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 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.

SEE ALSO:

Bosnia On The Brink Again: Is 2022 Going To Be The Year Everything Falls Apart?

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

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

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

Turkmenistan’s authoritarian president has called for the end of one of the country’s most iconic sights – a flaming natural gas pit in the desert known as the Gates of Hell.

The crater in the village of Darvaza, located about 260 kilometers north of the capital, Ashgabat, has been burning for decades and is a popular sight for the few tourists that visit the tightly controlled and isolated country.

The 70-meter-wide crater is believed to have been created in a 1971 gas drilling accident when Turkmenistan was part of the Soviet Union. To prevent the leaking of natural gas, geologists set it on fire, and it’s been burning ever since.

Now, President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov has ordered his government to find a way to put the fire out because of its negative impact on the environment and health of people living the village of some 350 people, state media reported following a January 7 cabinet meeting.

Turkmenistan has the world’s fifth largest natural gas reserves, but life for the majority of the country’s 6 million people remains difficult.

Berdymukhammedov has ruled his country with an iron fist, tolerating little dissent while isolating it from the outside world amid an economic crisis that has plunged many citizens into poverty. Shortages of basic goods and food are common.

According to a 2021 article in Bloomberg, Turkmenistan’s aging state-controlled energy sector is one of the world’s worst emitters of the greenhouse gas methane, the main component of natural gas.

Methane is 80 times more powerful than carbon dioxide as a planet-warming greenhouse gas, making controlling leaks from fields and pipes key to combating climate change.

According to monitoring firm Kayrros SAS, Turkmenistan accounted for 31 out of 50 the world’s most intense methane releases at onshore oil and gas operations in 2019, Bloomberg reported.

In 2021, the International Energy Agency estimated Turkmenistan’s overall methane emissions were only behind Russia, the United States, Iran, and Iraq – all major oil and gas producers.

However, Turkmenistan had the second-highest methane emissions intensity in the world, a number that refers to the leak rate or ratio of methane emissions to natural gas produced. Turkmenistan’s leak rate was more than five times larger the world’s top natural gas producer, the United States.

With reporting by Bloomberg

Delegations from the United States and Russia have concluded eight hours of talks in Geneva as part of what is expected to be a week of high-stakes diplomacy prompted by Moscow's demands for a security deal and its threatening military buildup near Ukraine.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, the head of the U.S. delegation, described her bilateral talks with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov as "serious" and "businesslike."

Sherman described the meeting as talks, rather than negotiations, and said the United States did not go line by line through Russia's demands.

Sherman said the United States came to the meeting with a few proposals, including details about the deployment of missile defenses in Europe and limits on military exercises.

She said the U.S. proposals must be reciprocal and rejected Russian calls for a reduction in U.S. troop levels in Eastern Europe, saying that issue was "not on the agenda" on January 10.

For his part, Ryabkov said he had assured Sherman that U.S. and NATO concerns about Russia's military buildup on its border with Ukraine are unfounded.

"We explained to our colleagues that we have no plans, no intentions, to 'attack' Ukraine.... There is no reason to fear any escalation in this regard," Ryabkov told reporters after the talks.

Ryabkov also said the United States "took Russian proposals very seriously" and that Moscow was "for the continuation of dialogue."

But Ryabkov also said after the meeting that "no progress" had been made on Moscow's demand that Ukraine not be allowed to join the NATO alliance. He insisted that future progress in talks with U.S. diplomats depends on this issue.

Sherman said Washington will "not allow anyone to slam closed NATO's open-door policy," which she said was "central to the alliance."

"We will not forego bilateral cooperation with sovereign states that wish to work with United States," Sherman said. "And we will not make decisions about Ukraine without Ukraine, about Europe without Europe, or about NATO without NATO. As we say to our allies and partners: 'Nothing about you, without you'."

Sherman said Washington offered to meet again "soon" with Russia to discuss the issues in more detail.

The talks come amid a standoff over the Russian military buildup near Ukraine's border. The West fears it could signal Moscow is preparing an invasion of Ukraine. Russia seized and forcibly annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in 2014. It also has backed separatists who've been battling government forces in eastern Ukraine since 2014.

SEE ALSO:

Did The West Promise Moscow That NATO Would Not Expand? Well, It's Complicated.

Before the official start of talks, Sherman and Ryabkov met for a working dinner on January 9 in Geneva.

The bilateral talks in Geneva will be followed by a meeting of the NATO-Russia Council in Brussels on January 12 and separate multilateral talks under the framework of the Organization for Cooperation and Security in Europe (OSCE) in Vienna on January 13.

The U.S. State Department said ahead of the January 10 meeting that the United States “will not discuss European security without our European allies and partners,” in a reference to Russia’s demands from the United States and NATO for security guarantees.

"The deputy secretary underscored that discussion of certain subjects would be reserved for the NATO-Russia Council meeting in Brussels on January 12 and the OSCE Permanent Council meeting in Vienna on January 13," the State Department said.

Sherman "stressed the United States' commitment to the international principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the freedom of sovereign nations to choose their own alliances," the statement said, in a reference to Ukraine and its aspirations of joining NATO.

Sherman "affirmed that the United States would welcome genuine progress through diplomacy," it added.

SEE ALSO:

Blinken Blasts Kremlin For Instigating Crisis Over Ukraine But Says Diplomatic Solution 'Still Possible'

Ryabkov told reporters ahead of the January 10 meeting that he expected the talks would be “difficult.”

U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir 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 that culminates in the three meetings this week.

Putin has issued a series of demands, including guarantees that NATO will not further expand eastward to former Soviet states like Ukraine and Georgia. The Kremlin also wants the alliance to roll back troop and weapons deployments in Eastern Europe.

Ahead of the talks in Geneva, Ryabkov laid out Russia's three demands: no further NATO expansion, no missiles on Russia's borders, and for NATO no longer to have military exercises, intelligence operations, or infrastructure outside of its 1997 borders.

"The Russian side came here with a clear position that contains a number of elements that, to my mind, are understandable and have been so clearly formulated -- including at a high level -- that deviating from our approaches simply is not possible," Ryabkov said.

U.S. officials have said some Russian demands are nonstarters, while others are open to discussion.

SEE ALSO:

NATO Chief: No Compromise On Core Principles As Alliance Prepares For Talks With Russia

Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said that talks with Moscow would not make progress as long as Russia -- which has amassed almost 100,000 troops near its border with Ukraine -- has a "gun to Ukraine's head."

"There's a path of dialogue and diplomacy to try to resolve some of these differences and avoid a confrontation," Blinken told CNN on January 9.

"The other path is confrontation and massive consequences for Russia if it renews its aggression on Ukraine. We are about to test the proposition about which path President Putin is prepared to take."

SEE ALSO:

U.S., Allies Set For Talks With Russia As Threat Of New Ukraine Invasion Looms  

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, who will meet with the Russian delegation on January 12 in Brussels, warned Moscow of "severe costs" in case of an invasion of Ukraine, but added that Russia and the West could find a pathway to avoid conflict.

"We also need to send a very clear message to Russia, that we are united and that there will be severe costs -- economic, political costs -- for Russia if they once again use military force against Ukraine," Stoltenberg said at a news conference in Brussels with Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Olga Stefanishyna.

"What we are hoping for is that we can agree on a way forward, that we can agree on a series of meetings, that we can agree on a process," he said.

With reporting by Reuters, AP, AFP, Interfax, and RIA Novosti

The Taliban-led government in Afghanistan sent its foreign minister to Iran on January 8 to discuss Afghan refugees and a growing economic crisis.

"The visit aims at discussions on political, economic, transit and refugee issues between Afghanistan and Iran," Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi said on Twitter.

The Taliban delegation led by Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi has already held a preliminary meeting with Iranian officials, he said.

It is the first such trip since the Taliban seized power amid the collapse of the Western-backed government and a chaotic withdrawal of U.S.-led foreign forces in August.

Iran, which has not recognized the new government formed by the Taliban, is hosting millions of Afghans and fears a new influx of refugees.

Last month its border guards clashed with Taliban fighters along a segment of the border in what Iranian-state media reported was a "misunderstanding" from the Afghan side.

Shi’ite Iran, which shares a 900-kilometer border with Afghanistan, did not recognize the Sunni movement's rule the first time the Taliban held power in Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001.

"Today, we are basically not at the point of recognizing" the Taliban, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh told a news conference earlier this week.

The Taliban has formed an all-male cabinet made up entirely of members of the group and almost exclusively of ethnic Pashtuns.

It has further restricted women's rights to work and study, triggering widespread international condemnation.

Based on reporting by AFP

Demonstrators opposed to an international mining company’s plans to mine lithium in western Serbia blocked roads in several cities in the country on January 8 in the latest protest aimed at forcing the government to reject the plans.

The demonstration, which began at 1 p.m. local time and lasted one hour, blocked main highways in the capital, Belgrade, and Novi Sad. An RFE/RL reporter in Novi Sad said the highway was blocked in both directions, and its off-ramps also were blocked, causing long lines of cars.

About 100 people also gathered in Pesak, blocking the main road there. Similar demonstrations were held in other towns and cities.

For weeks, demonstrators have staged regular protests and blocked roads demanding the government reject London-based Rio Tinto, the world's second-largest metals and mining company, which is studying the development of a lithium mine.

Lithium is a key component of car and other batteries, and demand for it is expected to surge in the coming years as automakers switch to the production of battery-powered cars to meet lower carbon emission standards.

The mine would have the potential to generate significant export revenue and jobs for Serbia, especially if the country pursued plans to refine it locally.

But environmental activists say mining for lithium would damage the region’s farmland, ecosystem, and water.

Rio Tinto, which thus far has only carried out explorations, has said it would respect laws and environmental standards.

Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said her government was “close to deciding to annul” deals that have been reached thus far with Rio Tinto. But she said the government must first estimate what that would cost.

“You don't want Rio Tinto, you don't want excavations, all right. Let's see what we owe," the prime minister told Pink TV on January 8.

Interior Minister Aleksandar Vulin said he would ask Brnabic for “clearer arguments” for any decision to withdraw from agreements reached with Rio Tinto.

The Ecological Uprising Movement has demanded that the government make public all agreements that have been reached with Rio Tinto.

With reporting by AP

Jailed Iranian poet and filmmaker Baktash Abtin has died in a hospital in Tehran, the Iranian Writers Association has reported.

Abtin's death, which was announced on January 8, came after the 48-year-old was recently placed in a medically induced coma while attempting to recover from a severe case of COVID-19.

Abtin suffered from coronary heart disease, and after he contracted COVID-19 his family managed to transfer him from Tehran's notorious Evin Prison to a capital hospital on December 14.

A prominent writer and free-speech advocate, Abtin was serving a six-year prison sentence related to his ties to the Iranian Writers Association, whose members are frequently pressured by the authorities, and due to his visitation of graves of victims of political assassinations.

He had been imprisoned along with two fellow Iranian Writers Association board members, Reza Khandan Mahabadi and Keyvan Bajan, since September 2020.

The open expression advocacy group PEN America in October jointly awarded the three writers the 2021 PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Award.

Abtin's imprisonment amid the coronavirus pandemic was harshly criticized by rights watchdogs.

Reporters Without Borders in a January 8 tweet said that Abtin had been denied proper medical care and said it "blames the high regime's authorities for his death."

Top-ranked tennis player Novak Djokovic has launched a legal challenge to the Australian government's decision to cancel his visa, saying he contracted COVID-19 last month and thus qualified for a medical exemption to the country's vaccination requirements.

The Serbian star's legal team filed a 35-page document on January 8 stating his case that the decision to cancel his visa should be reversed, potentially freeing him up to defend his Australian Open title later this month.

The challenge, which includes a certified document showing Djokovic, an outspoken critic of vaccination against COVID-19, tested positive for the coronavirus on December 16 and was free of symptoms by December 30, is expected to be heard in an Australian court on January 10, one week before the start of the tournament.

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The filing also shows Djokovic said he received a letter from Tennis Australia's chief medical officer stating he had a medical exemption from vaccination as a result of him contracting COVID-19.

A Facebook post by the Belgrade tennis association showed Djokovic presenting trophies and awards during a youth tennis awards ceremony in the Serbian capital on December 17, a day after he says he tested positive. Djokovic is shown posing with Serbian tennis officials and around 20 youths, with none of them wearing masks. On December 16, the date of his positive test, Djokovic attended a gathering for Serbia's postal service, which was launching a series of stamps honoring him.

Djokovic's case continues to cause controversy ahead of the new year's first Grand Slam tennis event.

The world No. 1 has been forced to await the court hearing in detention at a Melbourne immigration center, causing an outcry in his home country.

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.

"He's staying in Park Hotel until the final decision is made," Brnabic told Serbian media.

"We've managed to make sure gluten-free food is delivered to him, as well as exercising tools, a laptop, and a SIM card so that he is able to be in contact with his family."

Members of Djokovic's family held a rally of support for the third consecutive day in front of the Serbian parliament building in Belgrade.

Djokovic’s father, Srdjan Djokovic, said he was "disgusted" at the way his son was being treated.

"It's appalling what Novak has been going through," he told about 300 protesters.

"The worldwide support he is getting is worth more than dozens of grand slams,” he said. “They can't call this tournament of theirs an Open anymore when it's closed."

Djokovic, 34, 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."

The Australian government has released a letter showing it wrote the tennis organizing body in November saying that prior infection with COVID-19 was not necessarily grounds for exemption in Australia.

Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews has said that a third vaccination exemption granted in connection with the Australian Open is being investigated.

Another player whose visa was canceled despite receiving a vaccination exemption has left the country. Czech women's doubles specialist Renata Voracova decided not to challenge the decision and left Australia on January 8, the Czech Foreign Ministry said.

With reporting by AP, AFP, Metro, and Reuters

NUR-SULTAN -- Kazakh authorities said on January 9 that they have detained nearly 6,000 people in security operations around Kazakhstan to quell the worst violence the country has seen in its 30 years of independence.

Kazakhstan’s Interior Ministry said at least 5,969 people had been detained so far. He said 133 of them were being held on suspicion of committing “serious crimes.”

The news website Vlast.kz reported that at least 164 people were confirmed dead since unrest broke out on January 5.

According to Vlast.kz, 103 of the deaths occurred in the country’s largest city, Almaty.

Internet and phone connections have been problematic in Kazakhstan since the state-run KazakhTelecom blocked services amid angry nationwide protests on January 5, making independent confirmation of casualty figures difficult.

Kazakh media on January 9 carried comments from Aidos Ukibay, the spokesman for former president Nursultan Nazarbaev, who said Nazarbaev made the decision to step down from his powerful post as secretary of the country’s security council on January 5.

SEE ALSO:

Is A Battle For Power Raging Within Kazakhstan's Government?

Ukibay said Nazarbaev did so because he “was well aware that riots and terror demanded a prompt, tough and uncompromising response from the country's leadership.”

Ukibay said Nazarbaev “has always supported efforts to protect the people, the country, and the future of the nation.”

Nazarbaev has not been seen in public since December 28 when he visited Russia. But Ukibay said on his Twitter account on January 8 that Nazarbaev was in the capital Nur-Sultan and was calling on Kazakhstan's people to rally around President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev.

On January 5, Nazarbaev was widely reported to have been sacked by Kazakh President Toqaev along with the head of the country’s National Security Committee, longtime Nazarbaev ally Karim Masimov.

Kazakh authorities announced on January 8 that Masimov was under arrest and faces charges of treason.

Toqaev said on January 9 he would announce personnel changes in the government on January 11. He didn't elaborate.

Order has been restored in most of Kazakhstan, though the country’s Khabat-24 television channel reported on January 9 that there had been another outbreak of fighting between security forces and protesters in Almaty overnight.

Small groups of protesters also were continuing to demonstrate on January 9 in the western cities of Zhanaozen and Aqtau.

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The protests started in those cities on January 2 in response to sharp increases in fuel prices. As emonstrations quickly spread throughout the country, they turned into protests against the failure of authorities to make good on promises of economic and political reforms.

Authorities have appealed to people to stay off the streets while they continue a security operation against what President Toqaev has called “foreign-trained terrorists."

Kyrgyzstan’s Foreign Ministry and head of Kyrgyzstan’s State Committee for National Security Kamchybek Tashiev have called on Kazakh authorities to explain why one their citizens was shown on Kazakh television confessing to being a foreign terrorist.

The television station Qazqstan Ulttyq Telearnasy showed Vikram Ruzakhunov, whose face bore the marks of a recent beating, confessing that traveled to Kazakhstan to join the protests there after receiving a phone call on January 1 from someone promising to pay him 90,000 tenge (about $200) if he did so.

The Kazakh television station described Ruzakhunov as “unemployed.”

But RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reports that Ruzakhunov is, in fact, a popular jazz pianist who regularly travels to Almaty for concerts.

Ruzakhunov's relatives told RFE/RL that he had bought his plane ticket to Almaty on December 16 in order to fly into the city on January 2 and attend a concert.

On the night of January 8 police detained civil activists Aibek Sabitov, Zhanmurat Ashtayev, Nurlan Syzdyk, Lyazzat Dosmagambetova at their homes in Shymkent, according to their relatives and other activists.

Ashtayev's wife, Moldir Nuranova,says dozens of armed men dressed in black and wearing masks had stormed into their home in the middle of the night.

Ashtayev's relatives said they tried to protect him. But they said Ashtayev left voluntarily after a gun was put to the head of his brother.

They also said Ashtayev was beaten by police.

Toqaev's office says he spoke by telephone with Russian President Vladimir Putin on January 9, "noting that the situation in the country is stabilizing."

Toqaev also said that "the focus of terrorist attacks remains" and "therefore, the fight against terrorism will continue in a serious manner."

Toqaev requested help from the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) as the protests spread on January 5.

The CSTO quickly sent more than 3,000 troops to Kazakhstan, mainly Russian soldiers, but also small forces from CSTO member states Belarus, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Armenia.

RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reports that those troops are now guarding key infrastructure facilities, including Almaty's airport, several government buildings in Almaty, and the Soviet-era Baikonur cosmodrome that Russia continues to use for its rocket launches.

With reporting by RFE/RL Kazakh Service correspondents in Nur-Sultan and RFE/RL Kyrgyz Service correspondents in Bishkek

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the United States has questions about Kazakhstan’s request for assistance from a Russia-led security organization to help quell protests that have left dozens of people dead in the Central Asian country.

The top U.S. diplomat said the 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.

“So it's not clear why they feel the need for any outside assistance, so we're trying to learn more about it,” Blinken said January 7 during a press conference at the State Department.

Kazakhstan earlier this week requested help from the six-member Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) made up of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Armenia amid nationwide protests sparked by higher energy costs.

Russia has sent a few thousand troops to Kazakhstan under the auspices of the CSTO.

“I think one lesson in recent history is that once Russians are in your house, it's sometimes very difficult to get them to leave,” Blinken said.

SEE ALSO:

'We Are Not Terrorists!': Kazakh Protesters Try To Make Their Voices Heard Amid The Chaos

Blinken’s comments came after President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev issued a stark warning to protesters that he has given security personnel a green light to “shoot to kill” even as the country’s police forces appeared to be in control of most cities in Kazakhstan.

Dozens were killed in the unprecedented anti-government demonstrations over a fuel price hike before law enforcement took control of the situation. It was the worst violence in the Central Asian state's 30 years of independence.

The Interior Ministry said Republican Square in Almaty, one of the main flashpoints of violence, had been cleared “of criminal groups.” RFE/RL journalists said they saw three bodies in different locations around the square as they surveyed it.

Correspondents in Shymkent said earlier on January 7 that the situation was calm, with an unknown number of people dead or injured.

The dead included 18 security officers killed in the clashes, the Interior Ministry said. The number of people detained reached 3,811, the ministry said, according to state television channel Khabar 24.

Toqaev said early on January 7 that order had "basically" been restored in the country, but later followed up those comments in a televised state address that “bandits” -- a word officials have used repeatedly to describe protesters who have threatened his authoritarian government’s survival -- would be dealt with severely.

"I have given the order to law enforcement agencies and the army to shoot to kill without warning," Toqaev said in the address while rejecting international calls for dialogue.

The protests erupted in the western region of Mangystau on January 2 over the doubling in the price of subsidized liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) before spreading and morphing 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.

Blinken said the U.S. hopes the government can quickly address the problems, which he said were "fundamentally economic and political in nature."

He said the United States values its relationship with Kazakhstan in calling for a "rights-respecting resolution" to the crisis.

The first Russian paratroopers arrived on January 5 after Toqaev asked the CSTO to help "stabilize” the situation. They were followed by troops from CSTO member Belarus on January 6. More Russian troops were expected to arrive on January 7 alongside units from Armenia and Tajikistan, which approved sending 200 troops to its neighbor. Kyrgyzstan also approved on January 7 sending 150 troops and military equipment to Kazakhstan.

The speed at which CSTO arrived on the scene in Kazakhstan was seen by some analysts as another sign of the Kremlin's strategy to act quickly to safeguard its influence in the former Soviet Union.

Mukhtar Ablyazov, the fugitive former head of Kazakhstan's BTA Bank and outspoken critic of the government, told Reuters on January 7 that claims by Toqaev and officials in Moscow that “foreign-trained terrorists” were behind the protests were an attempt to distract people from the fact that the unrest is a result of internal problems caused by the government.

He added that Kazakhstan is now the focus of a geopolitical play, with Russian President Vladimir Putin looking to use the situation to “methodically impose his program: the re-creation of a structure like the Soviet Union."

Ablyazov is the leader of the banned Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan (DVK) movement, which for months has openly called on Kazakhs to rally against the government. The authorities labeled the DVK "extremist" and banned it in March 2018.

Ablyazov managed BTA when it was the country's largest private bank, but he later had a falling out with government officials. He accused former Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev and many of Nazarbaev's family members of being involved in large-scale corruption and embezzlement and fled to London in 2009. The bank was subsequently nationalized by the Kazakh government.

With reporting by RFE/RL's Kazakh Service, AFP, AP, dpa, and Reuters

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said a diplomatic solution to deter a Russian invasion of Ukraine is “still possible” but warned that the West is ready to “respond forcefully” if that fails.

Speaking at the State Department in Washington on January 7 ahead of his meetings with allies and Russian officials to address the buildup and European security in general, Blinken blasted the Kremlin, accusing it of instigating the crisis along Ukraine’s border in an attempt to carve out a sphere of influence.

Blinken said the West is going into the talks “committed to diplomacy” but will not compromise on key principles, such as NATO’s open-door policy and the right of Ukraine to join the alliance.

Russia massed about 100,000 troops near its border with Ukraine and in Crimea in the late autumn before presenting the United States and NATO with a list of demands for security guarantees, including an end to the alliance’s eastward expansion.

The United States has said the buildup could be a prelude to another invasion of Ukraine, something the Kremlin has denied.

Blinken said Russia is trying to turn three sets of talks next week into a debate about NATO but that Ukraine will be “front and center on the agenda...because that's what precipitated this crisis.”

U.S. officials will meet with their Russian counterparts on January 10 in Geneva followed by a NATO-Russia Council meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels on January 12. A meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) -- which includes the United States, Ukraine, and Russia -- will be held in Vienna on January 13.

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U.S., Allies Set For Talks With Russia As Threat Of New Ukraine Invasion Looms  

Blinken used his address at the State Department to lay out what the United States sees as the root cause of the crisis, highlight Russian "malign" activities that have destabilized Europe, and counter various Russian interpretations of events.

Blinken dismissed Russian allegations that Ukraine was to blame for the current crisis as “absurd” and more “gaslighting.”

The top U.S. diplomat said the root cause of the crisis lies in Russia’s inability to accept Ukraine’s decision to pursue a democratic path.

He listed a long series of Russian aggressions against the country -- including territorial annexation, cyberattacks, disinformation campaigns, energy strangulation -- ever since Ukrainian citizens ousted Kremlin-leaning President Viktor Yanukovych in 2014.

Blinken also rejected Russian President Vladimir Putin’s claims that the West broke an agreement with the Soviet Union not to expand NATO and that the alliance is a threat to Russia.

He said no such agreement was ever reached between the West and Moscow and said that NATO had reduced the size of its forces following the end of the Cold War until Russia attacked Ukraine in 2014.

Blinken did not exclude that Russia's "nonstarter" demands could be a ruse to justify military action against Ukraine, saying it’s “part of [the Kremlin’s] playbook.”

SEE ALSO:

NATO Chief: No Compromise On Core Principles As Alliance Prepares For Talks With Russia

He also said Russia could try to instigate an incident and then use it as a justification to attack Ukraine, “hoping that by the time the world realizes the ruse, it'll be too late.”

He said another attack against Ukraine likely will only work counter to Putin’s stated goals as NATO would be forced to bolster its presence on the continent.

However, Blinken held out hope the West and Russia could make progress on some issues, including increasing transparency, instituting new risk reduction measures, and on arms control.

He said Russia must address the concerns of the West about its malign actions across the continent.

“We go into [these meetings] committed to diplomacy, committed to dialogue, but equally committed to stand up for the principles that Russia is putting at risk,” he said.

Two journalists in Bulgaria and a website have been convicted of defamation and ordered to pay the equivalent of some $35,000 for articles published in 2018 in what is being described as an unprecedented verdict, RFE/RL’s Bulgarian Service reports.

The Sofia City Court (SCC) found that Boris Mitov, now a journalist for RFE/RL’s Bulgarian Service, and Stoyana Georgieva had caused physical and mental anguish to Svetlin Mihailov, a former chairman of the SCC, and ordered them and the website that published the articles four years ago to pay him damages amounting to 60,000 Bulgarian lev ($34,659).

In 2018, Mitov was covering for the news website Mediapool Mihailov’s bid to become head of the SCC, Bulgaria’s largest district court. At the time, Georgieva was the editor in chief of Mediapool.

Four of those articles were examined by the court, and Judge Daniela Popova ruled on December 21 that they contained “defamatory allegations against [Mihailov].”

Lawyers for Mitov and Georgieva argued that the articles in question contained information about Mihailov, including questions about his sizable wealth and property, that had appeared at the time and since then in other publications.

RFE/RL President Jamie Fly called the court’s decision “outrageous” and said it was meant to intimidate some of Bulgaria’s finest investigative journalists for reporting publicly known facts.

“The public has a right to accountability, and intimidation tactics like this will not keep RFE/RL from informing its audience about issues of public interest,” Fly said in a statement.

In her ruling, Popova did not specify exactly what extracts from the articles in question she found “indecent, vulgar, and cynical.”

Popova ordered the two journalists and Mediapool to each pay Mihailov 20,000 lev ($11,553).

Lawyers for the two journalists and Mediapool have appealed the ruling, although no date has been set yet for that hearing.

Iran said on January 7 that it is prepared to meet bilaterally with countries whose nationals died in Iran's accidental downing of a Ukrainian passenger jet two years ago, but it couched the offer in defiant terms that echoed days of denials after the tragedy played out in the skies over Tehran.

The statement by the Iranian Foreign Ministry followed a joint announcement by Ukraine, Britain, Canada, and Sweden that they were abandoning a two-year effort to negotiate with Tehran over reparations for the victims and would pursue the matter through international legal channels.

Iranian officials eventually blamed the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), a branch of Iran's armed forces, for firing on Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752 with 176 people aboard because of technical and human error and with tensions high between Tehran and the United States.

"Despite certain countries' illegal actions and attempts to exploit this tragic event..., Iran remains ready to negotiate bilaterally with each of the relevant states," Iran's Foreign Ministry said via state media.

It said any talks should respect "sovereignty, domestic laws, and international obligations."

It was unclear what illegalities the Iranians believed any other countries had committed.

More than 130 of the passengers had ties to Canada. Citizens or residents of Afghanistan, Britain, Iran, Ukraine, and Sweden were also killed.

Canada said in June that it found no evidence of premeditation in the downing of the aircraft.

In May, Human Rights Watch accused Iranian security agencies of harassing and abusing the victims' families to "squash any hope for justice."

A Canadian court last week awarded $84 million and interest to the families of six of the victims.

The Iranian government said separately on January 7 that it has begun paying compensation to the families of those killed.

"The Transport Ministry has made transfers to a certain number of [victims'] families," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Arash Khodaei, a vice president of Iran's Civil Aviation Organization, said that "the sum of $150,000 has been transferred" to some families, while "the process has begun" for others.

The payment "does not infringe upon [their[ right to take legal action," state news agency IRNA quoted him as saying.

Ukrainian and Canadian officials strongly criticized the announcement, saying compensation should not be settled through unilateral declarations.

The Foreign Ministry statement marked the second anniversary of the downing of the flight on January 8, 2020. Three days after the Kyiv-bound flight was shot down, the Iranian armed forces admitted its forces had acted "by mistake."

With reporting by Reuters and AFP

The European Commission chief and the EU's new French leadership have stressed the need for European involvement as Russia and the West continue to square off diplomatically over the possible threat of escalated conflict in Ukraine.

Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on January 7 that "one thing is clear: no solution without Europe. Whatever the solution, Europe has to be involved."

The United States and its EU partners have stepped up warnings of major consequences if Russia invades Ukraine as Moscow masses troops near the border and presses demands for security guarantees against NATO expanding eastward.

Von der Leyen said the European Union was "very present" in Ukraine, including through giving billions in financial assistance to Kyiv and the bloc's reliance on Russian natural gas shipments via Ukraine.

Speaking alongside von der Leyen, French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed direct U.S.-Russian talks slated for next week but stressed that "European security architecture" was "up to us to build."

France officially took up the six-month, rotating European Union presidency at the start of January.

Western leaders are said to be working on what they have pledged are tough financial and other punitive measures to be implemented if Russia escalates militarily against Ukraine.

Macron said, "it's a good thing that there are discussions between the United States and Russia," and added that "coordination between the Europeans and Americans is exemplary on the matter."

But he called for the European Union to hold its own talks with Moscow.

"Dialogue does not mean making concessions," he added.

NATO foreign ministers are scheduled to meet virtually on January 7 to coordinate members' approaches to Russia.

U.S. and Russian officials are to meet in Geneva on January 10. This will be followed by NATO-Russian and EU gatherings with discussion of the Ukraine crisis high on the agenda.

Based on reporting by AFP

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian has expressed optimism over an eventual return to a hobbled nuclear deal with Iran but warned that "time is running out" on those international negotiations.

"I remain convinced we can reach a deal. Bits of progress have been made in the last few days," Le Drian told BFM TV and RMC Radio on January 7. "We have been heading in a positive direction in the last few days, but time is of the essence, because if we don't get an accord quickly there will be nothing to negotiate."

The United States, whose withdrawal from 2015's multiparty Joint Comprehensive Plan Of Action (JCPOA) three years ago led to renewed unilateral sanctions to pressure Iran's leadership, said this week that a round of talks begun on January 3 had seen "modest progress."

The talks restarted late last year after a pause accompanying the installation of a new, hard-line Iranian president last summer.

Tehran took steps to breach the JCPOA after the U.S. withdrawal and frustrated international inspection efforts more recently, and has insisted the United States lift its sanctions before it returns to a deal.

Western leaders urging a return to the deal have resisted specific deadlines but warned that there are "weeks not months" to hammer out an agreement to salvage the six-year-old agreement.

Iran has consistently rejected Israeli and Western accusations that it is seeking a nuclear weapons capability, even as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has cited deception and obfuscation in the past by Tehran over sensitive nuclear activities.

Based on reporting by Reuters

Top world tennis player Novak Djokovic is spending Orthodox Christmas in a Melbourne immigration center as he awaits a hearing over his quashed vaccine exemption to enter the country to defend his Australian Open title.

His case continues to cause ripples ahead of the new year's first Grand Slam tennis event, particularly as news emerged that a Czech women's tennis player in Australia on a COVID-19 exemption had been detained after Djokovic's complications this week, despite the fact that she had already been competing in a warm-up event in Melbourne.

Djokovic and most of his native Serbia mark the holiday on January 7 along with most of the Orthodox world.

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The 34-year-old Serbian national hero's mother has spoken out against his placement in a sparsely equipped detention center for potential migrants in Melbourne, saying "they are keeping him like a prisoner."

"It’s just not fair, it’s not human," Dijana Djokovic said in Belgrade after speaking with her son by phone. "I hope he will stay strong as we are also trying, to give him some energy to keep going. I hope he will win."

The multimillionaire, 20-time Grand Slam singles champion's accommodations are "terrible...with bugs, it’s all dirty, the food is terrible," she added.

Djokovic thanked "people around the world" for their "continuous support" on Instagram on January 7.

"I can feel it and it is greatly appreciated," he said.

Australian officials have said Djokovic is free to leave -- just not to enter Australian territory as a federal court prepares for a hearing on January 10 over his injunction request against deportation.

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Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews has said that two other exemptions granted in connection with the Australian Open are also under investigation.

A general consul of the Czech Republic in Sydney confirmed on January 7 that a Czech player, doubles specialist Renata Voracova, was among "several other tennis players" in quarantine at the same immigration hotel.

Australian ABC news outlet said Voracova had "already played in a warm-up tournament in Melbourne" before she was detained on January 6. It suggested she entered Australia last month after getting an exemption based on previous COVID-19 infection and recovery.

It was unclear if the 38-year-old Voracova, who is ranked 81st in global doubles rankings, similarly planned to challenge her possible deportation.

The timing of her detention could suggest that Australian officials revisited hers and other cases after Djokovic's case was made public amid growing outrage among Australians over the exceptions.

The Australian Open is scheduled to begin on January 17.

Djokovic has been an outspoken critic of vaccination against COVID-19 and sought, and 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" although neither side has revealed the basis of the request.

After his arrival at Melbourne airport, the Australian Border Force on January 5 rejected his exemption as invalid, canceled his visa, and moved him to the immigration hotel.

Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews said that two other exemptions granted in connection with the Australian Open are also under investigation.

With reporting by AP, Metro, and Reuters

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has pledged to engage "in good faith and on substance" in talks with Russia next week, but he said the alliance will not compromise on core principles, including the right of nations to decide whether they want to join.

Stoltenberg spoke at a press conference on January 7 in Brussels after a videoconference of NATO foreign ministers, saying the meeting had stressed "that any further aggression against Ukraine would have significant consequences and carry a heavy price for Russia."

But he appeared to dismiss a key Russian demand on NATO expansion.

“We will not compromise on core principles, including the right for every nation to decide its own path, including what kind of security arrangements it wants to be a part of,” Stoltenberg told reporters.

Stoltenberg also said a Russian military buildup near Ukraine has continued.

"We see armored units, we see artillery, we see combat ready troops, we see electronic warfare equipment, and we see a lot of different military capabilities,” he said.

The buildup, combined with Russia's security demands, and its track record in Ukraine and Georgia, "sends a message that there is a real risk for a new armed conflict in Europe,” Stoltenberg said.

The U.S. Mission to NATO said earlier that NATO’s 30 members were united against Russian military action in Ukraine.

"Ahead of the forthcoming NATO-Russia Council, they underlined the need for diplomacy, dialogue, and de-escalation," the mission said on Twitter.

Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics echoed the U.S. mission’s comments, saying on Twitter the alliance is “ready to engage in dialogue with Russia but not at the expense of our values or key principles."

The foreign ministers held the videoconference amid Western warnings about tens of thousands of Russian troops amassed near the border and with Russian President Vladimir Putin demanding guarantees that NATO won't allow Kyiv to join the transatlantic military alliance.

SEE ALSO:

U.S., Allies Set For Talks With Russia As Threat Of New Ukraine Invasion Looms  

Ukraine, which has been fighting a war with Russia-backed separatists in its east since Russia invaded and annexed Crimea in 2014, has repeatedly asserted its strategic and foreign policy goal of NATO membership since the alliance promised eventual full membership in 2008.

Moscow has responded by accusing the United States of destabilizing the Black Sea and other nearby regions and saying its troop movements are an internal matter.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on January 6 about "risk reduction near Ukraine’s borders," according to the Pentagon.

The NATO foreign ministers’ meeting was the first in a flurry of high-level talks involving NATO, senior U.S. and Russian officials, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) over the next week.

• RFE/RL

Amid fears of a possible invasion, Ukrainian officials say more than 90,000 Russian troops have been deployed along its border -- including on the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia seized by force from Ukraine in 2014. Maxar Technologies, a satellite-imaging company, has released photographs that show the Russian troop buildup.

The first is scheduled to take place in Geneva on January 10 when veteran U.S. and Russian diplomats are scheduled to gather in an effort to avert a crisis. The same day, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba will visit NATO headquarters in Brussels.

The NATO-Russia Council is then slated to meet for the first time since 2019 on January 12 to discuss Ukraine, transparency, and risk reduction.

EU foreign ministers then meet in northwestern France on January 13-14, with reports suggesting they and their allies are preparing harsh punitive measures to be enacted if Russia escalates militarily against its neighbor.

French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed direct U.S.-Russian talks slated for next week but stressed that "European security architecture" is "up to us to build."

SEE ALSO:

Amid Rumblings About A Russian Invasion, 'No Hysteria' In Ukraine  

France officially took up the six-month, rotating European Union Presidency at the start of January. Macron spoke alongside European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen on January 7, both stressing the need for European involvement.

"One thing is clear: no solution without Europe. Whatever the solution, Europe has to be involved," von der Leyen said.

Von der Leyen said the European Union is "very present" in Ukraine, including through billions in financial assistance to Kyiv and the bloc's reliance on Russian natural-gas shipments through Ukraine.

Western leaders are said to be working on what they have pledged are tough financial and other punitive measures to be implemented if Ukraine escalates militarily against Ukraine.

Macron said "it's a good thing that there are discussions between the United States and Russia," and added that "coordination between the Europeans and Americans is exemplary on the matter."

But he called for the European Union to hold its own talks with Moscow.

"Dialogue does not mean making concessions," he added.

With reporting by Reuters, AFP, AP, dpa, and Politico

Bulgaria’s population has declined by 11.5 percent over the past decade, according to preliminary census results.

The population fell by more than 844,000 people, from 7.3 million to 6.5 million people, the National Statistics Institute said on January 6.

Experts attribute Bulgaria’s demographic decline to low birth rates, high mortality and an aging population, low fertility rates, and emigration from the EU's poorest member.

Only in the capital, Sofia, did the population increase. Decreases were registered in all other parts of the country, with a dramatic 26 percent drop in the northwestern provinces of Vidin and Montana, and the northeastern province of Dobritch.

The National Statistics Institute expects the final results from the census by the end of 2022.

The last census was held in 2011.

A British warship hit a Russian hunter-killer submarine with the ship’s sonar equipment while on patrol in the North Atlantic, the U.K. Ministry of Defense has revealed.

The Royal Navy’s HMS Northumberland was tracking the Russian submarine in late 2020 when the Type 23 frigate’s towed array sonar – a long cable with hydrophones that trails underwater behind a ship – collided with the submarine.

The incident was captured by a film crew for a Channel 5 documentary, Warship: Life at Sea, that is airing in the UK.

The Ministry of Defense had previously never commented on the collision but has confirmed it now because it was captured on camera.

“In late 2020 a Russian submarine being tracked by HMS Northumberland came into contact with her towed array sonar," the Ministry of Defense said in a statement provided to several British media outlets on January 6. "The Royal Navy regularly tracks foreign ships and submarines in order to ensure the defense of the United Kingdom."

A Defense Ministry source told the BBC that it was unlikely the submarine deliberately collided with the sonar cable.

In the television program, there is a scene of the moment the crew on the HMS Northumberland realizes something happened. The crew shouts: “What the hell was that?”

It is unclear whether the Russian submarine suffered any damage.

However, the HMS Northumberland had to return to port in Scotland to replace the damaged sonar.