As the year draws to a close, let's take a look back at the stories, videos, and photo galleries that most piqued the interest of RFE/RL readers in 2019.
Iranian Marriage Annulled After Man Weds 11-Year-Old Girl
The girl is said to be around 11. The man is reportedly twice her age. They were wed in a remote southwestern Iranian province with a video of the ceremony posted online. By Golnaz Esfandiari
Why Was Ukraine's Top Prosecutor Fired? The Issue At The Heart Of The Dispute Gripping Washington
U.S. President Donald Trump has asserted that former Vice President Joe Biden pushed for the ouster of Ukraine’s chief prosecutor to quash a probe into Burisma, a gas company with Biden’s son on its board. But officials and anti-corruption activists in Kyiv say Prosecutor-General Viktor Shokin had shelved the case long before and was fired for his failure to prosecute that case -- and many others. By Christopher Miller
Danish Jehovah's Witness Found Guilty Of Extremism In Russian Court, Given Six Years
A Russian court found Dennis Christensen, a Danish adherent of the Jehovah's Witnesses religion, guilty of "organizing the activity of an extremist organization."
Exclusive: Daughter Of Putin's Spokesman Working In European Parliament
The daughter of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman worked as an intern in the European Parliament in Brussels, and had unhindered access to various EU documents. By Rikard Jozwiak, Gjeraqina Tuhina, and Gregory Zhygalov
Spy Photos From Communist Czechoslovakia
Secretly taken photographs, some published here for the first time, show the lengths Czechoslovakia’s communist authorities went to spy on their own citizens. By Amos Chapple
Chernobyl For Sale
The hit TV show was bolstering demand for related Soviet memorabilia. By Ron Synovitz
The Nazi Occupation Of Prague: Then And Now
Rare photographs from the World War II-era shed light on a dark period in Prague's history. By Amos Chapple
Fast And Furious Stunts On Georgian Roads
The hit movie franchise The Fast And The Furious has been filming scenes for its latest movie in the Georgian town of Rustavi. Our cameras were there as an armored truck plowed though cars and a helicopter flew overhead. By RFE/RL's Georgian Service and Neil Bowdler
Winter War: The 1939 Soviet Invasion Of Finland In Crystal-Clear Photos
An archive of thousands of images of the Soviet Union's 1939 invasion of Finland have been scanned and digitized, revealing the harrowing human details of the David vs. Goliath struggle. By Amos Chapple
Smooth Transition: New Kazakh Leader Pushes Photoshopped Pictures
Kazakhstan's interim president, Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev, may have found life in the spotlight a little too harsh since the surprise resignation of longtime President Nursultan Nazarbaev in March. RFE/RL discovered that official pictures of the new Kazakh leader had been dramatically altered. By Amos Chapple
