RFE/RL BELARUS, UKRAINE, AND MOLDOVA REPORT 10.09.2013 A review of RFE/RL reporting and analysis about Belarus, Ukraine, and Moldova.
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BELARUS Belarus ranks among the countries with the highest rates of suicide worldwide, following Greenland, South Korea, Lithuania, Guyana, and Kazakhstan, according to data compiled by the World Health Organization. As countries observe World Suicide Prevention Day on September 10, RFE/RL's Belarus Service asked people in Minsk for their opinions on the country's alarmingly high suicide rate. More  Belarusian Physician Says Getting Psychotropic Injections Against His Will A physician in the eastern Belarusian city of Vitsebsk, who was forcibly admitted into a psychiatric clinic, says he is being treated against his will and that his rights are being violated. More The city of Zhlobin in eastern Belarus is preparing to host Dazhynki, an annual harvest festival held in a different town each year. President Alyaksandr Lukashenka traditionally attends the festival, prompting a flurry of repairs and restoration work in the chosen town. More  With Belarus's Economy In Balance, Lukashenka Stands Up To Russia Belarus's economy has been on the brink of collapse for years. Now the prospect of losing a lucrative export deal with Russia has Alyaksandr Lukashenka prepared to take a tough line with the Kremlin. More  Groups Call For Belarus Doc Release Human rights organizations are urging Belarusian authorities to immediately discharge a physician in the eastern city of Vitsebsk from a psychiatric clinic. More Belarusian opposition activist Alyaksandr Frantskevich has been released from prison after serving nearly three years for "anarchist activities." More  Belarusian Opposition Activist Gets Five Days In Jail A court in Belarus has sentenced an opposition activist to five days in jail for allegedly using vulgar words while being drunk in a public place. More  More Than 150,000 Earthlings Line Up For One-Way Ticket To Mars Over 150,000 people have applied to be the first human colonists on Mars. But what does it take to make the cut? Organizers say they're putting a premium on teamwork, smarts – and a good sense of humor. More  Belarusian Activist Jailed The deputy chairman of the unregistered Young Front political movement in Belarus, Mikola Dzemidzenka, has been sentenced to 12 days in jail for refusing to follow police instructions. More  Dashkevich Freed From Belarus Jail Zmitser Dashkevich, the leader of Belarus's unregistered Young Front political movement, has been released from prison more than two years after the disputed presidential election that sparked protests and a crackdown. More  Nominees Announced For Havel Prize The shortlisted nominees for this year's Vaclav Havel Human Rights Prize are jailed Belarusian rights activist Ales Byalyatski, Georgia's Young Lawyers' Association, and the Rights Defense Network of China. More  Russian Firm To Run Chisinau Airport Responsibility for the day-to-day operations of the Chisinau International Airport has been granted to a Russian company for a period of 49 years. More  Interview: U.S. Ambassador Urges Moldovans To 'Stay Engaged' Moldova's pro-Western coalition government is forging ahead with its European-integration agenda despite considerable resistance at home and strong pressure from Moscow. RFE/RL's Moldovan Service correspondent Valentina Ursu sat down in Chisinau with U.S. Ambassador William Moser to discuss the country's post-Soviet development and the prospects for its future.More In an interview with RFE/RL, former Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko says that the country's political direction in the next few years is one of the most important issues for Europe. He warns against any move that would bring Kyiv closer to Moscow, as that would lead to political isolation. More  Femen Acknowledges Male Mastermind, But Says Now Has Broken Free A documentary film premiering on September 5 at the Venice Film Festival uncovers the instrumental -- and some might say controversial -- role played by a man in helping to build Femen, the Ukrainian feminist group famous for its topless protests. More  Jewish Pilgrims Celebrate New Year In Ukraine Thousands of Hasidic Jews from at least 15 countries have gathered in the town of Uman, Ukraine, to celebrate Rosh Hashanah, the beginning of the Jewish New Year. A record number of pilgrims, estimated at more than 30,000, have come to spend the holiday at the gravesite of the founder of the Breslov Hasidic movement, Reb Nachman. (Andriy Bashtovyy, RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service) More  Ukraine Approves Laws Toward EU Ukrainian lawmakers have approved a first set of measures expected to pave Kyiv's path toward closer integration with the European Union. More  News Analysis: Armenia's Choice Stirs Competition Between Moscow, EU The Armenian president's decision to favor joining the Russian-led Customs Union at the expense of closer EU ties has raised questions about Moscow's regional ambitions. More  Interview: U.S. Economist Judy Shelton Skeptical Of Customs Union RFE/RL speaks with Judy Shelton, an economist and the vice chairwoman of the board of directors of the U.S.-based National Endowment for Democracy, about why Russia is creating its own economic zone as a rival to the EU and how it is pressing states to join. More  Sentence Suspended In Ukraine Beating Three men have received suspended sentences for beating two journalists in Ukraine More  Interview: Fukuyama On Democratization In Eastern Europe More than two decades ago, at a time when the world was witnessing the collapse of the Soviet Union and its socialist economy, as well as the triumph of the free market and democracy, Francis Fukuyama predicted that liberalism would sweep away competing ideologies. But in an exclusive interview with RFE/RL's Belarus Service, Fukuyama explains that democratization in Eastern Europe and Russia has not come easily. More |