The Week's Best: 10 RFE/RL Stories You Need To Read (Or Watch)

Hey, you're busy! We know rferl.org isn't the only website you read. And that it's just possible you may have missed some of our most compelling journalism this week. To make sure you're up-to-date, here are some of the highlights produced by RFE/RL's team of correspondents, multimedia editors, and visual journalists over the past seven days.

Anger Over Corruption And Navalny's Jailing May Be Redefining Russian Politics

A damning report alleging high-level corruption helped bring tens of thousands of Russians into the streets to denounce the government. The stakes were higher than ever. A harsh police crackdown on the nationwide protests could point to a bitter, protracted showdown over Russia's future. By Matthew Luxmoore

Also See:

Police Violence A Kick In The Gut To Kremlin Efforts To Tamp Down Protests

To Discredit Navalny Protesters, Russia Spreads 'Myth' Of Mass Youth Participation

A U.S. Law Required The White House To Respond To Navalny's Poisoning. Why Didn't It?

In Russia, Even Snowmen Can't Escape The Navalny Crackdown

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What's Different About The Latest Protests Across Russia?

What's Different About The Latest Protests Across Russia?

Angry protests over widespread corruption and the arrest of opposition leader Aleksei Navalny swept across Russia on January 23. What brought so many more people onto the streets compared to lots of previous protests, despite Kremlin threats and a forceful crackdown? Observers also saw more violence directed against police than most protests in the past. Analysts interviewed by Current Time weigh in on what's happening in Russia. By Ray Furlong, Current Time, and RFE/RL's Russian Service

After 'Last Armenian Of Bangladesh' Dies, The Church He Saved Lives On

How one man's devotion to a 240-year-old church in the heart of Dhaka saved a unique monument in South Asia. By Amos Chapple

Don't Call Us, We'll Call You: Kosovo's Vetting Strategy For Diaspora Voters Adds To Election Chaos

As obstacles pile up in Kosovo for snap elections in less than three weeks, Kosovars abroad are miffed at the election commission's decision to exclude them from voting if they miss a phone call. By Andy Heil, Bekim Bislimi, and Donika Gashi

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After Fleeing China, An Ethnic Kazakh Works To Expose Xinjiang 'Reeducation Camps'

After Fleeing China, An Ethnic Kazakh Works To Expose Xinjiang 'Reeducation Camps'

Sairagul Sauytbay, an ethnic Kazakh from China, was sent to work as a teacher in one of the country's so-called "reeducation camps." Human rights researchers say more than 1 million detainees, mostly Muslims, have been imprisoned in the camps. In 2018, Sauytbay escaped to Kazakhstan, then Sweden, and began recounting shocking stories of torture and oppression at the camp in China's Xinjiang region. Her efforts to reveal the conditions there have won her international recognition. By RFE/RL's Kazakh Service and Harutyun Mansuryan

Kyrgyzstan Seeks To Stop Wives From Staying In Abusive Marriages At All Costs

Kyrgyzstan's parliament has banned a long-standing tradition of families pressuring the victims of domestic violence to reconcile with their abusers to avoid divorce at any cost. The move comes as reported cases of domestic abuse in Kyrgyzstan increased by 65 percent last year. By Farangis Najibullah and RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service

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Russians Buy Disabled Man Apartment After Squalid Conditions Revealed

Russians Buy Disabled Man Apartment After His Squalid Living Conditions Revealed

People have raised nearly $27,000 to buy a new apartment for a disabled man in the northern Russian city of Arkhangelsk after a Current Time report showed the squalid housing conditions in which he was living. Police have opened a criminal case against the company that manages Artyom Arkhipov's home. By Current Time and Neil Bowdler

Minsk, Moscow, And Beyond: Belarus Protests Reverberate On Russian Streets

Chants of "Long live Belarus" rose from the crowd --in Moscow. At rallies across Russia to support Aleksei Navalny, echoes of the months-long protests against Alyaksandr Lukashenka in Belarus were clear. Are Russians learning from their neighbors, and could Putin's woes be a boon for Lukashenka? By Tony Wesolowsky

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Trash And Ash: Battle Rages In Bulgaria Over 'Green' Power Plant

Trash And Ash: Battle Rages In Bulgaria Over 'Green' Power Plant

A new Bulgarian power plant that will use trash to generate heat and electricity for tens of thousands of people is being hailed by its supporters as a green solution for Sofia's mountain of waste. But critics say the EU-funded incinerator will make the city's already-polluted air even worse. By Ray Furlong and RFE/RL's Bulgarian Service

Alphonse Mucha's 'Slav Epic' Masterpiece, Explained

With news that a probable home has been found for the Slav Epic, a series of masterworks by the Czech artist Alphonse Mucha, we take a look at what the paintings represent. By Amos Chapple