rferl--2020-03-25--CPJ Calls On Russia To Stop Censoring News Outlets Reporting On COVID-19

The Committee to Protect Journalists ( CPJ ) has urged Russian authorities “ to stop censoring news outlets ” that report on the coronavirus outbreak in the country .
Citing staffers at two media outlets , the New York-based freedom-of-speech watchdog said on March 24 that Russia ’ s media regulator , Roskomnadzor , had ordered articles to be removed from their websites and social media and threatened them with fines .
CPJ said it communicated with the editor in chief of liberal radio station Ekho Moskvy , Vitaly Ruvinsky , who said the state media regulator told him on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a Kremlin critic and political analyst who compared the government ’ s handling of the COVID-19 outbreak to the Soviet mismanagement of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster .
The order was given as part of “ measures to prevent the spread of false information related to the coronavirus , ” and the radio station complied .
Roskomnadzor ’ s March 20 order didn ’ t specify what information was allegedly fake .
The analyst , Valery Solovei , was also threatened with a 100,000 ruble ( $ 1,300 ) fine .
Separately , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Govorit Magadan news website , told the CPJ she was told to remove a story about the death of a resident in the northeastern Siberian region suspected to have had the coronavirus .
The outlets now face fines of up to 500,000 rubles ( $ 6,200 ) under a law imposing penalties for “ fake news ” signed by President Vladimir Putin in March 2019 .
“ Russian authorities should stop censoring Govorit Magadan , Ekho Moskvy , and all other outlets reporting on the COVID-19 pandemic , ” said Gulnoza Said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Asia program coordinator , in New York .
“ Roskomnadzor should provide media with clear and fair criteria for reporting on the outbreak and ensure that its regulations do not censor independent journalism.
” Two days before the order , Roskomnadzor issued a warning that it would take punitive measures against the `` dissemination of false information '' and attempts to `` sow panic among the public and provoke public disturbance . ''
Then , on March 23 , the government raised the stakes by threatening anyone who spreads “ fake news ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Russia as of March 24 has 495 confirmed coronavirus cases and zero deaths .
A 79-year-old woman who was diagnosed with COVID-19 died last week at a Moscow infectious disease hospital .
Authorities attributed her death to a blood clot , not the coronavirus .
Local media reports have cited a 37 percent rise in pneumonia cases in January over the same period last year as evidence that something is amiss .
The same day , Russia 's coronavirus task force issued a recommendation for regional heads to close all movie theaters , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ entertainment centers .
It did not , however , recommend closing restaurants and bars or imposing a partial or full quarantine .
With reporting by Interfax and The Moscow Times

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has urged Russian authorities “to stop censoring news outlets” that report on the coronavirus outbreak in the country.
Citing staffers at two media outlets, the New York-based freedom-of-speech watchdog said on March 24 that Russia’s media regulator, Roskomnadzor, had ordered articles to be removed from their websites and social media and threatened them with fines.
CPJ said it communicated with the editor in chief of liberal radio station Ekho Moskvy, Vitaly Ruvinsky, who said the state media regulator told him on March 20 to remove an interview with a Kremlin critic and political analyst who compared the government’s handling of the COVID-19 outbreak to the Soviet mismanagement of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster.
The order was given as part of “measures to prevent the spread of false information related to the coronavirus,” and the radio station complied.
Roskomnadzor’s March 20 order didn’t specify what information was allegedly fake.
The analyst, Valery Solovei, was also threatened with a 100,000 ruble ($1,300) fine.
Separately, Tatyana Brais, editor in chief of the Govorit Magadan news website, told the CPJ she was told to remove a story about the death of a resident in the northeastern Siberian region suspected to have had the coronavirus.
The outlets now face fines of up to 500,000 rubles ($6,200) under a law imposing penalties for “fake news” signed by President Vladimir Putin in March 2019.
“Russian authorities should stop censoring Govorit Magadan, Ekho Moskvy, and all other outlets reporting on the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Gulnoza Said, CPJ’s Europe and Central Asia program coordinator, in New York. “Roskomnadzor should provide media with clear and fair criteria for reporting on the outbreak and ensure that its regulations do not censor independent journalism.”
Two days before the order, Roskomnadzor issued a warning that it would take punitive measures against the "dissemination of false information" and attempts to "sow panic among the public and provoke public disturbance."
Then, on March 23, the government raised the stakes by threatening anyone who spreads “fake news” about the coronavirus with criminal charges.
Russia as of March 24 has 495 confirmed coronavirus cases and zero deaths. A 79-year-old woman who was diagnosed with COVID-19 died last week at a Moscow infectious disease hospital. Authorities attributed her death to a blood clot, not the coronavirus.
Local media reports have cited a 37 percent rise in pneumonia cases in January over the same period last year as evidence that something is amiss.
The same day, Russia's coronavirus task force issued a recommendation for regional heads to close all movie theaters, night clubs, and children’s entertainment centers.
It did not, however, recommend closing restaurants and bars or imposing a partial or full quarantine.
With reporting by Interfax and The Moscow Times


rferl--2020-03-24--Kosovar Parliament To Vote On No-Confidence Motion Raised Over Coronavirus Restrictions

PRISTINA -- Kosovo 's parliament is set to vote on a no-confidence motion that could engulf the Balkan country in a political crisis even as it battles the coronavirus pandemic along with the rest of the world .
The vote of no confidence , pushed by the Democratic League of Kosovo ( LDK ) , is scheduled to take place at 11 a.m. local time on March 25 .
LDK leader Isa Mustafa filed the motion after Prime Minister Albin Kurti on March 18 dismissed Interior Minister Agim Veliu , purportedly for spreading `` panic '' after he backed a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ President Hashim Thaci late on March 17 called for the state of emergency , which would grant him expanded powers beyond the mainly ceremonial role of president .
Kurti rejected the move , saying it would cause “ unnecessary panic ” and fired Veliu hours after the interior minister said he supported the call for a state of emergency .
Although the LDK is a member of the ruling coalition , it has opposed Kurti ’ s Self-Determination Party on several issues , including the declaration of a state of emergency and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ imports .
Adding to the confusion , Thaci on March 24 told citizens not to respect coronavirus-related curfews announced by Kurti ’ s government .
Thaci said the curfews are unconstitutional and can only be declared under a state of emergency .
`` Citizens are not obliged to respect this decision .
Neither the police nor the security authorities should enforce this decision of the government , '' said Thaci , who has asked the Constitutional Court to rule on the matter .
The government has said that the situation is under control @ @ @ @ @ @ @ emergency , Balkan Insider reported .
U.S .
Ambassador to Kosovo Philip S. Kosnett said he was pleased that the parliament will hold a session on the no-confidence vote .
Kosnett said on Twitter on March 24 that he told Kurti it is important for the assembly and all Kosovar institutions to respect the constitution .
Germany ’ s ambassador to Kosovo , meanwhile , voiced the concerns of Germany and France in saying the two countries are at the side of Kosovo ’ s people in crisis .
Christian Heldt said on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ should reconsider the call for a no-confidence vote to maintain a trusted and stable government to face Kosovo ’ s challenges .
Authorities in Kosovo have confirmed 63 coronavirus infections and at least one death , that of an 82-year-old man with underlying health issues .
The country has closed its borders along with all schools , shops , and restaurants .
Grocery stores and pharmacies remain open .
With reporting by AFP and Balkan Insider

PRISTINA -- Kosovo's parliament is set to vote on a no-confidence motion that could engulf the Balkan country in a political crisis even as it battles the coronavirus pandemic along with the rest of the world.
The vote of no confidence, pushed by the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), is scheduled to take place at 11 a.m. local time on March 25.
LDK leader Isa Mustafa filed the motion after Prime Minister Albin Kurti on March 18 dismissed Interior Minister Agim Veliu, purportedly for spreading "panic" after he backed a call for a state of emergency.
President Hashim Thaci late on March 17 called for the state of emergency, which would grant him expanded powers beyond the mainly ceremonial role of president.
Kurti rejected the move, saying it would cause “unnecessary panic” and fired Veliu hours after the interior minister said he supported the call for a state of emergency.
Although the LDK is a member of the ruling coalition, it has opposed Kurti’s Self-Determination Party on several issues, including the declaration of a state of emergency and the imposition of 100 percent tariffs on Serbian imports.
Adding to the confusion, Thaci on March 24 told citizens not to respect coronavirus-related curfews announced by Kurti’s government.
Thaci said the curfews are unconstitutional and can only be declared under a state of emergency.
"Citizens are not obliged to respect this decision. Neither the police nor the security authorities should enforce this decision of the government," said Thaci, who has asked the Constitutional Court to rule on the matter.
The government has said that the situation is under control and has opposed declaring a state of emergency, Balkan Insider reported.
U.S. Ambassador to Kosovo Philip S. Kosnett said he was pleased that the parliament will hold a session on the no-confidence vote.
Kosnett said on Twitter on March 24 that he told Kurti it is important for the assembly and all Kosovar institutions to respect the constitution.
Germany’s ambassador to Kosovo, meanwhile, voiced the concerns of Germany and France in saying the two countries are at the side of Kosovo’s people in crisis.
Christian Heldt said on Twitter on March 24 that the LDK should reconsider the call for a no-confidence vote to maintain a trusted and stable government to face Kosovo’s challenges.
Authorities in Kosovo have confirmed 63 coronavirus infections and at least one death, that of an 82-year-old man with underlying health issues.
The country has closed its borders along with all schools, shops, and restaurants. Grocery stores and pharmacies remain open.
With reporting by AFP and Balkan Insider


rferl--2020-03-25--Kosovo's Parliament Topples Government In No-Confidence Vote

PRISTINA -- Kosovo ’ s parliament has toppled the country 's government in a no-confidence vote , throwing the Western @ @ @ @ @ even as it struggles along with the rest of the world to battle the coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ on March 25 voted 82 in favor of the no-confidence motion , 32 against , @ @ @ @ @ motion was called by the Democratic League of Kosovo ( LDK ) -- a partner @ @ @ @ @ ’ s government .
Even though a member of Kosovo ’ s ruling coalition , @ @ @ @ @ of the prime minister 's polices , including matters regarding the fight against the coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ percent tariffs on goods from neighboring Serbia .
The next step is uncertain .
In @ @ @ @ @ election could be held , but that is unlikely amid the battle to stem the @ @ @ @ @ .

PRISTINA -- Kosovo’s parliament has ousted the country's government in a no-confidence vote, throwing the Western Balkan nation into political turmoil even as it struggles along with the rest of the world to battle the coronavirus epidemic.
The parliament late on March 25 voted 82 in favor of the no-confidence motion, 32 against, with one abstention.
The motion was called by the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) -- a partner in Prime Minister Albin Kurti’s government.
Even though a member of Kosovo’s ruling coalition, the LDK has opposed many of the prime minister's polices, including matters regarding the fight against the coronavirus and the imposition of 100 percent tariffs on goods from neighboring Serbia.
The future remains uncertain. In normal circumstances, a snap election could be held, but that is unlikely amid the battle to stem the spread of the COVID-19 illness.
For now, according to the country’s constitution, Kurti is expected to stay as caretaker prime minister until his leftist-nationalist Vetevendosje (Self-Determination) party puts forward a candidate for premier as required in the next 15 days.
But the toppling of the government leaves the small Western-backed nation without strong leadership as it struggles to stem the COVID-19 pandemic.
Authorities have confirmed more than 60 coronavirus infections and at least one death, that of an 82-year-old man with underlying health issues.
Tensions within the Vetevendosje–LDK coalition intensified after Kurti on March 18 fired Interior Minister Agim Veliu, who supported President Hashim Thaci’s call to declare a state of emergency over the coronavirus pandemic.
Kurti rejected the call, saying it would cause “unnecessary panic.” The move would also have given the president -- a rival of Kurti’s -- additional powers. The presidency is mainly a ceremonial position but does hold some official responsibilities.
The LDK has also opposed the imposition of 100 percent tariffs on Serbian imports, a move supported by Kurti but which has angered the United States and European Union.
Pristina imposed 100 percent tariffs on Serbian goods and services in November 2018 in response to Belgrade's continued lobbying for countries to reverse their recognition of Kosovo, a former province of Serbia’s.
Prior to the no-confidence vote, U.S. Ambassador to Kosovo Philip S. Kosnett said he was pleased that parliament was holding a session on the motion.
Kosnett said on Twitter March 24 that he told Kurti it was important for the assembly and all Kosovo's institutions to respect the constitution.
Meanwhile, Germany’s ambassador to Kosovo voiced the concerns of Germany and France in saying the two countries are at the side of Kosovo’s people in crisis.
Christian Heldt said on Twitter on March 24 that the LDK should reconsider the call for the no-confidence vote to maintain a trusted and stable government to face Kosovo’s challenges.
With reporting by The New York Times, AFP, and Balkan Insider


rferl--2020-03-25--U.S. Believes Missing Former FBI Agent Died In Iranian Custody, Family Says

Retired FBI agent Robert Levinson , who went missing in Iran 13 years ago , is believed to have died in Iranian custody , his family says .
“ We recently received information from U.S. officials that has led both them and us to conclude that our wonderful husband and father died while in Iranian custody , ” the Levinson family said in a statement on March 25 .
`` We don ’ t know when or how he died , only that it was prior to the COVID-19 pandemic , ” it added .
Levinson disappeared when he traveled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Island in March 2007 .
He was working for the CIA as a contractor at the time .
The United States has repeatedly called on Iran to help locate Levinson and bring him home , but Iranian officials said they had no information about his fate .
Levinson was “ sick for a long time ” before he was detained , U.S. President Donald Trump said , adding that he felt “ terribly ” for the family but still had some hope that Levinson is alive .
“ It ’ s not looking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accept that he ’ s dead , ” Trump said at a White House news conference .
The Levinson family said he would be alive today “ if not for the cruel , heartless actions of the Iranian regime . ''
“ How those responsible in Iran could do this to a human being , while repeatedly lying to the world all this time , is incomprehensible to us .
They kidnapped a foreign citizen and denied him any basic human rights , and his blood is on their hands , ” the @ @ @

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


rferl--2020-03-25--Former Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kozhara Detained On Murder Charge

Ukrainian police have detained a former foreign minister on a murder charge related to the fatal shooting of the ex-head of the country 's most popular pro-Russian television network .
Leonid Kozhara , 57 , who served as foreign minister for two years under Kremlin-friendly former President Viktor Yanukovych , was on March 25 immediately taken to court for a custody hearing , Deputy Interior Minister Anton Herashchenko said on Facebook .
He is accused of killing Serhiy Starytskiy , a 56-year-old advertising magnate who directed the Inter TV network .
He was fatally wounded by a bullet from a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ police said .
Kozohara and his wife , who were both at home during the incident , have said Starytskiy committed suicide in a separate room .
However , `` investigators and prosecutors reviewed the circumstances of the death ... and have concluded that he [ Starytskiy ] could not have shot himself , '' Herashchenko said .
Separately , the National Police said that based on forensic , ballistics , and molecular genetic tests , they had enough evidence to charge Kozhara .
During the evening of the shooting , according to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an argument erupted between the two men , which escalated into a fight .
`` Subsequently , the owner of the house went to the bedroom , picked up a gun and , returning to the kitchen , shot his friend , '' police said .
Kozhara , who served as foreign minister between 2012 and 2014 , faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted .
With reporting by Interfax , Hromadske , and AFP

Ukrainian police have detained a former foreign minister on a murder charge related to the fatal shooting of the ex-head of the country's most popular pro-Russian television network.
Leonid Kozhara, 57, who served as foreign minister for two years under Kremlin-friendly former President Viktor Yanukovych, was on March 25 immediately taken to court for a custody hearing, Deputy Interior Minister Anton Herashchenko said on Facebook.
He is accused of killing Serhiy Starytskiy, a 56-year-old advertising magnate who directed the Inter TV network.
Starytsky was found dead inside Kozhara's suburban Kyiv home on February 22.
He was fatally wounded by a bullet from a gun belonging to the former minister, police said.
Kozhara and his wife, who were both at home during the incident, have said Starytskiy committed suicide in a separate room.
However, "investigators and prosecutors reviewed the circumstances of the death...and have concluded that he [Starytskiy] could not have shot himself," Herashchenko said.
Separately, the National Police said that based on forensic, ballistics, and molecular genetic tests, they had enough evidence to charge Kozhara.
During the evening of the shooting, according to police, alcohol was being consumed and an argument erupted between the two men, which escalated into a fight.
"Subsequently, the owner of the house went to the bedroom, picked up a gun and, returning to the kitchen, shot his friend," police said.
Kozhara, who served as foreign minister between 2012 and 2014, faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted.
With reporting by Interfax, Hromadske, and AFP


rferl--2020-03-25--Afghan Government, Taliban To Discuss Prisoner Release 'Face To Face'

KABUL -- Afghan government officials are set to meet with a Taliban delegation in the coming days to discuss an initial release of militant prisoners , Afghanistan 's National Security Council says .
After the two sides spoke via video conference on March 25 , council spokesman Javid Faisal tweeted , `` A Taliban team will meet with the government face-to-face in Afghanistan in the coming days '' to further discuss the release of 100 prisoners by March 31 .
The detainees would be freed on humanitarian grounds `` after guarantees by Taliban and the prisoners that they will not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The development could help break a deadlock that has held up negotiations between the Taliban and the Afghan government under a U.S.-brokered peace process .
The video conference `` decided that the release of the prisoners will practically start by the end of March , '' Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen said on Twitter .
Shaheen said the Taliban would send a team to the Bagram detention center north of Kabul , where Afghan authorities are holding many Taliban prisoners .
U.S. envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad , who attended the `` technical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agreed prisoner releases by both sides will start March 31 . ''
All sides consider the release of prisoners a prerequisite for the beginning of intra-Afghan talks .
But Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has said the government would initially free 1,500 prisoners , while the Taliban has demanded 5,000 as a precondition to talks with Kabul .
Khalilzad has said a prisoner release has become more urgent because of the spread of coronavirus .
An agreement signed in Doha on February 29 by the United States and the Taliban could lead to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as part of a peace process aimed at bringing an end to the conflict in Afghanistan .
The United States has said it is committed to reducing the number of its troops in Afghanistan from about 12,000 to 8,600 within 135 days of signing the deal .
A full withdrawal of all U.S. and coalition forces would occur within 14 months in return for various security commitments from the Taliban and a pledge to hold talks with the Afghan government -- which the militant group so far has refused to do .
Defense @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he had issued an order to the U.S. military halting all travel and movement abroad for up to 60 days in a bid to limit the spread of the coronavirus through the ranks .
One exception to the order will be the draw-down under way in Afghanistan , Esper told Reuters .
With reporting by Reuters , AFP , AIP News , and RFE/RL 's Radio Free Afghanistan

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


rferl--2020-03-25--Azerbaijan's Coronavirus Disinformation Law Could Curb Press Freedom, OSCE Says

The media-rights watchdog for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe ( OSCE ) has raised concerns about legislation passed recently in Azerbaijan with the stated aim of fighting against coronavirus disinformation .
`` I fully understand the need to combat false information during a health emergency , '' Harlem Desir , the OSCE representative on freedom of the media , said on March 25 .
But Desir said the amendment to Azerbaijan 's law on information `` should not impede the work of journalists and their ability to report on the pandemic . ''
`` The media has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ important information to the public in this situation and to combat 'fake news ' on the crisis , '' Desir said .
The amendment was adopted by Azerbaijan 's parliament on March 17 .
It says the owner of any Internet information resource is required to prevent the publication of false information online .
This entails information that `` poses a threat to the life , health , and property of the population , or public safety , '' as well as to `` the work of life support facilities , financial , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and social infrastructure . ''
Desir said the legislation was far-reaching because it extends to publication of information unrelated to the coronavirus pandemic that could lead to situations deemed by the authorities as `` dangerous to the public . ''
As of March 25 , 93 people had been officially diagnosed with coronavirus in Azerbaijan .
Ten of them recovered and two died .
Azerbaijan is ranked 166th out of 180 countries in Reporters Without Borders ' 2019 World Press Freedom Index .

The media-rights watchdog for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has raised concerns about legislation passed recently in Azerbaijan with the stated aim of fighting against coronavirus disinformation.
"I fully understand the need to combat false information during a health emergency," Harlem Desir, the OSCE representative on freedom of the media, said on March 25.
But Desir said the amendment to Azerbaijan's law on information "should not impede the work of journalists and their ability to report on the pandemic."
"The media has a key role to play in providing important information to the public in this situation and to combat 'fake news' on the crisis," Desir said.
The amendment was adopted by Azerbaijan's parliament on March 17.
It says the owner of any Internet information resource is required to prevent the publication of false information online.
This entails information that "poses a threat to the life, health, and property of the population, or public safety," as well as to "the work of life support facilities, financial, transport, communication, industrial, energy, and social infrastructure."
Desir said the legislation was far-reaching because it extends to publication of information unrelated to the coronavirus pandemic that could lead to situations deemed by the authorities as "dangerous to the public."
As of March 25, 93 people had been officially diagnosed with coronavirus in Azerbaijan. Ten of them recovered and two died.
Azerbaijan is ranked 166th out of 180 countries in Reporters Without Borders' 2019 World Press Freedom Index.
With reporting by RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service


rferl--2020-03-25--Azerbaijani Opposition Politician Arrested On 'Bogus' Charges, HRW Says

BAKU -- Azerbaijan has arrested a prominent opposition politician , Tofig Yagublu , in what Human Rights Watch ( HRW ) calls `` another disturbing example of the government 's contempt for free speech and political critics . ''
The New York-based rights group said on March 25 that Yagublu was arrested on spurious hooliganism charges , days after President Ilham Aliyev suggested he would use anti-coronavirus measures against the country 's political opposition .
https : //www.hrw.org/news/2020/03/25/azerbaijan-opposition-leader-arrested Azerbaijan 's government has `` a long-standing pattern of pursuing trumped-up charges against government critics in order to silence them , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ director for Europe and Central Asia .
`` The case against Yagublu falls squarely in that pattern , '' he said .
Yagublu is a member of the Musavat Party and a senior politician in the National Council of Democratic Forces , a coalition of opposition parties and activists .
He often raises concerns about human rights in Azerbaijan .
On March 23 , a Baku court ordered Yagublu to be held for three months in pretrial custody pending an investigation into charges of `` hooliganism committed with a weapon or an object @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
According to the Interior Ministry , Yagublu is accused of using a wrench to inflict bodily harm .
Yagublu denies the charges , which are related to a car accident that HRW said , `` appears to have been staged to provide grounds for a bogus case . ''
If convicted , Yagublu could face up to seven years in prison .
HRW also noted that in a recent speech about challenges posed by the coronavirus , Aliyev described Azerbaijan 's political opposition as traitors , enemies , and a fifth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ country .
The rights group said Aliev `` strongly implied that he would use the fight against the virus to crack down on the political opposition . ''
Gogia said , `` Instead of providing essential information and addressing public concerns on COVID-19 , the government is shamefully trying to usurp this pandemic to continue its relentless crackdown against its critics . ''
HRW said the Azerbaijani authorities had `` periodically arrested Yagublu , subjected him to ill-treatment , and warned him to stop his political activism and criticism against the government .
@

BAKU -- Azerbaijan has arrested a prominent opposition politician, Tofig Yagublu, in what Human Rights Watch (HRW) calls "another disturbing example of the government's contempt for free speech and political critics."
The New York-based rights group said on March 25 that Yagublu was arrested on spurious hooliganism charges, days after President Ilham Aliyev suggested he would use anti-coronavirus measures against the country's political opposition. https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/03/25/azerbaijan-opposition-leader-arrested
Azerbaijan's government has "a long-standing pattern of pursuing trumped-up charges against government critics in order to silence them," said Giorgi Gogia, HRW's associate director for Europe and Central Asia.
"The case against Yagublu falls squarely in that pattern," he said.
Yagublu is a member of the Musavat Party and a senior politician in the National Council of Democratic Forces, a coalition of opposition parties and activists.
He often raises concerns about human rights in Azerbaijan.
On March 23, a Baku court ordered Yagublu to be held for three months in pretrial custody pending an investigation into charges of "hooliganism committed with a weapon or an object used as a weapon," HRW said.
According to the Interior Ministry, Yagublu is accused of using a wrench to inflict bodily harm.
Yagublu denies the charges, which are related to a car accident that HRW said, "appears to have been staged to provide grounds for a bogus case."
If convicted, Yagublu could face up to seven years in prison.
HRW also noted that in a recent speech about challenges posed by the coronavirus, Aliyev described Azerbaijan's political opposition as traitors, enemies, and a fifth column that might try to destabilize the country.
The rights group said Aliev "strongly implied that he would use the fight against the virus to crack down on the political opposition."
Gogia said, "Instead of providing essential information and addressing public concerns on COVID-19, the government is shamefully trying to usurp this pandemic to continue its relentless crackdown against its critics."
HRW said the Azerbaijani authorities had "periodically arrested Yagublu, subjected him to ill-treatment, and warned him to stop his political activism and criticism against the government."


rferl--2020-03-25--Putin Postpones Vote On Constitutional Changes Due To Coronavirus

MOSCOW -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has postponed an April 22 vote on sweeping constitutional changes that could allow him to remain in power until 2036 because of concerns over the coronavirus outbreak .
Speaking in a live television broadcast on March 25 , Putin said a new date for balloting will be determined based on the recommendations of health experts .
The presidential website later said Putin had signed a decree postponing the national vote .
The decision was made `` to avoid endangering the health of Russian citizens due to an unfavorable epidemiological situation , '' the decree @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the package of amendments to the constitution , the most substantive changes to the document since its adoption 27 years ago .
Weeks after the plan to amend the constitution was announced in January , Putin signaled support for another change -- one that would allow him to seek reelection in 2024 and potentially remain president until 2036 .
Putin said that the government did n't want Russians except those working in essential sectors , to come to work next week , though stores , pharmacies , and banks will stay open @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and safety of the people is an absolute priority for us , '' Putin said .
Putin 's comments came after the government reported 658 infections , up from 495 a day before , a rise Deputy Prime Minister Tatiana Golikova said was almost three times higher than the previous average of confirmed cases .
`` There are currently 658 cases in 55 regions of Russia .
Twenty-nine people have recovered .
A total of 112,000 people are being monitored in self-isolation , '' Golikova told a meeting of the country 's federal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the fight against the coronavirus .
The same number appeared on the government 's official website dedicated to the coronavirus outbreak in Russia .
Earlier in the day Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin ordered provincial governors to move at a quicker pace to provide hospital beds for coronavirus patients .
Unlike other countries , Russia has not yet ordered citizens to remain at home as much possible .
In his address , Putin also urged Russians to help each other and follow instructions given by medics and the authorities .
`` All measures @ @ @ @ @ @ @ taken will work , will have results if we show unity and understanding of the difficulty of the current situation , '' he said .
`` The strength of society consists of this solidarity , '' Putin said .
Until the virus outbreak , many Russians had been focusing on the sweeping constitutional changes that under current law , Putin would n't be able to run for president again in 2024 because of term limits .
A new measure would reset his term count , allowing him to run for two more six-year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ changes further strengthen the presidency and emphasize the priority of Russian law over international norms .
With reporting by Reuters and Interfax

MOSCOW -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has postponed an April 22 vote on sweeping constitutional changes that could allow him to remain in power until 2036 because of concerns over the coronavirus outbreak.
Speaking in a live television broadcast on March 25, Putin said a new date for balloting will be determined based on the recommendations of health experts.
The presidential website later said Putin had signed a decree postponing the national vote.
The decision was made "to avoid endangering the health of Russian citizens due to an unfavorable epidemiological situation," the decree reads.
Russians were scheduled to vote on the package of amendments to the constitution, the most substantive changes to the document since its adoption 27 years ago.
Weeks after the plan to amend the constitution was announced in January, Putin signaled support for another change -- one that would allow him to seek reelection in 2024 and potentially remain president until 2036.
Putin said that the government didn't want Russians except those working in essential sectors, to come to work next week, though stores, pharmacies, and banks will stay open.
"The health, life, and safety of the people is an absolute priority for us," Putin said.
Putin's comments came after the government reported 658 infections, up from 495 a day before, a rise Deputy Prime Minister Tatiana Golikova said was almost three times higher than the previous average of confirmed cases.
"There are currently 658 cases in 55 regions of Russia. Twenty-nine people have recovered. A total of 112,000 people are being monitored in self-isolation," Golikova told a meeting of the country's federal coronavirus operative response group that is coordinating the fight against the coronavirus.
The same number appeared on the government's official website dedicated to the coronavirus outbreak in Russia.
Earlier in the day Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin ordered provincial governors to move at a quicker pace to provide hospital beds for coronavirus patients.
Unlike other countries, Russia has not yet ordered citizens to remain at home as much possible.
In his address, Putin also urged Russians to help each other and follow instructions given by medics and the authorities.
"All measures that are being taken and will be taken will work, will have results if we show unity and understanding of the difficulty of the current situation," he said.
"The strength of society consists of this solidarity," Putin said.
Until the virus outbreak, many Russians had been focusing on the sweeping constitutional changes that under current law, Putin wouldn't be able to run for president again in 2024 because of term limits.
A new measure would reset his term count, allowing him to run for two more six-year terms if he chooses.
Other constitutional changes further strengthen the presidency and emphasize the priority of Russian law over international norms.
With reporting by Reuters and Interfax


rferl--2020-03-25--COVID-19: Armenian, Moldovan, Romanian Police Enforce National Lockdowns

The global death toll from the coronavirus has passed 20,000 with more than 450,000 infections confirmed , causing mass disruptions as governments continue to try to slow the spread of the new respiratory illness .
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Romania has surpassed 900 , including 13 deaths , as the authorities deployed army troops on the streets to enforce a `` total quarantine . ''
Romania has been under a state of emergency since March 16 .
But the number of coronavirus cases has continued to grow as many people ignored recommendations to stay indoors , prompting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on March 24 by declaring `` a total quarantine . ''
The authorities on March 25 reported 144 more infections , bringing the total to 907 out of some 14,000 people tested .
The death toll of 13 on March 25 was an increase from eight during the previous 24 hours .
Armored vehicles manned by soldiers in combat gear and face masks were patrolling downtown Bucharest on March 25 after Iohannis ordered the army to help police enforce the lockdown .
Neighboring Moldova on March 25 reported 16 more coronavirus cases during @ @ @ @ @ @ @ total number of infections there to 125 .
`` A total of 1,011 coronavirus tests have been carried out since March 7 , and 125 of them were positive , '' Health , Labor , and Social Protection Minister Viorica Dumbraveanu said .
`` One person has died . ''
Armored vehicles were seen patrolling the streets of Moldova 's capital , Chisinau , after Prime Minister Ion Chicu on March 24 asked the military to help enforce restrictions .
`` We have decided to resort to the army 's help , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to restrict the people 's access to public areas , such as parks , public gardens , and other places .
This is a hard decision , but it is necessary to stop the virus from spreading . ''
According to a tally published on March 25 by Johns Hopkins University , there have been more than 436,150 confirmed cases of coronavirus worldwide -- including about 19,650 deaths .
Police in Armenia have begun enforcing a nationwide lockdown to slow the spread of coronavirus by ensuring people are following new restrictions to freedom @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which will remain in force for at least one week , come as the number of coronavirus cases in the South Caucasus country increased to 265 on March 25 .
Health authorities say 18 people have recovered from the respiratory illness .
No deaths have been reported .
People leaving their homes in the country of nearly 3 million people must carry identity credentials and self-completed forms that explain their reason for being outdoors .
The information must include destination , duration outside , and the time the person left as well as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plans to return home .
Citizens are allowed to travel to and from work if they are employed in a field whose activities have not been not suspended by the government .
They are also permitted to leave their homes to exercise or to buy food or medicine .
Only two people , including the driver , can be inside a vehicle at the same time .
The Armenian government on March 16 declared a one-month state of emergency to contain the outbreak .
The country has closed its border with Georgia and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the world by the virus .
And citizens of a number of countries , including the United States and EU member states , are not allowed entry to Armenia .
Ukraine 's government has widened its state of emergency decree to encompass the entire country due to the spread of the coronavirus .
The 30-day measure was approved on March 25 at a cabinet meeting broadcast live on television .
At the meeting , Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said the new measures would not hinder individual constitutional rights and only `` consolidate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus .
He also proposed a border-closure plan to ban all passenger traffic in and out of the country that would apply to Ukrainian nationals as well .
`` This is an urgent need , because in recent weeks , we have seen that the only source of coronavirus penetration into Ukraine has been the flow of citizens from abroad , and this flow continues , '' Shmyhal said .
Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said that after March 27 no more flights will be allowed to land or depart from the country , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or risk remaining stranded indefinitely .
`` There are two days .
Gather yourselves and come home , my dear fellows .
And after that , you will remain sitting somewhere in Sri Lanka in a luxurious hut .
Well , sit there more , since you decided to do so .
Because two weeks have passed from the moment when we got into this situation , '' Avakov said .
He added that Ukrainians will still be able to enter Ukraine by foot or in a vehicle .
Previously , only Kyiv @ @ @ @ @ @ @ states of emergencies .
Ukraine has reported 145 confirmed virus cases in 13 regions and Kyiv , according to the Center for Public Health .
Four lawmakers are among those who have tested positive .
Five deaths have been attributed to COVID-19 .
The patients ' ages ranged from 33 to 71 years .
The government 's coronavirus task force has admitted to Russia 's first two deaths from the respiratory illness known as COVID-19 .
Two patients , aged 88 and 73 , died on March 25 .
The task force has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other coronavirus patients in Russia as part of its tally , saying they had died of other causes .
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin earlier on March 25 ordered provincial governors to move more quickly to provide hospital beds for coronavirus patients .
The government had earlier reported 658 infections , up from 495 a day before , a rise Deputy Prime Minister Tatiana Golikova said was almost three times higher than the previous average of confirmed cases .
`` There are currently 658 cases in 55 regions of Russia .
Twenty-nine people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people are being monitored in self-isolation , '' Golikova told a meeting of the country 's federal coronavirus operative response group that is coordinating the fight against the coronavirus .
The same number appeared on the government 's official website dedicated to the coronavirus outbreak in Russia .
Mishustin 's warning to regional governors came a day after the mayor of Moscow told Putin that the Russian regions were n't acting energetically enough to prepare for the outbreak .
Sergei Sobyanin warned that the low number of cases in Russia compared to Europe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ called for quicker action to brace for the worst .
He has ordered the closure of all eateries , shopping malls , and parks from March 28 to April 5 .
As of March 25 , Russian authorities had not reported any coronavirus deaths .
A 79-year-old woman who was diagnosed with COVID-19 died last week at a Moscow infectious disease hospital .
At first , Moscow health authorities said the death was virus related , but officials quickly changed the cause of death to a blood clot , not the coronavirus .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ domestic passenger flights to stop the spread of the coronavirus after reporting 1,000 cases in the country .
The domestic flight ban will begin on March 26 , civil aviation spokesman Abdul Sattar Khokhar said .
Most of those who initially tested positive were Pakistani pilgrims returning from neighboring Iran , which has seen the Mideast 's worst outbreak of the coronavirus .
However , officials now say the virus is being reported in people who had no travel history .
As of March 25 , 1,000 people have tested positive for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and 19 full recoveries , according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University in the United States .
Iran on March 25 announced 143 new deaths from the coronavirus , raising the official death toll to 2,077 in one of the world 's worst-hit countries .
Health Ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur said `` our colleagues have registered 2,206 new cases of COVID-19 infection '' in the past 24 hours , bringing the total number of infections to 27,017 .
Jahanpur 's announcement came a day after Iran rejected an offer from a Geneva-based @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inflatable hospital in the central city of Isfahan to deal with the outbreak .
A Doctors Without Borders ( MSF ) crisis-response team comprised of nine emergency and intensive-care unit doctors and logisticians were to run the unit to be set up in the compound of the city ’ s Amin hospital , the organization said .
Michel-Olivier Lacharite , who is in charge of the MSF team , said on March 24 that the organization had been ready to set up the unit at the end of the week after being given @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We are surprised to learn that the deployment of our treatment unit is canceled , '' Lacharite said .
With reporting RFE/RL 's Armenian , Moldovan , Romanian , and Ukrainian services , AP , Dawn , Reuters , G4media.ro , Hotnews.ro , and Interfax

The global death toll from the coronavirus has passed 20,000 with more than 450,000 infections confirmed, causing mass disruptions as governments continue to try to slow the spread of the new respiratory illness.
Here's a roundup of developments in RFE/RL's broadcast countries.
Romania
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Romania has surpassed 900, including 13 deaths, as the authorities deployed army troops on the streets to enforce a "total quarantine."
Romania has been under a state of emergency since March 16.
But the number of coronavirus cases has continued to grow as many people ignored recommendations to stay indoors, prompting President Klaus Iohannis to strengthen the restrictions on March 24 by declaring "a total quarantine."
The authorities on March 25 reported 144 more infections, bringing the total to 907 out of some 14,000 people tested. The death toll of 13 on March 25 was an increase from eight during the previous 24 hours.
Armored vehicles manned by soldiers in combat gear and face masks were patrolling downtown Bucharest on March 25 after Iohannis ordered the army to help police enforce the lockdown.
Moldova
Neighboring Moldova on March 25 reported 16 more coronavirus cases during the previous 24 hours, bringing the total number of infections there to 125.
"A total of 1,011 coronavirus tests have been carried out since March 7, and 125 of them were positive," Health, Labor, and Social Protection Minister Viorica Dumbraveanu said. "One person has died."
Armored vehicles were seen patrolling the streets of Moldova's capital, Chisinau, after Prime Minister Ion Chicu on March 24 asked the military to help enforce restrictions.
"We have decided to resort to the army's help," Chicu said. "We have decided to restrict the people's access to public areas, such as parks, public gardens, and other places. This is a hard decision, but it is necessary to stop the virus from spreading."
According to a tally published on March 25 by Johns Hopkins University, there have been more than 436,150 confirmed cases of coronavirus worldwide -- including about 19,650 deaths.
Armenia
Police in Armenia have begun enforcing a nationwide lockdown to slow the spread of coronavirus by ensuring people are following new restrictions to freedom of movement.
The toughened measures, which will remain in force for at least one week, come as the number of coronavirus cases in the South Caucasus country increased to 265 on March 25.
Health authorities say 18 people have recovered from the respiratory illness. No deaths have been reported.
People leaving their homes in the country of nearly 3 million people must carry identity credentials and self-completed forms that explain their reason for being outdoors.
The information must include destination, duration outside, and the time the person left as well as the estimated time when he or she plans to return home.
Citizens are allowed to travel to and from work if they are employed in a field whose activities have not been not suspended by the government.
They are also permitted to leave their homes to exercise or to buy food or medicine.
Only two people, including the driver, can be inside a vehicle at the same time.
The Armenian government on March 16 declared a one-month state of emergency to contain the outbreak.
The country has closed its border with Georgia and Iran -- one of the hardest-hit countries in the world by the virus.
And citizens of a number of countries, including the United States and EU member states, are not allowed entry to Armenia.
Ukraine
Ukraine's government has declared a state of emergency to cope with the spread of the coronavirus as it seeks to unlock billions of dollars from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The 30-day measure was approved on March 25 at a cabinet meeting broadcast live on television.
At the meeting, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said the new measures would not hinder individual constitutional rights and only “consolidate efforts to overcome the threat” of the coronavirus.
He also proposed a border closure plan to ban all passenger traffic in and out of the country that would apply to Ukrainian nationals as well.
"This is an urgent need, because, in recent weeks, we have seen that the only source of coronavirus penetration into Ukraine has been the flow of citizens from abroad, and this flow continues," Shmyhal said.
Previously, only Kyiv and some regions of Ukraine had declared states of emergency.
The cabinet on March 25 also extended quarantine measures -- basically stay-at-home orders -- until at least April 24. The order, in place since March 12, originally was to be in effect through April 3.
Ukraine confirmed 32 new cases on March 25, bringing the nationwide total to 145 in 13 regions and Kyiv, according to the Center for Public Health.
Four lawmakers are among those who have tested positive.
Five deaths have been attributed to COVID-19. The patients' ages ranged from 33 to 71 years.
Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said that after March 27 no more flights will be allowed to land in or depart from the country, while calling on Ukrainians to come home or risk remaining stranded indefinitely.
“There are two days. Gather yourselves and come home, my dear fellows. And after that, you will remain sitting somewhere in Sri Lanka in a luxurious hut. Well, sit there more, since you decided to do so. Because two weeks have passed from the moment when we got into this situation,” Avakov said.
He added that Ukrainians will still be able to enter Ukraine by foot or in a vehicle.
Parliament, meanwhile, has pushed back a scheduled extraordinary session from March 26 to March 28 to address the coronavirus outbreak and pass bills required by the IMF.
The legislation would enable sessions and committee meetings via video conferencing for at least two months. It also includes measures to cope with the coronavirus, improve social and economic conditions, and amend the budget.
Among the laws required to unlock a $5.5 billion IMF loan is a change of bank regulations to prevent tycoons from regaining control of financial institutions which were nationalized during a period of insolvency from 2014 to 2016.
Kyiv is reportedly seeking a second package worth about $5 billion related to the negative economic effects of the coronavirus outbreak.
Meanwhile, police are investigating an unnamed private medical clinic in Kyiv for possible violations of sanitation rules related to the prevention of infectious diseases and widespread poisoning, local media reported.
Investigators are following up on reports that the clinic may have failed to inform the Health Ministry’s Center for Public Health regarding positive test results for coronavirus.
Russia
The government's coronavirus task force has admitted to Russia's first two deaths from the respiratory illness known as COVID-19. Two patients, aged 88 and 73, died on March 25.
The task force has not included the earlier deaths of two other coronavirus patients in Russia as part of its tally, saying they had died of other causes.
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin earlier on March 25 ordered provincial governors to move more quickly to provide hospital beds for coronavirus patients.
The government had earlier reported 658 infections, up from 495 a day before, a rise Deputy Prime Minister Tatiana Golikova said was almost three times higher than the previous average of confirmed cases.
"There are currently 658 cases in 55 regions of Russia. Twenty-nine people have recovered. A total of 112,000 people are being monitored in self-isolation," Golikova told a meeting of the country's federal coronavirus operative response group that is coordinating the fight against the coronavirus.
The same number appeared on the government's official website dedicated to the coronavirus outbreak in Russia.
Mishustin's warning to regional governors came a day after the mayor of Moscow told Putin that the Russian regions weren't acting energetically enough to prepare for the outbreak.
Sergei Sobyanin warned that the low number of cases in Russia compared to Europe could be explained by insufficient screening and called for quicker action to brace for the worst. He has ordered the closure of all eateries, shopping malls, and parks from March 28 to April 5.
As of March 25, Russian authorities had not reported any coronavirus deaths. A 79-year-old woman who was diagnosed with COVID-19 died last week at a Moscow infectious disease hospital. At first, Moscow health authorities said the death was virus related, but officials quickly changed the cause of death to a blood clot, not the coronavirus.
Pakistan
Pakistan has announced it is halting all domestic passenger flights to stop the spread of the coronavirus after reporting 1,000 cases in the country.
The domestic flight ban will begin on March 26, civil aviation spokesman Abdul Sattar Khokhar said.
Islamabad had previously cut train service and international flights.
Most of those who initially tested positive were Pakistani pilgrims returning from neighboring Iran, which has seen the Mideast's worst outbreak of the coronavirus.
However, officials now say the virus is being reported in people who had no travel history.
As of March 25, 1,000 people have tested positive for the virus in Pakistan, with seven deaths and 19 full recoveries, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University in the United States.
Iran
Iran on March 25 announced 143 new deaths from the coronavirus, raising the official death toll to 2,077 in one of the world's worst-hit countries.
Health Ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur said "our colleagues have registered 2,206 new cases of COVID-19 infection" in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of infections to 27,017.
Jahanpur's announcement came a day after Iran rejected an offer from a Geneva-based medical charity to set up a 50-bed inflatable hospital in the central city of Isfahan to deal with the outbreak.
A Doctors Without Borders (MSF) crisis-response team comprised of nine emergency and intensive-care unit doctors and logisticians were to run the unit to be set up in the compound of the city’s Amin hospital, the organization said.
Michel-Olivier Lacharite, who is in charge of the MSF team, said on March 24 that the organization had been ready to set up the unit at the end of the week after being given prior approval from the authorities.
"We are surprised to learn that the deployment of our treatment unit is canceled," Lacharite said.
With reporting RFE/RL's Armenian, Moldovan, Romanian, and Ukrainian services, AP, Dawn, Reuters, G4media.ro, Hotnews.ro, Interfax, Hromadske, Interfax, and Ukrayinska pravda


rferl--2020-03-25--Gunmen Kill 25 At Kabul Sikh Temple; Islamic State Claims Responsibility

Militants launched an attack on a Sikh temple in Kabul that left at least 25 people dead before security forces killed the attackers and freed dozens of hostages .
Interior Ministry spokesman Tariq Arian did not say how many attackers were involved in the March 25 assault on the temple , though he said all were killed .
The Islamic State militant group has claimed responsibility for the attack via the online Amaq news agency , which it uses to distribute statements .
Afghanistan 's Interior Ministry said that in addition to the 25 dead , eight people were wounded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were rescued .
The AP news agency reported that one of the dead was a child , whose body was brought to a Kabul hospital .
Interior Ministry spokesman Tariq Arian told RFE/RL that Afghan security forces had cordoned off the area and efforts were under way to clear the building of the assailants .
Arian said at least four attackers were exchanging fire with Afghan special forces .
He added that some people were rescued by Afghan security forces and that the operation is proceeding cautiously to avoid harming the people inside @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kabul and rights group Amnesty International condemned the attack .
“ Peace will only come when people resolve their differences through words , not guns , ” the U.S. Embassy said in a statement .
Amnesty said on Twitter that it was “ shocked and disheartened ” by the attack .
Sikhs , a small religious minority in Afghanistan that numbers fewer than 300 families , have been targeted by Islamist militants before .
A suicide bombing targeting the Sikh community and claimed by Islamic State killed more than a dozen people in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jalalabad .
The United States last month struck a deal with the Taliban on the withdrawal of U.S.-led international troops but the agreement does not include IS militants .
With reporting by Reuters , AFP , dpa , and TOLOnews.com


rferl--2020-03-26--Tehran Denies Knowledge Of Missing Ex-FBI Agent After Reports He Died In Iranian Custody

Tehran has denied it knows the whereabouts of Robert Levinson after the United States demanded `` a complete accounting '' of what happened to the retired FBI agent , who is believed to have died in Iranian custody .
`` Iran has always maintained that its officials have no knowledge of Mr. Levinson 's whereabouts , and that he is not in Iranian custody .
Those facts have not changed , '' Alireza Miryousefi , a spokesman for the Iranian mission at the United Nations , said in a tweet on March 26 .
The statement comes in response to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. administration believed Bob Levinson may have passed away `` some time ago . ''
`` Iran must provide a complete accounting of what occurred with Bob Levinson before the United States can fully accept what happened in this case , '' White House national-security adviser Robert O'Brien said in a statement about the American , who disappeared in Iran 13 years ago , when he was 58 .
Before that statement , Levinson ’ s family posted on social media that it had received word about his likely fate from the U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from U.S. officials that has led both them and us to conclude that our wonderful husband and father died while in Iranian custody , '' the Levinson family said in a statement .
`` We don ’ t know when or how he died , only that it was prior to the COVID-19 pandemic , '' it added .
Following the family 's announcement and before O ’ Brien ’ s comments , President Donald Trump told reporters that `` I wo n't accept that he 's dead . ''
Levinson had been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before he was detained , Trump said , adding that he felt `` terribly '' for the family but still had some hope that Levinson was alive .
`` It ’ s not looking great , but I won ’ t accept that he ’ ' dead .
They have n't told us that he 's dead , but a lot of people are thinking that that ’ s the case , '' he said .
Levinson disappeared when he traveled to the Iranian resort of Kish Island in March 2007 .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contractor at the time .
The United States has repeatedly called on Iran to help locate Levinson and bring him home , but Iranian officials said they had no information about his fate .
However , when he disappeared , an Iranian government-linked media outlet broadcast a story saying he was `` in the hands of Iranian security forces . ''
The Levinson family said he would be alive today “ if not for the cruel , heartless actions of the Iranian regime . ''
`` How those responsible in Iran could do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ repeatedly lying to the world all this time , is incomprehensible to us .
They kidnapped a foreign citizen and denied him any basic human rights , and his blood is on their hands , ” the statement added .
With reporting by AP , Reuters , and AFP


rferl--2020-03-26--Abdullah Says Release Of Taliban Prisoners 'Beneficial' For Peace Process

Afghanistan 's former Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah says the release of Taliban prisoners by the government would be beneficial for both sides and would help move the Afghan peace process forward .
Abdullah 's statement came after Afghanistan 's National Security Council announced on March 25 that government officials are set to meet with a Taliban delegation in the coming days to discuss an initial release of militant prisoners .
Abdullah told a news conference in Kabul on March 26 that he is ready for talks to resolve Afghanistan 's ongoing political crisis which he said was `` not in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a video conference between council members and Taliban representatives , council spokesman Javid Faisal tweeted on March 25 , “ A Taliban team will meet with the government face-to-face in Afghanistan in the coming days ” to further discuss the release of 100 prisoners by March 31 .
The detainees would be freed on humanitarian grounds “ after guarantees by Taliban and the prisoners that they will not re-enter the fight , ” Faisal wrote .
U.S. envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad , who took part in the video conference , said the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sides will start March 31.
” The video conference “ decided that the release of the prisoners will practically start by the end of March , '' Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen said on Twitter .
President Ashraf Ghani has said the government would initially free 1,500 prisoners , while the Taliban has demanded 5,000 as a precondition for talks with Kabul .
Khalilzad has said a prisoner release has become more urgent because of the spread of coronavirus .
The development could help break a deadlock that has held up negotiations between the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S.-brokered peace process .
The peace process has been further hampered by a feud between Abdullah and Ghani , who have both claimed.Afghanistan 's presidency after a contested election in September .
The U.S. State Department announced on March 23 that it was slashing $ 1 billion in aid to Afghanistan after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo failed to convince Ghani and Abdullah to end the feud and form an inclusive government to advance the peace process .
Abdullah on March 26 said the U.S. aid cut will cause serious trouble for Afghanistan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ compensated in any way .
An agreement signed in Doha on February 29 by the United States and the Taliban could lead to the withdrawal of all foreign troops from Afghanistan as part of a peace process aimed at bringing an end to the Afghan conflict .
The United States has said it is committed to reducing the number of its troops in Afghanistan from about 12,000 to 8,600 within 135 days of signing the deal .
With reporting by Reuters , AFP , and AIP News


rferl--2020-03-26--Two Rockets Hit Baghdad's Green Zone, Says Iraqi Military

Two rockets struck inside Baghdad 's heavily fortified Green Zone , which houses government buildings and foreign missions , early @ @ @ @ @ there were no casualties , the Iraqi military said .
`` Two Katyusha rockets fell @ @ @ @ @ Details to follow , '' the military statement said .
An Iraqi security source said @ @ @ @ @ be the U.S. Embassy , located several hundred meters south of where the rockets hit @ @ @ @ @ such attack targeting installations where foreign troops and diplomats are based across Iraq since late @ @ @ @ @ immediate claim of responsibility .
Based on reporting by Reuters and AFP

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


rferl--2020-03-26--Trump, Putin, Other G20 Leaders Seek Unity In Virus Fight During Online Summit

U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will be among the leaders of the Group of 20 ( G20 ) major economies expected to participate in an online summit hosted by Saudi Arabia .
The event , scheduled for March 26 , comes as the world 's economies struggle to contain the economic damage caused by the coronavirus pandemic .
The emergency videoconference will be chaired by Saudi King Salman , who is embroiled in a price war with Russia on energy markets after the two sides failed to reach agreement on production cuts at a recent OPEC+ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ world confronts the COVID-19 pandemic and the challenges to health-care systems and the global economy , we convene this extraordinary G20 summit to unite efforts toward a global response , '' the Saudi king said .
Riyadh holds the rotating G20 presidency .
The meeting is expected to begin at 3 p.m. Saudi time .
It comes as the Moody 's financial ratings agency estimated that the G20 nations ’ overall gross domestic product ( GDP ) would contract by 0.5 percent this year .
The U.S. economy is seen shrinking by 2 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to experience a 2.2 percent retraction , according to Moody ’ s .
Oil prices had been hit by declining demand even before the coronavirus crisis hammered consumer spending further .
A Saudi-Russia dispute has additionally pressured prices .
Saudi Arabia faces pressure from the United States to back off its decision to raise production and offer the biggest price cuts in two decades -- a move made in retaliation for Moscow 's refusal to agree to production cuts .
On March 25 , U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called on Saudi @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rise to the occasion '' and `` reassure global energy and financial markets . ''
Critics have accused the G20 of being too slow to respond to the coronavirus crisis .
According to Johns Hopkins University , there have been more than 470,000 cases of coronavirus infections globally , with over 21,000 deaths .
Leaders of the United Nations , the World Bank , the World Health Organization ( WHO ) , and the World Trade Organization ( WTO ) will also participate in the videoconference .
With on reporting by AFP and @