LIVE STREAM: On Aseyev’s Birthday, Calls Intensify For His Release
Numerous dignitaries, media advocates, and journalists gathered in Kyiv today to mark the 30th birthday of RFE/RL Ukrainian Service contributor Stanislav Aseyev, the third birthday he has spent as a prisoner held incommunicado by Russia-backed separatists in Donetsk.
VISUAL REPORTS
Zelenskiy Spokeswoman Decried For Mistreating RFE/RL Journalists
The National Union of Journalists of Ukraine has demanded an apology from the presidential office and, in particular, its spokeswoman Yulia Mendel, who has been shown this month shoving or pulling aside journalists who approach President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. In video taken on September 13, Mendel shoved aside RFE/RL Kyiv correspondent Christopher Miller when he started talking to Zelenskiy at a prestigious yearly conference in Kyiv devoted to Ukraine’s European aspirations and prospects.
Taxi Protest Against Uber-Type Apps Snarls Belgrade Traffic
Taxi drivers blocked traffic in front of Serbian government headquarters to protest the impact of ride-sharing services on their business on September 30. The drivers said they would repeat the protest each afternoon for two hours unless the government blocks the use of ride-sharing apps.
Domestic Violence Widespread In Tajikistan; Abuse Is Not A Crime
Ruyo, a 23-year-old victim of domestic abuse in Tajikistan, says her unemployed husband beat her often at their home in Dushanbe. “He would spend all his money on alcohol and take his anger out on me,” Ruyo told RFE/RL.
PHOTOGALLERY: The Berlin Airlift 70 Years On
The end of the Berlin Airlift on September 30, 1949, marked a stunning, early victory in the Cold War.
OTHER NEWS
U.S. Targets Prigozhin, Russian Troll Farm With New Sanctions
Washington announced on September 30 that new sanctions have been imposed on several entities and people associated with the Internet Research Agency and its financier, Yevgeny Prigozhin, in connection with Russian interference in U.S. elections.
Putin Pledges Continued Support For Georgia's Breakaway Region
President Vladimir Putin has pledged Russia's continued support for the separatist government of Georgia's breakaway region of Abkhazia. The Kremlin’s assurances were expressed in a telegram to Abkhazia's separatist leader, Raul Khajimba, on September 30, the day the region marks its independence.
Moscow Protester Ustinov Released From Prison Under Suspended Sentence
The Moscow City Court has reduced actor Pavel Ustinov’s 3 1/2-year prison sentence amid an outcry over punishments meted out to participants in pro-democracy rallies this summer.
Kalmyks Demand Removal Of Ex-Separatist Ukrainian Mayor
Protesters in Elista, the capital of Russia's southwestern region of Kalmykia, have given authorities an October 1 deadline to remove acting city mayor Dmitry Trapeznikov, who is a former leader of Kremlin-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine.
Russia’s Labor Migrants Generate Billions For CIS Countries
Russia’s Central bank has calculated that over $5.7 billion has been transferred by individuals in Russia, most labor migrants, to CIS countries in the first half of 2019. The transfers include over $2 billion to Uzbekistan, whose GDP for the period amounted to $23.6 billion; and $1.1 billion to Tajikistan. (in Russian, Current Time TV)
Ukraine's New Government Unveils Ambitious Five-Year Plan
Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk has announced a bold five-year action plan for Ukraine that sets development of human capital and the economy, defense, quality of life, and European integration as priorities for his "technocratic government."
Zelenskiy Dismisses Senior Ukrainian Security Official
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has dismissed the secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, Oleksandr Danylyuk. Danylyuk had offered to resign before Zelenskiy traveled to the United States last week to attend the UN General Assembly in New York. No reason for the departure was given.
Ethnic Poles In Belarus Gear Up For Census
Poles in Belarus are gearing up to be literally counted in an upcoming nationwide census, hoping bigger numbers will translate into political power. Previous census data shows that between 1999 and 2009, the number of persons identifying themselves as ethnic Poles dropped from 400,000 to 300,000.
Hungarian, Romanian Candidates For EU Executive Jobs Rejected Again
A European Parliament committee has rejected the candidates for the new European Commission put forward by Hungary and Romania for a second time, declaring the two unfit to take office due to conflicts of interest.
Bosnia's Journalists Demand Protection After Attack On Radio Station
Dozens of journalists have marched through Bosnia-Herzegovina's capital to protest violence against media workers, after suspected soccer fans broke into a radio station in Sarajevo and forced staff to withdraw a news item from its website.
Balkan Youth Group, Uyghur Activist Share Havel Prize
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe says it has awarded the 2019 Vaclav Havel Human Rights Prize jointly to Uyghur scholar and rights activist Ilham Tohti and the Balkan-based Youth Initiative for Human Rights for their “message of hope.”
Attack Of The GONGOs: Government-Organized NGOs Flood Warsaw Meeting
From Ukraine's Russian-occupied territory of Crimea to Central Asia, repressive regimes in former Soviet republics have been setting up fake nongovernmental organizations -- so-called GONGOs -- to try to influence the international debate about their poor human rights records.
MAJLIS PODCAST: Demonstrations Against Chinese Influence Continue In Kazakhstan
AFGHANISTAN: 5 Takeaways From Afghanistan’s Presidential Poll
IRAN: Iran Begins To Acknowledge Its Forgotten Women Of War
PRESSROOM: RFE/RL Schemes Team Investigates Ukrainian Presidential Administration Chief Andriy Bohdan And His Views Toward Russia
PRESSROOM: HRW Demands ‘Thorough’ Investigation Of Attack On RFE/RL Kyrgyz Correspondent