rferl--2020-03-10--Russian Lawmakers OK Constitutional Change That Would Allow Putin To Run In 2024

MOSCOW -- Russia 's lower chamber of parliament , the State Duma , has approved a constitutional amendment that would allow President Vladimir Putin to run for a new term in 2024 .
Currently , the constitution allows for a president to serve for two consecutive six-year terms .
Putin , 67 , is set to step down in 2024 when his second sequential presidential term ends .
On March 10 , 380 lawmakers voted for the amendment , 43 voted against it , and one lawmaker abstained .
Just ahead of the vote to approve the measure , Putin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only if it is approved by the Constitutional Court .
`` In principle , this option would be possible , but on one condition -- if the Constitutional Court gives an official ruling that such an amendment would not contradict the principles and main provisions of the constitution , '' Putin said in an address to the State Duma .
Putin talked to the parliament less than an hour after lawmaker Valentina Tereshkova , who came the world 's first woman in space in 1963 , proposed to allow Putin to run again @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's necessary either to lift the restriction on the number of presidential terms or , in case the situation requires it or people demand it , to allow the incumbent president to run for reelection after the amended constitution takes force , '' adding that Putin 's previous presidential terms will be set back to zero .
According to the approved amendments , Putin may stay in power until 2036 if he wins in 2024 and then is reelected six years later .
Putin said that he was against removal of the presidential @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agrees with the second part of Tereshkova ’ s proposal with the caveat that the Constitutional Court approves of it .
In January , Putin called for a series of amendments that amounted to a major restructuring of legal powers between the presidency and the parliament .
Putin 's critics said then that the Russian leader , who has ruled the country as a president or prime minister for more than 20 years , may be laying the groundwork to hold on to power after his current term expires in 2024 .
Putin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ does not plan to cling to power via changing the constitution .

MOSCOW -- Russia's lower chamber of parliament, the State Duma, has approved a constitutional amendment that would allow President Vladimir Putin to run for a new term in 2024.
Currently, the constitution allows for a president to serve for two consecutive six-year terms. Putin, 67, is set to step down in 2024 when his second sequential presidential term ends.
On March 10, 380 lawmakers voted for the amendment, 43 voted against it, and one lawmaker abstained.
Just ahead of the vote to approve the measure, Putin said he agreed with it, but only if it is approved by the Constitutional Court.
"In principle, this option would be possible, but on one condition -- if the Constitutional Court gives an official ruling that such an amendment would not contradict the principles and main provisions of the constitution," Putin said in an address to the State Duma.
Putin talked to the parliament less than an hour after lawmaker Valentina Tereshkova, who came the world's first woman in space in 1963, proposed to allow Putin to run again in 2024.
Tereshkova said "it's necessary either to lift the restriction on the number of presidential terms or, in case the situation requires it or people demand it, to allow the incumbent president to run for reelection after the amended constitution takes force," adding that Putin's previous presidential terms will be set back to zero.
According to the approved amendments, Putin may stay in power until 2036 if he wins in 2024 and then is reelected six years later.
Putin said that he was against removal of the presidential terms limit, but added that he agrees with the second part of Tereshkova’s proposal with the caveat that the Constitutional Court approves of it.
In January, Putin called for a series of amendments that amounted to a major restructuring of legal powers between the presidency and the parliament.
Putin's critics said then that the Russian leader, who has ruled the country as a president or prime minister for more than 20 years, may be laying the groundwork to hold on to power after his current term expires in 2024.
Putin has rejected such suggestions, saying he does not plan to cling to power via changing the constitution.


rferl--2020-03-10--London Mansion Linked To Nazarbaev Family At Center Of British Court Battle

A court in London is set to decide the fate of a luxurious London mansion and two other properties linked to the family of former Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev .
During a March 10 hearing at the London High Court , lawyers for the companies that own the properties will demand that an investigation by Britain 's National Crime Agency ( NCA ) be halted , the British broadcaster BBC reported .
It said the case involved a vast property -- with an underground pool and a cinema -- located on one of London 's most exclusive roads , commonly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The high-security home is owned by companies based in tax havens , but public records show that the occupiers are Nazarbaev 's grandson Nurali Aliev and his wife , Aida , according to the report .
The property is said to be one of three worth more than $ 104 million in total that have been subject to unexplained wealth orders ( UWOs ) since May 2019 .
Under an UWO , the NCA can apply for a court to seize property when a suspected corrupt foreign official , or their family , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the funds used to buy it .
The BBC said it could not identify the properties in question for legal reasons .
Aliev presents himself as a businessman and investor .
His grandfather , Nazarbaev , was president of oil- and gas-rich Kazakhstan for three decades until he suddenly resigned in March 2019 .
Aliev 's mother , Darigha Nazarbaeva , is the former president 's daughter and current speaker of the parliament 's upper chamber , the Senate .
His father , Rakhat Aliev , was a senior government member who became @ @ @ @ @ @ @ found dead in an Austrian prison in 2015 while awaiting trial for the alleged murder of two bankers in Kazakhstan .
Last year , a British court ordered the son of Moldova 's former Prime Minister Vladimir Filat to hand over $ 650,000 following an NCA investigation .
With reporting by the BBC

A court in London is set to decide the fate of a luxurious London mansion and two other properties linked to the family of former Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev.
During a March 10 hearing at the London High Court, lawyers for the companies that own the properties will demand that an investigation by Britain's National Crime Agency (NCA) be halted, the British broadcaster BBC reported.
It said the case involved a vast property -- with an underground pool and a cinema -- located on one of London's most exclusive roads, commonly known as "Billionaires Row."
The high-security home is owned by companies based in tax havens, but public records show that the occupiers are Nazarbaev's grandson Nurali Aliev and his wife, Aida, according to the report.
The property is said to be one of three worth more than $104 million in total that have been subject to unexplained wealth orders (UWOs) since May 2019.
Under an UWO, the NCA can apply for a court to seize property when a suspected corrupt foreign official, or their family, cannot identify a legitimate source of the funds used to buy it.
The BBC said it could not identify the properties in question for legal reasons.
Aliev presents himself as a businessman and investor.
His grandfather, Nazarbaev, was president of oil- and gas-rich Kazakhstan for three decades until he suddenly resigned in March 2019.
Aliev's mother, Darigha Nazarbaeva, is the former president's daughter and current speaker of the parliament's upper chamber, the Senate.
His father, Rakhat Aliev, was a senior government member who became an opponent of Nazarbaev. He was found dead in an Austrian prison in 2015 while awaiting trial for the alleged murder of two bankers in Kazakhstan.
Last year, a British court ordered the son of Moldova's former Prime Minister Vladimir Filat to hand over $650,000 following an NCA investigation.
With reporting by the BBC


rferl--2020-03-10--Two Gang Members Convicted Of Highway Killings In Russia Sentenced In Tajikistan

Russia 's Prosecutor-General 's Office says two members of a notorious gang have been convicted of highway killings and robberies in Russia and sentenced to 25 years in prison each in Tajikistan .
In a March 10 statement , the office said that Tajikistan 's Sughd regional court had sentenced Boir Gulomov and Murodjon Karimov , members of the `` GTA gang , '' after finding them guilty of `` being members of an organized criminal group , murders , robberies , and other crimes committed on the territory of the Russian Federation . ''
According to the statement , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Russia by fleeing to Tajikistan , and since Tajik laws do not allow for the extradition of its citizens to foreign countries , the two were tried in the northern region of Sughd .
In August 2018 , the Moscow regional court sentenced four members of the group to life in prison and a fifth man to 20 years in prison .
The five were found guilty of 17 murders , two attempted murders , robbery , theft , banditry , and the illegal fabrication and possession of weapons .
Media dubbed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after the videogame series Grand Theft Auto .
Residents of Moscow and districts around the Russian capital were on alert in 2014 after media reported on a gang that carried out a series of robberies on local highways in which its members robbed and killed drivers after using caltrops , a spiked metal device thrown on the ground to impede wheeled vehicles , to bring their cars to a halt .
The leader of the group , Ubaidullo Subhanov , was killed during a police action that resulted in the arrest of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ August 2017 , the gang members made headlines after they tried to escape from the Moscow regional court building by overpowering the guards .
Four members of the group were killed and one injured in the escape attempt .

Russia's Prosecutor-General's Office says two members of a notorious gang have been convicted of highway killings and robberies in Russia and sentenced to 25 years in prison each in Tajikistan.
In a March 10 statement, the office said that Tajikistan's Sughd regional court had sentenced Boir Gulomov and Murodjon Karimov, members of the "GTA gang," after finding them guilty of "being members of an organized criminal group, murders, robberies, and other crimes committed on the territory of the Russian Federation."
According to the statement, Gulomov and Karimov managed to escape prosecution in Russia by fleeing to Tajikistan, and since Tajik laws do not allow for the extradition of its citizens to foreign countries, the two were tried in the northern region of Sughd.
In August 2018, the Moscow regional court sentenced four members of the group to life in prison and a fifth man to 20 years in prison.
The five were found guilty of 17 murders, two attempted murders, robbery, theft, banditry, and the illegal fabrication and possession of weapons.
Media dubbed the group the "GTA gang" after the videogame series Grand Theft Auto.
Residents of Moscow and districts around the Russian capital were on alert in 2014 after media reported on a gang that carried out a series of robberies on local highways in which its members robbed and killed drivers after using caltrops, a spiked metal device thrown on the ground to impede wheeled vehicles, to bring their cars to a halt.
The leader of the group, Ubaidullo Subhanov, was killed during a police action that resulted in the arrest of the remaining gang members in 2014.
In August 2017, the gang members made headlines after they tried to escape from the Moscow regional court building by overpowering the guards.
Four members of the group were killed and one injured in the escape attempt.


rferl--2020-03-10--Iran To Designate Dead Medical Staff 'Martrys' As Coronavirus Kills 291

Iran says the novel coronavirus has killed 54 more people in the country , raising the death toll to 291 .
The number of officially recorded cases in the country rose to 8,042 , more than 881 over the previous day , Health Ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur told a televised news conference on March 10 .
Jahanpur said that 2,731 patients have been sent home from the hospital after making a recovery .
Iran is the hardest-hit country in the Middle East by the coronavirus outbreak , which has infected more than 110,000 people globally and killed over 4,000 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ medical staff who die after contracting the virus will be considered martyrs .
The families of those designated martyrs , typically from the security forces , receive financial aid and other benefits from the state .
Khamenei also canceled his annual speech in the city of Mashhad next month to mark the Persian New Year due to concerns about the virus .
Meanwhile , the country 's official government news agency IRNA reported that 36 Iranians died of alcohol poisoning after consuming tampered alcohol in the southwestern city of Ahvaz .
The report @ @ @ @ @ @ @ occurred due to the spread of rumors that drinking alcohol would prevent the coronavirus infection . ''
Ali Ehsanpour , spokesman of Ahvaz Jondi Shapur University of Medical Sciences , was quoted as saying that a total of 270 people were admitted to hospitals for treatment .
The deputy public prosecutor of Khuzestan Province , Ali Biranvand , said seven individuals were arrested for selling fake alcoholic drinks .
Most of the coronavirus infections in Iran have been recorded in the capital , Tehran , and the central province of Qom .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suspended major cultural and sporting events , and reduced working hours across the country to slow the contagion .
In Pakistan , meanwhile , nine more people have been diagnosed with the coronavirus , increasing the nationwide count to 16 , officials say .
In a tweet late on March 9 , top health official Zafar Mirza said that all nine were from the southern city of Karachi , the capital of Sindh Province , which has reported a total of 14 cases .
`` All these cases are contacts of an already @ @ @ @ @ @ @ traced and tested , '' Mirza wrote .
Five of the nine were said to have recently traveled from Syria via Doha , Qatar .
The four others reportedly traveled from London to Karachi via Dubai in the United Arab Emirates .
Officials in the southwestern province of Balochistan told RFE/RL that all Pakistanis crossing the border with Iran were being screened .
Those with symptoms of coronavirus are being quarantined at four centers established at the border , provincial government spokesman Liaquat Shahwani said .
`` Every day between 350 and 500 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' Shahwani said .
`` We have quarantined 4,000 people for now . ''
Pakistan has closed its border with Iran as a precautionary measure against the spread of the virus but allows Pakistanis to return home .
Pakistani authorities have closed the country 's border with Afghanistan for another seven days , Shahwani said .
Both Qatar and Saudi Arabia have banned flights to and from Pakistan .
Also on March 10 , Serbia closed its borders for travelers from countries most affected by the coronavirus outbreak in a bid to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The temporary ban applies to people arriving from Italy , certain provinces in China , South Korea , Iran , and Switzerland , the government said .
Medical workers are also banned from traveling to affected areas , according to a statement .
It did not say how long the measures would last .
Four people , including a Chinese national , have tested positive for the coronavirus in Serbia .
A total of 108 people had been tested for coronavirus by March 10 , according to the Health Ministry .
Moscow authorities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more than 5,000 people for a month to fight the coronavirus .
The announcement comes just hours after Russia 's lower chamber of parliament , the State Duma , approved a constitutional amendment that would allow President Vladimir Putin to run for new term in 2024 , a move that could spark the opposition to rally .
Moscow said it will ban all such large-scale events until April 10 .
Russians need permission from Moscow authorities to hold rallies in the capital .
Bosnia-Herzegovina has barred entry to travelers arriving from countries impacted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were diagnosed with the illness in the Balkan nation .
Fahrudin Radoncic , Bosnia ’ s security minister , said on his Facebook page on March 10 that he had ordered the state border service to ban the entry of people coming `` from the most risky countries.
” Bosnia now has seven cases , with most of those people catching the virus during trips to Italy , the worst-hit nation in Europe by number of cases and fatalities .
Bosnia ’ s capital , Sarajevo , banned public gatherings with more than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Republika Srpska , closed all schools and universities and banned all public events through the end of March .
With reporting by RFE/RL 's Balkan Service , Reuters , AFP , Radio Farda , Radio Mashaal , the BBC , AP , dpa , and Dawn

Iran says the novel coronavirus has killed 54 more people in the country, raising the death toll to 291.
The number of officially recorded cases in the country rose to 8,042, more than 881 over the previous day, Health Ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur told a televised news conference on March 10.
Jahanpur said that 2,731 patients have been sent home from the hospital after making a recovery.
Iran is the hardest-hit country in the Middle East by the coronavirus outbreak, which has infected more than 110,000 people globally and killed over 4,000.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei announced that medical staff who die after contracting the virus will be considered martyrs.
The families of those designated martyrs, typically from the security forces, receive financial aid and other benefits from the state.
Khamenei also canceled his annual speech in the city of Mashhad next month to mark the Persian New Year due to concerns about the virus.
Meanwhile, the country's official government news agency IRNA reported that 36 Iranians died of alcohol poisoning after consuming tampered alcohol in the southwestern city of Ahvaz.
The report said that "consuming fake alcohol has occurred due to the spread of rumors that drinking alcohol would prevent the coronavirus infection."
Ali Ehsanpour, spokesman of Ahvaz Jondi Shapur University of Medical Sciences, was quoted as saying that a total of 270 people were admitted to hospitals for treatment.
The deputy public prosecutor of Khuzestan Province, Ali Biranvand, said seven individuals were arrested for selling fake alcoholic drinks.
Most of the coronavirus infections in Iran have been recorded in the capital, Tehran, and the central province of Qom.
The authorities have closed schools and universities, suspended major cultural and sporting events, and reduced working hours across the country to slow the contagion.
Pakistan
In Pakistan, meanwhile, nine more people have been diagnosed with the coronavirus, increasing the nationwide count to 16, officials say.
In a tweet late on March 9, top health official Zafar Mirza said that all nine were from the southern city of Karachi, the capital of Sindh Province, which has reported a total of 14 cases.
"All these cases are contacts of an already confirmed case. Further contacts are being traced and tested," Mirza wrote.
Five of the nine were said to have recently traveled from Syria via Doha, Qatar. The four others reportedly traveled from London to Karachi via Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.
Officials in the southwestern province of Balochistan told RFE/RL that all Pakistanis crossing the border with Iran were being screened.
Those with symptoms of coronavirus are being quarantined at four centers established at the border, provincial government spokesman Liaquat Shahwani said.
"Every day between 350 and 500 people come from Iran across the border," Shahwani said. "We have quarantined 4,000 people for now."
Pakistan has closed its border with Iran as a precautionary measure against the spread of the virus but allows Pakistanis to return home.
Pakistani authorities have closed the country's border with Afghanistan for another seven days, Shahwani said.
Both Qatar and Saudi Arabia have banned flights to and from Pakistan.
Serbia Closes Border
Also on March 10, Serbia closed its borders for travelers from countries most affected by the coronavirus outbreak in a bid to prevent the spread of the disease.
The temporary ban applies to people arriving from Italy, certain provinces in China, South Korea, Iran, and Switzerland, the government said.
Medical workers are also banned from traveling to affected areas, according to a statement.
It did not say how long the measures would last.
Four people, including a Chinese national, have tested positive for the coronavirus in Serbia.
A total of 108 people had been tested for coronavirus by March 10, according to the Health Ministry.
Russia
Moscow authorities have banned all mass public events of more than 5,000 people for a month to fight the coronavirus.
The announcement comes just hours after Russia's lower chamber of parliament, the State Duma, approved a constitutional amendment that would allow President Vladimir Putin to run for new term in 2024, a move that could spark the opposition to rally.
Moscow said it will ban all such large-scale events until April 10. Russians need permission from Moscow authorities to hold rallies in the capital.
Bosnia-Herzegovina
Bosnia-Herzegovina has barred entry to travelers arriving from countries impacted by the coronarius after three more people were diagnosed with the illness in the Balkan nation.
Fahrudin Radoncic, Bosnia’s security minister, said on his Facebook page on March 10 that he had ordered the state border service to ban the entry of people coming "from the most risky countries.”
Bosnia now has seven cases, with most of those people catching the virus during trips to Italy, the worst-hit nation in Europe by number of cases and fatalities.
Bosnia’s capital, Sarajevo, banned public gatherings with more than 300 people, while its Serb region, Republika Srpska, closed all schools and universities and banned all public events through the end of March.
With reporting by RFE/RL's Balkan Service, Reuters, AFP, Radio Farda, Radio Mashaal, the BBC, AP, dpa, and Dawn


rferl--2020-03-12--U.S. Officials Say Retaliatory Strikes Under Way On Iran-Backed Militia In Iraq

U.S. officials say retaliatory air strikes are under way against an Iran-backed militia group operating in Iraq following a deadly attack a day earlier against a base hosting Western forces near Baghdad .
One U.S. official told AP late on March 12 that multiple strikes targeted Kataib Hezbollah weapons sites inside Iraq .
The official said the strikes were a joint U.S.-British operation and that they were still ongoing when he spoke with AP .
U.S. Defense Secretary Mike Esper earlier blamed Iran-backed Shi'ite militia groups for the attack on the coalition at the Camp Taji military base , located @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He said that `` all options are on the table '' as Washington and its allies try to bring those responsible for the attack , which killed two U.S. troops and one British soldier and wounded a dozen others when a barrage of Katyusha rockets were launched from a truck later discovered several kilometers from Camp Taji .
The latest action came hours after the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said air strikes in eastern Syria killed 26 fighters from an Iran-backed Iraqi paramilitary group near the Syrian border town of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ carried out by the U.S.-led coalition .
U.S. officials did not confirm if their forces were involved in the Syria attack .
Based on reporting by AP , Reuters , and AFP

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--2020-03-12--Independent Media Mogul Rehman Arrested In Pakistan

Pakistani authorities on March 12 arrested the owner and editor in chief of the country 's biggest independent group of newspapers and TV stations in connection with allegations of tax evasion in a real-estate purchase 34 years ago .
Mir Shakilur Rehman was taken into custody in the eastern city of Lahore , the National Accountability Bureau ( NAB ) said without providing details .
Rehman 's Jang Group of Newspapers , which includes Geo TV , has been critical of the government , including the activities of the NAB .
In a statement released by Geo TV , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was purchased `` from a private party , '' not a government entity , and `` all evidence of this was given to the NAB and legal requirements fulfilled , such as duty and taxes . ''
`` This is an attack on the freedom of expression , '' said Rana Jawad , Geo News 's news director .
The statement said the arrest would not stop its editorial staff from covering `` any story that is on merit and at the same will include '' responses from the NAB to maintain reporting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of 180 countries in Reporters Without Borders ’ 2019 World Press Freedom Index .
In recent years , Pakistan has witnessed a more forceful crackdown on journalists , human rights workers , activists , and members of civil society .
Before his election in 2018 , Prime Minister Imran Khan often said publicly he would have Rehman arrested if he came to power .
Based on reporting by AP and Geo TV

Pakistani authorities on March 12 arrested the owner and editor in chief of the country's biggest independent group of newspapers and TV stations in connection with allegations of tax evasion in a real-estate purchase 34 years ago.
Mir Shakilur Rehman was taken into custody in the eastern city of Lahore, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) said without providing details.
Rehman's Jang Group of Newspapers, which includes Geo TV, has been critical of the government, including the activities of the NAB.
In a statement released by Geo TV, the media group said the property in question was purchased "from a private party," not a government entity, and "all evidence of this was given to the NAB and legal requirements fulfilled, such as duty and taxes."
"This is an attack on the freedom of expression," said Rana Jawad, Geo News's news director.
The statement said the arrest would not stop its editorial staff from covering "any story that is on merit and at the same will include" responses from the NAB to maintain reporting balance.
Pakistan is ranked 142nd out of 180 countries in Reporters Without Borders’ 2019 World Press Freedom Index.
In recent years, Pakistan has witnessed a more forceful crackdown on journalists, human rights workers, activists, and members of civil society.
Before his election in 2018, Prime Minister Imran Khan often said publicly he would have Rehman arrested if he came to power.
Based on reporting by AP and Geo TV


rferl--2020-03-12--Ukrainian Nationalists Disrupt Peace Presentation On War In East

Ukrainian police say 15 people were arrested on March 12 after a group of right-wing activists disrupted a presentation in Kyiv regarding a possible political settlement in the war in eastern Ukraine .
Some were members of National Corps , a nationalist group founded by Andriy Biletskiy , who established the controversial Azov volunteer battalion at the start of the conflict with Russia-backed separatists in 2014 .
They are being investigated for hooliganism and face a maximum prison sentence of four years if found guilty .
The event , National Platform for Reconciliation and Unity , was led by Serhiy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is an adviser to the secretary of the National Security and Defense Council .
Its goal is to end the six-year war , which has killed more than 13,000 people , and bring back the parts of easternmost Donetsk and Luhansk regions that Kyiv doesn ’ t control back into its fold .
When Syvokho stopped speaking , Serhiy Tamarin , a war veteran and National Corps member , accused the security adviser of betraying Ukraine ’ s national interests and of wishing to engage in `` dialogue with collaborators who invited the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also accused Syvokho of describing the conflict as a civil war and criticized him for not mentioning Russia ’ s alleged role in it .
`` We are ready to jointly develop a workable policy of reintegration for the Donbas , '' Syvokho said before a dozen National Corps activists pushed him from the podium .
Footage taken by RFE/RL show one activist pushing Syvokho to the floor as he was being shoved from the hall .
Syvokho later blamed the incident on those who profit from the war and said he would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` Some people do n't need peace , '' Syvokho said on Facebook .
`` They want war , because war is business that brings big money .
They derailed our presentation , but they wo n't stop our steps toward peace . ''
National Corps later said it had reported Syvokho to the Security Service ( SBU ) for `` treason . ''
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy ran on a campaign promise last year to end the fighting in the east and since his election in April , he has brokered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ invaded and occupied Ukraine 's Crimean Peninsula in 2014 , has rejected accusations of involvement despite mounting evidence to the contrary .

Ukrainian police say 15 people were arrested on March 12 after a group of right-wing activists disrupted a presentation in Kyiv regarding a possible political settlement in the war in eastern Ukraine.
Some were members of National Corps, a nationalist group founded by Andriy Biletskiy, who established the controversial Azov volunteer battalion at the start of the conflict with Russia-backed separatists in 2014.
They are being investigated for hooliganism and face a maximum prison sentence of four years if found guilty.
The event, National Platform for Reconciliation and Unity, was led by Serhiy Syvokho, a former stand-up comedian who is an adviser to the secretary of the National Security and Defense Council.
Its goal is to end the six-year war, which has killed more than 13,000 people, and bring back the parts of easternmost Donetsk and Luhansk regions that Kyiv doesn’t control back into its fold.
When Syvokho stopped speaking, Serhiy Tamarin, a war veteran and National Corps member, accused the security adviser of betraying Ukraine’s national interests and of wishing to engage in "dialogue with collaborators who invited the enemy" to eastern Ukraine.
Tamarin also accused Syvokho of describing the conflict as a civil war and criticized him for not mentioning Russia’s alleged role in it.
"We are ready to jointly develop a workable policy of reintegration for the Donbas," Syvokho said before a dozen National Corps activists pushed him from the podium.
Footage taken by RFE/RL show one activist pushing Syvokho to the floor as he was being shoved from the hall.
Syvokho later blamed the incident on those who profit from the war and said he would continue efforts aimed at a political settlement.
"Some people don't need peace," Syvokho said on Facebook. "They want war, because war is business that brings big money. They derailed our presentation, but they won't stop our steps toward peace."
National Corps later said it had reported Syvokho to the Security Service (SBU) for "treason."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy ran on a campaign promise last year to end the fighting in the east and since his election in April, he has brokered two prisoner exchanges.
Russia, which invaded and occupied Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in 2014, has rejected accusations of involvement despite mounting evidence to the contrary.
With reporting by AP


rferl--2020-03-12--U.S. Envoy Calls On Afghan Leaders To End Election Standoff, Seize 'Historic Opportunity' For Peace

U.S. envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad has called on Afghan leaders to end their standoff over a disputed presidential election and seize a `` historic opportunity ” for peace .
Speaking to RFE/RL ’ s Radio Free Afghanistan by telephone from Kabul on March 12 , Khalilzad said the time had come for all Afghans , including the Western-backed Kabul government and the Taliban , to `` join hands and learn from the terrible lessons '' of decades of conflict .
Khalilzad ’ s remarks come days after President Ashraf Ghani and his main election rival , former Chief Executive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ competing inauguration ceremonies on March 9 .
Last month , Ghani was declared the winner of a bitterly disputed September 28 election , which was marred by voting irregularities , historic low turnout , and militant attacks .
Abdullah called the result a `` coup '' and vowed to create a parallel government .
Last-minute shuttle diplomacy by Khalilzad failed to resolve the dispute and prevent the parallel inaugurations .
Khalilzad told RFE/RL that he was hopeful of an agreement `` that is accepted by both sides . ''
`` It ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or two presidents exist in Afghanistan , '' he said .
`` This poses a great danger , not only to the peace process , but to the future of Afghanistan . ''
Khalilzad , a former U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan , said U.S. officials were `` very active '' in trying to mediate an agreement between Ghani and Abdullah on the `` creation of a cabinet that is broadly accepted in Afghanistan '' and which includes Abdullah and his allies .
The election dispute was one of the key issues that prevented @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 10 .
Observers have warned that the dispute could descend into violence and derail a historic deal between the United States and Taliban militants aimed at ending the nearly 19-year war .
As part of that agreement , direct peace talks between the Western-backed Kabul government and the Taliban were scheduled to begin on March 10 .
But the political crisis in Kabul has thrown those plans into disarray .
Khalilzad said Washington was trying to start the intra-Afghan talks `` as soon as possible . ''
Those talks have also been delayed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kabul release 5,000 of militant group 's fighters before the start of negotiations .
Ghani issued a decree on March 11 for the phased release of the prisoners , starting with 1,500 , a proposal rejected by the militants .
Khalilzad said the government decree `` opened the door for progress on that issue , '' hinting at a possible compromise .
The election dispute has further complicated the government 's naming of a delegation to negotiate with the Taliban , a process already mired in delays and disputes .
But Khalilzad , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` positive steps have been taken towards establishing an inclusive team to negotiate with the Taliban . ''
`` I ’ m hopeful that this will be finalized in the coming days , '' he said .
Khalilzad said intra-Afghan negotiations over a permanent cease-fire and a power-sharing arrangement with the Taliban was key to ending the conflict .
`` This war is killing more than 100 Afghans every week , '' he said .
`` Sometimes , 700 , 800 , or even 900 Afghans are killed every month .
We want @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the world not to feel threatened by Afghanistan . ''
As part of its deal with the Taliban , the United States has agreed to reduce its troops from about 12,000 to 8,600 within 135 days .
The long-term plan is for the United States and its NATO allies to withdraw all troops within 14 months .
Khalilzad said the United States would only complete its full withdrawal if the Taliban held up its end of the bargain .
Under the deal , the Taliban have made various security commitments and promised @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kabul -- which it so far has refused to do .
`` If the Taliban , for example , does n't adhere to its commitments , then the United States will be freed from its own commitments , '' said Khalilzad .

The education of girls and women is universally accepted in more than 200 countries and territories, including nearly 50 Muslim-majority nations.
But Afghanistan’s hard-line Islamist Taliban rulers have banned teenage girls from attending school after the sixth grade since they returned to power two years ago. The ban was extended in December to women in universities.
Countless protests by Afghans inside the country, pressure from the international community, and lobbying by Muslim scholars and clerics have failed to convince the fundamentalist Taliban leaders to reopen schools.
Experts are divided over whether the ban is rooted in how the Taliban’s interpretation of Islam is shaped by conservative Pashtun tribal customs and cultural practices or if it is prompted by how senior Taliban ideologues interpret Islamic teachings.
Most Taliban leaders are ethnic Pashtun, Sunni Muslim clerics. Many were educated in Deobandi madrasahs in neighboring Pakistan. Deobandism emerged as a puritanical Islamic revivalist movement in 19-century British Colonial India. Based on the Sunni Hanafi school of jurisprudence, it is a prominent strain among Islamists in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Tribal Influences
Sami Yousafzai, a veteran Afghan journalist and commentator, argues that the Taliban restrictions against women are linked to social customs and cultural practices in eastern and southern Afghanistan.
Most Taliban leaders come from various Pashtun rural tribal communities in these regions bordering Pakistan.
"They believe that a woman's place is either inside a house or in a grave," Yousafzai said of the basic Taliban belief influenced by the status of women in the families of clerics and religious leaders in these Pashtun regions.
“Women living in the households of the current Taliban policymakers were never educated and never left their homes,” said Yousafzai, who has tracked the Islamist group since it emerged as a ragtag militia in the southern Afghan province of Kandahar in late 1994. “These women never performed any government or nongovernmental jobs.”
Yousafzai says the Taliban backs policies shaped by this worldview by leaning on Islamic teachings supporting such ideas. He says Taliban leaders rely on sayings attributed to the Prophet Muhammad that discourage women from leaving their homes.
“Their primary belief is that pubescent girls should not leave home under any circumstance,” he said. “This is why they view women leaving home for education or work as engaging in moral corruption.”
In Afghanistan, a Muslim nation of some 40 million people, activists and rights advocates accuse the Taliban of implementing "gender apartheid" by denying women education, work, freedom of movement, and deciding how they can appear in public.
Most Muslims agree that Islam allows women to get an education. Yet the Taliban publicly says that it will allow girls access to education only after ensuring complete gender segregation and other unspecified conditions.
Almost all Afghan secondary schools were gender segregated and universities imposed a strict separation between men and women after the Taliban takeover.
Yousafzai says in conservative and traditional Muslim societies around the world, some clerics also favor restrictions on women's education, work, and their role in public life. But the governments in those countries usually oppose or limit such ideas.
In recent years, Saudi Arabia -- one of the most conservative Sunni Muslim nations -- has allowed women to drive and granted them freedom of movement without a male guardian. These steps are part of a reform and modernity drive by Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman.
The Taliban ban on education has invited universal condemnation from Muslims globally.
“The Taliban's ban on women's education is not rooted in [the Islamic] Shari’a law but rather reflects cultural biases that contradict the teachings of Islam,” said Salam al-Marayati, president of the Muslim Public Affairs Council in the United States.
He said that contrary to Taliban practices, “Islam emphasizes the importance of seeking knowledge and encourages all individuals, regardless of gender, to acquire an education.”
Historical Conflict
But Islamic scholars and those who have attempted to convince the Taliban about reopening girls schools offer a different explanation.
John Mohammad Butt, an Islamic scholar and former BBC broadcaster who is the only Westerner to graduate from India’s Darul Uloom Deoband, argues that the Taliban's policy on girls' education is not tribal but shaped by the century-old conflict over modern education.
“The problem is that girls' education in Afghanistan -- indeed, contemporary education in general -- has generally been introduced in Afghanistan in line with a secular agenda,” he said.
In the 1920s, a coalition of conservative clerics and tribal and community leaders deposed reformist King Amanullah Khan. He wanted to modernize Afghanistan along Turkish leader Kamal Ataturk's secular lines and championed modern education and rights for women.
This opposition to modernity and secularism continued, and conservative clerics opposed women's education and work. It became a key part of the Islamist opposition to the pro-Soviet Afghan communist governments after the April 1978 military coup that ended the Afghan monarchy. The mujahedin accused the communists of spreading immorality by promoting women’s education and empowerment.
“This has led to particular wariness on the part of conservative circles in Afghanistan with regard to girls' education,” Butt said.
'Deep Ideological Conviction'
Obaidullah Baheer, a political science lecturer at the American University of Afghanistan, became part of an effort to rescind the ban by talking to the Taliban last year.
But he says the effort failed because “the ban is a matter of deep ideological conviction” for the current supreme leader of the Taliban, Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada.
Baheer says that the most prominent Taliban leaders have studied in Pakistani madrasahs and were thus disconnected from village and tribal life.
“They have been indoctrinated by the Deobandi school of thought so that they now enforce the strictest version of Islam on the Afghan population,” he said.
He argues that the ban on girls’ schools is a deliberate policy championed by Akhundzada, who he says has endorsed Taliban Chief Justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani's Arabic language book The Islamic Emirate And Its System. In this book, Haqqani supports a fringe Islamic opinion of preferring the choice of one of the Prophet Muhammad's wives, Sawdah Bint Zam'ah, who chose to stay at home until her death.
Baheer says Haqqani ignores his other wives and other female companions that played an active role in many sectors of society and how they served as students and teachers for men.
“This fringe opinion is not held by all Taliban leaders but is one that the current absolute sovereign, the Taliban emir, seems to be convinced of,” he said.
Butt says that even Haqqani has acknowledged the principle that if there is something that women need to act upon, then that is also something that women need to learn about.
“I hope the Taliban authorities will come to realize in the not-too-distant future that education for women will make Afghan women into better Muslims,” he says. “It will enable them to make a stronger contribution to the well-being of their country.”
Two years after grappling with the issue, Western diplomats appear to be encouraging Afghan conservative and clerical circles to find ways to end the ban.
Tom West, the U.S. special representative for Afghanistan, recently tweeted that Afghan women must be educated and contribute to the economy to help their country stand on its own two feet.
“If change to policies is made, it will be because Afghans have asked for it, not a result of foreign requests,” he wrote.


rferl--2020-03-12--Russian Constitutional Amendments Spark Protests, Police Detentions

ST. PETERSBURG , Russia -- Police in St. Petersburg and several other Russian cities have detained activists during and ahead of protests against sweeping constitutional amendments that open the possibility for President Vladimir Putin to remain in power for another 16 years .
The March 12 demonstrations were held while local lawmakers discussed the amendments , a day after parliament 's two chambers both overwhelmingly approved the changes .
In St. Petersburg , Russia 's second-largest city , an RFE/RL correspondent reported that police had detained two activists of the Peaceful Resistance group .
Dmitry Negodin and Yevgeny Musin rallied @ @ @ @ @ @ @ posters urging local lawmakers to reject the amendments .
Two female protesters , Olga Smirnova and Marina Ken , were also detained .
Earlier , a coordinator with the opposition organization Open Russia , Sergei Kuzin , another member of the group , Larisa Kucherova , and municipal lawmaker Vasily Kunin , were held by police as they tried to leave their apartments .
In the Urals city of Yekaterinburg , police detained the local leader of the opposition Yabloko party , Sergei Khorenzhenko , as well as activists Sergei Tiunov and Yelena @ @ @ @ @ @ @ city center .
OVD-Info , a group that monitors protests and arrests in Russia , said one activist , Sergei Ryabov , was detained in front of the Tula city parliament .
Two other protesters , Alik Shashayev and Azamat Shormanov , were detained in Nalchik , the capital of the North Caucasus region of Kabardino-Balkaria , it said .
The protests were sparked by an amendment setting Putin 's previous presidential term count back to zero because of the other sweeping changes to the constitution .
Putin 's current term , his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to end in 2024 .
The previous rules forbade him from running for a third consecutive mandate , but that changes with the provisions of the amendments , meaning he can seek a fifth overall presidential term in 2024 , and conceivably a sixth in 2030 .
The constitutional changes now must be approved by at least two-thirds of regional parliaments and confirmed by the Constitutional Court .
Final approval will come if more than half of the country 's voters support it in an April 22 referendum .
Putin , a 67-year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Russia as a president or prime minister for more than 20 years .

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia -- Police in St. Petersburg and several other Russian cities have detained activists during and ahead of protests against sweeping constitutional amendments that open the possibility for President Vladimir Putin to remain in power for another 16 years.
The March 12 demonstrations were held while local lawmakers discussed the amendments, a day after parliament's two chambers both overwhelmingly approved the changes.
In St. Petersburg, Russia's second-largest city, an RFE/RL correspondent reported that police had detained two activists of the Peaceful Resistance group.
Dmitry Negodin and Yevgeny Musin rallied in front of the Legislative Assembly with posters urging local lawmakers to reject the amendments.
Two female protesters, Olga Smirnova and Marina Ken, were also detained.
Earlier, a coordinator with the opposition organization Open Russia, Sergei Kuzin, another member of the group, Larisa Kucherova, and municipal lawmaker Vasily Kunin, were held by police as they tried to leave their apartments.
In the Urals city of Yekaterinburg, police detained the local leader of the opposition Yabloko party, Sergei Khorenzhenko, as well as activists Sergei Tiunov and Yelena Pary while they were protesting in the city center.
OVD-Info, a group that monitors protests and arrests in Russia, said one activist, Sergei Ryabov, was detained in front of the Tula city parliament.
Two other protesters, Alik Shashayev and Azamat Shormanov, were detained in Nalchik, the capital of the North Caucasus region of Kabardino-Balkaria, it said.
The protests were sparked by an amendment setting Putin's previous presidential term count back to zero because of the other sweeping changes to the constitution.
Putin's current term, his second consecutive six-year term, was slated to end in 2024. The previous rules forbade him from running for a third consecutive mandate, but that changes with the provisions of the amendments, meaning he can seek a fifth overall presidential term in 2024, and conceivably a sixth in 2030.
The constitutional changes now must be approved by at least two-thirds of regional parliaments and confirmed by the Constitutional Court.
Final approval will come if more than half of the country's voters support it in an April 22 referendum.
Putin, a 67-year old former KGB officer, has ruled Russia as a president or prime minister for more than 20 years.


rferl--2020-03-12--Moscow Court Fines BBC World News And Senior Journalist

A Russian court in Moscow has fined BBC World News and its editor in chief in Russia , Yekaterina Yakushenko @ @ @ @ @ concerning the media .
The court ruled on March 12 that the defendants failed to @ @ @ @ @ children and failed to submit content to a state archive , the Interfax news agency @ @ @ @ @ a total of 36,000 rubles ( $ 485 ) , Judge Vasilisa Lapina said in @ @ @ @ @ entered a plea of not guilty .
`` We are disappointed that the court has @ @ @ @ @ on our Russian distributor and will be working with them to ensure the obligations are @ @ @ @ @ '' a BBC spokesperson told Interfax .
The ruling was based on several reports that @ @ @ @ @ bombardments in Syria , the war on drugs in Columbia , and an interview with @ @ @ @ @ on reporting by Interfax and Reuters

A Russian court in Moscow has fined BBC World News and its editor in chief in Russia, Yekaterina Yakushenko, for violating two regulations concerning the media.
The court ruled on March 12 that the defendants failed to correctly label content unsuitable for children and failed to submit content to a state archive, the Interfax news agency reported.
They were fined a total of 36,000 rubles ($485), Judge Vasilisa Lapina said in her ruling.
Yakushenko had entered a plea of not guilty.
"We are disappointed that the court has imposed fines totaling 36,000 rubles on our Russian distributor and will be working with them to ensure the obligations are met in the future," a BBC spokesperson told Interfax.
The ruling was based on several reports that aired on January 21 covering bombardments in Syria, the war on drugs in Columbia, and an interview with a U.S. Marine.
Based on reporting by Interfax and Reuters


rferl--2020-03-12--Uzbek Justice Ministry Registers Prisoners' Rights Group, U.S.-Based NGO

TASHKENT -- Uzbekistan ’ s Justice Ministry has registered a group protecting inmates ' rights and a U.S.-based nongovernmental organization that focuses on poverty relief .
Former political prisoner and human rights activist Azam Farmonov told RFE/RL on March 12 that his NGO , Huquqiy Tayanch ( Legal Base ) , was officially registered at the ministry three days earlier after eight unsuccessful previous attempts .
`` Frankly speaking , I did not expect it would happen .
I was very surprised .
It took us more than two years to get registered , '' Farmonov said , adding that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rights of inmates in the Central Asian nation 's penitentiaries .
According to him , nine people are founders of the group and some 100 individuals are active members .
Meanwhile , Uzbekistan 's Justice Ministry said in a statement on March 10 that it had also registered a U.S.-based group , Mercy Corps , that helps local communities tackle poverty , the consequences of conflicts and the impacts of climate change in more than 40 countries .
Mercy Corps began operating in Uzbekistan in 1995 but was shut down in 2006 under @ @ @ @ @ @ @ organizations by the government of late authoritarian President Islam Karimov , following bloodshed in the country 's eastern city of Andijon on May 13 , 2005 .
In Andijon , security forces shot dead scores -- hundreds , by some accounts -- of anti-government protesters and then tried to cover up the massacre .
Uzbekistan 's current president , Shavkat Mirziyoev , took power after Karimov 's death was announced in September 2016 .
Karimov had ruled Uzbekistan with an iron fist since before the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Uzbekistan -- where rights abuses had been widespread under Karimov .

TASHKENT -- Uzbekistan’s Justice Ministry has registered a group protecting inmates' rights and a U.S.-based nongovernmental organization that focuses on poverty relief.
Former political prisoner and human rights activist Azam Farmonov told RFE/RL on March 12 that his NGO, Huquqiy Tayanch (Legal Base), was officially registered at the ministry three days earlier after eight unsuccessful previous attempts.
"Frankly speaking, I did not expect it would happen. I was very surprised. It took us more than two years to get registered," Farmonov said, adding that his organization will focus on defending the rights of inmates in the Central Asian nation's penitentiaries.
According to him, nine people are founders of the group and some 100 individuals are active members.
Meanwhile, Uzbekistan's Justice Ministry said in a statement on March 10 that it had also registered a U.S.-based group, Mercy Corps, that helps local communities tackle poverty, the consequences of conflicts and the impacts of climate change in more than 40 countries.
Mercy Corps began operating in Uzbekistan in 1995 but was shut down in 2006 under a wave of pressure imposed on international organizations by the government of late authoritarian President Islam Karimov, following bloodshed in the country's eastern city of Andijon on May 13, 2005.
In Andijon, security forces shot dead scores -- hundreds, by some accounts -- of anti-government protesters and then tried to cover up the massacre.
Uzbekistan's current president, Shavkat Mirziyoev, took power after Karimov's death was announced in September 2016. Karimov had ruled Uzbekistan with an iron fist since before the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Mirziyoev has taken steps to implement reforms in Uzbekistan -- where rights abuses had been widespread under Karimov.


rferl--2020-03-12--U.S. Congress Seeks Import Ban On China's Xinjiang Region Over Forced Labor

A bipartisan U.S. Congressional commission has introduced legislation to ban imports from the northwestern Chinese region of Xinjiang , where lawmakers say mostly Muslim indigenous people are being forced to work against their will in detention centers and factories .
`` These practices in Xinjiang are one of the world 's largest human tragedies .
It remains unimaginable , frankly , that this is happening in 2020 , '' Senator Marco Rubio , a Republican sponsor of the proposed ban , told reporters on March 12 .
The Chinese Foreign Ministry denounced the move on March 13 , saying the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ human rights issue to interfere in China 's internal affairs . ''
The United Nations estimated in 2019 that 1 million ethnic Uyghurs and other mostly Muslim Turkic-speaking indigenous people in Xinjiang were being held in what Beijing describes as `` counterextremism centers '' in the province .
The UN also has said millions more people have been forced into internment camps in China .
China describes the camps as `` vocational education centers '' aimed at helping people steer clear of terrorism and allowing their reintegration into society .
The newly introduced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the importing of any goods from Xinjiang unless U.S. Customs and Border Protection has `` clear and convincing evidence '' that no forced labor was involved .
The bipartisan Congressional-Executive Commission on China released a report saying it had seen `` credible reports '' that goods involving forced labor have come into the United States , including textiles , cell phones , shoes , and tea .
It said major brands such as Coca-Cola , Patagonia , and Nike are suspected of directly or indirectly relying on forced labor .
It is not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ newly introduced bill .
Legislation aimed at addressing China 's policies in Xinjiang passed without opposition last year , but the House of Representatives and Senate must still reconcile different versions and send it to President Donald Trump .
The United States already bans products made through slavery .
With reporting by AP and AFP

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


rferl--2020-03-12--Russian-European Mars Mission Postponed Due To Tech Problems, Coronavirus

The Russian and European space agencies have postponed their joint mission to Mars , citing technical difficulties and the coronavirus pandemic .
Russian space agency Roscosmos and the European Space Agency ( ESA ) `` made a difficult but well-weighed decision '' to postpone the launch of ExoMars to 2022 , Dmitry Rogozin , director general of the Russian agency , said in a statement on March 12 .
Rogozin said the decision was `` driven primarily by the need to maximize the robustness of all ExoMars systems as well as force majeure circumstances related to exacerbation of the epidemiological @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said `` left our experts practically no possibility to proceed with travels to partner industries . ''
ESA Director General Jan Worner said that `` more verification activities will ensure a safe trip and the best scientific results on Mars . ''
The ExoMars mission to study the Red Planet has been repeatedly postponed and was most recently scheduled for this year .
Worldwide , more than 118,000 people have been infected by the coronavirus and nearly 4,300 people have died , most of them in China , where the disease originated .

The Russian and European space agencies have postponed their joint mission to Mars, citing technical difficulties and the coronavirus pandemic.
Russian space agency Roscosmos and the European Space Agency (ESA) "made a difficult but well-weighed decision" to postpone the launch of ExoMars to 2022, Dmitry Rogozin, director general of the Russian agency, said in a statement on March 12.
Rogozin said the decision was "driven primarily by the need to maximize the robustness of all ExoMars systems as well as force majeure circumstances related to exacerbation of the epidemiological situation in Europe,” which he said "left our experts practically no possibility to proceed with travels to partner industries."
ESA Director General Jan Worner said that "more verification activities will ensure a safe trip and the best scientific results on Mars."
The ExoMars mission to study the Red Planet has been repeatedly postponed and was most recently scheduled for this year.
Worldwide, more than 118,000 people have been infected by the coronavirus and nearly 4,300 people have died, most of them in China, where the disease originated.


rferl--2020-03-12--Iran Seeks IMF Loan For Coronavirus Efforts As Aide To Supreme Leader 'Infected'

Iran has announced the infection of a top adviser to the country 's supreme leader and 75 new deaths from illness caused by the novel coronavirus , raising the death toll in the country to 429 , as Tehran said it was seeking a multibillion-dollar emergency loan from the International Monetary Fund ( IMF ) to combat the outbreak .
Health Ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur said on March 12 that 1,075 new confirmed cases of the COVID-19 infection were identified in the country in the past 24 hours , bringing the total number to 10,075 .
Clerical rulers are struggling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Iran , the hardest-hit country in the Middle East , despite the closure of schools and universities and the suspension of religious , cultural , and sports events across the country .
Iran 's semiofficial Tasmin news agency reported late on March 12 that Ali Akbar Velayati , an adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei whom it called the head of Tehran 's Masih Daneshvari hospital , `` has been infected and is under quarantine now . ''
It said Velayati `` had contacts with many coronavirus patients in the past @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other senior officials , including Vice President Masumeh Ebtekar , Deputy Health Minister Iraj Harirchi , and more than 20 parliament deputies , have also tested positive for the virus .
Ebtekar subsequently tweeted that she had recovered .
The Central Bank of Iran said on March 12 that it had asked the IMF for $ 5 billion in financing for the country ’ s efforts to fight the contagion .
The bank ’ s governor , Abdolnaser Hemmati , said the request was made last week in a letter to IMF Managing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lender has said it stands ready to support countries through a Rapid Financial Instrument .
“ Our Central Bank requested access to this facility immediately , ” Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted , urging the IMF ’ s board to respond to the request `` responsibly . ''
Iran has not received assistance from the IMF since a `` standby credit '' issued between 1960 and 1962 , according to the fund 's data .
The coronavirus outbreak has exarcerbated Iran ’ s economic woes , with its neighbors closing their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ links with the Islamic republic .
Iran 's third-largest city , Isfahan , with 2 million inhabitants , announced on March 12 that it would close down its subway on March 14 until further notice to curb the virus 's spread .
Iranian officials have been accused of understating the spread of the virus and the related COVID-19 disease that have killed at least 4,600 people globally .
U.S. Marine General Kenneth McKenzie , who heads the U.S. combatant command for the Middle East and Central Asia , known as CENTCOM , warned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be `` significantly '' underreporting its coronavirus cases and said the pandemic was `` having an effect on how they make decisions , I think it slows them down . ''
`` I think it probably makes them , in terms of decision-making , more dangerous rather than less dangerous , '' McKenzie told a Senate hearing .
With reporting by AP , AFP , and Reuters .


rferl--2020-03-12--Iran-Backed Fighters 'Killed' In Syria Air Strikes After Iraq Base Attack

Air strikes in eastern Syria have killed 26 fighters from an Iran-backed Iraqi paramilitary group following a deadly attack on U.S.-led coalition forces in neighboring Iraq .
The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the March 12 strikes near the Syrian border town of Albu Kamal were probably carried out by the coalition .
But a spokesman for the coalition said in an statement to AFP that it `` did not conduct any strikes in Syria or Iraq last night . ''
Later in the day , U.S. Defense Secretary Mike Esper blamed Iranian-backed Shi'ite militia groups for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Taji military base , located less than 30 kilometers north of Baghdad .
But he did not confirm whether the U.S. or its allies had carried out the eastern Syria attack .
However , Esper said that `` all options are on the table '' as Washington and its allies try to bring those responsible for the attack , which killed two U.S. troops and one British soldier and wounded a dozen others when a barrage of Katyusha rockets were launched from a truck later discovered several kilometers from Camp Taji .
Syrian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in eastern Syria , unidentified jets hit targets southeast of Albu Kamal with only material damage .
However , the Observatory said camps of the Popular Mobilization Forces , an umbrella grouping of Iran-backed Shi'ite militias , were hit in the strikes , which came after a rocket attack on the Camp Taji military base , located less than 30 kilometers north of Baghdad .
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab `` underscored that those responsible for the [ Camp Taji ] attacks must be held accountable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a phone call between the two .
Iraq 's military said caretaker Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi ordered an investigation into what he called “ a very serious security challenge and hostile act . ''
No-one claimed responsibility for the rocket attack , but the United States has accused Iran-backed militias of previous attacks on Iraqi bases hosting coalition forces .
U.S. Marine General Kenneth McKenzie , the head of Central Command , told a Senate hearing that the attack was being investigated .
But he noted that Iran-backed Kataib Hezbollah `` the only @ @ @ @ @ @ @ indirect fire attack of this scale against U.S. civilian and coalition forces in such an incident Iraq . ''
U.S. President Donald Trump on March 12 said it had not been fully determined whether Iran , which has backed a number of anti-U.S. militia groups in neighboring Iraq , was responsible for the Katyusha attack .
Washington blamed that militia for a strike in December that killed a U.S. contractor and triggered a round of violence that led U.S. President Donald Trump to order the killing of a top Iranian general , Qasem @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Baghdad the following month .
In retaliation , an Iranian ballistic missile strike on an Iraqi air base left some 110 U.S. troops suffering from traumatic brain injuries .
Based on reporting by Reuters , AFP , AP , and the BBC


rferl--2020-03-12--Putin Justifies Khodorkovsky Conviction, Says Russian Laws Should Decide U.S. Investor Case

Russian President Vladimir Putin has justified the 2003 imprisonment of the former oil tycoon and one of his main opponents , Mikhail Khodorkovsky , calling him `` a swindler '' whose firm , former oil giant Yukos , was involved in fraud and murder .
In a video interview with TASS news agency , a portion of which was published on March 12 , Putin also said that Russian laws must take priority in the case of U.S. investor Michael Calvey , who is currently under house arrest in Moscow for alleged financial fraud .
`` Do you think the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ service were killing people on their own initiative , on their own whim ?
I think that is not the case .
It never happens like that .
But as it was not proven , then it is not proven .
But his other illegal activities were proven and therefore he received a corresponding prison term , '' Putin said .
Putin was likely referring to Yukos 's former security chief , Aleksei Pichugin , who is serving a life sentence on murder charges stemming from the 1988 murder of the mayor of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Yukos 's biggest pumping facilities were located .
In 2015 , the Federal Investigative Committee -- the Russian equivalent of the FBI -- filed charges against Khodorkovsky , accusing him of ordering the murder of the mayor , Vladimir Petukhov , and another official .
Russian prosecutors alleged two other Yukos employees were involved in the killings : Leonid Nevzlin and Pichugin .
Pichugin has been labeled a political prisoner by Western rights groups .
Nevzlin , who lives in Israel , was tried in absentia by a Russian court and convicted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s request to extradite him .
Once Russia 's largest company , Yukos was dismantled after the 2003 arrest of Khodorkovsky , its chief executive officer .
He was convicted of financial crimes at two trials that he and his supporters contend were engineered by the Kremlin to punish him for challenging Putin and as a way to increase the Kremlin 's control over oil export revenues .
The main production assets of Yukos were sold at auction and ended up in the hands of state oil company Rosneft .
Khodorkovsky , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he was released and left Russia after being pardoned by Putin in 2013 , currently resides in the West .
He wrote on Twitter after the last portion of Putin 's interview was released that the president himself committed `` a scam '' by initiating amendments to the constitution that would allow him to run for a fifth presidential term in 2024 after his current second consecutive term expires .
`` I heard that Putin called me a swindler ...
It is a rare case when I let the winner 's title go @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Such a scam like he committed with the Constitution and his [ presidential ] terms is impossible to outbid , '' Khodorkovsky wrote in the tweet .
Talking about the case against Calvey and his associates , Putin said the last word in the case will be made by a court .
`` We must begin with our domestic legislation and give priority to Russian law , '' Putin said .
Calvey and several other executives and employees of the Russia-based private-equity group Baring Vostok were detained in Moscow last February and charged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ any wrongdoing and say the case is being used against them in a corporate dispute over the control of a Russian bank .
Calvey was released under house arrest in April .
The arrests stunned many Western investors and drew complaints from high-level Russian business leaders and government officials , who questioned the motivation of the courts and prosecutors .
Baring Vostok is one of the largest and oldest private-equity firms operating in Russia .
It was founded in the early 1990s and manages more than $ 3.7 billion in assets .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Yandex , Russia 's dominant search engine .
Calvey is one of two Americans currently facing potential trial in Russia on charges supporters say are groundless .
Paul Whelan , a former U.S. Marine , has been behind bars since December 28 , 2018 , when he was arrested on an espionage charge he denies .

Russian President Vladimir Putin has justified the 2003 imprisonment of the former oil tycoon and one of his main opponents, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, calling him "a swindler" whose firm, former oil giant Yukos, was involved in fraud and murder.
In a video interview with TASS news agency, a portion of which was published on March 12, Putin also said that Russian laws must take priority in the case of U.S. investor Michael Calvey, who is currently under house arrest in Moscow for alleged financial fraud.
"Do you think the employees of [Yukos's] security service were killing people on their own initiative, on their own whim? I think that is not the case. It never happens like that. But as it was not proven, then it is not proven. But his other illegal activities were proven and therefore he received a corresponding prison term," Putin said.
Putin was likely referring to Yukos's former security chief, Aleksei Pichugin, who is serving a life sentence on murder charges stemming from the 1988 murder of the mayor of Nefteyugansk, a Siberian city where some of Yukos's biggest pumping facilities were located.
In 2015, the Federal Investigative Committee -- the Russian equivalent of the FBI -- filed charges against Khodorkovsky, accusing him of ordering the murder of the mayor, Vladimir Petukhov, and another official.
Russian prosecutors alleged two other Yukos employees were involved in the killings: Leonid Nevzlin and Pichugin. Pichugin has been labeled a political prisoner by Western rights groups. Nevzlin, who lives in Israel, was tried in absentia by a Russian court and convicted in 2008. Israel has refused Russia’s request to extradite him.
Once Russia's largest company, Yukos was dismantled after the 2003 arrest of Khodorkovsky, its chief executive officer. He was convicted of financial crimes at two trials that he and his supporters contend were engineered by the Kremlin to punish him for challenging Putin and as a way to increase the Kremlin's control over oil export revenues.
The main production assets of Yukos were sold at auction and ended up in the hands of state oil company Rosneft.
Khodorkovsky, who spent 10 years in prison before he was released and left Russia after being pardoned by Putin in 2013, currently resides in the West.
He wrote on Twitter after the last portion of Putin's interview was released that the president himself committed "a scam" by initiating amendments to the constitution that would allow him to run for a fifth presidential term in 2024 after his current second consecutive term expires.
"I heard that Putin called me a swindler... It is a rare case when I let the winner's title go to Vladimir Vladimirovich [Putin]. Such a scam like he committed with the Constitution and his [presidential] terms is impossible to outbid," Khodorkovsky wrote in the tweet.
Talking about the case against Calvey and his associates, Putin said the last word in the case will be made by a court.
"We must begin with our domestic legislation and give priority to Russian law," Putin said.
Calvey and several other executives and employees of the Russia-based private-equity group Baring Vostok were detained in Moscow last February and charged with financial fraud.
They all deny any wrongdoing and say the case is being used against them in a corporate dispute over the control of a Russian bank. Calvey was released under house arrest in April.
The arrests stunned many Western investors and drew complaints from high-level Russian business leaders and government officials, who questioned the motivation of the courts and prosecutors.
Baring Vostok is one of the largest and oldest private-equity firms operating in Russia. It was founded in the early 1990s and manages more than $3.7 billion in assets. The company was an early major investor in Yandex, Russia's dominant search engine.
Calvey is one of two Americans currently facing potential trial in Russia on charges supporters say are groundless. Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine, has been behind bars since December 28, 2018, when he was arrested on an espionage charge he denies.


rferl--2020-03-12--Former Chief Of Lukashenka's Security Pleads Guilty To Bribe-Taking

MINSK -- The former chief of Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka 's security has pleaded guilty to bribe-taking along with more @ @ @ @ @ Andrey Utsyurin said on March 11 , the second day of his trial , that @ @ @ @ @ , he has `` doubts '' about whether his actions were what the court claimed @ @ @ @ @ about the subject at a later date .
Utsyurin and 15 other defendants , including @ @ @ @ @ , financial institutions , and private businesses , went on trial on March 10 .
@ @ @ @ @ last year .
He is charged with accepting at least $ 190,000 in bribes and @ @ @ @ @ the handling of a state project on buying communications equipment , computers , and software @ @ @ @ @ the Russian city of Penza , Utsyurin led the presidential security unit from 2007-2014 before @ @ @ @ @ secretary of the Security Council , the post he had until his arrest .

MINSK -- The former chief of Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka's security has pleaded guilty to bribe-taking along with more than a dozen others.
Andrey Utsyurin said on March 11, the second day of his trial, that although he was pleading guilty, he has "doubts" about whether his actions were what the court claimed and that he will talk about the subject at a later date.
Utsyurin and 15 other defendants, including former employees of state entities, financial institutions, and private businesses, went on trial on March 10.
Utsyurin was arrested in April last year. He is charged with accepting at least $190,000 in bribes and instigation of a bribe-giving during the handling of a state project on buying communications equipment, computers, and software.
Born in 1971 in the Russian city of Penza, Utsyurin led the presidential security unit from 2007-2014 before he was appointed a deputy secretary of the Security Council, the post he had until his arrest.


rferl--2020-03-12--Kazakhstan Cancels Norouz, Military Celebrations To Ward Off Coronavirus

Kazakhstan has launched preventive measures against possible coronavirus spread , including canceling Norouz holiday celebrations and a military parade devoted to the 75th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany .
President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev on March 12 held a meeting with several government officials to discuss such measures , the presidential website said .
According to the website , Health Minister Elzhan Birtanov informed Toqaev about the ministry 's implementation of World Health Organization 's ( WHO ) recommendations after it announced the outbreak is now considered a pandemic .
Toqaev said that all public gatherings , such as cultural @ @ @ @ @ @ @ exhibitions are now temporarily banned in the Central Asian nation .
In addition , strict sanitary controls are being imposed in shopping malls , bazars , restaurants , transportation stations , airports , and other sites of people 's mass gatherings .
Berik Uali , Toqaev 's spokesman , wrote on Facebook that the Norouz holiday celebrations , scheduled for March 21-23 , and the military parade , scheduled for May 9 , were canceled as well .
Spring breaks at secondary schools will start on March 16 instead of March 22 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ off-campus learning regime .
Unspecified restrictions for international air flights will also be introduced , the presidential website says .
Toqaev stressed that citizens will be provided with food and other necessary items even in the worst-case scenario , adding that small and medium-sized businesses must not suffer from the preventive measures .
As of March 12 , there were no officially confirmed coronavirus cases in Kazakhstan .

Kazakhstan has launched preventive measures against possible coronavirus spread, including canceling Norouz holiday celebrations and a military parade devoted to the 75th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany.
President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev on March 12 held a meeting with several government officials to discuss such measures, the presidential website said.
According to the website, Health Minister Elzhan Birtanov informed Toqaev about the ministry's implementation of World Health Organization's (WHO) recommendations after it announced the outbreak is now considered a pandemic.
Toqaev said that all public gatherings, such as cultural and sports events, conferences, and exhibitions are now temporarily banned in the Central Asian nation.
In addition, strict sanitary controls are being imposed in shopping malls, bazars, restaurants, transportation stations, airports, and other sites of people's mass gatherings.
Berik Uali, Toqaev's spokesman, wrote on Facebook that the Norouz holiday celebrations, scheduled for March 21-23, and the military parade, scheduled for May 9, were canceled as well.
Spring breaks at secondary schools will start on March 16 instead of March 22, while university students will switch to an off-campus learning regime. Unspecified restrictions for international air flights will also be introduced, the presidential website says.
Toqaev stressed that citizens will be provided with food and other necessary items even in the worst-case scenario, adding that small and medium-sized businesses must not suffer from the preventive measures.
As of March 12, there were no officially confirmed coronavirus cases in Kazakhstan.