Hey, you're busy! We know rferl.org isn't the only website you read. And that it's just possible you may have missed some of our most compelling journalism this week. To make sure you're up-to-date, here are some of the highlights produced by RFE/RL's team of correspondents, multimedia editors, and visual journalists over the past seven days.
We are also including content here from Gandhara, an RFE/RL website focusing on developments in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Sex, Lies, And Secret Surveillance: Inside Kyrgyzstan’s Campaign to Silence Journalist Bolot Temirov
A leading independent journalist in Kyrgyzstan says police planted drugs on him as retribution for his exposés of corruption. But that was just the tip of the iceberg. Here's how a campaign of spying and blackmail has been deployed against one of the country's top investigative outlets. By RFE/RL, OCCRP, and Kloop
As World Tenses For War, People Keep Dying In Eastern Ukraine Fighting
As the world watches tensely to see if Russian troops massing on Ukraine's borders are preparing to mount a new invasion, the fighting in the country's Donbas region continues to claim casualties. Civilians in the region say life is intolerable. International monitors record hundreds of cease-fire violations every day in the conflict between Ukrainian forces and Russia-backed separatists. By Ray Furlong
Leaked IRGC Document Warns Of Rising Discontent In Iran
A confidential IRGC document leaked to RFE/RL's Radio Farda warns that discontent has increased significantly in Iran and society is in a state of "explosion." By RFE/RL’s Radio Farda and Golnaz Esfandiari
Tracking Down Advanced Russian Weaponry In The Eastern Ukraine Conflict Zone
When Russia's ruling party urged the state last week to provide weaponry to separatists in eastern Ukraine, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described the proposal as "something new," claiming that such assistance had never been sent to the region before. However, open-source investigators in Ukraine have been documenting the presence of advanced Russian weapons there since the conflict began in 2014. By Serhiy Horbatenko
'Jewish Taliban' Being Forced To Leave Bosnia
Dozens of newcomers believed to be members of the radical Lev Tahor group, which is hounded by controversy and allegations of child abuse, arrived recently in east Sarajevo. The group isn't accused of any local wrongdoing, but officials now say its members need to leave. By Meliha Kesmer and Andy Heil
Organs And Children Sold Amid Afghan Economic Collapse
A mother said she considered selling her child amid the humanitarian and economic crisis that has gripped Afghanistan -- she had already sold her kidney. Many others say they have done the same. Elsewhere, a long, dusty line of people waited patiently for cash handouts from the UN's refugee agency. A UN official said, "Twenty-three million people don't know where their next meal is coming from." By Ray Furlong and RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal
Former Peacekeeper Crowdsources On Facebook To Reconnect With Bosnian War's Childhood Survivors
Salvador Pelaez recently shared pictures from his tour protecting civilians caught in the cross fire of an iconic Balkan battle and asked if anyone knew what became of the children. Then the text messages started pouring in. By Dzenana Karabegovic
A Young Bulgarian Mother's Hospital Wait Was Filmed. And Then She Died.
A mother's futile and frustrating attempt to be admitted to a hospital in northwestern Bulgaria was caught on camera, including her final moments dying in a wheelchair. The video has since been deleted, but not the questions and outrage the incident has sparked in Bulgaria, which is struggling to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. By RFE/RL's Bulgarian Service and Tony Wesolowsky
Russia Menaces And Ukrainians Heed Calls For Civil-Defense Training. There's Just One Thing.
Ukrainians are turning to civil defense training as the drumbeat of a possible new Russian invasion grow louder. Some of the private paramilitary groups doing the trainings have dubious histories. By Mike Eckel
Pakistan's Hard-line Islamists Emboldened By Afghan Taliban’s Victory
As the Taliban consolidates its control over Afghanistan, its military victory is influencing the political dynamics of neighboring Pakistan. By Ron Synovitz and Daud Khattak
