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Detention Of Kremlin Critic Navalny Sparks Immediate Criticism Of Moscow By West
The detention of Russian opposition politician Aleksei Navalny by law enforcement as he arrived in Moscow following his return from Germany after recovering from being poisoned has sparked immediate outrage and criticism of the Kremlin.
Navalny arrived in the evening on January 17 in Moscow from Germany, where he was being treated after being poisoned in Russia last August, and was promptly detained by law enforcement authorities at the airport.
Anger over the move came almost as quickly.
European Council President Charles Michel called the apprehension of the 44-year-old Kremlin critic "unacceptable" and demanded his immediate release.
"The detainment of Alexei Navalny upon arrival in Moscow is unacceptable," Michel, who coordinates EU governments in Brussels, said in a tweet. "I call on Russian authorities to immediately release him."
Navalny, who Amnesty International called on January 17 a “prisoner of conscience,” was poisoned last summer by what tests at Western laboratories showed was a Novichok nerve agent. He was flown to Germany for emergency medical care after being poisoned in Siberia.
Navalny, who has been jailed numerous times in Russia for organizing and leading anti-government protests, blames the poisoning on the Russian authorities. Moscow denies any involvement.
The poisoning, which was similar to the near-fatal attack on Russian double-agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, in 2018 in the English city of Salisbury, drew wide international attention, as did Navalny's planned return after Russia's prison authority warned that Navalny could be jailed for 3 1/2 years for allegedly flouting the terms of a suspended prison sentence.
In a joint statement upon the news of Navalny's detention, the Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia -- all former Soviet republics -- issued a call for the "imposition of restrictive measures" against Moscow.
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis added in a tweet that the detention of Navalny “by the Russian authorities is completely unacceptable. We demand his immediate release."
"[The] EU should act swiftly and if he is not released, we need to consider imposition of restrictive measures in response to this blatant act,” he added.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki also called on Twitter for "a swift and unequivocal response at the EU level" if Navalny is not released.
In the United States, the incoming administration of President-elect Joe Biden also called for Navalny's immediate release and that "the perpetrators of the outrageous attack on his life must be held accountable."
"The Kremlin’s attacks on Mr. Navalny are not just a violation of human rights, but an affront to the Russian people who want their voices heard," Jake Sullivan, Biden's incoming national-security adviser, said in a tweet.
With reporting by Current Time and RFE/RL’s Russian Service
- By AP News Agency and
- Current Time
Navalny Detained At Moscow Airport
Russian opposition politician Aleksei Navalny was detained on January 17 by law enforcement authorities at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport after he arrived in Russia from Germany, where he was being treated after being poisoned.
Ukrainian-Owned Cargo Ship Sinks In Black Sea
At least two crew members have died and six remain unaccounted for after a Ukrainian-owned cargo ship sank in bad weather in the Black Sea off Turkey.
A Ukrainian government spokesman on January 17 said that “five people have been rescued and two bodies have been recovered” from the wreck of the bulk carrier Arvin, which is registered under the flag of the country of Palau.
The ship was heading for Bulgaria from Georgia when it sank, officials said. The Black Sea region has been hit by heavy rains, snow, and strong winds in recent days.
Reports differed on the number of people aboard the ship when it sank. Russia’s Interfax news agency said 12 people were aboard, including two Russians, while a Turkish official put the number at 13.
Sinan Guner, governor of northern Turkey's Bartin Province, said five seamen had been rescued. He added that weather conditions were hampering rescue efforts.
"There are high waves, and because of the waves the [rescue] boat can't see its surroundings. We are trying to reach them with directions from the shore," Guner was cited as saying by Turkish news agencies.
Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko told AFP that the ship was owned by a Ukrainian firm. He tweeted that five Ukrainians and one "foreigner" had been rescued so far and were hospitalized in satisfactory condition.
Tensions remain high in the strategic region. Moscow’s 2014 annexation of Ukraine's Black Sea peninsula of Crimea has not been recognized by a vast majority of nations and has led to U.S. and EU sanctions against Russia.
With reporting by AFP, AP, Reuters, and Interfax
Navalny Boards Flight For Russia
Russian opposition figure Aleksei Navalny has left Berlin for Moscow, despite the Russian authorities' stated intention to arrest him and potentially jail him for years. Navalny's flight with the Russian airline Pobeda on January 17 is scheduled to land at Moscow's Vnukovo airport. Journalists at Vnukovo have noted a large police presence, while the authorities have urged Russians not to come out to greet Navalny. The outspoken Kremlin critic has received months of medical treatment in Germany for a poisoning that he has blamed on the Russian authorities.
Kremlin Critic Navalny Detained After Arrival In Moscow
MOSCOW -- Russian opposition politician Aleksei Navalny arrived in Moscow from Germany, where he was being treated after being poisoned, and was promptly detained by law enforcement authorities at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport.
A live broadcast of his arrival showed police taking the 44-year-old Kremlin critic away on January 17 at the passport control booth.
His lawyer, who was travelling with him, was not allowed to accompany him. His wife, Yulia Navalnaya, who was also on the flight, was allowed to pass through passport control.
Russia's prison authority, FSIN, confirmed Navalny's detention, according to Interfax. The FSIN statement said that Navalny was being held because of “multiple violations” of the conditions of his suspended sentence relating to a 2014 fraud conviction and for evading criminal inspectors.
The statement said Navalny would be held “until a court ruling” on the matter.
The move, which could see Navalny jailed for 3 1/2 years for allegedly flouting the terms of a suspended prison sentence, sparked an immediate wave of criticism of President Vladimir Putin from both inside and outside the country.
"Putin seems to be doing everything possible to make @navalny into a national hero. After poisoning Navalny, which required German doctors to save his life, Putin arrests him on return for parole violations because he was in Germany," tweeted William Browder, a U.S.-born British investor and the CEO and cofounder of Hermitage Capital Management, the investment adviser to the Hermitage Fund, which at one time was the largest foreign portfolio investor in Russia.
Shortly before he was detained, Navalny told journalists at Sheremetyevo he was “happy” to be back in Russia and that he was confident he would not be arrested.
Navalny arrived from Germany after being flown there for emergency medical care after being poisoned in Russia in August 2020.
Laboratory tests conducted in Germany, France, and Sweden have established that Navalny was poisoned with a nerve agent of the Soviet-style Novichok class, a conclusion confirmed by the international Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.
INFOGRAPHIC: In And Out: All The Times Aleksei Navalny Has Been In Prison
Navalny has said President Vladimir Putin is directly responsible for the poisoning. The Kremlin has denied any involvement.
Belarusian opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who has been leading protests against strongman leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka since a disputed presidential election in August 2020, wrote on Twitter that Navalny’s detention was “a dangerous step to depriving Russia of political alternatives.”
“Belarus has seen the outcome of such treatment of political opponents,” she wrote. “This does not serve the interests of the Russian people and of the country.”
Meanwhile, European Union members Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania immediately issued a joint statement calling for the “imposition of restrictive measures” against Russia over Navalny’s detention, which they called “completely unacceptable.”
Navalny had been scheduled to arrive at Moscow’s Vnukovo airport, where hundreds of his supporters had gathered amid a massive riot police presence.
At the last minute, however, authorities closed Vnukovo to incoming flights and diverted Navalny’s plane to Sheremetyevo airport on the other side of the capital.
Police detained numerous people who were waiting for Navalny's arrival at Vnukovo, including Lyubov Sobol, a lawyer for Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation; Ruslan Shaveddinov, a project manager for the foundation; and Novaya gazeta journalist Vlad Dokshin. Other journalists were also reportedly among the detained.
Navalny returned to Russia despite the authorities' stated intention to arrest him and potentially jail him for years.
Late last month, the FSIN demanded Navalny return immediately from Germany or face jail in Russia for violating the terms of his suspended prison sentence.
Navalny denies all wrongdoing in that case and says that it, like several other criminal cases filed against him in recent years, is retribution for his anti-Kremlin political activity.
According to court documents, he could face a prison term of as much as 3 1/2 years.
Amnesty International immediately issued a statement saying the organization considers Navalny a “prisoner of conscience” and calling for the Russian authorities to release him without conditions.
Amnesty also called for the release of the dozens of Navalny supporters who were detained earlier by police at the airport.
Opposition politician and former Yekaterinburg Mayor Yevgeny Roizman wrote on Twitter that he had spoken by telephone with Navalny’s parents and told him their son was “a worthy citizen of Russia, brave and respectable.”
Navalny and other members of his Anti-Corruption Foundation could also face separate criminal charges of embezzling donors' funds, an accusation they vehemently deny. That charge carries a prison term of up to 10 years.
Earlier on January 16, Germany demanded that Moscow carry out a full investigation into Navalny’s poisoning and sent to Russia the transcripts of interviews its authorities conducted with him.
With reporting by Reuters and TASS
Three Turkmen Border Guards Killed In Helicopter Crash
Three Turkmen border guards were killed when their military helicopter crashed into a high-voltage power transmission tower near the border with Iran, eyewitnesses said.
The crash took place late January 14 near the village of Yashlyk, located some 60 kilometers from the capital, Ashgabat.
A border guard officer, who spoke to RFE/RL on condition of anonymity, said all three on board the helicopter were killed, including a captain.
Eyewitnesses told RFE/RL that they believed that the military helicopter crashed due to dense fog and poor visibility.
Turkmen authorities have not commented on the crash.
Officials in the tightly controlled Central Asian nation rarely announce the deaths of military personnel.
Belarus Protesters March In Residential Areas To Demand Lukashenka's Resignation
Belarusian protesters marched in parks and residential areas of several cities and towns across the country on January 17 as demonstrators continue to demand the resignation of authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka.
The protesters also are demanding that those responsible for violent crackdowns against demonstrators during the past five months be held accountable.
Daily demonstrations have been held across Belarus since election officials announced that their tally of the country's August 9 presidential vote showed Lukashenka winning a landslide victory. Those results are seen by many in Belarus and abroad as being rigged in favor of Lukashenka.
Crisis In Belarus
Read our coverage as Belarusian strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka continues his brutal crackdown on NGOs, activists, and independent media following the August 2020 presidential election.
The United States and the European Union have refused to recognize Lukashenka's reelection as legitimate.
The independent BelaPAN news agency reported that protesters staged at least 30 marches and rallies on January 17, including in Minsk, Brest, Hrodna, and Homel.
Many of the protesters were carrying the opposition’s red-and-white flag or banners.
In an effort to avoid arrest by Lukashenka's security forces, protesters have resorted to so-called "flash-mob" tactics in which they gather at locations announced on social media at the last minute.
The flash-mob protests are smaller and shorter protest marches, usually conducted outside of city centers rather than the kind of mass demonstrations that have drawn tens of thousands of people but have been an easy target for brutal crackdowns by security forces.
The United Nations says authorities have detained more than 30,000 protesters. There have also been credible reports of torture and ill-treatment, and several people have died.
Navalny Due To Fly Back To Russia With Threat Of Arrest Looming
Russian opposition figure Aleksei Navalny is due to fly back to Russia on January 17 from Germany despite the Russian authorities' stated desire to arrest him and potentially jail him for years.
Navalny is expected to fly to Moscow from Berlin, where he has received months of medical treatment for a poisoning that he has blamed on the Russian authorities.
The outspoken Kremlin critic announced on January 13 that he would return to Russia despite having received a notice that the country's Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN) would seek his arrest.
His return sets the stage for a potentially dramatic new showdown between the Kremlin and Navalny, one of President Vladimir Putin's most outspoken foes.
Late last month, FSIN demanded Navalny return immediately from Germany or face jail in Russia for violating the terms of a suspended prison sentence relating to a 2014 fraud conviction and for evading criminal inspectors.
According to court documents, he could face a jail sentence of as much as 3 1/2 years.
“The question ‘to return or not’ never stood before me as I didn’t leave on my own. I ended up in Germany in an intensive care box. On January 17, Sunday, I will return home on a Pobeda flight," he said in a tweet on January 13, referring to a Russian airline whose name means Victory.
His supporters plan to meet him at Moscow's Vnukovo airport. About 2,000 people have used a Facebook page to say they plan to be there, with another 6,000 expressing an interest. Pro-Kremlin activists are also expected to turn up.
The Moscow Prosecutor-General’s Office has said the event is illegal because it is not sanctioned by the authorities.
Citing COVID-19 restrictions, the airport has said it will not allow media inside.
Coma
Navalny fell ill on a flight from Tomsk to Moscow and was treated and placed in an induced coma in a Siberian hospital before being transferred to a medical facility in Germany.
Lab tests in three European countries, confirmed by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, established Navalny was poisoned with a nerve agent of the Novichok class. The findings led the European Union to imposed sanctions on six Russian officials and a state research institute.
Russian authorities have claimed that no trace of poison was found in Navalny's body before he was airlifted to Germany, and have refused to open a criminal investigation into the incident.
WATCH: Showdown In Moscow: Navalny Risks Jail With Return To Russia
On the eve of his return, Navalny thanked the German people in a Facebook post and said they don’t fit the stereotype that they are unfriendly and only want to give and follow orders.
“The five months I've been here, I've been amazed how much the Germans don't match the stereotypical idea of them,” Navalny wrote. “These are really the sweetest people with a great sense of humor, always trying to help.”
"Thank you friends!" he wrote in German.
Earlier on January 16, Germany demanded that Moscow carry out a full investigation into the poisoning and sent to Russia the transcripts of interviews its authorities conducted with him.
The German Justice Ministry said that, with the sending of the information requested by Moscow -- including blood and tissue samples -- the Russian government now has all the information it needs to carry out a criminal investigation.
A ministry spokesman said Berlin expects that "the Russian government will now immediately take all necessary steps to clarify the crime against Mr. Navalny."
"This crime must be solved in Russia. This requires investigations commensurate with the seriousness of this crime," the spokesman added.
With reporting by Reuters, dpa, and AFP
- By RFE/RL
French FM Says Urgent That Iran, U.S. Return To Nuclear Deal
France’s foreign minister says Iran's continued breaches of the nuclear agreement it reached with world powers have made it urgent that Tehran and Washington return to the deal.
Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian's comments came in an interview published on January 16, just days before U.S. President Donald Trump -- who withdrew the United States from the deal -- leaves office.
His successor, President-elect Joe Biden, faces an immediate challenge posed by Iran’s acceleration of breaches of the nuclear deal, including its move this month to start pressing ahead with plans to enrich uranium to 20 percent fissile strength at its underground Fordow nuclear plant.
With a presidential election in Iran due in June, Le Drian said it was urgent to tell the Iranians that their enrichment activities have gone far enough and to bring Iran and the United States back into the accord, the main aim of which was to extend the time Iran would need to produce enough fissile material for a nuclear bomb to at least a year.
Tensions between Washington and Tehran have been rising since Trump withdrew the United States from the deal in 2018, arguing that it did not go far enough, and started imposing crippling sanctions as part of a “maximum pressure” campaign aimed at forcing Iran to negotiate a new accord.
"The Trump administration chose what it called the 'maximum pressure' campaign on Iran. The result was that this strategy only increased the risk and the threat," Le Drian told the Journal du Dimanche newspaper.
"This has to stop because Iran and -- I say this clearly -- is in the process of acquiring nuclear [weapons] capacity."
Tehran has always denied pursuing nuclear weapons, saying its nuclear program is strictly for civilian purposes.
Biden has said he will return the United States to the deal if Iran resumes strict compliance with it. Iran says sanctions must be lifted before it reverses its nuclear breaches.
Le Drian also said that even if both sides were to return to the deal, it would not be enough.
"Tough discussions will be needed over ballistic proliferation and Iran's destabilization of its neighbors in the region," he said.
Separately, European powers on January 16 warned Iran against starting work on uranium metal-based fuel for a research reactor, saying it contravened the nuclear deal.
"We strongly encourage Iran to end this activity, and return to full compliance with its commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action without delay, if it is serious about preserving this agreement," France, Britain, and Germany said in a joint statement.
The statement added that Iran has “no credible civilian use” for uranium metal.
“The production of uranium metal has potentially grave military implications,” the statement said, while noting that under the 2015 nuclear deal, Iran committed to not engage in the production of uranium metal or conduct research and development on uranium metallurgy for 15 years.
The Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency said on January 14 that Iran has informed it the country has begun installing equipment for the production of uranium metal.
With reporting by Reuters, AFP, and Bloomberg
Germany Hands Over Navalny Interview Transcripts To Russia, Demands Criminal Probe
MOSCOW -- Germany has sent to Russia the transcripts of interviews its authorities conducted with Aleksei Navalny, and demanded that Moscow carry out a full investigation into the poisoning of the Russian opposition politician.
The move on January 16 came a day ahead of Navalny’s planned return to Moscow following several months in Germany, where he was sent for treatment following his August 2020 near-fatal poisoning that he has blamed on Russian authorities.
The Kremlin critic has said that he will return to Russia despite having received a notice that the country's Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN) would seek his arrest, setting the stage for a potentially dramatic new showdown between the Kremlin and Navalny, one of President Vladimir Putin's most outspoken foes.
Late last month, FSIN demanded Navalny return immediately from Germany or face jail in Russia for violating the terms of a suspended prison sentence relating to a 2014 fraud conviction and for evading criminal inspectors.
According to court documents, he could face a jail sentence of as much as 3 1/2 years.
The European Court of Human Rights ruled in October 2017 that the Russian courts violated Navalny's right to a fair trial in the case.
Navalny has faced numerous arrests and jail terms as he has challenged Putin's rule over the past several years, mainly by organizing and leading protest events.
The Kremlin critic in August fell seriously ill during a flight from the Siberian city of Tomsk to the Russian capital. He was initially treated at a hospital in Omsk before being taken by air to Berlin.
Several laboratories in Western countries, including Germany, have determined that Navalny was poisoned by Novichok, a military substance developed in Soviet-era Russia.
Moscow denies any involvement and, in September 2020, said it needed more information, including clinical samples, to carry out an investigation into the poisoning.
The German Justice Ministry said that with the handing over of information requested by Moscow -- including blood and tissue samples -- the Russian government now has all the information it needs to carry out a criminal investigation.
A ministry spokesman said Berlin expects that "the Russian government will now immediately take all necessary steps to clarify the crime against Mr. Navalny."
"This crime must be solved in Russia. This requires investigations commensurate with the seriousness of this crime," the spokesman added.
With reporting by Reuters, dpa, and AFP
Serbian Freelancers Protest Retroactive Taxes
Hundreds of freelancers and online workers marched through central Belgrade on January 16 to protest a recent law that requires them to pay income taxes for the last five years. The Serbian Tax Administration sent out thousands of tax bills in October 2020. Organized by an informal group known as the Association Of Internet Workers In Serbia, demonstrators called the practice “tax prosecution,” claiming the measure has been adopted without prior discussion. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has said that protests are not a solution as “taxes must be paid.” The association is calling for talks with the government.
Belarus Nuclear Plant Taken Offline After 'Protection System Activated'
MINSK -- Belarusian authorities say the country’s new nuclear power plant has been taken offline during testing procedures after the generator protection system was triggered.
At 7:02 p.m., Unit 1 at the Astravets plant was “disconnected from the network after the generator protection system was activated,” the Energy Ministry said in a statement on January 16.
This occurred “during the pilot industrial operation of Power Unit 1, as part of which the systems and equipment are being tested," the ministry said, adding that radiation levels in the area were “normal.”
In November 2020, just three days after it was inaugurated near the western city of Astravets, Belarus's only nuclear plant halted electricity production after voltage transformers were said to have exploded.
The plant resumed operations several days later.
Upon its planned completion in 2022, the plant, built by Russian state-owned firm Rosatom and financed by Moscow with a $10 billion loan, is to have two reactor units.
The facility's construction has been divisive among Belarusians, who suffered greatly as a result of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster. Belarus saw a quarter of its territory contaminated in the world's worst civilian nuclear accident.
Lithuania, whose capital, Vilnius, is just 50 kilometers away, also opposed the project.
Moscow Court Jails Member Of Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation On Extremism Charges
MOSCOW -- A Russian court has ordered a member of opposition politician Aleksei Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) accused of inciting extremism on the Internet to be kept in pretrial detention until February 28, according to a top human rights lawyer.
Pavel Chikov, head of the legal-aid nongovernmental organization Agora, said on Telegram that the Presnensky District Court issued the ruling against Pavel Zelensky on January 16.
The decision comes a day before Navalny is set to fly back to Russia for the first time after spending six months in Germany where he was treated for a near-fatal poisoning, despite the risk of being jailed upon his return.
Zelensky, a camera operator for FBK, was detained on January 15 and charged over a tweet he sent last year following the self-immolation of journalist Irina Slavina in the city of Nizhny Novgorod.
In his tweet on October 2, 2020, Zelensky condemned the Russian authorities, saying they were responsible for the journalist's death.
Slavina died after setting herself on fire in front of Nizhny Novgorod's city police department on October 2 following a police raid on her apartment in an apparent search for evidence linking her to an opposition group.
Before setting herself on fire, Slavina posted a statement on Facebook saying, "Blame the Russian Federation for my death."
Slavina's self-immolation caused a public outcry, with many people demanding justice for the journalist.
- By RFE/RL
Biden Names Iran, Ukraine Veterans To Top State Department Posts
U.S. President-elect Joe Biden has nominated Wendy Sherman, the country’s lead negotiator of the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, to be the No. 2 official at the State Department.
Biden also named retired career diplomat Victoria Nuland, who voiced strong support for the popular uprising that pushed Ukraine’s Moscow-friendly President Viktor Yanukovych from power in 2014, in the department's third-ranking post.
The Biden transition team announced on January 16 that Sherman, who served as undersecretary of state for political affairs under President Barack Obama, was nominated to be deputy secretary of state.
Sherman was the lead U.S. negotiator in talks that led to the agreement between Tehran and world powers under which Tehran committed to limit its nuclear activities in return for relief from sanctions.
But tensions between Washington and Tehran have risen since 2018, when outgoing President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the deal, arguing that it did not go far enough, and started imposing crippling sanctions on Iran as part of a “maximum pressure” campaign aimed at forcing the country to negotiate a new accord.
Since then, Iran, which claims its nuclear program is for civilian purposes, has breached parts of the nuclear pact, saying it is no longer bound by it.
Nuland, whose past portfolio at the State Department made her a leading Russia official in the Obama administration, was picked as undersecretary for political affairs.
As assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs, she was the lead U.S. diplomat on the ground in Kyiv and Moscow during the pro-democracy uprising in Ukraine and Russia’s subsequent annexation of the Crimean Peninsula.
The seizure of the Ukrainian region by Moscow and its support for separatists in eastern Ukraine in a conflict that has killed more than 13,200 people since April 2014 have greatly contributed to the dramatic deterioration of relations between Russia and the United States.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is to hold a confirmation hearing on January 19 for Antony Blinken, Biden's nominee to be secretary of state.
If confirmed, Sherman and Nuland would serve under him.
With reporting by AFP, Reuters, and Bloomberg
Ukrainians Sing And Dance The Old Year Out And The New One In
Old and young danced, sang, and marched from morning till morning in Krasnoyilsk, a village in southern Ukraine close to the Romanian border, to see in the new year according to the popular Malanka tradition -- sometimes referred to as the Ukrainian Mardi Gras. Falling near the end of the month-long holiday season on January 13-14, Malanka is how Ukrainians celebrate Old New Year, according to the Julian calendar. Although details differ from region to region, generally it entails lots of food, drink, caroling, concerts, parades, good-natured pranks, and garish costumes.
Council Of Europe Urges Russia To Explain NGO Designation As 'Undesirable'
The head of the Council of Europe has expressed “great concern” after the Association of Schools of Political Studies of the Council of Europe was added to the list of “undesirable” organizations in Russia.
In a letter dated January 14 and obtained by RFE/RL, Council of Europe Secretary-General Marija Pejcinovic Buric asked Moscow to clarify “the circumstances” that led to the decision, which she called “unacceptable.”
“I cannot stress enough how problematic is the notion that an organization such as the Association of Schools of Political Studies of the Council of Europe, closely linked to our organization and uniting schools of political studies, aiming to organize civic education activities based on the Council of Europe values and principles, would represent a threat” to a Council of Europe member state, reads the letter, addressed to Russian Justice Minister Konstantin Chuychenko.
Russia’s Prosecutor-General's Office announced in December 2020 it had declared the Strasbourg-based Association of Schools of Political Studies as “undesirable,” requiring the Justice Ministry to blacklist the organization.
A 2015 law allows prosecutors to shut down "undesirable" organizations if they are deemed to be a threat to Russia's national interests.
In a statement on January 6, the two co-rapporteurs of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe for the monitoring of Russia "deplored" the decision to place the Association of Schools of Political Studies on the Russian list of "undesirable" organizations.
"Russia’s 2015 law on 'undesirable organizations' has been severely criticized by the international community, including the Council of Europe, for its violations of the freedoms of association, assembly, and expression, its arbitrariness, and the wide discretionary powers granted to the prosecutor-general," Axel Schafer and Ria Oomen-Ruijten said in a statement.
Human rights watchdogs, media-freedom groups, and the West have accused Russia of using legislation on “undesirable organizations” and “foreign agents” to discourage the free exchange of ideas and silence dissent and organisations that have a diverging view from the authorities -- increasingly restricting space for civic activity.
“The expansion of the 'foreign agent' and 'undesirable organizations' legislation has unfortunately hit many national and international individuals and organizations, including media outlets run by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and persons associated with RFE/RL," Peter Stano, the spokesperson for the EU's foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell, said on January 16.
On January 12, Russia's telecommunications watchdog Roskomnadzor drew up its first eight administrative protocols -- all against Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty -- for violating the "foreign agents" law.
"We have repeatedly called on the Russian authorities to reverse these decisions and to uphold their commitments and obligations to a free press, and will continue to do so,” Stano said.
With reporting by Rikard Jozwiak
Skoda Auto Says It Won't Sponsor Ice Hockey World Championship In Belarus
Czech carmaker Skoda Auto says it will not sponsor this year's ice hockey world championship if the event is held in Belarus, where the authorities have responded to months of peaceful protests with a violent crackdown.
"We've been a proud partner for 28 years. But we also respect & promote all human rights," Volkswagen's Skoda Auto said in a tweet on January 16.
"Therefore, SKODA will withdraw from sponsoring the 2021 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship if Belarus is confirmed to be co-hosting the event," it added.
Belarus, which is due to cohost the tournament in May-June with Latvia, is facing calls for it to be stripped of the event because of strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s ongoing crackdown on protesters who dispute the August 2020 election that kept him in power.
Czech Foreign Minister Tomas Petricek said earlier he could not imagine the competition taking place in Belarus, saying that would "legitimize a repressive regime.”
Many European countries, including Latvia, have been calling for the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) to cancel Minsk’s involvement over the violent crackdown, as well as fears that Lukashenka's government has failed to control the coronavirus pandemic and is underreporting cases and deaths.
The 2020 tournament in Switzerland was cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Last week, the head of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), Rene Fasel, deplored the “negative reaction" to his meeting with Lukashenka in Minsk, saying it wasn't a sign of support for the authoritarian president's violent crackdown on demonstrators.
More than 57,000 people have signed an online petition against holding the 2021 ice hockey world championships in the Belarusian capital.
Belarusian protests are demanding the 66-year-old Lukashenka, who has been in power for 26 years, step down following the disputed presidential election on August 9.
On January 16, a group of about 20 feminists held a flash mob in Minsk in which they denounced the violence against protesters and called for the release of all political prisoners.
Nearly 30,000 people have been detained, with hundreds reportedly tortured in detention and beaten on the streets in the postelection crackdown by the government.
- By RFE/RL
France, Britain, Germany Call On Iran To Halt Uranium Metal Work
European powers have warned Iran against starting work on uranium metal-based fuel for a research reactor, saying it contravened the 2015 nuclear deal.
"We strongly encourage Iran to end this activity, and return to full compliance with its commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action without delay, if it is serious about preserving this agreement," France, Britain, and Germany said in a joint statement issued on January 16.
The statement added that Iran has “no credible civilian use” for uranium metal.
“The production of uranium metal has potentially grave military implications,” the statement said, while noting that under the 2015 nuclear deal, Iran committed not to engage in the production of uranium metal or conducting research and development on uranium metallurgy for 15 years.
The Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency said on January 14 that Iran has informed it the country has begun installing equipment for the production of uranium metal, in another breach of the 2015 nuclear deal.
Iran maintains its plans to conduct research and development on uranium metal production are part of its “declared aim to design an improved type of fuel,” the IAEA said.
Tehran has in past months reduced its commitment under the nuclear accord after a decision by U.S. President Donald Trump to unilaterally withdraw the United States from the deal in 2018 and reimpose crippling sanctions.
Tensions between Tehran and Washington have heightened since then.
U.S. President-elect Joe Biden, who was vice president when the deal was signed, has said the U.S. will rejoin the accord if Tehran returns to strict compliance.
Britain, France, and Germany warned earlier this month that Iran “risks compromising” chances of diplomacy with Washington after Tehran announced that it was starting to enrich uranium to 20 percent purity, a technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90 percent.
Tehran has always denied pursuing nuclear weapons, saying its nuclear program was strictly for civilian purposes.
With reporting by Reuters and AP
- By RFE/RL
Iran Holds Anti-Warship Missile Drill Amid Tensions With U.S.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has conducted the second and last phase of a drill launching anti-warship ballistic missiles at a simulated target in the Indian Ocean, state television reported.
The drill on January 16 comes amid heightened tensions over Tehran’s nuclear program and a U.S. pressure campaign against the Islamic Republic.
Footage showed two missiles smash into a target that Iranian state television described as “hypothetical hostile enemy ships” at a distance of 1,800 kilometers.
In the first phase of the drill on January 15, the IRGC launched several surface-to-surface ballistic missiles against simulated enemy bases in the country's central desert as part of the exercises.
Iran has a missile capability range of up to 2,000 kilometers, enough to reach its sworn enemy Israel and U.S. military bases in the Middle East.
Iran has increased its military drills in recent weeks with tensions building during the final days of the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.
Last week, Iran’s navy held two-day short-range missile exercises in the Gulf of Oman. Those followed an IRGC naval parade in the Persian Gulf.
Tensions between the United States and Iran have risen since 2018, when Trump withdrew Washington from an international nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers, arguing that the 2015 accord did not go far enough.
The U.S. administration also imposed crippling sanctions on Iran as part of a “maximum pressure” campaign aimed at forcing Tehran to negotiate a new agreement that would also address the country’s missile programs and its support for regional proxies.
Iran, which claims its nuclear program is for civilian purposes, says that the country’s missile program and regional policies are off the table.
Since the U.S. pullout and economic sanctions, Tehran has breached parts of the nuclear pact -- under which Tehran committed to limit its nuclear activities in return for relief from sanctions -- saying it is no longer bound by it.
U.S. President-elect Joe Biden, who will be inaugurated on January 20, has suggested that Washington may reenter the deal if Iran complies with its terms.
But Iranian officials insist that the United States should first lift its sanctions.
With reporting by AP, ISNA, and Press TV
Russia Informs UN Of Withdrawal Of 'Military Instructors' From Central African Republic
Russia has informed the United Nations that it plans to withdraw 300 “military instructors” sent to the Central African Republic (C.A.R.) in the run-up to presidential and legislative elections.
Russia told the United Nations about its plans this week in a letter to the Security Council committee monitoring sanctions against the C.A.R., news agency reports said on January 15.
"The Russians have informed the UN that they will withdraw the troops and helicopters," a diplomat quoted by AFP said on condition of anonymity.
Russia informed the UN of the withdrawal before attacks that took place on January 13 on the outskirts of the capital, Bangui, raising questions about whether Moscow will confirm the departure in light of those latest events.
The Security Council has scheduled a meeting to discuss the situation on January 21.
Prior to the elections Russia denied the assertion of C.A.R. officials that Russia had sent regular forces. But last month it acknowledged the deployment of at least 300 "military instructors."
Russia’s Foreign Ministry said the instructors were sent at the request of the C.A.R.’s government. The objective was to "help" the C.A.R. "strengthen its defensive capacities" in the run-up to the elections, Russian authorities said at the time.
Violence continues unabated in C.A.R., and in the past few weeks tens of thousands have fled to Cameroon, Congo, and other neighboring countries, the United Nations refugee agency said.
After the announcement on January 4 that President Faustin-Archange Touadera had won reelection, the rebel coalition threatened to take the capital. The rebels had taken towns in other parts of the country before the elections.
In the most recent violence, rebels on February 15 killed a UN peacekeeper and injured two others near the town of Grimari, northeast of Bangui.
Based on reporting by AFP, AP, and Reuters
- By Current Time
'Alyonushka Of The Apocalypse:' Russian Monument Gets Laughed Out Of Town
In the Russian city of Novovoronezh, a poorly designed statue was so widely loathed that officials had it dismantled -- but not before it became a joke on social media. In other cities, some residents wish their own local monuments would meet the same fate.
- By RFE/RL
Bosnia Urged To Swiftly Handle Dire Migrant Humanitarian Situation
Bosnia-Herzegovina is under mounting pressure to address the future of thousands of stranded migrants and asylum seekers, with the EU and a top European human rights official joining a chorus of calls demanding that authorities address the unfolding humanitarian crisis.
The dire situation of migrants is “unacceptable and needs to be solved urgently," Peter Stano, spokesperson for the EU's foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell, said on January 15.
In northwestern Bosnia, some 900 people have been sleeping without shelter in the improvised Lipa camp, braving snow and subzero temperatures for more than three weeks.
The tent camp was erected last year as temporary accommodation during the coronavirus pandemic and was shut on December 23, 2020. Then a fire that broke out during the evacuation of residents destroyed much of the camp.
Authorities first said they would move the migrants to another location, but after facing resistance from locals they ended up setting up military tents at the old site instead.
This week, around 750 migrants were placed in heated tents at the Lipa camp and showers were installed, although conditions still remain rough.
Migrants In Bosnia Face Freezing Winter Without Shelter
Many of those in the camp are from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Syria. They are among around 9,000 migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers stuck in Bosnia trying to cross into EU member Croatia in order to reach wealthier countries in the bloc.
"We are urging them repeatedly to set up functioning effective mechanisms to deal with this issue, recalling their responsibilities both stemming from international obligations, and stemming also from their EU aspirations," Stano told reporters in Brussels.
"There will be consequences if Bosnia-Herzegovina will not be able to meet those demands," he warned, adding that “it might have an impact also on the European aspirations of the country.”
EU agencies have provided over 88 million euros ($107 million) in assistance to Bosnia over the past three years to address the immediate needs of refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants, and strengthen its migration-management capacity.
Impoverished and ethnically divided Bosnia has struggled with the influx of thousands of people, a situation exacerbated by Hungary closing its border to migrants and Croatia engaging in illegal pushbacks at the border.
The task of dealing with the migrants has been marred by political bickering among Bosnia's national and local authorities.
Dunja Mijatovic, the Council of Europe commissioner for human rights, told RFE/RL that the crisis has again revealed the absence of coordination and cooperation at different levels of government in Bosnia.
"What we see now in Bosnia-Herzegovina is the dysfunction of the state," Mijatovic said.
To protect human rights, Bosnia must act like a state and abide by its international commitments instead of allowing its constituent ethnic entities, cantons, or municipalities to determine policy, she said.
With reporting by RFE/RL's Balkan Service and dpa
U.S. Slaps Sanctions On Firms Trading With Iran Shipping Line
The United States has sanctioned companies in Iran, China, and the United Arab Emirates for trading in steel with the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Washington had sanctioned seven entities and two individuals for violating U.S. sanctions on shipping steel to or from Iran, including Chinese-based Jiangyin Mascot Special Steel Co. and U.A.E.-based Accenture Building Materials.
Pompeo also designated three Iranian defense companies as arms proliferators. The three companies -- Marine Industries Organization (MIO), Aerospace Industries Organization (AIO), and the Iran Aviation Industries Organization (IAIO) -- were already sanctioned under the same authority.
The latest U.S. sanctions on Iran come as U.S. President-elect Joe Biden, who will be inaugurated on January 20, has suggested that Washington will seek to restart diplomacy with Iran.
Tensions between the United States and Iran have risen since 2018, when U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew Washington from an international nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers and imposed crippling sanctions as part of a “maximum pressure” campaign.
In response to the U.S. pullout and economic sanctions, Tehran has breached parts of the nuclear pact -- under which Tehran committed to limit its nuclear activities in return for relief from sanctions -- saying it is no longer bound by it.
- By RFE/RL
Germany Signs Off On Nord Stream 2 Construction In Its Waters
German authorities have granted permission for the construction of the Nord Stream 2 undersea gas pipeline from Russia to continue despite U.S. sanctions threats and opposition from environmental groups.
The Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency’s (BSH) decision on January 15 can still be appealed.
Environmental Action Germany (DUH), which campaigns to protect the environment, said it would challenge the decision in court, arguing the “mega fossil fuel” project threatens the climate and some of Europe’s most important migratory bird habitat on Germany’s Baltic Sea coast.
The U.S. government and some EU members want to prevent the pipeline from being completed, saying it will strengthen Russia’s energy hold on Europe and undercut Ukraine’s role as a transit country for Russian gas.
The pipeline, designed to double capacity of the existing undersea Nord Stream gas pipeline from Russia to Germany, has been a point of contention between Berlin and Washington.
German Foreign Minister Heiko Mass said January 15 that he hopes to have high-level talks with the incoming Biden administration about possible new U.S. sanctions against the project.
The threat of U.S. sanctions forced a Switzerland-based pipe-laying company to suspend construction on Nord Stream 2 in December 2019 shortly before its completion.
Nord Stream 2, led by Russian gas giant Gazprom, had to bring in a different type of ship, which is moved or held in place by other vessels, requiring a new permit.
The Russian ship, called Fortuna, finished a 2.6-kilometer section of each of the gas pipeline's branches within Germany’s exclusive economic zone in December 2020 but the permit expired at the end of the year.
The new approval allows for work to continue in Germany's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) until May.
Fortuna left the German port city of Wismar on January 14 and moved in the direction of the construction zone, Germany’s NDR public broadcaster reported.
Separately, Danish authorities had said work near the island of Bornholm would begin from January 15 with the Fortuna's participation.
However, a Nord Stream 2 spokesperson told German business daily Handelsblatt that the ship is not anticipated to begin laying pipes until the end of January or beginning of February.
According to Gazprom, 94 percent of the pipeline has been completed. That leaves around 150 kilometers left -- or 75 kilometers on each parallel line -- of which 120 kilometers are in Danish waters and 30 kilometers in German waters.
With reporting by AP, dpa, NDR, and Handelsblatt
Iran Deems Signal 'Criminal Content,' Removes From Local App Stores
Iran has ordered the removal of the private encrypted messengering application Signal from local application stores after it reportedly was deemed "criminal content" by the Islamic republic’s filtering committee.
Iranian media reported on January 14 that local app stores Cafebazaar and Myketappstore confirmed the removal of the Signal app.
Users have reported that when trying to install Signal, they have received a message that said the application has been “removed by the order of the Criminal Content Designation Taskforce,” which is in charge of Internet censorship.
The committee has not publicly commented on the decision, which comes amid the reported migration of many users worldwide to Signal and Telegram following an update by WhatsApp of its privacy policy reserving the right to share user data with its parent company Facebook Inc.
WhatsApp has said its update “does not affect the privacy of your messages with friends or family in any way," adding that the policy changes were necessary to allow users to message businesses on WhatsApp.
Many Iranians have said in recent days that they had migrated to Signal because of the change.
U.S.-based digital security expert and entrepreneur Nima Fatemi suggested on Twitter that Signal's removal from local app stores was an attempt by authorities “to slow down the migration,” while some users said that authorities were worried that Signal would become as popular locally as the messaging app Telegram.
Amir Rashid, the New-York-based director of Internet security and digital rights at Miaan Group, which focuses on digital security in the Middle East, told RFE/RL that the authorities could move to block Signal.
"Usually, [authorities] first issue the order to remove [a tool] and then they block it," Rashidi said.
"For now Signal remains unblocked. In the early years of the administration of [President Hassan] Rohani it was filtered. But the filtering was removed without any explanation," he said.
In 2019, Iran blocked Telegram, used by half of the country’s 81 million people, claiming it endangered national security. Many Iranians still use it despite the state-imposed filtering.
In December 2020, Iran executed Ruhollah Zam, the manager of the popular Telegram channel Amadnews, which had been accused of inciting violence during the country’s antiestablishment protests in late 2017 and early 2018.
Iran routinely filters tens of thousands of websites, including news sites and social-media networks, but Iranians frequently access banned sites through anti-filtering tools.
Senior state officials, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, frequently use Twitter even though it is banned in Iran.
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