Locked Up In China: The Plight Of Xinjiang’s Muslims
VISUAL REPORTS
Frozen Families, Ice-Bound In Irkutsk
A building in Irkutsk, Siberia, looks more like a fridge in need of defrosting than a home. Yet several families, with children, live here, saying local authorities have neglected them. An official said they must prove that they have the right to live in the building before they can be rehoused.
Novichok's Hometown: No Shame, ‘No Future,' Residents Say
In southwest Russia, just west of the Volga River, lies Shikhany, an ordinary-looking town that is the presumed birthplace of the military nerve agent Novichok, used in the 2018 poisoning of ex-Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia. Once a secret location, Shikhany’s residents can now publicly discuss Novichok’s past. Current Time traveled to Shikhany to hear their stories.
Azerbaijan's 'Black January': Remembering The 1990 Crackdown That Helped End Soviet Rule
The use of Soviet troops against civilians in Baku on January 19-20, 1990 cemented Azerbaijan’s resolve to leave the USSR and reclaim its independence. Tensions were escalating with neighboring Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region and Azerbaijani protesters wanted officials to resign.
'We Never Give Up' - Meet Kyrgyzstan's First Female Ice Hockey Team
More than a dozen girls from a remote village in Kyrgyzstan are shattering gender stereotypes by taking to the ice as their nation's first all-female hockey team.
OTHER NEWS
Swiss Police Suspect Russian 'Plumbers' Of Spying In Davos
Police in Switzerland suspect a pair of Russians they investigated five months ago in Davos were Russian intelligence agents, a report by Swiss newspaper Tages-Anzeiger said on January 21. The Russian Embassy in Bern told the BBC that the newspaper was just trying to "whip out a scandal" on the eve of the annual World Economic Forum.
The Kremlin Releases Constitutional Amendments
On January 20, Russian President Vladimir Putin submitted a 29-page document of constitutional amendments to parliament. So what does it all mean? And what does it portend for Putin’s future -- and Russia’s?
Lavrov, Shoigu Among Key Ministers Staying In Russia's New Government
Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared the goals of his new government to be to “increase the welfare of our citizens and strengthen our statehood” and position in the world. His new cabinet includes Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, and Finance Minister Anton Siluanov. Energy Minister Aleksandr Novak, Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov, Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev, Emergency Situations Minister Yevgeny Zinichev, and Agriculture Minister Dmitry Patrushev will retain their posts, Perm Governor Maksim Reshetnikov has been named the new minister of economic development, and Konstantin Chuikchenko will replace Aleksandr Konovalov as justice minister.
Russian Federation Council Confirms Krasnov as Prosecutor General
Igor Krasnov has been approved as Russia’s prosecutor-general, replacing General Yury Chaika, who has been appointed presidential envoy to the North Caucasus Federal District. Krasnov was previously the deputy head of Russia’s Investigative Committee, helping to lead controversial investigations into the murders of lawyer Stanislav Markelov, Novaya Gazeta journalist Anastasia Baburova, and opposition leader Boris Nemtsov. (Russian Service)
Jehovah's Witness In Russia Gets Suspended Six-Year Prison Sentence
The Jehovah's Witnesses say a court in Russia's Far East has handed member Grigory Bubnov a suspended six-year prison sentence for “organizing the activities of a banned group" amid what activists call an escalating campaign of persecution of the religious group.
European Court Finds Russia Guilty Of Disappearances And Deaths Of 20 Caucasus Residents
The European Court of Human Rights has found Russian authorities responsible for the abduction and probable deaths of 20 residents of the North Caucasus republics of Chechnya, Ingushetia and Dagestan between 2000 - 2006, and for the failure to investigate these crimes. The court ordered that €1.6 million be paid to the families of the victims. (In Russian, Current Time TV)
Russian Republic’s Leader Accused Of Inciting Violence Against Journalists
Reporters Without Borders is calling for the leader of Russia's Republic of Chuvashia in the Volga region to be tried for inciting violence when he said journalists who constantly criticize the government should be "wiped out."
HRW Says Russia Trying To ‘Choke’ Information Flow From Occupied Crimea
Citing the example of a 34-year ban on entry to Crimea slapped on Ukrainian journalist and RFE/RL contributor Taras Ibragimov, Human Rights Watch has accused Russia of “trying to silence” the flow of information from the peninsula by banning Ukrainian journalists from traveling there.
Ukraine’s Hromadske TV To Take Ruling Over Ultraright 'Hate' Group to European Court
Hromadske TV, Ukraine's only nonprofit and independent television channel, intends to seek recourse with the European Court of Human Rights regarding a Ukrainian Supreme Court decision on January 21 ruling that by describing the C14 group as “neo-Nazi,” the channel had impugned its reputation.
Uzbek Blogger Says She Was Beaten, Threatened By Police Before Fleeing Country
Uzbek blogger Nafosat Olloshukurova told RFE/RL she was beaten, sexually harassed, and threatened with rape by police officers after she refused to give false evidence against opposition figures while in custody.
Tajik Authorities Grant Only Partial Accreditations To RFE/RL Journalists
Tajik authorities have again failed to fully grant the accreditation requests of RFE/RL journalists and staff members. The Foreign Ministry has been reluctant since late October to fully grant one-year accreditations to 18 RFE/RL journalists and staff members of RFE/RL’s Tajik Service, known locally as Radio Ozodi, whose credentials have been withheld by the ministry or expired on November 1.