Iranian authorities say they have given emergency approval for a domestically developed vaccine against COVID-19 as the country battles the Middle East's deadliest coronavirus outbreak.

Health Minister Saeed Namaki told a press conference on June 14 that permission for the emergency use of the vaccine called COVIran Barekat was issued the previous day.

The move comes after the country is facing problems with importing enough vaccines.

The first study of the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine developed by a subsidiary of state-owned conglomerate Setad began in late December 2020.

A Setad official told state news agency IRNA that production of the vaccine had started in early June, with "around 3 million doses" produced so far.

The coronavirus pandemic has killed more than 82,000 people in Iran, with over 3 million infected, according to official figures widely seen as understating the toll.

Iranian officials allege that U.S. sanctions have hampered the country’s efforts to inoculate its 83 million population. More than 4.3 million Iranians have received a first vaccine dose since February, but fewer than 1 million have received the two jabs necessary to be fully inoculated, according to the Health Ministry.

Based on reporting by AP and AFP

MINSK -- Belarusian authorities have paraded detained opposition blogger Raman Pratasevich at a news conference during which they gave their disputed version of why they diverted a Ryanair commercial fight last month that has triggered international condemnation and sanctions.

Pratasevich was placed on stage with four officials, two of whom were in uniform, at the event on June 14, a move the opposition decried as “soul-crushing.”

“No matter what he says, let's not forget: he is a hostage. And the regime is using him as a trophy,” Franak Vyachorka, a senior adviser for Belarusian exiled opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, said in a tweet.

"This is not a press conference but a scene of either Kafka or Orwell," he added.

Several diplomats and reporters left the media briefing in Minsk when Pratasevich, who is being held at a KGB prison in the Belarusian capital, addressed the event.

"We have just walked out. Not taking part when [Pratasevich] is clearly there under duress,” BBC reporter Jonah Fisher tweeted.

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.

On May 23, Belarusian authorities scrambled a military jet to escort the Ryanair passenger flight, which was en route from Athens to Vilnius, over its airspace to land in Minsk. Law enforcement immediately arrested the 26-year-old Pratasevich and his Russian girlfriend, Sofia Sapega.

Belarusian authorities have since released separate videos showing apparent forced confessions by Pratasevich and Sapega, who is a Russian national.

Belarusian authorities, who claimed a dubious bomb threat made it necessary to divert the flight, deny it was a forced landing.

Many countries regard the move as a "state hijacking."

The diversion of the flight between two European Union members outraged the bloc, Britain, and other Western nations, which in response have banned Belarus state carrier Belavia from their airports and have urged airlines to avoid Belarusian airspace, which keeps the country from collecting fees for the overflights.

Last week, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told MEPs the bloc would likely adopt economic sanctions on Belarus later in June.

Pratasevich faces charges of being behind civil disturbances that followed a disputed presidential election in August last year, an offense punishable by up to 15 years in prison.

He was a key administrator of the Telegram channel, Nexta-Live, which has been covering mass protests denouncing the official results of the election, which handed authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka a sixth presidential term. The opposition says the vote was rigged and that Tsikhanouskaya was the victor.

Lukashenka, who refuses to negotiate with the opposition over stepping down and holding fresh elections, has become an international pariah for directing a brutal postelection crackdown in which almost 30,000 people have been detained, many sentenced to lengthy prison terms, hundreds beaten, several killed, and the free press harassed and almost completely shut down.

Thousands of protesters have gathered in Hungary’s capital to condemn a draft bill that would ban discussions on homosexuality or gender change in schools.

The demonstrators rallied outside the parliament building in Budapest on June 14, waving rainbow flags, a symbol of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s conservative ruling party, Fidesz, plans to vote on the controversial legislation on June 15.

The proposed amendment says children cannot be shown any content that encourages gender reassignment or same-sex relationships. The ban would also apply to advertising.

It also suggests the creation of a list of groups that would be allowed to conduct sex-education classes in schools.

One protester described the draft legislation as “horrible and inhumane.”

"This would lock some kids in the closet, and they should be given the opportunity to come out,” kindergarten assistant Dominika Pandzsa told Reuters.

Earlier on June 14, Dunja Mijatovic, the commissioner for human rights at the Council of Europe, the continent's leading human rights body, said the legislation “curtails the freedom of expression and education of all Hungarians.”

She urged the Hungarian lawmakers to reject the bill and “to remain vigilant against such initiatives to push through measures that limit human rights or stigmatize against some members of society.”

Rights advocates have compared the planned ban to a discriminatory 2013 Russian law banning “gay propaganda,” viewed by human rights defenders as a tool of discrimination.

Orban and his Fidesz allies hold a supermajority in parliament that virtually ensures passage of priority legislation.

Orban's government has backed a strongly conservative social agenda and stepped up anti-LGBT moves as woes mounted amid the coronavirus pandemic.

It has already embedded a requirement that marriage be between a man and a woman in the constitution and banned adoption by same-sex couples.

The government also retroactively prohibited legal status for transgender people in a move that the country's constitutional court ruled was unconstitutional.

Based on reporting by Reuters, AP, and dpa

Leaders of NATO member states have said there could be no return to normal relations between the Western military alliance and Russia until it complies with international law.

"Until Russia demonstrates compliance with international law and its international obligations and responsibilities, there can be no return to 'business as usual,'" the leaders said on June 14 in a joint communique after their one-day summit in Brussels.

“Russia’s aggressive actions constitute a threat to Euro-Atlantic security,” the leaders said, citing its “growing multi-domain military build-up, more assertive posture, novel military capabilities, and provocative activities, including near NATO borders,” among other things.

"Russia's nuclear strategy and comprehensive nuclear weapon systems modernization, diversification, and expansion, including the qualitative and quantitative increase of Russian nonstrategic nuclear weapons, increasingly support a more aggressive posture of strategic intimidation."

The allies also denounced Moscow's "hybrid actions," "widespread disinformation campaigns," "malicious" cyberactivities, and election interference directed against NATO members.

NATO “will continue to respond to the deteriorating security environment by enhancing our deterrence and defense posture, including by a forward presence in the eastern part of the alliance,” the communique said.

“NATO does not seek confrontation and poses no threat to Russia.”

The family of a former U.S. Marine imprisoned in Russia on espionage charges has released a statement from him calling for President Joe Biden to push for his release during his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin later this week.

“I implore you to bring this appalling case of hostage diplomacy to an end,” Paul Whelan said in an audio file distributed by his family on June 14.

“I remain innocent. No crime of espionage occurred. The secret trial, without evidence, proves those facts.”

Whelan’s family said he made the statement in a May 30 telephone call with his parents, ahead of the June 16 summit between Biden and Putin in Geneva.

Whelan, 50, was arrested in Moscow in December 2018 and sentenced to 16 years in prison in May 2020 following a trial that was condemned by the United States as a "mockery of justice.”

In an interview aired by CNN on June 14, the parents of Trevor Reed, another former U.S. Marine imprisoned in Russia, expressed hope the upcoming Biden-Putin talks will lead to their son's release.

The parents, Joey and Paula Reed, made the comments after Putin expressed readiness to discuss a possible prisoner exchange when he meets with Biden.

Asked if he would consider a prisoner swap, Putin told NBC News in an interview aired on June 14: "Yes, yes of course."

Reed, 29, was sentenced in July 2020 to nine years after being convicted of endangering two Russian police officers while drunk in Moscow. The former U.S. Marine, who denies the charge, was diagnosed with COVID-19 last month.

The U.S. government has protested the detention of both Reed and Whelan and repeatedly demanded their release.

White House spokesperson Jen Psaki told reporters in May that such detainments by Russia were being raised "at the highest level, and...through many diplomatic channels."

With reporting by Reuters, AP, and CNN

BLAGOVESHCHENSK, Russia -- A contributor to RFE/RL's Siberia.Realities project in Russia's Far Eastern city of Blagoveshchensk says he has filed a lawsuit against local police, accusing them of inaction after he was attacked by three unknown men last week.

Andrei Afanasyev told RFE/RL that he filed the lawsuit with the local prosecutor’s office on June 14. It charges that police have been reluctant to investigate the attack that took place against him on June 9.

"It looks like police are waiting for the noise around the situation to calm down in order to sweep the case under the carpet," Afanasyev said. "Also, the obstruction of my journalistic activities must be investigated by the Investigative Committee, not just by police."

Afanasyev says one of the attackers knocked him to the ground late at night near his apartment block by hitting him with a metal bar. He says he was then beaten for about 10 minutes by all three assailants.

Afanasyev says he believes the attack was retribution for a recent investigative report he filed about the Akhmat martial arts club in Blagoveshchensk. The manager of that club, Adam Magomadov, is a former leader of the Chechen diaspora community in Russia's Far Eastern Amur region.

Magomadov was arrested in April on an extortion charge.

Afanasyev's reporting revealed that Andrei Domashenkin, a local lawmaker from the ruling United Russia party, had founded the martial arts club.

When questioned by RFE/RL on June about the attack against Afanasyev, Domashenkin said "law enforcement is taking care of that case." He did not elaborate further.

RFE/RL President Jamie Fly has urged Russian authorities to investigate the attack against Afanasyev.

"Russian authorities must thoroughly investigate and hold accountable anyone involved in the attack on Andrei. Investigative journalism is not a crime,” Fly said in a Twitter post on June 11.

The Committee to Project Journalists (CPJ), a New York-based media-rights watchdog, also has called for an immediate investigation into the attack.

MINSK -- A court in Minsk has rejected an appeal by a Russian citizen who was arrested with her boyfriend, Belarusian blogger Raman Pratasevich, after their international flight was diverted by a Belarusian warplane last month and forced to land in Minsk.

The Partyzanski district court on June 14 ruled that Sofia Sapega's arrest was legal under Belarusian law and that she must remain in pretrial detention.

Sapega's lawyer, Alyaksandr Filanovich, said on June 13 that criminal charges had been filed against her. But he did not elaborate, saying that he was under a court order not to release details of the cases to the public.

The Vyasna human rights center in Minsk says Sapega was charged with organizing and preparing activities that violate civil order, organizing "mass disturbances," and inciting hatred.

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Sapega and Pratasevich were arrested on May 23 after Belarusian authorities claimed a dubious bomb threat made it necessary to divert a Ryanair flight between Athens and Vilnius to Minsk's international airport.

The international backlash against what many countries regard as a "state hijacking" has been fierce. Fresh Western sanctions have been imposed that target Belarusian officials. Bans and other measures target air travel to and from Belarus or, in some cases, from even flying over Belarus.

Western governments had already imposed multiple rounds of sanctions against the regime of Alyaksandr Lukashenka since he launched a violent crackdown against peaceful protests last August over official election results that gave him a sixth term in office.

Videos and other evidence of brutal physical abuse of detainees has multiplied as authorities have arrested thousands.

Belarusian authorities have released separate videos showing apparent forced confessions by Sapega and Pratasevich in connection the work of opposition Telegram channels that have covered the anti-Lukashenka protests.

GROZNY, Russia -- Authorities in Russia's North Caucasus region of Chechnya are claiming that a woman removed against her will from a shelter for domestic abuse victims was taken by police in order "to prevent her abduction" by local human rights activists.

Khalimat Taramova, the daughter of a close associate of Chechnya's authoritarian leader Ramzan Kadyrov, was forcibly taken by police on June 10 from the shelter in Makhachkala, the capital of Russia's neighboring region of Daghestan.

Authorities promptly returned Taramova to her native Chechnya, where rights activists warn she is at risk of becoming a victim of a so-called "honor killing."

In a video published online earlier last week by rights activists, Taramova said she'd fled her home in Chechnya due to "regular beatings and threats" she received there.

In an effort to prevent police from searching for her, she'd pleaded in the video for authorities not to add her to Chechnya's missing persons list.

Activists with Russia's LGBT Network said Taramova fled her home because she was being intimidated for her sexual orientation.

Rights defenders in Daghestan told RFE/RL that Taramova had been staying at the shelter with her girlfriend, whom the LGBT Network identified as Anna Manylova.

SEE ALSO:

Chechen Woman Abducted By Police In Daghestan May Face 'Honor Killing,' Rights Groups Warn

But Akhmed Dudayev -- Chechnya's minister for national politics, external ties, and information -- gave a conflicting version of the situation in a statement broadcast by state television on June 13.

Dudayev claimed that "well-coordinated and professional efforts of police in Chechnya and Daghestan" had prevented "an attempt to abduct" Taramova.

"There were no violations of law by law enforcement or relatives of Khalimat Taramova," Dudayev said.

The Chechen minister also claimed Taramova has "health issues" and "was regularly treated in our medical institutions."

"We fully understand that those who ordered these provocative actions against the Chechen Republic, who are also based in Western countries, are concerned that rights and freedoms in the Chechen Republic are well-respected and guaranteed by Ramzan Kadyrov," Dudayev said.

Dudayev described human rights activists as "a fifth column in Russia" that works for the enemies of the country.

He also claimed there are no homosexuals in Chechnya. he accused rights activists of trying to invent "some sort of minorities" that "do not exist here and have never been here."

Kadyrov, who has ruled Chechnya for more than a decade, is frequently accused by Russian and international groups of overseeing grave rights abuses that include abductions, torture, and extrajudicial killings.

SEE ALSO:

Russian Rights Group Warns That Detained Gay Men Face 'Mortal Danger' In Chechnya

Chechnya was the site of a so-called "gay purge" in 2017 in which dozens of homosexual men say they were abducted and tortured by Chechen authorities.

MOSCOW -- Russian protest artist Pavel Krisevich has been sent to pretrial detention over a so-called "suicide" performance in which he fired blanks from a pistol in Moscow's Red Square.

In a June 13 ruling, Moscow's Taganka district court ordered Krisevich to be held in pretrial detention for up to two months over his protest -- which used a modified handgun that could only fire blanks.

Krisevich was detained on June 11 on Moscow's Red Square and charged with hooliganism after he fired two blanks into the air while shouting: "There will be shots before the Kremlin's curtain." He then held the gun to his head and fired another blank.

If convicted on the hooliganism charges, he could face up to seven years in prison.

Krisevich's girlfriend, Anastasia Mikhailova, said the goal of the protest performance was to support political prisoners in Russia.

The Open Media Telegram channel published a picture of the modified pistol along with a statement from Krisevich.

Declaring that his protest was aimed at "state intimidation," Krisevich described the performance as "a kill shot" -- an expression used by hired assassins in Russia's criminal underworld to describe a gunshot to the head of a victim to ensure they are dead.

"The state labels protests as crimes," Krisevich's statement said. "It forces us to think that we are criminals in our cells and chats. But what is it without state intimidation? Clearly, it is an empty space."

Police also detained Nika Samusik, a journalist who recorded the protest performance on video. She was released on June 13.

Krisevich has been jailed in the past over his protests in the Russian capital.

In November, he was sentenced to 15 days in jail for a protest in front of the Federal Security Service's headquarters in Moscow in which he was staged a mock crucifixion of himself over burning files. He said that protest symbolized criminal cases against Russian citizens.

In addition to jail time, he was also expelled from the university in Moscow that he had been attending.

In May, Krisevich was sentenced to 10 days in jail for taking part in an action to support political prisoners in Russia by displaying their paintings in central Moscow.

There are signs that a decline in nuclear arsenals witnessed since the end of the Cold War has stalled, a top research institute said, warning that both Russia and the United States appear to have attached greater importance to nuclear weapons in their defense policies.

The nine states known or believed to have nuclear armaments -- the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, China, India, Pakistan, Israel, and North Korea -- held an estimated 13,080 nuclear weapons at the start of 2021, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said in its annual report released on June 14.

That number represents a slight decrease from the estimated 13,400 weapons these states possessed at the beginning of 2020.

However, the figure includes retired warheads waiting to be dismantled, and without them the combined military stockpile of nuclear arms rose from 9,380 to 9,620.

“The overall number of warheads in global military stockpiles now appears to be increasing, a worrisome sign that the declining trend that has characterized global nuclear arsenals since the end of the Cold War has stalled,” said Hans Kristensen, a nuclear arms expert at SIPRI.

The United States and Russia still had more than 90 percent of all nuclear weapons, enough to destroy life on Earth many times over.

Despite the marginal overall decrease in nuclear weapons, the number of operationally deployed nuclear weapons increased from 3,720 to 3,825, SIPRI said.

Of these, around 2,000 were kept in "a state of high operational alert" and nearly all of them belonged to Russia or the United States.

While the United States and Russia continue to dismantle retired warheads, both were estimated to have had around 50 more nuclear warheads in operational deployment at the start of 2021 than a year earlier. Britain and France also have deployable warheads.

SIPRI did not provide estimates of the number of warheads depolyed by the other nuclear states.

Meanwhile, both the United States and Russia are carrying out "extensive and expensive" programs to replace and modernize their nuclear arsenals, according to SIPRI.

"Both Russia and the United States appear to be increasing the importance they attribute to nuclear weapons in their national security strategies," said Kristensen.

Earlier this year, the United States and Russia extended the New START nuclear arms reduction treaty for another five years. The treaty limits the number of deployed strategic nuclear forces but does not limit total nuclear warhead stockpiles.

"The last-minute extension of New START by Russia and the United States in February this year was a relief, but the prospects for additional bilateral nuclear arms control between the nuclear superpowers remain poor," Kristensen said.

The report said the other seven nuclear powers are also developing or deploying new weapons systems or have announced their intention to do so.

"China is in the middle of a significant modernization and expansion of its nuclear weapon inventory, and India and Pakistan also appear to be expanding their nuclear arsenals," SIPRI said.

With reporting by AFP and dpa

Leaders of NATO member states have vowed unity and commitment to the Western military alliance’s mutual defense clause in the face of China's rise, Russia’s “aggressive actions,” and any other threats from state and non-state actors.

"We are united and resolute in our ability and commitment to defend one another,” the leaders said on June 14 in a joint communique after their one-day summit in Brussels.

The document said the allies “will maintain and further develop the full range of ready forces and capabilities necessary to ensure credible deterrence and defense and provide the Alliance with a wide range of options to tailor our response to specific circumstances and to respond to any threats.”

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told a news conference concluding the summit: “All leaders agreed that -- in an age of global competition -- Europe and North America must stand strong together in NATO to defend our values and our interests, especially at a time when authoritarian regimes like Russia and China challenge the rules-based international order."

U.S. President Joe Biden said NATO is facing "a once in a century global health crisis at the same time the demographic values that undergird are under increasing pressure both internally and externally."

"Russia and China are both seeking to drive a wedge in our transatlantic solidarity."

Biden also said that the U.S. commitment to the collective defense doctrine enshrined in Article 5 of the NATO treaty is "rock solid" and "unshakable."

"America is back," he told a press conference.

Biden's attendance at the NATO summit was part of a European tour aimed at repairing relations and reassuring Washington’s transatlantic partners after four years of contentious relations under his predecessor, Donald Trump.

From Brussels, Biden is due to travel to Geneva for his first summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which will be held on June 16.

Having not met face to face since 2018 because of the coronavirus pandemic, the leaders of the alliance's 30 member states had plenty of topics to deal with, including an ongoing pullout of troops from Afghanistan, relations with Russia and China, and defense spending.

Moscow's relations with the West are at post-Cold War lows, strained by issues including Russia's meddling in elections, the conflicts in Ukraine, and cyberattacks allegedly from Russian hackers.

"Until Russia demonstrates compliance with international law and its international obligations and responsibilities, there can be no return to 'business as usual,'" the NATO leaders said in their final statement.

“Russia’s aggressive actions constitute a threat to Euro-Atlantic security,” they said, citing its “growing multi-domain military build-up, more assertive posture, novel military capabilities, and provocative activities, including near NATO borders,” among other things.

"Russia's nuclear strategy and comprehensive nuclear weapon systems modernization, diversification, and expansion, including the qualitative and quantitative increase of Russian nonstrategic nuclear weapons, increasingly support a more aggressive posture of strategic intimidation."

The allies also denounced Moscow's "hybrid actions," "widespread disinformation campaigns," and "malicious" cyberactivities.

NATO “will continue to respond to the deteriorating security environment by enhancing our deterrence and defense posture, including by a forward presence in the eastern part of the Alliance,” according to the communique.

The allies also vowed to “respond in a measured, balanced, coordinated, and timely way to Russia’s growing and evolving array of conventional and nuclear-capable missiles.”

Two days from his meeting with Putin, whom he described as “bright” and “tough," Biden said he would "make clear where the red lines are" while also offering to Moscow to cooperate on areas of common interest.

"I will make clear to President Putin that there are areas where we can cooperate if he choses," Biden said at his press conference. "If he choses not to cooperate and acts in the way he has in the past related to cybersecurity and some other activities, we will respond, we will respond in kind."

China's 'Coercive Policies'

The NATO heads of state and government also agreed that China’s “stated ambitions and assertive behavior present systemic challenges to the rules-based international order and to areas relevant to Alliance security."

They expressed concern about China’s “coercive policies,” citing its “rapidly expanding” nuclear arsenal, its military cooperation with Russia, and its “frequent lack of transparency and use of disinformation.”

The communique called on Beijing “to uphold its international commitments and to act responsibly in the international system, including in the space, cyber, and maritime domains, in keeping with its role as a major power.”

China is one of the world's leading military and economic powers, whose ruling Communist Party has a tight grip on politics and much of society.

Ahead of the summit, Stoltenberg said there was not a new Cold War with China -- one of the world's leading military and economic powers, whose ruling Communist Party has a tight grip on politics and much of society.

But he said NATO needs "to address together, as the alliance, the challenges that the rise of China poses to our security."

Afghanistan Withdrawal

On Afghanistan, NATO leaders agreed to maintain funding for Kabul's civilian airport after the U.S.-led withdrawal of allied troops from the war-torn country.

"Recognising its importance to an enduring diplomatic and international presence, as well as to Afghanistan's connectivity with the world, NATO will provide transitional funding to ensure continued functioning of Hamid Karzai International Airport," the leaders said in their communique.

NATO and its member states “are now working on how to ensure the continued operation” of the airport, Stoltenberg said after the summit, adding that “Turkey of course plays a key role in those efforts.”

The allies also said the alliance will “continue to provide training and financial support to the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces” and that the alliance will “retain a Senior Civilian Representative's Office in Kabul to continue diplomatic engagement and enhance our partnership with Afghanistan.”

Spiraling violence and stalled peace talks between the Taliban and the Western-backed government in Kabul have casts further uncertainty over the future of Afghanistan once U.S.-led international forces leave the country by September 11.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose country is reported to have offered to guard the Kabul airport after the pullout, said that Ankara would need “diplomatic, logistic and financial assistance” from the United States if it were to maintain troops in Afghanistan.

Turkey, a majority Muslim nation, currently has some 500 soldiers in the country.

With reporting by AFP, AP, and Reuters

Leaders of the Group of Seven wealthy nations have agreed to challenge China’s “nonmarket economic practices” and call out Beijing for rights abuses in Xinjiang and Hong Kong.

At the end of a three-day summit in southwestern England on June 13, the leaders of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United States said their countries would continue to "consult on collective approaches to challenging nonmarket policies and practices which undermine the fair and transparent operation of the global economy.”

Locked Up In China: The Plight Of Xinjiang's Muslims

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty is partnering with its sister organization, Radio Free Asia, to highlight the plight of Muslims living in China's western province of Xinjiang.

"We will promote our values, including by calling on China to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms, especially in relation to Xinjiang and those rights, freedoms, and high degree of autonomy for Hong Kong enshrined in the Sino-British Joint Declaration," the G7 leaders also said in their final joint communiqué.

Beijing is facing growing international criticism over its policies in Xinjiang, with the United States using the word genocide to describe the treatment of Uyghurs and other mostly Muslim indigenous people.

Hong Kong is a part of China but has been governed under the principle of "one country, two systems," meaning the former British colony has its own legal system and rights, including free speech and freedom of press. But many in Hong Kong, as well as rights groups and Western democracies, have accused Beijing of eroding those freedoms and autonomy in recent years.

Beijing has repeatedly hit back against what it perceives as attempts by Western powers to contain China.

A statement issued by the Chinese Embassy in London on June 14 denounced the G7 statement, accusing it of "lies, rumors, and baseless accusations."

"The Group of Seven takes advantage of Xinjiang-related issues to engage in political manipulation and interfere in China's internal affairs, which we firmly oppose," an embassy spokesman said in a statement.

A day earlier, U.S. President Joe Biden told reporters at the G7 summit that democracies were in a global contest with "autocratic governments," and that the G7 had to deliver viable alternatives.

"We're in a contest, not with China per se...with autocrats, autocratic governments around the world, as to whether or not democracies can compete with them in a rapidly changing 21st century," he told reporters.

Based on reporting by AP and Reuters

The Group of Seven (G7) wealthy nations has urged Russia take action against those conducting cyberattacks and using ransomware from within its borders, as it wrapped up a three-day summit in southwestern England.

In their final joint communiqué issued on June 13, the leaders of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United States also called on Moscow to conduct a probe into the use of chemical weapons on Russian soil.

The communiqué said Russia must "stop its destabilizing behavior and malign activities" and "hold to account those within its borders who conduct ransomware attacks, abuse virtual currency to launder ransoms, and other cybercrimes.”

That issue is in the spotlight after a cybercriminal group that the U.S. authorities said operates from Russia penetrated a pipeline operator on the U.S. East Coast, locking its systems and demanding a ransom. Last month’s hack caused a shutdown lasting several days and led to a spike in gas prices, panic buying, and localized fuel shortages in the Southeast.

SEE ALSO:

Putin Says Russia Is Ready To Hand Over Cybercriminals, But Only If U.S. Does The Same

Describing the practice of encrypting victims' data and demanding payment for its return an “escalating" threat, the G7 leaders called on all states "to urgently identify and disrupt ransomware criminal networks operating from within their borders, and hold those networks accountable for their actions."

The G7 called on Russia to “urgently investigate and credibly explain the use of a chemical weapon on its soil" after the Kremlin's most vocal critic, Aleksei Navalny, was treated in Germany for what German doctors said was poisoning with a Soviet-style chemical nerve agent.

The anti-corruption campaigner has insisted that the poisoning attack in Siberia in August 2020 was ordered directly by Russian President Vladimir Putin, which the Kremlin denies.

Navalny was arrested in January upon his return to Russia from Germany and is now serving a sentence of over 2 1/2 years in prison in an embezzlement case that is widely considered as being politically motivated.

In their statement, the G7 leaders also urged Russia to stop "its interference in other countries’ democratic systems" and "its systematic crackdown on independent civil society and media."

With reporting by AFP and Reuters

President Vladimir Putin has said Russia would be ready to hand over suspected cybercriminals to the United States but only if Washington did the same for Moscow and if the two powers reached an agreement on the matter.

Putin made the comments in an interview aired in excerpts on state television on June 13 ahead of a June 16 summit with U.S. President Joe Biden in Geneva. Ties between the powers are badly strained over an array of issues.

″If we agree to extradite criminals, then, of course, Russia will go for it. But only if the other side -- in this case, the United States -- agrees to the same thing,″ Putin said, without elaborating.

Putin said he expected the Geneva meeting to help establish bilateral dialogue and revive personal contacts.

The White House has said Biden will bring up ransomware attacks emanating from Russia at the meeting.

SEE ALSO:

The Joe And Vova Show: Biden, Putin To Meet Face-To-Face In Geneva. Few Expect Breakthroughs.

That issue is in the spotlight after a cybercriminal group that U.S. authorities said operates from Russia penetrated a pipeline operator on the U.S. East Coast, locking its systems and demanding a ransom. The hack last month caused a shutdown lasting several days and led to a spike in gas prices, panic buying, and localized fuel shortages in the southeast.

Colonial Pipeline decided to pay the hackers who invaded their systems nearly $5 million to regain access, the company said.

Ransomware rackets are dominated by Russian-speaking cybercriminals who are shielded -- and sometimes employed -- by Russian intelligence agencies, according to security researchers, U.S. law enforcement, and now the Biden administration.

Asked if Russia would be prepared to find and prosecute cybercriminals, Putin said that would depend on Moscow and Washington reaching an agreement.

Since taking office in January, Biden has challenged Moscow over its actions in Ukraine, alleged meddling in elections, and cyberattacks emanating from Russia.

But the U.S. leader has also said the United States wants a "stable, predictable" relationship that allows Moscow and Washington to work together on common issues like strategic stability, arms control, and climate change.

In segments of an interview broadcast by NBC on June 11, Putin said that the U.S.-Russia relationship had "deteriorated to its lowest point in recent years."

SEE ALSO:

Putin Gives Thoughts On Biden, Evades Questions About Killed Kremlin Opponents

Biden will hold a solo press conference after his summit in Geneva next week with Putin, a U.S. official revealed on June 12.

An unnamed U.S. administration official said Biden appearing alone was "the appropriate format to clearly communicate with the free press the topics that were raised in the meeting -- both in terms of areas where we may agree and in areas where we have significant concerns."

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed the announcement, but suggested it didn't necessarily bode badly for the summit.

With reporting by Reuters, TASS, and Interfax

Russia reported another sharp rise in fresh COVID-19 cases on June 13, a day after the mayor of Moscow told residents of the Russian capital to say home from work next week to curb the spread of the virus.

Russia reported 14,723 new COVID-19 cases, including 7,704 in Moscow, the largest one-day national caseload since February 13.

The number of new infections in Moscow was the most reported in one day since December 24.

The coronavirus task force said that 357 people had died of coronavirus-related causes nationwide, taking the death toll to 126,430.

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The federal statistics agency has kept a separate toll and has said that Russia recorded about 270,000 deaths related to COVID-19 between April 2020 and April 2021.

"We are now observing an increase in the hospitalizations of young people. This number has been growing day by day," Aleksei Pogonin, chief doctor at Moscow's Sergei Spasokukotsky Clinical Hospital, told reporters on June 13, adding: "Our reserve of beds will not be sufficient for a long time."

On June 12, Anastasia Rakova, Moscow’s deputy mayor for social development, said that about 78 percent of beds for coronavirus patients were occupied in the city's hospitals.

Meanwhile, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said restaurants, bars, and similar venues in the city may not serve customers after 11 p.m. until at least June 20.

RFE/RL's Coronavirus Coverage

Features and analysis, videos, and infographics explore how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting the countries in our region.

And enforcement of mask- and glove-wearing on public transportation and in public places will be bolstered, with violators facing fines of up to 5,000 rubles ($70).

Sobyanin said Moscow authorities "expected that the spring pandemic peak would fall in April-May, just like last year," but that "now we're seeing that it has shifted toward June-July."

Sobyanin has estimated that around half of Moscow residents now have some level of immunity against the virus, presumably from previous infection or vaccination, although the source of that figure was unclear.

Interfax on June 12 quoted Russian President Vladimir Putin as saying that 18 million Russians have so far been vaccinated against COVID-19.

Russia has around 144 million people.

Russia approved Sputnik V, the world's first coronavirus vaccine, for use beginning last August, but authorities have struggled to ramp up vaccination efforts.

With reporting by Interfax, TASS, and Reuters

The Iranian and Russian negotiators meeting in Vienna with global powers played down the hopes for a quick settlement in the talks to revive the 2015 landmark deal that curtailed Tehran's nuclear programs.

Abbas Araqchi, Tehran’s chief negotiator, said late on June 12 that he did not think they could conclude this week, ahead of the country's June 18 presidential election.

"Personally, I don't think that we can manage to reach a conclusion this week in Vienna," Araqchi was quoted by state media as saying.

Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia's representative, told reporters that “we need a couple more weeks to clean up the existing text and to remove square brackets around secondary topics. We need to concentrate on how the deal will be implemented.

“But I remain optimistic. Despite the remaining differences, the trend is positive,” the Russian added.

Moscow is one of Iran’s main allies.

Iran is voting on June 18 to replace President Hassan Rohani, who promoted the 2015 deal and whose successor is widely expected to be a hard-liner. Rohani is ineligible to run after serving two four-year terms.

Representatives from Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia, and Iran are meeting in the Austrian capital in an effort to bring Washington back to the deal and Tehran back into compliance with its terms.

The future of the 2015 accord has been in danger since U.S. President Donald Trump took the United States out of the deal in 2018 and began reimposing damaging financial sanctions against Iran.

In response, Tehran steadily has exceeded limits on its nuclear program spelled out in the deal.

Since taking office on January 20, U.S. President Joe Biden has indicated a willingness to rejoin the deal on the condition that Iran respects its commitments to the original terms.

U.S. negotiators are indirectly taking part in the Vienna talks -- brokered by European diplomats -- although the Americans are not meeting directly with Iranian counterparts.

So far, there have been five rounds, with negotiators saying early this month that the talks are heading into their most delicate phase.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas urged parties to be flexible.

"It is about flexibility and pragmatism from all participating parties," he told Reuters. "Playing for time is in no one's interest."

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken sounded pessimistic recently when he told lawmakers that it remains “unclear whether Iran is willing and prepared to do what it needs to do come back into compliance."

Politico reported early on June 13 that negotiators have produced some 20 pages of text with options on how to resolve remaining issues.

The report said U.S. and European powers are pushing to include a mention of follow-on talks that would address Iran’s ballistic-missile program and its broader regional behavior.

For its part, Iran wants guarantees the United States won’t again exit the deal, as Trump did in 2018.

With reporting by Politico, Reuters, AP, and AFP

Azerbaijan said it handed over 15 Armenian prisoners of war in exchange for a map showing the location of land mines in part of the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry said the maps turned over by Armenian authorities detailed the location of nearly 100,000 land mines in the Agdam district of Azerbaijani, which is adjacent to the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

"The 15 Armenian captives were turned over on the Azerbaijani-Georgian border with the participation of Georgian representatives," the ministry said.

In a post to his Facebook page, Armenia's acting prime minister, Nikol Pashninan, confirmed the exchange and listed the names of those who were swapped, but gave no further details and made no mention of a map. He also apologized to families whose relatives have not yet returned.

"I have good news. Fifteen of our captured brothers are returning home. They are on their way now. When they are in Armenia, I will make a more detailed statement," he was quoted by Russia's TASS news agency as saying earlier.

Azerbaijani forces seized swaths of territory in and around the mountainous region during a short war with ethnic Armenia

A Russian-brokered cease-fire ended six weeks of fighting and saw Russian peacekeepers deployed to some parts of the area.

The number of Armenian prisoners of war and other detainees still in Azerbaijani custody remains unclear.

In March, the European Court of Human Rights, where relatives of detainees have appealed for help, referred to 249 Armenians that had been allegedly captured by Azerbaijan and were still detention.

Part of the difficulty in resolving the issue is that Azerbaijani authorities considers some of the detainees not prisoners of war -- with protections under the Geneva Conventions -- but merely captives.

Armenian authorities earlier said that 69 POWs and other detainees had been turned over by Azerbaijan.

Moscow's mayor has announced a non-working week on June 15-19 in response to a spike in COVID-19 cases, as both the Russian capital and the rest of the country reported the highest number of new coronavirus infections since winter.

Also on June 12, Russia's national pandemic task force said that the daily tally of confirmed cases had risen by 47 percent over the past week, including more than a doubling in Moscow to over 6,700 cases in 24 hours.

RFE/RL's Coronavirus Coverage

Features and analysis, videos, and infographics explore how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting the countries in our region.

It cited 13,510 new infections nationally in the previous day.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said restaurants, bars, and similar venues in the city may not serve customers after 11 p.m. until at least June 20.

And enforcement of mask- and glove-wearing on public transportation and in public places will be bolstered, with violators facing fines of up to 5,000 rubles ($70).

Meanwhile, Interfax quoted Russian President Vladimir Putin as saying that 18 million Russians have so far been vaccinated against COVID-19.

Russia has around 144 million people.

Sobyanin said Moscow authorities "expected that the spring pandemic peak would fall in April-May, just like last year," but that "now we're seeing that it has shifted toward June-July."

Sobyanin has estimated that around half of Moscow residents now have some level of immunity against the virus, presumably from previous infection or vaccination, although the source of that figure was unclear.

More than 125,000 coronavirus deaths have been registered by authorities since the start of the pandemic, but many experts say officials vastly underreport fatalities.

SEE ALSO:

Sputnik V: The Story Of Russia's Controversial COVID-19 Vaccine

The federal statistics agency, Rosstat, has kept a separate toll and has said that Russia recorded around 270,000 deaths related to COVID-19 between April 2020 and April 2021.

Russia approved Sputnik V, the world's first coronavirus vaccine, for use beginning last August, but authorities have struggled to ramp up vaccination efforts.

Based on reporting by Reuters

Negotiators from Iran and five world powers have resumed talks to try and revive the landmark deal that curtailed Tehran's nuclear programs but was later put in doubt when U.S. President Donald Trump's administration abandoned it.

The June 12 talks in Vienna, brokered by European diplomats, include indirect contacts between U.S. and Iranian negotiators.

So far, there have been five rounds, with negotiators saying early this month that the talks are heading into their most delicate phase.

Earlier, Russia's representative to the talks, Mikhail Ulyanov, said in a post to Twitter that the talks would allow the participants to “exchange views on how to arrange further work in order to complete the negotiations successfully and expeditiously.”

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas urged parties to be flexible.

"It is about flexibility and pragmatism from all participating parties," he told Reuters. "Playing for time is in no one's interest."

The deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan Of Action, has been in danger of complete collapse since 2018, when Trump pulled Washington out of the pact and reimposed crippling sanctions on Iran.

In response, Tehran steadily has exceeded limits on its nuclear program spelled out in the deal.

The United States is not formally part of these talks. But the administration of Trump's successor, Joe Biden, has signaled its willingness to rejoin the deal.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken sounded pessimistic recently when he told lawmakers that it remains “unclear whether Iran is willing and prepared to do what it needs to do come back into compliance."

U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price raised a separate issue this week, saying that Iran has yet to provide the International Atomic Energy Agency with information the agency needs regarding potential undeclared nuclear material.

With reporting by AP and Reuters

The White House says U.S. President Joe Biden will hold a "solo press conference" after his summit in Geneva next week with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the latest indicator of the tensions swirling between Moscow and Washington.

An unnamed U.S. administration official said Biden appearing alone was "the appropriate format to clearly communicate with the free press the topics that were raised in the meeting -- both in terms of areas where we may agree and in areas where we have significant concerns."

The go-it-alone tactic highlights the U.S. administration's desire to challenge Kremlin talking points and to avoid appearing overly cozy with the Russian leader, whom Biden has suggested is "a killer" out to undermine international security and permanently silence his domestic critics.

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Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed the announcement, but suggested it didn't necessarily bode badly for the summit.

"After the talks are over, President Putin will appear before the Kremlin pool reporters and other media outlets," he was quoted by TASS as saying.

Biden's decision is a contrast to the scene after Putin met with Biden's predecessor, Donald Trump, in Helsinki in 2018.

After those closed-door talks, Trump emerged at a joint press conference defending Russia over U.S. intelligence assessments that Moscow interfered in the 2016 presidential election.

"We expect this meeting to be candid and straightforward," the White House official said, according to a pool report.

Since taking office in January, Biden has challenged Moscow over its actions in Ukraine, alleged meddling in elections, and cyberattacks emanating from Russia.

But the U.S. leader has also said the United States wants a "stable, predictable" relationship that allows Moscow and Washington to work together on common issues like strategic stability, arms control, and climate change.

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In segments of an interview broadcast by NBC on June 11, Putin said that the U.S.-Russia relationship had "deteriorated to its lowest point in recent years."

Biden is in Cornwall on the southern U.K. coast for a summit with other Group of Seven industrialized nation leaders this weekend that will include talks on Russia and China, then goes to Brussels for meetings with European Union and NATO officials.

With reporting by The Washington Post and Reuters

The influential political scion and former speaker of Iran's parliament, Ali Larijani, has demanded an explanation from the country's vetters as to why he was excluded from running in next week's Iranian presidential election.

Larijani's query toward the hard-line Guardians Council follows that body's disqualification of hundreds of would-be candidates in a familiar feature of Iranian elections that left just seven contenders to succeed incumbent Hassan Rohani.

There are no prominent critics of the senior leadership or Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who holds ultimate power in Iran's clerically dominated system, among them.

"Dear Guardians Council, please, between yourself and God, in view of proving the falsity of the reports given to that council regarding me and my family, state all the reasons for my disqualification formally and publicly," Larijani tweeted.

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With just seven days to go before the June 18 vote, it is unclear what the intended effect of Larijani's public challenge could be.

Khamenei first shrugged off criticism of candidate vetting but then made an unusual public call on June 4 for the Guardians Council to review its decisions, saying "some candidates were wronged" and "accused of untrue things."

Larijani is a notable moderate conservative from an influential political family who was a top negotiator in Iran's dealings with the international community over its nuclear program.

At the time of his disqualification last month, Larijani said merely that he had "done my duty before God and my dear nation."

There are reportedly fears within Iran's establishment that disaffected Iranians will stay away from the presidential vote in large numbers, further denting its credibility.

SEE ALSO:

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Rohani, a relative moderate on a carefully controlled political landscape dominated by anti-Western conservatives, is barred from running for a third term.

The disputed reelection of Rohani's predecessor, hard-liner Mahmud Ahmadinejad, sparked massive street protests and a crackdown in 2009.

Ahmadinejad was also among those barred from running in this month's vote.

The disqualifications are widely seen as bolstering the prospects of one of the most hard-line candidates, judiciary head Ebrahim Raisi.

A record 57 percent of Iranians did not vote in parliamentary elections in February 2020 in which thousands of candidates, many of them moderates and reformists, were barred from running.

With reporting by Reuters

The parents of the jailed Belarusian blogger detained after his international flight was forcibly diverted to Minsk have appealed to German Chancellor Angela Merkel for assistance to secure his release, according to Germany's Bild.

Dzmitry and Natallya Pratasevich, who are in Poland after fleeing Belarus 10 months ago, said in an interview published on June 12 that their 26-year-old son, Raman, and other Belarusian political prisoners are being subjected to "sadism and violence on a daily basis."

"We ask very much for you to help us get all the innocent people out of [Belarusian] prisons," Pratasevich's mother said in her appeal to Merkel, adding, "They urgently need help because they are exposed to sadism and violence on a daily basis."

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Mother Of Detained Belarusian Journalist: 'Hear The Cry Of My Soul'

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The younger Pratasevich and his Russian girlfriend, Sofia Sapega, were seized after Belarusian authorities cited a dubious bomb threat to force a Ryanair flight between Athens and Vilnius to land at Minsk's international airport on May 23.

The Western backlash to what many regard as a "state hijacking" has been fierce, with sanctions targeting Belarusian officials and bans and other measures targeting air travel from -- and even over -- Belarus.

Western governments had already imposed multiple rounds of sanctions against the regime of Alyaksandr Lukashenka since a violent crackdown began over massive protests that broke out after Lukashenka claimed a sixth-term reelection victory in August.

"Please stop Lukashenka," Natallya Pratasevich appealed to the German leader. "Every additional day -- no, every additional hour -- that goes by costs innocents, including children, their lives."

The Prataseviches say the letters they have sent to their son have not been delivered and that his lawyer "cannot talk to us freely on the phone."

Pratasevich is now facing charges in Belarus of inciting civil unrest that could keep him in prison for 15 years or more.

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But the Belarusian opposition, his supporters, and international rights groups have warned of a more immediate risk to his life if he remains in the custody of the Lukashenka administration.

British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab warned on June 11 that Belarus might be slipping "into pariah status" after the airplane diversion.

"We need Belarus to step up and live up to the basic, fundamental, cardinal rules of international law," Raab said.

Pratasevich's parents have led a chorus of outrage and insist the charges are trumped up. They have also rejected the validity of videos of a haggard-looking Pratasevich allegedly confessing to wrongdoing.

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Belarusian Student Says He Was Beaten In A 'Torture Truck'

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In the Bild interview, they cited "clear signs of torture," including a possible broken nose and bruising" in the videotaped "forced confessions."

Videos and other evidence of the brutal physical abuse of detainees has multiplied since the protests erupted in August and authorities launched a wave of thousands of arrests.

Sapega's family said on June 10 that it had just received their first letters from her since the couple was arrested more than two weeks ago, addressed from a KGB prison in Minsk.

With reporting by Bild and Deutsche Welle

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a bill into law imposing penalties for disclosing the personal data of security officials or their relatives, a move that could further hamstring efforts to expose corruption or hold Russian officials accountable.

Punishments for offenders include jail sentences, house arrest, forced labor, and fines of up to 18 months' salary.

The law could discourage the kind of exposés that jailed anti-corruption lawyer Aleksei Navalny and other Kremlin critics have published, highlighting dodgy properties linked to senior officials like Putin and ex-President Dmitry Medvedev.

One such investigation, Putin's Palace, has attracted more than 100 million YouTube views and further cemented the reputation of Navalny's Anti-Corruption Campaign (FBK) as a detailed chronicler of suspect deals.

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Pole Dancing And Fancy Toilet Brushes: Millions Watch Navalny Video On Alleged 'Putin Palace'

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The FBK was declared an "extremist" group by a Moscow city court on June 9, preventing people associated with it and his collection of regional political offices from seeking public office.

The ruling marked another watershed moment for Russia’s opposition.

A campaign by authorities to dismantle opposition networks has accelerated ahead of elections to the State Duma, the lower house of Russia’s parliament, in September.

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The new law signed this week by Putin casts a wide net, prohibiting the illegal collection, transfer, distribution, or access to the personal data of judges, prosecutors, investigators, Interior Ministry employees, or staff of numerous law enforcement agencies in connection with their professional duties.

It also covers such data relating to their families.

The State Duma previously passed a bill banning the disclosure of information about operational investigative activities, covering data on law enforcement officers and military personnel "regardless of the presence of an immediate threat to their safety."

The Russian federal agency tasked with maintaining real-estate records, Rosreestr, has already implemented changes to prevent access to information on assets linked to prominent officials, including relatives of former Prosecutor-General Yury Chaika.

The Russian Ministry of Culture has refused to issue a distribution license for Romanian director Radu Jude’s film Bad Luck Banging Or Loony Porn, which won the prestigious Golden Bear award for best film at this year’s Berlin International Film Festival, known as the Berlinale.

The ministry said on June 11 that the movie violates Russia’s laws on pornography.

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Romanian Sex-Tape Satire Wins Top Prize At Berlin Film Festival

Bad Luck Banging Or Loony Porn is a satire that tells the story of a schoolteacher who finds her reputation under threat after a personal sex tape is leaked onto the Internet. Despite pressure from parents and public condemnation, she refuses to step down.

The Berlinale jury described the film as “a lasting artwork.”

With reporting by Interfax and Current Time