Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

RFE/RL Belarus, Ukraine, and Moldova Report 3/29/2011 7:47:51 PM A review of RFE/RL reporting and analysis about Belarus, Ukraine, and Moldova. For more stories on Eastern Europe, please visit and bookmark our Eastern Europe page .

 

Belarus Belarus Activist Jailed For Vote Protest A Belarusian political activist has been sentenced to 3 1/2 years in prison after being found guilty of taking part in a political protest. More   Exiled Belarusian Presidential Candidate Senses Opposition's Moment To Unify In December, Belarusian presidential candidate Ales Mikhalevich was arrested along with fellow candidates and hundreds of supporters as they protested the controversial reelection of President Alyaksandr Lukashenka, the man dubbed "Europe's last dictator." This month, Mikhalevich fled Minsk and was granted political asylum in the Czech Republic. More   Belarus Jails, Bans Russian Journalist Aleksandr Lashmankin told RFE/RL that he plans to appeal his arrest and the decision to annul his accreditation, describing both as politically motivated. More   Amnesty International Says Executions On Decline Worldwide The number of executions worldwide has declined in the past year, but the death penalty is still imposed on thousands of people around the world each year, according to a new report by Amnesty International. More   Two Belarusian Activists Get Jail, One Gets Asylum A court in Minsk has sentenced two opposition activists to jail in a trial that critics say was aimed at keeping them behind bars during the presidential election. Meanwhile, a former opposition presidential candidate has been granted political asylum in the Czech Republic. More   Belarus Oppositionist Freed From Jail Belarusian businessman and opposition activist Andrey Bandarenka has been found not guilty of financial mismanagement by a Minsk city court after spending two years in jail. More   Belarusian Activists Jailed For Holding Rally For Colleagues Two Belarusian activists have been sentenced in Minsk to short jail terms for holding a protest rally in support of two colleagues. More   Belarus KGB 'Pressured' NGO The leader of a Belarusian nongovernmental organization says KGB officials have been pressuring him to collaborate with the security service. More   Egypt's Military And Popular Sovereignty "Al-Masry Al-Youm" commentator Alaa al-Aswani tries to identify "five groups vis-a-vis the revolution" and posits key questions about the role and decisions of Egypt's armed forces along the way. It's hard not to be reminded of events in Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Iran, and Armenia. More   Moldova Moldovan PM Threatens To Resign Moldovan Prime Minister Vlad Filat says his government will be forced to resign if the ruling coalition does not adopt new budgetary laws by the end of the month. More   EU Chides Moldova On Discrimination Bill A European official tasked with helping Moldova bring its laws closer to EU standards has urged Chisinau to pass an antidiscrimination bill on time and without changes, despite public outrage over a "sexual orientation" clause in the draft. More   Ukraine After 11-Month Ordeal, Crew Of Georgian Ship Recalls Harrowing Libyan Escape A Georgian ship languished for 11 months in the Libyan port of Misurata, as its stranded sailors slowly starved. But then the fighting began -- giving them a now-or-never chance to break free. More   EU Set To Retool Policy Toward Neighbors In the wake of an ongoing crackdown in Belarus and a dizzying political transformation in North Africa, the European Union is retooling its approach to its immediate neighborhood. More   Kuchma 'Charged' In Gongadze Case Ukraine's former President Leonid Kuchma has said that he has been charged in connection with the 2000 death of investigative journalist Heorhiy Gongadze. More   RFE Affiliate in Ukraine Fights Closure Radio Melodiya has appealed to the head of the country's State Security Service (SBU) asking him to intervene to prevent the station's closure. It is one of the most popular news and music stations in Ukraine and an affiliate of Radio Svoboda, RFE's Ukraine language service. More   Ukraine Auto Rally Against Taxes Critics of a new Tax Code in Ukraine are taking part in a cross-country auto rally to protest the code's impact on small businesses. More   Teachers Protest Ukraine Cuts Thousands of Ukrainian teachers have demonstrated in Kyiv against drastic cuts in education funding planned by the government. More