A Year without Boris Nemtsov and of pretend investigation
Words of indignation about the failed investigation are almost redundant. Who seriously expected investigators in Vladimir Putin’s Russia to look for those who had ordered the killing of the President’s fiercest critic, killed close to the Kremlin on February 27, 2015? …read more Source: Kharkiv Human Rights Protection...
Who Would Benefit From A Syria Partition?
February 26, 2016 In each installment of “CGI Asks,” a selection of experts respond to a question about developments in Russia and the broader region. This week, experts respond to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s statement that a partition of Syria is an increasingly likely alternative if peace talks fail. Michael Kofman, Public Policy...
Recent media freedom developments in Ukraine worrying, OSCE Representative says
VIENNA, 26 February 2016 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović today expressed concern about recent media freedom developments in Ukraine. Yesterday, a group of about 50 people identifying themselves as members of the Azov Civil Corps protested in front of the editorial office of Inter TV in Kyiv, demanding changes in the...
Socialism and famine
My colleague Mark Perry posted recently a great excerpt from Alan Charles Kors’ classic essay on the ghastly death toll caused by socialism, and the disgraceful willingness of so many “intellectuals” to avert their eyes from that tragic reality. I urge everyone to read Mark’s post; and let me add two observations.First, The Black Book...
Russia Gives Afghanistan Guns, Slams U.S. Policy
Openly critical of the U.S. presence and policies, Kremlin officials seek deeper ties to the Kabul government – and the Taliban. …read more Source: Transitions Online...
Latest from OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine, based on information received as of 19:30hrs, 25 February 2016
This report is for media and the general public. The SMM observed a reduced number of ceasefire violations in Donetsk region compared with previous days. In Luhansk, all ceasefire violations observed were assessed to be part of training. The Mission continued to monitor the withdrawal of weapons. It facilitated and monitored repairs to essential...
Avoiding early parliamentary elections would be the top priority for Poroshenko
Ukraine sank deeper into political turmoil Thursday as the governing coalition lost its majority in parliament after a second faction bailed out. The failure to create a new majority coalition may lead to early parliamentary elections, something President Petro Poroshenko has sought to avoid, fearing it could further destabilize the nation, the...
Ukrainian Jewish leaders appeal to Holland: Give our country the chance to break with the past
Prominent Jewish religious and civic leaders have addressed a moving appeal to the people of the Netherlands who are due to shortly vote in a referendum on whether to ratify the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement …read more Source: Kharkiv Human Rights Protection...
New charges against Ukrainian hostage as surreal as those Russia forced to retract
The trial has begun in Russia of Serhiy Lytvynov on robbery charges which Russia’s Investigative Committee came up with after being forced to abandon a war crimes indictment based solely on lurid ‘confessions’ …read more Source: Kharkiv Human Rights Protection...
Migrants crisis, Ukraine in focus as OSCE PA Winter Meeting opens
VIENNA, 25 February 2016 – Nearly 300 lawmakers from Europe, Asia and North America, including four speakers of parliament, assembled today in Vienna for the opening of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s 2016 Winter Meeting, its first major convocation of the year. The crisis of migrants and refugees, which tops the agenda at the two-day...
