VISUAL REPORTS
Court Sentences Russian Opposition Figures Over May Day March
A Russian court has issued 10-day jail sentences against Aleksandr Shurshev, coordinator of opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s St. Petersburg office, and Andrei Pivovarov, head of the Open Russia civic movement, for organizing what the court ruled was an unauthorized May Day protest.
Kazakh Protesters Call For Presidential Election Boycott
Dozens of protesters were detained across Kazakhstan as several hundred people took to the streets to call for the release of political prisoners and a boycott of the June 9 presidential election. RFE/RL journalists covering the protests were subject to vandalism and held for questioning.
Shipyard Opera Enlivens Ukrainian Port
The Ukrainian port of Mariupol has hosted an arts festival, [Startup] Gogolfest, meant to breathe new life into a city shaken by conflict in recent years.
Early Marriage Means No School For Armenia's Yazidi Girls
Twelve years' education is mandatory in Armenia, but for young Yazidi girls, it continues to be a dream. Many of them are forced to get married at the age of 15 or 16, once they're considered "tall enough."
How A Russian Student Saved 'The House With The Lion'
A student from St. Petersburg has saved a crumbling wooden house in Russia's Saratov region that was slated for demolition -- and with it, a set of unique murals by members of the Old Believers sect.
OTHER NEWS
Russian 'Sovereign Internet' Law Approved
Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed into law a new measure that aims to expand government control over the Internet. Critics have warned that the new law will lead to increased censorship and surveillance.
Putin Signs Order Widening Eligibility For Russian Passports
A new presidential order will fast-track passports and citizenship for people in Ukraine and Soviet-era deportees. It follows a decree last week that made it easier for thousands of people living in war-torn eastern Ukraine to obtain Russian passports -- an announcement that was mocked by Ukraine's new president.
Russian Ambassador To Belarus Dismissed
Russian President Vladimir Putin has issued a decree sacking Mikhail Babich as Moscow's ambassador to Belarus. Dmitry Mezentsev has been appointed the new ambassador in Minsk.
Butina Calls 18-Month Sentence 'Disgrace'
Speaking from a U.S. jail by phone to Russian reporters on April 30, Maria Butina, who pleaded guilty to not registering as an agent for the Russian government while in the United States, has blasted the U.S. judicial system, calling her 18-month prison sentence "absolutely absurd" and a "disgrace."
Journalist In Chechnya Released From Prison
Zhalaudi Geriyev, a former correspondent in Chechnya for the website Caucasian Knot, has been released from prison after serving a three-year term for illegal drug possession -- a charge he has denied since his arrest.
Polish Leader Says Central European EU Members Seek Less Integration In Bloc
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has said that nations in Central Europe that have joined the European Union over the past 15 years want the bloc to hand more power back to individual countries. At an EU summit in Warsaw on May 1, he said that "where it doesn't have to, the European Union should leave member countries to their own competences.”
For Clues To How Well Kazakhstan Is Managing Wages, Just Ask Its Civil Servants
In more than a decade of work at a government agency in southern Kazakhstan, Nurzhan Sadirbekuly, a 36-year-old father of two, says he has seen colleagues try just about anything to make ends meet.
Tajikistan Repatriates Dozens Of Islamic State Children
Tajikistan has repatriated 84 minors from Iraq, where their Tajik mothers have been imprisoned under charges of belonging to the extremist group Islamic state or are awaiting trial.
Report Documents 270 Political Prisoners In Russia
A new report based in part on research provided by the Russian rights group Memorial documents more than 278 people in Russia who are political prisoners. The number is attributable to the "ever-increasing array of laws specifically designed to criminalize acts of everyday life," and according to a Memorial representative, continues to increase every day.
EXPLAINER: Venezuela Convulses And Russia Frets: What Does Moscow Stand To Lose If The Maduro Government Falls?
MAJLIS PODCAST: Is Central Asia Legislatively Prepared to Meet The Future?