rferl--2020-12-14--Suspected Russian Hackers Behind Breach Of U.S. Treasury, Other Government Agencies

Suspected Russian hackers broke into U.S. government networks , including the Treasury and Commerce departments , in a major breach that may have been taking place for months .
National Security Council spokesperson John Ullyot said in a statement on December 13 that the government was “ taking all necessary steps to identify and remedy any possible issues related to this situation.
” Reuters was the first report on the breach .
Officials familiar with the matter said the hackers targeted the Treasury Department and the Commerce Department 's agency responsible for deciding internet and telecommunications policy .
There is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ may have been compromised .
The situation is so serious the National Security Council gathered at the White House on December 12 , Reuters reported .
`` This is a much bigger story than one single agency , '' one of the people familiar with the matter told Reuters .
`` This is a huge cyber espionage campaign targeting the U.S. government and its interests . ''
Reuters and The Washington Post , citing U.S. officials , said Russian government hackers are currently believed to be behind the attack .
The Federal Bureau @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Security 's cybersecurity arm , and other agencies are investigating .
The breach , which also involved the hackers spying on internal email traffic at the targeted agencies , may have been taking place for months and only discovered now , officials said .
The revelation comes after U.S. cybersecurity firm FireEye on December 8 said that “ a nation with top-tier offensive capabilities ” broke into its network .
The hackers stole tools FireEye uses to test vulnerabilities in the computer networks of its customers , including federal , state , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the cybersecurity community suspect the Russian intelligence-linked hacking group known as APT29 , or Cozy Bear , was behind the FireEye attack .
The same group was behind attacks on the State Department and White House during the administration of President Barack Obama , as well as the hack of the Democratic National Committee ’ s servers during the 2016 presidential campaign .
With reporting by AP , Reuters , and The Washington Post .

Suspected Russian hackers broke into U.S. government networks, including the Treasury and Commerce departments, as part of a monthslong global cyberespionage campaign believed to have also targeted other governments and major corporations.
National Security Council spokesperson John Ullyot said in a statement on December 13 that the government was “taking all necessary steps to identify and remedy any possible issues related to this situation.”
Reuters was the first to report on the breach.
Officials familiar with the matter said the hackers targeted the Treasury Department and the Commerce Department's agency responsible for deciding Internet and telecommunications policy. There is also concern networks at other government agencies may have been compromised.
The situation is so serious the National Security Council gathered at the White House on December 12, Reuters reported.
"This is a much bigger story than one single agency," one of the people familiar with the matter told Reuters. "This is a huge cyberespionage campaign targeting the U.S. government and its interests."
Reuters and The Washington Post, citing U.S. officials, said Russian government hackers are currently believed to be behind the attack.
The FBI, the Department of Homeland Security's cybersecurity arm, and other agencies are investigating.
Spying On E-Mail
The cyberoperation, which also involved the hackers spying on internal e-mail traffic at the targeted agencies, may have been taking place for months and only discovered now, officials said.
The revelation comes after U.S. cybersecurity firm FireEye on December 8 said that “a nation with top-tier offensive capabilities” broke into its network.
The hackers stole tools FireEye uses to test vulnerabilities in the computer networks of its customers, including federal, state, and local governments and top corporations.
Many in the cybersecurity community suspect the Russian intelligence-linked hacking group known as APT29, or Cozy Bear, was behind the FireEye attack.
The same group was behind attacks on the State Department and White House during the administration of President Barack Obama, as well as the hack of the Democratic National Committee’s servers during the 2016 presidential campaign.
The Russian Embassy in Washington denied any involvement in the cyberattacks, calling the accusation "unfounded."
"Russia does not conduct offensive operations in the cyber domain," the Russian embassy said in a statement on its web page.
"Malicious activities in the information space contradict the principles of the Russian foreign policy, national interests, and our understanding of interstate relations," the statement says.
In a blog post on December 13, FireEye said it had discovered a “global intrusion campaign” through an update of server software made by the firm SolarWinds.
The software is used by hundreds of thousands of organizations globally, including major corporations and governments. On its website, SolarWinds says its customers include all five branches of the U.S. military, the Pentagon, the State Department, NASA, the National Security Agency, the Department of Justice, and the White House.
FireEye did not name those behind the intrusion, but the actors behind the campaign “gained access to numerous public and private organizations around the world.”
“The victims have included government, consulting, technology, telecom, and extractive entities in North America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East,” FireEye said. It said the campaign may have started in the spring and is currently ongoing.
In response to what may be deep penetration of U.S. government agencies, the Department of Homeland Security's cybersecurity arm issued an emergency directive telling federal agencies to search their networks for compromises.
The directive said U.S. agencies should immediately disconnect or power down any machines running the impacted SolarWinds software.
With reporting by AP, Reuters, and The Washington Post


rferl--2020-12-13--Iran Summons German, French Envoys Over EU Condemnation Of Journalist's Hanging

Iran has summoned the German and French ambassadors to Tehran after the European Union condemned the execution of an Iranian journalist whose online work helped inspire anti-government protests in 2017 , Iranian state media report .
According to the IRNA news agency , Iran 's Foreign Ministry told the envoys that Tehran rejects the EU statement as `` an unacceptable interference in Iran 's domestic affairs . ''
Ruhollah Zam , a former exile in France , was hanged on December 12 , sparking a chorus of international outrage .
The EU condemned the journalist 's execution `` in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ irrevocable opposition to the use of capital punishment under any circumstances . ''
France called the execution a `` barbaric and unacceptable act '' and a `` serious breach of free expression and press freedom in Iran . ''
To protest Zam 's execution , France , Germany , and several other EU member states cancelled their ambassadors ' participation in the Europe-Iran Business Forum , scheduled to take place as an online event on December 14-16 .
Subsequently , the event 's organizing committee announced in a statement on December 13 that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it did n't mention the reason behind the decision .
Zam , 47 , was being held in Iran after Iranian intelligence services reportedly seized him while he was traveling in neighboring Iraq in 2019 .
He was sentenced to death in June following what media watchdog Reporters Without Borders called a `` grossly unfair '' trial .
Zam was convicted of `` corruption on Earth , '' a charge often leveled in cases involving espionage or attempts to overthrow Iran 's government .
Germany expressed its shock about the circumstances of Zam @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his `` abduction from abroad '' and forced return to Iran .
Zam 's website , AmadNews , and a channel he created on the popular messaging app Telegram had informed people about the 2017 protests , which began over economic hardship and spread nationwide .
The protests represented the biggest challenge to Iran since postelection mass unrest in 2009 and set the stage for similar turmoil in November 2019 .
More than 20 people were killed during the unrest and thousands were arrested .
AmadNews was suspended on Telegram in 2018 but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Based on reporting by AP , dpa , AFP , and Reuters

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--2020-12-13--Scores Detained In Latest Belarus Protests

MINSK -- Security forces in Belarus detained scores of people as opposition demonstrators staged scattered marches and rallies in Minsk and other cities on December 13 to pressure strongman leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka to make political concessions .
The human rights group Vyasna said that nearly 300 people were detained during the protests–with most of the arrests reported in Minsk .
Officials said more than 300 people were detained .
Scores of marches took place across the country , with numbers at each rally ranging from dozens to several hundred .
The dispersed protests are part of a recent strategy adopted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decentralizing the movement and making it more difficult for police to round up activists .
Some protesters marched in outlying residential areas of Minsk , waving white-and-red flags , a symbol of the opposition , and chanting `` Long Live Belarus.
” The demonstrations came as opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya was in Berlin , ahead of a meeting with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on December 14 .
Speaking at an event at Berlin ’ s cathedral , she said she would continue to rally international support for Belarus ' beleaguered opposition .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is to stop violence and lawlessness against Belarusians , '' she said .
From Germany , Tsikhanouskaya will travel to Brussels for talks with EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell and members of the EU Parliament , before receiving the European Parliament 's prestigious Sakharov Human Rights Prize on December 16 .
Belarus has been roiled by unprecedented political opposition since early August when Lukashenka was declared victor of a presidential election that opposition leaders said was flawed .
Activists have defied often violent police tactics and organized weeks of demonstrations and rallies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ concession that Lukashenka has shown are suggestions he has made about drafting a new constitution .
Police have violently cracked down on the postelection protests , with more than 27,000 detentions , according to the UN .
There have also been credible reports of torture and ill-treatment , and several people have died .
Many of Belarus 's opposition leaders have been arrested or forced to leave the country , including Tsikhanouskaya , who says she won the August election .
The United States , the European Union , and several other countries @ @ @ @ @ @ @ winner of the vote .
The European Union imposed sanctions on Lukashenka and his allies citing election rigging and a violent police crackdown .
With reporting by AFP , dpa , and Reuters .

MINSK -- Security forces in Belarus detained scores of people as opposition demonstrators staged scattered marches and rallies in Minsk and other cities on December 13 to pressure strongman leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka to make political concessions.
The human rights group Vyasna said that nearly 300 people were detained during the protests–with most of the arrests reported in Minsk. Officials said more than 300 people were detained.
Scores of marches took place across the country, with numbers at each rally ranging from dozens to several hundred. The dispersed protests are part of a recent strategy adopted by the opposition as a way of decentralizing the movement and making it more difficult for police to round up activists.
Some protesters marched in outlying residential areas of Minsk, waving white-and-red flags, a symbol of the opposition, and chanting "Long Live Belarus.”
The demonstrations came as opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya was in Berlin, ahead of a meeting with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on December 14.
Speaking at an event at Berlin’s cathedral, she said she would continue to rally international support for Belarus' beleaguered opposition.
"The most important task of this visit is to stop violence and lawlessness against Belarusians," she said.
From Germany, Tsikhanouskaya will travel to Brussels for talks with EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell and members of the EU Parliament, before receiving the European Parliament's prestigious Sakharov Human Rights Prize on December 16.
Belarus has been roiled by unprecedented political opposition since early August when Lukashenka was declared victor of a presidential election that opposition leaders said was flawed.
Activists have defied often violent police tactics and organized weeks of demonstrations and rallies.
Still, the only hints of concession that Lukashenka has shown are suggestions he has made about drafting a new constitution.
Police have violently cracked down on the postelection protests, with more than 27,000 detentions, according to the UN. There have also been credible reports of torture and ill-treatment, and several people have died.
Crisis In Belarus Read our coverage as Belarusian strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka continues his brutal crackdown on NGOs, activists, and independent media following the August 2020 presidential election.
Many of Belarus's opposition leaders have been arrested or forced to leave the country, including Tsikhanouskaya, who says she won the August election.
The United States, the European Union, and several other countries have refused to acknowledge Lukashenka as the winner of the vote.
The European Union imposed sanctions on Lukashenka and his allies citing election rigging and a violent police crackdown.
With reporting by AFP, dpa, and Reuters.


rferl--2020-12-14--Bellingcat Joint Report Alleges Russia's FSB Behind Navalny Poisoning

A new joint investigation between Bellingcat and several media outlets has revealed evidence they say shows that the recent poisoning of Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny was carried out by Russia ’ s Federal Security Service ( FSB ) .
Citing “ voluminous evidence in the form of telecoms and travel data , ” the investigation , which included the Insider , a Russian investigative website , and cooperation with Der Spiegel and CNN , showed the August poisoning of the Kremlin critic in the Siberian city of Tomsk appeared to have been in the works since at least early @ @ @ @ @ @ @ August 2020 , FSB operatives from a clandestine FSB unit specializing in working with poisonous substances shadowed Navalny during his trips across Russia , flew alongside him on more than 30 overlapping flight destinations , and appear to have made at least two attempts to poison him prior to the Tomsk operation , ” the group said in a statement on the release of the research on December 14 .
Navalny is currently in Germany , where he is recovering after being poisoned with a Novichok nerve agent in Siberia in late August @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Vladimir Putin ordered the poisoning attack on him .
The Kremlin has denied any involvement .
Bellingcat , a British-based open-source research group , said the investigation identified three FSB operatives from this clandestine unit who traveled alongside Navalny to Novosibirsk and then followed him to the city of Tomsk where he was ultimately poisoned .
The three were supported and supervised by “ at least ” five more FSB operatives , some of whom also traveled to Omsk , where Navalny had been hospitalized , it added .
The report names the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ -- both medical doctors -- and Vladimir Paniaev .
It does not say whether an attempt was made to contact those allegedly involved in the plot .
“ Members of the unit communicated with one another throughout the operation , with sudden peaks of communication just before the poisoning as well as during the nighttime hours [ Moscow time ] when Aleksei Navalny left his hotel and headed to the Tomsk airport , ” the investigation said .
Navalny fell ill on the flight to Moscow shortly after takeoff , prompting the crew @ @ @ @ @ @ @ city of Omsk where the 44-year-old was hospitalized for days before being flown to Berlin , where doctors concluded that he had been poisoned with a nerve agent .
The Bellingcat report comes two days after the British-based Times newspaper cited Western intelligence sources as saying that a second attempt to poison Navalny was made just before he was flown to Germany .
Bellingcat said that an analysis of the phone metadata of 12 FSB operatives linked to the Russian Criminalistics Institute shows that the unit of the FSB operates a boutique chemical-weapons @ @ @ @ @ @ @ described by Soviet-era ex-KGB defectors .
WATCH : Navalny 's Team Say He Was Poisoned In Hotel Room , Not At Airport The FSB is the successor of the KGB , the notorious Soviet-era secret police force that ceased operating in 1991 during the breakup of the Soviet Union .
“ By analyzing call metadata , overlapping flight records , and previously leaked offline databases , we have identified at least fifteen operatives who work within this clandestine poisoning sub-unit of the FSB Criminalistics Institute .
At least eight of these -- including @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had direct involvement in various stages of what appears to have been multiple attempts to poison Alexey Navalny , ” the report says .
The so-called “ poison squad ” members shadowed Navalny since at least January 16 , 2017 , Bellingcat said , just a month after he announced his plans to run in a 2018 presidential election .
Often traveling under aliases -- sometimes even using one name when heading to a destination , and another name on the way back -- the squad flew on parallel flights to cloak their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would be in keeping with professional operational security practices to minimize chances of Navalny or his team members noticing the same co-passengers on various flights , ” the report said , noting there were 37 trips by members of the group to the same destinations that Navalny traveled to .
“ Similarly , this consistently applied method would likely make it implausible that this squad was tasked with simply tailing and surveilling Navalny , as such a goal -- in addition to not requiring officers trained in medicine and chemical weapons use -- @ @ @ @ @ @ @ larger number of different FSB officers flying on the same flight as him , ” it added .
The European Union and Britain have imposed asset freezes and travel bans against six senior Russian officials believed to be responsible for the Navalny poisoning , as well as one entity involved in the program that has produced a group of military-grade nerve agents known as Novichok .
The agent used in Navalny ’ s poisoning appeared similar to the one identified by British authorities as the toxin used in the near-fatal poisoning of Russian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Yulia , in 2018 in the English city of Salisbury .

A new joint investigation between Bellingcat and several media outlets has revealed evidence they say shows that the recent poisoning of Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny was carried out by Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB).
Citing “voluminous evidence in the form of telecoms and travel data,” the investigation, which included the Insider, a Russian investigative website, and cooperation with Der Spiegel and CNN, showed the August poisoning of the Kremlin critic in the Siberian city of Tomsk appeared to have been in the works since at least early 2017.
“From early 2017 until August 2020, FSB operatives from a clandestine FSB unit specializing in working with poisonous substances shadowed Navalny during his trips across Russia, flew alongside him on more than 30 overlapping flight destinations, and appear to have made at least two attempts to poison him prior to the Tomsk operation,” the group said in a statement on the release of the research on December 14.
Navalny, who is currently in Germany where he is recovering after being poisoned with a Novichok nerve agent in Siberia in late August, said his poisoning case was now solved despite the absence of an official investigation in Russia.
He reiterated his accusation that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the poisoning attack on him. The Kremlin has denied any involvement.
Bellingcat, a British-based open-source research group, said the investigation identified three FSB operatives from this clandestine unit who traveled alongside Navalny to Novosibirsk and then followed him to the city of Tomsk where he was ultimately poisoned.
The three were supported and supervised by “at least” five more FSB operatives, some of whom also traveled to Omsk, where Navalny had been hospitalized, it added.
The report names the three as Aleksei Alexandrov, Ivan Osipov -- both medical doctors -- and Vladimir Paniaev. It does not say whether an attempt was made to contact those allegedly involved in the plot.
“Members of the unit communicated with one another throughout the operation, with sudden peaks of communication just before the poisoning as well as during the nighttime hours [Moscow time] when Aleksei Navalny left his hotel and headed to the Tomsk airport,” the investigation said.
Navalny fell ill on the flight to Moscow shortly after takeoff, prompting the crew to make an emergency landing in the city of Omsk where the 44-year-old was hospitalized for days before being flown to Berlin, where doctors concluded that he had been poisoned with a nerve agent.
In a video posted on the Internet on December 14, Navalny said his own investigators had checked the findings of the Bellingcat investigation.
"I know who wanted to kill me. I know where they live. I know where they work. I know their real names. I know their fake names. I have their photos," Navalny said.
"This is a story about a secret group of murderers from the FSB that includes doctors and chemists, about how they tried to kill me several times and almost killed my wife once," he said.
The Bellingcat report comes two days after the British-based Times newspaper cited Western intelligence sources as saying that a second attempt to poison Navalny was made just before he was flown to Germany.
Bellingcat said that an analysis of the phone metadata of 12 FSB operatives linked to the Russian Criminalistics Institute shows that the unit of the FSB operates a boutique chemical-weapons poisoning facility that resembles a KGB-run laboratory described by Soviet-era ex-KGB defectors.
WATCH: Navalny's Team Say He Was Poisoned In Hotel Room, Not At Airport
The FSB is the successor of the KGB, the notorious Soviet-era secret police force that ceased operating in 1991 during the breakup of the Soviet Union.
“By analyzing call metadata, overlapping flight records, and previously leaked offline databases, we have identified at least fifteen operatives who work within this clandestine poisoning sub-unit of the FSB Criminalistics Institute. At least eight of these -- including their supervisor [Stanislav] Makshakov -- had direct involvement in various stages of what appears to have been multiple attempts to poison Alexey Navalny,” the report says.
The so-called “poison squad” members shadowed Navalny since at least January 16, 2017, Bellingcat said, just a month after he announced his plans to run in a 2018 presidential election.
Often traveling under aliases -- sometimes even using one name when heading to a destination, and another name on the way back -- the squad flew on parallel flights to cloak their movements.
“Such a modus operandi would be in keeping with professional operational security practices to minimize chances of Navalny or his team members noticing the same co-passengers on various flights,” the report said, noting there were 37 trips by members of the group to the same destinations that Navalny traveled to.
“Similarly, this consistently applied method would likely make it implausible that this squad was tasked with simply tailing and surveilling Navalny, as such a goal -- in addition to not requiring officers trained in medicine and chemical weapons use -- would conceivably be better achieved by a larger number of different FSB officers flying on the same flight as him,” it added.
The European Union and Britain have imposed asset freezes and travel bans against six senior Russian officials believed to be responsible for the Navalny poisoning, as well as one entity involved in the program that has produced a group of military-grade nerve agents known as Novichok.
The agent used in Navalny’s poisoning appeared similar to the one identified by British authorities as the toxin used in the near-fatal poisoning of Russian double-agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, in 2018 in the English city of Salisbury.
With reporting by AFP and RFE/RL’s Russian Service


rferl--2020-12-14--Tsikhanouskaya Says 'Matter Of Time' Until Lukashenka Forced Out

Belarusian opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya says it is only `` a matter of time '' until authoritarian leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka , who has run the country since 1994 , steps aside .
In an interview with The New Yorker magazine published on December 13 , Tsikhanouskaya , who refers to herself as the `` leader of democratic Belarus , '' said that while the almost daily protests over the August 9 election results may lose some momentum during the winter , Lukashenka is `` politically bankrupt '' and eventually will fall .
`` Whether it ’ s from economic pressure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stop tolerating him .
Yes , people are tired and maybe they will lay low through the winter , because it ’ s hard to be stomped into the dirt by the security forces and then be taken to jail all cold and wet .
But in the spring , it ’ s going to flare up again , '' Tsikhanouskaya , who left Belarus for neighboring Lithuania fearing for the safety of her family , said in the interview conducted online via video .
“ Every country has its own path to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Several protesters have been killed and thousands arrested since authorities declared Lukashenka the landslide winner of the vote , a claim the opposition and many Western countries refuse to recognize because of alleged electoral fraud .
There have also been credible reports of torture during a widening security crackdown .
Belarus 's Interior Ministry announced on December 14 that a total of 271 people were detained at protests around the country the previous day .
Lukashenka , who has ruled the country with an iron fist for almost three decades , has refused @ @ @ @ @ @ @ emphasized that she and her team will do everything to attract world attention to the situation in Belarus , adding that many in her country `` are disappointed '' with the pace of the West ’ s reaction to the ongoing situation in her country .
`` When I was just a regular person , I used to think that Europe was so close and so big , and its leaders so powerful that they would surely do something ; they couldn ’ t stand idly by .
Now I see that although @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their solidarity -- there is nothing they can really do , '' Tsikhanouskaya said .
According to Tsikhanouskaya , whose supporters have insisted that she won the presidential poll , she and her team have been working on instituting economic sanctions against Lukashenka ’ s government for months , but `` it ’ s all so slow and complicated . ''
`` European leaders are treading carefully , always looking over their shoulders at Russia .
For us , this is painful .
Every time I meet with heads of state , I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ try to tell them about the innocent people who have been locked up and about the humiliation they are being subjected to , '' Tsikhanouskaya said .
Moscow , which sees the country of 9.5 million as a security buffer against NATO , has lent its support to Lukashenka through statements and financial backing , In response to the crackdown on protesters , the European Union and Western countries have imposed sanctions on dozens of Belarusian officials , including Lukashenka .
Tsikhanouskaya said that the West should broaden the sanctions to include individual @ @ @ @ @ @ @ -- which the opposition says top 30,000 -- torture , and killings of protesters .
`` For now , sanctions apply only to highly placed officials who ’ ve faced sanctions before and have parked their money elsewhere and are generally prepared .
But people lower down -- the principals of the schools where election results were falsified , the Interior Ministry troops whom we ’ ve been able to identify , heads of jails , hospital directors who fire doctors for speaking out -- they ’ ve never faced sanctions before .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of fear that the state will pressure them or their families .
But the risk that they would land on this sanction list and , say , get barred from taking a shopping trip to Poland or Lithuania could counterbalance that fear , '' Tsikhanouskaya said .
She also said that major industrial enterprises must face European Union sanctions as well in order to force Lukashenka 's regime to be toppled , adding that more and more workers across Belarus have been joining national strikes .

Belarusian opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya says it is only "a matter of time" until authoritarian leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka, who has run the country since 1994, steps aside.
In an interview with The New Yorker magazine published on December 13, Tsikhanouskaya, who refers to herself as the "leader of democratic Belarus," said that while the almost daily protests over the August 9 election results may lose some momentum during the winter, Lukashenka is "politically bankrupt" and eventually will fall.
"Whether it’s from economic pressure or something else, people will soon stop tolerating him. Yes, people are tired and maybe they will lay low through the winter, because it’s hard to be stomped into the dirt by the security forces and then be taken to jail all cold and wet. But in the spring, it’s going to flare up again," Tsikhanouskaya, who left Belarus for neighboring Lithuania fearing for the safety of her family, said in the interview conducted online via video.
“Every country has its own path to democracy...And this is ours.”
Several protesters have been killed and thousands arrested since authorities declared Lukashenka the landslide winner of the vote, a claim the opposition and many Western countries refuse to recognize because of alleged electoral fraud. There have also been credible reports of torture during a widening security crackdown.
Crisis In Belarus Read our coverage as Belarusian strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka continues his brutal crackdown on NGOs, activists, and independent media following the August 2020 presidential election.
Belarus's Interior Ministry announced on December 14 that a total of 271 people were detained at protests around the country the previous day.
Lukashenka, who has ruled the country with an iron fist for almost three decades, has refused to negotiate with the opposition.
Tsikhanouskaya emphasized that she and her team will do everything to attract world attention to the situation in Belarus, adding that many in her country "are disappointed" with the pace of the West’s reaction to the ongoing situation in her country.
"When I was just a regular person, I used to think that Europe was so close and so big, and its leaders so powerful that they would surely do something; they couldn’t stand idly by. Now I see that although they have been expressing their concern -- their solidarity -- there is nothing they can really do," Tsikhanouskaya said.
According to Tsikhanouskaya, whose supporters have insisted that she won the presidential poll, she and her team have been working on instituting economic sanctions against Lukashenka’s government for months, but "it’s all so slow and complicated."
"European leaders are treading carefully, always looking over their shoulders at Russia. For us, this is painful. Every time I meet with heads of state, I try to convey this pain. We try to tell them about the innocent people who have been locked up and about the humiliation they are being subjected to," Tsikhanouskaya said.
Moscow, which sees the country of 9.5 million as a security buffer against NATO, has lent its support to Lukashenka through statements and financial backing,
In response to the crackdown on protesters, the European Union and Western countries have imposed sanctions on dozens of Belarusian officials, including Lukashenka.
Tsikhanouskaya said that the West should broaden the sanctions to include individual officials in Belarus involved in the arrests -- which the opposition says top 30,000 -- torture, and killings of protesters.
"For now, sanctions apply only to highly placed officials who’ve faced sanctions before and have parked their money elsewhere and are generally prepared. But people lower down -- the principals of the schools where election results were falsified, the Interior Ministry troops whom we’ve been able to identify, heads of jails, hospital directors who fire doctors for speaking out -- they’ve never faced sanctions before. They may be doing all this out of fear that the state will pressure them or their families. But the risk that they would land on this sanction list and, say, get barred from taking a shopping trip to Poland or Lithuania could counterbalance that fear," Tsikhanouskaya said.
She also said that major industrial enterprises must face European Union sanctions as well in order to force Lukashenka's regime to be toppled, adding that more and more workers across Belarus have been joining national strikes.


rferl--2020-12-14--Kazakh Government Critic Says Car Fire Linked To His Articles

ALMATY , Kazakhstan -- A Kazakh scholar known for his online criticism of the government says his car was set on fire by unknown individuals because he publicly expressed his thoughts on the Internet .
History professor Esenghazy Quandyq told RFE/RL on December 14 that arsonists attacked his car overnight , completely destroying the vehicle 's interior .
`` The cap of the fuel tank was torn off and the outer cover was open .
It is obvious that somebody intentionally did it , '' Quandyq said , adding that a strange sound woke him up at around 2:00 a.m. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ window he saw his car , parked in front of his apartment block , in flames .
Quandyq added that he managed to extinguish the fire with his neighbors ' help before firefighters arrived .
According to Quandyq , the attack is likely linked to his latest series of online articles in which he questioned Kazakh election laws as the Central Asian nation prepares for parliamentary elections on January 10 , 2021 .
The Almaty district police department officials told RFE/RL that a probe has been launched into the arson attack .
Earlier @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rights lawyer Aiman Omarova said she survived a car fire that started after a brake malfunction , describing it as an attempt to injure her because of her professional activities .
In November 2019 , a car belonging to Nurzhan Mukhammedov , a civil rights activist in the southern city of Shymkent , was vandalized by unidentified assailants who left a severed dog ’ s head inside the vehicle .

ALMATY, Kazakhstan -- A Kazakh scholar known for his online criticism of the government says his car was set on fire by unknown individuals because he publicly expressed his thoughts on the Internet.
History professor Esenghazy Quandyq told RFE/RL on December 14 that arsonists attacked his car overnight, completely destroying the vehicle's interior.
"The cap of the fuel tank was torn off and the outer cover was open. It is obvious that somebody intentionally did it," Quandyq said, adding that a strange sound woke him up at around 2:00 a.m., and when he looked out his window he saw his car, parked in front of his apartment block, in flames.
Quandyq added that he managed to extinguish the fire with his neighbors' help before firefighters arrived.
According to Quandyq, the attack is likely linked to his latest series of online articles in which he questioned Kazakh election laws as the Central Asian nation prepares for parliamentary elections on January 10, 2021.
The Almaty district police department officials told RFE/RL that a probe has been launched into the arson attack.
Earlier in May, a well-known Kazakh human rights lawyer Aiman Omarova said she survived a car fire that started after a brake malfunction, describing it as an attempt to injure her because of her professional activities.
In November 2019, a car belonging to Nurzhan Mukhammedov, a civil rights activist in the southern city of Shymkent, was vandalized by unidentified assailants who left a severed dog’s head inside the vehicle.


rferl--2020-12-14--Iran Sentences British-Iranian Academic To Eight Years In Prison

Iran has sentenced British-Iranian anthropologist Kameel Ahmady , who studies child marriage and female genital mutilation , to eight years in prison .
The researcher ’ s lawyer , Amir Raesian , said on December 13 that his client had received an eight-year sentence for `` collaborating with a hostile government.
” `` We will present an appeal request against this ruling and we are still hopeful , '' Raesian said on Twitter .
The semiofficial Tasnim news agency reported a Revolutionary Court sentenced the academic to nine years in prison and ordered him to pay a $ 727,000 fine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over the duration of the prison sentence .
It was not immediately clear if Ahmady will begin serving the sentence now or will remain free pending an appeal .
Ahmady wrote on Twitter that he was already subject to 100 days of detention last year and denied access to his lawyer while being interrogated .
He accused Iranian authorities of targeting him for his research on `` the most harmful traditions about children in disadvantaged minority areas of Iran . ''
Tasnim reported Ahmady was charged with cooperation with European embassies to promote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ communication with hostile media , and providing false reports to the UN ’ s special rapporteur on human rights in Iran .
Ahmady , an ethnic Kurd whose research touched on sensitive issues in the conservative country , was arrested at his home in Tehran in August 2019 .
He was released in November 2019 on bail .
In addition to studying child marriage and female genital mutilation , he also researches minorities , gender , and temporary marriages practiced in Shi ’ ite Islam .
Ahmady is one of several dual nationals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the past several years .
Critics say Iran arbitrarily detains dual nationals as part of hostage diplomacy to extract political concessions from Western countries .
With reporting by AP , Reuters , and Tasnim


rferl--2020-12-14--Suspected Russian Hackers Breach U.S. Treasury, Other Government Agencies

Suspected Russian hackers broke into U.S. government networks , including the Treasury and Commerce departments , as part of a monthslong global cyberespionage campaign believed to have also targeted other governments and major corporations .
National Security Council spokesperson John Ullyot said in a statement on December 13 that the government was “ taking all necessary steps to identify and remedy any possible issues related to this situation.
” Reuters was the first to report on the breach .
Officials familiar with the matter said the hackers targeted the Treasury Department and the Commerce Department 's agency responsible for deciding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also concern networks at other government agencies may have been compromised .
The situation is so serious the National Security Council gathered at the White House on December 12 , Reuters reported .
`` This is a much bigger story than one single agency , '' one of the people familiar with the matter told Reuters .
`` This is a huge cyberespionage campaign targeting the U.S. government and its interests . ''
Reuters and The Washington Post , citing U.S. officials , said Russian government hackers are currently believed to be behind @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Department of Homeland Security 's cybersecurity arm , and other agencies are investigating .
The cyberoperation , which also involved the hackers spying on internal e-mail traffic at the targeted agencies , may have been taking place for months and only discovered now , officials said .
The revelation comes after U.S. cybersecurity firm FireEye on December 8 said that “ a nation with top-tier offensive capabilities ” broke into its network .
The hackers stole tools FireEye uses to test vulnerabilities in the computer networks of its customers , including federal , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ corporations .
Many in the cybersecurity community suspect the Russian intelligence-linked hacking group known as APT29 , or Cozy Bear , was behind the FireEye attack .
The same group was behind attacks on the State Department and White House during the administration of President Barack Obama , as well as the hack of the Democratic National Committee ’ s servers during the 2016 presidential campaign .
The Russian Embassy in Washington denied any involvement in the cyberattacks , calling the accusation `` unfounded . ''
`` Russia does not conduct offensive operations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Russian embassy said in a statement on its web page .
`` Malicious activities in the information space contradict the principles of the Russian foreign policy , national interests , and our understanding of interstate relations , '' the statement says .
In a blog post on December 13 , FireEye said it had discovered a “ global intrusion campaign ” through an update of server software made by the firm SolarWinds .
The software is used by hundreds of thousands of organizations globally , including major corporations and governments .
On its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all five branches of the U.S. military , the Pentagon , the State Department , NASA , the National Security Agency , the Department of Justice , and the White House .
FireEye did not name those behind the intrusion , but the actors behind the campaign “ gained access to numerous public and private organizations around the world.
” “ The victims have included government , consulting , technology , telecom , and extractive entities in North America , Europe , Asia , and the Middle East , ” FireEye said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the spring and is currently ongoing .
In response to what may be deep penetration of U.S. government agencies , the Department of Homeland Security 's cybersecurity arm issued an emergency directive telling federal agencies to search their networks for compromises .
The directive said U.S. agencies should immediately disconnect or power down any machines running the impacted SolarWinds software .
With reporting by AP , Reuters , and The Washington Post


rferl--2020-12-14--Azerbaijan, Armenia Swap Prisoners As Part Of Nagorno-Karabakh Truce Deal

YEREVAN/BAKU -- Azerbaijan and Armenia have started exchanging prisoners , a move stipulated in the cease-fire agreement between the two neighbors that ended recent fighting over the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh territory .
Azerbaijani authorities said the sides had agreed to an all-for-all exchange of prisoners , and that a plane with some of the captives landed in Azerbaijan on December 14 .
Armenian officials said a Russian plane carrying 44 Armenian captives landed at Yerevan ’ s Erebuni airport late in the day .
“ At this stage , the Armenian captives whose captivity has been confirmed by Azerbaijan and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ process of finding and organizing the return of our other compatriots who are missing and have been possibly captured continues , ” Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinian wrote on his Facebook page .
The Russian Defense Ministry said that 12 prisoners were handed over to Azerbaijan and 44 to Armenia .
The exchange was facilitated by Russian peacekeepers who have been deployed in and around Nagorno-Karabakh under the Moscow-brokered cease-fire deal , which took effect on November 10 after six weeks of fighting .
It was not immediately clear how many more prisoners @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The fighting , in which more than 5,600 people on both sides were killed , was the worst clashes over the region since the early 1990s .
Under the Russia-brokered truce deal , some parts in and around Nagorno-Karabakh were placed under Azerbaijani administration after almost 30 years of control by ethnic Armenian forces .
In Armenia , the truce agreement sparked outrage and anti-government protests , with thousands regularly taking to the streets to demand the ouster of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian over his handling of the conflict .
Thousands of people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 14 , chanting “ Nikol , go away !
” and “ Armenia without Nikol !
” Pashinian , who swept to power amid nationwide protests in 2018 , has said he has no plans to quit , insisting that he signed the deal because he is responsible for ensuring national security and stabilizing the former Soviet republic .
Opposition politicians have called for the establishment of a new , interim government until early elections can be held in the coming months .
Nagorno-Karabakh is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the region 's population reject Azerbaijani rule .
They have been governing their own affairs , with support from Armenia , since Azerbaijan 's troops and Azeri civilians were pushed out of the region and the seven adjacent districts in a war that ended in a cease-fire in 1994 .

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


rferl--2020-12-14--More Than 100 Detained In Minsk At Anti-Lukashenka Retirees' Rally

MINSK -- A Belarusian human rights group says more than 100 people were detained in Minsk during the weekly rally of retirees calling on strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka to step down .
Up to 150 protesters gathered at Independence Square in the center of the capital Minsk on December 14 for their customary Monday march , but security forces prevented them from moving along Independence Avenue .
The demonstrators then started rallying on the square itself , waving white-and-red flags , a symbol of the opposition , and shouting slogans such as `` Get out ! ''
and `` Long live @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dispersed by police .
Some of the demonstrators hid in the nearby Church of Saints Symon and Alena , but at least 106 others were detained , according to the human rights group Vyasna .
The crackdown came a day after a total of 271 people were held at protests around the country , according to the Interior Ministry .
Most of the arrests were reported in the capital .
Belarus has been roiled by nearly daily protests since early August when Lukashenka was declared victor of a presidential election that opposition leaders @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cracked down on the postelection protests , with more than 27,000 detentions , according to the UN .
There have also been credible reports of torture and ill-treatment , and several people have died .
Many of Belarus 's opposition leaders have been arrested or forced to leave the country , while Lukashenka , who has ruled the country with an iron fist for almost three decades , has refused to negotiate with the opposition .
The United States , the European Union , and several other countries have refused to acknowledge Lukashenka @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and imposed sanctions on Lukashenka and his allies , citing election rigging and the police crackdown .
On December 14 in Berlin , Belarusian opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya urged Germany to lift its visa requirement for Belarusian citizens and called for the expansion of EU sanctions .
`` The punitive measures look ridiculous when we see how many people have been arrested so far : more than 30,000 since August , '' Tsikhanovskaya , who left Belarus for neighboring Lithuania fearing for the safety of her family , told Der Spiegel magazine during @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` We need action , '' she said .
Tsikhanovskaya met in Berlin with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier , who praised the Belarusian people ’ s `` bravery and persistence , '' and the president of Germany ’ s parliament .
From Germany , Tsikhanouskaya is set to travel to Brussels for talks with EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell and members of the EU Parliament , before receiving the European Parliament 's prestigious Sakharov Human Rights Prize on December 16 .
With reporting by AP and dpa

MINSK -- A Belarusian human rights group says more than 100 people were detained in Minsk during the weekly rally of retirees calling on strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka to step down.
Up to 150 protesters gathered at Independence Square in the center of the capital Minsk on December 14 for their customary Monday march, but security forces prevented them from moving along Independence Avenue.
The demonstrators then started rallying on the square itself, waving white-and-red flags, a symbol of the opposition, and shouting slogans such as "Get out!" and "Long live Belarus!" before the gathering was dispersed by police.
Some of the demonstrators hid in the nearby Church of Saints Symon and Alena, but at least 106 others were detained, according to the human rights group Vyasna.
The crackdown came a day after a total of 271 people were held at protests around the country, according to the Interior Ministry. Most of the arrests were reported in the capital.
Belarus has been roiled by nearly daily protests since early August when Lukashenka was declared victor of a presidential election that opposition leaders said was flawed.
Police have violently cracked down on the postelection protests, with more than 27,000 detentions, according to the UN. There have also been credible reports of torture and ill-treatment, and several people have died.
Crisis In Belarus Read our coverage as Belarusian strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka continues his brutal crackdown on NGOs, activists, and independent media following the August 2020 presidential election.
Many of Belarus's opposition leaders have been arrested or forced to leave the country, while Lukashenka, who has ruled the country with an iron fist for almost three decades, has refused to negotiate with the opposition.
The United States, the European Union, and several other countries have refused to acknowledge Lukashenka as the winner of the vote, and imposed sanctions on Lukashenka and his allies, citing election rigging and the police crackdown.
On December 14 in Berlin, Belarusian opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya urged Germany to lift its visa requirement for Belarusian citizens and called for the expansion of EU sanctions.
"The punitive measures look ridiculous when we see how many people have been arrested so far: more than 30,000 since August," Tsikhanovskaya, who left Belarus for neighboring Lithuania fearing for the safety of her family, told Der Spiegel magazine during her visit to the German capital.
"We need action," she said.
Tsikhanovskaya met in Berlin with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who praised the Belarusian people’s "bravery and persistence," and the president of Germany’s parliament.
From Germany, Tsikhanouskaya is set to travel to Brussels for talks with EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell and members of the EU Parliament, before receiving the European Parliament's prestigious Sakharov Human Rights Prize on December 16.
With reporting by AP and dpa


rferl--2020-12-14--U.S. Sanctions NATO Ally Turkey Over Purchase Of Russian Missile Defense System

WASHINGTON -- The United States has sanctioned NATO ally Turkey for its purchase of a missile defense system from Russia amid already tense relations between Washington and Ankara .
The State Department on December 14 announced the sanctions on Turkey ’ s top Turkish defense development body for its purchase of the surface-to-air S-400 system from Rosoboronexport , Russia 's main arms exporter .
The sanctions include a ban on all U.S. export licenses to the Presidency of Defense Industries ( SSB ) as well as an asset freeze on its president , Ismail Demir , its vice president , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dissuade Ankara from purchasing and installing the Russian missile system , warning it would endanger the security of U.S. military technology and personnel as well as that of Turkey .
After Turkey moved ahead with the purchase , the United States suspended its participation in the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program while it continued to negotiate with Ankara .
It imposed sanctions after those talks failed , state department officials said .
`` Today ’ s action sends a clear signal that the United States will…not tolerate significant transactions with Russia 's defense @ @ @ @ @ @ @ State Mike Pompeo said in a statement .
Turkey and Russia were quick to condemn the move , with the Turkish Foreign Ministry urging the United States to “ reconsider this unfair decision.
” `` Turkey stands ready to address this issue through dialogue and diplomacy in conformity with the spirit of alliance that binds the two NATO partners , '' the ministry said .
Demir said the sanctions `` will not be able to hinder the Turkish defense industry in any way . ''
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called the sanctions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coercive measures '' by the United States .
Relations between the United States and Turkey , a NATO ally since 1952 , have worsened in recent years over a host of issues , including a crackdown on democracy at home , Ankara ’ s role in the Syrian and Nagorno-Karabakh conflicts , as well as its actions in the eastern Mediterranean .
Pompeo called on Turkey to cooperate with the United States to solve the issue of the missile system , saying the country was still an important NATO partner .
`` Turkey @ @ @ @ @ @ @ regional security partner for the United States , and we seek to continue our decades-long history of productive defense-sector cooperation by removing the obstacle of Turkey ’ s S-400 possession as soon as possible , '' he said .

WASHINGTON -- The United States has sanctioned NATO ally Turkey for its purchase of a missile defense system from Russia amid already tense relations between Washington and Ankara.
The State Department on December 14 announced the sanctions on Turkey’s top Turkish defense development body for its purchase of the surface-to-air S-400 system from Rosoboronexport, Russia's main arms exporter.
The sanctions include a ban on all U.S. export licenses to the Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB) as well as an asset freeze on its president, Ismail Demir, its vice president, and two employees.
Washington sought to dissuade Ankara from purchasing and installing the Russian missile system, warning it would endanger the security of U.S. military technology and personnel as well as that of Turkey.
After Turkey moved ahead with the purchase, the United States suspended its participation in the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program while it continued to negotiate with Ankara.
It imposed sanctions after those talks failed, state department officials said.
"Today’s action sends a clear signal that the United States will…not tolerate significant transactions with Russia's defense and intelligence sectors," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement.
Turkey and Russia were quick to condemn the move, with the Turkish Foreign Ministry urging the United States to “reconsider this unfair decision.”
"Turkey stands ready to address this issue through dialogue and diplomacy in conformity with the spirit of alliance that binds the two NATO partners," the ministry said.
Demir said the sanctions "will not be able to hinder the Turkish defense industry in any way."
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called the sanctions another example of "illegitimate, unilateral coercive measures" by the United States.
Relations between the United States and Turkey, a NATO ally since 1952, have worsened in recent years over a host of issues, including a crackdown on democracy at home, Ankara’s role in the Syrian and Nagorno-Karabakh conflicts, as well as its actions in the eastern Mediterranean.
Pompeo called on Turkey to cooperate with the United States to solve the issue of the missile system, saying the country was still an important NATO partner.
"Turkey is a valued Ally and an important regional security partner for the United States, and we seek to continue our decades-long history of productive defense-sector cooperation by removing the obstacle of Turkey’s S-400 possession as soon as possible," he said.
With reporting by AFP


rferl--2020-12-14--U.S. Sanctions Iranian Officials Over Abduction, 'Probable Death' Of Ex FBI Agent

The United States has accused Iran of direct involvement in the presumed death of former FBI agent Robert Levinson and imposed sanctions on two Iranian intelligence agents believed to be responsible for his abduction .
The U.S administration said two senior officials from Iran 's Ministry of Intelligence and Security ( MOIS ) were `` involved in the abduction , detention , and probable death '' of the former agent .
Levinson , who was born in March 1948 , disappeared when he traveled to the Iranian Kish Island resort in March 2007 .
He was reportedly working for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
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 abduction of Mr. Levinson in Iran is an outrageous example of the Iranian regime 's willingness to commit unjust acts , '' Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement , adding that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pursue those who played a role in Mr. Levinson ’ s detention and probable death . ''
In a separate statement , U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called Levinson 's case `` another egregious example of the regime 's callous disregard toward human life , '' and reiterated the U.S. government ’ s `` strong warning '' to American citizens and dual nationals that traveling to Iran may jeopardize their personal safety .
`` The Iranian regime has a 41-year history of abducting and detaining foreigners and dual-nationals as political leverage , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on December 14 , any property or assets that the two targeted Iranian officials -- identified as Mohammad Baseri and Ahmad Khazai -- hold in the United States would be blocked .
Though it 's unlikely that the Iranian agents have bank accounts in the United States , the move could also limit their movements or financial dealings outside of Iran .
The Levinson family thanked the U.S. administration , saying in a statement : `` This is just one step in a long road toward achieving justice for him , but it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was no immediate comments from Iranian officials .


rferl--2020-12-14--Azerbaijani Soldiers Arrested For Desecration, Vandalism During Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict

BAKU – Azerbaijani authorities say they have arrested four servicemen suspected of desecrating the bodies of dead Armenian soldiers and of vandalizing gravestones at Armenian cemeteries during recent fighting over the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region .
The arrests were made after investigators studied videos that circulated on the Internet during the six weeks of fighting that ended last month , the Prosecutor-General 's Office said in a statement on December 14 .
According to the statement , two sergeants , Rasad Aliyev and Qardasxan Abisov , are suspected of desecrating the corpses of Armenian soldiers killed during battles in the district @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Huseynov and Umid Agayev , are accused of vandalizing gravestones at a cemetery in the village of Madatli .
`` Other videos with possible similar contents are being investigated ...
Such criminal acts committed by the servicemen of the Republic of Azerbaijan are inadmissible ... and individuals who have committed similar violations will be brought to justice , in accordance with law , '' the Prosecutor-General 's Office said .
The office said in November that it had launched a probe into videos showing the possible torture of captured Armenian soldiers and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ groups have urged both Azerbaijan and Armenia to immediately conduct investigations into war crimes allegedly committed by both sides during the latest fighting over Nagorno-Karabakh that ended with a Russia-brokered truce on November 10 .
Under the truce deal , some parts in and around the region were placed under Azerbaijani administration after almost 30 years of control by ethnic Armenian forces .
Nagorno-Karabakh is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan , but the ethnic Armenians who make up most of the region 's population reject Azerbaijani rule .
They have been governing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Armenia , since Azerbaijan 's troops and Azeri civilians were pushed out of the region and the seven adjacent districts in a war that ended in a cease-fire in 1994 .

BAKU – Azerbaijani authorities say they have arrested four servicemen suspected of desecrating the bodies of dead Armenian soldiers and of vandalizing gravestones at Armenian cemeteries during recent fighting over the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region.
The arrests were made after investigators studied videos that circulated on the Internet during the six weeks of fighting that ended last month, the Prosecutor-General's Office said in a statement on December 14.
According to the statement, two sergeants, Rasad Aliyev and Qardasxan Abisov, are suspected of desecrating the corpses of Armenian soldiers killed during battles in the district of Zangilan.
Two privates, Arzu Huseynov and Umid Agayev, are accused of vandalizing gravestones at a cemetery in the village of Madatli.
"Other videos with possible similar contents are being investigated... Such criminal acts committed by the servicemen of the Republic of Azerbaijan are inadmissible... and individuals who have committed similar violations will be brought to justice, in accordance with law," the Prosecutor-General's Office said.
The office said in November that it had launched a probe into videos showing the possible torture of captured Armenian soldiers and the desecration of corpses.
International human rights groups have urged both Azerbaijan and Armenia to immediately conduct investigations into war crimes allegedly committed by both sides during the latest fighting over Nagorno-Karabakh that ended with a Russia-brokered truce on November 10.
Under the truce deal, some parts in and around the region were placed under Azerbaijani administration after almost 30 years of control by ethnic Armenian forces.
Nagorno-Karabakh is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, but the ethnic Armenians who make up most of the region's population reject Azerbaijani rule.
They have been governing their own affairs, with support from Armenia, since Azerbaijan's troops and Azeri civilians were pushed out of the region and the seven adjacent districts in a war that ended in a cease-fire in 1994.


rferl--2020-12-14--Turkey Detains 11 Suspected Of Abducting Iranian Dissident

Turkish authorities say they have detained 11 people suspected of spying and abducting an exiled Iranian political dissident on behalf of Tehran .
Agents from Turkey 's MIT intelligence service arrested the Turkish nationals two weeks ago following Habib Chaab ’ s disappearance in Istanbul , the Turkish police said on December 14 .
Chaab , the former leader of the separatist group the Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahwaz ( ASMLA ) , lived in Sweden and visited Turkey in October .
Turkish police said the suspects grabbed Chaab in Istanbul and smuggled him to the Iranian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up to Iranian officials .
A senior official was quoted as saying he was drugged and kidnapped by a network working `` on behalf of Iran 's intelligence service '' after being lured into flying to Turkey by an Iranian intelligence operative .
There was no immediate public comment from Iran .
Iran 's state media reported Chaab ’ s arrest in November by Iranian intelligence officers .
ASMLA said Tehran had kidnapped Chaab , also known as Habib Asyud , after `` luring '' him to Turkey .
The group , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ separate state for ethnic Arabs in Iran 's oil-producing southwestern province of Khuzestan , was named by Tehran as being behind a deadly 2018 terror attack on a military parade in the southwestern city of Ahvaz that left at least 25 dead , including civilians .
In recent years , a number of Iranian opposition activists have ended up in Iran under mysterious circumstances .
They include opposition journalist and activist Ruhollah Zam , a former exile in France who was seized while he was traveling in Iraq in 2019 .
He was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and sentenced to death in June before being hanged last week , triggering international condemnation .
The announcement by the Turkish authorities follows a rare public spat between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and top Iranian officials .
During a visit to Baku on December 10 to attend a parade celebrating Azerbaijan ’ s resumption of control over parts of its Nagorno-Karabakh region and adjacent districts following a military conflict with neighboring Armenia , Erdogan read parts of an Azeri-Iranian poem that Iranian officials said supported separatism among Iran 's large ethnic Azeri @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ambassador to Tehran to complain about Erdogan 's `` interventionist and unacceptable remarks.
” Turkey replied by summoning Iran 's ambassador to Ankara to protest the `` baseless '' claims .
Turkey and Iran have close political and trade relations but find themselves on opposite sides of the Syrian conflict and have other regional disputes .
Ankara is a close ally of Azerbaijan .
With reporting by Reuters and AFP


rferl--2020-12-14--Prosecutors Seek 15 Years For Noted Russian Historian Who Murdered, Dismembered Girlfriend

ST. PETERSBURG , Russia -- Prosecutors in the murder case against a flamboyant Russian professor who murdered and dismembered his student lover are seeking a 15-year prison term for a crime that has captivated St. Petersburg , Russia 's second-largest city , over the past year .
Prosecutors Asya Lokotkova and Marina Suvorova asked the Oktyabr district court on December 14 to sentence Oleg Sokolov to 13 years in prison for murdering 24-year-old postgraduate student Anastasia Yeshchenko , and to three years in prison for illegally possessing a firearm , though they said the total prison term for the defendant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ historian , who was once awarded France ’ s Order of Legion d'Honneur for his research into military leader Napoleon Bonaparte , was detained in St. Petersburg in November 2019 after being pulled out of the Moika River with a backpack containing the severed body parts of a young woman .
Investigators later found the woman 's head in his apartment .
Sokolov , who regularly dressed in Napoleon-era costumes and took part in battle reenactments , said during the hearing that he fully accepts guilt on all charges , but added that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was premeditated as , according to him , he killed his lover in a state of `` temporary insanity . ''
The high-profile case has been adjourned or postponed several times in recent months for various reasons , including restrictions imposed to slow the spread of the coronavirus .

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia -- Prosecutors in the murder case against a flamboyant Russian professor who murdered and dismembered his student lover are seeking a 15-year prison term for a crime that has captivated St. Petersburg, Russia's second-largest city, over the past year.
Prosecutors Asya Lokotkova and Marina Suvorova asked the Oktyabr district court on December 14 to sentence Oleg Sokolov to 13 years in prison for murdering 24-year-old postgraduate student Anastasia Yeshchenko, and to three years in prison for illegally possessing a firearm, though they said the total prison term for the defendant should equal 15 years.
The 64-year-old historian, who was once awarded France’s Order of Legion d'Honneur for his research into military leader Napoleon Bonaparte, was detained in St. Petersburg in November 2019 after being pulled out of the Moika River with a backpack containing the severed body parts of a young woman.
Investigators later found the woman's head in his apartment.
Sokolov, who regularly dressed in Napoleon-era costumes and took part in battle reenactments, said during the hearing that he fully accepts guilt on all charges, but added that he was not sure if the murder was premeditated as, according to him, he killed his lover in a state of "temporary insanity."
The high-profile case has been adjourned or postponed several times in recent months for various reasons, including restrictions imposed to slow the spread of the coronavirus.


rferl--2020-12-14--Meet The Russian History Hunter Unearthing The Grim Relics Of World War II

Teeth frozen in a ghastly grin of death , the skull emerges from the mud where it has lain since @ @ @ @ @ latest find for Russian metal detectorist Sergei , who scours the forests of western Russia @ @ @ @ @ rusting relics of what is known as the Great Patriotic War .

Teeth frozen in a ghastly grin of death, the skull emerges from the mud where it has lain since 1941. It's the latest find for Russian metal detectorist Sergei, who scours the forests of western Russia for the lost remains and rusting relics of what is known as the Great Patriotic War.


rferl--2020-12-14--Trial Postponed Of Ex-Police Officers Suspected In Illegal Arrest Of Moscow Journalist

The Moscow City Court has postponed the high-profile trial of several former police officers suspected in the illegal apprehension of investigative journalist Ivan Golunov last year after the lawyer of one of the defendants said he had lost his legal license .
Aleksei Kovrizhkin , the lawyer of the former chief of the Moscow police 's illegal-drugs department , Igor Lyakhovets , told the court at the start of the trial on December 14 that the Moscow Chamber of Attorneys revoked his license to practice for unspecified reasons in October .
The court recessed and said the trial would reconvene @ @ @ @ @ @ @ official confirmation of Kovrizhkin 's status .
Lyakhovets , meanwhile , told the court that he does not want legal assistance and will defend himself during the process .
Lyakhovets has said that the case against him and his four former subordinates , Akbar Sergaliyev , Roman Feofanov , Maksim Umetbayev , and Denis Konovalov , is politically motivated .
The five men were arrested in late-January and charged later with abuse of service duties , the falsification of evidence , and the illegal handling of drugs .
In September , the suspects @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crime in an organized group , '' which carries stricter penalties .
The 37-year-old Golunov , who works for the Latvia-based information outlet Meduza , was arrested in June last year in Moscow for allegedly attempting to sell illegal drugs .
He was released several days later after the charges were dropped following a public outcry .
The case sparked an investigation into his detainment over the charges and also into why Golunov suffered bruises , cuts , a concussion , and a broken rib during the ordeal .
In mid-July , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ along with their supervisor for violating the journalist 's rights .
After Golunov ’ s release , Russian President Vladimir Putin fired Major General Yury Devyatkin , the head of the Moscow police department 's drug=control directorate , and Major General Andrei Puchkov , the police chief in Moscow 's West administrative region , over the case .
Authorities announced in November that the case had been classified , a decision harshly criticized by Golunov 's lawyers , who called the move an attempt to cover up the `` wrongful arrest '' of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ move , the Prosecutor 's Office of Moscow 's Western District apologized to Golunov in February for his illegal prosecution .
With reporting by TASS and Interfax

The Moscow City Court has postponed the high-profile trial of several former police officers suspected in the illegal apprehension of investigative journalist Ivan Golunov last year after the lawyer of one of the defendants said he had lost his legal license.
Aleksei Kovrizhkin, the lawyer of the former chief of the Moscow police's illegal-drugs department, Igor Lyakhovets, told the court at the start of the trial on December 14 that the Moscow Chamber of Attorneys revoked his license to practice for unspecified reasons in October.
The court recessed and said the trial would reconvene on December 17 as it waits for official confirmation of Kovrizhkin's status.
Lyakhovets, meanwhile, told the court that he does not want legal assistance and will defend himself during the process.
Lyakhovets has said that the case against him and his four former subordinates, Akbar Sergaliyev, Roman Feofanov, Maksim Umetbayev, and Denis Konovalov, is politically motivated.
The five men were arrested in late-January and charged later with abuse of service duties, the falsification of evidence, and the illegal handling of drugs.
In September, the suspects were additionally charged with "committing a crime in an organized group," which carries stricter penalties.
The 37-year-old Golunov, who works for the Latvia-based information outlet Meduza, was arrested in June last year in Moscow for allegedly attempting to sell illegal drugs.
He was released several days later after the charges were dropped following a public outcry. The case sparked an investigation into his detainment over the charges and also into why Golunov suffered bruises, cuts, a concussion, and a broken rib during the ordeal.
In mid-July, the police officers who detained Golunov were fired along with their supervisor for violating the journalist's rights.
After Golunov’s release, Russian President Vladimir Putin fired Major General Yury Devyatkin, the head of the Moscow police department's drug=control directorate, and Major General Andrei Puchkov, the police chief in Moscow's West administrative region, over the case.
Authorities announced in November that the case had been classified, a decision harshly criticized by Golunov's lawyers, who called the move an attempt to cover up the "wrongful arrest" of their client.
In a very rare move, the Prosecutor's Office of Moscow's Western District apologized to Golunov in February for his illegal prosecution.
With reporting by TASS and Interfax


rferl--2020-12-14--Jailed Russian Historian Receives Human Rights And Rule Of Law Prize

Russian historian Yury Dmitriyev , who was sentenced to 13 years in prison on a controversial child sexual-abuse charge that he and his supporters have rejected as politically motivated , has been named among the recipients of the 2020 Franco-German Human Rights and the Rule of Law prize .
The Moscow-based Memorial Human Rights Center said on December 14 that Dmitriyev was among 13 rights defenders who became laureates this year of the prize established in 2016 by the foreign ministries of France and Germany to honor individuals who have contributed to the defense of human rights in their countries @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , 64 , who is the head of the local branch of Memorial in the northwestern Russian region of Karelia , is currently on trial again , this time on a charge of producing child pornography , which he and his supporters also reject as politically motivated .
The high-profile cases against the researcher date back to 2016 , when Dmitriyev , who has spent decades researching extrajudicial executions carried out in Karelia under Soviet dictator Josef Stalin , was arrested on child-pornography charges based on photographs of his foster daughter that authorities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the images were not pornographic and were made at the request of social workers concerned about the child ’ s physical development .
He was acquitted in April 2018 , but the Karelia Supreme Court upheld an appeal by prosecutors and ordered a new trial .
He was rearrested in June 2018 and charged with the more serious crime of sexual assault against a minor .
After that trial he was sentenced to 3 1/2 years in July on a conviction for “ violent acts of a sexual nature committed against a person @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has rejected the case and believes he is being targeted because of his research into Stalin 's crimes .
Prosecutors , who had asked for 15 years in prison in the high-profile case , said the original sentence was `` too lenient '' and appealed it .
Dmitriyev 's defense , meanwhile , insisted their client was innocent and also appealed the case .
On September 29 , weeks before the historian was due to be released because of time served , the Supreme Court of Karelia accepted the prosecutors ' appeal and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's sentence .
Dozens of Russian and international scholars , historians , writers , poets , and others have issued statements in support of the scholar , while the European Union has called for Dmitriyev to be released .
Dmitriyev ’ s research has been viewed with hostility by the government of President Vladimir Putin .
Under Putin , Stalin has undergone a gradual rehabilitation , and the Russian government has emphasized his leadership of the Soviet Union while downplaying his crimes against Soviet citizens .
Under Stalin , millions of people were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or starved to death in famines caused by forced collectivization .
During World War II , entire ethnic groups were deported to remote areas as collective punishment for alleged collaboration with the Nazis .

Russian historian Yury Dmitriyev, who was sentenced to 13 years in prison on a controversial child sexual-abuse charge that he and his supporters have rejected as politically motivated, has been named among the recipients of the 2020 Franco-German Human Rights and the Rule of Law prize.
The Moscow-based Memorial Human Rights Center said on December 14 that Dmitriyev was among 13 rights defenders who became laureates this year of the prize established in 2016 by the foreign ministries of France and Germany to honor individuals who have contributed to the defense of human rights in their countries and on an international level.
Dmitriyev, 64, who is the head of the local branch of Memorial in the northwestern Russian region of Karelia, is currently on trial again, this time on a charge of producing child pornography, which he and his supporters also reject as politically motivated.
The high-profile cases against the researcher date back to 2016, when Dmitriyev, who has spent decades researching extrajudicial executions carried out in Karelia under Soviet dictator Josef Stalin, was arrested on child-pornography charges based on photographs of his foster daughter that authorities found on his computer.
Dmitriyev said the images were not pornographic and were made at the request of social workers concerned about the child’s physical development.
He was acquitted in April 2018, but the Karelia Supreme Court upheld an appeal by prosecutors and ordered a new trial. He was rearrested in June 2018 and charged with the more serious crime of sexual assault against a minor.
After that trial he was sentenced to 3 1/2 years in July on a conviction for “violent acts of a sexual nature committed against a person under 14 years of age.” He has rejected the case and believes he is being targeted because of his research into Stalin's crimes.
Prosecutors, who had asked for 15 years in prison in the high-profile case, said the original sentence was "too lenient" and appealed it. Dmitriyev's defense, meanwhile, insisted their client was innocent and also appealed the case.
On September 29, weeks before the historian was due to be released because of time served, the Supreme Court of Karelia accepted the prosecutors' appeal and added another 9 1/2 years onto Dmitriyev's sentence.
Dozens of Russian and international scholars, historians, writers, poets, and others have issued statements in support of the scholar, while the European Union has called for Dmitriyev to be released.
Dmitriyev’s research has been viewed with hostility by the government of President Vladimir Putin. Under Putin, Stalin has undergone a gradual rehabilitation, and the Russian government has emphasized his leadership of the Soviet Union while downplaying his crimes against Soviet citizens.
Under Stalin, millions of people were executed, sent to labor camps, or starved to death in famines caused by forced collectivization. During World War II, entire ethnic groups were deported to remote areas as collective punishment for alleged collaboration with the Nazis.


rferl--2020-12-14--Two Russians Sentenced For Euro 2016 Attack

Two 34-year-old Russian men have been sentenced to prison terms of three years and 10 years for a savage attack on an English football supporter at the 2016 European championships in France .
Mikhail Ivkin received a three-year term and Pavel Kossov the longer sentence on December 14 for their role in a beating that left 55-year-old Briton Andrew Bache with a brain injury .
Bache , from Portsmouth in southeast England , was too frail to attend the trial , but his son Harry represented him in the courtroom in the southern French city of Aix-en-Provence .
`` Mr. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , with a condition somewhere between Parkinson 's disease and Alzheimer 's , that he is unable to give evidence , even by video link , '' said Bache 's lawyer , Olivier Rosato , at the start of the trial on December 7 .
The two men were arrested in Germany in February 2018 , 20 months after Bache suffered his injuries , while they were on their way to a match featuring Spartak Moscow in Spain .
They have been in custody in France since their arrest .
Based on reporting @ @ @ @

Two 34-year-old Russian men have been sentenced to prison terms of three years and 10 years for a savage attack on an English football supporter at the 2016 European championships in France.
Mikhail Ivkin received a three-year term and Pavel Kossov the longer sentence on December 14 for their role in a beating that left 55-year-old Briton Andrew Bache with a brain injury.
Bache, from Portsmouth in southeast England, was too frail to attend the trial, but his son Harry represented him in the courtroom in the southern French city of Aix-en-Provence.
"Mr. Bache is so physically and psychologically affected, with a condition somewhere between Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's, that he is unable to give evidence, even by video link," said Bache's lawyer, Olivier Rosato, at the start of the trial on December 7.
The two men were arrested in Germany in February 2018, 20 months after Bache suffered his injuries, while they were on their way to a match featuring Spartak Moscow in Spain.
They have been in custody in France since their arrest.
Based on reporting by AFP and themoscowtimes.com