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European Court Says Bulgarian Eavesdropping Law Violates Rights Convention
The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that Bulgaria's law on secret surveillance and how data is held violates the European Convention of Human Rights.
The court said on January 11 that its justices had ruled unanimously on the case, brought to the court by two Bulgarian lawyers along with two rights organizations, that Bulgaria failed to meet the rights convention with its Special Surveillance Means Act of 1997.
"The court found in particular that the relevant legislation governing secret surveillance did not meet the quality-of-law requirement of the convention and was unable to keep surveillance to only that which was necessary," the court said in a statement.
"Similarly, the court found that the laws governing retention and accessing communications data did not meet the quality-of-law requirement of the convention, and they were incapable of limiting such retention and accessing to what was strictly necessary," it added.
While the case was filed in 2012, its relevance has been front and center in Bulgarian politics in recent years after a special parliamentary commission found in 2020 that more than 900 citizens -- including journalists, politicians, and rights activists -- had had their conversations recorded by special services during anti-corruption protests that led to the toppling of the government.
Two Belarusian Skiers Say Barred From Competing By Lukashenka Regime
MINSK -- Two Belarusian cross-country skiers say they have been barred from competition after sports officials in the tightly controlled country accused them of supporting the country's political opposition.
Svyatlana Andryyuk and Darya Dalidovich told Reuters on January 11 that the Belarus Ski Union annulled their individual athlete registrations last month and therefore they are no longer able to take part in in official competitions organized by the International Ski Federation (FIS), including qualifications for major international events such as the Olympic Games in Beijing that start in less than a month.
According to Andryyuk and Dalidovich, the head of the Belarus Cross-Country Skiing Federation, Alyaksandr Darakhovich, ordered officials in November to bar them from competing.
Neither Darakhovich, who is also a deputy mayor of Minsk, nor the Belarus Ski Union were available for comment.
FIS confirmed to Reuters that the two athletes' individual registration numbers had been deactivated.
The two young skiers are the latest athletes to be targeted since a crackdown on critics of authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka after a 2020 presidential election his opponents say was fraudulent.
Andryyuk, 22, said she had never publicly expressed her political point of view, adding that she was "neutral" to political events in the country.
Dalidovich, 17, said her father's political views might have been behind the authorities' move.
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.
Her father, Syarhey Dalidovich, a seven-time Olympian, took part in anti-Lukashenka demonstrations in 2020.
The Belarusian Sport Solidarity Foundation (BSSF) said on social media on January 11 that it officially urged the FIS to restore the two athletes' eligibility to take part in international skiing events.
The BSSF was founded in August 2020 by retired Belarusian swimmer Alyaksandra Herasimenya as protests erupted in Belarus after the disputed reelection of Lukashenka.
It provides financial and legal help to Belarusian athletes targeted by the authorities over the anti-Lukashenka protests.
In one of the most high-profile cases targeting athletes, Belarusian team officials tried to force sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya to fly home from the Tokyo Olympics after she criticized them on social media.
She took refuge in the Polish Embassy in Tokyo after refusing the order. Two days later she boarded a plane to Europe, reaching Warsaw, where she is living in exile.
Lukashenka's crackdown on dissent has seen thousands detained, while most opposition politicians have left the country fearing for their safety.
With reporting by Reuters
- By RFE/RL
Hungary Sets Vote For April With Orban Facing Tight Race
Hungary's president has set April 3 as the date for the Central European country's next general elections, expected to be a tough test for Prime Minister Viktor Orban and his right-wing government.
"I announce the date (for the parliamentary) election as April 3," President Janos Ader said in a statement posted on his website.
Orban, a nationalist who has been in power since 2010, faces a challenge to his rule with multiple opposition parties agreeing to unite behind one candidate for the first time.
Recent polls suggest a close race against the coalition's candidate for prime minister, Peter Marki-Zay.
Orban's critics say his ruling Fidesz party has dismantled democratic institutions in Hungary, while trashing judicial independence and controlling the media.
He has also stepped up an anti-LGBT campaign as part of an ongoing drive to depict itself as the guardian of Christian values against Western liberalism that also includes a hard-line anti-immigration policy.
Armenia, Azerbaijan Trade Blame For Deadly Shooting Along Border
An Azerbaijani soldier and two Armenian soldiers have been killed in the latest fighting along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, according to military officials in Baku and Yerevan.
Armenia and Azerbaijan are blaming each other for the deadly violence and both sides have warned that tensions along the border are escalating.
Armenia's Defense Ministry said Azerbaijani forces opened fire around 3:15 p.m. (1115 GMT/UTC) in the border area near Verin Shorzha in the eastern Gegharkunik Province.
It initially said one Armenian serviceman was wounded, but later revised its casualty figures to two dead and two wounded.
The ministry also claimed later on January 11 that Azerbaijani forces had fired artillery across the border and used drone aircraft in the altercation, adding that shooting by Azerbaijani forces was "suppressed due to retaliatory actions of the Armenian side."
It said that as of 5 p.m., the situation along the border was "relatively stable" and "under full control of the Armenian armed forces."
Earlier, Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry reported that an Azerbaijani serviceman was killed along the border with Armenia "as a result of an Armenian provocation in the direction of Azerbaijan's Kalbacar district."
The ministry denied that Azerbaijan's military used artillery or drones, saying to its forces were "responding to a provocation by the enemy."
It also said Armenian fire was "suppressed due to corresponding actions taken by units of the Azerbaijani Army."
Baku added, "the entire responsibility for the latest tensions lies with the military-political leadership of Armenia."
- By RFE/RL
U.S. Says NATO Allies 'United' Ahead Of Talks With Russia
The U.S. ambassador to NATO says members of the alliance "stand united" ahead of high-stakes talks with Russia over the future of European security as concerns about a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine hang in the balance.
The Western military alliance's 30 members will meet with Russian officials at NATO headquarters in Brussels on January 12 to discuss Moscow's demand for security guarantees as well as the Kremlin's troop buildup near Ukraine.
Russia is demanding NATO commit to ending its eastward expansion and roll back its advances in Central and Eastern Europe since the 1990s.
"It has become crystal-clear that not a single ally inside the NATO alliance is willing to budge or negotiate anything as it relates to NATO's open-door policy," U.S. Ambassador to NATO Julianne Smith said on January 11.
"NATO is open and committed to a meaningful reciprocal dialogue with Russia," Smith said. "At the same time, we stand united to deter threats against NATO allies and further Russian aggression against our partners in Europe."
Russia has amassed nearly 100,000 troops near its border with Ukraine and in Ukraine's Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula in what the United States has said could be a prelude to an invasion.
Western officials and analysts say Russia's buildup is an attempt to pressure the United States and European allies to make concessions.
On January 11, Russian forces staged live-fire exercises with tanks and about 3,000 troops near Russia's southern border with Ukraine.
Smith reiterated the U.S. call for Russia to de-escalate by withdrawing its troops and pursuing diplomacy.
NATO in 2008 committed to accepting Ukraine and Georgia, two former Soviet states that border Russia, into the alliance at an undetermined future date.
Russia has called Ukraine's membership in NATO a "red line." Many analysts say that Ukraine's membership in the alliance is at least a decade away.
The NATO-Russia Council meeting on January 12 follows bilateral talks between the United States and Russia in Geneva on January 10.
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, who led those talks, briefed officials from NATO earlier in the day about her conversations with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov during eight hours of talks she described as "serious" and "businesslike."
"I briefed the North Atlantic Council on yesterday's discussions with Russia at the Strategic Stability Dialogue in Geneva," Sherman wrote on Twitter on January 11 after meeting with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and ambassadors from NATO member states.
"The United States is committed to working in lockstep with our Allies and partners to urge de-escalation and respond to the security crisis caused by Russia," she added.
During a call with media on January 11, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the U.S.-Russia talks were open and direct but did not lead to any progress on issues that Moscow deems urgent.
"We see no real reason to be optimistic so far," Peskov said.
The NATO-Russia Council talks are to be followed by a meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) on January 13 in Vienna. The United States, Russia, and Ukraine are all members of the OSCE.
Peskov said Russia would get a "clear picture" of where the United States stands with regards to its demands at the conclusion of all the talks this week in Europe.
Sherman said on January 10 that the United States and Russia would sit down following the OSCE meeting to discuss the next steps.
Peskov said there was "no deadline" for the talks, but "Russia's position is that we would not be satisfied with an endless dragging out of this process."
Meanwhile, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on January 11 praised "unity" with the West against what he called Russian "ultimatums."
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Kuleba told U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on January 11 that the Geneva talks proved "our strength lies in the unity and coherence of positions against...Russian ultimatums."
Kuleba also said the United States remains Kyiv's No. 1 security partner.
U.S. President Joe Biden and Putin held two phone calls in December, accompanied by a flurry of diplomacy involving officials from the United States, its European allies and Ukraine, and Russia ahead of the meetings this week.
Ryabkov commented after the Geneva talks that he had assured Sherman that U.S. and NATO concerns about Russia's military buildup on its border with Ukraine were unfounded.
Still, Sherman said in a separate tweet on January 11 that Washington's support for Kyiv was unwavering.
"We affirmed a unified @NATO approach toward Russia balancing deterrence and dialogue and stressed our unwavering support for Ukraine," she wrote.
With reporting by Todd Prince in Washington, Reuters, AP, AFP, dpa, TASS, and Interfax
Serbian Orthodox Church's Patriarch Tests Positive For COVID-19
Patriarch Porfirije, the head of the influential Serbian Orthodox Church, has tested positive for COVID-19 amid a surge in coronavirus infections in the Balkan nation after massive New Year celebrations that included open-air concerts and relaxed antivirus rules.
Porfirije, 60, became the head of the Serbian Orthodox Church after the previous patriarch, Irinej, died of COVID-19 in November 2020 at the age of 90.
Porfirije "remains with very mild symptoms of the virus infection and ... will be treated at home," his office said in a statement on January 11, adding that he was carrying out administrative duties entirely without problems.
On January 9, Porfirije attended a mass ceremony in Republika Srpska, the Serb entity of neighboring Bosnia, where few people wore face masks.
Porfirije last year also went into isolation after being in contact with an infected priest.
The Serbian Orthodox Church numbers some 12 million followers, mainly in Serbia, Montenegro, and Bosnia.
Serbia, a country of 7 million people, has registered 1,359,544 infections and 12,936 coronavirus deaths.
The country reported nearly 9,000 new infections on January 10.
With reporting by Reuters and AP
Belarusian Opposition Activist Kalesnikava Transferred To Penal Colony
MINSK -- Maryya Kalesnikava, a leading opposition activist in Belarus who was sentenced to 11 years in prison in September, has been transferred to a penal colony for women in Homel, a town 300 kilometers southeast of the capital, Minsk.
Rights activists told RFE/RL on January 11 that Kalesnikava has been sent to Correctional Colony No. 4, where she will spend her first two weeks in quarantine as part of the facility's COVID precautions.
Kalesnikava and another opposition figure, Maksim Znak, were sentenced to prison terms of 11 and 10 years respectively on September 6, after being found guilty on charges of conspiracy to seize power, calls for action to damage national security, and calls for actions damaging national security by trying to create an extremist group. Both pleaded not guilty and rejected the charges.
Kalesnikava, 39, was a coordinator of the electoral campaign of an excluded presidential aspirant, former Belgazprombank head Viktar Babaryka. After Babaryka was arrested weeks before the August 2020 presidential election, Kalesnikava joined forces with another presidential candidate, Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who is widely believed to have won the election.
After joining Tsikhanouskaya’s support group, Kalesnikava became a member of the opposition Coordination Council and turned into a prominent leader of protests demanding the resignation of strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka, who was officially announced the winner of the election, which demonstrators say was rigged and which the West has refused to recognize.
Kalesnikava was snatched from the streets of Minsk on September 7, 2020, by masked men along with two staffers. The three were driven early the next day to the border, where authorities told them to cross into Ukraine.
Security officers reportedly failed to deport Kalesnikava because she ripped her passport into small pieces after they arrived in the no-man’s land between Belarus and Ukraine. Her two associates entered Ukraine, but with no valid passport, Kalesnikava remained in the country and was subsequently detained.
A dozen human rights watchdogs based in Belarus have recognized Kalesnikava and two other associates who are also being detained as political prisoners and have demanded their immediate release from custody.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has called her trial a "politically motivated conviction and shameful sentencing" on "bogus" charges.
Last year, Kalesnikava won the Vaclav Havel Human Rights Prize awarded annually by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) to honor "outstanding" civil society action in the defense of human rights amid an ongoing crackdown in Belarus on pro-democracy activists and groups by Lukashenka.
Australian, Serbian PMs Discuss Novak Djokovic's Visa
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has discussed tennis player Novak Djokovic's visa situation with his Serbian counterpart, Ana Brnabic, as the unvaccinated world No. 1 faces the threat of deportation despite winning a court battle to compete in the upcoming Australian Open.
Morrison's office said the two heads of government agreed in their telephone conversation to keep in touch over the 34-year-old Serbian player’s disputed visa.
“The PM explained our nondiscriminatory border policy and its role in protecting Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Morrison’s office said in a statement. “They both agreed to stay in contact on the issue.”
Serbian public television RTS reported that Brnabic asked Morrison to ensure the tennis star was treated with dignity.
“The (Serbian) prime minister specifically emphasized the importance of the conditions for training and physical preparation for the upcoming competition, considering that Novak Djokovic was not allowed to train in recent days, and the tournament in Melbourne starts this weekend,” RTS reported.
The nine-time Australian Open defending champion meanwhile swapped the court of law for a tennis court within hours of being released from a quarantine hotel in Melbourne as he seeks to make up for lost training time ahead of the tournament that starts on January 17.
On January 10, an Australian judge reinstated Djokovic's visa, which had been canceled last week because the unvaccinated Serb player was said to have violated Australia's strict COVID-19 requirements.
He had been given a medical exemption by Tennis Australia, the tournament organizer, from its vaccination rules to compete because he was infected with COVID-19 last month.
Though the court ruled that the visa should still be valid because of technical reasons surrounding Djokovic's ability during the incident to speak with counsel and tournament organizers, it did not touch on the subject of whether the reason for his exemption was valid.
Speculation has swirled over the tennis star's documentation showing he tested positive for COVID-19 on December 16 in view of public appearances he made -- while not wearing a mask or taking social distancing precautions -- after the test date. According to Serbian law, a person who tests positive must immediately quarantine for 14 days.
Australian Immigration Minister Alex Hawke has warned that he is considering exercising his executive power to deport Djokovic under separate legislation.
“The minister is currently considering the matter and the process remains ongoing,” Hawke’s office said in a statement.
Since Djokovic’s visa was canceled, Czech tennis player Renata Voracova and an unnamed European tennis official have been deported for similar reasons.
The dispute has added pressure on Morrison's government for his handling of the omicron variant wave in an election year, and prompted accusations of incompetence by the opposition.
The Australian opposition home affairs spokesperson, Kristina Keneally, blamed the dispute on a lack of planning by the government, which she said should have been clear about Djokovic's situation when it initially granted him the visa.
“If (he) gets deported it does incredible damage to Australia. If he gets to stay it does incredible damage to our tough border laws and is a real insult to the Australians who did the hard work of lockdowns and vaccination,” Keneally told Australian television.
Keneally said the Djokovic saga made Australia “look like a bit of a joke” on the world stage.
Columnist And Outspoken Kremlin Critic Viktor Shenderovich Leaves Russia Amid Pressure Campaign
Prominent writer Viktor Shenderovich, an outspoken Kremlin critic, says he has left Russia because of a pressure campaign against him by officials, including his controversial designation as a "foreign agent."
Shenderovich, a columnist for The New Times, wrote on Facebook on January 10 that he decided to leave the country "until better times in Russia" after a libel probe was launched against him at the request of businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin, a close associate of President Vladimir Putin.
Shenderovich, 63, has criticized Prigozhin for allegedly leading the private Russian military contractor Vagner Group, a paramilitary force that Western governments say the Kremlin has been using in conflicts in Ukraine, Libya, Syria, Sudan, Mozambique, and the Central African Republic.
Last month Shenderovich was placed on the foreign agent list by the Justice Ministry. Russia's foreign agent laws require those designated to register with the authorities and label their content with an intrusive disclaimer, with criminal fines for not doing so.
Kremlin critics say the foreign agent designation brings up Soviet-era connotations and is intended to root out any independent, civic activity in Russia.
Many activists, journalists, and associates of jailed opposition politician Aleksei Navalny have left the country in recent months amid increasing pressure on independent media and those voicing dissent. Several of those to leave the country were on the foreign agent list.
"(My) departure is exactly what the Kremlin has been hinting at me to do over the last 20 years of endless and demonstrative criminality directed at me," Shenderovich wrote on Facebook.
"We're talking about the prospect of imprisonment."
Russia denies a link between the government and the mercenaries, often describing the paramilitary force as trainers or advisers, despite evidence they have been engaged in combat operations.
President Vladimir Putin has said the Vagner Group does not represent the Russian state and is not paid by it. He has also said private military contractors have the right to work and pursue their interests anywhere in the world as long as they do not break Russian law.
Prigozhin, who is believed to run the Vagner Group, is sanctioned by the United States, Britain, and the European Union “in connection with his dealings with the Russian Federation's Ministry of Defense and his efforts to subvert U.S. democratic processes.” Prigozhin has denied the international allegations.
Last year, he sued Shenderovich for comments the writer made during an interview on Ekho Moskvy radio.
A Russian court in December found Shenderovich guilty of slander for calling Prigozhin a “criminal” and a “murderer” during a show on Ekho Moskvy and ordered him to pay 100,000 rubles ($1,330) in damages.
At the end of December, Prigozhin’s company, Konkord, said it was looking at filing criminal charges against Shenderovich for the libel case, which under Russian law could result in a prison sentence of up to five years if found guilty.
Kazakh President Announces CSTO Troop Withdrawal, Criticizes Predecessor
Kazakh President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev says troops from the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) will begin withdrawing from Kazakhstan in two days as the situation calmed following the deadliest violence in the ex-Soviet republic's three decades of independence from Moscow.
In a televised address to parliament on January 11, Toqaev said the CSTO troops will complete their withdrawal over the next 10 days now that order has been largely restored.
Meanwhile, Russia's Defense Ministry said two of its Il-76 military transport planes arrived in Moscow on January 11 after leaving from the airport in Kazakhstan's largest city, Almaty.
The ministry said each plane was carrying 145 Russian citizens. It also said that the repatriation of Russia citizens from Kazakhstan "will continue until the task is implemented in full."
The CSTO military contingent arrived in Kazakhstan last week after the leadership of the oil-rich country asked the Russian-led bloc for military assistance when protests sparked by a fuel price hike turned deadly with security personnel and mobs clashing on city streets nationwide.
Toqaev claimed that "foreign-trained terrorists" were behind the protests in an attempt to overthrow the government. But analysts say there appears to be an internal power struggle between the president and followers of former leader Nursultan Nazarbaev, who has remained a powerful figure in the country since handpicking Toqaev as his successor in 2019.
Human rights experts from the United Nations on January 11 called on the Kazakh authorities to halt their "unrestrained use of force, including lethal force, against protesters."
Fionnuala Ni Aolain, the UN's special rapporteur on counterterrorism and human rights, said in a statement that Kazakhstan's overly broad use of the term "terrorism" to describe protesters, civil society activists, human rights defenders, journalists, and political parties "appeared aimed at instilling fear and was deeply concerning."
Other UN rights experts also expressed concern that Toqaev had given orders for his security forces and army to "open fire with lethal force" against protesters that he described as "bandits and terrorists."
The UN rights experts also called for "independent and human-rights-based investigations of state use of force against protesters" in Kazakhstan.
Toqaev on January 11 suggested for the first time that there was an internal power struggle in Kazakhstan, saying that "under the country's first president, very lucrative companies and internationally known rich people appeared."
"The time has come to give people what belongs to them, to provide help systemically. The government must look into such companies to define what their contributions to the For Kazakhstan's People Fund should be," he said, chiding the nation's oligarchs who have "diminished competition" in the country.
In a major move targeting people around Nazarbaev, Toqaev also ordered the government to shut down operations of Operator ROP, a major disposal and recycling company that many in Kazakhstan says is connected to Nazarbaev's youngest daughter, Alia Nazarbaeva.
Toqaev on January 11 nominated Alikhan Smailov for the post of prime minister, a move that lawmakers approved hours later in parliament.
Smailov, 49, served as first deputy prime minister in the previous cabinet which Toqaev dismissed last week as the country was engulfed in unprecedented protests that turned violent and left at least 163 people dead.
Later in the day, Toqaev's office issued a presidential decree appointing a new government, which saw some former cabinet members, including the interior minister, defense minister, and foreign minister, retain their posts,
Deputy Prime Minister Roman Sklyar was promoted to the post of the first deputy prime minister, while the ministers of information, justice, health, industry, economy, culture, finance, and energy were replaced.
Kazakhstan was thrown into turmoil in the past week after protests in the remote western region of Manghystau over a sharp hike in the price of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) spread across the country all the way to Almaty.
What morphed into peaceful protests against wider economic and political grievances erupted into a spasm of violence, with mobs ransacking and torching public buildings and stores in Almaty, the commercial capital of 1.8 million people, and elsewhere.
The head of the Almaty City Health Directorate, Nariman Tabynbaev, told reporters on January 11 that during the violence more than 1,200 people visited medical facilities for assistance because of injuries they had suffered.
"Some 176 individuals are currently in hospitals [in Almaty], of whom 18 are in intensive care units, including three children," Tabynbaev said, adding that most of the hospitalized patients had suffered gunshot wounds.
The Interior Ministry said on January 11 that security forces have detained 9,900 people in connection with the deadly unrest.
So far, authorities have failed to produce solid evidence to support claims that "terrorists," including "foreign fighters," were behind the unprecedented protests in the authoritarian country. Some have blamed government forces for fueling the violence.
In the face of a mounting crisis, Toqaev declared a state of emergency on January 5 and called on the CSTO to deploy troops to help maintain security.
At the same time, he dismissed his cabinet and removed the 81-year-old Nazarbaev as head of the National Security Council, a powerful position from which the longtime leader continued to exert considerable influence.
Toqaev also dismissed the head of th National Security Committee (KNB), longtime Nazarbaev ally Karim Masimov, then had him arrested for high treason. Several other security officials were also detained.
Toqaev sought to reassure citizens that he was working toward economic stability, ordering the central bank and the financial regulations agency to ensure foreign exchange market stability in order to build confidence in the local currency, the tenge.
With reporting by Reuters and AFP
Bulgarian Leaders In Quarantine After Parliament Speaker Tests Positive For COVID-19
SOFIA -- Nikola Minchev, the speaker of Bulgaria's parliament, has tested positive for COVID-19 after he attended a meeting with the country's top politicians and officials.
In response to the development, Bulgaria's entire state leadership has gone into quarantine as a precautionary measure -- including President Rumen Radev, as well as Prime Minister Kiril Petkov, the economy minister, the minister of the interior, and all other party and parliamentary group leaders.
Bulgaria's chief health inspector said on January 11 that the length of time each person must remain isolated will be determined by the health department after their vaccination status is checked. Quarantine could last as long as 10 days.
Minchev felt unwell right after a National Security Advisory Council meeting on January 10 that was discussing Sofia's relations with neighboring North Macedonia. Minchev's positive COVID-19 test was announced by a spokeswoman for parliament.
Minchev attended the seven-hour meeting alongside the president and prime minister as well as the ministers of defense, interior, and finance, and the army chief of staff. The heads of the security and intelligence services also attended the meeting along with a deputy foreign minister and top representatives of the seven parties with seats in parliament.
A 10-day quarantine for Bulgaria's political leadership could set back attempts to normalize relations with North Macedonia -- a development that the meeting had concluded was necessary before Sofia drops its veto on the start of European Union membership talks with North Macedonia.
Petkov is due on January 18 to make his first official visit to North Macedonia since taking office in December as prime minister.
He has promised to work on resolving remaining disputes between the two Balkan countries, indicating that a six-month deadline for normalizing relations was realistic.
With reporting by Reuters, dpa, and Trud.bg
- By RFE/RL
EU Threatens Bosnian Serb Leaders With Sanctions Over Secessionist Bid, 'Inflammatory Rhetoric'
The European Union has threatened Bosnia-Herzegovina's Serb-dominated entity with sanctions and a reduction in assistance if its leadership continues to fuel political paralysis and division in the Balkan country.
“Should the situation further deteriorate, the EU disposes of a wide toolbox, including the existing EU sanctions framework, and a review of the overall EU assistance,” EU spokesman Peter Stano said in a January 10 statement.
The stern warning comes as a protracted political crisis deepens over secessionist moves by Bosnia’s Serb-dominated entity, Republika Srpska, reviving fears that the peace deal which ended a 1992-95 war could unravel and threaten regional stability.
In the latest provocative act, the Serb-dominated entity on January 9 celebrated what its leaders call their “national day” holiday but what the country’s top court has declared unconstitutional.
The holiday, Republika Srpska Day, marks the date in 1992 when Bosnian Serbs declared their own state in Bosnia, triggering a devastating four-year war that killed over 100,000 people and left millions homeless.
The EU condemns the “negative, divisive and inflammatory rhetoric” used by Republika Srpska leaders during the celebrations, Stano said.
The Serbian entity’s leadership “should contribute to ending a worrying trend of hatred and intolerance. This must include putting an end to glorification of war criminals and to denying or glorifying their crimes,” he said.
The Bosnian War ended in 1995 with the U.S.-brokered Dayton peace accords which created two highly autonomous entities that share some joint institutions: Republika Srpska and the Bosniak-Croat Federation.
The country is governed and administered along ethnic lines established by the agreement, with a weak and often dysfunctional central government.
Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik, the Serbian representative in Bosnia's tripartite presidency, has repeatedly threatened to withdraw from state-level institutions. He has described Bosnia as “an experiment by the international community” and an “impossible, imposed country.”
Most recently, he led a campaign that saw Serb lawmakers vote on December 10 to start a procedure for Republika Srpska to withdraw from the Bosnian Army, security services, tax system, and judiciary.
Lawmakers also voted on a declaration that calls for the drafting of a new constitution for the entity intended to cast aside the powers of the international Office of the High Representative.
Dodik's separatist push gained momentum last summer when the Western-appointed high representative imposed a series of laws prohibiting the denial of genocide, war crimes, and the glorification of those convicted of such crimes before international or local courts.
The office is responsible for overseeing and coordinating the implementation of the Dayton agreement, but its sweeping powers have made it the target of criticism.
Dodik has repeatedly said the 1995 Srebrenica massacre in which some 8,000 Muslim men and boys were slaughtered by Bosnian Serb forces “did not take place.” The massacre has been deemed genocide by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia and the International Court of Justice.
“The continued blockade of Bosnia-Herzegovina institutions, the complete lack of constructive dialogue and the use of inflammatory rhetoric in public only lead to instability and delays in achieving reforms, which are important for the country and better life of its people,” the EU said.
On January 5, the United States imposed new sanctions on Dodik for corruption and threatening the stability and territorial integrity of Bosnia.
Bulgaria Wants 'Real Results' On 2017 Treaty Before Lifting Veto On Skopje's EU Membership Talks
SOFIA -- Bulgaria's President Rumen Radev said on January 10 that officials in Sofia want "real results" from Skopje toward the conditions of a 2017 treaty on good relations before they drop their opposition to North Macedonia's European Union membership talks.
Speaking after a meeting of Bulgaria's National Security Advisory Council (NSAC) on relations with North Macedonia, Radev said all NSAC members agreed that the start of North Macedonia's EU membership talks should be tied to achieving conditions set out in the 2017 Treaty of Friendship and Good Neighborliness.
That suggests that the Bulgarian presidency, the cabinet of ministers, and the political opposition in Sofia all agree on conditions for lifting the veto on EU talks.
A key issue for Sofia is that Bulgarians in North Macedonia must be equal to other constitutionally recognized peoples there.
Radev says there must be full equality and that the rights of Bulgarians in North Macedonia must be guaranteed under the constitution and the "institutional architecture" of the country.
Only then, Radev says, will Bulgaria give its approval for the start of Skopje's EU membership negotiations.
The issue is nonnegotiable, Radev added.
Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov's coalition government also has cited progress on the treaty between Sofia and Skopje as crucial.
Petkov's government has promised to work on resolving remaining disputes between the two Balkan countries, indicating that a six-month deadline for normalizing relations was realistic.
The NSAC meeting in Sofia was held a week before Petkov makes his first official visit to North Macedonia since taking office in December.
Petkov is due in Skopje on January 18 to mark the 30th anniversary of Bulgaria's recognition of North Macedonia's independence from the former Yugoslavia.
- By RFE/RL
Russian Director Who Faces Travel Ban Surprises Cast By Showing Up In Germany For Rehearsals
A Russia theater and film director who faces a travel ban imposed by a Russian court has shocked co-workers in Hamburg, Germany, by unexpectedly turning up there for stage rehearsals.
Kirill Serebrennikov has been working at Hamburg's Thalia Theater in recent days in order to direct rehearsals of a production of Anton Chekhov's The Black Monk.
Serebrennikov has been under a strict travel ban for the last four years by courts in Russia who found him guilty on embezzlement charges. Critics say the case against him was politically motivated and meant to stifle other potential critics of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Despite the travel ban ordered by the Russian courts, Serebrennikov has continued to direct productions outside of Russia by using remote video conference technology.
Serebrennikov is hailed as a daring and innovative force on Russia's modern art scene, putting him at odds with cultural conservatives there. He also has publicly criticized Russian government policies.
At his trial, he suggested the security forces and a "culture of loyalty" within Russia's Culture Ministry were behind his prosecution.
According to a statement by Hamburg's Thalia Theater, Serebrennikov arrived at Hamburg's international airport on January 8.
The statement quoted Serebrennikov as saying upon arrival that he was "very, very happy and fortunate that Hamburg is the first European city" where he is allowed to work again after more than four years.
Thalia's artistic director, Joachim Lux, said Serebrennikov's return was "encouraging for the idea of freedom and an encouragement for art as well."
Rehearsals for the international production began in Moscow on November 8 with Russian, German, American, Armenian, and Latvian actors.
Rehearsals have continued since January 4 in Hamburg, where a premiere of the production is scheduled for January 22.
With reporting by dpa
Belarusian Gets Two Years In Prison For Insulting KGB Officer Killed In Shoot-Out
MINSK -- Belarusian authorities say a man in the eastern city of Mahilyou was handed a two-year prison sentence for online comments that insulted a KGB officer who was killed in a police shoot-out at a Minsk apartment that also killed an IT worker in late September.
Details remain unclear around the September 28 shooting that resulted in the death of Andrey Zeltsar, a man working for a major U.S.-based IT company called EPAM and a KGB officer, Dzmitry Fedasyuk.
The Prosecutor-General's Office said on January 10 that the 45-year-old defendant pleaded guilty to the charge of insulting the officer.
It was not clear exactly what the defendant, whose name was not released, wrote other than defending Zeltsar and criticizing the KGB team involved in the shoot-out.
It is the first court ruling in the case, which the Investigative Committee said in October involved dozens of individuals.
Authorities claimed at the time that "an especially dangerous criminal" had opened fire on security officers after they showed up at his apartment looking for "individuals involved in terrorist activities."
Authoritarian leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka slammed people who posted comments on social media praising Zeltsar and criticizing Fedasyuk, saying that "we have all their accounts, and we can see who is who."
Belarus witnessed unprecedented anti-government protests after a presidential election in August 2020, in which Lukashenka claimed reelection.
Opposition groups say the vote was rigged, while many Western governments have refused to recognize Lukashenka as the winner.
In response to months of street protests, the government has arrested thousands. Fearing for their safety, most of the top opposition figures have left the country.
Kremlin-Allied Ukrainian Lawmaker Medvedchuk's House Arrest Extended
KYIV -- A Kyiv court has extended the house arrest of Kremlin-friendly tycoon and politician Viktor Medvedchuk, who is being held under suspicion of treason.
Renat Kuzmin, a former Ukrainian prosecutor-general and Medvedchuk ally, wrote on Telegram that the Pechera district court on January 10 had extended Medvedchuk's house arrest for another 60 days.
Kuzmin called the decision illegal as pretrial house arrest cannot exceed six months, while Medvedchuk's is now set to last for at least 10 months.
Medvedchuk, who has been held under house arrest since May, was initially targeted with allegations of treason in a case that has added to tensions between Moscow and Kyiv.
In October, prosecutors announced that he is also accused of colluding to finance Russia-backed separatist forces in eastern Ukraine.
Medvedchuk, who has a deep personal relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and his pro-Russia Opposition Platform -- For Life party have both made statements rejecting the charges and calling them politically motivated.
Last year, Ukraine’s National Security Council announced sanctions against Medvedchuk, his wife Oksana Marchenko, and several other individuals and entities.
The sanctions froze the couple’s assets for three years and prevented them from doing business in the country.
In February 2021, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's government also sanctioned three television stations believed to be owned by Medvedchuk. The move came shortly after talks between the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.
Medvedchuk's relationship with Putin runs so deep that the Russian leader is the godfather to Medvedchuk’s daughter.
Medvedchuk was sanctioned by the United States in 2014 for undermining democracy in Ukraine.
The sanctions were tied to an investigation into exports of coal to Russia from separatist-held regions in eastern Ukraine.
Fighting between Ukrainian government forces and the Russia-backed separatists who control parts of Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk regions has killed more than 13,200 people since April 2014.
Russia annexed Crimea in March 2014 and instigated separatist clashes in Ukraine’s east after anti-government protests toppled Ukraine's Russia-friendly former president, Viktor Yanukovych, in February 2014.
CSTO Leaders To Discuss Kazakhstan Crisis In Videoconference
Leaders of the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) are scheduled to hold a videoconference on January 10 to discuss the ongoing unrest in Kazakhstan.
A Kremlin spokesman on January 9 confirmed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s participation in the call, according to the state-run TASS news agency.
Kazakhstan has been beset by several days of unrest after demonstrations against rising fuel prices morphed into a general protest against the national government in the autocratic Central Asian nation.
The Kazakh government has requested help from the six-member CSTO made up of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Armenia.
Russia has sent a few thousand troops to Kazakhstan under the auspices of the CSTO, a move criticized by the United States.
Based on reporting by Reuters and TASS
Kazakh President Says Week Of Deadly Unrest Was 'Attempted Coup,' Without Citing Evidence
NUR-SULTAN -- Kazakh President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev has blamed "a single center" for trying to seize power in the oil-rich Central Asian state in recent unrest as a Russian-led military alliance met for talks to update the situation around a wave of deadly public unrest sparked by a fuel price hike last week that shook the region.
In a speech to the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) on January 10, Toqaev said calm had returned to the country after protests calling for reforms in the tightly controlled authoritarian country erupted into a spasm of violence, the worst in the Central Asian state's 30 years of independence.
In Almaty, Kazakhstan's largest city, protesters stormed and briefly seized the airport. For several days, sporadic gunfire was reported in the city streets.
The Interior Ministry said on January 10 that 7,939 people had been detained during the unrest that started on January 2. The Health Ministry said the day before that 164 people were killed in the violence, including three children. Toqaev, however, said the exact number of people killed during the unrest remained unclear as investigations are under way.
Toqaev did not produce any evidence to back up his claim that foreign terrorists were behind the protests. He also dismissed as “disinformation” some reports and eyewitness accounts that authorities had attacked peaceful demonstrators.
Meanwhile, Toqaev's office said in a statement that he told European Council President Charles Michel in a January 10 telephone call that militants from Central Asia, Afghanistan, and the Middle East were behind the recent violence.
The statement said Toqaev told Michel he had "no doubt that it was a terror attack" that was "well organized" and involved "foreign fighters."
Kazakhstan, an oil-and-gas-rich country the size of Western Europe, was thrown into turmoil in the past week after protests over a sharp hike in the price of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) in the remote western region of Manghystau spread across the country all the way to Almaty.
In the face of mounting unrest, Toqaev declared a state of emergency and on January 5 the CSTO -- a six-member alliance made up of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Armenia -- quickly agreed to help provide security.
At the same time, he also tried to quell dissent by announcing a six-month price cap on fuel and a halt to any increases in utility prices, while also replacing former President Nursultan Nazarbaev as head of the National Security Council.
Many protesters blamed Nazarbaev, who served as president from Kazakhstan's independence until he resigned in 2019 and hand-picked Toqaev as his successor, for the country's woes. Nazarbaev had retained substantial power as the leader of the council.
Toqaev has sought to frame the violence in Almaty as an attack by "terrorist groups" and expressed anger at foreign and independent media coverage of the events, which killed dozens of people and injured hundreds more including members of the security forces.
He praised the CSTO for what he called a "prompt response" to his request to intervene in the situation, adding that a total of 2,050 peacekeeping troops from CSTO members were on Kazakh soil.
"In the nearest future, the wide-scale anti-terrorist operation will be over and along with that the successful and effective mission of the CSTO's troops will end as well," Toqaev said, adding that his government will provide the world with "evidence proving international terrorists" attacked Almaty and 11 other regions in the country.
Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed the CSTO troops would stymie any attempts by external forces to topple governments within the alliance while accusing "terrorists" of using social media to bring people out into the streets of Kazakhstan as a cover for their attacks.
That allegation, which Putin did not back up with evidence, was refuted by Kazakh opposition politician Zhasaral Quanyshalin.
He told RFE/RL on January 9 that Internet and telecommunications services were switched off across the country to block peaceful demonstrators from communicating with each other. He also accused the authorities of planting troublemakers in the demonstrations to discredit the peaceful protests and justify government actions such as shooting into crowds by security forces and extending an invitation to CSTO troops to enter the country.
"People have demanded that the power-holders who have become used to stealing from them must go. The authorities used their own people to destabilize the situation to turn the protests into chaos and started shooting to kill people," Quanyshalin said, though he did not produce evidence to back up his claim.
As of January 10, Internet service had been restored to most areas, though it remained sporadic in some places.
In the wake of the unrest, Toqaev also dismissed the head of the country’s National Security Committee (KNB), longtime Nazarbaev ally Karim Masimov. Official media reports said Masimov was detained on a high-treason charge.
On January 10, one of Masimov's close allies, KNB Colonel Azamat Ibraev, was found dead near his high-rise apartment block in Nur-Sultan, the capital. Preliminary investigations indicated that he jumped from his apartment window. They did not say whether they suspected foul play.
Authorities in the southern region of Zhambyl said on January 10 that regional police chief General Zhanat Suleimenov was found dead as well. Media reports say he committed suicide after a probe on unspecified charges was launched against him.
Kazakh authorities also declared January 10 a day of mourning for those killed during the violence.
- By RFE/RL
Djokovic 'Pleased' After Winning Court Case But Expulsion From Australia Still Looms
World tennis No. 1 Novak Djokovic has said he is "pleased and grateful" over an Australian judge's decision to reverse the cancellation of his visa and voiced hope he will still play in the Australian Open.
Djokovic was released earlier on January 10 from a quarantine hotel in Melbourne after Circuit Court Judge Anthony Kelly reinstated his visa, which had been canceled last week because the unvaccinated Serbian player violated Australia's strict COVID-19 requirements.
"Despite all that has happened, I want to stay and try to compete @AustralianOpen. I remain focused on that," he said on Twitter, along with a photo of himself and his training staff standing on the court at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne where the tournament is held.
Kelly ruled the Australian government's decision last week to revoke Djokovic's visa was "unreasonable" and ordered his release within 30 minutes of his decision.
But government lawyers warned that Australia may yet use executive powers to order Djokovic's deportation, which would result in him being banned for three years.
Lawyer Christopher Tran informed the judge that Immigration Minister Alex Hawke may step in with executive powers and order the expulsion of the 34-year-old player, prompting the judge to warn in return that "the stakes have now risen, rather than receded."
Kelly also ordered that the government pay legal costs for Djokovic, who spent several days in the immigration detention hotel, saying that his lawyers argued his "personal and professional reputation and his economic interests may be directly affected."
A group of around 50 Djokovic fans, many draped in the Serbian flag, outside the Melbourne court greeted the court decision with noisy celebrations outside the court.
The Australian Open begins on January 17, and the nine-time defending champion has been stuck in a detention hotel for refugees instead of preparing to potentially win a record 21st Grand Slam.
Earlier on January 10, at an online hearing, the judge appeared to agree with Djokovic's argument that he had presented the required medical exemption upon his arrival at Melbourne's airport last week.
"The point that I am somewhat agitated about is what more could this man have done?" Kelly said.
Lawyers for Djokovic argued that a COVID-19 infection last month qualified the 34-year-old player for the medical exemption from Australia's requirement that noncitizens present evidence of full vaccination.
Court filing shows Djokovic said he received a letter from Tennis Australia's chief medical officer stating he had a medical exemption from vaccination after he tested positive for the coronavirus on December 16 and was free of symptoms by December 30.
Despite Djokovic's claim of a positive test on December 16, he attended events in Belgrade that day and the following and wasn't wearing a mask. It was unclear if he was aware of his infection at the time.
Djokovic initially received an exemption from local Australian officials despite tight restrictions on foreigners' entry amid a spike in infections.
Tennis Australia says his exception “was granted following a rigorous review process."
Tennis Australia says it needs to know whether Djokovic can play by January 11, because it has to schedule the matches.
The treatment of the national star has angered many Serbs.
Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic on January 8 said the government stood ready to provide all necessary guarantees to allow Djokovic to be granted permission to enter Australia.
Djokovic's father, Srdjan Djokovic, said he was "disgusted" at the way his son was being treated.
"The worldwide support he is getting is worth more than dozens of grand slams," he told about 300 protesters. "They can't call this tournament of theirs an open anymore when it's closed."
Djokovic has 20 Grand Slam singles titles, a men's record he shares with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
Nadal, who has revealed he is fully vaccinated, said the court ruling was "the fairest" decision.
"Whether or not I agree with Djokovic on some things, justice has spoken and said he has the right to participate in the Australian Open and...it's the fairest decision to do so, if it has been resolved that way. I wish him the best of luck," Nadal said.
With reporting by AFP, AP, dpa, BBC, and Reuters
- By RFE/RL
Iran Says Only 12 Asiatic Cheetahs Left In Country
Only a dozen Asiatic cheetahs are left in the wild in Iran, the deputy environment minister said, describing the situation for the highly endangered species as “extremely critical.”
"The measures we have taken to increase protection, reproduction, and the installation of road signs have not been enough to save this species," Hassan Akbari told the Tasnim news agency on January 9.
He said there are believed to be only nine male and three female Asiatic Cheetahs in the country, compared to an estimated 100 in 2010.
Environmentalists say the world’s fastest animal has been the victim of drought, hunting, habitat destruction, and scarcity of prey due to hunters in the remote and arid central plateaus.
The Iranian Cheetah Society says the only remaining habitats left for the majestic cats is the Miandasht Wildlife Refuge and Touran Biosphere Reserve in northeast Iran.
Asiatic cheetahs once lived across the grasslands of India, Pakistan, Russia, and the Middle East, but have been entirely wiped out except in Iran. The cheetah species is slightly different than those found in parts of southern Africa.
The Iranian government became the target of a domestic and international outcry when a revolutionary court in November 2019 imprisoned at least six conservation experts who are members of the Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation, a local group focused on biodiversity protection, especially for Asiatic cheetahs.
The Revolutionary Guards’ Intelligence Organization arrested seven of the defendants in January 2018, as well as Kavous Seyed Emami, an Iranian-Canadian university professor.
The environmentalists were accused of spying for the United States and Israel, “seeking proximity to military sites with the cover of the environmental projects and obtaining military information from them.”
Environmental and rights groups condemned the allegations as fabricated and the trial unfair.
The only "classified dirt" that the conservationists were likely to have accessed in their work is the "dried stool" of cheetahs they were fighting to protect, Mojgan Jamshidi, an Iranian journalist who covers environmental issues said in 2018.
Emami died in detention in February 2018 under suspicious circumstances. Iranian authorities claimed that he committed suicide, a scenario people who knew him said was impossible.
Iran frequently levels espionage charges against political and human rights activists and also dual nationals without publicly providing evidence.
Prosecutions in Iran's so-called revolutionary courts are frequently kept secret from defendants' families and even lawyers. Torture, mistreatment, and forced confessions are also common, according to rights groups.
With reporting by AFP
- By RFE/RL
U.S. Warns Tehran Of 'Severe Consequences' Of Any Attacks On Americans
The United States has warned Iran that it will face "severe consequences" if it attacks any U.S. citizen after Tehran sanctioned 51 U.S. nationals for their alleged role in the death of a powerful Iranian commander two years ago.
"Make no mistake: The United States of America will protect and defend its citizens," Jake Sullivan, the White House national-security adviser, said in a statement on January 9.
"Should Iran attack any of our nationals, including any of the [Americans] named yesterday, it will face severe consequences."
Tehran on January 8 announced the sanctions -- including on U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley -- for their role in the death of Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani.
The move would allow Iranian authorities to seize any assets held in Iran by those sanctioned. But the move is mainly symbolic given the lack of assets held by Americans in the country.
Soleimani, who headed the elite Quds Force of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, was killed on January 3, 2020, in a U.S. drone strike at Baghdad airport.
Soleimani was considered a main architect of Iran's Middle East military strategy and his assassination brought the United States and Iran close to a military conflict. Tehran retaliated by launching a missile strike targeting U.S. forces in Iraq.
In addition to Milley, Iran announced sanctions against former national-security adviser Robert O'Brien and Nikki Haley, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
"Looks like I'll have to cancel my relaxing getaway to Iran," Haley tweeted in response.
"When you get sanctioned by Iran, the world's leading state sponsor of terror, you know you're doing something right," she wrote.
In his statement, Sullivan said that Americans may have "our disagreements on Iran policy. But we are united in our resolve against threats and provocations."
"We are united in the defense of our people [and] work with our allies and partners to deter and respond to any attacks carried out by Iran."
With reporting by AFP and Reuters
Ethnic Serbs Celebrate Republika Srpska Day Despite Ban By Bosnia Court
Ethnic Serbs in Bosnia-Herzegovina's Serb-dominated entity celebrated what they call their “national day” holiday, which the country’s top court has twice declared unconstitutional.
Hundreds gathered on January 9 in Banja Luka -- the administrative center of Bosnia’s predominantly Serbian entity, Republika Srpska – for a parade involving members of the entity's police force, emergency workers, representatives of public institutions, sports organizations, and other associations.
Some 2,700 people participated in the parade, which lasted just under an hour. Helicopters from the Republika Srpska Interior Ministry flew overhead.
Bosnia consists of the Serbian entity, a Muslim-Croat entity, and a central government that ties both together in a fragile state.
The arrangement came out of the Dayton Accords, which put an end to the bloody 1992-95 Bosnian civil war.
The peace agreement ended the conflict in which Bosnia's main ethnic factions -- Muslims, Croats, and Serbs -- fought for control after the break-up of Yugoslavia and established the two autonomous regions, along with the deployment of a NATO-led peacekeeping mission.
Zeljko Cvijanovic, head of the Serb entity, told those attending the event in Banja Luka that "we have always gathered for this great holiday to show our commitment to live in peace. You are the best witnesses that it was never easy."
Milorad Dodik, the Serb member of Bosnia’s three-person multiethnic presidency, told the crowd that “our freedom is not at the expense of others; our freedom is our right. Our goal is peace, and defense of our freedom, building a life worthy of a man.”
He that "he was not chosen to do what the Americans want, but what these people want."
In 2017, the U.S. Treasury Department first imposed sanctions against Dodik -- saying he was actively obstructing efforts to implement the 1995 Dayton accords that ended the war in Bosnia.
The sanctions were expanded on January 5 to include a television station linked to Dodik. https://home.treasury.gov/policy-issues/financial-sanctions/recent-actions/20220105
Dodik has advocated for the separation of the Bosnian Serb entity from the rest of the country and making it part of neighboring Serbia.
Washington and most Western nations support a unified Bosnia-Herzegovina and reject moves for changes to the border.
The January 9 holiday, which is called Republika Srpska Day, marks the date in 1992 when Bosnian Serbs declared their own state in Bosnia, triggering a devastating four-year war that killed over 100,000 people and left millions homeless.
Bosnia’s top court in 2015 banned the holiday, ruling that it discriminates against Muslim Bosniaks and Catholic Croats.
With reporting by AP and Reuters
- By AP
Detentions Continue Amid Aftermath Of Kazakh Protests
Authorities continued to detain people in Kazakhstan's biggest city, Almaty, on January 8 following anti-government protests, violent incidents, and a deadly crackdown on protesters. AP filmed the detention of a man on an Almaty street. On January 9, some stores in downtown Almaty still had smashed windows. Travelers willing to leave for Russia lined up at the city's airport.
Iranian Judiciary Workers Protest For Higher Pay In Rare Demonstration
TEHRAN -- Hundreds of Iranian judiciary employees gathered in front of the parliament building in Tehran on the second day of protests over the lack of pay raises despite previous government promises.
Many in the rare demonstration on January 9 expressed anger at Parliamentary Speaker Mohmmad Baqer Ghalibaf, chanting "liar, liar" and "Ghalibaf, disgrace."
Ebrahim Raisi, the ultra-conservative Iranian president who took office in August, had proposed salary increases in the final weeks of his previous job as judicial chief.
But the new government has since rejected pay hikes amid severe economic hardships caused in part by crippling sanctions imposed by the United States when it pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal in 2018.
AFP reported protesters chanting, "If our problem is not resolved, we will shut down the justice system!"
Videos posted online have shown similar protests by judiciary employees in other cities, including Karaj.
Mohammad Hossein Aghasi, a lawyer, tweeted from the Karaj courthouse on January 8 that the city’s “courts are practically not working, judges have refused to appear in court."
He also referenced a "week-long strike by judges" and said that "I have never seen such strikes or protests from judges since 1974.”
Reformist newspaper Arman Melli reported that "some judicial personnel organized rallies [on January 8] in most of the country's cities to protest the rejection of the plan for parliament to increase their salaries."
Meysam Latifi, head of the Administrative and Recruitment Affairs Organization, said in parliament last week when a pay increase was rejected that "we are concerned about the demand to raise judicial salaries because that would lead to the same thing at other agencies."
With reporting by AFP
- By RFE/RL
Blinken: Kazakh ‘Shoot To Kill’ Order Must Be Rescinded
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken denounced Kazakh President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev's “shoot to kill” order and said Washington was seeking clarification on why the Central Asian nation needed to call in a Russian-led security force amid domestic unrest.
"The shoot-to-kill order, to the extent it exists, is wrong and should be rescinded," Blinken said in an ABC-TV interview on January 9.
Cities throughout Kazakhstan have been struck by protests that initially erupted in the western region of Mangystau on January 2 over the doubling in the price of subsidized liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).
The protests have spread and morphed into calls for political reform in the tightly controlled country.
Mobs stormed government buildings, setting some of them on fire, looted businesses, and torched and overturned cars as they called for reforms after decades of stifling rule in the oil-rich former Soviet republic.
In response, Toqaev declared a nationwide state of emergency until January 19, with curfews, restrictions on movements, and bans on mass gatherings.
Toqaev gave permission for security forces to "shoot to kill" demonstrators, whom he described as “bandits” and “terrorists,” labels protesters have dismissed.
Kazakhstan also requested help from the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) made up of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Armenia.
Russia has sent a few thousand troops to Kazakhstan under CSTO auspices.
"We have real questions about why they felt compelled to call this organization that Russia dominates," Blinken told CNN. "We're asking for clarification on that."
In earlier comments, Blinken said Kazakh authorities “certainly have the capacity to deal appropriately with protests” in a way that respects the rights of protesters while maintaining law and order.
With reporting by AP, Reuters, and AFP
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