Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

RFE/RL Headlines 3/29/2011 8:11:29 PM A daily digest of the English-language news and analysis written by the staff of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty RFE/RL is looking for guest bloggers, preferably writing from and about our broadcast region. If you're interested, drop us a line at webteam@rferl.org.

 

Features New Civil Society Forum Hopes To Influence EU-Russia Relations Human rights groups and other NGOs are inaugurating an EU-backed forum on civil society they hope will have a say in relations with Moscow. But the activists from Russia and European countries taking part face an uphill struggle to pressure a Kremlin that has periodically paid lip service to reform while maintaining its growing grip on power. More   Syria’s Assad, On The Ropes, Finds Friends In Strange Places With a reputation as one of the Middle East's most ruthlessly authoritarian regimes, few thought the wave of Arab revolt would affect Syria. But now President Bashar al-Assad is facing the biggest crisis in his 11-year rule following a wave of demonstrations that have left dozens dead. Yet despite Syria's staunchly anti-Western stance, the fall of Assad's regime would likely not be welcomed by the United States or Israel. More   Nagorno-Karabakh Tries To Make A Mark In Washington The breakaway Azerbaijani region of Nagorno-Karabakh unilaterally declared independence in 1991, a move not recognized by any country to date. But in hopes of raising its profile, the territory's de facto government has opened an office in Washington to push for official recognition. 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. In an exclusive interview with RFE/RL, he vowed to pursue justice after the government's crackdown and said he sees a moment of opportunity for the opposition. More   News 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   World Leaders Keep Pressure On Qaddafi World leaders meeting in London to discuss the situation in Libya have agreed that the NATO-led campaign will continue until Muammar Qaddafi leaves power. More   Umarov Charged With Moscow Attack Russia has charged Chechen warlord Doku Umarov with organizing an attack on Moscow's Domodedovo Airport that killed 37 people in January. The announcement came a day after security forces claimed to have slain 17 rebels in the North Caucasus in an operation President Dmitry Medvedev said dealt a "heavy blow" to the insurgents. More   Kosovars Await Next Step After Presidential Vote Nullified Opposition politicians in Kosovo have welcomed a ruling by the country's highest court nullifying the election by parliament of a new president last month. Behgjet Pacolli, a multimillionaire with close ties to Russia, was selected during a parliament session that was boycotted by a number of lawmakers. More   U.S.: Regime's Fate 'In Iranian Hands' Robert Einhorn, the U.S. State Department's special adviser for nonproliferation and arms control, says Washington is not now directing its efforts toward changing the regime that governs Iran. More   From Our Bureaus Kyrgyz Official Says Jail Hunger Strikes Backed By Bakiev's Relatives A Kyrgyz official says the relatives of ousted Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiev are actively supporting a mass hunger strike in the country's jails. More   Doctor 'Concerned' About Armenian Opposition Hunger Striker A doctor monitoring Armenian opposition leader Raffi Hovannisian expressed concern about his health and urged him to stop refusing food as his antigovernment hunger strike enters its third week. More   Persian Letters Iranian Writer Makes Book Available Online To Fight Censorship Iranian writer Javad Saeedipour has made one of his books available on his blog for download, apparently because he wasn't able to get a publishing license from Iran's Culture Ministry, which has to approve all books before they are published. More   The View From Iran Of Syria's Protests Iranian state-influenced media describe Syria's protests as "limited" and cite Israeli meddling. In reality, what has been "limited" is the coverage Iranian news agencies have given to the unrest that has rocked Syria recently. More   Tangled Web How Western Companies Help Middle Eastern Governments Censor The Web The recent unrest in the Middle East has once again highlighted the role of Western companies in aiding web censorship and filtering. More   Commentary Getting Past The Subcontinent's Sticky Wicket The majority of Pakistani analysts who stress the need for negotiated settlement of all disputes between India and Pakistan more than they did in the past are of the view that Singh's invitation and Gilani's acceptance can prove an icebreaker. More