VISUAL REPORTS
Prominent Uzbek Rights Activist Ends More Than 10 Years In Exile
Tolib Yoqubov, a prominent Uzbek human rights activist and outspoken critic of late President Islam Karimov, has returned to Uzbekistan after spending more than a decade in exile in France.
Duma Accepts Compromise And Approves Russian Retirement-Age Hike
In a vote of 326-59, deputies in the Russian State Duma have approved an unpopular Kremlin-backed bill in its second reading to raise the retirement age, with a final vote expected today.
Jeff Monson -- The Russian Deputy
Former American mixed martial arts fighter Jeff Monson was granted Russian citizenship in May, and in September became a city councilman in Krasnogorsk, a small town outside of Moscow, running on a United Russia Party ticket. (Ukrainian Service Facebook)
OTHER NEWS
Activist Verzilov ‘Convinced’ He Was Poisoned
Russian dissident activist Pyotr Verzilov, who was discharged from a German hospital this week after making significant progress in his recovery, says he is "convinced" he was poisoned by Russia's intelligence services.
Salisbury Poisoning Suspect Named As Russian Colonel
The real identity of one of the two Russians blamed by Britain for the Salisbury nerve-agent attack on former Russian spy Sergei Skripal is Anatoly Chepiga, the investigative website Bellingcat says, adding that he was a decorated Russian colonel.
EU Envoys 'Agree Sanctions Regime' For Chemical Attacks
Meeting in Brussels on September 26, European Union ambassadors agreed to a new mechanism to sanction people anywhere in the world blamed for using chemical weapons.
Monitors Report Voter Suppression Campaign In Macedonia
A pro-democracy group says it has uncovered an extensive online effort to suppress voter turnout for a critical referendum in Macedonia on changing its name to accelerate its bid to join NATO and the European Union. The Transatlantic Commission on Election Integrity said the effort appeared aimed at defeating the September 30 referendum.
Poroshenko Calls On UN To Stop Russian Aggression In Ukraine
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has called on other countries to help stop Russian aggression in his country, saying that combating such "expansionism" is part of the United Nations' mission.
In Letter, Sentsov Says ‘Nothing Is Eternal, Even The Bad Stuff’
Imprisoned Ukrainian filmmaker Oleh Sentsov, who is reported to be in critical condition, has written a letter to Russian human rights defender Zoya Svetova, which she has posted on Facebook. Sentsov, who has been waging a hunger strike for 138 days on behalf of Ukrainian political prisoners, wrote that he is not morally broken. He thanked his supporters and other Ukrainian political prisoners, and wrote, “I believe in the good outcome of this whole story, in spite of everything.” (Russian Service)
European Court Registers Complaint In Case Of Crimean Journalist Mykola Semena
The European Court of Human Rights on September 24 acknowledged receipt of a complaint registered on behalf of Crimean journalist Mykola Semena, who was convicted by a Russian court last year on separatism-related charges. The complaint asserts that three articles of the European Convention have been violated in Semena’s case: article 6, guaranteeing a fair trial; article 8, guaranteeing respect for private life; and article 10, guaranteeing freedom of speech and the right to disseminate information. (Crimea Realities website)
Slovakia Detains Suspects In Slain Journalist Case
Police in Slovakia have detained suspects in connection with the killings of an investigative journalist and his fiancee seven months ago, local media report.
Fearing New U.S. Sanctions, Russia Shifts To Importing Euros
Against the backdrop of new sanctions, Russia has imported a record amount of Euros, while reducing its dependence on U.S. dollars. Russia’s Central Bank reports that more than €1.7billion euros were transferred to the country’s banks since July, while less than half that amount, or $900 million, was received in dollars. (Russian Service)
Moscow Student Goes From Algebra Class To Interrogation
On September 19, 17-year-old Kamilla Yarycheva was pulled out of algebra class and summoned to the school director's office. There, a man with a pouch attached to his belt that was "the size of a pistol" presented her with a thick folder -- "the size of both volumes of War And Peace" -- filled with screenshots from videos taken at an unsanctioned protest in Moscow against the government's controversial proposal to raise the retirement age.
Tension In North Caucasus As Chechen, Ingushetian Leaders Sign Border Deal
Police in Russia's Ingushetia region have detained several protesters demonstrating against what they say is the unfair handover of parts of Ingushetia to neighboring Chechnya under a controversial deal establishing the border between the two North Caucasus republics.
FURTHER AFIELD: ‘Criminalizing Journalism’: Arrest Warrant Issued For Pakistani Journalist
PRESSROOM: Radio Farda Interview With Israeli Defense Minister Sets Precedent