Watchdog

Armenia says it has no intention of removing its ambassador in Berlin after a German investigative report alleged that the envoy may have ties to a brutal Armenian mafia ring operating in that country.

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Karen Nazarian told RFE/RL that the ministry is in contact with German officials "to clarify the credibility of the allegations that were made in the media" about Ambassador Ashot Smbatian and the Armenian Embassy in general having links to a criminal group.

"These are certain allegations made in the media. I don't think that we should take steps based on media reports," Nazarian added.

The allegations come from a report based on a three-year covert investigation by various German security services into the activities of an Armenian-led branch of an infamous criminal group Berlin has dubbed the "Thieves-In-Law," which operates throughout Europe and reportedly has tentacles in sports and diplomatic circles.

The magazine Der Spiegel and MDR TV and Radio say they obtained copies of the final report of the investigation, code-named FATIL (Fight Against Thieves-In-Law), which concluded this summer and led to the opening of 14 criminal cases involving 42 people.

In addition, a combined team of Der Spiegel and MDR reporters spent five months investigating the German operations of the notorious Thieves-In-Law -- a powerful, worldwide criminal group that originated in the Soviet prison system and is known for its ruthlessness and for having its own elaborate legal culture.

The reports assert that, in March, Smbatian offered the Armenian Embassy's support in the investigation but Germany's Federal Criminal Police Office told investigators to reject the offer because it could not rule out "possible fusion" between the diplomatic mission and Thieves-In-Law criminal groups operating in Germany.

Other law enforcement bodies in Germany were also cautioned about cooperating with Armenian authorities, the media organizations reported.

In particular, German security services reportedly suspected that Smbatian -- appointed ambassador in 2015 by then-Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian -- had links to criminal groups, though they offered no specific proof.

'Absurd' Allegations

Smbatian, who was also named Armenian ambassador to Liechtenstein on October 30, has called allegations of his involvement with criminal groups "absurd" and from the "rumor mill," tagesschau.de reported. His lawyer also declared an allegation that Smbatian was a member of the Thieves-In-Law to be "nonsense."

Smbatian obtained a last-minute injunction from a Berlin court on November 6 that barred the broadcast of a Der Spiegel/MDR documentary on the German investigation on November 7.

The film, The Godfather In Germany, details the Thieves-In-Law's alleged operations in Germany and other parts of Europe, where it purportedly collaborates with Italian and Russian mafia groups, including in the distribution of counterfeit money.

MDR said it did not have enough time after the November 6 court decision to make the necessary changes to the documentary as required by the legal order and thus had to postpone its broadcast.

It also added that it will appeal the court order.

It is unclear why Smbatian, 49, wanted to prevent the broadcast.

The Armenian Foreign Ministry says it will take no action against Smbatian until it investigates the media reports.

"We sent an inquiry," said Nazarian. "It concerns very delicate issues, in particular the activities of our diplomatic mission and the reputation of its head. I cannot say more at this stage. Let's wait for the results."

'Sobering' Conclusions

Der Spiegel and MDR claim that, in the investigative report about FATIL, German officials established that Armenian mafia groups have developed "deep roots" and created a "strong network" in Germany.

Der Spiegel called the conclusions of the FATIL report and the media outlets' joint research into the criminal groups to be "sobering."

It said those mafia groups -- which it says are involved in everything from manipulating slot machines to extortion and money-laundering and even human trafficking -- have "considerable financial resources" and could be a "threat to the rule of law."

The report is also said to mention Armenian-German IBO world light-heavyweight boxing champion Karo Murat, his brother Koko, and Armenian-German former WBO and IBF middleweight champion Arthur Abraham; but officials said they failed to find any concrete evidence of their involvement in the Armenian mafia group's activities, Der Spiegel and MDR reported.

Koko does admit to being present at a bloody shoot-out between Armenian mafia clans at a casino in the eastern German city of Erfurt in 2014, but told the Der Spiegel/MDR reporters that neither he nor his brother have any contacts with the mafia.

Abraham did not reply to a list of questions from the Der Spiegel/MDR reporters about the reported ties to the criminal group, while Karo Murat denied having any business associations with members of the mafia. He also denied being present at the Erfurt incident even though police allegedly found his mobile phone and a car registered to him at the scene.

Armenian mafia groups are suspected of having operated in Germany since shortly after the 1991 dissolution of the U.S.S.R., when immigrants from Armenia and other former Soviet republics arrived in substantial numbers.

But German security officials turned greater attention to the groups after the 2014 casino shootout between rival Armenian gangs in Erfurt, where the Thieves-In-Law are suspected of having a base.

The classified report also cites possible suspicions in 2005 when the Berlin Public Prosecutor's Office reportedly investigated Smbatian for money laundering, Der Spiegel reported.

And in 2008 -- when Smbatian was a staffer at the Armenian Embassy in Berlin -- Germany's Federal Intelligence Service began an investigation into whether the future ambassador was engaged in smuggling, but later suspended the probe due to a lack of evidence.

Smbatian said he has no knowledge of any previous investigations of him in Germany.

Albert Weiler, a member of the Bundestag from the German state of Thuringia (where Erfurt is the capital), said he was shocked to hear reports about Smbatian having alleged mafia links.

"I cannot imagine that he is doing anything wrong," Weiler, who leads a German-Armenian Forum, told Der Spiegel. "If he were [involved in such things] that would set back my image of mankind a bit."

Written by Pete Baumgartner based on reporting by RFE/RL Armenian Service correspondents Suren Musayelian, Heghine Buniatyan, and Astghik Bedevian

Pakistani human rights activist Gulalai Ismail had just landed in Islamabad airport when she was detained by federal agents. After nine hours, authorities released the renowned activist on bail but confiscated her passport to ensure she stayed put.

Authorities placed her on the Exit Control List, barring her from leaving the country, based on allegations that she had participated in "antistate" activities stemming from her participation in a rally in August. She fears being sent to prison on what she and others consider to be trumped-up charges.

The award-winning activist has been a critic of military operations that have killed thousands of people and uprooted millions in the country's northwestern tribal regions over the past decade.

The 33-year-old has denied the allegations, claiming that they are part of an ongoing campaign to stifle dissent in the South Asian country. Dozens of rights defenders and journalists critical of the authorities have been detained, arrested, or have fled the country out of fear for their safety in recent years.

Ismail said the allegations against her are “part of a malicious attempt by state actors to silence human rights defenders.

"I could face prison simply for speaking out about human rights," she told RFE/RL by telephone.

The allegations stem from a speech Ismail gave during a rally organized by the Pashtun Protection Movement (PTM), which has denounced the army's heavy-handed operations in the militancy-hit tribal regions. The group has called for judicial probes into those killed by the military and has campaigned for ending enforced disappearances, extrajudicial executions, and discrimination against the country's Pashtun ethnic minority.

The movement made national headlines when thousands of people from the tribal areas and northwest Pakistan marched to the capital, Islamabad, in February. The rally, ignited by the killing of a young Pashtun shopkeeper in an allegedly staged gunbattle with police in the port city of Karachi, exposed long-held grievances among Pashtuns.

Police in Swabi, a town in the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, filed charges against 19 PTM supporters for "unlawful assembly," "punishment for rioting," and "punishment for wrongful restraint." Ismail, a Pashtun, was added to the list of alleged perpetrators the next day, although there were no specific charges filed against her.

Ismail is currently petitioning to have her name removed from the list. The Interior Ministry told the Islamabad High Court, which is hearing Ismail's petition, that she had been put on the ECL on the recommendation of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), the country’s notorious spy agency.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has said the state has made allegations of antistate activities "an expedient label for human rights defenders, particularly those associated with the PTM."

"The right to peaceful dissent -- especially when this means articulating 'uncomfortable' truths about curtailed rights and freedoms -- should not be branded routinely as 'antistate,'" HRCP said in a statement on October 26. ​

'What War Has Done'

Nine PTM supporters charged over the August rally have been denied bail and are in jail. Since the movement was formed in January, international rights groups say authorities have banned peaceful rallies organized by the PTM and that some of its leading members have been arbitrarily detained and prevented from traveling within the country. Some members have also faced charges for alleged sedition and cybercrimes.

Pakistan's impoverished tribal areas became a front line in the battle against extremist groups after the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, when the Afghan Taliban and Al-Qaeda took refuge in the region. The region has been the scene of deadly Pakistani army operations, U.S. drone attacks, and militant attacks.

​Pashtuns make up the majority of recruits and members of Pakistani-based militant groups such as the Afghan Taliban, the Haqqani network, and the Pakistani Taliban. But PTM supporters say civilians have borne the brunt of the violence and claim Pashtuns have been the targets of the army and the ISI, two powerful bodies that have an oversize role in the country.

"The protest rallies are usually a place to share stories, to cry, and talk about what war has done to our lives," says Ismail, who has participated in several PTM rallies. "I have met many women whose husbands had gone missing for years. Wives are waiting for their husbands. Their children are waiting for their fathers."

'Shrinking' Space

Ismail says the accusations against her and PTM supporters are part of a wider campaign to stifle free speech in Pakistan, which has been ruled by the army for nearly half of its statehood.

"The space for civic voices is shrinking," says Ismail, who won the Anna Politkovskaya Award in 2017 for campaigning against religious extremism. "A narrative has been built around civil society as antistate, destroying local culture, and promoting Westernization."

The Pakistani media are under unprecedented pressure. Veteran reporters have left the country after being threatened; the country's most popular TV station has been forced off the air; and leading columnists have complained that stories that are critical of the army are being rejected by outlets under pressure from the military. One prominent journalist is facing treason charges for publishing a story that was critical of the military.

"As a human rights defender, I have been attacked, I have been accused of blasphemy, and I have been accused of being engaged in antistate activities," says Ismail, who co-founded the nongovernmental organization Aware Girls in 2002 to build up the leadership capacity of young women as agents of change. "It has been a life-risking job to raise my voice against a system of oppression."

Rabia Mehmood, South Asia researcher at Amnesty International, said Ismail is being targeted "solely for her peaceful human rights work."

"The new government of Prime Minister Imran Khan had said it would protect human rights and engage with members of the PTM to address issues such as enforced disappearances and extrajudicial executions," said Mehmood. "Gulalai Ismail's arrest severely tests those commitments. Instead of trying to silence human rights defenders, the new government must work to create a safe and enabling environment for those who raise their voices for justice."