VISUAL REPORTS
Magnitsky's Legacy: New Tools To Support Human Rights In Russia And Beyond
Ten years ago, a little-known Russian lawyer working for a Western financial firm died in custody in Moscow. Sergei Magnitsky's name is now enshrined in human rights laws in the United States and around the world.
A Woman's Heartbreak Over Brother On Death Row In Belarus
The sister of a convicted Belarusian murderer has told RFE/RL of her heartbreak after the country's Supreme Court upheld Viktar Paulau's death sentence for the killing of two elderly women. Paulau is one of three men sentenced to death this year in Belarus, which is the only European country still using capital punishment.
Sirens Blare In Georgian Parliament After Key Opposition Demand Is Rejected
Members of Georgia's parliament blasted sirens at their rivals in a show of opposition after the chamber failed to pass a constitutional amendment on a transition to a proportional electoral system. Outside the parliament, there were scuffles with police as demonstrators vented their anger over the outcome of the vote.
Back In The GDR: How 1989 Influenced Vladimir Putin
Thirty years ago this November, a young KGB officer, Vladimir Putin, witnessed firsthand the mass demonstrations that helped end East Germany's authoritarian system of government. Current Time reports from Dresden, the eastern German city where Putin worked from 1985 until 1990.
OTHER NEWS
Ukraine's Chief Prosecutor Confirms Burisma Prosecutor Fired
Ukrainian Prosecutor-General Ruslan Ryaboshapka has confirmed to Current Time that the prosecutor who led investigations into the Ukrainian energy company Burisma will be fired.
Putin Hopes To Meet Trump At Moscow's Victory Day Celebrations
Russian President Vladimir Putin says he currently has no plans to meet Donald Trump, but that he hoped the U.S. president would come to Russia next year to mark Victory Day on May 9, calling it " the right and correct step."
MH17 Airline Crash Investigators Release New Russia-Linked Intercepts
The Dutch-led team investigating the 2014 downing of the Malaysia Airlines jet over Ukraine has released new phone intercepts, saying they show ties between Russian military and political officials and separatists in eastern Ukraine were much closer than previously known.
U.N. Releases Latest Number Of Casualties In Ukraine - Russia Fighting
In response to an inquiry from RFE/RL, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has documented a total of 41,000 - 44,000 casualties, including both dead and wounded, during the period March 2014 - October 31, 2019. Among them, 9,750 are combatants who took part in armed military operations on both sides of the conflict. (Russian Service)
For Beleaguered Belarusian Opposition, Elections Are Not About Winning
Looking out at the rows of empty seats in an auditorium at a meet-the-candidate event in Minsk, Ihar Barysau, a chairman of the opposition Belarusian Social-Democratic party, said that government policies have sapped the populace of any enthusiasm for the electoral process, even though the authorities desire the veneer of legitimacy provided by high voter turnouts.
Czechs Summon Russian Ambassador Over Blacklisting Of NGO
The Czech Foreign Ministry has summoned Russia’s envoy in Prague and voiced “concern” after Moscow designated People In Need, a Czech nongovernmental organization, a "undesirable" organization in Russia.
Germany Repatriates Dozens Of Azerbaijani Nationals Amid Alleged Roundup
Germany has sent home dozens of Azerbaijani citizens amid reports about police raids to locate possible illegal immigrants. Azerbaijan said on November 15 that 61 Azerbaijani citizens were brought to Baku from Germany aboard a charter flight a day earlier.
Thousands Protest In Tbilisi After Parliament Rejects Electoral Reform
Thousands of people have gathered in the center of the Georgian capital to protest parliament’s rejection of a constitutional amendment providing for a proportional electoral system, a reform that protesters demanded this summer.
Armenia Investigating Illegal Adoptions
Armenian authorities say they have launched a criminal investigation into "numerous" cases of foreigners illegally adopting Armenian children. The National Security Service said that two citizens of Armenia are implicated in organizing “the adoption of more than 30 babies by citizens of Italy” in violation of Armenian law.
Pashinian Wades Into Transgender Debate
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has thrown his support behind one of his ministers in an ongoing debate about government funding for a documentary about an Armenian athlete who changed her gender to become a man.
Lithuania Pardons Russians Jailed For Spying
Lithuania's president has pardoned two Russians jailed by Vilnius for espionage, in a gesture that Moscow said it will respond to in kind. Nikolai Filipchenko and Sergei Moiseyenko, who were sentenced by Lithuanian courts in 2017, could reportedly be exchanged for Lithuanian citizens Yevgeny Mataitis and Aristidas Tamosaitis, who were convicted of spying in Russia in 2016.
IRAN: For First Time, Iranian Arrested For Involvement In 1988 Mass Execution Of Political Prisoners
PRESSROOM: PEN America, Ukrainian Center For Civil Liberties Mark Solidarity Day With Stanislav Aseyev
PEN America is convening an “empty chair” demonstration at the Russian Consulate in New York on November 15 to press for the immediate release of RFE/RL reporter Stanislav Aseyev, detained by Russia-backed separatists in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region since 2017. PEN’s Ukrainian Center and the Kyiv based Center for Civil Liberties are co-organizing a related event in Kyiv.
PRESSROOM: EXCERPTS From Stanislav Aseyev’s Reporting From The Conflict Zone