"It was totally obvious that it was simply a backroom deal," says Yevgenia Chirikova, shown here outside the Khimki police station after being detained on July 23.

Khimki Forest Defender Yevgenia Chirikova Is New Face Of Russian Civic Activism

Yevgenia Chirikova is not your average political activist. But this former Moscow businesswoman and the mother of two young girls has become the public face of a growing grassroots environmental movement. More

Recent Features

Iranian Social Networking, Hard-Line Style

Iran launches a social-networking website for admirers of the supreme leader, where they can posts pictures, videos, and articles while fighting "evil." More

An Education In Church And State Audio

At Russia's best-known seminary, students and instructors argue the church is a force for moderation and tolerance. More

Interview: WikiLeaks Founder Julian Assange

Julian Assange, founder of the whistle-blower website WikiLeaks, says his work is based on the "ancient vision" of uncovering the truth. And he says sources would rather turn over their information to him than to traditional news outlets because he can protect them better. More

Prominent Iranian Lawyer's Family Members Held 'Hostage'

The wife and brother-in-law of a prominent lawyer, Mohammad Mostafaei, have been arrested in Iran in what rights activists describe as a "hostage taking" by the authorities. Mostafaei represents an Iranian woman whose execution by stoning was recently postponed following an international outcry. More

WikiLeaks' Afghan War Reports Stir Debates On Journalism, Law

The release of classified U.S. military reports about the war in Afghanistan by the online whistle-blower WikiLeaks is fueling debates about the balance between journalism, national security, and the right of the public to know. More

Interview: Farah Pahlavi Recalls 30 Years In Exile

July 27 is the 30th anniversary of the death of Iran's last imperial ruler, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. The shah left Iran in December 1978 after 37 years in power. After living in Morocco, the United States, Mexico, and Panama, he went to Egypt where he died in a Cairo hospital in 1981.His wife, Farah Pahlavi, spoke to RFE/RL's Radio Farda's Jean Khakzad about the incidents of those times. More

Former Spymaster Rejects WikiLeaks Charges As U.S. Pre-Exit Smear

Hamid Gul, a former head of Pakistan's premiere intelligence agency, told RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal that he does not support the Taliban and accused the United States of using him to ease a disgraced withdrawal from fighting in Afghanistan. He called the leaked documents "fabricated." More

New French Film 'Farewell' Explores Obscure Cold War Drama Video

When it was clear that he would be executed, Vladimir Vetrov did not cower in fear but instead asked his interrogators for a pen and paper and wrote a scorching condemnation of the Soviet system. More

Tensions Continue To Rise In Southern Kyrgyzstan

Despite residents' efforts to return to normal life in the crippled southern Kyrgyz city of Osh, ongoing threats and allegations of abductions and torture more than a month after deadly clashes are pushing ethnic Kyrgyz and Uzbeks even further apart. More

Prosecutor Targets Forerunner's Son

The son of former Tajik Prosecutor-General Bobojon Bobokhonov has been arrested on corruption charges, the latest in a string of moves initiated against current or former judicial officials by Bobokhonov's successor. More
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