rferl--2020-08-10--Lukashenka Declared Victor In Landslide, Amid Violent Protests Over 'Rigged' Belarus Vote

MINSK -- Belarus 's Central Election Commission ( TsVK ) says preliminary official results from the country 's August 9 presidential election show incumbent President Alyaksandr Lukashenka winning a landslide reelection victory with more than 80 percent of the vote .
The announcement on August 10 comes after a night of violent clashes between police and thousands of protesters who say exit polls and official results from the election commission have been rigged .
At least one demonstrator is reported to have been killed amid the clashes in Minsk overnight as police used stun grenades , rubber bullets , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the figures being released by the TsVK .
The Vyasna human rights center in Minsk said the young male protester died from a traumatic head injury after he was hit by a police vehicle and medics were unable to save him .
It says dozens of protesters also were injured .
Vyasna activist Valyantsin Stefanovich blamed the man 's death on the actions of the Belarusian Interior Ministry and the Security Council .
When asked by RFE/RL to comment on Vyasna 's report , Interior Ministry spokeswoman Volha Chamadanava said , `` We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' State news agency BelTA said early on August 10 that police had taken control of the situation `` at unsanctioned mass events , '' citing the Interior Ministry .
Meanwhile , the head of the Belarusian Investigative Committee , Ivan Naskevich , said on August 10 that criminal cases have been launched into `` mass disorders '' and `` attacks on law enforcement . ''
According to Vyasna , police and security forces on August 9 detained at least 130 independent election observers , journalists , and protesters in Minsk , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there also have been protests over figures announced by the TsVK .
After breaking up the big crowds , police chased smaller groups of protesters through downtown Minsk for several hours , the Associated Press reported .
In Brest , where law enforcement officers used tear gas and stun grenades , protesters gradually dispersed to a crowd of 200 to 300 people who had been part of a demonstration of about 5,000 people , according to Novaya gazeta .
TsVK Chairwoman Lidzia Yarmoshyna said on August 10 that preliminary official results showed Lukashenka @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vote .
Yarmoshyna said Lukashenka 's main rival , Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya , received 9.9 percent of the vote , while three other opposition candidates each received less that 2 percent of the vote .
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on August 10 condemned the violence in Belarus , calling on the Belarusian government to `` accurately '' count and publish the poll 's results .
https : //twitter.com/vonderleyen/status/1292762483485179904 The European Union 's high representative for foreign affairs and security policy , Josep Borrell , and European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In an August 10 statement , they called on the Belarusian government to properly count the votes .
`` Following their unprecedented mobilization for free elections and democracy , the Belarusian people now expect their votes to be counted accurately , '' the statement said .
`` It is essential that the Central Election Commission publishes the results reflecting the choice of the Belarusian people . ''
Russian President Vladimir Putin 's office says Putin on August 10 sent a telegram to Lukashenka to congratulate him on winning reelection .
“ I hope @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the further development of mutually beneficial Russian-Belarusian relations in all areas , deepening cooperation within the Union State , building up integration processes through the Eurasian Economic Union and the [ Commonwealth of Independent States ] , as well as military and political ties in the Collective Security Treaty Organization , '' Putin 's office quoted the telegram as saying .
Kazakh President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev 's office said he also sent Lukashenka a congratulatory telegram on August 10 .
`` The results of the election held in a complicated political setting demonstrate public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sovereignty and the independence of Belarus , '' Toqaev 's website quoted his telegram as saying .
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Chinese President Xi Jingpin have also sent congratulatory telegrams to Lukashenka .
'What Has Happened Is Awful' Tsikhanouskaya , who drew tens of thousands of people to her rallies during the campaign , refuses to recognize the preliminary official results announced by the TsVK on August 10 , according to her spokeswoman , Hanna Krasulina .
In an appeal read live over the phone on Current Time by her associate , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the security forces and the Belarusian citizens to refrain from violence .
`` I ask everyone who is now making decisions , and above all the commanders of special forces : Do not use force against civilians , '' she said .
Current Time is the Russian-language network led by RFE/RL in cooperation with VOA .
`` I ask the police and the troops to remember that they are part of the people .
Once again , I ask the voters : no provocation , no need to give a reason to use @ @ @ @ @ @ @ violence .
First and foremost , officers , I know you can do this . ''
`` What has happened is awful , '' Tsikhanouskaya told a news conference from her headquarters .
`` I believe my eyes , and I see that the majority is with us . ''
Throughout election day , police and soldiers were transported into Minsk , where they cordoned off the city and took positions at strategic sites in anticipation of unrest .
Public transportation was also limited in Minsk in an apparent attempt by authorities to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no access to social-media networks from early in the day .
Internet freedom monitor NetBlocks reported Internet connectivity has been disrupted across the country since early on August 9 .
The disruption was continuing to make it difficult for journalists and election monitors to do their work .
It also has made it difficult for Belarusians within the country to access independent reports on the Internet or via social media .
However , Lukashenka claimd on August 10 that the Internet was `` being locked in the country from abroad in order to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The election came after a campaign marked by the arrest of more than 1,000 opposition supporters , the barring of several potential challengers , claims of a Russian plot to sow instability , and the rise of the unheralded 37-year-old Tsikhanouskaya .
Lukashenka vowed after casting his vote in Minsk on August 9 that neither he nor the government will allow Belarus to slip into `` chaos '' or `` civil war . ''
With reporting by Current Time , RFE/RL 's Belarus Service , BelTA , Reuters , AP , and AFP

MINSK -- A Belarus protester has died in Minsk as thousands of people turned out to demonstrate against official election results that say incumbent President Alyaksandr Lukashenka won in a landslide.
The protester died after an unidentified explosive device blew up in his hand while he tried to throw it at the police, the Interior Ministry said, according to RFE/RL’s Belarus Service. The incident occurred during a confrontation with the riot police, who had arrived to unblock a square in the Belarusian capital.
There were reports that demonstrators were being fired upon when the man died. RFE/RL’s Belarus Service said several thousand people were in the area and some have attempted to build barricades.
Police reportedly fired tear gas and rubber bullets earlier and detained protesters as demonstrations against the result of the August 9 presidential election prompted a second day of unrest in Minsk and elsewhere in the country and Washington expressed concern over the election and the crackdown.
Dozens of demonstrators were reportedly detained in Minsk on August 10 as they assembled in the city center in a resumption of protests against the election.
The renewed demonstrations followed violent clashes between protesters and police the night before.
On August 9, some 1,000 people were detained in Minsk, and about 3,000 nationwide, after demonstrators took to the streets to protest what they called a rigged election after an exit poll showed Lukashenka winning with more than 80 percent of the vote.
Supporters of leading opposition candidate Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who had less than 10 percent of the vote according to preliminary official results announced by the Central Election Commission (TsVK), had announced that they would stage a mass demonstration against the official tally on August 10.
The opposition in Belarus also has called for a nationwide protest strike starting at noon local time on August 11.
In its first comment since the election, the White House said it was "deeply concerned by the Belarus presidential election...and we urge the Belarusian government to respect the right to peaceably assemble and to refrain from the use of force."
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo echoed that sentiment in a separate statement while urging the Lukashenka government to "respect the rights of all Belarusians."
"We urge the Belarusian government to respect the rights of all Belarusians to participate in peaceful assembly, refrain from use of force, and release those wrongfully detained. We strongly condemn ongoing violence against protesters and the detention of opposition supporters, as well as the use of Internet shutdowns to hinder the ability of the Belarusian people to share information about the election and the demonstrations," Pompeo said.
Britain earlier called on Belarus to refrain from further violence against protesters following what it called the "seriously flawed" vote, while France has urged security forces to exhibit "the greatest restraint."
Tsikhanouskaya -- who has rejected the results giving Lukashenka his sixth term in office and says the vote was rigged -- was not planning on taking part in the demonstrations "to avoid provocations," according to her campaign team.
Tsikhanouskaya, who said in Minsk on August 10 that "I consider myself the winner in the presidential election," explained that her opinion was based on what she called "real protocols" collected at the majority of polling stations which, according to her, prove that she won.
Earlier in the day, the Interior Ministry denied reports by a human rights group that at least one demonstrator was killed in the midst of overnight clashes in Minsk as police used stun grenades, rubber bullets, and tear gas to disperse demonstrators.
The Vyasna Human Rights Center in Minsk said the young male protester died from a traumatic head injury after he was hit by a police vehicle and medics were unable to save him. Vyasna did not identify the man that it said had died. But it said there were also dozens of protesters injured in clashes with police.
Vyasna activist Valyantsin Stefanovich blamed the alleged death on the actions of the Interior Ministry and the Security Council.
When asked by RFE/RL to comment on Vyasna's report, Interior Ministry spokeswoman Volha Chamadanava said, "We do not have any fatal casualties."
Meanwhile, the opposition Nexta-Live Telegram channel in Belarus erroneously reported that a protester named Yauhen Zaichkin had been killed in a confrontation with police overnight. Nexta-Live did not attribute its report and did not mention Vyasna.
But media in Russia later linked the two reports together with a photograph of Zaichkin -- unconscious on the ground and surrounded by police -- suggesting Zaichkin might have been the individual Vyasna was referring to.
That photograph went viral after the Russia reports were recirculated by other media in Ukraine and Russia.
Tsikhanouskaya noted on August 10 that there were conflicting reports about the death of a protester overnight. She said that if a protester had been killed, it would mark "the beginning of the end" for Lukashenka's government.
RFE/RL's Belarus Service tracked down Zaichkin on August 10. He said that he survived a severe beating by police in circumstances different from the situation Vsayna had described.
Zaichkin said he'd lost consciousness from the beating while he was being transported in a police vehicle. He said the photograph was taken after police removed him from the vehicle to await an ambulance.
In later remarks to journalists on August 10, Chamadanava described Vyasna's report about a man's death as "fake."
"In all, about 3,000 people were detained across the country, including about 1,000 people detained in Minsk," Chamadanava said. "More than 50 civilians and 39 law enforcement officers were injured during the clashes, some of whom are currently in hospitals."
"Some of the people brought to medical institutions across the country were under the influence of alcohol," she said. "It is necessary to stress that no combat weapons were used against the offenders."
Meanwhile, the head of the Belarusian Investigative Committee, Ivan Naskevich, said on August 10 that criminal cases have been launched into "mass disorders" and "attacks on law enforcement."
For his part, Lukashenka on August 10 described the protesters as "sheep" who are led by foreign countries by telephone.
"There were phone calls from Poland, Great Britain, and the Czech Republic, to manage our, sorry for my language, sheep," Lukashenka said during a meeting with the chairman of the executive committee of the Commonwealth of Independent States, Sergei Lebedev.
"They do not understand what they are doing and started being managed by others," Lukashenka said, vowing that he "will not allow anyone to tear our country apart."
TsVK Chairwoman Lidzia Yarmoshyna said on August 10 that preliminary official results showed Lukashenka won more than 80 percent of the vote.
Yarmoshyna said Tsikhanouskaya received 9.9 percent of the vote, while three other opposition candidates each received less that 2 percent of the vote.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on August 10 condemned the violence in Belarus, calling on the Belarusian government to "accurately" count and publish the poll's results.
The European Union's high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, Josep Borrell, and European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi also condemned the violence.
In an August 10 statement, they called on the Belarusian government to properly count the votes.
"Following their unprecedented mobilization for free elections and democracy, the Belarusian people now expect their votes to be counted accurately," the statement said. "It is essential that the Central Election Commission publishes the results reflecting the choice of the Belarusian people."
Russian President Vladimir Putin's office said Putin on August 10 sent a telegram to Lukashenka to congratulate him on winning reelection.
"I hope that your state activities will contribute to the further development of mutually beneficial Russian-Belarusian relations in all areas, deepening cooperation within the Union State, building up integration processes through the Eurasian Economic Union and the [Commonwealth of Independent States], as well as military and political ties in the Collective Security Treaty Organization," Putin's office quoted the telegram as saying.
Kazakh President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev's office said he also sent Lukashenka a congratulatory telegram on August 10.
"The results of the election held in a complicated political setting demonstrate public support for your strategic course towards stronger sovereignty and the independence of Belarus," Toqaev's website quoted his telegram as saying.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Chinese President Xi Jingpin have also sent congratulatory telegrams to Lukashenka.
'What Has Happened Is Awful'
Tsikhanouskaya, who drew tens of thousands of people to her rallies during the campaign, refuses to recognize the preliminary official results announced by the TsVK on August 10, according to her spokeswoman, Hanna Krasulina.
In an appeal read live over the phone on Current Time by her associate, Maryya Kalesnikava, Tsikhanouskaya called on both the security forces and the Belarusian citizens to refrain from violence.
"I ask everyone who is now making decisions, and above all the commanders of special forces: Do not use force against civilians," she said. Current Time is the Russian-language network led by RFE/RL in cooperation with VOA.
"I ask the police and the troops to remember that they are part of the people. Once again, I ask the voters: no provocation, no need to give a reason to use violence against you. Please stop the violence. First and foremost, officers, I know you can do this."
"What has happened is awful," Tsikhanouskaya told a news conference from her headquarters. "I believe my eyes, and I see that the majority is with us."
Internet freedom monitor NetBlocks reported Internet connectivity has been disrupted across the country since early on August 9.
The disruption was continuing to make it difficult for journalists and election monitors to do their work. It also has made it difficult for Belarusians within the country to access independent reports on the Internet or via social media.
However, Lukashenka claimed on August 10 that the Internet was "being locked in the country from abroad in order to incur displeasure among the population."
The election came after a campaign marked by the arrest of more than 1,000 opposition supporters, the barring of several potential challengers, claims of a Russian plot to sow instability, and the rise of the unheralded 37-year-old Tsikhanouskaya.
Lukashenka vowed after casting his vote in Minsk on August 9 that neither he nor the government will allow Belarus to slip into "chaos" or "civil war."
With reporting by Current Time, RFE/RL's Belarus Service, BelTA, Reuters, AP, and AFP


rferl--2020-08-10--Gulf Arab Countries Back Extension Of UN Arms Embargo On Iran

The Gulf Cooperation Council has sent a letter to the United Nations endorsing an extension of an arms embargo on Iran , which the United States has vehemently argued must not be allowed to expire .
The Arab nations comprising the council -- Bahrain , Kuwait , Oman , Qatar , Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates -- sent the letter on August 9 .
The letter , signed by General-Secretary Nayef al-Hajraf on behalf of the bloc , said that since the Iran nuclear deal was signed in 2015 , “ Iran has not ceased or desisted from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and through organizations and movements armed and trained by Iran.
” It would therefore be “ inappropriate ” to lift restrictions until Iran “ abandons its destabilizing activities in the region and ceases to provide weapons to terrorist and sectarian organizations.
” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Musavi condemned the letter and called it an “ irresponsible ” statement that serves U.S. interests , Iranian state TV reported .
Musavi also criticized the Gulf Arab countries for being among the largest arms buyers `` in the region and the world.
” The UN @ @ @ @ @ @ @ systems in 2010 amid tensions over its nuclear program .
The embargo has kept Iran from purchasing foreign-made conventional weapons like fighter jets , tanks , and warships .
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has warned that allowing the embargo to expire would further destabilize the Middle East , put Israel and Europe at risk , and endanger U.S. lives .
The United States will seek a UN Security Council vote this week to extend the embargo , Pompeo said .
The U.S.-drafted resolution seeks to extend the embargo , which is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ October 18 under a Security Council resolution that enshrined the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers .
In the Security Council , veto-wielding Russia and China have said they oppose extending the arms embargo and have questioned Washington ’ s right to use a disputed legal move to force a return of UN sanctions on Iran after its unilateral withdrawal from the nuclear deal in 2018 .
If the Security Council doesn ’ t prevent Iran from buying and selling weapons when the embargo ends , Washington has said it will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ UN sanctions on Iran .

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


rferl--2020-08-10--Agreement On Taliban Prisoner Release Brings Afghan Peace Talks A Step Closer

The Afghan government and the Taliban are on the verge of starting peace talks aimed at ending almost two decades of war in Afghanistan after President Ashraf Ghani said that he will approve the release of 400 Taliban militants .
Ghani announced his intention to sign a decree to release the militants on August 9 , shortly after the move was recommended by 3,400 prominent Afghans at a three-day Loya Jirga in Kabul .
Afghan government sources have suggested that Ghani is likely to sign the release order on August 10 .
The decision came more than five months after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of prisoners by both sides a condition for the talks between the militant group and Kabul .
The talks will start in Doha , Qatar , after the completion of the prisoner release , expected in the next few days , the U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan , Zalmay Khalilzad , said on Twitter .
Khalilzad welcomed Ghani ’ s decision and the declaration of the Loya Jirga , a traditional meeting of Afghan tribal elders and other stakeholders convened to decide on controversial national issues .
“ The parties will embark on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a political roadmap & a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire to end the Afghan war , ” he said on Twitter .
The United States supports the process to achieve a sustainable peace and the goal of attaining “ a sovereign , unified , and democratic Afghanistan that is at peace with itself and its neighbors and does not pose a threat to the world , ” he added .
`` We are ready to sit for talks within a week from when we see our prisoners released .
We are ready , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ August 10 .
Shaheen declined to commit to a cease-fire as requested by Ghani , saying it will be decided during the talks , not before .
The Afghan delegation is to be led by the former head of Afghanistan 's National Directorate of Security , Masoom Stanakzai .
The delegation will include Afghan politicians , former officials and representatives of civil society .
Kabul has previously said that five members of the delegation would be women .
Ghani had called for the Loya Jirga , saying that he did not have the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the 400 prisoners from Afghan jails because they 'd committed violent crimes .
`` The decision of the Loya Jirga has removed the last excuse and obstacles on the way to peace talks .
We are on the verge of peace talks , '' said Abdullah Abdullah , who headed the meeting and who is head of the High Council for National Reconciliation .
Kabul already has released 4,600 Taliban inmates out of the 5,000 pledged in the landmark agreement signed in February by the United States and the Taliban .
But Afghan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dangerous .
About 200 of them are accused by the Afghan government of masterminding attacks on embassies , public squares , and government offices , killing thousands of civilians in recent years .
The Taliban says it has freed all 1,000 government prisoners it had pledged in the agreement with the United States and insisted on the release of the remaining 400 prisoners .
U.S. President Donald Trump , who is up for reelection in November , has said repeatedly that he wants to end America 's longest war , which began after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attacks .
With about three months to go until the election , Trump is eager to fulfill his promise to bring an end to the war and continue withdrawing U.S. troops .
The drawdown will bring the number of U.S. troops to `` a number less than 5,000 '' by the end of November , Defense Secretary Mark Esper said in an interview broadcast on August 8 .
With reporting by Reuters and AFP

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--2020-08-09--Police Crack Down On Protests In Belarus After Results Show Lukashenka Winning In Landslide

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

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


rferl--2020-08-10--U.S. 'Deeply Concerned' By Russia's Targeting Of 'Foreign Agent' Media

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says Washington is `` deeply concerned '' by fresh efforts by Russia to target foreign media operating there .
In a statement issued on August 10 , Pompeo said a a recent draft order published by Russia 's state media regulator would `` impose new burdensome requirements '' on Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Voice of America , which he said already faced `` signficant and undue restrictions . ''
`` We remain troubled by the ongoing crackdown on independent press in Russia and call on Russia to uphold its obligations and OSCE commitments @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said , referring to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe .
Russia 's federal media regulator , Rozkomnadzor , in July issued a draft order that would require all media outlets registered as `` foreign agents '' to identify that fact in published or broadcast materials .
The new order would supplement a 2017 law on designating foreign-funded media as `` foreign agents . ''
After that law was adopted , the Justice Ministry listed VOA , several services of RFE/RL , and Current Time as `` foreign agents . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ by RFE/RL in cooperation with VOA .
Failure to abide by the new requirements could result in fines of up to 100,000 rubles ( $ 1,400 ) or 15 days in custody for individuals .
Organizations could be fined up to 5 million rubles ( $ 70,000 ) .
Acting RFE/RL President Daisy Sindelar said on July 23 that the proposed order was intended to further restrict the media in Russia and to instill fear in their audiences .

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says Washington is "deeply concerned" by fresh efforts by Russia to target foreign media operating there.
In a statement issued on August 10, Pompeo said a a recent draft order published by Russia's state media regulator would "impose new burdensome requirements" on Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Voice of America, which he said already faced "signficant and undue restrictions."
"We remain troubled by the ongoing crackdown on independent press in Russia and call on Russia to uphold its obligations and OSCE commitments to freedom of expression," Pompeo said, referring to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
In July, Russia's federal media regulator, Rozkomnadzor, issued a draft order that would require all media outlets registered as "foreign agents" to identify that fact in published or broadcast materials.
The new order would supplement a 2017 law on designating foreign-funded media as "foreign agents." After that law was adopted, the Justice Ministry listed VOA, several services of RFE/RL, and Current Time as "foreign agents." Current Time is the Russian-language network led by RFE/RL in cooperation with VOA.
Failure to abide by the new requirements could result in fines of up to 100,000 rubles ($1,400) or 15 days in custody for individuals. Organizations could be fined up to 5 million rubles ($70,000).
Acting RFE/RL President Daisy Sindelar said on July 23 that the proposed order was intended to further restrict the media in Russia and to instill fear in their audiences.


rferl--2020-08-10--Protesters In Russia's Far East Chant 'Belarus, We Are With You!'

KHABAROVSK , Russia -- Protesters in Russia 's Far Eastern city of Khabarovsk , where rallies against President Vladimir Putin 's role in a regional political crisis have been going on for almost a month , have voiced their support for demonstrations against the presidential vote in Belarus .
More than 80 protesters shouted `` Belarus , we are with you ! ''
as they marched through Khabarovsk on August 10 .
Police in Belarus said on August 10 that they detained about 3,000 protesters overnight during demonstrations against preliminary results of the August 9 presidential election naming incumbent Alyaksandr @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the protesters also demanded the immediate release of Sergei Furgal , the former governor of the Khaborovsk region whose arrest prompted the protests there .
A member of the nationalist Liberal Democratic Party of Russia ( LDPR ) , Furgal was elected by a wide margin in 2018 over the incumbent candidate from Putin 's ruling United Russia party .
Furgal was arrested on July 9 and transferred to a jail in Moscow for what authorities said was suspicion of involvement in several murders in 2004 and 2005 .
Furgal was then dismissed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mikhail Degtyaryov as the region 's acting governor .
Furgal 's supporters say the charges against him are politically motivated retribution for his 2018 election defeat of Putin 's ally .
The Kremlin says Furgal has serious charges to answer .
The protests highlight growing discontent in the Far East over what demonstrators see as Moscow-dominated policies that often neglect their views and interests .
Putin 's popularity has been declining as the Kremlin tries to deal with an economy suffering from the coronavirus pandemic and years of ongoing international sanctions .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of protesters on weekends since they started on July 11 .

KHABAROVSK, Russia -- Protesters in Russia's Far Eastern city of Khabarovsk , where rallies against President Vladimir Putin's role in a regional political crisis have been going on for almost a month, have voiced their support for demonstrations against the presidential vote in Belarus.
More than 80 protesters shouted "Belarus, we are with you!" as they marched through Khabarovsk on August 10.
Police in Belarus said on August 10 that they detained about 3,000 protesters overnight during demonstrations against preliminary results of the August 9 presidential election naming incumbent Alyaksandr Lukashenka the winner.
In Khabarovsk, the protesters also demanded the immediate release of Sergei Furgal, the former governor of the Khaborovsk region whose arrest prompted the protests there.
A member of the nationalist Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR), Furgal was elected by a wide margin in 2018 over the incumbent candidate from Putin's ruling United Russia party.
Furgal was arrested on July 9 and transferred to a jail in Moscow for what authorities said was suspicion of involvement in several murders in 2004 and 2005.
Furgal was then dismissed by Putin, who appointed LDPR member Mikhail Degtyaryov as the region's acting governor.
Furgal's supporters say the charges against him are politically motivated retribution for his 2018 election defeat of Putin's ally.
The Kremlin says Furgal has serious charges to answer.
The protests highlight growing discontent in the Far East over what demonstrators see as Moscow-dominated policies that often neglect their views and interests.
Putin's popularity has been declining as the Kremlin tries to deal with an economy suffering from the coronavirus pandemic and years of ongoing international sanctions.
The pro-Furgal demonstrations have attracted tens of thousands of protesters on weekends since they started on July 11.


rferl--2020-08-10--Bosnian Grand Mufti's Office Distances Itself From Anti-Gay Remarks By Sarajevo Imam

The office of the grand mufti of Bosnia-Herzegovina has distanced itself from controversial remarks made by the imam of a mosque in Sarajevo that sparked outrage on social media and elsewhere .
Muhamed Velic in a Facebook post on August 6 welcomed the cancellation of an upcoming gay-pride parade in Sarajevo due to coronavirus restrictions .
The parade was due to be held on August 23 .
`` In every misfortune and tragedy -- there is also a grain of happiness , goodness and beauty , '' Velic wrote , sparking a public outcry .
The office of the grand @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the imam 's remarks did not reflect the position of the Islamic community in Bosnia .
`` This is his personal position and it is not the position of the entire Islamic community , '' said Muhamed Jusic , an adviser to the grand mufti .
Velic defended his remarks to RFE/RL , saying he did not `` spread hate speech , '' and that he had the right to express his opinion .
The Bosnian capital held its first-ever gay-pride event amid heavy security on September 8 , 2019 .
The event @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which roughly translates as `` Coming out . ''
Dozens of followers of a conservative Islamic group held a rally against the event , describing the pride march as a `` sin '' and `` humiliation '' for Sarajevo .
Another protesting group , Svjetlost ( Light ) , marched the day before the gay-pride event , calling on people to rally against `` un-values propagated by the LGBT community . ''

The office of the grand mufti of Bosnia-Herzegovina has distanced itself from controversial remarks made by the imam of a mosque in Sarajevo that sparked outrage on social media and elsewhere.
Muhamed Velic in a Facebook post on August 6 welcomed the cancellation of an upcoming gay-pride parade in Sarajevo due to coronavirus restrictions.
The parade was due to be held on August 23.
"In every misfortune and tragedy -- there is also a grain of happiness, goodness and beauty," Velic wrote, sparking a public outcry.
The office of the grand mufti told RFE/RL on August 10 that the imam's remarks did not reflect the position of the Islamic community in Bosnia.
"This is his personal position and it is not the position of the entire Islamic community," said Muhamed Jusic, an adviser to the grand mufti.
Velic defended his remarks to RFE/RL, saying he did not "spread hate speech," and that he had the right to express his opinion.
The Bosnian capital held its first-ever gay-pride event amid heavy security on September 8, 2019. The event was dubbed "Ima Izac!" which roughly translates as "Coming out."
Dozens of followers of a conservative Islamic group held a rally against the event, describing the pride march as a "sin" and "humiliation" for Sarajevo.
Another protesting group, Svjetlost (Light), marched the day before the gay-pride event, calling on people to rally against "un-values propagated by the LGBT community."


rferl--2020-08-10--Youngest Of Three Moscow Sisters Charged With Killing Their Father Goes On Trial

Maria Khachaturyan , the youngest of three sisters charged with killing their father in Moscow two years ago , has gone on trial in the Russian capital .
The high-profile trial began behind closed doors at the Butyrsky district court on August 10 .
Dozens of young men and women gathered in front of the court building to support the defendant and her sisters , whom they consider victims of domestic violence .
Investigators say that in July 2018 , Krestina , Angelina , and Maria Khachaturyan -- then 19 , 18 , and 17 years old , respectively -- @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at their home in Moscow 's outskirts .
Materials gathered by investigators included substantial evidence of protracted sexual and physical abuse of his daughters by Khachaturyan .
The case has attracted widespread attention from Russian media , and led to calls from women 's rights activists for the introduction of legislation that would allow victims of domestic violence to plead self-defense .
In early December , investigators finalized their indictment against the three sisters and sent it to the Prosecutor-General 's Office to prepare for trial .
Krestina , Angelina , and Maria @ @ @ @ @ @ @ governed by `` a strong personal enmity toward their father '' due to continued physical and sexual abuse .
Later in December , Deputy Prosecutor-General Viktor Grin cited flaws in the investigation and asked officials to reclassify the sisters ' actions as self-defense , which would pave the way for the women to be let free .
But earlier in July , according to the defense team , Grin confirmed the original premeditated-murder charges .
Maria Khachaturyan , who was 17 when the alleged crime took place , is being tried separately .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ her mentally unsound at the time of the crime , and it was recommended that she undergo psychological treatment .
Her two elder sisters will be tried by jury and their trial will begin on August 31 .
With reporting by TASS and 360 TV

Maria Khachaturyan, the youngest of three sisters charged with killing their father in Moscow two years ago, has gone on trial in the Russian capital.
The high-profile trial began behind closed doors at the Butyrsky district court on August 10.
Dozens of young men and women gathered in front of the court building to support the defendant and her sisters, whom they consider victims of domestic violence.
Investigators say that in July 2018, Krestina, Angelina, and Maria Khachaturyan -- then 19, 18, and 17 years old, respectively -- killed their father, Mikhail Khachaturyan, at their home in Moscow's outskirts.
Materials gathered by investigators included substantial evidence of protracted sexual and physical abuse of his daughters by Khachaturyan.
The case has attracted widespread attention from Russian media, and led to calls from women's rights activists for the introduction of legislation that would allow victims of domestic violence to plead self-defense.
In early December, investigators finalized their indictment against the three sisters and sent it to the Prosecutor-General's Office to prepare for trial. Krestina, Angelina, and Maria acted with premeditation, it concluded, governed by "a strong personal enmity toward their father" due to continued physical and sexual abuse.
Later in December, Deputy Prosecutor-General Viktor Grin cited flaws in the investigation and asked officials to reclassify the sisters' actions as self-defense, which would pave the way for the women to be let free.
But earlier in July, according to the defense team, Grin confirmed the original premeditated-murder charges.
Maria Khachaturyan, who was 17 when the alleged crime took place, is being tried separately. A medical evaluation following the killing found her mentally unsound at the time of the crime, and it was recommended that she undergo psychological treatment.
Her two elder sisters will be tried by jury and their trial will begin on August 31.
With reporting by TASS and 360 TV


rferl--2020-08-10--Armenian Media Demand Probe Of Ex-Police Chief Obstructing Work Of RFE/RL Reporters

Several leading Armenian media organizations have called for a `` serious investigation '' into an incident in which former police chief Vladimir Gasparian threatened two RFE/RL Armenian Service journalists and obstructed their work on a report about government plans to demolish private houses illegally constructed near Lake Sevan .
In a joint statement issued on August 10 , the Committee To Protect Freedom of Expression , the Yerevan Press Club , the Asparez journalists ' club , and seven other organizations stressed that Gasparian `` must be held accountable in accordance with the law . ''
`` During his time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Vladimir Gasparian stood out through his arrogant attitude toward journalists and in some cases through his cruelty , '' the statement said .
It mentioned the 2015 and 2016 protests in Armenia 's capital , Yerevan , `` when more than 40 journalists and cameramen were targeted by police and were subjected to physical violence and illegal persecution . ''
`` All this went unpunished , and , apparently , that is the reason why today the former police chief continues to display indecent behavior toward journalists , '' the statement said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ police chief for seven years before being dismissed after the change of government in May 2018 , on August 8 drove his vehicle in the direction of the two Azatutyun reporters , almost running them over , after seeing that they were filming in the lakeside area where his house is presumably located .
Gasparian threatened the reporters , using phrases like `` I 'll shoot you '' and `` I 'll slaughter you , '' and , using offensive language , he also demanded that the reporters not show his house in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at this attack on our Armenian Service reporters , by no less than a former chief of police , '' RFE/RL acting President Daisy Sindelar said .
`` The reporters were covering a story of significant public interest when Mr. Gasparian nearly struck them with his vehicle , threatened to kill them , and forced them to erase their footage , '' Sindelar said .
`` We demand that police investigate the incident , and that Mr. Gasparian be held accountable for endangering journalists who were simply doing their jobs , '' she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reported the incident , police on August 9 formally opened a criminal investigation , which is currently under way .
If found guilty , Gasparian risks a prison sentence from three to seven years in prison .
The reporters were working on a follow-up story after newly appointed Environment Minister Romanos Petrosian said this week that the authorities will formally start the process of demolishing illegal constructions near Lake Sevan on August 10 .
According to media reports , a number of houses belonging to several former high-ranking officials , including Gasparian , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this week Petrosian ordered the demolishing of a lakeside resort where a party , with a current pro-government lawmaker in attendance , had been held in breach of coronavirus safety rules set by the authorities .
Petrosian then turned to other buildings around the lake , which environmentalists say is endangered by overuse .
`` Here we have no legal issues , as there are no ownership rights pertaining to these territories , consequently there are no prospects of legal actions [ against the government ] , '' the minister said .
Initially @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but a total of 3,800 buildings , including houses , are eventually to be demolished .
Environmentalists argue that illegal constructions -- both business facilities and private houses -- greatly damage the lake 's ecosystem , resulting in its usually blue water turning green in some places during the summer in recent years .
The minister said the demolition was going to be a `` long process '' and that only the first steps were being taken now , but formally the process will start on August 10 .
An environmental plan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1,900 meters above sea level , aims to raise its level , and the buildings that are to be demolished lie below the level to which it is to be raised .
Raising the level of the lake , the largest body of fresh water in Armenia , has been the stated goal of consecutive governments .

Several leading Armenian media organizations have called for a "serious investigation" into an incident in which former police chief Vladimir Gasparian threatened two RFE/RL Armenian Service journalists and obstructed their work on a report about government plans to demolish private houses illegally constructed near Lake Sevan.
In a joint statement issued on August 10, the Committee To Protect Freedom of Expression, the Yerevan Press Club, the Asparez journalists' club, and seven other organizations stressed that Gasparian "must be held accountable in accordance with the law."
"During his time in office as chief of police, Vladimir Gasparian stood out through his arrogant attitude toward journalists and in some cases through his cruelty," the statement said.
It mentioned the 2015 and 2016 protests in Armenia's capital, Yerevan, "when more than 40 journalists and cameramen were targeted by police and were subjected to physical violence and illegal persecution."
"All this went unpunished, and, apparently, that is the reason why today the former police chief continues to display indecent behavior toward journalists," the statement said.
Gasparian, who served as Armenia's police chief for seven years before being dismissed after the change of government in May 2018, on August 8 drove his vehicle in the direction of the two Azatutyun reporters, almost running them over, after seeing that they were filming in the lakeside area where his house is presumably located.
Gasparian threatened the reporters, using phrases like "I'll shoot you" and "I'll slaughter you," and, using offensive language, he also demanded that the reporters not show his house in their report.
"We are horrified at this attack on our Armenian Service reporters, by no less than a former chief of police," RFE/RL acting President Daisy Sindelar said.
"The reporters were covering a story of significant public interest when Mr. Gasparian nearly struck them with his vehicle, threatened to kill them, and forced them to erase their footage," Sindelar said.
"We demand that police investigate the incident, and that Mr. Gasparian be held accountable for endangering journalists who were simply doing their jobs," she added.
After RFE/RL's Armenian Service reported the incident, police on August 9 formally opened a criminal investigation, which is currently under way.
If found guilty, Gasparian risks a prison sentence from three to seven years in prison.
The reporters were working on a follow-up story after newly appointed Environment Minister Romanos Petrosian said this week that the authorities will formally start the process of demolishing illegal constructions near Lake Sevan on August 10.
According to media reports, a number of houses belonging to several former high-ranking officials, including Gasparian, are affected by the decision.
Earlier this week Petrosian ordered the demolishing of a lakeside resort where a party, with a current pro-government lawmaker in attendance, had been held in breach of coronavirus safety rules set by the authorities.
Petrosian then turned to other buildings around the lake, which environmentalists say is endangered by overuse.
"Here we have no legal issues, as there are no ownership rights pertaining to these territories, consequently there are no prospects of legal actions [against the government]," the minister said.
Initially, 130 business facilities will be affected, but a total of 3,800 buildings, including houses, are eventually to be demolished.
Environmentalists argue that illegal constructions -- both business facilities and private houses -- greatly damage the lake's ecosystem, resulting in its usually blue water turning green in some places during the summer in recent years.
The minister said the demolition was going to be a "long process" and that only the first steps were being taken now, but formally the process will start on August 10.
An environmental plan for Lake Sevan, which lies at 1,900 meters above sea level, aims to raise its level, and the buildings that are to be demolished lie below the level to which it is to be raised.
Raising the level of the lake, the largest body of fresh water in Armenia, has been the stated goal of consecutive governments.


rferl--2020-08-10--Protester Dies In Minsk As Clashes Over Election Go Into Second Night

MINSK – A Belarus protester has died in Minsk as thousands of people turned out to demonstrate against official election results that say incumbent President Alyaksandr Lukashenka won in a landslide .
The protester died after an unidentified explosive device blew up in his hand while he tried to throw it at the police , the Interior Ministry said , according to RFE/RL ’ s Belarus Service .
The incident occurred during a confrontation with the riot police , who had arrived to unblock a square in the Belarus capital .
There were reports that demonstrators were being fired upon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s Belarus Service said several thousand people were in the area and some have attempted to build barricades .
Police reportedly fired tear gas and rubber bullets earlier and detained protesters as demonstrations against the result of the August 9 presidential election prompted a second day of unrest in Minsk and elsewhere in the country and Washington expressed concern over the election and the crackdown .
Dozens of demonstrators were reportedly detained in Minsk on August 10 as they assembled in the city center in a resumption of protests against the election .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ showed police in riot gear moving in on protesters and firing what appeared to be tear gas .
AFP quoted an eyewitness as saying tear gas and rubber bullets were fired and a journalist was injured .
The renewed demonstrations followed violent clashes between protesters and police the night before .
On August 9 , some 1,000 people were detained in Minsk , and about 3,000 nationwide , after demonstrators took to the streets to protest what they called a rigged election after an exit poll showed Lukashenka winning with more than 80 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leading opposition candidate Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya , who had less than 10 percent of the vote according to preliminary official results announced by the Central Election Commission ( TsVK ) , had announced that they would stage a mass demonstration against the official tally on August 10 .
The opposition in Belarus also has called for a nationwide protest strike starting at noon ( local time ) on August 11 .
In its first comment since the election , the White House said it was `` deeply concerned by the Belarus presidential election ... @ @ @ @ @ @ @ respect the right to peaceably assemble and to refrain from the use of force . ''
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo echoed that sentiment in a separate statement while urging the Lukashenka government to `` respect the rights of all Belarusians . ''
`` We urge the Belarusian government to respect the rights of all Belarusians to participate in peaceful assembly , refrain from use of force , and release those wrongfully detained .
We strongly condemn ongoing violence against protesters and the detention of opposition supporters , as well as the use @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the Belarusian people to share information about the election and the demonstrations , '' Pompeo said .
Britain earlier called on Belarus to refrain from further violence against protesters following what it called the `` seriously flawed '' vote , while France has urged security forces to exhibit `` the greatest restraint . ''
Tsikhanouskaya -- who has rejected the results giving Lukashenka his sixth term in office and says the vote was rigged -- was not planning on taking part in the demonstrations `` to avoid provocations , '' according to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said in Minsk on August 10 that `` I consider myself the winner in the presidential election , '' explained that her opinion was based on what she called `` real protocols '' collected at the majority of polling stations which , according to her , prove that she won .
Earlier in the day the Interior Ministry denied reports by a human rights group that at least one demonstrator was killed in the midst of overnight clashes in Minsk as police used stun grenades , rubber bullets , and tear gas to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Center in Minsk said the young male protester died from a traumatic head injury after he was hit by a police vehicle and medics were unable to save him .
Vyasna did not identify the man that it said had died .
But it said there were also dozens of protesters injured in clashes with police .
Vyasna activist Valyantsin Stefanovich blamed the alleged death on the actions of the Interior Ministry and the Security Council .
When asked by RFE/RL to comment on Vyasna 's report , Interior Ministry spokeswoman Volha Chamadanava @ @ @ @ @ @ @ any fatal casualties . ''
Meanwhile , the opposition Nexta-Live Telegram channel in Belarus erroneously reported that a protester named Yauhen Zaichkin had been killed in a confrontation with police overnight .
Nexta-Live did not attribute its report and did not mention Vyasna .
But media in Russia later linked the two reports together with a photograph of Zaichkin -- unconscious on the ground and surrounded by police -- suggesting Zaichkin might have been the individual Vyasna was referring to .
That photograph went viral after the Russia reports were recirculated by other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ noted on August 10 that there were conflicting reports about the death of a protester overnight .
She said that if a protester had been killed , it would mark `` the beginning of the end '' for Lukashenka 's government .
RFE/RL 's Belarus Service tracked down Zaichkin on August 10 .
He said that he survived a severe beating by police in circumstances different from the situation Vsayna had described .
Zaichkin said he 'd lost consciousness from the beating while he was being transported in a police vehicle .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ removed him from the vehicle to await an ambulance .
In later remarks to journalists on August 10 , Chamadanava described Vyasna 's report about a man 's death as `` fake . ''
`` In all , about 3,000 people were detained across the country , including about 1,000 people detained in Minsk , '' Chamadanava said .
`` More than 50 civilians and 39 law enforcement officers were injured during the clashes , some of whom are currently in hospitals . ''
`` Some of the people brought to medical institutions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of alcohol , '' she said .
`` It is necessary to stress that no combat weapons were used against the offenders . ''
Meanwhile , the head of the Belarusian Investigative Committee , Ivan Naskevich , said on August 10 that criminal cases have been launched into `` mass disorders '' and `` attacks on law enforcement . ''
For his part , Lukashenka on August 10 described the protesters as `` sheep '' who are led by foreign countries by telephone .
`` There were phone calls from Poland , Great @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to manage our , sorry for my language , sheep , '' Lukashenka said during a meeting with the chairman of the executive committee of the Commonwealth of Independent States , Sergei Lebedev .
`` They do not understand what they are doing and started being managed by others , '' Lukashenka said , vowing that he `` will not allow anyone to tear our country apart . ''
TsVK Chairwoman Lidzia Yarmoshyna said on August 10 that preliminary official results showed Lukashenka won more than 80 percent of the vote .
Yarmoshyna @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vote , while three other opposition candidates each received less that 2 percent of the vote .
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on August 10 condemned the violence in Belarus , calling on the Belarusian government to `` accurately '' count and publish the poll 's results .
The European Union 's high representative for foreign affairs and security policy , Josep Borrell , and European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi also condemned the violence .
In an August 10 statement , they called on the Belarusian government to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their unprecedented mobilization for free elections and democracy , the Belarusian people now expect their votes to be counted accurately , '' the statement said .
`` It is essential that the Central Election Commission publishes the results reflecting the choice of the Belarusian people . ''
Russian President Vladimir Putin 's office said Putin on August 10 sent a telegram to Lukashenka to congratulate him on winning reelection .
`` I hope that your state activities will contribute to the further development of mutually beneficial Russian-Belarusian relations in all areas , deepening @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up integration processes through the Eurasian Economic Union and the [ Commonwealth of Independent States ] , as well as military and political ties in the Collective Security Treaty Organization , '' Putin 's office quoted the telegram as saying .
Kazakh President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev 's office said he also sent Lukashenka a congratulatory telegram on August 10 .
`` The results of the election held in a complicated political setting demonstrate public support for your strategic course towards stronger sovereignty and the independence of Belarus , '' Toqaev 's website quoted his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Aliyev and Chinese President Xi Jingpin have also sent congratulatory telegrams to Lukashenka .
'What Has Happened Is Awful' Tsikhanouskaya , who drew tens of thousands of people to her rallies during the campaign , refuses to recognize the preliminary official results announced by the TsVK on August 10 , according to her spokeswoman , Hanna Krasulina .
In an appeal read live over the phone on Current Time by her associate , Maryya Kalesnikava , Tsikhanouskaya called on both the security forces and the Belarusian citizens to refrain from violence .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decisions , and above all the commanders of special forces : Do not use force against civilians , '' she said .
Current Time is the Russian-language network led by RFE/RL in cooperation with VOA .
`` I ask the police and the troops to remember that they are part of the people .
Once again , I ask the voters : no provocation , no need to give a reason to use violence against you .
Please stop the violence .
First and foremost , officers , I know you can do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is awful , '' Tsikhanouskaya told a news conference from her headquarters .
`` I believe my eyes , and I see that the majority is with us . ''
Internet freedom monitor NetBlocks reported Internet connectivity has been disrupted across the country since early on August 9 .
The disruption was continuing to make it difficult for journalists and election monitors to do their work .
It also has made it difficult for Belarusians within the country to access independent reports on the Internet or via social media .
However , Lukashenka @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was `` being locked in the country from abroad in order to incur displeasure among the population . ''
The election came after a campaign marked by the arrest of more than 1,000 opposition supporters , the barring of several potential challengers , claims of a Russian plot to sow instability , and the rise of the unheralded 37-year-old Tsikhanouskaya .
Lukashenka vowed after casting his vote in Minsk on August 9 that neither he nor the government will allow Belarus to slip into `` chaos '' or `` civil war . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's Belarus Service , BelTA , Reuters , AP , and AFP


rferl--2020-08-11--Russian Actor And Kremlin Critic Yefremov Sent To Hospital From Courtroom

Russian actor and outspoken Kremlin critic Mikhail Yefremov , who is charged with killing a person while driving under the influence of alcohol , has been sent to hospital from a court in Moscow where his trial was under way .
The Presnensky district court on August 11 had to stop the high-profile trial after Yefremov felt unwell .
An ambulance took him away later .
The court 's press service said the trial will resume on August 12 .
If convicted , Yefremov , who in recent years has been criticizing the Kremlin in his one-man performances , may @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Yefremov 's lawyer Elman Pashayev said his client lost consciousness and is currently unable to attend the trial .
Russian media reports quote unnamed medical personnel as saying that Yefremov has stroke symptoms .
Police say Yefremov was inebriated when he drove his car at a high speed into an oncoming lane in central Moscow on the evening of June 8 , hitting another car .
Yefremov did not suffer any injuries in the accident , but the driver of the other vehicle , identified as 57-year-old Sergei Zakharov , was rushed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hours later .
After Zakharov was pronounced dead , Yefremov was charged with `` causing a deadly traffic accident while driving under the influence '' and later placed under house arrest .
Yefremov ’ s trial started on August 5 .
He pleaded not guilty , saying `` I do not remember anything . ''
Authorities later said that medical tests confirmed that Yefremov had traces of drugs , including cocaine , in his blood at the moment of the accident .
Performances by the 56-year-old Yefremov satirizing President Vladimir Putin and his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years .
Based on reporting by TASS and Interfax

Russian actor and outspoken Kremlin critic Mikhail Yefremov, who is charged with killing a person while driving under the influence of alcohol, has been sent to hospital from a court in Moscow where his trial was under way.
The Presnensky district court on August 11 had to stop the high-profile trial after Yefremov felt unwell. An ambulance took him away later.
The court's press service said the trial will resume on August 12. If convicted, Yefremov, who in recent years has been criticizing the Kremlin in his one-man performances, may face up to 12 years in prison.
Yefremov's lawyer Elman Pashayev said his client lost consciousness and is currently unable to attend the trial.
Russian media reports quote unnamed medical personnel as saying that Yefremov has stroke symptoms.
Police say Yefremov was inebriated when he drove his car at a high speed into an oncoming lane in central Moscow on the evening of June 8, hitting another car.
Yefremov did not suffer any injuries in the accident, but the driver of the other vehicle, identified as 57-year-old Sergei Zakharov, was rushed to hospital with multiple injuries and died hours later.
After Zakharov was pronounced dead, Yefremov was charged with "causing a deadly traffic accident while driving under the influence" and later placed under house arrest.
Yefremov’s trial started on August 5. He pleaded not guilty, saying "I do not remember anything."
Authorities later said that medical tests confirmed that Yefremov had traces of drugs, including cocaine, in his blood at the moment of the accident.
Performances by the 56-year-old Yefremov satirizing President Vladimir Putin and his policies have been very popular in recent years.
Based on reporting by TASS and Interfax