rferl--2020-08-07--Thousands In Belarus Attend 'Canceled' Opposition Rally Despite Pressure

MINSK -- Thousands of people gathered in a park in the Belarusian capital on August 6 in support of opposition presidential candidate Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya after she had to cancel her campaign event following the city authorities ' abrupt decision to replace her rallies in Minsk with government-organized events .
After being forced to cancel their campaign events in the Peoples ' Frienship Park and the Kyiv Park in downtown Minsk , Tsikhanouskaya and her associates , Maryya Kalesnikava and Veranika Tsapkala , announced that they would attend `` as ordinary Belarusian citizens '' the event hastily announced by the authorities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not seen at the gathering , but Kalesnikava arrived at the site before being prevented by the police from entering the park .
Kalesnikava said later that she had arrived by car with Tsikhanouskaya and Tsapkala nearby and decided to enter the park separately after being surrounded by hundreds of people , but the two were apparently prevented from entering by police .
Meanwhile , two sound engineers at the government-organized event , Kiryl Halanau and Uladzislau Sakalouski , played Soviet-era rock star Viktor Tsoi 's We Want Changes , prompting the crowds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which was the anthem of the late 1980s Soviet youth before the collapse of the Soviet Union .
Halanau and Sakalouski were promptly detained and charged with minor hooliganism and disobedience .
On August 7 , in two separate court hearings , Halanau and Sakalouski were found guilty of minor hooliganism and disobeying police and sentenced to 10 days in jail each .
The men rejected the charges .
The demonstrators then marched across the city , clapping and chanting `` Long live Belarus ! ''
and `` Go away ! ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Alyaksandr Lukashenka , whose 26 years of authoritarian rule looks increasingly vulnerable ahead of the August 9 election .
Analysts , however , say Lukashenka is likely win through a combination of fraud and the repression of the energized opposition .
Earlier on August 6 , Tsikhanouskaya 's campaign chief , Maryya Maroz , was briefly detained in Minsk and `` warned '' of possible repercussions for staging `` unsanctioned '' rallies .
Also on August 6 , the authorities continued to detain other members of Tsikhanouskaya 's campaign team and her supporters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The European Union and the United States have expressed concerns over ongoing crackdown on opposition politicians , journalists , and rights defenders and called on the Belarusian authorities to hold free elections .
On August 7 , EU foreign-policy chief Josep Borrell issued a statement calling on the Belarusian authorities to ensure fundamental freedoms of expression and peaceful assembly and to guarantee candidates ' full political rights .
`` The country 's sovereignty and independence can only be strengthened by peaceful , free , and fair elections , '' Borrell said .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all activists , human rights defenders , bloggers , and journalists detained on political grounds .
Tsikhanouskaya has managed to gather tens of thousands of supporters at rallies in Minsk and in other towns and cities across Belarus in recent weeks .
Meanwhile , several popular singers and pop groups from Russia canceled their concerts in Belarus , which many believe were organized in support of Lukashenka .
They include Leonid Agutin , Yulianna Karaulova , Grigory Leps , Dzharo & Khanza , Rasa , and Kar-Men , who were invited to Minsk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ August 8 , the day before the election .
Writing about their decisions on social networks , some said that they wanted to stay away from politics .
American rappers Tyga and Saint Jhn , who were also invited to the concerts , said on August 7 that they canceled their concerts in Belarus as well .
In a related development , the Central Election Commission said on August 6 that turnout during three days of early voting was 22.47 percent of the country 's 6.8 million eligible voters .
Opposition politicians , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have called on citizens to refrain from early voting , which started on August 4 , charging that it gives Lukashenka loyalists more opportunities to rig the election results .

MINSK -- Thousands of people gathered in a park in the Belarusian capital on August 6 in support of opposition presidential candidate Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya after she had to cancel her campaign event following the city authorities' abrupt decision to replace her rallies in Minsk with government-organized events.
After being forced to cancel their campaign events in the Peoples' Friendship Park and the Kyiv Park in downtown Minsk, Tsikhanouskaya and her associates, Maryya Kalesnikava and Veranika Tsapkala, announced that they would attend "as ordinary Belarusian citizens" the event hastily announced by the authorities in the Kyiv Park.
Tsikhanouskaya was not seen at the gathering, but Kalesnikava arrived at the site before being prevented by the police from entering the park.
Kalesnikava said later that she had arrived by car with Tsikhanouskaya and Tsapkala nearby and decided to enter the park separately after being surrounded by hundreds of people, but the two were apparently prevented from entering by police.
Meanwhile, two sound engineers at the government-organized event, Kiryl Halanau and Uladzislau Sakalouski, played Soviet-era rock star Viktor Tsoi's We Want Changes, prompting the crowds to start singing along with the song, which was the anthem of the late 1980s Soviet youth before the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Halanau and Sakalouski were promptly detained and charged with minor hooliganism and disobedience.
On August 7, in two separate court hearings, Halanau and Sakalouski were found guilty of minor hooliganism and disobeying police and sentenced to 10 days in jail each. The men rejected the charges.
The demonstrators then marched across the city, clapping and chanting "Long live Belarus!" and "Go away!" -- an apparent message for incumbent President Alyaksandr Lukashenka, whose 26 years of authoritarian rule looks increasingly vulnerable ahead of the August 9 election.
Analysts, however, say Lukashenka is likely win through a combination of fraud and the repression of the energized opposition.
Earlier on August 6, Tsikhanouskaya's campaign chief, Maryya Maroz, was briefly detained in Minsk and "warned" of possible repercussions for staging "unsanctioned" rallies.
Belarus Votes For President Read our coverage as Belarusian strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka continues his brutal crackdown on NGOs, activists, and independent media following the August 2020 presidential election.
Also on August 6, the authorities continued to detain other members of Tsikhanouskaya's campaign team and her supporters in towns and cities across Belarus.
The European Union and the United States have expressed concerns over ongoing crackdown on opposition politicians, journalists, and rights defenders and called on the Belarusian authorities to hold free elections.
On August 7, EU foreign-policy chief Josep Borrell issued a statement calling on the Belarusian authorities to ensure fundamental freedoms of expression and peaceful assembly and to guarantee candidates' full political rights.
"The country's sovereignty and independence can only be strengthened by peaceful, free, and fair elections," Borrell said.
He also urged the authorities to immediately release all activists, human rights defenders, bloggers, and journalists detained on political grounds.
Tsikhanouskaya has managed to gather tens of thousands of supporters at rallies in Minsk and in other towns and cities across Belarus in recent weeks.
Meanwhile, several popular singers and pop groups from Russia canceled their concerts in Belarus, which many believe were organized in support of Lukashenka. They include Leonid Agutin, Yulianna Karaulova, Grigory Leps, Dzharo&Khanza, Rasa, and Kar-Men, who were invited to Minsk and other Belarusian cities to perform on August 8, the day before the election.
Writing about their decisions on social networks, some said that they wanted to stay away from politics.
American rappers Tyga and Saint Jhn, who were also invited to the concerts, said on August 7 that they canceled their concerts in Belarus as well.
In a related development, the Central Election Commission said on August 6 that turnout during three days of early voting was 22.47 percent of the country's 6.8 million eligible voters.
Opposition politicians, rights activists, and critics of Lukashenka have called on citizens to refrain from early voting, which started on August 4, charging that it gives Lukashenka loyalists more opportunities to rig the election results.


rferl--2020-08-07--Afghan Loya Jirga Meets On Release Of Taliban Prisoners

KABUL -- A grand assembly , or Loya Jirga , has opened in Afghanistan 's capital to decide whether to release a final 400 Taliban prisoners , the last hurdle to opening peace talks between the internationally backed government and the Taliban under a peace deal between the militants and the United States .
Thousands of Afghan elders , community leaders , and politicians gathered on August 7 in Kabul to debate the fate of the 400 hard-core Taliban prisoners .
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani opened the Loya Jirga by saying that according to the constitution , `` the release @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the authority of the president of Afghanistan ... these 400 people have serious cases . ''
Last week , Ghani ordered the release of 500 Taliban prisoners as a goodwill gesture amid a three-day cease-fire proposed by the Taliban and agreed to by the Afghan government that ended on August 2 .
Ghani said the government had released 4,600 Taliban prisoners out of the 5,000 pledged in a landmark agreement signed in February by the United States and the Taliban .
Ghani then announced he would summon the Loya Jirga to decide the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Taliban 's list .
The Loya Jirga is being led by Abdullah Abdullah , the head of the High Council for National Reconciliation , who took over the leadership of the Loya Jirga from its previous head , Abdul Rasul Sayyaf , a warlord and close ally of Ghani 's .
Abdullah , Ghani 's former bitter rival , was appointed to lead the High Council to end political infighting in Kabul .
Critics have accused Ghani of delaying peace talks with the Taliban to retain power because it is widely speculated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ government .
Ghani , who has insisted he will complete his five-year term , won a disputed presidential election last year against Abdullah .
Abdullah said on August 7 that Afghanistan was at a critical juncture .
`` Our decisions are linked to the fate of the country .
It was not an easy decision on the 4,600 detainees ... .
It was a big decision .
But what does it show ?
The determination of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in removing obstacles to achieving intra-Afghan talks and ultimately peace and stability @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The Taliban , meanwhile , has denied that the 400 inmates are especially dangerous .
`` The accusations they [ the Afghan government ] are now making are not true .
In fact , these accusations were made by the Kabul administration for delaying the process and taking advantage of it .
Other than that , those [ accusations ] have no basis , '' Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen told RFE/RL from Doha , where the militants have an office .
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged attendees `` to take @ @ @ @ @ @ @ peace that benefits all Afghans and contributes to regional stability and global security '' and promised to hold the Taliban to the commitment it made to enter peace talks .
`` We acknowledge that the release of these prisoners is unpopular , '' Pompeo said in a statement on August 6 .
`` But this difficult action will lead to an important result long sought by Afghans and Afghanistan 's friends : reduction of violence and direct talks resulting in a peace agreement and an end to the war . ''
The Taliban @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it had pledged in the agreement with U.S. negotiators and insists on its demand for the release of the remaining 400 prisoners on its list .
U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad , the architect of the deal allowing the United States to withdraw its forces and end its longest-ever war , warned against the Loya Jirga throwing up any complications .
`` We wish the jirga participants success ... and urge them not to allow those who prefer the status quo and seek to complicate the path to peace to manipulate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Twitter .
The United States has reportedly proposed that the Taliban prisoners be transferred from Afghan jails to a location where they would be under both Taliban and Afghan government surveillance .
Of the 400 Taliban prisoners left , around 200 are accused by the government of masterminding attacks on embassies , public squares , and government offices , killing thousands of civilians in recent years .
The Loya Jirga , held under a giant tent , is a centuries-old institution used to build consensus among Afghanistan 's rival tribes , factions , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is traditionally convened under extraordinary circumstances to discuss matters of national importance .
Since the U.S.-Taliban agreement in February , 3,560 Afghan security personnel have been killed in attacks by militants , Ghani said last week .
He said thousands more had been wounded .
In the same week , the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said in a report that more than 1,280 Afghan civilians had been killed during the first half of 2020 -- mainly as a result of fighting between Afghan government forces and Taliban militants .
With reporting by @ @ @

KABUL -- Several thousand Afghan politicians and community leaders are meeting in a traditional grand assembly in Afghanistan's capital to decide whether the government should release 400 Taliban prisoners that have been convicted of involvement in deadly, high-profile attacks in the country.
The release of the prisoners is the last hurdle to opening peace talks between the internationally backed government in Kabul and the Taliban under a peace deal between the militants and the United States.
Kabul said it has released 4,600 Taliban inmates out of the 5,000 pledged in the landmark agreement signed in February by the United States and the Taliban, but authorities have balked at freeing the remaining prisoners demanded by the Taliban.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said that according to the Afghan Constitution, "the release of these 400 prisoners is not within the authority of the president of Afghanistan...these 400 people have serious cases.”
Ghani, addressing the 3,200 delegates who gathered in a massive tent in Kabul on August 7, stressed that he would "strongly endorse and support any decision."
The three-day Loya Jirga is a traditional gathering of ethnic, religious, and political leaders who decide on matters of national importance.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged attendees "to take advantage of this historic opportunity for a peace that benefits all Afghans and contributes to regional stability and global security" and promised to hold the Taliban to the commitments it made to enter peace talks.
"We acknowledge that the release of these prisoners is unpopular," Pompeo said in a statement on August 6. "But this difficult action will lead to an important result long sought by Afghans and Afghanistan's friends: reduction of violence and direct talks resulting in a peace agreement and an end to the war."
Lawmaker Belquis Roshan, a women's rights activist attending the gathering, protested against the potential release of the prisoners.
As Ghani spoke, she stood in the hall and unfurled a banner that read: "Redeeming the Taliban is national treason."
Roshan was escorted out of the tent by security guards.
Last week, Ghani ordered the release of 500 Taliban prisoners as a goodwill gesture amid a three-day cease-fire proposed by the Taliban and agreed to by the Afghan government that ended on August 2. But those prisoners were not on the Taliban’s list.
Ghani then announced that the Loya Jirga delegates would decide whether to release the remaining 400 prisoners on the Taliban's list.
The Loya Jirga is headed by Abdullah Abdullah, the head of the High Council for National Reconciliation, who took over the leadership of the Loya Jirga from its previous head, Abdul Rasul Sayyaf, a former warlord and close ally of Ghani's.
Abdullah, Ghani's bitter rival in a disputed presidential election last year, was appointed to lead the council to end political infighting in Kabul.
Critics have accused Ghani of delaying peace talks with the Taliban to retain power because it is widely speculated that negotiations could seek a neutral interim government.
Ghani has insisted he will complete his five-year term.
Abdullah said on August 7 that Afghanistan was at a critical juncture.
“Our decisions are linked to the fate of the country. It was not an easy decision on the 4,600 detainees.... It was a big decision. But what does it show? The determination of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in removing obstacles to achieving intra-Afghan talks and ultimately peace and stability in this country,” Abdullah said.
The Taliban, meanwhile, has denied that the 400 inmates are especially dangerous.
“The accusations [the Afghan government is] now making are not true. In fact, these accusations were made by the Kabul administration for delaying the process and taking advantage of it. Other than that, those [accusations] have no basis,” Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen told RFE/RL from Qatar, where the militants have a political office.
But Afghan officials have described the remaining prisoners as dangerous.
Of the 400 Taliban prisoners left, around 200 are accused by the Afghan government of masterminding attacks on embassies, public squares, and government offices, killing thousands of civilians in recent years.
They include militants linked to the 2018 attack against the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul that killed 40 people, including 14 foreigners.
Another Taliban prisoner is linked to the massive May 2017 truck bombing near the German Embassy in Kabul that killed over 100 people.
Also on the list is a former Afghan Army officer who killed five French troops and wounded 13 in 2012 in an insider attack.
The Taliban says it has freed all 1,000 prisoners it had pledged to in the agreement with the United States and insists on its demand for the release of the remaining 400 prisoners on its list.
The U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, the architect of the deal that potentially allows the United States to withdraw its forces and end its longest-ever war, warned against the Loya Jirga throwing up any complications.
"We wish the jirga participants success...and urge them not to allow those who prefer the status quo and seek to complicate the path to peace to manipulate the process," Khalilzad said on Twitter.
The United States has reportedly proposed the Taliban prisoners be transferred from Afghan jails to a location where they would be under both Taliban and Afghan government surveillance.
The Loya Jirga is a centuries-old institution used to build consensus among Afghanistan's rival tribes, factions, and ethnic groups.
Such a meeting is traditionally convened under extraordinary circumstances.
Since the U.S.-Taliban agreement in February, 3,560 Afghan security personnel have been killed in attacks by militants, Ghani said last week. He said thousands more have been wounded.
In the same week, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said in a report that more than 1,280 Afghan civilians had been killed during the first half of 2020 -- mainly as a result of fighting between Afghan government forces and Taliban militants.
With reporting by Reuters and AP


rferl--2020-08-07--Iran Is No. 1 Sponsor of Terrorism, U.S. Says Ahead Of UN Arms-Embargo Talks

The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations has called Iran `` the world ’ s No .
1 sponsor of terrorism , '' a day after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the United States plans to hold a UN Security Council vote next week to extend an arms embargo against Iran .
Ambassador Kelly Craft also warned Russia and China that they will become `` co-sponsors of the No .
1 state that sponsors terrorism '' if they use their veto to block the resolution to extend the embargo .
The United States hopes Russia and China `` will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Middle East , '' Craft said .
But she added that the partnership between Russia and China was clear : `` They 're just going to be promoting chaos , conflict , and mayhem outside their borders , so we have to just corner them . ''
Craft and Brian Hook , the top U.S. envoy for Iran , briefed a group of reporters following Pompeo 's announcement on August 5 that the United States will call for a Security Council vote next week on a U.S.-drafted resolution to extend the arms embargo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Hook announced hours after the briefing that he was stepping down .
The foreign ministers of Russia and China have indicated they intend to veto the resolution if it gets the minimum nine votes in the 15-member council .
In letters last month to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the Security Council the two countries were sharply critical of the U.S. effort .
Pompeo told reporters on August 5 that there were countries `` lining up '' to sell weapons to Iran and warned that this would further destabilize the Middle East @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and endanger U.S. lives .
If the Security Council does n't prevent Iran from buying and selling weapons when the embargo ends , Washington has said it will trigger a `` snapback '' of all UN sanctions on Iran .
The snapback mechanism was included in the 2015 nuclear agreement in the event Iran was proved to be in violation of the accord , which provided sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program .
Russia and China , as well as European allies that signed the pact , have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a participant able to trigger the snapback mechanism .
The United States quit the deal in 2018 and reimposed sanctions on Iran .
In response , Iran gradually started breaching its nuclear commitments .
Pompeo and other Iran hard-liners in Washington claim the United States remains a participant in the accord because it was listed as such in the 2015 resolution that enshrined the deal and can therefore bring back sanctions since Iran has not fully complied with its nuclear commitments .
Britain , France , and Germany are concerned about the arms @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are trying to reach a compromise out of concern Iran will completely exit the nuclear deal and act on threats to pull out of a key nonproliferation treaty .

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


rferl--2020-08-07--U.S. Justice Department Moves To Seize Ukrainian Tycoon's Property

The United States has moved to seize U.S. real estate belonging to a powerful Ukrainian tycoon with links to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy .
The Justice Department 's August 6 civil forfeiture complaint targeted commercial properties in Texas and Kentucky belonging to a company controlled by Ihor Kolomoyskiy .
It came two days after FBI agents raided offices of Kolomoisky 's and his partners in Miami and Cleveland .
The civil complaint accuses Kolomoyskiy and his Ukrainian partner , Hennadiy Boholyubov , of stealing `` billions of dollars '' from their PrivatBank through bogus loans and laundering it into the United @ @ @ @ @ @ @ partners .
The Ukrainian tycoons and the two American partners , Uriel Laber and Morechai Korf , then used the money to acquire U.S. commercial properties as well as U.S. steel and alloy plants .
The men `` rarely paid it back , '' the FBI said in its complaint .
`` When the loans came due , other loans were used to pay off the old loans , or , in some cases , they were repaid with income from the investment of the misappropriated funds , '' the FBI said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kolomoyskiy , whose media company informally backed Zelenskiy 's successful 2019 presidential bid , denied the allegations .
`` All investments in the United States were made from own funds received in 2007-2008 from the deal with Evraz and from the income from other businesses , held at PrivatBank .
All other [ allegations ] are categorically rejected , '' he said .
The Ukrainian government nationalized PrivatBank in December 2016 after regulators discovered a $ 5.5 billion hole they said was caused by the tycoons directing their bank to issue loans to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ August 4 raided the headquarters of their U.S. business partners in Miami as well as an office of theirs in Cleveland , where they own three commercial properties .
A spokesperson for the two men declined to comment on the raids .
Kolomoyskiy , Boholyubov , and their Miami partners jointly owned their U.S. assets via various Delaware-registered companies under the Optima umbrella name , including Optima Ventures , their real estate holding company .
The FBI is seeking to seize the former CompuCom headquarters in Dallas , claiming the men `` misappropriated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ help purchase the property .
Optima Ventures agreed to buy the building in 2010 for $ 47.4 million , taking out a $ 32.2 million mortgage in the process .
Optima Ventures paid down the mortgage last year but did not pay the property 's taxes that were due by July , a possible sign the company suspected the FBI would attempt to seize it .
Kolomoyskiy , a billionaire who owns metals and energy assets , is considered to be one of the most influential tycoons in Ukraine .
He fled Ukraine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a falling out with then-President Petro Poroshenko .
However , he returned to the country from self-imposed exile in Israel a month after Zelenskiy defeated Poroshenko in April 2019 in a landslide .
Western officials and institutions have expressed concerns over Kolomoyskiy 's proximity to the president and his attempts to recover PrivatBank .

The United States has moved to seize U.S. real estate belonging to a powerful Ukrainian tycoon with links to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
The Justice Department's August 6 civil forfeiture complaint targeted commercial properties in Texas and Kentucky belonging to a company controlled by Ihor Kolomoyskiy. It came two days after FBI agents raided offices of Kolomoisky's and his partners in Miami and Cleveland.
The civil complaint accuses Kolomoyskiy and his Ukrainian partner, Hennadiy Boholyubov, of stealing "billions of dollars" from their PrivatBank through bogus loans and laundering it into the United States with the help of two American partners.
The Ukrainian tycoons and the two American partners, Uriel Laber and Morechai Korf, then used the money to acquire U.S. commercial properties as well as U.S. steel and alloy plants.
The men "rarely paid it back," the FBI said in its complaint.
"When the loans came due, other loans were used to pay off the old loans, or, in some cases, they were repaid with income from the investment of the misappropriated funds," the FBI said.
In a written comment to RFE/RL, Kolomoyskiy, whose media company informally backed Zelenskiy's successful 2019 presidential bid, denied the allegations.
"All investments in the United States were made from own funds received in 2007-2008 from the deal with Evraz and from the income from other businesses, held at PrivatBank. All other [allegations] are categorically rejected," he said.
The Ukrainian government nationalized PrivatBank in December 2016 after regulators discovered a $5.5 billion hole they said was caused by the tycoons directing their bank to issue loans to companies they controlled.
The FBI on August 4 raided the headquarters of their U.S. business partners in Miami as well as an office of theirs in Cleveland, where they own three commercial properties. A spokesperson for the two men declined to comment on the raids.
Kolomoyskiy, Boholyubov, and their Miami partners jointly owned their U.S. assets via various Delaware-registered companies under the Optima umbrella name, including Optima Ventures, their real estate holding company.
The FBI is seeking to seize the former CompuCom headquarters in Dallas, claiming the men "misappropriated" $15 million from PrivatBank to help purchase the property.
Optima Ventures agreed to buy the building in 2010 for $47.4 million, taking out a $32.2 million mortgage in the process.
Optima Ventures paid down the mortgage last year but did not pay the property's taxes that were due by July, a possible sign the company suspected the FBI would attempt to seize it.
Kolomoyskiy, a billionaire who owns metals and energy assets, is considered to be one of the most influential tycoons in Ukraine.
He fled Ukraine in 2017 amid concerns over prosecution and a falling out with then-President Petro Poroshenko.
However, he returned to the country from self-imposed exile in Israel a month after Zelenskiy defeated Poroshenko in April 2019 in a landslide.
Western officials and institutions have expressed concerns over Kolomoyskiy's proximity to the president and his attempts to recover PrivatBank.


rferl--2020-08-07--Iran Mocks Resignation Of U.S. Envoy, Appointment Of His Replacement

Iran has ridiculed the resignation of the U.S. government 's point man on Iran policy under President Donald Trump , accusing the White House of `` biting off more than they can chew . ''
The mocking tweet , posted on August 7 by Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Musavi , came a day after the State Department announced that Brian Hook was departing .
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Elliott Abrams , another diplomat who has led the Trump administration 's push to topple Venezuela 's leadership , would temporarily take Hook 's place .
No reason for Hook @ @ @ @ @ @ @ post to Twitter , Musavi mocked the move , saying there was “ no difference ” between Hook and Abrams , and John Bolton , Trump ’ s hawkish former national-security adviser .
“ When U.S. policy concerns Iran , American officials have been biting off more than they can chew , '' he wrote .
Hook ’ s surprise departure came ahead of a planned UN Security Council vote next week to extend an arms embargo against Iran .
Hook became the U.S. special envoy in August 2018 , not long after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the 2015 international nuclear accord that lifted crippling sanctions on Iran in exchange for Tehran agreeing to curb its nuclear ambitions .
Since then , the Trump administration has steadily ramped up its pressure and rhetoric against Tehran .
Despite severe economic problems , Iran 's leadership has so far refused to budge or give in to U.S. pressure .
Abrams , who will be taking over from Hook , was a key figure in the 2003 Iraq War .
He will take on the Iran portfolio as he continues his work @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Pompeo said .


rferl--2020-08-07--Belarus Detains Three Current Time Reporters In Minsk

Belarusian authorities have detained three correspondents from Current Time in the capital , Minsk , just days before the country holds a crucial presidential election .
The three reporters -- Iryna Romaliyskaya , Yury Baranyuk , and Ivan Hrebenyuk -- were detained on August 7 at a Minsk hotel and taken to a nearby police station .
It was not immediately clear why they were detained .
Current Time , a Russian-language TV network led by RFE/RL with cooperation from VOA , had applied for accreditation for the reporters weeks prior to traveling to the country .
But the Belarusian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ applications .
Romaliyskaya and Hrebenyuk are citizens of Ukraine , while Baranyuk is a Russian citizen .
`` Our Current Time journalists were detained in the course of professionally carrying out their work covering the Belarusian presidential election , '' Daisy Sindelar , RFE/RL 's acting president , said in a statement .
`` The failure by Belarusian authorities to grant credentials is yet another example of their contempt for the rights of a free press and the right of Belarusians to uncensored information , '' she said .
`` We are outraged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the internationally recognized rights of journalists to do their work . ''
Aside from Current Time , RFE/RL ’ s Belarus Service has several accredited reporters in the country as part of RFE/RL ’ s coverage of the election .
The vote is shaping up to be among the biggest challenges to President Alyaksandr Lukashenka ’ s 26-year rule .
Opposition candidates , including Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya , have mustered sizable rallies in cities and towns across the country .
Thousands gathered in a Minsk park on August 6 in support of Tsikhanouskaya , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s streets clapping and chanting `` Long live Belarus ! ''
and `` Go away !
” The latter chant was an apparent reference to Lukashenka .
Authorities have detained several members of Tsikhanouskaya 's campaign team as well as supporters , accusing them of holding unsanctioned rallies .
Two sound engineers , who played a Soviet-era rock song that was popular around the time of the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 at a rally , were detained on August 7 by police and charged with minor hooliganism and disobeying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ days in jail .

Belarusian authorities have detained three correspondents from Current Time in the capital, Minsk, just days before the country holds a crucial presidential election.
The three reporters -- Iryna Romaliyskaya, Yury Baranyuk, and Ivan Hrebenyuk -- were detained on August 7 at a Minsk hotel and taken to a nearby police station.
It was not immediately clear why they were detained.
Belarus Votes For President Read our coverage as Belarusian strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka continues his brutal crackdown on NGOs, activists, and independent media following the August 2020 presidential election.
Current Time, a Russian-language TV network led by RFE/RL with cooperation from VOA, had applied for accreditation for the reporters weeks prior to traveling to the country.
But the Belarusian Foreign Ministry had not responded to their applications.
Romaliyskaya and Hrebenyuk are citizens of Ukraine, while Baranyuk is a Russian citizen.
"Our Current Time journalists were detained in the course of professionally carrying out their work covering the Belarusian presidential election," Daisy Sindelar, RFE/RL's acting president, said in a statement.
"The failure by Belarusian authorities to grant credentials is yet another example of their contempt for the rights of a free press and the right of Belarusians to uncensored information," she said. "We are outraged by their detention and demand respect for the internationally recognized rights of journalists to do their work."
Aside from Current Time, RFE/RL’s Belarus Service has several accredited reporters in the country as part of RFE/RL’s coverage of the election.
The vote is shaping up to be among the biggest challenges to President Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s 26-year rule.
Opposition candidates, including Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, have mustered sizable rallies in cities and towns across the country.
Thousands gathered in a Minsk park on August 6 in support of Tsikhanouskaya, with demonstrators later marching through the city’s streets clapping and chanting "Long live Belarus!" and "Go away!”
The latter chant was an apparent reference to Lukashenka.
Authorities have detained several members of Tsikhanouskaya's campaign team as well as supporters, accusing them of holding unsanctioned rallies.
Two sound engineers, who played a Soviet-era rock song that was popular around the time of the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 at a rally, were detained on August 7 by police and charged with minor hooliganism and disobeying police.
They were sentenced to 10 days in jail.


rferl--2020-08-07--COVID-19: Turkmen State Workers Ordered To Pay For Mandatory Coronavirus Tests

The global death toll from the coronavirus is more than 716,000 , with 19.1 million infections confirmed , causing mass disruptions as governments continue to try to slow the spread of the respiratory illness .
Turkmen state employees have been ordered to pay for mandatory , and expensive , coronavirus tests out of their paychecks , a policy order that comes even as health authorities continue to insist the country has had no coronavirus cases .
The reason for the government 's order , issued on August 6 , was unclear .
Several employees of state-funded entities told RFE/RL that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which will make it easier for the government to deduct the cost of the tests from wages .
The employees spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear of retribution by state authorities .
The cost of the coronavirus test in Turkmenistan is the equivalent of $ 28.50 , the individuals said , which for many in Turkmenistan is a significant amount .
Turkmen officials ’ insistence that the country has no coronavirus cases has elicited sustained skepticism .
All of the countries surrounding the Central Asian nation have reported cases and deaths @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reportedly been overwhelmed with patients diagnosed with pneumonia symptoms .
Some of the patients and medical personnel have died .
In some parts of the authoritarian country , so-called quarantine zones have been established , while some industrial facilities are being shut down .
In July , the World Health Organization said that visiting investigators had concerns about reports of pneumonia .
The head of the mission , Catherine Smallwood , advised the Turkmen government to activate “ the critical public health measures in Turkmenistan , as if COVID-19 was circulating.
” In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ announced on August 7 that entrance exams to all universities this year will be held at open sports stadiums in an effort to enforce social-distancing regulations .
The exams will be held twice a day starting in the beginning of September and will timed when the outside air temperatures are suitable .
As of August 7 , the number of coronavirus cases in Uzbekistan -- Central Asia 's most-populous nation with 32 million people -- was 28,809 , including 179 deaths .
In Tajikistan , the number of cases was officially reported as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of August 6 .
However , an investigative report by RFE/RL ’ s Tajik Service last month revealed that the real number of fatalities from COVID-19 might be in the hundreds .
In Kyrgyzstan , health officials said on August 7 that the number of registered coronavirus cases in the country had reached 39,162 , of whom 30,764 recovered and 1,451 died .
In Kazakhstan , as of August 7 , the number of coronavirus case was reported as 96,922 , including 1,058 deaths .
Kazakh authorities said earlier that they planned to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with COVID-19 symptoms to the coronavirus death toll as of August 1 .
But officials later postponed the move to an unspecified later date .
With reporting by RFE/RL 's Uzbek , Tajik , Kyrgyz , and Kazakh services

The global death toll from the coronavirus is more than 716,000, with 19.1 million infections confirmed, causing mass disruptions as governments continue to try to slow the spread of the respiratory illness.
Here's a roundup of COVID-19 developments in RFE/RL's broadcast regions.
Turkmenistan
Turkmen state employees have been ordered to pay for mandatory, and expensive, coronavirus tests out of their paychecks, a policy order that comes even as health authorities continue to insist the country has had no coronavirus cases.
The reason for the government's order, issued on August 6, was unclear. Several employees of state-funded entities told RFE/RL that the order coincided with monthly paychecks, which will make it easier for the government to deduct the cost of the tests from wages.
The employees spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear of retribution by state authorities.
The cost of the coronavirus test in Turkmenistan is the equivalent of $28.50, the individuals said, which for many in Turkmenistan is a significant amount.
Turkmen officials’ insistence that the country has no coronavirus cases has elicited sustained skepticism. All of the countries surrounding the Central Asian nation have reported cases and deaths.
Local hospitals, meanwhile, have reportedly been overwhelmed with patients diagnosed with pneumonia symptoms.
Some of the patients and medical personnel have died.
In some parts of the authoritarian country, so-called quarantine zones have been established, while some industrial facilities are being shut down.
In July, the World Health Organization said that visiting investigators had concerns about reports of pneumonia. The head of the mission, Catherine Smallwood, advised the Turkmen government to activate “the critical public health measures in Turkmenistan, as if COVID-19 was circulating.”
Uzbekistan
In neighboring Uzbekistan, meanwhile, the government announced on August 7 that entrance exams to all universities this year will be held at open sports stadiums in an effort to enforce social-distancing regulations.
The exams will be held twice a day starting in the beginning of September and will timed when the outside air temperatures are suitable.
As of August 7, the number of coronavirus cases in Uzbekistan -- Central Asia's most-populous nation with 32 million people -- was 28,809, including 179 deaths.
Tajikistan
In Tajikistan, the number of cases was officially reported as 7,665, including 62 deaths, as of August 6. However, an investigative report by RFE/RL’s Tajik Service last month revealed that the real number of fatalities from COVID-19 might be in the hundreds.
Kyrgyzstan
In Kyrgyzstan, health officials said on August 7 that the number of registered coronavirus cases in the country had reached 39,162, of whom 30,764 recovered and 1,451 died.
Kazakhstan
In Kazakhstan, as of August 7, the number of coronavirus case was reported as 96,922, including 1,058 deaths.
Kazakh authorities said earlier that they planned to add patients who died of acute pneumonia with COVID-19 symptoms to the coronavirus death toll as of August 1. But officials later postponed the move to an unspecified later date.
With reporting by RFE/RL's Uzbek, Tajik, Kyrgyz, and Kazakh services


rferl--2020-08-07--Prosecutor Seeks Prison Terms For Defendants In Putin Effigy Case

The prosecutor in the Russian city of Perm has called for prison sentences for three activists accused of involvement in @ @ @ @ @ President Vladimir Putin in 2018 .
The Apology Of Protest rights group said on August @ @ @ @ @ the Lenin district court to sentence Aleksandr Shabarchin to three years , Aleksandr Kotov to @ @ @ @ @ Vasilyev to 18 months in prison .
The prosecutor alleged that the three activists disrupted @ @ @ @ @ by political , ideological , and social hatred .
Shabarchin is a supporter of Russian @ @ @ @ @ Aleksei Navalny .
The three were arrested and charged in January 2019 over an effigy @ @ @ @ @ 's central Lenin Street in November 2018 .
The effigy was draped in a black-and-white @ @ @ @ @ signs saying “ War Criminal ” and “ Liar .
”

The prosecutor in the Russian city of Perm has called for prison sentences for three activists accused of involvement in erecting an effigy of Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2018.
The Apology Of Protest rights group said on August 7 that the prosecutor asked the Lenin district court to sentence Aleksandr Shabarchin to three years, Aleksandr Kotov to two years, and Danil Vasilyev to 18 months in prison.
The prosecutor alleged that the three activists disrupted social order by actions motivated by political, ideological, and social hatred.
Shabarchin is a supporter of Russian opposition politician and anti-corruption campaigner Aleksei Navalny.
The three were arrested and charged in January 2019 over an effigy that was placed in Perm's central Lenin Street in November 2018.
The effigy was draped in a black-and-white prison robe and affixed with signs saying “War Criminal” and “Liar.”
With reporting by Mediazona


rferl--2020-08-07--Putin, Lukashenka Discuss Detainment Of Russian Vagner Mercenaries In Belarus

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka have discussed the recent detainment of 33 mercenaries from the private Russian security firm Vagner Group in Belarus .
The Belarusian presidential office and the Kremlin said the two leaders had a telephone conversation on August 7 , two days before the presidential election in Belarus , where Lukashenka , who has run the country with an iron hand for 26 years , is seeking another term amid protests .
Kremlin 's press service said that during the talks `` confidence was expressed that the situation [ around the Vagner mercenaries @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of mutual understanding . ''
Lukashenka 's press service said that the agreement was reached `` to investigate every detail in the case to find out the real reasons of the situation , find responsible ones and hold them accountable . ''
The press services also said other issues related to bilateral relations were discussed , with the Kremlin 's stressing that Putin expressed hope that the August 9 presidential election in Belarus will proceed `` in a calm atmosphere . ''
The telephone talk was held a day after Lukashenka ordered his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Belarus to investigate the 33 mercenaries .
On August 5 , Russian Security Council Deputy Chief Dmitry Medvedev warned Minsk that the arrest of the private security firm contractors could have grave consequences for Russian-Belarusian relations .
Lukashenka replied to Medvedev 's remarks at the August 6 government meeting in Minsk , saying : `` There is no need to scare us with repercussions .
We are aware of all repercussions . ''
On July 29 , Belarusian authorities announced they had detained 32 contractors from the Vagner Group near Minsk and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ firm in southern Belarus .
They were arrested on charges of trying to destabilize Belarus ahead of the election .
The Ukrainian Prosecutor-General 's Office said on July 31 that Kyiv would seek the extradition of 28 of the Vagner detainees on charges they had fought alongside Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine .
It said nine Ukrainian citizens are among the 28 .
Moscow insists that all of the detainees are Russian citizens .
It has called on Minsk to release the men and let them return to Russia .
According to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ traveling through Belarus on their way to Istanbul before flying to `` a third country . ''
However , Lukashenka said Russia 's claim about the mercenaries being en route to Turkey was `` a lie . ''
Lukashenka suggested the detained men were plotting a `` color revolution '' in Belarus -- a reference to popular upheavals that have toppled governments in Georgia , Ukraine , and Kyrgyzstan during the past two decades .
Lukashenka also reiterated his earlier warnings that he will not allow any `` Maidan '' -style anti-government protests @ @ @ @ @ @ @ day after the vote .
The head of the Belarusian Security Council , Andrey Raukou , said on July 30 that the authorities were continuing to search for `` upwards of up to 200 militants '' said to be part of the alleged destabilization plot .
Belarus 's presidential election is shaping up to be a tough race for incumbent Lukashenka , an authoritarian leader who has been in power since 1994 .
Lukashenka has cracked down on his political opponents during the election campaign , with the country 's law enforcement agencies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , bloggers , and political activists .
Charges also have been pressed against two potential candidates from the opposition , effectively preventing them from competing against Lukashenka in the election .

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka have discussed the recent detainment of 33 mercenaries from the private Russian security firm Vagner Group in Belarus.
The Belarusian presidential office and the Kremlin said the two leaders had a telephone conversation on August 7, two days before the presidential election in Belarus, where Lukashenka, who has run the country with an iron hand for 26 years, is seeking another term amid protests.
Kremlin's press service said that during the talks "confidence was expressed that the situation [around the Vagner mercenaries] will be resolved in the spirit of mutual understanding."
Lukashenka's press service said that the agreement was reached "to investigate every detail in the case to find out the real reasons of the situation, find responsible ones and hold them accountable."
The press services also said other issues related to bilateral relations were discussed, with the Kremlin's stressing that Putin expressed hope that the August 9 presidential election in Belarus will proceed "in a calm atmosphere."
The telephone talk was held a day after Lukashenka ordered his government to invite Ukrainian and Russian prosecutors to Belarus to investigate the 33 mercenaries.
On August 5, Russian Security Council Deputy Chief Dmitry Medvedev warned Minsk that the arrest of the private security firm contractors could have grave consequences for Russian-Belarusian relations.
Lukashenka replied to Medvedev's remarks at the August 6 government meeting in Minsk, saying: "There is no need to scare us with repercussions. We are aware of all repercussions."
On July 29, Belarusian authorities announced they had detained 32 contractors from the Vagner Group near Minsk and apprehended another private security contractor from the firm in southern Belarus.
They were arrested on charges of trying to destabilize Belarus ahead of the election.
The Ukrainian Prosecutor-General's Office said on July 31 that Kyiv would seek the extradition of 28 of the Vagner detainees on charges they had fought alongside Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine. It said nine Ukrainian citizens are among the 28.
Moscow insists that all of the detainees are Russian citizens. It has called on Minsk to release the men and let them return to Russia.
According to the Russian authorities, the 33 men were traveling through Belarus on their way to Istanbul before flying to "a third country."
However, Lukashenka said Russia's claim about the mercenaries being en route to Turkey was "a lie."
Lukashenka suggested the detained men were plotting a "color revolution" in Belarus -- a reference to popular upheavals that have toppled governments in Georgia, Ukraine, and Kyrgyzstan during the past two decades.
Lukashenka also reiterated his earlier warnings that he will not allow any "Maidan"-style anti-government protests in Minsk during the election or the day after the vote.
The head of the Belarusian Security Council, Andrey Raukou, said on July 30 that the authorities were continuing to search for "upwards of up to 200 militants" said to be part of the alleged destabilization plot.
Belarus's presidential election is shaping up to be a tough race for incumbent Lukashenka, an authoritarian leader who has been in power since 1994.
Lukashenka has cracked down on his political opponents during the election campaign, with the country's law enforcement agencies arresting hundreds of people -- including journalists, bloggers, and political activists.
Charges also have been pressed against two potential candidates from the opposition, effectively preventing them from competing against Lukashenka in the election.


rferl--2020-08-07--Afghan Loya Jirga Meeting To Decide Fate Of Remaining 400 Taliban Prisoners

KABUL -- Several thousand Afghan politicians and community leaders are meeting in a traditional grand assembly in Afghanistan 's capital to decide whether the government should release 400 Taliban prisoners that have been convicted of involvement in deadly , high-profile attacks in the country .
The release of the prisoners is the last hurdle to opening peace talks between the internationally backed government in Kabul and the Taliban under a peace deal between the militants and the United States .
Kabul said it has released 4,600 Taliban inmates out of the 5,000 pledged in the landmark agreement signed in February @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but authorities have balked at freeing the remaining prisoners demanded by the Taliban .
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said that according to the Afghan Constitution , `` the release of these 400 prisoners is not within the authority of the president of Afghanistan ... these 400 people have serious cases.
” Ghani , addressing the 3,200 delegates who gathered in a massive tent in Kabul on August 7 , stressed that he would `` strongly endorse and support any decision . ''
The three-day Loya Jirga is a traditional gathering of ethnic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decide on matters of national importance .
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged attendees `` to take advantage of this historic opportunity for a peace that benefits all Afghans and contributes to regional stability and global security '' and promised to hold the Taliban to the commitments it made to enter peace talks .
`` We acknowledge that the release of these prisoners is unpopular , '' Pompeo said in a statement on August 6 .
`` But this difficult action will lead to an important result long sought by Afghans and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and direct talks resulting in a peace agreement and an end to the war . ''
Lawmaker Belquis Roshan , a women 's rights activist attending the gathering , protested against the potential release of the prisoners .
As Ghani spoke , she stood in the hall and unfurled a banner that read : `` Redeeming the Taliban is national treason . ''
Roshan was escorted out of the tent by security guards .
Last week , Ghani ordered the release of 500 Taliban prisoners as a goodwill gesture amid a three-day cease-fire @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the Afghan government that ended on August 2 .
But those prisoners were not on the Taliban ’ s list .
Ghani then announced that the Loya Jirga delegates would decide whether to release the remaining 400 prisoners on the Taliban 's list .
The Loya Jirga is headed by Abdullah Abdullah , the head of the High Council for National Reconciliation , who took over the leadership of the Loya Jirga from its previous head , Abdul Rasul Sayyaf , a former warlord and close ally of Ghani 's .
Abdullah @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disputed presidential election last year , was appointed to lead the council to end political infighting in Kabul .
Critics have accused Ghani of delaying peace talks with the Taliban to retain power because it is widely speculated that negotiations could seek a neutral interim government .
Ghani has insisted he will complete his five-year term .
Abdullah said on August 7 that Afghanistan was at a critical juncture .
“ Our decisions are linked to the fate of the country .
It was not an easy decision on the 4,600 detainees ... @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But what does it show ?
The determination of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in removing obstacles to achieving intra-Afghan talks and ultimately peace and stability in this country , ” Abdullah said .
The Taliban , meanwhile , has denied that the 400 inmates are especially dangerous .
“ The accusations [ the Afghan government is ] now making are not true .
In fact , these accusations were made by the Kabul administration for delaying the process and taking advantage of it .
Other than that , those [ accusations ] @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Suhail Shaheen told RFE/RL from Qatar , where the militants have a political office .
But Afghan officials have described the remaining prisoners as dangerous .
Of the 400 Taliban prisoners left , around 200 are accused by the Afghan government of masterminding attacks on embassies , public squares , and government offices , killing thousands of civilians in recent years .
They include militants linked to the 2018 attack against the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul that killed 40 people , including 14 foreigners .
Another Taliban prisoner is linked to the massive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Embassy in Kabul that killed over 100 people .
Also on the list is a former Afghan Army officer who killed five French troops and wounded 13 in 2012 in an insider attack .
The Taliban says it has freed all 1,000 prisoners it had pledged to in the agreement with the United States and insists on its demand for the release of the remaining 400 prisoners on its list .
The U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan , Zalmay Khalilzad , the architect of the deal that potentially allows the United States to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ war , warned against the Loya Jirga throwing up any complications .
`` We wish the jirga participants success ... and urge them not to allow those who prefer the status quo and seek to complicate the path to peace to manipulate the process , '' Khalilzad said on Twitter .
The United States has reportedly proposed the Taliban prisoners be transferred from Afghan jails to a location where they would be under both Taliban and Afghan government surveillance .
The Loya Jirga is a centuries-old institution used to build consensus among Afghanistan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ethnic groups .
Such a meeting is traditionally convened under extraordinary circumstances .
Since the U.S.-Taliban agreement in February , 3,560 Afghan security personnel have been killed in attacks by militants , Ghani said last week .
He said thousands more have been wounded .
In the same week , the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan ( UNAMA ) said in a report that more than 1,280 Afghan civilians had been killed during the first half of 2020 -- mainly as a result of fighting between Afghan government forces and Taliban militants .
@ @ @ @ @ @


rferl--2020-08-09--Belarus’s Lukashenka Faces Unprecedented Challenge In Presidential Election

Belarusians are voting in a presidential election on August 9 as incumbent Alyaksandr Lukashenka seeks a sixth term .
The vote follows a campaign marked by the arrest of more than 1,000 opposition supporters , the barring of several potential challengers , claims of a Russian plot to sow instability , and the rise of an unheralded candidate who analysts say poses the greatest challenge to the 65-year-old authoritarian leader since his rise to power in 1994 .
Four challengers are on the ballot , but attention has focused on Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya , who was a last-minute replacement after husband @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who urged Belarusians to squash the “ cockroach ” Lukashenka with their slippers , was barred from running following his controversial arrest in late May .
Polls on August 9 are set to open at 8 a.m. , local time , and close 12 hours later at 8 p.m. , local time .
First preliminary results are due early August 10 .
The election comes with Lukashenka ’ s popularity apparently waning .
The country has suffered one of the highest per capita infection rates from the coronavirus .
Many Belarusians have blamed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ social distancing measures , dismissing COVID-19 as “ mass psychosis ” that could be treated with a shot of vodka , a ride on a tractor , or a trip to a sauna .
The World Bank predicts Belarus ’ s economy will contract 4 percent this year , the biggest drop in 25 years .
The vote also comes as relations between Belarus and traditional ally Russia have worsened since December when Lukashenka pulled out at the last moment from plans for deeper integration with Russia under their 1999 Union Treaty .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ supplies to Minsk , which is dependent on discounted Russian gas and oil to run its inefficient , largely state-dominated economy .
As in the past when relations with Russia soured , Lukashenka has turned to the West .
In a sign of a thaw , U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in February became the most senior U.S. official to visit Belarus in more than two decades .
In March , a first-ever shipment of U.S. oil was delivered to Belarus .
In April , the United States nominated its first ambassador @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Tsikhanouskaya , who has teamed up with two prominent women from the campaigns of rejected candidates , has attracted huge crowds at rallies across the Eastern European country of 9.5 million .
The 37-year-old Tsikhanouskaya , an English translator who moved her children abroad after receiving threats , has vowed to rerun the election with all the barred candidates included should she win .
“ I see how many people come to our rallies and how many have wanted to come but just could n't , or those who come whether I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Tsikhanouskaya said in a recent interview with Current Time , a Russian-language network led by RFE/RL in cooperation with VOA .
“ It 's a clear sign that people want change .
People have woken up .
They no longer want to live in fear and humiliation .
They want to feel that they are citizens of their country .
It 's inspiring .
I realize there are people behind me , around me , and ahead of me , ” Lukashenka has dismissed Tsikhanouskaya and her two high-profile female campaigners as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was not ready to elect a woman as president .
Tsikhanouskaya 's campaign chief was detained on August 8 just 24 hours before the election .
Tsikhanouskaya ’ s spokeswoman told RFE/RL that campaign chief Maria Moroz was detained and would go before a court on August 10 .
Separately , the Minsk-based Vyasna ( Spring ) human rights group reported dozens of cases of police harassment and intimidation at polling stations , as well as the detention of independent election observers during early voting .
Lukashenka has suggested those opposed to him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ masters bent on bringing instability to the country .
In an address to parliament on August 4 , he played up fears of a “ color revolution ” backed by Moscow and hostile powers in the West .
Without directly naming Russia , he repeated accusations that Moscow had sent mercenaries to destabilize the country .
“ They ’ ve decided to try out new forms of color revolution against us , ” he said , a term that normally refers to earlier uprisings in Georgia , Ukraine , and Kyrgyzstan .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ announced on July 29 that 33 members of the Russian private military contractor Vagner had been detained near Minsk and accused them of a vague plot to incite “ instability ” around the vote .
On July 30 , all the presidential candidates were called in for a meeting with Belarusian security officials , who warned them of potential “ provocations ” and announced new security measures at campaign rallies .
Belarusian officials also linked some opposition leaders , including Tsikhanouskaya ’ s husband , of unspecified links with the mercenaries .
Later @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Minsk , drawing an estimated crowd of 63,000 , the largest of the campaign .
“ I am not a politician , and I do not need power , ” she said .
“ But my husband is behind bars .
I had to hide my children for their safety .
I sacrificed a peaceful life for all of our sakes .
I ’ m tired of being patient .
I ’ m tired of being silent .
I ’ m tired of being afraid.
” Lukashenka has hinted he would be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stay in power .
On June 23 , he called on the military to suppress civil unrest and “ protect sovereignty ” from “ hybrid threats.
” With more than 1,000 people – including bloggers , journalists , and activists – arrested since the presidential campaign in May , Amnesty International has accused the Lukashenka government of a “ full-scale attack on human rights ” ahead of the vote .
“ There is no safe environment for political debate in Belarus , and there is a growing crackdown on human rights in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said Marie Struthers , Amnesty International ’ s Eastern Europe and Central Asia Director .
“ The wave of activism currently taking place in Belarus is unlike anything the authorities have faced for years , and they have responded by brutally crushing peaceful protests and dissent and punishing opposition leaders.
” The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe ( OSCE ) announced in July that it would not send observers because they had not received a formal invitation .
It is the first time the OSCE will not monitor a nationwide vote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deeply regret that the OSCE will not have the opportunity to send observers to see this election , ” George Kent , who serves as U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state overseeing policy toward Belarus , told RFE/RL in an interview on July 30 .
The Commonwealth of Independent States ( CIS ) , a Russian-led grouping of former Soviet Republics , will have observers at the polls .
In the past , CIS observers have largely approved votes in Belarus , unlike Western and international observers who have deemed no election under @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have its own monitors as well -- more than 48,000 of them , according to Vyasna .
Most are from state-run or state-controlled bodies .
But a few dozen independent observers , including 47 from the Belarusian Helsinki Committee , have been allowed to monitor polling stations .
Voting in the election actually began on August 4 .
Early voting by students , soldiers , teachers , and other state employees is encouraged -- sometimes enforced .
Critics says it allows more time to tamper with ballots cast and manipulate the outcome .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ 8 that turnout during the early voting period was 32.24 percent of the country 's 6.8 million eligible voters .
According to Vyasna , some independent monitors have been blocked and at least 11 reportedly detained since early voting began .

MINSK – Belarusian security forces violently dispersed protests in Minsk and other cities after early results from the country’s presidential election gave incumbent President Alyaksandr Lukashenka a commanding lead.
Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the main opposition candidate who drew tens of thousands of people to her rallies during the campaign, refused to recognize the unofficial result after polls closed in the August 9 vote.
The Belarusian Central Election Commission announced preliminary results on August 10, saying Lukashenka got 80.23 percent of the vote, while Tsikhanouskaya received 9.9 percent.
Thousands of her supporters took to the streets to express their dissatisfaction and were eventually dispersed by police dressed in riot gear who used rubber bullets, water cannons, and tear gas.
The total number of protesters in Minsk was difficult to estimate because they were scattered throughout the city, RFE/RL’s Belarus Service said.
In violent scenes posted on Twitter by the independent news outlet Tut.by, police officers were seen beating protesters with truncheons. People can be heard shouting, “This is our country!” as drivers flashed their car lights and honked their horns.
After breaking up the big crowds, police chased smaller groups of protesters through downtown Minsk for several hours, the Associated Press reported.
In Brest, where law enforcement officers used tear gas and stun grenades, protesters gradually dispersed to a crowd of 200-300 from an estimated total of 5,000, according to Novaya gazeta.
The Minsk-based Vyasna (Spring) human rights group said 126 people were detained across the country, including 55 in Minsk. Vyasna also said two of the detainees were injured. Among the people detained were 16 journalists and 40 observers, it said.
State news agency Belta said early on August 10 that police had taken control of the situation "at unsanctioned mass events," citing the Interior Ministry.
In an appeal read live over the phone on Current Time by her associate, Maryya Kalesnikava, Tsikhanouskaya called on both the security forces and Belarusian citizens to refrain from violence.
"I ask everyone who is now making decisions, and above all the commanders of special forces: Do not use force against civilians," she said.
"I ask the police and the troops to remember that they are part of the people. Once again, I ask the voters: no provocation, no need to give a reason to use violence against you.
"Please stop the violence.... Officers, I know you can do this."
Early on August 10, an Interior Ministry spokeswoman told RFE/RL that the unauthorized rallies were "not over yet," so she could not count the detainees.
“What has happened is awful,” Tsikhanouskaya told a news conference, saying she did not recognize the results of the exit poll.
"I believe my eyes, and I see that the majority is with us," Tsikhanouskaya said from her headquarters.
Throughout election day, police and soldiers were transported into Minsk, where they cordoned off the city and took positions at strategic sites in anticipation of unrest. Public transportation was also limited in Minsk in an apparent attempt by authorities to prevent protests, and there was almost no access to social-media networks from early in the day.
Internet freedom monitor NetBlocks reported Internet connectivity had been disrupted across the country since early morning. The disruption affected access to the Internet and social-media platforms -- with Facebook, Messenger, YouTube, Instagram, WhatsApp, Telegram, and Viber all experiencing disruptions. Two grassroots election-monitoring websites also were inaccessible.
Earlier in the day, voters formed long lines at polling booths across the Eastern European country and at embassies abroad.
RFE/RL's Belarus Service reported that many people lining up at the polls wore white bracelets signaling support for the opposition. Social-media users also posted pictures of voters wearing white bracelets lining up at Belarusian embassies, including in Moscow, Berlin, and London.
According to an exit poll conducted at 21 Belarusian diplomatic posts, Tsikhanouskaya garnered 81.5 percent of the vote compared to about 6 percent for Lukashenka.
WATCH: Troops Deployed In Belarus As Exit Poll Says President Wins Election By Landslide
Several voters told RFE/RL that they had never taken part in an election in the country before but had turned out to cast a ballot on August 9 because they want and expect change.
Tsikhanouskaya -- who had told her supporters to wear the bracelets as a symbol of "honesty and purity" -- had earlier cast her ballot and demanded election results free of fraud.
"I really want the election to be honest, because if the authorities have nothing to fear, if all the people are for [Lukashenka], then we will agree with [the results]," Tsikhanouskaya said.
Tsikhanouskaya, who has teamed up with two prominent women from the campaigns of rejected presidential candidates, has drawn huge rallies with a simple electoral promise to free all political prisoners and rerun a free and fair election.
"It's a clear sign that people want change. People have woken up. They no longer want to live in fear and humiliation. They want to feel that they are citizens of their country. It's inspiring. I realize there are people behind me, around me, and ahead of me," Tsikhanouskaya said in a recent interview with Current Time, the Russian-language network led by RFE/RL in cooperation with VOA.
Now that the election is over, there is mounting concern that an embattled Lukashenka will follow through on threats to use force on any postelection dissent.
The election follows a campaign marked by the arrest of more than 1,000 opposition supporters, the barring of several potential challengers, claims of a Russian plot to sow instability, and the rise of an unheralded candidate in the form of the 37-year-old Tsikhanouskaya.
Lukashenka said after casting his vote in Minsk that neither he nor the government will allow Belarus to slip into "chaos" or "civil war" after the results of the election are announced.
Lukashenka also said that security officials in the country are considering "various options" over the possibility of unrest over the results.
Four challengers were on the ballot, but attention focused on Tsikhanouskaya, who was a last-minute replacement after husband, Syarhey Tsikhanouski, a popular vlogger who urged Belarusians to squash the "cockroach" Lukashenka with their slippers, was barred from running following his controversial arrest in late May.
The election comes with Lukashenka's popularity apparently waning under a slumping economy and the country’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.
The vote also comes as relations between Belarus and traditional ally Russia have worsened since December 2019 when Lukashenka pulled out at the last moment from plans for deeper integration with Russia under their 1999 Union Treaty. Since then, Moscow has limited energy supplies to Minsk, which is dependent on discounted Russian gas and oil to run its inefficient, largely state-dominated economy.
As in the past when relations with Russia soured, Lukashenka has fostered closer ties with both the United States and Europe in recent years. But that rapprochement could be undermined by a crackdown on the opposition and potential massive electoral fraud.
Lukashenka has suggested those opposed to him are "puppets" controlled by foreign masters bent on bringing instability to the country. In an address to parliament on August 4, he played up fears of a "color revolution" backed by Moscow and hostile powers in the West.
"They've decided to try out new forms of color revolution against us," he said, a term that normally refers to earlier uprisings in Georgia, Ukraine, and Kyrgyzstan. "It won't work."
Belarus announced on July 29 that 33 members of the Russian private military contractor Vagner had been detained near Minsk and accused them of a vague plot to incite "instability" around the vote. Belarusian officials also linked some opposition leaders, including Tsikhanouskaya's husband, of unspecified links with the mercenaries.
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) announced in July that it would not send observers because they had not received a formal invitation. It is the first time the OSCE is not monitoring a nationwide vote in Belarus since 2001.
The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), a Russian-led grouping of former Soviet republics, had observers at the polls. In the past, CIS observers have largely approved votes in Belarus, unlike Western and international observers who have never deemed any election under Lukashenka as free or fair.
Belarus has more than 48,000 of its own monitors but most are from state-run or state-controlled bodies.
But a few dozen independent observers, including 47 from the Belarusian Helsinki Committee, were allowed to monitor polling stations. An opposition initiative called Honest People also fielded vote monitors.
Meanwhile, the Voice platform, which called on voters to send photos of completed ballots for the presidential election, had counted over 1 million registered users who promised to help keep track of the vote. However, with the Internet disrupted it is unclear how the platform functioned.
With reporting by Current Time, RFE/RL's Belarus Service, Tony Wesolowsky, Reuters, and AFP


rferl--2020-08-08--Belarus Cracks Down On Opposition, Vote Monitoring Ahead Of Election

Belarusian authorities have ramped up pressure on the opposition and independent election observers ahead of the August 9 presidential ballot amid concerns strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka will use fraud and repression to extend his 26 years of rule against an energized opposition .
Law enforcement on August 8 detained the campaign chief of opposition presidential candidate Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya , less than 24 hours before the presidential election .
Separately , the Minsk-based Vyasna human rights center reported dozens of cases of police harassment and intimidation at polling stations , as well as the detention of independent election observers during early voting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that campaign chief Maryya Maroz was detained and would go before a court on August 10 .
Belarusian authorities have also deported three correspondents from Current Time ahead of the election .
The three reporters from Current Time , a Russian-language TV network led by RFE/RL in cooperation with VOA , have also been banned from entering Belarus for 10 years .
Analysts say Lukashenka 's rule looks increasingly vulnerable ahead of the August 9 election , but that he is likely to win through a combination of fraud and a widening crackdown @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vote has been marred by dubious disqualifications and an unprecedented scale of detentions and other persecution against a backdrop of a pandemic and pro-democracy protests .
Tens of thousands of opposition supporters have attended daily rallies in recent weeks in support of Tsikhanouskaya , a 37-year-old political novice backed by disqualified presidential candidates .
Tsikhanouskaya has urged voters to combat electoral fraud and set up multiple organizations to monitor the presidential poll , which began on August 4 with early voting .
Opposition politicians , rights activists , and critics of Lukashenka have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voting , charging that it gives government loyalists more opportunities to rig the election results .
The Central Election Commission said on August 8 that turnout during the early voting period was 32.24 percent of the country 's 6.8 million eligible voters .
One election-monitoring campaign said August 8 it had documented inconsistencies in the first three days of early voting at polling stations where observers of the initiative were present .
In total , campaign observers with the opposition group Honest People recorded turnout of 45,613 voters compared to the Central Election @ @ @ @ @ @ @ several hundred ballot stations .
According to the initiative , about 50 of its observers have been detained during the five days of early voting .
The Honest People campaign was initiated by jailed businessman Viktar Babaryka , whose presidential campaign and that of another disqualified presidential candidate have joined forces to elect Tsikhanouskaya .
Meanwhile , the Voice platform , which calls on voters to send photos of completed ballots for the presidential election , has counted over 1 million registered users who have promised to help keep track of the vote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Honest People initiative .
Ahead of the vote , the Prosecutor-General ’ s Office threatened to block the website of the Voice platform after Lukashenka on August 6 stated that it was necessary to assess the legitimacy of alternative vote-counting initiatives .
Central Election Commission head Lydia Yarmoshyna has accused the Voice platform of `` organizing mass riots '' and forming “ a shadow ” electoral body .

Belarusian authorities have ramped up pressure on the opposition and independent election observers ahead of the August 9 presidential ballot amid concern strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka will use fraud and repression to extend his 26 years of rule against an energized opposition.
Law enforcement on August 8 detained the campaign chief of opposition presidential candidate Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya. Two other campaign staff members were also summoned to the Main Directorate for Combating Organized Crime and Corruption for questioning and have not been heard from.
Tsikhanouskaya’s spokeswoman, Anna Krasulina, told RFE/RL that campaign chief Maryya Maroz was detained in Minsk and would go before a court on August 10. It was not clear why she was detained.
In response to the threats against her staff, Tsikhanouskaya left her flat in Minsk for security reasons to an undisclosed location.
Late in the evening, security forces also briefly detained Maryya Kalesnikava, the representative of jailed presidential candidate Viktar Babaryka and a close ally of Tsikhanouskaya. Kalesnikava told RFE/RL that police claimed they had mistakenly detained her and she was released.
Separately, the Minsk-based Vyasna human rights center on August 8 reported dozens of cases of police harassment and intimidation at polling stations, as well as the detention of independent election observers during early voting.
Analysts say Lukashenka's rule looks increasingly vulnerable ahead of the August 9 election, but that he is likely to win through a combination of fraud and a widening crackdown on dissent.
The lead-up to the vote has been marred by dubious disqualifications and an unprecedented scale of detentions and other persecution against a backdrop of a pandemic and pro-democracy protests.
Tens of thousands of opposition supporters have attended daily rallies in recent weeks in support of Tsikhanouskaya, a 37-year-old political novice who says she will release political prisoners and call fair elections if she wins. She entered the race after her husband, Syarhey Tsikhanouski, a firebrand vlogger, was arrested and then barred from collecting signatures to get on the ballot.
Tsikhanouskaya has urged voters to combat electoral fraud and set up multiple organizations to monitor the presidential poll, which began on August 4 with early voting.
Opposition politicians, rights activists, and critics of Lukashenka have called on citizens to refrain from early voting, charging that it gives government loyalists more opportunities to rig the election results.
The Central Election Commission said on August 8 that turnout during the early voting period was 32.24 percent of the country's 6.8 million eligible voters.
Belarus Votes For President Read our coverage as Belarusian strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka continues his brutal crackdown on NGOs, activists, and independent media following the August 2020 presidential election.
One election-monitoring campaign said August 8 it had documented inconsistencies in the first three days of early voting at polling stations where observers of the initiative were present.
Campaign observers with the opposition group Honest People recorded turnout of 45,613 voters compared to the Central Election Commission’s figure of 89,439 at several hundred ballot stations.
According to the initiative, about 50 of its observers have been detained during the five days of early voting.
The Honest People campaign was initiated by former Belgazprombank chief Babaryka, whose presidential campaign and that of another disqualified presidential candidate have joined forces to elect Tsikhanouskaya.
Meanwhile, the Voice platform, which calls on voters to send photos of completed ballots for the presidential election, has counted over a million registered users who have promised to help keep track of the vote. The platform was launched by the Honest People initiative.
Ahead of the vote, the Prosecutor-General’s Office threatened to block the website of the Voice platform after Lukashenka on August 6 stated that it was necessary to assess the legitimacy of alternative vote counting initiatives.
Central Election Commission head Lydia Yarmoshyna has accused the Voice platform of "organizing mass riots" and forming “a shadow” electoral body.


rferl--2020-08-08--Pakistan To Allow All International Flights From August 9

Pakistan has announced that it will fully resume international flights from August 9 , more than four months after it @ @ @ @ @ the coronavirus pandemic .
The August 8 statement by Pakistan ’ s Civil Aviation Authority @ @ @ @ @ government announced the reopening of all economic and social sectors .
Pakistan suspended all domestic @ @ @ @ @ March , when the government enforced a nationwide lockdown to contain the spread of the @ @ @ @ @ and domestic flights were allowed on selected routes as the restrictions were gradually eased .
@ @ @ @ @ allowed the resumption of domestic flights from all of the country 's airports .
On @ @ @ @ @ only 14 fatalities from coronavirus in the past 24 hours , raising its total COVID-19-related @ @ @ @ @ has reported 283,487 coronavirus infections since the pandemic began .
Based on reporting by AP @ @

Pakistan has announced that it will fully resume international flights from August 9, more than four months after it suspended the operations because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The August 8 statement by Pakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority came a day after the government announced the reopening of all economic and social sectors.
Pakistan suspended all domestic and international commercial flights late March, when the government enforced a nationwide lockdown to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
Later, international and domestic flights were allowed on selected routes as the restrictions were gradually eased.
On August 6, authorities allowed the resumption of domestic flights from all of the country's airports.
On August 8, Pakistan reported only 14 fatalities from coronavirus in the past 24 hours, raising its total COVID-19-related fatalities to 6,068.
Pakistan has reported 283,487 coronavirus infections since the pandemic began.
Based on reporting by AP and telegraphindia.com


rferl--2020-08-08--Anti-Government Protesters In Bulgaria Restore Blockades Removed By Police

Anti-government protesters in Bulgaria have restored their traffic blockades in downtown Sofia , less than a day after they were removed by police .
Some 5,000 protesters gathered in the capital for a 30th consecutive evening on August 7 , demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Boyko Borisov 's conservative government over corruption .
The protesters had occupied three major crossroads in downtown Sofia since July 29 and August 1 as part of the biggest protest wave in years in the EU 's poorest country .
Blockades had also been set up in Plovdiv and the Black Sea port of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ moved to remove the protesters ’ tents on August 7 and warned that no more blockades would be tolerated .
However , demonstrators in Sofia set up fresh tent camps at three major crossroads overnight , buttressing them with cordons of large garbage containers , park benches , and concrete street flowerpots .
Protesters accuse both the government and the chief prosecutor of protectionism and dependence on behind-the-scenes oligarchs .
Borisov on August 5 suggested he might take a back seat as prime minister to keep his government in power until its mandate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ government coalition decided the next day that Borisov should keep his post .
Latest polls showed severely dented support for Borisov and his conservative GERB party .
Bulgaria , which joined the EU in 2007 , remains its poorest and most corrupt member , according to Transparency International 's corruption perception index .
Based on reporting by AFP and dpa

Anti-government protesters in Bulgaria have restored their traffic blockades in downtown Sofia, less than a day after they were removed by police.
Some 5,000 protesters gathered in the capital for a 30th consecutive evening on August 7, demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Boyko Borisov's conservative government over corruption.
The protesters had occupied three major crossroads in downtown Sofia since July 29 and August 1 as part of the biggest protest wave in years in the EU's poorest country. Blockades had also been set up in Plovdiv and the Black Sea port of Varna, severely disrupting traffic.
Police moved to remove the protesters’ tents on August 7 and warned that no more blockades would be tolerated.
However, demonstrators in Sofia set up fresh tent camps at three major crossroads overnight, buttressing them with cordons of large garbage containers, park benches, and concrete street flowerpots.
Despite their earlier warning, police didn’t intervene.
Protesters accuse both the government and the chief prosecutor of protectionism and dependence on behind-the-scenes oligarchs.
Borisov on August 5 suggested he might take a back seat as prime minister to keep his government in power until its mandate expires in March 2021, but the government coalition decided the next day that Borisov should keep his post.
Latest polls showed severely dented support for Borisov and his conservative GERB party.
Bulgaria, which joined the EU in 2007, remains its poorest and most corrupt member, according to Transparency International's corruption perception index.
Based on reporting by AFP and dpa