VISUAL REPORTS
Kyrgyz Demonstrate Over Report Of Massive Corruption In Customs Service
Protesters gathered outside the parliament building in the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek, demanding the arrest of Raimbek Matraimov, a former customs official implicated in an RFE/RL investigation of a $700 million smuggling ring.
Ukraine’s Compost Kids Are On A Mission
Two Ukrainian teenagers have turned their small environmental project into a nationwide campaign, showing kids and schools how to reduce waste and start composting.
How One Singer Is Taking On Censorship In Uzbekistan
The latest music video by popular Uzbek singer Lola Yuldosheva has been hailed by many critics and fans as “revolutionary” for criticizing censorship in her native Uzbekistan.
Videos Emerge From Iran
Despite an internet blackout, RFE/RL’s Radio Farda has received videos from Iran depicting strife in the cities of Kermanshah, Tabriz, Isfahan, and Zanjan. The date of the footage cannot be confirmed.
OTHER NEWS
U.S. Ambassador-Nominee To Russia Meets Lavrov, Sets Terms For Improved Ties
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan, who has been nominated to become Washington’s next ambassador to Moscow, has told Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov that an improvement in bilateral ties depends on Moscow’s “disavowal of efforts to undermine our democratic processes” and a commitment to peace efforts in Ukraine.
Federation Council Adopts ‘Foreign Agent’ Law For Individual Journalists
Russia’s Federation Council, the parliament’s upper chamber, has adopted a law authorizing individual reporters who work for organizations listed as “foreign agents” to be designated as “foreign agents” themselves. Chairman of the Federation Council Valentina Matvienko said that the upper chamber of parliament will monitor the application of the law, and, if necessary, will amend it. (Russian Service)
Putin Tells Party Congress Not To Fear 'Responsibility'
Russian President Vladimir Putin told a congress of the ruling United Russia on November 23 that the party has prospered by prioritizing "citizens' interests [and] the interests of our Motherland." With elections one year away, polls show the party reeling from unpopular pension reforms, controversial local elections, and notable election defeats.
Russian Justice Ministry Files To Suspend Civil Initiative Party
Russia’s Justice Ministry has filed a lawsuit to suspend the activities of Civil Initiative, the party that nominated TV presenter Ksenia Sobchak for the Russian presidency in 2017 and opposition leader Dmitry Gudkov for Moscow mayor in 2018. The trial is scheduled for January 14. (Russian Service)
Moscow Women's Group Permitted To Rally To Condemn Domestic Violence
A Russian women’s rights group, SotsFem Alternativa, says that local authorities have granted it permission to assemble up to 200 people in central Moscow for three hours beginning at 6 p.m. local time to commemorate the UN’s international day for the elimination of violence against women on November 25.
Ukraine Soccer Association Seeks Probe Into Alleged Massive Misappropriation Of UEFA Funds
Ukrainian soccer's governing body has called on law enforcement agencies to investigate its former president, Hryhoriy Surkis, who is now a lawmaker, on suspicion of embezzling up to 380 million euros ($418 million).
Former Local ‘DPR’ Official Was Ukrainian Intelligence Agent
Ukrainian media reports that intelligence officer Eduard Matyukha worked undercover for more than five years for Ukraine’s Defense Ministry in the country’s separatist-controlled eastern regions, including serving as the “people’s mayor” of the mining town of Horlivka, and as first secretary of the city committee of the Communist Party of the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic. (Current Time TV)
Zelenskiy Says Ukraine ‘Will Never Forget Nor Forgive’ Holodomor
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy attended a ceremony in Kyiv on November 23 marking the 86th anniversary of the Holodomor, or famine, engineered under Soviet leader Josef Stalin in the early 1930s, in which between 3 and 7 million people died.
Iohannis, Victorious, Pledges To Build ‘Modern, European’ Romania
Romania's pro-Western President Klaus Iohannis has won a second term by a landslide, confirming the pro-European trajectory of the eastern EU member state with a pledge to turn the country into "a modern, European" country.
Macedonian PM Hopeful EU's 'Historic Mistake' Can Be Rectified
North Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev says he is aware of the deep public disappointment over the European Union's failure to open membership negotiations with Skopje despite a landmark agreement with Greece, but voiced hope that the "historic mistake" will be rectified.
Georgia's Ruling Party Rejects Proportional Representation, Despite Protests
The ruling Georgian Dream party has refused to change the country’s electoral framework from a mixed system to a proportional one despite violent opposition protests, declaring on November 25 that "the issue is closed.”
In Turkmenistan, Opera Stages Comeback After 19 Years
With a staging of Ruggero Leoncavallo's Pagliacci, opera has returned to Turkmenistan after nearly 19 years of being banned along with ballet as "incompatible with Turkmen mentality."
PRESSROOM: Reuters, NYT Report On Demonstrations In Kyrgyzstan Following RFE/RL Investigation Of $700 Smuggling Ring