VISUAL REPORTS
Belarus: Postelection Timeline Of The Crisis
Some of the key events that have followed the contested reelection of longtime Belarusian President Alayksandr Lukashnka.
'People Should Be Held Responsible': Mother Of Deceased Belarusian Detainee Demands Criminal Inquiry
The mother of a Belarusian man who died after being detained by security officials is demanding a criminal inquiry into his death. His mother says he took no part in recent protests and was going to see his girlfriend when he was bundled into a vehicle.
How Lukashenka Has Wrestled For Control In The Belarusian City Of Hrodna
The western city of Hrodna has been a microcosm of the political crisis that has engulfed Belarus after protests erupted over a presidential election widely seen as rigged.
Anti-Government Protests Greet Returning Lawmakers In Bulgaria
Thousands of people gathered into the evening outside Bulgaria's parliament on a day that saw violent clashes and one of the biggest turnouts in nearly two months of anti-government rallies as lawmakers returned from the summer recess on September 2. The Bulgarian government has resisted calls to resign.
TOP NEWS
Belarusian Journalists Face Trial Amid Crackdown On Postelection Protests
Six Belarusian journalists who were detained earlier this week while covering an anti-government protest are set to go on trial in Minsk on September 4 as the authorities continue their crackdown on dissent. Among the witnesses are riot policemen who attended the protest in civilian clothes, and who have appeared in court wearing balaclavas. Their names have not been released. RFE/RL’s Belarus Service is reporting here.
Belarus Hackers Post War Crimes Accusations On Interior Ministry Website
Unknown persons reportedly hacked the website of Belarus’s Interior Ministry on September 3, posting messages accusing President Alyaksandr Lukashenka and Interior Minister Yuri Karaev of “war crimes against the Belarusian people” and “usurping power.” The website was subsequently inaccessible in Belarus. (in Russian, Current Time TV)
NATO To Discuss Navalny Poisoning As EU Considers Russia Response
Members of the NATO defense alliance will hold a special session on September 4 to discuss the poisoning of Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny with a military-grade nerve agent. Germany on September 2 said that toxicology tests provided "unequivocal evidence" that Navalny had been poisoned with a Novichok nerve agent.
Russia’s Liberal Opposition Determined To Keep Fighting During Navalny’s Absence
Russia’s opposition is contemplating next steps as leading figure and galvanizer Alexei Navalny remains in an induced coma after having been poisoned on August 20. But his smart-voting project is already well developed and shows encouraging signs of success, and other initiatives are strong. One observer remarked on his talent as a political manager, and said, "I don't think that even this extremely difficult situation will lead to the destruction of this unique network."
Russian Blogger, Activist Zhukov Says Attack Was Politically Motivated
Prominent Russian blogger and activist Yegor Zhukov, who was severely beaten by unknown assailants on August 30, said on Facebook that the attack and a previous one were “about politics for sure. [It is] an example of real Russian politics in the year of 2020." Moscow police said on August 31 that an investigation into the attack had been launched.
Prosecutor Seeks 11 Years For Russian Actor And Kremlin Critic For Deadly Accident
The prosecutor in the high-profile trial of Russian actor Mikhail Yefremov, an outspoken Kremlin critic who is charged with killing a person while driving under the influence of alcohol, has asked the court to sentence him to 11 years in prison. On September 3, Yefremov pleaded guilty.
Paval Latushka: Belarusian Diplomat Turned Protester
Paval Latushka, a diplomat, veteran politician and civil servant, told RFE/RL that seeing protesters emerge from prison covered in bruises had convinced him to follow actors and staff at the Janka Kupala National Theater where he has been working and join the protests. On August 17 he was fired -- and shortly afterwards, the 47-year-old joined the opposition Coordination Council, which was set up a day later with a stated goal of ensuring a peaceful resolution to the crisis in Belarus.
Kadyrov Appoints Daughter First Deputy Culture Minister
Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov has appointed his 21 year-old daughter as first deputy culture minister.
Ukraine’s Medvedchuk Family Petroleum Plant Sells Products To The U.S. Despite Sanctions
Schemes, the investigative journalism program of RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service and Ukraine’s public Channel 1, reports that a petroleum plant belonging to the family of Viktor Medvedchuk, a Ukrainian oligarch with close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, is selling petroleum products to the U.S. despite sanctions imposed against him in 2014. The Novoshakhtinsky Petroleum Products Plant is based in Rostov, Russia and is registered to Medvedchuk’s wife. Oil products from the plant are transported by the Russian company Rosewood Shipping to a port in Houston, Texas. ExxonMobil Sales and Supply LLC has received at least six shipments in 2020. (Skhemy, Ukrainian Service)
Azerbaijani Opposition Politician Convicted On 'Hooliganism' Charge
Tofiq Yaqublu, the deputy chairman of the opposition Musavat Party and a senior politician in the Azerbaijani National Council of Democratic Forces, has been sentenced to more than four years in prison on a hooliganism charge that he and his supporters say is "bogus." He has reportedly declared a hunger strike to protest his imprisonment.
Serbia, Kosovo Leaders Make 'Progress' In First Day of White House Talks
Kosovar Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti says his meeting with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic at the White House was a "big step" toward concluding a bilateral agreement. But Vucic objected to what he said was Kosovo's effort to force Serbia to recognize the independence of its former territory,
Bulgarian Survivor Of Suspected Russian Poison Attack Decries Suspended Probe
Bulgarian arms dealer Emilian Gebrev fell into a coma in Sofia in April 2015 after someone smeared the door handles of his car with a substance similar to the nerve agent Novichok. Bulgarian officials eventually charged three Russian agents in absentia with attempted murder, but amid the international furor over the recent poisoning in Russia of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, Bulgarian Prosecutor-General Ivan Geshev has suddenly ordered the suspension of Sofia’s probe.
Kazakh Officials, Family Members To Be Barred From Having Bank Accounts Abroad
Kazakhstan's government has announced that officials and members of their families will be barred from having bank accounts abroad amid growing public frustration over corruption following several scandals that have shed light on the enormity of their unexplained offshore wealth.
Kyrgyzstan Registers 15 Parties For October Parliamentary Elections
Kyrgyzstan’s parliamentary election campaign has begun, with 15 political parties currently registered to contest 120 seats in the Jogorku Kenesh, or the Supreme Council on October 4. Reports of vote-buying and criminal financing have cast a shadow over the campaign.
China, Russia Deepen Ties Amid Pandemic, Conflicts With The West
Russia has begun work on one of the world’s largest polymer plants, an $11 billion project that will boost trade between China and Russia and expand their bilateral relations as the two countries forge an economic and political partnership after decades of rivalry.
WATCH: September 8: China in Central Asia: COVID-19 and Beyond:
A joint Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and RFE/RL event, with RFE/RL contributor Reid Standish.