SvobodaToday

VISUAL REPORTS

THE POWER VERTICAL: What's A Crime In Russia?

The Russian Orthodox church appears to be the final arbiter of Russian law.

Kazakhstan Jails Union Leader For Two Years

Amin Eleusinov was sentenced to two years in prison for insulting and assaulting an official, after crackdown on trade union in.

From Я to R: How To Change A Country's Alphabet -- And How Not To

Kazakhstan is planning to change its alphabet from a Cyrillic-based script to Latin. How do countries change their alphabets?

Refugees Find Friendship On A Belgrade Stage

Teenage refugees living in a camp in Serbia have found a new way to express themselves at a Belgrade theater.

OTHER NEWS

Gay-Rights Activists File ICC Genocide Complaint Over Abuses In Chechnya

LGBT activists in France say they have filed a complaint with the International Criminal Court accusing the leader of Chechnya of genocide following reports of the torture and killing of gay men in the southern Russian region.

Veteran State TV Journalist Asks: Can Atheism Get You Jailed In Russia?

After a blogger was convicted for playing Pokemon Go in a cathedral last week, that was the question one prominent journalist put to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

NATO Says Ukraine’s Russian Website Ban A Matter Of National Security

In response to a request for comment by Russia’s state news agency TASS, NATO’s press service in Brussels has stated that “Ukrainian authorities made it clear that this decision is a question of security, not free speech,” adding, “we believe in Ukraine's commitment to its international obligations and Ukraine’s current system of checks and balances. (Ukrainian Service)

Rights Group Criticizes Ukraine Ban Of Russian Web Sites

The international rights monitor Human Rights Watch has demanded that Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko reverse his order blocking Russian websites and social networks and comply with the country’s international commitments. (in Russian, Current Time TV)

EU Deal On Visa-Free Travel For Ukrainians To Be Signed

Representatives of the European Parliament and the European Council are due to sign a document in Strasbourg formalizing a long-awaited visa-liberalization deal with Ukraine.

Ukrainian Lawmakers Ban Ribbon Embraced As Patriotic Symbol In Russia

The Ukrainian parliament has approved legislation introducing fines and potential jail time for people who appear in public wearing a black-and-orange ribbon widely viewed a patriotic emblem in Russia, but which many Ukrainians see as a symbol of Russian aggression.

Belarusian Opposition Movement Gets Registered At Last

The Belarusian opposition movement Havary Pravdu (Tell the Truth) has been registered after seven years of unsuccessful attempts to gain official status.

Macedonian President Gives Zaev Mandate To Form Government

Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov has asked the leader of the Social Democrat party to form a government, potentially ending the longstanding political deadlock in the Balkan country.

Baku Decries Russian Court’s Closure Of Azerbaijani Diaspora Group

Azerbaijani officials and legislators on May 16 decried a decision by Russia's Supreme Court to shut down a group representing more than 2 million Azerbaijanis living in Russia.

Kazakh Journalist Accuses Authorities Of Involvement In Stabbing

A Kazakh journalist and civic activist has accused authorities of involvement in his stabbing as he was traveling to meet European officials to discuss media freedoms.

Strawberry Ice Cream Poisons Hundreds In Uzbekistan

A bad batch of strawberry ice cream has put nearly 200 people in the hospital in Uzbekistan's eastern Andijon region.

What We Know About The 'Ransomware' Attack

Vladimir Bizik, an analyst for the European Values think tank in Prague, spoke with RFE/RL about the ongoing WannaCry "ransomware" cyberattack.

COMMENTARY: Historian Describes Soviet Prisoner Camps As ‘GULAG Lite’

World War II historian Alexander Kuzminykh says that the camps for foreign war prisoners (GUPVI) had already been created in 1939, despite Soviet declarations that the USSR was not yet a participant in the war. Kuzminykh says the GUPVI archipelago was an “export model” of the GULAG archipelago intended to create "bacilli of communism" and indoctrinate prisoners of war to help construct Soviet socialism in Eastern Europe.” (Russian Service)

FURTHER AFIELD: Rohani Scorecard: Did Iran’s President Deliver?