Michael Scollon is a senior correspondent in RFE/RL's Central Newsroom in Prague.
Iran has dramatically increased its execution of prisoners, reversing a five-year trend. But while the number of those being hanged is on the rise, there is no real correlation to more crime. Observers say it has more to do with the authorities sending a warning against dissent.
Iran is planning to manufacture airliners in an attempt to skirt U.S. sanctions and upgrade its decrepit fleet of passenger aircraft. But Iran has a tragic history when it comes to producing passenger planes, with the last attempt grounded by a lack of engineering expertise and a string of crashes.
Tehran has homed in on its drone technology as it looks to keep the security situation in Afghanistan in check and gain regional influence.
The Iranian government's decision to cut subsidies for imported wheat has led to high prices for food producers. And as the cost has been passed to consumers who are struggling to buy flour, bread, and other staples, lawmakers and regime loyalists are warning of social unrest.
Muslims have no right to convert to Christianity under Iranian law, and those who do risk arrest and long prison sentences. For members of the religious minority, many of whom have been forced to flee abroad in order to practice their faith, it is a matter of finding a #Place2Worship.
During a briefing in Tehran to discuss the Kremlin's position in the ongoing nuclear talks, Moscow's ambassador to Iran took umbrage to a question about Russia's war in Ukraine. Levan Dzhagaryan scolded the journalists, reminding them that they should use Russia's preferred terminology.
Iranian journalist and activist Sepideh Gholian has become somewhat of an expert at exposing the torture tactics used in Iranian prisons. Now, her latest eyewitness accounts of prisoner abuse that she posted on social media have landed her back behind bars.
Budget-sector workers in Russia were pictured flocking to polling stations across the country as voting in nationwide legislative elections began.
As the old joke goes, the Soviet Union was heralded for producing the world's largest microchips and the fastest watches. But Russia alone can lay claim to having a "single voting day" over a span of three days.
Russians have little access to independent views or polling ahead of the elections, and one of the small windows into potential fraud -- live-stream monitoring -- has been closed. Critics fear the ground is being prepared for vote-rigging and a foregone conclusion favoring the ruling party.
The countdown is under way for Russia's controversial e-voting platform, which will be debuted in the upcoming State Duma elections by some very remote voters, including a cosmonaut and a polar explorer.
The CSTO is scrambling to respond to the regional security void left by the sudden U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. But while the loose-knit, Russian-led defense grouping is busy holding military exercises and high-level meetings, its strength as an alliance is in doubt.
President Vladimir Putin is in a giving mood ahead of Russia's upcoming legislative elections, leading critics to say he is bribing vulnerable voters to boost the pro-Kremlin ruling party.
A Russian grocery chain's effort to highlight "real families" appears to have gotten a little too real after negative feedback forced an LGBT family to flee the country after appearing in one of the store's "Recipe For Happiness" adverts.
The departure of U.S.-led troops from Afghanistan has given Russia a chance to showcase its diplomatic and military influence on the world stage. But experts say Moscow's initial moves have revealed that the Kremlin has no long-term strategy in place.
Momentum for early parliamentary elections in Moldova has been building for months. Now, an angry electorate is preparing to decide on July 11 whether the small country on Europe’s edge will move toward the West or remain in Russia's orbit. A look at how it got here and what is at stake.
Russia wasted little time staking its claim to Crimea's archeological bounty after seizing control of the Ukrainian peninsula in 2014. After seven years of extensive excavations, Moscow has collected a treasure trove of new and disputed discoveries.
A new round of EU sanctions is expected to take a bite out of the Belarusian economy. But the measures cutting off exports destined for Europe could also unintentionally be a boon to another Western adversary -- Russia.
Tighter restrictions aimed at preventing the spread of the coronavirus in Russia have led to a new scourge -- a sharp rise in the number of fraudulently obtained vaccination certificates needed to work, get regular medical treatment, and travel.
From his cage in a Minsk courtroom, Belarusian activist Stsyapan Latypau said that he had been ordered to confess to charges he organized anti-government protests or face time in a prison "pressure chamber."
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