News
Belarus Summons Polish Charge D'Affaires Over Diplomat's Expulsion
Poland says that Belarus has summoned the Polish charge d'affaires in Minsk to inform Warsaw about the expulsion of a Polish diplomat.
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirms the fact that the charge d'affaires was called in in a case related to the expulsion of a Polish consul," spokesman Lukasz Jasina said in a statement on January 5.
Jasina said the expelled diplomat was the Polish consul in the border city of Brest. The spokesman added that “steps are being taken to verify the information provided and to clarify the situation."
There were no immediate comments from the Belarusian authorities.
Tensions have been running high between the two neighbors over a migrant crisis that the European Union and Poland say was engineered by Belarus in retaliation for Western sanctions against the authoritarian government of Aleksandr Lukashenka.
They accused Minsk of waging a “hybrid attack” against the EU, luring thousands of migrants to Belarus from the Middle East and other regions, with the promise of help to get to Western Europe, to use them as pawns to destabilize the 27-nation bloc.
Belarus has denied the charge.
Poland took a tough stance in response to the migrant crisis, building a barbed-wire fence and massing thousands of soldiers along its 400-kilometer border with Belarus.
In some cases, Warsaw has been accused of pushing back migrants to Belarus, in a policy criticized by human rights groups.
Based on reporting by Reuters
Protests Continue In Provincial Kazakh Cities Amid State Of Emergency
As protests in Almaty grabbed the headlines, they also continued in provincial Kazakh towns such as Aqtau and Aqtobe on January 5, after President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev declared a state of emergency in parts of the country. Unrest has spread quickly since demonstrations began in the western Kazakh region of Mangystau on January 2 over a sudden hike in prices for liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), a popular fuel used in vehicles in the oil-rich country.
- By RFE/RL
U.S. Treasury Places New Sanctions On Bosnian Serb Leader Dodik
The U.S. Treasury Department says it has expanded sanctions on Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik, who has led a campaign to strengthen a secessionist bid to withdraw from state-level institutions despite warnings from the West.
The Treasury Department made the announcement on its website on January 5, saying it had added television station Alternativna Televizija, which is linked to Dodik, to the sanctions list as well. It gave no further details.
Bosnia consists of a Serbian entity, a Muslim-Croat entity, and a central government that ties both together in a fragile state.
Dodik was elected in October 2018 as the Serbian member of Bosnia's multiethnic three-person presidency. He has repeatedly threatened to withdraw from state-level institutions, describing Bosnia as "an experiment by the international community" and an "impossible, imposed country."
Most recently, he led a campaign that saw lawmakers vote on December 10 to start a procedure for Bosnia-Herzegovina's Serb-dominated entity to withdraw from the Bosnian Army, security services, tax system, and judiciary.
They also voted on a declaration that calls for the drafting of a new constitution for the entity, Republika Srpska, and states that "all laws imposed" by the international high representative for Bosnia are "unconstitutional."
Bosnia has been in a protracted political crisis over secessionist moves by Republika Srpska, reviving fears that the peace deal which ended a 1992-95 war could unravel and threaten regional stability.
The U.S.-brokered Dayton peace accords 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.
The U.S. Treasury Department first imposed sanctions against Dodik in 2017, saying he was actively obstructing efforts to implement the 1995 Dayton accords.
The sanctions allowed U.S. authorities to block access by Dodik to any of his property or assets that are under U.S. jurisdiction.
Kazakh Security Forces Clash With Anti-Government Protesters In Almaty
Protesters and security forces clashed In Kazakhstan's largest city, Almaty, in the early hours of January 5, amid intensifying anti-government demonstrations in the Central Asian country. Protests first erupted in the western region of Mangystau on January 2 over a sudden hike in fuel prices and later spread to cities across the country. As violence spiraled, President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev declared a state of emergency.
Djokovic's Australian Open Vaccine Exemption Triggers Outcry
Many Australians have reacted angrily to news that Serbia's Novak Djokovic, the top-ranked men's tennis player, will play in the upcoming Australian Open after receiving a medical exemption over his coronavirus vaccination status.
Amid the controversy, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on January 5 that Djokovic will be on the “next plane home” if his evidence for being exempted from Covid-19 vaccination rules is deemed insufficient.
The 34-year-old Serb, who is looking for a record 21st Grand Slam title at the Australian Open beginning in Melbourne on January 17, has previously signaled his opposition to the vaccine and has never revealed his inoculation status.
He applied to an independent panel of experts for a medical exemption, but has never said what his medical issues are.
Australia is seeing tens of thousands of COVID-19 cases for the first time after enduring some of the world's strictest restrictions.
More than 90 percent of Australia's over-16 population is fully vaccinated, but some people still cannot travel interstate or globally because of current measures.
Djokovic, Spain's Rafael Nadal, and Switzerland's Roger Federer are all tied with 20 Grand Slam titles each. Nadal will compete in Melbourne after recovering from COVID-19. Federer will not be at the tournament as he continues to recover from knee surgery.
Based on reporting by the BBC and dpa
Police Fire Stun Grenades On Protesters In Kazakhstan
Kazakh police used stun grenades in the early hours of January 5 as hundreds of protesters tried to storm the mayor's office in the country's biggest city, Almaty. Protesters and security forces have clashed in several of Kazakhstan's main cities as demonstrations intensify in the Central Asian country following a steep rise in energy prices.
Rockets Fired Near Baghdad Base Housing U.S. Troops Amid Iran Tensions
A rocket attacked has rocked an Iraqi military base that houses U.S. soldiers near the airport in Baghdad amid heightened tensions around the anniversary of the 2020 killing of a top Iranian general and a senior Iraqi militia leader in a U.S. drone strike.
Iraqi military officials confirmed four Katyusha rockets landed near the Baghdad Diplomatic Support Center at the Baghdad International Airport on January 5, adding there were no casualties.
No one has claimed responsibility for the attacks. Iraq's military said in a statement that a rocket launcher had been found in a district in western Baghdad near the airport.
Then-U.S. President Donald Trump ordered a January 3, 2020, strike that killed Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, who headed the elite Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), and his Iraqi lieutenant, Abu Hamid al-Muhandis, in response to a spate of attacks against U.S. interests in Iraq.
As the second anniversary of the attack neared, U.S. officials warned repeatedly of possible retaliatory attacks against targets associated with the coalition in both Iraq and Syria.
The coalition fighting the Islamic State in Syria said on January 4 that it had carried out strikes against an "imminent threat" to a U.S. base in northeastern Syria.
Although the U.S.-led international coalition announced the end of its "combat mission" in Iraq in December, some 2,500 U.S. and 1,000 coalition troops remain in the country to advise and train Iraqi security forces.
With reporting by AFP and Reuters
EU's Borrell Warns Of 'Massive Consequences' For Moscow If Russia Attacks Ukraine
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has reiterated support for Kyiv, saying the bloc has a strong commitment to "massive consequences" for Russia if it were to attack its neighbor again.
Speaking during a trip to Ukraine on January 5, Borrell told a joint news conference with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba that Kyiv and Brussels have a common goal to ease tensions with Russia through “diplomatic means.”
The visit, the first by the EU’s top diplomat to the contact line in eastern Ukraine where Russia-backed separatists have battled Ukrainian government forces in a nearly eight-year war that has claimed the lives of more than 13,200 people, comes ahead of a week of intense international diplomacy over Moscow’s military buildup near the former Soviet republic's border.
"The conflict on the borders is on the verge of getting deeper and tensions have been building up with respect to the European security as a whole," Borrell said of Russia's buildup of around 100,000 troops near Ukraine’s borders, which the West fears could be part of preparations for a potential invasion, something Moscow denies.
"Any military aggression against Ukraine will have massive consequences and severe costs," Borrell said. "And we are coordinating with the U.S., with NATO, and other like-minded partners in order to work for de-escalation," he added, noting that any talks on security in the area must include Europe and Ukraine.
NATO has announced a virtual meeting of foreign ministers from its 30 member nations on January 7 to discuss the crisis after Moscow demanded sweeping security guarantees from the United States and its allies.
The extraordinary meeting will be followed by talks between U.S. and Russian officials in Geneva on January 9-10 and a meeting of the NATO-Russia Council on January 12.
The council, the main forum for dialogue between the two sides, has met only sporadically since 2014, when Russia invaded and annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula.
The NATO-Russia Council meeting will be followed the next day by discussions under the framework of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which includes the United States and its NATO allies, as well as Russia and Ukraine.
Russia’s demands include guarantees that Ukraine and other former Soviet countries will not join NATO and a rollback of the alliance’s military deployments in Central and Eastern Europe.
The West has rejected Moscow’s ultimatums regarding NATO and threatened Moscow with severe sanctions and other measures if it launches a fresh incursion into Ukraine.
With reporting by AFP, Interfax, and Reuters
Russian-Led Security Bloc To Send Peacekeeping Forces To Kazakhstan, Armenian PM Says
ALMATY -- Peacekeepers from a Russian-led regional security alliance will be sent to Kazakhstan to help stabilize the country, the prime minister of Armenia announced on January 5 after an unprecedented wave of unrest in the oil-rich Central Asian nation that was sparked by a fuel price hike.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said on Facebook that the decision to deploy peacekeepers from the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) for a limited period had been taken in response to an appeal from Kazakh President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev. Armenia is chairing the CSTO in 2022.
Pashinian's statement added that the decision was made "due to the threat to the national security and sovereignty of the Republic of Kazakhstan, which arose as a result of external interference."
The CSTO is a military alliance made up of forces from Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan.
Pashinian did not say how many peacekeepers would be sent or when they would arrive.
Toqaev earlier on January 5 declared a nationwide state of emergency and stripped his predecessor of a powerful leadership role after thousands of anti-government protesters clashed with police and stormed government buildings.
Toqaev said that he had appealed to the CSTO to assist Kazakhstan in responding to what he called a “terrorist threat.”
Angry demonstrators, some of whom were armed with rubber truncheons, sticks, and shields, set fire on January 5 to a presidential residence and the mayor’s office in the country’s largest city, Almaty, where protesters also seized control of the airport, prompting the temporary suspension of all flights.
The Interior Ministry claimed eight police and national guard troops were killed and 317 people were wounded during the unrest across the country but offered no details.
Toqaev didn’t mention any civilian deaths, but video recordings circulated on social media purportedly showed several bodies of protesters on the streets. RFE/RL could not independently verify the authenticity of the videos.
Police engaged in pitched battles with the protesters, using tear gas, stun grenades, and rubber bullets to try to disperse the crowds, but were largely unsuccessful.
Communications monitors reported a "national-scale" Internet blackout, while RFE/RL journalists in the country said both Internet and telephone services had deteriorated markedly.
Toqaev said what he described as foreign-trained terrorists and bandits were seizing buildings, infrastructure, and weapons in Kazakh cities. They had taken control of the Almaty airport and five aircraft there, including foreign planes, the president said as he made a second televised speech in the space of a few hours on January 5.
"It is actually no longer a threat. It is an undermining of the integrity of the state. And, most importantly, it is an attack on our citizens who are asking me...to help them urgently," Toqaev said.
Toqaev sacked the government earlier on January 5 and later declared the state of emergency in a bid to squelch the protests, which erupted in the western region of Mangystau three days ago over a sudden hike in prices for liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), a popular fuel used in vehicles in the oil-rich country, along with general discontent over issues such as corruption, unemployment, and low wages.
In a major move to distance himself from the past, Toqaev also removed his predecessor, 81-year-old Nursultan Nazarbayev, from the powerful post of head of the country's Security Council.
Nazarbayev had retained wide authority through the post since stepping down in 2019 as president after three decades in power, the last Soviet-era Communist Party boss still ruling an ex-Soviet state. Some protesters laid the blame for many of the country's problems on him, with demonstrators in the city of Taldyqorghan, the capital of Almaty Province, toppling a statue of the former leader.
Violence was also reported on January 5 in the northern city of Aqtobe, where police fired tear gas on protesters who tried to enter the regional government building by force.
Protests also continued in other cities and towns, including Aqtau, Zhanaozen, and Oral, where dozens of people were reportedly detained.
Limits appeared to have been imposed on the Internet to limit the ability of demonstrators to mobilize, with web monitoring group NetBlocks reporting a nationwide “blackout.”
Messenger apps Telegram, Signal, and WhatsApp were all said to be unavailable in Kazakhstan, while the website of RFE/RL’s Kazakh Service and those of independent media that reported on the protests also appeared to be blocked.
According to the Interior Ministry, more than 200 people were detained during a previous night of unrest in Almaty and elsewhere, but observers say that number appears to be underestimated.
A decree order published on the presidential website in the morning of January 5 said Toqaev had accepted the resignation of the cabinet headed by Prime Minister Asqar Mamin, in line with the constitution.
First Deputy Prime Minister Alikhan Smailov was appointed as interim prime minister, and current members of the government will continue their duties until a new cabinet is formed, according to the order.
Before its resignation, the government announced it was restoring the price cap of 50 tenge ($0.11) per liter, or less than half the market price, in Mangystau.
Demonstrators in Aqtau and Zhanaozen argued that that the removal of some officials wouldn't bring lasting results and called for the dissolution of parliament, where no genuine opposition political forces are represented, and new limits to presidential powers, among other things.
Zhanaozen was the scene of a 2011 police crackdown against oil workers protesting over pay and working conditions that claimed the lives of at least 16 workers.
In addition to replacing the prime minister, Toqaev appointed a new first deputy chairman of the National Security Committee (KNB) to replace Samat Abish, a nephew of Nazarbaev.
The United States and the United Nations urged Kazakh authorities to show “restraint” in dealing with the protests.
White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the United States supports "calls for calm" and said protesters should be able to "express themselves peacefully.”
The United Nations also called for all parties to "exercise restraint, refrain from violence, and promote dialogue."
Kazakhstan’s Central Asian neighbors Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan said they were “closely” and “anxiously” following the situation.
With reporting by AFP, dpa, Reuters, and AFP
Son Of Putin Ally Lands Top KHL Post Despite No Ice Hockey Coaching Experience
The son of a Russian billionaire close to President Vladimir Putin has landed the head coaching job at one of the country’s top ice hockey teams despite little, if any, experience.
Roman Rotenberg, who has never served as a coach or played the game professionally, was named to the top post at SKA St. Petersburg, one of the premium teams in the largely Russian Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).
Roman Rotenberg is the son of Boris Rotenberg, one of Russia’s richest businessmen and a childhood friend of Putin. He was sanctioned along with other members of Russia’s inner circle by the EU and the United States in 2014 after Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea.
Owned by the Russian state-controlled energy giant Gazprom, SKA is one of the KHL’s wealthiest teams. SKA’s president is Gennady Timchenko, another Russian tycoon with ties to Putin.
In a statement posted to its website on January 4, SKA described Rotenberg’s appointment as “improving staff management.”
The man he replaced, Valery Bragin, will remain at SKA in another role.
Roman Rotenberg has never played or coached professional ice hockey. In 2019, he did receive a coaching license from a state-run university in Siberia.
Last September, the 40-year-old told the sports channel Match TV that he’d watched 800 hockey games since 2014 and considers this to be “serious experience.”
Roman Rotenberg also serves as the vice president of Russia’s Ice Hockey Federation, where his uncle Arkady Rotenberg chairs the board of directors.
With reporting by Meduza
People Detained During Kazakh Fuel Protests
Kazakh police and collaborators in plain clothes detained men gathering in the streets of the city of Shymkent as protests against a fuel price increase continued on January 4. In the cities of Aqtobe and Oral, police tried to prevent demonstrators from marching in the streets. The crowd in Aqtobe chanted "Old man, go away!" in reference to the country's longtime leader, Nursultan Nazarbaev, who stepped down as president in 2019 but has retained influence. Protests have spread across Kazakhstan since January 2 after the prices of liquefied natural gas -- widely used as fuel for vehicles -- more than doubled.
Czech Ex-Soldier Sentenced For Fighting With Russia-Backed Separatists In Ukraine
A former member of the Czech Army has been sentenced to 21 years in prison for fighting on the side of pro-Russia separatists in eastern Ukraine.
Martin Sukup, 49, was found guilty on January 4 by the Prague City Court on charges linked to terrorism, Czech media reported.
His lawyers said they would appeal the ruling, maintaining their client is innocent.
Sukup was tried in absentia as he is believed to be in eastern Ukraine.
Sukup is reported to have traveled to eastern Ukraine in 2014 when Russia seized control of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula and began backing separatists in the eastern Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk. At least 13,200 people have died in the conflict.
Moscow has consistently rejected accusations that it is actively involved in the eastern Ukrainian conflict despite years of evidence to the contrary, including Russian troops being captured in the war zone.
Prosecutors said Sukup had joined separatists in the Donetsk region, and was active from June 2014 until at least May 2018, including taking part in especially bloody fighting against Ukrainian forces in Kramatorsk and Horlivka.
Prosecutors said Sukup left an incriminating trail on social media, including posing with so-called medals for his role in “liberating Donbas,” as the industrial heartland of eastern Ukraine is also called.
Centerra In Talks With Kyrgyzstan Over Out-Of-Court Settlement In Mine Dispute
BISHKEK -- Centerra Gold has confirmed it was in talks with Kyrgyzstan’s government about an out-of-court settlement over a dispute related to the Canadian company's Kumtor gold mine.
The mine has been at the center of financial and environmental disagreements for years and is currently the subject of an ongoing battle for control between the Kyrgyz state and Centerra.
In a statement on January 3, Centerra laid out a framework for any resolution of the dispute, saying it should receive approximately 26.1 percent of its common stock held by the state-owned company Kyrgyzaltyn.
Among other things, it said the Kyrgyz state should also assume "all responsibility" for Centerra’s two Kyrgyz subsidiaries, as well as the Kumtor mine.
The previous day, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov said that "good progress has been made in the negotiation process" with Centerra.
“The parties are finalizing the discussion of an amicable agreement, including...the condition for the full transfer of the Kumtor Gold Company to the Kyrgyz Republic," he said.
Last year, Centerra kicked off arbitration against the Central Asian country after it took over the country's biggest mine in May for allegedly endangering human lives, the environment, and causing other significant damage -- which the company denies.
Many Kyrgyz lawmakers have expressed concern about an alleged lack of transparency at Kumtor since the Kyrgyz government took control of the gold mine.
U.S. Slams Georgia's Ruling Party For 'Undermining' Government Accountability, Judiciary
TBILISI -- The United States has sharply criticized Georgia’s ruling party, Georgian Dream, for rushing legislation last week that Washington says “undermined” government accountability, the independence of judges, and overall faith in the judiciary.
“No credible reasons were provided to the public for why these actions needed to be rushed through without appropriate consultations,” the U.S. Embassy in Tbilisi said in a strongly worded statement on January 3.
“The lack of transparent discussion or analysis of the amendments is particularly troubling,” it added.
On December 30, the Georgian Dream-led parliament voted to dissolve the State Inspector’s Service, an independent agency responsible for monitoring personal data protection and abuse of power, despite local and international concerns that the move is politically motivated.
Under the new bill, two new separate bodies tasked with monitoring data privacy and investigating abuse of power by officials will be created.
Georgian Dream leader Irakli Kobakhidze rejected the criticism as “unfair” on January 4 and said such statements undermined the Georgians’ “trust” in the South Caucasus’s Western partners.
But in its statement, the U.S. Embassy said the move “undermined government accountability.”
The ruling party also “undermined the independence of individual judges by amending the Law on Common Courts, and undermined faith in the judiciary by appointing yet another Supreme Court judge using a flawed selection process.”
“Strong democratic institutions and adherence to the rule of law are Georgia’s best defenses against Russian aggression,” it said, referring to Moscow’s support to separatists in Georgia’s breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
The embassy also warned that “steps that weaken democratic institutions, such as the judiciary or independent oversight agencies, damage Georgia’s aspirations for NATO and European Union membership, and undermine the basic freedoms that are the foundation of Georgian culture and society.”
But Kobakhidze claimed that the diplomatic mission had made "factual mistakes."
"We have 30 years of very successful cooperation with our partners. Very often we often take advice from them and take it into account. But there are, unfortunately, such exceptional cases when we hear unfair and incorrect assessments,” according to Georgian Dream’s leader.
U.S. Ambassador Kelly Degnan had previously called on Georgia’s parliament to pause what she called “a strange process rushing through legislation when there’s no need to rush it through,” and for lawmakers to conduct transparent consultations with all stakeholders.
Georgia’s State Inspector Londa Toloraia accused the government of trying to retaliate against the agency for its investigations and for its decisions against state bodies.
Public Defender Nino Lomjaria said the bill violated the constitution and the country’s human rights commitments and aimed to “interfere with the activities of an independent institution.”
The UN Human Rights Office said it had “deep concern” over the proposal to abolish an independent office with a key role in torture prevention and privacy protection.
- By RFE/RL
Serbia's Djokovic To Play Australian Open After Vaccination Exemption
Serbia's Novak Djokovic, the top-ranked men's tennis player, says he will play in the upcoming Australian Open after receiving a medical exemption over his coronavirus vaccination status, ending months of speculation over whether he would defend his title.
"I’ve spent fantastic quality time with loved ones over break & today I’m heading Down Under with an exemption permission. Let’s go 2022!" he said in a tweet on January 4, 13 days before the start of the tennis season's first Grand Slam tournament.
Djokovic's status for the tournament, which he has won a record nine times, was in doubt as government officials said only those with proof of vaccination against COVID-19 could participate in the event.
The 34-year-old Serb, who is looking for a record 21st Grand Slam title in Melbourne, has previously signalled his opposition to the vaccine and has never revealed his innoculation status.
He applied to an independent panel of experts for a medical exemption, but has never said what his medical issues are. He did not elaborate on the exemption in his tweet.
Djokovic, Spain's Rafael Nadal, and Switzerland's Roger Federer are all tied with 20 Grand Slam titles each. Nadal will compete in Melbourne after recovering from COVID-19. Federer will not be at the tournament as he continues to recover from knee surgery.
Kazakh Police Fire Stun Grenades On Protesters In Almaty As President Issues Warning
ALMATY -- Kazakh President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev warned protesters on January 4 that calls to attack government and military buildings were illegal, as he issued a video address to the nation amid protests in several cities.
"The government will not fall, but we want mutual trust and dialogue rather than conflict," he said.
His appeal came shortly after reports of security forces using stun grenades as hundreds of protesters tried to storm the mayor's office in the country's biggest city, Almaty, late on January 4.
Explosions could be heard coming from the vicinity of the city's main square where the mayor's office is located, video uploaded to social media indicated.
Republic Square had been closed to the public and access to mobile Internet connection was limited in Almaty.
Despite the security crackdown, crowds continued to gather and march down the streets of Almaty into the late hours of January 4.
Earlier, Kazakh police detained a second RFE/RL journalist covering the protests in the Central Asian nation as unrest grows over a steep rise in energy prices.
Darkhan Umirbekov, an editor with RFE/RL's Kazakh Service, was detained in the capital Nur-Sultan on January 4 by police at a demonstration just hours after officers briefly held, without explanation, Kasym Amanzhol, the acting Almaty bureau chief of RFE/RL’s Kazakh language service, known locally as Azattyk, as he filmed the third consecutive day of protests over a sudden, dramatic hike in prices for liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), which is used in vehicles.
RFE/RL President Jamie Fly called for Umirbekov and any other detained journalists to be released.
"RFE/RL journalists in Kazakhstan are providing an important public service by covering their fellow citizens’ demands. The Kazakh government must immediately release Darkhan Umirbekov and any other detained journalists. It is outrageous that reporters would be arrested for just doing their jobs," Fly said in a statement.
Umirbekov was later released after being interrogated by police for 4 1/2 hours.
Protests erupted in the western Kazakh region of Mangystau on January 2 over the spike in LPG prices and have since spread to cities and towns across the country.
In the evening on January 4, the government announced it was restoring the price cap of 50 tenge ($0.11) per liter, or less than half the market price, in Mangystau.
Toqaev also signed a decree to institute a state of emergency in the Almaty and Mangystau regions.
Earlier, hundreds of people calling for lower gas prices and for the government to resign gathered in the central squares of the town of Zhanaozen and Aqtau, the regional administrative center for Mangystau, after demonstrators had spent their second night in the area.
Smaller rallies were held in the northern city of Aqtobe, Shymkent in the south, Oral in the west, Almaty in the southeast, and Nur-Sultan, the capital, in support of the protesters in Mangystau and voice discontent over issues such as corruption, unemployment, and low wages.
More than 20 people were detained by police in the protests.
In an attempt to calm demonstrators, President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev announced that a government commission that includes members of his administration has started working in Aqtau to “find a mutually acceptable solution to the problem that has arisen in the interests of stability in our country.”
“Law enforcement agencies were instructed to prevent violations of public order. Demonstrators must be responsible and ready for dialogue,” he wrote in a separate tweet.
The government has said it would “implement a package of measures to regulate” LPG prices.
The price per liter of LPG jumped to 120 tenge (28 U.S. cents) at gas stations in Mangystau at the start of this year, compared with a price of 50-60 tenge (12-14 cents) in 2021.
Zhanaozen was the scene of a 2011 police crackdown against oil workers protesting over pay and working conditions that claimed the lives of at least 16 of them.
Aqtau resident Esberdy Asauov told RFE/RL that about 6,000 mainly young protesters were on the city’s Yntymak Square in the evening of January 3, demanding the resignation of the government and calling on the authorities to fight against unemployment and corruption.
A tent and a yurt were set up on the square. Police did not allow the demonstrators to install stoves and cook hot meals, but locals and businessmen brought them hot food, according to Asauov.
Roads leading to the city have been closed by the authorities.
In Nur-Sultan, police detained at least three people protesting outside the city government building, while mobile Internet connections were disabled in the area.
At least three protesters were held in the city the previous day.
Police carried out at least 10 "preventive arrests" ahead of a planned protest called by fugitive businessman and former Energy Minister Mukhtar Ablyazov, leader of the banned Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan (DVK).
In Shymkent, police forcefully removed more than 10 people gathered in front of the local government building, while unidentified men in civilian clothes prevented an RFE/RL correspondent from filming.
Human rights groups have said Kazakhstan’s law on public gatherings contradicts international standards as it requires preliminary permission from authorities to hold rallies. It also envisions prosecution for organizing and participating in unsanctioned rallies even though the nation’s constitution guarantees its citizens the right of free assembly.
Many activists across the Central Asian nation have been handed lengthy prison terms or parole-like restricted freedom sentences in recent years for their involvement in the activities of DVK, as well as for taking part in the rallies organized by the group.
Kazakhstan Rocked By Third Day Of Protests Over Energy Price Hike
ZHANAOZEN/NUR-SULTAN/ALMATY/SHYMKENT/ORAL -- Hundreds of people in the western Kazakh region of Mangystau are protesting for a third straight day on January 4 over a sudden, dramatic hike in prices for liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) used in vehicles.
Demonstrators calling for lower gas prices and for the government to resign spent their second night in the open in the central squares of the town of Zhanaozen and Aqtau, the regional administrative center.
Smaller rallies were held in the northern city of Aqtobe, Shymkent in the south, Oral in the west, Almaty in the southeast, and Nur-Sultan, the capital, in support of the protesters in Mangystau and voice discontent over issues such as corruption, unemployment, and low wages.
More than 20 people were detained by police in the protests.
In an attempt to calm demonstrators, President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev announced that a government commission that includes members of his administration has started working in Aqtau to “find a mutually acceptable solution to the problem that has arisen in the interests of stability in our country.”
“Law enforcement agencies were instructed to prevent violations of public order. Demonstrators must be responsible and ready for dialogue,” he wrote in a separate tweet.
The government has said it would “implement a package of measures to regulate” LPG prices.
The price per liter of LPG jumped to 120 tenge (28 U.S. cents) at gas stations in Mangystau at the start of this year, compared with a price of 50-60 tenge (12-14 cents) in 2021.
Zhanaozen was the scene of a 2011 police crackdown against oil workers protesting over pay and working conditions that claimed the lives of at least 16 of them.
Aqtau resident Esberdy Asauov told RFE/RL that about 6,000 mainly young protesters were on the city’s Yntymak Square in the evening of January 3, demanding the resignation of the government and calling on the authorities to fight against unemployment and corruption.
A tent and a yurt were set up on the square. Police did not allow the demonstrators to install stoves and cook hot meals, but locals and businessmen brought them hot food, according to Asauov.
Roads leading to the city have been closed by the authorities.
In Nur-Sultan, police detained at least three people protesting outside the city government building, while mobile Internet connections were disabled in the area.
At least three protesters were held in the city the previous day.
In Almaty, Kazakhstan’s biggest city, Republic Square was closed to the public and access to mobile Internet connection was limited.
Police carry out at least 10 "preventive arrests" ahead of a planned protest called by fugitive businessman and former Energy Minister Mukhtar Ablyazov, leader of the banned Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan (DVK).
In Shymkent, police forcefully removed more than 10 people gathered in front of the local government building, while unidentified men in civilian clothes prevented an RFE/RL correspondent from filming.
Human rights groups have said Kazakhstan’s law on public gatherings contradicts international standards as it requires preliminary permission from authorities to hold rallies. It also envisions prosecution for organizing and participating in unsanctioned rallies even though the nation’s constitution guarantees its citizens the right of free assembly.
Many activists across the Central Asian nation have been handed lengthy prison terms or parole-like restricted freedom sentences in recent years for their involvement in the activities of DVK, as well as for taking part in the rallies organized by the group.
EU Foreign Policy Chief To Begin Ukraine Visit Amid Russia Tensions
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell will begin a visit to Ukraine on January 4 in a show of support for Kyiv ahead of a week of intense diplomacy over a Russian military buildup near the former Soviet republic's border.
Borrell’s three-day visit will include a stop at the contact line in eastern Ukraine where Russia-backed separatists have battled Ukrainian government forces in a nearly eight-year war that has claimed the lives of more than 13,200 people. It will be the first time the EU's top diplomat to the region since the conflict broke out.
The visit comes amid Western concerns that the Russian buildup of around 100,000 troops near Ukraine’s borders could be preparations for a potential invasion, something Moscow denies.
The European Union's top diplomat told Poland’s PAP news agency that the purpose of his trip is to talk to the Ukrainians about their concerns and ways to address them.
He said the current situation is a threat to the stability and security of Ukraine and the whole region, and that it cannot be discussed “without all the relevant actors around the table.”
“The EU cannot be a neutral spectator in these negotiations if Russia really wants to discuss Europe's security architecture,” Borrell said.
Ukraine and its allies are working on a comprehensive deterrence package against Russia, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said after speaking to his British counterpart Liz Truss on January 4.
"The deterrence package includes political, economic, and security levels. I am grateful to the United Kingdom for its leading role in this process," Kuleba said in a statement.
Meanwhile, NATO announced it would hold a virtual meeting of foreign ministers from the 30 member nations on January 7 to discuss the crisis after Moscow demanded sweeping security guarantees from the United States and its allies.
The extraordinary meeting will be followed by talks between U.S. and Russian officials in Geneva on January 9-10 and a meeting of the NATO-Russia Council on January 12.
"Any dialogue with Russia would have to proceed on the basis of reciprocity, address NATO's concerns about Russia's actions...and take place in consultation with NATO's European partners," an official with the Western military alliance said in a statement to Reuters on January 4.
The council, the main forum for dialogue between the two sides, has met only sporadically since 2014, when Russia invaded and annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula.
The NATO-Russia Council meeting will be followed the next day by discussions under the framework of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which includes the United States and its NATO allies, as well as Russia and Ukraine.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed Russia’s "destabilizing" military buildup in a conversation on January 3 with nine eastern NATO members, the State Department said in a statement.
The talks between Blinken and the foreign ministers of the Bucharest Nine (B9) -- Romania, Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania -- also touched upon "the need for a united, ready, and resolute NATO stance for the collective defense of Allies; and transatlantic cooperation on issues of shared concern,” it said.
The U.S. top diplomat "stressed the U.S. commitment to continued close consultation and coordination with all of our Transatlantic Allies and partners as we work toward de-escalation through deterrence, defense, and dialogue,” the statement added.
Russia has demanded guarantees Ukraine and other former Soviet countries will not join NATO and wants a rollback of the alliance’s military deployments in Central and Eastern Europe.
The West has rejected Moscow’s ultimatums regarding the NATO alliance and threatened Moscow with severe sanctions and other measures if it launches a fresh incursion of Ukraine.
With reporting by AFP, dpa, Interfax, Reuters, and PAP
- By RFE/RL
Canadian Court Awards $84 Million To Relatives Of Six People Killed In Downing Of Passenger Plane By Iran
A Canadian court has awarded $84 million to the families of six people who died when Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) downed a Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) plane two years ago.
All 176 people onboard were killed when the IRGC shot down the airliner in January 2020 shortly after takeoff from Tehran’s airport. More than 130 of the passengers had ties to Canada. Citizens or residents of Afghanistan, Britain, Iran, Ukraine, and Sweden were also killed.
The relatives awarded compensation in the ruling announced on January 3 had filed a civil lawsuit against Iran and other officials they believe were to blame for the incident.
The plaintiffs lost spouses, siblings, children, nieces, and nephews aboard the flight, their lawyer, Mark Arnold, said in a statement on January 3. Iran did not defend itself in court, making it a default judgment.
Arnold said his team will look to seize Iranian assets, including oil tankers, in Canada and abroad to cover the award. He said his team will be looking to seize whatever it can.
The decision by Ontario's Superior Court of Justice was dated December 31 and announced by Arnold. The same court ruled in May that the destruction of the commercial plane was an intentional act of terrorism.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry denounced the May ruling as "shameful" and said the court's decision lacked legitimate evidence. Iran also has rejected Canadian class action lawsuits related to the downing of the flight, arguing that Canadian courts have no jurisdiction and insisting that all judicial proceedings be conducted inside Iran.
A Canadian forensic team report last year accused Iran of incompetence and recklessness over the downing of the passenger plane.
The report found that while the downing of the plane had not been premeditated, it did not absolve Iranian officials of responsibility. Iran criticized the report as "highly politicized."
Iranian authorities initially denied responsibility but later admitted to inadvertently shooting down the Kyiv-bound plane after mistaking the Boeing jet for a U.S. missile while Iranian forces were on high alert during a confrontation with the United States.
Iran was on edge after it fired missiles at Iraqi bases housing U.S. forces in retaliation for the killing of its most powerful military commander, Qassem Soleimani, in a U.S. drone strike at Baghdad airport.
Iran fired the missiles on January 8, 2020, -- five days after the strike that killed Soleimani. The same night, the UIA flight was downed by Iranian surface-to-air missiles.
With reporting by Reuters, CBC, and BBC
Serbian Activists Block Roads To Protest Possible Lithium Mine
Hundreds of people blocked roads at several locations in Serbia on January 3 to protest a prospective lithium mine that they say will damage the environment.
For weeks, demonstrators have staged regular protests and blocked roads demanding the government reject a possible lithium mine in western Serbia.
London-based Rio Tinto, the world's second-largest metals and mining company, is studying the possible development of a lithium mine in Serbia, believed to be one of the largest in Europe.
The mine has the potential to generate significant export revenue and jobs for Serbia, especially if the country pursues plans to refine it locally and develop lithium battery plants.
Demand for lithium battery-powered electric cars is expected to surge in the coming years as the United States, Europe, and China seek to cut carbon emissions.
Rio Tinto says it would respect laws and environmental standards, but ecology groups worry dirty lithium mining will damage the environment. To date the company has only carried out explorations.
“Rio Tinto must leave Serbia,” said Aleksandar Jovanovic, one of the protest leaders.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, who backs the projects, called the protests political.
Speaking at a military base, Vucic there will be no lithium mining until more environmental evaluations are completed.
Kazakhs Protest Fuel Price Hike
Protesters in Kazakhstan have voiced their anger over a sharp increase in prices for liquefied gas fuel used in vehicles. More than 1,000 demonstrators gathered in the city of Zhanaozen on January 3. Police also detained protesters in the capital, Nur-Sultan, and tried to prevent an RFE/RL reporter from filming the detentions. In Kazakhstan's biggest city, Almaty, unidentified attackers snatched a banner from protesters.
- By RFE/RL
Trump Endorses Viktor Orban, Hungary's Right-Wing Prime Minister, Ahead Of Elections
Former U.S. President Donald Trump has endorsed Viktor Orban in Hungary’s upcoming parliamentary elections, describing the nationalist prime minister as a “strong leader.”
In a statement on January 3, Trump wrote that the Hungarian leader has his "complete support and endorsement" in elections expected in April.
Orban “has done a powerful and wonderful job protecting Hungary, stopping illegal immigration, creating jobs, trade and should be allowed to continue to do so in the upcoming election.”
It is highly unusual for a former or sitting U.S. president to publicly endorse candidates in foreign elections.
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.
In 2016, Orban was the first leader of a European Union nation to endorse Trump’s bid for the presidency. Trump later hosted Orban at the White House in 2019.
Orban also supported Trump’s candidacy against President Joe Biden in 2020.
Hungary was the only EU member state to not receive an invitation to Biden's virtual Summit for Democracy in December.
Orban, 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.
With reporting by AFP, AP, and dpa
- By RFE/RL
EU Foreign Policy Chief To Visit Ukraine Amid Tensions With Russia
The European Union's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, will visit Ukraine this week in a sign of the bloc’s support for Kyiv as it faces a Russian military buildup near its border.
The European Commission said on January 3 that Borrell will travel to Ukraine from January 4 to January 6, visiting the “contact line” where Russia-backed separatists battle Ukrainian government forces in eastern Ukraine before meeting with officials in Kyiv.
The West is concerned that a Russian buildup of around 100,000 troops near Ukraine’s borders could be preparation for a potential invasion.
U.S. and Russian officials are set to hold talks in Geneva on January 9-10 on the crisis after Moscow demanded sweeping security guarantees from the United States and NATO.
Those bilateral talks will be followed days later by meetings between Russia and NATO and separate discussions under the framework of the Organization For Security and Cooperation In Europe (OSCE).
Brussels wants to avoid being left out of talks between the United States and Russia over security on the continent.
“The EU must be present at these negotiations,” Borrell said in an interview with Germany’s Die Welt newspaper last week. “We do not want to be…spectators that are not involved and over whose heads decisions are made.”
The United States has said no decisions will be made about security in the region without its European allies and Ukraine. In the latest consultations, Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with nine eastern flank NATO allies on January 3 to discuss Russia’s military buildup and the need for “a united, ready, and resolute” alliance.
Russia has demanded guarantees that Ukraine and other former Soviet countries will not join NATO and wants a rollback of the alliance’s military deployments in Central and Eastern Europe.
The West has rejected Moscow’s ultimatums regarding the NATO alliance and threatened Moscow with severe sanctions and other measures if it launches a fresh incursion into Ukraine.
Meanwhile, representatives from Ukraine, Russia, Germany, and France are to meet on January 6 in Moscow under the so-called Normandy format, the Interfax news agency reported.
The four nations are trying to find a political solution to the conflict in eastern Ukraine but haven’t met since 2019 under this format.
Russia and Ukraine blame each other for failing to meet their commitments under the 2014 and 2015 Minsk agreements aimed at putting an end to the war, which has killed more than 13,200 people since 2014.
With reporting by dpa and Interfax
- By RFE/RL
World Powers Pledge To Stop Spread Of Nuclear Weapons On Eve Of Non-Proliferation Meeting
The world's five leading nuclear powers -- all permanent members of the United Nations Security Council -- have pledged to stop the spread of atomic weapons and to do all they can to ensure a nuclear war never occurs.
In a rare joint statement issued on January 3, France, the United States, Russia, China, and the United Kingdom said they were determined to prevent nuclear war and avoid a nuclear arms race.
"We affirm that a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be waged," the statement said.
"In view of the far-reaching consequences of the use of nuclear weapons, we also affirm that they, as long as they exist, must be used for defensive purposes, deterrence and prevention of war. We firmly believe in the need to prevent the further spread of these weapons," it added.
The statement was issued after the latest review of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) was postponed from January 4 to later in the year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The NPT, which took force in 1970, allows for signatories to gather every five years to review the treaty's operation. The conference was originally set for April 2020, but delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In the January 3 joint statement, the five Security Council members reaffirmed the importance of dealing with nuclear threats and stressed the need "to preserve and respect our bilateral and multilateral agreements and commitments on non-proliferation, disarmament and arms control."
"We remain committed to fulfilling our obligations under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), including that contained in Article VI to 'continue in good faith negotiations on effective measures relating to the cessation of nuclear weapons. early nuclear arms race and nuclear disarmament, and on a general and complete disarmament treaty under strict and effective international control.'"
The statement comes amid a rise in to near Cold War levels over a buildup of troops by Moscow close to the Ukrainian border, and tensions between the U.S. and China over human rights issues, a crackdown on pro-democracy groups in Hong Kong, and the situation around Taiwan.
Beijing said the statement will "increase mutual trust" among world powers, while officials in Russia said they hoped the pledge would help to reduce world tensions over global security.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the RIA Novosti news agency that even with the pledge, Moscow still considers it "necessary" to hold a summit between the world's major nuclear powers to address outstanding issues.
"We hope that, in the current difficult conditions of international security, the approval of such a political statement will help reduce the level of international tensions," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The troop buildup has raised fears that the Kremlin is planning a new attack on its pro-Western neighbor. Meanwhile, the rise of China under President Xi Jinping has also raised concerns that tensions with Washington could lead to conflict, notably over Taiwan.
U.S. President Joe Biden and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, on December 30 held a phone call in which Biden said the United States and its allies would impose severe sanctions on Russia if it invades Ukraine.
During the call Biden warned Putin against invading Ukraine, while the Kremlin leader said anti-Moscow sanctions would be a "colossal mistake." But both leaders indicated support for further diplomacy, and talks between Russia and the U.S. on European security are expected to be held in Geneva early next week followed by other high-level meetings later in the month.
The NPT recognizes China, France, Russia, the U.K., and United States as nuclear weapons powers. India and Pakistan have also developed nuclear weapons, while Israel is widely believed to possess nuclear arms but has never officially acknowledged it has. India, Pakistan, and Israel are not signatories of the NPT. North Korea, which has also developed nuclear weapons, pulled out of the NPT in 2003.
With reporting by AFP, dpa, and Reuters
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