rferl--2020-12-15--Tajik Authorities Detain Nephew Of Arrested Opposition Leader

DUSHANBE -- Tajik authorities have detained on unspecified charges the nephew of Mahmurod Odinaev , the deputy chairman of the opposition Social Democratic Party who is also being held by authorities .
Odinaev 's relatives told RFE/RL on December 15 that Zulfiqor Odinaev had been detained 10 days earlier and is being kept in a detention center in the western city of Hisor , adding that neither he nor his uncle had been provided with lawyers yet .
They added that Zulfiqor Odinaev , an aide to his uncle , has yet to be charged and that they have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he may be facing .
Mahmurod Odinaev went missing on November 20 after he posted a request on Facebook asking Dushanbe Mayor Rustam Emomali to allow him and supporters of the Social Democratic Party -- the only opposition party functioning in Tajikistan -- to stage a protest over food-price hikes .
According to Odinaev 's relatives , they turned to police several times to ask law enforcement officers to begin a search for the missing politician .
However , Interior Ministry spokesman Nusratullo Mahmudzoda said at the time that police were not looking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ received a request from his relatives and therefore did n't consider him a missing person .
On December 5 , the Tajik Prosecutor-General 's Office acknowledged that Odinaev had been arrested in Dushanbe .
According to the authorities , he allegedly conducted an act of hooliganism in a military draft office in Hisor in late October , where prosecutors say he confronted officials over the conscription of his son Habibullo .
That came after the Interior Ministry said in November that another of Odinaev ’ s sons , Shaihmuslihiddin Rizoev , was charged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a brawl .
Odinaev says that unknown attackers had severely beaten his son as part of a pressure campaign being imposed on him for his political activities .
Tajik President Emomali Rahmon , who has tightly ruled the former Soviet republic since 1992 , has been criticized for crackdowns on opposition political groups , rights defenders and independent journalists .

DUSHANBE -- Tajik authorities have detained on unspecified charges the nephew of Mahmurod Odinaev, the deputy chairman of the opposition Social Democratic Party who is also being held by authorities.
Odinaev's relatives told RFE/RL on December 15 that Zulfiqor Odinaev had been detained 10 days earlier and is being kept in a detention center in the western city of Hisor, adding that neither he nor his uncle had been provided with lawyers yet.
They added that Zulfiqor Odinaev, an aide to his uncle, has yet to be charged and that they have been given no official information on what charges he may be facing.
Mahmurod Odinaev went missing on November 20 after he posted a request on Facebook asking Dushanbe Mayor Rustam Emomali to allow him and supporters of the Social Democratic Party -- the only opposition party functioning in Tajikistan -- to stage a protest over food-price hikes.
According to Odinaev's relatives, they turned to police several times to ask law enforcement officers to begin a search for the missing politician.
However, Interior Ministry spokesman Nusratullo Mahmudzoda said at the time that police were not looking for Mahmurod Odinaev as they had not received a request from his relatives and therefore didn't consider him a missing person.
On December 5, the Tajik Prosecutor-General's Office acknowledged that Odinaev had been arrested in Dushanbe.
According to the authorities, he allegedly conducted an act of hooliganism in a military draft office in Hisor in late October, where prosecutors say he confronted officials over the conscription of his son Habibullo.
That came after the Interior Ministry said in November that another of Odinaev’s sons, Shaihmuslihiddin Rizoev, was charged with hooliganism over his alleged involvement in a brawl.
Odinaev says that unknown attackers had severely beaten his son as part of a pressure campaign being imposed on him for his political activities.
Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, who has tightly ruled the former Soviet republic since 1992, has been criticized for crackdowns on opposition political groups, rights defenders and independent journalists.


rferl--2020-12-15--Minsk Court Upholds Pretrial Detention Of Belarus Rights Watchdog Coordinator

A court in Minsk has upheld extending the pretrial detention of a leading human rights activist in Belarus who was arrested amid ongoing protests following a disputed presidential election that demonstrators and opposition figures say was rigged to extend the 26-year rule of authoritarian leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka .
The Vyasna human rights center said on December 15 that the Partizan district court had rejected in a closed-door hearing a day earlier the appeal of coordinator Marfa Rabkova against her incarceration .
Rabkova was arrested on September 17 and accused of helping prepare mass disorder , a charge that carries a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Her pretrial detention was set at two months , and was renewed for another two months by the court on November 12 .
Rabkova 's husband , Vadzim Zharomski , said the court 's verdict upholding the extension of his wife 's pretrial detention was `` expected . ''
`` Unfortunately , the courts in the Republic of Belarus are not free to make decisions of their own , they are directed by thoughts imposed from above by those who say who must be jailed and who must not , '' Zharomski @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cracked down on the protesters , with more than 27,000 detentions , according to the UN .
There have also been credible reports of torture and ill-treatment , and several people have died .
Many of Belarus 's opposition leaders have been arrested or forced to leave the country , while Lukashenka , who has ruled the country with an iron fist since 1994 , has refused to negotiate with the opposition .
The United States , the European Union , and several other countries have refused to acknowledge Lukashenka as the winner @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on him and his allies , citing election fraud , the police crackdown , and press restrictions .

A court in Minsk has upheld extending the pretrial detention of a leading human rights activist in Belarus who was arrested amid ongoing protests following a disputed presidential election that demonstrators and opposition figures say was rigged to extend the 26-year rule of authoritarian leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka.
The Vyasna human rights center said on December 15 that the Partizan district court had rejected in a closed-door hearing a day earlier the appeal of coordinator Marfa Rabkova against her incarceration.
Crisis In Belarus Read our coverage as Belarusian strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka continues his brutal crackdown on NGOs, activists, and independent media following the August 2020 presidential election.
Rabkova was arrested on September 17 and accused of helping prepare mass disorder, a charge that carries a prison sentence of up to three years.
Her pretrial detention was set at two months, and was renewed for another two months by the court on November 12.
Rabkova's husband, Vadzim Zharomski, said the court's verdict upholding the extension of his wife's pretrial detention was "expected."
"Unfortunately, the courts in the Republic of Belarus are not free to make decisions of their own, they are directed by thoughts imposed from above by those who say who must be jailed and who must not," Zharomski said.
Police in Belarus have violently cracked down on the protesters, with more than 27,000 detentions, according to the UN. There have also been credible reports of torture and ill-treatment, and several people have died.
Many of Belarus's opposition leaders have been arrested or forced to leave the country, while Lukashenka, who has ruled the country with an iron fist since 1994, has refused to negotiate with the opposition.
The United States, the European Union, and several other countries have refused to acknowledge Lukashenka as the winner of the vote, and imposed sanctions on him and his allies, citing election fraud, the police crackdown, and press restrictions.


rferl--2020-12-15--Hungarian Lawmakers Pass Law Effectively Banning Same-Sex Adoption

The nationalist-dominated Hungarian parliament has passed a law that effectively bans adoptions by same-sex couples .
The parliament , where the ruling right-wing Fidesz party of Prime Minister Viktor Orban has a two-thirds majority , passed the measure on December 15 by 134 votes to 45 , with five abstentions .
According to the measure , which rights watchdogs have sharply criticized , only married couples can adopt children while single people must obtain special approval to adopt from the family affairs minister .
Hungary does not allow gay marriage .
Lawmakers also amended the constitution , with a dozen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ family as the union of a father who is a man and a mother who is a woman , rewording the clause to exclude alternative family types .
The new legislation continues Orban ’ s march away from the European Union ’ s mainstream , coming days after the nationalist leader lifted his veto threat that , along with Poland ’ s , had held up the bloc ’ s $ 2.2 trillion spending over their objections to tying funding to whether members uphold the rule of law .
Although there are exceptions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ adopt children , `` the main rule is that only married couples can adopt a child , that is , a man and a woman who are married , '' Justice Minister Judit Varga wrote in the law .
`` The mother is a woman , the father is a man , ” the law said .
`` Hungary protects the institution of marriage ... between a man and a woman , as well as the family as the basis for the survival of the nation . ''
Adoption by gay and lesbian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one partner applied as a single person .
Orban 's Fidesz has been passing increasingly authoritarian policies in Hungary .
The party campaigns for conservative Christian values and rails against LGBT issues .
However , Orban 's government was recently shaken by a scandal when European Parliament member Jozsef Szajer , one of the Fidesz founding members and a coauthor of the constitutional amendment that says marriage is only between a man and a woman , was caught by Belgian police while trying to flee a gay party in Brussels .
Following the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a close associate of Orban 's and the husband of a Constitutional Court judge , resigned from both the European Parliament and Fidesz .
The law is the latest in a slew of attacks on Hungary 's LGBT community .
In May , parliament banned legal gender recognition , effectively preventing transgender and intersex people in Hungary from legally changing their gender or sex assigned at birth .
Last month the New York-based Human Rights Watch called the new legislation `` an affront to European values . ''
With reporting by Reuters @ @

The nationalist-dominated Hungarian parliament has passed a law that effectively bans adoptions by same-sex couples as part of a package of new measures decried by human rights and LGBT rights defenders as "homophobic and transphobic."
The parliament, where the ruling right-wing Fidesz party of Prime Minister Viktor Orban has a two-thirds majority, passed the measure on December 15 by 134 votes to 45, with 5 abstentions.
According to the measure, only married couples can adopt children while single people must obtain special approval to adopt from the family affairs minister. Hungary does not allow gay marriage but recognizes civil unions.
Lawmakers also amended the constitution, with a dozen new rules including a new definition for family as the union of a father who is a man and a mother who is a woman, rewording the clause to exclude alternative family types.
The new legislation continues Orban’s march away from the European Union’s mainstream, coming days after the nationalist leader lifted his veto threat that, along with Poland’s, had held up the bloc’s $2.2 trillion spending over their objections to tying funding to whether members uphold the rule of law.
Although there are exceptions when single people or family members can adopt children, "the main rule is that only married couples can adopt a child, that is, a man and a woman who are married," Justice Minister Judit Varga wrote in the law. "The mother is a woman, the father is a man,” the law said.
"Hungary protects the institution of marriage...between a man and a woman, as well as the family as the basis for the survival of the nation."
Adoption by gay and lesbian couples had been possible until now if one partner applied as a single person.
David Vig, director of Amnesty Hungary, sharply criticized the new legislation as "discriminatory, homophobic, and transphobic." He added that it was "just the latest attack on LGBTQ people by Hungarian authorities."
"This is a dark day for Hungary’s LGBTQ community and a dark day for human rights," he said.
Katrin Hugendubel of the international advocacy group ILGA said that "these discriminatory, homophobic, and transphobic new laws are part of an ongoing attack on LGBTI people by Hungarian authorities."
Last month the New York-based rights watchdog Human Rights Watch called the new legislation "an affront to European values."
In May, parliament banned legal gender recognition, effectively preventing transgender and intersex people in Hungary from legally changing their gender or sex assigned at birth.
Orban's Fidesz has been passing increasingly authoritarian policies in Hungary. The party campaigns for conservative Christian values and rails against lesbian, gay. bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) issues.
However, Orban's government was recently shaken by a scandal when European Parliament member Jozsef Szajer, one of the Fidesz founding members and a coauthor of the constitutional amendment that says marriage is only between a man and a woman, was caught by Belgian police while trying to flee a gay party in Brussels.
Following the November 27 incident, the 59-year-old Szajer, a close associate of Orban's and the husband of a Constitutional Court judge, resigned from both the European Parliament and Fidesz.
With reporting by Reuters and index.hu


rferl--2020-12-15--Independent Media Outlet Says Turkmen Man Imprisoned For Sharing Photo Online

An independent Turkmen news website says a resident of Ashgabat has been sentenced to four years in prison because he shared a photo of the World Health Organization ( WHO ) delegation taken by his friend in the Central Asian nation 's capital in July .
The website Turkmen.news reported late on December 14 that its editors had learned that 26-year-old Nurgeldy Halikov was found guilty of fraud and handed the prison sentence in mid-September .
One of Halikov 's friends placed the picture of the WHO delegation -- taken when its members were sitting outside an Ashgabat hotel -- @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the news website .
The delegation was in Turkmenistan , led by authoritarian President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov , who heads one of the world 's most-oppressive governments , to evaluate the possible spread of COVID-19 in the country , where officials have insisted that there are no coronavirus cases .
According to the website , Halikov , who shared the picture with Turkmen.news immediately after it was taken , was summoned to police a day later .
Law enforcement officials told Halikov 's relatives that he will be released from custody in 10 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Turkmen.news says that on July 26 its editors received an electronic message from Halikov , who wrote that his detention was linked to a situation related to $ 5,000 he `` borrowed from an acquaintance . ''
Later , the editors said they learned that because of that `` debt , '' Halikov was found guilty of fraud and sentenced to four years in prison .
The Bagtyyarlyq district court of Ashgabat told Turkmen.news that Halikov was convicted and sentenced on September 15 .
Turkmen.news stated on December 14 that the charges @ @ @ @ @ @ @ against him had been launched solely for sharing a photo with an independent media outlet .
Government critics and human rights groups say Berdymukhammedov has suppressed dissent and made few changes in the restrictive country since he came to power after the death of autocrat Saparmurat Niyazov in 2006 .
Turkmen.news noted that the prosecution of people in Turkmenistan on trumped-up criminal charges is widespread , noting the case of lawyer Pygambergeldy Allaberdyev as an example .
Allaberdyev , a lawyer with a government energy company in the western city of Balkanabat , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in October on charges of hooliganism and intentional infliction of moderate bodily harm .
Human rights watchdogs say Allaberdyev was imprisoned `` on bogus charges that appear to be in retaliation for his alleged ties to [ Turkmen ] activists abroad . ''

An independent Turkmen news website says a resident of Ashgabat has been sentenced to four years in prison because he shared a photo of a World Health Organization (WHO) delegation taken by his friend in the Central Asian nation's capital in July.
The website Turkmen.news reported late on December 14 that its editors had learned that 26-year-old Nurgeldy Halikov was found guilty of fraud and handed the prison sentence in mid-September.
One of Halikov's friends placed the picture of the WHO delegation -- taken when its members were sitting outside an Ashgabat hotel -- on Instagram on July 12, according to the news website.
The delegation was in Turkmenistan to evaluate the possible spread of COVID-19 in the country, where officials have insisted that there are no coronavirus cases. Turkmenistan is led by authoritarian President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov, who heads one of the world's most oppressive governments.
According to the website, Halikov, who shared the picture with Turkmen.news immediately after it was taken, was summoned by police a day later.
Law enforcement officials told Halikov's relatives that he would be released from custody in 10 or 15 days, which never happened.
Turkmen.news says that on July 26 its editors received an electronic message from Halikov, who wrote that his detention was linked to a situation related to $5,000 he "borrowed from an acquaintance."
Later, the editors said they learned that because of that "debt," Halikov was found guilty of fraud and sentenced to four years in prison.
The Bagtyyarlyq district court of Ashgabat told Turkmen.news that Halikov was convicted and sentenced on September 15.
Turkmen.news stated on December 14 that the charges against Halikov were bogus and that the case against him had been launched solely for sharing a photo with an independent media outlet.
Government critics and human rights groups say Berdymukhammedov has suppressed dissent and made few changes in the restrictive country since he came to power after the death of autocrat Saparmurat Niyazov in 2006.
Turkmen.news noted that the prosecution of people in Turkmenistan on trumped-up criminal charges is widespread, noting the case of lawyer Pygambergeldy Allaberdyev as an example.
Allaberdyev, a lawyer with a government energy company in the western city of Balkanabat, was sentenced to six years in prison in October on charges of hooliganism and intentional infliction of moderate bodily harm.
Human rights watchdogs say Allaberdyev was imprisoned "on bogus charges that appear to be in retaliation for his alleged ties to [Turkmen] activists abroad."


rferl--2020-12-15--Fire In Retirement Home In Russia's Bashkortostan Kills 11 People

ISHBULDINO , Russia -- A fire has killed 11 seniors in a private retirement home in Russia 's Republic of Bashkortostan .
The Emergency Situations Ministry 's branch in Bashkortostan said on December 15 that the fire swept through the retirement house in the village of Ishbuldino overnight .
According to the ministry , the house did not have a proper fire alarm system .
Firefighters found the bodies of 11 elderly people who lived in the retirement house , the ministry said .
Ildar Nafikov , governor of the Abzhalil district where Ishbuldino is located , said a state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ district , adding that 16 elderly persons were residing in the retirement house permanently .
Nafikov ’ s deputy , Ruslan Yusupov , said that although the nursing house was functioning legally , it was only supposed to be in use during the daytime .
The Investigative Committee said there were 15 people inside the building when the fire broke out , of whom four managed to escape .
The committee also said that it had launched a probe into the deadly fire .
Deadly fires caused by violations of safety regulations or @ @ @ @ @ @ @

ISHBULDINO, Russia -- A fire has killed 11 seniors in a private retirement home in Russia's Republic of Bashkortostan.
The Emergency Situations Ministry's branch in Bashkortostan said on December 15 that the fire swept through the retirement house in the village of Ishbuldino overnight.
According to the ministry, the house did not have a proper fire alarm system.
Firefighters found the bodies of 11 elderly people who lived in the retirement house, the ministry said.
Ildar Nafikov, governor of the Abzhalil district where Ishbuldino is located, said a state of emergency had been imposed in the district, adding that 16 elderly persons were residing in the retirement house permanently.
Nafikov’s deputy, Ruslan Yusupov, said that although the nursing house was functioning legally, it was only supposed to be in use during the daytime.
The Investigative Committee said there were 15 people inside the building when the fire broke out, of whom four managed to escape.
The committee also said that it had launched a probe into the deadly fire.
Deadly fires caused by violations of safety regulations or faulty wiring are common in Russia.


rferl--2020-12-15--Putin Congratulates Biden After President-Elect's Victory Affirmed By Electoral College

Six weeks after the U.S. presidential election , Russian President Vladimir Putin has broken his silence on the outcome and congratulated Joe Biden on his victory in the vote following the Electoral College confirming that the Democratic challenger was the winner .
The Kremlin 's website said on December 15 that in a message to Biden , Putin expressed hope that the two countries could `` set aside differences and really promote the solution of many problems and challenges currently faced by the world . ''
Putin also wished Biden success , adding that : `` For my part , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with you . ''
Putin 's spokesman has said the president was hesitant to congratulate Biden before Biden 's victory was officially announced .
The December 14 vote by the Electoral College , which gave Biden 306 votes to 232 for Trump , officially cemented the former vice president 's victory in the November 3 presidential election .
Trump has launched dozens of court cases challenging the results claiming , without showing proof , there was electoral fraud .
He has lost almost all of the cases , and failed twice at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some key states overturned .
Putin noted that “ the Russian-American cooperation based on the principles of equality and mutual respect would meet the interests of the people in both countries and the entire international community.
” Biden is expected to take a tougher stance toward the Kremlin on its human rights record and foreign policies compared with Trump .
He has repeatedly criticized Putin for Russia 's `` malign actions , '' including invading its neighbors and meddling in foreign elections , and recently called Moscow an `` opponent . ''
Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more than 7 million in the popular vote nationwide , will be inaugurated on January 20 , 2021 .
With reporting by Reuters and AP

Six weeks after the U.S. presidential election, Russian President Vladimir Putin has broken his silence on the outcome and congratulated Joe Biden on his victory in the vote following the Electoral College confirming that the Democratic challenger was the winner.
The Kremlin's website said on December 15 that in a message to Biden, Putin expressed hope that the two countries could "set aside differences and really promote the solution of many problems and challenges currently faced by the world."
Putin also wished Biden success, adding that: "For my part, I am ready for collaboration and contacts with you."
Putin's spokesman has said the president was hesitant to congratulate Biden before Biden's victory was officially announced.
The December 14 vote by the Electoral College, which gave Biden 306 votes to 232 for Trump, officially cemented the former vice president's victory in the November 3 presidential election.
Trump has launched dozens of court cases challenging the results claiming, without showing proof, there was electoral fraud. He has lost almost all of the cases, and failed twice at the Supreme Court to have the results in some key states overturned.
Putin noted that “the Russian-American cooperation based on the principles of equality and mutual respect would meet the interests of the people in both countries and the entire international community.”
Biden is expected to take a tougher stance toward the Kremlin on its human rights record and foreign policies compared with Trump.
He has repeatedly criticized Putin for Russia's "malign actions," including invading its neighbors and meddling in foreign elections, and recently called Moscow an "opponent."
Biden, who topped the incumbent Republican by more than 7 million in the popular vote nationwide, will be inaugurated on January 20, 2021.
With reporting by Reuters and AP


rferl--2020-12-15--Lavrov Snubbed By Croat, Muslim Members Of Bosnian Presidency After Dayton Comments

The Muslim and Croat members of Bosnia-Herzegovina 's tripartite presidency on December 15 refused to meet with visiting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov following his comments about the peace agreement that ended the Bosnian War in the mid-1990s .
Sefik Dzaferovic and Zeljko Komsic said in a joint statement that their decision had been prompted by the fact that Lavrov 's remarks on December 14 contradict Bosnia 's official position .
Lavrov had been due to meet all three members of the country ’ s tripartite presidency at the end of his visit which began on December 14 , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agreement that ended the 1992-1995 Bosnian War .
Dzaferovic and Komsic told journalists they refused to meet with Lavrov due to his comments which `` do not respect all annexes of the Dayton agreement , which also include respect for the institutions and symbols of this country . ''
Lavrov on December 14 told a news conference in Sarajevo after a separate meeting with Milorad Dodik , the Serb member of the tripartite presidency , that the agreement must not be changed in any way .
He was referring to comments by some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agreement needs to be updated to allow Bosnia to press ahead with reforms .
However , Dodik has repeatedly said that any changes to the Dayton structure would be the reason for the mainly ethnic Serb Republika Srpska to secede from Bosnia .
The peace deal ended the war among Bosnian Serbs , Croats , and Bosnian Muslims in which about 100,000 people were killed and 2 million were moved from their homes .
While it stopped the fighting , the peace deal agreed at a U.S. air base outside Dayton , Ohio @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by establishing a complicated and fragmented state structure .
A quarter of a century later , Bosnia remains dysfunctional , with reforms blocked by the rival ethnic leaders .
The country is split in two regions -- the Republika Srpska and the Muslim-Croat Federation , all kept together through a weak central government .
However , Lavrov , in his remarks , echoed Dodik 's position that the agreement should remain as is .
“ I would like to say that any attempt to demolish [ the Dayton agreement ] can cause the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lavrov said .
He added that if the agreement was amended , “ the entire system could be endangered and become a threat to stability.
” The European Union accepted Bosnia ’ s membership application in 2016 , but its government has failed to make the deep structural reforms required before the application can move forward .
Lavrov added that the Dayton agreement does not “ create obstacles ” to relations between Bosnia and the EU .
“ We are not interfering in that process , ” he said .
But he said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and Muslims , and the two entities that comprise Bosnia should be respected .
With reporting by Reuters and Interfax

The Bosniak and Croat members of Bosnia-Herzegovina's tripartite presidency on December 15 refused to meet with visiting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov following his comments about the peace agreement that ended the Bosnian War in the mid-1990s.
Sefik Dzaferovic and Zeljko Komsic said in a joint statement that their decision had been prompted by the fact that Lavrov's remarks on December 14 contradict Bosnia's official position.
Lavrov had been due to meet all three members of the country’s tripartite presidency at the end of his visit which began on December 14, the anniversary of the signing of the Dayton agreement that ended the 1992-1995 Bosnian War.
Dzaferovic and Komsic told journalists they refused to meet with Lavrov due to his comments which "do not respect all annexes of the Dayton agreement, which also include respect for the institutions and symbols of this country."
Lavrov on December 14 told a news conference in Sarajevo after a separate meeting with Milorad Dodik, the Serb member of the tripartite presidency, that the agreement must not be changed in any way.
Komsic also said that Lavrov's meeting with Dodik, in the Serb entity headquarters just outside the capital, Sarajevo, was insulting as no national flag was on display despite the Russian diplomat being on an official visit.
"Mr. Lavrov, as one of the worlds' three top diplomats...is sending us a message...which we interpret as disrespectful and a denial of the state he is visiting," Komsic told reporters.
Lavrov was referring on December 14 to comments by some Western diplomats and Bosnian politicians that the agreement needs to be updated to allow Bosnia to press ahead with reforms. However, Dodik has repeatedly said that any changes to the Dayton structure would be the reason for the mainly ethnic Serb Republika Srpska to secede from Bosnia.
The peace deal ended the war among Bosnian Serbs, Croats, and Bosniaks in which about 100,000 people were killed and 2 million were moved from their homes.
While it stopped the fighting, the peace deal agreed at a U.S. air base outside Dayton, Ohio, formalized the ethnic divisions in Bosnia by establishing a complicated and fragmented state structure.
A quarter of a century later, Bosnia remains dysfunctional, with reforms blocked by the rival ethnic leaders. The country is split into two regions -- the Republika Srpska and the Muslim-Croat Federation, all kept together through a weak central government.
However, Lavrov, in his remarks, echoed Dodik's position that the agreement should remain as is.
“I would like to say that any attempt to demolish [the Dayton agreement] can cause the most serious risks and consequences,” Lavrov said.
He added that if the agreement was amended, “the entire system could be endangered and become a threat to stability.”
Dzaferovic and Komsic did not attend a planned meeting with Lavrov at the presidency building in Sarajevo, where the Russian met Dodik again.
Speaking after meeting with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in Belgrade, Lavrov said "the incident...is, I believe, irrelevant to Russia's position, to the development of relations with the people of Bosnia."
"The politicians who made this decision are not independent," the Russian foreign minister said, adding: "I think [they are] clearly acting on someone's prompting and most likely expressing the interests...of external forces."
Komsic said that Lavrov, who on December 14 backed the Serb Republic parliament's resolution on military neutrality, knew a regional legislature cannot decide such strategic policy.
"We are aware that we are small and weak, but we are not ready to be a hostage in any kind of games by Russia when it comes to their relations with the European Union and NATO members," Komsic said.
The European Union accepted Bosnia’s membership application in 2016, but its government has failed to make the deep structural reforms required before the application can move forward.
Lavrov added that the Dayton agreement does not “create obstacles” to relations between Bosnia and the EU.
“We are not interfering in that process,” he said.
But he said the equality of the Serbs, Croats, and Muslims, and the two entities that comprise Bosnia should be respected.
With reporting by Reuters and Interfax


rferl--2020-12-15--Reports: U.S. Department Of Homeland Security Targeted By Russian Hackers

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security ( DHS ) has been added to a growing list of targets in a major cyberattack by suspected Russian hackers , according to U.S. media reports on December 14 .
A DHS statement did not confirm the reports , saying only that it was `` aware of cyber breaches across the federal government and working closely with our partners in the public and private sector on the federal response . ''
Cyberattacks first revealed on December 13 hit the U.S. Treasury Department and the U.S. Commerce Department .
The DHS became the third department @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , according to The Washington Post and Reuters , citing unidentified officials .
DHS is responsible for border security and protecting the country from online attacks .
It also plays a role in the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine .
E-mails sent by officials at the DHS were monitored by the hackers as part of the sophisticated series of breaches , according to Reuters .
U.S. officials said Russian government hackers are believed to be behind the cyberattacks , both Reuters and The Washington Post reported , citing multiple unidentified sources .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , calling the accusation `` unfounded . ''
`` Russia does not conduct offensive operations in the cyber domain , '' the Russian embassy said in a statement on its web page .
`` Malicious activities in the information space contradict the principles of the Russian foreign policy , national interests , and our understanding of interstate relations , '' the statement says .
National Security Council ( NSC ) spokesperson John Ullyot said in a statement on December 14 that the NSC was working closely with Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ departments and agencies “ to coordinate a swift and effective whole-of-government recovery and response to the recent compromise.
” The CISA and the FBI and other agencies are investigating .
CISA also has ordered federal agencies to immediately stop using technology products made by the company SolarWinds .
SolarWinds has admitted that hackers from an `` outside nation state '' inserted malicious code into updates of its network management software issued between March and June this year .
The company said up to 18,000 of its customers had downloaded the compromised updates , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The company 's software is also used by hundreds of thousands of organizations globally , including major corporations and the most sensitive parts of the U.S. and British governments .
A British government spokesman said the United Kingdom was not currently aware of any impact from the hack but was still investigating .
FireEye , a prominent cybersecurity company that was breached in connection with the incident , said in a blog post that targets included government , technology , and telecommunications companies in North America , Europe , Asia and the Middle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suspect the Russian intelligence-linked hacking group known as APT29 , or Cozy Bear , was behind the FireEye attack .
The same group was behind attacks on the State Department and White House during the administration of President Barack Obama , as well as the hack of the Democratic National Committee ’ s servers during the 2016 presidential campaign .
With reporting by Reuters , the Washington Post , Axios , AFP , and AP

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has been added to a growing list of targets in a major cyberattack by suspected Russian hackers, according to U.S. media reports on December 14.
A DHS statement did not confirm the reports, saying only that it was "aware of cyber breaches across the federal government and working closely with our partners in the public and private sector on the federal response."
Cyberattacks first revealed on December 13 hit the U.S. Treasury Department and the U.S. Commerce Department.
The DHS became the third department thought to be included in the attack, according to The Washington Post and Reuters, citing unidentified officials. DHS is responsible for border security and protecting the country from online attacks. It also plays a role in the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine.
E-mails sent by officials at the DHS were monitored by the hackers as part of the sophisticated series of breaches, according to Reuters.
U.S. officials said Russian government hackers are believed to be behind the cyberattacks, both Reuters and The Washington Post reported, citing multiple unidentified sources.
The Russian Embassy in Washington denied any involvement, calling the accusation "unfounded."
"Russia does not conduct offensive operations in the cyber domain," the Russian embassy said in a statement on its web page.
"Malicious activities in the information space contradict the principles of the Russian foreign policy, national interests, and our understanding of interstate relations," the statement says.
National Security Council (NSC) spokesperson John Ullyot said in a statement on December 14 that the NSC was working closely with Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the FBI and affected departments and agencies “to coordinate a swift and effective whole-of-government recovery and response to the recent compromise.”
The CISA and the FBI and other agencies are investigating. CISA also has ordered federal agencies to immediately stop using technology products made by the company SolarWinds.
SolarWinds has admitted that hackers from an "outside nation state" inserted malicious code into updates of its network management software issued between March and June this year.
The company said up to 18,000 of its customers had downloaded the compromised updates, which allowed hackers to spy unnoticed.
The company's software is also used by hundreds of thousands of organizations globally, including major corporations and the most sensitive parts of the U.S. and British governments.
A British government spokesman said the United Kingdom was not currently aware of any impact from the hack but was still investigating.
FireEye, a prominent cybersecurity company that was breached in connection with the incident, said in a blog post that targets included government, technology, and telecommunications companies in North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
Many in the cybersecurity community suspect the Russian intelligence-linked hacking group known as APT29, or Cozy Bear, was behind the FireEye attack.
The same group was behind attacks on the State Department and White House during the administration of President Barack Obama, as well as the hack of the Democratic National Committee’s servers during the 2016 presidential campaign.
With reporting by Reuters, the Washington Post, Axios, AFP, and AP


rferl--2020-12-14--U.S. Sanctions NATO Ally Turkey Over Purchase Of Russian Missile-Defense System

WASHINGTON -- The United States has sanctioned NATO ally Turkey for its purchase of a missile defense system from Russia amid already tense relations between Washington and Ankara .
The State Department on December 14 announced the sanctions on Turkey ’ s top Turkish defense development body for its purchase of the surface-to-air S-400 system from Rosoboronexport , Russia 's main arms exporter .
The sanctions include a ban on all U.S. export licenses to the Presidency of Defense Industries ( SSB ) as well as an asset freeze on its president , Ismail Demir , its vice president , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dissuade Ankara from purchasing and installing the Russian missile system , warning it would endanger the security of U.S. military technology and personnel as well as that of Turkey .
After Turkey moved ahead with the purchase , the United States suspended its participation in the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program while it continued to negotiate with Ankara .
It imposed sanctions after those talks failed , state department officials said .
`` Today ’ s action sends a clear signal that the United States will…not tolerate significant transactions with Russia 's defense @ @ @ @ @ @ @ State Mike Pompeo said in a statement .
Turkey and Russia were quick to condemn the move , with the Turkish Foreign Ministry urging the United States to “ reconsider this unfair decision.
” `` Turkey stands ready to address this issue through dialogue and diplomacy in conformity with the spirit of alliance that binds the two NATO partners , '' the ministry said .
Demir said the sanctions `` will not be able to hinder the Turkish defense industry in any way . ''
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called the sanctions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coercive measures '' by the United States .
Relations between the United States and Turkey , a NATO ally since 1952 , have worsened in recent years over a host of issues , including a crackdown on democracy at home , Ankara ’ s role in the Syrian and Nagorno-Karabakh conflicts , as well as its actions in the eastern Mediterranean .
Pompeo called on Turkey to cooperate with the United States to solve the issue of the missile system , saying the country was still an important NATO partner .
`` Turkey @ @ @ @ @ @ @ regional security partner for the United States , and we seek to continue our decades-long history of productive defense-sector cooperation by removing the obstacle of Turkey ’ s S-400 possession as soon as possible , '' he said .

WASHINGTON -- The United States has sanctioned NATO ally Turkey for its purchase of a missile defense system from Russia amid already tense relations between Washington and Ankara.
The State Department on December 14 announced the sanctions on Turkey’s top Turkish defense development body for its purchase of the surface-to-air S-400 system from Rosoboronexport, Russia's main arms exporter.
The sanctions include a ban on all U.S. export licenses to the Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB) as well as an asset freeze on its president, Ismail Demir, its vice president, and two employees.
Washington sought to dissuade Ankara from purchasing and installing the Russian missile system, warning it would endanger the security of U.S. military technology and personnel as well as that of Turkey.
After Turkey moved ahead with the purchase, the United States suspended its participation in the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program while it continued to negotiate with Ankara.
It imposed sanctions after those talks failed, state department officials said.
"Today’s action sends a clear signal that the United States will…not tolerate significant transactions with Russia's defense and intelligence sectors," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement.
Turkey and Russia were quick to condemn the move, with the Turkish Foreign Ministry urging the United States to “reconsider this unfair decision.”
"Turkey stands ready to address this issue through dialogue and diplomacy in conformity with the spirit of alliance that binds the two NATO partners," the ministry said.
Demir said the sanctions "will not be able to hinder the Turkish defense industry in any way."
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called the sanctions another example of "illegitimate, unilateral coercive measures" by the United States.
Relations between the United States and Turkey, a NATO ally since 1952, have worsened in recent years over a host of issues, including a crackdown on democracy at home, Ankara’s role in the Syrian and Nagorno-Karabakh conflicts, as well as its actions in the eastern Mediterranean.
Pompeo called on Turkey to cooperate with the United States to solve the issue of the missile system, saying the country was still an important NATO partner.
"Turkey is a valued Ally and an important regional security partner for the United States, and we seek to continue our decades-long history of productive defense-sector cooperation by removing the obstacle of Turkey’s S-400 possession as soon as possible," he said.
With reporting by AFP


rferl--2020-12-14--U.S. Sanctions Iranian Officials Over Abduction, 'Probable Death' Of Ex-FBI Agent

The United States has accused Iran of direct involvement in the presumed death of former FBI agent Robert Levinson and imposed sanctions on two Iranian intelligence agents believed to be responsible for his abduction .
The U.S administration said two senior officials from Iran 's Ministry of Intelligence and Security ( MOIS ) were `` involved in the abduction , detention , and probable death '' of the former agent .
Levinson , who was born in March 1948 , disappeared when he traveled to the Iranian Kish Island resort in March 2007 .
He was reportedly working for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The United States has repeatedly called on Iran to help locate Levinson and bring him home , but Iranian officials said they had no information about his fate .
However , when he disappeared , an Iranian government-linked media outlet broadcast a story saying he was `` in the hands of Iranian security forces . ''
`` The abduction of Mr. Levinson in Iran is an outrageous example of the Iranian regime 's willingness to commit unjust acts , '' Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement , adding that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pursue those who played a role in Mr. Levinson ’ s detention and probable death . ''
In a separate statement , U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called Levinson 's case `` another egregious example of the regime 's callous disregard toward human life , '' and reiterated the U.S. government ’ s `` strong warning '' to American citizens and dual nationals that traveling to Iran may jeopardize their personal safety .
`` The Iranian regime has a 41-year history of abducting and detaining foreigners and dual-nationals as political leverage , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on December 14 , any property or assets that the two targeted Iranian officials -- identified as Mohammad Baseri and Ahmad Khazai -- hold in the United States would be blocked .
Though it 's unlikely that the Iranian agents have bank accounts in the United States , the move could also limit their movements or financial dealings outside of Iran .
The Levinson family thanked the U.S. administration , saying in a statement : `` This is just one step in a long road toward achieving justice for him , but it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was no immediate comments from Iranian officials .

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--2020-12-15--Ukrainian Entrepreneurs Protest Coronavirus Restrictions

No media source currently available The URL has been copied to your clipboard The code has been copied to your @ @ @ @ @ clashed with police in Kyiv 's central Independence Square as they protested against state restrictions @ @ @ @ @ on December 15 .

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Thousands of entrepreneurs clashed with police in Kyiv's central Independence Square as they protested against state restrictions imposed over the coronavirus pandemic on December 15.


rferl--2020-12-15--Ukraine Extends Donbas Special Status Law By One Year

KYIV -- Ukrainian lawmakers have approved a bill extending the law on the special status of local self-governance in areas @ @ @ @ @ 31 , 2021 .
The bill was approved by 304 lawmakers at a parliament session @ @ @ @ @ Lawmakers of the Holos ( Voice ) and Batkivshchyna ( Fatherland ) political parties did @ @ @ @ @ vote .
The legislation was first adopted in September 2014 for a period of three @ @ @ @ @ insurgency in the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk , generally known as the Donbas @ @ @ @ @ people have been killed in the ongoing conflict since .
Weeks before inciting separatism in @ @ @ @ @ annexed Ukraine 's Crimean Peninsula after sending in troops and staging a referendum that was @ @ @ @ @ 100 countries .
The law has been prolonged three times since then and was set @ @ @ @ @ , 2020 .

KYIV -- Ukrainian lawmakers have approved a bill extending the law on the special status of local self-governance in areas of eastern Ukraine until December 31, 2021.
The bill was approved by 304 lawmakers at a parliament session, on December 15. Lawmakers of the Holos (Voice) and Batkivshchyna (Fatherland) political parties did not take part in the vote.
The legislation was first adopted in September 2014 for a period of three years after Russia incited an insurgency in the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, generally known as the Donbas, where more than 13,200 people have been killed in the ongoing conflict since.
Weeks before inciting separatism in the region, Russia forcibly annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula after sending in troops and staging a referendum that was deemed illegitimate by more than 100 countries.
The law has been prolonged three times since then and was set to expire on December 31, 2020.


rferl--2020-12-15--Ukrainian Lawmakers Restore Powers Of Anti-Corruption Agency

KYIV – The Ukrainian parliament has voted to restore the powers of the National Anti-Corruption Agency ( NAZK ) as Kyiv is seeking to secure new loans from the International Monetary Fund ( IMF ) to fight a sharp economic slump triggered by the coronavirus pandemic .
NAZK 's chief Oleksandr Novikov hailed the December 15 vote at the Verkhovna Rada , saying it would allow the agency to `` tackle corruption . ''
`` NAZK resumes all its operations in all major directions now , '' Novikov added .
In October , Ukraine 's Constitutional Court struck down some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the NAZK , sparking tensions between President Volodymyr Zelenskiy , the opposition , and members of the court .
The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv said the European Union , the United States , and several other nations were following developments surrounding the Constitutional Court 's ruling with `` growing concern . ''
The Verkhovna Rada ’ s move comes amid international concerns over Kyiv 's slow progress on reforms and anti-corruption efforts that have hobbled the implementation of a $ 5 billion program agreed in June with the IMF .
Ukraine 's economy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this year , dragged into recession by the COVID-19 pandemic .
The EU delegation to Kyiv has warned that its financial assistance was tied to Ukraine 's performance on corruption .

KYIV – The Ukrainian parliament has voted to restore the powers of the National Anti-Corruption Agency (NAZK) as Kyiv is seeking to secure new loans from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to fight a sharp economic slump triggered by the coronavirus pandemic.
NAZK's chief Oleksandr Novikov hailed the December 15 vote at the Verkhovna Rada, saying it would allow the agency to "tackle corruption."
"NAZK resumes all its operations in all major directions now," Novikov added.
In October, Ukraine's Constitutional Court struck down some anti-corruption legislation and curbed the powers of the NAZK, sparking tensions between President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the opposition, and members of the court.
The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv said the European Union, the United States, and several other nations were following developments surrounding the Constitutional Court's ruling with "growing concern."
The Verkhovna Rada’s move comes amid international concerns over Kyiv's slow progress on reforms and anti-corruption efforts that have hobbled the implementation of a $5 billion program agreed in June with the IMF.
Ukraine's economy is expected to contract by 5 percent this year, dragged into recession by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The EU delegation to Kyiv has warned that its financial assistance was tied to Ukraine's performance on corruption.
With reporting by Reuters


rferl--2020-12-15--Pompeo Slams Russia For Sowing 'Chaos' In The Mediterranean

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has blasted Russia for continuing to `` threaten Mediterranean stability '' and sowing `` chaos , conflict , and division '' in countries around the region .
In a statement on December 15 , Pompeo responded to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov , who he said has `` accused the United States of playing political games '' in the region .
Lavrov `` again gets the facts wrong and attempts to rewrite history , '' Pompeo said , denouncing Moscow 's actions in Libya , Syria , and other Mediterranean countries .
Relations between @ @ @ @ @ @ @ post-Cold War low over issues including Russia 's seizure of Ukraine ’ s Crimea region in 2014 , its role in wars in eastern Ukraine and Libya , and its election meddling in the United States and Europe .
U.S. President-elect Joe Biden , who will be inaugurated on January 20 , is expected to take a tougher stance toward the Kremlin on its human rights record and foreign policies compared with outgoing President Donald Trump .
In its statement , titled Russian Influence In The Mediterranean , Pompeo said the United States @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the Eastern Mediterranean to `` promote greater stability , security , and prosperity . ''
On the other hand , Russia `` continues to threaten Mediterranean stability using a variety of techniques to spread disinformation , undermine national sovereignty , and sow chaos , conflict , and division within countries throughout the region . ''
In Libya , Pompeo said Washington `` supports the formation of an inclusive government that can secure the country and meet the economic and humanitarian needs of the Libyan people . ''
Meanwhile , Moscow has undermined @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the North African country , violated a UN arms embargo , blocked UN sanctions on human rights violators , and fueled the conflict via the Vagner Group , a Russian military contractor force which also active in Syria and Africa , according to the outgoing state secretary .
In Syria , Russia supports the regime of President Bashar al-Assad , `` whose war against its own people has added to regional instability , led to a protracted humanitarian crisis , and displaced half the population , '' Pompeo said .
He also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ efforts between Greece and North Macedonia , and allowing wealthy , Kremlin-linked Russians to launder money through Cyprus and Malta , among other activities .
`` All of these actions clearly demonstrate that if anyone is playing political games and trying to stall progress in regional conflicts , it is Russia , which only acts to advance its own interests to the detriment of the entire region , '' Pompeo said .

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has blasted Russia for continuing to "threaten Mediterranean stability" and sowing "chaos, conflict, and division" in countries around the region.
In a statement on December 15, Pompeo responded to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who he said has "accused the United States of playing political games" in the region.
Lavrov "again gets the facts wrong and attempts to rewrite history," Pompeo said, denouncing Moscow's actions in Libya, Syria, and other Mediterranean countries.
Relations between Moscow and Washington have deteriorated to a post-Cold War low over issues including Russia's seizure of Ukraine’s Crimea region in 2014, its role in wars in eastern Ukraine and Libya, and its election meddling in the United States and Europe.
U.S. President-elect Joe Biden, who will be inaugurated on January 20, is expected to take a tougher stance toward the Kremlin on its human rights record and foreign policies compared with outgoing President Donald Trump.
In its statement, titled Russian Influence In The Mediterranean, Pompeo said the United States is working with its allies and partners in the Eastern Mediterranean to "promote greater stability, security, and prosperity."
On the other hand, Russia "continues to threaten Mediterranean stability using a variety of techniques to spread disinformation, undermine national sovereignty, and sow chaos, conflict, and division within countries throughout the region."
In Libya, Pompeo said Washington "supports the formation of an inclusive government that can secure the country and meet the economic and humanitarian needs of the Libyan people."
Meanwhile, Moscow has undermined the UN's efforts to bring peace to the North African country, violated a UN arms embargo, blocked UN sanctions on human rights violators, and fueled the conflict via the Vagner Group, a Russian military contractor force which also active in Syria and Africa, according to the outgoing state secretary.
In Syria, Russia supports the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, "whose war against its own people has added to regional instability, led to a protracted humanitarian crisis, and displaced half the population," Pompeo said.
He also accused Russia of working to undermine diplomatic efforts between Greece and North Macedonia, and allowing wealthy, Kremlin-linked Russians to launder money through Cyprus and Malta, among other activities.
"All of these actions clearly demonstrate that if anyone is playing political games and trying to stall progress in regional conflicts, it is Russia, which only acts to advance its own interests to the detriment of the entire region," Pompeo said.


rferl--2020-12-15--Chairman Of Belarusian Journalists' Association Summoned For Questioning

Police in Minsk have summoned the chairman of the Belarusian Journalists ' Association ( BAZh ) for questioning in a @ @ @ @ @ directed at causing damage to the national security '' of the country .
BAZh said @ @ @ @ @ Bastunets was ordered during a phone call to visit the Central Office of the Investigative @ @ @ @ @ 16 .
The move comes as the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists ( CPJ @ @ @ @ @ Belarus among countries where the number of imprisoned journalists rose significantly in recent months amid @ @ @ @ @ Lukashenka claimed victory in a disputed presidential election in August .
.
Since August , @ @ @ @ @ been arrested , six of whom are currently detained , the UN said earlier this @ @ @ @ @ the Belarusian Foreign Ministry revoked the media accreditations of several foreign media outlets in an @ @ @ @ @

Police in Minsk have summoned the chairman of the Belarusian Journalists' Association (BAZh) for questioning in a probe related to activities "directed at causing damage to the national security" of the country.
BAZh said on December 15 that Andrey Bastunets was ordered during a phone call to visit the Central Office of the Investigative Committee in Minsk on December 16.
The move comes as the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) published a report listing Belarus among countries where the number of imprisoned journalists rose significantly in recent months amid mass protests after incumbent Alyaksandr Lukashenka claimed victory in a disputed presidential election in August.
.
Since August, at least 373 journalists have been arrested, six of whom are currently detained, the UN said earlier this month.
In October, the Belarusian Foreign Ministry revoked the media accreditations of several foreign media outlets in an attempt to stifle reporting.


rferl--2020-12-15--Entrepreneurs Clash With Police In Kyiv While Protesting Pandemic Measures

KYIV -- Thousands of individual entrepreneurs have clashed with police in Kyiv 's central Maidan Nezalezhnosti ( Independence Square ) @ @ @ @ @ restrictions imposed over the coronavirus pandemic .
The demonstrators , who are demanding that lawmakers @ @ @ @ @ of small- and medium-sized businesses , tried to erect tents on the square on December @ @ @ @ @ The protesters lobbed stones and firecrackers at the police , while law enforcement responded with @ @ @ @ @ Despite the police efforts , protesters managed to set up several tents at the site @ @ @ @ @ reporting from the square .
The Interior Ministry said 40 police officers were injured in @ @ @ @ @ seen at the scene , providing assistance to some protesters .
It was not clear @ @ @ @ @ .

KYIV -- Thousands of individual entrepreneurs have clashed with police in Kyiv's central Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Square) as they protested against state restrictions imposed over the coronavirus pandemic.
The demonstrators, who are demanding that lawmakers approve tax cuts for owners of small- and medium-sized businesses, tried to erect tents on the square on December 15 when police intervened.
The protesters lobbed stones and firecrackers at the police, while law enforcement responded with volleys of tear gas.
Despite the police efforts, protesters managed to set up several tents at the site, according to RFE/RL correspondents reporting from the square.
The Interior Ministry said 40 police officers were injured in the clashes.
Ambulances were seen at the scene, providing assistance to some protesters.
It was not clear how many demonstrators were injured.


rferl--2020-12-15--Hearing Postponed Into Lawsuit Against Tashkent Decision Giving Land To Firm Controlled By President

Hearing Postponed Into Lawsuit Against Tashkent Decision Giving Land To Firm Controlled By President's Son-in-Law

TASHKENT -- A court in Tashkent has postponed a hearing into a lawsuit filed by dozens of entrepreneurs against a decision by the Uzbek capital 's mayor , Jahongir Ortiqhojaev , which will hand city land to a company affiliated with the president 's son-in-law .
The Chilonzor district court on December 14 put back the hearing to December 22 after the plaintiffs ' motion to remove Judge Dostmurod Toshev from the process was rejected .
The case concerns a December 2019 decision by Ortiqhojaev that would give more than six hectares of land in Yunusobod , one of Tashkent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Developers construction company .
Urban Developers , which plans to develop a trade and entertainment complex in Yunusobod , appears to be associated with Oibek Tursunov , the husband of President Shavkat Mirziyoev 's elder daughter Saida .
The company was established a month before the mayor announced his decision .
Ansor Naberaev , who is officially listed as the owner of Urban Developers , has rejected any connection between his company and Tursunov .
According to some 100 business-owners and entrepreneurs in Yunusobod , the plan to develop the area will harm @ @ @ @ @ @ @ laws have been violated since the land , worth at least $ 11.5 million , was placed under the control of the investor .
According to official registration and taxation documents , 97 percent of Urban Developers ' shares are owned by a company called Odoratus Business LLP registered in the United Kingdom and operated by B2B Consultants Limited , a company in Belize .
The company 's assets are officially shown as having a value of 100 British pounds ( $ 130 ) .
According to the documents obtained by RFE/RL 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ co-owns shares in several other companies operating in Uzbekistan , including more than 60 percent of shares in the Milk House company , which is co-owned by a firm called Pro Milk Technology .
More than 95 percent of Pro Milk Technology 's shares are controlled by Promadik Invest , which is owned by Mirziyoev 's son-in-law Tursunov .

TASHKENT -- A court in Tashkent has postponed a hearing into a lawsuit filed by dozens of entrepreneurs against a decision by the Uzbek capital's mayor, Jahongir Ortiqhojaev, which will hand city land to a company affiliated with the president's son-in-law.
The Chilonzor district court on December 14 put back the hearing to December 22 after the plaintiffs' motion to remove Judge Dostmurod Toshev from the process was rejected.
The case concerns a December 2019 decision by Ortiqhojaev that would give more than six hectares of land in Yunusobod, one of Tashkent's most-expensive districts, to the Urban Developers construction company.
Urban Developers, which plans to develop a trade and entertainment complex in Yunusobod, appears to be associated with Oibek Tursunov, the husband of President Shavkat Mirziyoev's elder daughter Saida. The company was established a month before the mayor announced his decision.
Ansor Naberaev, who is officially listed as the owner of Urban Developers, has rejected any connection between his company and Tursunov.
According to some 100 business-owners and entrepreneurs in Yunusobod, the plan to develop the area will harm their business, while many regulations and laws have been violated since the land, worth at least $11.5 million, was placed under the control of the investor.
According to official registration and taxation documents, 97 percent of Urban Developers' shares are owned by a company called Odoratus Business LLP registered in the United Kingdom and operated by B2B Consultants Limited, a company in Belize.
The company's assets are officially shown as having a value of 100 British pounds ($130).
According to the documents obtained by RFE/RL's Uzbek Service, Odoratus Business LLP also co-owns shares in several other companies operating in Uzbekistan, including more than 60 percent of shares in the Milk House company, which is co-owned by a firm called Pro Milk Technology.
More than 95 percent of Pro Milk Technology's shares are controlled by Promadik Invest, which is owned by Mirziyoev's son-in-law Tursunov.


rferl--2020-12-15--Belarusian Blogger Starts Hunger Strike To Protest New Criminal Charge

MINSK -- Belarusian blogger Ihar Losik , who has been recognized by rights organizations as a political prisoner , has started a hunger strike to protest a new charge against him .
Losik 's colleague , blogger Anton Matolka , said that Losik was additionally charged on December 15 with helping prepare mass disorder .
Losik was initially charged with helping prepare for violations of public order , which has a maximum punishment of three years in prison .
If found guilty of the latest charge , Losik , an RFE/RL consultant for new media technologies , faces up to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Matolka , Losik started the hunger strike immediately after learning of the additional charge against him .
Losik 's wife , Darya Losik , confirmed to RFE/RL that her husband was on hunger strike , adding that she was also now on hunger strike to support her husband .
Police arrested Losik in late June as he was actively covering preparations for the country ’ s August 9 presidential election for his blog .
Incumbent Alyaksandr Lukashenka , who has run the country for almost 30 years , was announced the landslide winner @ @ @ @ @ @ @ amid cries of electoral fraud .
Police have violently cracked down on the postelection protests , and many of Belarus 's opposition leaders have been arrested or forced to leave the country as the demonstrations continue .
Western governments have refused to acknowledge Lukashenka as the winner of the vote , and imposed sanctions on him and his allies , citing election rigging and the police crackdown .
Lukashenka has refused to step down and says he will not negotiate with the opposition .

MINSK -- Belarusian blogger Ihar Losik, who has been recognized by rights organizations as a political prisoner, has started a hunger strike to protest a new charge against him.
Losik's colleague, blogger Anton Matolka, said that Losik was additionally charged on December 15 with helping prepare mass disorder. Losik was initially charged with helping prepare for violations of public order, which has a maximum punishment of three years in prison.
If found guilty of the latest charge, Losik, an RFE/RL consultant for new media technologies, faces up to eight years in prison.
According to Matolka, Losik started the hunger strike immediately after learning of the additional charge against him.
Losik's wife, Darya Losik, confirmed to RFE/RL that her husband was on hunger strike, adding that she was also now on hunger strike to support her husband.
Crisis In Belarus Read our coverage as Belarusian strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka continues his brutal crackdown on NGOs, activists, and independent media following the August 2020 presidential election.
Police arrested Losik in late June as he was actively covering preparations for the country’s August 9 presidential election for his blog.
Incumbent Alyaksandr Lukashenka, who has run the country for almost 30 years, was announced the landslide winner in the election, sparking nationwide protests amid cries of electoral fraud.
Police have violently cracked down on the postelection protests, and many of Belarus's opposition leaders have been arrested or forced to leave the country as the demonstrations continue.
Western governments have refused to acknowledge Lukashenka as the winner of the vote, and imposed sanctions on him and his allies, citing election rigging and the police crackdown.
Lukashenka has refused to step down and says he will not negotiate with the opposition.


rferl--2020-12-15--Turkmen Man Reportedly Imprisoned For Four Years Just For Sharing Photo Online

An independent Turkmen news website says a resident of Ashgabat has been sentenced to four years in prison because he shared a photo of a World Health Organization ( WHO ) delegation taken by his friend in the Central Asian nation 's capital in July .
The website Turkmen.news reported late on December 14 that its editors had learned that 26-year-old Nurgeldy Halikov was found guilty of fraud and handed the prison sentence in mid-September .
One of Halikov 's friends placed the picture of the WHO delegation -- taken when its members were sitting outside an Ashgabat hotel -- @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the news website .
The delegation was in Turkmenistan to evaluate the possible spread of COVID-19 in the country , where officials have insisted that there are no coronavirus cases .
Turkmenistan is led by authoritarian President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov , who heads one of the world 's most oppressive governments .
According to the website , Halikov , who shared the picture with Turkmen.news immediately after it was taken , was summoned by police a day later .
Law enforcement officials told Halikov 's relatives that he would be released from custody @ @ @ @ @ @ @ never happened .
Turkmen.news says that on July 26 its editors received an electronic message from Halikov , who wrote that his detention was linked to a situation related to $ 5,000 he `` borrowed from an acquaintance . ''
Later , the editors said they learned that because of that `` debt , '' Halikov was found guilty of fraud and sentenced to four years in prison .
The Bagtyyarlyq district court of Ashgabat told Turkmen.news that Halikov was convicted and sentenced on September 15 .
Turkmen.news stated on December 14 that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the case against him had been launched solely for sharing a photo with an independent media outlet .
Government critics and human rights groups say Berdymukhammedov has suppressed dissent and made few changes in the restrictive country since he came to power after the death of autocrat Saparmurat Niyazov in 2006 .
Turkmen.news noted that the prosecution of people in Turkmenistan on trumped-up criminal charges is widespread , noting the case of lawyer Pygambergeldy Allaberdyev as an example .
Allaberdyev , a lawyer with a government energy company in the western city @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years in prison in October on charges of hooliganism and intentional infliction of moderate bodily harm .
Human rights watchdogs say Allaberdyev was imprisoned `` on bogus charges that appear to be in retaliation for his alleged ties to [ Turkmen ] activists abroad . ''


rferl--2020-12-16--'Funny To Read': Russia's Lavrov Dismisses FSB Involvement In Navalny Poisoning

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on December 16 dismissed a joint investigation between Bellingcat and several media outlets that revealed evidence they say shows that the recent poisoning of opposition leader Aleksei Navalny was carried out by Russia ’ s Federal Security Service ( FSB ) .
`` All this news is funny to read .
But the manner in which this news is presented says only one thing : that our Western partners lack any ethical standards , '' Lavrov said during a visit to the Croatian capital , Zagreb , on December 16 .
Several European laboratories in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was poisoned after he fell ill on a flight from Siberia to Moscow in August .
He was later airlifted to Berlin for treatment .
A joint investigation by Bellingcat , a British-based open-source research group , and several media outlets published on December 14 concluded that FSB chemical weapons experts had followed Navalny for years , including on the day he was poisoned .
Citing “ voluminous evidence in the form of telecoms and travel data , ” the investigation , which included The Insider , a Russian investigative website , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ poisoning of the Kremlin critic in the Siberian city of Tomsk appeared to have been in the works since at least early 2017 .
The investigation revealed the names and photos of the alleged men who tailed Navalny , saying they were specialists in nerve agents and toxins , including the Soviet-designed poison Novichok , which European countries said was used against Navalny .
The investigation does not present any evidence of direct contact between Navalny and the agents .
Moscow has denied any involvement in the Kremlin critic 's illness .
Lavrov @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that Western countries `` lack of any skills for normal diplomatic work and an unwillingness to comply with international legal norms when it comes to establishing facts . ''
The European Union has slapped entry bans and bank account freezes on six people suspected of being responsible for Navalny ’ s poisoning , including FSB chief Aleksandr Bortnikov .
Navalny , who is currently in Germany where he is recovering , said his poisoning case was now solved , despite the absence of an official investigation in Russia .
Navalny , Russia 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accusation that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the poisoning attack on him .
The opposition leader has said he will return to Russia after making a full recovery in Germany .

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on December 16 dismissed a joint investigation between Bellingcat and several media outlets that revealed evidence they say shows that the recent poisoning of opposition leader Aleksei Navalny was carried out by Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB).
"All this news is funny to read. But the manner in which this news is presented says only one thing: that our Western partners lack any ethical standards," Lavrov said during a visit to the Croatian capital, Zagreb, on December 16.
Several European laboratories in September concluded that Navalny, 44, was poisoned after he fell ill on a flight from Siberia to Moscow in August. He was later airlifted to Berlin for treatment.
A joint investigation by Bellingcat, a British-based open-source research group, and several media outlets published on December 14 concluded that FSB chemical weapons experts had followed Navalny for years, including on the day he was poisoned.
Citing “voluminous evidence in the form of telecoms and travel data,” the investigation, which included The Insider, a Russian investigative website, and Der Spiegel and CNN, said the poisoning of the Kremlin critic in the Siberian city of Tomsk appeared to have been in the works since at least early 2017.
The investigation revealed the names and photos of the alleged men who tailed Navalny, saying they were specialists in nerve agents and toxins, including the Soviet-designed poison Novichok, which European countries said was used against Navalny.
The investigation does not present any evidence of direct contact between Navalny and the agents.
Moscow has denied any involvement in the Kremlin critic's illness.
Lavrov said the investigation by media outlets proved that Western countries "lack any skills for normal diplomatic work and an unwillingness to comply with international legal norms when it comes to establishing facts."
The European Union has slapped entry bans and bank account freezes on six people suspected of being responsible for Navalny’s poisoning, including FSB chief Aleksandr Bortnikov.
Navalny, who is currently in Germany where he is recovering, said his poisoning case was now solved, despite the absence of an official investigation in Russia.
Navalny, Russia's most prominent Kremlin critic, reiterated his accusation that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the poisoning attack on him.
The opposition leader has said he will return to Russia after making a full recovery in Germany.
With reporting by AFP


rferl--2020-12-16--Russian Prosecutors Reportedly Seeking Lengthy Prison Terms For Couple In Treason Trial

A Russian couple that is on trial for high treason for photographs taken at their wedding five years ago which revealed the identity of a security operative when published online could face lengthy prison terms .
Prosecutors in the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad have asked the court to sentence Konstantin Antonets to 13 years in prison and his wife , Antonina Zimina , to 14 years , according to media reports .
A verdict in the trial is expected on December 24 , reports said .
Antonets and Zimina were detained in July 2018 in Kaliningrad and went on trial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ couple maintains they are innocent .
In July , there were additionally charged with passing classified information to Latvia , which the couple also rejected .
Zimina 's parents told RFE/RL in February that Russia ’ s Federal Security Service ( FSB ) suspected their daughter and her husband of providing the intelligence agency in the Baltic state of Latvia with information about a Kaliningrad FSB officer .
According to them , among the guests who attended the couple ’ s wedding in April 2015 was an FSB counterintelligence officer , Maksim Denisenko @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and former university classmate .
At the wedding , Denisenko spoke openly about his employer , offered `` assistance if need be , '' and handed out business cards and posed for photographs with guests , Zimina 's parents said .
The parents also told RFE/RL that their daughter 's friends from Latvia and Lithuania also attended the wedding .
The daily Kommersant reported in February that some videos and photographs from the wedding were later published on social media and were eventually included in an unspecified Baltic television program , prompting the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In recent years , the number of cases of alleged high treason has increased dramatically in Russia .
One of the latest high-profile high treason cases involves Ivan Safronov , a journalist and an aide to the Russian Roskosmos space agency chief , Dmitry Rogozin .
Safronov was arrested on July 7 and later charged with passing classified materials to the Czech Republic .
With reporting by Kommersant and Interfax

A Russian couple that is on trial for high treason for photographs taken at their wedding five years ago which revealed the identity of a security operative when published online could face lengthy prison terms.
Prosecutors in the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad have asked the court to sentence Konstantin Antonets to 13 years in prison and his wife, Antonina Zimina, to 14 years, according to media reports.
A verdict in the trial is expected on December 24, reports said.
Antonets and Zimina were detained in July 2018 in Kaliningrad and went on trial behind closed doors in May. The couple maintains they are innocent.
In July, there were additionally charged with passing classified information to Latvia, which the couple also rejected.
Zimina's parents told RFE/RL in February that Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) suspected their daughter and her husband of providing the intelligence agency in the Baltic state of Latvia with information about a Kaliningrad FSB officer.
According to them, among the guests who attended the couple’s wedding in April 2015 was an FSB counterintelligence officer, Maksim Denisenko, who was their daughter's friend and former university classmate.
At the wedding, Denisenko spoke openly about his employer, offered "assistance if need be," and handed out business cards and posed for photographs with guests, Zimina's parents said.
The parents also told RFE/RL that their daughter's friends from Latvia and Lithuania also attended the wedding.
The daily Kommersant reported in February that some videos and photographs from the wedding were later published on social media and were eventually included in an unspecified Baltic television program, prompting the FSB to open a criminal investigation.
In recent years, the number of cases of alleged high treason has increased dramatically in Russia.
One of the latest high-profile high treason cases involves Ivan Safronov, a journalist and an aide to the Russian Roskosmos space agency chief, Dmitry Rogozin.
Safronov was arrested on July 7 and later charged with passing classified materials to the Czech Republic.
With reporting by Kommersant and Interfax


rferl--2020-12-16--HRW Says Azerbaijan Appears To Have Targeted Armenian Church In Possible War Crime

Human Rights Watch ( HRW ) says Azerbaijani forces attacked a church in the town of Shushi during recent fighting over the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region , in what the group said appeared to be a deliberate targeting in violation of the laws of war .
Armenia accused Azerbaijan of shelling the Holy Savior Cathedral , a historic church perched on a strategic clifftop in Shushi , which is known as Susa in Azeri , on October 8 .
Residents of the town said the church , also known as the Ghazanchetsots Cathedral , sustained exterior and interior damage after being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 19th-century cathedral is part of the Armenian Apostolic Church .
In a statement on December 16 , HRW said the two separate attacks “ suggest that the church , a civilian object with cultural significance , was an intentional target despite the absence of evidence that it was used for military purposes.
” “ The two strikes on the church , the second one while journalists and other civilians had gathered at the site , appear to be deliberate , ” said Hugh Williamson , Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights @ @ @ @ @ @ @ impartially investigated and those responsible held to account.
” HRW said weapon remnants collected at the site corroborate the use of guided munitions .
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said that the church could have been targeted only by mistake and was “ not among military targets.
” The attacks took place while Armenian forces still controlled the city .
Azerbaijani forces regained control of the city on November 8 .
Nagorno-Karabakh is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan , but the territory and some surrounding areas have been controlled by ethnic Armenian forces @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Azerbaijan launched a military offensive that resulted in Baku regaining control of the surrounding districts and parts of Nagorno-Karabakh itself .
The sides agreed to a Russia-brokered truce in early November , resulting in in the deployment of 2,000 Russian peacekeeping forces to the conflict zone .
International human rights groups have urged both Azerbaijan and Armenia to urgently conduct investigations into war crimes allegedly committed by both sides during the six weeks of fighting over Nagorno-Karabakh .
Amnesty International has analyzed 22 videos depicting `` extrajudicial executions , the mistreatment of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and desecration of the dead bodies of enemy soldiers , '' the London-based human rights watchdog said in a statement on December 10 .

Human Rights Watch (HRW) says Azerbaijani forces attacked a church in the town of Shushi during recent fighting over the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region, in what the group said appeared to be a deliberate targeting in violation of the laws of war.
Armenia accused Azerbaijan of shelling the Holy Savior Cathedral, a historic church perched on a strategic clifftop in Shushi, which is known as Susa in Azeri, on October 8.
Residents of the town said the church, also known as the Ghazanchetsots Cathedral, sustained exterior and interior damage after being hit twice within several hours. The 19th-century cathedral is part of the Armenian Apostolic Church.
In a statement on December 16, HRW said the two separate attacks “suggest that the church, a civilian object with cultural significance, was an intentional target despite the absence of evidence that it was used for military purposes.”
“The two strikes on the church, the second one while journalists and other civilians had gathered at the site, appear to be deliberate,” said Hugh Williamson, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “These attacks should be impartially investigated and those responsible held to account.”
HRW said weapon remnants collected at the site corroborate the use of guided munitions.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said that the church could have been targeted only by mistake and was “not among military targets.”
The attacks took place while Armenian forces still controlled the city. Azerbaijani forces regained control of the city on November 8.
Nagorno-Karabakh is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, but the territory and some surrounding areas have been controlled by ethnic Armenian forces since the early 1990s.
In September, Azerbaijan launched a military offensive that resulted in Baku regaining control of the surrounding districts and parts of Nagorno-Karabakh itself.
The sides agreed to a Russia-brokered truce in early November, resulting in in the deployment of 2,000 Russian peacekeeping forces to the conflict zone.
International human rights groups have urged both Azerbaijan and Armenia to urgently conduct investigations into war crimes allegedly committed by both sides during the six weeks of fighting over Nagorno-Karabakh.
Amnesty International has analyzed 22 videos depicting "extrajudicial executions, the mistreatment of prisoners of war and other captives, and desecration of the dead bodies of enemy soldiers," the London-based human rights watchdog said in a statement on December 10.