Armenia's leading media associations have strongly condemned riot police for injuring at least a dozen journalists during clashes in Yerevan with protesters demanding Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian's resignation.

"We condemn the police's use of brute force against media representatives, and unprofessional, uncalculated actions that led to serious consequences," said a joint statement released on June 13 by nine Armenian press freedom groups.

"From a number of videos as well as a photo by the Photolur news agency, it is clear that stun grenades were also directed at journalists and operators standing in a place where media cameras were concentrated," it said.

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Security forces hurled dozens of stun grenades into the crowd during clashes on June 12, injuring at least 83 people. According to law-enforcement authorities, 18 policemen were also hurt.

Vazgen Yetumian, a cameraman with the News.am online news service, suffered a broken leg, and two other cameramen, Narek Hayrian of Civilnet and Hovsep Hovsepian of Armlur.am, were injured.

Hayrian told RFE/RL that several explosive devices went off right next to him.

"I had a vision blackout and felt unwell," he said. "My leg got hit and I fell down."

Journalists were injured during another clash at the same location earlier on June 12. They included ABC Media reporter Nane Hayrapetian and her cameraman Arman Gharibian. Doctors suspect that they suffered concussions.

"Ignoring the fact that I had a 'press' inscription on my shirt and ABC written on my back and my cameraman carried a badge and a camera, the police literally trampled us underfoot," said Hayrapetian.

The ABC Media crew that replaced the duo was injured in subsequent stun grenade explosions.

SEE ALSO:

Nikol Pashinian: From Jailed Activist To Beleaguered Leader 

The nine press freedom organizations that signed the statement expressed serious concern over Pashinian and his allies' unequivocal defense of the police actions "without waiting for the results of their analyses."

They demanded the Interior Ministry investigate those actions and "hold accountable the officers who abused their powers."

The ministry had announced no such inquiry as of the evening of June 13.

Echoing Pashinian's statements, Armenia's Investigative Committee blamed the protesters for the "mass disturbances" and said it has identified 40 people involved. An opposition-linked lawyer said earlier in the day that 28 protesters arrested during the violence remain in custody and risk criminal charges.

PRAGUE -- Foreign ministers from eight EU countries have sent a letter to EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell asking him to curb Russian diplomats' movement in the Schengen area over their concern that the free movement of the diplomats facilitates "malign activities."

Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky confirmed in an interview on June 13 with RFE/RL that the letter was sent to Borrell. He said the measure was needed because the movement of Russian diplomats and their family members in the Schengen zone "creates the infrastructure" for illicit activities.

The letter says that "intelligence, propaganda, or even preparation of sabotage acts are the main workload for a large number of Russian 'diplomats' in the EU," according to AFP, which obtained a copy of the letter.

It calls on Borrell to urgently propose restrictive measures, AFP reported on June 13.

In his interview with RFE/RL, a full version of which will be published on June 14, Lipavsky said the movement of Russian diplomats lays the groundwork for threats in cyberspace and other "sabotages and subterfuges" amid concern over Moscow’s attempts to sow divisions within the EU. He said these hybrid threats were increasing and the European Union needs to show Russia that this won’t be tolerated.

He cited the Voice of Europe, a Prague-based news website that the Czech Republic in March added to its sanctions list after it was determined that it trying to carry out influence operations to Moscow’s benefit on Czech territory. Since then, more and more disinformation operations have been discovered, he said.

The letter sent to Borrell was “gladly signed” by the Netherlands, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Romania, Lipavsky said.

The letter, dated June 11, calls for a measure that "will significantly narrow operational space for Russian agents." It said the European Union should restrict the movement of Russian diplomats and their family members to the territory of the state of their accreditation.

“We are providing Russian diplomats…[the] possibility to travel…all over the Europe. I don't understand why,” Lipavsky told RFE/RL. Russia limits the travel of EU diplomats, “so we should remove this asymmetry for the sake of our national security,” he added.

The Czech Republic and Poland recently arrested arson suspects who claimed their crimes had been incited by Russia. Lithuania in turn is grappling with Russia's drive to unilaterally expand its maritime border at its expense.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on June 13 that Russia will respond to any restrictions imposed by European countries on the movement of its diplomats.

Zakharova told reporters the West was infected by Russophobia and Moscow would take retaliatory measures if any limits were introduced.

EU countries have dramatically reduced the number of Russian diplomats allowed to remain in their countries since the Russian invasion of Ukraine started in February 2022. Moscow has responded by expelling diplomats from Russia.

With reporting by AFP and Reuters

Fatemeh Sepehri, a prominent critic of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has been sentenced to an additional 18 1/2 years in prison for "supporting Israel," a thinly veiled reference to her condemnation of an October 7 attack by Hamas -- designated a terrorist organization by the U.S. and EU -- on Israel that killed some 1,200 people, mainly civilians.

Asghar Sepehri, the dissident's brother, told RFE/RL's Radio Farda the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Mashhad convicted Fatemeh Sepehri on multiple counts: seven years for supporting Israel, seven years for conspiring against internal security, three years for insulting the supreme leader, and one year and six months for propaganda activities against the regime.

He said that with the new sentences, Fatemeh Sepehri, who suffers from a heart ailment, now faces a cumulative punishment of 37 1/2 years.

Sepehri was originally arrested in September 2022 as protests erupted across the country over the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who was taken into custody by the morality police for allegedly violating the country's hijab law and died while in detention.

In an exclusive interview with Radio Farda, Asghar Sepehri denounced the new charges and sentences against his sister as baseless, arguing that her imprisonment invalidated the claims of conspiracy and assembly.

He further noted that the accusation of insulting Khamenei lacks substance, given that her communications are heavily monitored, restricting even basic contact with family.

The crackdown on the Sepehri family extends beyond Fatemeh, as her brothers Mohammad-Hossein and Hossein Sepehri also received prison sentences on similar charges.

Mohammad-Hossein was handed eight years for conspiracy, assembly, and insulting the supreme leader, while Hossein faces a total of two years and 11 months for related offenses.

The Sepehri siblings' previous attorney, Khosrow Alikordi, has also been imprisoned, leading to the appointment of Javad Alikordi as their new legal representative.

However, the court has refused to recognize him, insisting that only attorneys approved by the judiciary are eligible to defend such cases, a condition the Sepehri family has not accepted.

Concerns about Fatemeh Sepehri's health were highlighted by her brother, who told Radio Farda that she was not physically capable of enduring further imprisonment due to multiple health issues.

He called on the authorities to immediately release her.

Fatemeh Sepehri is one of 14 activists in Iran who have publicly called for Khamenei to step down. She has been arrested and interrogated several times in recent years.

Sepehri and the other activists have also called for a new political system within the framework of a new constitution that would secure dignity and equal rights for women.

Criticism of Khamenei, who has the final say on almost every decision in the country, is considered a red line in Iran, and his critics often land in prison, where political prisoners are routinely held in solitary confinement and subjected to various forms of torture.

Written by Ardeshir Tayebi based on an original story in Persian by RFE/RL's Radio Farda

A Russian court on June 13 sentenced blogger Vladislav Sinitsa to an additional 2 1/2 years in prison on extremism charges just ahead of his scheduled release on July 1. Investigators say Sinitsa, who was serving a five-year prison term he was handed in 2019 on charges of inciting violence against children of National Guard officers online, opened an account on the X social media platform while in prison and used it to condemn Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Sinitsa denied any relation to the X account in question. The Memorial rights group has recognized Sinitsa as a political prisoner. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Russian Service, click here.

A Moscow court on June 13 postponed until July 1 a hearing into imprisoned Kremlin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza's appeal after the administration of a correctional colony in Siberia said he is no longer at the penitentiary. He was appealing against police inaction in the investigation of his alleged poisonings in 2015 and 2017. Kara-Murza's current whereabouts are unknown. His lawyer, Maria Eismont, says she has not been informed about a move for her client to another prison. Kara-Murza was sentenced to 25 years in prison in April 2023 on charges of high treason and discrediting Russia's military. He and his supporters reject the charges as politically motivated. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Russian Service, click here.

The Russian Prosecutor-General's Office confirmed on June 13 a final charge of espionage against U.S. journalist Evan Gershkovich and sent his case to the Sverdlovsk regional court for trial.

"Investigators revealed and confirmed by documents that the U.S. journalist of the Wall Street Journal newspaper, at the request of the CIA, in March 2023 collected classified information related to the operations of the Uralvagonzavod industrial facility producing and repairing military equipment," the office said in a statement, adding that Gershkovich "conducted the illegal actions under thorough disguise measures."

The 32-year-old U.S. citizen was arrested in late March 2023 in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg while on a reporting trip.

Russian authorities have not provided any evidence to support the espionage charges, which The Wall Street Journal and the U.S. government have vehemently rejected. They say Gershkovich was merely doing his job as an accredited reporter when he was arrested.

Dow Jones CEO and Wall Street Journal publisher Almar Latour and Wall Street Journal Editor in Chief Emma Tucker said in a statement on June 13 that Russia's latest move toward a "sham trial" is "deeply disappointing and still no less outrageous."

Gershkovich is facing a "false and baseless charge," they said, adding that he had spent 441 days in a Russian prison for simply doing his job.

"Evan is a journalist. The Russian regime's smearing of Evan is repugnant, disgusting, and based on calculated and transparent lies," the statement said. It added that the newspaper continues to demand his immediate release and now expects the U.S. government to redouble efforts to get him released.

Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens told members of Congress on June 13 that Gershkovich will soon begin the trial process, which "is not unexpected."

Carstens said Gershkovich can appeal his detention one more time, but he most likely will be moved to Yekaterinburg by June 30.

"If it's anything like what happened with Brittney Griner, Paul Whelan, Trevor Reed, there will be a period where we won't have any contact with him," Carstens said, referring to other Americans who have been imprisoned in Russia. Griner and Reed were returned to the United States in prisoner swaps.

The U.S. State Department said in December that Moscow rejected a significant offer it made to secure the release of Gershkovich and Paul Whelan, another American imprisoned in Russia on espionage charges.

Another U.S. citizen currently held by Russian authorities is Alsu Kurmasheva, an RFE/RL journalist who was arrested in Kazan, the capital of Russia's Republic of Tatarstan, in October 2023 and charged with failing to register as a "foreign agent" and spreading falsehoods about the Russian military.

Prior to her arrest, Kurmasheva, who faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted, had her passport confiscated following a visit to care for her mother. RFE/RL and the U.S. government say the charges against her are reprisals for her work.

Her husband, Pavel Butorin, who also works for RFE/RL, was at the hearing and told RFE/RL that having his wife’s designation changed to wrongfully detained is critical.

“We need the designation,” Butorin said. “Alsu is part of a news organization funded by the U.S. Congress. She has done nothing wrong.”

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Russian officials have kept mum about any talks to win the release of the Americans. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has repeatedly said that while "certain contacts" on swaps continue, "they must be carried out in absolute silence."

Members of the committee acknowledged the presence of family members of wrongfully detained Americans at the hearing and asked whether Carstens could provide any updates.

Carstens said it would be best to discuss Kurmasheva’s case in a classified setting, noting that the "spotlight" has been on it, particularly after President Joe Biden in April called for her release.

"In Alsu's case, the spotlight's on it. As you know, the president called for her release at the [White House] Correspondence Dinner not too long ago," Carstens said, adding that her case has yet to be declared a wrongful detention.

Representative Brian Mast (Republican-Florida), chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Accountability, and Representative Jason Crow (Democrat-Colorado) agreed that it should be discussed there, implying that the classified setting would take place immediately after the hearing.

Many analysts and officials say it appears as though Russia is targeting American citizens to detain for potential use in prisoner exchanges or for other geopolitical purposes.

Russia is believed to be seeking the release of Vadim Krasikov, who was given a life sentence in Germany in 2021 for the killing of Zelimkhan "Tornike" Khangoshvili, a Georgian citizen of Chechen descent who had fought Russian troops in Chechnya and later claimed asylum in Germany.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, asked in February about releasing Gershkovich, appeared to refer to Krasikov by pointing to a man imprisoned by a U.S. ally for "liquidating a bandit" who had allegedly killed Russian soldiers during separatist fighting in Chechnya.

Belgrade's Higher Court on June 13 upheld a lower court ruling to extradite Belarusian journalist and opposition activist Andrey Hnyot, a decision that can be appealed. Hnyot was detained at the Serbian capital's airport at the request of Belarus last October. Last week, he was transferred to house arrest. Minsk has accused Hnyot of tax evasion, which he denies. The Higher Court told RFE/RL’s Balkan Service that Hnyot met the requirements for extradition. Belarusian opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya has warned that Hnyot could face "torture" if extradited. To read the original story by RFE/RL’s Balkan Service, click here.

A Moscow court ruled on June 13 that the trial of theater director Yevgenia Berkovich and playwright Svetlana Petriichuk, who are charged with justifying terrorism, must continue behind closed doors due to unspecified "threats" received by a prosecution witness. Lawyers for the defendants protested the move, saying that only defense witnesses are left to testify in the trial. Berkovich and Petriichuk have maintained their innocence in the trial, which began last month. They were arrested last year following a production of the play Finist -- The Brave Falcon. The play is about Russian women who married Muslim men and moved to Syria. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Russian Service, click here.

Ukraine's National Olympic Committee has called on the International Olympic Committee to ban the participation of three female wrestlers from Russia and one from Belarus in the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris for their support of Russia's aggression against Ukraine. Last month, Russian wrestler Dinara Kudayeva posted on the Internet a photo of her father, who joined Russia's armed forces and was killed while fighting against Ukrainian troops. Kudayeva called her father "my hero" and asked Internet users to commemorate him. Two other Russian wrestlers -- Natalya Malysheva and Olga Khoroshavtseva, as well Belarusian wrestler Iryna Kurachkina -- liked the post. To read the original story by Current Time, click here.

Iranian cartoonist Atena Farghadani has been sentenced to six years in prison by the country's Islamic Revolutionary Court, her attorney said.

Mohammad Moqimi told RFE/RL's Radio Farda that Farghadani received five years for "insulting sacred beliefs" and an additional year for "propaganda" against the Islamic republic for her activism.

The sentences were officially communicated to the artist on June 10 following her conviction by Branch 26 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court, Moqimi said.

He highlighted that the court imposed the harshest penalties available under the charges, citing the number of infractions she was alleged to have committed.

It isn't Farghadani's first encounter with the Iranian justice system.

Last year, she was taken into custody after visiting the Evin prosecutor's office and was detained by security forces.

She has already served 18 months for charges including "assembly and collusion," "propaganda activities against the state," and "insulting the leadership and the president."

Farghadani's latest arrest occurred on April 14, after which Moqimi reported that she was severely beaten, leaving an interrogation with visible injuries on her face.

Refusing to accept the bail set for her detention, which she said was "arbitrary," Farghadani was transferred to Qarchak prison near Tehran, known for its harsh conditions.

An art graduate from Alzahra University, Farghadani was recognized internationally when the Cartoonists Rights Network International awarded her its Courage In Cartooning Award in August 2015.

The sentence is part of a broad campaign of suppression in response to the Women, Life, Freedom protests in 2022, during which many artists and popular cultural activists have been similarly targeted.

Javaid Rehman, the UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, concluded in a report in March that the actions of the Iranian authorities since the 2022 protests pointed to "the possible commission of international crimes, notably the crimes against humanity of murder, imprisonment, enforced disappearances, torture, rape and sexual violence, and persecution."

Written by Ardeshir Tayebi based on an original story in Persian by RFE/RL's Radio Farda

Local residents and officials in Kyrgyzstan's southern Jalal-Abad region have commemorated victims of deadly clashes between Kyrgyz and Uzbeks in June 2010. The commemoration event was held on June 13 at a memorial complex in the Suzak district, where the region's Deputy Governor Maksat Sydykov called on local residents to "preserve inter-ethnic concord." The ethnic clashes started on June 10, 2010, in Jalal-Abad and another southern region, Osh, and lasted for several days. At least 446 people were killed and thousands more were injured or displaced during the violence. Dozens more went missing. Most victims were ethnic Uzbeks. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service, click here.

The commander of the Georgian Legion that is fighting alongside Ukraine against Russian troops told RFE/RL on June 12 that he was poisoned several months ago. Mamuka Mamulashvili said that blood and tissue samples were sent to a lab in Germany after he started feeling acute pains in his stomach. It discovered that they contained high levels of arsenic, mercury, and tin, which he likely ingested in food he was served. Mamulashvili said it was the third time someone tried to poison him and that Russian news outlets have reported his death several times. Mamulashvili and other members of the Georgian Legion are wanted in Russia on charges of illegally recruiting mercenaries and participating in the war in Ukraine. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Georgian Service, click here.

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) unanimously ruled on June 13 that a decision by the government of Azerbaijan to block access to RFE/RL’s Azerbaijani Service was a violation of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.

RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service, known locally as Azadliq, was blocked in 2017 after a ruling by a Baku court, which alleged the website had posted content that “promoted violence and religious extremism and called for, among other things, mass riots.”

Four other media outlets -- anaxeber.az, 24Saat.org, az24saat.org, and xural.com -- had joined RFE/RL’s case against Azerbaijan.

The four outlets were accused of publishing “false, misleading, and libelous information.”

RFE/RL and other plaintiffs insisted in their lawsuit that the decision for the wholesale blocking of their websites was “extreme.”

They argued that the main reason they were banned was because of their criticism of the government and reporting on corruption.

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RFE/RL President and CEO Stephen Capus welcomed the ruling.

“While the website has been blocked since 2017, Baku’s crackdown against RFE/RL’s independent journalism is a longstanding problem. In 2009, the government banned broadcasting on FM frequencies and, in 2014, they raided our bureau and shut it down,” Capus said.

Azadliq has continued its investigative reporting on public corruption, political prisoners, and electoral fraud using circumvention tools, he said.

“The people of Azerbaijan, like people everywhere, deserve access to independent information free from government propaganda,” he added, vowing to continue to press Baku to allow RFE/RL to operate freely in Azerbaijan.

The move to block RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service came after it published investigative reports about financial activities linked to members of President Ilham Aliyev's family and his inner circle.

The reports were produced by RFE/RL in cooperation with the Sarajevo-based Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP).

RFE/RL condemned the ruling in 2017, accusing the government of “another blatant attempt" to "silence our reporting in Azerbaijan.”

In its ruling, the ECHR said the government of Azerbaijan needs to pay each applicant a total of 6,000 euros ($6,500) for damages and other expenses.

Aliyev has ruled the oil-producing former Soviet republic since shortly before the death of his long-ruling father, Heydar Aliyev, in 2003.

He has shrugged off frequent criticism from rights groups and Western governments that say he has jailed critics on false pretenses and abused power to crush dissent.

Russia's main stock exchange on June 13 halted dollar and euro trades after the United States hit Moscow with a new package of sanctions over its military offensive in Ukraine.

The new U.S. sanctions, announced on June 12, target the Moscow Exchange, also known as MOEX, which operates Russia's largest public trading markets for equity, fixed income, derivative, foreign exchange, and money market products. The exchange also operates Russia’s central securities depository and is the country’s largest clearing house for foreign currency transactions.

The U.S. Treasury Department said it took the step after Russian President Vladimir Putin approved a series of measures to further attract capital through the Moscow Exchange from individuals and from "friendly countries."

The department said this expanded opportunities for both Russians and non-Russians "to profit from the Kremlin's war machine by making investments in Russian sovereign debt, Russian corporations, and leading Russian defense entities," including many already designated by the United States for sanctions.

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For Some In Russia's Far-Flung Provinces, Ukraine War Is A Ticket To Prosperity

Britain on June 13 followed the U.S. lead and announced its own sanctions targeting MOEX, saying the action was taken in coordination with the United States.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the goal was to ramp up economic pressure "to bear down on Russia's ability to fund its war machine." Putin "must lose, and cutting off his ability to fund a prolonged conflict is absolutely vital," Sunak said in a statement issued as Group of Seven (G7) leaders convene for a summit in Italy.

London said the 50 new curbs were part of "coordinated action with G7 partners" and will hit the Russian financial system and suppliers supporting its military production.

Russia announced its decision to suspend “exchange trading and settlement of instruments in U.S. dollars and euros" late on June 12 after the U.S. Treasury decision.

Measures that target Russians' ability to buy and trade foreign currency typically provoke a strong reaction throughout Russia, where many people prefer to save in Western currencies.

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Inside Russia's Improvised System For Mobilizing Men For The Ukraine War: An RFE/RL Investigation

The Russian central bank sought to calm nerves by saying in its statement that companies and individuals may continue to buy and sell U.S. dollars and euros through Russian banks and ensuring Russians that all funds held in U.S. dollars in accounts "remain safe."

In addition, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted by state media on June 13 as saying the regulator was "ensuring stability in all markets.”

Many Russian companies and banks had already reduced their reliance on Western currencies in the two years since Moscow ordered troops into Ukraine, with the Chinese yuan accounting for the majority of foreign currency trades on the Moscow Exchange.

Russia's central bank had fixed the exchange rate at 89 rubles to the dollar just before the sanctions were announced. A few banks immediately hiked their exchange rates to as high as 200 rubles per dollar after the sanctions were introduced.

Russia's Interior Ministry has added self-exiled television journalist Tatyana Lazareva to its wanted list on unspecified charges. In July 2022, Lazareva, who openly condemned Moscow's full-scale aggression against Ukraine, was added to Russia's list of "foreign agents." Lazareva and her ex-husband, journalist Mikhail Shats, fled Russia after Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Shats was also labeled as a "foreign agent." In June 2023, a Moscow court fined Lazareva in absentia for failing to mark her online reports as made by "a foreign agent." To read the original story by RFE/RL's Russian Service, click here.

A day after clashes with police, anti-government protesters gathered on June 13, this time outside the Armenian government building, as pressure continues to mount grows on Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian to step down as his country nears a controversial peace deal with Azerbaijan.

Thousands of Armenians staged the new rally a day after the clashes in which more than 100 people were injured when police fired stun grenades during an antigovernment rally outside parliament.

An Interior Ministry spokesperson told RFE/RL that 70 people had been detained on June 12 and there were injuries among both the protesters and the police in the clashes in central Yerevan.

Around 4,000 people gathered on June 13 for the rally led by Archbishop Bagrat Galstanian calling for Pashinian to step down, AFP reported. The outspoken 53-year-old leader of the Tavush for the Motherland movement opposes plans to hand over several border areas to Azerbaijan as part of a peace deal.

"The authorities are guilty of bringing this country to disaster," Galstanian told the crowd on June 13.

"We have shown yesterday that we have no fear and that our movement will persist," he added, vowing to force Pashinian to resign.

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Galstanian said that one of the main avenues of Yerevan that has been closed for the protest since June 9 will reopen on June 14 but added that the opposition to Pashinian "will continue perhaps in a slightly different way." He gave no details.

Protests have gripped Yerevan since April, when authorities agreed to hand back to archrival Azerbaijan territory that Armenia had controlled since the 1990s.

Residents of nearby settlements say the move cuts them off from the rest of the country and accuse Pashinian of giving away territory without getting anything in return. Pashinian has defended the move as part of efforts to secure peace with Azerbaijan.

Asked whether he would resign under pressure from the protests, Pashinian told journalists on June 12 that that if the people of Armenia want a change of government, they will change the government.

A weekly cabinet session that Pashinian was scheduled to chair on June 13 was postponed to June 14 due to scheduled discussions in parliament on the budget.

The prime minister also announced that no Armenian officials would be allowed to visit Belarus as long as Alyaksandr Lukashenka is the president, while the Foreign Ministry recalled Armenia's ambassador to Minsk for consultations after Pashinian accused members of the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), which includes Belarus, of having planned with Azerbaijan a war against his country.

The "next logical step" would be our withdrawal from the organization depending on questions Yerevan has for the CSTO.

He did not specify what those questions were, but said that Armenia will "decide when it (leaving the CSTO) happens."

"It could be a month, a year, or three years from now," he said in parliament on June 13, clarifying comments from a day earlier that many interpreted as him saying Armenia was leaving the CSTO.

The United States, meanwhile, plans to send an envoy to Armenia. The U.S. Embassy in Yerevan annouced that a delegation led by First Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources Richard Verman will arrive in Yerevan for an official visit on June 17. The delegation will participate in an Armenian-American forum dedicated to issues of democracy in local self-government, the embassy said.
https://www.azatutyun.am/a/32992051.html

Verman will meet with Pashinian, Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, and representatives of the public and private sectors and civil society groups.

"This visit testifies to our intention to further strengthen bilateral ties with the Armenian people," the U.S. Embassy said.

Several international rights groups on June 12 demanded the immediate release of over two dozen Kyrgyz activists who could be facing 20 years in prison for protesting a border deal with Uzbekistan.

Prosecutors in Kyrgyzstan asked a court in Bishkek on June 10 to hand down lengthy sentences to 27 members of a Kyrgyz group who protested a deal that saw Kyrgyzstan hand over the Kempir-Abad reservoir to Uzbekistan.

The 27 were arrested in 2022 and charged with organizing mass unrest and plotting to seize power. Their trial started in June 2023 and is expected to conclude on June 13.

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Kyrgyzstan At Risk Of Turmoil After Harsh Crackdown On Border-Deal Dissent

In their statement, the rights groups said the request for lengthy sentences for each activist “compounds an already shocking miscarriage of justice.”

The groups include the Norwegian Helsinki Committee, the International Partnership for Human Rights, Human Rights Watch, People in Need, Civil Rights Defenders, the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights, Freedom Now, and the International Federation for Human Rights.

They said the activists were “peacefully campaigning” and called on the authorities to drop all charges against them.

The trial is being held behind closed doors as case materials were designated classified. The rights groups said this “violates the defendants’ right to a fair and public hearing” under international law.

“While independent trial monitors have not had access to the trial, information from the defendants and their lawyers indicates that the proceedings have been marred by serious violations of due process and fair trial guarantees,” the groups said.

They charged that the prosecution had presented “no credible evidence to support the charges.

“Judicial and law enforcement authorities have also allegedly intimidated and harassed lawyers for representing their clients in this case,” they added.

The groups called on Kyrgyzstan’s international partners to support their call for the “unconditional release of the defendants” and demand “accountability for those responsible for violations of their rights.”

“Kyrgyzstan’s authorities should end their crackdown on free speech and other fundamental freedoms in the country and put in place meaningful measures to safeguard human rights in line with Kyrgyzstan’s international obligations,” the groups said.

U.S. President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on June 13 signed a 10-year security agreement, hailing it as a milestone in relations between their countries.

Zelenskiy called the security agreement a "bridge to Ukraine's accession to NATO" and said it is important for all Ukrainians and Europeans to know that there will be no security deficit in Europe to tempt aggressors to wage war and make the future uncertain.

The text of the agreement "clearly states" that Washington supports Ukraine's victory in the war, Zelenskiy said, speaking at a joint press conference with Biden after the two leaders signed the document on the sidelines of the annual Group of Seven (G7) summit in Italy.

Zelenskiy listed a number of provisions of the agreement, noting that it is “very specific regarding the supply of the necessary weapons, joint production, and strengthening of the defense industries of our countries through our cooperation.”

He said this would not only provide security but also jobs for Ukrainians and Americans.

Biden said the goal "is to strengthen Ukraine's defense and deterrence capabilities.”

He said the United States has received commitments from five countries that he did not name to provide Patriot missile and other air defense systems to Ukraine.

Zelenskiy said he “urgently” needed seven Patriot systems to protect Ukrainians and the nation's infrastructure from Russia's continued bombardment. Biden told him, “You’ll have some relatively quickly.”

The G7 leaders earlier agreed on a $50 billion loan to Ukraine using frozen Russian assets as collateral. Combined with new sanctions against Russia announced earlier in the week, Biden said the series of actions to support Ukraine show Putin that “he cannot wait us out. He cannot divide us.”

The agreement will leverage interest and income from more than $260 billion in frozen Russian assets, largely held in Europe, to secure a $50 billion loan from the U.S. and additional loans from other partners.

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.

Diplomats confirmed to the Associated Press that an agreement had been reached on the deal before the leaders even landed in southern Italy on June 13 for a highly anticipated three-day summit.

Separately, G7 member Canada announced on June 13 that it was sending its first delivery of new armored vehicles to Ukraine. Defense Minister Bill Blair said Ukrainian troops would be trained to use them over the summer.

Additionally, Britain said it would announce 242 million pounds ($309.5 million) in humanitarian aid for Ukraine during the summit, which brings together the leaders of seven of the world's wealthiest countries.

Germany on June 11 also pledged to send a Patriot system, along with Gepard self-propelled antiaircraft guns and an IRIS-T air-defense system.

The G7 summit kicks off a day after Russia killed at least nine people in a deadly attack on the Ukrainian city of Kryviy Rih.

A major city in the Dnipropetrovsk region, Kryviy Rih is Zelenskiy’s hometown and has been the target of Russian air attacks multiple times in Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The Ukrainian government on June 13 said G7 nations had separately agreed to provide more than $1 billion to support Ukraine’s energy sector.

Ukraine's Energy Ministry said in a statement the country would import 29,796 megawatt hours on June 12, exceeding the previous record of up to 28,000 MWh set earlier this month.

With reporting by AP

Iranian authorities have released a French citizen held since September 2022, French President Emmanuel Macron announced on June 12, urging Tehran to free three other French nationals "without delay." "Louis Arnaud is free. Tomorrow he will be in France after a long incarceration in Iran," Macron said on X, thanking Oman for helping to secure "this happy outcome." Arnaud, a banking consultant, was sentenced last year to five years in jail on national security charges. His arrest in 2022 came as protests roiled Iran over the death in custody of Mahsa Amini in police custody for allegedly violating Iran's strict dress rules. Arnaud's family said he had "kept a distance from the social movements that were starting" at the time and never acted "with political intentions or carelessness."

WASHINGTON – U.S. tech giant Microsoft said Russian cyberattacks are becoming even “more aggressive” and warned that Moscow could deepen collaboration with U.S. adversaries in cyberspace, making it much harder to prevent intrusions.

Hackers from Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Agency (SVR) are no longer disengaging from a computer environment once they are discovered but are doubling down, leading to the equivalent of “hand-to-hand combat” in cyberspace, according to Brad Smith, vice chairman and president of Microsoft, who is scheduled to testify on June 13 to the House of Representatives' Committee on Homeland Security.

The committee made a transcript of Smith’s statement to the committee available on June 12.

Smith said in the statement that Microsoft believes the SVR is now allowing its top engineers to use what they learn during the day in criminal ransomware operations they work on during their free time for financial gain as a way to retain them.

“This is creating a vicious cycle reinforcing nation-state and ransomware activity,” Smith wrote in the statement.

Smith will address the committee on Microsoft’s plans to boost security following successful intrusions by Russian and Chinese state actors. He said closer cooperation between Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran on the geopolitical stage could be replicated in cyberspace.

“This is grave at multiple levels. It’s one thing to engage in cyber combat with four separate nation-state adversaries, but quite another scenario if two or all four of these countries work in tandem,” he wrote in his testimony.

He said each of those nations has its own strengths and weaknesses when it comes to cyber capabilities, and through cooperation they could enhance each others' effectiveness.

“Unfortunately, this is where the future is likely going,” he wrote.

Smith painted a grave picture of current cyberspace, saying “lawless and aggressive cyber activity has reached an extraordinary level” and that state actors are more sophisticated and better resourced than ever. He said Microsoft detects almost 4,000 password-based attacks against its customers every second.

He called for tougher responses to such countries, saying they suffer few consequences for their actions.

“Deter nation-state threat actors by imposing appropriate punishment so that the actions of nation-state actors are not without a cost,” he wrote in his testimony.

U.S. national-security adviser Jake Sullivan said the United States is aware of “new and credible reports” that Russia has listed abducted Ukrainian children on Russian adoption websites. Sullivan described the development as "despicable and appalling" in a statement on June 12. He acknowledged that since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russian officials have deported hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian civilians to Russia, “including children who have been forcibly separated from their families.” He stressed that these children belong with their families, adding that Russia is “waging a war not just against the Ukrainian military but against the Ukrainian people” and is “committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Ukraine.” To read the full statement from the White House, click here.

Austria annulled the accreditation of two correspondents working for Russia's TASS news agency in April "due to a negative security assessment by the security authorities," the Interior Ministry said.

The Interior Ministry's statement, quoted by dpa on June 11, came a day after the Russian Foreign Ministry said it had canceled the accreditation of a correspondent for Austrian public broadcaster ORF, Maria Knips-Witting, and told her to leave the country in response to Austria's expulsion of Ivan Popov, a journalist for TASS, in late April.

Though the Russian Foreign Ministry only cited the expulsion of Popov, the Austrian Interior Ministry statement referred to two journalists for TASS, both expelled in April.

ORF said it could not understand Russia's move to cancel Knips-Witting's accreditation, while the Austrian Foreign Ministry called it "completely unjustified."

A report in March in the Vienna-based Falter weekly wrote about suspected Russian intelligence activities in the Austrian capital in a story that mentioned TASS.

In addition, the Austrian Interior Ministry's latest intelligence report says foreign intelligence services are active in the country under the cover of news agencies.

Knips-Witting joined a long list of journalists expelled by Russia since it launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

In August 2023, Eva Hartog, a Dutch journalist working for Politico -- a U.S. based politics-focused digital newspaper -- was denied a renewal of her Russian visa.

Russian authorities in March refused to extend a visa for Xavier Colas, a reporter for Spanish newspaper El Mundo and ordered him to leave Russia.

Moscow also has arrested and charged foreign journalists with crimes.

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich has been under pretrial arrest since late March 2023 on charges of espionage that he, his employer, and U.S. officials reject as unfounded.

RFE/RL journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, a U.S.-Russian citizen, has been in Russian custody since October on a charge of violating the so-called "foreign agent" law. She’s also been charged with spreading falsehoods about the Russian military and faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted. Kurmasheva and RFE/RL maintain her innocence.

With reporting by dpa, Deutsche Welle, and VOA

The U.S. Treasury Department on June 12 announced new sanctions on over 300 entities suspected of providing Russia with products and services needed to sustain military production for its war in Ukraine. U.S. officials expressed concern over Russia's ability to procure advanced semiconductors, optical equipment, and other goods needed to produce advanced weapons systems, despite prior sanctions. The latest sanctions primarily target Belarusian and Chinese entities suspected of aiding Russia’s defense and energy sectors. The sanctions come on the eve of the June 13-15 G7 summit in Italy. To read the full statement from the U.S. Treasury Department, click here.

A Russian navy frigate and a nuclear-powered submarine docked on June 12 in Havana harbor, a stopover the United States and Cuba said posed no threat but which was widely seen as a Russian show of force as tensions rise over the Ukraine war. The Admiral Gorshkov frigate and the nuclear-powered submarine Kazan were accompanied by a tugboat and fuel ship that arrived earlier in the morning. The four vessels sailed to Cuba after conducting "high-precision missile weapons" training in the Atlantic Ocean, the Russian Defense Ministry said. The ministry said the submarine and frigate carry Zircon hypersonic missiles, Kalibr cruise missiles, and Onyx anti-ship missiles.

A draft of a communiqué being worked on for the Ukraine peace summit in Switzerland this weekend says future peace negotiations should involve "representatives of all parties" in the conflict and follow agreements on nuclear security, food security, the return of prisoners of war and kidnapped children.

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.

The draft, which is not final and subject to change, was seen by RFE/RL on June 12, three days before the summit is set to begin in the Swiss town of Burgenstock.

Some 160 heads of state, government leaders, and international organizations have been invited to the summit, with Swiss officials saying on June 10 that just over 90 have so far indicated their participation.

However, European Union diplomats told RFE/RL that the number has fallen to 78. While they did not name the countries that reportedly dropped out, one of the sources, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter, said the list could still grow as countries make last-minute decisions on participating. A final list of participants is expected by June 14.

In the current version of the communiqué, the draft specifically refers to the "aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine," while saying that the summit builds on previous discussions "that have taken place based on Ukraine's Peace Formula and other peace proposals which are in line with international law, including the United Nations Charter."

"We believe that achieving peace requires the participation and dialogue of all parties. Therefore, we have decided to take concrete steps in the aforementioned areas with further involvement of representatives of all parties. The Charter of the United Nations, particularly the principles of respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of all states, can and will serve as the foundation for achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine," it says.

Ukraine hopes to win broad international backing for its vision of the terms needed to end the war with Russia, which broke out after Moscow launched a full-scale invasion of its neighbor in February 2022.

The United States will be represented by Vice President Kamala Harris and national-security adviser Jake Sullivan, while French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will also attend the summit.

Beijing, which has close ties with Moscow, has so far said it will stay away from the June 15-16 summit, saying the attendance of both sides is a prerequisite for any substantive peace conference.

Russia has not been invited.