06-15--Another Russian Teenager Arrested For Allegedly Plotting School Attack

Russia 's Federal Security Service ( FSB ) says its officers in the southwestern city of Volgograd have detained a teenager who is suspected of plotting a deadly school attack amid a rise in such cases across the country .
According to a statement by the FSB on June 15 , the 15-year-old suspect was charged with illegally producing explosive devices .
The statement also said it is possible that a charge of planning to murder two or more people may be added to the case .
According to the statement , investigators confiscated a handmade explosive device , Molotov-cocktails @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a bladed weapon .
Historically , attacks at schools in Russia and other former Soviet republics are uncommon .
However , in recent years they have been on the rise .
The June 15 announcement came less than two months after a court in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk arrested a 14-year-old boy suspected a deadly school attack .
The suspect was charged with terrorism and planning a criminal act .
Earlier in February , FSB officers detained two teenagers in the city of Saratov in the Volga area on suspicion of plotting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ school .
That same month , the FSB said that its officers had prevented a school attack in the city of Kerch in Russia-controlled Crimea , while a court in the far eastern city of Khabarovsk sentenced a teenager to eight years in prison after convicting him of planning a school shooting .
With reporting by Interfax and TASS

Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) says its officers in the southwestern city of Volgograd have detained a teenager who is suspected of plotting a deadly school attack amid a rise in such cases across the country.
According to a statement by the FSB on June 15, the 15-year-old suspect was charged with illegally producing explosive devices. The statement also said it is possible that a charge of planning to murder two or more people may be added to the case.
According to the statement, investigators confiscated a handmade explosive device, Molotov-cocktails, components of explosive substances, and a bladed weapon.
Historically, attacks at schools in Russia and other former Soviet republics are uncommon. However, in recent years they have been on the rise.
The June 15 announcement came less than two months after a court in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk arrested a 14-year-old boy suspected a deadly school attack.
The suspect was charged with terrorism and planning a criminal act.
Earlier in February, FSB officers detained two teenagers in the city of Saratov in the Volga area on suspicion of plotting a deadly gun-and-bomb attack in a local school.
That same month, the FSB said that its officers had prevented a school attack in the city of Kerch in Russia-controlled Crimea, while a court in the far eastern city of Khabarovsk sentenced a teenager to eight years in prison after convicting him of planning a school shooting.
With reporting by Interfax and TASS


rferl--2020-06-15--Poroshenko Blames Yanukovych For Ukrainian Army's Weak State When Russia Seized Crimea

KYIV -- Former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko says that only 20 percent of the country 's armed forces were combat-efficient when Russia annexed Crimea following the toppling of Russia-friendly Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych in early 2014 .
Poroshenko told the Kyiv Court of Appeals on June 15 during his testimony at a hearing into an appeal by Yanukovych against his high-treason conviction that the Ukrainian Army at the time of the invasion was extremely weak , a state Poroshenko blamed on Yanukovych .
`` The army did not have enough gasoline , batteries , clothes , bulletproof vests , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ full responsibility for the situation in 2014 .
Yanukovych 's lawyers filed the appeal challenging a Kyiv court 's January 24 decision to sentence the former leader in absentia to 13 years in prison on a high-treason charge .
In early February , they also filed a lawsuit against the State Bureau of Investigation , alleging crimes by government officials , including judges who took part in trials against Yanukovych .
Yanukovych has called the sentence `` illegal '' and denied guilt in several other probes launched against him after he fled Ukraine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wake of deadly pro-European rallies known as the Euromaidan , during which more than 100 protesters were killed .
Weeks after Yanukovych 's flight to Russia , Moscow seized and illegally annexed Ukraine 's Black Sea peninsula of Crimea and fomented unrest and backed separatists in Ukraine ’ s eastern regions of Luhansk and Donetsk , where some 13,200 people have been killed in the ensuing conflict since April 2014 .

KYIV -- Former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko says that only 20 percent of the country's armed forces were combat-efficient when Russia annexed Crimea following the toppling of Russia-friendly Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych in early 2014.
Poroshenko told the Kyiv Court of Appeals on June 15 during his testimony at a hearing into an appeal by Yanukovych against his high-treason conviction that the Ukrainian Army at the time of the invasion was extremely weak, a state Poroshenko blamed on Yanukovych.
"The army did not have enough gasoline, batteries, clothes, bulletproof vests," Poroshenko said, adding that Yanukovych bears full responsibility for the situation in 2014.
Yanukovych's lawyers filed the appeal challenging a Kyiv court's January 24 decision to sentence the former leader in absentia to 13 years in prison on a high-treason charge.
In early February, they also filed a lawsuit against the State Bureau of Investigation, alleging crimes by government officials, including judges who took part in trials against Yanukovych.
Yanukovych has called the sentence "illegal" and denied guilt in several other probes launched against him after he fled Ukraine for Moscow in late-February 2014 in the wake of deadly pro-European rallies known as the Euromaidan, during which more than 100 protesters were killed.
Weeks after Yanukovych's flight to Russia, Moscow seized and illegally annexed Ukraine's Black Sea peninsula of Crimea and fomented unrest and backed separatists in Ukraine’s eastern regions of Luhansk and Donetsk, where some 13,200 people have been killed in the ensuing conflict since April 2014.


rferl--2020-06-15--Russian Historian Charged With Dismembering Girlfriend Refuses To Plead, Changes Lawyers

A Russian historian charged with murdering and dismembering his student lover has refused to enter a plea and announced that he has changed lawyers as his trial resumed on June 15 in the city of St. Petersburg .
In answering a question from Judge Yulia Maksimenko about whether he was pleading guilty , Oleg Sokolov said he would like `` to answer this question after the accusing side presents all of its evidence . ''
During an investigation of the case , Sokolov admitted to killing and dismembering his lover , 24-year-old postgraduate student Anastasia Yeshchenko , a crime that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sokolov also said at the trial on June 15 that he decided to change his lawyers , after which the trial was adjourned until June 22 .
The high-profile case has been adjourned or postponed several times in recent months for various reasons , including restrictions imposed to slow the spread of the coronavirus .
The 63-year-old historian was detained on November 9 after being pulled out of the Moika River with a backpack containing the body parts of a young woman .
Investigators later found the woman 's head in his apartment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Napoleonic-era costumes and took part in battle reenactments , Sokolov was once awarded France 's Order of Legion d'Honneur for his research into Napoleon .
Based on reporting by TASS and Interfax

A Russian historian charged with murdering and dismembering his student lover has refused to enter a plea and announced that he has changed lawyers as his trial resumed on June 15 in the city of St. Petersburg.
In answering a question from Judge Yulia Maksimenko about whether he was pleading guilty, Oleg Sokolov said he would like "to answer this question after the accusing side presents all of its evidence."
During an investigation of the case, Sokolov admitted to killing and dismembering his lover, 24-year-old postgraduate student Anastasia Yeshchenko, a crime that has captivated Russia's second-largest city.
Sokolov also said at the trial on June 15 that he decided to change his lawyers, after which the trial was adjourned until June 22.
The high-profile case has been adjourned or postponed several times in recent months for various reasons, including restrictions imposed to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
The 63-year-old historian was detained on November 9 after being pulled out of the Moika River with a backpack containing the body parts of a young woman. Investigators later found the woman's head in his apartment.
A flamboyant academic who regularly dressed in Napoleonic-era costumes and took part in battle reenactments, Sokolov was once awarded France's Order of Legion d'Honneur for his research into Napoleon.
Based on reporting by TASS and Interfax


rferl--2020-06-15--Pompeo Calls Treatment Of Whelan 'Appalling,'  Demands Russia Release Him

The United States has demanded the immediate release of Paul Whelan , calling the treatment and conviction of the former Marine for spying `` appalling . ''
The Moscow City Court announced the conviction and handed Whelan a 16-year prison sentence on June 15 after a trial that was held behind closed doors because the evidence included classified materials and because of measures taken to slow the spread of the coronavirus .
The U.S. ambassador to Russia called the proceedings a `` mockery of justice , '' while Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he was outraged by the trial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ serious concerns '' that Whelan was deprived of fair-trial guarantees that Russia is required to provide under its international human rights obligations .
U.K. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said he was deeply disappointed by the verdict and sentence against Whelan , who also holds British , Canadian , and Irish citizenship , and expressed `` serious reservations about the legal process . ''
Russia 's Foreign Ministry rejected `` claims about the unfairness and excessive harshness '' of the sentence .
The 50-year-old former U.S. Marine was arrested in Moscow in December 2018 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trial , which was held in the face of the coronavirus pandemic and diplomatic protests .
He had denied all charges .
During the hearing , Whelan held up a paper from the glass enclosure where he sat with several messages , including a reference to the proceedings as a `` Sham trial '' and , in an apparent reference to emergency hernia surgery last month , `` Meatball surgery ! ''
He also complained the that he had been deprived of human rights and demanded `` decisive action '' from U.S. President @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the other countries he is a citizen of .
Whelan told journalists afterward that he will appeal the court 's decision , calling it politically motivated .
`` It is a political trial , a political sentence , '' Whelan said .
Hours after the ruling , Pompeo said in a statement that “ the treatment of Paul Whelan at the hands of Russian authorities has been appalling.
” '' Russia failed to provide Mr. Whelan with a fair hearing before an independent and impartial tribunal ; and during his detention has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his long-standing medical condition ; and unconscionably kept him isolated from family and friends , '' he added , noting that the ruling came `` after a secret trial , with secret evidence , and without appropriate allowances for defense witnesses . ''
In his statement , Raab said London `` will continue to provide consular support to [ Whelan ] and his family , and press the Russian authorities to respect [ his ] basic rights , which include a fair trial and appeal process . ''
On May 25 , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Moscow court to find him guilty of espionage and sentence him to 18 years in prison .
Whelan says he was framed when he took a USB drive from an acquaintance , thinking it contained holiday photos , and that the allegations of spying against him are politically motivated .
He has also accused his prison guards of mistreatment .
U.S .
Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan said that he was `` disappointed , enraged '' by Whelan 's sentence and called the trial a `` mockery of justice , '' stressing that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Answering a journalist 's question about a possible exchange of Whelan for Russian citizens held in the United States , Sullivan said that Washington was not seeking exchange , but instead justice for Whelan .
Whelan 's lawyer , Vladimir Zherebenkov , said separately that the issue of pardoning or exchange of his client will be possible only in 10 days , when the court 's ruling comes into force .
Whelan was head of global security at a U.S. auto-parts supplier at the time of his arrest .
He and his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 TASS , Interfax , AFP , and Reuters

The United States has demanded the immediate release of Paul Whelan, calling the treatment and conviction of the former Marine for spying "appalling."
The Moscow City Court announced the conviction and handed Whelan a 16-year prison sentence on June 15 after a trial that was held behind closed doors because the evidence included classified materials and because of measures taken to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
The U.S. ambassador to Russia called the proceedings a "mockery of justice," while Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he was outraged by the trial and that the United States has "serious concerns" that Whelan was deprived of fair-trial guarantees that Russia is required to provide under its international human rights obligations.
U.K. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said he was deeply disappointed by the verdict and sentence against Whelan, who also holds British, Canadian, and Irish citizenship, and expressed "serious reservations about the legal process."
Russia's Foreign Ministry rejected "claims about the unfairness and excessive harshness" of the sentence.
The 50-year-old former U.S. Marine was arrested in Moscow in December 2018 and in March this year went on trial, which was held in the face of the coronavirus pandemic and diplomatic protests. He had denied all charges.
'Sham Trial'
During the hearing, Whelan held up a paper from the glass enclosure where he sat with several messages, including a reference to the proceedings as a "Sham trial" and, in an apparent reference to emergency hernia surgery last month, "Meatball surgery!"
He also complained that he had been deprived of human rights and demanded "decisive action" from U.S. President Donald Trump and from the prime ministers of the other countries he is a citizen of.
Whelan told journalists afterward that he will appeal the court's decision, calling it politically motivated.
"It is a political trial, a political sentence," Whelan said.
Hours after the ruling, Pompeo said in a statement that “the treatment of Paul Whelan at the hands of Russian authorities has been appalling.”
"Russia failed to provide Mr. Whelan with a fair hearing before an independent and impartial tribunal; and during his detention has put his life at risk by ignoring his long-standing medical condition; and unconscionably kept him isolated from family and friends," he added, noting that the ruling came "after a secret trial, with secret evidence, and without appropriate allowances for defense witnesses."
In his statement, Raab said London "will continue to provide consular support to [Whelan] and his family, and press the Russian authorities to respect [his] basic rights, which include a fair trial and appeal process."
Russian prosecutors claimed that a flash drive found in Whelan's possession contained classified information.
On May 25, a prosecutor at Whelan's trial asked a Moscow court to find him guilty of espionage and sentence him to 18 years in prison.
Whelan says he was framed when he took a USB drive from an acquaintance, thinking it contained holiday photos, and that the allegations of spying against him are politically motivated.
He has also accused his prison guards of mistreatment.
U.S. Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan said that he was "disappointed, enraged" by Whelan's sentence and called the trial a "mockery of justice," stressing that Whelan's conviction will harm U.S.-Russia relations.
Answering a journalist's question about a possible exchange of Whelan for Russian citizens held in the United States, Sullivan said that Washington was not seeking exchange but instead justice for Whelan.
Whelan's lawyer, Vladimir Zherebenkov, said separately that the issue of pardoning or an exchange of his client will be possible only in 10 days, when the court's ruling comes into force.
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 TASS, Interfax, AFP, and Reuters


rferl--2020-06-16--Former Ukrainian Paramilitary Leader Put Under House Arrest Amid Violent Protests

KYIV -- A court in Kyiv has placed under house arrest the controversial former leader of a far-right Ukrainian paramilitary group suspected of premeditated murder and possession of an illegal bladed weapon in the killing of a man he claims was self-defense .
After violent protests by his supporters outside , the Shevchenko district court ruled late on June 15 that Serhiy Sternenko , who once led the Right Sector group in the city of Odesa , will remain under house arrest for 60 days as investigations into the high-profile case continue .
Police said that five demonstrators were detained @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the site of the protests , said the police did not allow him to meet with detained individuals and assaulted him .
After photos and videos appeared online showing police beating the demonstrators , Kyiv police officials said on June 15 they had launched an internal investigation .
Sternenko was attacked by two men late in the evening on May 26 , 2018 , while walking with his girlfriend .
He fought off the attackers , suffering numerous head injuries and a cut to his arm in the process .
Sternenko injured @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in hospital .
Sternenko and his supporters have insisted that it was self-defense .
But investigators say that after Sternenko defended himself using his knife , the attackers fled the scene .
Sternenko , whose life and health were no longer in danger , then reportedly chased one of them and stabbed him several times , inflicting wounds that led to the man 's death , investigators say .
The attack was the third against Sternenko in three months .

KYIV -- A court in Kyiv has placed under house arrest the controversial former leader of a far-right Ukrainian paramilitary group suspected of premeditated murder and possession of an illegal bladed weapon in the killing of a man he claims was self-defense.
After violent protests by his supporters outside, the Shevchenko district court ruled late on June 15 that Serhiy Sternenko, who once led the Right Sector group in the city of Odesa, will remain under house arrest for 60 days as investigations into the high-profile case continue.
Police said that five demonstrators were detained.
Lawmaker Roman Lozynskiy, who came to the site of the protests, said the police did not allow him to meet with detained individuals and assaulted him.
After photos and videos appeared online showing police beating the demonstrators, Kyiv police officials said on June 15 they had launched an internal investigation.
Sternenko was attacked by two men late in the evening on May 26, 2018, while walking with his girlfriend. He fought off the attackers, suffering numerous head injuries and a cut to his arm in the process. Sternenko injured one of the assailants who later died in hospital.
Sternenko and his supporters have insisted that it was self-defense. But investigators say that after Sternenko defended himself using his knife, the attackers fled the scene.
Sternenko, whose life and health were no longer in danger, then reportedly chased one of them and stabbed him several times, inflicting wounds that led to the man's death, investigators say.
The attack was the third against Sternenko in three months.


rferl--2020-06-16--Local Ukrainian Official Reportedly Detained In Handzyuk Killing

KYIV -- Ukrainian Security Service officers have reportedly detained the head of the regional council in Kherson and are bringing him to Kyiv , where his pretrial arrest will be decided in a case where he is suspected of ordering a deadly attack on anti-corruption activist Kateryna Handzyuk in 2018 .
A member of Kherson 's Dnipro district council , Oleksandr Vlasov , said on June 16 that Vladyslav Manher was detained while at a hospital early in the morning and is being transported to Kyiv .
Manher , who has denied any involvement in the attack , has failed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ court in Kyiv twice since last week , citing his own health problems , as well as those of his daughter .
On June 15 , after Manher 's representatives told the court that he was at a Kherson hospital and therefore unable to attend the hearing , the court ruled that he must be brought by force .
Handzyuk , a 33-year-old civil activist and adviser to the mayor of the Black Sea port city of Kherson , died in November 2018 , three months after she was severely injured in an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ February 2019 and charged him with ordering the attack .
Manher was later released on bail .
In June 2019 , five men were sentenced to prison terms of between three and 6 1/2 years for organizing and executing the attack , after they made plea deals with investigators .
Human rights activists have accused Ukrainian law enforcement agencies of failing to thoroughly investigate the growing number of attacks on activists , and even of collusion with the perpetrators in some cases .

KYIV -- Ukrainian Security Service officers have reportedly detained the head of the regional council in Kherson and are bringing him to Kyiv, where his pretrial arrest will be decided in a case where he is suspected of ordering a deadly attack on anti-corruption activist Kateryna Handzyuk in 2018.
A member of Kherson's Dnipro district council, Oleksandr Vlasov, said on June 16 that Vladyslav Manher was detained while at a hospital early in the morning and is being transported to Kyiv.
Manher, who has denied any involvement in the attack, has failed to show up at the Pechera district court in Kyiv twice since last week, citing his own health problems, as well as those of his daughter.
On June 15, after Manher's representatives told the court that he was at a Kherson hospital and therefore unable to attend the hearing, the court ruled that he must be brought by force.
Handzyuk, a 33-year-old civil activist and adviser to the mayor of the Black Sea port city of Kherson, died in November 2018, three months after she was severely injured in an acid attack.
Prosecutors arrested Manher in February 2019 and charged him with ordering the attack. Manher was later released on bail.
In June 2019, five men were sentenced to prison terms of between three and 6 1/2 years for organizing and executing the attack, after they made plea deals with investigators.
Human rights activists have accused Ukrainian law enforcement agencies of failing to thoroughly investigate the growing number of attacks on activists, and even of collusion with the perpetrators in some cases.


rferl--2020-06-16--North Macedonia To Hold July Elections Despite Pandemic

North Macedonia 's political parties have agreed on parliamentary elections to be held on July 15 , despite a constant number of coronavirus infections .
The elections are seen as a crucial step for the country 's European Union membership bid .
The elections in the newest NATO member will also be a test of support for the pro-EU policies of the Social Democrats of former Prime Minister Zoran Zaev .
Zaev resigned in January after the EU failed to announce a date for accession talks .
The EU subsequently said in March that membership talks could begin with North @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had initially scheduled an early parliamentary poll for April 12 but postponed it due to the outbreak .
Zaev reached the agreement on June 15 with opposition leader Hristijan Mickoski , head of the main opposition party , the nationalist conservative VMRO-DPMNE .
In a Facebook post , Mickoski said his party would participate in the elections .
North Macedonia 's economy is forecast to contract 3.5 percent this year and is expected to return to growth in 2021 .
`` We can not bear a bigger crisis than this with a technical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Zaev told reporters .
North Macedonia is grappling with a resurgence of infections that occurred after restrictions were recently relaxed .
Health Minister Venko Filipce announced 103 new confirmed cases and five deaths on June 15 , bringing the total number of infected people to 4,157 and the death toll to 193 .

North Macedonia's political parties have agreed on parliamentary elections to be held on July 15, despite a constant number of coronavirus infections.
The elections are seen as a crucial step for the country's European Union membership bid.
The elections in the newest NATO member will also be a test of support for the pro-EU policies of the Social Democrats of former Prime Minister Zoran Zaev.
Zaev resigned in January after the EU failed to announce a date for accession talks. The EU subsequently said in March that membership talks could begin with North Macedonia and Albania.
A transitional government had initially scheduled an early parliamentary poll for April 12 but postponed it due to the outbreak.
Zaev reached the agreement on June 15 with opposition leader Hristijan Mickoski, head of the main opposition party, the nationalist conservative VMRO-DPMNE. In a Facebook post, Mickoski said his party would participate in the elections.
North Macedonia's economy is forecast to contract 3.5 percent this year and is expected to return to growth in 2021.
"We cannot bear a bigger crisis than this with a technical government and without a parliament," Zaev told reporters.
North Macedonia is grappling with a resurgence of infections that occurred after restrictions were recently relaxed. Health Minister Venko Filipce announced 103 new confirmed cases and five deaths on June 15, bringing the total number of infected people to 4,157 and the death toll to 193.


rferl--2020-06-16--U.S. Set To Impose Sweeping Sanctions On Syria And Its Backers

New U.S. sanctions on Syria ’ s crumbling economy are set to come into effect on June 17 in an attempt to deprive Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his backers any benefits from a military victory .
The United States and European Union already have sanctions on Syria , but the latest from Washington extend to punish any individuals , institutions , or companies conducting business with Damascus .
The bill , known as the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act , can be used to target Assad ’ s main backers -- Russia , Iran , and Lebanon 's Hizbullah @ @ @ @ @ @ @ impact China as well as regional players Jordan , Lebanon , Iraq , and Gulf states seeking to reconcile with Syria as it attempts to rebuild following nine years of devastating civil war .
The U.S. ambassador to the UN , Kelly Craft , told the UN Security Council on June 16 that the sanctions are designed to `` deprive the Assad regime of the revenue and the support it has used to commit the large-scale atrocities and human rights violations that prevent a political resolution and severely diminish the prospects for peace @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire , elections , and political transition along with long-stalled UN-led talks .
`` The Assad regime has a clear choice to make : pursue the political path established in Resolution 2254 , or leave the United States with no other choice but to continue withholding reconstruction funding and impose sanctions against the regime and its financial backers , '' Craft said .
The Caesar Act , which was passed by Congress in December , is named after a former Syrian military photographer who escaped the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ brutality in Assad 's jails since he launched a crackdown on protests three years earlier .
The Syrian government has regained most territory from various rebel factions , except for an enclave in northwest Idlib province and some Kurdish-controlled areas .
After a decade of war that has killed some 700,000 people , the regime is now facing a Pyrrhic victory .
Towns and cities lay devastated , millions are displaced and in poverty , and the economy is crumbling under rising prices and currency collapse .
Critics of the sanctions say that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ efforts to rebuild Syria and only hurt Syrian civilians .
They also say it aims for the unrealistic goal of ousting Assad and his cronies from power after his forces secured military victory .
Russia 's UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said June 16 the United States had confirmed `` that the purpose of these measures is to overthrow the legitimate authorities of Syria . ''
China 's UN Ambassador Zhang Jun said that `` as vulnerable countries like Syria are struggling with the [ coronavirus ] pandemic , imposing more sanctions is simply @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' Hassan Nasrallah , the leader of Hizbullah , described the sanctions as `` America 's last weapon '' meant to “ starve ” the Syrian people .
`` Syria 's allies who stood by its side politically and militarily will not abandon it in the face of an economic war and will not allow it to fall , '' Nasrallah pledged .
The sanctions are set to hit Lebanon particularly hard at a time it faces an unprecedented economic and financial crises that has triggered months of protests .
Syria is Lebanon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Arab world .
With reporting by AFP , AP , and Reuters

The United States has imposed a new round of sanctions targeting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad as Washington tries to push the war-torn nation back to the UN-led negotiating table to try and end its almost decade-long civil conflict.
The June 17 announcement of new penalties on Syria, which target Assad and his wife Asma personally, come as the Syrian leader faces a deepening economic crisis and rare protests in government-held areas.
In a statement announcing the move, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said "many more" sanctions against Assad government should be expected in the coming weeks and months.
"We will not stop until Assad and his regime stop their needless, brutal war against the Syrian people and the Syrian government agrees to a political solution to the conflict," Pompeo said.
"I will make special note of the designation for the first time of Asma al-Assad, the wife of Bashar al-Assad, who with the support of her husband and members of her Akhras family has become one of Syria’s most notorious war profiteers," he added.
The United States and the European Union already have sanctions on Syria, but the latest from Washington extend to punish any individuals, institutions, or companies conducting business with Damascus.
The bill, known as the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, can be used to target Assad’s main backers -- Russia, Iran, and Lebanon's Hizballah militant group.
But it will also impact China as well as regional players Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, and Gulf states seeking to reconcile with Syria as it attempts to rebuild following nine years of devastating civil war.
The U.S. ambassador to the UN, Kelly Craft, told the UN Security Council on June 16 that the sanctions are designed to "deprive the Assad regime of the revenue and the support it has used to commit the large-scale atrocities and human rights violations that prevent a political resolution and severely diminish the prospects for peace."
Craft said Assad must implement a Security Council resolution calling for a cease-fire, elections, and political transition along with long-stalled UN-led talks.
"The Assad regime has a clear choice to make: pursue the political path established in Resolution 2254, or leave the United States with no other choice but to continue withholding reconstruction funding and impose sanctions against the regime and its financial backers," Craft said.
The Caesar Act, which was passed by Congress in December, is named after a former Syrian military photographer who escaped the country in 2014 with 55,000 images of brutality in Assad's jails since he launched a crackdown on protests three years earlier.
The Syrian government has regained most territory from various rebel factions, except for an enclave in northwest Idlib Province and some Kurdish-controlled areas.
After a decade of war that has killed some 700,000 people, the regime is now facing a Pyrrhic victory.
Towns and cities lay devastated, millions are displaced and in poverty, and the economy is crumbling under rising prices and currency collapse.
Critics of the sanctions say that they are an ill-intentioned bid to hamper efforts to rebuild Syria and only hurt Syrian civilians. They also say it aims for the unrealistic goal of ousting Assad and his cronies from power after his forces secured military victory against a divided opposition.
"Nine years of war and the death of hundreds of thousands have not changed Assad's course or caused him to question the rectitude of his position. Can sanctions accomplish what war could not? It seems unlikely," Joshua Landis, the director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma and fellow at the Quincy Institute think tank, told RFE/RL.
"However, sanctions are sure to hurt many innocent people. Syrians are already on their knees. This will simply bring them a bit lower," he said.
Russia's UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said on June 16 that the United States had confirmed "that the purpose of these measures is to overthrow the legitimate authorities of Syria."
China's UN Ambassador Zhang Jun said that "as vulnerable countries like Syria are struggling with the [coronavirus] pandemic, imposing more sanctions is simply inhumane and may cause additional catastrophes."
Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hizballah, described the sanctions as "America's last weapon" meant to “starve” the Syrian people.
"Syria's allies who stood by its side politically and militarily will not abandon it in the face of an economic war and will not allow it to fall," Nasrallah pledged.
The sanctions are set to hit Lebanon particularly hard at a time when it faces unprecedented economic and financial crises that have triggered months of protests.
Syria is Lebanon's only land bridge to the rest of the Arab world.
With reporting by AFP, AP, and Reuters


rferl--2020-06-16--Iran Warns Against UN Nuclear Watchdog Resolution To Access Sites

Iran has criticized a plan to put forward a resolution at a meeting of the UN 's nuclear watchdog urging the country to allow inspectors access to two disputed sites .
European states are expected to submit the resolution at the International Atomic Energy Agency 's ( IAEA ) board of governors meeting in Vienna this week .
During a visit to Moscow on June 16 , Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said his country `` will not allow ” the IAEA to become “ a tool for destroying ” the landmark 2015 nuclear agreement signed between Iran and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agency IRNA .
Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Musavi said Iran would respond `` adequately '' if the UN agency does not reach a `` constructive decision . ''
He did not elaborate .
The United States pulled out of the Iran nuclear agreement in May 2018 and reimposed crippling sanctions that have battered the Iranian economy .
In response , Tehran has been progressively breaking the restrictions laid down in the agreement , saying that it can reverse them if the remaining parties to the deal -- Britain , France , Germany , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deal .
U.S. sanctions make it difficult for other parties to abide by their commitments .
Iran has been open about the violations and continues to allow IAEA inspectors access certain facilities to monitor their operations .
However , Tehran has refused for more than four months to provide access to two sites where nuclear activity may have occurred in the past .
The two locations are not thought to be directly relevant to Iran 's current nuclear program , but the IAEA wants to know whether activities going back almost two decades @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accounted for .
U.S. intelligence agencies and the IAEA believe Iran had a secret , coordinated nuclear weapons program that it halted in 2003 .
In 2018 , Israel revealed what it said was evidence Iran had pursued nuclear weapons nearly two decades ago .
Much of the intelligence gathered from a Mossad operation in Iran confirmed what was already known .
In a statement on June 16 , Iran 's ambassador to the IAEA , Kazem Gharib Abadi , claimed that the agency 's access requests were based on allegations from Iran @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the IAEA in support of its requests `` were merely some commercial satellite imageries that contained no convincing underlying reason '' to provide access , Gharib Abadi added .
Speaking at a joint press conference with Zarif , Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow would stand by Tehran , while referring to `` developments taking place right now in Vienna . ''
Lavrov also criticized the United States for wanting to extend the UN arms embargo against Iran that is set to expire in October .
With reporting by dpa AFP @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and TASS


rferl--2020-06-16--WHO Representative Criticized For Hike After Calling On Azerbaijanis To Stay Home For Coronavirus

The World Health Organization ’ s representative in Azerbaijan has been harshly criticized on social media after she traveled to a picturesque mountain region despite calling on Azerbaijanis to stay home to curb the spread of the coronavirus .
Hande Harmanci posted photographs of her weekend trip -- standing in front of waterfalls and mountainous landscapes -- on her Instagram account after publicly calling on people to remain at home .
In a statement on June 16 , Harmanci said she had traveled to the region as part of her professional duties , visiting several districts to assist local doctors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , though it was unclear whether the hike was also part of her official duties .
`` I accept that I shared these photos at the wrong time , and I apologize for that , ” she said .
The photos angered many social-media users in Azerbaijan who accused her of not respecting a weekend curfew imposed by authorities .
“ You told people to stay home .
Why are you out there ?
” one user , identified as shahri_yar , wrote in response to the posted photographs .
“ Have you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ during quarantine ?
So everyone was told to stay home also because of @ WHO recommendations and you were relaxing in ” the mountains another user , named rustfatali , wrote .
Harmanci later deleted the photographs from her Instagram account .
Azerbaijan has reported 10,324 confirmed cases of the coronavirus , and just 122 deaths .
Infections have been steadily increasing in recent weeks .
With reporting by APA and Azerbaijan24

The World Health Organization's (WHO) representative in Azerbaijan has been harshly criticized on social media after she traveled to a picturesque mountain region despite calling on Azerbaijanis to stay home to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
Hande Harmanci posted photographs of her weekend trip -- standing in front of waterfalls and mountainous landscapes -- on her Instagram account after publicly calling on people to remain at home.
In a statement on June 16, Harmanci said she had traveled to the region as part of her professional duties, visiting several districts to assist local doctors.
She apologized for posting the photographs, though it was unclear whether the hike was also part of her official duties.
"I accept that I shared these photos at the wrong time, and I apologize for that,” she said.
The photos angered many social-media users in Azerbaijan who accused her of not respecting a weekend curfew imposed by authorities.
“You told people to stay home. Why are you out there?” one user, identified as shahri_yar, wrote in response to the posted photographs.
“Have you really gone to [the mountains] during quarantine? So everyone was told to stay home also because of @WHO recommendations and you were relaxing in” the mountains another user, named rustfatali, wrote.
Harmanci later deleted the photographs from her Instagram account.
Azerbaijan has reported 10,324 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, and just 122 deaths. Infections have been steadily increasing in recent weeks.
With reporting by APA and Azerbaijan24


rferl--2020-06-16--Tajik Islamic State Recruiter Reportedly 'Goes Missing' From Syrian Prison

A notorious Islamic State recruiter who has been linked to terrorist attacks in Sweden , Russia , and Tajikistan , has gone missing from a prison in northern Syria , according to people with knowledge of his detention .
Parviz Saidrahmonov , 33 , hasn ’ t been seen in the prison in the Syrian town of Afrin for more than a month , according to one Tajik woman , who said she shared a cell with Saidrahmonov ’ s wife , who was also being held in the same prison .
The woman , who spoke on condition of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been allowed to meet his wife twice a month .
“ There are rumors here that Saidrahmonov has escaped from the jail , but I don ’ t know for sure , ” the woman told RFE/RL by phone on June 15 .
The woman is being held in custody along with other people with alleged links to Islamic State militants , Another Tajik woman , who lives at the Al-Hawl refugee camp in Syria , told RFE/RL that Saidrahmonov called her “ out of the blue ” in early June , asking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ He refused to tell me where he was and just said that everything was fine , ” the woman said on June 15 .
RFE/RL could not independently verify the claims .
Saidrahmonov , also known as Abu Daoud , was among several key Islamic State figures from Tajikistan that Dushanbe wants extradited from Syria and Iraq .
He ’ s been linked to several attacks and terrorist plots in several countries , including the 2017 truck attack in Sweden that killed five people .
A law enforcement official in Dushanbe said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about Saidrahmonov ’ s alleged disappearance from the Afrin prison , which currently is controlled by the Turkish forces .
According to the official , Tajik authorities have formally asked the prison officials for information but haven ’ t yet received any response .
The official spoke in condition of anonymity as he wasn ’ t authorized to speak to media .
In late January , the Prosecutor-General ’ s Office announced that it was “ completing paperwork to repatriate Saidrahmonov ” and that it hoped to bring him “ back to Tajikistan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , however , were halted with the outbreak of the coronavirus .
Swedish investigators say Saidrahmonov was an accomplice of Rakhmat Akilov , an Uzbek man who drove a hijacked truck down a busy pedestrian street in Stockholm on April 7 , 2017 , killing five people and injuring 10 others .
Akilov was sentenced to life in prison in June 2018 .

A notorious Islamic State recruiter who has been linked to terrorist attacks in Sweden, Russia, and Tajikistan, has gone missing from a prison in northern Syria, according to people with knowledge of his detention.
Parviz Saidrahmonov, 33, hasn’t been seen in the prison in the Syrian town of Afrin for more than a month, according to one Tajik woman, who said she shared a cell with Saidrahmonov’s wife, who was also being held in the same prison.
The woman, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that Saidrahmonov had previously been allowed to meet his wife twice a month.
“There are rumors here that Saidrahmonov has escaped from the jail, but I don’t know for sure,” the woman told RFE/RL by phone on June 15.
The woman is being held in custody along with other people with alleged links to Islamic State militants,
Another Tajik woman, who lives at the Al-Hawl refugee camp in Syria, told RFE/RL that Saidrahmonov called her “out of the blue” in early June, asking after one of his family members.
“He refused to tell me where he was and just said that everything was fine,” the woman said on June 15.
RFE/RL could not independently verify the claims.
Saidrahmonov, also known as Abu Daoud, was among several key Islamic State figures from Tajikistan that Dushanbe wants extradited from Syria and Iraq.
He’s been linked to several attacks and terrorist plots in several countries, including the 2017 truck attack in Sweden that killed five people.
A law enforcement official in Dushanbe said Tajik authorities are aware of the claims about Saidrahmonov’s alleged disappearance from the Afrin prison, which currently is controlled by the Turkish forces.
According to the official, Tajik authorities have formally asked the prison officials for information but haven’t yet received any response. The official spoke in condition of anonymity as he wasn’t authorized to speak to media.
In late January, the Prosecutor-General’s Office announced that it was “completing paperwork to repatriate Saidrahmonov” and that it hoped to bring him “back to Tajikistan in the coming days.”
The efforts, however, were halted with the outbreak of the coronavirus.
Swedish investigators say Saidrahmonov was an accomplice of Rakhmat Akilov, an Uzbek man who drove a hijacked truck down a busy pedestrian street in Stockholm on April 7, 2017, killing five people and injuring 10 others.
Akilov was sentenced to life in prison in June 2018.


rferl--2020-06-16--France Sends Police Reinforcements To Dijon To Quell Chechen-Linked Unrest

The French government has sent police reinforcements to the eastern city of Dijon after it was hit by a fourth night of unrest linked to score-settling by members of France ’ s Chechen community .
Deputy Interior Minister Laurent Nunez travelled to Dijon on June 16 , vowing an `` extremely strong response '' with more than 150 police and paramilitary gendarmes mobilized to halt any new unrest .
At least 10 people were injured in the violence , which began last week after a teenager from the Chechen community was assaulted in Dijon ’ s low-income district of Gresilles @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of North African origin .
The attack prompted reprisals by dozens of Chechens , who reportedly travelled to Dijon from across France , as well as from neighboring Belgium and Germany .
Late on June 15 , dozens of hooded men carrying arms and crowbars gathered in Gresilles , shooting in the air , destroying video surveillance cameras , and setting fire to garbage cans and vehicles , police said .
But officials said the rioters were this time Dijon residents .
Chechnya is a predominantly Muslim region in the North Caucasus .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ number of Chechens living in France as they are included with other Russian passport holders .
Based on reporting by Reuters , AP , and AFP

The French government has sent police reinforcements to the eastern city of Dijon after it was hit by a fourth night of unrest linked to score-settling by members of France’s Chechen community.
Deputy Interior Minister Laurent Nunez travelled to Dijon on June 16, vowing an "extremely strong response" with more than 150 police and paramilitary gendarmes mobilized to halt any new unrest.
At least 10 people were injured in the violence, which began last week after a teenager from the Chechen community was assaulted in Dijon’s low-income district of Gresilles -- an area with a large population of North African origin.
The attack prompted reprisals by dozens of Chechens, who reportedly travelled to Dijon from across France, as well as from neighboring Belgium and Germany.
Late on June 15, dozens of hooded men carrying arms and crowbars gathered in Gresilles, shooting in the air, destroying video surveillance cameras, and setting fire to garbage cans and vehicles, police said.
But officials said the rioters were this time Dijon residents.
Chechnya is a predominantly Muslim region in the North Caucasus.
There are no precise figures on the number of Chechens living in France as they are included with other Russian passport holders.
Based on reporting by Reuters, AP, and AFP


rferl--2020-06-16--Turkmen Citizens In Northern Cyprus Stage Protests Demanding Berdymukhammedov's Resignation

Turkmen citizens residing in Northern Cyprus have staged at least three protests in recent days to demand the resignation of Turkmenistan ’ s authoritarian leader , Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov .
The latest rally was held by dozens of Turkmen nationals in North Nicosia on June 14 where they accused Berdymukhammedov of being a dictator `` incapable of providing the Turkmen nation with bare necessities such as food and a decent life . ''
Some of the protesters held posters with Berdymukhammedov ’ s picture emblazoned with swastikas over them and inscriptions saying `` the Craziest Dictator Ever '' and `` The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is an increasing famine in Turkmenistan and the population 's immiseration continues .
Turkmenistan ’ s authorities totally ignore the real catastrophe and by all possible means suppress any form of dissent .
The country is on the edge of a humanitarian catastrophe , '' one of the protesters said , adding that she will send her demands to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres .
The protesters also demanded a crackdown on corruption , and assistance for residents of the eastern regions of Lebap and Mary to tackle problems caused by heavy storms and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ held in Northern Cyprus on May 11 and May 20 .
Turkmen people in the United States have also held several similar protests in recent weeks and the newly established opposition movement , Democratic Choice of Turkmenistan , which is based outside of the country , announced in early June that it plans to hold protests with the goal `` of liberating Turkmenistan from Berdymukhammedov ’ s dictatorial regime . ''
Berdymukhammedov has ruled the former Soviet republic with an iron fist since the death of his autocratic predecessor , Saparmurat Niyazov , @ @ @ @

Turkmen citizens residing in Northern Cyprus have staged at least three protests in recent days to demand the resignation of Turkmenistan’s authoritarian leader, Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov.
The latest rally was held by dozens of Turkmen nationals in North Nicosia on June 14 where they accused Berdymukhammedov of being a dictator "incapable of providing the Turkmen nation with bare necessities such as food and a decent life."
Some of the protesters held posters with Berdymukhammedov’s picture emblazoned with swastikas over them and inscriptions saying "the Craziest Dictator Ever" and "The President Must Resign!"
"There is an increasing famine in Turkmenistan and the population's immiseration continues. Turkmenistan’s authorities totally ignore the real catastrophe and by all possible means suppress any form of dissent. The country is on the edge of a humanitarian catastrophe," one of the protesters said, adding that she will send her demands to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
The protesters also demanded a crackdown on corruption, and assistance for residents of the eastern regions of Lebap and Mary to tackle problems caused by heavy storms and rains in April.
Similar protests were held in Northern Cyprus on May 11 and May 20.
Turkmen people in the United States have also held several similar protests in recent weeks and the newly established opposition movement, Democratic Choice of Turkmenistan, which is based outside of the country, announced in early June that it plans to hold protests with the goal "of liberating Turkmenistan from Berdymukhammedov’s dictatorial regime."
Berdymukhammedov has ruled the former Soviet republic with an iron fist since the death of his autocratic predecessor, Saparmurat Niyazov, in December 2006.


rferl--2020-06-16--Armenian Parliament Allows Prosecution, Arrest Of Opposition Leader Tsarukian

YEREVAN -- Armenian lawmakers have voted to strip the leader of the country ’ s main opposition party of his parliamentary immunity from prosecution and allow his arrest .
The National Assembly on June 16 backed the prosecutor-general ’ s motions against Gagik Tsarukian , the leader of the Prosperous Armenia Party ( BHK ) , over suspected vote buying in the 2017 general elections .
Tsarukian and members of his political team have called the cases politically motivated , a claim rejected by representatives of the pro-government majority in parliament .
In two separate ballots on June 16 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s My Step alliance voted in favor of allowing Tsarukian ’ s prosecution and arrest , with no lawmaker in the chamber voting against .
The BHK and the other opposition faction , Bright Armenia , did not take part in the secret ballot .
Addressing parliament , Tsarukian alleged that he was being punished for calling for Pashinian ’ s cabinet to resign , and reiterated accusations that the government has mishandled the coronavirus crisis .
“ There is an extremely difficult situation in all spheres today and [ the government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the opposition leader said .
During the session , several Tsarukian supporters staged a protest outside the parliament building and were detained by police for violating a ban on political assemblies that has been imposed as part of measures to stem the spread of the coronavirus .
In his motions , Prosecutor-General Artak Davtian said Tsarukian “ created and led an organized group ” that bought more than 17,000 votes during parliamentary elections held in April 2017 .
Davtian said residents of Gegharkunik Province were given 10,000 drams ( $ 21 ) in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ National Security Service ( NSS ) has collected documents and testimony corroborating the accusations .
Separately , the NSS has opened two criminal cases involving Tsarukian , a wealthy business owner .
The security service accused companies owned by the BHK leader of large-scale fraud after raiding his villa outside Yerevan on June 14 .
Tsarukian was then interrogated for more than eight hours .
The BHK joined the government formed by Pashinian after coming to power in May 2018 , but the ministers affiliated with the party were sacked in October that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the December 2018 snap parliamentary elections , winning 26 seats in the 132-member parliament .

YEREVAN -- Armenian lawmakers have voted to strip the leader of the country’s main opposition party of his parliamentary immunity from prosecution and allow his arrest.
The National Assembly on June 16 backed the prosecutor-general’s motions against Gagik Tsarukian, the leader of the Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK), over suspected vote buying in the 2017 general elections.
Tsarukian and members of his political team have called the cases politically motivated, a claim rejected by representatives of the pro-government majority in parliament.
In two separate ballots on June 16, 87 members of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s My Step alliance voted in favor of allowing Tsarukian’s prosecution and arrest, with no lawmaker in the chamber voting against.
The BHK and the other opposition faction, Bright Armenia, did not take part in the secret ballot.
Addressing parliament, Tsarukian alleged that he was being punished for calling for Pashinian’s cabinet to resign, and reiterated accusations that the government has mishandled the coronavirus crisis.
“There is an extremely difficult situation in all spheres today and [the government] has mishandled the pandemic,” the opposition leader said.
During the session, several Tsarukian supporters staged a protest outside the parliament building and were detained by police for violating a ban on political assemblies that has been imposed as part of measures to stem the spread of the coronavirus.
In his motions, Prosecutor-General Artak Davtian said Tsarukian “created and led an organized group” that bought more than 17,000 votes during parliamentary elections held in April 2017.
Davtian said residents of Gegharkunik Province were given 10,000 drams ($21) in the vote-buying operation, adding that the National Security Service (NSS) has collected documents and testimony corroborating the accusations.
Separately, the NSS has opened two criminal cases involving Tsarukian, a wealthy business owner.
The security service accused companies owned by the BHK leader of large-scale fraud after raiding his villa outside Yerevan on June 14.
Tsarukian was then interrogated for more than eight hours.
The BHK joined the government formed by Pashinian after coming to power in May 2018, but the ministers affiliated with the party were sacked in October that year.
The BHK came distant second in the December 2018 snap parliamentary elections, winning 26 seats in the 132-member parliament.


rferl--2020-06-16--Russian Journalist Prokopyeva Rejects Charges Of 'Justifying Terrorism'

PSKOV , Russia -- Russian journalist Svetlana Prokopyeva again has rejected charges that she had `` justified terrorism '' by publishing an online commentary that linked a suicide bombing with the country ’ s political climate as her trial resumed proceedings .
At the June 16 hearing in the northwestern city of Pskov , defense lawyer Vitaly Cherkasov said prosecutors failed to show any statements by his client that could confirm the allegations .
Prokopyeva , a freelance contributor to RFE/RL ’ s Russian Service , was charged in connection with a commentary she wrote in November 2018 , published @ @ @ @ @ @ @ radio .
In the text , she discussed a bombing outside the Federal Security Service offices in the northern city of Arkhangelsk .
Russian media had reported that the suspected bomber , who died in the explosion , had posted statements on social media accusing the security service of falsifying criminal cases .
In her commentary , Prokopyeva linked the teenager 's statements to the political climate under President Vladimir Putin .
She suggested that political activism in the country was severely restricted , leading people to despair .
Cherkasov told the court @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a journalistic analysis in which his client tried to find out what caused the young man to commit a crime in order to prevent similar tragedies in future .
Prokopyeva has described the case against her as an attempt to “ murder the freedom of speech ” in Russia .
If found guilty , she faces up to 7 years in prison .
“ The charges against Svetlana are bogus and should be dropped , so that she and other Russian journalists can continue their efforts to address the important questions that Russians @ @ @ @ @ @ @ penalty , '' RFE/RL President Jamie Fly said in a statement .
Human Rights Watch called Prokopyeva ’ s prosecution `` a violation of freedom of expression , but not just hers . ''
`` It sends yet another chilling message that in Russia , raising uncomfortable questions can have severe repercussions -- a lesson the authorities have been giving the media for years , '' the New York-based rights group said .
The case has drawn criticism from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe , and media rights groups like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Protect Journalists , and the European Federation of Journalists .

PSKOV, Russia -- Russian journalist Svetlana Prokopyeva again has rejected charges that she had "justified terrorism" by publishing an online commentary that linked a suicide bombing with the country’s political climate as her trial resumed proceedings.
At the June 16 hearing in the northwestern city of Pskov, defense lawyer Vitaly Cherkasov said prosecutors failed to show any statements by his client that could confirm the allegations.
Prokopyeva, a freelance contributor to RFE/RL’s Russian Service, was charged in connection with a commentary she wrote in November 2018, published by the Pskov affiliate of Ekho Moskvy radio. In the text, she discussed a bombing outside the Federal Security Service offices in the northern city of Arkhangelsk.
Russian media had reported that the suspected bomber, who died in the explosion, had posted statements on social media accusing the security service of falsifying criminal cases.
In her commentary, Prokopyeva linked the teenager's statements to the political climate under President Vladimir Putin. She suggested that political activism in the country was severely restricted, leading people to despair.
Cherkasov told the court that Prokopyeva's comments in question were a journalistic analysis in which his client tried to find out what caused the young man to commit a crime in order to prevent similar tragedies in future.
Prokopyeva has described the case against her as an attempt to “murder the freedom of speech” in Russia.
If found guilty, she faces up to 7 years in prison.
“The charges against Svetlana are bogus and should be dropped, so that she and other Russian journalists can continue their efforts to address the important questions that Russians are contending with without fear of legal penalty," RFE/RL President Jamie Fly said in a statement.
Human Rights Watch called Prokopyeva’s prosecution "a violation of freedom of expression, but not just hers."
"It sends yet another chilling message that in Russia, raising uncomfortable questions can have severe repercussions -- a lesson the authorities have been giving the media for years," the New York-based rights group said.
The case has drawn criticism from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and media rights groups like Reporters Without Borders, the Committee to Protect Journalists, and the European Federation of Journalists.