 RFE/RL Watchdog 1/25/2010 A blog of human rights, media freedom, and democracy developments from RFE/RL's broadcast region.For more, please visit and bookmark Watchdog . |
 Tomsk Anger At Death In Custody Several hundred people in the western Siberian city of Tomsk have staged a demonstration against local police and the death in police custody of journalist Konstantin Popov. More  HRW: Iran Crackdown A 'Rights Disaster' Iran's crackdown on opposition protests following June's disputed presidential election was a "human rights disaster," U.S.-based Human Rights Watch said. More  Moldovan PM Challenged On Confronting Anti-Semitism Moldovan Prime Minister Vlad Filat has appeared before the Helsinki Commission, a U.S. agency that monitors human rights worldwide, during his first visit to Washington as premier. More  Art Critics Back Uzbek Photographer The International Association of Art Critics (AICA) has launched a campaign in support of Uzbek photographer Umida Ahmedova, who has been charged by the government with defamation, RFE/RL's Uzbek Service reports. More  Armenian Journalist Jailed Over Protests A court in Yerevan has sentenced Nikol Pashinian, a leading opposition journalist, to seven years in jail on charges of organizing the mass unrest that followed the February 2008 presidential election. More  Russian Prisoners Begin Hunger Strike Inmates at a prison in the southwestern Russian city of Novocherkassk have started a hunger strike to protest alleged rights violations, RFE/RL's Russian Service reports. More  Iran Confirms Oslo Consul Resignation Tehran had earlier denied that consul Mohammed Reza Heydari had quit, despite Heydari's public statements that he was stepping down to protest Tehran's crackdown on pro-reform demonstrators. More  Jailed Kazakhs Get 'Democracy Prize' A Kazakh opposition group will jointly award a democracy prize to a jailed journalist, rights activist, and businessman, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reports. More  Fraud Accusations In Ukrainian Election As Ukrainians continue to go to the polls under a light snow, voting in Kyiv has been calm so far, with officials saying they're seeing the lowest turnout in 10 years. But the threat that allegations of fraud will disrupt the election hangs over the process. More  Tajik Police: No Arrest In Journalist's Murder Regional Tajik police say they know nothing about the reported arrest of a man suspected in the 2007 murder of Kyrgyz journalist Alisher Saipov. More  Tatar Newspaper Editor Gets Suspended Sentence A Tatar opposition newspaper editor convicted of propagating extremist views has been given an 18-month suspended sentence by a Kazan court, RFE/RL's Tatar-Bashkir Service reports. More  'Public Parliament' Chides Kyrgyz Officials Participants in an opposition and nongovernmental forum in the Kyrgyz capital have adopted a resolution condemning the government for alleged rights abuses, politically motivated trials, and disregard for the constitution. More  U.S. Blasts Armenian By-Election The U.S. Embassy in Yerevan has criticized a by-election for an Armenian parliament seat and urged authorities to prosecute those responsible for numerous "irregularities" that were witnessed by U.S. and local observers, RFE/RL's Armenian Service reports. More  Moscow Village Wants Olympics Moved From Sochi Residents of the Moscow suburb of Matveevka together with the Association of Russian Lawyers for Human Rights have sent a letter to the International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge to protest the destruction of their community to make room for an expanded federal highway. More A Freedom House expert says the Armenian government's lack of respect for political and civil rights has it extremely close to being declared "not free," RFE/RL's Armenian Service reports. More  Russian Rights Activists Push For Memorial To Slain Lawyer, Journalist Russian rights activists are gathering signatures to push for a memorial plaque to a human rights lawyer and a journalist who were slain in Moscow one year ago, RFE/RL's Russian Service reports. More  RSF Alarmed By Journalist Summonses The media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) says it is alarmed by the recent interrogation of five independent journalists by Uzbek officials, RFE/RL's Uzbek Service reports. More  CPJ Urges Kazakhstan To Close Cases Against Activists The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has condemned the prosecution of media activists in Kazakhstan, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reports. More A criminal case has been opened against human rights activist Anastasia Denisova in the southern Russian city of Krasnodar, RFE/RL's Russian Service reports. More Armenian Journalists Face Election Violence During a tense parliamentary by-election in Armenia on Sunday, January 10, reporters with RFE/RL’s Armenian service suffered three attacks and attempts to prevent them from covering the process. More  Wife Of Jailed Kazakh Editor On Trial For Protest A trial for three organizers of a rally supporting jailed journalists in Kazakhstan began today in Almaty, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reports. More  Court Delays 'Donkey Bloggers' Hearing An Azerbaijani court has postponed the hearing into an appeal by two bloggers jailed on what supporters say were politically motivated charges, RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service reports. More  Uzbek Prosecutor's Office Interrogates Independent Journalists Uzbekistan's Prosecutor-General's Office interrogated two independent journalists today in Tashkent, RFE/RL's Uzbek Service reports. More  NGOs Troubled By Iran Crackdown Nongovernmental groups targeted on a blacklist announced recently by Iranian authorities who cited "seditious" activities have protested Tehran's most recent clampdown. More |
