rferl--2020-11-02--Iranian Court Adjourns New Trial Of Dual-National Aid Worker Zaghari-Ratcliffe

An Iranian court has adjourned a new trial of British-Iranian aid worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe , who has spent more than four years in jail or under house arrest .
Her husband , Richard Ratcliffe , said on November 2 that his wife was taken from her parents ' Tehran home to a Revolutionary Court on charges of “ spreading propaganda against the regime.
” '' Nazanin was allowed to respond to questions from the judge .
However , before she was able to present her defense , the case was adjourned .
No date for the next hearing has been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her parents ' house , ” Ratcliffe tweeted .
Zaghari-Ratcliffe , a project manager with the Thomson Reuters Foundation , was detained at Tehran airport after a family visit in 2016 and subsequently given a five-year sentence for plotting to overthrow Iran 's government .
Her family and the foundation deny the charge while Amnesty International has denounced the proceedings as a “ deeply unfair trial.
” Zaghari-Ratcliffe , who will turn 42 next month , has been under house arrest in Tehran since being moved from jail in March amid measures to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not allowed to leave the country .
Britain has demanded Zaghari-Ratcliffe 's release and that of other dual nationals imprisoned in Iran .
Tehran does not recognize dual citizenship .
British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab on November 2 said he was `` relieved '' that she remains on temporary release but condemned her `` appalling '' treatment by Iranian authorities .
`` She should be returned home to her ( U.K. ) family without delay , '' Raab said in a statement .
According to a spokesman for British Prime Minister Boris Johnson @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the November 2 hearing but was denied .
The new indictment against Zaghari-Ratcliffe came as London and Tehran negotiate the release of hundreds of millions of dollars frozen by Britain .
The payment was made by Tehran more than 40 years ago for Chieftain tanks that were never delivered .
The court hearing came a day after a U.K. court reportedly postoned a hearing on the debt for six months .
The hearing was due to start on November 3 .
Officials in London and Tehran have denied that Zaghari-Ratcliffe 's case is @ @ @ @ @ @

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--2020-11-02--Russia's 'Sausage King' Murdered With Crossbow In Sauna

Police in the Moscow region have detained a man suspected of murdering a Russian oligarch nicknamed the `` Sausage King '' with a crossbow while the meat tycoon was in the sauna at his house near the Russian capital .
Investigative Committee spokeswoman Olga Vrady said on November 2 that the suspect had been detained `` thanks to joint efforts of the Investigative Committee and the Interior Ministry . ''
She gave no further details but officials said earlier in the day that a probe had been launched into the killing of an unnamed person by a group of masked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's sauna overnight in the city of Istra near Moscow , tying him and his spouse up before demanding cash .
The Investigative Committee said that the woman managed to escape and report the crime to police , but when offficers arrived at the scene they found the man dead with an arrow in his body .
A crossbow was found nearby .
Media reports identified the victim as Vladimir Marugov , who owned some of Russia 's largest meat-processing plants including the Ozeretsky Sausages and Meat Empire sausage factories .
The statement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ site in an automobile , which was later found by investigators in a nearby village .
With reporting by TASS and Interfax

Police in the Moscow region have detained a man suspected of murdering a Russian oligarch nicknamed the "Sausage King" with a crossbow while the meat tycoon was in the sauna at his house near the Russian capital.
Investigative Committee spokeswoman Olga Vrady said on November 2 that the suspect had been detained "thanks to joint efforts of the Investigative Committee and the Interior Ministry."
She gave no further details but officials said earlier in the day that a probe had been launched into the killing of an unnamed person by a group of masked men who had rushed into the man's sauna overnight in the city of Istra near Moscow, tying him and his spouse up before demanding cash.
The Investigative Committee said that the woman managed to escape and report the crime to police, but when offficers arrived at the scene they found the man dead with an arrow in his body. A crossbow was found nearby.
Media reports identified the victim as Vladimir Marugov, who owned some of Russia's largest meat-processing plants including the Ozeretsky Sausages and Meat Empire sausage factories.
The statement also said that the attackers fled the site in an automobile, which was later found by investigators in a nearby village.
With reporting by TASS and Interfax


rferl--2020-11-02--Nagorno-Karabakh Says Military Death Toll Rises Despite Cease-Fire

BAKU/YEREVAN -- Military authorities in the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh say 11 more soldiers have died in fighting with Azerbaijani forces despite a U.S.-brokered cease-fire .
According to a list released by the military 's press service on November 2 , those killed included a deputy commander of Nagorno-Karabakh 's Defense Army , Colonel Artur Sarkisian .
The military death toll for the enclave is now at 1,177 since the clashes erupted on September 27 , it added .
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev meanwhile said on Twitter on November 2 that his country 's forces have taken control of another @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Separately , Azerbaijan ’ s Defense Ministry said on November 2 that several civilian settlements in the Tartar region inside Azerbaijan had been shelled by Armenian troops .
Nagorno-Karabakh is recognized as part of Azerbaijan , but the ethnic Armenians who make up most of the population , reject Azerbaijani rule .
They have been governing their own affairs , with support from Armenia , since Azerbaijan 's troops were pushed out of the region in a war that ended in a cease-fire in 1994 .
Aliyev said on November 2 that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Armenia pledges to pull its forces out of Nagorno-Karabakh , a day after reiterating that Azerbaijani troops would `` go to the end '' if negotiations can not achieve that goal .
Armenia has a security guarantee from Russia via the Collective Security Treaty Organization ( CSTO ) , and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has repeatedly requested support from Moscow since the current flare-up started .
Russia 's Foreign Ministry said on October 31 that it would provide `` all assistance required '' if the conflict spilled onto `` the territory of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the current conflict zone .
Pashinian on November 2 called for an international inquiry into the alleged participation of mercenaries from Syria and Libya on Azerbaijan 's side in the conflict .
`` This issue should be the subject of an international inquiry , '' Pashinian said on Facebook .
Both Azerbaijan and its ally , Turkey , have denied the involvement of mercenaries in the hostilities .
Many of both sides ' claims and counterclaims around the fighting are difficult to confirm .
The latest fighting began September 27 , escalating quickly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and drones .
Russia has estimated as many as 5,000 deaths on both sides .
The United States , France , and Russia -- cochairs of the Minsk Group of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe ( OSCE ) -- have failed to find a route to a cease-fire or a longer-term resolution of the dispute .
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on October 27 spoke separately by phone with Pashinian and Aliyev , urging both sides to pursue a diplomatic solution but a U.S.-mediated cease-fire that took effect on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like two previous truces mediated by Russia and France .
With reporting by Reuters and Interfax

BAKU/YEREVAN -- Military authorities in the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh say 11 more soldiers have died in fighting with Azerbaijani forces despite a U.S.-brokered cease-fire.
According to a list released by the military's press service on November 2, those killed included a deputy commander of Nagorno-Karabakh's Defense Army, Colonel Artur Sarkisian. The military death toll for the enclave is now at 1,177 since the clashes erupted on September 27, it added.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev meanwhile said on Twitter on November 2 that his country's forces have taken control of another eight villages during the operation in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Separately, Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry said on November 2 that several civilian settlements in the Tartar region inside Azerbaijan had been shelled by Armenian troops.
Nagorno-Karabakh is recognized as part of Azerbaijan, but the ethnic Armenians who make up most of the population, reject Azerbaijani rule. They have been governing their own affairs, with support from Armenia, since Azerbaijan's troops were pushed out of the region in a war that ended in a cease-fire in 1994.
Aliyev said on November 2 that Azerbaijan is ready to end hostilities if Armenia pledges to pull its forces out of Nagorno-Karabakh, a day after reiterating that Azerbaijani troops would "go to the end" if negotiations cannot achieve that goal.
Armenia has a security guarantee from Russia via the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has repeatedly requested support from Moscow since the current flare-up started.
Russia's Foreign Ministry said on October 31 that it would provide "all assistance required" if the conflict spilled onto "the territory of Armenia" -- land that is outside the current conflict zone.
Pashinian on November 2 called for an international inquiry into the alleged participation of mercenaries from Syria and Libya on Azerbaijan's side in the conflict.
"This issue should be the subject of an international inquiry," Pashinian said on Facebook.
Both Azerbaijan and its ally, Turkey, have denied the involvement of mercenaries in the hostilities.
Many of both sides' claims and counterclaims around the fighting are difficult to confirm.
The latest fighting began September 27, escalating quickly to involve heavy artillery, rockets, and drones.
Russia has estimated as many as 5,000 deaths on both sides.
The United States, France, and Russia -- cochairs of the Minsk Group of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) -- have failed to find a route to a cease-fire or a longer-term resolution of the dispute.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on October 27 spoke separately by phone with Pashinian and Aliyev, urging both sides to pursue a diplomatic solution but a U.S.-mediated cease-fire that took effect on October 26 collapsed just hours later just like two previous truces mediated by Russia and France.
With reporting by Reuters and Interfax


rferl--2020-11-02--Georgian Opposition Party Calls Elections 'Unfair,' Refuses Second-Round Participation

TBILISI -- One of Georgia 's opposition parties , European Georgia , has called weekend parliamentary elections unfair and says it will boycott runoff balloting to protest official results that handed the ruling Georgian Dream party its third consecutive electoral victory .
One of the party 's leaders , Davit Bakradze , told reporters in Tbilisi on November 2 that the elections held on October 31 `` were neither free nor fair '' and his party is refusing to accept final results announced by the South Caucasus nation 's election officials .
The move comes after the largest opposition party @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , also rejected the results of the vote , which international observers characterized as `` far from perfect . ''
Runoff elections will be held in 15 districts , all but ensuring the ruling party will secure a majority in parliament , on November 21 .
`` Elections where fraudulent mechanisms were involved at full capacity ; elections where party , state , and criminal structures were involved simultaneously ; elections where voters were intimidated ... can not be considered as fair elections .
Our assessment is clear : these elections were neither @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not reflect the will of the Georgian people , '' Bakradze said .
According to results from the Central Election Commission ( CEC ) , nine parties crossed the 1 percent threshold needed to make it into the 150-member parliament under the proportional electoral system part of the election , which allocates 120 seats .
Georgian Dream , founded by billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili , had 48.15 percent , while ENM 's bloc had 27.14 percent and European Georgia , led by a number of former ENM members , was third with 3.78 percent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 56 percent .
The election was the first under a reformed electoral system passed in June giving more weight to proportional representation .
Of 150 seats in parliament , 120 seats are determined based on party lists and 30 seats through single-mandate districts .
Opposition parties have said they will hold a rally on November 8 to protest against the official results of the elections and call for new polls .
Sergi Kapanadze , another leader of European Georgia , said on November 2 that the protest action will be national and wo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The newly elected parliament will be considered legitimate if at least 76 lawmakers convene for its first session on December 20 .
Observers with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe ( OSCE ) concluded that the elections in the Caucasus country of around 3.7 million people were `` competitive '' and said that `` overall , fundamental freedoms were respected . ''
But preliminary findings also cited factors that `` reduced public confidence in some aspects of the process . ''
The observers cited a `` visibly partisan '' media environment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voters , '' and a `` blurring of the line between the ruling party and the state '' as particularly troublesome .

TBILISI -- One of Georgia's opposition parties, European Georgia, has called weekend parliamentary elections unfair and says it will boycott runoff balloting to protest official results that handed the ruling Georgian Dream party its third consecutive electoral victory.
One of the party's leaders, Davit Bakradze, told reporters in Tbilisi on November 2 that the elections held on October 31 "were neither free nor fair" and his party is refusing to accept final results announced by the South Caucasus nation's election officials.
The move comes after the largest opposition party, United National Movement (ENM), also rejected the results of the vote, which international observers characterized as "far from perfect."
Runoff elections will be held in 15 districts, all but ensuring the ruling party will secure a majority in parliament, on November 21.
"Elections where fraudulent mechanisms were involved at full capacity; elections where party, state, and criminal structures were involved simultaneously; elections where voters were intimidated...cannot be considered as fair elections. Our assessment is clear: these elections were neither free nor fair, and they do not reflect the will of the Georgian people," Bakradze said.
According to results from the Central Election Commission (CEC), nine parties crossed the 1 percent threshold needed to make it into the 150-member parliament under the proportional electoral system part of the election, which allocates 120 seats.
Georgian Dream, founded by billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, had 48.15 percent, while ENM's bloc had 27.14 percent and European Georgia, led by a number of former ENM members, was third with 3.78 percent.
Turnout was said to have been 56 percent.
The election was the first under a reformed electoral system passed in June giving more weight to proportional representation. Of 150 seats in parliament, 120 seats are determined based on party lists and 30 seats through single-mandate districts.
Opposition parties have said they will hold a rally on November 8 to protest against the official results of the elections and call for new polls.
Sergi Kapanadze, another leader of European Georgia, said on November 2 that the protest action will be national and won't only represent one political party.
The newly elected parliament will be considered legitimate if at least 76 lawmakers convene for its first session on December 20.
Observers with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) concluded that the elections in the Caucasus country of around 3.7 million people were "competitive" and said that "overall, fundamental freedoms were respected."
But preliminary findings also cited factors that "reduced public confidence in some aspects of the process."
The observers cited a "visibly partisan" media environment, "pervasive allegations of pressure on voters," and a "blurring of the line between the ruling party and the state" as particularly troublesome.


rferl--2020-11-02--Former Leader Of Separatist Group 'Arrested,' Transferred To Iran

The former leader of the separatist group the Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahwaz ( ASMLA ) has been arrested and transferred to Iran under unclear circumstances .
The group , which has an armed branch and seeks a separate state for ethnic Arabs in Iran 's oil-producing southwestern province of Khuzestan , was named by Tehran as being behind a deadly 2018 terror attack on a military parade in the southwestern city of Ahvaz that left at least 25 dead , including civilians .
Iranian media said state controlled television had reported over the weekend on Telegram @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Habib Chaab , was arrested in Turkey and taken to Tehran .
ASMLA said Tehran had kidnapped Asyud after “ luring ” him to Turkey .
On November 1 , Mojataba Zolnuri , head of parliament ’ s National Security Committee , confirmed that Asyud had been arrested outside the country and taken to Iran .
He said he ’ s being interrogated by intelligence forces .
Zolnuri described Asyud ’ s arrest as a “ significant success ” for the country ’ s intelligence and security forces and said that he will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is completed .
The hard-line Mashreghnews.ir quoted unnamed “ informed sources ” as saying that Asyud , who has Swedish citizenship , was “ handed over ” to Iranian authorities without providing further details .
Neither Turkey nor Sweden have officially commented on the news .
Kaabi ’ s wife , Hoda Havashemi , told the BBC that her husband entered Turkey on October 5 and “ disappeared ” on October 15 , which she said was the date when he was supposed to travel back to Sweden .
Havashemi , who said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ maintain a strong relationship , added that she had heard that Asuyd had traveled to Turkey “ for work.
” ASMLA claimed Asyud had been kidnapped “ after a process of enticement in which a Gulf Arab country participated and contributed , ” without naming the alleged country .
Three members of the group were detained in Denmark in November 2018 for having praised those behind a deadly attack in the southwestern Iranian city of Ahvaz in September .
In late October 2018 , the Danish Intelligence Service PET accused the Iranian intelligence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the group ’ s Danish branch .
Tehran denied the allegation , calling it a conspiracy aimed at damaging Iran ’ s relations with the European Union .
In recent years , a number of Iranian opposition activists have ended up in Iran under mysterious circumstances .
They include Jamshid Sharmahd , the leader of the California-based Kingdom Assembly of Iran , or Tondar , who in August appeared blindfolded on Iran ’ s state-controlled television .
His son told RFE/RL that Sharmahd , whom authorities accuse of having directed `` armed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the country , was most likely captured in Dubai and taken to Iran .
In 2019 , Ruhollah Zam , the Paris-based administrator of the opposition Telegram channel Amadnews , was reportedly captured by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps ( IRGC ) during a trip to Iraq and taken to Tehran , where he was later put on trial and sentenced to death after being found guilty of `` corruption on Earth . ''
Iranian authorities had accused Amadnews of stirring up domestic dissent .
With reporting by the BBC , RFE/RL ’ @ @ @ @ @


rferl--2020-11-02--Belarusian Pensioners Take To Minsk Streets After Hundreds Of Protesters Detained

MINSK -- More than 1,000 demonstrators took part in a march in the Belarusian capital on November 2 to demand the resignation of Alyaksandr Lukashenka , a day after hundreds of people were detained by police during a similar protest against a disputed presidential election .
The demonstrators , including many pensioners , marched through the streets of Minsk , carrying the banned white-red-white flags that have become a symbol of the political opposition in Belarus .
Participants chanted slogans such as “ Lukashenka !
Tribunal !
” and “ Until victory , until the end !
” No detentions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Monday protest .
Lukashenka has been under pressure of daily demonstrations following a disputed presidential election nearly three months ago that the opposition says was rigged and the West has refused to accept .
On November 1 , law enforcement officers used stun grenades and rubber bullets to disperse thousands of demonstrators in Minsk and detained about 300 people , according to the Interior Ministry .
The Investigative Committee said 231 of those arrested were recognized as suspects in a criminal case that had been opened into `` actions that grossly violate public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the center of the city to a Soviet-era execution site for rallies coinciding with an annual march that commemorates victims of Soviet-era killings buried at Kurapaty on the outskirts of Minsk .
`` About 300 people were detained in Minsk and the Minsk region for breaking laws on mass gatherings , '' the ministry said on its Telegram channel .
Four journalists were among those detained on November 1 , two of whom were “ severely beaten , ” Boris Goretsky of the Belarusian Association of Journalists , told RFE/RL ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ consecutive Sunday of marches in Minsk held to keep the pressure on Lukashenka , who has orchestrated a massive crackdown and arrested thousands since authorities declared him the landslide winner of the August 9 election to give him a sixth consecutive term .
Most of the country ’ s opposition leaders have been arrested or forced to leave the country , including presidential candidate Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya , who has said the vote was rigged in Lukashenka 's favor and considers herself the rightful winner .
She left Belarus for Lithuania after the vote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Last week , Lukashenka tightened his grip on Belarus by partially closing its border to the west , replacing his interior minister , and signaling to security officers policing protests that they should intensify the crackdown on demonstrators .
In the November 1 protest , some motorists appeared to try to block the movement of paddy wagons intended to carry off detainees .
Armored vehicles equipped with machine guns were seen in Minsk along with water cannons and other anti-riot equipment .
Mobile phone coverage was said to be cut off in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ marches had attracted tens of thousands of people .
The political situation in Belarus is now at an impasse , with the Moscow-backed Lukashenka refusing to resign and the opposition unable to force his ouster .
Tsikhanouskaya has urged a `` national strike '' since October 26 that has been met with security sweeps and more brutal moves against dissenters .
Lukashenka has repeatedly accused the opposition and critics of being foreign-backed puppets .
He has bolstered forces at Belarus 's western borders and accused Poland and Baltic states of trying to destabilize @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dpa , and AP

MINSK -- More than 1,000 demonstrators took part in a march in the Belarusian capital on November 2 to demand the resignation of Alyaksandr Lukashenka, a day after hundreds of people were detained by police during a similar protest against a disputed presidential election.
The demonstrators, including many pensioners, marched through the streets of Minsk, carrying the banned white-red-white flags that have become a symbol of the political opposition in Belarus.
Participants chanted slogans such as "Lukashenka! Tribunal!" and "Until victory, until the end!"
No detentions were reported during the retirees' regular Monday protest.
Lukashenka has been under pressure of daily demonstrations following a disputed presidential election nearly three months ago that the opposition says was rigged and the West has refused to accept.
On November 1, law enforcement officers used stun grenades and rubber bullets to disperse thousands of demonstrators in Minsk and detained about 300 people, according to the Interior Ministry.
The Investigative Committee said 231 of those arrested were recognized as suspects in a criminal case that had been opened into "actions that grossly violate public order."
The protesters had marched from the center of the city to a Soviet-era execution site for rallies coinciding with an annual march that commemorates victims of Soviet-era killings buried at Kurapaty on the outskirts of Minsk.
"About 300 people were detained in Minsk and the Minsk region for breaking laws on mass gatherings," the ministry said on its Telegram channel.
Four journalists were among those detained on November 1, two of whom were "severely beaten," Barys Haretski of the Belarusian Association of Journalists, told RFE/RL’s Belarus Service.
It was the 12th consecutive Sunday of marches in Minsk held to keep the pressure on Lukashenka, who has orchestrated a massive crackdown and arrested thousands since authorities declared him the landslide winner of the August 9 election to give him a sixth consecutive term.
Most of the country’s opposition leaders have been arrested or forced to leave the country, including presidential candidate Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who has said the vote was rigged in Lukashenka's favor and considers herself the rightful winner.
She left Belarus for Lithuania after the vote amid threats to her and her family.
Last week, Lukashenka tightened his grip on Belarus by partially closing its border to the west, replacing his interior minister, and signaling to security officers policing protests that they should intensify the crackdown on demonstrators.
In the November 1 protest, some motorists appeared to try to block the movement of paddy wagons intended to carry off detainees.
Armored vehicles equipped with machine guns were seen in Minsk along with water cannons and other anti-riot equipment.
Mobile phone coverage was said to be cut off in many areas as estimates suggested that dual marches had attracted tens of thousands of people.
The political situation in Belarus is now at an impasse, with the Moscow-backed Lukashenka refusing to resign and the opposition unable to force his ouster.
Tsikhanouskaya has urged a "national strike" since October 26 that has been met with security sweeps and more brutal moves against dissenters.
Lukashenka has repeatedly accused the opposition and critics of being foreign-backed puppets.
He has bolstered forces at Belarus's western borders and accused Poland and Baltic states of trying to destabilize Belarus.
With reporting by Reuters, dpa, and AP


rferl--2020-11-02--OSCE Report To Show 'Massive' Human Rights Violations In Belarus

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe says there is “ overwhelming evidence ” that Belarus 's August 9 presidential election results were falsified and that “ systematic '' human rights violations have been committed by the country 's security forces in response to the peaceful demonstrations the vote sparked .
In a 58-page report seen by RFE/RL that is to be presented to the OSCE ’ s Permanent Council on November 5 , lead author and Austrian international law professor Wolfgang Benedek notes that there were `` evident shortcomings '' in the election , which he says failed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the basis of previous election monitoring.
” He added that “ the allegations that the presidential elections were not transparent as well as neither free nor fair were found confirmed.
” In addition , allegations related to human rights abuses “ were found to be massive and systematic and proven beyond doubt.
” It is “ particularly worrying that the well-documented cases of torture and ill-treatment in the crackdown by the security forces on political dissent have not as yet resulted in anybody being held accountable , which is confirming allegations of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ absence of fair trial in political cases , ” Benedek says in the report .
Mass demonstrations have swept across the country since the disputed election , ratcheting up pressure on Alyaksandr Lukashenka , who has ruled for 26 years and rejects accusations that the landslide vote was rigged .
Last week , Lukashenka tightened his grip on Belarus by partially closing the border to the west , replacing his interior minister , and signaling to security officers policing protests that they should intensify the crackdown on demonstrators .
That failed to stop @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on November 1 , with police countering by firing warning shots into the air , using stun grenades , and arresting about 300 people .
The OSCE report claims that the main purpose of Lukashenka 's crackdown was “ to punish demonstrators and to intimidate them and potential other protesters . ''
The report adds that the legal system of Belarus today can be characterized as based rather on “ rule by law rather than the rule of law , ” and concludes that freedoms of the media , assembly , and association @ @ @ @ @ @ @ security , as well as the safety of journalists , are “ under massive attack.
” The report on the situation in Belarus came about after 17 OSCE member states triggered the so-called “ Moscow Mechanism ” to examine alleged human rights violations in Belarus .
The mechanism allows a group of 10 or more member states to establish a mission of experts to look into threats of human rights commitments in countries belonging to the organization .
Benedek , who also was the author of a 2018 OSCE report on alleged human @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a visa to travel to Belarus after the government in Minsk did not see “ valid reasons '' for launching the “ Moscow Mechanism.
” The claim was made in a written statement that is included in the final OSCE report .
Since he could n't investigate on the ground , Benedek had to collect evidence and conduct interviews online , receiving more than 700 submissions .
His 65 recommendations to Belarusian authorities stated in the report include the cancellation of the August 9 election results and the organization of a fresh vote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ political prisoners and journalists detained in the crackdown should be released , he adds .
The report also recommends that the international community bring the `` perpetrators of torture and inhuman treatment among the Belarusian security forces and their responsible superiors to justice wherever possible.
” It calls for the creation of an independent international body to conduct an “ in-depth investigation '' of human rights violations in the context of the presidential elections .

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe says there is “overwhelming evidence” that Belarus's August 9 presidential election results were falsified and that “systematic" human rights violations have been committed by the country's security forces in response to the peaceful demonstrations the vote sparked.
In a 58-page report seen by RFE/RL that is to be presented to the OSCE’s Permanent Council on November 5, lead author and Austrian international law professor Wolfgang Benedek notes that there were "evident shortcomings" in the election, which he says failed to meet "the basic requirements established on the basis of previous election monitoring.”
He added that “the allegations that the presidential elections were not transparent as well as neither free nor fair were found confirmed.”
In addition, allegations related to human rights abuses “were found to be massive and systematic and proven beyond doubt.”
It is “particularly worrying that the well-documented cases of torture and ill-treatment in the crackdown by the security forces on political dissent have not as yet resulted in anybody being held accountable, which is confirming allegations of general impunity, also due to the absence of fair trial in political cases,” Benedek says in the report.
Mass demonstrations have swept across the country since the disputed election, ratcheting up pressure on Alyaksandr Lukashenka, who has ruled for 26 years and rejects accusations that the landslide vote was rigged.
Last week, Lukashenka tightened his grip on Belarus by partially closing the border to the west, replacing his interior minister, and signaling to security officers policing protests that they should intensify the crackdown on demonstrators.
That failed to stop tens of thousands from marching in Minsk on November 1, with police countering by firing warning shots into the air, using stun grenades, and arresting about 300 people.
The OSCE report claims that the main purpose of Lukashenka's crackdown was “to punish demonstrators and to intimidate them and potential other protesters."
The report adds that the legal system of Belarus today can be characterized as based rather on “rule by law rather than the rule of law,” and concludes that freedoms of the media, assembly, and association, and the right to liberty and security, as well as the safety of journalists, are “under massive attack.”
The report on the situation in Belarus came about after 17 OSCE member states triggered the so-called “Moscow Mechanism” to examine alleged human rights violations in Belarus.
The mechanism allows a group of 10 or more member states to establish a mission of experts to look into threats of human rights commitments in countries belonging to the organization.
Benedek, who also was the author of a 2018 OSCE report on alleged human rights violations in Chechnya, was denied a visa to travel to Belarus after the government in Minsk did not see “valid reasons" for launching the “Moscow Mechanism.” The claim was made in a written statement that is included in the final OSCE report.
Since he couldn't investigate on the ground, Benedek had to collect evidence and conduct interviews online, receiving more than 700 submissions.
His 65 recommendations to Belarusian authorities stated in the report include the cancellation of the August 9 election results and the organization of a fresh vote in accordance with international standards. All political prisoners and journalists detained in the crackdown should be released, he adds.
The report also recommends that the international community bring the "perpetrators of torture and inhuman treatment among the Belarusian security forces and their responsible superiors to justice wherever possible.”
It calls for the creation of an independent international body to conduct an “in-depth investigation" of human rights violations in the context of the presidential elections.


rferl--2020-11-02--Kyrgyz Supreme Court Chamber To Look Into Appeal Challenging Delay Of Parliamentary Vote

BISHKEK -- The Kyrgyz Supreme Court 's Constitutional Chamber has said it will look into an appeal filed by the opposition Reforma ( Reform ) party and two citizens challenging a law that canceled a Central Election Commission ( BShK ) decision to rerun parliamentary elections on December 20 .
Last week , the court refused to hear a similar appeal filed by the BShK over a technical issue concerning the payment of a fee .
The appeals come following weeks of political upheaval over disputed elections that toppled the Central Asian nation 's government and prompted the resignation of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prompted by allegations of vote-buying and other improprieties in an October 4 parliamentary elections .
Mass protests over the vote tally , which gave victory mainly to parties aligned with Jeenbekov 's government , prompted the BShK to annul the results and schedule fresh elections for December 20 .
However , on October 22 , acting President Sadyr Japarov signed amendments to the law on elections to delay a new vote until some time in 2021 .
That most likely means the parliamentary elections will come after a January 10 presidential vote .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ was jailed on charges of kidnapping a political rival in 2017 , was freed from prison in the midst of the demonstrations and approved on October 14 by parliament as prime minister .
He also took over the powers of the presidency when Jeenbekov vacated the post in mid-October and is set to serve as acting president until the January election .
Kyrgyzstan ’ s constitution forbids a person serving in an acting or interim capacity from taking part in a presidential election , so Japarov announced on October 25 that he will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ year to gain eligibility for the January 10 vote .
As of November 2 , five other politicians had informed the BShK of their intentions to take part in the presidential election as candidates .
They include the leader of the opposition Butun ( United ) Kyrgyzstan party , Adakhan Madumarov ; the leader of the El Uchun ( For the People ) party , Arstanbek Abdyldaev ; the former leader of the Egemen ( Sovereign ) Kyrgyzstan party , Bektur Asanov ; historian Kuban Choroev ; and opposition activist Nazarbek Nyshanov .

BISHKEK -- The Kyrgyz Supreme Court's Constitutional Chamber has said it will look into an appeal filed by the opposition Reforma (Reform) party and two citizens challenging a law that canceled a Central Election Commission (BShK) decision to rerun parliamentary elections on December 20.
Last week, the court refused to hear a similar appeal filed by the BShK over a technical issue concerning the payment of a fee.
The appeals come following weeks of political upheaval over disputed elections that toppled the Central Asian nation's government and prompted the resignation of President Sooronbai Jeenbekov.
The chaos was prompted by allegations of vote-buying and other improprieties in an October 4 parliamentary elections.
Mass protests over the vote tally, which gave victory mainly to parties aligned with Jeenbekov's government, prompted the BShK to annul the results and schedule fresh elections for December 20.
However, on October 22, acting President Sadyr Japarov signed amendments to the law on elections to delay a new vote until some time in 2021. That most likely means the parliamentary elections will come after a January 10 presidential vote.
Japarov, a former nationalist lawmaker who was jailed on charges of kidnapping a political rival in 2017, was freed from prison in the midst of the demonstrations and approved on October 14 by parliament as prime minister.
He also took over the powers of the presidency when Jeenbekov vacated the post in mid-October and is set to serve as acting president until the January election.
Kyrgyzstan’s constitution forbids a person serving in an acting or interim capacity from taking part in a presidential election, so Japarov announced on October 25 that he will step down before the end of the year to gain eligibility for the January 10 vote.
As of November 2, five other politicians had informed the BShK of their intentions to take part in the presidential election as candidates. They include the leader of the opposition Butun (United) Kyrgyzstan party, Adakhan Madumarov; the leader of the El Uchun (For the People) party, Arstanbek Abdyldaev; the former leader of the Egemen (Sovereign) Kyrgyzstan party, Bektur Asanov; historian Kuban Choroev; and opposition activist Nazarbek Nyshanov.


rferl--2020-11-02--Whistle-Blower Snowden Applies For Russian Citizenship

Whistle-blower Edward Snowden announced on November 2 that he is applying for Russian citizenship but will keep his U.S. nationality .
The former American intelligence contractor has been living in exile in Russia since he leaked documents in 2013 detailing a secret U.S. electronic-surveillance program .
Snowden ’ s stated intention to apply for Russian citizenship comes days after the 37-year-old announced he was expecting a child with his wife , Lindsay Mills .
Earlier in October , he had been granted permanent residency by the Russian government .
“ After years of separation from our parents , my wife @ @ @ @ @ @ @ separated from our son .
That 's why , in this era of pandemics and closed borders , we 're applying for dual US-Russian citizenship , ” Snowden tweeted .
“ Lindsay and I will remain Americans , raising our son with all the values of the America we love -- including the freedom to speak his mind .
And I look forward to the day I can return to the States , so the whole family can be reunited , ” he wrote .
Moscow recently relaxed its citizenship laws to allow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a requirement to renounce their original nationality .
Snowden was charged under the U.S .
Espionage Act for leaking some 1.5 million secret documents from the National Security Agency ( NSA ) on government surveillance , prompting public debate about the legality of some of the agency 's programs , as well as over privacy concerns and how the United States snoops on its citizens and neighbors .
If convicted in the United States , he faces up to 30 years in prison .
Snowden fled the United States in 2013 , traveling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , where he was stranded at a Moscow airport after the United States revoked his passport and he was later granted temporary asylum .
U.S. President Donald Trump said in August that he was considering a pardon for Snowden , while in September , the whistle-blower called on French President Emmanuel Macron to grant him asylum .

Whistle-blower Edward Snowden announced on November 2 that he is applying for Russian citizenship but will keep his U.S. nationality.
The former American intelligence contractor has been living in exile in Russia since he leaked documents in 2013 detailing a secret U.S. electronic-surveillance program.
Snowden’s stated intention to apply for Russian citizenship comes days after the 37-year-old announced he was expecting a child with his wife, Lindsay Mills. Earlier in October, he had been granted permanent residency by the Russian government.
“After years of separation from our parents, my wife and I have no desire to be separated from our son. That's why, in this era of pandemics and closed borders, we're applying for dual US-Russian citizenship,” Snowden tweeted.
“Lindsay and I will remain Americans, raising our son with all the values of the America we love -- including the freedom to speak his mind. And I look forward to the day I can return to the States, so the whole family can be reunited,” he wrote.
Moscow recently relaxed its citizenship laws to allow an individual to gain Russian citizenship without a requirement to renounce their original nationality.
Snowden was charged under the U.S. Espionage Act for leaking some 1.5 million secret documents from the National Security Agency (NSA) on government surveillance, prompting public debate about the legality of some of the agency's programs, as well as over privacy concerns and how the United States snoops on its citizens and neighbors.
If convicted in the United States, he faces up to 30 years in prison.
Snowden fled the United States in 2013, traveling to Hong Kong and then to Russia, where he was stranded at a Moscow airport after the United States revoked his passport and he was later granted temporary asylum.
U.S. President Donald Trump said in August that he was considering a pardon for Snowden, while in September, the whistle-blower called on French President Emmanuel Macron to grant him asylum.


rferl--2020-11-02--Pro-EU Candidate Heads Into Second Round Of Moldova's Election Against Dodon

CHISINAU -- Moldova 's pro-Western presidential candidate Maia Sandu has won a surprise victory in the first round of a presidential election that now heads to a runoff against pro-Russian incumbent , Igor Dodon .
With 99.81 of the ballots counted on November 2 , Central Election Commission data showed Sandu winning 36.1 percent compared with Dodon ’ s 32.66 percent .
A candidate needed to win more than 50 percent of the vote to win outright to avoid a November 15 runoff .
Sandu ’ s lead raised eyebrows after exit polls from the November 1 election had shown @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe ( OSCE ) voiced overall approval of the election process , saying on November 2 that the campaigning was competitive , `` fundamental freedoms were respected , '' and the electoral authorities `` organized technical aspects of the election professionally . ''
In 2016 , Dodon defeated Sandu in a second-round runoff by less than 5 percent in an election that was marred by allegations of fraud .
With a population of about 3.5 million , Moldova is one of Europe ’ s poorest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who support closer ties with Russia and those who advocate links with the European Union and , especially , neighboring Romania .
Most of Moldova was part of Romania until World War II , when it was annexed by the Soviet Union , and a majority of its population is ethnic Romanian .
The country 's Moscow-backed breakaway Transdniester region has been de facto independent since a separatist war in the 1990s .
The Kremlin , meanwhile , would like to keep Moldova in its sphere of influence , especially with the current @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other former Soviet-aligned countries .
A former World Bank economist and prime minister , the 48-year-old Sandu has campaigned against corruption and called for closer ties with the European Union .
If elected , she has promised to secure more financial support from Brussels .
Dodon says he wants to reach a settlement next year for the Transdniester region Dodon has run largely on a platform calling for “ stability ” and has promoted his record of securing loans and other economic favors from Moscow .
He has been criticized for his handling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more than 55,000 Moldovans have been infected and more than 1,300 have died .
Our Party leader Renato Usatii , the mayor of Balti , Moldova 's second-largest city , came third with almost 17 percent of the vote .
Turnout in the first round of voting was 42.7 percent .

CHISINAU -- Moldova's pro-Western presidential candidate Maia Sandu has won a surprise victory in the first round of a presidential election that now heads to a runoff against pro-Russian incumbent, Igor Dodon.
With 99.81 of the ballots counted on November 2, Central Election Commission data showed Sandu winning 36.1 percent compared with Dodon’s 32.66 percent.
A candidate needed to win more than 50 percent of the vote to win outright to avoid a November 15 runoff.
Sandu’s lead raised eyebrows after exit polls from the November 1 election had shown Dodon ahead by about 10 percentage points.
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) voiced overall approval of the election process, saying on November 2 that the campaigning was competitive, "fundamental freedoms were respected," and the electoral authorities "organized technical aspects of the election professionally."
In 2016, Dodon defeated Sandu in a second-round runoff by less than 5 percent in an election that was marred by allegations of fraud.
With a population of about 3.5 million, Moldova is one of Europe’s poorest countries and is sharply divided between those who support closer ties with Russia and those who advocate links with the European Union and, especially, neighboring Romania.
Most of Moldova was part of Romania until World War II, when it was annexed by the Soviet Union, and a majority of its population is ethnic Romanian.
The country's Moscow-backed breakaway Transdniester region has been de facto independent since a separatist war in the 1990s.
The Kremlin, meanwhile, would like to keep Moldova in its sphere of influence, especially with the current wave of political unrest sweeping across several other former Soviet-aligned countries.
A former World Bank economist and prime minister, the 48-year-old Sandu has campaigned against corruption and called for closer ties with the European Union.
If elected, she has promised to secure more financial support from Brussels.
Dodon says he wants to reach a settlement next year for the Transdniester region
Dodon has run largely on a platform calling for “stability” and has promoted his record of securing loans and other economic favors from Moscow.
He has been criticized for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, during which more than 55,000 Moldovans have been infected and more than 1,300 have died.
Our Party leader Renato Usatii, the mayor of Balti, Moldova's second-largest city, came third with almost 17 percent of the vote.
Turnout in the first round of voting was 42.7 percent.
With reporting by RFE/RL's Moldovan Service.


rferl--2020-11-01--Georgian Dream Claims Win In 'Competitive' Parliamentary Vote Rejected By The Opposition

Georgia 's ruling Georgian Dream has claimed victory in parliamentary elections that pitted it against a more united opposition hoping to end the party 's eight-year run .
But the largest opposition party has rejected the results of the October 31 voting and called for a protest in central Tbilisi , while international observers warned that while the process was `` competitive '' it was `` far from perfect . ''
Waving Georgian flags , thousands of demonstrators gathered outside the parliament building on Tbilisi 's main thoroughfare on November 1 demanding fresh elections .
The international observer mission of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Europe ( OSCE ) concluded on November 1 that the elections in the Caucasus country of around 3.7 million people were `` competitive '' and said that `` overall , fundamental freedoms were respected . ''
But , in preliminary findings presented at a midday press conference , the OSCE cited factors that `` reduced public confidence in some aspects of the process . ''
Speaking in Tbilisi , the observers cited a `` visibly partisan '' media environment , `` pervasive allegations of pressure on voters , '' and a `` blurring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the state '' as particularly troublesome .
With all votes counted on November 1 , the Central Election Commission reported Georgian Dream had 48.15 percent and the bloc of the main opposition party , the United National Movement ( ENM ) , had 27.14 percent .
The opposition European Georgia , led by a number of former ENM members , was third with 3.78 percent .
Five other parties appeared well-placed to top the newly reduced 1 percent threshold to reach parliament , according to preliminary results , including the Lelo party @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Patriots at 3.14 percent ; the Strategy Aghmashenebeli at 3.15 percent ; Girchi at 2.89 percent ; and the Citizens grouping at 1.33 percent .
Turnout was said to have been 56 percent .
President Salome Zourabichvili praised what she said were elections with `` high voter turnout and without severe violations . ''
`` Georgia has managed and conducted peaceful , fair , secure , democratic elections -- it can be said , European elections , '' Zourabichvili , whose candidacy in 2018 was supported by Georgian Dream , said in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ website .
The elections were the first under a reformed electoral system passed in June giving more weight to proportional representation .
Of 150 seats in parliament , 120 seats are determined based on party lists and 30 seats through single-mandate districts .
The Central Election Commission 's website showed Georgian Dream dominating the majoritarian races , where candidates in the single-mandate districts need more than 50 percent of the vote to avoid a runoff .
The results translate into 75 seats for Georgian Dream in parliament , one seat short of a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be held in 15 districts , all but ensuring the ruling party will secure a majority in parliament .
Billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili , who formed the Georgian Dream coalition in 2012 , personally congratulated the leaders of the party and its supporters after exit polls showed the party leading .
Georgian Dream has been in a fractious rivalry with ENM , which nominated exiled former President Mikheil Saakashvili to be its candidate for prime minister .
Saakashvili was quoted as saying after polls closed that Georgian Dream officials were `` massively falsifying election @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` mass mobilization to defend the votes . ''
Nika Melia , one of the ENM 's leaders , told reporters after consulting with other opposition leaders : `` It was not an election , it was a war . ''
According to another opposition leader , Shalva Natelashvili , the election results are illegitimate and `` the government has been usurped . ''
The OSCE observers noted the presence of `` party coordinators '' outside polling stations on election day that could have intimidated some voters .
They encouraged the new parliament @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Georgia 's electoral processes .
Osman Askin Bak , the Turkish head of the NATO PA delegation that was part of the OSCE mission , said it was a `` competitive election '' within a `` sound electoral framework '' in which `` most procedures were followed . ''
`` It was , however , far from perfect , '' he added .
Bak noted the absence of voting in the breakaway Georgian regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia due to `` Russia 's illegal occupation . ''
Tiny Kox , head of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said that `` these have been free elections , and that is not nothing . ''
But he noted high party spending without limits that `` negatively affects the fairness of your elections . ''
So much spent in such a relatively poor country `` creates a danger '' and sends `` the wrong signals '' to the public , Kox said .
Transparency International Georgia , an NGO that had deployed around 600 local observers , said the voting was `` a step back compared with the 2016 parliamentary elections . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ who voted on at least 10 occasions '' in one precinct , bribery for votes , physical confrontations , obstruction of observers , and other irregularities .
The group recommended that police investigate possible crimes and suggested election officials take specific measures to bolster public confidence , including more adequately supplying polling stations and more digitized voting procedures .
There were numerous reports of mostly minor violations throughout election day , many of them related to compliance with anti-pandemic measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus .
Tamar Zhvania , the chairperson @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the election was conducted in a calm environment with some exceptions and that voters exercised their constitutional right .

Georgia's ruling Georgian Dream has claimed victory in parliamentary elections that pitted it against a more united opposition hoping to end the party's eight-year run.
But the largest opposition party has rejected the results of the October 31 voting and called for a protest in central Tbilisi, while international observers warned that while the process was "competitive" it was "far from perfect."
Waving Georgian flags, thousands of demonstrators gathered outside the parliament building on Tbilisi's main thoroughfare on November 1 demanding fresh elections.
The international observer mission of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) concluded on November 1 that the elections in the Caucasus country of around 3.7 million people were "competitive" and said that "overall, fundamental freedoms were respected."
But, in preliminary findings presented at a midday press conference, the OSCE cited factors that "reduced public confidence in some aspects of the process."
Speaking in Tbilisi, the observers cited a "visibly partisan" media environment, "pervasive allegations of pressure on voters," and a "blurring of the line between the ruling party and the state" as particularly troublesome.
With all votes counted on November 1, the Central Election Commission reported Georgian Dream had 48.15 percent and the bloc of the main opposition party, the United National Movement (ENM), had 27.14 percent.
The opposition European Georgia, led by a number of former ENM members, was third with 3.78 percent.
Five other parties appeared well-placed to top the newly reduced 1 percent threshold to reach parliament, according to preliminary results, including the Lelo party at 3.15 percent; the pro-Russian Alliance of Patriots at 3.14 percent; the Strategy Aghmashenebeli at 3.15 percent; Girchi at 2.89 percent; and the Citizens grouping at 1.33 percent.
Turnout was said to have been 56 percent.
President Salome Zurabishvili praised what she said were elections with "high voter turnout and without severe violations."
"Georgia has managed and conducted peaceful, fair, secure, democratic elections -- it can be said, European elections," Zurabishvili, whose candidacy in 2018 was supported by Georgian Dream, said in a November 1 statement on her official website.
The elections were the first under a reformed electoral system passed in June giving more weight to proportional representation. Of 150 seats in parliament, 120 seats are determined based on party lists and 30 seats through single-mandate districts.
The Central Election Commission's website showed Georgian Dream dominating the majoritarian races, where candidates in the single-mandate districts need more than 50 percent of the vote to avoid a runoff.
The results translate into 75 seats for Georgian Dream in parliament, one seat short of a majority. However, runoff elections will be held in 15 districts, all but ensuring the ruling party will secure a majority in parliament.
Billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, who formed the Georgian Dream coalition in 2012, personally congratulated the leaders of the party and its supporters after exit polls showed the party leading.
Georgian Dream has been in a fractious rivalry with ENM, which nominated exiled former President Mikheil Saakashvili to be its candidate for prime minister.
Saakashvili was quoted as saying after polls closed that Georgian Dream officials were "massively falsifying election results." He called for a "mass mobilization to defend the votes."
Nika Melia, one of the ENM's leaders, told reporters after consulting with other opposition leaders: "It was not an election, it was a war."
According to another opposition leader, Shalva Natelashvili, the election results are illegitimate and "the government has been usurped."
The OSCE observers noted the presence of "party coordinators" outside polling stations on election day that could have intimidated some voters.
They encouraged the new parliament and other officials to continue to improve Georgia's electoral processes.
Osman Askin Bak, the Turkish head of the NATO PA delegation that was part of the OSCE mission, said it was a "competitive election" within a "sound electoral framework" in which "most procedures were followed."
"It was, however, far from perfect," he added.
Bak noted the absence of voting in the breakaway Georgian regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia due to "Russia's illegal occupation."
Tiny Kox, head of the PACE delegation to the elections, said that "these have been free elections, and that is not nothing." But he noted high party spending without limits that "negatively affects the fairness of your elections."
So much spent in such a relatively poor country "creates a danger" and sends "the wrong signals" to the public, Kox said.
Transparency International Georgia, an NGO that had deployed around 600 local observers, said the voting was "a step back compared with the 2016 parliamentary elections."
It cited vote-rigging including "an individual who voted on at least 10 occasions" in one precinct, bribery for votes, physical confrontations, obstruction of observers, and other irregularities.
The group recommended that police investigate possible crimes and suggested election officials take specific measures to bolster public confidence, including more adequately supplying polling stations and more digitized voting procedures.
There were numerous reports of mostly minor violations throughout election day, many of them related to compliance with anti-pandemic measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Tamar Zhvania, the chairperson of the Central Election Commission, said the election was conducted in a calm environment with some exceptions and that voters exercised their constitutional right.


rferl--2020-11-03--Azerbaijan Says 91 Civilians Killed, More Than 400 Wounded Since Start Of Nagorno-Karabakh Fighting

BAKU/YEREVAN -- Azerbaijan says that 91 civilians have been killed and hundreds more wounded since the resumption of fighting with Armenian forces over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh more than a month ago .
`` [ A total of ] 91 civilians have been killed by Armenia ’ s shelling from September 27 to today , and 405 others were wounded , '' Azerbaijan ’ s Prosecutor-General ’ s Office said in a press release .
Renewed clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia erupted on September 27 , with intense battles raging in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh .
Both parties @ @ @ @ @ @ @ among them civilians .
Nagorno-Karabakh is recognized as part of Azerbaijan , but the ethnic Armenians who make up most of the population reject Azerbaijani rule .
They have been governing their own affairs , with support from Armenia , since Azerbaijan 's troops were pushed out of the region in a war that ended in a cease-fire in 1994 .
The two sides continue to exchange blame for repeated violations of a humanitarian cease-fire brokered by the United States that collapsed within an hour of being declared on October 26 .
Two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also collapsed within hours of coming into force .
Claims from either side about the fighting have been difficult to confirm .
Azerbaijan 's Defense Ministry accused Armenian forces of using a Smerch system to launch rockets on Fizuli , one of the Nagorno-Karabakh settlements that Azerbaijan said earlier it had taken control of .
Azerbaijan 's military also destroyed two Armenian ammunition depots near Stepanakert , the largest city in Nagorno-Karabakh , the Defense Ministry in Baku claimed on November 3 .
Meanwhile , Armenian forces in Nagorno-Karabakh claimed to have repulsed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and southern directions of the so-called Line of Contact .
Armenia has a security guarantee from Russia via the Collective Security Treaty Organization ( CSTO ) , and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has repeatedly requested support from Moscow since the current flare-up started .
Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the Nagorno-Karabakh military conflict in phone calls with Pashinian on November 1 and with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on November 2 , the Kremlin said .
`` The issues of settling the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict have been discussed in detail , '' the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ without elaborating .
Nagorno-Karabakh is internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan but is populated and controlled by ethnic Armenians .
Russia 's Foreign Ministry said on October 31 that it would provide `` all assistance required '' if the conflict spilled onto `` the territory of Armenia '' -- land that is outside the current conflict zone .
Russia has estimated as many as 5,000 deaths on both sides .
The United States , France , and Russia -- cochairs of the Minsk Group of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ find a route to a longer-term resolution of the dispute .
With reporting by Reuters , TASS , and Interfax

BAKU/YEREVAN -- Azerbaijan says that 91 civilians have been killed and hundreds more wounded since the resumption of fighting with Armenian forces over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh more than a month ago.
"[A total of] 91 civilians have been killed by Armenia’s shelling from September 27 to today, and 405 others were wounded," Azerbaijan’s Prosecutor-General’s Office said in a press release.
Renewed clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia erupted on September 27, with intense battles raging in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Both parties to the conflict have reported casualties, among them civilians.
Nagorno-Karabakh is recognized as part of Azerbaijan, but the ethnic Armenians who make up most of the population reject Azerbaijani rule. They have been governing their own affairs, with support from Armenia, since Azerbaijan's troops were pushed out of the region in a war that ended in a cease-fire in 1994.
The two sides continue to exchange blame for repeated violations of a humanitarian cease-fire brokered by the United States that collapsed within an hour of being declared on October 26. Two previous truces mediated by Russia and France also collapsed within hours of coming into force.
Claims from either side about the fighting have been difficult to confirm.
Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry accused Armenian forces of using a Smerch system to launch rockets on Fizuli, one of the Nagorno-Karabakh settlements that Azerbaijan said earlier it had taken control of.
Armenia's Defense Ministry spokeswoman Shushan Stepanian rejected the accusation as "absurd."
Azerbaijan's military also destroyed two Armenian ammunition depots near Stepanakert, the largest city in Nagorno-Karabakh, the Defense Ministry in Baku claimed on November 3.
Meanwhile, Armenian forces in Nagorno-Karabakh claimed to have repulsed Azerbaijani attacks in the eastern, southeastern, and southern directions of the so-called Line of Contact.
Armenia has a security guarantee from Russia via the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has repeatedly requested support from Moscow since the current flare-up started.
Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the Nagorno-Karabakh military conflict in phone calls with Pashinian on November 1 and with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on November 2, the Kremlin said.
"The issues of settling the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict have been discussed in detail," the Kremlin said in a November 2 statement without elaborating.
Nagorno-Karabakh is internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan but is populated and controlled by ethnic Armenians.
Russia's Foreign Ministry said on October 31 that it would provide "all assistance required" if the conflict spilled onto "the territory of Armenia" -- land that is outside the current conflict zone.
Russia has estimated as many as 5,000 deaths on both sides.
The United States, France, and Russia -- cochairs of the Minsk Group of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) -- have failed to find a route to a longer-term resolution of the dispute.
With reporting by Reuters, TASS, and Interfax


rferl--2020-11-03--Russian Court Sentences Three Crimean Tatars To Prison Terms On Extremism Charges

ROSTOV-ON-DON , Russia -- A court in Russia has sentenced three Crimean Tatars to lengthy prison terms on charges of being members of a banned Islamic group .
The Southern Military Regional court in the city of Rostov-on-Don on November 3 sentenced Rustem Emiruseinov to 17 years , Arsen Abkhaitov to 13 years , and Eskendir Abulganiyev to 12 years in prison .
The three men were found guilty of being members of Hizb ut-Tahrir Islamic , a group that has been labeled as extremist and banned in Russia , but is legal in Ukraine .
They were arrested in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ homes in Ukraine 's Russia-annexed Crimea .
Some 200 people gathered in front of the court 's building on November 3 to support the defendants .
Police detained several of the gathered people , including three journalists .
Less than two months earlier , in mid-September , the same court sentenced seven Crimean Tatars to lengthy prison terms on the same charges .
Rights groups and Western governments have denounced what they called a persistent campaign of oppression targeting Crimean Tatars and other citizens who opposed Moscow 's annexation .
Russia occupied and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The majority of Crimean Tatars opposed the Russian takeover of their historic homeland .

ROSTOV-ON-DON, Russia -- A court in Russia has sentenced three Crimean Tatars to lengthy prison terms on charges of being members of a banned Islamic group.
The Southern Military Regional court in the city of Rostov-on-Don on November 3 sentenced Rustem Emiruseinov to 17 years, Arsen Abkhaitov to 13 years, and Eskendir Abulganiyev to 12 years in prison.
The three men were found guilty of being members of Hizb ut-Tahrir Islamic, a group that has been labeled as extremist and banned in Russia, but is legal in Ukraine.
They were arrested in February last year after police searched their homes in Ukraine's Russia-annexed Crimea.
Some 200 people gathered in front of the court's building on November 3 to support the defendants. Police detained several of the gathered people, including three journalists.
Less than two months earlier, in mid-September, the same court sentenced seven Crimean Tatars to lengthy prison terms on the same charges.
Rights groups and Western governments have denounced what they called a persistent campaign of oppression targeting Crimean Tatars and other citizens who opposed Moscow's annexation.
Russia occupied and seized Crimea from Ukraine in March 2014.
The majority of Crimean Tatars opposed the Russian takeover of their historic homeland.


rferl--2020-11-03--France To Ban Turkish Ultranationalist Gray Wolves After Anti-Armenian Activities

France will ban the Turkish ultranationalist Gray Wolves group , the interior minister said , days after its members were linked to anti-Armenian demonstrations and vandalism .
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin described the Gray Wolves on November 2 as a “ particularly aggressive group.
” He said the move to ban the Gray Wolves , also known as the Idealist Hearths , will be put to the French cabinet on November 4 .
In Turkey , the Gray Wolves are linked to the far-right Nationalist Movement Party ( MHP ) of Devlet Bahceli .
The party has a political alliance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Justice and Development Party ( AKP ) .
The plan to ban the Gray Wolves comes after two anti-Armenian demonstrations by people carrying Turkish flags in the Lyon and Grenoble areas .
The demonstrations are believed to be tied to the Gray Wolves .
French media also reported that a monument in Lyon dedicated to the victims of the 1915 massacres of Armenians in Ottoman Turkey was defaced with pro-Turkish Gray Wolves slogans and `` RTE '' in reference to Erdogan .
The Gray Wolves are considered the militant wing of the MHP @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ideology .
In the past , they are believed to have had ties to the Turkish “ deep state ” and mafia , having been involved in street violence against leftists in Turkey during the 1970s and 1980s .
Its members have also been involved in attacks on Kurdish activists and aided the state 's fight against Kurdish nationalist militants .
There have been tensions in France between its large ethnic Armenian population and Turkish communities over the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh .
Turkey has strongly backed its ally Azerbaijan in the conflict over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Azerbaijan but has been controlled by Armenian forces since the early 1990s .
There have also been weeks of tensions between France and Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean , Syria , and Libya .
In an interview with Al-Jazeera on November 1 , President Emmanuel Macron accused Turkey of adopting a `` bellicose '' stance towards its NATO allies .
Tensions have risen further after the beheading of a French schoolteacher who showed his pupils cartoons mocking Islam 's Prophet Mohammed .
In the wake of the killing , Macron has defended free @ @ @ @ @ @ @ religion , triggering sharp rhetoric from Erdogan and a call to boycott French goods in Turkey .
France has also been taking steps to ban radical Islamist groups .
With reporting by AFP and dpa

France will ban the Turkish ultranationalist Gray Wolves group, the interior minister said, days after its members were linked to anti-Armenian demonstrations and vandalism.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin described the Gray Wolves on November 2 as a “particularly aggressive group.”
He said the move to ban the Gray Wolves, also known as the Idealist Hearths, will be put to the French cabinet on November 4.
In Turkey, the Gray Wolves are linked to the far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) of Devlet Bahceli. The party has a political alliance with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP).
The plan to ban the Gray Wolves comes after two anti-Armenian demonstrations by people carrying Turkish flags in the Lyon and Grenoble areas. The demonstrations are believed to be tied to the Gray Wolves.
French media also reported that a monument in Lyon dedicated to the victims of the 1915 massacres of Armenians in Ottoman Turkey was defaced with pro-Turkish Gray Wolves slogans and "RTE" in reference to Erdogan.
The Gray Wolves are considered the militant wing of the MHP, known for their pan-Turkish and far-right ideology.
In the past, they are believed to have had ties to the Turkish “deep state” and mafia, having been involved in street violence against leftists in Turkey during the 1970s and 1980s. Its members have also been involved in attacks on Kurdish activists and aided the state's fight against Kurdish nationalist militants.
There have been tensions in France between its large ethnic Armenian population and Turkish communities over the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Turkey has strongly backed its ally Azerbaijan in the conflict over the separatist enclave that is part of Azerbaijan but has been controlled by Armenian forces since the early 1990s.
There have also been weeks of tensions between France and Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean, Syria, and Libya.
In an interview with Al-Jazeera on November 1, President Emmanuel Macron accused Turkey of adopting a "bellicose" stance towards its NATO allies.
Tensions have risen further after the beheading of a French schoolteacher who showed his pupils cartoons mocking Islam's Prophet Mohammed.
In the wake of the killing, Macron has defended free speech, including the right to mock religion, triggering sharp rhetoric from Erdogan and a call to boycott French goods in Turkey.
France has also been taking steps to ban radical Islamist groups.
With reporting by AFP and dpa


rferl--2020-11-05--Bill On Ex-Presidents' Immunity Proposed By Two Russian Lawmakers

Two Russian lawmakers have proposed a draft law on the extension of immunity for former presidents and their family members .
The bill prepared by Andrei Klishas , a member of the Russian parliament 's upper chamber , the Federation Council , and a member of the lower chamber , the State Duma , Pavel Krasheninnikov , was proposed for debate on November 5 .
The official proposal says the bill was prepared in accordance with constitutional amendments initiated by President Vladimir Putin and adopted earlier this year in a national vote .
According to the draft law , with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ presidents can not be held responsible or prosecuted for actions taken during , before , or after their presidential terms .
The existing law on the immunity of former presidents adopted in 2001 guarantees immunity to former presidents from prosecution for actions taken during their time in office .
In the event of accusations of a serious crime , according to the draft law , a special commission must be formed to investigate the accusations and at least two-thirds of each of the parliament chambers must approve the prosecution of a former president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this year , former presidents can become life-long members of the Federation Council , who also enjoy immunity .
The amendments also gave Putin , who has run the country as president or prime minister since 1999 , the right to rule the country until 2036 via two more elections .
Currently , there is only one former Russian president in the country -- Dmitry Medvedev , who served as president between 2008 and 2012 while Putin was prime minister .
Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev does not have the status of former @ @ @

Two Russian lawmakers have proposed a draft law on the extension of immunity for former presidents and their family members.
The bill prepared by Andrei Klishas, a member of the Russian parliament's upper chamber, the Federation Council, and a member of the lower chamber, the State Duma, Pavel Krasheninnikov, was proposed for debate on November 5.
The official proposal says the bill was prepared in accordance with constitutional amendments initiated by President Vladimir Putin and adopted earlier this year in a national vote.
According to the draft law, with the exception of serious crimes, former presidents cannot be held responsible or prosecuted for actions taken during, before, or after their presidential terms.
The existing law on the immunity of former presidents adopted in 2001 guarantees immunity to former presidents from prosecution for actions taken during their time in office.
In the event of accusations of a serious crime, according to the draft law, a special commission must be formed to investigate the accusations and at least two-thirds of each of the parliament chambers must approve the prosecution of a former president.
According to the constitutional amendments adopted this year, former presidents can become life-long members of the Federation Council, who also enjoy immunity.
The amendments also gave Putin, who has run the country as president or prime minister since 1999, the right to rule the country until 2036 via two more elections.
Currently, there is only one former Russian president in the country -- Dmitry Medvedev, who served as president between 2008 and 2012 while Putin was prime minister.
Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev does not have the status of former Russian president.


rferl--2020-11-05--France Condemns Turkey's 'Declarations Of Violence'

France has condemned what it called `` declarations of violence '' by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan , and raised the possibility of new sanctions against Ankara .
Erdogan has been involved in a bitter feud with French President Emmanuel Macron over a number of geopolitical issues and , more recently , France 's fight against radical Islam .
`` There are now declarations of violence , even hatred , which are regularly posted by President Erdogan which are unacceptable , '' French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told Europe 1 radio on November 5 .
Turkey 's Foreign Ministry @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a Turkish ultranationalist group in France is a `` double standard '' and warned that it will take countermeasures against the `` hypocritical '' move .
The nature of the Turkish measures was not immediately clear .
France said on November 4 that it was banning a group , which it referred to as `` the paramilitary and ultranationalist movement of the Grey Wolves , '' adding that the group was involved in violent protests targeting Kurdish and Armenian activists .
Gray Wolves , not an officially registered group , is s frequently @ @ @ @ @ @ @ -- Idealist Hearths in Turkish -- an ultranationalist youth organization affiliated with the Nationalist Movement Party ( MHP ) .
The group was involved in anti-Armenian demonstrations in the Lyon and Grenoble areas late last month , according to the government decree .
The French decree , however , does not explicitly name Ulku Ocaklari .
The MHP is allied with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan 's ruling party in parliament .
Paris also cited the symbols and slogans used by the group , including a hand salute .
`` It is unacceptable to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have no illegal aspect and are used in many countries , '' the Turkish Foreign Ministry said on November 5 .
Ankara further accused the French government of `` being taken captive by Armenian circles . ''
The demonstrations last month came against the background of conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh region , in which ethnically Turkic Azerbaijan is strongly backed by Ankara .
Turkey and France have been at loggerheads over the conflicts in Syria and Libya as well as competition for natural gas in the Mediterranean and , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to uphold secular values , including the right to mock Islam and other religions , as part of a battle against extremism .
Le Drian said there have been serious disagreements between Paris and Ankara for several years due to Turkey ’ s actions .
“ Turkey is taking aggressive actions in the immediate vicinity of Europe , in particular in Libya , in the eastern Mediterranean , in Nagorno-Karabakh and in northern Iraq .
Now a new factor has emerged .
In recent days , the tone of Erdogan ’ s statements @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Erdogan regularly makes statements full of hatred and violence , including against French President Emmanuel Macron , ” Le Drian said , adding that “ Paris demands that Turkey abandon such behavior.
” Erdogan has recently called for a boycott of French goods , accusing Macron of Islamophobia and advising the French leader to get `` mental checks . ''
With reporting by RFE/RL 's Armenian Service , dpa , and AFPet/ac

A former top FBI counterintelligence agent pleaded guilty to charges related to his work for notorious Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, changing his plea after federal prosecutors filed new, reduced charges of conspiring to violate U.S. sanctions on Russia by working for the billionaire industrialist.
The move by Charles McGonigal, made on August 15 before a federal judge in New York City, ends a prosecution that had stunned the FBI, where McGonigal had investigated Russian influence operations for years while climbing the bureau’s ranks.
The 55-year-old also still faces a separate set of foreign agent charges in Washington, D.C., related to work he did for Albanian officials.
McGonigal, who retired as head counterintelligence in the FBI's New York bureau in 2018, was originally indicted in January by a grand jury on more serious charges of money laundering and violating U.S. sanctions.
Prosecutors alleged that McGonigal and a former Russian diplomat with whom he was associated, were paid more than $200,000 to do work for Deripaska, a wealthy Russian metals tycoon who has long been seen as a Kremlin insider. Deripaska was hit with sanctions by the U.S. Treasury Department in 2018.
U.S. authorities said McGonigal was hired to dig up negative information on Vladimir Potanin, a rival oligarch to Deripaska. McGonigal and the former diplomat, Sergei Shestakov, also worked to try and get Deripaska removed from U.S. sanctions lists.
Shestakov has pleaded not guilty to the more serious charges than had been originally filed against McGonigal.
They "attempted to conceal Deripaska's involvement by, among other means, not directly naming Deripaska in electronic communications, using shell companies as counterparties in the contract that outlined the services to be performed, using a forged signature on that contract, and using the same shell companies to send and receive payment from Deripaska," the Justice Department said in a press release after McGonigal entered his plea.
McGonigal could receive up to five years in prison when he is sentenced in December.
The separate case filed in Washington, D.C., by federal prosecutors centers on work McGonigal allegedly did on behalf of a former Albanian intelligence officer, for which he was paid $225,000.
McGonigal also allegedly lied to the FBI about his contacts with foreign nationals and foreign travel while he was still employed by the bureau.
Deripaska also faces charges of violating U.S. sanctions through real estate deals and a complicated scheme under which he allegedly arranged for his girlfriend to travel to the United States to give birth to two of their children.