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- By RFE/RL
COVID-19: One Iranian 'Dying Every 10 Minutes'; Romania Urges Expats To Stay Away
The global coronavirus pandemic has infected more than 230,000 people worldwide, causing mass disruptions as governments continue to try to slow the spread of the new respiratory illness.
Here's a roundup of developments in RFE/RL's broadcast countries.
Iran
The death toll from the coronavirus in Iran continues to rise as the worst-affected country in the Middle East prepares for scaled-down celebrations of Norouz, the Persian New Year.
"With 149 new fatalities in the past 24 hours, the death toll from the virus has reached 1,284," Deputy Health Minister Alireza Raisi said on state television on March 19.
“Unfortunately, we have had 1,046 new cases of infection since yesterday,” Raisi added.
Iran has the third-highest number of registered cases after China and Italy.
Live Map: The Spread Of The Coronavirus
With the country reeling from the outbreak, officials have recommended that Iranians stay home during the March 20 holiday, a time when hundreds of thousands usually travel to be with friends and relatives.
The government has closed schools at all levels, banned sports and cultural events, and curtailed religious activities to try and slow the spread of the virus.
Kianoush Jahanpour, the head of the Health Ministry's public relations and information center , noted on March 19 that the data on the outbreak means an Iranian dies every 10 minutes from COVID-19, while 50 infections occur each hour of the day.
"With respect to this information, people must make a conscious decision about travel, traffic, transportation, and sightseeing," he added.
Despite the dire circumstances, many Iranians were angered by the temporary closure of Shi'ite sites, prompting some earlier this week to storm into the courtyards of two major shrines -- Mashhad's Imam Reza shrine and Qom's Fatima Masumeh shrine.
Crowds typically pray there 24 hours a day, seven days a week, touching and kissing the shrine. That's worried health officials, who for weeks ordered Iran's Shi'ite clergy to close them.
Earlier on March 19, officials announced that the country wouldn’t mark its annual day celebrating its nuclear program because of the outbreak.
Georgia
The Georgian government has ordered the closure of shops except grocery stores and pharmacies beginning March 20 to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
The measure, announced on March 19, also exempts gas stations, post offices, and bank branches. The South Caucasus country has so far reported 40 confirmed cases of COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus, and no deaths.
Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia on March 19 said he would declare a state of emergency, as many countries in Europe already have, if health authorities advise him to do so.
"As of today, I would like to emphasize that there is no need for this. However, in agreement with the president, we have decided, as soon as that need arises, that we will be able to make this decision within a few hours," he said.
Romania
President Klaus Iohannis has urged Romanians working abroad to refrain from traveling home for the Orthodox Easter amid fears of a worsening of the coronavirus outbreak in the country.
Romania has been under a 30-day state of emergency since March 16.
Iohannis made the appeal in a televised speech on March 19 as thousands of workers returning from Western Europe were slowly crossing into Romania after having clogged Hungary's borders both to the west and the east for two days in a row.
Romania is the European Union's second-poorest country, and at least 4 million Romanians work abroad, according to estimates.
The bottlenecks were worsened by Hungary's decision to close its borders on very short notice from March 17 at midnight -- a measure relaxed by Budapest after consultations with the Romanian government.
"Romanians from abroad are dear to us, and we long to be with them for Easter," Iohannis said. "However, that won't be possible this year.... We must tell them with sadness but also with sincerity not to come home for the holidays," he added.
Some 12,500 mostly Romanian travelers had crossed into Romania in 4,600 vehicles as of the morning of March 19, Romanian border police said.
They said 180 people were immediately quarantined, while some 10,000 were ordered into self-isolation once they reached their destinations.
The rest were mostly travelers in transit toward Moldova and Bulgaria, according to the police.
Romania has confirmed 277 coronavirus cases.
One of the patients is in serious condition in intensive care, while 25 people have recovered, according to health authorities.
No deaths have been reported so far.
However, authorities are concerned that the massive number of Romanians returning, mostly from Italy and Spain -- the European countries most affected by the coronavirus pandemic -- will lead to a spike in infections in the run-up to Orthodox Easter on April 19.
The Romanian military has started building an emergency hospital in Bucharest amid fears that the country's crumbling health-care system will not be able to cope with the outbreak.
Ukraine
Some 900 Ukrainians are embarking on March 19 on a train journey from Prague to Kyiv as part of an evacuation plan amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The train is set to travel through the Czech Republic and Poland, where it will make a stop at Przemysl, before heading to the western Ukrainian city of Lviv and the capital.
Yevhen Perebiynis, the Ukrainian ambassador to Prague, tweeted that more than 3,000 Ukrainians residing in the Czech Republic had asked to be evacuated.
Meanwhile, the mayor of Zhytomyr, Serhiy Sukhomlyn, said the city located 140 kilometers west of Kyiv recorded its first coronavirus infection.
Sukhomlyn said the patient, aged 56, had recently returned from Austria.
As of March 19, there were 21 confirmed cases of the respiratory illness in six regions and the capital, Kyiv, the Health Ministry said.
Meanwhile, Ukraine recorded its third death linked to COVID-19 in the western Ivano-Frankivsk region.
An elderly woman died one day after visiting a hospital with severe flu-like symptoms, according to the Health Ministry.
Russia
Russian officials have reported the country's first death connected to the coronavirus outbreak, but quickly backtracked, saying an elderly woman perished due to a detached blood clot.
The Moscow health department said on March 19 that the 79-year-old, who had tested positive for COVID-19, died in a Moscow hospital from pneumonia related to the virus.
Svetlana Krasnova, head doctor at Moscow's hospital No. 2 for infectious diseases, said in a statement that the woman had been admitted with "a host of chronic diseases," including type 2 diabetes and heart problems.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin then confirmed the coronavirus-releated death, saying on Twitter, "Unfortunately, we have the first loss from the coronavirus infection."
Hours later, however, health officials put out another statement saying an autopsy had confirmed the woman had died of a blood clot.
A subsequent official tally of the number of official coronavirus cases in Russia showed 199 confirmed infections but no deaths.
It was not clear whether the woman's death would eventually be counted as a result of the virus.
Though President Vladimir Putin said earlier this week that the situation was "generally under control," many Russians have shown a distrust for official claims over the virus, and fear the true situation is much worse than they are being told.
Amid a recent rise in the number of cases, officials have temporarily barred entry to foreigners and imposed restrictions on flights and public gatherings.
The national health watchdog on March 19 tightened restrictions for all travellers from abroad with a decree requiring "all individuals arriving to Russia" to be isolated, either at home or elsewhere.
Serbia
Serbia has closed its main airport for all passenger flights and said it will shut its borders for all but freight traffic in an effort to curb the spread of coronavirus.
The government banned commercial flights to and from the Nikola Tesla Airport in Belgrade on March 19.
However, the airport will remain open to humanitarian and cargo flights, according to the Ministry of Construction, Traffic, and Infrastructure.
Later in the day, President Aleksandar Vucic said that as of March 20, Serbia's border crossings will be closed for all passenger road and rail transport.
"Nothing but trucks will be allowed to enter," Vucic said. "From noon tomorrow we will also halt commercial passenger transport inside the country."
The move comes after some 70,000 Serbs working in Western Europe and their families returned to Serbia in the last few days despite appeals by authorities not to do so.
Serbia currently has 103 confirmed coronavirus cases, with no fatalities.
The Balkan country had already imposed a state of emergency, introduced a night curfew for all citizens, and ordered the elderly to stay indoors.
Pakistan
Authorities in Pakistan have closed shrines of Sufi saints in the capital, Islamabad, and elsewhere while access to museums, archaeological, and tourist sites have been banned as confirmed coronavirus cases jumped to 301, mostly in pilgrims returning from Iran.
Two Pakistanis who had returned from Saudi Arabia and Dubai became the country's first victims when they died on March 18 in the northwest.
Schools have already been shut in Pakistan.
Thousands of Pakistanis, mostly pilgrims, have been placed into quarantine in recent weeks at the Taftan border crossing in the country's southwestern province of Balochistan after returning from Iran, one of the world's worst affected countries.
Pakistani authorities on March 19 plan to quarantine hundreds more pilgrims who returned from Iran. These pilgrims will be kept at isolated buildings in central Pakistan for 14 days.
Uzbekistan
Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoev’s influential son-in-law says police have identified individuals who allegedly published the names of Uzbek nationals who tested positive for the new coronavirus.
Otabek Umarov, who is also the deputy head of the president’s personal security, said on Instagram that officials are now trying to determine the legality of the perpetrators’ actions.
A joint working group set up by the Interior Ministry and the Prosecutor-General’s Office has also identified 33 social media accounts involved in “disseminating false information that provokes panic among people,” Umarov wrote.
He called the accounts a “betrayal” of the country and a matter of “national security.”
Umarov’s comments come amid a campaign by the Uzbek government to crack down on information that incites panic and fear among the public amid the coronavirus crisis.
On March 16, the country’s Justice Ministry said that, according to Uzbek law, those involved in preparing materials with the intention of inciting panic -- and those storing such materials with the intent to distribute them -- will face up to $9,400 in fines or up to three years in prison.
Those who spread such information through media and the Internet face up to eight years in prison, the ministry added.
The statement came a day after the Central Asian nation announced its first confirmed coronavirus infection, which prompted the government to introduce sweeping measures to contain the outbreak, including closing its borders, suspending international flights, closing schools, and banning public gatherings.
The number of infections had risen to 23 as of the morning of March 19, the Health Ministry said.
The ministry said that the 23 individuals are all Uzbek nationals who had returned home from Europe, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates.
The Health Ministry regularly updates its social media accounts with information on the outbreak in Uzbekistan. Posts are frequently accompanied by the hashtag “quarantine without panic” in both Uzbek and Russian.
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan
The Kazakh national currency, the tenge, has continued to weaken sharply as the number of coronavirus cases in the oil-rich Central Asian nation reached 44.
Many exchange points in Nur-Sultan, the capital, and the former Soviet republic's largest city, Almaty, did not sell U.S. dollars or euros on March 19, while some offered 471 tenges for $1, more than 25 percent weaker than in early March when the rate was around 375 tenges.
The tenge has plunged to all-time lows in recent days following an abrupt fall in oil prices and chaos in the world's stock markets caused by the coronavirus outbreak.
The Kazakh Health Ministry said on March 19 that the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the country had increased by seven to 44.
In neighboring Kyrgyzstan, three people, who returned home from Saudi Arabia several days ago, tested positive for the virus, which led to three villages being sealed off in the southern Jalal-Abad region.
In two other Central Asian nations, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, no coronavirus cases have been officially recorded to date.
Armenia
A relative of an Armenian woman blamed for spreading the coronavirus in the South Caucasus country alleges that criminal offenses have been committed against members of their family.
It emerged last week that the woman had traveled from Italy before attending a family gathering with dozens of guests in the city of Echmiadzin, disregarding health warnings about the coronavirus pandemic.
The woman, whose name was not released, later tested positive for the virus and was hospitalized. Dozens of other people who attended the gathering were placed under a 14-day quarantine.
Armenia has reported a total of 122 cases so far, including dozens in Echmiadzin. It has not yet reported any deaths.
Echmiadzin was locked down and a nationwide state of emergency has been announced in a bid to slow the spread of infection in Armenia.
Many on social media in Armenia expressed anger over what they said was irresponsible behavior by the woman.
Some ridiculed the woman and used offensive language against her. A photo of her also was posted online.
The woman’s lawyer, Gohar Hovhannisian, said that one of her relatives who lives abroad filed a complaint with the public prosecutor on March 17.
The complaint alleges that personal information about infected people was illegally obtained and published by the press and social media along with insults and photographs.
"It affects the mental state of a person. Imagine that a person is sick and such language is used against her or him and her or his personal data are published," Hovhannisian said.
The Prosecutor-General's Office forwarded the report to police to investigate the case.
Human rights activist Zaruhi Hovhannisian, who is not related to the lawyer, noted that the protection of personal data is enshrined in Armenia’s law. He said that disclosure of personal data in this case made it possible to identify the infected woman.
"Moreover, under the law on medical care and public services it is forbidden to disclose medical secrets, talk about people’s medical examinations and the course of their treatment as well as to pass these data to third parties," the activist said.
Earlier this week, a shop owner in Yerevan filed a complaint with police alleging that he had been attacked by three relatives of the woman in question for posting a joke about her on Facebook.
Police said they had identified and questioned three people over that complaint. But the authorities did not reveal their identities.
Azerbaijan
The Azerbaijani capital, Baku, has been sealed off to slow the spread of the coronavirus in the South Caucasus state.
According to a government decision, as of March 19 entrance to Baku, the nearby city of Sumqayit, and the Abseron district has been banned for all cars, except ambulances, cargo trucks, and vehicles carrying rescue teams and road accident brigades. The measure will run until at least March 29.
All railway links between Baku, Sumqayit and the Abseron district, and the rest of the country were also suspended.
Azerbaijan has reported 34 confirmed coronavirus cases, with one fatality.
In neighboring Armenia, where authorities announced a state of emergency until April 16, the number of coronavirus cases is 115.
Elsewhere in the South Caucasus, Georgia, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases reached 40.
Afghanistan
The United States is temporarily suspending the movement of new soldiers into Afghanistan as a way of protecting them from the coronavirus outbreak.
U.S. Army General Scott Miller said in a March 19 statement that the move could mean that some of the troops already on the ground in Afghanistan may have their deployments extended to ensure that the NATO-led Resolute Support mission continues.
"To preserve our currently healthy force, Resolute Support is making the necessary adjustments to temporarily pause personnel movement into the theater," he said.
“We are closely monitoring, continually assessing and adjusting our operations so we can continue to protect the national interests of the NATO allies and partners here in Afghanistan," he added.
About 1,500 troops and civilians who recently arrived in Afghanistan have been quarantined, Miller said, stressing that this was purely a precautionary measure and “not because they are sick.”
Earlier this month, the United States began reducing its troop presence in Afghanistan as part of a peace deal signed in February with the Taliban.
The agreement sees an initial reduction of U.S. troops in Afghanistan from about 13,000 to 8,600 soldiers.
Miller did not mention the agreement in his statement.
So far, 21 U.S. and coalition staff exhibiting flu-like symptoms are in isolation and receiving medical care, Miller’s statement said.
With reporting by RFE/RL's Armenian, Azerbaijani, Georgian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Romanian, and Uzbek services, AP, AFP, Reuters, Digi24.ro, G4media.ro, and Hotnews.ro
More News
- By RFE/RL
U.S. Again Dismisses Russian Assertion Of Ukrainian Link To Concert Hall Attackers
The White House has again dismissed Russia's allegation that Ukraine was involved in the attack on the Crocus City concert hall and said that the United States had passed clear and detailed information to Russian security services about an extremist attack in Moscow in advance of the attack.
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said on March 28 that Russia's charge of Ukrainian involvement in the attack was “nonsense and propaganda."
Kirby spoke shortly after Russia's Investigative Committee said it had uncovered evidence that the four gunmen who carried out the attack on March 22, which killed more than 140 people were linked to Ukraine.
"It is abundantly clear that [Islamic State] was solely responsible for the horrific attack in Moscow last week," Kirby said, reiterating the U.S. position, which is shared by France. "In fact, the United States tried to help prevent this terrorist attack and the Kremlin knows this."
The written message to Russia's security services was passed on March 7 at 11:15 a.m. and was one of multiple advance warnings that the United States provided to Russian authorities about the potential for extremist attacks on concerts and large gatherings in Moscow, Kirby said.
The messages were passed "following normal procedures and through established channels that have been employed many times previously,” he said, emphasizing his rebuke of Russian officials by comparing them to "manure salesmen" who "carry their samples in their mouths."
Islamic State has said several times that it was responsible for the attack, and IS-affiliated media channels have published graphic videos of the gunmen inside the venue.
Despite the IS claim of responsibility and the information released by the United States, Russian President Vladimir Putin and other Russian officials have persisted in trying to implicate Ukraine. Russia's Investigative Committee claimed on March 28 that suspects in the attack had "links with Ukrainian nationalists."
"As a result of work with the detained terrorists, an examination of technical devices seized from them and analysis of financial transactions, evidence of their links with Ukrainian nationalists has been obtained," the Investigative Committee said in a statement.
It alleged that the suspects had received "significant amounts of money and cryptocurrency from Ukraine" and said another man "involved in financing the terrorists" had been identified and detained and investigators would ask the court to remand him in custody. No other details were provided.
With reporting by Reuters, dpa, AFP, and RFE/RL's Russian Service
Russian Mathematician Sentenced To 4 Years In Prison On Justifying Terrorism Charge
A court in Yekaterinburg sentenced mathematician Azat Miftakhov on March 28 to four years in prison on a charge of justifying terrorism, which he and his supporters reject. Miftakhov, 31, was arrested in September immediately after he served almost six years for involvement in an arson attack against the offices of the ruling United Russia party. Miftakhov also rejected the charges in that case. Miftakhov, who has been recognized by U.S., European, Japanese, and other Russian mathematicians, said at the time that he had been tortured by investigators. The Memorial human rights group has recognized Miftakhov as a political prisoner. To read the original story by RFE/RL’s Russian Service, click here.
- By AP
Russian Veto Ends UN Monitoring Enforcement Of North Korea Nuclear Sanctions
Russia has vetoed a UN Security Council resolution in a move that effectively abolishes the monitoring by UN experts of sanctions against North Korea over its nuclear program, although the sanctions themselves remain in place. Russia’s March 28 veto represented a turnaround on the monitoring regime and prompted Western accusations that Moscow was acting to shield its weapons purchases from North Korea for use in its war against Ukraine in violation of the sanctions. The vote in the 15-member council was 13 in favor, with Russia against and China abstaining. To read the original story by AP, click here.
Court In Russia's Bashkortostan Orders Arrest Of Former Navalny Team Member
A former member of late Russian opposition politician Aleksei Navalny's team in Bashkortostan, Olga Komleva, was sent to pretrial detention on March 28 on a charge of participating in an extremist group's activities. Komleva, 45, is also a journalist with the RusNews online media outlet. She covered mass protests in January against the imprisonment of Bashkir activist Fail Alsynov. All Navalny's organizations were labeled extremist in 2021. The former leader of Navalny's headquarters in Bashkortostan, Lilia Chanysheva, was sentenced to 7 1/2 years in prison on extremism charge last year. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Idel.Realities, click here.
Kazakh Flooding Caused By Rapid Snowmelt Affects Hundreds Of Homes, Prompts Evacuations
Kazakh emergency officials said on March 28 that almost 300 residential buildings have been affected by ongoing floods caused by an abrupt shift to warm weather that led to a mass snowmelt. More than 100 flooding cases were registered across the country's Abai, Aqmola, Aqtobe, Qostanai, and West Kazakhstan regions. An estimated 1,431 people, including 312 children, were evacuated from areas affected by the floods in a 24-hour period. Rescue teams are continuing to search for three people who went missing in the northeastern Abai region, where the floods destroyed a bridge. A state of emergency has been announced in several districts. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Kazakh Service, click here.
Russian Fighter Jet Crashes Near Sevastopol, Says Moscow-Installed Governor
A Russian Su-35 fighter jet crashed on March 28 near occupied Sevastopol, the Russia-installed governor of Ukraine's Crimea Peninsula said. "A military plane fell into the sea.... Civilian objects were not damaged,” Mikhail Razvozhayev said on Telegram. The pilot ejected and was picked up by rescuers about 200 meters from the shore, Razvozhayev said, adding that his life was not in danger. The Russian Defense Ministry has not commented on the report about the downed plane. Russian Telegram channels reported earlier that a Russian Su-35 fighter jet had crashed near Sevastopol. The cause of the crash was unclear. To read the original story on RFE/RL’s Russian Service, click here.
Amnesty International Calls On Pakistan To Stop Expelling Afghan Girls And Women
Amnesty International has urged Pakistan to halt expelling hundreds of thousands of Afghan girls and women to neighboring Afghanistan.
“The deportation of Afghan refugees from Pakistan will put women and girls at unique risk,” Amnesty's South Asia Office wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on March 27.
The global rights watchdog's plea comes ahead of the beginning of a new phase of the expulsion of Afghan refugees from neighboring Pakistan. Islamabad plans to force some 850,000 documented Afghan refugees back to their country next month if they don't leave voluntarily.
Since October, Pakistan has already expelled more than 500,000 Afghans who lacked proper documents to stay in the country.
“Forced returns seriously curtail their rights to education, work, movement, and in some cases, expose them to imminent threat of violence,” Amnesty said.
“The Government of Pakistan must halt all deportations and take affirmative measures to ensure the safety of refugee women and girls,” it added.
After returning to power in August 2021, the Taliban’s ultraconservative Islamist government n Afghanistan has banned teenage girls and women from education. It also prohibited women from employment in most sectors.
Afghan women must also wear a niqab -- a strict head-to-toe veil -- in public. Taliban restrictions have severely curtailed women’s mobility by requiring them to be accompanied by a male chaperone outside their homes. Women are also banned from leisure activities, including visits to parks.
“Women and girls will experience serious repression of their rights to education, work, freedom of movement and more if deported,” Amnesty said.
The new warning comes two days after Amnesty called in a new report on Islamabad to reverse forced expulsions of all Afghans.
The report, Pakistan: Human Rights Charter, issued on March 25, asked Islamabad to protect all at-risk "refugees in compliance with Pakistan obligations under the principle of non-refoulement."
Non-refoulement is a fundamental principle of international law that prohibits a state from returning asylum seekers to a country where they would face persecution based on their race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion.
Pakistan lacks a domestic law that offers a path to refugee status. It is not a signatory to the 1951 UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees or the 1967 protocol intended to remove constraints on who can be considered a refugee.
Cryptic Serbian President Warns Of 'Difficult Days' Ahead
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic warned on March 28 that "difficult days" lie ahead for his country, without elaborating. Vucic added that he had spoken with the European Union and the Quint nations -- an informal decision-making group consisting of the United States, France, Germany, Italy, and Britain. He rejected assessments that Serbia is abandoning its European path after the announcement of a possible exit from the Council of Europe if that organization accepts Kosovo, Serbia's former province whose independence Belgrade does not recognize. He said he would provide more details “in the coming days.” To read the original story on RFE/RL’s Serbian Service, click here.
- By RFE/RL
Putin Says Russia Does Not Intend To Attack NATO, But Air Bases Hosting F-16s Would Be 'Legitimate Target'
Russia has no plans to attack any NATO country, President Vladimir Putin said on March 28, but he warned that Moscow's forces could target NATO bases if they host F-16 fighter jets flying combat sorties in Ukraine.
Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine
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"We have no aggressive intentions toward [NATO] states," Putin told air force pilots at a facility in the Tver region northwest of Moscow, according to a Kremlin transcript.
He said it would be "complete nonsense" to suggest that Russia would attack countries such as Poland, the Baltic states, and the Czech Republic, adding: "Just nonsense, another way to cheat their population and force them to allocate additional resources."
Ukraine is awaiting the delivery of F-16s from Western countries that have promised to send Kyiv at least 42 F-16s. Ukrainian pilots have been training in the West for months on how to fly the warplanes.
Asked whether Russian pilots would be "allowed" to attack F-16 warplanes deployed at airfields in NATO countries if they were used against Russia, Putin indicated that Moscow would consider them fair game if F-16s based there flew combat sorties in Ukraine.
"Of course, if they are used from airfields of third countries, they become a legitimate target for us, no matter where they are located," he said.
F-16s delivered to Ukraine are to be housed by Ukrainian air bases. However, it remains unclear how many Ukrainian air bases can accommodate F-16s, which require high-quality runways and well-protected, well-camouflaged hangars.
In Ukraine, Putin said, Russia would seek to destroy F-16s "the same way we destroy their tanks, armored vehicles and other equipment today, including multiple-launch rocket systems." He asserted that the delivery of the warplanes to Ukraine "will not change the situation on the battlefield."
Putin also said that, when conducting military planning, Russia would take into account that F-16s can carry nuclear weapons. Ukraine renounced nuclear arms in the 1990s and there is no talk of equipping the jets with any such weapons.
Putin's assurance that Russia has "no aggressive intentions" against NATO may ring hollow in the alliance, because he has made many false claims about various aspects of Russia's war against Ukraine, among other things.
Before Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russian officials, including Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, dismissed U.S. and other Western countries' warnings that an invasion was imminent.
Kazakh Man Sentenced For Killing 4-Year-Old During 2022 Unrest
ASTANA -- A man was sentenced to seven years in prison in a high-profile trial related to the death of a 4-year-old girl during deadly unrest in Kazakhstan in January 2022.
The military court in Astana on March 28 annulled serviceman Arman Zhuman's acquittal from November and sentenced him after finding him guilty of abuse of power.
Aikorkem Meldekhan was shot dead in the Central Asian nation's largest city, Almaty, by what the court concluded was military personnel, when she and other members of her family were in a car on their way to a grocery store on January 7, 2022.
The vehicle was sprayed with at least 20 bullets, also wounding Aikorkem's 15-year-old sister.
Zhuman's lawyer, Oksana Musokhranova, said the court's decision will be appealed.
Aikorkem's father, Aidos Meldekhan, said he is not satisfied with the court's decision, insisting that the charge should have been changed from abuse of power to murder of a minor and attempted murder.
At least 238 people are believed to have been killed by Kazakh security forces during a brutal crackdown on anti-government protesters in January 2022.
With the country in the throes of unrest, President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev gave police and military troops the controversial order to "shoot to kill without warning." He justified the move by saying "20,000 extremists trained in foreign terrorist camps" had seized Almaty airport and other buildings.
No evidence of foreign-trained terrorists was ever presented.
The order sparked an outcry and Aikorkem's picture turned into an image symbolizing the victims of the crackdown, many of whom were killed -- some under torture -- by police, security forces and military personnel, including troops of the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization, whom Toqaev invited into the country "to restore law and order."
Poland Temporarily Opens Ukraine Border Crossing Amid Grain Talks
Poland has temporarily opened one border crossing with Ukraine, Kyiv said on March 28, as government representatives met in Warsaw to defuse a dispute over Ukrainian grain imports.
The State Border Guard Service of Ukraine said in a statement on Telegram that 120 trucks were expected to cross the Uhryniv-Dolhobichuv checkpoint into Poland. It said the crossing would remain open until April 2.
The announcement was made as the Polish and Ukrainian governments met for more than six hours in Warsaw to discuss a row over Ukrainian grain imports, but a breakthrough appears unlikely.
Border crossings with Ukraine have been blocked for weeks as farmers in Poland demand the reimposition of customs duties on agricultural imports from Ukraine, which were waived following Russian’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
They argue that Ukraine is flooding Europe with cheap grain, making it impossible to compete.
"It is difficult to expect any breakthrough after these talks, any specific agreement, for example, on agricultural issues," said Jan Grabiec, head of the prime minister's office. "We are still in dialogue and both sides -- at least for today -- are not fully satisfied."
Ukraine’s Agriculture Minister Mykola Solsky wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that the talks were “difficult but frank.” He said solutions had been discussed, which would be “announced soon.”
Russian Journalist Faces Extremism Charge Over Alleged Link To Navalny
Russian journalist Antonina Favorskaya was not released on March 27 after serving 10 days in jail on a charge of disobedience to police orders and was sent to pretrial detention instead. The reporter for the SOTAvision media outlet is now accused of taking part in the activities of late opposition politician Aleksei Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation that was labeled as extremist in 2021. On February 15, Favorskaya recorded the last video of Navalny at a court hearing he was taking part in via a video link from an Arctic prison. The next day, Navalny suddenly died in the prison. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Russian Service, click here.
Imprisoned Mother Of Chechen Activists Hospitalized
Zarema Musayeva, the imprisoned mother of three self-exiled outspoken Chechen opposition activists, has been hospitalized.
The Team Against Torture human rights group in Russia said on March 28 that Musayeva, who is serving a five-year term in a colony settlement -- a dormitory-like penitentiary located near an industrial facility where convicts work alongside regular employees -- was hospitalized after her eyesight deteriorated sharply and swellings appeared on her body.
The rights group quoted Musayeva's lawyer Aleksandr Savin as saying that his client has an acute form of diabetes, cataracts, and constant pain in her knee.
According to Savin, Musayeva needs proper medical assistance. Earlier in March, Musayeva's lawyer said the penitentiary authorities in the city of Argun had refused to let Musayeva see a doctor for two months, although a medical examination could have resulted in her early release.
Musayeva's initial request for early release was rejected by a court in Chechnya in December.
Musayeva is the mother of Ibragim, Abubakar, and Baisangur Yangulbayev, all of whom have fled the country citing harassment from Chechen authorities over their online criticism of Kremlin-backed Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov.
Chechen police and security officers detained Musayeva in January 2022 in her apartment in the Russian city of Nizhny Novgorod, some 1,800 kilometers from Chechnya, and forcibly returned her to the North Caucasus region's capital, Grozny.
In July, a court in Chechnya sentenced Musayeva to 5 1/2 years in prison on charges of fraud and attacking a police officer, which Musayeva and her supporters have denied.
In September, the Supreme Court of Chechnya shortened Musayeva's prison term by six months and said Musayeva must serve her term in a colony settlement instead of a penitentiary colony.
Kadyrov, other Chechen officials, and a member of the Russian Duma have publicly vowed to kill all members of the Yangulbayev family, calling them "terrorists."
Journalists, rights activists, and other Russians have urged the government to punish those who issued the threats.
Abubakar Yangulbayev has accused Kadyrov's law enforcement and security officers of "lawlessness on a daily basis in Chechnya" and said the case against his mother is Kadyrov's retaliation for his activities.
Ibragim and Abubakar have said they faced years of pressure from Chechen authorities over their online criticism of Kadyrov and the rights situation in Chechnya.
Many of their relatives have been similarly harassed in Chechnya and even deprived of their homes since Kadyrov and his people vowed to kill them and their families.
The activists' father, retired federal Judge Saidi Yangulbayev, and a sister fled Russia in January 2022 following the threats.
Russian and international human rights groups have for years accused Kadyrov of overseeing grave human rights abuses, including abductions, torture, extrajudicial killings, and the persecution of the LGBT community.
Kremlin critics say Putin has turned a blind eye to the abuses because he relies on the former rebel commander to control separatist sentiment and violence in Chechnya.
Tajik Man Detained In St. Petersburg Amid Migrant Crackdown
A 26-year-old Tajik national has been detained in St. Petersburg on a charge of justifying terrorism, the Investigative Committee said on March 28.
The arrest comes amid an ongoing crackdown on migrant laborers following a terrorist attack near Moscow last week that has left at least 143 people dead and hundreds wounded.
Investigators say the Tajik citizen, who was not named by authorities, posted comments justifying terrorism under a video taken from last week's attack on the Crocus City Hall entertainment center in the city of Krasnogorsk, near Moscow, that was claimed by the Islamic State extremist group.
In an online statement, the Investigative Committee posted a video that purportedly showed the detained man apologizing.
The independent Astra Telegram channel identified the man as Bahodur Zuhurov.
A court decision on the suspect's possible pretrial arrest is pending. If convicted, the man may face up to five years in prison.
Earlier, a spokeswoman for the St. Petersburg court, Darya Lebedeva, said another Tajik national, Ahmad Faizulokhonzoda, will be deported from Russia for violating registration regulations and for being a member of a Telegram chat group allegedly used to recruit the suspects who were arrested over the March 22 attack.
Faizulokhonzoda was ordered to pay a 5,000 ruble ($55) fine and placed in an immigration center.
Russian officials said earlier that 11 suspects, including four men who allegedly attacked the entertainment center, were detained. The four men, all ethnic Tajiks, on March 24 were sent to pretrial detention until at least May 22.
On March 25, three Tajik men residing in Russia and a Kyrgyzstan-born Russian citizen were sent to pretrial detention for at least two months.
Neighbors of one of the suspects arrested in Russia, Dalerjon Mirzoev, told RFE/RL on March 28 that his brother, Ravshanjon Mirzoev, had joined the Islamic state group in Syria in 2016.
RFE/RL correspondents found Ravshanjon Mirzoev's name on a list of people wanted in Tajikistan on unspecified charges. A source close to the Central Asian nation's law enforcement told RFE/RL that Ravshanjon Mirzoev died four years ago in the Middle East.
The Crocus City Hall attack sparked a wave of anti-migrant and xenophobic manifestations across Russia after authorities detained 11 suspects, eight of whom -- mostly ethnic Tajiks -- were sent to pretrial detention.
This week, a banner saying "Visa-Free Regime Kills" appeared at a makeshift memorial near what was left of the Crocus City Hall.
Russian lawmaker Mikhail Sheremet proposed restrictions on foreigners' visits to the country during the "special military operation" -- the official term for Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
Another lawmaker, former presidential candidate Vladislav Davankov, said migrant laborers should be placed under digital monitoring and should be deported after committing even minor violations.
Some comments under the Russian lawmakers' online statements call for the closure of all mosques in Russia and keeping migrant workers in special dwellings without the right to freely move about in the country.
Members of indigenous ethnic groups from Russia's ethnic republics have also faced harassment, aggression, and violence in public places in Moscow and other Russian cities in recent days.
Human rights defender Valentina Chupik told Current Time that during the week in just one court in Moscow's Cheryomushki district, police brought about 25 labor workers, mostly Tajiks, each hour for deportation.
"I have not slept for five nights. I receive about 1,000 complaints each day, of which some 700 are linked to migrants' detainments. In all, I have now 3,500 complaints from [migrant workers] detained by police. Some 150 complaints a day are about the beating of migrants by police," Chupik said.
Other complaints include migrants' statements accusing police officers of robbing them during questioning and falsely accusing them of disobeying police orders, she said.
According to Chupik, authorities intentionally incite anti-migrant sentiments "to distract people's attention" from the "fact that the terrorist attack was overlooked" after Russian authorities received warnings from the United States that an attack was imminent.
"The goal is to deflect people's anger from the authorities to a known weak group of people who can be easily subdued and is clearly 'alien,'" Chupik said.
Bulgaria Heading For Sixth Election In Three Years
SOFIA -- Bulgaria is preparing for yet another general election -- the sixth since April 2021 -- after the populist There Is Such a People (ITN) party on March 28 refused to form a government, the third party to decline the mandate.
Previously, the center-right GERB and its former coalition partner, the pro-Western Continue the Change/Democratic Bulgaria (CCDB) both said they could not form a new cabinet.
ITN's move paves the way for President Rumen Radev to appoint a caretaker government and schedule elections in two months.
Bulgaria will vote for the European Parliament on June 9, so the two polls could be held on the same day, but that depends on Radev's ability to quickly appoint a caretaker government.
Following the elections in April last year, Bulgaria had a joint government supported by the reformist CCDB and GERB. They had agreed on an 18-month government with a rotation of the prime ministers -- first Nikolay Denkov from CCDB and, after nine months, Maria Gabriel from GERB.
Denkov stepped down on March 5 to let GERB lead the government for the following nine months, as agreed. But Gabriel failed to form a government, and on March 27 Denkov also rejected Radev's invitation to try to put together a cabinet.
Bulgaria is the poorest of the 27 members of the European Union and has been wrestling with widespread corruption.
The Balkan country has been grappling with political instability since major anti-corruption protests in 2020.
Before the elections in April last year, the country was run by caretaker governments appointed by Radev in the absence of a stable elected coalition.
Radev on March 28 said he would start consultations with all potential caretaker prime ministers on March 30.
Following constitutional amendments, the president can choose between the chairman of the National Assembly, the governor or deputy governor of the Bulgarian National Bank, the chairman or deputy chairman of the Audit Chamber, and the ombudsman or his deputy.
With reporting by Reuters
Iranian Women's Rights Activists Sentenced To Long Prison Terms
Lawyers for 11 women's rights activists who were detained in August in Iran's northwestern Gilan province say their clients have been sentenced to long prison terms amounting to more than 60 years.
The activists were detained separately by security and intelligence forces as officials attempted to silence critics ahead of the first anniversary of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini's death in police custody in September 2022 after being arrested for allegedly violating the country's strict Islamic dress code.
Mostafa Nili, representing two of the activists, told the Tehran-based Shargh network on March 27 that the sentences were handed down by an Islamic Revolutionary Court in Gilan's capital, Rasht.
The activists were charged in connection with their involvement in women’s rights campaigns.
Forough Samiminia received a sentence of three years, six months, and one day for "assembly and collusion to disrupt national security," and an additional two years, seven months, and 16 days for "membership in an illegal group."
Jelve Javaheri was sentenced to one year for "propaganda against the system."
Other activists, including Zahra Dadras, Sara Jahani, Matin Yazdani, Yasmin Hashdari, Shiva Shahsiah, Negin Rezai, and Azadeh Chavoshian, faced similar charges, receiving sentences ranging from one to six years for charges including "assembly and collusion" and "forming an illegal group."
Following their arrest, sources close to the activists told RFE/RL's Radio Farda that after being arrested, the activists were subjected to pressure to confess to "fabricated deeds."
One source said some of the women have faced "intense interrogation and physical abuse."
At least 500 people have been killed since protests broke out following the death of Amini, an Iranian Kurdish woman who was arrested while visiting Tehran by Iran's notorious morality police for allegedly wearing a hijab scarf improperly.
The Women, Life, Freedom protests and civil disobedience against the compulsory hijab that swept the country following Amini's death involved tens of thousands of Iranians, many of whom were already upset over the country's deteriorating living standards. Campaigns were also launched against the discriminatory hijab regulation.
In the face of the unrest, some religious and government figures have repeatedly advocated for a tougher stance by the government against offenders, even going as far as encouraging a "fire-at-will" approach against noncompliant women.
The UN Human Rights Council's fact-finding committee has categorized such actions against women as a crime against humanity.
Written by Ardeshir Tayebi based on an original story in Persian by RFE/RL's Radio Farda
Czech Republic Sanctions Prominent Pro-Kremlin Ukrainians
The Czech Republic on March 27 imposed sanctions on pro-Russia Ukrainian oligarch Viktor Medvedchuk and his close associate Artem Marchevskiy. Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said they had tried to carry out influence operations to Moscow's benefit on Czech territory. The German publication Der Spiegel identified Medvedchuk and Marchevsky as operators of the Prague-based pro-Moscow news website Voice of Europe. The German publication said the website played a key role in financing pro-Kremlin European Parliament candidates. To read the full story by RFE/RL's Russian Service, click here.
Zelenskiy Tells U.S. Speaker Military Aid Package 'Critically Important'
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy personally appealed to U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson (Republican-Louisiana) to help deliver "critically important" military aid to Kyiv to help it fend off escalating Russian attacks.
Zelenskiy said he briefed Johnson on the battlefield situation, specifically the "dramatic increase in Russia's air terror" in a phone call on March 28. He told Johnson that in the past week Ukrainian cities and communities had been hit by 190 rockets, 140 Shahed drones, and 700 anti-aircraft missiles.
The attacks saw power cut to more than a million homes and took the country's largest hydroelectric power plant offline.
"In this situation, quick passage of U.S. aid to Ukraine by Congress is vital," he said in a readout of the call posted on Telegram.
Zelenskiy also spoke with U.S. broadcaster CBS about the need for military supplies, saying a Russian offensive is expected around the end of May or in June.
"And before that, we not only need to prepare, we not only need to stabilize the situation, because the partners are sometimes really happy that we have stabilized the situation," Zelenskiy said of the U.S. and Ukraine's other backers. "No, I say we need help now."
The interview was released on March 28 after being filmed in an undisclosed bombed-out building in the east of the country, CBS said.
Zelenskiy said Ukraine's forces had managed to hold off Russian advances through the worst of the winter months and the situation is "better than it was two or three months ago when we had a big deficit of artillery ammunition." He acknowledged that invading Russian troops had destroyed some villages as the Ukrainian side ran low on artillery.
A massive military aid package has been stalled in Congress for more than six months, delaying the delivery of crucial weapons and ammunition to Ukrainian troops on the front lines.
The U.S. Senate last month passed a supplementary spending bill that allocates some $60 billion in aid to Ukraine, mainly for weapons and military equipment. But Johnson has not brought the bill up for a vote in the House of Representatives, where his party holds only a slim majority, and includes right-wing Republicans who want to force Congress to prioritize border security.
The delay is having significant consequences on the battlefield as Ukrainian forces run low on ammunition and air defense materiel.
Ukrainian authorities said earlier on March 28 that Russia used kamikaze drones and heavy artillery to strike regions in the center and east of the country in the early hours of March 28.
Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine
RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the latest developments on Russia's full-scale invasion, Kyiv's counteroffensive, Western military aid, global reaction, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war in Ukraine, click here.
The Ukrainian air-defense systems intercepted 26 out of 28 Shahed-type drones over Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Odesa, and Zaporizhzhya, the country’s air force said in a statement.
Local authorities in Zaporizhzhya said homes had been struck and at least two people wounded. Acting Mayor Anatoliy Kurtev said five houses had been partially destroyed while 40 had sustained damage.
The central Dnipropetrovsk region’s governor, Serhiy Lysak, said Nikopol was targeted by heavy artillery and drones. Two people were injured by shrapnel while four homes and a power line were damaged, Lysak added.
In Odesa, regional Governor Oleh Kiper said Russia initially launched drones before targeting the region with missiles. He added that there were no casualties in Odesa.
Offices, a shop, and a restaurant were damaged in Kharkiv, but there were no casualties, according to regional Governor Oleh Synyehubov.
Ukrainian authorities said Russia may have used a new type of guided bomb in air strikes on Kharkiv on March 27, in an attack described by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy as “Russian terror.”
Volodymyr Tymoshko, head of the Kharkiv regional police, said Moscow may have used a new type of guided bomb, which he described as the UMPB D-30.
"It seems that the Russians decided to test their modified bombs on the residents of the houses," Synyehubov said.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba landed in New Delhi on March 28 for a two-day trip to enhance relations and cooperation with India, a longtime ally of Russia.
The Ukrainian chief diplomat will meet his Indian counterpart, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, and hold talks with the deputy national security adviser.
Meanwhile, President Vladimir Putin said Russia has no designs on any NATO country and will not attack Poland, the Baltic states, or the Czech Republic but that if the West supplies F-16 fighters to Ukraine, they will be shot down.
Speaking to Russian Air Force pilots on March 28, Putin said the U.S.-led alliance had expanded eastward toward Russia since the 1991 fall of the Soviet Union but that Moscow has no plans to attack a NATO state.
"We have no aggressive intentions toward these states," Putin said, according to a Kremlin transcript.
With reporting by AP, Reuters, and CBS
- By Reuters
Russians Visit Pyongyang To Discuss 'Cooperation Against Spying'
A delegation of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) visited North Korea this week and discussed boosting cooperation against spying, state media KCNA reported on March 28. SVR chief Sergei Naryshkin and North Koreaan Minister of State Security Ri Chang Dae briefed each other in Pyongyang on the international and regional situation regarding the Korean Peninsula and Russia, according to KCNA. The two sides also discussed further boosting cooperation to deal with the "ever-growing spying and plotting moves by hostile forces," KCNA said.
- By RFE/RL
Supporters Of U.S. Reporter Detained By Russia Demand His Release At Washington Event
Dozens of people gathered on March 28 on a plaza in Washington on the eve of the one-year anniversary of the arrest of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich in Russia and demanded his release.
The event sponsored by the National Press Club marked one full year in jail for Gershkovich, 32, whose detention was extended to June 30 earlier this week by the Moscow City Court.
Gershkovich became the first U.S. journalist arrested on spying charges in Russia since the Cold War when he was detained on March 29, 2023, by the Federal Security Service (FSB), which said he had been trying to obtain military secrets.
The Wall Street Journal and the U.S. government have vehemently rejected the espionage charges, saying he was merely doing his job as an accredited reporter when he was arrested.
The group that gathered on March 28 in Washington posed on Freedom Plaza with the U.S. Capitol in the background and with each participant holding a paper with #IStandWithEvan written on it. The gathering included fellow journalists, press advocacy leaders, and friends and relatives of Gershkovich.
Wall Street Journal Associate Editor Paul Beckett, who is leading the newspaper’s efforts to free Gershkovich, also took part along with Gershkovich's sister, Danielle Gershkovich.
Photos from the event circulated on social media to support the Wall Street Journal’s efforts to raise awareness of Gershkovich's "unjust detention in Moscow," said Bill McCarren, executive director of the National Press Club, who also participated in the event.
Earlier on March 28 in Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was asked about reports of a possible prisoner exchange involving Gershkovich, and he stressed the importance of silence about any negotiations.
"We have repeatedly stressed that there are certain contacts, but they must be carried out in absolute silence," Peskov said.
Gershkovich is one of two American reporters currently being held by Russian authorities. The other is Alsu Kurmasheva, an RFE/RL journalist who holds dual Russian-American citizenship.
Kurmasheva, 47, was arrested in Kazan last October and charged with failing to register as a foreign agent under a punitive Russian law that targets journalists, civil society activists, and others. She’s also been charged with spreading falsehoods about the Russian military and faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
RFE/RL and the U.S. government say the charges are reprisals for her work as journalist for RFE/RL in Prague. She had traveled to Russia to visit and care for her elderly mother and was initially detained while waiting for her return flight on June 2 at Kazan airport, where her U.S. and Russian passports were confiscated.
Gershkovich has been designated as wrongfully detained by the U.S. government. Kurmasheva, however, has not despite pleas from RFE/RL and Kurmasheva’s family.
The Wall Street Journal on March 28 published a story about her detention and the difficulties her husband, Pavel Butorin, who also works for RFE/RL in Prague, and their two daughters, ages 12 and 15, have had without her and their efforts to have her designated as wrongfully detained.
The designation would mean her case would be assigned to the office of the Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs in the State Department, raising the political profile of her situation and allowing the Biden administration to allocate more resources to securing her release. The designation currently applies only to Gershkovich and another American held in Russia, Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine and corporate security executive who is serving a 16-year prison sentence on espionage charges.
Beckett said other events to mark the anniversary of Gershkovich’s detention include a 24-hour read-a-thon of his work by his Wall Street Journal colleagues at the newspaper’s headquarters in New York and swimming events at Brighton Beaches in New Zealand, South African, Canada, the United States and Britain.
The beaches were chosen in recognition of his family’s connection to Brighton Beach in Brooklyn, New York, which is home to a large Russian immigrant community. Gershkovich's parents emigrated from the Soviet Union, separately, in 1979.
Kurmasheva is one of four RFE/RL journalists -- Andrey Kuznechyk, Ihar Losik, and Vladyslav Yesypenko are the other three -- currently imprisoned on charges related to their work. Rights groups and RFE/RL have called repeatedly for the release of all four, saying they have been wrongly detained.
Losik is a blogger and contributor for RFE/RL’s Belarus Service who was convicted in December 2021 on several charges including the “organization and preparation of actions that grossly violate public order” and sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Kuznechyk, a web editor for RFE/RL’s Belarus Service, was sentenced in June 2022 to six years in prison following a trial that lasted no more than a few hours. He was convicted of “creating or participating in an extremist organization.”
Yesypenko, a dual Ukrainian-Russian citizen who contributed to Crimea.Realities, a regional news outlet of RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, was sentenced in February 2022 to six years in prison by a Russian judge in occupied Crimea after a closed-door trial. He was convicted of “possession and transport of explosives,” a charge he steadfastly denies.
With reporting by Reuters
- By RFE/RL
Latvia Expels Russian Diplomat For 'Unacceptable' Actions
Latvia has declared one employee of the Russian Embassy persona non grata and expelled him from the country. At the request of the Latvian Foreign Ministry, the diplomat must leave by April 10. The ministry said in a statement on March 27 that it summoned the Russian charge d'affaires to protest "unacceptable and provocational public communication” pursued by the embassy that Latvia said was aimed at discreding its state institutions and stirring up hatred in society. Despite repeated reprimands, the Russian Embassy persisted in the inaccurate public communication, the ministry said.
- By AFP
Iranian Police Chief Sentenced To Death For Killing Protester In 2022
An Iranian court has sentenced a police chief to death after he was charged with killing a man during mass protests in 2022, local media reported on March 27. Jafar Javanmardi was arrested in December 2022 over the killing of a protester during demonstrations sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini following her arrest for allegedly violating the country's dress code. Javanmardi was sentenced to death "in accordance with the Islamic law of retribution…on the charge of premeditated murder," the lawyer for the victim's family said.
Russian Rights Defender Subject To 'Inhumane' Treatment In Jail: Lawyers
Lawyers for imprisoned Russian human rights defender Oleg Orlov say their client is being held in "inhumane" conditions. Orlov, 70, is being deprived of rest, hot food, and confidential meetings with his attorneys, they said on March 27. The Memorial rights group also commented on Orlov, saying that he does not receive regular daily meals as guards take him to a Moscow court each day to review materials of his case and bring him back to the detention center late at night. Orlov was sentenced last month to 30 months in prison for publicly condemning Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Russian Service, click here.
More Civilians Killed Amid Kyiv's Desperation For Air-Defense Systems
Russian forces shelled the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, killing one person and injuring 16, Mayor Ihor Terekhov said, as Ukraine's president and foreign minister again appealed for more air-defense systems from the United States.
Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine
RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the latest developments on Russia's full-scale invasion, Kyiv's counteroffensive, Western military aid, global reaction, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war in Ukraine, click here.
The death of the civilian in Kharkiv was among at least three people killed by Russian attacks across eastern and southern Ukraine on March 27.
The attack in Kharkiv hit apartment buildings, Terekhov said on Telegram, describing it as “another act of bloody terror against Ukrainians."
Kharkiv Governor Oleh Synyehubov said there were two strikes on a district of Kharkiv city that damaged residential infrastructure.
Five-story buildings where people lived were heavily damaged, and the Institute of Emergency Surgery was also affected, Synyehubov said.
Russian forces have escalated aerial attacks on Ukraine in the past few weeks, targeting key infrastructure, including power stations, in retaliation for fatal bombardments of Russia's border regions.
In the southern region of Kherson, a 61-year-old woman was killed in her home in a drone attack on a village; four children were among the wounded.
In the southeastern city of Nikopol, officials said artillery fire killed a 55-year-old man, while a ballistic missile strike on the coastal territory of Mykolayiv left eight wounded.
The Ukrainian armed forces said they shot down 10 out of 13 Shahed drones launched by Russia in the early hours of March 27. The drones were launched from Russia’s Kursk region and targeted the Kharkiv, Kyiv, and Sumy regions, the military said.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, speaking on March 27 in an online briefing, again called for urgent deliveries of air-defense systems.
"The peculiarity of the current Russian attacks is the intensive use of ballistic missiles that can reach targets at extremely high speeds, leaving little time for people to take cover and causing significant destruction," Kuleba said.
"Patriot and other similar systems are defensive by definition. They are designed to protect lives, not take them," he said, referring to the U.S.-made missiles.
WATCH: Ukrainian drone operator "Riko" recalls dropping explosives on Russian units even as control of Avdiyivka was being lost to them in February.
Ukrainian President Volodymry Zelenskiy also called for the West to deliver air-defense systems, saying the protection is "required in Ukraine now" and urging Ukraine's partners to "demonstrate sufficient political will."
Ukraine has become more and more frustrated over the inability of the U.S. Congress to pass a massive military aid package because of partisan disagreements. The bill remains stalled as lawmakers are in the middle of a two-week break for the Easter holiday.
Zelenskiy was in the Sumy region on March 27 to inspect the construction of defensive fortifications such as trenches, dugouts, and observation posts.
He also visited troops in a hospital and presented awards to soldiers with the 117th Separate Territorial Defense Brigade.
Meanwhile, Moscow has vowed to respond to an escalation of strikes on its border regions.
Russia said on March 27 that the border city of Belgorod was targeted again and air-defense systems had shot down 18 Ukrainian missiles. Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said two people were wounded during the barrage. Belgorod has recently experienced an increase in fatal attacks.
With reporting by AFP and Politico
Former Kazakh Economy Minister Goes On Trial Over Wife's Brutal Death
ASTANA -- Kazakhstan's former Economy Minister Quandyq Bishimbaev reiterated his not guilty plea to all charges as his trial by jury over his wife's death in November kicked off in Astana on March 27.
Bishimbaev is charged with torture, murder with extreme violence, and repeatedly committing serious crimes. Bishimbaev's cousin Baqytzhan Baizhanov is his co-defendant in the high-profile case. Baizhanov is charged with failure to report a crime in process.
Judge Aizhan Kulbaeva warned journalists that filming or taking pictures of the jury members are banned.
Prosecutor Aizhan Aimaghanova introduced the jury to the charges against Bishimbaev, accusing him of viciously beating his wife, Saltanat Nukenova, for hours in a restaurant that belonged to a relative. The body of the 31-year-old Nukenova was later found in the restaurant. Bishimbaev faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
The case has attracted nationwide attention amid growing outrage over domestic violence in Kazakhstan, where 1 -in-6 women say they have faced some form of physical violence at the hands of their male partner.
Domestic violence has historically gone unpunished in the Central Asian nation, where it is not considered a stand-alone criminal offense. The Kazakh parliament has been dragging its feet for years on a bill that would criminalize domestic violence. Women account for about one-quarter of Kazakh lawmakers.
Amid the public outcry over the brutal death of Nukenova, Kazakh President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev publicly called on the Interior Ministry to take the case under its "special control."
The 43-year-old Bishimbaev served as economy minister from May 2016 to late December the same year. Before that, he occupied different managerial posts in government agencies.
In 2018, Bishimbaev and 22 others faced a high-profile corruption trial that ended with Bishimbaev’s conviction on charges of bribery and embezzlement while leading a state-controlled holding company.
A court in Astana sentenced him to 10 years in prison, but Bishimbaev, who comes from an influential family, was granted an early release through a mass amnesty issued by the government. He had served only 18 months of his term.
The Interior Ministry said earlier that more than 100,000 cases of domestic violence are officially registered each year, though the number of unregistered cases, analysts say, is likely much larger.
International rights watchdogs have urged Kazakh officials to curb the spreading of domestic violence for years.
According to the United Nation's experts, about 400 women die in Kazakhstan as a result of domestic violence every year.
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