INFOGRAPHIC: The Terror List
VISUAL REPORTS
Theatergoers Greet Russian Director After Release From House Arrest
Russian theater and film director Kirill Serebrennikov, who spent nearly 20 months under house arrest in a case he says is politically motivated, showed up at a theater performance in Moscow of one of his plays after being released from house arrest on April 8.
Belarus: Europe's Last Executioner
A new report by Amnesty International finds that the number of known judicial executions around the world declined by nearly one-third in 2018 compared to 2017, reaching the lowest level in at least a decade. Belarus is the last country in Europe to exercise the death penalty, having carried out about 300 death sentences since 1991.
Rival Supporters Clash Ahead Of Ukraine's Election
Supporters of rival candidates in Ukraine's presidential election clashed briefly in Kyiv on April 9. At least two people were detained.
Georgia Honors Victims Of Soviet-Era Massacre
People came to light candles and lay flowers in the center of Tbilisi to mark the 30th anniversary of anti-Soviet demonstrations that were later seen as a turning point in the collapse of the U.S.S.R.
Shot Or Thrown Away: Stray Dogs In Central Asia Face Brutal Treatment
In Turkmenistan, a witness filmed city workers throwing dogs into a garbage truck. In Kyrgyzstan, gunmen were seen shooting strays in broad daylight near a children's playground. Across Central Asia, animal rights activists are pushing for laws banning cruelty toward stray animals.
OTHER NEWS
Russian Investigators Seek House Arrest For U.S. Investor Calvey
Russian investigators are calling for jailed U.S. investor Michael Calvey to be released from pretrial detention and placed under house arrest.
Putin Announces Dramatic Upgrade Of Russian Arctic Presence
President Vladimir Putin told the International Arctic Forum in St. Petersburg on April 9 that Russia will build new ports and other facilities and expand its fleet of icebreaker vessels in the region, potentially quadrupling the level of cargo shipments across the Arctic sea route.
Russian S-400 Delivery May Be Accelerated
Speaking to journalists on April 10 on his plane following a trip to Russia, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Russian air-defense missile systems could be delivered earlier than initially planned, standing by a purchase that has put the NATO member at odds with Washington.
Moscow Renews Interpol Request For Browder Arrest
Russia, for the seventh time, has requested the international law enforcement agency Interpol to arrest British businessman Bill Browder, who was convicted in Russia in absentia of financial crimes. Browder insists he is being persecuted for revealing corruption schemes in the country. (Russian service)
Russia Demands 14-Year Sentence In Norwegian Espionage Case
Russian prosecutors have demanded a 14-year prison sentence for Norwegian citizen Frode Berg, who is accused by Moscow of spying on its nuclear submarines. A verdict in the espionage case is expected on April 16.
St. Petersburg Court Rules Transgender Woman Was Fired Illegally
In a decision hailed as the first of its kind in Russia, a St. Petersburg court has ruled that a printing house illegally fired a transgender woman who had worked there for years as a man.
Ukrainian Activist Placed In Solitary Confinement In Russian Prison
Volodymyr Balukh, a 48-year-old Ukrainian activist from Russia-annexed Crimea convicted on a weapons-and-explosives possession charge in August 2017, has been placed in solitary confinement. He is serving a five-year term in a penal colony in the western Russian town of Torzhok in a case he says is politically motivated..
Czech Court Rules Extradition Of Russian Hacker Nikulin Illegal
The Constitutional Court of the Czech Republic has overturned a ruling to extradite Russian citizen Yevgeny Nikulin to the U.S. on charges of hacking, finding that Nikulin’s rights were violated on procedural grounds. However, Nikulin is already in detention in the U.S. awaiting trial, having been immediately extradited there after the original decision. (Russian Service)
Bosnian Bickering Leads To Suspension From Council Of Europe Assembly
Bosnian officials' failure to agree on arrangements for certain public institutions has cost the country its place in the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly, highlighting how the lack of a fully functional government is damaging its drive toward the European Union.
Tajikistan Sentences Former IRPT Member To 15 Years In Prison
A court in Tajikistan has sentenced Naimjon Samiev, a former member of the banned Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan, to 15 years in prison after a controversial extremism trial. Samiev returned last year from Russia to Tajikistan under murky circumstances, with rights activists saying he was forcibly sent back by Russian authorities.
IRAN: IRGC’s ‘Terrorist’ Designation Raises Stakes For U.S. Over Iran
PRESSROOM: Georgian Ambassador to the U.S. David Bakradze Remembers the Soviet Massacre In Georgia, and RFE/RL