Radio Free Europe
RFE/RL journalists report the news in 22 countries where a free press is banned by the government or not fully established, including Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Russia.
Two Russian Citizens Of Tajik Origin Forcibly Taken From Moscow To Tajikistan, Relatives Say.
Ramzi Vazirbekov and Oraz Vazirbekov appeared in a Tajik news YouTube video on July 30, the day after they had disappeared in Moscow. (video grab)
Relatives of two Tajik activists who have resided in Russia for years and are Russian citizens say they were forcibly taken to Tajikistan, where they may face illegal incarceration and arbitrary trials amid an ongoing crackdown on activists from the remote Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO).
Oraz Vazirbekov and Ramzi Vazirbekov, who are not related, went missing in Moscow on July 29. A day later, the Bekhdosht TV YouTube channel showed the two GBAO natives saying they had decided to go to Tajikistan of their own free will.
On August 1, the men's relatives told RFE/RL that the video was most likely made under duress as the men had warned earlier that if they turned up in Tajikistan it would mean they had been kidnapped and brought to their former homeland under duress.
Deep tensions between the Tajik government and residents of the volatile GBAO have simmered since a five-year civil war broke out shortly after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Protests are rare in the tightly controlled nation of 9.5 million where President Emomali Rahmon has ruled with an iron fist for nearly three decades.
The latest crackdown on activists in GBAO followed protests initially sparked in mid-May by anger over the lack of an investigation into the 2021 death of an activist while in police custody and the refusal by regional authorities to consider the resignation of regional Governor Alisher Mirzonabot and Khorugh Mayor Rizo Nazarzoda.
The rallies intensified after one of the protesters, 29-year-old Zamir Nazrishoev, was killed by police on May 16, prompting the authorities to launch what they called an counterterrorist operation.
The escalating violence in the region has sparked a call for restraint from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Western diplomatic missions in Tajikistan, and human rights groups.
Gordo-Badakhshan, a linguistically and ethnically distinct region, has been home to rebels who opposed government forces during the conflict in the 1990s.
While it occupies almost half of the country's territory, its population is a mere 250,000. The region's mountainous terrain makes travel difficult while its economy suffers from unemployment, difficult living conditions, and high food prices.
Srebrenica Genocide Must Be Condemned, Denial Banned, 2 Members Of Bosnian Presidency Tell UN.
The 1995 genocide in Srebrenica must be globally condemned, support for victims must be expressed, and denial of genocide and glorification of war criminals be banned to prevent future similar tragedies, two members of the tripartite presidency of...
U.S. National Dies In Occupied Donetsk, Says Russian Journalist
Russell Bentley, a U.S. national, has died in the Russian-controlled city of Donetsk in Ukraine, Margarita Simonyan, the head of Russia's state media outlet RT, wrote on Telegram on April 19.
Imprisoned Mother Of Chechen Activists Loses Bid For Early Release For Health Reasons.
Zarema Musayeva, the imprisoned mother of three self-exiled outspoken Chechen opposition activists, has lost a bid for early release because of her medical condition after health officials in Russia's North Caucasus region of Chechnya changed her ...
Ukraine, Israel Aid Advances In Rare House Vote As Democrats Help Republicans.
With rare bipartisan momentum, the U.S. House of Representatives pushed ahead on April 19 on a foreign aid package of $95 billion for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, and humanitarian support as a robust coalition of lawmakers helped it clear a procedural...
Detained Former Karabakh Separatist Official Begins Hunger Strike, Says Family.
Ruben Vardanian, a former Russian citizen of Armenian descent who served as prime minister in the de facto government of the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh, has begun a hunger strike in a Baku prison, his family said on April 19.
McConnell on Mayorkas impeachment trial: «This process must not be abused».
Before the articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas were dismissed, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell decried Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's efforts to cut short the trial. CBS News' Scott MacFarlane rep...
'Cloud seeding not to blame for intense rainstorms in UAE'.
Professor Maarten Ambaum, a meteorologist at the University of Reading, spoke to Sky News about the intense weather system that dumped a year’s worth of rain in a day on Dubai causing extensive flooding. #shorts #dubai #flooding SUBSCRIBE to our Y...
Trump’s positions on abortion since 1999
Since 1999, former President #Trump has been on just about every side of the abortion issue. Here’s a timeline of his many positions. #AbortionRights #2024Election » Subscribe to NBC News: NBC News Digital is a collection of innovative and powerfu...
Greg Gutfeld: OJ Simpson's new book is 'If I cremated myself' #shorts.
Fox News host Greg Gutfeld gives his own take on the infamous trials and tribulations of O.J. Simpson. Subscribe to Fox News! Watch more Fox News Video: Watch Fox News Channel Live: FOX News Channel (FNC) is a 24-hour all-encompassing news service...
VOA Newscasts - April 17, 2024
Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.
Israel Ambassador: Iran's missiles 'can get to London'.
Israel's Ambassador to the UK has told Sky News that Britain should be on guard - as the same missiles recently launched by Iran, have the potential to get to London. #iran #israel SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel for more videos: Follow us on Twi...