 RFE/RL Headlines 7/29/2009 9:15:38 PM A daily digest of the English-language news and analysis written by the staff of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| News  Exit Polls Give Opposition Majority Exit polling in Moldova points to a victory for the long-ruling Communists but a majority for the combined opposition, leaving the Communists unable to elect a president. More  Russia Draws Closer To Latin American Leftists Russia and Nicaragua have signed an agreement on visa-free travel between the two countries, in Moscow’s latest move to increase its ties in Latin America. More  Dozens Arrested As Opposition Rejects Election Results Police in Bishkek have arrested dozens of opposition demonstrators who took to the streets to protest alleged fraud during last week's presidential vote. Meanwhile, in his first televised speech following his reelection, President Kurmanbek Bakiev promised political reforms. More  Iran Opposition Group's Future Unclear After Iraqi Raid A raid by Iraqi forces on the camp of an Iranian opposition group is the latest flare-up in the tense standoff between Baghdad and the People's Mujahedin Organization of Iran since the U.S. military turned over responsibility for the camp to the Iraqis. It also raises again the question of what will become of the group, which Tehran wants expelled from Iraq but Washington -- until recently -- has kept under protective custody. More  Ukrainian Scientists Seek To Identify Remains Of Slain Journalist Forensics experts in Ukraine are trying to identify fragments of a human skull found in the Bilotserkivski district of Kyiv Oblast, RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service reports. More  Kazakh Court Upholds Oppositionists' Convictions The Almaty Appeals Court has upheld guilty verdicts passed against three Kazakh opposition leaders, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reports. More  Members Of Unregistered Sect Detained In Azerbaijan Azerbaijani religious rights activists protested the detention of 11 people in the town of Ganja for participating in illegal gatherings and spreading religious propaganda, RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service reports. More Unknown assailants have attacked an activist of Kyrgyzstan's opposition Green Party and demanded that she withdraw documents she filed with the Central Election Commission, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reports. More  Armenian Politician Rejects Proposed Karabakh Deal Former Armenian Foreign Minister Aleksandr Arzumanian says the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement proposed by international mediators is "unacceptable" for the Armenian side, RFE/RL's Armenian Service reports. More  Armenian Opposition Rallies For Journalist’s Release About 50 opposition supporters have rallied in Yerevan to demand the immediate release of jailed newspaper editor Arman Babajanian, who is reportedly suffering serious health problems, RFE/RL's Armenian Service reports. More Two policemen in the Russian city of Korolev near Moscow were arrested for alleged torturing a prisoner, RFE/RL's Russian Service reports. More Prominent Kyrgyz singer Sagynbek Mombekov says he was abducted and threatened ahead of a performance at an opposition rally, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reports. More  Confusion Surrounds Purported Attack On Chechen Renegade Moscow police have yet to confirm claims by former Chechen parliament deputy Isa Yamadayev of an attempt to assassinate him at his Moscow apartment late on July 28. Yamadayev told the radio station Ekho Moskvy on July 29 that a man whom he did not identify opened fire on him. He refused to say whether or not he was injured. But he did say his attacker was apprehended. More  Second Round Of Abkhaz Security Talks Takes Place Georgian, Abkhaz, Russian, EU, and UN representatives took part in a meeting on July 28 in the UN Human Rights Office in Abkhazia's southernmost Gali Raion to discuss the security situation on both sides of the border between Abkhazia and the rest of Georgia. More Ingushetian Prime Minister and acting President Rashid Gaysanov met on July 27 in Moscow with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and briefed him on the political and economic situation in Ingushetia. More  Could Cases Like Neda's Go To The Hague? 24-year-old Amir Javadifar was detained during a July 9 peaceful protest in Tehran. About two weeks later, the Iranian authorities informed Amir's family about his death. Amir's death in custody is one example of the many cases of violence committed in Iran in recent weeks, which some legal experts have said are violations under international law. More  Kyrgyz Opposition Leader Says He Has Done His Duty According to the official results, Almazbek Atambaev lost last week's presidential election in Kyrgyzstan. But he insists that he won the poll and that the incumbent was reelected only through massive fraud. Atambaev talked to RFE/RL about his "stolen" victory, the ordeal of campaigning and election day, and his plans for the immediate future. More  Commentary: Deja Vu All Over Again Today's vote is part of a continuing contest for the broad strokes of Moldova's future: accelerated reform and EU integration or a place in Russia's coveted "privileged sphere of influence." Clean elections and political reconciliation are needed to put Moldovan society back together after April's trauma. More French Observer Finds 'Dead Souls' French National Assembly member Henri Plagnol told RFE/RL correspondent Ahto Lobjakas that he personally uncovered serious problems on a voter list in Orhei Vechi, a town outside the Moldovan capital known for its monasteries, during his monitoring on election day. More Exit polling by the Institute of Public Politics suggests President Voronin's Communist Party got 41.7 of the vote, well short of a majority that would allow them to control either the legislature or the presidential vote single-handed. More  UPDATE: Home Reared RFE/RL correspondent Ahto Lobjakas, who spent part of the day traveling in the breakaway region of Transdniester, says French National Assembly member Henri Plagnol has told him the ballot box from President Vladimir Voronin's birthplace of Corjova has gone missing. More Don't forget our tweets from Moldova. We've been doing a mix of tweets so far, some from editors on key stories, others from correspondent Greg Feifer in Chisinau. Most of what you see from here on out will be coming from Greg, as time permits. More  Home Reared The Central Electoral Commission said authorities in President Voronin's birthplace "blocked access" to the voting booths there, so voters were told to use polling stations in two neighboring towns. More  Czechs Give Moldovan Voters A Break One employer at a construction site outside the Czech capital had even driven two Moldovan laborers to the embassy to cast their ballots. More  What The Communists Fear Most Russian political analyst Vitaly Portnikov has published a commentary on Moldova on politcom.ru that looks at some of the mistakes the ruling Communists have made during the standoff of the last few months. More Who says the blogosphere is indifferent to what is happening in Moldova? There are a lot of online resources available for diehard Moldova watchers. More Russia's English-language international broadcaster, Russia Today, broadcast a quick interview with political analyst Aleksandr Kynev on the alleged threats by Moldovan police. More  Two More Mouths To Feed Liberal Democrat party leader Vlad Filat tells RFE/RL's Moldovan Service that he discovered when he went to cast his ballot this morning that two strangers live with him in the Chisinau home that he and his family built for themselves. More The OSCE ambassador and head of mission to Moldova until last year, Louis O'Neill, has contributed a timely commentary on the prospect of protracted stalemate after these elections. More The Moldovan Central Election Commission reported at 3 p.m. local time that turnout has passed the 33 percent required to validate today's elections. As of that time, turnout was 33.6 percent. More |
