rferl--2020-07-17--North Macedonia's Pro-EU Social Democrats Win Elections, Face Complex Coalition Talks

North Macedonia 's pro-EU Social Democrats will try to start complex power-sharing negotiations after securing a narrow victory in the Balkan country ’ s July 15 parliamentary elections .
Former Prime Minister Zoran Zaev ’ s Social Democratic Union of Macedonia ( SDSM ) secured 36.13 percent of the vote , compared to 34.65 percent for the right-wing VMRO-DPMNE , according the election results announced on July 16 .
The State Election Commission ( SEC ) said the SDSM won 46 seats in the 120-member parliament , short of the 61 need to govern .
The VMRO-DPMNE secured 44 seats @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get the mandate for his SDSM to form a new government , likely by reaching out to parties representing the country ’ s ethnic Albanian population , which make up about a quarter of the country ’ s 2.1 million people .
`` We had a peaceful , dignified , free , democratic , and safe election , '' Zaev said as he declared victory at a news conference at his party ’ s election headquarters .
However , the VMRO-DPMNE , whose leader , Hristijan Mickoski , ran a negative campaign attacking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said that they are still in the race to form a new government .
Political analyst Albert Musliu told RFE/RL that , given the results of the election , it will be difficult for the Albanian parties to bypass the SDSM and form a coalition with the VMRO-DPMNE .
The largest ethnic Albanian party , the Democratic Union for Integration ( DUI ) won 15 seats , putting it in kingmaker position .
The DUI has been in coalition governments for the past 18 years and became the junior coalition partner of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
However , this time the DUI has demanded that an ethnic Albanian become prime minister , something the two main parties have rejected .
The Alliance of Albanians won 12 seats , the left-wing Levica two seats , and the smaller Democratic Party of Albanians one seat .
The election marked the first time an Albanian party , BESA , had formed a preelection coalition with one of the Macedonian parties , the SDSM .
Analysts say talks to form a new government are likely to be long and full of political @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the election will advance the country ’ s Euro-Atlantic integration .
“ One thing is certain , the balance of power in parliament will keep North Macedonia on course toward the EU , ” Nikola Dujovski , a professor at the University of Bitola , told RFE/RL .
The vote was originally scheduled for April but postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic .
With the outbreak resurging , polling stations were open for two additional hours to reduce crowding and health protocols including a face mask requirement were enforced .
The pandemic and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ issue and appeared to dampen voter turnout despite health protocols at polling stations .
The turnout among the 1.8 million registered voters was just over 50 percent .
The SEC said its website that publishes results had been down for almost four hours on July 15 due to a cyberattack , during which time the count was instead streamed live on YouTube .
The election body said the hack did not impact the ballot count .
A caretaker government has been running the country since Zaev resigned from the post of prime minister @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the autumn to provide a start date for accession talks .
After months of delay due to opposition from France , the EU in March finally gave North Macedonia a green light to start formal talks to join the bloc .
Zaev did much in a short time to mend fences with neighbors and advance integration with the West .
Since becoming prime minister in 2017 , he reached a landmark deal with neighboring Greece to add `` North '' to the country ’ s name , clearing the way for Athens to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ membership in NATO .
He also signed a friendship deal with neighboring Bulgaria , removing another impediment to prepare for EU membership .
Zaev has tried to convince the public that his party achieved results and promises a brighter , more prosperous future for one of the poorest countries in Europe , where the average monthly salary is 420 euros ( $ 477 ) .
The VMRO-DPMNE opposed changing the country ’ s name from Macedonia to North Macedonia , which removed Athens ' concerns about a perceived claim to the Greek province @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the deal with Bulgaria .
The vote carries broader geopolitical implications , as the EU and United States seek to bring North Macedonia closer to slow moves by Russia and China to increase their influence in the Western Balkans .

North Macedonia's pro-EU Social Democrats will try to start complex power-sharing negotiations after securing a narrow victory in the Balkan country’s July 15 parliamentary elections.
Former Prime Minister Zoran Zaev’s Social Democratic Union of Macedonia (SDSM) secured 36.13 percent of the vote, compared to 34.65 percent for the right-wing VMRO-DPMNE, according the election results announced on July 16.
The State Election Commission (SEC) said the SDSM won 46 seats in the 120-member parliament, short of the 61 need to govern. The VMRO-DPMNE secured 44 seats.
The results mean Zaev is tipped get the mandate for his SDSM to form a new government, likely by reaching out to parties representing the country’s ethnic Albanian population, which make up about a quarter of the country’s 2.1 million people.
"We had a peaceful, dignified, free, democratic, and safe election," Zaev said as he declared victory at a news conference at his party’s election headquarters.
However, the VMRO-DPMNE, whose leader, Hristijan Mickoski, ran a negative campaign attacking Zaev and tapping into nationalist-populist resentment, said that they are still in the race to form a new government.
Political analyst Albert Musliu told RFE/RL that, given the results of the election, it will be difficult for the Albanian parties to bypass the SDSM and form a coalition with the VMRO-DPMNE.
The largest ethnic Albanian party, the Democratic Union for Integration (DUI) won 15 seats, putting it in kingmaker position.
The DUI has been in coalition governments for the past 18 years and became the junior coalition partner of the SDSM after the last elections in 2016.
However, this time the DUI has demanded that an ethnic Albanian become prime minister, something the two main parties have rejected.
The Alliance of Albanians won 12 seats, the left-wing Levica two seats, and the smaller Democratic Party of Albanians one seat.
The election marked the first time an Albanian party, BESA, had formed a preelection coalition with one of the Macedonian parties, the SDSM.
Analysts say talks to form a new government are likely to be long and full of political horse-trading, but that the results of the election will advance the country’s Euro-Atlantic integration.
“One thing is certain, the balance of power in parliament will keep North Macedonia on course toward the EU,” Nikola Dujovski, a professor at the University of Bitola, told RFE/RL.
The vote was originally scheduled for April but postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. With the outbreak resurging, polling stations were open for two additional hours to reduce crowding and health protocols including a face mask requirement were enforced.
The pandemic and its economic consequences have become a major issue and appeared to dampen voter turnout despite health protocols at polling stations. The turnout among the 1.8 million registered voters was just over 50 percent.
The SEC said its website that publishes results had been down for almost four hours on July 15 due to a cyberattack, during which time the count was instead streamed live on YouTube. The election body said the hack did not impact the ballot count.
EU Talks
A caretaker government has been running the country since Zaev resigned from the post of prime minister in January after the EU failed in the autumn to provide a start date for accession talks.
After months of delay due to opposition from France, the EU in March finally gave North Macedonia a green light to start formal talks to join the bloc.
Zaev did much in a short time to mend fences with neighbors and advance integration with the West.
Since becoming prime minister in 2017, he reached a landmark deal with neighboring Greece to add "North" to the country’s name, clearing the way for Athens to lift its veto over Skopje’s membership in NATO. He also signed a friendship deal with neighboring Bulgaria, removing another impediment to prepare for EU membership.
Zaev has tried to convince the public that his party achieved results and promises a brighter, more prosperous future for one of the poorest countries in Europe, where the average monthly salary is 420 euros ($477).
The VMRO-DPMNE opposed changing the country’s name from Macedonia to North Macedonia, which removed Athens' concerns about a perceived claim to the Greek province of Macedonia. The party also opposed the deal with Bulgaria.
The vote carries broader geopolitical implications, as the EU and United States seek to bring North Macedonia closer to slow moves by Russia and China to increase their influence in the Western Balkans.


rferl--2020-07-18--RSF Blasts Georgian Ruling Party For Media Restrictions Ahead Of Election

Reporters Without Borders ( RSF ) has condemned the Georgian parliament for what it calls measures “ restricting media freedom ” less than four months before legislative elections in the South Caucasus nation .
In a July 17 statement , the media watchdog accused the parliament -- led by the ruling Georgia Dream party -- of attempting to `` control radio and television channels '' under the guise of a “ crusade against disinformation.
” “ Reporters Without Borders denounces the attack on the independence and pluralism of the media , ” the Paris-based organization said .
“ A few @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stakes , the atmosphere is stifling for the Georgian opposition media .
Under the cover of the fight against disinformation , they are subject to increasingly strict legislation and to judicial pressure directly threatening their editorial choices , ” it said .
Georgia ranks 60th out of 180 nations in RSF ’ s 2020 World Press Freedom Index .
Georgians are set to vote in parliamentary elections in October , but lawmakers have approved several measures that have angered the opposition ahead of the vote .
Georgian Dream , led by billionaire founder @ @ @ @ @ @ @ legislature 's seats , even though it won just under half of the popular vote , because of an election format that opposition parties insisted unfairly favored the ruling party .
RSF said an amendment to the law governing electronic communications , adopted on July 17 , “ shows a desire to control radio and television channels ” by allowing the appointment of a “ special manager ” at the head of companies in the audiovisual sector .
RSF said the manager is authorized to “ take control ” of companies deemed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the National Communications Commission and has the right to appoint and dismiss managers .
It said the commission was originally designed to be a “ strictly operational ” organization but has “ gradually seen its prerogatives extended to surveillance and censorship.
” RSF said the commission has recently tried to “ discredit Netgazeti.ge and Batumelebi , two opposition media , accusing them of disinformation.
” ” The watchdog also cited the case of TV channel Mtavari Arkhi , led by opposition figure Giorgi Rurua .
Rurua was arrested on November 18 and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and carrying a firearm , which he and his supporters have denied .
Opposition parties insist that Rurua ’ s arrest was politically motivated .
RSF said the Georgian secret service has also accused Mtavari Arkhi journalists `` in the context of an investigation for ‘ sabotage ’ to misinform the population and to discredit the power . ''
“ The Georgian government must not interfere with the work of newsrooms , '' RSF Eastern Europe and Central Asia office manager Jeanne Cavelier said .
“ Less than four months before the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the media are essential for holding a democratic debate .
“ We call on the authorities to immediately drop the criminal proceedings against Mtavari Arkhi and promote the reliability of the information rather than attempt to censor the content , ” she said .
On July 15 , Georgian lawmakers extended amendments to the Law on Public Health through the end of the year , allowing the government to impose restrictions without declaring the state of emergency .
Opposition parties and groups assert that by extending the amendments , the ruling Georgian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ health issue to gain control over the parliamentary elections .
The chairman of the parliamentary committee for health care and social issues , Dimitri Khundadze , who presented the amendments , said the decision to prolong the amendments was based on what he called a possible “ more devastating ” second wave of the COVID-19 outbreak in the South Caucasus nation .

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has condemned the Georgian parliament for what it calls measures “restricting media freedom” less than four months before legislative elections in the South Caucasus nation.
In a July 17 statement, the media watchdog accused the parliament -- led by the ruling Georgian Dream party -- of attempting to "control radio and television channels" under the guise of a “crusade against disinformation.”
“Reporters Without Borders denounces the attack on the independence and pluralism of the media,” the Paris-based organization said.
“A few months before an election deadline with high stakes, the atmosphere is stifling for the Georgian opposition media. Under the cover of the fight against disinformation, they are subject to increasingly strict legislation and to judicial pressure directly threatening their editorial choices,” it said.
Georgia ranks 60th out of 180 nations in RSF’s 2020 World Press Freedom Index.
Georgians are set to vote in parliamentary elections in October, but lawmakers have approved several measures that have angered the opposition ahead of the vote.
Georgian Dream, led by billionaire founder Bidzina Ivanishvili, holds three-quarters of the legislature's seats, even though it won just under half of the popular vote, because of an election format that opposition parties insisted unfairly favored the ruling party.
RSF said an amendment to the law governing electronic communications, adopted on July 17, “shows a desire to control radio and television channels” by allowing the appointment of a “special manager” at the head of companies in the audiovisual sector.
RSF said the manager is authorized to “take control” of companies deemed to not be in compliance with the decisions of the National Communications Commission and has the right to appoint and dismiss managers.
'Surveillance And Censorship'
It said the commission was originally designed to be a “strictly operational” organization but has “gradually seen its prerogatives extended to surveillance and censorship.”
RSF said the commission has recently tried to “discredit Netgazeti.ge and Batumelebi, two opposition media, accusing them of disinformation.””
The watchdog also cited the case of TV channel Mtavari Arkhi, led by opposition figure Giorgi Rurua.
Rurua was arrested on November 18 and charged with illegally purchasing, possessing, and carrying a firearm, which he and his supporters have denied. Opposition parties insist that Rurua’s arrest was politically motivated.
RSF said the Georgian secret service has also accused Mtavari Arkhi journalists as part of a "sabotage" investigation of endeavoring "to misinform the population and discredit" those in power.
“The Georgian government must not interfere with the work of newsrooms," RSF Eastern Europe and Central Asia office manager Jeanne Cavelier said.
“Less than four months before the legislative elections, the independence and pluralism of the media are essential for holding a democratic debate.
“We call on the authorities to immediately drop the criminal proceedings against Mtavari Arkhi and promote the reliability of the information rather than attempt to censor the content,” she said.
On July 15, Georgian lawmakers extended amendments to the Law on Public Health through the end of the year, allowing the government to impose restrictions without declaring a state of emergency.
Opposition parties and groups assert that by extending the amendments, the ruling Georgian Dream party is trying to use public health issue to gain control over the parliamentary elections.
The chairman of the parliamentary committee for health care and social issues, Dimitri Khundadze, who presented the amendments, said the decision to prolong these measures s was based on what he called a possible “more devastating” second wave of the COVID-19 outbreak in the South Caucasus nation.
With reporting by RFE/RL’s Georgian Service


rferl--2020-07-17--Bulgarians Rally For Ninth Night In Antigovernment Protests

SOFIA -- Bulgarians took to the streets of the capital and other cities for the ninth straight night as they continued to press demands that Prime Minister Boyko Borisov 's government step down over allegations of corruption .
The July 17 demonstrations took place while Borisov was in Brussels for an extraordinary meeting of the European Council , as he and other European leaders sought a deal on a proposed 1.1 trillion euro budget for 2021-27 and on a fund of 750 billion euros to restart the bloc ’ s economy amid the coronavirus pandemic .
Bulgarian protesters are demanding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Prosecutor-General Ivan Geshev over rampant high-level corruption .
Rallies took place at multiple sites in Sofia on July 17 .
Demonstrators outside the BNT state television building demanded the resignation of General Director Emil Koshlukov ; while activists from the Justice for Everyone group rallied near the Judicial Chamber to call for constitutional changes and the resignation of the prosecutor general .
A main rally uniting the various opposition groups later swept through the capital , finishing at a square in front of the Council of Ministers .
Protesters chanted `` It will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ resigns ! ''
along with `` Resign ! ''
and `` Mafia ! ''
Rallies were also held in Lovech , Haskovo , Plovdiv , Vratsa , Montana , Varna , Burgas , Kyustendil , and other cities .
On July 15 , Borisov asked his finance , economy , and interior ministers to step down amid the nationwide anticorruption protests in the Southeastern European country .
A participant in the July 17 protest told BNT state television that the ouster of the three ministers was just a `` parody '' of real @ @ @ @ @ @ @ violence during protests in Sofia last week and called for Interior Minister Mladen Marinov to resign .
The protests were sparked by a raid on July 9 by the Prosecutor-General 's Office on the presidential headquarters .
President Rumen Radev ’ s legal affairs and anticorruption secretary and his security and defense adviser were detained for questioning and their offices searched as part of two separate probes into influence-peddling and disclosure of state secrets .
The demonstrators have condemned the raids as an attack by the government and the prosecutor-general against Radev .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ then to drive the `` mafia '' out of government and the prosecutor 's office .
Finance Minister Vladislav Goranov had been under fire after SMS messages made public by businessman Vasil Bozhkov -- who is facing charges of tax fraud , attempted bribery , and organized crime -- showed that the two men communicated regularly until January 2020 .
Revelations that the state-run Bulgarian Development Bank granted a $ 44 million loan to a small company also drew public discontent toward the Economy Ministry , led by Emil Karanikolov .
Borisov , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ interruption since 2009 , has refused to resign .
The government 's term is set to end in spring 2021 , when the next parliamentary elections would be held .
Borissov next week faces a parliamentary vote of no-confidence called by the opposition Socialists , but he is expected to survive it .
With reporting by dpa and Reuters

SOFIA -- Thousands of Bulgarians took to the streets of the capital and other cities for the ninth straight night as they continued to press demands that Prime Minister Boyko Borisov's government step down over allegations of corruption.
The July 17 demonstrations took place while Borisov was in Brussels for an extraordinary meeting of the European Council, as he and other European leaders sought a deal on a proposed 1.1 trillion euro budget for 2021-27 ($1.26 trillion) and on a fund of 750 billion euros ($857 billion) to restart the bloc’s economy amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Bulgarian protesters are demanding the resignation of Borisov's government and Prosecutor-General Ivan Geshev over rampant high-level corruption.
Rallies took place at multiple sites in Sofia on July 17.
Demonstrators outside the BNT state television building demanded the resignation of General Director Emil Koshlukov; while activists from the Justice for Everyone group rallied near the Judicial Chamber to call for constitutional changes and the resignation of the prosecutor-general.
A main rally uniting the various opposition groups later swept through the capital, finishing at a square in front of the Council of Ministers.
Protesters chanted "It will be like this every day until he resigns!" along with "Resign!" and "Mafia!"
Rallies were also held in Lovech, Haskovo, Plovdiv, Vratsa, Montana, Varna, Burgas, Kyustendil, and other cities.
'Parody Of Reform'
On July 15, Borisov asked his finance, economy, and interior ministers to step down amid the nationwide anti-corruption protests in the Southeastern European country.
A participant in the July 17 protest told BNT state television that the ouster of the three ministers was just a "parody" of real reform.
Demonstrators have also denounced police violence during protests in Sofia last week and called on Interior Minister Mladen Marinov to resign.
The protests were sparked by a raid on July 9 by the Prosecutor-General's Office on the presidential headquarters.
President Rumen Radev’s legal affairs and anticorruption secretary and his security and defense adviser were detained for questioning and their offices searched as part of two separate probes into influence-peddling and disclosure of state secrets.
The demonstrators have condemned the raids as an attack by the government and the prosecutor-general against Radev.
Radev has backed the protesters, urging then to drive the "mafia" out of government and the prosecutor's office.
Finance Minister Vladislav Goranov had been under fire after SMS messages made public by businessman Vasil Bozhkov -- who is facing charges of tax fraud, attempted bribery, and organized crime -- showed that the two men communicated regularly until January 2020.
Revelations that the state-run Bulgarian Development Bank granted a $44 million loan to a small company also drew public discontent toward the Economy Ministry, led by Emil Karanikolov.
Borisov, who has been prime minister almost without interruption since 2009, has refused to resign.
The government's term is set to end in spring 2021, when the next parliamentary elections would be held.
Borissov next week faces a parliamentary vote of no-confidence called by the opposition Socialists, but he is expected to survive it.
With reporting by dpa and Reuters


rferl--2020-07-17--Russia Urged To Accept Responsibility On Sixth Anniversary Of MH17 Downing

Ukraine and its Western partners have marked the sixth anniversary of the downing of a Malaysia Airlines passenger flight over eastern Ukraine by calling on Russia to cooperate fully with the investigation into the tragedy and accept its responsibility .
Prosecutors have argued that MH17 was shot down on July 17 , 2014 by a Russian-made Buk antiaircraft system fired by Russia-backed separatist fighters who had acquired it from a Russian military base on the border between the two countries .
All 298 people on board were killed .
Four suspects , three Russians and one Ukrainian , are being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tragedy .
Moscow has denied any involvement in the downing and the conflict in the eastern Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk , which has killed more than 13,000 people since April 2014 .
`` Ukraine calls on Russia to accept its responsibility and adhere to its international obligations , namely ... to cooperate with the ongoing investigation and criminal proceedings , '' Ukraine 's Foreign Ministry said in a statement on July 17 .
The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv said Russia should `` cooperate fully with the investigation and efforts to establish @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that every indicted individual currently in Russia or Russia-controlled territory face justice .
Russia has repeatedly obstructed progress on measures to resolve the conflict in eastern Ukraine which it started and continues to fuel , '' acting U.S .
Ambassador to Ukraine Kristina Kvien said in a video posted on Twitter .
Meanwhile , EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the bloc expects Russia to accept its responsibility for the Ukrainian plane ’ s downing and to fully cooperate with efforts to establish accountability .
The sixth anniversary of the tragedy comes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it was taking Russia to the European Court of Human Rights for its alleged role .
Nearly two-thirds of the crash ’ s victims were Dutch nationals .

Ukraine and its Western partners have marked the sixth anniversary of the downing of a Malaysia Airlines passenger flight over eastern Ukraine by calling on Russia to cooperate fully with the investigation into the tragedy and accept its responsibility.
Prosecutors have argued that MH17 was shot down on July 17, 2014 by a Russian-made Buk antiaircraft system fired by Russia-backed separatist fighters who had acquired it from a Russian military base on the border between the two countries. All 298 people on board were killed.
Four suspects, three Russians and one Ukrainian, are being tried in absentia for involvement in the tragedy.
Moscow has denied any involvement in the downing and the conflict in the eastern Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, which has killed more than 13,000 people since April 2014.
"Ukraine calls on Russia to accept its responsibility and adhere to its international obligations, namely...to cooperate with the ongoing investigation and criminal proceedings," Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said in a statement on July 17.
The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv said Russia should "cooperate fully with the investigation and efforts to establish accountability."
"Russia must ensure that every indicted individual currently in Russia or Russia-controlled territory face justice. Russia has repeatedly obstructed progress on measures to resolve the conflict in eastern Ukraine which it started and continues to fuel," acting U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Kristina Kvien said in a video posted on Twitter.
Meanwhile, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the bloc expects Russia to accept its responsibility for the Ukrainian plane’s downing and to fully cooperate with efforts to establish accountability.
The sixth anniversary of the tragedy comes a week after the Dutch government announced it was taking Russia to the European Court of Human Rights for its alleged role.
Nearly two-thirds of the crash’s victims were Dutch nationals.


rferl--2020-07-17--Iran Vows To 'Deal Decisively' With Protests

Iran has vowed to “ deal decisively '' with further protests , a day after police fired tear gas to disperse antiestablishment demonstrators in the southwestern city of Behbahan .
Accusing `` enemies '' of whipping up discontent , police on July 17 urged people to `` vigilantly refrain from any gathering that could provide a pretext for the counterrevolutionary movement.
” '' The police force has an inherent and legal duty to deal decisively with these desperate moves , '' a statement said .
The official government news agency IRNA quoted Behbahan ’ s police chief Mohammad Azizi as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people ” had gathered to protest against “ the economic situation.
” He said that the protest was broken with “ firmness ” after the demonstrators shouted “ norm-breaking chants , '' a term usually used by Iranian authorities to refer to slogans against the clerical establishment .
Videos posted online showed protesters in Behbahan chanting slogans such as `` Do n't be afraid , we 're all together , '' and `` No Gaza , no Lebanon , my life for Iran . ''
Azizi said calm was restored without providing further @ @ @ @ @ @ @ arrest was made .
Netblocks , a website that monitors Internet disruptions , said Internet access was restricted and disrupted in Khuzestan Province , where Behbahan is located , for about three hours around the time of the protest .
The rally in Behbahan came amid a social-media campaign calling on Iranian authorities to overturn death sentences handed to three men who participated in protests last year .
On July 14 , Iran ’ s judiciary announced that the Supreme Court upheld the death sentences against Amir Hossein Moradi , 25 , Saeed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , 25 , for criminal actions during the November 2019 protests sparked by a sudden hike in the price of gasoline .
Also on July 16 , Iran 's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps ( IRGC ) announced they had arrested a number of `` agitators '' and also broke up a `` terrorist group . ''
Those arrested in the northern city of Mashhad were `` connected to anti-revolutionary groups '' and had made calls for street protests , it said .
In the southwestern city of Shiraz , members of the Mujahedin-e @ @ @ @ @ @ @ exiled group which Tehran considers a terrorist group , were also detained , the IRGC said , adding that the move prevented a `` subversive operation . ''
Iran 's economy has deteriorated since 2018 , when U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the 2015 nuclear agreement between Tehran and world powers , and reimposed crippling economic sanctions on the country .
The coronavirus epidemic has exacerbated Iran 's economic woes with a temporary shutdown of the economy and reduced exports .
With reporting by IRNA , Reuters , AP @ @ @

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


rferl--2020-07-17--Pakistan Hails Decision To Add Pakistani Taliban Leader To UN Sanctions List

The Pakistani government has welcomed a United Nations Security Council ’ s ( UNSC ) decision to add the leader of the Tehrik-e Taliban militant group ( TTP ) to a sanctions list of individuals and entities subject to an assets freeze , travel ban , and arms embargo .
The sanctions against TTP chief Noor Wali Mehsud “ are being implemented by Pakistan in compliance with the relevant UNSC resolutions and we hope that other countries will also follow suit , ” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement on July 17 .
A sanctions committee of the Security @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ participating in the financing , planning , facilitating , or perpetrating of acts or activities by , in conjunction with , under the name of , on behalf of , or in support of entities associated ” with the Al-Qaeda terrorist network .
Mehsud was named the TTP leader in June 2018 following the death of the group ’ s former leader , Maulana Fazlullah , in a U.S. strike in Afghanistan .
Under Mehsud ’ s leadership , TTP claimed responsibility for deadly attacks across Pakistan .
The group was designated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its association with Al-Qaeda .
The United States designated Masud as a global terrorist in September last year .

The Pakistani government has welcomed a United Nations Security Council’s (UNSC) decision to add the leader of the Tehrik-e Taliban militant group (TTP) to a sanctions list of individuals and entities subject to an assets freeze, travel ban, and arms embargo.
The sanctions against TTP chief Noor Wali Mehsud “are being implemented by Pakistan in compliance with the relevant UNSC resolutions and we hope that other countries will also follow suit,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement on July 17.
A sanctions committee of the Security Council on July 17 designated Mehsud for “participating in the financing, planning, facilitating, or perpetrating of acts or activities by, in conjunction with, under the name of, on behalf of, or in support of entities associated” with the Al-Qaeda terrorist network.
Mehsud was named the TTP leader in June 2018 following the death of the group’s former leader, Maulana Fazlullah, in a U.S. strike in Afghanistan.
Under Mehsud’s leadership, TTP claimed responsibility for deadly attacks across Pakistan.
The group was designated by the Security Council in 2011 for its association with Al-Qaeda.
The United States designated Masud as a global terrorist in September last year.


rferl--2020-07-17--Belarusian Opposition Rallies Behind Tsikhanouskaya In Presidential Race

The united campaigns of three opposition figures involved in Belarus ’ s presidential election next month have called on Belarusians to vote for registered opposition candidate Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya .
At a press conference in Minsk on July 17 , Tsikhanouskaya and representatives of two opposition candidates who were denied registration as presidential candidates , former Belgazprombank head Viktar Babaryka and prominent businessman Valer Tsapkala , said that their campaigns had united to `` defeat '' the `` long-time dictatorial regime . ''
`` We all have one goal , we all want a change of power on August 9 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ For this goal , we are uniting our efforts and call on all Belarusians to unite in their efforts too , '' Maryya Kalesnikava , a coordinator of Babaryka 's campaign , told the news conference .
She said that from the very beginning , Babaryka 's campaign strategy was to unite around an opposition candidate who manages to get official registration .
The upcoming election comes as President Alyaksandr Lukashenka faces mounting public opposition to his rule .
The country has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic with more than 65,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University .
Lukashenka ignored calls to institute any lockdown measures , dismissing the virus as nothing more than a `` psychosis . ''
Hundreds of people , including activists and bloggers , have been arrested as the government has cracked down hard on rallies and demonstrations despite calls for restraint from Western governments and institutions , including the United Nations .
Tsikhanouskaya said that she became a presidential candidate because of her jailed husband , well-known vlogger Syarhey Tsikhanouski , who was incarcerated after he openly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` We are ready to call people to protect their rights by any means that Belarusian citizens choose as right , '' Tsikhanouskaya said , adding that in case the election results are rigged as has happened in the past , street protests could be possible as well .
Veranika Tsapkala , who represented the campaign of her husband Valer Tsapkala , told the press conference that the campaigns decided to unite in response to the `` shameless way '' authorities blocked the three `` most powerful candidates '' from the election @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and Tsikhanouskaya 's spouse .
The press conference was held a day after the three campaigns announced they would unite to present a joint program .
Tsikhanouskaya , Tsapkala , and Kalesnikava reiterated at the press conference that their program included urging Belarusians to vote in the upcoming election , calling for the release of all “ political and economic prisoners ” and new trials for each of them , a pledge to hold “ an honest repeat election after August 9 , ” and a pledge to cooperate on creating a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ monitor the presidential poll .
The three women said that a more detailed program will be issued later .
On July 14 , the Central Election Commission registered five candidates for the presidential poll , including Tsikhanouskaya and incumbent President Alyaksandr Lukashenka .
Babaryka , who was viewed as a potentially potent rival to Lukashenka , was denied registration .
He was jailed in June on suspicion of money laundering , bribery , and tax evasion .
He denies the charges and says they are politically motivated .
The government took over Belgazprombank @ @ @ @ @ @ @ proclaimed Babaryka and his son , Eduard , who was arrested with his father on June 18 , to be prisoners of conscience .
Tsapkala ’ s attempt to register was foiled after election officials disqualified at least 38,000 of the signatures he had submitted in support of his candidacy .
After the registrations were announced , a wave of protests rocked the country and hundreds of people have been detained , including at least 17 members of the press covering the demonstrations .
Events in Belarus have drawn criticism from the United @ @ @ @ @ @ @ international rights groups .
On July 17 , Amnesty International urged the Belarusian authorities to “ halt their crackdown on all dissent ” ahead of the presidential election , and “ immediately end their vicious campaign of targeting women activists and family members of political opposition representatives using tactics fueled by misogyny.
” In a new report , the London-based human rights watchdog exposes the authorities ’ “ playbook of targeting women with gender-specific reprisals , which include threats to take their children into state custody and threats of sexual violence.
” “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , women activists not only pose a formidable challenge to the incumbent but also face Lukashenka ’ s openly misogynistic remarks broadcast on prime-time national television .
Women also face disproportionate and politically motivated persecution , intimidation , harassment and reprisals in Belarus today , ” said Amnesty International ’ s Eastern Europe and Central Asia director , Marie Struthers .
Lukashenka has rejected Western criticism of the government 's violent dispersal of the demonstrations and the disqualification of candidates .
The 65-year-old Belarusian leader , who has ruled the country since 1994 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as president .
Belarus abolished presidential term limits in 2004 .

The united campaigns of three opposition figures involved in Belarus’s presidential election next month have called on Belarusians to vote for registered opposition candidate Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya.
At a press conference in Minsk on July 17, Tsikhanouskaya and representatives of two opposition candidates who were denied registration as presidential candidates, former Belgazprombank head Viktar Babaryka and prominent businessman Valer Tsapkala, said that their campaigns had united to "defeat" the "long-time dictatorial regime."
"We all have one goal, we all want a change of power on August 9, we want Belarus to wake up. For this goal, we are uniting our efforts and call on all Belarusians to unite in their efforts too," Maryya Kalesnikava, a coordinator of Babaryka's campaign, told the news conference.
She said that from the very beginning, Babaryka's campaign strategy was to unite around an opposition candidate who manages to get official registration.
The upcoming election comes as President Alyaksandr Lukashenka faces mounting public opposition to his rule. The country has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic with more than 65,000 confirmed cases as of July 16, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
Lukashenka ignored calls to institute any lockdown measures, dismissing the virus as nothing more than a "psychosis." Hundreds of people, including activists and bloggers, have been arrested as the government has cracked down hard on rallies and demonstrations despite calls for restraint from Western governments and institutions, including the United Nations.
Tsikhanouskaya said that she became a presidential candidate because of her jailed husband, well-known vlogger Syarhey Tsikhanouski, who was incarcerated after he openly expressed his intention to run for president.
"We are ready to call people to protect their rights by any means that Belarusian citizens choose as right," Tsikhanouskaya said, adding that in case the election results are rigged as has happened in the past, street protests could be possible as well.
Veranika Tsapkala, who represented the campaign of her husband Valer Tsapkala, told the press conference that the campaigns decided to unite in response to the "shameless way" authorities blocked the three "most powerful candidates" from the election, referring to Babaryka, her husband, and Tsikhanouskaya's spouse.
The press conference was held a day after the three campaigns announced they would unite to present a joint program.
Five Candidates Registered
Tsikhanouskaya, Tsapkala, and Kalesnikava reiterated at the press conference that their program included urging Belarusians to vote in the upcoming election, calling for the release of all “political and economic prisoners” and new trials for each of them, a pledge to hold “an honest repeat election after August 9,” and a pledge to cooperate on creating a program to combat electoral fraud and to monitor the presidential poll.
The three women said that a more detailed program will be issued later.
On July 14, the Central Election Commission registered five candidates for the presidential poll, including Tsikhanouskaya and incumbent President Alyaksandr Lukashenka.
Babaryka, who was viewed as a potentially potent rival to Lukashenka, was denied registration. He was jailed in June on suspicion of money laundering, bribery, and tax evasion. He denies the charges and says they are politically motivated. The government took over Belgazprombank on June 15.
Amnesty International has proclaimed Babaryka and his son, Eduard, who was arrested with his father on June 18, to be prisoners of conscience.
Tsapkala’s attempt to register was foiled after election officials disqualified at least 38,000 of the signatures he had submitted in support of his candidacy.
After the registrations were announced, a wave of protests rocked the country and hundreds of people have been detained, including at least 17 members of the press covering the demonstrations.
Events in Belarus have drawn criticism from the United States, the European Union, and international rights groups.
On July 17, Amnesty International urged the Belarusian authorities to “halt their crackdown on all dissent” ahead of the presidential election, and “immediately end their vicious campaign of targeting women activists and family members of political opposition representatives using tactics fueled by misogyny.”
In a new report, the London-based human rights watchdog exposes the authorities’ “playbook of targeting women with gender-specific reprisals, which include threats to take their children into state custody and threats of sexual violence.”
“With the election just a month away, women activists not only pose a formidable challenge to the incumbent but also face Lukashenka’s openly misogynistic remarks broadcast on prime-time national television. Women also face disproportionate and politically motivated persecution, intimidation, harassment and reprisals in Belarus today,” said Amnesty International’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia director, Marie Struthers.
Lukashenka has rejected Western criticism of the government's violent dispersal of the demonstrations and the disqualification of candidates.
The 65-year-old Belarusian leader, who has ruled the country since 1994, is currently serving his fifth term as president. Belarus abolished presidential term limits in 2004.


rferl--2020-07-17--Kremlin Critic Navalny Ordered Not To Leave Moscow During Investigation Into Video Post

MOSCOW -- Russian opposition politician Aleksei Navalny says he has been ordered not to leave Moscow as investigations continue connected to a criminal case launched over comments he made on social media .
Navalny wrote on Twitter that the investigator of the case told him about the restriction during questioning at the Investigative Committee on July 17 .
“ All this has been invented so that I could n't travel to the regions ” to campaign against candidates from the ruling United Russia party ahead of regional elections in September , he wrote .
While he was being interrogated , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his Anti-Corruption Foundation in southern Moscow .
Navalny also said that after the interrogation , investigators took him to the apartment he rents in Moscow and another apartment where he is registered as a resident .
The Investigative Committee said in mid-June that Navalny had been accused 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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” “ people with no conscience , ” and “ corrupt lackeys.
” The Investigative Committee said the comments contained “ deliberately false information denigrating the honor and dignity ” of the veteran .
Navalny faces penalties ranging from a fine of 1 million rubles ( $ 14,255 ) to 240 hours of community service if convicted .
Earlier this year , Russian state-run media broadcast videos of WWII veterans , celebrities , and ordinary people expressing their support for constitutional amendments that were approved by a national vote on July 1 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Putin to seek two more presidential terms after his current term ends in 2024 .
Navalny , 44 , has been jailed several times in recent years , barred from running for president , and had a bid to run for Moscow mayor blocked .
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 been blocked in what they described as a move to discredit and disgrace them .

MOSCOW -- Russian opposition politician Aleksei Navalny says he has been ordered not to leave Moscow as investigations continue connected to a criminal case launched over comments he made on social media.
Navalny wrote on Twitter that the investigator of the case told him about the restriction during questioning at the Investigative Committee on July 17.
“All this has been invented so that I couldn't travel to the regions” to campaign against candidates from the ruling United Russia party ahead of regional elections in September, he wrote.
While he was being interrogated, law enforcement officers searched the offices of his Anti-Corruption Foundation in southern Moscow.
Navalny also said that after the interrogation, investigators took him to the apartment he rents in Moscow and another apartment where he is registered as a resident.
The Investigative Committee said in mid-June that Navalny had been accused 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.”
The Investigative Committee said the comments contained “deliberately false information denigrating the honor and dignity” of the veteran.
Navalny faces penalties ranging from a fine of 1 million rubles ($14,255) to 240 hours of community service if convicted.
Earlier this year, Russian state-run media broadcast videos of WWII veterans, celebrities, and ordinary people expressing their support for constitutional amendments that were approved by a national vote on July 1.
Among other changes, the amendments allow Putin to seek two more presidential terms after his current term ends in 2024.
Navalny, 44, has been jailed several times in recent years, barred from running for president, and had a bid to run for Moscow mayor blocked.
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 been blocked in what they described as a move to discredit and disgrace them.


rferl--2020-07-17--Kazakh Health Minister Says More Than 3,300 People Died Of Pneumonia In 2020

NUR-SULTAN -- Governments in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan are adding pneumonia cases most likely caused by the coronavirus to their overall pandemic totals even though they were undetected at the time .
The move , which will cause a jump in virus-related deaths , comes as many Central Asian nations struggle to curb the spread of the virus after easing restrictions .
Kazakh Health Minister Aleksei Tsoi said on July 17 that the number of people killed in Kazakhstan by pneumonia so far in 2020 was 3,327 , out of a total of 234,000 cases in the Central Asian nation .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ last year , the number of people killed by pneumonia was 1,896 .
`` From the last part of June , the number of cases of viral pneumonia from unknown causes has increased in Kazakhstan , '' Tsoi said , noting that year-on-year , the number of cases was up by 1.75 times .
A comparison of released Health Ministry data shows that for so far in July only 1,555 people died of pneumonia in Kazakhstan .
Tsoi also said that as of August 1 , the country will start counting COVID-19 victims @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unknown causes together as coronavirus victims .
Tsoi 's statement came after Kazakh President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev called on the government `` to clearly set its sights '' on the situation around the rising number of deadly pneumonia patients who had tested negative for the coronavirus .
As of July 17 , the number of coronavirus cases in Kazakhstan was reported at 65,188 , including 396 deaths .
In neighboring Kyrgyzstan , health authorities said on July 16 that the sharply rising number of pneumonia victims in the country will be also counted and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The Health Ministry said on July 17 that the number of coronavirus cases in the country reached 13,101 , of whom 6,096 patients recovered and 173 people died .
The number of individuals hospitalized with acute pneumonia but who tested negative for the coronavirus is 10,682 , of whom 3,314 people recovered and 77 died .
In Uzbekistan , several medical workers told RFE/RL that all medical personnel involved in treating COVID-19 patients had been forced to sign consent letters to take full personal responsibility if they contract the virus .
According @ @ @ @ @ @ @ allows local officials to legally block bonuses health workers treating such patients are eligible for .
`` When I returned to work after spending two weeks in self-isolation , they requested I sign such a letter about 10 days ago .
They insisted I sign it .
The letter basically said 'if I contract the coronavirus at work , I will not file any complaint against anyone . '
My neighbor works as a nurse at another hospital and they requested she sign a similar letter , '' a nurse at a Tashkent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ named , told RFE/RL on July 16 .
An employee at the Sanitary and Epidemiological Safety Center in Tashkent also told RFE/RL that he and his colleagues were forced to sign the consent letters .
Similar claims have been made on social networks by Uzbek medical personnel and COVID-19 patients .
A day earlier , President Shavkat Mirziyoev officially reprimanded he country 's health minister and top leaders of Tashkent and the Tashkent region for their `` poor '' efforts in containing the spread of the coronavirus in the country .
As of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus cases in Central Asia 's most-populous nation of 32 million was 14,991 , including 73 deaths .
In Tajikistan , as of July 16 the number of coronavirus cases was officially reported as 6,741 , including 56 deaths .
However , an investigative report by RFE/RL ’ s Tajik Service last month revealed that the real number of lethal cases of COVID-19 in the country might be several hundreds .
Turkmenistan is the only country in the region that has not officially registered any coronavirus cases , but RFE/RL correspondents have reported @ @ @ @ @ @ @ patients with pneumonia symptoms , some of whom , including medical personnel , have died .
In some parts of the country , so-called quarantine zones have been established , some industrial facilities are being shut down , RFE/RL correspondents report .
The leader of the World Health Organization ' mission , Catherine Smallwood , told a press conference in Ashgabat on July 15 that the mission had concerns about reports of pneumonia in the tightly controlled energy-rich nation .
Smallwood advised the Turkmen government to activate “ the critical public health measures @ @ @ @ @ @ @ circulating .
”

NUR-SULTAN -- Governments in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan are adding pneumonia cases most likely caused by the coronavirus to their overall pandemic totals even though they were undetected at the time.
The move, which will cause a jump in virus-related deaths, comes as many Central Asian nations struggle to curb the spread of the virus after easing restrictions.
Kazakh Health Minister Aleksei Tsoi said on July 17 that the number of people killed in Kazakhstan by pneumonia so far in 2020 was 3,327, out of a total of 234,000 cases in the Central Asian nation.
Tsoi added that in the same period last year, the number of people killed by pneumonia was 1,896.
"From the last part of June, the number of cases of viral pneumonia from unknown causes has increased in Kazakhstan," Tsoi said, noting that year-on-year, the number of cases was up by 1.75 times.
A comparison of released Health Ministry data shows that for so far in July only 1,555 people died of pneumonia in Kazakhstan.
Tsoi also said that as of August 1, the country will start counting COVID-19 victims and people who died of pneumonia from unknown causes together as coronavirus victims.
Tsoi's statement came after Kazakh President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev called on the government "to clearly set its sights" on the situation around the rising number of deadly pneumonia patients who had tested negative for the coronavirus.
As of July 17, the number of coronavirus cases in Kazakhstan was reported at 65,188, including 396 deaths.
In neighboring Kyrgyzstan, health authorities said on July 16 that the sharply rising number of pneumonia victims in the country will be also counted and given along with the COVID-19 death toll.
The Health Ministry said on July 17 that the number of coronavirus cases in the country reached 13,101, of whom 6,096 patients recovered and 173 people died.
The number of individuals hospitalized with acute pneumonia but who tested negative for the coronavirus is 10,682, of whom 3,314 people recovered and 77 died.
Consent Letters
In Uzbekistan, several medical workers told RFE/RL that all medical personnel involved in treating COVID-19 patients had been forced to sign consent letters to take full personal responsibility if they contract the virus.
According to the medical workers, the move allows local officials to legally block bonuses health workers treating such patients are eligible for.
"When I returned to work after spending two weeks in self-isolation, they requested I sign such a letter about 10 days ago. They insisted I sign it. The letter basically said 'if I contract the coronavirus at work, I will not file any complaint against anyone.' My neighbor works as a nurse at another hospital and they requested she sign a similar letter," a nurse at a Tashkent hospital, who asked not to be named, told RFE/RL on July 16.
An employee at the Sanitary and Epidemiological Safety Center in Tashkent also told RFE/RL that he and his colleagues were forced to sign the consent letters.
Similar claims have been made on social networks by Uzbek medical personnel and COVID-19 patients.
A day earlier, President Shavkat Mirziyoev officially reprimanded he country's health minister and top leaders of Tashkent and the Tashkent region for their "poor" efforts in containing the spread of the coronavirus in the country.
As of late July 16, the number of coronavirus cases in Central Asia's most-populous nation of 32 million was 14,991, including 73 deaths.
In Tajikistan, as of July 16 the number of coronavirus cases was officially reported as 6,741, including 56 deaths.
However, an investigative report by RFE/RL’s Tajik Service last month revealed that the real number of lethal cases of COVID-19 in the country might be several hundreds.
Turkmenistan is the only country in the region that has not officially registered any coronavirus cases, but RFE/RL correspondents have reported that local hospitals have been overwhelmed with patients with pneumonia symptoms, some of whom, including medical personnel, have died.
In some parts of the country, so-called quarantine zones have been established, some industrial facilities are being shut down, RFE/RL correspondents report.
The leader of the World Health Organization' mission, Catherine Smallwood, told a press conference in Ashgabat on July 15 that the mission had concerns about reports of pneumonia in the tightly controlled energy-rich nation.
Smallwood advised the Turkmen government to activate “the critical public health measures in Turkmenistan, as if COVID-19 was circulating.”
Reporting by RFE/RL's Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Uzbek, Tajik, and Turkmen services


rferl--2020-07-18--Iran Says It Has Sent Black Box Of Downed Ukrainian Airliner To France For Analysis

Iran says it has sent the black boxes of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 , which crashed shortly after takeoff in Tehran on January 8 after being struck by two missiles , killing 176 people .
`` The black boxes were transferred to Paris yesterday by aviation officials and a judge , and their deciphering will start on Monday ( July 20 ) , '' Foreign Ministry official Mohsen Baharvand was quoted as telling the Etemad newspaper on July 18 .
Flight 752 was struck by two missiles and crashed shortly after taking off from Tehran 's main airport on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the following days that its forces accidentally shot down the Kyiv-bound passenger plane .
In a recent report , Iranian aviation authorities concluded that a misaligned missile battery and miscommunication between soldiers and superior officers were to blame for incident .
Flight 752 was downed the same night that Iran had launched a ballistic-missile attack that targeted U.S. soldiers in Iraq , and Tehran 's air defenses were on high alert at the time in case of retaliation .
That attack was in response to an American drone strike that had killed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Guards Corps , Major General Qasem Soleimani , in Baghdad five days earlier .
Canada and Ukraine had demanded that Iran , which had no means of decoding the crucial information contained in the data recording devices , send the black boxes abroad for analysis .
Based on reporting by AP and AFP


rferl--2020-07-18--Thousands In Khabarovsk Protest Arrest Of Russian Governor

Tens of thousands of people in the Far Eastern Russian city of Khabarovsk marched in an unsanctioned rally on July 18 to protest the arrest of a local governor .
Videos of the event showed a massive crowd filing down a main thoroughfare in the regional capital and gathering in its main square to demand the release of Khabarovsk Krai Governor Sergei Furgal .
An estimated 15,000 to 50,000 demonstrators took part in the nearly five-hour rally , according to reports , although police gave no official crowd estimate .
City authorities reported no arrests or violence .
The rally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mayor 's Office , where demonstrators protested comments made by Mayor Sergei Kravchuk , who earlier suggested that Furgal 's supporters were being paid .
The 50-year-old Furgal , who belongs to the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia , denies the charges , and his supporters say they are politically motivated .
Last week , weekend protests were reportedly the largest-ever in the city of 590,000 .
The continuing protests , far from the Russian capital , are a rare public show of defiance against the Kremlin and come following a controversial nationwide @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Vladimir Putin to remain in power until 2036 .
Among the signs seen during the July 18 rally were ones reading `` Free Furgal '' and “ Moscow .
Go away from our river , our minerals , our resources.
” Rallies also took place on July 18 in the Khabarovsk Krai city of Komsomolk-On-Amur and in the port city of Vladivostok in the neighboring Primorsk region .
On July 17 , a Russian official announced that President Putin would soon appoint an acting governor of Khabarovsk Krai .
With reporting by Kommersant @ @

Tens of thousands of people in the Far Eastern Russian city of Khabarovsk marched in an unsanctioned rally on July 18 to protest the arrest of a local governor.
Videos of the event showed a massive crowd filing down a main thoroughfare in the regional capital and gathering in its main square to demand the release of Khabarovsk Krai Governor Sergei Furgal.
An estimated 15,000 to 50,000 demonstrators took part in the nearly five-hour rally, according to reports, although police gave no official crowd estimate. City authorities reported no arrests or violence.
The rally ended in front of the city's Mayor's Office, where demonstrators protested comments made by Mayor Sergei Kravchuk, who earlier suggested that Furgal's supporters were being paid.
The 50-year-old Furgal, who belongs to the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, denies the charges, and his supporters say they are politically motivated. Last week, weekend protests were reportedly the largest-ever in the city of 590,000.
The continuing protests, far from the Russian capital, are a rare public show of defiance against the Kremlin and come following a controversial nationwide vote that set the stage for President Vladimir Putin to remain in power until 2036.
Among the signs seen during the July 18 rally were ones reading "Free Furgal" and “Moscow. Go away from our river, our minerals, our resources.”
Rallies also took place on July 18 in the Khabarovsk Krai city of Komsomolk-On-Amur and in the port city of Vladivostok in the neighboring Primorsk region.
On July 17, a Russian official announced that President Putin would soon appoint an acting governor of Khabarovsk Krai.
With reporting by Kommersant and Interfax


rferl--2020-07-18--Pentagon Says Turkey Sent 3,500 Syrian Fighters To Back Libyan Government

The U.S. military says Turkey sent more than 3,500 Syrian fighters to Libya during the first three months of 2020 to help the North African country ’ s internationally recognized government in its civil war against a rebel commander .
The Defense Department ’ s report , seen by the Associated Press on July 17 , was the U.S. military ’ s first to detail the Turkish deployments that helped change the course of the war in Libya .
The country has been torn by civil war since a NATO-backed popular uprising ousted and killed the North African country ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2011 .
The current struggle pits rebel Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar 's self-styled Libyan National Army ( LNA ) in the east of the country against the internationally recognized Government of National Accord ( GNA ) , based in Tripoli .
Turkey has provided support for the GNA .
Qatar and Italy have also backed the Tripoli-based government .
Russia has supported the rebels , mainly through the Kremlin-connected military contractor Vagner Group .
France , Egypt , Jordan , and the United Arab Emirates also back Haftar .
Both Russia and Turkey @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Western officials , who say their efforts to arm their allies have led to an intensification of the violence .
The United States has accused Moscow of deploying military jets to Libya to provide support for the Russian mercenaries Moscow has denied the Russian state is responsible for any deployments of the Vagner group and denied sending aircraft to Libya .
The new Pentagon report says Turkey paid and offered citizenship to thousands of mercenaries fighting alongside Tripoli-based militias against Haftar 's forces .
The report said no evidence was found to indicate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Islamic State ( IS ) extremist group or Al-Qaeda , saying instead that they were “ very likely ” motivated by financial reasons than by ideology .
A string of Turkish-backed victories by the Tripoli forces has driven Haftar 's troops from the capital ’ s suburbs and other strongholds since Ankara 's deployment of forces .
The UN has been pressing the sides in the conflict to push forward with peace talks .

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


rferl--2020-07-18--Biden Briefed On U.S. Intelligence, Says Russia Still Meddling In Electoral Process

U.S. presidential candidate Joe Biden says he is now getting regular intelligence briefings and has been told that Russia is continuing in its attempts to meddle in the upcoming U.S. election .
`` We know from before , and I guarantee you that I know now , because now I get briefings again .
The Russians are still engaged in trying to delegitimize our electoral process .
Fact , '' Biden said on July 17 .
Biden , the former vice president under President Barack Obama , is the presumptive Democratic nominee to face Republican President Donald Trump in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , he would assume office in January 2021 .
Traditionally , the nominee for the leading opposition party begins receiving intelligence briefings ahead of the vote so that the candidate will be fully informed on the first day should he or she win the election .
Biden , speaking during an online fundraiser with supporters , warned that , if Moscow maintains its efforts to interfere , there will be `` a real price to pay '' if he wins the presidency .
Multiple U.S. intelligence agencies concluded that Moscow acted to help @ @ @ @ @ @ @ denied the allegation .
Trump has repeatedly called an investigation into whether his team colluded with Russia in the effort a `` hoax . ''
Biden also said that China was conducting activities `` designed for us to lose confidence in the outcome '' of the 2020 election .
The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Biden 's statement .
Based on reporting by AP and Reuters

U.S. presidential candidate Joe Biden says he is now getting regular intelligence briefings and has been told that Russia is continuing in its attempts to meddle in the upcoming U.S. election.
"We know from before, and I guarantee you that I know now, because now I get briefings again. The Russians are still engaged in trying to delegitimize our electoral process. Fact," Biden said on July 17.
Biden, the former vice president under President Barack Obama, is the presumptive Democratic nominee to face Republican President Donald Trump in the November 3 election. If Biden wins, he would assume office in January 2021.
Traditionally, the nominee for the leading opposition party begins receiving intelligence briefings ahead of the vote so that the candidate will be fully informed on the first day should he or she win the election.
Biden, speaking during an online fundraiser with supporters, warned that, if Moscow maintains its efforts to interfere, there will be "a real price to pay" if he wins the presidency.
Multiple U.S. intelligence agencies concluded that Moscow acted to help Trump in the 2016 election.
Russia denied the allegation. Trump has repeatedly called an investigation into whether his team colluded with Russia in the effort a "hoax."
Biden also said that China was conducting activities "designed for us to lose confidence in the outcome" of the 2020 election.
The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Biden's statement.
Based on reporting by AP and Reuters


rferl--2020-07-18--Watchdog Blasts Georgian Ruling Party For Media Restrictions Ahead Of Election

Reporters Without Borders ( RSF ) has condemned the Georgian parliament for what it calls measures “ restricting media freedom ” less than four months before legislative elections in the South Caucasus nation .
In a July 17 statement , the media watchdog accused the parliament -- led by the ruling Georgian Dream party -- of attempting to `` control radio and television channels '' under the guise of a “ crusade against disinformation.
” “ Reporters Without Borders denounces the attack on the independence and pluralism of the media , ” the Paris-based organization said .
“ A few @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stakes , the atmosphere is stifling for the Georgian opposition media .
Under the cover of the fight against disinformation , they are subject to increasingly strict legislation and to judicial pressure directly threatening their editorial choices , ” it said .
Georgia ranks 60th out of 180 nations in RSF ’ s 2020 World Press Freedom Index .
Georgians are set to vote in parliamentary elections in October , but lawmakers have approved several measures that have angered the opposition ahead of the vote .
Georgian Dream , led by billionaire founder @ @ @ @ @ @ @ legislature 's seats , even though it won just under half of the popular vote , because of an election format that opposition parties insisted unfairly favored the ruling party .
RSF said an amendment to the law governing electronic communications , adopted on July 17 , “ shows a desire to control radio and television channels ” by allowing the appointment of a “ special manager ” at the head of companies in the audiovisual sector .
RSF said the manager is authorized to “ take control ” of companies deemed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the National Communications Commission and has the right to appoint and dismiss managers .
It said the commission was originally designed to be a “ strictly operational ” organization but has “ gradually seen its prerogatives extended to surveillance and censorship.
” RSF said the commission has recently tried to “ discredit Netgazeti.ge and Batumelebi , two opposition media , accusing them of disinformation.
” ” The watchdog also cited the case of TV channel Mtavari Arkhi , led by opposition figure Giorgi Rurua .
Rurua was arrested on November 18 and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and carrying a firearm , which he and his supporters have denied .
Opposition parties insist that Rurua ’ s arrest was politically motivated .
RSF said the Georgian secret service has also accused Mtavari Arkhi journalists as part of a `` sabotage '' investigation of endeavoring `` to misinform the population and discredit '' those in power .
“ The Georgian government must not interfere with the work of newsrooms , '' RSF Eastern Europe and Central Asia office manager Jeanne Cavelier said .
“ Less than four months before the legislative @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the media are essential for holding a democratic debate .
“ We call on the authorities to immediately drop the criminal proceedings against Mtavari Arkhi and promote the reliability of the information rather than attempt to censor the content , ” she said .
On July 15 , Georgian lawmakers extended amendments to the Law on Public Health through the end of the year , allowing the government to impose restrictions without declaring a state of emergency .
Opposition parties and groups assert that by extending the amendments , the ruling Georgian Dream @ @ @ @ @ @ @ issue to gain control over the parliamentary elections .
The chairman of the parliamentary committee for health care and social issues , Dimitri Khundadze , who presented the amendments , said the decision to prolong these measures s was based on what he called a possible “ more devastating ” second wave of the COVID-19 outbreak in the South Caucasus nation .


rferl--2020-07-17--Bulgarians Rally For Ninth Night In Anti-Government Protests

SOFIA -- Thousands of Bulgarians took to the streets of the capital and other cities for the ninth straight night as they continued to press demands that Prime Minister Boyko Borisov 's government step down over allegations of corruption .
The July 17 demonstrations took place while Borisov was in Brussels for an extraordinary meeting of the European Council , as he and other European leaders sought a deal on a proposed 1.1 trillion euro budget for 2021-27 ( $ 1.26 trillion ) and on a fund of 750 billion euros ( $ 857 billion ) to restart the bloc @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Bulgarian protesters are demanding the resignation of Borisov 's government and Prosecutor-General Ivan Geshev over rampant high-level corruption .
Rallies took place at multiple sites in Sofia on July 17 .
Demonstrators outside the BNT state television building demanded the resignation of General Director Emil Koshlukov ; while activists from the Justice for Everyone group rallied near the Judicial Chamber to call for constitutional changes and the resignation of the prosecutor-general .
A main rally uniting the various opposition groups later swept through the capital , finishing at a square in front @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chanted `` It will be like this every day until he resigns ! ''
along with `` Resign ! ''
and `` Mafia ! ''
Rallies were also held in Lovech , Haskovo , Plovdiv , Vratsa , Montana , Varna , Burgas , Kyustendil , and other cities .
On July 15 , Borisov asked his finance , economy , and interior ministers to step down amid the nationwide anti-corruption protests in the Southeastern European country .
A participant in the July 17 protest told BNT state television that the ouster of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ parody '' of real reform .
Demonstrators have also denounced police violence during protests in Sofia last week and called on Interior Minister Mladen Marinov to resign .
The protests were sparked by a raid on July 9 by the Prosecutor-General 's Office on the presidential headquarters .
President Rumen Radev ’ s legal affairs and anticorruption secretary and his security and defense adviser were detained for questioning and their offices searched as part of two separate probes into influence-peddling and disclosure of state secrets .
The demonstrators have condemned the raids as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prosecutor-general against Radev .
Radev has backed the protesters , urging then to drive the `` mafia '' out of government and the prosecutor 's office .
Finance Minister Vladislav Goranov had been under fire after SMS messages made public by businessman Vasil Bozhkov -- who is facing charges of tax fraud , attempted bribery , and organized crime -- showed that the two men communicated regularly until January 2020 .
Revelations that the state-run Bulgarian Development Bank granted a $ 44 million loan to a small company also drew public discontent toward @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Karanikolov .
Borisov , who has been prime minister almost without interruption since 2009 , has refused to resign .
The government 's term is set to end in spring 2021 , when the next parliamentary elections would be held .
Borissov next week faces a parliamentary vote of no-confidence called by the opposition Socialists , but he is expected to survive it .
With reporting by dpa and Reuters


rferl--2020-07-18--Bulgarian Tycoon Hires U.S. Lobbyist After Family Targeted in Probes Tied To Political Infighting

WASHINGTON -- One of Bulgaria ’ s wealthiest businessmen hired a U.S. firm to lobby his family ’ s interests in Washington as his home country 's prosecutors investigate him on allegations of waste mismanagement and corruption that some say are politically motivated .
Plamen Bobokov , the co-founder of a Sofia-based energy business , hired Alexandria Group International at the start of the month , according to Foreign Agents Registration Act ( FARA ) documents published by the Justice Department on July 17 .
Alexandria Group has strong ties to the Balkan region .
Bobokov and his brother Atanas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Oil Group , were first detained at the end of May on suspicion of being part of a criminal group that mismanaged hazardous waste in Bulgaria .
Deputy Environment Minister Krassimir Zhivkov was also detained at the time .
The men deny the allegations .
But then Bulgarian prosecutors arrested Bobokov again on July 9 along with Plamen Uzunov and Ilia Milushev , advisers to President Rumen Radev , on suspicion of peddling influence following a raid earlier that day at the office of the presidency .
Prosecutors published text messages between Bobokov @ @ @ @ @ @ @ policy issues , including ambassador appointments .
Bobokov is Bulgaria 's honorary consul to Ukraine .
The raids on Radev ’ s associates and arrests of the Bobokovs are viewed locally as the latest in a long history of abuses by Bulgaria ’ s governing elites and politicized prosecutors against their rivals .
Though Bobokov has been released his brother remains in jail .
Tensions between Radev and the government led by Prime Minister Boyko Borisov had been growing prior to the raid .
Radev on July 11 called for the government and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nascent anticorruption protest movement against the rule of Borisov that is now entering its 10th day .
Alexandria Group will “ contact key members of both houses of the U.S. Congress and U.S. Administration officials from relevant departments and agencies in Washington , U.S. Embassy Sofia , and elsewhere abroad ” to advance Bobokov ’ s goals regarding his human rights , civil liberties , and the overall rule of law in Bulgaria , the lobbying documents stated .
Managing Partner Marshall Harris , who is leading the lobbying efforts , served as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Macedonia .
Partner John Menzies was a foreign service officer in Bulgaria during the Communist period and later ambassador to Bosnia-Herzegovina .
Alexandria Group did not immediately respond to a request for comment .
Bobokov already has U.S. government ties .
Last year , his Prista Oil hired Francis John Bray as a board member just days after the official left his post as U.S. Consul General in Nigeria .
Bray served almost 30 years in the U.S. diplomatic corps , including nearly 20 years in Sub-Saharan Africa , according to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Prista Oil produces and distributes motor oils and industrial lubricants , including under the Texaco-brand .
It has factories in Bulgaria and Uzbekistan and sells its products throughout Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union .
The brothers also owns a controlling stake in Monbat AD , a battery and recycling company at the center of the waste management investigation .
The brothers in 2016 bought back a 30 percent stake in Prista Oil owned by foreign investors using part of a 50 million euro ( $ 57 million ) loan , implying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of close to $ 200 million .

One of Bulgaria's wealthiest businessmen has hired a U.S. firm to lobby his family's interests in Washington as his home country's prosecutors investigate him on allegations of waste mismanagement and corruption that some say are politically motivated.
Plamen Bobokov, the co-founder of a Sofia-based energy business, hired Alexandria Group International at the start of the month, according to Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) documents published by the Justice Department on July 17.
Alexandria Group has strong ties to the Balkan region.
Bobokov and his brother Atanas Bobokov, founders and owners of Prista Oil Group, were first detained at the end of May on suspicion of being part of a criminal group that mismanaged hazardous waste in Bulgaria. Deputy Environment Minister Krasimir Zhivkov was also detained at the time. The men deny the allegations.
But then Bulgarian prosecutors arrested Bobokov again on July 9 along with Plamen Uzunov and Ilia Milushev, advisers to President Rumen Radev, on suspicion of peddling influence following a raid earlier that day at the office of the presidency.
Prosecutors published text messages between Bobokov and Uzunov that showed they discussed foreign-policy issues, including ambassadorial appointments. Bobokov is Bulgaria's honorary consul to Ukraine.
The raids on Radev's associates and the arrests of the Bobokovs are viewed locally as the latest in a long history of abuses by Bulgaria's governing elites and politicized prosecutors against their rivals. Though Bobokov has been released, his brother remains in jail.
Tensions between Radev and the government led by Prime Minister Boyko Borisov had been growing prior to the raid. Radev on July 11 called for the government and prosecutor general to resign, animating a nascent anti-corruption protest movement against the rule of Borisov that is now entering its 10th day.
Alexandria Group will "contact key members of both houses of the U.S. Congress and U.S. administration officials from relevant departments and agencies in Washington, U.S. Embassy Sofia, and elsewhere abroad" to advance Bobokov's goals regarding his human rights, civil liberties, and the overall rule of law in Bulgaria, the lobbying documents stated.
Managing partner Marshall Harris, who is leading the lobbying efforts, served as a U.S. Foreign Service officer in Bulgaria and Macedonia. Partner John Menzies was a Foreign Service officer in Bulgaria during the communist period and later ambassador to Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Alexandria Group did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Harris told RFE/RL that "Bulgaria's citizens have taken to the streets to bring down their government peaceably and democratically. They are direct victims of the utter corruption of Prime Minister Borisov, or Prosecutor-General [Ivan] Geshev, and their henchmen.”
"Atanas Bobokov is being held in jail in deplorable, inhumane conditions that mock EU standards," he added.
"The false charges against Atanas and his brother Plamen are part of the Bulgarian authorities' systematic attempt at 'criminal capture' of legitimate businesses through physical harm, intimidation, malicious prosecution, attempted extortion, trial by state-controlled media, and other abuses of the rule of law."
Bobokov already has U.S. government ties.
Last year, his Prista Oil hired Francis John Bray as a board member just days after the official left his post as U.S. consul-general in Nigeria.
Bray served almost 30 years in the U.S. diplomatic corps, including nearly 20 years in sub-Saharan Africa, according to the Prista Oil statement.
Prista is seeking business opportunities in sub-Saharan Africa.
The Bobokovs' Prista Oil produces and distributes motor oils and industrial lubricants, including under the Texaco brand. It has factories in Bulgaria and Uzbekistan and sells its products throughout Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. The brothers also own a controlling stake in Monbat AD, a battery and recycling company at the center of the waste-management investigation.
The brothers in 2016 bought back a 30 percent stake in Prista Oil owned by foreign investors using part of a 50 million-euro ($57 million) loan, implying a possible company valuation at that time of close to $200 million.
With reporting by RFE/RL's Bulgarian Service