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G7 To Bolster Efforts To Counter Russia's 'Irresponsible' Behavior
The Group of Seven (G7) advanced democracies has wrapped up its first in-person meeting in more than two years with a pledge to bolster collective efforts to counter Russia's "irresponsible and destabilizing" behavior, but offered little concrete action aside from expressing support for Ukraine.
"We are deeply concerned that the negative pattern of Russia's irresponsible and destabilizing behavior continues," the top diplomats of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United States said in a joint statement on May 5 following talks in London.
The ministers cited "the large buildup of Russian military forces on Ukraine's borders and in illegally annexed Crimea, its malign activities aimed at undermining other countries' democratic systems, its malicious cyberactivity, and use of disinformation."
"We nevertheless will continue to bolster our collective capabilities and those of our partners to address and deter Russian behavior that is threatening the rules-based international order, including in the areas of cyberspace security and disinformation," the statement said.
The G7 meeting set the tone for next month's summit of the group's leaders in Cornwall, England.
It came amid heightened tensions between Russia and the West over issues including Russia's military threats to Ukraine, alleged meddling in elections in the United States and other democracies, alleged state-backed hacking, and the poisoning and jailing of Kremlin foe Aleksei Navalny.
Russia's recent military buildup near the Ukrainian border and in Crimea, seized by Moscow in March 2014, has raised concerns about a major escalation of the conflict in eastern Ukraine, where fighting between government forces and Moscow-backed separatists has killed more than 13,000 people since April 2014.
The Russian military said last week that most of its troops had returned to their permanent bases.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was flying to Kviv after the G7 meeting to “underscore unwavering U.S. support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of Russia’s ongoing aggression” and to “encourage progress on Ukraine’s reform agenda,” according to the State Department.
In their statement, the G7 ministers said they were "deeply concerned about the deteriorating human rights situation in Russia, and the systematic crackdown on opposition voices, human rights defenders, independent civil society, and media."
On Belarus, they raised their concerns about "the political and human rights crisis following the fraudulent" August 2020 presidential election, and called on the authorities to "hold new, free, and fair elections conducted under international observation."
Condemning Iran’s support to “proxy forces and non-state armed actors,” the G7 ministers called on Tehran to “refrain from destabilising actions, and play a constructive role in fostering regional stability and peace.”
They also called on Tehran to release foreign and dual nationals they said were being held arbitrarily in Iranian prisons.
The statement also criticized China for "arbitrary, coercive economic policies and practices" and urged it to stick to international trade rules and "respect human rights and fundamental freedoms," in particular among ethnic and religious minority groups such as mostly Muslim ethnic Uyghurs in the northwestern region of Xinjiang.
Iraqi President Confirms Several Rounds Of Iran-Saudi Talks
Iraqi President Barham Salih says his country has hosted multiple rounds of talks between Saudi and Iranian officials, confirming reports of diplomacy to defuse tensions between the Middle Eastern rivals.
Talks were held "more than once," Salih told an online discussion by the Beirut Institute think tank on May 5.
He added the discussions were "important and significant," but provided no further details.
The confirmation of the talks from Salih, a Kurdish politician known to have friendly ties with both the United States and Iran, comes after Saudi and Iranian officials had recently softened their language and said they were prepared for reconciliation.
Analysts say Saudi Arabia appears to be shifting its regional policies in response to the change of administration in Washington, which has brought renewed criticism of the kingdom's human rights record and regional policies.
Former President Donald Trump pursued a "maximum pressure" campaign against Iran and generally supported Saudi policies.
But President Joe Biden is seeking to revive the international nuclear deal with Iran abandoned by his predecessor, and has signaled impatience with the Saudi-led war in Yemen against Iran-aligned Huthi rebels.
Iraq has long tried to balance its close economic, political, and security ties with Iran, while expanding relations with Tehran's Persian Gulf rivals, led by Saudi Arabia.
Baghdad has also sought to avoid becoming a battleground between Iran and the United States, especially after the killing of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani in a U.S. air strike in Baghdad in January 2020 brought the region close to war.
Based on reporting by dpa and Reuters
Serbia Seeks To Ramp Up COVID Vaccinations By Offering To Pay Citizens
Serbia will pay citizens to get a COVID-19 shot as the government seeks to speed up the Balkan country's flagging vaccination campaign.
President Aleksandar Vucic announced the plan on May 5, saying economic growth depends on vaccinating the population.
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Under the incentive program, the government will pay 3,000 dinars ($30) to anyone who receives at least one vaccine dose by the end of May.
On average, Serbs earn a little over $600 a month.
Vucic said the government cannot discriminate against people based on whether they have been inoculated, but described those who refuse to get the shot as "irresponsible and selfish.”
"That is why we have been thinking about how to reward people who show responsibility," he added.
Vucic also said state employees who are not vaccinated and get sick with COVID-19 will not receive paid leave.
Serbia ranks among the top countries in the world in vaccinating its population of 7 million, but as elsewhere the pace of administering shots has slowed after an initial rush to get vaccinated.
According to government figures, 1.3 million people have been fully vaccinated with either the Sinopharm, Pfizer ,Sputnik V, or AstraZeneca vaccines. The country has a population of around 7 million.
With reporting by dpa
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Reporters Without Borders Slams Russia's 'Foreign Agent' Listing For Meduza
The media-freedom group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) says the Russian government's "draconian and defamatory" decision to list the Meduza website as a "foreign agent" may force one of the country's most popular independent news sites to shut down.
The listing is "a massive blow to media pluralism in Russia," the Paris-based RSF said in a May 5 statement.
"We call on the Russian Justice Ministry to abolish this draconian and defamatory register of 'foreign agent' media, which exists solely to enable the government to tighten its grip on the press," said Jeanne Cavelier, RSF's director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
Meduza, which is based in Latvia, is one of Russia's most popular and influential media outlets, claiming some 13 million unique visitors each month.
The Russian government included Meduza in the "foreign agent" register on April 23. Meduza is appealing the designation and has launched a crowd-funding campaign to compensate for lost advertising revenues that forced it to curtail operations.
Just in the last week, Meduza closed its offices in Riga and Moscow, slashed staff salaries, and halted the use of freelancers.
The European Union on April 24 said "it is extremely concerning that Russian authorities continue to restrict the work of independent media platforms, as well as individual journalists and other media actors."
Russia's so-called "foreign agent" legislation was adopted in 2012 and has been modified repeatedly.
It requires nongovernmental organizations that receive foreign assistance and that the government deems to be engaged in political activity to be registered, to identify themselves as "foreign agents," and to submit to audits.
Later modifications of the law targeted foreign-funded media, including RFE/RL's Russian Service, six other RFE/RL Russian-language news services, and Current Time, a network run by RFE/RL in cooperation with VOA.
Earlier this year, Russian courts began imposing large fines against RFE/RL for failing to mark its articles with a government-prescribed label. RFE/RL is appealing the fines.
RFE/RL has called the fines "a state-sponsored campaign of coercion and intimidation," while the U.S. State Department has described them as "intolerable."
Human Rights Watch has described the "foreign agent" legislation as "restrictive" and intended "to demonize independent groups."
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Liechtenstein Prince Accused Of Poaching Romania's Largest Bear
Environmental activists say a Liechtenstein nobleman has killed Romania's largest bear for a 7,000 euro ($8,400) fee in what they say amounted to poaching.
Arthur, a 17-year-old male brown bear, was killed in Romania's central Covasna County last month by Prince Emanuel von und zu Liechtenstein, Romania's Agent Green nongovernmental organization said in a statement on May 5.
Agent Green chief Gabriel Paun said the 32-year-old prince, who lives in Austria, shot Arthur after the Environment Ministry gave special approval for the shooting of a female bear with cubs following a farmer's complaint that the animal had caused extended and repeated damage to crops in the area.*
There was no immediate comment from Prince Emanuel.
Environment Minister Barna Tancos announced an investigation into the incident.
"Complaints and requests [to shoot troublesome bears] come almost daily from several areas," Tancos said, calling the case "extremely complicated."
Romania has arguably the largest brown-bear population in the European Union, and bear hunting is banned unless the animals pose a direct threat to farmers and their livestock.
"Measurements of the body showed that Arthur was worth 593 points out of a total of 600, which is the maximum score in trophy hunting," according to Paun.
"I wonder how the prince could mistake a small female with cubs that usually ventures into villages with the largest male that lived deep in the forest."
The activist said that it was "obvious" that the hunter did not travel to Romania to solve the villagers' problem but to get a much-coveted trophy, adding, "This amounts to bear poaching."
Ann-Kathrin Freude, a campaigner for the Austrian environmental NGO VGT, called the killing of the bear "a shame for Austria."
"It cannot be that influential Austrians can hunt protected animals in other countries for a lot of money!" she said in a statement.
The official number of brown bears in Romania is over 6,000. But the government is not actually sure of the number, and environmental groups argue that it might be as low as 2,000. Hunting associations say the number could be as high as 10,000.
In 2016, Romania banned the trophy hunting of large carnivores, such as bears and wolves. But under successive governments, exceptions have been granted for the sake of controlling the population. According to estimates, almost 1,400 bears have been killed by hunters to date, who are said to be willing to pay $15,000 for a trophy.
Tancos, who took over the ministry late last year, has advocated relaxing the ban on bear hunting, arguing that the large number of bears poses a growing threat to humans.
But critics have said that granting official approvals for bear hunting is a profitable business, and blamed the bears' incursions into the human habitat on the intensive logging -- both legal and illegal -- that has resulted in the substantial shrinking of Romania's forests.
With reporting by RFE/RL's Romanian Service
*CORRECTION: A previous version of this story identified Emanuel von und zu Liechtenstein as being Austrian.
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Google, Facebook Latest To Face Fines In Russia For Refusing To Remove Banned Content
Russia has filed protocols against Facebook and Google for what Roskomnadzor, the country's communications regulator, says is the social-media networks' failure to remove banned content.
The official TASS news agency on May 5 quoted a court source as saying five protocols against both Google and Facebook were received by the court, with potential fines amounting to 200 million rubles ($267,000) each.
Another social-media giant, Twitter, has already been handed protocols for similar violations, which could see it fined as much as $320,000, the source added.
The moves are the latest in a major dispute Moscow has with global social-media platforms over content allegedly related to political protests.
Russian critics of the Kremlin routinely use international social networks to get around state control of the media and reach tens of millions of citizens with their anti-government messages.
Imprisoned Kremlin critic Aleksei Navalny in January used U.S. social-media networks to organize some of the largest anti-government protests since 2011-12.
Russian authorities have gone as far as to threaten to ban social media. Even though they have recently backed away from such threats, Russian regulators have punitively slowed user connections.
No date for the hearing has been set, TASS said. Roskomnadzor, Twitter, and the court did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Uzbek Prosecutor Seeks 11 Years In Prison For Blogger Critical Of Government
XALQOBOD, Uzbekistan -- A prosecutor in Uzbekistan's southern Surxondaryo region has asked a court to sentence blogger Otabek Sattoriy to 11 years in prison in a high-profile extortion and slander case that has drawn harsh criticism from domestic and international human rights groups.
The prosecutor said in a statement at the Muzrabot district court during closing arguments on May 4 that Sattoriy "does not deserve a mitigated punishment," since he has refused to accept blame and has not paid compensation to his alleged victims.
Sattoriy, whose trial started in March, has said that the case against him was fabricated and "based on lies."
The 40-year-old blogger was charged with extortion, slander and insult, which his supporters and rights defenders have characterized as retaliation by the authorities for his critical reporting.
Sattoriy is known to be a harsh critic of the regional governor, Tora Bobolov. In one post on his Halq Fikiri (People's Opinion) video blog, Sattoriy openly accused the local government of launching fabricated criminal cases against bloggers and vowed to continue to raise the issue of corruption among officials despite the "crackdown."
Since his arrest in late January, Sattoriy has been tried in a separate case and found guilty of defamation and spreading false information. According to the Prosecutor-General's Office, the blogger was ordered to pay a fine for the offenses.
The Prosecutor-General's Office also rejected criticism by human rights organizations, saying that Sattoriy's arrest was lawful.
Uzbekistan is ranked 156th out of 180 countries in Reporters Without Borders' 2020 World Press Freedom Index.
Last month, the Committee to Protect Journalists urged Uzbekistan to repeal recent legal amendments that the group said "deepen restrictions" on online speech ahead of a planned presidential election in October.
The changes introduce prison sentences for crimes such as insulting or defaming the president online and making online calls for "mass disturbances." They also make it an offense to publish statements online calling on people to violate the law and threaten public order, or show "disrespect" to the state.
President Shavkat Mirziyoev took over as head of Central Asia's most-populous state after authoritarian leader Islam Karimov's death was announced in September 2016.
Mirziyoev has since positioned himself as a reformer, releasing political prisoners and opening his country to its neighbors and the outside world, although many activists say the changes have not gone nearly far enough.
Moscow Court To Hear Navalny Lawsuit Against Kremlin Spokesman
MOSCOW -- A Moscow court has agreed to hear a libel lawsuit filed by Aleksei Navalny against Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov over comments he made linking U.S. spies with the jailed opposition politician.
Open Media group quoted a representative of the Presnensky district court on May 5 as saying that Navalny, who is serving a prison term in a penal colony, will be able to take part in the hearing if he wishes and if the judge agrees with that.
The date of the hearing into the lawsuit filed by Navalny in late March is yet to be determined.
It is the second lawsuit Navalny has filed against Peskov in defense of his "honor, dignity, and business reputation."
An initial lawsuit was filed in November 2020 when Navalny demanded the Kremlin publish on its official website his rebuttal of public statements Peskov made saying that CIA specialists are "working with Navalny" and that the contents of Navalny's statements, including those criticizing President Vladimir Putin, are prepared by the U.S. secret service.
The court refused to register the lawsuit at the time, citing "procedural shortcomings." It was then refiled.
Navalny was arrested in January upon his return to Russia from Germany, where he received life-saving treatment for a poisoning attack in Siberia in August.
He blames the poisoning with a Soviet-style chemical nerve agent on Putin and Russia's security services. The Kremlin has denied any role in the poisoning.
In February, a Moscow court ruled that while in Germany, Navalny had violated the terms of parole from an old embezzlement case that is widely considered to be politically motivated. He is currently serving a 2 1/2 year sentence at a prison in the Vladimir region.
Navalny's incarceration sparked numerous protests across Russia which were violently dispersed by police.
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Iranian Diplomat's 20-Year Sentence For French Bomb Plot Confirmed
An Iranian diplomat's 20-year prison sentence in Belgium for plotting to bomb an opposition rally outside Paris has been confirmed after he dropped plans to appeal.
The confirmation of the sentence came after Vienna-based diplomat Assadolah Assadi dropped his appeal, his lawyers said on May 5.
Assadi was found guilty on February 4 of attempted terrorism after a plot to bomb a rally of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), an exiled opposition group, near Paris in June 2018.
Three other defendants also received jail sentences.
The planned attack on the rally was thwarted by a coordinated operation between French, German, and Belgian security services.
The sentence was strongly condemned by the Iranian government, which repeatedly dismissed the charges, saying the allegations by the NCRI, which Tehran considers a terrorist group, are false.
The NCRI is the political wing of the exiled Iranian opposition group Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK), an exiled opposition group that is seeking to overthrow the Islamic republic.
Prosecution lawyer Georges-Henri Beauthier said in Antwerp on May 5 that there were guarantees from the Belgium state that there would be no swap of Assadi for Western prisoners in Iran. Beauthier cited a separation of powers between justice and political decisions.
"The Belgian government will not discuss [a prisoner swap]," he said.
Assadi's trial was the first time an Iranian official had been tried for suspected terrorism in Europe since Iran's 1979 revolution.
Assadi was arrested in Germany before being transferred to Belgium for trial. In its ruling, the Belgium court said he was running an Iranian state intelligence network and was acting on orders from Tehran.
With reporting by Reuters and AFP
Azerbaijani Opposition Activist Found Dead In Turkey
ISTANBUL, Turkey -- Azerbaijani opposition activist Bayram Mammadov has been found dead in Istanbul in an apparent drowning.
Mammadov's body was pulled from the sea on May 2, hours after he disappeared into the water on Istanbul's Asian side while reportedly trying to retrieve his slippers.
According to Istanbul police, a friend later filed a missing person's report and identified the body of the 25-year-old on May 4.
BBC Turkish reported an investigation had been launched but an initial police report did not describe it as a suspicious death.
Some Azerbaijani activists are not ruling out foul play and questioned the idea Mammadov fell into the sea or may have committed suicide.
One of Mammadov's friends in Istanbul, Elgih Qahraman, told RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service that the opposition NIDA youth movement member was planning to visit Azerbaijan in the coming days.
Mammadov, along with another pro-democracy activist, Giyas Ibrahimov, made headlines in May 2016 after painting "Happy Slaves' Day" on a monument in Baku to late President Heydar Aliyev, the father of the current president.
Both were subsequently sentenced to 10 years in prison on drug charges, which both have denied. Mammadov had said he was tortured into making a confession.
Amnesty International has recognized the two activists as prisoners of conscience, saying that the drug charges against them were fabricated with the purpose of punishing them for their political activities.
In March 2019, President Ilham Aliyev pardoned Mammadov and Ibrahimov in an amnesty along with more than 400 people who had been convicted of crimes in the South Caucasus state.
With reporting by BBC Turkish, Hurriyet, and RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service
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Russian Lawmakers Initiate Thinly Veiled Bill Aimed At Keeping Navalny Associates From Participating In Elections
A group of Russian lawmakers has proposed legislation that would bar individuals involved in the activities of a public or religious group, or any organization that has been recognized by a court as "extremist or terrorist," from taking part in parliamentary elections.
The draft bill, put forward just ahead of September elections to the parliament’s lower chamber, the State Duma, states that ordinary employees and leaders of such organizations cannot be elected as lawmakers if they worked in such groups for one and three years, respectively, before a court's decision to ban such groups.
The bill also says that individuals who "provided financial support, property, as well as organizational, methodical, consultative, or any other type of assistance" to such organizations one year before the organization was banned will be barred from taking part in parliamentary elections for three years.
The move comes on the heels of Moscow prosecutors asking a court to recognize jailed opposition politician Aleksei Navalny's regional network, along with his Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) and his Citizens' Rights Defense Foundation (FZPG), as extremist organizations.
The Moscow City Court has said it will rule on the motion on May 17.
Leonid Volkov, a close associate of Navalny, says the draft bill is aimed squarely at the Kremlin critic, his supporters, and the staff members at its organizations.
"We have seen a mass of 'laws against Navalny,' but nothing this harsh. Contributed even just a penny to the FBK in the last year -- you cannot be elected to the State Duma. Worked as a coordinator for Navalny's team in the last three years -- you cannot be elected to the State Duma. Just read [the draft bill], there is fear in every sentence, " Volkov wrote on Telegram.
The pressure on Navalny has intensified greatly in the past eight months, starting with his poisoning in Siberia last August. But it goes back at least as far as December 2011, when Navalny helped lead protests prompted by anger over evidence of election fraud that benefited the Kremlin-controlled United Russia party and dismay at Vladimir Putin’s plans to return to the presidency in 2012 after four years as prime minister.
The elections must be held by September 19, and the United Russia party has been polling at historically low levels. Many observers link this to the government's latest crackdown on Navalny and his colleagues, as well as on other dissenters and independent media outlets.
Lyubov Sobol, another close Navalny associate and a lawyer for the FBK who has announced her intention to run for a seat in the State Duma in September, told Current Time, the Russian-language network led by RFE/RL in cooperation with VOA, that the move by lawmakers is "a demonstration of United Russia's weakness."
"I think I am the person that the Kremlin [and] United Russia are scared of. And they will try, using that bill, to prevent me from taking part in the elections to the State Duma because they understand that if I am registered, I will win.... Because Moscow residents want change, they want decent, strong, and independent politicians.... The fact that they will try to label us as extremists to ban our participation in the elections shows that they are really afraid of us," Sobol said.
Volkov announced on April 29 that Navalny's regional network will be disbanded ahead of the Moscow City Court hearing on May 17 to avoid the prosecution of staff members.
With reporting by Current Time
Bulgarian President Sees Snap Parliamentary Elections On July 11
Bulgarian President Rumen Radev says he will set July 11 for early parliamentary elections after a third and final attempt to form a government following April 4 polls that led to a fragmented parliament failed.
Radev said on May 5 that the appointment of a new electoral commission is expected to be finalized on May 11, after which he would then call the election, dissolve parliament, and appoint an interim government.
Under the constitution, if the national assembly fails to form a cabinet after three attempts, the president should dissolve parliament, appoint a caretaker government, and schedule an early election within two months.
On May 1, the Socialists, third-place finishers in the April 4 election, became the third party to fail to form a government.
Previously, both the center-right GERB party of outgoing, three-time Prime Minister Boyko Borisov and the new antiestablishment party, There Is Such A People (TSN), led by television personality Slavi Trifonov, failed in their attempts to form a government.
While Borisov’s GERB came in first in the election, frustration over endemic corruption and poverty has cut support for the party to 26 percent.
The TSN, which came in second with 18 percent of the vote, and two other antiestablishment parties made inroads, although the three together need other partners to gain a majority in the chamber.
The political uncertainty comes as Bulgaria prepares to spend billions of euros from the EU’s coronavirus recovery fund and chart a path out of the pandemic.
With reporting by Reuters
Case Filed In Germany Accusing Lukashenka Of Crimes Against Humanity
Lawyers have filed a criminal complaint in Germany on behalf of 10 Belarusians alleging that authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka has committed crimes against humanity.
Acting on behalf of "torture victims," the lawyers said on May 5 that they have submitted a complaint to federal prosecutors in the German city of Karlsruhe against Lukashenka "and other Belarusian security officers."
The lawyers stressed that neither Lukashenka nor his security officers face legal consequences in Belarus for their excessive use of force and the torture of citizens detained in the country. Thus, they said, they are calling on Germany to conduct an independent investigation into the alleged crimes.
The lawyers referred to so-called universal jurisdiction, which provides for the possibility of criminal prosecution for crimes that break international law even when they are committed in other states.
"In general, the actions of the authorities can only be called brutal," the lawyers said in a statement.
Minsk did not immediately comment.
The 66-year-old Lukashenka, who has run the country since 1994, was officially declared the victor of the August 9, 2020, presidential election by a landslide, triggering almost daily protests demanding that the longtime strongman step down and new elections be held.
The opposition says the vote was rigged, and the West has refused to recognize Lukashenka as the legitimate leader of Belarus.
Security officials have cracked down hard on the demonstrators, arresting thousands, including dozens of journalists who covered the rallies, and pushing most of the top opposition figures out of the country.
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.
Several protesters have been killed in the violence and some rights organizations say there is credible evidence of torture being used by security officials against some of those detained.
"This is the first step towards the inevitable recognition of the regime as a terrorist organization with all the ensuing consequences," the German media outlet Deutsche Welle quoted a representative of the Belarusian diaspora in Germany as saying.
Belarusian opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who lives in self-imposed exile in Lithuania, welcomed the legal filing, saying in a statement, "There will never be impunity in Belarus, and today's news is a clear example of this."
Chancellor Angela Merkel said Germany would "not forget" the prisoners languishing behind bars in Belarus.
Those in "acute danger" would be welcomed in Germany if it could be arranged, Merkel said.
With reporting by AFP and Reuters
Kyrgyz President Signs Bill On Constitutional Amendments Into Law
BISHKEK -- Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov has signed into law a bill on constitutional amendments approved by a nationwide referendum last month that has been criticized by his opponents as a move to concentrate more powers in his hands.
The signing ceremony held on May 5 started with a minute of silence to commemorate 36 Kyrgyz nationals killed in last week's clashes along a disputed segment of the Kyrgyz-Tajik border.
Japarov addressed the nation after the signing ceremony, calling the April 28-29 violence along the border "an attempt to violate Kyrgyzstan's territorial integrity" and vowing to assist affected villages to get back to normal as soon as possible.
"None of presidents before me faced economic problems of the current proportions. I inherited a devastated economy, a state treasury with a deficit of 20 billion soms ($236 million)," Japarov said, adding that despite "economic hardships that have deepened due to pandemic crisis," he will do "everything I can to revive economy and business activities."
Kyrgyz citizens approved the bill on constitutional amendments on April 11, but the full text of the amended constitution is yet to be made public.
The new constitution reduces the size of parliament by 25 percent to 90 seats and gives the president the power to appoint judges and heads of law enforcement agencies. It also calls for establishing "a consultative and coordinating body" that would be controlled by the president. Critics say it could act as a parallel parliament and a way for the president to exert more power.
The referendum came three months after Japarov was elected president following a tumultuous period that saw the ouster of the previous government amid protests over October parliamentary elections and months of political wrangling over the future of the Central Asian country.
Japarov proposed drafting a new constitution in November 2020 as he emerged from the turmoil as acting president in the wake of the resignation of then-President Sooronbai Jeenbekov.
He easily won the presidential election in January, while a referendum held in tandem saw voters opt for a presidential system that was the centerpiece of the proposed constitutional amendments.
Some in the former Soviet republic have criticized Japarov, saying the new constitution was being rushed through to create an authoritarian system while concentrating too much power into the hands of the president.
Japarov was among several prominent politicians freed from prison by protesters during the October unrest. He had been serving a 10-year prison sentence for hostage-taking during a protest against a mining operation in northeast Kyrgyzstan in October 2013. He maintains the charges against him were politically motivated.
May 5 has been marked in the country as the Constitution Day since the first constitution was approved by the parliament of independent Kyrgyzstan on that day in 1993.
U.S., EU Members Back Western Balkans' Borders
The United States and Europe have expressed support for the territorial borders of Bosnia-Herzegovina, which have been called into question in a document that has circulated among EU officials.
U.S. Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the Security Council on May 4 that the U.S. position on the 1995 Dayton peace accords and Bosnia-Herzegovina's future as “a single state destined for the Euro-Atlantic community” remains unchanged.
Ireland and Estonia, which are nonpermanent members of the Security Council, joined France in affirming their “unwavering support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity" of Bosnia.
The statements follow reports that a document has circulated among EU officials proposing the redrawing of borders in the Western Balkans to merge Kosovo with Albania and to incorporate parts of Bosnia into Serbia and Croatia to help the region's EU integration.
A Slovenian news website last month published the document, allegedly sent to the EU by Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa. Jansa denied handing the document to European Council President Charles Michel.
EU and U.S. officials rejected the idea of redrawing borders in the Western Balkans after reports about the document were published.
Thomas-Greenfield on May 4 also told the Security Council that the United States supports “the essential role” of UN envoy Valentin Inzko in monitoring and supporting the implementation of civilian aspects of the Dayton accords.
But Russia’s deputy ambassador to the UN renewed Moscow’s attacks on Inzko.
"He presents the situation as if the Bosnian Serbs and the Croats alone were to blame for all the difficulties," said Anna Evstigneeva.
She also denounced his "interference" and "manipulation of historical events," and demanded he not be involved with Bosnia's relations with the European Union and NATO.
Inzko said he regretted the verbal attacks, including being labeled a monster by Milorad Dodik, Bosnia's nationalist Serb leader.
Based on reporting by AFP
- By RFE/RL
Blinken To Visit Ukraine In Show Of Solidarity After Russian Troop Movements
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is due in Ukraine on May 5 in a show of support after Russia last month amassed and then pulled back its troops from border regions and Crimea.
Blinken’s visit is a show of "unwavering" U.S. support for Ukraine's "sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of Russia's ongoing aggression," State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement.
Russian military buildup near Ukraine's northern and eastern borders as well as in Crimea, which Moscow seized in 2014, raised concerns in Kyiv, Brussels, and Washington about a major escalation.
Moscow announced on April 23 that it had started withdrawing its forces, bringing at least momentary relief in Kyiv. The Russian military said last week that most of its troops had returned to their permanent bases.
Philip Reeker, the top U.S. diplomat for Europe, told reporters in a briefing last week that the United States will continue to monitor the situation.
"We have made very clear in our engagement with the Russian government that they should refrain from escalatory actions and cease aggressive activity in and around Ukraine," Reeker said, who also noted Washington’s concern about Russian exercises in the Black Sea.
Blinken will meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and also push for action against corruption, a longstanding demand of Ukraine’s Western partners, Price said.
Concerns about corruption, notably in Ukraine's energy sector, resurfaced this week over the government's replacement of the board of Ukraine's state-owned oil and gas company Naftogaz.
Price said the move to oust well-regarded experts “reflects a disregard for fair and transparent corporate governance practices and complicates long-standing efforts to reform Ukraine’s energy sector and improve its investment climate.”
The government on April 28 announced the dismissal of Andriy Kobolyev, Naftogaz’s chief since 2014, citing the "unsatisfactory" results of the company’s operations last year, when it posted a loss of nearly $700 million.
The supervisory board, which was temporarily suspended in order to dismiss Kobolyev, issued a statement on April 30 saying that all its members were submitting notice of their resignations, effective from May 14.
Blinken will arrive in Kyiv from London, where he attended a meeting of foreign ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) industrialized democracies.
His trip comes as President Joe Biden ramps up pressure on Russia but also prepares for a proposed summit with President Vladimir Putin in hopes of stabilizing the relationship.
Biden said on May 4 he hopes to hold the summit during his planned trip to Europe in June.
Biden in April offered a meeting in a third country to discuss spiraling tensions over issues including military threats to Ukraine, the SolarWinds cyberattack on U.S. computers, election interference, and Russia's treatment of jailed opposition activist Aleksei Navalny.
Biden has already imposed sanctions and expelled Russian diplomats over the multiple U.S. complaints about Russia's activities.
With reporting by AP, Reuters, and AFP
- By RFE/RL
Biden Says He Hopes To Meet Putin During Europe Visit In June
U.S. President Joe Biden says he hopes to hold his proposed summit with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, during his planned trip to Europe in June.
"That is my hope and expectation. We're working on it," Biden told reporters on May 4 after a speech about the U.S. response to the coronavirus.
For his first overseas trip since taking office in January, Biden plans to join the other leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) major industrialized nations for a summit in Britain set for June 11-13.
He will then fly to Brussels to participate in a NATO summit on June 14 and attend an EU-U.S. meeting with the bloc’s 27 leaders.
Biden in April offered a meeting in a third country to discuss spiraling tensions over issues including military threats to Ukraine, the SolarWinds cyberattack on U.S. computers, and Russia's treatment of jailed opposition activist Aleksei Navalny.
Putin's top foreign policy aide, Yury Ushakov, has said that planning for a face-to-face meeting between the two presidents was under way.
"June is being named, there are even concrete dates," Ushakov said on April 25.
Russia last month declared 10 employees at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow to be personae non gratae in what it called a "mirror" response to Washington's expulsion of 10 Russian diplomats and wide-ranging sanctions as it moved to hold the Kremlin accountable for actions against the United States and its interests.
Biden has repeatedly stated that while he will be tough on Russia over any hostile policies, he is also seeking to cooperate where the two sides have mutual interests. This includes on such issues as nuclear proliferation, climate change, the Iran nuclear deal, North Korea, and fostering peace and stability in Afghanistan.
Speaking during a trip to London on May 3, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Washington wants a “more stable, more predictable relationship” with Moscow but that will depend on Kremlin policies and how “recklessly or aggressively” it decides to act.
With reporting by Reuters and AFP
Former Belarus Soldiers, Law Enforcement Officers Deprived Of Their Ranks
Belarusian authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka has issued an order to deprive more than 80 former servicemen and law enforcement officers of their ranks accusing them of actions that are “incompatible” with their status, amid an ongoing crackdown on dissent following a disputed election last year.
Citing the presidential office, state news agency BelTa reported that Lukashenka signed the relevant decree on May 4, saying those deprived from their ranks had “discredited” the “honor and dignity of a serviceman and employee."
“They showed disrespect for state symbols, threw away their IDs, took off their shoulder straps, and refused to perform their official duties,” the report said.
Criminal cases have been initiated against a number of them and are being investigated, including for organizing acts of terrorism, the report added.
The 66-year-old Lukashenka, who has run the country since 1994, was officially declared the victor of the August 9, 2020 presidential election by a landslide, triggering almost daily protests demanding that the longtime strongman step down and new elections be held.
The opposition says the vote was rigged, and the West has refused to recognize Lukashenka as the legitimate leader of Belarus.
Security officials have cracked down hard on the demonstrators, arresting thousands, including dozens of journalists who covered the rallies, and pushing most of the top opposition figures out of the country.
Several protesters have been killed in the violence and some rights organizations say there is credible evidence of torture being used by security officials against some of those detained.
With reporting by BelTa
- By RFE/RL
UN Experts Say Jailed Iranian Filmmaker Risks 'Possible Death'
Six United Nations rights experts are calling for the immediate release of imprisoned dissident Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Nourizad, who they say is reportedly so ill he risks "serious complications and possible death.”
"We are seriously concerned at the mistreatment of Mohammad Nourizad and his continued imprisonment for expressing his opinion," the independent UN experts said in a joint statement issued on May 4.
“It is clear that Mohammad Nourizad is not in a medical state to remain in prison,” they said, adding that his continued detention and the denial of adequate medical care “may amount to torture.”
The outspoken Nourizad, who has written and directed several films, has since 2019 been serving a prison sentence totaling over 17 years on charges of allegedly insulting Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to Amnesty International.
Nourizad, who has been arrested several times in the past, is among activists who have publicly called for the resignation of Khamenei.
The experts who signed up to the joint statement included the UN special rapporteurs on the situation of human rights in Iran; on torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment; on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of expression; on rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association; on the right to physical and mental health; and on extrajudicial, summary, or arbitrary executions.
They pointed out that Nourizad had gone on hunger strikes in detention and refused to take medications to protest his imprisonment and his family's mistreatment by the authorities.
"He has also reportedly attempted suicide in prison, and began to self-harm as a form of protest on February 19," according to the statement.
This was particularly worrying, it said, since he has been diagnosed with a heart condition and has repeatedly lost consciousness in detention.
He also suffers from diabetes, according to Amnesty International, which last month warned that Iranian authorities were "cruelly toying with the life" of Nourizad.
The UN experts said the filmmaker was transferred to Loghman Hakim Educational Hospital in Tehran on April 14 after fainting, and was injected with a substance he did not know the content of and had not consented to.
They added that the Iranian judiciary's own legal medical organization and other medical professionals had reportedly found he should be released.
"The Iranian authorities must release him immediately in line with these medical opinions and give him free access to the required medical care and treatment," they said.
The experts said Nourizad's treatment reflected that of many detained in Iran for "merely exercising their right to freedom of expression," including some who have reportedly died due to denial of adequate medical treatment.
"His case is emblematic of the situation many Iranian political activists face in detention," they said.
With reporting by AFP
EU Formally Delivers COVID-19 Vaccines To Balkans
PODGORICA -- The European Union’s Neighborhood and Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi is on a three-day visit to the Western Balkans to formally deliver EU-funded coronavirus vaccines.
Countries of the region aim to join the 27-nation bloc, but Serbia and other Balkan nations have been turning to China and Russia for much-needed shots as EU member states faced their own vaccination delays. Some politicians in the Balkans have criticized the EU for not coming to the rescue of their countries when help was needed the most.
“We care about Montenegro, we care about the Western Balkans and we care about our friends, the people of Montenegro," Varhelyi said in a speech delivered during a brief stay in Montenegro’s capital, Podgorica, on May 4.
He started his regional trip in Serbia on May 3, followed by stops in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, and North Macedonia on May 4. He will travel to Albania and Kosovo the next day.
Last month, the European Commission announced that a total of 651,000 Pfizer-BioNTech doses would be delivered to these countries in weekly instalments until August.
The supplies are funded from a 70 million euro assistance package ($85 million) adopted by the commission in December 2020.
While most of the Western Balkan countries have struggled to get coronavirus vaccines, Serbia has launched a successful inoculation campaign mainly thanks to millions of doses of Russia-developed Sputnik V and China's Sinopharm vaccines, which so far have not received the green light from the EU’s drug regulator.
Montenegro is to receive 42,000 Pfizer vaccines from the EU, following a delivery from China of 200,000 Sinopharm doses that enabled health authorities to launch their mass immunization program on May 4.
By the end of August, the bloc will donate nearly 120,000 Pfizer doses to North Macedonia, where the authorities on May 4 started to use 200,000 Sinopharm jabs, speeding up the country’s faltering vaccination program.
Bosnia-Herzegovina and other nations in the region heavily relied on the World Health Organization’s COVAX sharing scheme that distributes vaccine to less developed nations.
But deliveries were significantly delayed among shortages of the shots and some Balkan countries have been struggling to purchase COVID-19 vaccines directly from manufacturers.
The vaccines supplied by the EU to the region come on top of those provided by COVAX, of which the European bloc is one of the top contributors.
“Together with COVAX we are delivering almost a million doses to the Western Balkans, and this is the beginning,” Varhelyi said in Podgorica, according to a transcript of his speech posted on the European Commission's website.
“We do hope that as more vaccines come into Europe we would be able to convince more and more Member States to share their available dosses with the Western Balkans.”
With reporting by AP
- By RFE/RL
Kazakhstan Extends Suspension Of Visa-Free Visits By Citizens Due To Pandemic
Kazakhstan has extended until December the suspension of visa-free visits for citizens of 54 countries that were introduced last year to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
The Central Asian nation’s Foreign Ministry announced on May 4 that the suspension, which expired three days ago, had been prolonged as the country tries to continue to limit the spread of COVID-19.
Kazakhstan introduced visa-free visits in 2012 to 57 nations, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, European Union members, Japan, South Korea, and several countries in Asia, the Middle East, and the Persian Gulf.
The suspension continues for all of those countries, with the exception of Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and South Korea.
As of May 4, the number of registered coronavirus cases in the former Soviet republic with the population of 18.8 million people was 330,071, including 3,762 deaths.
Four Tsikhanouskaya Associates Handed Prison Terms
HOMEL, Belarus -- Four associates of Belarusian opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya have been sentenced to lengthy prison terms for organizing protests against authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka in the southeastern city of Homel.
Judge Alyaksey Khlyshchankou of the Chyhunachny district court on May 4 sentenced Tatsyana Kaneuskaya, Dzmitry Ivashkou, and Alyaksandr Shabalin to six years in prison each, and Yury Ulasau to 6 1/2 years in prison.
They were found guilty of organizing mass disorder and planning to seize administrative buildings in Homel. Ulasau was additionally found guilty of publicly insulting police officers.
The four were members of Tsikhanouskaya's campaign team and were arrested just days before an August 9, 2020 presidential election as they urged people to demonstrate for independent candidates to be allowed to be registered for the vote.
They all rejected the charges, calling them politically motivated.
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.
Kaneuskaya's sons, Alyaksey and Alyaksandr Kaneuski, said given the current crackdown against dissent by Lukashenka, the prison sentences were expected.
"We do not have real courts, what we have are kangaroo courts. They just carry out whatever they are instructed to do by those who are in power," Alyaksandr Kaneuski said after the sentences were announced.
Dzmitry Ivashkou's wife Svyatlana said she hopes that the four activists "will not stay behind bars too long."
"They all greeted the sentences with smiles. They are holding up quite well. Will we appeal? Well, the state has penalized them and now how does one appeal against the state? We will, for sure, write appeals, but that is to make sure no one in the future says that we gave up and admitted guilt," Svyatlana Ivashkova said, adding her husband and her colleagues had done nothing illegal.
Prior to the election, police detained dozens of activists and politicians as they held rallies to collect the signatures necessary to register independent presidential candidates for the vote.
Tsikhanouskaya became a candidate after her husband, well-known vlogger Syarhey Tsikhanouski, was incarcerated for openly expressing his intention to run for president.
Tens of thousands of Belarusians then took the streets for several months after a presidential poll in which Lukashenka claimed a landslide victory.
The demonstrators, who say the vote was rigged, have demanded Lukashenka step down and new elections be held, but Belarus's strongman has been defiant.
Security officials have arrested thousands in the protests, in a crackdown that has become more brutal with each passing month.
Several protesters have been killed in the violence and some rights organizations say there is credible evidence of torture being used against some of those detained.
In response to the ongoing crackdown, the West has slapped sanctions on top Belarusian officials. Many countries, including the United States, as well as the European Union, have refused to recognize Lukashenka as the legitimate leader of the former Soviet republic.
Vaccines Donated By EU Arrive In Bosnia-Herzegovina
The first shipment of Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines donated by the European Union to Bosnia-Herzegovina arrived at Sarajevo International Airport on May 4. The delivery of more than 10,000 doses came via EU member state Austria, which is coordinating the EU4Health program's vaccine distribution in the Western Balkans.
Case Against RFE/RL Correspondent Over COVID Reporting Dismissed By Russian Court
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia -- A Russian court has dismissed a case against an RFE/RL correspondent who was charged with the distribution of "false information about the coronavirus" over an article she wrote about a lack of ventilators for COVID-19 patients.
The lawyer for Tatyana Voltskaya, Leonid Krikun, told RFE/RL that the Gatchino City Court in the northwestern Leningrad region ruled on May 4 that there was no crime committed by the reporter.
Investigators initially demanded a criminal case be launched against Voltskaya regarding her article published on RFE/RL's North.Realities website in April 2020.
In the story, Voltskaya reported on a lack of ventilation units at hospitals treating COVID-19 patients in the city of St. Petersburg, citing an unnamed physician.
After a local court refused to launch a criminal case, Russia's Investigative Committee requested an administrative case against Voltskaya that could have seen her fined or spend several days in jail as punishment.
"The court had an opportunity to close the case because of the statute of limitations, but it looked into it taking into account our motion saying that Voltskaya had a right to express her opinion on an issue important for society and that the preparation of the report and offering it for publication were an expression of the journalist's professional and civil position," Krikun told RFE/RL.
After Voltskaya's article in question was published last year, Russian media regulator Roskomnadzor demanded RFE/RL remove the material from the site, which the broadcaster refused to do.
In August, a court in Moscow fined RFE/RL's Russian Service 300,000 rubles ($4,000) over Voltskaya's article. RFE/RL refused to pay the fine, saying it was confident that the information in the article is valid.
Independent journalists across Russia have faced similar encounters as they worked to cover the unfolding COVID-19 pandemic in its early stages and the Russian government's efforts to cope with it.
In addition, Amnesty International said last month that Russian police have never cracked down so extensively and systematically on journalists as they are in their recent efforts to prevent coverage of protests in support of Kremlin critic Aleksei Navalny.
In 2012, Russian lawmakers passed the "foreign agent" law giving authorities the power to brand nongovernmental organizations, human rights groups, and news media deemed to receive foreign funding for political activity as "foreign agents."
Among other things, the law -- which has been expanded several times since -- requires news organizations that receive foreign funding to label content within Russia as being produced by a "foreign agent."
In 2017, the Russian government placed RFE/RL's Russian Service on the list, along with six other Russian-language RFE/RL news services, and Current Time, a network run by RFE/RL in cooperation with VOA.
Roskomnadzor has prepared hundreds of complaints against RFE/RL's projects for failure to follow these rules that could result in fines totaling more than $1 million.
RFE/RL has called the fines "a state-sponsored campaign of coercion and intimidation," while the U.S. State Department has described them as "intolerable."
The targeting of RFE/RL has raised concerns that the Russian government may be moving to shutter RFE/RL's operations inside Russia and force its Russian-language services and Current Time out of the country.
Four Men To Face Trial In Deadly Bride-Snatching Case In Kyrgyzstan
BISHKEK -- Four men will face trial in Kyrgyzstan for their role in a deadly bride-snatching case that shocked the Central Asian country in April.
The lawyer for Aizada Kanatbekova's family, Nurbek Toktakunov, told RFE/RL on May 4 that an investigation into the case had been completed and that the materials of the case had been sent to a Bishkek court for trial.
According to Toktakunov, a fifth man, Zamirbek Tengizbaev, will be tried posthumously, as he committed suicide following Kanatbekova's death.
"Tengizbaev will be tried posthumously on charges of murder and rape. An autopsy revealed that the victim was raped. Aizada fought and resisted the assault. Experts found bruises and traces of violence on her arms and legs," Toktakunov said.
Toktakunov also said that he filed papers with the court over the "unprofessional handling of the case" by police and what he called "police attempts to cover up their misdeeds by forging documentation related to the case."
Kanatbekova, 26, was abducted by three men on April 5 and found dead two days later in a car along with the body of her 36-year-old abductor.
Investigators say Tengizbaev strangled Kanatbekova to death with a T-shirt and then killed himself by cutting his carotid artery.
Authorities said at the time that Tengizbaev had been convicted in Russia three times for various crimes.
The case sparked a public outcry as it turned out that police were reluctant to pursue it even though the abduction was recorded on security cameras and the vehicle's make, model and license plate were clearly visible on the recordings.
Relatives of Kanatbekova have described the approach by investigators as "casually dismissive." They say the investigators failed at a crucial juncture as the tragedy unfolded, when the young woman was still alive and able to call them.
More than 40 police officers, including the Bishkek city police chief, were fired following the tragedy.
Fluent in four languages, Kanatbekova was an only daughter and a graduate of the Kyrgyz-Turkish Manas University in Bishkek.
Kyrgyzstan sees thousands of "bride kidnappings" each year despite the criminalization of the practice in 2013.
The UN Development Program and rights groups have highlighted the contining prevalence in Kyrgyz society of the practice, which they say often leads to marital rape, domestic violence, and other ills.
One of the most-notorious cases involved the stabbing death in 2018 of 20-year-old university student Burulai Turdaaly Kyzy by a man who was trying to force her into marriage.
RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.
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