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Mideast Nations Declare Start Of Ramadan

Iraqis shop at a market in Baghdad in preparation for Ramadan.
Iraqis shop at a market in Baghdad in preparation for Ramadan.
Religious authorities in most Middle Eastern countries have said that July 20 will mark the start of the holy month of Ramadan, a period devoted to dawn-to-dusk fasting, prayers, and good deeds.

Official statements issued on July 19 in Algeria, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Tunisia, and Yemen said the holy month would start the following day.

In Oman and Syria, as well as for Iraq's Sunni Muslims and in non-Arab Iran, it will start on July 21.

The beginning of Ramadan is calculated based on the sighting of the new moon, which marks the start of the Muslim lunar month.

Countries use different astronomical calculations, which sometimes leads to different starting dates in the Middle East.

Religious disputes between Sunni- and Shi'ite-majority countries in the region also sometimes play a role in different starting times.

Based on reporting by AFP and AP

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U.S. Issues Sanctions On Russian, Central African Republic Entities Over Wagner Ties

The United States has sanctioned two entities in Russia and the Central African Republic for what the Treasury Department on March 8 said were efforts to advance Moscow's "malign activities" in the African nation in part by enabling the Wagner mercenary group. The Russian and CAR entities targeted sought to benefit financially "from illicit natural resource extraction and provided material and financial support to the Wagner Group and other organizations" tied to Wagner's former owner Yevgeny Prigozhin, who died in a 2023 plane explosion in Russia, the U.S. Treasury Department said.

Ukraine Says It Will Soon Receive 4.5 Billion Euro Tranche From EU

Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal

Ukraine will receive 4.5 billion euros ($4.9 billion) from the European Union through its four-year Ukraine Facility program in the next few days, with an additional 1.5 billion euros ($1.6 billion) to come over the next two months, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on March 8. The comments came during a visit to Kyiv by European Commission Executive Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis. Shmyhal said Ukraine anticipates receiving 16 billion euros ($17.5 billion) in economic aid for the budget from the EU this year. The bloc on February 28 approved a four-year, 50 billion euro ($54.7 billion) financing program for Ukraine. To read the original story by RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service, click here.

Iranian Government 'Bears Responsibility' For Amini's Death, Brutal Crackdown, UN Mission Says

A mourner clutches a portrait of Mahsa Amini.
A mourner clutches a portrait of Mahsa Amini.

The Iranian government "bears responsibility" for the physical violence that led to the death of Mahsa Amini, the 22-year-old Iranian-Kurdish woman who died in police custody in 2022, and for the brutal crackdown on largely peaceful street protests that followed, a report by a United Nations fact-finding mission says.

The report, issued on March 8 by the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Islamic Republic of Iran, said the mission “has established the existence of evidence of trauma to Ms. Amini’s body, inflicted while in the custody of the morality police."

It said the mission found the "physical violence in custody led to Ms. Amini’s unlawful death.... On that basis, the state bears responsibility for her unlawful death.”

Amini was arrested in Tehran on September 13, 2022, while visiting the Iranian capital with her family. She was detained by Iran's so-called "morality police" for allegedly improperly wearing her hijab, or hair-covering head scarf. Within hours of her detention, she was hospitalized in a coma and died on September 16.

Her family has denied that Amini suffered from a preexisting health condition that may have contributed to her death, as claimed by the Iranian authorities, and her father has cited eyewitnesses as saying she was beaten while en route to a detention facility.

The fact-finding report said the action “emphasizes the arbitrary character of Ms. Amini’s arrest and detention, which were based on laws and policies governing the mandatory hijab, which fundamentally discriminate against women and girls and are not permissible under international human rights law."

"Those laws and policies violate the rights to freedom of expression, freedom of religion or belief, and the autonomy of women and girls. Ms. Amini’s arrest and detention, preceding her death in custody, constituted a violation of her right to liberty of person,” it said.

The New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran hailed the findings and said they represented clear signs of "crimes against humanity."

“The Islamic republic’s violent repression of peaceful dissent and severe discrimination against women and girls in Iran has been confirmed as constituting nothing short of crimes against humanity,” said Hadi Ghaemi, executive director of the center.

“The government’s brutal crackdown on the Women, Life, Freedom protests has seen a litany of atrocities that include extrajudicial killings, torture, and rape. These violations disproportionately affect the most vulnerable in society, women, children, and minority groups,” he added.

The report also said the Iranian government failed to “comply with its duty” to investigate the woman’s death promptly.

“Most notably, judicial harassment and intimidation were aimed at her family in order to silence them and preempt them from seeking legal redress. Some family members faced arbitrary arrest, while the family’s lawyer, Saleh Nikbaht, and three journalists, Niloofar Hamedi, Elahe Mohammadi, and Nazila Maroufian, who reported on Ms. Amini’s death were arrested, prosecuted, and sentenced to imprisonment,” it added.

Amini's death sparked mass protests, beginning in her home town of Saghez, then spreading around the country, and ultimately posed one of the biggest threats to Iran's clerical establishment since the foundation of the Islamic republic in 1979. At least 500 people were reported killed in the government’s crackdown on demonstrators.

The UN report said "violations and crimes" under international law committed in the context of the Women, Life, Freedom protests include "extrajudicial and unlawful killings and murder, unnecessary and disproportionate use of force, arbitrary deprivation of liberty, torture, rape, enforced disappearances, and gender persecution.

“The violent repression of peaceful protests and pervasive institutional discrimination against women and girls has led to serious human rights violations by the government of Iran, many amounting to crimes against humanity," the report said.

The UN mission acknowledged that some state security forces were killed and injured during the demonstrations, but said it found that the majority of protests were peaceful.

The mission stems from the UN Human Rights Council's mandate to the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Islamic Republic of Iran on November 24, 2022, to investigate alleged human rights violations in Iran related to the protests that followed Amini's death.

Serbia To Allow Russian Citizen To Remain Despite Earlier 'Unacceptable Risk' Ruling

Yelena Koposova sits in her house in the village of Rogaca, Serbia.
Yelena Koposova sits in her house in the village of Rogaca, Serbia.

BELGRADE -- Serbia's Interior Ministry has accepted an appeal by Russian citizen Yelena Koposova, saying she does not have to leave the country after she was earlier declared to be an "unacceptable security risk” and told to leave.

Koposova told RFE/RL on March 8 that an initial decision requiring her to leave Serbia has been revoked after authorities decided the original assessment was incorrect because the details of her professional and family life in Serbia were not included.

"I can breathe and live again. We didn't know this month what would happen the next day and whether we have a home and the right to live somewhere forever," she told RFE/RL's Balkan Service.

The ordeal started on February 2 when Koposova received a police notice rejecting her request for permanent residency and ordering her to leave Serbia within 30 days.

Koposova previously told RFE/RL that she didn’t know the reason for the decision, but she said she assumed it was related to one of the founders of the Russian Democratic Society, Peter Nikitin, who initiated a public anti-war letter that she signed along with 25 other Russian citizens.

She said she generally is not politically active but that she "couldn't help but sign" her name to the text calling for an end to Russian aggression.

Koposova said she has applied for a new temporary residence permit, which she was told would be granted on an urgent basis and that a decision will be made shortly for her husband and children regarding their request for permanent residency.

After living in Serbia for four years, she applied for permanent residency in September 2023. Until then, she and her husband and two young children had temporary residence permits.

The Russian Democratic Society -- a group of Russian expatriates who are critical of President Vladimir Putin and oppose his invasion of Ukraine -- stated that the annulment of Koposova's expulsion decision was a great victory for all who supported her.

According to Serbia’s Law on Foreigners, "an unacceptable security risk exists if a foreigner advocates, incites, aids, prepares, or undertakes activities that jeopardize the constitutional order and security of the Republic of Serbia, regional and global security of significance for the Republic of Serbia, and the legal order."

The police and BIA security agency have not responded to RFE/RL inquiries on the matter since the summer of 2023.

Serbia is a historic ally of Russia, and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has not joined the EU's sanctions regime against Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine.

St. Petersburg Police Detain Friend Of Woman Missing Since Being Forced Back To Chechnya

Seda Suleimanova
Seda Suleimanova

Police in Russia's second-largest city, St. Petersburg, on March 8 detained a friend of Seda Suleimanova, whose whereabouts have been unknown she was detained in August and sent her to her native Chechnya, where rights defenders believe she may have become the victim of an honor killing.

Lena Patyayeva was detained after she walked across the city telling people she passed about Suleimanova's ordeal while she distributed leaflets outlining her friend's situation.

She also staged a single-person picket in front the building of the St. Petersburg Prosecutor's Office with a picture of Suleimanova and the words "Where is Seda?" painted on her coat.

It is not the first time Patyayeva has been detained over her public efforts to find Suleimanova. On February 1, after she staged a similar picket at the same site, she was detained and charged with violating regulations for public gatherings.

Suleimanova's story attracted the attention of international human rights organizations after police in St. Petersburg detained her along with her partner, Stanislav Kudryavtsev, at their apartment and took them to a police station. There she was informed that she was suspected of stealing jewelry in Chechnya, a charge she rejected.

Suleimanova was then transferred to Chechnya, and attempts by Kudryavtsev, who converted to Islam to be able to visit Chechnya and marry Suleimanova, to locate her failed.

In September, Chechen authorities issued a video showing Suleimanova in Chechnya. She did not speak in the video. No information about her whereabouts was made public.

Suleimanova had turned to the SK SOS human rights group in October 2022 for help in leaving Chechnya, saying that her relatives may kill her for being "insufficiently religious."

Human right defenders say relatives in the North Caucasus often file complaints accusing fugitive women of crimes, usually theft, to legalize their detention and return. Once back, the women face violent abuse.

Domestic violence has been a problem in Russia's North Caucasus region for decades. Victims who manage to flee often say that they may face punishment, including honor killings, if they are forced to return.

Usually, local authorities take the side of those accused of being the abusers.

With reporting by SOTA

Afghan Women, Lives Upended, Demand Taliban End Bans And Restrictions

Afghan women held small demonstrations on March 8 to demand their rights and for authorities to release imprisoned Afghan women activists.
Afghan women held small demonstrations on March 8 to demand their rights and for authorities to release imprisoned Afghan women activists.

Afghan women on International Women's Day demanded the country's hard-line Islamist Taliban rulers end bans and restrictions that have turned their lives upside down since the militants seized power in August 2021 as international troops withdrew.

Despite a Taliban-mandated ban on protests, Afghan women held small demonstrations on March 8 to demand their rights and for authorities to release imprisoned Afghan women activists.

They also called on the government to reopen schools and universities to females after cutting off their education after grade seven.

"The international community should defend the rights of Afghan women and help them gain the right to work, education, and equality," an exiled women's rights activist who requested anonymity told RFE/RL's Radio Azadi.

The Taliban seized power promising more moderate policies than when it ruled the country some two decades earlier. But its leaders have since doubled down on the recreation of a totalitarian clerical regime, especially with regard to women, who have effectively been denied any public role in society.

Afghan Exiles Say Taliban Tightening Restrictions On Women
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Afghan women have been banned from working in many sectors of the economy. Women-owned businesses face myriad restrictions. Women are also banned from recreation and leisure activities such as visiting public parks and public baths.

Women also are dealing with severe restrictions on mobility and how they can appear in public. In most instances, they are required to be accompanied by a male chaperone. A Taliban decree requires women to wear the niqab, the head-to-toe veil in which only their eyes are visible.

"The Taliban's restrictions have upended our lives," a university student in Kabul who requested anonymity told Radio Azadi. "My hopes of serving my community and our country have been dashed."

In the capital, Kabul, right campaigner Kavia Siddiqi said the Taliban-led government has systematically deprived Afghan women of rights and freedoms.

"Afghan women live in a prison because they are deprived of all their rights," she said.

The Taliban has treated the anger surrounding its decisions with the same type of oppression. Its government has detained and tortured hundreds of women activists, some of whom remain in custody.

"The fight for women's rights in Afghanistan is a global fight and a battle for women's rights everywhere," said Alison Davidian, special representative for UN Women in Afghanistan.

Richard Bennett, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, told Radio Azadi that Taliban discrimination against Afghan women could amount to "gender apartheid" if codified in international law.

He said that under the concept of "gender persecution," the treatment of women in Afghanistan could be prosecuted as crimes against humanity under the 1998 Rome Statue of the International Criminal Court.

"It is already possible to criminally prosecute for the crime of gender persecution," he said.

Tsikhanouskaya Calls On UN Chief To Intervene On Behalf Of Political Prisoners In Belarus

Exiled Belarusian opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya (second from right) outside the Belarusian Embassy in Vilnius on March 8.
Exiled Belarusian opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya (second from right) outside the Belarusian Embassy in Vilnius on March 8.

Exiled Belarusian opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya called on UN chief Antonio Guterres to intervene on behalf of political prisoners in her home country – including in the case of her imprisoned husband, Syarhey Tsikhanouski. Speaking in Vilnius, where she is living, Tsikhanouskaya said that while “people in prisons are our heroes, they're also fighting their own battle.” Over the past four years, she said, “we’ve tried many measures to release political prisoners.... We appealed to the Red Cross, the pope, and to politicians and diplomats. But we still don't know what the [Belarusian] regime wants.” Tsikhanouskaya said she's had no information about her husband for one year. To read the original story by RFE/RL’s Belarus Service, click here.

Activists, Domestic Violence Victims March In Bishkek Demanding Women's Rights Be Defended

Women marched in Bishkek on March 8 to demand that women's rights be defended and respected.
Women marched in Bishkek on March 8 to demand that women's rights be defended and respected.

BISHKEK -- Feminist activists and domestic violence survivors marched in the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek, on March 8 to mark International Women's Day and to demand that women's rights be defended and respected.

The demonstrators gathered near the monument of Urkia Salieva, a figure of female emancipation in the Central Asian nation, and marched to Gorky Park with posters bearing slogans such as "Real Men Are Not Scared Of Equality," "An Educated Girl Finds Her Place," "Defend Our Mothers And Sisters," and "I Want To Live In A Safe Country."

Asel Nogoibaeva, whose ex-husband, Azamat Estebesov, raped and severely beat her -- cutting off her nose and ears -- told the marchers they can't stop fighting for their rights.

“You all know the horror I went through.... But I am not alone. My case is just one of hundreds of thousands of situations women face daily in Kyrgyzstan. There will be no results unless all types of violence are criminalized. The torture will go on," Nogoibaeva, whose husband was handed a 20-year prison term in January, said.

What's Driving A Rash Of Suicides In A Remote Kyrgyz Town?
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"It will never do to forgive those who beat and torture their spouses. Never believe their promises that they will change. They will attack again. I see police here. Dear police officers, in many cases, you are the only hope for domestic violence victims. Do not hesitate to intervene and stop attackers. Judges, look into the domestic violence cases the same way you look into other heavy crimes!" she continued.

Police officers present at the gathering and march did not interfere.

An activist from neighboring Kazakhstan, who introduced herself as Aida, said she came to Bishkek from Kazakhstan's largest city, Almaty, because this year the city administration did not allow activists to hold a rally for women's rights there.

"In 2023, in Kazakhstan, some 100,000 domestic violence cases were officially registered. We have been demanding the Kazakh government toughen punishment for such crimes. Rallies like this one are important for all countries," Aida stated.

Kyrgyzstan's Interior Ministry said earlier that 13,104 cases of domestic violence had been registered in the country last year, which was 32 percent higher than in 2022.

The country has witnessed several high-profile cases of deadly bride-snatching and domestic violence in recent years.

Prison Term Of Tajik Businessman Extended After Additional Charge Of Smuggling

Abdukhalil Kholiqzoda
Abdukhalil Kholiqzoda

Tajik media reports quoted the Supreme Court's press service on March 7 as saying that the prison term handed to businessman Abdukhalil Kholiqzoda last month over his autobiography has been extended from 6 1/2 years to nine years.

Kholiqzoda was initially sentenced on February 22 after the court found him guilty of inciting hatred. The additional sentence was handed to him on February 28 on a charge of smuggling. It remains unclear what the latter charge stems from.

The court also ordered Kholiqzoda to pay 76,800 somonis ($7,000).

Kholiqzoda was tried along with two other public figures -- Abduqodir Rustam and Suhrob Rajabzoda -- over writing, editing, and publishing the book Stories Of My Life that highlighted some of the challenges faced by those living in the tightly controlled former Soviet republic, which authorities ordered cleared from bookstores.

Rustam was sentenced to 4 1/2 years and Suhrob Rajabzoda received one year in prison after the court convicted them of inciting hatred.

There was no official announcement of the verdicts and sentences as the trial was held behind closed doors within a detention center in Dushanbe.

The men were arrested in August last year and went on trial on January 19.

The charges against the trio stemmed from their roles in publishing the book that, among other things, focused on everyday developments in modern Tajikistan, including corruption, migration, and cultural challenges in the Central Asian nation.

Kholiqzoda wrote the book, while Rustam edited the text and Rajabzoda's Er-Graf publishing house published it.

Self-exiled Tajik intellectuals and opposition figures condemned the arrests and the sentencing of the three men, calling the case against them a crackdown on freedom of expression.

Meanwhile, amid a lack of transparency in the country, speculation has risen that the case might be connected to a power struggle among Tajik power holders.

President Emomali Rahmon, who has run Tajikistan for almost 30 years, has been criticized by international human rights groups over his administration's policies toward independent media, religious freedoms, civil society, and political pluralism.

In recent years, several Tajik journalists, rights activists, and opposition politicians have been handed lengthy prison terms on charges seen by rights groups as trumped up and politically motivated.

With reporting by Asia-Plus

Kazakh Activists Accused Of Plotting To Overthrow Government Jailed

The activists appear in court in Almaty in February.
The activists appear in court in Almaty in February.

An Almaty court on March 7 sentenced six Kazakh activists to prison terms of between five and six years, while one activist received a suspended sentence of three years and four months, on a charge of plotting to overthrow the government. The activists were detained in November 2022 on the eve of a snap presidential election after the self-exiled leader of the Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan movement (DVK), Mukhtar Ablyazov called on Kazakh citizens to stage anti-government protests across the country. Dozens of activists have been prosecuted for their links to DVK in recent years. Kazakhstan labeled the DVK extremist and banned it in 2018. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Kazakh Service, click here.

Updated

In Pakistan, Women March For More Rights

Jamaat-e Islami party activists demonstrate to mark International Women's Day in Karachi on March 8.
Jamaat-e Islami party activists demonstrate to mark International Women's Day in Karachi on March 8.

In Pakistan, hundreds of women rallied across the country on March 8 to mark International Women's Day. Known as the Aurat March (Women's March in Urdu), the annual protest is held in the capital, Islamabad, and cities such as Karachi, Lahore, Multan, Peshawar, and Quetta.

'Violence Must Stop': Thousands Rally In Pakistan To Mark Women's Day
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During the march, women usually highlight issues such as street harassment, bonded labor, and the lack of proper representation in parliament.

In last month's elections, only 12 women were directly voted into parliament out of 266 seats.

Organizers said that this year's march was dedicated to Baluch female human rights activist Mahrang Baloch, who has been protesting unlawful enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killing by the authorities in Balochistan Province.

To read the original story by RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal, click here.

Ukrainian Journalists' Union Calls For Release Of RFE/RL's Yesypenko On Third Anniversary Of Incarceration

Vladyslav Yesypenko and his wife, Kateryna (undated)
Vladyslav Yesypenko and his wife, Kateryna (undated)

The National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NSZhU) issued a statement on March 8 marking the third anniversary of the incarceration by Russian occupiers of RFE/RL journalist Vladyslav Yesypenko in Ukraine's Crimea region.

Yesypenko, a dual Russian-Ukrainian citizen who contributed to Crimea.Realities, a regional news outlet of RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, was arrested on March 10, 2021 and sentenced to six years in prison in February 2022 by a Russian-appointed court in Crimea on espionage charges that he, his employer, and rights organizations reject as politically motivated.

The NSZhU expressed solidarity with "Yesypenko and other journalists illegally detained by the occupiers [Russia]," and demanded "their immediate release."

The group also quoted Yesypenko's wife, Kateryna, as saying that her husband "was detained for his journalistic activities."

"From the very moment of his arrest, numerous violations of law by the officers of [Russia's Federal Security Service] have taken place," Kateryna Yesypenko said.

During his trial in 2022, Yesypenko rejected the charges and said the Russian authorities "want to discredit the work of freelance journalists who really want to show the things that really happen in Crimea."

In November 2022, Yesypenko became a laureate of Ukraine's Ihor Lubenko National Prize for Defense of Freedom Of Expression.

In May 2022, Yesypenko was awarded the United States' PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Award, which is given to political prisoners.

Before his arrest, Yesypenko had worked in Crimea for five years reporting on the social and environmental situation in the region.

Press-freedom advocates, including the Committee to Protect Journalists and Reporters Without Borders, along with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and the U.S. State Department, are among those who have called for Yesypenko's immediate release in the absence of any evidence of wrongdoing.

Moscow illegally annexed Crimea in early 2014 and weeks later threw its support behind separatists in Ukraine's east.

On February 24, 2022, Moscow launched an unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.

RFE/RL's jailed journalists (left to right): Alsu Kurmasheva, Ihar Losik, Andrey Kuznechyk, and Vladyslav Yesypenko
RFE/RL's jailed journalists (left to right): Alsu Kurmasheva, Ihar Losik, Andrey Kuznechyk, and Vladyslav Yesypenko

Yesypenko is one of four RFE/RL journalists -- Alsu Kurmasheva, Andrey Kuznechyk, and Ihar Losik are the other three -- currently imprisoned on charges related to their work. Rights groups and RFE/RL have called repeatedly for the release of all four, saying they have been wrongly detained.

Losik is a blogger and contributor for RFE/RL’s Belarus Service who was convicted in December 2021 on several charges including the “organization and preparation of actions that grossly violate public order” and sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Kuznechyk, a web editor for RFE/RL’s Belarus Service, was sentenced in June 2022 to six years in prison following a trial that lasted no more than a few hours. He was convicted of “creating or participating in an extremist organization.”

Kurmasheva, a Prague, Czech Republic-based journalist with RFE/RL who holds dual U.S. and Russian citizenship, has been held in Russian custody since October 18 on a charge of violating the so-called "foreign agent" law.

Hungary's Orban, 'Banking' On Trump's Return To Power, Heads To Mar-A-Lago

Donald Trump (left) and Viktor Orban ppose for a photo in New Jersey in August 2022.
Donald Trump (left) and Viktor Orban ppose for a photo in New Jersey in August 2022.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban will meet with Donald Trump at the former U.S. president's luxury Florida resort on March 8 after the Hungarian leader endorsed the bid of his "good friend" in the November presidential election.

Orban, arguably Trump's biggest booster in Europe, has openly spoken of wanting the presumptive Republican presidential nominee back in the White House, saying it's "the only sane approach for Hungary," a position that comes in stark contrast to many of Europe's leaders, who fear a Trump return will damage relations and diminish security across the continent.

"For Hungary, the preference for Trump is not about personal likings or political affiliations but about which U.S. leader's foreign policy would bolster Hungarian security," government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, on March 4.

Orban stops at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort after attending a panel at the conservative Heritage Foundation in Washington a day earlier, where he spoke about Hungary's conservative family and economic policies, the war in Ukraine, relations between the United States and Hungary, Trump, and his personal political beliefs.

The Hungarian prime minister's schedule has not been published, and it is not known if he will meet with any other U.S. officials during his visit to the country.

Washington has been critical of Orban because of his government's erosion of democratic principles and its continued close ties to Russia since the Kremlin launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Orban, who has been shunned by many Western leaders, has refused to send weapons to Ukraine while pushing for an immediate cease-fire and peace talks. He says Trump and his good relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin make him the better candidate to quickly end the war.

"The only chance of the world for a relatively fast peace deal is political change in the United States, and this is linked to who is the president," Orban said earlier this week.

"It is not gambling at all, but the only sane approach for Hungary is to bank on the return of President Donald Trump," he added.

Orban, who has been in power since 2010, has called Biden's White House an adversary, according to the pro-government Magyar Nemzet daily newspaper.

Trump has reciprocated with his admiration of Orban, whom he has called a "strong leader," even though in October he referred to Orban as "the leader of Turkey."

With reporting by AFP and Reuters

Activists Demand International Boycott Of Iran To 'Delegitimize The Regime'

The activists hailed the growing defiance of the mandatory head covering in Iran as an "achievement" of the Women, Life, Freedom movement, which was born out of the deadly 2022 unrest that rocked the country.
The activists hailed the growing defiance of the mandatory head covering in Iran as an "achievement" of the Women, Life, Freedom movement, which was born out of the deadly 2022 unrest that rocked the country.

Dozens of Iranian activists at home and abroad have called on the international community to boycott the Islamic republic for committing "gender apartheid."

In a statement marking International Women's Day on March 8, more than 40 activists and groups hailed the growing defiance against the mandatory head covering in Iran as an "achievement" of the Women, Life, Freedom movement, which was born out of the deadly 2022 unrest that rocked the country.

More than 500 protesters were killed in the protests that broke out following the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian-Kurdish woman who died in police custody after being detained for allegedly flouting the country's hijab law. Iran's brutal crackdown on the protests has been widely condemned by rights groups.

"This woman-killing regime has no legitimacy in Iran, and we ask the international community to also delegitimize the regime," the statement from the activists says.

In a separate statement, jailed Nobel laureate Narges Mohammadi urged international rights groups to help the women of Iran and Afghanistan by pushing for “the criminalization of gender apartheid” committed by the Islamic republic and the Taliban-led government in Kabul through “systemic and targeted” discrimination against women.

Mohammadi, who won the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize, has been convicted five times since 2021 on various security-related charges and has been sentenced to more than 12 years in prison.

On March 4, London-based activist Fariba Baluch, who has been advocating for the rights of women and the Baluch ethnic minority in Iran, was awarded the U.S. State Department’s International Women of Courage Award.

"This award is not mine, but for all the nameless, courageous girls and women in Iran who are fighting for their basic demands," she told RFE/RL’s Radio Farda.

The United Nations' Independent International Fact-Finding Mission asserted in a report on March 8 that Iran's repression of the 2022 protests and "pervasive institutional discrimination against women" had led to serious human rights violations, "many amounting to crimes against humanity."

The fact-finding mission concluded that unless the Iranian establishment implements fundamental changes, member states of the UN Human Rights Council "should explore avenues for accountability at international level and in their domestic systems."

The Islamic republic has long been dismissive of concerns by Western states and rights groups about women's rights in Iran.

"The issue of women is a point of strength in Islam," Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in an address to a group of women in December 2023. "It should not be thought that we are supposed to be held accountable on the issue of women."

Balkars In Russia's North Caucasus Mark 80th Anniversary Of Deportation To Central Asia

The head of Kabardino-Balkaria issued a statement expressing compassion for the relatives of the victims "of arbitrariness and lawlessness."
The head of Kabardino-Balkaria issued a statement expressing compassion for the relatives of the victims "of arbitrariness and lawlessness."

Balkars in Russia's North Caucasus region of Kabardino-Balkaria are marking the 80th anniversary of their mass deportation to Central Asia by Josef Stalin's government. The head of Kabardino-Balkaria, Kazbek Kokov, issued a statement expressing compassion for the relatives of the victims "of arbitrariness and lawlessness." About 38,000 Balkars were deported on March 8, 1944, to Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan by the Soviet regime, which accused them of collaborating with Nazi Germany. Those who survived were able to return to the North Caucasus in 1957. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Idel.Realities, click here.

Updated

Erdogan Says Turkey Ready To Host Peace Talks As Zelenskiy Insists On Road Map First

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy (right) and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan meet in Lviv in August 2022.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy (right) and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan meet in Lviv in August 2022.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan – standing next to visiting Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskiy – said his country is ready to host peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv and that it will “strongly contribute” to efforts to rebuild Ukraine after the war, which began in earnest with Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.

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 war between Ukraine and Russia must be ended through talks. We are ready to host a peace summit where Russia is also present," Erdogan told a televised news conference in Istanbul on March 8.

"While we continue our solidarity with Ukraine, we will continue our work to end the war with a just peace on the basis of negotiations," Erdogan said.

Zelenskiy, however, said Moscow would not be invited to the high-level peace summit that Switzerland has offered to hold in the spring, although he added that a Russian representative could be invited to a subsequent meeting after a road map for peace is agreed upon with Kyiv’s allies.

"We don't see how we can invite people who block, destroy, and kill everything. We want to get results," Zelenskiy said.

Despite the deaths and damages suffered during the war, a peace conference with both sides participating in the near term remains unlikely.

Ukraine's peace formula calls for the withdrawal of all Russian troops from Ukraine, restoring the country's 1991 post-Soviet borders, and holding Russia accountable for its actions. The Kremlin has rejected such conditions.

Erdogan said he had also discussed Black Sea navigational security issues and the grain deal that has now been suspended without any indication from Russia it is willing to revive it.

NATO member Turkey has maintained good relations with both its Black Sea neighbors and together with the United Nations brokered the deal that allowed Kyiv to safely export grain from its ports.

But last July Russia left the agreement, known as the Black Sea Initiative, arguing that its own food and fertilizer exports were not enjoying the same conditions.

Turkey has sought to convince Moscow to return to the deal, but so far Russia has refused.

Zelenskiy said his talks with Erdogan were "productive" and he thanked Ankara for its mediation efforts on the grain deal, as well as on past prisoner exchanges between Russia and Ukraine.

Zelenskiy last visited Turkey in July, when he held lengthy talks with Erdogan.

As Erdogan and Zelenskiy met, battlefield violence continued in Ukraine, with Russian shelling and missile strikes continuing to blast civilian and infrastructure sites.

Regional officials reported on March 8 that a Russian missile strike the previous day on the Sumy region killed two people and wounded 26 more.

In the Chernihiv region, one person was killed by Russian shelling over the last 24 hours, the Ukrainian military said.

Air defenses shot down 33 out of the 37 drones launched by Russia at five of its regions, the military said in a statement on March 8.

With reporting by Reuters
Updated

In Mixed Message On International Women's Day, Putin Says Motherhood Is Women's 'Preordination'

Russian President Vladimir Putin (file photo)
Russian President Vladimir Putin (file photo)

President Vladimir Putin sent a mixed message to Russia's women to mark International Women's Day, lauding their contribution in the war against Ukraine while emphasizing that the most important duty for women is the "relentless care of children."

In a message to mark the holiday on March 8, Putin said he signed a decree on granting clemency to 52 women imprisoned for various crimes, most of whom had underage children, were pregnant, or whose relatives are taking part in the war in Ukraine. The Defense Ministry estimates some 30,000 women are involved in the armed forces.

While he paid special tribute to the women who are "performing combat tasks" in Ukraine, Putin, who has made family values a major element of his campaign for reelection in a March 15-17 vote, said in a video statement that having children is women's "preordination."

"You, dear women, are capable of changing the world with your beauty, wisdom, and generosity of spirit, but mostly thanks to your greatest gift the nature gave you -- giving birth to children. Motherhood is an amazing preordination of women," Putin said in the video statement.

Russian officials have focused on the demographic situation for years, with the birthrate falling since 2014 -- it currently sits at its lowest level since 1999 -- often raising the decrease at government sessions and during parliamentary debate. Many lawmakers have tried to initiate laws restricting abortions and access to contraceptives to spur population growth.

Meanwhile, groups of wives of mobilized soldiers have staged protests outside the Kremlin in recent weeks to call for the return of their husbands from the front lines.

Also on March 8, police in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg disrupted a rally planned by feminist organizations in a park designated for public gatherings, known locally as Hyde Park.

Up to 100 persons have a right to hold pickets and rallies in such places without preliminary authorization from local authorities as long as they inform them beforehand.

Shortly before the beginning of the rally, police sealed off the park, saying a "suspicious item" was discovered on the grounds.

The activists said they will continue to stand "against women's political rightlessness, domestic violence, forced reproduction, and prostitution."

Putin did not mention domestic violence in his message, which feminist groups in Russia say accounted for 61 percent of all women killed in 2018.

Bills to prevent domestic violence have been proposed in parliament’s lower chamber, the State Duma, more than 40 times in recent years, but none of them were approved.

In 2017, battering was decriminalized in Russia and domestic violence became an administrative offense that envisions fines and days in jail as a punishment.

The Kremlin's tight grip on politics, media, law enforcement, and other levers means Putin, who has ruled Russia as president or prime minister since 1999, appears certain to win the election barring a very big, unexpected development.

Ukraine Repels Another Wave Of Russian Drone Strikes, Military Says

A missile fired from Russia's Belgorod region is seen from the northeastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv.
A missile fired from Russia's Belgorod region is seen from the northeastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv.

Ukrainian air defenses shot down 33 out of the 37 drones launched by Russia at five of its regions, the military said early on March 8. "As a result of defense work, 33 [drones] were shot down above the Odesa, Kirovohrad, Kherson, Mykolayiv, and Kharkiv regions," the Ukrainian Air Force reported. Russia also fired one S-300 antiaircraft missile and two Kh-59 missiles, the military said. Meanwhile, shelling wounded five people, including a 3-year-old child, in Chuguyev, in Kharkiv region, governor Oleh Synyehubov wrote on Telegram. To read the original stories by RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, click here.

U.S. Embassy Warns Of 'Imminent' Extremist Attacks In Moscow In Next 48 Hours

A Russian flag flies next to the U.S. Embassy building in Moscow.
A Russian flag flies next to the U.S. Embassy building in Moscow.

The U.S. Embassy in Moscow warned Americans in a security alert posted on its website late on March 7 of an imminent threat of attacks on large gatherings in the Russian capital in the next two days. "The embassy is monitoring reports that extremists have imminent plans to target large gatherings in Moscow, to include concerts, and U.S. citizens should be advised to avoid large gatherings over the next 48 hours," the alert said. No further details were provided. The U.S. warning was also posted on the website of the British Foreign Office. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Russian Service, click here.

U.S. Soldier Indicted For Selling Sensitive Military Information, Including Involving Ukraine's War

An army soldier has been arrested on charges of selling sensitive information related to U.S. military capabilities, Justice Department officials said on March 7. Korbein Schultz, who is also an intelligence analyst, was accused in a six-count indictment of charges including conspiring to obtain and disclose military defense information and bribery of an unidentified public official. The indictment outlines that Schultz was initially asked to provide documents detailing lessons that could be learned from Russia's war with Ukraine and how those lessons could be applied to the U.S. helping Taiwan in the event of an attack.

Ukraine's Zelenskiy Issues Decree On Discharging Prewar Conscripts

It affects conscripts whose military service was due to end before February 24, 2022, but was prolonged due to Russia's invasion. (file photo)
It affects conscripts whose military service was due to end before February 24, 2022, but was prolonged due to Russia's invasion. (file photo)

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy issued a decree on March 7 providing for prewar conscripts still serving in the two-year-old war against Russia to be discharged into Ukraine's reserves within the next two months. The decree will allow some respite for service members who have been engaged in the military since even before Russian troops poured over the border in February 2022. In addition, those discharged will be exempt from further call-ups for 12 months. It affects conscripts whose military service was due to end before February 24, 2022, but was prolonged due to Russia's invasion.

Updated

Biden Rips Trump In High-Stakes Speech, Says He Won't 'Bow Down' To Putin

Biden Vows To 'Stand Up To Putin' In State Of The Union Address
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WASHINGTON -- In a high-profile televised address, U.S. President Joe Biden ripped his likely Republican challenger Donald Trump for "bowing down" to Russian President Vladimir Putin and urged Congress to pass aid for Ukraine, warning that democracy around the world was under threat.

In the annual State of the Union address, Biden came out swinging from the get-go against Putin and Trump -- whom he called "my predecessor" without mentioning him by name -- and on behalf of Ukraine, as he sought to win over undecided voters ahead of November’s election.

The March 7 address to a joint session of Congress this year carried greater significance for the 81-year-old Biden as he faces a tough reelection in November, mostly likely against Trump. The president, who is dogged by questions about his physical and mental fitness for the job, showed a more feisty side during his hourlong speech, drawing a sharp contrast between himself and Trump on a host of key foreign and domestic issues.

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.

Biden denounced Trump for recent remarks about NATO, the U.S.-led defense alliance that will mark its 75th anniversary this year, and compared him unfavorably to former Republican President Ronald Reagan.

"Bowing down to a Russian leader, it is outrageous, dangerous, and unacceptable," Biden said, referring to Trump, as he recalled how Reagan -- who is fondly remembered by older Republicans -- stood up to the Kremlin during the Cold War.

At a campaign rally last month, Trump said that while serving in office he warned a NATO ally he "would encourage" Russia "to do whatever the hell they want" to alliance members who are "delinquent" in meeting defense-spending goals.

The remark raised fears that Trump could try to pull the United States out of NATO should he win the election in November.

Biden described NATO as "stronger than ever" as he recognized Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson in the audience. Earlier in the day, Sweden officially became the 32nd member of NATO, ending 200 years of nonalignment. Sweden applied to join the defense alliance after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Finland became a NATO member last year.

Biden called on Congress to pass a Ukraine aid bill to help the country fend off a two-year-old Russian invasion. He warned that should Russia win, Putin will not stop at Ukraine's border with NATO.

A group of right-wing Republicans in the House of Representatives have for months been holding up a bill that would allocate some $60 billion in critical military, economic, and humanitarian aid to Ukraine as it defends its territory from Russian invaders.


The gridlock in Washington has starved Ukrainian forces of U.S. ammunition and weapons, allowing Russia to regain the initiative in the war. Russia last month seized the eastern city of Avdiyivka, its first victory in more than a year.

"Ukraine can stop Putin if we stand with Ukraine and provide the weapons it needs to defend itself," Biden said.

"My message to President Putin...is simple. We will not walk away. We will not bow down. I will not bow down," Biden said.

Trump, who has expressed admiration for Putin, has questioned U.S. aid to Ukraine, though he recently supported the idea of loans to the country.

Biden also criticized Trump for the former president's attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 election, saying those efforts had posed a grave threat to democracy at home.

"You can't love your country only when you win," he said, referring not just to Trump but Republicans in Congress who back the former president's claim that the 2020 election was rigged.

Political Analyst: Biden Stressed Russia Policy In Speech To Distinguish Himself From Trump
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Biden "really strove to distinguish his policies from those of Donald Trump," said Kathryn Stoner, a political-science professor at Stanford University and director of its Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law.

By referencing Reagan, Biden was seeking "to appeal to moderate Republicans and independents to remind them that this is what your party was -- standing up to Russia," she told RFE/RL.

The State of the Union address may be the biggest opportunity Biden has to reach American voters before the election. More than 27 million people watched Biden’s speech last year, equivalent to about 17 percent of eligible voters.

Biden's address this year carries greater importance as he faces reelection in November, most likely against Trump. The speech may be the biggest opportunity he has to reach American voters before the election.

Trump won 14 of 15 primary races on March 5, all but wrapping up the Republican nomination for president. Biden beat Trump in 2020 but faces a tough reelection bid amid low ratings.

A Pew Research poll published in January showed that just 33 percent of Americans approve of Biden's job performance, while 65 percent disapprove. Biden's job-approval rating has remained below 40 percent over the past two years as Americans feel the pinch of high inflation and interest rates.

Biden, the oldest U.S. president in history, has been dogged by worries over his age. Two thirds of voters say he is too old to effectively serve another term, according to a recent Quinnipiac poll.

Last month, a special counsel report raised questions about his memory, intensifying concerns over his mental capacity to run the country for four more years.

As a result, Biden's physical performance during the address was under close watch. Biden was animated during the speech and avoided any major gaffes.

"I thought he sounded really strong, very determined and very clear," Stoner said.

Instead of avoiding the subject of his age, Biden took it head on, saying the issue facing our nation "isn’t how old we are, it’s how old our ideas are."

He warned Trump was trying to take the country back to a darker period.

"Some other people my age see a different story: an American story of resentment, revenge, and retribution," Biden said, referring to the 77-year-old Trump.

Zelenskiy Hails Sweden's NATO Entry, Eyes Day Ukraine Might Also Join

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy (left) meets Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson at his country retreat in Harpsund, Sweden, in August 2023.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy (left) meets Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson at his country retreat in Harpsund, Sweden, in August 2023.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy hailed Sweden's entry into the NATO military alliance, largely viewed as a reaction to Russia's invasion of his country in 2022, saying the Scandinavian country was a "strong ally and a country that can be trusted."

Zelenskiy, who seeks eventual NATO membership for Ukraine, added that "there will be a day when Sweden will be able to congratulate Ukraine on joining the alliance as well. Together, we are always stronger."

Sweden joined NATO in Washington on March 7, two years after Russia's invasion of Ukraine forced it to rethink its national security policy and conclude that support for the alliance was the nation's best safety guarantee.

Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson handed over final documentation to the U.S. government, the last step in a long process to secure the backing of all members to join the alliance.

"Good things come to those who wait," U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.

"Today is a truly historic day," Kristersson said. "Sweden is now a member of NATO. We will defend freedom together with the countries closest to us -- both in terms of geography, culture and values."

With reporting by Reuters

Armenia Says Maintaining Regular Contact With Ankara, Erdogan

Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan speaks with the Turkish Anadolu news agency in Antalya on March 1.
Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan speaks with the Turkish Anadolu news agency in Antalya on March 1.

Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said in an interview with the Turkish Anadolu news agency that Yerevan was maintaining regular contacts with Ankara, as the two historic rivals and neighbors seek a path to normalization of relations. He said Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan had held "ongoing" phone calls to "ensure positive dynamics." Anadolu said the interview took place during the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, held on March 1-3. To read the original story by RFE/RL’s Armenian Service, click here.

Zelenskiy Appoints Former Ukraine Commander Zaluzhniy Ambassador To U.K.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy (left) presents General Valeriy Zaluzhniy with a medal in Kyiv on February 8.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy (left) presents General Valeriy Zaluzhniy with a medal in Kyiv on February 8.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has appointed Valeriy Zaluzhniy to be Kyiv's ambassador to the United Kingdom, about a month after the general was removed from his position as commander in chief of the military. The 50-year-old Zaluzhniy's removal from his military post was part of Zelenskiy's announced "reboot" of Ukraine's government and military, his most consequential shake-up since Russia's February 2022 invasion. To read the original story by Current Time, click here.

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