We speak with Eyad Amawi, an aid coordinator in Gaza, who tells Democracy Now! about the “rapid deterioration” inside the besieged territory as Israel’s blockade causes mass starvation. Health officials in Gaza say at least 14 Palestinians have starved to death over the past day, bringing the total to at least 147, including 88 children. Israel has allowed some additional aid into the territory, including by airdrops, but the United Nations says it’s still just a “drop in the ocean” of what is needed. Israel also said it would pause attacks for periods of the day in parts of Gaza, but the death toll has kept rising, with Israeli forces continuing to fire on unarmed civilians seeking aid. Two leading Israeli human rights groups, B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights Israel, issued reports on Monday accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, joining a growing international consensus.

“We have no time to wait,” says Amawi, who calls Israel’s restrictions on food, water, medicine and other essentials “collective punishment.”

This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

In its ruling, the court found the prosecution’s evidence “grossly insufficient” to establish any criminal liability. In 2024, the Philippine Court of Appeals had already overturned the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) order to revoke Rappler’s license, affirming that the media outlet did not violate the constitutional ban on foreign ownership.

“The Hold the Line Coalition welcomes this ruling, which, although long overdue, marks another victory for Rappler and for press freedom in the Philippines,” said the Hold The Line Coalition Steering Committee. We call on the Philippine justice system to overturn Maria Ressa’s conviction in the last case still pending against her, to put an end to the years-long campaign of legal harassment against her and her colleagues. This legal harassment began in 2018 – it’s time to end it,” the Hold the Line Coalition said

Hold The Line Coalition Steering Committee

Since 2018, Rappler, Ressa, and her colleagues have been subjected to a sustained campaign of legal persecution and online attacks. A total of 23 legal cases have been filed against them. Ressa and former Rappler researcher Reynaldo Santos still face up to six years and nine months in prison from a 2020 criminal cyber libel conviction, which remains under final appeal before the Philippine Supreme Court.

In a historic precedent, Rappler was officially issued a shutdown order in June 2022, reinforcing an earlier decision to revoke the outlet’s license to operate. The order was the first of its kind for the issuing agency and the Philippine media. The site had been able to continue operating due to the cumbersome nature of the appeal process.

Bringing together over 80 organisations worldwide, the Hold the Line Coalition urges states, international bodies, and civil society to defend press freedom in the Philippines and call on President Marcos to renew the country’s commitment to a free press.Contact #HTL Steering Committee Members for further details: Aleksandra Bielakowska (abielakowska@rsf.org); Julie Posetti (jposetti@icfj.org); and Gypsy Guillén Kaiser (gguillenkaiser@cpj.org).

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.

In a letter sent to Paramount Global chair Shari Redstone, CPJ emphasized that the lawsuit lacks merit and that CBS journalists acted lawfully and ethically. CPJ warned that the settlement could set a harmful precedent, signaling that political figures can pressure news organizations into altering or censoring editorial decisions, and threatening freedom of the press in the U.S. and around the world.

Read the letter here:

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by CPJ Staff.

Updated May 28, 2025, 11:40 a.m. ET

BANGKOK – The Thai prime minister said Wednesday she spoke to her Cambodian counterpart to reduce tensions after Cambodia said one of its soldiers was killed in a brief gunfight with Thai troops at a sensitive border region.

The 10-minute shootout at Hill 496 comes after weeks of mounting tension. The neighbors have a history of armed confrontation at disputed border areas.

Cambodia said one of its soldiers, Sgt. Suan Roan, 48, was killed during the fight, and the body has been transported from the border for a funeral, The Associated Press reported. The Thai army said it suffered no casualties.

Tension has risen in recent weeks after Thai soldiers accused their Cambodian counterparts of burning a Thai-built friendship gazebo in the Chong Bok area of Thailand’s northeastern Ubon Ratchathani province, where the Thai, Cambodian and Lao borders meet. There have also been disturbances at the ancient shrine of Ta Moan Thom, in Surin province to the west. Both Thailand and Cambodia claim the site.

Following Wednesday’s clash, Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra said both countries were determined to prevent tensions from boiling over.

“[I] have talked to Prime Minister Hun Manet. [The incident] was minor. We have understanding and will ease the tension and will prevent the reoccurrence,” she told reporters.

Thai soldiers were directed to stay alert despite top level negotiations, the Thai army said in a statement, adding that Cambodia fired the first shot and all Thai soldiers were safe.

(Damir Sagolj/Reuters)

In a post on Facebook, Cambodian Senate president and former prime minister Hun Sen expressed condolences to the family of the fallen soldier, and said a peaceful border “should never witness such incidents.”

“I strongly condemn any individual, entity, or authority that made the decision to carry out such an act of aggression, which resembles the incursions that occurred between 2008 and 2011 at the Preah Vihear temple,” Hun Sen wrote.

In 2011, there was a deadly clash between Thai and Cambodia forces over an ancient temple at Preah Vihear, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The U.N.’s International Court of Justice granted sovereignty over the area to Cambodia in 2013.

This March, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet threatened to use military force if the Thai military sent soldiers to Ta Moan Thom temple site.

The incomplete boundary demarcation there led to a confrontation between Cambodian soldiers who visited the temple last month and Thai soldiers who are stationed nearby, according to independent online news outlet CamboJa.

RFA Khmer contributed reporting. Edited by Mike Firn and Mat Pennington.

Updated with Hun Sen’s comment.

This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by Pimuk Rakkanam for RFA.

Since the 2021 coup, job opportunities and economic security in Myanmar have plummeted due to dwindling foreign investment, worsening labor rights and crackdowns on union activity.

Conscription and low wages have also driven millions of Myanmar workers to countries like Thailand, prompting unpopular junta policies such as forced remittances, heavy taxes and stricter repatriation efforts – pushing many to remain undocumented abroad to avoid military scrutiny.

“Due to the shortage of workers in the country caused by the migration of workers abroad, it is necessary to focus on creating job opportunities within the country where there is a safer and more secure living environment, rather than encouraging more migration,” Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing said in a Labor Day message, as cited by the Office of the Commander-in-Chief of Defense Services.

The junta’s labor ministry will promote opportunities through job fairs, Min Aung Hlaing added, saying they would allow employers to provide a “one stop shop for job placements.”

But Phyo Sandar Soe, assistant secretary general of the Confederation of Trade Unions Myanmar, one of the country’s largest unions, believes the junta should first crack down on forced labor, uphold minimum wage standards and prohibit child labor.

“The military is turning the country into a place of slavery. Myanmar workers are left with no protection at all,” she said.

Shwe Zin, who works at a garment factory in one of Yangon’s industrial zones, also lamented that management often threatens employees for actions that are still well within their rights.

“We don’t have legal rights. Workers also have challenges with sick and parental leave, while pregnant workers get fired frequently. The authorities also ask workers to work overtime – if we don’t, we get fired,” she said.

The junta chief’s announcement came as Myanmar’s military regime appeared to allow a ceasefire – originally introduced to facilitate earthquake rescue efforts – to expire on May 1, despite ongoing humanitarian needs and international appeals for its extension.

The junta made no announcement – unlike last week’ s extension – and Radio Free Asia’s calls to junta spokesperson Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun seeking clarification went unanswered Thursday.

The ceasefire, declared after the devastating 7.7-magnitude earthquake on March 28 that killed at least 3,800 people and left tens of thousands homeless, was intended to support relief operations.

However, reports indicate that the military continued airstrikes and artillery attacks during the ceasefire period, undermining relief efforts and exacerbating the crisis .​

Translated by Kiana Duncan. Edited by Taejun Kang and Mike Firn.

This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by RFA Burmese.

NNU members have long supported efforts to achieve guaranteed health care for every person in the United States, through a single-payer system that provides health care based on patient needs, not industry profits. The legislation comes at a critical time when vital lifesaving health care programs, like Medicaid and Veterans Health Administration benefits, are at risk of being completely gutted.

“Nurses are fighting for a future in which our patients’ health is put first always and that’s why we are proud to continue our support for Medicare for All,” said Nancy Hagans, RN and NNU president. “When we guarantee health care for all, corporations and billionaires will no longer be able to deny anyone the care that they need. In the richest country on earth, nobody should have to be forced to choose between taking their medications and putting food on the table. Yet countless families are pushed to the breaking point while greedy corporations charge astronomical, ludicrous fees for care that is every patient’s right to receive.”

The Medicare for All Act builds upon and expands Medicare to provide comprehensive benefits – primary care, vision, dental, prescription drugs, mental health services, home and community-based care, and more – to every person. In addition to allowing patients to have the freedom to choose the doctors, hospitals, and other providers they wish to see without worrying about whether a provider is in-network, the bill would also allow the health care system to negotiate drug prices and reduce exorbitant administrative waste.

Currently, 85 million people in America are either uninsured or underinsured, a number that stands to grow exponentially if Congressional lawmakers choose to gut, rather than defend and strengthen, the country’s public health infrastructure.

“The goal of the current administration and their billionaire buddies is to pile on endless cuts and attacks so that we become too demoralized and overwhelmed to move forward,” said Bonnie Castillo, RN and executive director of NNU. “Registered nurses and our allies don’t step back but step up, during pandemics, climate emergencies, and authoritarian regimes. We won’t let them threaten public services like Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security or try to eliminate federal workers’ protected union rights. As patient advocates, it is our duty to fight for a system that prioritizes people over profits. So even on our hardest days, we won’t stop fighting for Medicare for All.”

“The American people understand, as I do, that health care is a human right, not a privilege and that we must end the international embarrassment of the United States being the only major country on earth that does not guarantee health care to all of its citizens,” said Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT). “It is not acceptable to me, nor to the American people, that over 85 million people today are either uninsured or underinsured. Today, there are millions of people who would like to go to a doctor but cannot afford to do so. This is an outrage. In America, your health and your longevity should not be dependent on your wealth. Health care is a human right that all Americans, regardless of income, are entitled to and they deserve the best health care that our country can provide.”

“It is a travesty when 85 million people are uninsured or underinsured and millions more are drowning in medical debt in the richest nation on Earth,” said Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) . “We don’t suffer from scarcity in America, we suffer from greed. That’s most clear in our broken healthcare system, which is why we need Medicare for All. People deserve and want comprehensive health care that covers mental health, long-term care, reproductive care, dental, vision and hearing, all without copays, private insurance premiums, sky high deductibles or other hidden fees. Health care is a human right, that is exactly why it’s time to pass Medicare for All.”

“Every American has the right to health care, period. If you’re sick, you should be able to go to the doctor without being worried about the cost of treatment or prescription medicine. Too many families must decide between putting food on the table and getting medical care that they desperately need,”said Representative Debbie Dingell (MI-06). “A health care system that ties coverage to employment will always leave patients vulnerable. It’s flat-out wrong and Medicare for All would put a stop to it. We’ve been fighting this fight since the 1940s, when my father-in-law helped author the first universal health care bill. It’s time to get this done.”

For more information on the Medicare for All Act, please refer to NNU’s fact sheet.

In addition to the Medicare for All Act, NNU members are advocating for the following federal legislation:

• NURSE STAFFING STANDARDS FOR HOSPITAL PATIENT SAFETY AND QUALITY CARE ACT, sponsored by Rep. Jan Schakowsky: There are no federal mandates regulating the number of patients a registered nurse can care for at one time in U.S. hospitals. As a result, registered nurses (RNs) are consistently required to care for more patients than is safe, compromising patient care and negatively impacting patient outcomes. These dangerous conditions are causing thousands of RNs to leave the hospital bedside. This legislation would improve patient care and increase nurse retention by setting mandated, minimum RN-to-patient staffing ratios.
• THE WORKPLACE VIOLENCE PREVENTION FOR HEALTH CARE AND SOCIAL SERVICE WORKERS ACT, sponsored by Sen. Tammy Baldwin and Rep. Joe Courtney: Violence against nurses and other health care workers in hospitals and other health care facilities is a growing epidemic across the United States. Nurses report being punched, kicked, bitten, beaten, choked, and assaulted on the job — and some have faced stabbings and shootings. The Covid-19 pandemic exacerbated the hazard of workplace violence, with nurses reporting an increase in violent incidents on the job since the beginning of the pandemic. The Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act would mandate OSHA to promulgate a standard that would require all covered employers to develop and implement prevention plans to reduce workplace violence incidents. The Workplace Violence Prevention bill passed the House of Representatives in both the 116th and 117th Congress with significant bipartisan support.
• THE RICHARD L. TRUMKA PROTECTING THE RIGHT TO ORGANIZE (PRO) ACT, sponsored by Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Bobby Scott: A union gives workers the ability to act together to advocate for safe working conditions, to improve their wages and benefits, and to protect their workplace rights through collective bargaining and concerted activity. For registered nurses, union advocacy and representation allows us to focus on what we do best: caring for our patients. Attacks on unions and the right to unionize have hurt efforts to improve the lives of working families. Current labor law does far too little to protect and allow workers to exercise our right to join a union. The PRO Act is an important step to protect workers’ rights to organize a union and to stop employers’ attacks so that every worker can organize without fear of retaliation. The PRO Act passed the House of Representatives in the 116th and 117th Congress with bipartisan support.
• THE VA EMPLOYEE FAIRNESS ACT, sponsored by Rep. Mark Takano: Section 7422 of Title 38 of the U.S. Code limits the collective bargaining rights of certain Veterans Affairs (VA) clinical professionals, including registered nurses. This section restricts the ability of registered nurses to speak out about poor working conditions and to resolve disputes with management. As a result, the quality of patient care can deteriorate and problems in VA facilities can go unaddressed. The VA Employee Fairness Act would improve patient care in VA hospitals by expanding the collective bargaining rights of registered nurses and other clinicians employed by the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). The VA Employee Fairness Act passed the House of Representatives in December 2022 with bipartisan support.

This content originally appeared on Common Dreams and was authored by Newswire Editor.

In its April 17 letter, CPJ requested Mahama to take steps to deliver justice for the 2019 murder of journalist Ahmed Hussein-Suale Divela and to reverse a broader pattern of impunity — with dozens of journalists and media workers subsequently having been abused in connection with their work.

CPJ also called on Mahama, who was inaugurated on January 7, to reform laws criminalizing “false news” and to address concerns over the repeated seizure of journalists’ devices and authorities’ acquisition of tools to extract information from their phones and computers.

Read the full letter here.

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.

This content originally appeared on Common Dreams and was authored by Newswire Editor.

The letter urges Chapo, who was inaugurated January 2025 following a disputed election last year, to act swiftly in providing the whereabouts of  two missing journalists—Ibraimo Mbaruco, who disappeared on April 7, 2020, and Arlindo Chissale, last seen on January 7, 2025. Chapo, who once worked as a journalist, should also ensure accountability for the deaths of blogger Albino Sibia, shot by a police officer in December 2024 while covering a protest, and João Chamusse, murdered in December 2023.

CPJ has previously documented numerous incidents in which security personnel have attacked journalists, including during last year’s election season, and that journalists continue to face legal harassment under colonial-era laws. The letter calls for Chapo to make comprehensive reforms of legislation that criminalizes journalism.

Read the full letter in English and Portuguese.

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by CPJ Staff.

North Korea is advising its people to unplug their TV sets in a nationwide effort to save electricity, but residents complain that the effort won’t amount to much, residents told Radio Free Asia.

Every electronic device plugged into the wall consumes a small amount of electricity, even when not in use. Certain appliances like TVs -- even when turned off -- can consume around 5% of the power it would cost when turned on. North Korean TVs consume about 2 watts per hour when turned off, one of the residents said.

But the residents said they felt like unplugging their TVs would do nothing to fix North Korea’s tattered economy.

“The authorities claim that the country’s scarce electricity is being illegally overused and insist that this phenomenon must be eliminated,” a resident from the northern province of Ryanggang told RFA Korean on condition of anonymity for security reasons.

The party told the people that it was a misconception that they could use electricity freely at home if they pay their electric bills, she said.

“They instructed that we should keep in mind that even 1 watt of electricity is a valuable asset for the country, so we should unplug the TV at home,” she said. “But residents are resisting, saying that the state does not provide enough electricity to make demands that we save it.”

She pointed out how there are almost no places across North Korea that receive electricity around the clock. Rolling blackouts are the norm, and in some places, electricity is only available for a few hours in the morning and evening, around breakfast and dinner time.

She acknowledged that power shortages are taking their toll on the country’s economy and causing inconvenience for the people.

“But the country is saying the way to solve this is to engage in the power saving project with a patriotic spirit,” she said.

In the northwestern province of North Pyongan, power is only available for about an hour each day, a resident there told RFA on condition of anonymity to speak freely.

“In some cities, electricity is supplied in several 10-minute bursts each day, adding up to about one hour,” he said. “The party is urging people to make it a habit to conserve even 1 watt of electricity, considering it as a valuable national asset, and each hour a TV consumes 2 watts (when plugged in).”

He said that the initiative would likely have no effect.

“No one believes that the collapsed national economy can be restored by unplugging the TV at home.”

Translated by Leejin J. Chung. Edited by Eugene Whong and Malcolm Foster.

This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by Kim Jieun for RFA Korean.

The letter comes in response to Schumer and nine other Senate Democrats’ recent support for the Republican-led budget bill that prioritized tax cuts for billionaires while enabling Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s plans to gut critical investments in healthcare, education, attack immigrants and trans people, and dismantle climate action.

“Chuck Schumer’s cowardice is inexcusable. Donald Trump and Elon Musk are hurtling our country toward disaster while young people are watching their future go up in flames,” said Aru Siney-Ajay, Executive Director of Sunrise Movement. “Today, Donald Trump is announcing plans to dismantle the Department of Education while Chuck Schumer sits on the sidelines. His failure to act is a betrayal, and he has no business leading if he won’t fight for our future”.

"We demand that Democrats stand up for their values and push back against Republican extremism — not enable it. This is a reckoning for a new generation of Democratic Leadership, said Sohali Vaddula, Vice President of College Democrats of America.

“As young people, the stakes for our future couldn’t be higher,” said Jackson Hurley, Senior Director for Strategy and Outreach at Voters Of Tomorrow. “We already feel like the deck is stacked against us. Trump and Elon are attacking public education, the climate, and our democracy, all for the sake of lining their pockets. And Democratic Senate leadership is not doing nearly enough to stop them. We’ve had enough. We are organizing and mobilizing to fight for the future we deserve, but we can’t win alone. It’s past time for leaders to take a stand and fight for our futures”.

The full letter can be read here.

This content originally appeared on Common Dreams and was authored by Newswire Editor.

“It is outrageous that the White House is seeking to gut the Congress-funded agency supporting independent journalism that challenges narratives of authoritarian regimes around the world,” said CPJ Program Director Carlos Martinez de la Serna in New York. “We call on congressional leaders to protect this critical agency, which provides uncensored news in countries where the press is restricted.”

In addition to Voice of America (VOA), USAGM funds Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) and Radio Free Asia. VOA recorded weekly global audiences of more than 350 million in 2023, and RFE/RL reaches more than 47 million people in 23 countries every week. The agency operated with a budget of more than $886 million in 2024 and employed more than 3,500 people. USAGM also subsidizes annual training for hundreds of media professionals around the world. 

CPJ’s research shows that journalists for VOA and RFE/RL often put themselves at risk by reporting in highly censored or dangerous countries.

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by CPJ Staff.

CPJ raised concerns that the two bills would pose a significant threat to journalism in Zambia if enacted into law in current form, including numerous provisions that could undermine freedom of expression. In particular, the cybercrimes bill contains provisions that would amount to criminalization of defamation and could potentially undermine investigative journalism by prohibiting “unauthorized disclosure” of “critical information” in broad terms, without public interest safeguards. The bills would also give the state broad digital surveillance, search and seizure powers.

The bills, which would replace the Cyber Security and Cyber Crimes Act of 2021, were tabled at the National Assembly in November 2024 but decision-making was deferred, following concerns that the draft laws lacked adequate human rights safeguards. In December, Zambia’s President Hakainde Hichilema, who has previously promised to positively reform Zambia’s existing cyber crime legislation, said he was open to further dialogue with civil society on the two bills.

Read CPJ’s letter here.

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by CPJ Staff.

Boughalleb, a reporter with local independent channel Carthage Plus and local independent radio station Cap FM, was sentenced to six months in prison in April 2024 on defamation charges. But he has been imprisoned for nearly a year, as his sentence was increased to eight months on appeal and he has been charged on a second defamation count under Decree 54.

Tunisian authorities have used the cybercrime law to continue to arrest, prosecute, and silence members of the press, the letter states.

Read the letter here.

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by CPJ Staff.

“Governments resort to censoring news outlets when they have something to hide,” said CPJ CEO Jodie Ginsberg. “The Palestinian Authority should reverse its decision to suspend Al Jazeera’s operations and allow journalists to report freely without fear of reprisal.”

Palestinian official news agency WAFA reported on Wednesday that the Palestinian Authority suspended Al Jazeera on grounds of “inciting material.” The ban comes after the Authority criticized Al Jazeera’s last week coverage of a standoff between Palestinian security forces and militant fighters in Jenin camp, located in the West Bank, according to reports.

Israel raided Al Jazeera’s Ramallah offices in September and ordered its closure for 45 days, accusing the broadcaster’s West Bank operations of “incitement to and support of terrorism.” 

Israel banned Al Jazeera’s Israel operations in May, citing national security concerns.

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by CPJ Staff.

Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, who overthrew an elected civilian government in a 2021 coup and has tried to crush opposition to the takeover, made his latest plea at a Christmas dinner on Sunday at St. Mary’s Cathedral in the main city of Yangon.

“The government is implementing the roadmap, national and political visions to strengthen the multi-party democratic system that the people desire and to return to the correct democratic path,” the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper quoted Min Aung Hlaing as saying.

“The government is committed to resolving issues encountered within the society through peaceful co-existence, specifically through dialogue to achieve success,” he said, adding that issues had to be resolved “through political methods but not handled in armed struggle.”

Neighboring China is keen to see an end to Myanmar’s instability and has been pressing all sides to talk and has promised to support a general election expected next year.

Min Aung Hlaing did not refer to his military’s setbacks in his Sunday address.

Despite his calls for talks and Chinese pressure on the armed opposition, the military has been losing ground in several regions.

On Friday, a regional army headquarters fell to the Arakan Army, or AA, ethnic minority insurgent group in Rakhine state, after months of fighting.

The AA, which draws its support from the ethnic Rakhine Buddhist population, now controls about 80% of the state with the military boxed into small areas, including the Kyaukphyu economic zone on the coast where China has oil and gas pipelines and wants to build a port.

In Chin state to the northwest, insurgents said they had made more advances against the military in recent days and they now controlled 85% of the state, which is largely Christian.

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‘Respect Rohingya rights’

Min Aung Hlaing’s calls for talks have been rejected by insurgent groups and a parallel civilian government in exile, the National Unity Government, who say they have no faith in the words of a military that has for decades stifled all dissent and locked up or killed its enemies.

“The number one thing is that the revolutionary forces do not trust the military council,” said an official from one of the many pro-democracy guerrilla groups known as People’s Defense Forces, or PDFs, that have sprung up since the 2021 coup.

“The other thing is that the junta is losing on the ground militarily so it’s impossible for us to hold talks with them now,‘’ said the official from a PDF in the central Monywa district.

With the AA making sustained advances in Rakhine state, members of Myanmar’s Rohingya Muslim minority, many of whom are based in northern parts of the state on the border with Bangladesh, issued a plea for the AA to respect their rights.

“We urge the Arakan Army and its political wing … to uphold and respect the rights of the Rohingya and all ethnic and religious minorities," the Rohingya groups said in a joint statement.

“Undoubtedly, the Burmese military is our common enemy,” the groups said, while accusing the AA of human rights violations against Rohingya, including widespread arson and killings.

The AA denies rights abuses but rights investigators say the AA has committed serious violations, particularly since the junta launched a campaign this year to recruit Rohingya men into militias to fight the AA.

The Rohingya organizations, many based abroad, said they strongly rejected the groups that cooperated with the military and called on the AA to recognize the Rohingya as “an integral part of the (the state’s) diverse communities.”

The groups also called for an emergency aid corridor to be opened up from Bangladesh to prevent famine.

The United Nations says up to 2 million people face “the dire prospect of famine” in Rakhine state amid economic collapse and a worsening humanitarian crisis triggered by the 2021 coup.

Edited by RFA Staff.

This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by RFA Burmese.

An international pressure group is calling on governments and financial institutions to reconsider funding a plan to help Vietnam transition from fossil fuels to clean energy while it jails climate activists.

The Just Energy Transition Partnership, or JETP, was unveiled two years ago by Vietnam and the International Partners Group, comprising the United States, European Union, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Norway, Denmark, Japan and Canada.

The partners committed to provide US$15.5 billion in loans, along with technical assistance to support the elimination of fossil fuels. Under the plan, Vietnam has obtained $2.75 billion so far in concessional loans from international financial institutions, according to the Coalition for Human Rights in Development, a grouping of more than 100 non-governmental organizations from over 50 countries.

But Vietnam has also cracked down on environmental activists, as it does on almost anyone who questions the authority of the ruling Communist Party, invariably for spurious reasons, government critics say.

“The Vietnamese government has been criminalizing environmental and climate leaders on false charges,” the rights coalition said in a report released last month and posted on social media platform X on Dec. 16.

“Although the resulting Just Energy Transition Partnership agreement includes references to the importance of holding consultations and ensuring broad social consensus, the authorities have targeted climate and environmental leaders who were conducting legitimate policy and advocacy work around the just transition, and the need to phase out coal and scale-up renewable energy alternatives,” the group said.

It cited environmentalists Dang Dinh Bach, Nguy Thi Khanh, Hoang Thi Minh Hong, Mai Phan Loi and Bach Hung Duong who were convicted of “tax evasion” and sentenced to terms of as much as five years in prison.

It also mentioned Ngo Thi To Nhien, who was sentenced to three years and six months in prison for “appropriating documents.” Nhien was executive director of the Vietnam Initiative for Energy Transition Social Enterprise, which worked with Vietnamese authorities, foreign governments and corporations to try to reform the energy sector and accelerate its transition to carbon neutrality.

The JETP says that in order for a transition to clean energy to be just and equitable “regular consultation is required, including with media, NGOs and other stakeholders to ensure broad social consensus.”

The Coalition for Human Rights in Development argues that Hanoi’s imprisonment of activists sends a different message.

“The criminalization of these six environmental and climate leaders, along with broader civic space restrictions, indicate that it is not safe for local human rights defenders and community members to meaningfully participate, seek information, or raise concerns about just energy transition plans,” it said.

Radio Free Asia emailed Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs asking for comment on the statement but did not receive a response by time of publication.

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The 2023 Goldman Environmental Prize laureate Diane Wilson said she agreed that international financiers needed to think again about providing funds to Vietnam.

“As a grassroots environmental activist in the United States and a fourth-generation fisherman in the Gulf of Texas, I support the coalition in urging international partners and donors to reconsider their plans to support the communist regime in its clean energy transition,” Wilson said.

Thuc Quyen, a German-Vietnamese activist, said the Vietnamese government should improve its human rights record, protect the environment, and fight corruption in order to receive international attention and assistance.

“Vietnam needs to release Dang Dinh Bach and other environmental activists, and establish minimum standards that protect civil space, protect fundamental human rights and transparency, and respect independent oversight,” she told RFA.

Translated by RFA Vietnamese. Edited by Mike Firn.

This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by RFA Vietnamese.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy

President of Ukraine

Office of the President of Ukraine

Presidential Administration Building

Bankova Street, 11

Kyiv, Ukraine

Sent via email

press@apu.gov.ua

Dear President Zelenskyy,

I am writing from the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), an independent non-governmental organization advocating for press freedom worldwide, to request your assistance in ensuring that journalists and media outlets in Ukraine can work freely and without fear of reprisal, and that no one responsible for intimidating journalists goes unpunished.

CPJ acknowledges the immense challenges facing your government in the midst of war and values Ukraine’s commitment to democratic standards and the rule of law. We recognize the need in exceptional circumstances for some limitations on journalistic access to information or areas for security reasons, and note that in the third year after Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukraine’s media landscape remains vibrant and dynamic.

However, we are increasingly concerned by signals pointing to an unwarranted attempt by the Ukrainian government to control the media and stifle investigative journalism. Over the last year, our research and detailed exchanges with local journalists show a pattern of unwarranted restrictions and other interventions that curtail the operations of a free press and ultimately do a disservice to the democracy that you are aiming to defend.

In October, independent news outlet Ukrainska Pravda (UP) stated that it was experiencing “ongoing and systematic pressure” from your office. UP’s program director, Andrii Bystrov, told CPJ that government officials regularly receive directives from your office not to talk to the outlet on certain matters. On October 10, Ukrainska Pravda specified that Dmytro Lytvyn, the recently appointed communications adviser for your office, banned security forces and officials from communicating with the outlet’s journalists. Lytvyn denied the allegations on October 15. Ukrainska Pravda also alleged that your office is pressuring private companies to pull advertising from the outlet, and Bystrov told us that some advertisers had withdrawn following calls from your office.

In addition to the Ukrainska Pravda incident, CPJ has recorded several other concerning incidents. These include:

• Pressure, intimidation and surveillance: Several Ukrainian investigative journalists have been subjected to surveillance and intimidation by officials in connection with their work. In addition, journalists seeking press accreditation previously told CPJ in 2023 that they had been questioned by the Security Service of Ukraine and pressured to take certain approaches in their reporting.
• Lack of accountability: No one has been held accountable for intimidating investigative journalist Yuriy Nikolov in January. Similarly, no results have been communicated in the investigations related to the surveillance reported in January of investigative outlet Bihus.info or the attempt in April to serve investigative journalist Yevhen Shulhat with a military summons in retaliation for his work.

In addition, CPJ is concerned about a bill currently being debated in the Verkhovna Rada that could increase criminal penalties for publishing information from public databases during martial law, thereby threatening the work of investigative journalists.

In its June 2022 opinion on Ukraine’s European Union membership application, the European Commission stated that “media freedom has also improved significantly in recent years, especially thanks to online media.” Directly pressuring independent media or indirectly letting those who intimidate them operate with impunity would represent a significant step backwards in the realization of Ukraine’s European aspirations.

As someone committed to defending Ukraine’s international standing, who has recognized that “any pressure on journalists is unacceptable,” we request that you take immediate steps to end Ukrainian government officials’ surveillance, harassment, or intimidation of journalists, and ensure that anyone who has acted to weaken freedom of the press in Ukraine is held to account. 

We thank you for your consideration.

Jodie Ginsberg, CEO, Committee to Protect Journalists

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.

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Citing a recent ProPublica investigation, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., urged the Environmental Protection Agency in a letter this week to issue a final report on the health risks of formaldehyde that is “science-based” and “as strong as possible,” adding that “the agency has an obligation to protect the public from the chemical.”

Formaldehyde, used for everything from preserving dead bodies to binding wood products and producing plastic, is extremely widespread and causes far more cancer than any toxic air pollutant. ProPublica’s analysis of EPA air pollution data showed that, in every census block in the U.S., the risk of getting cancer from a lifetime of exposure to formaldehyde in outdoor air is higher than the goal the agency has set for public exposure to air pollutants.

The EPA issued a draft of the formaldehyde risk evaluation in March and, after receiving feedback from the public and a committee of experts, is expected to release the final version by the end of the year. The forthcoming evaluation will be used to inform future restrictions the agency puts on the chemical. But the ProPublica investigation found that the draft version of the report used unusual techniques to underestimate the risk posed by formaldehyde.

In one case, the agency determined whether concentrations of formaldehyde in outdoor air posed an “unreasonable risk” — a level that requires the agency to address it — not by measuring them against a health-based standard, but rather by comparing them to the highest level of the chemical measured outdoors in a five-year period. The measurement the agency chose as a reference point was a fluke, ProPublica found, and had not met the quality control standards of the local air monitoring body.

The EPA did not immediately respond to questions from ProPublica about Sen. Blumenthal’s letter and when the agency plans to release its final report.

The EPA is evaluating the health risks of formaldehyde under the Toxic Substances Control Act, the main federal law that governs chemicals. That process typically relies on toxicity estimates calculated by a separate division of the agency. In the case of formaldehyde, the EPA released the final toxicity values in August of this year, decades after it began the process of calculating them. Throughout that time, companies that make and use the chemical — and could lose money if it is restricted — criticised the agency’s numbers and worked to delay their release.

Some industry-affiliated members of the expert committee that reviewed the draft evaluation of formaldehyde this year have continued to find fault with the EPA’s toxicity estimates and have suggested that the agency weaken them in its final report.

In his letter, Blumenthal advised EPA Administrator Michael Regan against taking this route. “Throughout your tenure, EPA has been steadfast in upholding its vital mission of protecting human health and the environment,” he wrote. “I urge you to continue this commitment and issue a final risk evaluation for formaldehyde that is rooted in the best available science.”

This content originally appeared on ProPublica and was authored by by Sharon Lerner.

ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they’re published.

Citing a recent ProPublica investigation, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., urged the Environmental Protection Agency in a letter this week to issue a final report on the health risks of formaldehyde that is “science-based” and “as strong as possible,” adding that “the agency has an obligation to protect the public from the chemical.”

Formaldehyde, used for everything from preserving dead bodies to binding wood products and producing plastic, is extremely widespread and causes far more cancer than any toxic air pollutant. ProPublica’s analysis of EPA air pollution data showed that, in every census block in the U.S., the risk of getting cancer from a lifetime of exposure to formaldehyde in outdoor air is higher than the goal the agency has set for public exposure to air pollutants.

The EPA issued a draft of the formaldehyde risk evaluation in March and, after receiving feedback from the public and a committee of experts, is expected to release the final version by the end of the year. The forthcoming evaluation will be used to inform future restrictions the agency puts on the chemical. But the ProPublica investigation found that the draft version of the report used unusual techniques to underestimate the risk posed by formaldehyde.

In one case, the agency determined whether concentrations of formaldehyde in outdoor air posed an “unreasonable risk” — a level that requires the agency to address it — not by measuring them against a health-based standard, but rather by comparing them to the highest level of the chemical measured outdoors in a five-year period. The measurement the agency chose as a reference point was a fluke, ProPublica found, and had not met the quality control standards of the local air monitoring body.

The EPA did not immediately respond to questions from ProPublica about Sen. Blumenthal’s letter and when the agency plans to release its final report.

The EPA is evaluating the health risks of formaldehyde under the Toxic Substances Control Act, the main federal law that governs chemicals. That process typically relies on toxicity estimates calculated by a separate division of the agency. In the case of formaldehyde, the EPA released the final toxicity values in August of this year, decades after it began the process of calculating them. Throughout that time, companies that make and use the chemical — and could lose money if it is restricted — criticised the agency’s numbers and worked to delay their release.

Some industry-affiliated members of the expert committee that reviewed the draft evaluation of formaldehyde this year have continued to find fault with the EPA’s toxicity estimates and have suggested that the agency weaken them in its final report.

In his letter, Blumenthal advised EPA Administrator Michael Regan against taking this route. “Throughout your tenure, EPA has been steadfast in upholding its vital mission of protecting human health and the environment,” he wrote. “I urge you to continue this commitment and issue a final risk evaluation for formaldehyde that is rooted in the best available science.”

This content originally appeared on ProPublica and was authored by by Sharon Lerner.

Israeli soldiers have been denied visas to enter Australia over war crime concerns — and the New Zealand government is now being called on by Palestine solidarity activists to act immediately to stop Israeli soldiers visiting.

Some Israeli soldiers have been denied visas to enter Australia after being required to fill in a 13-page form designed to determine if they had been involved in war crimes against Palestinians in Gaza.

The Middle East Eye reports Israeli visa applicants are asked about their involvement in physical or psychological abuse, their roles as guards or officials in detention facilities, and whether they had participated in war crimes or genocide.

• READ MORE: Syria’s new leader says Syrians ‘too exhausted’ for new conflict with Israel
• Other Gaza and Syria reports

This follows last month’s ruling from the International Criminal Court (ICC), which issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity over atrocities committed since October 7 last year.

However, Israelis coming to New Zealand face no such requirements, says the Palestine Solidarity Network (PSNA)

Since 2019, Israelis have been able to enter New Zealand for three months without needing a visa. This visa-waiver is used by Israeli soldiers today for “rest and recreation” from the genocide in Gaza.

“We face having Israeli soldiers rejected by Australia over war crime concerns jumping on a plane to New Zealand,” said PSNA national chair John Minto in a statement.

‘Suspend all IDF visas’ call
“We cannot depend on Israeli soldiers to give accurate reports of their involvement in war crimes so we have asked the government to suspend all visas for Israelis who are serving or who have served in the Israeli Defence Force [IDF].”

United Nations officials, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and now Amnesty International have all used the term genocide to describe the actions of the Israeli military in Gaza where more than 45,000 People – mostly women and children – have been slaughtered by the IDF.

“Last month, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defence minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity,” Minto said.

“All the red flags for genocide have been visible for months but our National-led coalition government is giving the green light to those responsible for war crimes to enter New Zealand.

“New Zealand’s response to genocide in Gaza has been a cowardly refusal to stand up for the Genocide Convention which requires us to ‘prevent and punish’ the crime of genocide.

“This needs to change today.”

Former Israeli justice minister barred
Australia’s recent denial of visas to two Israeli soldiers — siblings in one family — follows a similar case involving the former Israeli Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked, who was denied a visa last month over fears of “incitement”, reports the Middle East Eye.

The Australian Department of Home Affairs told the former Israeli justice minister she had been denied a visa to travel to the country under the Migration Act.

The act allows the government to deny entry to individuals likely to “vilify Australians” or “incite discord” within the local community.

This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.

South Korea has prohibited its citizens from going to Ukraine to help it fend off Russia’s invasion and prosecuted at least one man for doing so but that has apparently not prevented some from making the journey.

The unidentified man shown in a video appealing to North Koreans spoke with a South Korean accent and clearly had Asian features, despite being masked.

“My brothers, you and I are from the same people, we have the same blood, we come from the same country. We are only divided by a border that you didn’t choose,” said the man in an unmarked uniform, standing in front of an armored HUMMV combat truck in a video released by the pro-Ukrainian InformNapalm website.

The man urged North Korean soldiers to “save their lives and desert” and promised those who reach Ukrainian lines would be given “new lives” in a democratic country.

“North Korean soldiers are fighting on Russia’s side for no reason and unless they quit the ranks of their unit, they will likely die as cannon fodder thrown against Ukrainian defenses,” the man said.

“Soldiers surrendering to Ukrainian forces, will be able to build a new life in freedom, to be happy, protected and not to be afraid of tomorrow,” he added.

“We will not just receive you, we will help you start a new life. Here you will receive support, work, the chance to live with dignity, so that you could begin your life path anew.”

Radio Free Asia has not been able to independently verify the video.

In March, Russia’s Ministry of Defence announced that 15 South Koreans had participated in combat on the Ukrainian side over the past two years, five of whom had reportedly been killed.

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Although South Korea has never announced that any of its citizens were fighting in Ukraine, a former captain of South Korea’s Navy Special Warfare Flotilla was convicted in August last year, after his return from Ukraine, on charges of violating the Passport Act.

YouTuber Ken Rhee set off for Ukraine in March 2022, shortly after Russia’s invasion, and joined foreign troops there supporting Ukrainian forces.

The U.S. and South Korea estimate that more than 10,000 North Koreans have been sent to Russia to help it with its war against Ukraine.

The have said that the North Koreans have been fighting in Russia’s southwestern Kursk border region against Ukrainian forces who occupied parts of it in early August.

Separately, Ukrainian military information platforms on Wednesday cited Ukrainian intelligence as saying about 12,000 North Korean soldiers have deployed to Kursk and were undergoing pre-battle training.

Neither Russia nor North Korea have confirmed the presence of North Korean troops in Russia.

Edited by RFA Staff.

This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by Taejun Kang for RFA.

China, one of North Korea’s few traditional allies, has recently been under growing pressure to serve as a responsible stakeholder as the United States and its allies worry that the deployment of North Korean troops will dangerously escalate the Ukrainian war.

“We are seriously concerned about the deployment of the DPRK’s troops to Russia and their use on the battlefield against Ukraine … We urge countries with ties to Russia and the DPRK, including China, to uphold international law by opposing this dangerous expansion of the conflict and implementing all relevant UNSC resolutions,” foreign ministers of the Group of Seven said in a statement on Tuesday.

DPRK refers to North Korea’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, while UNSC is short for the U. N. Security Council.

“We condemn in the strongest possible terms the increasing military cooperation between DPRK and Russia, including DPRK’s export and Russia’s procurement of North Korean ballistic missiles and munitions in direct violation of relevant UNSC Resolutions, as well as Russia’s use of these missiles and munitions against Ukraine,” they added.

Separately, NATO recommended its members discourage China through diplomacy from aiding Russia.

“It [the NATO Parliamentary Assembly] recommended employing diplomatic and economic levers to discourage China from aiding Russia,” the security bloc’s assembly said on Tuesday.

“The Assembly called for tightening sanctions on Russia and North Korea, citing Pyongyang’s growing military support for Moscow,” it added.

In a video message to the assembly, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte sought support for Ukraine in its war against Russia and its allies.

“There’s war in Europe. We see China, Iran, North Korea and Russia joining forces to undermine us, and threats continue to transcend borders, from terrorism to cyber attacks. So it is vital that NATO becomes stronger, more capable and more agile,” Rutte said.

China has not commented on North Korea’s deployment except to say the development of relations between Russia and North Korea was solely for them to decide.

U.S. President Joe Biden, during a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Peru on Nov. 16, condemned North Korea’s decision to send its troops to Russia to assist in the war against Ukraine, while expressing “deep concern over [China’s] continued support for Russia’s defense industrial base.”

At that time, Xi said that China’s position regarding the war had “always been fair and square,” adding Beijing would “not allow conflict and turmoil to happen on the Korean Peninsula” and that it would “not sit idly by” while its strategic interests are endangered.

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Seoul confirms North Korea’s additional export of artillery to Russia

The U.S. and South Korea have said that North Korean troops had been fighting against Ukrainian forces in Russia’s Kursk region, parts of which Ukrainian forces occupied in early August.

Washington has estimated more than 10,000 North Korean soldiers had been sent to Kursk and had begun combat operations alongside Russian forces.

Neither Russia nor North Korea have confirmed the presence of North Korean troops.

But South Korea’s main security agency confirmed on Monday that it had “specific intelligence” that North Korean forces in Russia had suffered casualties, though it gave no figures. Media reported that 500 North Koreans and one high-level North Korean official had been killed in a Ukrainian attack with British missiles last week.

Ukraine also said North Korea had sent more than 100 ballistic missiles to Russia, along with military specialists, to support its war with Ukraine.

Edited by Mike Firn.

This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by Taejun Kang for RFA.

New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Winston Peters has used a speech in Paris to urge France to keep an open mind about a new path forward for New Caledonia.

He also wants to deepen New Zealand’s relationship with France, and wants a stronger focus from the European country on the Pacific.

Titled “The Path Less Travelled” in a nod to American poet Robert Frost, the half-hour speech was delivered to the French Institute of International Relations to an audience that included dignitaries from the government and the diplomatic corps.

• READ MORE: Mixed reactions to Tjibaou’s election to key Kanak pro-independence party
• UN experts ‘alarmed’ by Kanaky New Caledonia deaths
• Other Kanaky New Caledonia reports

Peters highlighted geopolitical trends: a shift in countries’ focus from rules to power, from economics to security and defence, and from economic efficiencies to resilience and sustainability.

“These shifts present challenges for a small trade-dependent country like New Zealand. Some of these challenges are familiar, but others, those mostly driven by technology, are new,” Peters said.

After speaking about the value of free trade agreements — highlighted by New Zealand’s recent FTA with the European Union — he raised the spectre of security flashpoints, including the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait.

“We are also deeply concerned by North Korea’s evolving nuclear capability and ambition. Those concerns are heightened by its supply of troops to Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, another flagrant breach of international law and UN resolutions.”

‘Relentless securitisation of the Pacific’
“The relentless securitisation of the Pacific and a breakdown in long-standing cooperation norms in Antarctica mean New Zealand cannot stay out of the way of geopolitics.”

He pointed to New Zealand’s foreign policy agenda, including a focus on South East Asia and India, neighbours in the Pacific, tackling multi-country problems through multilateral discussion, setting up new multilateral groupings to navigate “impasses or blockages”, and promoting the coalition’s goal of boosting export values through diplomacy.

“To achieve this ambitious agenda, we knew we needed to give more energy, more urgency, and a sharper focus to three inter-connected lines of effort: Investing in our relationships, growing our prosperity, and strengthening our security.

He urged France to deepen the relationship with New Zealand, helping advance Pacific priorities and protecting the international rules-based order, drawing on France’s interest and involvement in the region, as well as its diplomatic, development, military and humanitarian supports.

“As a country, we’ve got the tools to make a big impact . . . Pacific regionalism sits at the core of New Zealand’s Pacific approach … but New Zealand cannot meet these needs alone,” he said.

“We will increasingly look to cooperate with our traditional partners like France and other close partners who share our values and interests. We want to deepen our cooperation with France to advance Pacific priorities, to strengthen existing regional architecture, to protect the international rules-based order, and to ensure the prosperity of future Pacific generations.”

If the French needed encouragement, Peters pointed to the shared values that underpin the partnership, saying the two countries “share the same democratic pulse”, saying the fraternité — brotherhood — of France’s motto evoked a sense of moral obligation for governments “to protect all of their their citizens and provide them with the conditions to prosper”.

New Caledonia at ‘turning point’
Peters soon turned to the deadly riots in New Caledonia, saying New Zealand welcomed the efforts to restore security and help get foreigners including New Zealanders out.

The agreements between Paris and Nouméa in the 1980s and 1990s, he said, represented the road less travelled, “one where France and New Caledonia walked together”.

“But now, in 2024, that road has become overgrown and blocked by choices already made and actions already taken.”

The archipelago remains in something of a standoff after the riots that broke out in May over calls for independence.

France retains control of the military, but Fiji’s Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka — after a long-delayed visit alongside his Cook Islands and Tonga and the Solomon Islands Foreign Minister — this month offered to deploy a peacekeeping force under the Pacific Policing Initiative.

Peters urged France to think carefully about its next steps, and keep an open mind about the path forward.

“That in Nouméa and Paris, the key to restore the spirit of earlier understandings is for all parties to have open minds about their next crucial choice, about a new path forward, because France and the people of New Caledonia stand at a new turning point,” he said.

“Rather than dwell on old questions, we think there is an opening for everyone who cares about New Caledonia to use our imaginations to think of a new question.

“There are all sorts of constitutional models out there, including across the Pacific. For instance, New Zealand has learned from its experience of having different types of constitutional relationships with realm countries — the Cook Islands, Niue, and Tokelau.

“Our realm relationships are stable and mutually beneficial, so enduring, and the constitutional mechanisms provide for maximum self-determination while ensuring that New Zealand’s security and defence interests remain protected.”

Peters said New Zealand deeply respected France’s role in the region, “and we are in no doubt that the economic might of France is essential to reestablishing a vibrant New Caledonian economy”.

“We stand ready to help in any way we can, and we trust France appreciates . . .  ‘there is nothing better than the encouragement of a good friend’, because that is the animating spirit behind our words today.”

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.

“This show trial must end before it is too late,” said CPJ CEO Jodie Ginsberg on Monday. “The case of Jimmy Lai is not an outlier, it’s a symptom of Hong Kong’s democratic decline. Hong Kong’s treatment of Jimmy Lai — and more broadly of independent media and journalists — shows that this administration is no longer interested in even a semblance of democratic norms.”

Lai, the founder of the now-shuttered pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily, has spent nearly four years in a maximum-security prison and solitary confinement since December 2020. He has faced multiple postponements to his trial, in which he has been charged with sedition and conspiring to collude with foreign forces.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told parliament in October that the case of Lai, who is a British citizen, was a “priority” and called for his release. Similarly, United Nations experts in January urged Hong Kong authorities to drop all charges against the publisher and free him.

The U.N. Working Group on Arbitrary Detention found that Lai is unlawfully and arbitrarily detained in Hong Kong, expressed alarm over his prolonged solitary confinement, and called for immediate remedy. Lai suffers from a long-standing health issue of diabetes.

Lai won a press freedom award from CPJ and the organization continues to advocate for his freedom.

Responding to CPJ’s request for comment, a Hong Kong government spokesperson referred to a November 17 statement in which it said that Lai was “receiving appropriate treatment and care in prison” and that Hong Kong authorities “strongly deplore any form of interference.”

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.

Earlier this year, CPJ submitted a report assessing Ethiopia’s press freedom and journalist safety record from 2019, as part of the country’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) scheduled for November 12. During the UPR, the United Nations Human Rights Council peer reviews the human rights record of a country, and considers recommendations on how a country can better fulfill its international human rights obligations.

CPJ’s report to the U.N. detailed the arbitrary detention, physical violence, harassment, and severe legal restrictions Ethiopian journalists face. CPJ made several recommendations including promptly releasing detained journalists, investigating attacks on the press, ensuring accountability for violence against journalists, and amending repressive laws to align with international human rights standards.

CPJ’s UPR submission on Ethiopia is available in English here.

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.

On November 4, the interim information ministry announced that the Cyber Security Act would be repealed within a week. The law was passed in 2023 and replaced the Digital Security Act, which was repeatedly used to crack down on journalists under the previous government.

Currently, dozens of journalists perceived to be supportive of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her ousted Awami League party face police investigations in apparent retaliation for their work. In late October and early November, the interim information ministry revoked the press accreditation of several of these journalists, four of whom remain jailed.

Read the full letter here.

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.

Top U.N. officials are again warning that the entire Palestinian population in north Gaza is “at imminent risk of dying from disease, famine and violence.” At least 1,800 Palestinians have been killed, many of them children, since October, when Israel imposed a draconian siege and began an intensified campaign of ethnic cleansing on northern Gaza. Jan Egeland of the Norwegian Refugee Council recently spent several days in Gaza. He describes what he saw as “devastation beyond belief,” as Palestinians face “the most intense and most indiscriminate bombardment anywhere in the world in recent memory,” coupled with the utter depletion of aid. Egeland pleads for the United States, the largest supplier of military funding and equipment to Israel, to condition its weapons to Israel, enforce the provision of aid and commit to ending Israel’s assault. “It’s not in Israel’s interest to destroy its neighborhood in Gaza and in Lebanon. It will create new generations of hatred,” Egeland says.

This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

North Korea and Russia have denied that North Korean soldiers are being sent to help Russia with its war in Ukraine but South Korea and its allies have warned of a dangerous escalation of the conflict.

“We appeal to the soldiers of the Korean People’s Army who were sent to support the Putin regime. Don’t die senselessly on foreign soil. Do not repeat the fate of hundreds of thousands of Russian soldiers who will never return home,” said the Ukrainian Defense Intelligence Directorate, or GUR, in a Korean-language message on its Telegram messaging channel on Wednesday. 

“Surrender! Ukraine will provide you with shelter, food, and warmth,” it added, introducing its surrender hotline “I Want to Live.”

The project was originally designed to help Russian servicemen in Ukraine who did not want to participate in the Russian invasion, launched in February 2022, to safely surrender to Ukrainian forces.

As of June, more than 300 Russian soldiers had surrendered through the hotline, according to the Ukraine government.

“It doesn’t matter how many soldiers Pyongyang sends or to which sector – they will be accepted. Ukrainian prisoner-of-war camps are ready to receive soldiers of any nationality, religion, or ideology,” the GUR said.

The message was posted with a video, just over a minute long, showing facilities where surrendered North Korean soldiers would stay. 

“In camps, prisoners of war are housed in large, warm, bright rooms with separate sleeping quarters. They receive three meals a day, and their diet includes meat, fresh vegetables, and bread,” the narrator of the video said in the Korean language.  

Ukraine’s message to North Korean soldiers came after the U.S. and NATO confirmed they had evidence that North Korean troops had deployed to Russia.

Lloyd Austin, the U.S. defense chief, said it remained to be seen what exactly Pyongyang’s forces were doing there, but according to South Korean and Ukrainian warnings, they were preparing to join Russia's side in the war in Ukraine.

Austin added the U.S. was also still attempting to determine what North Korea would get in return for helping Russia with manpower.

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'Security consequences’

NATO spokesperson Farah Dakhlallah said in a statement that alliance members had “confirmed evidence of a DPRK troop deployment to Russia.”

“If these troops are destined to fight in Ukraine, it would mark a significant escalation in North Korea’s support for Russia’s illegal war and yet another sign of Russia’s significant losses on the front lines,” Dakhlallah said.

The Democratic People’s of Republic of Korea, or DPRK, is North Korea’s official name. 

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has warned that the involvement of North Korean troops could significantly escalate the conflict.

The U.S. and NATO confirmation followed a report by South Korea’s spy agency that more than 3,000 North Korean troops had been sent to Russia, with the total expected to reach 10,000 by December.

The South has vowed to take “phased” measures in response to growing military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow, including sending weapons to Ukraine for the first time.

In response, Russia’s foreign ministry warned on Wednesday that South Korea would pay a heavy price if it got involved.

“They should think about the security consequences if they get involved in the Ukrainian crisis. The Russian Federation will react to those aggressive steps, if our citizens are under threat, under peril,” said ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova.

“We sincerely hope that the Seoul authorities are guided by common sense,” she added.

Zakharova also dismissed the reports of the North’s troop dispatch as “fake.”

“The armed forces of North Korea exist, but you should turn to Pyongyang to identify their location,” she said. “I cannot [understand] why there has been so many gossips, so many loud noises around this. This is a propaganda work.”

“Russian cooperation with North Korea in military and other areas corresponds to international law ... That is the first, and the second is that we don't inflict any damage to South Korea,” she added. 

“I cannot understand so much fuss about it coming from Seoul.”

On Monday, North Korea’s representative to the United Nations dismissed reports it was sending soldiers to support Russia in its war as “groundless rumors,” adding that its cooperation with Moscow was “legitimate and cooperative.”

Edited by Mike Firn.

This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by By Taejun Kang for RFA.

Hue was arrested in October 2019 for protesting about illegal toll booths and sentenced to 42 months in prison for “disturbing public order” and property fraud. The sentence was reduced by three months on appeal.

Since she was freed in January 2023, Hue has continued to criticize the government on Facebook.

In May this year, she was grabbed off the street by six people, one in police uniform, all of which was captured on a nearby resident’s security camera.

Hue was interrogated for more than 24 hours about her Facebook posts, ordered to stop criticizing the government on social media and told to stop helping political prisoners and their families.

“The persecution of Dang Thi Hue is a stark reminder of the risks faced by those in Vietnam who dare to speak out and challenge the government’s authoritarian rule,” said PEN America Research and Advocacy Manager Anh-Thu Vo on Monday.

“No one should be subjected to threats or reprisals for expressing their views, online or offline,” she added, calling on the U.S. government and other “key state partners” to push Vietnam to release political prisoners, end harassment of its critics and make freedom of expression a priority in talks with Hanoi.

Vietnam was the world’s third largest jailer of writers in 2023, according to PEN America’s Freedom to Write Index.

Radio Free Asia emailed Vietnam’s foreign ministry to ask for a comment on PEN’s statement but received no response. 

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Forced off Facebook

Hue has posted hundreds of articles and broadcast many live streams on Facebook in recent months criticizing corruption and calling for support for the families of prisoners of conscience.

To avoid harassment and rearrest, Hue had gone into hiding and she told Radio Free Asia that Thai Binh provincial police have questioned her relatives and friends to try to track her down.

“I think my activities are becoming more and more public and are receiving strong support from the people in Vietnam, including farmers and workers, the weak and powerless,” Hue told RFA Vietnamese on Tuesday. 

“The more widespread my activities are, the more the communist government’s repression of me increases.”

Hue said Facebook has deleted posts, blocked access and shut down four of her accounts with a total 50,000 followers following pressure from the government.

Facebook had not responded to RFA’s request for comment on Hue’s complaints at time of publication.

Translated by RFA Vietnamese. Edited by Mike Firn and Taejun Kang.

This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by By RFA Vietnamese.

North Korea said on Friday that the South had sent unmanned drones over Pyongyang three times this month. South Korea denied the claim. 

“The South Korean authorities should take Pyongyang’s warnings very seriously and cease further escalation on the peninsula through their reckless and provocative campaign, which exacerbates tension and could lead to actual armed confrontations,” Maria Zakharova, Russia’s foreign ministry spokesperson, said in a statement Monday.

North Korea claimed that South Korean drones carrying anti-regime propaganda leaflets were detected in the night skies over Pyongyang three times this month, and threatened to respond with force if such flights occurred again. 

In response, South Korea’s defense ministry warned that the North would face “the end of its regime” if it caused any harm to South Korean people, while its Joint Chiefs of Staff said it could not confirm whether the North’s drone claims were true.

The Russian statement came after media reports that Putin submitted a bill to the State Duma to ratify a treaty on a strategic partnership with North Korea. 

Putin submitted the bill to the lower house of parliament on Monday to ratify the treaty on a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, which was sealed in June, Russia’s state-run Sputnik news agency reported.

The treaty was signed by Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on June 19 in Pyongyang after their summit talks during the Russian President’s state visit.   

The new partnership includes a mutual defense assistance clause that would apply in the case of “aggression” against one of the signatories.

The agreement is subject to ratification and enters into force on the date of exchange of instruments of ratification.

Russia and North Korea have deepened military cooperation as Moscow seeks arms and other support in its war against Ukraine. In recent weeks, claims of a more direct North Korean presence in Ukraine have increased.

Citing Ukraine’s military intelligence, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday that Russia plans to involve North Korea directly in the full-scale war against Ukraine in coming months.

Zelensky’s statement came after media reports that several North Korean officers had been killed in a Ukrainian missile strike in Russian-occupied territory near the city of Donetsk on Oct. 3.

South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong-Hyun told lawmakers in early October that North Korea was likely planning to send troops to Ukraine to fight alongside Russia. 

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on Oct. 10, however, dismissed these reports as “fake news.”

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Security meeting in North Korea

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un held a meeting with top security officials on Monday to discuss what Pyongyang claimed was South Korea’s infiltration of drones and military action plans to respond to it, state media reported.

At the meeting, Kim received reports about North Korea’s plan to deal with the “enemy’s serious provocation,” including the military’s counteraction plan and the situation related to Pyongyang’s intelligence operations, the North’s state-run Korean Central News Agency, or KCNA, reported on Tuesday. 

At the meeting, Kim put in place a plan to carry out “immediate military action” and suggested “important tasks to be fulfilled in the operation of the war deterrent and the exercise of the right to self-defense for safeguarding the national sovereignty,” KCNA added.

The North said on Sunday its army units near the border with South Korea had been ordered to be ready to launch strikes on the South.

The South’s military said on Monday that North Korea appeared to be preparing to carry out explosions at roads connected to South Korea as early as that day.

Pyongyang announced last Wednesday it would cut off roads and railways to South Korea and bolster border defenses, saying South Korean military exercises and U.S. “strategic nuclear assets” prompted the decision.  

Edited by Mike Firn.

This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by By Taejun Kang for RFA.

The criminal cases have been initiated against Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) Europe correspondent Kathryn Diss and ABC camera operator Fletcher Yeung, both U.S. citizens, as well as Romanian freelance journalist Mircea Barbu, who was on assignment for news website HotNews. Russian authorities allege that the journalists crossed into Sudzha, a western Russian town in the Kursk region where Ukrainian authorities launched an incursion, on August 6, without Russian permission.

“These criminal charges against foreign journalists are a blatant attempt to intimidate the press and restrict the flow of information about the Russia-Ukraine war,” said Gulnoza Said, CPJ’s Europe and Central Asia program coordinator, in Warsaw. “We urge Russian authorities to immediately drop all charges against Kathryn Diss, Fletcher Yeung, and Mircea Barbu, and to stop treating journalism as a crime.”

In a statement, ABC said its reporters had not done anything illegal, since they were reporting “from occupied territory in a war zone in full compliance with international law. Their reporting was done in the interests of keeping the public fully informed on a story of international importance.”

Barbu also condemned the charges on social media, saying journalists are protected under international law and that Russia’s actions are a threat to the freedom of expression of any journalists who risk reporting the truth during armed conflicts.

Since August 17, Russian authorities have opened similar charges against a total of 12 foreign journalists reporting from the Kursk region.  

The journalists, who face up to five years in prison upon extradition to Russia or being detained within the country, include: Deutsche Welle correspondent Nick Connolly; Ukrainian national TV channel “1+1” correspondent Natalia Nahorna; CNN chief international security correspondent Nick Paton Walsh; independent Ukrainian broadcaster Hromadske reporters Olesya Borovyk and Diana Butsko; and Italian public broadcaster RAI journalists Stefania Battistini and Simone Traini.

Russian authorities have since added all seven to their wanted list.

On August 19, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said that Russian law enforcement authorities were studying “the facts related to the actions” of unnamed Washington Post journalists in Sudzha.

CPJ emailed the FSB for comment but did not receive a reply.

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by CPJ Staff.

The criminal cases have been initiated against Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) Europe correspondent Kathryn Diss and ABC camera operator Fletcher Yeung, both U.S. citizens, as well as Romanian freelance journalist Mircea Barbu, who was on assignment for news website HotNews. Russian authorities allege that the journalists crossed into Sudzha, a western Russian town in the Kursk region where Ukrainian authorities launched an incursion, on August 6, without Russian permission.

“These criminal charges against foreign journalists are a blatant attempt to intimidate the press and restrict the flow of information about the Russia-Ukraine war,” said Gulnoza Said, CPJ’s Europe and Central Asia program coordinator, in Warsaw. “We urge Russian authorities to immediately drop all charges against Kathryn Diss, Fletcher Yeung, and Mircea Barbu, and to stop treating journalism as a crime.”

In a statement, ABC said its reporters had not done anything illegal, since they were reporting “from occupied territory in a war zone in full compliance with international law. Their reporting was done in the interests of keeping the public fully informed on a story of international importance.”

Barbu also condemned the charges on social media, saying journalists are protected under international law and that Russia’s actions are a threat to the freedom of expression of any journalists who risk reporting the truth during armed conflicts.

Since August 17, Russian authorities have opened similar charges against a total of 12 foreign journalists reporting from the Kursk region.  

The journalists, who face up to five years in prison upon extradition to Russia or being detained within the country, include: Deutsche Welle correspondent Nick Connolly; Ukrainian national TV channel “1+1” correspondent Natalia Nahorna; CNN chief international security correspondent Nick Paton Walsh; independent Ukrainian broadcaster Hromadske reporters Olesya Borovyk and Diana Butsko; and Italian public broadcaster RAI journalists Stefania Battistini and Simone Traini.

Russian authorities have since added all seven to their wanted list.

On August 19, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said that Russian law enforcement authorities were studying “the facts related to the actions” of unnamed Washington Post journalists in Sudzha.

CPJ emailed the FSB for comment but did not receive a reply.

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by CPJ Staff.

“Egregious human rights violations occurring in the Uyghur region is one of the greatest, and certainly a generation-defining, human rights crises of our time,” Arfiya Eri, a 35-year-old member of Japan’s more powerful lower house of parliament, told Radio Free Asia.

“The international community, including Japan, must do its part to ensure that we do not set a precedent where such violations go unaccounted for under our watch,” she said, echoing comments she made earlier this month at the Sydney Dialogue, hosted by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. The annual summit in Sydney focuses on critical, emerging and cyber technologies.

In 2023, Eri was elected to Japan’s Diet, or parliament, as a member of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party representing a district just east of Tokyo. Raised in Japan, she is the first Japanese of Uyghur background to be elected to the Diet. 

Eri’s perspective carries personal and symbolic weight, highlighting the experiences of those directly affected by human rights abuses in Xinjiang and underscoring a moral imperative for Japan to act, Uyghur activists say.

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For the past decade, China has severely repressed the 12 million mostly Muslim Uyghurs and other Turkic minorities who live in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, subjecting them to heavy surveillance, restricting their religious practices and detaining them in internment camps and prisons. 

Eri’s call comes amid greater demands by Uyghur activists for the international community to take concrete steps to punish China for its rights abuses against the Uyghurs in Xinjiang.

In February 2022, Japan’s Lower House adopted a resolution expressing concern over the human rights situation in China, including the plight of the Uyghurs, and called on Beijing to take measures to address the situation. 

But Eri said nothing has really changed in Tokyo’s stance toward Beijing on this issue.

She said that Japan, “as the strongest democratic economy in Asia, and as a country that holds the values of democracy, human rights, and rule of law as fundamental to its identity, can and must do more for peace, democracy, and human rights worldwide.”

As a board member of a multiparty alliance on human rights diplomacy in Japan, she is engaging her colleagues to “do more in resolving human rights and humanitarian crises worldwide,” Eri said.

Fluent in English, Japanese and Uyghur, Eri previously worked for the Bank of Japan and the United Nations. 

Translated by RFA Uyghur. Edited by Roseanne Gerin and Malcolm Foster.

This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by By Mamatjan Juma for RFA Uyghur.

“India’s planned broadcast bill could have a chilling effect on press freedom,” CPJ’s Asia Program Coordinator Beh Lih Yi said on Thursday. “We are extremely concerned by the opacity surrounding the proposed law and its enactment process, and urge the Indian authorities to be transparent to ensure the bill is not tantamount to online censorship.”

A draft of the Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Bill, released to a few select groups in July but not officially made public, would classify online content creators as “digital news broadcasters” and compel them to register with the government. 

They would also have to set up internal vetting committees at their own expense to approve content before it is posted online. Failure to comply could result in imprisonment and fines. 

The provisions in the bill came after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party lost support in a national election earlier this year – a development that supporters blamed partly on social media influencers for boosting the opposition’s chances.

Following criticism, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said on X, formerly Twitter, that a fresh draft bill will be published and it would extend the deadline for stakeholder comments until October 15, 2024. 

The ministry did not respond to CPJ’s emailed requests for comment.

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.

“The Mongolian government must halt its escalating use of lawfare against journalists and protect their rights to report,” said CPJ’s Asia Program Coordinator Beh Lih Yi.  “Unurtsetseg Naran’s reporting serves the public interest by exposing government corruption and wrongdoings. She should not be punished for it.”

Unurtsetseg, who was arrested in December 2023 and released to house arrest in February, was sentenced on July 19 to four years and nine months in prison during a closed-door trial on charges of spreading false information, tax evasion, money laundering, disclosure of personal information, and acquisition of state secrets.

In a July 24 opinion piece in The Guardian, Unurtsetseg denied the charges and said she didn’t expect a free trial in Mongolia. Unurtsetseg is well-known in Mongolia for uncovering corruption scandals, sexual abuses in Buddhist boarding schools, and violence in the military.

In 2019 and 2020, Unurtsetseg faced 16 defamation suits brought by politicians mentioned in her reporting. Despite winning most cases, she was still fined approximately US$800.

The Mongolian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Justice did not immediately respond to CPJ’s email requesting comment.

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.

“All sides in Bangladesh must ensure that journalists can report safely during this delicate time of political transition,” said CPJ Asia Program Coordinator Beh Lih Yi. “The attacks on journalists and the blocking of internet and phone service during recent weeks of protests are unacceptable and need to stop immediately.”

At least three Bangladeshi journalists were killed covering unrest in July and dozens more were assaulted either by police, supporters of Hasina’s Awami League party, or protesters. Another journalist, Daily Khoborpatra newspaper correspondent Pradip Kumar Bhowmik, was reported killed on Sunday in northwest Sirajganj city, as well as other fresh attacks on the press.

Sunday’s renewed violence saw further attacks on the media, including The Business Standard newspaper reporters Miraz Hossain and Jahidul Islam, who were beaten in the capital Dhaka by supporters of the Jubo League, the youth wing of the Awami League, Hossain told CPJ.

In addition, the Dhaka offices of multiple pro-Awami League broadcasters including Somoy TV, Ekattor TV, and DBC News, were vandalized on Monday.

On Sunday, the government ordered its second mobile internet shutdown in three weeks and on Monday broadband services were suspended for about three hours. Services resumed on Monday afternoon as Hasina fled the country after protesters stormed her palace.

Army spokesperson Sami-Ud-Dowla Chowdhury and the Jubo League general secretary Mainul Hossain Khan Nikhil did not respond to CPJ’s requests for comment via messaging app.

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Arlene Getz/CPJ Editorial Director.

“Today’s decision by an extremist Supreme Court eviscerates four decades of legal precedent that protects Americans’ rights to clean air and water, safe workplaces, and healthcare by preventing the dedicated civil-servant experts who staff our federal agencies from implementing the laws enacted by Congress. This dangerous ruling overturns a unanimous Supreme Court determination, known as Chevron deference, that recognizes that judges are not policy experts and that it is entirely appropriate for knowledgeable regulatory agencies to respond effectively to protect Americans.

“That is why Congress must immediately pass my Stop Corporate Capture Act, the only bill that codifies Chevron deference, strengthens the federal-agency rulemaking process, and ensures that rulemaking is guided by the public interest–not what’s good for wealthy corporations.

“Today’s ruling creates massive uncertainty around the ability of the Executive Branch to fulfill its constitutional obligation to enforce our laws and casts doubt on the protections Americans depend on for a safe environment, financial markets, food products, prescription drugs, enforcement of our civil rights, and much more. It empowers the very same Supreme Court that struck down abortion rights to make far-reaching policy decisions.

“Make no mistake: this is the outcome of a multi-decade crusade by big business and rightwing extremists to gut federal agencies tasked with protecting Americans’ health and safety to instead benefit corporations aiming to dismantle regulations and boost their profits.

“In addition to passing my bill to codify Chevron deference, we must also enact sweeping oversight measures to rein in corruption and billionaire influence at the Supreme Court, whose far-right extremist majority routinely flouts basic ethics, throws out precedent, and legislates from the bench to benefit the wealthiest and most powerful.”

This content originally appeared on Common Dreams and was authored by Newswire Editor.

Thailand said it was studying the report from the special rapporteur for human rights in Myanmar, Tom Andrews, adding that its banking and financial institutions follow the banking protocols of any major financial hub.

Many Western governments have imposed sanctions on the Myanmar junta that seized power in a 2021 coup and Andrews said international community efforts to stop the flow of weapons have had some success.

The junta’s procurement of weapons, dual-use technologies manufacturing equipment and material through the international banking system was down by a third from US$377 million in the 2022 financial year to US$253 million in 2023, he said.

But the junta had taken opportunities to skirt restrictions and its “forces continue to systematically assault Myanmar civilians using powerful weapons of war obtained from abroad,” Andrews said in his report.

The junta, known as the State Administration Council, or SAC, had altered its sources of weapons and military supplies and exploited gaps in sanctions regimes, changed financial institutions and taken advantage of the lack of political will on the part of governments to coordinate and enforce action, he added. 

“The SAC has identified and is aggressively seizing opportunities to circumvent sanctions and other measures taken by the international community,” said the rapporteur.

Andrews contrasted the response to Myanmar’s bloody crisis from two of its neighbors: Singapore and Thailand.

Singapore, long a major supplier of military equipment with close commercial ties with Myanmar, had “articulated a clear policy opposing the transfer of weapons”, in line with a U.N. General Assembly resolution that passed overwhelmingly after the coup.

Following an investigation by the Singapore government, exports to Myanmar of weapons and related materials from Singapore-registered entities using the formal banking system dropped from almost US$120 million in FY2022 to just over US$10 million in FY2023, according to Andrews.

‘Leading source’

Thailand, on the other hand, does not have an explicit public policy position opposing the transfer of weapons to Myanmar, Andrews said, adding that exports from Thailand-registered entities more than doubled over the same period, from just over US$60 million to nearly US$130 million.

“Many SAC purchases previously made from Singapore-based entities, including parts for Mi-17 and Mi-35 helicopters used to conduct airstrikes on civilian targets, are now being sourced from Thailand,” he said.

“Thailand has now become the SAC’s leading source of military supplies purchased through the international banking system,” he added.

Andrews noted that, as with Singapore, he found no evidence that the Thai government was involved in or aware of the transfers but noted that if it were to respond in the same way the Singapore government had, “the SAC’s capacity to attack the people of Myanmar would be significantly reduced.”   

Thailand’s foreign ministry said in a statement it had seen Andrews’ report and was looking into it.

“Many countries have been named and certainly these are countries where the majority of financial transactions in the region would pass through,” the ministry said.

“Our banking and financial institutions follow banking protocols as any major financial hub. So we will have to first establish the facts before considering any further steps.”

Andrews called on states that support human rights in Myanmar to halt the sale of weapons to it by their companies and for financial institutions to freeze relations with Myanmar’s state-owned banks.

The rapporteur said the findings in his report covered purchases via the formal international banking system and not military procurement pathways such as in-kind trade or purchases with hard currency.

While Singapore’s military exports to Myanmar had dropped dramatically, and those from Russia and China also declined, Indian exports remained constant, according to Andrews, while acknowledging some of Myanmar’s military procurement from those countries may have moved to informal channels. 

Edited by Taejun Kang and Mike Firn. 

This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by By RFA Staff.

Thailand said it was studying the report from the special rapporteur for human rights in Myanmar, Tom Andrews, adding that its banking and financial institutions follow the banking protocols of any major financial hub.

Many Western governments have imposed sanctions on the Myanmar junta that seized power in a 2021 coup and Andrews said international community efforts to stop the flow of weapons have had some success.

The junta’s procurement of weapons, dual-use technologies manufacturing equipment and material through the international banking system was down by a third from US$377 million in the 2022 financial year to US$253 million in 2023, he said.

But the junta had taken opportunities to skirt restrictions and its “forces continue to systematically assault Myanmar civilians using powerful weapons of war obtained from abroad,” Andrews said in his report.

The junta, known as the State Administration Council, or SAC, had altered its sources of weapons and military supplies and exploited gaps in sanctions regimes, changed financial institutions and taken advantage of the lack of political will on the part of governments to coordinate and enforce action, he added. 

“The SAC has identified and is aggressively seizing opportunities to circumvent sanctions and other measures taken by the international community,” said the rapporteur.

Andrews contrasted the response to Myanmar’s bloody crisis from two of its neighbors: Singapore and Thailand.

Singapore, long a major supplier of military equipment with close commercial ties with Myanmar, had “articulated a clear policy opposing the transfer of weapons”, in line with a U.N. General Assembly resolution that passed overwhelmingly after the coup.

Following an investigation by the Singapore government, exports to Myanmar of weapons and related materials from Singapore-registered entities using the formal banking system dropped from almost US$120 million in FY2022 to just over US$10 million in FY2023, according to Andrews.

‘Leading source’

Thailand, on the other hand, does not have an explicit public policy position opposing the transfer of weapons to Myanmar, Andrews said, adding that exports from Thailand-registered entities more than doubled over the same period, from just over US$60 million to nearly US$130 million.

“Many SAC purchases previously made from Singapore-based entities, including parts for Mi-17 and Mi-35 helicopters used to conduct airstrikes on civilian targets, are now being sourced from Thailand,” he said.

“Thailand has now become the SAC’s leading source of military supplies purchased through the international banking system,” he added.

Andrews noted that, as with Singapore, he found no evidence that the Thai government was involved in or aware of the transfers but noted that if it were to respond in the same way the Singapore government had, “the SAC’s capacity to attack the people of Myanmar would be significantly reduced.”   

Thailand’s foreign ministry said in a statement it had seen Andrews’ report and was looking into it.

“Many countries have been named and certainly these are countries where the majority of financial transactions in the region would pass through,” the ministry said.

“Our banking and financial institutions follow banking protocols as any major financial hub. So we will have to first establish the facts before considering any further steps.”

Andrews called on states that support human rights in Myanmar to halt the sale of weapons to it by their companies and for financial institutions to freeze relations with Myanmar’s state-owned banks.

The rapporteur said the findings in his report covered purchases via the formal international banking system and not military procurement pathways such as in-kind trade or purchases with hard currency.

While Singapore’s military exports to Myanmar had dropped dramatically, and those from Russia and China also declined, Indian exports remained constant, according to Andrews, while acknowledging some of Myanmar’s military procurement from those countries may have moved to informal channels. 

Edited by Taejun Kang and Mike Firn. 

This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by By RFA Staff.

CAIR also urged all Americans to use its click-and-send action alert to call on members of Congress to follow suit and boycott or protest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to a joint session of Congress on July 24th due to his openly racist views, genocidal war crimes, disrespect for the United States, and opposition to a Palestinian state.

TAKE ACTION: URGE CONGRESS TO BOYCOTT OR PROTEST WAR CRIMINAL NETANYAHU’S SPEECH TO CONGRESS

In a statement, CAIR Director of Government Affairs Department Robert S. McCaw said:

“We encourage all Americans to urge your members of Congress to boycott or protest Benjamin Netanyahu’s July 24th speech to Congress. The only speech the war criminal Netanyahu should ever give outside of Israel is testimony at The Hague.

“Any member of Congress who stands to applaud an openly racist, anti-American, genocidal butcher like Netanyahu would become a cheerleader for his crimes.

“This war criminal should have never been invited to address Congress, and if he does show up, the only moral response is to either boycott or protest his speech.”

McCaw thanked former House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi for her words opposing Netanyahu’s speech and urged her to clarify if she would boycott the speech as well.

Remind your U.S. House representatives and your senators that Netanyahu is a racist, a corrupt politician and a genocidal war criminal whose government has spent eight months massacring thousands of innocent people and spent years beforehand oppressing millions of Palestinians and undermining American presidents, including President Obama.

CAIR previously called on members of Congress to reject any attempt by House Speaker Mike Johnson to invite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address a joint session of Congress.

Last month, CAIR condemnedthe ongoing Israel-U.S. massacre of Palestinian civilians in a so-called “safe zone” in Gaza, declaring the Biden administration’s complicity because of President Biden’s insistence on sending more bombs to enable Netanyahu’s war crimes in Rafah. CAIR believes that this is now as much an American genocide as it is an Israeli genocide.

This content originally appeared on Common Dreams and was authored by Newswire Editor.

On Tuesday, June 4, soldiers with the Sudanese paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) raided Razek’s home in the el-Dorshab neighborhood north of Khartoum and shot him dead along with three of his family members who were with him at the time, according to news reports, a local journalist following the case who talked with CPJ on the condition of anonymity out of fear of reprisal, and a Facebook statement posted by the local Sudanese Journalists Syndicate trade union, which called Razek’s death an “assassination.”

“We are deeply alarmed by the killing of journalist Muawiya Abdel Razek and three of his family members in his home by armed soldiers of the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces,” said CPJ Program Director Carlos Martínez de la Serna, in New York. “The Sudanese authorities must investigate Razek’s killing and hold those responsible to account. All parties in the ongoing war must respect the rights of journalists as they report on crucial matters of public interest.”

In December 2023, Razek, an investigative journalist who worked with many local newspapers including Al-Jarifa, Akhir Lahza , and Al-Akhbar, was detained by the RSF for three days after he was accused of working with military intelligence, according to those sources.

CPJ’s emails to the RSF about Abdel Razek’s killing received no replies.

Since the war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF started in mid-April of last year, many journalists have been killed, arrested, injured, displaced, and assaulted. 

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.

“The Indian courts’ decisions to grant bail to journalists Aasif Sultan, Gautam Navlakha, and Prabir Purkayastha are welcome news. We urge the Indian authorities to respect the judicial orders and immediately free these journalists, who should never have been imprisoned in the first place,” said CPJ India Representative Kunāl Majumder. “In all three cases, we have observed how authorities have tried to keep these journalists behind bars at all costs, particularly Sultan who has been arbitrarily detained for almost six years in a cycle of release and re-arrest. The Indian government must not target journalists for their critical reporting.”

Sultan was released on Tuesday, May 14, after he was granted bail on May 10 by a court in Srinagar, the largest city in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir, according to a copy of the bail order, reviewed by CPJ, and two sources familiar with the case who spoke with CPJ on condition of anonymity, citing fear of retaliation.

Sultan, India’s longest imprisoned journalist, was first arrested under the anti-terror Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in 2018 on charges of “harboring known militants” after he published a story about a slain Kashmiri militant. Sultan was granted bail in 2022 but authorities held him at a police station for five days before rearresting him under preventative custody. In December, a court quashed that second case and he was freed in February, only to be rearrested hours after he returned home on a prison riot charge.

In a separate ruling, India’s Supreme Court on Wednesday granted bail to Purkayastha, founder and editor-in-chief of the news website NewsClick on the grounds that the police failed to inform him of the reasons for his arrest before taking him into custody, according to news reports. Purkayastha has been held since October under the UAPA and the Indian Penal Code on charges of raising funds for terrorist activities and criminal conspiracy.

The same court on Tuesday granted bail to Navlakha, a columnist at NewsClick, who has been under house arrest under the UAPA since November 2022, on accusations that he was part of a group who were responsible for violence that erupted in 2017 in the Pune district in the western state of Maharashtra, and of having links to the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist).

CPJ research shows that since 2014, at least 15 journalists have been charged or investigated under the UAPA.

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.

A hearing is scheduled for Wednesday at the Ninth Criminal Court, in the capital Guatemala City, to consider Zamora’s request to be freed under house arrest.

“We urge Guatemala’s judiciary to grant house arrest to José Rubén Zamora after nearly two years in solitary confinement and to give him the chance to prove his innocence in court,” said CPJ Latin America Program Coordinator Cristina Zahar in São Paulo. “His ongoing imprisonment amounts to arbitrary detention and demands immediate action. Zamora must have the right to a fair trial and to practice journalism freely.”

On July 29, 2022, police raided the home of Zamora, founder and publisher of the acclaimed investigative daily newspaper elPeriódico, which was forced to close the following year.

On June 14, 2023, Zamora was convicted of money laundering and sentenced to six years in jail, in a ruling widely regarded as a retaliatory measure for his reporting on government corruption. On October 13, an appeals court overturned the conviction and ordered a new trial.

Observers have documented severe irregularities in Zamora’s trial, including repeated delays in court proceedings, limited access to evidence, and challenges in maintaining legal representation as his lawyers have been harassed and jailed.

Zamora, 67, remains in pre-trial isolation, which has had detrimental effects on his physical health and well-being. Zamora previously told CPJ that he was subjected to sleep deprivation, which amounts to psychological torture, and that his cell was infested with insects.

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.

Vietnam respected the legitimate interests of Cambodia in connection with the US$1.7-billion project and always treasures and gives top priority to their fine neighborliness and traditional friendship, the state Vietnam News Agency reported on Sunday, citing a foreign ministry spokeswoman.

The spokeswoman, Pham Thu Hang, said that Vietnam was highly interested in the project and expressed the wish that Cambodia would continue working closely with Vietnam and other countries on the Mekong to share information and fully assess the impacts of the project on the river’s water resources and ecological environment.

She reiterated what she called Vietnam’s consistent support, joy, and high regard for the achievements made by Cambodia in recent years.

Cambodia says the canal, which will be built by a state-owned Chinese company and will connect its southern coast with the capital, Phnom Penh, will reduce its dependence on Vietnamese ports and make significant savings.  

Vietnam is worried about the impact of the waterway on flows down into its Mekong delta rice-growing region.

Cambodia has insisted the canal will go ahead despite Vietnam’s concerns, and the neighbors have engaged in some blunt exchanges in recent weeks. 

Huynh Tam Sang, a lecturer at Vietnam National University, said the latest comments showed Vietnam was adopting a more gentle approach.

“The Vietnamese government’s phrasing ‘much interested’ instead of ‘concerns’ demonstrates its desire to communicate its worries in a way that does not infuriate Cambodia,” the Vietnamese analyst said. “This is vastly different from the language used to describe other security issues, notably the South China Sea … Additionally, this subtle tone suggests that Vietnam is receptive to dialogue aimed at fostering shared interests.”

‘Sore spot in relationship’

It was the second time in less than a month the Vietnamese government has asked for more information about the proposed 180-km (112-mile) canal project which, according to some Vietnamese experts, would reduce the flow of the Mekong river into Vietnam by up to 50%.

The Mekong delta is home to 17.4 million people and is Vietnam’s main rice-producing area.

Vietnamese experts have suggested that their government  should ask Phnom Penh to delay the project for further discussions.

The U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh has also called for more information about the canal. 

There are also concerns that the canal will open access to Vietnam’s western border, making it vulnerable, especially as China’s navy appears to have secured a semi-permanent presence in Ream nearby on the Cambodian coast.

“The canal could allow the Chinese navy to travel upstream from the Gulf of Thailand and the Ream Naval Base to Vietnam’s western border,” wrote Khang Vu, a political scientist at Boston College in the U.S., who warned about “the revival of the land threat” to Vietnam.

“As China expands its influence in Cambodia in addition to Vietnam’s weakening leverage over Laos, the Chinese encirclement of Vietnam is growing more comprehensive.” 

A major China-Cambodia joint military exercise –  Golden Dragon 2024 – is to take place later this month, according to the Chinese defense ministry.

Cambodia’s former prime minister Hun Sen has said Cambodia “will not negotiate” with Vietnam.

“Hanoi should compile a comprehensive report indicating potential impacts of the canal project and share it with Phnom Penh and the Mekong River Commission (MRC),” said the Vietnamese analyst, Sang, adding however that he was “not confident about Cambodia’s willing reception.”

The MRC is an intergovernmental organization formed by Cambodia, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam to jointly manage the shared river’s water resources and ensure its sustainable development.

“The Cambodian government’s resolve to move on with the project, despite Vietnam’s concerns, suggests that this matter may persist as a sore spot in the bilateral relationship,” Sang told RFA.

The construction of the canal is set to begin later this year and is being heralded by Cambodia’s leadership as a national interest. Hun Sen’s son – Prime Minister Hun Manet – stated on Friday that the canal project “has sparked a significant nationalist movement.”

Edited by Mike Firn.

This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by By RFA Staff.

• Blinken meets Middle Eastern leaders in Riyadh, urges Hamas to accept Israeli ceasefire offer.
• Campus anti-war protests continue to roil US university campuses.
• Labor activists call for the state to extend $20 per hour minimum wage to prisoners.
• Housing rights advocates call on Governor Newsom to budget more for affordable housing.
• Scotland First Minister resigns over failure to form governing coalition with Scottish Green Party.
• Midwest states deal with a rash of tornadoes, several people killed.
• Californians call for state single payer system.

The post The Pacifica Evening News, Weekdays – April 29, 2024 Blinken meets Middle Eastern leaders in Riyadh, urges Hamas to accept Israeli ceasefire offer. appeared first on KPFA.

This content originally appeared on KPFA - The Pacifica Evening News, Weekdays and was authored by KPFA.

Borrell, the high representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, told the European Parliament that the European External Action Service was “appalled” by the “unprecedented” number of journalists and media workers killed in the six months of war. “Journalists are civilians and their voices are crucial to keeping disinformation at bay and citizens being informed,” Borrell said during a debate on the EU’s response to the Israeli Defense Forces’ killing of humanitarian aid workers, journalists, and other civilians in Gaza.

Borrell also expressed concern about newly adopted legislation allowing Israeli authorities to prevent foreign media networks from operating in Israel. “This, coupled with the lack of access to foreign media to Gaza, raises further concerns about what we know about what is going [on] there,” he said.

Read the full text of the debate here and a January letter to Borrell from CPJ and other partner groups here.

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Arlene Getz/CPJ Editorial Director.

Apple must publicly condemn Hanoi’s use of “ambiguous laws” to arrest Vietnam’s climate activists on “trumped-up” tax evasion charges or risk “violating your own environmental and human rights policies and delegitimizing Apple’s positive work in these areas,” said the letter from the Members of the Vietnam Climate Defenders Coalition, addressed to the company’s leadership and board of directors.

“Since Vietnam is now Apple’s most important production hub outside of China and you have committed to human rights and ‘equity and justice in climate solutions,’ we believe you have a responsibility to weigh in on the systematic persecution and imprisonment of climate leaders in the country,” it said.

The letter referenced the imprisonment of Nguy Thi Khanh, who served 16 months behind bars after working to reduce the government’s coal expansion plans; environmental lawyer Dang Dinh Bach, who is serving a five-year sentence after representing communities impacted by pollution; and Hoang Thi Minh Hong, who is serving three years in prison after founding environmental group CHANGE Vietnam.

The group also called attention to authorities’ recent arrest of Ngo Thi To Nhien, the former executive director of Vietnam Initiative for Energy Transition, for “appropriation of information or documents,” which it said suggested efforts by the government to “criminalize access to information about Vietnam’s clean energy transition.”

The 61 organizations said Apple had failed to uphold its commitment to equity and justice in climate solutions, as well as transitioning its suppliers to renewable energy and a net-zero carbon impact from all of its products by 2030 by building manufacturing capacity in Vietnam.

“In Vietnam … those who would have facilitated net-zero carbon impact by supporting the transition to clean energy and other climate solutions are either in jail or have been silenced due to fear that they could be next,” they said. “Environmental organizations are shutting down, and there is currently no transparency or safe way for civil society to participate in this vital clean energy transition.”

The letter urged Apple to publicly pressure Vietnam’s government to release its imprisoned climate activists and ensure that civil society is free to participate in the country’s transition to clean energy without fear of persecution.

It noted that Apple’s own commitment to human rights champions “an open society in which information flows freely” and states “the best way we can continue to promote openness is to remain engaged, even where we may disagree with a country’s laws.”

Avoid ‘same mistakes’

Ben Swanton, co-director of environmental watchdog Project88, among the letter’s signatories, told RFA Vietnamese that Apple “should not make additional investments in intensive manufacturing in Vietnam while the country lacks clean energy sources and the government continues to imprison climate activists on false criminal charges.”

Michael Caster, Asia digital program manager for ARTICLE 19, another of the signatories, said Apple has a corporate responsibility “not to make the same mistakes” in Vietnam as it has in China, where he said “human rights abuses have been rampant, including with Apple’s complicity in areas of censorship and surveillance.”

“This requires robust human rights due diligence across its supply chain,” he told RFA. “As part of this process, Apple should seriously take into account Vietnam's persecution of climate activists, independent journalists, and others, and consider using its potential economic leverage to publicly condemn such actions."

Members of the Vietnam Climate Defenders Coalition noted that it had written a letter outlining similar concerns to Apple on May 31, 2023, one day after which Hoang Thi Minh Hong was arrested and Dang Dinh Bach declared a hunger strike in prison.

It said it met virtually with members of Apple’s staff to discuss the concerns in November, but has yet to receive a response regarding the company’s next steps.

“Apple, a company of growing significance to Vietnam’s economy, is in a unique position to bring this issue to the forefront,” the group said. “Simply stating that you are in support of equitable and just climate solutions and human rights is not enough. Your commitments require action, and now is the time to take it.”

Responsibility ‘wherever it operates’

Germany-based writer Vo Thi Hao, a frequent critic of Vietnam’s persecution of environmental activists, called their arrests “ridiculous and unjustified” in an interview with RFA.

“These activists, who had been protecting the common environment for the entire country, including those who arrested them, are now facing unjust sentences,” she said, calling for their immediate and unconditional release.

She noted that Apple’s ability to take action to protect activists in Vietnam “would be a challenge,” as it would need to “choose between democracy and human rights values and economic benefits brought about by the Vietnamese market.”

But she called on the company to do more to protect freedom and democracy, not only in the United States, but “wherever it operates.”

Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at New York-based Human Rights Watch, said Apple and other major Western manufacturers “who are de-risking their supply chains” by moving from China to Vietnam “need to realize just how bad the human rights situation is in Vietnam.”

“Climate change activists and NGO leaders are in jail, workers are prohibited from forming independent unions, and the human rights and democracy movement has effectively been wiped out,” he told RFA. “If Apple doesn't speak out against this, then they are complicit and need to face repercussions from US and European consumers.”

Translated by Anna Vu. Edited by Joshua Lipes and Malcolm Foster.

This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by By RFA Vietnamese.

“The American people deserve a trial and a verdict on these serious charges before they go to the polls in November,” said Virginia Kase Solomón, president of Common Cause. “The presumptive Republican presidential nominee stands criminally charged with conspiracy and obstruction stemming from his attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election. It is critically important that the Supreme Court rule quickly, as it has in past presidential cases, so that justice can be rendered before Americans cast their ballots.”

The brief emphasizes that Trump’s claim of absolute immunity from prosecution for the criminal acts alleged in his pending indictment is “untenable and poses a direct threat to the rule of law.” In urging the High Court to rule quickly in the case, the Common Cause brief cites previous cases – including United States v. Nixon and Bush v. Gore – where the Justices acted quickly when the presidency was at stake and the public interest demanded speed.

The brief asks the Supreme Court to act with the same expediency it did earlier this year in deciding Trump v. Anderson in the former president’s favor when it ruled that states cannot disqualify any candidate for federal office under Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment. In light of that ruling, the brief warns that a failure to act quickly could open the Court to the perception that it is attempting to influence the 2024 election in favor of Trump.

“Any impression that the Supreme Court is slow-walking a decision about presidential immunity when they have acted with speed in Anderson, Bush and Nixon could dangerously undermine public faith in the court,” said Kathay Feng, vice president of programs for Common Cause. “The words ‘Equal Justice Under Law’ are carved above the main entrance to the Supreme Court, and Americans expect no less. There is no caveat.”

A grand jury indicted Trump in In August 2023, on four charges related to his actions to overturn the 2020 presidential election. In February, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled that the trial should move forward.

Oral arguments before the Supreme Court in Trump v. United States will be held on April 25.

To read Common Cause’s amicus brief, click here.

This content originally appeared on Common Dreams and was authored by Newswire Editor.

On Tuesday, Sudan’s Ministry of Media and Culture suspended the Abu Dhabi-based Sky News Arabia news channel and Saudi Arabia’s state-owned channels Al Arabiya and Al Hadath for allegedly failing to renew their licenses, as well as “their inability to uphold necessary standards of professionalism and transparency,” according to news reports, and a local journalist who spoke with CPJ on the condition of anonymity, citing fear of reprisal.

“The Sudanese Ministry of Media and Culture’s decision to ban news channels Sky News Arabia, Al Arabiya, and Al Hadath is unacceptable during war time, when media coverage is crucial,” said CPJ Program Director Carlos Martinez de la Serna, in New York. “Sudanese authorities must immediately revert its decision to ban the three news channels and allow them to continue working Sudan.”

The Sudanese Journalists Syndicate, a local trade union, condemned the ministry’s decision and called it a “clear violation of freedom of expression and the freedom of the press,” according to a statement by the syndicate on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter.

CPJ emailed the Ministry of Media and Culture and the Sudanese Armed Forces for comment but did not receive any replies.

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.

On Monday, Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, passed a law allowing the government to halt the broadcasting of Al-Jazeera in Israel. The law grants the communications minister the power, with approval from the prime minister and the security cabinet, to order the cessation of a foreign channel’s broadcasts in Israel if the prime minister is convinced that the content directly threatens the country’s security.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter, that he would act immediately to stop Al-Jazeera broadcasting from Israel. In the tweet, Netanyahu labeled Al-Jazeera a “terrorist channel” and accused it of harming Israel’s security, actively participating in the October 7 massacre, and incitement against Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers.

These accusations were previously rejected by Al-Jazeera, which called them “an attempt to justify the killing and targeting of journalists.”

“CPJ is deeply concerned by new legislation authorizing the Netanyahu government to shutter Al-Jazeera in Israel,” said Carlos Martínez de la Serna, CPJ’s program director, in New York. “The law grants the government the power to close any foreign media outlets operating in Israel, posing a significant threat to international media within the country. This contributes to a climate of self-censorship and hostility toward the press, a trend that has escalated since the Israel-Gaza war began.”

Additionally, the law empowers the communications minister to order “content providers” to cease broadcasting, shutter their Israeli offices, confiscate their equipment, take their websites offline if the server is physically located in Israel, or otherwise block access to their websites.

Later today, White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre stated that if reports are true and Israel is attempting to shut down the news network Al-Jazeera within the country, it would be “concerning.”

On November 12, Israel’s security cabinet approved an order shutting down the Lebanon-based broadcaster and Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Mayadeen TV in Israel.

Since the start of the October 7 war, Al-Jazeera journalists in Gaza have been killed, injured, threatened, and assaulted, and their family members were killed after receiving threats from IDF officers.

CPJ’s email requesting comment from the prime minister’s government press office did not receive an immediate response.

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.

Amnesty International Indonesia is calling for an evaluation of the placement of TNI (Indonesian military) in Papua after a video of a Papuan man being tortured by several soldiers at the Gome Post in Puncak regency, Central Papua, went viral on social media.

“This incident was a [case of] cruel and inhuman torture that really damages our sense of justice,” said Amnesty International executive director Usman Hamid in a statement.

“It tramples over humanitarian values that are just and civilised. To the families of the victim, we expressed our deep sorrow.”

• READ MORE:  Australian group warns of new ‘arrests, torture’ in Papuan crackdown
• ‘Committed to human rights’, claims Indonesia over West Papua torture
• West Papuan wounds of suffering – diplomatic pressure on Indonesia needed urgently – Ronny Kareni
• Wenda condemns ‘sadistic brutality’ of Indonesian torture of Papuan – calls for UN action
• Other West Papua human rights reports

Hamid said that no one in this world, including in Papua, should be treated inhumanely and their dignity demeaned — let alone to the point of causing the loss of life.

“The statements by senior TNI officials and other government officials about a humanitarian approach and prosperity [in Papua] are totally meaningless.

“It is ignored by the [military] on the ground,” he said.

Hamid said that such incidents were able to be repeated because until now there had been no punishment for TNI members proven to have committed crimes of kidnapping, torture and the loss of life.

Call for fact-finding team
Hamid said Amnesty International was calling for a joint fact-finding team to be formed to investigate the abuse, including urging that an evaluation be carried on to the deployment of TNI soldiers in the land of Papua.

“There must be a sharp reflection on the placement of security forces in the land of Papua which has given rise to people falling victim, both indigenous Papuans, non-Papuans, including the security forces themselves”, he said.

Earlier, a short video containing an act of torture by TNI members went viral on social media. It shows a civilian who has been placed in an oil drum filled with water being tortured by members of the TNI.

TNI Information Centre director (kapuspen) Major-General Nugraha Gumilar has revealed the identity of the person being tortured by the soldiers as allegedly being a member of a pro-independence resistance group — described by Indonesia as an “armed criminal group (KKB)” — named Definus Kogoya.

“The rogue TNI soldiers committed acts of violence against a prisoner, a KKB member by the name of Definus Kogoya at the Gome Post in Puncak Regency, Papua,” he said when sought for confirmation on Saturday.

Despite this, General Gumilar has still has not revealed any further information about the identity of the TNI members who committed the torture. He confirmed only that more than one member was involved in the abuse.

He said an “intensive examination” was still being conducted and he pledged it would be transparent and act firmly against all of the accused torturers.

“Later I will convey [more information] after the investigation is finished, what is clear is that it was more than one person if you see from the video”, he said.

Note:
The video (warning: contains graphic, violent content and viewer discretion is advised) of the Papuan man being tortured by TNI soldiers can be viewed on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJgAHYdLgVo (requires registration)

or on the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) website: ahttps://www.ulmwp.org/president-wenda-a-crime-against-humanity-has-been-committed-in-yahukimo.

[Translated by James Balowski for IndoLeft News. The original title of the article was “Amnesty Desak Evaluasi Penempatan TNI Buntut Aksi Penyiksaan di Papua”.]

This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.

"AIPAC is warmongering and pro-apartheid," Rabbi May Ye with JVP Action, who is also a member of the Jewish Voice for Peace Rabbinical Council, said in a statement. "They do not represent Jewish people or the Jewish tradition."

"If you want to know one large reason why more members of Congress still aren't calling for a cease-fire—even though a cease-fire is overwhelmingly popular among their constituents—look no further than groups like AIPAC."

"We are rabbis representing hundreds of thousands of Jews affiliated with Jewish Voice for Peace Action imploring our leaders to end their complicity in the Israeli military's genocidal campaign in the name of tzedek (justice) and real safety for all people," Ye added.

Also on Tuesday, JVP Action members occupied the office of Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), one of the lawmakers who receives the most money from AIPAC.

The mobilizations come at a perilous moment in Israel's invasion of Gaza, which the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has already deemed a plausible genocide. Israel's offensive, which has already killed more than 31,000 Gazans, could escalate further as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans to invade the southern city of Rafah, where more than 1.5 million displaced Palestinians are now sheltering following Israeli orders to evacuate the north.

"Our Jewish communities are rising up to say 'never again is now,'" said Rabbi Leora Abelson with JVP Action and member of the Jewish Voice for Peace Rabbinical Council. "We refuse to be bystanders as the Israeli government wages a genocidal campaign in our name.

"We need our politicians to listen to Americans, including the hundreds of thousands of Jewish Americans who are urgently calling for a cease-fire," Abelson added.

According to a recent poll, 67% of all U.S. voters back a cease-fire, as do 77% of Democratic voters. Yet only around 15% of all members of Congress have called for a cease-fire.

"If you want to know one large reason why more members of Congress still aren't calling for a cease-fire—even though a cease-fire is overwhelmingly popular among their constituents—look no further than groups like AIPAC," Beth Miller, director of Jewish Voice for Peace Action, said in a statement. "AIPAC and other pro-genocide lobby groups use massive amounts of money and racist bullying to ensure congressional complicity in Israel's unfolding genocide of Palestinians."

Tuesday's counter-lobbying comes amid an increased mobilization against AIPAC by anti-war and progressive groups. More than 20 groups, including JVP Action, launched Reject AIPAC on Monday to encourage lawmakers to decline endorsements and donations from the group. Members of the coalition point out that AIPAC takes significant donations from right-wing billionaires and backs candidates that take a far-right stance in U.S. domestic politics as well, as it endorsed more than 100 legislators who voted to decertify the results of the 2020 presidential election. At the same time, it has pledged more than $100 million to unseat lawmakers who have called for a cease-fire, who are also some of Congress' most progressive members, and also to target moderate Democrats who it deems insufficiently supportive of Israel.

The rabbis also met with many of the lawmakers who have called for a cease-fire, including Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), Cori Bush (D-Mo.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.), Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), and Summer Lee (D-Pa.)

"Our Jewish tradition calls upon us to stand up for justice and for peace. Saving a soul, 'pikuach nefesh,' is the most holy commandment in all of Judaism," Rabbi Brant Rosen, a member of JVP Action, a co-founder of the Jewish Voice for Peace Rabbinical Council, and Rabbi at Tzedek Chicago, said in a statement. "We are here asking our representatives to call for a lasting cease-fire, to save lives in Gaza now, and thanking the representatives and senators who are already taking this stance."

This content originally appeared on Common Dreams and was authored by Newswire Editor.

We speak with Francesca Albanese, the United Nations special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territory, who says the “monstrosity” of Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza, including attacks on civilians and restrictions on aid, shows that the International Court of Justice’s provisional orders to protect civilians are being ignored. “What should be done is an arms embargo right now and sanctions, because Israel is not in compliance with the critical measures ordered by the ICJ,” says Albanese.

This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

Francis was quoted on March 9 in a partially released interview suggesting Ukraine, facing possible defeat, should have the "courage" to sit down with Russia for peace negotiations, saying there is no shame in waving the "white flag."

Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy hit out in a Telegram post and in his nightly video address, saying -- without mentioning the pope -- that "the church should be among the people. And not 2,500 kilometers away, somewhere, to mediate virtually between someone who wants to live and someone who wants to destroy you."

Earlier, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba reacted more directly on social media, saying, “When it comes to the 'white flag,' we know this Vatican strategy from the first half of the 20th century."

Many historians have been critical of the Vatican during World War II, saying Pope Pius XII remained silent as the Holocaust raged. The Vatican has long argued that, at the time, it couldn't verify diplomatic reports of Nazi atrocities and therefore could not denounce them.

Kuleba, in his social media post, wrote: "I urge the avoidance of repeating the mistakes of the past and to support Ukraine and its people in their just struggle for their lives.

"The strongest is the one who, in the battle between good and evil, stands on the side of good rather than attempting to put them on the same footing and call it 'negotiations,'" Kuleba said.

"Our flag is a yellow-and-blue one. This is the flag by which we live, die, and prevail. We shall never raise any other flags," added Kuleba, who also thanked Francis for his "constant prayers for peace" and said he hoped the pontiff will visit Ukraine, home of some 1 million Catholics.

Zelenskiy has remained firm in not speaking directly to Russia unless terms of his "peace formula" are reached.

Ukraine's terms call for the withdrawal of all Russian troops from Ukraine, restoring the country's 1991 post-Soviet borders, and holding Russia accountable for its actions. The Kremlin has rejected such conditions.

Following criticism of the pope’s reported comments, the head of the Vatican press service, Matteo Bruni, explained that with his words regarding Ukraine, Francis intended to "call for a cease-fire and restore the courage of negotiations," but did not mean capitulation.

"The pope uses the image of the white flag proposed by the interviewer to imply an end to hostilities, a truce that is achieved through the courage to begin negotiations," Bruni said.

"Elsewhere in the interview…referring to any situation of war, the pope clearly stated: 'Negotiations are never capitulations,'" Bruni added.

The head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Major Archbishop Svyatoslav Shevchuk, said Ukraine was "wounded but unconquered."

"Believe me, no one would think of giving up. Even where hostilities are taking place today; listen to our people in Kherson, Zaporizhzhya, Odesa, Kharkiv, Sumy! Because we know that if Ukraine, God forbid, was at least partially conquered, the line of death would spread," Shevchuk said at St. George's Church in New York.

Andriy Yurash, Ukraine's ambassador to the Vatican, told RAI News that "you don't negotiate with terrorists, with those who are recognized as criminals," referring to the Russian leadership and President Vladimir Putin. "No one tried to put Hitler at ease."

Ukraine's regional allies also expressed anger about the pope's remarks.

"How about, for balance, encouraging Putin to have the courage to withdraw his army from Ukraine? Peace would immediately ensue without the need for negotiations," Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski wrote on social media.

Lithuanian President Edgars Rinkevichs wrote on social media: "My Sunday morning conclusion: You can't capitulate to evil, you have to fight it and defeat it, so that evil raises the white flag and surrenders."

Alexandra Valkenburg, ambassador and head of the EU Delegation to the Holy See, wrote "Russia...can end this war immediately by respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. EU supports Ukraine and its peace plan."

With reporting by RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service

This content originally appeared on News - Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty and was authored by News - Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty.

Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine

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Oleksandr Pavlyuk, named Ukraine's ground commander on February 11, said in televised remarks on March 6 that the military is now focusing on stabilizing front-line positions and regrouping troops with a goal to “conduct counteroffensive operations this year."

After a successful counteroffensive against Russian forces occupying regions in the east and south of the country, Ukraine’s progress has slowed over recent months, with leaders in Kyiv pleading with Western allies for deliveries of badly needed ammunition and air defense systems.

Also on March 6, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he and visiting Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis witnessed a deadly Russian missile attack while visiting the Black Sea port city of Odesa.

Ukrainian authorities said at least five people were killed in the attack.

Mitsotakis confirmed that Russian missiles attacked the city while he and Zelenskiy were present, saying "we had explosions very close to us."

Mitsotakis added that he and the Ukrainian leader, as well as their teams, did not have time to take shelter, calling the incident "an astonishing experience."

The Russian military said its forces had struck a storage facility that was housing unmanned Ukrainian boats, although the claim could not immediately be verified.

"The goal has been achieved. The target has been hit," the Russian Defense Ministry said.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin met with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi amid tensions over Ukraine's Zaporizhzhya nuclear plant, which is under Russian occupation with IAEA observers stationed at the site

Russian state media said the meeting took place at Putin’s residence in Sochi and that Aleksei Likhachev, the head of the Russian state nuclear agency Rosatom, also participated. Grossi on February 23 called for "maximum military restraint" after a string of powerful explosions occurred near the nuclear plant that week.

“The situation continues to be very fragile,” Grossi told reporters on March 4 as he announced his trip to meet Putin

Overnight, Ukrainian and Russian forces traded drone attacks that left thousands of people in western Ukraine without electricity and a gas storage depot at a Russian metal plant on fire.

Ukraine's air defenses shot down most of the drones launched by Russia in its latest wave of strikes at its territory on March 6, but the attack still left thousands of people without electricity hundreds of kilometers from the front line in the east, the military and regional officials said.

Air defenses downed 38 out of the 42 drones launched by Russia at eight regions early on March 6, the General Staff of Ukraine's military reported.

"As a result of combat actions, 38 Shaheds were shot down in the Dnipropetrovsk, Odesa, Kherson, Khmelnytskiy, Cherkasy, Kharkiv, Vinnytsya, and Sumy regions," the military said in a statement, adding that information about potential casualties and damages would be updated during the day.

Russian troops in the occupied part of the eastern Donetsk region also launched five S-300 surface-to-air missiles at Ukrainian targets, the military said, without elaborating.

However, debris from six Russian drones downed in the western Khmelnitskiy region, some 800 kilometers away from the eastern battlefields, fell on a power substation, triggering a fire that interrupted the power supply to more than 14,000 people in the region, Ukraine's Energy Ministry reported.

Although the fire had been largely extinguished later in the day, more than 2,500 people were still without power, the ministry said.

Farther east, Russian forces continued the indiscriminate shelling of civilian settlements near the front line in Donetsk, regional authorities said, killing at least one person on March 6.

In the village of Netaylovye, a 63-year-old man was wounded by Russian shelling and died on his way to the hospital, regional Governor Vadym Filashkin said.

In Russia, a gasoline storage depot in Kursk region near the Ukrainian border caught fire after being hit by two Ukrainian drones, regional Governor Roman Starovoit said on Telegram, adding that there were no casualties.

The reservoir was located on the territory of the Mikhailov mining and processing integrated plant in the city of Zheleznogorsk, which is one of Russia's largest industrial facilities producing and enriching iron ore.

Kyiv has not officially commented on the strike, but an anonymous source from Ukraine's Main Directorate of Military Intelligence (HUR) was quoted by Reuters as saying it was responsible for the attack.

The strike would be the HUR's second success in as many days after Russian patrol vessel Sergei Kotov was reportedly sunk early on March 5 off the coast of Moscow-occupied Crimea by what the HUR said were high-tech Ukrainian sea drones.

Feodosia is located near the Kerch Strait, which links the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.

With reporting by Reuters

This content originally appeared on News - Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty and was authored by News - Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty.

David Slater entered the plea in federal court in Nebraska on March 5 in the latest in a series of embarrassing disclosures and leaks of classified U.S. intelligence, some of it concerning Russia’s ongoing full-scale invasion of Ukraine and U.S. support for Kyiv.

The federal public defender who represented Slater at the hearing didn't comment on the case, but the judge ordered Slater to hire his own attorney after reviewing financial documents indicating he owns several rental homes in Nebraska and a property in Germany.

The judge also confirmed during the hearing that Slater no longer has access to classified information, but it was not clear if that mean he lost his job.

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U.S. prosecutors said on March 4 that Slater, a retired lieutenant colonel, was working as a civilian employee at U.S. Strategic Command, when he allegedly began an online relationship with a woman on a “foreign dating platform.” U.S. Strategic Command oversees U.S. nuclear arsenals, among other things.

It’s unclear whether Slater, 63, ever physically met the woman, who prosecutors said identified herself as Ukrainian.

In a series of e-mails and chats on the unnamed dating site between February and April 2022, the woman sent messages asking Slater specific questions about U.S. intelligence on Russia’s invasion.

"Dear, what is shown on the screens in the special room?? It is very interesting," the woman texted Slater around March 11, 2022, according to the unsealed indictment.

“By the way, you were the first to tell me that NATO members are traveling by train and only now (already evening) this was announced on our news. You are my secret informant, love! How were your meetings? Successfully?” the woman texted Slater days later.

"Beloved Dave, do NATO and Biden have a secret plan to help us?" the woman wrote on March 18.

“You are my secret agent. With love,” the woman allegedly wrote a week later.

The indictment does not quote any e-mails or messages authored by Slater, who was expected to be released on March 6 on the condition that he surrenders his passport, submits to GPS monitoring, and remains in Nebraska.

If convicted at trial, Slater faces up to 10 years in federal prison on each of the three counts laid out in the indictment.

A series of leaks of classified U.S. data on Ukraine and other issues have embarrassed the U.S. intelligence community and stirred doubts among U.S. allies sharing closely held information.

On March 4, a man who served in the U.S. Air National Guard unit pleaded guilty to leaking highly classified military documents about the Ukraine war and other U.S. national security secrets.

Jack Teixeira, 22, admitted to obtaining the information while he worked as an information technology specialist, and then sharing it with other users on Discord, a social media platform popular with online gamers.

The leaks, which included information about troop movements in Ukraine and the provision of U.S. equipment to Ukrainian troops, were seen as highly embarrassing for the Pentagon; more than a dozen military personnel were reprimanded in the subsequent investigation.

With reporting by AP

This content originally appeared on News - Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty and was authored by News - Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty.

Yuval Abraham, an Israeli film director and journalist with the independent news +972 Magazine, said on February 27 that he canceled his flight home to Israel after receiving death threats following his acceptance speech at the Berlin International Film Festival. 

The speech was characterized as “antisemitic” by several high-level German and Israeli officials, including the mayor of the German capitol, Berlin, and Israel’s ambassador to Germany.

Abraham and his Palestinian co-director Basel Adra accepted two awards on February 25 for their documentary “No Other Land,” which chronicled Israeli authorities’ evictions and demolitions of Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank.

During his acceptance speech, Abraham called for equality for Israelis and Palestinians, a ceasefire in Gaza, and decried the “situation of apartheid.” “We are standing in front of you now, me and Basel are the same age. I am Israeli; Basel is Palestinian. And in two days, we will go back to a land where we are not equal,” Abraham said. 

Abraham’s family fled their home in the night, fearing for their safety, after a “right-wing Israeli mob” came to the home in search of the journalist and threatened them, according to the journalist’s February 27 post on X, formerly known as Twitter, and a report by his outlet.

“We are deeply alarmed by the death threats received by Israeli film director Yuval Abraham, as they illustrate an atmosphere of self-censorship and anti-press rhetoric in Israel, which has been expanding since the Israel-Gaza war,” said CPJ Middle East and North Africa Program Coordinator Sherif Mansour. “Israeli authorities must ensure the necessary protection for all journalists, regardless of their views, and hold accountable those who threaten journalists and their family members.”

Israeli public broadcaster Kan News labeled the speech “antisemitic” during a report, which they later removed after Abraham wrote the outlet a letter demanding such, as well as an on-air and written apology. As of February 29, Kan has not issued a public apology.

Abraham is a well-known Israeli journalist and his reporting on the use of artificial intelligence by the Israel Defense Forces in its war on Gaza is one of +972 magazine’s top five most-read features. CPJ’s messages to Abraham did not immediately receive a reply.

Since the October 7, 2023, start of the Israel-Gaza war, Israeli and international journalists working from Israel have reported physical assaults and threats. 

Itamar Cohen, a journalist with the Israel-based media outlet News 360, was covering a stabbing in Jerusalem’s Old City on February 11, 2024, when a group of Israeli police officers removed him from the area despite him identifying himself as a journalist, according to a report by the Israeli news website Israel National News and a statement by The Union of Journalists in Israel.

“They drew truncheons and beat me until I bled, at least eight times. The officers were the same ones who had attacked my journalist friends before, and they recognized me from previous encounters,” Cohen told Israel National News, adding that when he requested medical care, an officer beat and broke his hand. “He then instructed other officers not to speak to me but to continue beating me aggressively.”

The Israel Police suspended the officer on February 12 and issued a statement saying, “One of the officers took action, apparently using force in a manner inconsistent with the values of the police, and the commander of the Border Police has ordered him suspended until the incident has been clarified.”

CPJ’s email to the Israel Police for comment about Abraham and Cohen did not immediately receive a response.

On October 16, 2023, Israeli journalist and columnist Israel Frey went into hiding after his home was attacked the previous day by a mob of far-right Israelis after he expressed solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.

WASHINGTON -- U.S. semiconductor firms must strengthen oversight of their foreign partners and work more closely with the government and investigative groups, a group of experts told the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, saying the outsourcing of production overseas has made tracking chip sales more difficult, enabling sanctions evasion by Russia and other adversaries.

U.S. semiconductor firms largely produce their chips in China and other Asian countries from where they are further distributed around the world, making it difficult to ascertain who exactly is buying their products, the experts told the committee at a hearing in Washington on February 27.

The United States and the European Union imposed sweeping technology sanctions on Russia to weaken its ability to wage war following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Russia’s military industrial complex is heavily reliant on Western technology, including semiconductors, for the production of sophisticated weapons.

“Western companies design chips made by specialized plants in other countries, and they sell them by the millions, with little visibility over the supply chain of their products beyond one or two layers of distribution,” Damien Spleeters, deputy director of operations at Conflict Armament Research, told senators.

He added that, if manufacturers required point-of-sale data from distributors, it would vastly improve their ability to trace the path of semiconductors recovered from Russian weapons and thereby identify sanctions-busting supply networks.

The banned Western chips are said to be flowing to Russia via networks in China, Turkey, Central Asia, and the Caucasus.

Spleeters said he discovered a Chinese company diverting millions of dollars of components to sanctioned Russian companies by working with U.S. companies whose chips were found in Russian weapons.

That company was sanctioned earlier this month by the United States.

'It's Going To Be Whack-A-Mole'

The committee is scrutinizing several U.S. chip firms whose products have turned up in Russian weapons, Senator Richard Blumenthal (Democrat-Connecticut) said, adding “these companies know or should know where their components are going.”

Spleeters threw cold water on the idea that Russia is acquiring chips from household appliances such as washing machines or from major online retail websites.

“We have seen no evidence of chips being ripped off and then repurposed for this,” he said.

“It makes little sense that Russia would buy a $500 washing machine for a $1 part that they could obtain more easily,” Spleeters added.

In his opening statement, Senator Ron Johnson (Republican-Wisconsin) said he doubted whether any of the solutions proposed by the experts would work, noting that Russia was ramping up weapons production despite sweeping sanctions.

“You plug one hole, another hole is gonna be opening up, it's gonna be whack-a-mole. So it's a reality we have to face,” said Johnson.

Russia last year imported $1.7 billion worth of foreign-made microchips despite international sanctions, Bloomberg reported last month, citing classified Russian customs service data.

Johnson also expressed concern that sanctions would hurt Western nations and companies.

“My guess is they're just going to get more and more sophisticated evading the sanctions and finding components, or potentially finding other suppliers...like Huawei,” Johnson said.

Huawei is a leading Chinese technology company that produces chips among other products.

James Byrne, the founder and director of the open-source intelligence and analysis group at the Royal United Services Institute, said that officials and companies should not give up trying to track the chips just because it is difficult.

'Shocking' Dependency On Western Technology

He said that the West has leverage because Russia is so dependent on Western technology for its arms industry.

“Modern weapons platforms cannot work without these things. They are the brains of almost all modern weapons platforms,” Byrne said.

“These semiconductors vary in sophistication and importance, but it is fair to say that without them Russia … would not have been able to sustain their war effort,” he said.

Byrne said the depth of the dependency on Western technology -- which goes beyond semiconductors to include carbon fiber, polymers, lenses, and cameras -- was “really quite shocking” considering the Kremlin’s rhetoric about import substitution and independence.

Elina Ribakova, a Russia expert and economist at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, said an analysis of 2,800 components taken from Russian weapons collected in Ukraine showed that 95 percent came from countries allied with Ukraine, with the vast majority coming from the United States. The sample, however, may not be representative of the actual distribution of component origin.

Ribakova warned that Russia has been accelerating imports of semiconductor machine components in case the United States imposes such export controls on China.

China can legally buy advanced Western components for semiconductor manufacturing equipment and use them to manufacture and sell advanced semiconductors to Russia, Senator Margaret Hassan (Democrat-New Hampshire) said.

Ribakova said the manufacturing components would potentially allow Russia to “insulate themselves for somewhat longer.”

Ribakova said technology companies are hesitant to beef up their compliance divisions because it can be costly. She recommended that the United States toughen punishment for noncompliance as the effects would be felt beyond helping Ukraine.

“It is also about the credibility of our whole system of economic statecraft. Malign actors worldwide are watching whether they will be credible or it's just words that were put on paper,” she said.

This content originally appeared on News - Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty and was authored by News - Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty.

WASHINGTON -- U.S. semiconductor firms must strengthen oversight of their foreign partners and work more closely with the government and investigative groups, a group of experts told the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, saying the outsourcing of production overseas has made tracking chip sales more difficult, enabling sanctions evasion by Russia and other adversaries.

U.S. semiconductor firms largely produce their chips in China and other Asian countries from where they are further distributed around the world, making it difficult to ascertain who exactly is buying their products, the experts told the committee at a hearing in Washington on February 27.

The United States and the European Union imposed sweeping technology sanctions on Russia to weaken its ability to wage war following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Russia’s military industrial complex is heavily reliant on Western technology, including semiconductors, for the production of sophisticated weapons.

“Western companies design chips made by specialized plants in other countries, and they sell them by the millions, with little visibility over the supply chain of their products beyond one or two layers of distribution,” Damien Spleeters, deputy director of operations at Conflict Armament Research, told senators.

He added that, if manufacturers required point-of-sale data from distributors, it would vastly improve their ability to trace the path of semiconductors recovered from Russian weapons and thereby identify sanctions-busting supply networks.

The banned Western chips are said to be flowing to Russia via networks in China, Turkey, Central Asia, and the Caucasus.

Spleeters said he discovered a Chinese company diverting millions of dollars of components to sanctioned Russian companies by working with U.S. companies whose chips were found in Russian weapons.

That company was sanctioned earlier this month by the United States.

'It's Going To Be Whack-A-Mole'

The committee is scrutinizing several U.S. chip firms whose products have turned up in Russian weapons, Senator Richard Blumenthal (Democrat-Connecticut) said, adding “these companies know or should know where their components are going.”

Spleeters threw cold water on the idea that Russia is acquiring chips from household appliances such as washing machines or from major online retail websites.

“We have seen no evidence of chips being ripped off and then repurposed for this,” he said.

“It makes little sense that Russia would buy a $500 washing machine for a $1 part that they could obtain more easily,” Spleeters added.

In his opening statement, Senator Ron Johnson (Republican-Wisconsin) said he doubted whether any of the solutions proposed by the experts would work, noting that Russia was ramping up weapons production despite sweeping sanctions.

“You plug one hole, another hole is gonna be opening up, it's gonna be whack-a-mole. So it's a reality we have to face,” said Johnson.

Russia last year imported $1.7 billion worth of foreign-made microchips despite international sanctions, Bloomberg reported last month, citing classified Russian customs service data.

Johnson also expressed concern that sanctions would hurt Western nations and companies.

“My guess is they're just going to get more and more sophisticated evading the sanctions and finding components, or potentially finding other suppliers...like Huawei,” Johnson said.

Huawei is a leading Chinese technology company that produces chips among other products.

James Byrne, the founder and director of the open-source intelligence and analysis group at the Royal United Services Institute, said that officials and companies should not give up trying to track the chips just because it is difficult.

'Shocking' Dependency On Western Technology

He said that the West has leverage because Russia is so dependent on Western technology for its arms industry.

“Modern weapons platforms cannot work without these things. They are the brains of almost all modern weapons platforms,” Byrne said.

“These semiconductors vary in sophistication and importance, but it is fair to say that without them Russia … would not have been able to sustain their war effort,” he said.

Byrne said the depth of the dependency on Western technology -- which goes beyond semiconductors to include carbon fiber, polymers, lenses, and cameras -- was “really quite shocking” considering the Kremlin’s rhetoric about import substitution and independence.

Elina Ribakova, a Russia expert and economist at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, said an analysis of 2,800 components taken from Russian weapons collected in Ukraine showed that 95 percent came from countries allied with Ukraine, with the vast majority coming from the United States. The sample, however, may not be representative of the actual distribution of component origin.

Ribakova warned that Russia has been accelerating imports of semiconductor machine components in case the United States imposes such export controls on China.

China can legally buy advanced Western components for semiconductor manufacturing equipment and use them to manufacture and sell advanced semiconductors to Russia, Senator Margaret Hassan (Democrat-New Hampshire) said.

Ribakova said the manufacturing components would potentially allow Russia to “insulate themselves for somewhat longer.”

Ribakova said technology companies are hesitant to beef up their compliance divisions because it can be costly. She recommended that the United States toughen punishment for noncompliance as the effects would be felt beyond helping Ukraine.

“It is also about the credibility of our whole system of economic statecraft. Malign actors worldwide are watching whether they will be credible or it's just words that were put on paper,” she said.

This content originally appeared on News - Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty and was authored by News - Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty.

• Biden meets with Congressional leaders, urges passage of legislation to fund the government.
• Michigan voters go to the polls, Biden faces challenge from Democrats for not supporting Gaza ceasefire.
• EPA announces it will clean up two dozen superfund sites nationwide.
• Gazans facing starvation as four month old war continues.
• San Francisco Supervisors issue formal apology to city’s black community over role in historic discrimination.
• Berkeley and East Bay leaders join partnership to study effects of Alta Bates hospital closure.

The post The Pacifica Evening News, Weekdays – February 27, 2024 Biden meets with Congressional leaders, urges passage of legislation to fund the government. appeared first on KPFA.

This content originally appeared on KPFA - The Pacifica Evening News, Weekdays and was authored by KPFA.

The network is a key element of Tehran's strategy of deterrence against perceived threats from the United States, regional rivals, and primarily Israel.

Active in the Palestinian Occupied Territories, Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen, the axis gives Iran the ability to hit its enemies outside its own borders while allowing it to maintain a position of plausible deniability, experts say.

Since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, Iran has played a key role in establishing some of the groups in the axis. Other members have been co-opted by Tehran over the years.

Iran has maintained that around dozen separate groups that comprise the axis act independently.

Tehran's level of influence over each member varies. But the goals pursued by each group broadly align with Iran's own strategic aims, which makes direct control unnecessary, according to experts.

Lebanon's Hizballah

Hizballah was established in 1982 in response to Israel's invasion that year of Lebanon, which was embroiled in a devastating civil war.

The Shi'ite political and military organization was created by the Quds Force, the overseas arm of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), the elite branch of the country's armed forces.

Danny Citrinowicz, a research fellow at the Iran Program at the Israel-based Institute for National Security Studies, said Tehran's aim was to unite Lebanon's various Shi'ite political organizations and militias under one organization.

Since it was formed, Hizballah has received significant financial and political assistance from Iran, a Shi'a-majority country. That backing has made the group a major political and military force in Lebanon.

"Iran sees the organization as the main factor that will deter Israel or the U.S. from going to war against Iran and works tirelessly to build the organization's power," Citrinowicz said.

Hizballah has around 40,000 fighters, according to the office of the U.S. Director of National Intelligence. The State Department said Iran has armed and trained Hizballah fighters and injected hundreds of millions of dollars in the group.

The State Department in 2010 described Hizballah as "the most technically capable terrorist group in the world."

Citrinowicz said Iran may not dictate orders to the organization but Tehran "profoundly influences" its decision-making process.

He described Hizballah, which is considered a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union, not as a proxy but "an Iranian partner managing Tehran's Middle East strategy."

Led by Hassan Nasrallah, Hizballah has developed close ties with other Iranian proxies and Tehran-backed militant groups, helping to train and arm their fighters.

Citrinowicz said Tehran "almost depends" on the Lebanese group to oversee its relations with other groups in the axis of resistance.

Hamas

Hamas, designated a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union, has had a complex relationship with Iran.

Founded in 1987 during the first Palestinian Intifada, or uprising, Hamas is an offshoot of the Palestinian arm of the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist political organization established in Egypt in the 1920s.

Hamas's political chief is Ismail Haniyeh, who lives in Qatar. Its military wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, is commanded by Yahya Sinwar, who is believed to be based in the Gaza Strip. Hamas is estimated to have around 20,000 fighters.

For years, Iran provided limited material support to Hamas, a Sunni militant group. Tehran ramped up its financial and military support to the Palestinian group after it gained power in the Gaza Strip in 2007.

But Tehran reduced its support to Hamas after a major disagreement over the civil war in Syria. When the conflict broke out in 2011, Iran backed the government of President Bashar al-Assad. Hamas, however, supported the rebels seeking to oust Assad.

Nevertheless, experts said the sides overcame their differences because, ultimately, they seek the same goal: Israel's destruction.

"[But] this does not mean that Iran is deeply aware of all the actions of Hamas," Citrinowicz said.

After Hamas militants launched a multipronged attack on Israel in October that killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, Iran denied it was involved in planning the assault. U.S. intelligence has indicated that Iranian leaders were surprised by Hamas's attack.

Seyed Ali Alavi, a lecturer in Middle Eastern and Iranian Studies at SOAS University of London, said Iran's support to Hamas is largely "confined to rhetorical and moral support and limited financial aid." He said Qatar and Turkey, Hamas's "organic" allies, have provided significantly more financial help to the Palestinian group.

Palestinian Islamic Jihad

With around 1,000 members, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) is the smaller of the two main militant groups based in the Gaza Strip and the closest to Iran.

Founded in 1981, the Sunni militant group's creation was inspired by Iran's Islamic Revolution two years earlier. Given Tehran's ambition of establishing a foothold in the Palestinian Occupied Territories, Iran has provided the group with substantial financial backing and arms, experts say.

The PIJ, led by Ziyad al-Nakhalah, is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union.

"Today, there is no Palestinian terrorist organization that is closer to Iran than this organization," Citrinowicz said. "In fact, it relies mainly on Iran."

Citrinowicz said there is no doubt that Tehran's "ability to influence [the PIJ] is very significant."

Iraqi Shi'ite Militias

Iran supports a host of Shi'ite militias in neighboring Iraq, some of which were founded by the IRGC and "defer to Iranian instructions," said Gregory Brew, a U.S.-based Iran analyst with the Eurasia Group.

But Tehran's influence over the militias has waned since the U.S. assassination in 2020 of Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani, who was seen as the architect of the axis of resistance and held great influence over its members.

"The dynamic within these militias, particularly regarding their relationship with Iran, underwent a notable shift following the assassination of Qassem Soleimani," said Hamidreza Azizi, a fellow at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs.

The U.S. drone strike that targeted Soleimani also killed Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy head of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), an umbrella organization of mostly Shi'ite Iran-backed armed groups that has been a part of the Iraqi Army since 2016.

Muhandis was also the leader of Kata'ib Hizballah, which was established in 2007 and is one of the most powerful members of the PMF. Other prominent groups in the umbrella include Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq, Harakat al-Nujaba, Kata'ib Seyyed al-Shuhada, and the Badr Organization. Kata'ib Hizballah has been designated as a terrorist entity by the United States.

Following the deaths of Soleimani and al-Muhandis, Kata'ib Hizballah and other militias "began to assert more autonomy, at times acting in ways that could potentially compromise Iran's interests," said Azizi.

Many of the Iran-backed groups that form the PMF are also part of the so-called Islamic Resistance in Iraq, which rose to prominence in November 2023. The group has been responsible for launching scores of attacks on U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria since Israel launched its war against Hamas in Gaza.

"It's important to note that while several militias within the PMF operate as Iran's proxies, this is not a universal trait across the board," Azizi said.

Azizi said the extent of Iran's control over the PMF can fluctuate based on the political conditions in Iraq and the individual dynamics within each militia.

The strength of each group within the PMF varies widely, with some containing as few as 100 members and others, such as Kata'ib Hizballah, boasting around 10,000 fighters.

Syrian State And Pro-Government Militias

Besides Iran, Syria is the only state that is a member of the axis of resistance.

"The relationship between Iran and the Assad regime in Syria is a strategic alliance where Iran's influence is substantial but not absolute, indicating a balance between dependency and partnership," said Azizi.

The decades-long alliance stems from Damascus's support for Tehran during the devastating 1980-88 Iran-Iraq War.

When Assad's rule was challenged during the Syrian civil war, the IRGC entered the fray in 2013 to ensure he held on to power.

Hundreds of IRGC commander and officers, who Iran refers to as "military advisers," are believed to be present in Syria. Tehran has also built up a large network of militias, consisting mostly of Afghans and Pakistanis, in Syria.

Azizi said these militias have given Iran "a profound influence on the country's affairs," although not outright control over Syria.

"The Assad regime maintains its strategic independence, making decisions that serve its national interests and those of its allies," he said.

The Fatemiyun Brigade, comprised of Afghan fighters, and the Zainabiyun Brigade, which is made up of Pakistani fighters, make up the bulk of Iran's proxies in Syria.

"They are essentially units in the IRGC, under direct control," said Brew.

The Afghan and Pakistani militias played a key role in fighting rebel groups opposed to Assad during the civil war. There have been reports that Iran has not only granted citizenship to Afghan fighters and their families but also facilitated Syrian citizenship for them.

The Fatemiyun Brigade, the larger of the two, is believed to have several thousand fighters in Syria. The Zainabiyun Brigade is estimated to have less than 1,000 fighters.

Yemen's Huthi Rebels

The Huthis first emerged as a movement in the 1980s in response to the growing religious influence of neighboring Saudi Arabia, a Sunni kingdom.

In 2015, the Shi'ite militia toppled the internationally recognized, Saudi-backed government of Yemen. That triggered a brutal, yearslong Saudi-led war against the rebels.

With an estimated 200,000 fighters, the Huthis control most of the northwest of the country, including the capital, Sanaa, and are in charge of much of the Red Sea coast.

The Huthis' disdain for Saudi Arabia, Iran's regional foe, and Israel made it a natural ally of Tehran, experts say. But it was only around 2015 that Iran began providing the group with training through the Quds Force and Hizballah. Tehran has also supplied weapons to the group, though shipments are regularly intercepted by the United States.

"The Huthis…appear to have considerable autonomy and Tehran exercises only limited control, though there does appear to be [a] clear alignment of interests," said Brew.

Since Israel launched its war in Gaza, the Huthis have attacked international commercial vessels in the Red Sea and fired ballistic missiles at several U.S. warships.

In response, the United States and its allies have launched air strikes against the Huthis' military infrastructure. Washington has also re-designated the Huthis as a terrorist organization.

This content originally appeared on News - Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty and was authored by News - Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty.

In 2021 Nigerian local press freedom group Media Rights Agenda (MRA) filed a lawsuit requesting the court to compel the federal government to investigate and prosecute attacks on the press. On February 16, the court ruled in favor of MRA, calling “the failure of the federal government of Nigeria to take effective legal and other measures to investigate, prosecute and punish perpetrators of attacks against journalists and other media practitioners” a breach of the government’s statutory duty, according to the ruling, which CPJ reviewed. The court ordered the government to “to take measures to prevent attacks on journalists and other media practitioners.”  

“Authorities in Nigeria must take swift and transparent steps to comply with the federal high court ruling instructing them to investigate and hold accountable those responsible for attacking and killing journalists,” said Angela Quintal, head of CPJ’s Africa program, in New York. “Investigations that deliver justice for slain or attacked journalists would be a demonstration of political will on the part of Nigeria’s government to improve press freedom in the country.”

While the judgment addressed journalists’ rights generally, MRA’s lawsuit listed several examples of unsolved journalist killings, including NewsWatch magazine co-founder Dele Giwa, killed by a letter bomb in 1986; Bolade Fasasi, shot dead in 1998; and Omololu Falobi, shot dead in 2006.

In August 2023, CPJ wrote to Nigerian President Bola Tinubu requesting “swift and deliberate actions to improve conditions for the press in Nigeria.” The letter highlighted the killing of at least 22 journalists in Nigeria since 1992, as well as two others who are missing and presumed dead. At least 12 of these journalists are confirmed to have been killed in connection with their work. 

CPJ called Federal Ministry of Justice Spokesperson Kamarudeen Ogundele, but he declined to comment. Nigeria’s former Attorney General and Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami previously misrepresented CPJ’s research on attacks against journalists, erroneously stating that no journalist had been killed in the country.

Nigerian authorities have a track record of disregarding court rulings in support of journalists, their families, and press freedom. Last year, an Abuja high court ordered Nigeria’s police to compensate the family of Regent Africa Times editor Alex Ogbu, who was shot and killed by police officers in January 2020. In 2021, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Court of Justice ordered authorities to compensate CrossRiverWatch publisher Agba Jalingo for his prolonged detention and maltreatment in custody. Nigerian authorities have yet to comply with these rulings. 

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.

European Union foreign ministers in Brussels provided strong public backing to the exiled widow of Kremlin critic Aleksei Navalny, vowing additional sanctions against Moscow to hold it responsible for the death of her husband in a remote Arctic prison.

"The EU will spare no efforts to hold Russia's political leadership and authorities to account, in close coordination with our partners; and impose further costs for their actions, including through sanctions," the EU’s top diplomats said in a joint statement following their meeting with Yulia Navalnaya on February 19.

Navalnaya, who has become a vocal Kremlin critic in her own right over recent years, vowed to "continue our fight for our country" as she traveled to Brussels to seek backing from the 27-member bloc, whose leaders have expressed outrage over Navalny's death in custody last week and Russian authorities' refusal to allow his mother and lawyers to see his body.

"Three days ago, Vladimir Putin killed my husband, Aleksei Navalny," Yulia Navalnaya said in a two-minute video post on X, formerly Twitter.

Navalnaya, who along with their two children lives abroad, was already in Munich for a major international security conference when reports emerged on February 16 that Navalny had died at a harsh Arctic prison known as Polar Wolf, where he was serving a 19-year sentence for alleged extremism that Navalny and Kremlin critics say was heaped atop other convictions to punish him for his anti-corruption and political activities.

"I will continue the work of Aleksei Navalny," Navalnaya said. "Continue to fight for our country. And I invite you to stand beside me."

She called for supporters to battle the Kremlin with "more fury than ever before" and said she longed to live in "a free Russia."

EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell emerged from that meeting expressing "the EU's deepest condolences" and confidence that Russian President "Vladimir Putin & his regime will be held accountable for the death of [Aleksei Navalny]."

"As [Navalnaya] said, Putin is not Russia. Russia is not Putin," Borrell said, adding that the bloc's support is assured "to Russia's civil society & independent media."

An ally of Navalny, Ivan Zhdanov, said in a post on Telegram that an investigator had stated that tests on Navalny's body will take 14 days to complete.

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis insisted earlier that the EU must "at least" sharpen sanctions against Russia following Navalny's death.

The EU has already passed 12 rounds of Russian sanctions and is working on a 13th with the two-year anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine approaching later this week, with member Germany pressing for more.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock had said Berlin would propose new sanctions on Moscow at the meeting with Navalnaya, but the outcome remained unclear.

The German Foreign Office said it was summoning the Russian ambassador over Navalny's death to "condemn this in the strongest possible terms and expressly call for the release of all those imprisoned in Russia for political reasons."

Chancellor Olaf Scholz's office called separately for clarification on the circumstances and for Russian authorities to release Navalny's body to the family.

The Kremlin -- which for years avoided mention of Navalny by name -- broke its official silence on February 19 by saying an investigation was ongoing and would be carried out according to Russian law. It said the question of when his body would be handed over was not for the Kremlin to decide.

It called Western outcry over the February 16 announcement of Navalny's death "absolutely unacceptable."

The Latvia-based Novaya Gazeta Europe said on February 18 that police were securing a local morgue in the Siberian city of Salekhard as speculation swirled around the location of the 47-year-old Navalny's body and whether it showed signs of abuse.

Navalny is the latest on a significant list of Putin foes who have ended up dead under suspicious circumstances abroad or at home, where the Kremlin has clamped down ruthlessly on dissent and free speech since the Ukraine invasion began.

Political analyst Yekaterina Shulman told Current Time that Navalny "possessed incomparable moral capital" in Russia but also well beyond its borders.

"He possessed fame -- all Russian and worldwide," Shulman said. "He had moral authority [and] he had a long political biography. These are all things that cannot be handed down to anyone and cannot be acquired quickly."

She cited Navalny's crucial credibility and "political capital" built up through years of investigations of corruption, campaigning for elections, and organizing politically.

"Perhaps this apparent political assassination will become a rallying point not for the opposition -- the opposition is people who run for office to acquire mandates [and] we are not in that situation -- but for the anti-war community...inside Russia," Shulman said.

Navalny's family and close associates have confirmed his death in prison and have demanded his body be handed over, but authorities have refused to release it pending an investigation.

Mediazona and Novaya.gazeta Europe said Navalny’s body was being held at the district morgue in Salekhard, although officials reportedly told Navalny's mother otherwise after she traveled to the remote prison on February 17 and was denied access.

A former spokeswoman for Navalny, Kira Yarmysh, claimed Navalny's mother had been turned away again early on February 19.

Yarmysh tweeted that Russia's federal Investigative Committee had told his mother and lawyers that "the investigation into Navalny’s death had been extended. How much longer she will go is unknown. The cause of death is still 'undetermined.'"

"They lie, stall for time, and don't even hide it," she added.

The OVD-Info human rights group website showed more than 57,000 signatories demanding that the Investigative Committee return Navalny's body to his family.

WATCH: Court documents examined by RFE/RL reveal that medical care was repeatedly denied to inmates at the prison where Aleksei Navalny was held. In one case, this resulted in the death of an inmate. The revelation comes amid questions over how Navalny died and as his body has still not been handed over to his family.

The group noted that a procedural review process could allow authorities to keep the body for at least 30 days, or longer if a criminal case was opened.

Since the announcement of his death on February 16, Russian police have cordoned off memorial sites where people were laying flowers and candles to honor Navalny, and dispersed and arrested more than 430 suspected violators in dozens of locations.

Closely watched by police, mourners on February 19 continued to leave flowers at tributes in Moscow to honor Navalny. Initial reports suggested police in the capital did not intervene in the latest actions.

The Western response has been to condemn Putin and his administration, with U.S. President Joe Biden saying there is "no doubt" that Putin is to blame for Navalny's death.

The British and U.S. ambassadors laid tributes over the weekend at the Solovetsky Stone, a monument to repression that has emerged as a site to honor Navalny.

U.S. Ambassador Lynne Tracy said she was honoring "Navalny and other victims of political repression in Russia," adding, "His strength is an inspiring example. We honor his memory."

The French ambassador also visited one of the memorials.

With reporting by Reuters

This content originally appeared on News - Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty and was authored by News - Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty.

The Journalism Education and Research Association of Australia (JERAA) has joined media freedom groups supporting Julian Assange, an Australian citizen whose unjust prosecution continues to undermine press freedoms and human rights.

In light of recent developments and mounting concerns over Assange’s deteriorating health, JERAA said in a statement it had urged the United States to drop all charges against Assange and facilitate his immediate return to Australia.

Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, has been the subject of relentless persecution by the US government for his efforts to expose war crimes and government misconduct.

• READ MORE: Other Julian Assange reports

Assange received a Walkley Award in 2011 for outstanding contribution to journalism through Wikileaks, which included the release of the 2010 “collateral murder” video and the publication of classified US diplomatic cables, shedding light on atrocities committed by the US in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“It is concerning that Assange faces up to 175 years in jail if found guilty of espionage charges — a sentence that would effectively silence whistle-blowers and journalists worldwide,” JERAA said.

The association said it believed that Assange’s indictment set a dangerous precedent and posed a grave threat to the fundamental principles of press freedom and freedom of expression.

‘Enough is enough’
JERAA commended Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for his support in calling for Assange’s release and said it echoed his sentiment that “enough is enough.”

PM Albanese’s recent vote in the federal Parliament for a motion demanding Assange’s return to Australia underscores the legitimacy of our demand. The motion, which received overwhelming support, leaves no room for ambiguity — it is time to bring Assange home.

The WikiLeaks 2010 “collateral damage” video.         Video: Al Jazeera

As the UK High Court prepares to rule on Assange’s appeal against extradition in a two-day hearing next week (February 20-21), and with Prime Minister Albanese’s continued efforts to advocate for Assange’s release, JERAA has urged the US to heed the calls for justice and drop all charges against Assange.

It is imperative that Assange’s rights as an Australian citizen be respected, and that he be afforded the opportunity to return home.

JERAA president Associate Professor Alexandra Wake said that while some members might not agree with all Assange has done in his life, it was clear that his work was central to our “understanding of press freedoms and human rights”.

“JERAA upholds the principles of a free and independent press. It is time to end the trial of global media freedom,” she said.

This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by Pacific Media Watch.

BAKU -- The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has slammed Azerbaijan's snap presidential election for being held in a "restrictive environment" and lacking genuine pluralism with incumbent strongman Ilham Aliyev on the verge of a landslide victory that will hand him a fifth consecutive term as president.

Aliyev, who called the early election following Baku's swift and decisive victory over ethnic Armenian separatists in the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh, faced no opposition amid a crackdown on independent media and the absence of any real contender.

The Central Election Commission said early on February 8 that with just over 93 percent of the ballots counted, Aliyev HAD garnered 92.05 percent of the votes. Election officials reported turnout of more than 76 percent of eligible voters.

"While six other candidates participated in the campaign, none of them convincingly challenged the incumbent president’s policies in their campaigns, leaving voters without any genuine alternative," the OSCE observer mission said in a statement issued on February 8.

"While preparations for the election were efficient and professional, it lacked genuine pluralism and critical voices were continuously stifled.... The campaign remained low-key throughout, lacked any meaningful public engagement, and was not competitive," the OSCE observer mission said.

According to the Central Election Commission, Zahid Oruj placed far behind in the vote with just 2.19 percent, while Fazil Mustafa came third with 2 percent. None of the other four ersatz candidates received more than 2 percent.

Musavat and the People’s Front of Azerbaijan (APFP), the two parties in Azerbaijan that offer genuine opposition to Aliyev -- who has exercised authoritarian control over the country since assuming power from his father, Heydar, in 2003 -- boycotted the race.

The APFP on February 8 announced that it does not recognize the results of the election.

"There was no real election as the polls were held without competition, freedoms were completely restricted, [the voting took place] in an environment of fear, threats, and administrative terror, and the declared results are not an expression of the will of the people and are illegitimate," the APFP said in a statement.

A presidential election had not been scheduled to take place until 2025, but Aliyev, bolstered by Baku's recapture of Nagorno-Karabakh, announced the early vote in December to take advantage of the battlefield victory.

Irregularities were reported as the vote took place. Observers "noted significant shortcomings, mainly due to issues of secrecy of the vote, a lack of safeguards against multiple voting, indications of ballot box stuffing, and seemingly identical signatures on the voter lists," the OSCE said.

RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service also collected reports of alleged irregularities, including so-called carousel voting, where individuals are transported to multiple polling stations to vote more than once and ballot tampering.

Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Aliyev in a phone call on February 8, according to a statement on the Azerbaijani president's website.

"The heads of state reaffirmed their confidence that allied and strategic partnership relations would continue to develop across various fields and discussed the prospects for cooperation," the statement said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy also congratulated Aliyev in a message on X, formerly Twitter.

"Congratulations to President Ilham Aliyev on his reelection," Zelenskiy wrote, adding, "I value mutual support for our states' sovereignty and territorial integrity."

While Aliyev has voiced support for Ukraine's territorial integrity, Azerbaijan has maintained close ties with both Moscow and Kyiv.

The 62-year-old Aliyev has stayed in power through a series of elections marred by irregularities and accusations of fraud. Under his authoritarian rule, political activity and human rights have been stifled.

He called the snap election just months after Azerbaijani forces retook Nagorno-Karabakh region in a blitz offensive in September from ethnic Armenian forces who had controlled it for three decades. The offensive forced more than 100,000 ethnic Armenians to flee the region, leaving it nearly deserted.

As Aliyev's popularity shot up dramatically following Azerbaijan's victory in Karabakh, a crackdown on independent media and democratic institutions intensified in the country.

Several independent Azerbaijani journalists were incarcerated after Baku took over Karabakh on various charges that the journalists and their supporters have called trumped up and politically motivated.

"Highly restrictive media legislation as well as recent arrests of critical journalists have hindered the media from operating freely and led to widespread self-censorship, limiting the scope for independent journalism and critical debate," the OSCE statement noted.

This content originally appeared on News - Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty and was authored by News - Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty.

Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine

RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the latest developments on Russia's full-scale invasion, Kyiv's counteroffensive, Western military aid, global reaction, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war in Ukraine, click here.

The latest round of Russian strikes came as EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and the head of the UN's atomic agency, Rafael Grossi, were in Ukraine, with the latter visiting the Russia-occupied Zaporizhzhya nuclear plant to assess the situation amid concerns about the plant's safety.

In Kyiv, debris from a downed Russian missile fell on an 18-story residential block in the southern Holosiyivskiy district, triggering a fire that killed at least four people, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said.

Sixteen people were injured in Holosiyivskiy and in the eastern district of Dnipro in the capital, Klymenko said. Rescue crews continue to work at the sites, he added.

Serhiy Popko, the head of the Kyiv City Military Administration, said at least 38 people were wounded in the capital.

Fragments of a downed Russian missile also damaged electricity lines, leaving part of the Ukrainian capital without power and heating.

"Some consumers on the left bank [of the Dnieper River] are currently without electricity," Mayor Vitali Klitschko wrote on Telegram. "The heating supply main on the left bank was damaged."

"Another massive Russian air attack against our country," President Volodymyr Zelenskiy wrote on X, formerly Twitter, as an air-raid alert was declared for all of Ukraine. "Six regions came under enemy fire. All of our services are currently working to eliminate the consequences of this terror," Zelenskiy wrote.

In the southern city of Mykolayiv, one mad died following a Russian strike, Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych said. Russian missiles also hit the Kharkiv and Sumy regions, wounding two people, regional officials said.

Parts of the Ukrainian capital were left without power and heating following a deadly Russian missile attack that struck in the early morning hours of February 7, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.

The Ukrainian Air Force said Russia launched 64 drones and missiles at Ukraine's territory. The Ukrainian air defense shot down 29 missiles and 15 drones, it said.

Borrell, in Kyiv on a two-day visit to highlight the bloc's support for Ukraine, posted a picture on X from a shelter.

"Starting my morning in the shelter as air raid alarms are sounding across Kyiv," Borrell wrote. "This is the daily reality of the brave Ukrainian people, since Russia launched its illegal aggression."

Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), meanwhile, arrived at Moscow-controlled Zaporizhzhya -- Europe's largest nuclear power plant -- accompanied by IAEA mission staff and Russian soldiers, Russian state-owned news agency RIA Novosti reported.

Grossi on February 6 held talks in Kyiv with Zelenskiy, Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko and other Ukrainian officials.

Russia occupied the plant shortly after it launched its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and its six nuclear reactors are now idled.

The UN nuclear watchdog has voiced concern many times over the possibility of a nuclear catastrophe at the plant amid fighting in the area.

Zelenskiy said he told Grossi during their meeting that the Russian occupation of the plant must end.

"This is the main prerequisite for the restoration of radiation safety for our entire region," Zelenskiy said in his evening video address.

Grossi said the IAEA has had a monitoring team at the plant since September 2022, but its experts have not been able to inspect every part of the power station.

At times "we weren't granted the access that we were requesting for certain areas of the facility," Grossi said at a press conference in Kyiv.

One of the problems is the situation with the nuclear fuel, which has been inside the reactors for years and is reaching the end of its useful life.

Grossi also said he was worried about the operational safety of the plant amid personnel cuts after Moscow denied access to employees of Ukraine’s Enerhoatom.

Halushchenko said the Russian occupants were preventing hundreds of qualified workers from entering the plant.

"We're talking about 400 people who are highly skilled and, most importantly, licensed. You can't just take them away," Halushchenko told a joint news conference with Grossi.

With reporting by Reuters and AP

This content originally appeared on News - Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty and was authored by News - Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty.

The Chief Justice of Papua New Guinea, Sir Gibbs Salika, has called on the National Capital District Governor Powes Parkop to enforce the Summary Offences Act.

Sir Gibbs made this strong plea at the opening of 2024 legal year yesterday.

“Lawlessness in the city is escalating immensely because the laws of the country are not being enforced. This should be a wake-up call for the NCD Governor Mr Parkop to fix this issue at hand,” said Sir Gibbs.

• READ MORE: Black Wednesday lawlessness in Port Moresby reports

“The rioting on January,10, 2024, was repeated by the same group of people a few days ago and many other issues arise in the city and throughout the country, which is becoming a threat to the rule of law.

“This shows our adherence to the rule of law, which is by far weak and not working well.

“Relevant authorities should enforce the National Capital District Commissions Act to control the chewing of betelnut and its spittle all over the city, which shows lawlessness; it is disgusting.

‘Law must be enforced’
“The NCDC Act must be enforced along with the Summary Offences Act to penalise the citizens who are violating the rule of law.”

The constabulary was also urged to uphold and adhere to the rule of law in making sure citizens were helped without fear or favour from the police force.

Sir Gibbs expounded on the duty of the judicial arm of the government and explained that the judiciary was there to interpret the laws in a timely and partial manner.

He encouraged the police force to also perform their duty to execute the laws that were passed down by the government in order for the society to function.

Republished with permission from the PNG Post-Courier.

This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.

Cyberattacks by unidentified perpetrators have targeted at least nine independent media outlets and multiple journalists in Kazakhstan since November 2023, according to data shared with CPJ by local press freedom group Adil Soz, which issued a statement on the attacks January 19, 2024, and several of the journalists, who spoke to CPJ.

The attacks, which have targeted well-known independent media including news agency KazTAG, and popular social media-based outlets like AIRAN and Obozhayu, included distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks and blocking of outlets’ social media accounts through orchestrated mass complaints, causing media to lose access to their audiences and incurring heavy financial costs, those journalists told CPJ.

The latest wave follows a previous series of cyberattacks and physical attacks on independent journalists in Kazakhstan in late 2022 and early 2023. In March, authorities arrested and later convicted five people in connection with those incidents, including one who admitted to ordering the attacks. Despite those convictions, Karla Jamankulova, head of Adil Soz, told CPJ that cyberattacks against the independent press have continued throughout 2023 and intensified since November.

“Kazakhstan’s continuing epidemic of cyberattacks on the press poses a threat not just to the individual outlets targeted but has become a systemic threat to the country’s media and demands a concomitant response,” said Gulnoza Said, CPJ’s Europe and Central Asia program coordinator, in New York. “Authorities in Kazakhstan must conduct a swift and thorough investigation into these attacks and hold all those responsible to account.”

According to data from Adil Soz, the organization recorded 56 incidents of cyberattacks on media outlets and journalists in 2023, up from 37 in 2022. Of those cyberattacks, 36 were against the websites and social media pages of media outlets, and 20 of them targeted the social media accounts of individual journalists.

Since November, DDoS attacks have targeted the websites of at least four independent media – KazTAG, independent news outlet Nege.kz, and business news outlets Kursiv.Media and inbusiness.kz, causing them to be inaccessible for short periods or load slowly, according to reports and Adil Soz. 

A January 5 statement by KazTAG said that the outlet closed access to its website from outside of Kazakhstan to fight the DDoS attacks, but the attacks later resumed from IP addresses located in the building of majority state-owned telecommunications company Kazakhtelecom. Kazakhtelecom denied involvement.

Over the same period, social media accounts or websites of at least four independent media – Kursiv.Media, and social media-based outlets AIRAN, ProTenge, Shishkin_like, and Obozhayu – were blocked by orchestrated mass complaints or by fake accounts posting banned content that triggered social media companies’ automated blocking systems, according to Adil Soz and several of the outlets, who told CPJ that it can take a long time, or prove impossible, to restore the blocked accounts. Kursiv.Media chief editor Mira Khalina told CPJ the outlet ’s Instagram accounts were blocked for over six weeks and that replacement accounts set up by the outlet remain blocked. Dmitry Shishkin, founder of Shishkin_like, told CPJ the outlet was unable to restore an Instagram account wrongly blocked in April 2023.

Askhat Niyazov, founder of Obozhayu, which covers the work of local authorities, told CPJ that in addition to blocking the outlet’s Telegram channel by flooding it with banned violent and pornographic content, perpetrators hacked or blocked the Instagram and WhatsApp accounts of Niyazov, two of the outlet’s journalists, and Niyazov’s parents and wife. Around 4,000 fake accounts left the comment “R.I.P.” under one of the outlet’s YouTube videos.

Mikhail Kozachkov, author of the popular Telegram channel Kozachkov offside, told CPJ that the channel has removed around 750,000 fake accounts posting banned or offensive content since October 2023. In November, dozens of fake Telegram accounts under Kozachkov’s name spread calls for interethnic violence, which is subject to heavy penalties under Kazakh law.

Jamankulova of Adil Soz told CPJ the ongoing attacks are having a “huge impact” on the functioning of independent Kazakh media, which often struggle financially and are forced to divert significant resources to deal with the cyberattacks. Khalina told CPJ that the attacks have cost Kursiv.Media over 19 million tenge (US$42,300) in redirected resources, lost advertising revenue, and other costs.

In January, six of the outlets filed a police complaint over the attacks but are still waiting for police to respond, Khalina said. She described the attacks as an attempt to “disable” independent journalism.

Maricheva of ProTenge told CPJ that while it remains unclear who might be behind the attacks, which usually cost tens of thousands of dollars, they require resources typically available only to wealthy business interests and those with access to state resources.

In November, a closed-doors court in the southern city of Almaty convicted Arkady Klebanov, the son of a former member of the Kazakh elite, of ordering attacks on journalists in late 2022 and early 2023, but declared him insane and ordered him to undergo psychiatric treatment. Several of the journalists targeted by those attacks have expressed skepticism that Klebanov was the real instigator of those attacks.

CPJ emailed the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kazakhstan for comment but did not receive any reply.

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Arlene Getz/CPJ Editorial Director.

Listen to the Talking China In Eurasia podcast

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Welcome back to the China In Eurasia Briefing, an RFE/RL newsletter tracking China's resurgent influence from Eastern Europe to Central Asia.

I'm RFE/RL correspondent Reid Standish and here's what I'm following right now.

As Huthi rebels continue their assault on commercial shipping in the Red Sea, the deepening crisis is posing a fresh test for China’s ambitions of becoming a power broker in the Middle East – and raising questions about whether Beijing can help bring the group to bay.

Finding Perspective: U.S. officials have been asking China to urge Tehran to rein in Iran-backed Huthis, but according to the Financial Times, American officials say that they have seen no signs of help.

Still, Washington keeps raising the issue. In weekend meetings with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Bangkok, U.S. national-security adviser Jake Sullivan again asked Beijing to use its “substantial leverage with Iran” to play a “constructive role” in stopping the attacks.

Reuters, citing Iranian officials, reported on January 26 that Beijing urged Tehran at recent meetings to pressure the Huthis or risk jeopardizing business cooperation with China in the future.

There are plenty of reasons to believe that China would want to bring the attacks to an end. The Huthis have disrupted global shipping, stoking fears of global inflation and even more instability in the Middle East.

This also hurts China’s bottom line. The attacks are raising transport costs and jeopardizing the tens of billions of dollars that China has invested in nearby Egyptian ports.

Why It Matters: The current crisis raises some complex questions for China’s ambitions in the Middle East.

If China decides to pressure Iran, it’s unknown how much influence Tehran actually has over Yemen’s Huthis. Iran backs the group and supplies them with weapons, but it’s unclear if they can actually control and rein them in, as U.S. officials are calling for.

But the bigger question might be whether this calculation looks the same from Beijing.

China might be reluctant to get too involved and squander its political capital with Iran on trying to get the Huthis to stop their attacks, especially after the group has announced that it won’t attack Chinese ships transiting the Red Sea.

Beijing is also unlikely to want to bring an end to something that’s hurting America’s interests arguably more than its own at the moment.

U.S. officials say they’ll continue to talk with China about helping restore trade in the Red Sea, but Beijing might decide that it has more to gain by simply stepping back.

Three More Stories From Eurasia

1. ‘New Historical Heights’ For China And Uzbekistan

Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoev made a landmark three-day visit to Beijing, where he met with Xi, engaged with Chinese business leaders, and left with an officially upgraded relationship as the Central Asian leader increasingly looks to China for his economic future.

The Details: As I reported here, Mirziyoev left Uzbekistan looking to usher in a new era and returned with upgraded diplomatic ties as an “all-weather” partner with China.

The move to elevate to an “all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership” from a “comprehensive strategic partnership” doesn’t come with any formal benefits, but it’s a clear sign from Mirziyoev and Xi on where they want to take the relationship between their two countries.

Before going to China for the January 23-25 trip, Mirziyoev signed a letter praising China’s progress in fighting poverty and saying he wanted to develop a “new long-term agenda” with Beijing that will last for “decades.”

Beyond the diplomatic upgrade, China said it was ready to expand cooperation with Uzbekistan across the new energy vehicle industry chain, as well as in major projects such as photovoltaics, wind power, and hydropower.

Xi and Mirzoyoev also spoke about the long-discussed China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway, with the Chinese leader saying that work should begin as soon as possible, athough no specifics were offered and there are reportedly still key disputes over how the megaproject will be financed.

2. The Taliban’s New Man In Beijing

In a move that could lay the groundwork for more diplomatic engagement with China, Xi received diplomatic credentials from the Taliban’s new ambassador in Beijing on January 25.

What You Need To Know: Mawlawi Asadullah Bilal Karimi was accepted as part of a ceremony that also received the credential letters of 42 new envoys. Karimi was named as the new ambassador to Beijing on November 24 but has now formally been received by Xi, which is another installment in the slow boil toward recognition that’s under way.

No country formally recognizes the Taliban administration in Afghanistan, but China – along with other countries such as Pakistan, Russia, and Turkmenistan – have appointed their own envoys to Kabul and have maintained steady diplomatic engagement with the group since it returned to power in August 2021.

Formal diplomatic recognition for the Taliban still looks to be far off, but this move highlights China’s strategy of de-facto recognition that could see other countries following its lead, paving the way for formal ties down the line.

3. China’s Tightrope With Iran and Pakistan

Air strikes and diplomatic sparring between Iran and Pakistan raised difficult questions for China and its influence in the region, as I reported here.

Both Islamabad and Tehran have since moved to mend fences, with their foreign ministers holding talks on January 29. But the incident put the spotlight on what China would do if two of its closest partners entered into conflict against one another.

What It Means: The tit-for-tat strikes hit militant groups operating in each other’s territory. After a tough exchange, both countries quickly cooled their rhetoric – culminating in the recent talks held in Islamabad.

And while Beijing has lots to lose in the event of a wider conflict between two of its allies, it appeared to remain quiet, with only a formal offer to mediate if needed.

Abdul Basit, an associate research fellow at Singapore's S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, told me this approach reflects how China “shies away from situations like this,” in part to protect its reputation in case it intervenes and then fails.

Michael Kugelman, the director of the Wilson Center's South Asia Institute, added that, despite Beijing’s cautious approach, China has shown a willingness to mediate when opportunity strikes, pointing to the deal it helped broker between Iran and Saudi Arabia in March.

“It looks like the Pakistanis and the Iranians had enough in their relationship to ease tensions themselves,” he told me. “So [Beijing] might be relieved now, but that doesn't mean they won't step up if needed.”

Across The Supercontinent

China’s Odd Moment: What do the fall of the Soviet Union and China's slowing economy have in common? The answer is more than you might think.

Listen to the latest episode of the Talking China In Eurasia podcast, where we explore how China's complicated relationship with the Soviet Union is shaping the country today.

Invite Sent. Now What? Ukraine has invited Xi to participate in a planned “peace summit” of world leaders in Switzerland, Reuters reported, in a gathering tied to the second anniversary of Russia’s invasion.

Blocked, But Why? China has suspended issuing visas to Lithuanian citizens. Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis confirmed the news and told Lithuanian journalists that “we have been informed about this. No further information has been provided.”

More Hydro Plans: Kyrgyzstan’s Ministry of Energy and the China National Electric Engineering Company signed a memorandum of cooperation on January 24 to build a cascade of power plants and a new thermal power plant.

One Thing To Watch

There’s no official word, but it’s looking like veteran diplomat Liu Jianchao is the leading contender to become China’s next foreign minister.

Wang Yi was reassigned to his old post after Qin Gang was abruptly removed as foreign minister last summer, and Wang is currently holding roles as both foreign minister and the more senior position of director of the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee Foreign Affairs Commission Office.

Liu has limited experience engaging with the West but served stints at the Communist Party’s anti-corruption watchdog and currently heads a party agency traditionally tasked with building ties with other communist states.

It also looks like he’s being groomed for the role. He recently completed a U.S. tour, where he met with top officials and business leaders, and has also made visits to the Middle East.

That’s all from me for now. Don’t forget to send me any questions, comments, or tips that you might have.

Until next time,

Reid Standish

If you enjoyed this briefing and don't want to miss the next edition, subscribe here. It will be sent to your inbox every other Wednesday.

This content originally appeared on News - Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty and was authored by News - Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty.

"We have a deal.... This locks in steadfast, long-term, predictable funding for Ukraine. The EU is taking leadership & responsibility in support for Ukraine; we know what is at stake," European Council President Charles Michel wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter, after the deal was reached rapidly after the start of a special summit in Brussels on February 1.

Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine

RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the latest developments on Russia's full-scale invasion, Kyiv's counteroffensive, Western military aid, global reaction, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war in Ukraine, click here.

Ukraine is in desperate need of financial and military assistance amid signs of political fatigue in the West as the war kicked off by Russia's unprovoked full-scale invasion nears the two-year mark.

In a video address to EU leaders after the deal was agreed, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy hailed the move as "a clear signal that Ukraine will withstand and that Europe will withstand."

"It is also really important that the decision was made by all of you, all 27 member states, which is another clear sign of your strong unity," Zelenskiy told the EU leaders.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, the only EU leader who maintains warm relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, had been repeatedly at odds with the other leaders of the bloc over measures to help Ukraine since Russia's invasion.

Orban, a right-wing populist who has been in power since 2010, has faced criticism that his opposition to EU aid for Ukraine amounts to an attempt to blackmail the bloc into disbursing billions of euros in EU funds for Hungary frozen by Brussels over rule-of-law and democracy concerns.

In December he vetoed the package, and ahead of the February 1 summit in the Belgian capital he appeared on track to try and do the same again.

But a deal was swiftly announced on February 1 after Orban held talks with the leaders of Germany, France, Italy, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

"He gave some ground," one European diplomat told AFP. "He saw that people were growing irritated, that there was a line not to cross," said the diplomat, who spoke under the condition of anonymity.

All of the bloc's 27 members must unanimously vote in favor of the aid package from Ukraine that would come from the EU's common budget.

"A good day for Europe," von der Leyen wrote on X, formerly Twitter after the deal.

"Once again, Europe has delivered," European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said on X.

In a video on Facebook, Orban put on a brave face, presenting the move as a victory for Hungary, saying that a review mechanism accompanying the aid package would “guarantee the rational use of the funds.”

"Hungarians’ money cannot be given to Ukrainians," Orban said. "We will not take part in the war, we will not send weapons, we continue to stand on the party of peace!"

An unnamed EU source said the leaders agreed that the European Commission would propose a review of the Ukraine aid package in two years, if needed, but such a move wouldn't include a veto right for Budapest.

Following the agreement, Ukraine said it expected to receive the first tranche of 4.5 billion euros ($4.9 billion) from Brussels next month.

Ukrainian leaders have been warning for months that they are desperately in need of fresh supplies of weapons and ammunition as Kyiv's counteroffensive stalls.

In his video address to the summit, Zelenskiy also warned that Ukrainian forces were in a race against the clock with the Russian invaders as intelligence reports confirmed that Russia was receiving 1 million artillery shells and missiles from North Korea.

"Meanwhile, the implementation of the European plan to supply 1 million artillery shells to Ukraine is being delayed," Zelenskiy said, adding that this was "a competition Europe cannot afford to lose."

Adding to the urgency, a supplementary spending bill that includes $61 billion in aid to Ukraine has been stalled in the U.S. Congress amid opposition from Republican lawmakers who want any spending package to also include sweeping changes to border protection policy in the United States.

With reporting by Reuters, AP, and AFP

This content originally appeared on News - Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty and was authored by News - Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty.

"We have a deal.... This locks in steadfast, long-term, predictable funding for Ukraine. The EU is taking leadership & responsibility in support for Ukraine; we know what is at stake," European Council President Charles Michel wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter, after the deal was reached rapidly after the start of a special summit in Brussels on February 1.

Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine

RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the latest developments on Russia's full-scale invasion, Kyiv's counteroffensive, Western military aid, global reaction, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war in Ukraine, click here.

Ukraine is in desperate need of financial and military assistance amid signs of political fatigue in the West as the war kicked off by Russia's unprovoked full-scale invasion nears the two-year mark.

In a video address to EU leaders after the deal was agreed, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy hailed the move as "a clear signal that Ukraine will withstand and that Europe will withstand."

"It is also really important that the decision was made by all of you, all 27 member states, which is another clear sign of your strong unity," Zelenskiy told the EU leaders.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, the only EU leader who maintains warm relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, had been repeatedly at odds with the other leaders of the bloc over measures to help Ukraine since Russia's invasion.

Orban, a right-wing populist who has been in power since 2010, has faced criticism that his opposition to EU aid for Ukraine amounts to an attempt to blackmail the bloc into disbursing billions of euros in EU funds for Hungary frozen by Brussels over rule-of-law and democracy concerns.

In December he vetoed the package, and ahead of the February 1 summit in the Belgian capital he appeared on track to try and do the same again.

But a deal was swiftly announced on February 1 after Orban held talks with the leaders of Germany, France, Italy, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

"He gave some ground," one European diplomat told AFP. "He saw that people were growing irritated, that there was a line not to cross," said the diplomat, who spoke under the condition of anonymity.

All of the bloc's 27 members must unanimously vote in favor of the aid package from Ukraine that would come from the EU's common budget.

"A good day for Europe," von der Leyen wrote on X, formerly Twitter after the deal.

"Once again, Europe has delivered," European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said on X.

In a video on Facebook, Orban put on a brave face, presenting the move as a victory for Hungary, saying that a review mechanism accompanying the aid package would “guarantee the rational use of the funds.”

"Hungarians’ money cannot be given to Ukrainians," Orban said. "We will not take part in the war, we will not send weapons, we continue to stand on the party of peace!"

An unnamed EU source said the leaders agreed that the European Commission would propose a review of the Ukraine aid package in two years, if needed, but such a move wouldn't include a veto right for Budapest.

Following the agreement, Ukraine said it expected to receive the first tranche of 4.5 billion euros ($4.9 billion) from Brussels next month.

Ukrainian leaders have been warning for months that they are desperately in need of fresh supplies of weapons and ammunition as Kyiv's counteroffensive stalls.

In his video address to the summit, Zelenskiy also warned that Ukrainian forces were in a race against the clock with the Russian invaders as intelligence reports confirmed that Russia was receiving 1 million artillery shells and missiles from North Korea.

"Meanwhile, the implementation of the European plan to supply 1 million artillery shells to Ukraine is being delayed," Zelenskiy said, adding that this was "a competition Europe cannot afford to lose."

Adding to the urgency, a supplementary spending bill that includes $61 billion in aid to Ukraine has been stalled in the U.S. Congress amid opposition from Republican lawmakers who want any spending package to also include sweeping changes to border protection policy in the United States.

With reporting by Reuters, AP, and AFP

This content originally appeared on News - Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty and was authored by News - Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty.

“In the morning of January 28, Kim Jong Un guided the test-fire of the newly-developed submarine-launched strategic cruise missile ‘Pulhwasal-3-31’,” said the North’s state-run Korean Central News Agency.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff announced Sunday that it detected North Korea launching several cruise missiles around 8 a.m., near Sinpo, where the North’s submarine facilities are located.

Submarine-launched weapons can be deployed covertly, often evading detection systems, potentially offering Pyongyang a more elusive means of deploying its nuclear weapons.

“Nuclear weaponization of the navy is an urgent task of the times and a core requirement for building the state nuclear strategic force,” said Kim Jong Un, cited by KCNA.

Kim “set forth the important tasks arising in realizing the nuclear weaponization of the navy and expanding the sphere of operation of the state nuclear deterrence in a diversified way,” KCNA added.

The North Korean leader also defended the country’s ongoing nuclear development, claiming: “The prevailing situation and future threats urge the DPRK [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea] to put more spurs to the efforts for defending maritime sovereignty.” 

Kim then called for “immediate tasks” and “state measures” to be executed by relevant sectors and officials to accelerate his country’s nuclear submarine manufacturing.

Although North Korea has yet to possess submarines capable of operating in the blue sea, or deep ocean, recent efforts may dramatically increase the level of nuclear threat to South Korea and Japan due to their geographical proximity.

North Korea has recently put a particular emphasis on boosting its naval capabilities. Earlier this month, North Korea claimed that it had carried out a test of the “Haeil-5-23,” its underwater nuclear system involving drones to face “threats” posed by allies.

South Korea, however, had dismissed Pyongyang’s claim.

“There is a possibility that North Korea’s claims may have been exaggerated and fabricated, based on our comprehensive analysis up until today,” South Korea’s Presidential Office said in a statement last week.

Edited by Taejun Kang and Mike Firn.

This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by By Lee Jeong-Ho for RFA.

The appeal came during two days of meetings in Bangkok between the pair, according to a senior Biden administration official who spoke on condition of anonymity according to rules set by the White House.

Over 12 hours, the pair also discussed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Myanmar’s civil war, North Korea, Israel’s war with Hamas, the South China Sea, fentanyl and artificial intelligence, the official said.

It was their first meeting since Oct. 26, when Wang visited Washington in the run-up to Chinese President Xi Jinping’s trip to San Francisco in November for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, during which he also held direct talks with U.S. President Joe Biden.

The official said the meeting was meant to build on the commitments made during that summit, including to reinstate military-to-military talks and to stem illicit Chinese exports of precursors for fentanyl, which has been called a leading cause of death for American adults.

A working group on counternarcotics would be established on Tuesday and both Military-Maritime Consultative Agreement Meetings and talks about regulating artificial intelligence would be held in the Spring. 

“The two sides are committed to continuing these strategic channels of communication,” the official said, adding there would be “a telephone call between the two leaders at some point in the coming months.”

Diplomatic telephone

On the apparently widening conflict in the Middle East that began with the attack on Israel by Hamas on Oct. 7, the White House official said Sullivan had pressed Wang to use Beijing’s influence on Iran to push it to end attacks by Houthis on trade ships transiting the Red Sea.

The Houthis’ latest attack took place Friday and this time directly targeted a U.S. warship, the USS Carney, which was patrolling the area to try to prevent further attacks in the lucrative trade route.

Both Hamas and the Houthis have been labeled “proxies” of Iran by the United States, with Tehran not viewed as having direct control of either group but being accused of funding and training both. The Houthis, meanwhile, are accused of targeting trade ships off Yemen’s coast in response to Israel’s invasion of Hamas-controlled Gaza.

As a major trading nation, China had its own interests in stopping the attacks on the Red Sea route and had the ability to pressure Iran as one of the biggest buyers of its oil, the White House official said.

“We would characterize both the economic and trade relationship as giving Beijing leverage over Iran to some extent. How they choose to use that, of course, is China's choice,” the official said.

“Iran’s influence over the Houthis, and the Houthis’ destabilization of global shipping, raises serious concerns not just for the U.S. and China but for global trade,” they added. “There should be a clear interest in China in trying to quiet some of those attacks.”

The civil war in Myanmar was also discussed by Sullivan and Wang, building off talks between Sullivan and Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin on Friday, during which the official said Sullivan “stressed the importance” of getting humanitarian aid into Myanmar.

However, the official said the United States was less hopeful about China’s assistance in pushing North Korea to end its growing nuclear weapons program or its recent provision of ballistic missiles to Russia.

“I'm not sure I would characterize anything recently as constructive,” the official said, adding the United States still hoped China would come round to helping “bring us back to the path of denuclearization.”

This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by By Alex Willemyns for RFA.

Below is a statement by Chitra Kumar, the managing director for the Climate and Energy Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS).

“Assuming the news reports are accurate, it’s welcome news that the Biden administration is hitting pause on this massive LNG export terminal to fully evaluate its potential to damage the climate and environment. There’s no question that a proper accounting of these harms would make clear that this project—and others like it in the United States—are definitely not in the public interest. With the climate crisis rapidly worsening and given long-standing environmental injustices from the production and use of fossil fuels, the nation must chart a path toward a fast, fair phaseout of these polluting fuels and ramp up clean energy solutions.

“The science is unequivocal: nations will not be able to collectively limit the worst climate harms if the world’s largest emitting countries continue to build out huge, long-lived fossil fuel infrastructure. A sharp turn away from fossil fuels in this critical decade and beyond is paramount to meeting global climate goals and building a healthier, safer and more just world. Getting there will require the Biden administration and other world leaders to stop facilitating the expansion of fossil fuel infrastructure, and instead embrace and increase the use of proven clean energy solutions.

“The disingenuous and self-serving pushback from the fossil fuel industry in the wake of news reports about this possible action is an unambiguous indication that they will continue to prioritize dubious profits over the health and safety of fenceline and frontline communities and our global climate system.

“UCS calls on the administration to stand up to industry pressure and confirm they will, as reported, do a full evaluation of the harms of this project. Further, we urge them to heed the latest science and the resounding voice of the communities harmed most by environmental injustices and heat-trapping emissions from fossil fuels by rejecting the CP2 application.”

In addition to Kumar, UCS has the following experts on staff available for interviews on this topic:

• Dr. Rachel Cleetus, the policy director and lead economist for the Climate and Energy Program at UCS. She is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Click here for her biography.
• Julie McNamara, the deputy policy director for the Climate and Energy Program at UCS. She is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Click here for her biography.
• Laura Peterson, a corporate analyst and advocate for the accountability campaign at UCS. She is based in Washington, D.C. Click here for her biography.

UCS experts have extensive experience doing live and taped TV, radio, and print interviews with international, national and state media outlets. If you have any questions or would like to arrange an interview with one of our experts, please contact UCS Climate and Energy Media Manager Ashley Siefert Nunes.

Additional Resources:

• A letter signed by more than 150 organizations, including UCS, urging the U.S. Department of Energy to reject the application for CP2.
• UCS’ position supporting a fast and fair phaseout of fossil fuels across the globe.
• A blogpost by McNamara, “New Global Energy Market Risk: War Pushes Overreliance on U.S. LNG in Path of Climate-Amped Hurricanes.”

This content originally appeared on Common Dreams and was authored by Newswire Editor.

Speaking at the two-day party meeting, which began Tuesday, Kim labeled the economic problem as a “serious political issue,” saying that his government revealed the “inability to provide even basic necessities such as basic foodstuffs, groceries, and consumer goods to the local people.”

“The overall local economy is currently in a very pitiful state, lacking even basic conditions,” Kim said at a politburo plenary meeting, as cited by the North’s state-run Korean Central News Agency Thursday.

North Korean regimes consistently focus on their economy and food security, recognizing that economic performance is closely linked to the country’s security and legitimacy. 

Kim has been facing issues related to the economy and food shortages since he assumed power in 2012. These problems have been intensified recently amid climate change, the aftermath of COVID-19, and international sanctions.

North Korea’s economy contracted for the third consecutive year in 2022, according to the South’s Statistics Korea report in December. The latest available data showed a 0.2% year-on-year drop in North Korea’s GDP in 2022, following a 0.1 % decrease in 2021, and a 4.5 % contraction in 2020.

Meanwhile, North Korea’s agricultural production experienced a 4% year-on-year decline in 2022, totaling 4.5 million tons, according to the Statistics Korea report. Specifically, rice production saw a decrease of 3.8%, amounting to 2.07 million tons, which is approximately half of South Korea’s rice production.

Sources inside North Korea told Radio Free Asia in May that as many as 30% of farmers in two northern provinces were unable to work on collective farms because they’re weak from hunger.

Urging improvements in the economic situation, Kim scolded his party officials, urging them to take immediate action. 

“Some policy guidance departments and economic institutions have been evading the reality of the situation and engaging in discussions without actively seeking realistic and revolutionary solutions to address this task.

“If we cannot effectively implement the party’s economic development policies, we will never realize significant changes,” Kim said.

A separate report by the South’s Korea Development Institute (KDI) released in December, however, noted that there may be some “tangible achievements” in North Korea’s economy this year, boosted by the resumption of tourism with China and strengthened economic cooperation with Russia.

“Currently, North Korea is in the midst of reviving its collaboration with China, including tourism and personnel exchanges. Moreover, the nation is strengthening its partnership with Russia to an unprecedented level,” the KDI report said.

North Korea’s primary economic objectives for 2024 would be centered around “acquiring foreign currency to address the trade deficit, discovering new export opportunities, revitalizing and expanding tourism cooperation with China and Russia,” the report said. 

Edited by Taejun Kang and Mike Firn.

This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by By Lee Jeong-Ho for RFA.

The request came during the country’s national meeting for mothers, held from Dec. 3-5, the fifth ever meeting of its kind and first in 11 years. Speakers at the meeting emphasized that mothers must strengthen family education and do their part to eradicate anti-socialist elements. 

In January, people who attended the national meeting were obliged to provide lectures organized by the Socialist Women’s Union of Korea, the country’s premier women’s organization. The message of forgiveness was relayed to the mothers during these lectures, sources said.

In the city of Anju in the western province of South Pyongan, attendees to the lecture were surprised that it was an ordinary woman who spoke to them rather than an official, a resident there told RFA Korean.

“This is the first time that an ordinary member of the Women’s Union gave a lecture,” she said, adding that the speaker told them the usual messages of respecting their husbands and having lots of children.

“The lecturer said that it is important for mothers to educate their children to eliminate anti-socialism,” she said. “If their children have committed a crime, such as watching South Korean movies or stealing state property, mothers should voluntarily report it to the judicial authorities and receive forgiveness.”

Serious crime

Stealing from government supplies and watching illegal media are serious crimes in North Korea, with violators punished harshly, sometimes even  with public executions.

Last year RFA reported that parents would take the rap if their kids were caught watching foreign media, but now authorities appear to be asking moms to tell on their kids. 

At the lecture held in Tongrim county, in the northwestern province of North Pyongan, the speaker took it a step further, saying that mothers should police how their kids dress and forbid them from dancing in a certain way, a resident there told RFA.

“The lecturer said that educating our children is important to eliminate the trends of unusual clothing and dancing that has recently appeared among young people,” she said. “If mothers voluntarily reported their children who took drugs at home, indulged in exotic cultures, or committed social crimes, the authorities would take responsibility, educate them, and not charge them with any crime.”

But many in attendance were not buying it. 

“Women responded to the lecture about reporting their children to the judicial authorities with astonishment,” she said, “saying mothers are now being used as a means of controlling young people.”

Translated by Claire S. Lee. Edited by Eugene Whong.

Photo in folder

ENG_KOR_MothersMeeting_01222024
People listen as North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un speaks at the 5th National Meeting of Mothers in Pyongyang, Dec. 4, 2023. (KCNA via REUTERS)

This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by By Son Hye-min for RFA Korean.

“Ukraine is and will remain France’s priority. The defense of the fundamental principles of international law is being played out in Ukraine,” he told a Kyiv news conference alongside his counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba, on January 13.

“Russia is hoping that Ukraine and its supporters will tire before it does. We will not weaken. That is the message that I am carrying here to the Ukrainians. Our determination is intact,” said Sejourne, who was making his first foreign journey since being appointed to the position on January 11.

WATCH: After Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a "partial mobilization" in fall 2022, over 300,000 reservists were drafted into the war in Ukraine, which Russia calls a "special military operation." A year later, women formed The Way Home initiative to demand that their family members be discharged and sent back home. The women wear white shawls as a symbol of their protest.

Kuleba thanked Sejourne for making his journey to Kyiv despite “another massive shelling by Russia. I am grateful to him for his courage, for not turning back."

Sejourne arrived in the Ukrainian capital within hours of a combined missile-and-drone attack by Russia that triggered Ukrainian air defenses in several southern and eastern regions early on January 13.

Sejourne's visit represented the latest Western show of support for Kyiv in its ongoing war to repel Russia's 22-month-old full-scale invasion.

"For almost 2 years, Ukraine has been on the front line to defend its sovereignty and ensure the security of Europe," Sejourne said on X, formerly Twitter. "France's aid is long-term."

Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine

RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the latest developments on Russia's full-scale invasion, Kyiv's counteroffensive, Western military aid, global reaction, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war in Ukraine, click here.

Ukraine has struggled to secure further funding for its campaign from the United States and the European Union, the latter of which is grappling with opposition from member Hungary.

The French Foreign Ministry posted an image of Sejourne and said he'd "arrived in Kyiv for his first trip to the field, in order to continue French diplomatic action there and to reiterate France's commitment to its allies and alongside civilian populations."

"Despite the multiplying crisis, Ukraine is and will remain France's priority," AFP later quoted Sejourne as saying in Kyiv. He said "the fundamental principles of international law and the values of Europe, as well as the security interests of the French" are at stake there.

Earlier, the General Staff of Ukraine's military said Russia had launched 40 missiles and attack drones targeting Ukrainian territory.

It said Ukrainian air defenses shot down eight of the incoming attacks and 20 others missed their targets. It said the Russian weapons included "winged, aerobic, ballistic, aviation, anti-controlled missiles, and impact BPLAs."

They reportedly targeted the eastern Kharkiv, Luhansk, and Donetsk regions.

RFE/RL cannot independently confirm claims by either side in areas of the heaviest combat.

Air alerts sounded in several regions of Ukraine.

A day earlier, Polish radio and other reports quoted recently inaugurated Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk as saying he would visit Ukraine soon to discuss joint security efforts and to talk about Polish truckers' grievances over EU advantages for Ukrainian haulers.

Tusk, a former Polish leader and European Council president who was sworn in for a new term as Polish prime minister in mid-December, has been a vocal advocate of strong Polish and EU support for Ukraine.

"I really want the Ukrainian problems of war and, more broadly security, as well as policy toward Russia, to be joint, so that not only the president and the prime minister, but the Polish state as a whole act in solidarity in these issues," Tusk said.

The U.S. Congress has been divided over additional aid to Ukraine, with many Republicans opposing President Joe Biden's hopes for billions more in support.

An EU aid proposal of around 50 billion euros ($55 billion) was blocked by Hungary, although other members have said they will pursue "technical" or other means of skirting Budapest's resistance as soon as possible.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has warned that delays in aid can severely hamper Ukrainians' ongoing efforts to defeat invading Russian forces.

With reporting by RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service

This content originally appeared on News - Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty and was authored by News - Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty.

Speaking on January 11 in Riga on the last stop of a tour of the Baltic states, he added that the situation on the front line is "very complicated" and again said that Ukrainian forces lack weapons.

Zelenskiy told reporters that after the election in which President Vladimir Putin is expected to win another term in office Russia will undertake military action on a larger scale.

He said later on X, formerly Twitter, that he met with Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina in Riga and discussed "further military aid to Ukraine and tangible actions to advance Ukraine’s path to EU and NATO membership."

Speaking earlier in Estonia, Zelenskiy rejected the possibility of a cease-fire with Russia, saying it would not lead to substantive progress in the war and only favor Moscow by giving it time to boost supplies to its military as the conflict nears its two-year anniversary.

“A pause on the Ukrainian battlefield will not mean a pause in the war,” the Ukrainian leader said in Estonia's capital, Tallinn, on January 11 during a tour of the three Baltic nations.

Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine

RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the latest developments on Russia's full-scale invasion, Kyiv's counteroffensive, Western military aid, global reaction, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war in Ukraine, click here.

"Give Russia two to three years and it will simply run us over. We wouldn't take that risk.... There will be no pauses in favor of Russia," he said. "A pause would play into [Russia’s] hands.... It might crush us afterward.”

Zelenskiy has pleaded with Ukraine's allies to keep supplying it with weapons amid signs of donor fatigue in some countries and as Russia turns to countries such as Iran and North Korea for munitions.

NATO allies meeting in Brussels on January 10 tried to allay Kyiv's concerns over supplies, saying they will continue to provide Ukraine with major military, economic, and humanitarian aid. NATO allies have outlined plans to provide "billions of euros of further capabilities" in 2024 to Ukraine, the alliance said in a statement.

But in Washington, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said U.S. assistance for Ukraine has "ground to a halt," though lawmakers continue negotiating a deal that would tie the release of the aid to U.S. border security.

Meanwhile, Latvia and Estonia announced aid packages during Zelenskiy's visits to their capitals.

Latvia will provide Ukraine with a new package of military aid, President Edgars Rinkevics said after meeting with Zelenskiy in Riga.

"Today I informed the president of Ukraine about the next package of aid, which includes howitzers, ammunition, anti-tank weapons, antiaircraft missiles, mortars, all-terrain vehicles, hand grenades, helicopters, drones, generators, means of communication, equipment," Rinkevics said, speaking at a joint press conference with Zelenskiy.

Estonian President Alar Karis said earlier after his meeting with Zelenskiy that his country will provide 1.2 billion euros ($1.31 billion) in aid to Ukraine until 2027.

"Ukraine needs more and better weapons," Karis said at a joint news conference with Zelenskiy.

"The capabilities of the EU military industry must be increased so that Ukraine gets what it needs, not tomorrow, but today. We should not place any restrictions on the supply of weapons to Ukraine," he added.

Ukraine has been subjected to several massive waves of Russian missile and drone strikes since the start of the year that have caused civilian deaths and material damage.

In the latest such attack, a hotel in downtown Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, was struck by Russian missiles overnight on January 11. The strike injured 13 people, including Turkish journalists staying at the hotel, Kharkiv regional police chief Volodymyr Tymoshko said.

A Russian missile attack struck a hotel in Kharkiv, in northeastern Ukraine, late on January 10, wounding 11 people, according to local authorities.

The General Staff of the Ukrainian military said on January 11 that 56 combat clashes took place at the front during the day. The operational situation in the northern directions did not change significantly, and the formation of Russian offensive groups was not detected.

With reporting by AFP and Reuters

This content originally appeared on News - Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty and was authored by News - Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty.

The government should also spend more money on health care and education to lay a foundation for future development, the bank’s representative in Laos, Alex Kremer, said in a report released last month.

But the World Bank’s tax recommendations were mostly aimed at tackling Lao’s current troubled economy, which has struggled with rapidly rising prices, low foreign investment and public debt that could grow to 125 percent of GDP this year.

The massive amount of debt, which reached US$18.7 billion at the end of 2022, has destabilized the country’s macroeconomy and slowed economic growth, Kremer said in the report.

Just over half of the debt is owed to China, which helped Laos build the US$6 billion Lao-China High Speed Railway as part of its Belt and Road Initiative. Other major Chinese investments include roads and hydropower dams.

Mining projects and local jobs

Meanwhile, the government approved 192 concession projects last year worth almost US$5 billion in 2023, more than double the number from the previous year, according to the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

Most of the investors are from China and Vietnam who are focused on the country’s mining, energy and agricultural sectors, the ministry said in a report.

Projects approved by the government in 2022 were worth US$2.3 billion, according to the ministry.

Most of the projects are in the mining sector, which could create more jobs for local people as companies seek to extract gold, ore and other minerals, according to an official who is familiar with the country’s planning and investment sector .

“Of course, there are some impacts but they are not big problems,” he said. “There will be damage to local roads, but the investing companies are responsible for that. Some local people will have opportunities to work as daily workers.”

Debt servicing

Service payments on the country’s debt – the regular payments required by loan issuers that include interest and principal – could rise to 39 percent of GDP, the World Bank said.

Laos’ currency, the kip, depreciated 29% against the Thai baht and 21% against the U.S. dollar last year. The main cause of the depreciation was a shortage of foreign currencies needed to pay down the debt and fund development projects, according to the World Bank.

Similar to a sales tax, the value-added tax, or VAT, is added to the price of a product or service at each stage of production. Raising it from 7% to 10% and bringing in more revenue from tobacco and alcohol sales would help stabilize the government’s finances, Kremer said. 

The Lao government has also been cracking down on corruption, selling government assets and eliminating ineffective state enterprises.

New import-export requirements

An official from Laos’ national bank, the Bank of the Lao PDR, told Radio Free Asia that other measures to get inflation under control, such as mandating exchange rates and enforcing the law on foreign currency management, haven’t been working.

“We’ve failed to control exchange rates, even after we shut down all money exchange outlets,” he said, requesting anonymity for safety reasons like other sources in this report. “But we can’t inspect everything and everywhere.” 

The Lao Ministry of Industry and Trade on Dec. 29 unveiled a new rule that requires all import-export companies to register with the government and to conduct all foreign transactions only through banks in Laos. 

“We want the companies to make payments through the banks in Laos so that more foreign currencies will be in the system,” an official from the Lao Ministry of Finance said.

Most commercial banks in Laos aren’t able to sell foreign currencies to customers, according to an official of the Joint Development Bank’s Luang Prabang branch.

“We only buy foreign currencies,” he said. “If customers really need foreign currencies, they can write a formal letter requesting to buy foreign currencies from any banks.”

Because of the government enforcement on foreign currency, business people in Laos have turned to the black market for foreign currency, an employee of an import-export company that brings in goods from Thailand told RFA.

Translated by Phouvong. Edited by Matt Reed.

This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by By RFA Lao.

This content originally appeared on The Intercept and was authored by Nick Turse.

Kremlin critic Aleksei Navalny says he was immediately placed in a punitive solitary confinement cell after finishing a quarantine term at the so-called Polar Wolf prison in Russia's Arctic region where he was transferred last month.

In a series of messages on X, formerly Twitter, Navalny said on January 9 a prison guard ruled that "convict Navalny refused to introduce himself according to format, did not respond to the educational work, and did not draw appropriate conclusions for himself" and therefore must spend seven days in solitary confinement.

Navalny added that unlike in a regular cell, where inmates are allowed to have a walk outside of the cell in the afternoon when it is a bit warmer outside, in the punitive cell, such walks are at 6:30 a.m. in a part of the world where temperatures can fall to minus 45 degrees Celsius or colder.

"I have already promised myself that I will try to go for a walk no matter what the weather is," Navalny said in an irony-laced series of eight posts, adding that the cell-like sites for walks are "11 steps from the wall and 3 steps to the wall" with an open sky covered with metal bars above.

"It's never been colder here than -32 degrees Celsius (-25 degrees Fahrenheit). Even at that temperature you can walk for more than half an hour, but only if you have time to grow a new nose, ears, and fingers," Navalny joked, comparing himself with the character played by Leonardo DiCaprio in the Revenant film, who saved himself from freezing in the cold by crawling inside the carcass of a dead horse.

"Here you need an elephant. A hot or even roasted elephant. If you cut open the belly of a freshly roasted elephant and crawl inside, you can keep warm for a while. But where am I going to get a hot, roasted elephant [here], especially at 6:30 in the morning? So, I will continue to freeze," Navalny concludes in his sarcastic string of messages.

Navalny was transported in December to the notorious and remote prison, formally known as IK-3, but widely referred to as Polar Wolf.

Some 2,000 kilometers northeast of Moscow, the prison holds about 1,050 of Russia's most incorrigible prisoners.

Human rights activists say the prison holds serial killers, rapists, pedophiles, repeat offenders, and others convicted of the most serious crimes and serving sentences of 20 years or more.

In some cases, like Navalny's, the government sends convicts who are widely considered to be political prisoners there as well. Platon Lebedev, a former business partner of Mikhail Khodorkovsky who was convicted of tax evasion and other charges during the dismantling of the Yukos oil giant, spent about two years at IK-3 in the mid-2000s.

The prison was founded in 1961 at a former camp of dictator Josef Stalin's Gulag network. The settlement of Kharp, with about 5,000 people, mostly provides housing and services for prison workers and administrators.

Navalny was sentenced to 19 years in prison in August 2023 on extremism charges, on top of previous sentences for fraud. He says the charges are politically motivated, and human rights organizations recognized him as a political prisoner.

He has posed one of the most-serious threats to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who recently announced he is running for reelection in March. Putin is expected to easily win the election amid the continued sidelining of opponents and a clampdown on opposition and civil society that intensified after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

Navalny survived a poisoning with Novichok-type nerve agent in 2020 that he says was ordered by Putin. The Kremlin has denied any role in Navalny's poisoning.

This content originally appeared on News - Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty and was authored by News - Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty.

Kremlin critic Aleksei Navalny says he was immediately placed in a punitive solitary confinement cell after finishing a quarantine term at the so-called Polar Wolf prison in Russia's Arctic region where he was transferred last month.

In a series of messages on X, formerly Twitter, Navalny said on January 9 a prison guard ruled that "convict Navalny refused to introduce himself according to format, did not respond to the educational work, and did not draw appropriate conclusions for himself" and therefore must spend seven days in solitary confinement.

Navalny added that unlike in a regular cell, where inmates are allowed to have a walk outside of the cell in the afternoon when it is a bit warmer outside, in the punitive cell, such walks are at 6:30 a.m. in a part of the world where temperatures can fall to minus 45 degrees Celsius or colder.

"I have already promised myself that I will try to go for a walk no matter what the weather is," Navalny said in an irony-laced series of eight posts, adding that the cell-like sites for walks are "11 steps from the wall and 3 steps to the wall" with an open sky covered with metal bars above.

"It's never been colder here than -32 degrees Celsius (-25 degrees Fahrenheit). Even at that temperature you can walk for more than half an hour, but only if you have time to grow a new nose, ears, and fingers," Navalny joked, comparing himself with the character played by Leonardo DiCaprio in the Revenant film, who saved himself from freezing in the cold by crawling inside the carcass of a dead horse.

"Here you need an elephant. A hot or even roasted elephant. If you cut open the belly of a freshly roasted elephant and crawl inside, you can keep warm for a while. But where am I going to get a hot, roasted elephant [here], especially at 6:30 in the morning? So, I will continue to freeze," Navalny concludes in his sarcastic string of messages.

Navalny was transported in December to the notorious and remote prison, formally known as IK-3, but widely referred to as Polar Wolf.

Some 2,000 kilometers northeast of Moscow, the prison holds about 1,050 of Russia's most incorrigible prisoners.

Human rights activists say the prison holds serial killers, rapists, pedophiles, repeat offenders, and others convicted of the most serious crimes and serving sentences of 20 years or more.

In some cases, like Navalny's, the government sends convicts who are widely considered to be political prisoners there as well. Platon Lebedev, a former business partner of Mikhail Khodorkovsky who was convicted of tax evasion and other charges during the dismantling of the Yukos oil giant, spent about two years at IK-3 in the mid-2000s.

The prison was founded in 1961 at a former camp of dictator Josef Stalin's Gulag network. The settlement of Kharp, with about 5,000 people, mostly provides housing and services for prison workers and administrators.

Navalny was sentenced to 19 years in prison in August 2023 on extremism charges, on top of previous sentences for fraud. He says the charges are politically motivated, and human rights organizations recognized him as a political prisoner.

He has posed one of the most-serious threats to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who recently announced he is running for reelection in March. Putin is expected to easily win the election amid the continued sidelining of opponents and a clampdown on opposition and civil society that intensified after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

Navalny survived a poisoning with Novichok-type nerve agent in 2020 that he says was ordered by Putin. The Kremlin has denied any role in Navalny's poisoning.

This content originally appeared on News - Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty and was authored by News - Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty.

“The killings of journalists Hamza Al Dahdouh and Mustafa Thuraya must be independently investigated, and those behind their deaths must be held accountable. The continuous killings of journalists and their family members by Israeli army fire must end: journalists are civilians, not targets,” said CPJ’s Middle East and North Africa Program Coordinator Sherif Mansour.  

Wael Al Dahdouh has lost five family members in Israeli attacks. On October 25, an airstrike killed his wife, daughter, son and grandson when it hit the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, according to a statement from Al-Jazeera and Politico. “The Al Dahdouh family and their journalist colleagues in Gaza are rewriting what it means to be a journalist today with immensely brave and never-seen-before sacrifices, said Mansour.” 

Hamza Al Dahdouh was a journalist and camera operator for Al-Jazeera. He was killed along with Thuraya, a freelance videographer who worked with AFP, according to multiple news reports. At least one other man was injured in the strike, which occurred outside of Khan Yunis, according to news reports. 

CPJ has repeatedly expressed concern at the apparent targeting of journalists reporting on the war.  Investigations  by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Reuters, and Agence France-Presse (AFP) into the October 13 strike in southern Lebanon that killed Reuters videographer Issam Abdallah and injured six other journalists found that the attack was likely a deliberate assault by the Israel Defense Forces on civilians, which would constitute a war crime.

“Israel says it does not target journalists. It needs to explain whether it used one of its drones for a precision attack on these two journalists  and why it launched strikes on those like Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah, who was clearly wearing press insignia and away from direct fighting,” said Mansour.

CPJ’s email requesting comment from the North America Desk of the Israel Defense Forces did not immediately receive a response.

The Israel-Gaza war has taken an unprecedented toll on the media community. Dozens of journalists and their family members have been killed in the Israel-Gaza war since the start of fighting on October 7. More journalists were killed in the first 10 weeks of the conflict than have ever been killed in a single country over an entire year, according to CPJ data.

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.

• The war in Ukraine will persist until the West realizes that a return to the previous world order is unattainable.
• In Iran, with parliamentary elections scheduled for March, the government is likely to face yet another challenge to its legitimacy.
• In Belarus, setbacks for Russia in Ukraine could prompt the Lukashenka regime to attempt to normalize relations with the West.
• While 2024 will see a rightward shift in the EU, it is unlikely to bring the deluge of populist victories that some are predicting.
• The vicious spiral for women in Afghanistan will only worsen.
• Peace between Armenia and its neighbors could set the stage for a Russian exit from the region.
• Hungary's upcoming leadership of the European Council could prove a stumbling block to the start of EU accession talks with Ukraine.
• Kyrgyzstan is on course to feel the pain of secondary sanctions over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine if the West's patience runs out.

Here, then, are our correspondents' predictions for 2024. To find out more about the authors themselves, click on their bylines.

The Ukraine War: A Prolonged Stalemate

By Vitaliy Portnikov

In September 2022, Ukrainian generals Valeriy Zaluzhniy and Mykhaylo Zabrodskiy presciently warned that Russia's aggression against Ukraine would unfold into a protracted conflict. Fast forward 15 months, and the front line is effectively frozen, with neither Ukrainian nor Russian offensives yielding substantial changes.

As 2023 comes to a close, observers find themselves revisiting themes familiar from the previous year: the potential for a major Ukrainian counteroffensive, the extent of Western aid to Kyiv, the possibility of a "frozen conflict,” security assurances for Ukraine, and the prospects for its Euro-Atlantic integration ahead of a NATO summit.

It is conceivable that, by the close of 2024, we will still be grappling with these same issues. A political resolution seems elusive, given the Kremlin's steadfast refusal to entertain discussions on vacating the parts of Ukraine its forces occupy. Conversely, Ukraine’s definition of victory is the full restoration of its territorial integrity.

Even if, in 2024, one side achieves a military victory -- whether through the liberation of part of Ukraine or Russia seizing control of additional regions -- it won't necessarily bring us closer to a political resolution. Acknowledging this impasse is crucial, as Russian President Vladimir Putin's assault on Ukraine is part of a broader agenda: a push to reestablish, if not the Soviet Empire, at least its sphere of influence.

For Ukraine, resistance to Russian aggression is about not just reclaiming occupied territories but also safeguarding statehood, political identity, and national integrity. Western support is crucial for Ukraine's survival and the restoration of its territorial integrity. However, this backing aims to avoid escalation into a direct conflict between Russia and the West on Russia's sovereign territory.

The war's conclusion seems contingent on the depletion of resources on one of the two sides, with Ukraine relying on continued Western support and Russia on oil and gas revenues. Hence, 2024 might echo the patterns of 2023. Even if external factors shift significantly -- such as in the U.S. presidential election in November -- we might not witness tangible changes until 2025.

Another potential variable is the emergence of major conflicts akin to the war in the Gaza Strip. Nevertheless, this would likely signify the dissipation of Western resources rather than a shift in approaches to war.

In essence, the war in Ukraine will persist until the West realizes that a return to the previous world order is unattainable. Constructing a new world order demands unconventional measures, such as offering genuine security guarantees to nations victimized by aggression or achieving peace, or at least limiting the zone of military operations to the current contact line, without direct agreements with Russia.

So far, such understanding is lacking, and the expectation that Moscow will eventually grasp the futility of its ambitions only emboldens Putin. Consequently, the conflict between Russia and Ukraine will endure, potentially spawning new, equally perilous local wars worldwide.

Iran: Problems Within And Without

By Hannah Kaviani

Iran has been dealing with complex domestic and international challenges for years and the same issues are likely to plague it in 2024. But officials in Tehran appear to be taking a “wait-and-see” approach to its lengthy list of multilayered problems.

Iran enters 2024 as Israel's war in Gaza continues and the prospects for a peaceful Middle East are bleak, with the situation exacerbated by militia groups firmly supported by Tehran.

Iran’s prominent role in supporting paramilitary forces in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen has also drawn the ire of the international community and will continue to be a thorn in the side of relations with the West.

Tehran has refused to cooperate with the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency over its nuclear program, resulting in an impasse in talks with the international community. And with the United States entering an election year that could see the return of Donald Trump to the presidency, the likelihood of Tehran and Washington resuming negotiations -- which could lead to a reduction in sanctions -- is considered very low.

But Iran's problems are not limited to outside its borders.

The country’s clerical regime is still reeling from the massive protests that began in 2022 over the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody after her arrest for not obeying hijab rules. The aftershocks of the Women, Life, Freedom movement that emanated from her death were reflected in acts of civil disobedience that are likely to continue in 2024.

At the same time, a brutal crackdown continues as civil rights activists, students, religious minorities, and artists are being beaten, detained, and/or given harsh prison sentences.

With parliamentary elections scheduled for March, the government is likely to face yet another challenge to its legitimacy as it struggles with low voter turnout and general disinterest in another round of controlled elections.

Another critical issue Iranian officials must continue to deal with in 2024 is the devastated economy resulting from the slew of international sanctions because of its controversial nuclear program. After a crushing year of 47 percent inflation in 2023 (a 20-year high, according to the IMF), costs are expected to continue to rise for many foods and commodities, as well as real estate.

Iran’s widening budget deficit due to reduced oil profits continues to cripple the economy, with the IMF reporting that the current government debt is equal to three annual budgets.

With neither the international community nor the hard-line Tehran regime budging, most analysts see scant chances for significant changes in Iran in the coming year.

Belarus: Wider War Role, Integration With Russia Not In The Cards

By Valer Karbalevich

Belarus has been pulled closer into Moscow’s orbit than ever by Russia’s war in Ukraine -- but in 2024, it’s unlikely to be subsumed into the much larger nation to its east, and chances are it won’t step up its so-far limited involvement in the conflict in the country to its south.

The most probable scenario in Belarus, where the authoritarian Alyaksandr Lukashenka will mark 30 years since he came to power in 1994, is more of the same: No letup in pressure on all forms of dissent at home, no move to send troops to Ukraine. And while Russia’s insistent embrace will not loosen, the Kremlin will abstain from using Belarusian territory for any new ground attacks or bombardments of Ukraine.

But the war in Ukraine is a wild card, the linchpin influencing the trajectory of Belarus in the near term and beyond. For the foreseeable future, what happens in Belarus -- or to it -- will depend in large part on what happens in Russia’s assault on Ukraine.

Should the current equilibrium on the front persist and Western support for Ukraine persist, the likelihood is a continuation of the status quo for Belarus. The country will maintain its allegiance to Russia, marked by diplomatic and political support. Bolstered by Russian loans, Belarus's defense industry will further expand its output.

The Belarusian state will continue to militarize the border with Ukraine, posing a perpetual threat to Kyiv and diverting Ukrainian troops from the eastern and southern fronts. At the same time, however, Russia is unlikely to use Belarusian territory as a launching point for fresh assaults on Ukraine, as it did at the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022.

If Russia wins or scores substantial victories -- if Ukraine is forced into negotiations on Moscow’s terms, for example, or the current front line comes to be considered the international border -- Lukashenka, consolidating his position within the country, will reap "victory dividends." But relations between Belarus and Russia are unlikely to change dramatically.

Potentially, Moscow could take major steps to absorb Belarus, diminishing its sovereignty and transforming its territory into a staging ground for a fresh assault on Kyiv. This would increase tensions with the West and heighten concerns about the tactical nuclear weapons Moscow and Minsk say Russia has transferred to Belarus. However, this seems unlikely due to the absence of military necessity for Moscow and the problems it could create on the global stage.

The loss of Belarusian sovereignty would pose a major risk for Lukashenka and his regime. An overwhelming majority of Belarusians oppose the direct involvement of Belarus in the war against Ukraine. This fundamental distinction sets Belarus apart from Russia, and bringing Belarus into the war could trigger a political crisis in Belarus -- an outcome Moscow would prefer to avoid.

If Russia loses the war or sustains significant defeats that weaken Putin, Lukashenka's regime may suffer economic and political repercussions. This could prompt him to seek alternative global alliances, potentially leading to an attempt to normalize relations with the West.

Russia, Ukraine, And The West: Sliding Toward World War III

By Sergei Medvedev

2024 will be a critical year for the war in Ukraine and for the entire international system, which is quickly unraveling before our eyes. The most crucial of many challenges is a revanchist, resentful, belligerent Russia, bent on destroying and remaking the world order. In his mind, President Vladimir Putin is fighting World War III, and Ukraine is a prelude to a global showdown.

Despite Western sanctions, Russia has consolidated its position militarily, domestically, and internationally in 2023. After setbacks and shocks in 2022, the military has stabilized the front and addressed shortages of arms, supplies, and manpower. Despite latent discontent, the population is not ready to question the war, preferring to stay in the bubble of learned ignorance and the lies of state propaganda.

Here are four scenarios for 2024:

Strategic stalemate in Ukraine, chaos in the international system: The West, relaxed by a 30-year “peace dividend,” lacks the vision and resolve of the 1980s, when its leaders helped bring about the U.S.S.R.’s collapse, let alone the courage of those who stood up to Nazi Germany in World War II. Putin’s challenge to the free world is no less significant than Hitler’s was, but there is no Roosevelt or Churchill in sight. Probability: 70 percent

Widening war, collapse or division of Ukraine: Russia could defend and consolidate its gains in Ukraine, waging trench warfare while continuing to destroy civilian infrastructure, and may consider a side strike in Georgia or Moldova -- or against Lithuania or Poland, testing NATO. A frontal invasion is less likely than a hybrid operation by “unidentified” units striking from Belarus, acts of sabotage, or unrest among Russian-speakers in the Baltic states. Other Kremlin operations could occur anywhere in the world. The collapse of Ukraine’s government or the division of the country could not be ruled out. Probability: 15 percent.

Russia loses in Ukraine: A military defeat for Russia, possibly entailing a partial or complete withdrawal from Ukraine. Consistent Western support and expanded supplies of arms, like F-16s or Abrams tanks, or a big move such as closing the skies over Ukraine, could provide for this outcome. It would not necessarily entail Russia’s collapse -- it could further consolidate the nation around Putin’s regime. Russia would develop a resentful identity grounded in loss and defeat -- and harbor the idea of coming back with a vengeance. Probability: 10 percent

Russia’s Collapse: A military defeat in Ukraine could spark social unrest, elite factional battles, and an anti-Putin coup, leading to his demotion or violent death. Putin’s natural death, too, could set off a succession struggle, causing chaos in a country he has rid of reliable institutions. While breakup into many regions is unlikely, the empire could crumble at the edges -- Kaliningrad, Chechnya, the Far East – like in 1917 and 1991. Russia’s nuclear weapons would be a big question mark, leading to external involvement and possible de-nuclearization. For all its perils, this scenario might provide a framework for future statehood in Northern Eurasia. Probability: 5 percent

EU: 'Fortress Europe' And The Ukraine War

By Rikard Jozwiak

2024 will see a rightward shift in the European Union, but it is unlikely to bring the deluge of populist victories that some are predicting since Euroskeptics won national elections in the Netherlands, Poland, and Slovakia and polled well in Austria and Germany.

The European Parliament elections in June will be the ultimate test for the bloc in that respect. Polls still suggest the two main political groups, the center-right European People's Party and the center-left Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats, will finish on top, albeit with a smaller share of the vote. But right-wing populist parties are likely to fail once again to agree on the creation of a single political group, thus eroding their influence in Brussels.

This, in turn, is likely to prod more pro-European groups into combining forces again to divvy up EU top jobs like the presidencies of the European Commission, the bloc's top executive body, and the European Council, which defines the EU's political direction and priorities. Center-right European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is widely tipped to get a second term, even though she might fancy NATO's top job as secretary-general. Charles Michel, on the other hand, will definitely be out as European Council president after serving the maximum five years.

While right-wing populists may not wield major influence in the horse-trading for those top jobs, they will affect policy going forward. They have already contributed to a hardening of attitudes on migration, and you can expect to hear more of the term "fortress Europe" as barriers go up on the EU's outer border.

The biggest question for 2024, however, is about how much support Brussels can provide Ukraine going forward. Could the "cost-of-living crisis" encourage members to side with Budapest to block financial aid or veto the start of de facto accession talks with that war-torn country? The smart money is still on the EU finding a way to green-light both those decisions in 2024, possibly by unfreezing more EU funds for Budapest.

Although it seems like a remote possibility, patience could also finally wear out with Hungary, and the other 26 members could decide to strip it of voting rights in the Council of the European Union, which amends, approves, and vetoes European Commission proposals -- essentially depriving it of influence. In that respect, Austria and Slovakia, Budapest's two biggest allies right now, are the EU countries to watch.

The one surefire guarantee in Europe isn't about the European Union at all but rather about NATO: After somehow failing to join as predicted for each of the past two years, against the backdrop of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Sweden will become the transatlantic military alliance's 32nd member once the Turkish and Hungarian parliaments vote to ratify its accession protocol.

Caucasus: A Peace Agreement Could Be Transformative

By Josh Kucera

Could 2024 be the year that Armenia and Azerbaijan finally formally resolve decades of conflict?

This year, Azerbaijan effectively decided -- by force -- their most contentious issue: the status of the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. With its lightning offensive in September, Azerbaijan placed Karabakh firmly under its control. Both sides now say they've reached agreement on most of their fundamental remaining issues, and diplomatic talks, after an interruption, appear set to resume.

A resolution of the conflict could transform the region. If Armenia and Azerbaijan made peace, a Turkish-Armenian rapprochement could soon follow. Borders between the three countries would reopen as a result, ending Armenia's long geographical isolation and priming the South Caucasus to take full advantage of new transportation projects seeking to ship cargo between Europe and Asia while bypassing Russia.

Peace between Armenia and its neighbors also could set the stage for a Russian exit from the region. Russian-Armenian security cooperation has been predicated on potential threats from Azerbaijan and Turkey. With those threats reduced, what's keeping the Russian soldiers, peacekeepers, and border guards there?

A Russian exit would be a messy process -- Moscow still holds many economic levers in Armenia -- but Yerevan could seek help from the United States and Europe to smooth any transition. Washington and Brussels have seemingly been waiting in the wings, nudging Armenia in their direction.

But none of this is likely to happen without a peace agreement. And while there don't seem to be any unresolvable issues remaining, there are mounting indications that Azerbaijan may not see it in its interests to make peace. Baku has gotten what it wanted most of all -- full control of Karabakh -- without an agreement. And maintaining a simmering conflict with Armenia could arguably serve Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev well, as it would allow him to continue to lean on a reliable source of public support: rallying against an Armenian enemy.

But perhaps the most conspicuous indication of a broader strategy is Aliyev's increasing invocation of "Western Azerbaijan" -- a hazily defined concept alluding to ethnic Azerbaijanis who used to live on the territory of what is now Armenia and their presumed right to return to their homes. It suggests that Azerbaijan might keep furthering its demands in hopes that Armenia finally throws in the towel, and each can accuse the other of intransigence.

Hungary: The Return Of Big Brother?

By Pablo Gorondi

Critics might be tempted to believe that Big Brother will be watching over Hungarians in 2024 like at no point since the fall of communism.

A new law on the Defense of National Sovereignty will allow the Office for the Defense of Sovereignty, which the law created, to investigate and request information from almost any group in Hungary that receives foreign funding. This will apply to civic groups, political parties, private businesses, media companies -- in fact, anyone deemed to be conducting activities (including "information manipulation and disinformation") in the interests of a foreign "body, organization, or person."

The law has been criticized by experts from the United Nations and the Council of Europe over its seemingly vague language, lack of judicial oversight, and fears that it could be used by the government "to silence and stigmatize independent voices and opponents."

The head of the Office for the Defense of Sovereignty should be nominated for a six-year term by right-wing Prime Minister Viktor Orban and appointed by President Katalin Novak by February 1. This would allow the new authority to carry out investigations and present findings ahead of simultaneous elections to the European Parliament and Hungarian municipal bodies in early June -- possibly influencing their outcomes.

Asked by RFE/RL's Hungarian Service, some experts said fears of the new authority are overblown and that the government is more likely to use it as a threat hanging over opponents than as a direct tool for repression -- at least until it finds it politically necessary or expedient to tighten control.

On the international scene, meanwhile, Hungary will take over the Council of the European Union's six-month rotating presidency in July, a few weeks after voting to determine the composition of a new European Parliament.

MEPs from Orban's Fidesz party exited the center-right European People's Party bloc in 2021 and have not joined another group since then, although some observers expect them to join the more Euroskeptic and nationalist European Conservatives and Reformists.

Orban has for years predicted a breakthrough of more radical right-wing forces in Europe. But while that has happened in Italy, the Netherlands, and Slovakia, experts suggest that's not enough to fuel a significant shift in the European Parliament, where the center-right and center-left should continue to hold a clear majority.

Because of the June elections, the European Parliament's activities will initially be limited -- and its election of a European Commission president could prove complicated. Nevertheless, Orban has said in recent interviews that he wants to "fix the European Union" and that "we need to take over Brussels." So, Hungary's leadership may make progress difficult on issues that Orban opposes, like the start of EU accession talks with Ukraine or a possible reelection bid by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

Stability And The 'Serbian World'

By Gjeraqina Tuhina and Milos Teodorovic

Serbia, once again, will be a key player in the region -- and its moves could significantly shape events in the Balkans over the next 12 months.

For over a decade, the dialogue to normalize relations between Serbia and its former province Kosovo has stymied both countries. Then, in February in Brussels and March in Ohrid, North Macedonia, European mediators announced a path forward and its implementation. There was only one problem: There was no signature on either side. Nine months later, little has changed.

Many eyes are looking toward one aspect in particular -- a renewed obligation for Pristina to allow for an "appropriate level of self-management" for the Serb minority in Kosovo. This also entails creating possibilities for financial support from Serbia to Kosovar Serbs and guarantees for direct communication of the Serb minority with the Kosovar government.

In October, EU mediators tried again, and with German, French, and Italian backing presented both parties with a new draft for an association of Serb-majority municipalities. Both sides accepted the draft. EU envoy to the region Miroslav Lajcak suggested in December that the Ohrid agreement could be implemented by the end of January. If that happened, it would mark a decisive step for both sides in a dialogue that began in 2011.

"The Serbian world" is a phrase launched a few years ago by pro-Russian Serbian politician Aleksandar Vulin, a longtime cabinet minister who until recently headed the Serbian Intelligence Service. It is not officially part of the agenda of either Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic or the government, but it underscores the influence that Serbia seeks to wield from Kosovo and Montenegro to Republika Srpska in Bosnia-Herzegovina. But how Vucic chooses to exert the implicit ties to Serb leaders and nationalists in those countries could do much to promote stability -- or its antithesis -- in the Balkans in 2024.

Another major challenge for Vucic revolves around EU officials' request that candidate country Serbia harmonize its foreign policy with the bloc. So far, along with Turkey, Serbia is the only EU candidate that has not introduced sanctions on Russia since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. It is unclear how far the Serbian president is willing to push back to foster ongoing good relations with Moscow.

But first, Serbia will have to confront the fallout from snap elections in December dominated by Vucic's Serbian Progressive Party but rejected by the newly united opposition as fraudulent. The results sparked nightly protests in the capital and hunger strikes by a half-dozen lawmakers and other oppositionists. A new parliament is scheduled to hold a session by the end of January 2024, and the margins are seemingly razor-thin for control of the capital, Belgrade.

Central Asia: Don't Write Russia Off Just Yet

By Chris Rickleton

Will the empire strike back? 2023 has been a galling year for Russia in Central Asia as it watched its traditional partners (and former colonies) widen their diplomatic horizons.

With Russia bogged down in a grueling war in Ukraine, Moscow has less to offer the region than ever before. Central Asia’s five countries have made the most of the breathing space, with their leaders holding landmark talks with U.S. and German leaders as French President Emmanuel Macron also waltzed into Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan with multibillion-dollar investments.

And China has reinforced its dominant position in the region, while Turkey has also increased its influence.

But don’t write Russia off just yet.

One of Moscow’s biggest wins in the neighborhood this year was an agreement to supply Uzbekistan with nearly 3 billion cubic meters of gas every year, a figure that could increase.

Power deficits in Uzbekistan and energy-rich Kazakhstan are the most obvious short-term sources of leverage for Moscow over those important countries.

The coming year will likely bring more in terms of specifics over both governments’ plans for nuclear power production, with Russia fully expected to be involved.

And Moscow’s confidence in a region that it views as its near abroad will only increase if it feels it is making headway on the battlefield in Ukraine.

Tajikistan

Tajikistan’s hereditary succession has been expected for so long that people have stopped expecting it. Does that mean it is back on the cards for 2024? Probably not.

In 2016, Tajikistan passed a raft of constitutional changes aimed at cementing the ruling Rahmon family’s hold on power. Among them was one lowering the age to run for president from 35 to 30.

That amendment had an obvious beneficiary -- veteran incumbent Emomali Rahmon’s upwardly mobile son, Rustam Emomali. But Emomali is now 36 and, despite occupying a political post that makes him next in line, doesn’t look any closer to becoming numero uno.

Perhaps there hasn’t been a good time to do it.

From the coronavirus pandemic to a bloody crackdown on unrest in the Gorno-Badakhshan region and now the shadows cast by the Ukraine war, there have been plenty of excuses to delay the inevitable.

Turkmenistan

But perhaps Rahmon is considering events in Turkmenistan, where Central Asia’s first father-son power transition last year has ended up nothing of the sort. Rather than growing into the role, new President Serdar Berdymukhammedov is shrinking back into the shadow of his all-powerful father, Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov.

And this seems to be exactly how the older Berdymukhammedov wanted it, subsequently fashioning himself a post-retirement post that makes his son and the rest of the government answerable to him.

But Turkmenistan’s bizarre new setup begs a question: If you’re not ready to let it go, why not hold on a little longer?

Kyrgyzstan/Kazakhstan

Writing on X (formerly Twitter) in November, a former IMF economist argued that Kyrgyzstan would be the "perfect test case" for secondary sanctions over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Robin Brooks described the country as "small, not remotely systemically important, and very clearly facilitating trade diversion to Russia."

Official statistics show that countries in the Eurasian Economic Union that Moscow leads have become a “backdoor” around the Western-led sanctions targeting Russia. Exports to Kyrgyzstan from several EU countries this year, for example, are up by at least 1,000 percent compared to 2019.

Data for exports to Kazakhstan shows similar patterns -- with larger volumes but gentler spikes -- while investigations by RFE/RL indicate that companies in both Central Asian countries have forwarded “dual-use” products that benefit the Kremlin’s military machine.

Belarus is the only Russian ally to get fully sanctioned for its support of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine -- but will that change in 2024?

Central Asian governments will argue they have resisted Russian pressure to provide political and military support for the war. They might even whisper that their big friend China is much more helpful to Russia.

But the West’s approach of targeting only Central Asian companies actively flouting the regime is failing.

So, while Western diplomats continue to credit the region’s governments for their anti-evasion efforts, their patience may wear out. And if it does, Kyrgyzstan might be first to find out.

Afghanistan: The Vicious Spiral Will Worsen

By Malali Bashir

With little internal threat to Afghanistan’s Taliban regime and the failure of the international community to affect change in the hard-line Islamist regime’s policies, the Taliban mullahs’ control over the country continues to tighten.

And that regime’s continued restrictions on Afghan women -- their rights, freedom, and role in society -- signals a bleak future for them in 2024 and beyond.

Many observers say the move by the Taliban in December to only allow girls to attend religious madrasahs -- after shutting down formal schooling for them following the sixth grade -- is an effort by the Taliban to radicalize Afghan society.

“Madrasahs are not an alternative to formal schooling because they don’t produce doctors, lawyers, journalists, engineers, etc. The idea of [only] having madrasahs is…about brainwashing [people] to create an extremist society,” says Shukria Barakzai, the former Afghan ambassador to Norway.

The crackdown on women’s rights by the Taliban will also continue the reported uptick in domestic violence in the country, activists say.

Since the Taliban shut down Afghanistan’s Independent Human Rights Commission and Women Affairs Ministry, women find themselves with nowhere to turn to and find it extremely difficult to seek justice in Taliban courts.

With no justice for victims of abuse on the horizon, women’s rights activists say violence against women will continue with no repercussions for the perpetrators.

Barakzai argues that Taliban officials have already normalized domestic violence and do not consider it a crime.

“According to [a Taliban] decree, you can [confront] women if they are not listening to [your requests]. Especially a male member of the family is allowed to use all means to punish women if they refuse to follow his orders. That is basically a call for domestic violence,” she said.

The vicious spiral for women will only worsen.

Being banned from education, work, and public life, Afghan women say the resulting psychological impact leads to panic, depression, and acute mental health crises.

Although there are no official figures, Afghan mental health professionals and foreign organizations have noted a disturbing surge in female suicides in the two years since the Taliban came to power.

"If we look at the women who were previously working or studying, 90 percent suffer from mental health issues now," said Mujeeb Khpalwak, a psychiatrist in Kabul. "They face tremendous economic uncertainty after losing their work and are very anxious about their future."

Heather Bar, associate director of the women's rights division at Human Rights Watch, says, "It's not surprising that we're hearing reports of Afghan girls committing suicide. Because all their rights, including going to school, university, and recreational places have been taken away from them."

Promising young Afghan women who once aspired to contribute to their communities after pursuing higher education now find themselves with no career prospects.

“I do not see any future. When I see boys continuing their education, I lose all hope and wish that I was not born a girl,” a former medical student in Kabul told RFE/RL's Radio Azadi.

Despite immense global pressure, the Taliban seems adamant about maintaining its severe limits on women and reducing their role in society. This will result in a tragic future for the women of Afghanistan with no relief in sight.

This content originally appeared on News - Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty and was authored by News - Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty.

• The war in Ukraine will persist until the West realizes that a return to the previous world order is unattainable.
• In Iran, with parliamentary elections scheduled for March, the government is likely to face yet another challenge to its legitimacy.
• In Belarus, setbacks for Russia in Ukraine could prompt the Lukashenka regime to attempt to normalize relations with the West.
• While 2024 will see a rightward shift in the EU, it is unlikely to bring the deluge of populist victories that some are predicting.
• The vicious spiral for women in Afghanistan will only worsen.
• Peace between Armenia and its neighbors could set the stage for a Russian exit from the region.
• Hungary's upcoming leadership of the European Council could prove a stumbling block to the start of EU accession talks with Ukraine.
• Kyrgyzstan is on course to feel the pain of secondary sanctions over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine if the West's patience runs out.

Here, then, are our correspondents' predictions for 2024. To find out more about the authors themselves, click on their bylines.

The Ukraine War: A Prolonged Stalemate

By Vitaliy Portnikov

In September 2022, Ukrainian generals Valeriy Zaluzhniy and Mykhaylo Zabrodskiy presciently warned that Russia's aggression against Ukraine would unfold into a protracted conflict. Fast forward 15 months, and the front line is effectively frozen, with neither Ukrainian nor Russian offensives yielding substantial changes.

As 2023 comes to a close, observers find themselves revisiting themes familiar from the previous year: the potential for a major Ukrainian counteroffensive, the extent of Western aid to Kyiv, the possibility of a "frozen conflict,” security assurances for Ukraine, and the prospects for its Euro-Atlantic integration ahead of a NATO summit.

It is conceivable that, by the close of 2024, we will still be grappling with these same issues. A political resolution seems elusive, given the Kremlin's steadfast refusal to entertain discussions on vacating the parts of Ukraine its forces occupy. Conversely, Ukraine’s definition of victory is the full restoration of its territorial integrity.

Even if, in 2024, one side achieves a military victory -- whether through the liberation of part of Ukraine or Russia seizing control of additional regions -- it won't necessarily bring us closer to a political resolution. Acknowledging this impasse is crucial, as Russian President Vladimir Putin's assault on Ukraine is part of a broader agenda: a push to reestablish, if not the Soviet Empire, at least its sphere of influence.

For Ukraine, resistance to Russian aggression is about not just reclaiming occupied territories but also safeguarding statehood, political identity, and national integrity. Western support is crucial for Ukraine's survival and the restoration of its territorial integrity. However, this backing aims to avoid escalation into a direct conflict between Russia and the West on Russia's sovereign territory.

The war's conclusion seems contingent on the depletion of resources on one of the two sides, with Ukraine relying on continued Western support and Russia on oil and gas revenues. Hence, 2024 might echo the patterns of 2023. Even if external factors shift significantly -- such as in the U.S. presidential election in November -- we might not witness tangible changes until 2025.

Another potential variable is the emergence of major conflicts akin to the war in the Gaza Strip. Nevertheless, this would likely signify the dissipation of Western resources rather than a shift in approaches to war.

In essence, the war in Ukraine will persist until the West realizes that a return to the previous world order is unattainable. Constructing a new world order demands unconventional measures, such as offering genuine security guarantees to nations victimized by aggression or achieving peace, or at least limiting the zone of military operations to the current contact line, without direct agreements with Russia.

So far, such understanding is lacking, and the expectation that Moscow will eventually grasp the futility of its ambitions only emboldens Putin. Consequently, the conflict between Russia and Ukraine will endure, potentially spawning new, equally perilous local wars worldwide.

Iran: Problems Within And Without

By Hannah Kaviani

Iran has been dealing with complex domestic and international challenges for years and the same issues are likely to plague it in 2024. But officials in Tehran appear to be taking a “wait-and-see” approach to its lengthy list of multilayered problems.

Iran enters 2024 as Israel's war in Gaza continues and the prospects for a peaceful Middle East are bleak, with the situation exacerbated by militia groups firmly supported by Tehran.

Iran’s prominent role in supporting paramilitary forces in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen has also drawn the ire of the international community and will continue to be a thorn in the side of relations with the West.

Tehran has refused to cooperate with the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency over its nuclear program, resulting in an impasse in talks with the international community. And with the United States entering an election year that could see the return of Donald Trump to the presidency, the likelihood of Tehran and Washington resuming negotiations -- which could lead to a reduction in sanctions -- is considered very low.

But Iran's problems are not limited to outside its borders.

The country’s clerical regime is still reeling from the massive protests that began in 2022 over the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody after her arrest for not obeying hijab rules. The aftershocks of the Women, Life, Freedom movement that emanated from her death were reflected in acts of civil disobedience that are likely to continue in 2024.

At the same time, a brutal crackdown continues as civil rights activists, students, religious minorities, and artists are being beaten, detained, and/or given harsh prison sentences.

With parliamentary elections scheduled for March, the government is likely to face yet another challenge to its legitimacy as it struggles with low voter turnout and general disinterest in another round of controlled elections.

Another critical issue Iranian officials must continue to deal with in 2024 is the devastated economy resulting from the slew of international sanctions because of its controversial nuclear program. After a crushing year of 47 percent inflation in 2023 (a 20-year high, according to the IMF), costs are expected to continue to rise for many foods and commodities, as well as real estate.

Iran’s widening budget deficit due to reduced oil profits continues to cripple the economy, with the IMF reporting that the current government debt is equal to three annual budgets.

With neither the international community nor the hard-line Tehran regime budging, most analysts see scant chances for significant changes in Iran in the coming year.

Belarus: Wider War Role, Integration With Russia Not In The Cards

By Valer Karbalevich

Belarus has been pulled closer into Moscow’s orbit than ever by Russia’s war in Ukraine -- but in 2024, it’s unlikely to be subsumed into the much larger nation to its east, and chances are it won’t step up its so-far limited involvement in the conflict in the country to its south.

The most probable scenario in Belarus, where the authoritarian Alyaksandr Lukashenka will mark 30 years since he came to power in 1994, is more of the same: No letup in pressure on all forms of dissent at home, no move to send troops to Ukraine. And while Russia’s insistent embrace will not loosen, the Kremlin will abstain from using Belarusian territory for any new ground attacks or bombardments of Ukraine.

But the war in Ukraine is a wild card, the linchpin influencing the trajectory of Belarus in the near term and beyond. For the foreseeable future, what happens in Belarus -- or to it -- will depend in large part on what happens in Russia’s assault on Ukraine.

Should the current equilibrium on the front persist and Western support for Ukraine persist, the likelihood is a continuation of the status quo for Belarus. The country will maintain its allegiance to Russia, marked by diplomatic and political support. Bolstered by Russian loans, Belarus's defense industry will further expand its output.

The Belarusian state will continue to militarize the border with Ukraine, posing a perpetual threat to Kyiv and diverting Ukrainian troops from the eastern and southern fronts. At the same time, however, Russia is unlikely to use Belarusian territory as a launching point for fresh assaults on Ukraine, as it did at the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022.

If Russia wins or scores substantial victories -- if Ukraine is forced into negotiations on Moscow’s terms, for example, or the current front line comes to be considered the international border -- Lukashenka, consolidating his position within the country, will reap "victory dividends." But relations between Belarus and Russia are unlikely to change dramatically.

Potentially, Moscow could take major steps to absorb Belarus, diminishing its sovereignty and transforming its territory into a staging ground for a fresh assault on Kyiv. This would increase tensions with the West and heighten concerns about the tactical nuclear weapons Moscow and Minsk say Russia has transferred to Belarus. However, this seems unlikely due to the absence of military necessity for Moscow and the problems it could create on the global stage.

The loss of Belarusian sovereignty would pose a major risk for Lukashenka and his regime. An overwhelming majority of Belarusians oppose the direct involvement of Belarus in the war against Ukraine. This fundamental distinction sets Belarus apart from Russia, and bringing Belarus into the war could trigger a political crisis in Belarus -- an outcome Moscow would prefer to avoid.

If Russia loses the war or sustains significant defeats that weaken Putin, Lukashenka's regime may suffer economic and political repercussions. This could prompt him to seek alternative global alliances, potentially leading to an attempt to normalize relations with the West.

Russia, Ukraine, And The West: Sliding Toward World War III

By Sergei Medvedev

2024 will be a critical year for the war in Ukraine and for the entire international system, which is quickly unraveling before our eyes. The most crucial of many challenges is a revanchist, resentful, belligerent Russia, bent on destroying and remaking the world order. In his mind, President Vladimir Putin is fighting World War III, and Ukraine is a prelude to a global showdown.

Despite Western sanctions, Russia has consolidated its position militarily, domestically, and internationally in 2023. After setbacks and shocks in 2022, the military has stabilized the front and addressed shortages of arms, supplies, and manpower. Despite latent discontent, the population is not ready to question the war, preferring to stay in the bubble of learned ignorance and the lies of state propaganda.

Here are four scenarios for 2024:

Strategic stalemate in Ukraine, chaos in the international system: The West, relaxed by a 30-year “peace dividend,” lacks the vision and resolve of the 1980s, when its leaders helped bring about the U.S.S.R.’s collapse, let alone the courage of those who stood up to Nazi Germany in World War II. Putin’s challenge to the free world is no less significant than Hitler’s was, but there is no Roosevelt or Churchill in sight. Probability: 70 percent

Widening war, collapse or division of Ukraine: Russia could defend and consolidate its gains in Ukraine, waging trench warfare while continuing to destroy civilian infrastructure, and may consider a side strike in Georgia or Moldova -- or against Lithuania or Poland, testing NATO. A frontal invasion is less likely than a hybrid operation by “unidentified” units striking from Belarus, acts of sabotage, or unrest among Russian-speakers in the Baltic states. Other Kremlin operations could occur anywhere in the world. The collapse of Ukraine’s government or the division of the country could not be ruled out. Probability: 15 percent.

Russia loses in Ukraine: A military defeat for Russia, possibly entailing a partial or complete withdrawal from Ukraine. Consistent Western support and expanded supplies of arms, like F-16s or Abrams tanks, or a big move such as closing the skies over Ukraine, could provide for this outcome. It would not necessarily entail Russia’s collapse -- it could further consolidate the nation around Putin’s regime. Russia would develop a resentful identity grounded in loss and defeat -- and harbor the idea of coming back with a vengeance. Probability: 10 percent

Russia’s Collapse: A military defeat in Ukraine could spark social unrest, elite factional battles, and an anti-Putin coup, leading to his demotion or violent death. Putin’s natural death, too, could set off a succession struggle, causing chaos in a country he has rid of reliable institutions. While breakup into many regions is unlikely, the empire could crumble at the edges -- Kaliningrad, Chechnya, the Far East – like in 1917 and 1991. Russia’s nuclear weapons would be a big question mark, leading to external involvement and possible de-nuclearization. For all its perils, this scenario might provide a framework for future statehood in Northern Eurasia. Probability: 5 percent

EU: 'Fortress Europe' And The Ukraine War

By Rikard Jozwiak

2024 will see a rightward shift in the European Union, but it is unlikely to bring the deluge of populist victories that some are predicting since Euroskeptics won national elections in the Netherlands, Poland, and Slovakia and polled well in Austria and Germany.

The European Parliament elections in June will be the ultimate test for the bloc in that respect. Polls still suggest the two main political groups, the center-right European People's Party and the center-left Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats, will finish on top, albeit with a smaller share of the vote. But right-wing populist parties are likely to fail once again to agree on the creation of a single political group, thus eroding their influence in Brussels.

This, in turn, is likely to prod more pro-European groups into combining forces again to divvy up EU top jobs like the presidencies of the European Commission, the bloc's top executive body, and the European Council, which defines the EU's political direction and priorities. Center-right European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is widely tipped to get a second term, even though she might fancy NATO's top job as secretary-general. Charles Michel, on the other hand, will definitely be out as European Council president after serving the maximum five years.

While right-wing populists may not wield major influence in the horse-trading for those top jobs, they will affect policy going forward. They have already contributed to a hardening of attitudes on migration, and you can expect to hear more of the term "fortress Europe" as barriers go up on the EU's outer border.

The biggest question for 2024, however, is about how much support Brussels can provide Ukraine going forward. Could the "cost-of-living crisis" encourage members to side with Budapest to block financial aid or veto the start of de facto accession talks with that war-torn country? The smart money is still on the EU finding a way to green-light both those decisions in 2024, possibly by unfreezing more EU funds for Budapest.

Although it seems like a remote possibility, patience could also finally wear out with Hungary, and the other 26 members could decide to strip it of voting rights in the Council of the European Union, which amends, approves, and vetoes European Commission proposals -- essentially depriving it of influence. In that respect, Austria and Slovakia, Budapest's two biggest allies right now, are the EU countries to watch.

The one surefire guarantee in Europe isn't about the European Union at all but rather about NATO: After somehow failing to join as predicted for each of the past two years, against the backdrop of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Sweden will become the transatlantic military alliance's 32nd member once the Turkish and Hungarian parliaments vote to ratify its accession protocol.

Caucasus: A Peace Agreement Could Be Transformative

By Josh Kucera

Could 2024 be the year that Armenia and Azerbaijan finally formally resolve decades of conflict?

This year, Azerbaijan effectively decided -- by force -- their most contentious issue: the status of the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. With its lightning offensive in September, Azerbaijan placed Karabakh firmly under its control. Both sides now say they've reached agreement on most of their fundamental remaining issues, and diplomatic talks, after an interruption, appear set to resume.

A resolution of the conflict could transform the region. If Armenia and Azerbaijan made peace, a Turkish-Armenian rapprochement could soon follow. Borders between the three countries would reopen as a result, ending Armenia's long geographical isolation and priming the South Caucasus to take full advantage of new transportation projects seeking to ship cargo between Europe and Asia while bypassing Russia.

Peace between Armenia and its neighbors also could set the stage for a Russian exit from the region. Russian-Armenian security cooperation has been predicated on potential threats from Azerbaijan and Turkey. With those threats reduced, what's keeping the Russian soldiers, peacekeepers, and border guards there?

A Russian exit would be a messy process -- Moscow still holds many economic levers in Armenia -- but Yerevan could seek help from the United States and Europe to smooth any transition. Washington and Brussels have seemingly been waiting in the wings, nudging Armenia in their direction.

But none of this is likely to happen without a peace agreement. And while there don't seem to be any unresolvable issues remaining, there are mounting indications that Azerbaijan may not see it in its interests to make peace. Baku has gotten what it wanted most of all -- full control of Karabakh -- without an agreement. And maintaining a simmering conflict with Armenia could arguably serve Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev well, as it would allow him to continue to lean on a reliable source of public support: rallying against an Armenian enemy.

But perhaps the most conspicuous indication of a broader strategy is Aliyev's increasing invocation of "Western Azerbaijan" -- a hazily defined concept alluding to ethnic Azerbaijanis who used to live on the territory of what is now Armenia and their presumed right to return to their homes. It suggests that Azerbaijan might keep furthering its demands in hopes that Armenia finally throws in the towel, and each can accuse the other of intransigence.

Hungary: The Return Of Big Brother?

By Pablo Gorondi

Critics might be tempted to believe that Big Brother will be watching over Hungarians in 2024 like at no point since the fall of communism.

A new law on the Defense of National Sovereignty will allow the Office for the Defense of Sovereignty, which the law created, to investigate and request information from almost any group in Hungary that receives foreign funding. This will apply to civic groups, political parties, private businesses, media companies -- in fact, anyone deemed to be conducting activities (including "information manipulation and disinformation") in the interests of a foreign "body, organization, or person."

The law has been criticized by experts from the United Nations and the Council of Europe over its seemingly vague language, lack of judicial oversight, and fears that it could be used by the government "to silence and stigmatize independent voices and opponents."

The head of the Office for the Defense of Sovereignty should be nominated for a six-year term by right-wing Prime Minister Viktor Orban and appointed by President Katalin Novak by February 1. This would allow the new authority to carry out investigations and present findings ahead of simultaneous elections to the European Parliament and Hungarian municipal bodies in early June -- possibly influencing their outcomes.

Asked by RFE/RL's Hungarian Service, some experts said fears of the new authority are overblown and that the government is more likely to use it as a threat hanging over opponents than as a direct tool for repression -- at least until it finds it politically necessary or expedient to tighten control.

On the international scene, meanwhile, Hungary will take over the Council of the European Union's six-month rotating presidency in July, a few weeks after voting to determine the composition of a new European Parliament.

MEPs from Orban's Fidesz party exited the center-right European People's Party bloc in 2021 and have not joined another group since then, although some observers expect them to join the more Euroskeptic and nationalist European Conservatives and Reformists.

Orban has for years predicted a breakthrough of more radical right-wing forces in Europe. But while that has happened in Italy, the Netherlands, and Slovakia, experts suggest that's not enough to fuel a significant shift in the European Parliament, where the center-right and center-left should continue to hold a clear majority.

Because of the June elections, the European Parliament's activities will initially be limited -- and its election of a European Commission president could prove complicated. Nevertheless, Orban has said in recent interviews that he wants to "fix the European Union" and that "we need to take over Brussels." So, Hungary's leadership may make progress difficult on issues that Orban opposes, like the start of EU accession talks with Ukraine or a possible reelection bid by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

Stability And The 'Serbian World'

By Gjeraqina Tuhina and Milos Teodorovic

Serbia, once again, will be a key player in the region -- and its moves could significantly shape events in the Balkans over the next 12 months.

For over a decade, the dialogue to normalize relations between Serbia and its former province Kosovo has stymied both countries. Then, in February in Brussels and March in Ohrid, North Macedonia, European mediators announced a path forward and its implementation. There was only one problem: There was no signature on either side. Nine months later, little has changed.

Many eyes are looking toward one aspect in particular -- a renewed obligation for Pristina to allow for an "appropriate level of self-management" for the Serb minority in Kosovo. This also entails creating possibilities for financial support from Serbia to Kosovar Serbs and guarantees for direct communication of the Serb minority with the Kosovar government.

In October, EU mediators tried again, and with German, French, and Italian backing presented both parties with a new draft for an association of Serb-majority municipalities. Both sides accepted the draft. EU envoy to the region Miroslav Lajcak suggested in December that the Ohrid agreement could be implemented by the end of January. If that happened, it would mark a decisive step for both sides in a dialogue that began in 2011.

"The Serbian world" is a phrase launched a few years ago by pro-Russian Serbian politician Aleksandar Vulin, a longtime cabinet minister who until recently headed the Serbian Intelligence Service. It is not officially part of the agenda of either Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic or the government, but it underscores the influence that Serbia seeks to wield from Kosovo and Montenegro to Republika Srpska in Bosnia-Herzegovina. But how Vucic chooses to exert the implicit ties to Serb leaders and nationalists in those countries could do much to promote stability -- or its antithesis -- in the Balkans in 2024.

Another major challenge for Vucic revolves around EU officials' request that candidate country Serbia harmonize its foreign policy with the bloc. So far, along with Turkey, Serbia is the only EU candidate that has not introduced sanctions on Russia since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. It is unclear how far the Serbian president is willing to push back to foster ongoing good relations with Moscow.

But first, Serbia will have to confront the fallout from snap elections in December dominated by Vucic's Serbian Progressive Party but rejected by the newly united opposition as fraudulent. The results sparked nightly protests in the capital and hunger strikes by a half-dozen lawmakers and other oppositionists. A new parliament is scheduled to hold a session by the end of January 2024, and the margins are seemingly razor-thin for control of the capital, Belgrade.

Central Asia: Don't Write Russia Off Just Yet

By Chris Rickleton

Will the empire strike back? 2023 has been a galling year for Russia in Central Asia as it watched its traditional partners (and former colonies) widen their diplomatic horizons.

With Russia bogged down in a grueling war in Ukraine, Moscow has less to offer the region than ever before. Central Asia’s five countries have made the most of the breathing space, with their leaders holding landmark talks with U.S. and German leaders as French President Emmanuel Macron also waltzed into Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan with multibillion-dollar investments.

And China has reinforced its dominant position in the region, while Turkey has also increased its influence.

But don’t write Russia off just yet.

One of Moscow’s biggest wins in the neighborhood this year was an agreement to supply Uzbekistan with nearly 3 billion cubic meters of gas every year, a figure that could increase.

Power deficits in Uzbekistan and energy-rich Kazakhstan are the most obvious short-term sources of leverage for Moscow over those important countries.

The coming year will likely bring more in terms of specifics over both governments’ plans for nuclear power production, with Russia fully expected to be involved.

And Moscow’s confidence in a region that it views as its near abroad will only increase if it feels it is making headway on the battlefield in Ukraine.

Tajikistan

Tajikistan’s hereditary succession has been expected for so long that people have stopped expecting it. Does that mean it is back on the cards for 2024? Probably not.

In 2016, Tajikistan passed a raft of constitutional changes aimed at cementing the ruling Rahmon family’s hold on power. Among them was one lowering the age to run for president from 35 to 30.

That amendment had an obvious beneficiary -- veteran incumbent Emomali Rahmon’s upwardly mobile son, Rustam Emomali. But Emomali is now 36 and, despite occupying a political post that makes him next in line, doesn’t look any closer to becoming numero uno.

Perhaps there hasn’t been a good time to do it.

From the coronavirus pandemic to a bloody crackdown on unrest in the Gorno-Badakhshan region and now the shadows cast by the Ukraine war, there have been plenty of excuses to delay the inevitable.

Turkmenistan

But perhaps Rahmon is considering events in Turkmenistan, where Central Asia’s first father-son power transition last year has ended up nothing of the sort. Rather than growing into the role, new President Serdar Berdymukhammedov is shrinking back into the shadow of his all-powerful father, Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov.

And this seems to be exactly how the older Berdymukhammedov wanted it, subsequently fashioning himself a post-retirement post that makes his son and the rest of the government answerable to him.

But Turkmenistan’s bizarre new setup begs a question: If you’re not ready to let it go, why not hold on a little longer?

Kyrgyzstan/Kazakhstan

Writing on X (formerly Twitter) in November, a former IMF economist argued that Kyrgyzstan would be the "perfect test case" for secondary sanctions over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Robin Brooks described the country as "small, not remotely systemically important, and very clearly facilitating trade diversion to Russia."

Official statistics show that countries in the Eurasian Economic Union that Moscow leads have become a “backdoor” around the Western-led sanctions targeting Russia. Exports to Kyrgyzstan from several EU countries this year, for example, are up by at least 1,000 percent compared to 2019.

Data for exports to Kazakhstan shows similar patterns -- with larger volumes but gentler spikes -- while investigations by RFE/RL indicate that companies in both Central Asian countries have forwarded “dual-use” products that benefit the Kremlin’s military machine.

Belarus is the only Russian ally to get fully sanctioned for its support of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine -- but will that change in 2024?

Central Asian governments will argue they have resisted Russian pressure to provide political and military support for the war. They might even whisper that their big friend China is much more helpful to Russia.

But the West’s approach of targeting only Central Asian companies actively flouting the regime is failing.

So, while Western diplomats continue to credit the region’s governments for their anti-evasion efforts, their patience may wear out. And if it does, Kyrgyzstan might be first to find out.

Afghanistan: The Vicious Spiral Will Worsen

By Malali Bashir

With little internal threat to Afghanistan’s Taliban regime and the failure of the international community to affect change in the hard-line Islamist regime’s policies, the Taliban mullahs’ control over the country continues to tighten.

And that regime’s continued restrictions on Afghan women -- their rights, freedom, and role in society -- signals a bleak future for them in 2024 and beyond.

Many observers say the move by the Taliban in December to only allow girls to attend religious madrasahs -- after shutting down formal schooling for them following the sixth grade -- is an effort by the Taliban to radicalize Afghan society.

“Madrasahs are not an alternative to formal schooling because they don’t produce doctors, lawyers, journalists, engineers, etc. The idea of [only] having madrasahs is…about brainwashing [people] to create an extremist society,” says Shukria Barakzai, the former Afghan ambassador to Norway.

The crackdown on women’s rights by the Taliban will also continue the reported uptick in domestic violence in the country, activists say.

Since the Taliban shut down Afghanistan’s Independent Human Rights Commission and Women Affairs Ministry, women find themselves with nowhere to turn to and find it extremely difficult to seek justice in Taliban courts.

With no justice for victims of abuse on the horizon, women’s rights activists say violence against women will continue with no repercussions for the perpetrators.

Barakzai argues that Taliban officials have already normalized domestic violence and do not consider it a crime.

“According to [a Taliban] decree, you can [confront] women if they are not listening to [your requests]. Especially a male member of the family is allowed to use all means to punish women if they refuse to follow his orders. That is basically a call for domestic violence,” she said.

The vicious spiral for women will only worsen.

Being banned from education, work, and public life, Afghan women say the resulting psychological impact leads to panic, depression, and acute mental health crises.

Although there are no official figures, Afghan mental health professionals and foreign organizations have noted a disturbing surge in female suicides in the two years since the Taliban came to power.

"If we look at the women who were previously working or studying, 90 percent suffer from mental health issues now," said Mujeeb Khpalwak, a psychiatrist in Kabul. "They face tremendous economic uncertainty after losing their work and are very anxious about their future."

Heather Bar, associate director of the women's rights division at Human Rights Watch, says, "It's not surprising that we're hearing reports of Afghan girls committing suicide. Because all their rights, including going to school, university, and recreational places have been taken away from them."

Promising young Afghan women who once aspired to contribute to their communities after pursuing higher education now find themselves with no career prospects.

“I do not see any future. When I see boys continuing their education, I lose all hope and wish that I was not born a girl,” a former medical student in Kabul told RFE/RL's Radio Azadi.

Despite immense global pressure, the Taliban seems adamant about maintaining its severe limits on women and reducing their role in society. This will result in a tragic future for the women of Afghanistan with no relief in sight.

This content originally appeared on News - Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty and was authored by News - Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty.

CPJ has documented a number of attacks on journalists in the run-up to the January 7 polls, and on Thursday joined its partners in the #KeepItOn coalition in calling on authorities to ensure unfettered access to the internet throughout the election.

Separately, CPJ is investigating reports that foreign journalists were denied access to Bangladesh to cover the polls.

“Bangladesh authorities must conduct swift and impartial investigations into all recent attacks on journalists in the lead-up to the national election and hold the perpetrators accountable,” said Beh Lih Yi, CPJ’s Asia program coordinator, on Friday. “Our access to information depends on the ability of journalists to cover the polls independently and without fear of reprisal at this critical juncture.”

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who has been in power since 2009, is Bangladesh’s longest-serving leader and is seeking a fourth term in the polls. The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has announced a boycott of the vote and the government has deployed troops nationwide, amid fears of violence. At least 27 journalists covering political rallies in Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka, in October were attacked by supporters of the BNP and the ruling Awami League and police.

On December 10, Amir Hamja and Niranjan Goswami, district correspondents for the privately owned broadcasters Desh TV and mytv, respectively, were covering an opposition protest in the Shayestaganj sub-district of northeast Habiganj district when they were hit by metal splinter bullets fired by police to disperse protesters, according to news reports and the journalists, who spoke with CPJ by phone.

Goswami said he was hit by around 30 splinters and was having trouble with his vision after a doctor determined it was too risky to remove one from his right eye. Hamja said he would undergo surgery to remove a splinter from his left eyebrow.

Separately, on November 30, Awami League parliamentary candidate Mostafizur Rahman and around 15 to 20 of his supporters assaulted Rakib Uddin, a correspondent with the privately-owned broadcaster Independent Television in the southeastern city of Chittagong, according to news reports and the journalist, who spoke with CPJ by phone.

Uddin told CPJ that Rahman punched him in the face and, with his supporters, kicked him, after the journalist questioned him about a potential violation of Bangladesh’s electoral code of conduct at a local government office. He said unidentified men that he believed to be Rahman’s supporters had followed him since the attack.

CPJ’s text messages to Rahman, Habiganj Police Superintendent Md Akhter Hossain, and Krishna Pada Roy, commissioner of the Chittagong Metropolitan Police, did not receive any replies.

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.

"Generative AI has the potential to help those with fewer resources or experience quickly learn and develop new skills," he noted. "The real challenge, though, is how to center the dignity and economic security of working-class Americans during the changes to come. And unlike the Industrial Revolution, which spanned half a century at least, the AI revolution is unfolding at lightning speed."

"Our generational task is to ensure that AI is a tool for lessening the vast disparities of wealth and opportunity that plague us, not exacerbating them."

Khanna stressed that "today the Democratic Party is at a crossroads, as it was in the 1990s, when the dominant wing in the party argued for prioritizing private sector growth and letting the chips fall where they may," ignoring prescient criticism from former Democratic Sens. Paul Wellstone (Minn.) and Russ Feingold (Wis.), as well as Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders (Vt.), who then served in the House.

After failing to heed their warnings, he argued, "the Democratic Party cannot claim to be the party of the working class if we allow AI to erode the earnings and security of the working class. The party can be forgiven once for the mistake of abetting globalization to run amok, just not twice."

"Technologies—our technologies—are meant to complement and enhance human initiative, not subordinate or exploit it," he asserted. "We must push for workers to have a decision-making role in how and when to adopt technologies, and we must insist on workers' profiting from the implementation of these technologies. Our generational task is to ensure that AI is a tool for lessening the vast disparities of wealth and opportunity that plague us, not exacerbating them."

Underscoring the urgency of his message, Khanna pointed out that in September, "tech's biggest names trekked to Capitol Hill for a forum on artificial intelligence" that "was reminiscent of Davos conferences in the 1990s and early 2000s," and this year alone, tens of thousands of workers at hundreds of companies could be laid off and replaced with AI.

Already, AI is factoring into labor negotiations and legislative battles. After California legislators last year overwhelmingly approved Assembly Bill 316, which would have required a human driver on self-driving trucks weighing over 10,000 pounds that are transporting goods or passengers for at least five years, Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed it.

"Tech companies argue that replacing human drivers with AI is feasible, will reduce labor costs, and will therefore make it cheaper to transport goods and services. They lobbied heavily against the bill," explained Khanna. "I supported A.B. 316 because drivers say it's currently an unnecessary risk to have large trucks on public roads without a human on board. This is especially true if there is extreme weather, hazardous conditions, or heavy cargo on board. No one understands the safety risks at play here better than the drivers themselves, and it's both foolish and insulting to suggest they would make up such concerns to keep jobs that do not add value."

"It's not just the AI concerns of truck drivers that are causing divides in the Democratic coalition," the congressman continued, highlighting that the monthslong strikes of unionized writers and actors in Hollywood last year ended with deals that include provisions about artificial intelligence.

The California Democrat—who joined striking writers on the picket line—wrote that "even though writers' jobs are very different from truck drivers' jobs, labor solidarity is one of the few countervailing forces that can blunt the dehumanization of work motivated by short-term profit maximization in a world where AI is capable of suddenly disrupting both blue- and white-collar work."

Khanna—author of the 2022 bookDignity in a Digital Age: Making Tech Work for All of Us—published the Times piece amid fears about how AI will impact everything from mass surveillance and misinformation to healthcare and war, not only in the United States but around the world.

His Thursday column won praise from progressives across the country. Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher, head of the California Labor Federation, said that his piece is "truly a must-read for any policymaker" while Katrina vanden Heuvel, The Nation's editorial director and publisher, called it an "important read and issue for now and in '28."

This content originally appeared on Common Dreams and was authored by Newswire Editor.

Frederick Davie issued the call following a Dec. 13 Radio Free Asia report on Lu’s arrest by Thai police. Authorities later detained him at Bangkok’s Immigration Detention Center. 

Thai police arrested Lu, a former missionary and preacher at the Northern Evangelical Church of Vietnam and head of the Hmong Human Rights Coalition, at his rental home in Bangkok on Dec. 7. 

His arrest occurred two weeks after he publicly denounced the Vietnamese government’s “systematic suppression of Hmong communities in Vietnam.”

Lu and his family fled Vietnam in 2020 to escape ethnic and religious persecution and entered Thailand illegally to seek official refugee status.

“USCIRF is concerned for Lu A Da, a Hmong activist & preacher who fled religious persecution in Vietnam,” Davie posted on the X account of the commission, an independent, bipartisan U.S. government entity that monitors, analyzes and reports on threats to religious freedom worldwide. 

“He is currently detained by the Thai Royal Police, & is facing potential deportation back to Vietnam due to his activism,” he said.

The same day, USCIRF Commissioner Eric Ueland tweeted on the commission's X account that the “Biden administration must raise with Thailand its practice of deporting members of vulnerable religious minorities back to home countries where they face persecution, detainment, & torture.”

Thai immigration authorities have detained other Vietnamese victims of religious persecution who entered Thailand illegally to escape repression by the Vietnamese government. 

More than 1,000 Hmong asylum seekers live in Thailand, according to the Hmong Human Rights Coalition. Because Thailand has not ratified the U.N.'s refugee convention, authorities can arrest asylum seekers without providing justification.

Life may be at risk

On Thursday, Lu’s wife, Giang Thi A, told RFA that she was concerned about her husband’s possible deportation to Vietnam and that the Center for Asylum Protection was trying to get him freed on bail. 

“As he is a human rights activist, the Vietnamese government hates him, and the return would put his life at risk,” she said. 

After Lu’s arrest, the U.N.’s refugee agency in Bangkok granted refugee status to her husband and the rest of his family, she said. 

Vang Sao Gia, a member of the Hmong Human Rights Coalition and a refugee in Thailand, said he suspects that the Vietnamese government was involved in the arrest of Lu, who managed the civil society organization, and of other Vietnamese who have sought refuge there. 

“Previously, when [Vietnamese] refugees were arrested, I used to think that they were just unlucky,” he said. “However, after the recent arrests of a couple of Montagnard people and then of our organization’s members, I have grounds to suspect that the Vietnamese government is involved.” 

In late November, Thai police arrested 11 members of the Montagnard ethnic minority in a raid near Bangkok and are detaining them at the Immigration Detention Center.

Like the Hmong minority, about 1,500 Vietnamese Montagnards have sought freedom from persecution in Thailand.

If deported to Vietnam, the refugees could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison under the Penal Code for “fleeing the country or remaining abroad to oppose the people’s government.”

Translated by Anna Vu for RFA Vietnamese. Edited by Roseanne Gerin and Malcolm Foster.

This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by By RFA Vietnamese.

“The RSF’s use of Sudan’s state television headquarters as detention facilities is extremely shocking and is a clear indication of the deteriorating press freedom in the country amid a deadly war,” said Sherif Mansour, CPJ’s Middle East and North Africa program coordinator, in Washington, D.C. “The paramilitary group must immediately stop using media institutions as detention centers and protect these establishments from destruction.”

On Thursday, December 7, the Sudanese Journalists Syndicate, which documents abuses against journalists, reported that the RSF has turned buildings owned by the Sudan Broadcasting Corporation into detention facilities, and that they have been selling its broadcasting equipment in local markets, according to the syndicate’s statement and news reports. The statement also mentioned that the equipment of local independent television channels Sudania 24, Al-Balad, Al-Neel Al-Azraq, and British broadcaster BBC, has been looted from their offices and sold in local markets.

The RSF has had control of the state television headquarters since the ongoing fighting broke out between the paramilitary forces and the Sudanese army April 15, CPJ reported at the time. Since then, many journalists in the country have been killed, shot, beaten, harassed, and arrested while covering the war. 

CPJ emailed Sudan’s army, the Sudanese Armed Forces, and the RSF for comment but did not receive any replies.

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.

As relatives of hostages held in Gaza urge Israeli lawmakers to use diplomacy, not war, to free their loved ones, we speak to an Israeli peace activist whose 84-year-old mother was released by Hamas in late November as part of an Israel-Hamas hostage swap during the weeklong pause in fighting. “We are demanding to release all the hostages,” says Neta Heiman Mina, a member of Women Wage Peace. She says Israeli leaders must “put a deal on the table” even if it comes with a “painful price” that includes freeing more Palestinian prisoners, including some accused of violence. “We must bring them home now. There is no time.”

This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

Members of Young Israel of New Rochelle synagogue in suburban Westchester County, New York, received an email Thursday afternoon from a group of congregants. 

“We are all looking to do what we can to help Israel in its time of need,” the email said. “I am part of a group in our shul which is focused on one singular thing we can all do—and that is helping to defeat our current Congressman Jamaal Bowman in the Democratic primary which will take place on June 25, 2024.”

“It is critically important that if you are a registered Republican, at least for this election you should re-register as a Democrat so you can vote in the primary (against Bowman).”

Bowman, whose New York district includes the Bronx and parts of Westchester County, is being targeted in his primary next year for criticisms of Israel and calls for a ceasefire in its war against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. His challenger, Westchester County Executive George Latimer, is being backed by pro-Israel groups, including the influential American Israel Public Affairs Committee.

The congregant who wrote the email to the New Rochelle synagogue, Jonathan Harris, was urging the synagogue’s Republican members to change parties before the primary so that they can vote for Latimer.

“If you are a registered Republican voter, you are not eligible to vote in the all-important Democratic primary,” says Harris’s email, a copy of which was obtained by The Intercept. “It is critically important that if you are a registered Republican, at least for this election you should re-register as a Democrat so you can vote in the primary (against Bowman).” 

Harris and the congregants responsible for the email went on to lay out three other ways synagogue members could help defeat Bowman. They urged New Israel congregants to donate to Latimer’s campaign against Bowman — asking that they give money through a portal set up by AIPAC. (Neither AIPAC nor Latimer’s campaign immediately responded to a request for comment.)

“Any pledge you can make to support him in the primary will be extremely helpful,” Harris wrote. “Please let me know what you are willing to contribute so I can add it to the list being generated for our shul. Please process the amount of your pledge on the website AIPAC has created to gather donations to Latimer.”

In an interview with The Intercept, Harris said he did not have a “direct connection” with the Latimer campaign. When asked about an indirect connection, he asked to go off the record. Harris declined to answer more questions on the record and did not answer multiple follow-up calls. 

The Young Israel of New Rochelle synagogue denied any knowledge of the email. “Please note that the referenced Harris email and solicitation was not done by or on behalf of the Young Israel of New Rochelle or its leadership,” a spokesperson said in a statement.

Over the past three years, Harris has donated $10,500 to AIPAC’s political action committee, according to public election finance records.

AIPAC Versus Bowman

AIPAC has said it plans to spend upwards of $100 million to oust members of the Squad, a group of progressive Democratic members of Congress who have been critical of Israel’s human rights violations. AIPAC and allied groups have become the central players in Democratic Party primaries — a dynamic that kicked into overdrive with Israel’s war on Gaza. 

The email from Harris to his fellow congregants is the latest effort to mobilize voters upset with Bowman’s criticisms of Israel.

AIPAC’s super PAC began recruiting Latimer over the summer, around the same time Bowman boycotted a congressional address from Israeli President Isaac Herzog. Despite AIPAC, which bills itself as a single-issue venture, spurring on his candidacy, Latimer is seeking to draw attention away from his Israel stance. Instead, he has billed himself as a progressive.

Since Hamas’s October 7 attack launched the latest Gaza war, Bowman has been especially vocal in condemning what he sees as a disproportionate response from Israel and joining in protests outside the White House.

Harris’s email also urges congregants to act on a looming decision from the New York State Appellate Court that will result in the congressional lines being redrawn.

“If this happens and the Jewish community is divided amongst different districts, it will highly increase Bowman’s chances of being re-elected,” the letter reads. “Attached here is the text of a form letter you can use to object to redistricting.”

Latimer’s deputy in Westchester County, Ken Jenkins, leads the redistricting commission. Earlier this month, Latimer told City and State that he doesn’t discuss the redistricting with Jenkins, but told Gothamist a day later, “He and I have talked about it a couple times, that’s it.”

New York’s congressional map was redrawn prior to last cycle as well, and it kicked off a long, tumultuous midterm season that left the Democratic Party with four fewer seats than it started out with. Bowman was one of the only members in the tristate area who represents a solidly blue district. He won his primary by nearly 30 points, with 54 percent of the vote. 

To Bowman’s north, Mondaire Jones is running to unseat Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y. Jones and Bowman used to do campaign events together, but since announcing his latest bid, Jones — who has said he has a “great relationship with AIPAC” — has declined to endorse Bowman when asked. 

Latimer, for his part, just returned from an AIPAC-funded three-day trip to Israel, where he met with leaders including Herzog, the Israeli president. Herzog has said that it is the “entire nation” of Palestine that bears responsibility for the October 7 attacks.

On the latest war in Gaza, where about 1,300 Israelis and more than 17,000 Palestinians have been killed, Latimer told the New York Times that he did not know enough to judge whether Israel’s counteroffensive violated international law.

He said, “I’m not a secretary of state.”

This content originally appeared on The Intercept and was authored by Timmy Facciola.

Newstapa’s office in the capital, Seoul, and the homes of two of its journalists were also raided on September 14, 2023, in connection with the report, which was published three days before Yoon won the March 9, 2022, elections, Kim told CPJ.

The outlet had reported on a claim that Yoon, as a prosecutor in 2011, had failed to indict a man involved in a banking and development scandal due to lobbying, according to news reports. Yoon denied the accusation and a freelance researcher who contributed to the Newstapa report is under scrutiny as to whether there was bribery involved in his work, those reports said.

The cellphones of Kim and the two Newstapa journalists were seized during those raids, said Kim, who founded the award-winning online news outlet of the Korea Center for Investigative Journalism in 2012.

“South Korean authorities must immediately end their harassment and intimidation of Newstapa and its journalists, who have been on the forefront of exposing the wrongdoings of officials and elites,” Beh Lih Yi, CPJ’s Asia program coordinator, said on Friday. “The latest raid underscores the deteriorating press freedom in South Korea. Journalists must be allowed to report freely, especially in the run-up to the country’s legislative elections in April.”

At around 8am on December 6, a team of investigators, forensic experts, and prosecutors from the Seoul Central District Prosecutor’s Office arrived at Kim’s house, the journalist said. When he asked them to wait until his lawyer arrived, the investigators brought in police officers and firefighters “to forcibly open the door,” said Kim.

“It seemed they were prepared to break in if I didn’t open it,” said the editor, describing the investigations as “excessive and aggressive” and aimed at silencing media outlets critical of Yoon.

The presidential office did not immediately respond to CPJ’s request for comment.

Newstapa has contributed to a series of global investigations, including the Pandora Papers and the Panama Papers, which revealed corruption linked to high-profile South Korean figures.

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.

In Dubai, Ezzat El-Ferri from UN News spoke with 20-year-old activist Connor Greaux-Taylor, from St. Kitts, who dropped out of high school to work in the tourism industry. He’s part of UNICEF’s Innovation30 initiative and works on “the frontlines” to sustainably repurpose sargassum, a large brown seaweed which is polluting local beaches.

This content originally appeared on UN News - Global perspective Human stories and was authored by Ezzat El-Ferri.

President Joe Biden last month nominated Campbell for the role of deputy secretary of state to replace the retired Wendy Sherman.

Known as Biden’s “Asia czar,” Campbell was architect of the Obama administration’s Pivot to Asia, which sought to refocus the United States away from the Middle East, and now serves as Coordinator for Indo-Pacific Affairs on Biden’s National Security Council.

Speaking at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Campbell said he wanted the Senate to ratify the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea, which governs what types of sovereignty claims countries can make to maritime areas.

The United States signed the treaty in July 1994, but the Senate never ratified it. Washington nevertheless says it abides by the treaty’s rules, and often calls on China – a full party to the treaty – to do the same, which would invalidate many of its vast South China Sea claims. 

But it would be easier for the United States to prosecute its case against China if the Senate removed the blurred lines, Campbell said.

“It makes it hard for other countries that we contest with, who say ‘Hey, you know, you can't hold us accountable to something that’s not your own law,’” Campbell said. “So it’s been a challenge for us.”

“Even our allies and partners say, ‘Hey, wait a second. You're holding China to account to something you yourself haven't signed up for?’” he said, adding that it would be a priority for him if confirmed. 

“We've gotten very close in the past; I'd love to get that over the finish line,” he said. “It'll be challenging. I'm committed to it.” 

Bipartisan support

Sen. Brian Schatz, a Democrat from Hawaii sitting in as the temporary chair of the committee, said he thought “we can get the votes” to ratify.

“The politics has changed, as we understand the urgent need for us to act together collectively on competition with China,” he said.

The committee in 2004 voted 19-0 to ratify the treaty, with support from the Bush administration, but the Senate never met for a vote due to opposition from “a small group of conservative Republicans,” according to a Politico report from the time. 

A bipartisan group of Senators has recently pushed for ratification to be reconsidered, with support from Democrats like Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland and Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia and Republicans like Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana.

During his hearing, Campbell received glowing reviews from senators from across the aisle, and promised the committee he was committed to a bipartisan approach to foreign policy if confirmed to his position. 

“I've spent an enormous amount of time with people on the Hill and on both sides of the aisle. Our best foreign policy initiatives are bipartisan, and they match the resolve of the executive and legislative branches,” he said. “I promise to take that forward.”

Popular vote

Only Sen. Jim Risch, a Republican from Idaho who serves as his party’s ranking member on the committee, expressed any criticism of Campbell – and even then it was indirect, telling him that the White House’s approach to China “is headed in the wrong direction.”

But the senators were otherwise only prepared to offer praise for the nominee, who frequently led his responses by recounting obscure details of a recent lunch, coffee or conversation they had shared.

In the case of Risch and his rare criticism, Campbell said he was grateful for his staff speaking to him “clearly and unmistakably.”

“I don't want to say that they schooled me,” Campbell said, “but I really came away with a much deeper appreciation” of Risch’s views.

Many senators were openly effusive.

Sen. Bill Hagerty, a Republican from Tennessee, said Campbell was “most helpful, most insightful” when he himself served as U.S. ambassador to Japan under the Trump administration, and told the committee he was “delighted to see Kurt here in this position.”

“The Indo-Pacific region is going to play a critical role in our world's future. It's home to 60% of the world's population, 50% of the world's GDP,” he said. “Someone with Kurt's unique insight and capability and expertise in that region, I think, is going to prove invaluable to us.” 

Campbell began a response to a question from Sen. Jeff Merkley, a Democrat from Oregon, about the Middle East by thanking him for hosting him for breakfast. He told the senator he would “make sure that your famous breakfast order is enshrined in the menu.” 

Merkley replied, without explanation, that it was called “The Trifecta.”

Not just Asia

Campbell’s only real test was the breadth of his knowledge.

Risch and Sen. Bob Menendez, a Democrat from New Jersey who served as the committee’s chairman until he was charged with bribery offenses in September, noted that the deputy secretary of state position was a generalist role, not only focused on Asia.

He was accordingly grilled on Israel and Hamas, as well as on Turkey, Greece and Iran, among other countries. He told Risch, for instance, that the Biden administration would not seek to revive the nuclear deal with Iran that the Trump administration scrapped in May 2018.

Sen. Cory Booker, a Democrat from New Jersey, then attempted to stump Campbell on Africa policy, telling him most people did not “understand the emergence Africa will have in the next 50 years.”

“Even by 2050 alone,” Booker said, “they're gonna be so large that one out of every four people on the planet Earth will be African.”

Without missing a beat, Campbell replied that his dissertation had been on the Soviet Union’s foreign policy in South Africa. 

“I am actually an old Africanist – my PhD thesis at Oxford [University] was on Africa,” he said, adding it was well-received, too. “I remember I did get a call a few years ago saying, ‘Congratulations, your thesis has won an award ... [for] the book made most relevant by history.’”

The committee was clearly impressed.

Schatz told Campbell he should reply to any written questions the senators have “as quickly as possible” to wrap-up the process.

“We are trying to expedite the consideration of your nomination,” he said, “considering the importance it is to the State Department.”

Edited by Malcolm Foster.

This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by By Alex Willemyns for RFA.

The General Assembly comprises all 193 UN Member States and although its resolutions are non-binding, they represent “the conscience of humanity”.

That’s the message from General Assembly President Dennis Francis, who also encourages people who believe the UN is ineffective to instead engage with the global body.

UN News’s Dianne Penn asked Mr. Francis how he is ensuring that countries will work together to address his priority areas of peace, prosperity, progress and sustainability. 

This content originally appeared on UN News - Global perspective Human stories and was authored by Dianne Penn.

"Israel's repeated attacks damaging hospitals and harming healthcare workers, already hard hit by an unlawful blockade, have devastated Gaza's healthcare infrastructure," said A. Kayum Ahmed, special adviser on the right to health at Human Rights Watch. "The strikes on hospitals have killed hundreds of people and put many patients at grave risk because they're unable to receive proper medical care."

Over the past week, Israeli forces have surrounded and intensified their bombardment of several hospitals in northern Gaza including al-Shifa, the enclave's largest medical facility. Israel has also bombed ambulances and people desperately attempting to flee hospitals as they've come under attack.

"On November 3, the Israeli military struck a marked ambulance just outside of Gaza City's al-Shifa hospital," HRW said. "Video footage and photographs taken shortly after the strike and verified by Human Rights Watch show a woman on a stretcher in the ambulance and at least 21 dead or injured people in the area surrounding the ambulance, including at least 5 children."

"An IDF spokesperson said in a televised interview that day: 'Our forces saw terrorists using ambulances as a vehicle to move around. They perceived a threat and accordingly we struck that ambulance,'" the group added. "Human Rights Watch did not find evidence that the ambulance was being used for military purposes."

HRW similarly questioned Israeli assertions that Hamas is using Gaza's hospitals, including al-Shifa, for military operations.

Targeting hospitals is a war crime under international law, but medical facilities can lose their protected status if they're used to commit an "act harmful to the enemy," according to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

HRW argued that Tuesday that "no evidence put forward" by the Israeli government thus far "would justify depriving hospitals and ambulances of their protected status under international humanitarian law."

"When a journalist at a news conference showing video footage of damage to the Qatar Hospital sought additional information to verify voice recordings and images presented, the Israeli spokesperson said, 'Our strikes are based on intelligence,'" HRW said. "Even if accurate, Israel has not demonstrated that the ensuing hospital attacks were proportionate."

The group said Israel "should end attacks on hospitals" and urged the United Nations' Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory and the International Criminal Court to investigate.

"Israel's broad-based attack on Gaza's healthcare system is an attack on the sick and the injured, on babies in incubators, on pregnant people, on cancer patients," said Ahmed. "These actions need to be investigated as war crimes."

The new analysis came amid horrific reports of the impact that Israel's assault is having on healthcare workers, patients, and displaced people seeking refuge from near-constant airstrikes.

Reutersreported that people trapped inside al-Shifa Hospital "plan to start burying bodies within the hospital compound" on Tuesday "because the situation has become untenable." The World Health Organization said over the weekend that the facility is "not functioning as a hospital anymore" due to power outages and a lack of supplies, which have caused the deaths of a number of patients—including premature babies.

Dr. Ahmed Al Mokhallalati, a surgeon at al-Shifa, told Reuters that "the bodies were generating an unbearable stench and posing a risk of infection."

"Unfortunately there is no approval from the Israelis to even bury the bodies within the hospital area," he said. "Today ... civilians started digging within the hospital to try and bury the bodies on their own responsibility without any arrangements by the Israeli side. Burying 120 bodies needs a lot of equipment, it can't be by hand efforts and by single-person efforts. It will take hours and hours to be able to bury all these bodies."

Doctors Without Borders, known internationally as Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), said that on Tuesday morning, "bullets were fired into one of three MSF premises located near al-Shifa hospital and sheltering MSF staff and their families—over 100 people, including 65 children, who ran out of food last night."

"Thousands of civilians, medical staff, and patients are currently trapped in hospitals and other locations under fire in Gaza City; they must be protected and afforded safe passage if they wish to leave," the group added. "Above that, there must be a total and immediate cease-fire."

This content originally appeared on Common Dreams and was authored by Newswire Editor.

“Jose Rubén Zamora has endured detention and punitive legal proceedings simply because he dared to report on corruption,” said Cristina Zahar, CPJ’s Latin America and the Caribbean program coordinator. “Guatemalan authorities must ensure that the upcoming trial is conducted impartially and in line with international standards, respecting Zamora’s rights as a defendant.”

Police arrested Zamora, president of the Guatemalan newspaper elPeriódico, on July 29, 2022, and raided elPeriódico’s offices. Zamora was convicted of money laundering and sentenced to six years in prison on June 14; on October 13, a court in Guatemala City overturned that conviction and ordered a retrial. Zamora remains in custody.

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.